One of the more obvious alterations to Apple's iOS 7 is the overall change in design ethos, with Jony Ive leading the Cupertino company towards a flatter, skeuo-free environment. It's fair to say that John Gruber's pre-WWDC assessment of the interface, in that it would be polarizing, has rung true, but irrespective of consensus, it is the look Apple will be sticking with. While Android won't be seeing such radical changes any time soon - at least, not from what we hear - those running Google's mobile OS can get a little taster of Apple's new UI through an app called iOS 7 Calci, which offers a passable emulation of Apple's new Calculator app.
Android management apps for PC and Web are a dime a dozen, and every now and then, some new contender enters the market hoping to claim the throne as the king. Many of these contenders are not even worth a second look, but from time to time, we see a solid performer entering the arena as well, even if it doesn’t get to generate an enormous momentum. Mobogenie is one such utility. Available for Windows based PCs, it offers complete management for Android devices from the comfort of your desktop/laptop’s screen real-estate and better control thanks to mouse/keyboard combination. More past the jump.
A few months back, Yahoo! hopped out of the wilderness to deliver a rather stunning weather app for Apple's iPhone, and in fact, the iOS 7 weather app appears to have borrowed one or two design cues from it. Naturally, many Android users have been wondering whether the updated app would would be making its way to the Google Play Store any time soon, and if you happen to be one of those individuals, your wait is officially over. The new Yahoo! Weather app is now available for Android, and as ever, it's free of charge. Details, as well as that all-important download link, can be found after the leap!
Every time Samsung drops a new flagship smartphone, the company seems to go that extra mile in ensuring that it packs some dazzling new features to entice the consumer market once more. In the case of the latest and greatest Galaxy S4, the South Korean outfit introduced Air Gesture, a smart little implementation which allows certain features to be controlled using basic hand movements above the device. Now, thanks to the great minds over at XDA-Developers, this kind of thing can be performed on a number of devices. Air Swiper is the name, and although, at this early stage, it's by no means without its flaws, it's definitely worth giving a shot.
Among other things, Google’s primary and biggest source of revenue, should you ever look at the company’s financials, turns out to be advertisement revenue. Google makes most of its income stream from the ads business that it runs, and it’s been doing that successfully for years. What’s even better is the fact that Google shares the ad revenue with its publishing partners, as well, through its AdSense program.
Google is constantly looking for ways to broaden its reach and range of digital products, and with Zagat support having recently been integrated into its official Maps app, a standalone app of the restaurant-finding tool has just been released for Apple's iPhone and Google’s very own Android OS. Details, as well as download links, can be seen after the leap.
Samsung has been really active over the course of its last two iterations of Galaxy line flagships, that is, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4, both of which have been acclaimed as the most human-friendly smartphones ever. Features like Smart Stay and Smart Dial make you feel that your device actually understands you, and reads your mind, even if the reality is just a matter of some cleverly placed sensors and making use of existing tech.
Among the announcements at yesterday's impromptu Google event headed by Chrome and Android lead Sundar Pichai, the company announced a new, low-cost streaming device aiming to take advantage of the shortcomings and limitations of similar products like the Apple TV. The Chromecast dongle, which plugs straight into the HDMI port of your HDTV, can stream content straight from your smartphone or tablet, and with the ability to let you watch videos while continuing to use your device, it looks a sure-fire winner. With a price tag of just $35, it's a hard one to pass up, and today, Google has released the accompanying app for Android.
There's nothing worse than being in the middle of an action packed multiplayer shooter on your smartphone only to have someone call you right at the worst moment. You're immediately kicked out of the game you were playing, and if you're really unlucky that game will have reset, losing all your progress since the last save. It's an annoyance that's not just reserved for games, either, and something that many jailbreak tweaks on iOS have sought to correct.
The thing about Android that I love and appreciate the most is the fact that almost every area of the OS is customizable, all the way from the appearance and outlook to the actual working of the device, down to CPU speed and voltage controls. That said, there is always, almost invariably, room for “something more”. We have the ability to set custom DPI values for individual apps thanks to ROMs like Paranoid Android, allowing the user to experience a tablet UI on a phone with an abnormally large screen. Why not have more for individual apps as well?
