Google offers an impressive array of useful apps, and one of the benefits of owning an Android device is that each Google App, or GApp, is offered right from the company's famed Play Store. Akin to the Web and desktop versions of apps such as Drive, Keep, Maps and Translate, the mobile versions offer clean, minimalistic and uniform interfaces; but if you're looking for something a little alternative to that quintessentially-Google appearance, one developer has spent a great deal of time inverting the color schemes of said apps to give a radically different appearance. One look is described as "transparent", whilst the other, darker look is "blacked-out", and if you feel as though your Google apps are looking a little washed-out, you may want to check out these modded APKs.
There's not much we like more than a good emulator here at Redmond Pie. There's something about taking a modern, high specification smartphone and making it run software that was written long before anyone could ever have dreamt about such a think as an iPhone or Galaxy S. We'd call it magical, but Apple might try and take us to court over it.
In order to heighten the appeal to its flagship Galaxy S III, Samsung released the aesthetically similar, scaled-down version S III Mini late last year. Those who take a close look at a devices tech specs will have noticed that, in actuality, the similarities between the Galaxy S III and the cheaper, smaller offering end at the design and name, but that hasn't stopped the Mini from yielding strong sales since. Never one to baulk at a tried-and-tested success, Samsung looks set to offer a similar product in follow-up to the forthcoming Galaxy S4, with reports today suggesting the Galaxy S4 Mini will arrive almost immediately after its flagship counterpart.
One of Android’s biggest complaints, or rather, complaints related to the smartphone and tablet OS, is the relatively poor battery life, where most users find it hard to even make it through one full day on a single charge. For this very reason, there exists a slew of battery saving and optimization apps not just in the Google Play Store, but also all over the XDA-Developers forum. Most of these apps deliver what they promise, and are generally very functional. However, there is always room for some new contender in such a market, especially if the approach that it takes is different (and new) compared to existing ones. One similar app in this category is Optimus Battery Saver.
The LG-manufactured Google Nexus 4 has carried on many Nexus traditions, offering strong hardware specifications at an affordable price point. Not without its flaws, of course, it has made a reasonably good impression the consumer market nonetheless, and just recently, has been treated to a few minor modifications and design tweaks. Calling it a "refresh" would be a rather grandiose term to use, but the alterations, whilst not groundbreaking, are certainly noteworthy.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available to pre-order in the United Kingdom and naturally, the vast majority of the big retailers and carriers are on board. Available from late next month, prices naturally vary depending on which package you go with, but the takeaway is that, even on contract, the device will cost a fair bit upfront. Meanwhile, across the pond, AT&T has also offered vague details regarding its own Galaxy S4 pre-order plans.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is not too far away; yet while many of us are moderately excited by the prospect of its release, it stands to reason that the guys over at SamMobile would perhaps be a little more stoked than most. The Samsung-focused blog has already spent the past couple of days extracting various parts of a Galaxy S4 ROM dump and distributing them about the Web, and having finished picking at the carcass, has now released a bunch of animated demo clips outlining some of the new features on offer with the forthcoming flagship.
Gameloft will soon be releasing an adaptation of Marvel's Iron Man 3 for iOS and Android, and in anticipation of the release, the developer has come through with a short, cinematic teaser trailer. It's not long before the Iron Man 3 hits cinemas, and with the box office puppeteers now seeing significant value in bringing supplementary mobile titles out alongside the blockbusters, Gameloft has been tasked with creating the title for what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest movie releases of 2013.
With both Google and Apple finding great success with their respective online entertainment stores, Samsung has decided the time is right to come through with its very own, very similar offering. The iTunes App Store and more recently, Google Play, currently dominate the market, but if sources in Korea are to be believed, the nation’s largest electronics manufacturer is planning a new “Tizen” ecosystem. What’s more, the company has just launched a supplementary content portal, and wants the top 100 iPhone and Android games ready and available on it by June.
The power of The Cloud has brought a whole new dimension to how we go about running our everyday digital errands. As far as note-taking is concerned, Evernote is seen as the go-to option, as it provides a wealth of features while also offering seamless, automatic syncing to any and all of your devices. If you're looking to break away from convention, and instead try another app for the jotting and syncing of notes, you may want to give Notz for Android a try. It's incredibly small (less than 600kB), works nicely with Dropbox, and has a pretty interface. Oh, and it's absolutely free of charge.
