It had been rumored over the last couple of days, but Google’s Hugo Barra just pulled a Galaxy S4 out of his pocket during the opening Google I/O keynote. It’s not like any Galaxy S4 you’ve used before though, and it’s not like any you’ve likely seen before, either. In fact, it’s something hugely awesome, assuming you’ve got a spare $649.

Today at I/O, Google has launched its rumored Google Play Game Services, which will finally give the Android platform a Game Center-esque experience for those looking to enjoy multiplayer competition on some of their favorite titles. Then again, if the demonstration of the multiplayer feature in action today (note: it didn’t connect) is anything to go by, Android users will be hoping the hit-and-miss demonstration of the service is not representative of the eventual experiences.

Here’s our complete step by step tutorial on how to download and install ClockworkMod (CWM) Recovery on the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500.

Galaxy S4 certainly has its fair share of critics, but in terms of early sales, the latest and greatest flagship handset is a standalone record-breaker for makers Samsung. According to Korean news outlet, which has published the utterances of an unnamed Samsung executive, the company shipped an incredible four million Galaxy S4 handsets in just four days; far in excess of the early numbers of the Galaxy S III which, by comparison, took 21 days to ship just three million.

As planned, Mozilla has just dropped Firefox 21 for Windows, OS X, Linux and Android. Full details, as well as where to download Firefox from, can be found right after the break.

Saurik, or Jay Freeman to his friends, is the man behind not just Cydia but many of the inner workings of the iOS jailbreak scene. He’s also the guy that brought WinterBoard to the world, the most popular iOS theming platform on jailbroken iOS devices. He’s also an all-round awesome and super clever guy, which is why this next news doesn’t surprise us that much.

BlackBerry is on the cusp of turning its proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) into a multi-platform experience. Keeping BBM specific to the company’s own devices worked wonders when the company was flying high atop the market, but in looking to reestablish its presence in the iOS / Android-dominated market, BlackBerry is now looking to spread its popular messaging tool to users of those two pivotal platforms.

Follow our complete step by step HTC One bootloader unlock tutorial to unleash the full potential of the device, such as installing custom ROMs and more.

When Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 as the replacement for their massively famous Galaxy S III smartphone, the availability of a smaller, less expensive model in the vein of the Galaxy S III Mini was almost guaranteed. While Samsung has been keeping mum about the possibility of a Galaxy S4 Mini, it seems we might have all the confirmation we need.

Everyone likes it when new smartphones are announced, even when they’re just plain old, by the numbers Android phones. Thankfully, the latest handset to be announced by Sony isn’t plain at old. In fact, it’s actually rather cool. Check it out after the break.

It’s not just Samsung and Apple that like to launch an ad every once in a while, HTC too knows how to get peoples’ attention. While Samsung is intent on pointing fingers at Apple in its own set of TV ads, HTC appears to have taken a leaf out of its competition’s book by also poking fun at those that it is in direct competition with.

Of all the tech products to release last year, Google’s Nexus 7 was one of the most eagerly anticipated and well received. Nobody could believe how much solid hardware Google had managed to pack into such a reasonably priced tablet, and one analyst is under the impression that the Big G is about to make consumers another offer they’d be hard pushed to refuse. According to resident Apple whistleblower Ming chi Kuo of KGI securities, the search giant will be adding a 5-megapixel rear camera to the Nexus 7, which will also include such features as an improved 1,920 × 1,200 display, a Qualcomm APQ 8064 processor and wireless charging. Kuo also notes that the price will stay at the very agreeable price of $199, and the design will also be notably thinner and lighter than the current generation Nexus 7.

If you’re regularly in the business of modding your Android device every which way, it’s expected that, from time to time, you’re going to find yourself in a boot loop. When you’ve got a bunch of different custom ROMs, mods and hacks checking in and out of your device like it’s the Hilton hotel, a boot loop here and there is just a rather unfortunate part of the business in those early days, and while seasoned hackers will find this predicament rare and rather easy to surmount, a newbie may find a boot loop to be cause for concern. If you’re a fledgling modder / hacker / developer / dabbler and wish to be well versed in the art of overcoming a boot loop, we’ve outlined a couple of painless methods for doing so right after the break.

Having just released the Galaxy S4, you might have forgiven Samsung for resting on its laurels, but the South Korean electronics manufacturer is already reportedly preparing a number of spin-off devices. As well as a ruggedized model and a miniature version akin to the Galaxy S III mini, a recent report also alluded to a camera-centric Galaxy S4 Zoom, and today, we’re hearing that the device will live up to its name by packing in an incredible 10x optical zoom.

Whether you love or loathe Facebook Home for Android, its impact on the social networking scene cannot be denied. It’s been a hot topic ever since the Menlo Park company sent out invitations to the ‘new home on Android’ event, and today, it appears as though the launcher has been tweaked to bring official support for the HTC One. Hitherto, anybody trying to install Facebook Home on the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4 would have been met with a “not supported” message, but while the latter appears still to be prompting users with the same pop-up, the HTC One seems to be installing without incident.

Carmageddon was hugely popular back in the 1990s, though perhaps due to its controversial nature more than anything else. The automobile combat game spawned many copycats, but Carmageddon still holds a special place in our hearts.

As has been well-documented since the announcement of the Galaxy S4, yes – it is made from plastic; that’s been established, that’s a given. But while the plastic exterior may place it below the likes of the iPhone 5 and HTC One in the minds of those looking for a handset of superior build quality, it doesn’t necessarily make the Galaxy S4 cheaper to build. In fact, while many have accused Samsung of “scrimping” on the outer shell, the Korean company actually spends more per handset than Apple does with the iPhone 5 – a testament once again to just how much high-spec hardware is packed into the latest and greatest Galaxy S revision.

BlueStacks, the company behind a series of apps allowing consumers to run Android apps on a variety of platforms, is about to stake a claim to the apparently lucrative microconsole gaming market, rivaling products such as the Kickstarter phenomenon that is the OUYA gaming console. Having seen just how quickly BlueStacks Android App Player has become a household name thanks to its ability to facilitate the running of Android titles on OS X, Windows and others, it was perhaps only a matter of time before the company looked to expand, and having seen how much hype the OUYA has generated in its short, crowd-funded life, has come up with an alternative device in the form of the GamePop.

The majority of the technology conference talk might be currently centered around Apple’s WWDC 2013, and the goodies that it might bring, but we shouldn’t be forgetting about the annual Google I/O event that begins on May 15th. To celebrate the fact that the doors of the Moscone will be imminently opening, Google has pushed out some fairly significant updates to the official I/O conference app for Android devices.

Custom home launchers allow Android users to really customize their device’s home screen beyond stock, and although there are many out there, only a dozen or so are regarded among the elite. It is without question that Apex Launcher must be considered a part of that group, and today developer Android Does has brought in some interesting improvements and enhancements in bumping the popular home screen alternative up to version 2.0. As you would expect from a point zero update, there are plenty goodies thrown into the bag, including, most notably, deep integration with Apex Notifier. Details after the break!