XBMC is the most popular open-source media center app known to man. It's the reason many seek to jailbreak their Apple TVs, for example, but since one has to jailbreak any Apple device in order to use such software, support for Android has been much more progressive. XBMC 12, otherwise known as 'Frodo', has just been released officially, and among a slew of features and improvements such as Live TV and PVR support, offers what's being described as "initial" Android support.
One of the key reasons of doing anything in life is the sense of achievement that it brings, from education to work and pretty much anything else you do. Sure, money, fulfillment and career count, but the fact remains that if you feel you’ve accomplished something, you’re more likely to be happy than with anything else. Studies have shown that even in workplace, those employees are usually happier who get recognition of their work in addition to compensation, as opposed to those who continue to perform their duties without their superiors acknowledging their efforts. As Homosapiens, we are programmed genetically to pursue this sense of achievement, and this fact adheres to basic human psychology.
If you were one of the Android users who found themselves a little disgruntled when Temple Run 2 managed to land on the iOS App Store more than a week ago then worry no more. The official second version of the Temple Run franchise from Imangi Studios is now available as a free-of-charge download from the Play Store, and as you might expect it offers all of the thrills and spills of its iOS flavored brother perfectly tailored for the Android OS.
The ability to run custom launchers on Android devices is something that, to many, gives the Google platform the edge on its competitors. We feature plenty of launchers here at Redmond Pie, each of which tends to offer its own unique quirk, and and today's offering is no different. Named SF Launcher, it is currently in early alpha stage, but already bears the hallmarks of a very promising home screen alternative.
Icons are great and all, but you know what's really great? Icons made out of photos of things. If you own the right kind of phone, such a thing isn't too far away.
If you take the slightest interest in politics or current affairs, you are likely aware that President Obama is being inaugurated for his second term today, in a ceremony that will drag the attention of large crowds in Washington, DC. But if you live in any other part of America, or the world, and are not able to join Obama in person, there is a new app for iOS and Android, made by the White House itself, which makes it easy for you to celebrate this occasion.
One of the most distinguishing features of Android, among it being open source and much rapidly developing as compared to its major competitor, iOS, is the ability to use widgets. Not only they decorate the launcher’s home screen aesthetically, but also provide much needed functionality without the need to launch the applications that they cater to themselves.
A new tweak for the Samsung Galaxy S III has just been released which allows the clock on the system’s status bar to be customized. While not necessarily significant for everybody, this tweak will be welcome by users who have found it difficult to check the time at a glance from the status bar, or maybe for visually impaired users who could use with a slighter larger font on their Android clocks. Or maybe you’re just tired of the old Android look and are looking to try something new.
Been put off using AirDroid thanks to the rather odd invite system the developer had going on? Now's your chance to see what all the fuss is about - the invite system is no more and a beta release of version 2 is at your fingertips.
I’ve lately been writing a lot about data backup solutions. Of course, they’re extremely important, since that’s necessary to protect your data and secure your personal information. No matter what platform or device you’re using, there are always backup applications and solutions available that would help you achieve the said purposes. Android, just like the rest, has no shortage of such apps, some of which are advanced enough to perform backups at the very basic level, copying complete partition images of your device to a safe location for future recoveries (nandroid backups, anyone?). Even just yesterday, we brought to you a backup solution that could save everything to a desktop PC – both Windows and Linux – without requiring root access, unlike the most famous backup tools.
