Google not only vends the Android operating system, but also a lot of quality apps for smartphones and tablets running the said OS. Time to time, Google keeps bringing a much-anticipated and completely radical update to one of its apps that usually prove to be a game changer in most cases. This time around, the app to receive such an update is the famous Google Maps, pushing the version number to 7.0 and gradually rolling out globally for Android (iOS update still to follow).
It's been said on more than one occasion that iOS has now introduced a number of features that were pioneered by the Android platform, so it seems only fitting that Android dedicated developers are now starting to feel "inspired" by Apple's iOS 7 beta Control Center feature. Rather than re-imagining that feature, Hi Tools Studio has pretty much just recreated Control Center for Android users, literally, and it’s even called Control Center!
New and interesting ways to take Android and turn it on its head are part of the reason that many people prefer the platform over the more uniform, tired down iOS or Windows Phone. It's the reason that XDA-Developers exists, and it's the reason that very forum often plays host to some of the best Android apps and tweaks around. With that in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that the tweak we're about to tell you about is the brainchild of an XDA-Developers forum member.
We've been chasing the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for a good few months now, and seen a plethora of spec leaks from tipsters in the process. Today, however, we've got something a little more concrete: a complete list of specs sourced from none other than the Korean company itself. WAP provisioning files found on Samsung Mobile’s website confirm two devices with the model numbers SM-N900T and SM-N900A, both of which refer to the Note 3, and also a run-down of some of the specifications. Details after the break!
Twitter today went on the update offensive, with both its mobile and desktop apps receiving new version numbers. Not content with giving the Mac version of its app some new features, Twitter has also seen fit to update both its iOS and Android apps also. Twitter on the web is also on the receiving end this time around.
One of the benefits that is often associated with the Android platform is that users have the option of interacting with a number of different native and third-party widgets directly on the device. Widgets are clearly a fantastic and much loved feature on Android powered devices, but they are designed for a very specific purpose, and it sometimes feels that they aren't really used to their full potential. The Widgets Everywhere package is one developer’s attempt at putting widgets back to their rightful place, by not only making them useful once again, but also easily accessible from anywhere in the OS.
Dual booting operating systems on mobile devices can be an exciting experience, and although Windows 8 usually restricted to tablets vetted officially by Microsoft, it doesn't always have to be this way. The folks of XDA-Developers have found a way to dual boot Android and Windows 8 on the Acer Iconia W700, and although it's by no means a seamless experience, it does offer a little variation to those of a very tech-orientated nature.
When it comes to marketing a product, it's fair to say that Samsung likes to break the mold. We've already encountered the rather cringe worthy Samsung Style ad (a play on the popular Gangnam Style from Korean rapper Psy), and now, the company has come through with another rather strange ploy in advertising its flagship Galaxy S4. Featuring a bunch of guys performing pop-like synchronized dance moves in balaclavas, it plays over a dubstep tune and ends with a goat sat in the middle of a mountainous area. Strange? We certainly think so.
As many of you will know, I recently broke the habit of a lifetime by switching from iPhone to Android - or specifically, the HTC One - as my daily runner. Although I’d had plenty of interaction with Google’s mobile OS under my belt prior to picking up the One, I hadn’t used a Droid for any substantial length of time, so the experience has certainly been new to me in that respect. I’ve heard from many of you who’ve noted of your apprehension about making the switch because you’ve become so accustomed to using iOS and the Apple ecosystem, so I’ve thrown together a little manual for anybody making the leap.
CameraAce For Android Is An Award-Winning App With Filters, Multiple Frames And A Variety Of Presets
Yes, the Google Play Store - like most other mobile app marketplaces - is packed full of camera apps. Yes, there are a lot of very powerful and functional camera apps available, some of which are fantastic and some of which are just hastily thrown together Instagram rip-offs, but CameraAce for Android could potentially be the little camera gem that has slipped through your photography arsenal.
