Saturday, September 21, 2013

Focal Camera App Comes To Google Play As A Free Beta



the developer of CyanogenMod's Focal camera app decided to pull it from the open source ROM. Now Guillaume Lesniak (AKAxplodwild) has dropped Focal into Google Play for anyone to use. It is compatible with most newer devices, but it is a beta.
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The app currently has support for multiple still and video modes including burst, timer, scenes, and shutter speed on some devices. It also has PicSphere, an open source replacement for PhotoSpheres. As for panoramas, that mode is a little broken right now – feel free to give it a shot, though. Focal can also do HDR and filters in still photo mode.
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There are likely to be a few more small bugs in Focal right now, but it should be pretty stable on newer phones. Focal is open source, so you can grab the source code at Github, if that's your thing.
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Friday, September 20, 2013

Nestle’s German Kit Kat Page Apparently Confirms Android 4.4 Release for October



kitkat android
We knew it was coming soon, but since we all know nothing is ever confirmed until posted by Google, release dates for phones and OS updates are always up in the air. Apparently, Nestle’s German-based Kit Kat page that hypes the upcoming Android release, outed that Android 4.4 will be available starting in October. No word on a date within that month, but this aligns with all the other reports and rumors that have been floating around. 
Kit Kat
When translated from German, it reads as the following – “Android 4.4 KIT KAT is available in October.”
Given that the folks at Nestle are probably quite in tune with Google’s plan, considering the company will be hypebeasting the Google’s name choice for Android 4.4, we will stick with the month of October being the best time to look for its release. Now all we need is a specific date.
It’s likely Google will host some type of event to unveil and showcase Android 4.4 (and maybe even a new Nexus device or two to go with it), so it should be a pretty exciting month for Android lovers.
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EA Game’s Madden 25 Hits Android Via Google Play, Free to Install



Madden 25
Football fans, it’s time to go grab Madden 25 from Google Play. EA Games launched the title for Android today, which is free to install for everyone running Android 2.0+. Although, if you want the full experience and a ton of added plays and features, you might be looking at some hefty in-app purchases. Keep that in mind if you plan on getting through a whole season. 
The game features everything you would imagine from a Madden title – full-licensed teams, player names, and all of that jazz. One of the great features of this title is that you can create and customize your own NFL team, taking any player you choose from today’s NFL roster. Finally, an All-Star lineup that will put on a better show than the Pro Bowl attempts to each year.
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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Here is the New Google Play Logo




Google updated the Google Play logo moments ago across the Play store, so we thought we’d share in case you didn’t notice. It’s a subtle change, but no longer says “Play” in it and is also much darker with a bigger “Google” font. Who knows if the removal of “Play” means anything or if they just want the triangle icon to mean “play,” but this is what we’re looking at.
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Google Music v5.2 Being Rolled Out, Brings Genre-based Radio Stations



A Google Play Music update v5.2 just popped up in the Play Store, though it's being slowly rolled out, as is the case with many big Google apps nowadays. The previous version is 5.1, and indeed I'm seeing quite a few changes inside that would warrant a point release.

Genre Radio

A detailed teardown may be coming in the future, but in the meantime, there is one big change that was immediately apparent: Google Play Music now supports Genre Radio in addition to the regular artist/song radio. You need All Access for this. Genre Radio appears as a new tab under Radio and looks like this:
wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-11-00 wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-11-08
Left: Play Music 5.1; Right: Play Music 5.2
The genre radio actually shows you sub-genres first, so you can start either the topmost genre or the sub-genre of your choosing:
wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-45-45 wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-45-22 wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-45-11

Send Feedback

In addition to the genre radio, I've spotted a new Send feedback button:
wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-05-43 wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-06-27
These are all the major changes I'm ready to report right now, pending Google's own changelog and our full teardown. There is a lot of activity regarding downloading/pinning/removing music, but I'll have to dig into those deeper before figuring out what's new.

Download Queue UI

Yup, there is now a proper Download Queue UI for downloading/pinning music which finally supports a Pause/Resume button:
wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-34-47 wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-34-48

wm_Screenshot_2013-09-09-15-35-49 


    APK Download



    Via AndroidPolice
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    Monday, September 9, 2013

    Microsoft's Xbox Music App For Android Is Live



    There's yet another streaming music option on Android, and it comes courtesy of Microsoft. An Xbox Music app is set to debut today in Google Play. It will provide access to unlimited streaming to Xbox Music Pass subscribers, but the initial release is a little light on features.
    xboxmusicpressimages18_1020_verge_super_wide 
    xboxmusicpressimages2_1020_verge_super_wide
    Users will have access to all the songs in Microsoft's library from the app, but there won't be any offline capability at launch. Microsoft plans to issue updates every 4-6 weeks, and says offline caching is going to be added in the coming months. The app meshes with the new Xbox One interface and provides access to all the usual music-type things like playlists, radio, and top charts.
    xboxmusicpressimages1_1020_verge_super_wide xboxmusicpressimages3_1020_verge_super_wide
    xboxmusicpressimages13_1020_verge_super_wide
    The web version of Xbox Music is adding free ad-supported listening today, but only through desktop browsers. It sounds like the Android app will not allow ad-supported listening like Windows 8 or the new web player. An Xbox Music Pass subscription is $9.99 per month or $99.99 for a whole year, if you're interested. The app isn't live in Google Play yet, but we'll keep an eye out for it. The app is also coming to iPhone, but we don't like to talk about that around here.
    Update: The app has appeared in Google Play. Check it out below with some more screens. Also, device support seems pretty lacking. No tablets right now, and even some phones like the HTC One are blocked.
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    2013-09-09 00_14_40-Xbox Music - Android Apps on Google Play xbawkshueg
    Screenshot 2013-09-08 at 10.19.36 PM
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    Wednesday, September 4, 2013

    Android Distribution Chart Updated: Eclair and Donut Dismissed




    With all of the world focused on Google’s unveiling of Android Kit Kat and Samsung’s big announcement, Google snuck out another update for the Android Distribution Charts. 
    The biggest addition to this month’s update is actually what it subtracts. Donut and Eclair (versions 1.6 and 2.1 respectively) are no longer listed on the pie chart. According to Google, those versions of Android only accounted for about 1% of devices that checked in to Google server.
    Froyo only dropped 1% from last month to 2.4% and Gingerbread is down to 30.7% from 33.1%. Ice Cream Sandwich went from 22.5% to 21.7%, a small drop. Of course, Jelly Bean continues to gain pie share, moving from 40.5% to a nice 45.1%.
    The chart only shows percentages for versions 4.1.x and 4.2.x of Jelly Bean, so 4.3.x has not really taken a hold yet on Android devices. As manufacturers work on updating their devices, maybe we’ll see it make a debut next month. Of course, October is more than likely when we’ll hear more information about KitKat 4.4 thus making the 4.3.x version of Android old news.
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    Tuesday, September 3, 2013

    Google™ Strikes Hard Licensing Deal With Nestlé® To Name Next Android Os Kit Kat®



    Google announced Tuesday that the next iteration of its Android mobile operating system (4.4) will be called KitKat. Google has a history of naming versions of its Android OS after desserts — Cupcake, Froyo, Gingerbread and Jelly Bean have all made the rotation — but never has the company chosen a branded candy for its OS.
    We don't know exactly how Google came to choose the Hershey-owned candy over a more general dessert, like Key Lime Pie, but rest assured Google hasn't violated any trademark restrictions. Google would only say, "KitKat has been a favorite candy on the team for some time, so for the K release, we asked if they’d be willing to lend their iconic candy bar to its name." A Google representative confirmed to Mashable that "no money was exchanged" in the deal.
    The deal, rather, is cross-promotional: Android is naming version 4.4 KitKat, and Kit Kat is in turn marketing Android on its packaging. As you can see in the image above, a package of Kit Kat Crispy Wafers now features the green Android mascot on its front side and a prompt to "Win!." Purchasers will have the opportunity to win a Nexus 7 tablet or a Google Play gift card.

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    Friday, August 30, 2013

    Digg Finally Launches on Android




    Digg released their new Android app this afternoon, bringing yet another RSS reader to the table for those looking for the best Google Reader replacement. At first glance, it’s hard to argue against it’s beautiful design. It (mostly) follows Android design guidelines with its swipe gestures and side navigation menu, is as clean as you can get thanks to the white and black theme, and runs incredibly well. This should definitely give Feedly a run for its money, assuming it can continue to update with features. With that said, for a first launch, this is a solid start. 
    Notable features:
    • Quickly swipe back and forth through Digg’s Top Stories, as well as through any feed or folder in Digg Reader. Choose from either the web view or the parsed text view.
    • Digg or save any story;  send it to Instapaper, Pocket or Readability (automatically upon save, if you choose);  and share to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Tumblr, WordPress, Buffer, Dropbox, Google Drive, email, text or any other sharable app on your device.
    • Search Digg Top Stories.
    • Sort your Digg Reader items by popularity to quickly see which of your items are the most talked-about on the social web.
    • Log in to Digg Reader with your Google, Facebook or Twitter account.
    • Search for and add new feeds. Create, organize and delete folders.
    • If you so choose, post your diggs automatically to your Facebook timeline.
    digg android
    Via:  Digg
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    Wednesday, August 28, 2013

    Manage which calendars Google Now will use on Android



    Google Now finally displays cards from more than just your main Google calendar. Here's how to control which calendars it will use.


    Not everyone uses Google's Calendar product, and if it is used, often the "main" calendar is not really the user's main calendar. Up until now Google Now would only work with the main Google Calendar connected to a Gmail account to display cards for upcoming appointments.
    Recently, Android Police went through every line of code in the latest Google Search(Google Now is part of Google Search) update, revealing new features in Google Now, along with probable upcoming features. One of the new features that's largely gone unnoticed is the ability to pick and choose which calendars Google Now will use when showing appointment cards, no matter what service the calendar originates from.

    • To manage which calendars Google Now can use, simply launch the app and scroll to the bottom of your cards. From there, tap on the menu button and select "Settings" followed by "Google Now."
    • Halfway down the list of available Google Now services you'll need to find and select the Next Appointment entry.
    • From here you can see a list of the calendars on your device Google Now will use to display appointment cards. Removing a calendar from the list is as simple as tapping on the check box and removing the check mark.
    Via CNET
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    How To Stop data-hogging Android apps



    Ready to find out which app is eating all of your data each time it's running? NetLive knows exactly how much data your other apps are using right now.
    NetLive is an Android app that will show you data usage in real-time, so you can see what's really hogging your data plan. The way this app differs from the built-in data manager and other data reporting apps is the real-time feature.
    For instance, if you use Facebook, Gmail, and Pandora more often than other apps, they will undoubtedly be at the top of your list. But what if another app you don't use that often keeps running in the background and pilfering your data allowance? Ready to check it out? Here's how to get started:

    First, install a copy of NetLive on your Android device. The app requires Android version 4.0 or higher. Open the app and select the unit of measure for viewing data usage. For starters, I'd recommend setting this to kBps.


    It's time to decide if you want the data usage information shown in the notification shade, in a widget on your Home screen, or both. The widget has sizing options (from micro to large), unit of measure options, and even text color choices so you can read it on your wallpaper. If you're using the widget, you can disable the notification shade information from the app's menu.

    Now you can start using your phone as usual, and whenever you're curious how much data is being used at the present time, open the notification shade or check the widget. The app using the most data, and its current transfer rate, will be displayed.
    Since the app runs on startup, there is an option for disabling all data reporting i.e., Just disabling the app without uninstalling it. 
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    APK:Google+ For Android 4.1.1 Adds Auto Awesome Photo Notifications



    The New version of Google+ for Android rolling out the Play Store right now. While there's no official changelog and the Play Store entry doesn't seem to be telling much, the biggest addition is a new notification for when your photos have been given the  "Auto Awesome"  treatment.Auto Awesome is a processing feature that automatically turns similar photos into collages or animated GIFs.
     2AutoAwesome_Motion
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    The Auto Awesome feature happens in the background and there's no reliable way to activate it aside from taking similar photos that Google+ can recognize. The new notification should be useful if you're tired of checking the web version of Google+ to see when your fancy-schmancy animated GIFs are available.
    As usual, Google is rolling the update out in stages. The Play Store entry was updated late last night, but there's no telling when you might see the download on your device. Since this process seems to be rather elongated as of late, you can go to the mirror below and download the 4.1.1 APK file for side-loading if you're impatient. Because it's never too soon for automatic GIFs, I suppose.
    Via ANDROIDPOLICE
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    Friday, August 23, 2013

    Chrome Beta Update Will Introduce New Gestures for Navigating, Advanced Image Searches




    The Chrome team announced that beta of Chrome for both desktop and Android will receive updates that introduce easier (or advanced) image searching. On desktop, once you have the new beta installed, you can right click on any image from a website and then choose the option to “Search Google for this image.” On Android, you’ll be able to long press on an image and then choose a similar option. So if you found an image, but wanted to know more about it, this is going to be the quickest and easiest way to do that. 
    Also on mobile, the Chrome team is introducing new gestures for navigating around the app. As you’ll see in the screenshots above, switching from tabs will be accomplished by swiping across the top portion of the browser, rather than from edge-to-edge like you currently do. They also added in a swipe down gesture from the toolbar to get you into the tab view, and another from the menu button to quickly open the menu and choose an option without lifting a finger.
    Can I just say, “It’s about time!” The edge-to-edge tab switching has become a massive pain in the rear recently. If you swipe to quickly, even in the middle of a page, Chrome will flip tabs. With the gesture moving to the top of the browser, this should eliminate those unwanted switches and allow you to browse freely, not gingerly.
    The update doesn’t appear to be live yet. Or it also could be a staged rollout.
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    Open Mic+ Looks to Bring Motorola’s Touchless Controls to All Google Now Devices




    Android developers always love to step up and make our days so if you are looking to get some voice control action on your new phone, Open Mic+ is something you need to check out.
    Booting up the app for the first time, you can either start the app listening manually, or you can set a hotword to activate the app. The default phrase is “Okay Google,” but this can be changed to whatever you want. 
    The settings menu isn’t large, but very helpful. You can set the app to start when your phone turns on and you can set the app to listen constantly even when the screen is off. Be forewarned though, this will eat up battery like you won’t believe.
     The only way that the Moto X avoids that battery drain is thanks to that low-power CPU core they have dedicated to listening. Did I mention you can pair this app with Tasker to get some really cool stuff going on?
    Overall the app is fairly consistent. Using the hotword to get to Google Now works most of the time, but sometimes the phone just doesn’t respond and it takes a few times to get it going. The developer is looking to put a lot of time into this, so expect bugs and kinks to be worked out pretty quickly. And the app is completely free, only caveat is that your device must be Jelly Bean or up for it to work.
    Via DroidLife
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    Thursday, August 22, 2013

    Facebook Rolls Out Embedded Posts to All Users



    Facebook embedded posts are now available for everyone, not just launch partners who had access to the feature when it was first announced in July.
    Anyone using a third party website, including users who post to personal blogs or websites, can now embed a public Facebook post directly into their own site. Users can find the line of code needed to embed a post or video by clicking on the arrow in the post's upper right-hand corner.

    Facebook originally rolled out the feature last month to news publications like CNN, and Huffington Post. Feedback from the trial run encouraged Facebook to reduce the width of embedded posts on mobile devices to better accommodate the phone screen, according to a Facebook blog post.
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    SwiftKey Cloud Leaves Beta and Hits Google Play




    For the past few weeks now, SwiftKey has been testing their new cloud feature in their beta program. Today, the new feature comes to all SwiftKey users through an update in Google Play. And for those who haven’t learned how awesome SwiftKey is yet, the app is half off right now so you can get started. 

    What's New
    What’s new in 4.2
    SwiftKey Cloud: Backup and Sync, Trending Phrases, and additional Personalization sources for a more connected typing experience
    Better contextual predictions: based on field-specific context
    Smarter learning: recognizes deliberate actions e.g use of punctuation and delete keys and includes these in all suggestions
    New settings for physical keyboards: including space bar behaviour and punctuation settings
    Improved settings layout

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    Google Updates Keep App, Teams Up With Google Now to Introduce Location-based Reminders




    Google is currently pushing out an update for Keep, which brings a new partnership between Google Now and the note-taking service. Starting with the new update, you can set a reminder (and location-based reminder) with your notes, which will then be pushed through Google Now to your device. For example, if you need to take out the trash on Thursday nights or have an important list of groceries, then you can set a reminder to make sure you don’t forget. What makes it interesting is that Google Now notices that you have walked into your grocery store, then reminds you of your list. If you aren’t ready to deal with the reminder when it goes off, you can simply “snooze” it until a later time. 
    In addition, a fancy new navigation drawer has been included, allowing users to search through all of their notes, as well as switch between Google accounts for easily accessing notes on different emails. Finally, Keep will more easily allow the adding of existing photos on your phone to your notes, which was somewhat of a pain apparently before this update.
    It is gradually rolling out, so if you don’t see it on Google Play You can manually install the update if you’d like – .apk here. (Cheers Chris in the comments.)
    Screenshot_2013-08-21-14-54-14
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