Android Phone Fans |
- Moto X+1 specs posted on Brazilian retailer’s site, 5.2-inch display among other hardware listed
- Google Play Music 5.6 rolling out, limits account sharing to 5 phones, adds menu tweaks
- Android L vs Ice Cream Sandwich: Google Design shows off all new Roboto font [DOWNLOAD]
- Blek is a puzzler unlike anything you’ve ever played, now available for Android
- Best Android apps from June 2014
- LG joins the Open Automotive Alliance to help car OEMs create better connected experiences
- Square Enix brings ‘The World Ends With You’ to Android, one of the better (and more expensive) RPGs on Google Play
- Orkut, QuickOffice have officially received the axe from Google’s roster
- Rooted users can now get the Android L navigation bar with this Xposed module
- Leaked HTC update roadmap gives insight to plans for Android 4.4.4, Android L
- T-Mobile LG G3 presales begin for $598 ahead of July 16th launch date
- Deal: Get $20 off LG’s ChromeBase computer from Amazon
- Google: OEMs forbidden from customizing Android Auto, Wear and TV
| Moto X+1 specs posted on Brazilian retailer’s site, 5.2-inch display among other hardware listed Posted: 30 Jun 2014 04:55 PM PDT
It’s probably not the strongest of “leaks” we’ve seen, but a Brazilian retailer has posted what they believe are some of the hardware specs from the upcoming Motorola Moto X+1. A phone still shrouded in mystery, Motorola’s done a pretty good job at keeping this thing under wraps. But as we saw back with Moto E, for whatever reason Brazil seems to get the scoops on Motorola devices. The phone’s listing page — which is still very much “under construction” — actually has notes for the webmaster to go in and add additional information that reads, “Write a description as shipped by the manufacturer in email 45789.” It then goes on to list the following specs:
The biggest question is whether they got the information through official sources, or just made their best guess. Given they’re Bookstore that also sells electronics, your guess is as good as ours. When it comes to leaks and rumors, we’re taking this one with the smallest grain of salt. |
| Google Play Music 5.6 rolling out, limits account sharing to 5 phones, adds menu tweaks Posted: 30 Jun 2014 03:58 PM PDT
Google has yet to update the changelog on the Google Play Music listing on the Play Store, but there’s some new surprises arriving in their latest update that could cause some concern. Rolling out to Android devices starting today, Play Music 5.6 adds a few new design tweaks (sorry, no Material design just yet), while making a few changes to the number of devices you can have authorized on your account. According to some sources, only 5 phones can now be added to a single account, where GPM previously didn’t discriminate between tablets, smartphones, or otherwise — they’re are now all categorized for the most part. There’s also a slightly redesigned sidebar menu with “Downloaded Only” toggle, account switcher, and support for the few Android TVs currently available. You can download the update via the Play Store, or 3rd party link below. Cheers. Download on MediaFire: Google Play Music 5.6 |
| Android L vs Ice Cream Sandwich: Google Design shows off all new Roboto font [DOWNLOAD] Posted: 30 Jun 2014 02:05 PM PDT
While not the kinda “graphy” that gets most people’s engines purring, there are few things in life we enjoy more than some good ‘ol typography. For Android L, Google decided to clean up the Roboto font we all love so much and saw introduced back in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. A few moments ago, Matias Duarte and friends took to the new Google Design Google+ page to show us the subtle difference coming to the typeface in Android L. While the differences aren’t anything too major (although Google says it’s been “extensively refined”), Google promises the font will look even better on the big screen (Android TV), the small screen (smartphones and tablets), and the really small screen (Android Wear smartwatches). You’ll notice a Roboto that’s a bit more round and wide, with the K R caps seeing the biggest changes. Not shown in the comparison are the italics and numbers which also received some love, but if you’d like to check it out for yourself, you can download the all new Roboto font here. Enjoy. |
| Blek is a puzzler unlike anything you’ve ever played, now available for Android Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:49 PM PDT
For every GPU straining, graphically intensive action game out there, it seems smaller game studios have really been thinking outside the box when it comes to games on our mobile devices. One such game is Blek, all new to the Google Play Store. After causing a bit of a sensation on iOS, it’s finally arriving for our Androids.
Simple yet complex, Blek is more of a puzzler, but one unlike anything you’ve ever played. Players will have to draw lines through colored dots, while avoiding black dots. Lines drawn will be replayed — and repeated — to solve puzzles and although seemingly easy at first, things really start heating up just as you’re getting into the swing of things. The game has been lauded by countless online game critics and can be downloaded for only $3 on Google Play where it’s already received a 100% 5-star rating (just wait until entitled ART fanboys get wind of it). |
| Best Android apps from June 2014 Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:26 PM PDT
The first month of summer is already coming to a close. Can you believe it? In the past month there was tons of Android news, but also new Android apps. If you’re busy enjoying the summer weather you may have missed a few of the best apps that launched this month. We have compiled a list of the biggest and best apps to launch in June. Grab a lemonade and check it out. You might find a few new apps to try. Previous months: March, April, May 1Password
1Password has had an Android app for a long time. Unfortunately it received very few updates. It became so outdated that they released a brand new version instead of updating the old one. Now you can manage all of your passwords in the safety of this handy app. The old clunky version can finally be ditched for good. Android L Keyboard
Google introduced a brand new design with the announcement of Android L. Every inch of the OS has been touched with the brush of “Material Design.” When Android gets a face-lift the first response of users is “WHEN CAN I GET THIS?!” The ever-resourceful Android devs have ripped the new keyboard from Android L and made it available in the Play Store. BrightNest
If you own a home you know how many things need constant attention. There is cleaning, up-keep, repairs, groceries, and more. Keeping track of it all can be a real hassle. BrightNest helps you keep your place in tip-top shape with handy reminders and suggestions. Think of it like your own personal edition of Lifehacker. Copy Bubble
Bubbles are all the rage these days. Link Bubble kicked off the trend by allowing users to load a webpage in the background. A bubble “pops” open full screen when the page is fully loaded. Copy Bubble is a new app that takes this idea to the clipboard. A bubble floats on the edge of the display with a history of things you have copied. Simply open the bubble and choose what to paste. Echo
Echo is a lockscreen replacement that organizes notifications into groups. That alone makes reading notifications much easier, but it also allows you to snooze or dismiss them in groups. Echo puts all of your notifications into five groups: priority, work, social, media, and other. Tapping on a group will expand it so you can see all the notifications. Google Email
Google released the stock email app that comes on Nexus devices to the Play Store. This app has the same interface as the Gmail app, but it can be used with most email services. If you aren’t a Gmail user, or have other email accounts, you can use this app to keep up with your mail. There are plenty of email apps available, but this one is nice and simple. Heads Up Notifications
The Android L developer preview went live this month for Nexus users to try. Included in the preview is a new notification style called “Heads-Up.” This feature allows you to see notifications while using full screen apps. Heads Up! brings this functionality to the Play Store for all 4.3+ devices. Nike+ Fuelband
Nike has finally given tons of FuelBand owners what they've been waiting more than two years for: a companion app for Android. The app was exclusive to iOS up to this point, something which we thought was thanks to Nike and Apple's tight relationship. But it seems Nike has finally stopped making excuses as the official FuelBand app is sitting in the Google Play Store. Oyster
If you can buy it there is probably a subscription service for it. Movies, beer, snacks, razors, and now books. Oyster has been called the “Netflix of books” for allowing users to read as much as they’d like for a monthly fee. For $10 you can read 500,000+ books with their new Android app. Time to get those reading glasses out. Parrot Flower
If you’re into gardening and flowers you may have heard of the Parrot Flower Power. This sensor goes into your flowers and sends data to smart devices about the needs of your plant. It can tell you to water your plant or move it into sunlight. The new Android app gives you access to all of this data so your plants will live long and healthy lives. Prime Music
Amazon launched a music streaming service for Prime subscribers this month. The service, simply called Prime Music, is trying to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rdio, and Beats Music. Current Prime subscribers get access to over a million songs for free, others can get access with a free 30-day trial. The Android app gives you access to all of this. Ready
Most people nowadays don’t use their phone for making calls. It’s easy to forget that the #1 function of a smartphone is to make and receive calls. Ready aims to make these forgotten features look beautiful. It has a completely reimagined caller screen, contact list, and handy post-call shortcuts. To try it out on your phone sign up for the Google testing community. Sleep Cycle
Popular iOS alarm app “Sleep Cycle” finally made its arrival on Android this month. This app tries to wake people up at the optimal time instead of the typical jarring alarm. Simple choose a 30 minute window to be woke up, set your phone on your bed, and let Sleep Cycle track your sleep. Obviously this works best when you aren’t sharing a bed. Slingshot
Facebook loves messaging apps. They have their own messaging service, WhatsApp, and now a brand new app called “Slingshot.” This new app is by far the strangest. You can send a slingshot (a photo) to your friends, but the key component of the app is viewing the photos. In order to see a received slingshot you must also send a slingshot. It’s unlike any app you’ve used. Swiftkey
One of the biggest updates this month was for a popular keyboard called SwiftKey. We’re sure you are all well aware of this awesome keyboard replacement. It predicts the words you want to type with remarkable accuracy. The one thing that prevented some people from using SwiftKey was the cost, but now it is completely free forever. Go get it! Yahoo Aviate
There are plenty of launchers in the Google Play Store, but one of the more unique ones is Aviate by Yahoo. This launcher changes throughout the day, and depending on where you are, to provide useful information and apps. It also organizes all of your apps into categories for easy access. This month Aviate left beta and is now available to all. YouTube Creator Studio
Google released an app specifically for YouTube creators this month. It’s called “Creator Studio,” and it gives powerful tools to people with YouTube channels. Some of the things you can do include check analytics, likes, comments, and more without a PC. There are also tools for allowing you to edit videos. If you do a lot of uploading to YouTube this is a must-have app. Previous months: March, April, May What were your favorite apps from June? Did we miss any great apps? Let us know!
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| LG joins the Open Automotive Alliance to help car OEMs create better connected experiences Posted: 30 Jun 2014 12:22 PM PDT
LG has just officially announced their involvement in the Open Automotive Alliance. The new group — which focuses on bringing smart connected experiences to the road — mostly consists of auto manufacturers, but it’s not weird to see a company like LG in the mix. Not only will LG’s own collection of smartphones, tablets and smartwatches help enable Google’s Android Auto future, but they also have a pretty nice audio business that features a car audio fork. LG’s AVN (audio, visual and navigation) platform will look to add to the smart services already available in many cars, as well as interface seamlessly with Android Auto cars like the ones revealed at this past Google I/O. LG didn’t go into tremendous detail about what they’ll be doing and who they’ll be doing it with, but we imagine they’re already deep in the brewing process with at least a few different car OEMs. Let’s hope we hear more before the year turns. |
| Posted: 30 Jun 2014 11:07 AM PDT
With all of last week devoted almost entirely to covering Google I/O and the developments therein, it’s easy to see how a few, non-IO things could have slipped through the cracks. Take Square Enix’s latest title to hit the Play Store: The World Ends With You. Portable gaming enthusiasts will no doubt remember this as one of the better — and more unique — takes on the RPG genre when it debuted on the Nintendo DS back in 2008. Since then, the game has gotten a facelift courtesy of flashy new HD befitting of our modern mobile devices. Although it’s a bit pricey at $18, the game has already garnered 90 out of 114 5-star reviews on Google Play, with the original Nintendo DS version receiving 78% 5-star rating on Amazon (where it still retails for $34). Now, we’re not saying this game is for everyone. We’re sure its steep price tag has already sent more than a few of you reaching for the door — but Square Enix fans should know what they’re getting. There’s no question The World Ends With You is a solid entry to the RPG genre, one that is severely lacking on our Android devices. You can find links to this wonderful game below where, if nothing else, you can bookmark it for the next time you come across a Google Play gift card.     |
| Orkut, QuickOffice have officially received the axe from Google’s roster Posted: 30 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT A couple of services and apps have been added to Google’s chopping block. Both of these aren’t quite that surprising, though it always does make us take a step back when it happens. First up is QuickOffice which we figured would be happening any day now. Google revealed at IO that they would be adding Slides editing to their Google Docs for Android app and that native document editing would be customary from here on out. That means QuickOffice quickly became redundant and there was no longer any need for its presence. Expect it to be whisked away from the Google Play Store in a matter of weeks.
On the other hand is Orkut, a long-standing social network that just hasn’t been able to catch on. Orkut was Google’s first social network, though its huge Brazilian community caused them to repurpose it more for the locals of the 2014 World Cup’s home. Engineering director Paulo Golgher had this to say in a farewell letter:
Fast forward many years later, of course, and Google+ has completely drenched any chances of Orkut being useful for Google’s long-term plans. It’s not that the site wasn’t good, but it just didn’t do anything special — not then, and certainly not now. Those affected will likely be urged to find a new home on Google+ and for the rest of us, well, the world will just keep on turning. The service will stay in-tact until September 30th of this year to give folks to transition. You’ll be able to get all your content using Google Takeout for up to two years after it sunsets. Google also mentioned they will be making the content posted to the social network’s vast communities public for anyone to stumble upon, though don’t expect any new content from the moment the blinds are shut. |
| Rooted users can now get the Android L navigation bar with this Xposed module Posted: 30 Jun 2014 08:45 AM PDT
Want the Android L soft navigation bar (on-screen buttons) for your device without Android L? You’re in luck… well, so long as you’re rooted and have a properly functioning installation of the Xposed Framework, anyway. XDA user Prithvee has created a .APK file that will allow you to give your phone a bit of Android L flavor with a few simple clicks. Simply install the .APK file, enable the module inside Xposed Framework, and restart your phone for good measure. Voila — you have what you see above. Many folks expressed distaste with the newly styled navigation buttons. I personally share that sentiment — I think it looks a bit toyish and takes away from that “grown-up” feel Android has developed. But we all have our own tastes, and if this is right up your alley then be sure to grab it ahead of getting the real deal itself. |
| Leaked HTC update roadmap gives insight to plans for Android 4.4.4, Android L Posted: 30 Jun 2014 07:46 AM PDT
It’s not uncommon for OEMs to begin talking about their plans to upgrade phones to the latest versions of Android soon after they’re unveiled. Unfortunately many OEMs are not yet ready to go public with their plans, but HTC’s have leaked courtesy of the handiwork of one XDA member. So what’s their roadmap looking like? Starting with the most exciting — Android L — it appears they have intentions to offer it for most of their top smartphones from the past two years as they have all been marked with the “evaluation” stamp. Their tentative timeline for the upgrade to be available is between October and December. Why so late? Well, Android L is only in developer preview status right now.
The images you see being flashed to a couple of Nexus devices (see our Android L hands-on) aren’t meant to be stable or ready for prime time. We don’t expect to see a full release of Android L until this fall, and HTC’s expected timeline falls right within our expectations of seeing the update no later than a few months after being available. Of course, evaluation means just that — they’re not ready to hard commit to plans to bringing Android L to all of these devices, though we’re sure top dogs like the HTC One M8, HTC One M7 and HTC One Max have a high chance of receiving the goods. Moving on to the Android 4.4.4 front, HTC has confirmed plans to bring it to the HTC One M8 and M7 between July and August. Those devices were also on Android 4.4.3′s radar, but HTC might be skipping it to go straight to 4.4.4. As for the dual-SIM HTC One M8 variant, the HTC One Mini 2, and the HTC One E8? We should be expecting 4.4.4 for those between August and September. Enlarge the image above for the full roadmap if you’re interested. |
| T-Mobile LG G3 presales begin for $598 ahead of July 16th launch date Posted: 30 Jun 2014 06:34 AM PDT
T-Mobile has announced that they’re now accepting pre-orders for their version of the LG G3. The device is going for $598 off-contract, which would mean you’d be paying about $25 per month assuming T-Mobile offers it for $0 down through their installment payment plan. Furthermore, T-Mobile confirmed that the device would be launching on store shelves July 16th, so we’re only over a couple of short weeks out of seeing one of the few Quad HD smartphones land in the United States. The LG G3 was heralded as being not only LG’ best phone yet, but also one of the best Android smartphones available period. LG’s improved build quality, refined user interface and key features like KnockOn all contribute toward a smartphone worth its cost. You can read all about its good (and the few bad) bits in our LG G3 review. The specs aren’t shoddy, either — here’s what to expect alongside the aforementioned 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display:
Doesn’t sound bad for under $600. You can head right here to pre-order one from Magenta if you’re interested. |
| Deal: Get $20 off LG’s ChromeBase computer from Amazon Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:48 AM PDT
Looking for a new desktop all-in-one that doesn’t break the bank? LG’s ChromeBase is already a decent deal in that regard, but it got a bit better with a sale Amazon’s put on. You can get $20 off its typical cost, bringing us from $349.99 to $329.99. $20 might no be the steep eye-opener that pushes you over the edge, but it’s still worth considering a purchase if you need a desk-bound all-in-one without many frills. The ChromeBase features Intel’s Celeron 2955U processor clocked at 1.4GHz, and also features 2GB of RAM, a 22-inch 1080p display, 16GB of flash storage, 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1X USB 3.0 port, and 802.11 a/b/g WiFi. It weights a whopping 9.5 pounds, though that’s expected for a device that’s not meant to be carried on your back or in your lap. Last we checked the ChromeBase came with the standard 100GB of Google Drive storage space for two years if that 16GB isn’t enough for you. Chrome is bound to become a very viable operating system despite its roots as a browser-based platform. Many apps are beginning to incorporate offline modes, and Google announced forthcoming functionality that allows Android apps to run natively on Chrome OS. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad purchase for your average student, light user or anyone who doesn’t need to do any heavy lifting. |
| Google: OEMs forbidden from customizing Android Auto, Wear and TV Posted: 30 Jun 2014 05:29 AM PDT
Google has largely allowed OEMs to take Android and do with it what they will for smartphones and tablets, but things could be changing in a big way for the rest of the devices now officially supported by Android. According to Ars Technica, Google has confirmed that they will not allow OEMs to make deep changes to Android Wear, Android Auto and Android TV devices. OEMs will be able to provide a collection of their own pre-installed apps, custom watch faces and other features that don’t require much deep scrubbing of the Android framework, but they won’t be able to get down and dirty and change the core of it. Google’s official reasoning? Here’s the gist of it according to Google engineering director David Burke:
We imagine it’s about a bit more than that. These platforms are all still very new for Google. They might be built on Android (which has matured greatly since its commercial debut in 2008), but we likely aren’t anywhere near maturity for its new home on these new classes of devices. Google’s surely going to have many updates to issue as they continue to refine these new platforms, and they won’t want early users to have to wait forever for them.
That’s just a hunch, though, and there’s no telling if Google is ever going to loosen up on these restrictions. You might be asking yourself why Google would do this if Android is supposed to be open source. Well, their Google Now platform isn’t. Google Play isn’t. Many of their services aren’t. What’s truly “free” and “open source” is the Android Open Source Project, and OEMs (or even a lone independent developer) are free to use that however they please. But if they want to play in the new sandboxes introduced at Google IO last week they’ll have to accept Google’s new rules. All for the better I’d say. |
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