Last week, we caught wind of a new app that utilizes mesh networking to enable devices to connect to one another without the need for an Internet connection. Having established quite a strong following, the app has been ported to Android, and is now available to download, for free, over at the Play Store. Further details, as well as the download link, can be found after the jump!
No matter what brand of smartphone we pledge our allegiances to, we're all united in the battle against waning battery life. We've all been caught out with a quickly-depleting battery at a time when we desperately need our devices at hand and switched on, and while placing a device into airplane mode does work wonders, it also completely disconnects us from the world. A neat Android tweak called Auto Pilot Mode will throw your device into airplane mode when your signal is down, intermittently checking to see if cellular data has been restored before deactivating airplane mode once again.
Comic book-based movies are currently in vogue, and in the run-up to each new theatrical release, we tend now to see an accompanying title for mobile devices. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier soon to hit the box office, the customary mobile edition has just hit the iOS App Store, as well as Google's Play Store for those on Android. We've got all of the details, as well as those all-important download links, coming up after the fold!
It seems that someone at Facebook likes nice round numbers, because the social network has released Facebook Messenger 4.0 for iPhone and Android. Big new updates are great, except when they're not big at all, which is certainly the case with Facebook Messenger. See, the app has seen its version number bumped to the lofty number of 4.0, but do the changes warrant a new point-0 release? Probably not, no.
Even though many Android users have accustomed themselves to using Google Now as a way of readily finding information and performing searches through voice interaction, that hasn't prevented Samsung from implementing its own, similar feature for its Galaxy range. S Voice, which is perhaps the foremost of an abundance of 'S' apps found on the higher-end releases, has been afforded a pretty decent update for the Galaxy S5, and with the APK file having leaked into the wild, you can now download the new-and-improved S Voice app to your Android device.
The next-gen HTC One is scheduled to be announced by the Taiwanese company later on today, and in anticipation of the launch, some of the new Sense 6 apps have just been released to the Google Play Store. Further details can be seen right after the break!
After an extensive period of rumor and speculation leading up to the MWC announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5, we're now on the cusp of its release. The device, which is expected to hit shelves on April 11th, packs a bunch of new perks, including a gold color configuration and fingerprint sensor, but there's more to the flagship device besides these rather showy features. To underline this point, the Korean electronics giant has released the Galaxy S5 Experience app, which allows those contemplating an upgrade to get a better idea and general feel of the device's various apps and services.
Having announced the Moto 360 straight after Google showcased its new Android Wear OS, the company made a strong statement of intent as far as the smartwatch market is concerned. Not only does the former Google subsidiary wish to make its mark on this evolving area of mobile space by being among the first to release a wearable gadget running on Android Wear, but it has come up with a very attractive product in the process, and if you wish to check the Moto 360-ready version of the Android Wear OS, an APK has now surfaced that allows you to emulate the experience on your Android device.
As with any major new release from Samsung, the Galaxy S5 includes a bunch of exclusive features and apps, but, as ever, dedicated Droidsters have been quick to pluck said features and distribute them among the rest of the Android community. Even though the sought-after handset is not yet upon us, the guys over at XDA-Developers have shared the APK files of apps like S Note, WatchON, and Gear Manager, and although there's no guarantee that they'll run perfectly on whichever device you happen to own, they're now readily available for your downloading pleasure.
As with all things in life, Android has its positives and negatives, and you'd have to be daft to say otherwise. Depending on whether you've pitched your tent in Android territory or prefer your smartphones with a little more Jony Ive in them, it's hard to argue against the fact that both Android and iOS have good and bad points, whether those be centered on security, interface or choice of apps.

