Android Phone Fans |
- Google Play Services 4.1 brings turn-based multiplayer support, Google Drive API preview and more
- Latest Google+ APK has Chromecast icon files; Chromecast support coming soon?
- Buy a Moto X off-contract and get a Chromecast for free [DEAL]
- Carbon Twitter for Android hits token limit
- Snapchat update brings ability to unlink mobile number
- Verizon Moto G now available for $100 off-contract
- Gmail 4.7.2 update brings automatic image loading
- Samsung exec says Galaxy S5 launches April, confirms concurrent Gear sequel
- WWE Network will bring all the wrestling content you can handle for $9.99 per month
| Google Play Services 4.1 brings turn-based multiplayer support, Google Drive API preview and more Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:47 PM PST
Google has detailed an upgrade to Google Play Services — version 4.1 — that should bring us a lot of good stuff. For starters, Google has made a turn-by-turn multiplayer framework for developers who want to make TBT multiplayer games. This is something that has been much needed from the start, with games like Magic 2014 dumping multiplayer due to lack of proper support. Also in this version is a developer preview for the new Google Drive APIs, so apps can tap into your Drive storage and seamlessly load and save files. This’ll be great for third-party file managers or any app that wants to utilize Google Drive for long-term storage. Rounding out the list of changes are new Google Mobile Ads SDK APIs for those using DoubleClick and Search Ads, as well as the ability to have Google+ posts autocomplete and suggest recipients from your Gmail contacts, device contacts and your friends on Google+. It should be rolling out as a background upgrade to everyone over the course of the next few weeks. If you’re a developer, be sure to check out the source link for more information. [via Android Developers] |
| Latest Google+ APK has Chromecast icon files; Chromecast support coming soon? Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:58 PM PST
It looks like Google+ users could be getting a Chromecast option to share photos and video with family and friends. The latest Android APK seems to contain files for Chromecast icons, which can only mean that Google is planning to introduce Chromecast support inside the app sometime soon (unless they like eating up resources with no plan to take advantage of them). We imagine it’d work just like any Chromecast app — hit the button, and watch as your content is beamed straight over to your TV. We’re not sure whether this would only be applicable for your own content or for any photo or video you come across on Google+. We suppose that information will come to us whenever Google decides to drop the feature. There’s no indication as to when they’d bring anything like this, but if they’re loading the APK up with resource files then we can’t be too far away. In the meantime, users can use something like Avia with Chromecast and sync their Google+ account, a feature we detailed in our extensive preview here. Fingers crossed that this turns out to be what we all hope it turns out to be! [via Google+] |
| Buy a Moto X off-contract and get a Chromecast for free [DEAL] Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:17 PM PST
Read for another “buy X and get a free Chromecast” deal? Google’s really pushing this thing lately, as the offer now applies to any Moto X bought off-contract at Motorola’s website. It’s a savings of $35 which, if you consider the fact that the cheapest Moto X is now $399.99, makes this deal worth almost as much as the failed Cyber Monday deal that got folks the phone for $350. The Chromecast has become a big hit in the short time since its arrival. Time named it their best gadget of 2013, and the device has gotten a multitude of great apps for folks to enjoy their content on the big screen. Many of us are still waiting for Google to open third-party APIs and give developers free reign in developing apps, but the crop of apps out there now have been more than enough to keep folks satisfied. It’s a great little bonus if you were looking to buy a Moto X soon, so get in on it ASAP before this deal expires (though we imagine the $35 pill isn’t hard to swallow otherwise). [via Motorola] |
| Carbon Twitter for Android hits token limit Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:25 PM PST
Aaaaaand another one bites the dust. Carbon for Twitter, one of the newest, best designed Twitter apps for Android, has finally reached its Twitter token limit. If you don’t remember, Twitter limited third-party developers of Twitter clients to 100,000 user tokens (though they have given developers more in special cases). A token is used when a user links that app with their Twitter account. Once this limit is reached, no new users may sign up. Tokens can be relinquished by users at any time, allowing others to take their place if they wish. The problem is that this doesn’t happen quite often enough, and folks who stop using the app often forget to go into their Twitter settings to give their tokens up. Unfortunately, developer M.Saleh Esmaeili says he isn’t interested in using wonky workarounds to get around this issue. Instead, he’ll let the app live on in its current state, wishing users good luck in trying to grab a token should they ever want to use the app. Esmaeili says he is still planning on upgrading Carbon with the features currently in the pipeline, though the future of updates beyond that is uncertain. In any case, it sounds like the project will eventually wind down as he shifts focus to other things (like a new fitness service that you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for). We’ve been shouting about this nonsense every since Twitter implemented the draconian API limits some time ago. Our hope is that our voices will be heard and Twitter will eventually quit stifling competition to their own official app, but it doesn’t look like they are budging from their stance. As such, the typical “deal with it or move on” message still applies. We hear there are much greener pastures around here lately, anyway. [via Google+] |
| Snapchat update brings ability to unlink mobile number Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:40 AM PST Snapchat has been in the news a lot lately, but not all of it has been positive press. The anonymous image-sending service was hacked a couple of weeks ago, with whistle blowers aiming to expose an exploit that Snapchat has thus far neglected to address. The result of the breah was a list of 4.6 million usernames and associated phone numbers.
Snapchat didn’t have much to say about the claims immediately following the list going public, but they have come out today with a blog post detailing an update that will now allow you to unlink your mobile phone number from your Snapchat account (something we heard would happen about a week ago). Your phone number is used for friends to find you in the Find Friends menu, but the recent exposure of this sensitive information seems to have urged Snapchat to make the change. Users can still find each other by searching for usernames. Furthermore, new Snapchat users will now have to verify their phone numbers before they’re allowed to use the Find Friends feature.
We try not to read too much into things around here, but it sounds like they’re dancing around calling what this is: a hack via an exploit they refused to address. Thankfully it seems they’ve gotten the message, and won’t take potential exploits lightly in the future. You can find Snapchat as a free download in the Google Play Store. |
| Verizon Moto G now available for $100 off-contract Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:23 AM PST
When Motorola announced that the Moto G would be coming to us for as little as $180 off contract, we assumed carriers would look to subsidize it and make it free with a two year commitment. At the very least, we didn’t expect anyone to offer it for an off-contract price that’s even cheaper than the original MSRP, but that’s exactly what Verizon has done. You can now buy the Moto G for $100 without having to sign a two-year contract. You might be thinking that you’re not in for a treat at that price, but you’d be sorely (or pleasantly) mistaken. Take a look:
Verizon’s version will come with Android 4.3 out of the box, though an upgrade to 4.4 KitKat is expected sometime shortly. You might think Verizon is crazy for offering the phone at such a steep discount, but the months of wireless service they’d sell to potential results would more than make up for it. Sold? Verizon has the goods right here. |
| Gmail 4.7.2 update brings automatic image loading Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST
Yesterday, the Gmail app was updated (version 4.7.1) with the ability to set up your vacation responder, send and download attachments of any type, and print emails and attachments. It didn’t take long for Google to bring us another upgrade, though, as 4.7.2 seems to be rolling out to users. So what could a very minor .x.1 update bring us? Unnamed bug fixes, surely. On the contrary, they actually added a pretty big feature that you may or may not notice — it’ll now automatically load images in emails. Google rolled this functionality out to desktop Gmail users a bit of time ago, but it wasn’t ready for public consumption on the mobile front just yet. We haven’t been able to find a setting for the feature just yet, but it seems to be enabled by default as soon as you’re upgraded to 4.7.2. Google’s able to do this without fear of viruses and malware by scanning image files for threats as they come in. While the action of allowing images to show wasn’t a huge nuisance — it was one click of a button — it’s nice to have everything load without having to worry about it. You can find the download link for this upgrade below, with the update said to be rolling out to folks in the Google Play Store in phases. |
| Samsung exec says Galaxy S5 launches April, confirms concurrent Gear sequel Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:05 AM PST
We didn’t need a Samsung exec to make us believe that the Samsung Galaxy S5 would be launching this April with all the rumors swirling about saying as much, but one of them confirmed that any. According to Bloomberg, Samsung’s vice president of mobile Lee Young Hee confirmed that, just as with all of their first flagship phones of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S5 would launch around the typical March-April timeline we’re used to. The executive actually name-dropped the “S5,” so they’re not just beating around the bush about what they’re talking about. What’s more is that they also revealed they’d be dropping the next generation Samsung Galaxy Gear around this same time, a rumor that was flying about before the original Galaxy Gear even went on sale. Samsung admitted that the original wrist watch wasn’t exactly what they’d want for their first release, but reports say they were pressured into rushing out a consumer product as they feared Apple would beat them to it. Now that they know they were first (well, first in their own little Samsung-Apple war bubble), they have been able to breathe easier and take the time they need to make the product they really wanted to make. Young Hee says they see huge potential in the wearables space in terms of health and fitness, which likely means the company’s next Galaxy Gear could have some vital-recording sensors on board (not unlike their competitors next door LG unveiled at CES 2014). They’d already shown an interest in helping folks keep healthy lives with the likes of a pedometer app and other fitness apps on the Samsung Galaxy S4. Whatever Samsung has to announce will likely be at Mobile World Congress next month, so we’ll be look ahead to that to get more details about what they’ll bring. Samsung admitted that the Galaxy S4 didn’t make a big splash because it didn’t do enough differently than the Galaxy S3, so look for the company to challenge that with whatever they’ve cooked up for the 5th entry into this dominant series. They even admitted they’re looking into iris-scanning technology, though they can’t say whether or not it’ll make it into the final release. |
| WWE Network will bring all the wrestling content you can handle for $9.99 per month Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:15 AM PST Last night, WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon and COO Paul Levesque (HHH) announced the WWE Network, a new video streaming service that can be described as a Netflix for scripted combat entertainment. The wrestling entertainment company will offer up an archive of Pay Per Views, DVD specials, countdown specials, reality series and access to every single new WWE PPV (that includes Wrestlemania) for just $9.99 per month. There is a small catch for all that goodness: you’ll have to commit to 6 months’ worth of service. That said, it’s not really a big deal if you consider the savings you’ll see on content. WWE pay-per-views cost anywhere between $50 and $60 per month, with the big stage of Wrestlemania often coming in at around $70. If you were one to subscribe to these pay-per-views on a frequent basis, you’ll have gotten all of your money’s worth in no time. Because the WWE Network is operated within WWE’s own domains (they’re delivering the content to you via the web, Android and iOS apps, as well as connected devices such as gaming consoles and media streaming boxes) they’ll have full control over their own content. That means they can show what they want to show with no censorship. That might not mean much for the PG era that we’re suffering today, but it’s great for those who want to relive the glory days of the Attitude era without any blindfolds on. This is a very interesting move by the WWE in a time where the trend is to offer goods up for a low monthly fee rather than a high one-time payment. That model has even already extended to software on desktop PCs, with the likes of Adobe and Microsoft offering up their design and productivity suites with this pricing model. It’s easier to sell people on software for a low monthly cost than to ask them to pay $400 to $600 upfront. It also says a lot about the WWE’s vision for having their own cable network. It’s been long rumored that the WWE Network would be a channel on traditional cable TV, but Vinnie Mac likely didn’t favor the issues that come with pricing negotiations. To its credit, the WWE has gained a big enough following that they could try something like this on their own, so it’ll be interesting to see just how big this thing can get over the course of the next year. The WWE Network will launch in America on most devices February 24th. Don’t check now, but that’s the day after the Elimination Chamber PPV (meaning you’ll have to spend $50 to $60 on that one last hoorah before getting a shot at the buffet). Those in other regions are told to be patient, as WWE will have to take a bit of time to get up and running in other countries over the course of the next two year. |
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