iOS 7 looks great, but can it lure this Android user?

iOS 7 is still not quite the Droid I've been looking for in an iPhone.

I've been an Android devotee for about three years now, but ever since the introduction of theiPhone 4S and Siri -- something totally new running on a nice piece of hardware -- I've been considering making the switch to iOS. As intriguing and enticing as the 4S was, I balked due to the lack of LTE. The iPhone 5 fixed that, but by then iOS seemed stale to me, and the lack of any major new innovations kept me tapping away on my aging Droid Razr and led me to declare that the iPhone and the ascendant Apple of this century's first decade had peaked. (Actually, the phrase I used was "jumped the shark" -- I suggest reading the original post for an explanation.)

So I watched with great interest on Monday as Apple unveiled a reboot to its mobile operating system in the form of iOS 7, which is being hailed as beautiful and ambitious. CNET editors have dubbed it a "radical new look" and part of Apple's "quest for perfection and the devotion to creating objects of profound and enduring beauty," as our Dan Farber put it...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

The 6 most underrated games for Android: May 2013 edition

 

There are a lot of fun games on the Google Play Store, but it's difficult to find a game that isn't overshadowed by a game that has millions of downloads and high ratings. So just like last month, we've gone into the depths of the Google Play Store searching for some of the best underrated games, and we're back to show you what we've found. As usual, if you'd rather watch the video, just head down to the bottom of the article...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority  

Why an Android OEM should make an iPod Touch competitor

This week Apple announced that it has sold 100 million iPod Touch units since 2007 – keep in mind that this is not a statistic for all iPod devices, but all iPod Touch units. This is obviously a massive milestone for Apple, but it also brings up the question, why hasn’t an Android manufacturer built a legitimate iPod Touch competitor?

What past experiences have brought us?

As far as Android is concerned, there have been very little competitors to the iPod Touch. Samsung, for all its success in the smartphone market, dabbled half heartedly into the iPod Touch’s domain, but with horrible specs and outdated software, its Galaxy Player models were never going to compete with the iPod Touch, especially after Apple brought out the fifth-generation iPod Touch.

There haven’t been a lot of other competitors willing to tip their hats into the ring, and attempt to take on Apple. The only other OEM worth mentioning is Sony, which tried to use the Walkman brand name to leverage its very unsuccessful attempt at an “Android media player”...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

Twitter rolls out Vine app for Android

Twitter is bringing Vine, the popular 6-second looping video application, to Google's Android operating system, months after debuting it for Apple's iOS.

Vine launched on January 24 for people with iPhones and iPads and has climbed to 13 million users, but none for Android. That vacuum, on world's No. 1 mobile operating system platform, forced Android smartphone users into circumventions to view the snippets.

The Android version gets many of the same capabilities: easy video creation with automatic playback and sound; the Explore feature, for discovering popular posts and seeing what's trending; and Find Friends, to find and invite people.

Plus, Twitter added a feature unique to Android: zoom.

The company seems to be girding itself for some bugginess. It says users will see frequent updates with new features over the coming weeks -- including front-facing camera, search, mentions and hashtags, and the ability to share to Facebook -- as well as bug fixes and performance improvements.

The news was met with many tweeted cheers, but some Android users were reporting problems with the new app--trouble finding it in the Google Play store, speculation it was quickly pulled from the store, and complaints it trips up on download.

It now appears to be live in Google Play store.

Twitter has been updating and adding features to the iOS app while working on the Android release, meaning the two apps are not perfectly in sync. But Twitter promises "that won't be the case for long."

Though Twitter users already had options for other video looping apps, Vine kept its controls simple and seamless, making it easy to create short videos you can share with friends and on social networks.

Source: CNET

Study shows Android users spend larger percentage of time browsing than their iOS counterparts

Are you reading this on your smartphone? If so, you’ve got about 14 minutes to finish up.

A new study by Simmons Connect finds that smartphone users spend about 14 minutes a day looking at websites. They also compared Android to iOS users, and found some interesting statistics which may cast doubt on previous claims of iOS usage over Android. Interestingly enough, this all comes to light the day after Tim Cook noted (again) that iOS users spend more time visiting websites than their Android counterpart.

Android users spend about 49 minutes on their mobile device daily, whereas iOS users spend a whopping 75 minutes a day squinting at their screens. That averages out to about an hour, which is a good median number for comparison. We’ll keep in mind, though, that percentage of use versus overall time will have an integral part of the discussion...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

HTC One stock Android edition could be “announced within two weeks”

A launch of a HTC One stock Android edition in the U.S. is “imminent”, according to sources quoted by the same writer that mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition before its release.

Normally, this could be treated like yet another HTC One stock Android rumor, but this time the information comes from Geek.com's Russell Holly, a man known for not being a fan of baseless rumors, and, most importantly, the man that broke the news about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition being launched at Google I/O.

Quoting “multiple sources,” Holly says that the “senseless” edition of the HTC One will be a reality very soon – it should be announced sometime during the next two weeks. The possible release date of the device, which would be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, is said to be at some point during the summer.

The HTC One stock edition would be available in the U.S. at the beginning, which makes Holly think that it's possible for Google to sell it itself, through the Google Play Store.

The reason for HTC's decision to make the device available would be that, while the HTC One is clearly a very good handset, with encouraging sales (despite delays that even caused the company to apologize to users by sending them Play Store gift cards), HTC was impressed by the way the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition has been welcomed with.

While this is all as unofficial as can be, since the announcement is said to arrive “within the next two weeks,” we won't have to wait too long in order to get a confirmation (or not). On the other hand, this report seems to shed a totally new light on HTC employee Leigh Momii's tweet, posted after the Samsung Galaxy S4 running vanilla Android was announced.

While HTC has denied preparing an HTC One running stock Android, it might have changed its mind since. Or it could have just decided to wait a while longer before making the announcement.

Would you want to buy an HTC One running stock Android or would you prefer the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition?

Source: Android Authority

Google Unveils Google Play Game Services for Android, iOS and Web

At today's Google I/O keynote, Google unveiled Google Play Game Services, which is designed to compete with Apple's Game Center. Like Game Center, Game Services features real-time multiplayer capabilities, leaderboards, cloud saves, and achievements.

The service is not limited to Android developers as Google has developed it to link gaming across Android, iOS, and the web. Google will be providing the SDK for Game Services to both iOS and web developers in addition to Android developers. As noted by Engadget, Game Services more closely resembles the now-defunct OpenFeint social gaming platform than Game Center.

Google's Game Services comes several years after the introduction of Apple's Game Center. Game Center was originally introduced in 2010 and underwent a major overhaul in late 2011.

Source: Mac Rumours

Best gadgets and apps for camping with your Android

It’s been a long winter, but, with trees and flowers in full bloom, spring is finally here. With any luck we have a long, hot summer in prospect, and that means camping season. You can head off into the wild at the drop of a hat, if the weather looks right. More people go camping every year than jet off to foreign climes. It’s an affordable way to escape your daily grind and find a little adventure. For the tech-obsessed, the idea of being without your Android could be enough to put you off, but fear not, you can take it with you and enhance your trip with the right camping gadgets and apps...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

Motorola Droid Bionic update to Jelly Bean coming Monday

Android 4.1.2 will be pushed to devices in phases

Droid Bionic users can expect an OTA starting Monday, changing software build numbers to 98.72.22.XT875. This is Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and comes with some nice goodies. Google Now with its predictive search and voice commands will be included. Expandable notifications will now be accessible, letting users control music, return calls and texts, and even manage email from the notification panel. The Jelly Bean keyboard brings better dictionaries, as well as voice typing that works without a data connection.

Some Motorola-specific enhancements include better Mobile Hotspot connectivity, an updated 'Back Up Assistant Plus' and new Visual Voicemail, along with improved voice and data reception quality. The OS also gets a little lighter, with Sling and MOG apps being removed by default.

As the OTA update starts hitting devices next week, things will be quite busy in the forums. Be sure to post your findings after you give Jelly Bean a spin.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Facebook Home now (unofficially) available for almost any Android device

Despite an early leak on Monday, once again the internet lit-up with chatter about the release of Facebook Home in the Google Play store. All good and well if you find yourself in the right place with the right phone, but what about everyone else? Unsurprisingly, the digital door staff (read, Facebook's hardware restrictions) have already been dispatched, meaning almost any Android device can download and install the social software. We can thank Paul O'Brien at MoDaCo for doing the honors, and for those interested, the process is pretty simple. If your issue is location (rather than device) you'll need the latest version of Facebook's regular and Messenger apps first. Once you do, just download the APK, activate it, and you're good. If hardware is the barrier, then you'll need to get the patched versions of Facebook, Messenger and Home (via the source). Early reports suggest that most features operate just fine, but that sending SMS from Messenger can sometimes stop working. If that's a deal-breaker, you'll have to keep an eye out for updates. If it's not, then tap the source up for the full lowdown. If you do, head back here and let us know how you got on.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook Home hits Google Play today, available for select Android devices

Chat heads, a virtual carousel of full screen (Instagram) images and enough status updates to let you keep close stalkerly tabs on your nearest and dearest -- that's what Facebook's got in Home. And as of today, it's breaking free from AT&T's exclusive HTC First and heading to a choice few Android flagships in the US. Now owners of the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II as well as the HTC One X+ can rush on over to Google Play or Facebook's site to download the free screen-stealing app / launcher. And when HTC's One and Samsung's GS 4 make their eventual way to the US market, Facebook heads will also have the privilege of setting up Home on those two flagships, just as Zuck promised. Home: it's where privacy and your free time go to die.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook Introduces Facebook Home for Android

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage in San Francisco today and said Facebook is going to focus on Android moving forward.

“The great thing about Android is its so open,” Zuckerberg said. “You can have apps that can be your keyboard, can be your home screen of your phone, you don’t need to fork Android to do this, you don’t even need to modify the operating system. The home screen is the soul of your phone.” Home will takeover your lock screen and your home screen and will provide all sorts of status updates that would otherwise populate inside a dedicated Facebook app.

Zuckerberg guaranteed that it’s still easy to access applications, however. You can tap a photo of your face at the bottom of the screen and swipe up to see all of your applications.

We expect Facebook will also introduce a smartphone, but we know that at least part of the experience is designed for multiple Android devices.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]