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Monday 21 October 2013

New version of Google Play Store app pushing out, brings pull-out menu and little else

Google Play

No secret KitKat changes came with today's Google Play store update

You may have noticed a new look in your Google Play app this evening, as the 4.4 update is rolling out to users. There's not a lot to talk about with changes, because the only thing we're able to see different is the new hamburger menu is now implemented in the app, leading to a more consistent feel across Google's closed and proprietary applications.
This does affect users who still have a menu button on their device, as now instead of opening the overflow the menu button only opens a window with a "settings" and "help" entry, while the rest of the shortcuts are in the drawer. Other than that, it's the same Play store app you're used to, with the same wish list screen, my apps pages, and shopping menu as always.
If you haven't received the update, there are a couple things you can try. There are (as always) mirrors floating around out there, but if you're not keen on trusting a file that updates a system app when you don;t know where ti comes from, we found a few ways that ended up forcing the updates here.
  • Just reboot. That's how Andrew was able to get the update pushed to him.
  • Uninstall updates for Google play in settings > applications. This worked for Alex.
  • Clear cache and data for Google Services Framework in your settings, then reboot (advanced). This is what I had to do.
Or just wait it out, because you're not really missing anything except a cleaner app navigation system. We've got a handful of screenshots after the break.

AT&T confirms deal with Crown Castle to sell and lease cell towers for $4.85 billion

AT&T

600 towers sold and 9,100 leased with the option to buy

Following up on rumors that AT&T would sell off some of its cell tower holdings for up to $5 billion, the carrier has confirmed it has entered a deal with tower operator Crown Castle for the towers. The deal will see AT&T lease the rights to operate about 9,100 cell towers in the U.S. to Crown Castle, and sell another 600 towers outright to the company. The deal totals $4.85 billion in up-front cash to AT&T, which gives Crown Castle exclusive rights to the towers.
The average lease term for the towers is 28 years, and as the leases expire Crown Castle will have the option to purchase the towers for another $4.2 billion. The deal won't reduce AT&T's coverage or network quality at all, however. The carrier will sublease capacity back from Crown Castle for a minimum of 10 years at the rate of $1,900 per month per site, with rent increasing by 2 percent per year.
The end result for AT&T is a big infusion of cash that can be used for other endeavors, while not effecting the end user's network performance. It also gives AT&T the ability to expand its network in the future by simply leasing additional capacity from Crown Castle on the very towers they sold. The deal should be finalized by the end of 2013.

HTC said to be building a smart watch for next year's market

HTC

Product said to be running Android, feature a camera and be available in the second half of 2014

We've already mentioned that HTC's Peter Chou seemed keen on the idea of wearables helping reach their goals for the future, and a new report from Bloomberg, someone "close to the matter" says HTC will release their own camera-toting smart watch in the second half of 2014.
The full details are a little sketchy, but the source says HTC's watch will run Android and have an on-board camera. this would put it squarely at odds with Samsung's Galaxy Gear, rather than compete in the more utilitarian space occupied by products like the Pebble or the Sony SmartWatch 2.
Around here, we expect everyone to jump on the smart wearable train. Companies will compete for our dollars with products that extend the functionality of their Android phones and tablets. And you know what? We think that's a pretty good thing to have happen. 2014 should be a nice ride.

Yes, the Sony SmartWatch 2 is IP57 water and dust resistant

Sony SmartWatch 2

The Sony SmartWatch 2 doesn't mind a little dunk or three

There seems to be a little confusion out there among wearable enthusiasts and soon-to-be wearable enthusiasts about the Sony SmartWatch 2 and any level of water resistance. A representative of the company has assured me that the SW2 is indeed IP 57 rated for water and dust resistance. This is the same as the Xperia Z, and it means:
  • 5: Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment.
  • 7: Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). 
That's all I needed to hear. Hit the break to see the Sony SmartWatch 2 meeting a glass of ice-cold West Virginia mountain spring water.

Monday 14 October 2013

Tips and tricks for speeding up your Android device

You may have noticed over the past few months that your once-speedy Android device has slowed down considerably. Simple tasks such as switching between apps or returning home are proving more troublesome than before, and you are now experiencing lag in all the wrong places. Things don't have to be this way, however.
These simple tips and tricks can help speed up your device and make it perform like new:
1. Uninstall or disable unused apps
(Credit: Screenshot by Dan Graziano/CNET)
Your device has a limited amount of internal storage and the less free space it has the slower it will perform. If you have filled your device with photos, music, or apps, it is recommended to free up space by either uninstalling unused apps or moving files to cloud storage services likeDropbox or Google Drive.

On smartphones and tablets that include expandable storage you can also move apps to the microSD card. To do this, enter Settings, go to the Apps menu, click the app you wish to move, and select the "Move to SD card" option.Uninstalling apps can be done by going to Settings, opening the Apps menu, and selecting the app you wish to uninstall. Preloaded applications from carriers or manufacturers that cannot be uninstalled, known as bloatware, can at least be disabled and hidden from the app drawer using this method.
Too many widgets can affect battery life and performance.
2. Clear app caches
Cached data can build up over time in your applications and affect the performance of your device. Deleting individual caches can be done in the Apps menu, but a number of free programs are available through the Google Play store that can automate the process. Some of the most popular ones include App Cache Cleaner and Clean Master, both of which are available for free.
3. Limit widgets and live wallpapers
Many people would argue that widgets are one of the benefits of using an Android device. They can be helpful for finding information quickly without having to open an app, but at the same time they can eat away at battery life and slow your device.
Reducing the number of widgets, especially data-intensive ones like Facebook, will help your smartphone or tablet run more smoothly and last longer. You can remove widgets from the home screen by long-pressing the one you wish to delete and dragging it to the top of the screen.
Another cool Android feature is the option to use a live wallpaper as your background. Like widgets, however, live wallpapers can slow down your device and drain the battery. You can also change your wallpaper with a long press on the home screen.
4. Disable animations
A hidden settings option in Android will give you access to commands you may have never known existed. Go to Settings, About Phone, scroll down to Build number, and tap it seven times. You will now have access to developer options. These special settings allow you to do a variety of things, but they are meant for advanced users and shouldn't be changed unless you know what you are doing.
One tweak that could speed up your device is disabling animations within the operating system. To do this, open Settings, go to Developer options, and scroll down to the Drawing option. Next, turn off the Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. This will disable animations that occur when you open, close, and switch between apps. Although the interface will look less polished, there should be less lag in performance.
5. Get software updates
Manufacturers and carriers are continually pushing out new software updates to their devices. It is imperative that you be on the latest firmware as these updates usually include security and bug fixes, among other things that will improve the overall stability of your device. To check to see if there is an update available, go to Settings, select About Phone, and choose the "System updates" option.
6. Rooting, ROMing, and more
Risk takers and advanced users can also root their device, which will open the door to new features and even greater performance boosts. Rooting gives you the ability to overclock the device's processor, install a custom ROM, and other things; however it also voids your warranty and could cause irreversible damage to the device.

Deal of the Day: LLOYD FX Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Deal of the DayThe Oct. 14 Deal of the Day is the LLOYD FX Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Made from shock absorbent and scratch resistant TPU, the LLOYD FX Case provides great protection for the Galaxy Note 2 from day to day use and drops. The back features our very own LLOYD mascot in front of a blue and white background. Access to screen, camera, ports and buttons is also provided.
The LLOYD FX Case is available for just $7.49, 62% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping.
Check out many more Samsung Galaxy Note 2 cases over at ShopAndroid.com!

ESPN finally updates their College Football app to include the newest phones

ESPN college football app

Still no Nexus 7 support, but the HTC One and Galaxy S4 now work with this essential football fan app

ESPN has done a great job developing their college Football app for Android. The only problem was that it has not been compatible with the latest and greatest phones available, like the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. We featured it in our essential football apps post this year because it's a great app, but wondered why it was taking ESPN so long to add compatibility. It has now finally been updated to support the newest phones. 
We're not sure why it took so long, but we're glad they finally did before we got too far into the college football season. The photo above shows the app working on the HTC One and since they specifically mentioned "newer" devices, we're assuming the Galaxy S4 is also included. If you have a new device and it still does not work for you, please sing out in the comments. It still does not work on the Nexus 7, which is a bummer, but maybe they will add that soon too. 
So if you have been anxiously waiting for your new Android phones to support this app, hit up the link provided. 

BBM for Android coming 'in days' says BlackBerry CMO

BBM

With millions waiting, BlackBerry is poised to try their luck in Google Play once again

If you're still waiting for BBM on Android, you might see it soon. According to BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben, the software should be available for both Android and iOS "in days." He also added that the company is confident that it fixed all the issues surrounding the un-launching last month.
For those who are still interested, we hope the hard work paid off and this time, the launch goes as planned, on-time, and with a lot less drama that we saw three weeks ago. 

Friday 4 October 2013

Hate the new Calendar app in iOS 7? Here are the best App Store alternatives!

Hate the new Calendar app in iOS 7? Here's a list of great alternatives!
THE BEST ALTERNATIVE CALENDAR APPS FOR IPHONE THAT CAN GET YOUR SCHEDULE BETTER ORGANIZED AND HELP YOU KEEP IT THAT WAY.
While the new, built-in iOS 7 Calendar app is clean, it's a dramatic change from the old one and not a change everyone thinks is for the better. If you've been a die-hard Calendar app aficionado, but now you find yourself looking around for an alternative, you're in luck! There are several really great calendar replacement apps in the App Store, and they can all tie into the same iOS calendar database, so all of your appointments, events, birthdays, and more will "just work" in your new calendar app, the way they always did in the default one. Here are my favorites!

Sunrise Calendar 2.0

Sunrise Calendar 2.0 supports both Gmail and iCloud calendars but sadly, no Exchange. Not only that, you can also choose to link up your Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. You can then manage all your Facebook and personal events in one place. Foursquare checkins show up in your calendar as well so you have one main feed for everything. Sunrise Calendar is one of the very few options that handles event sharing and invites properly through iCloud as well. If that's important to you, it's a solid bet. Oh, and did we mention the interface and design is gorgeous too?
If you share events via iCloud often and like the ability to tie in networks like Facebook and Foursquare, get Sunrise Calendar for iPhone.

Fantastical

Fantastical by Flexibits has been one of my absolute favorite alternative calendar apps as long as I can remember. The interface is dead simple to navigate and provides much of the same look and feel as the default Calendar app found in iOS 6 and before. Except it's better in many ways. Fantastical also supports true push for iCloud events and not email workarounds. Natural language support is also a huge selling point since it makes event entry dead simple. Not only that, Fantastical also offers Exchange support.
If you want something visually close to the older default Calendars app or need Exchange support, get Fantastical.
Note: Fantastical 2 is slated for release this month and will be a completely new purchase. If you can wait, we'd recommend it. If you need something right now, it's still $5 very well spent. We will update this article as soon as Fantastical 2 is available.

Calendars 5

Calendars 5 by Readdle can not only manage your Calendar, but your reminders and tasks as well. It also supports natural language input for event creation. Calendars 5 is also one of the few options that is a universal download for both iPhone and iPad. You can sync local calendars as well as Google calendars with Calendars 5. Event sharing is available for Google calendars but not for iCloud.
If universal support for iPhone and iPad are important to you and you want one solution for tasks and calendar events, definitely consider Calendars 5.

Agenda Calendar 4

Agenda Calendar 4 by savvy apps has tons of customized views that are all well thought out and designed. I think it's month view is one of the best available. Agenda 4 can also integrate your reminders much like Calendars 5 can. You can also send events and tasks to Clear, Drafts, Due, OmniFocus, Scratch, Things, and Todo.
If you want integration with other productivity and task apps, get Agenda Calendar 4.

Tempo

Tempo calendar aims to make your calendar more of a personal assistant than just lines of information for you to read. Tie in your email accounts, contacts, Foursquare, and Yelp! accounts and Tempo will get smarter. It can start serving up emails that are attached to certain tasks or what it thinks is relevant to a particular meeting. This can include attachments and documents or just email conversations. Events that involve things such as boarding passes for flights, Tempo can keep that information safe and up to date as well.
If you want your calendar to do more and you deal with lots of meetings on a regular basis, definitely give Tempo a try.

Cal by Any.do

Cal by Any.do is one of the best looking alternative calendar apps available. It also ties in closely with Any.do for tasks. One unique thing that Cal does is plot out free time in between events. The main agenda view is reminiscent of the default Calendar app pre-iOS 7 as well so it won't be as overwhelming to new users. Cal also supports natural language input and automatically searches for physical locations in your events to attach. In my experience, it's been very intuitive and easy to use.
If you don't need tons of extra features and want something that just works, or you're already an Any.do user, Cal is worth a try.

Your favorite calendar apps?

These are our absolute favorite calendar apps. Not only do a lot of these provide more functionality, they can also tie into all the services we care about most. If you use one of the above, let us know why you prefer it over the native Calendar app. If you use something different, make sure to let us know what!

RealNetworks unveils RealPlayer Cloud


RealNetworks has launched RealPlayer Cloud, which is billed as the first integrated video player and cloud service. You can save, watch, and share videos across multiple devices. RealPlayer can display multiple video formats on supported platforms, for example, letting you take a video on your iPhone and easily watch it on an Android device, according to RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser:
"The amount of video content that consumers are capturing and watching is exploding, but moving that video around is often painfully difficult," said Rob Glaser, founder and interim CEO of RealNetworks. "RealPlayer Cloud is a breakthrough product that gives consumers a seamless and easy way to move, watch, save, and share their videos across all their devices. In short, we've made video easy."
Realplayer will also offer additionaly video storage with plans starting at $4.99 per month. RealPlayer Cloud is available starting today as a free download for iOS, Android phones, Windows, Roku, and is also available on the web. You can actually download it right now from the App Store.
Source: PR Newswire

How to create your own station in iTunes Radio for iOS

How to create your own station in iTunes Radio for iOS
If you're running iOS 7 on your iPhone or iPad, iTunes Radio comes bundled right in the Music app. While you can always listen to the stations Apple is currently featuring, you can also create your own based on any genre, album, or track you'd like.
Here's how:
  1. Launch the Music app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad running iOS 7.
  2. Tap on the iTunes Radio tab in the bottom navigation if you aren't there already.
  3. Scroll down a bit and tap on the plus sign on the block labeled New Station.
  4. Here you can search for an artist, pick a genre, or look for a particular song.
  5. Tap on the result you'd like to create a station based on.
That's all there is to it. iTunes Radio will automatically start playing songs based on your criteria. The station will also appear under your My Stations section so you can always go back and listen to that station again whenever you'd like without creating it again.

Skype to add synchronized messaging, battery conservation in coming months

Skype to add synchronized messaging, battery conservation in coming months
Microsoft's Mark Gillett - the vice president responsible for Skype - describes improvements coming to the popular communication service in the coming months. Those changes include synchronized chat messages, improvements to battery management on mobile devices and more. From the Skype blog:
We also know that people are engaging more and more with each other and with Skype across multiple devices at home, on the go, and at work so we are working to synchronize chat message status across all of your devices so you will know the current status of all of your chats on every device you use to interact with Skype. This capability will be rolling out across clients over the next few months.
The secret behind Skype's battery preservation on mobile devices comes from keeping the app in "sleep" mode and waking it only when necessary using push notifications.
A common feature in mobile apps, these notifications are the same technology that provide updates on sports scores, weather bulletins, or breaking news. In order to send a push notification message to a sleeping Skype app, the calling app sends the Skype ID and IP address of the parties, as well as the time and date, to our cloud.
Right now, when you open Skype on a second device, be it iOS or Mac or another platform, messages will explode at random intervals and otherwise make you want to end it. If Skype can fix that - big if - they'll take a huge step forwards to being a true multi-device communications systems.
But can they really do it?
Source: Skype blog

iPhone engineer recounts challenges leading to original iPhone announcement

Former iPhone radio engineer talks about the stress leading up to the original iPhone announcement
A senior radio engineer on the original iPhone has talked about the stress the team felt in the days that led up to the announcement of the iPhone in 2007. Andy Grignon had been on the iPhone project since the beginning. Much of his stress came from Steve Jobs' insistence on a live presentation, where most such demonstrations are canned in order to avoid problems. Grigon was in charge of all of the iPhone's radios, and if they had any problems in the first public demonstration of the iPhone, Jobs would have blamed him, according to the New York Times:
Cellphones do innumerable useful things for us today, but at their most basic, they are fancy two-way radios. Grignon was in charge of the equipment that allowed the phone to be a phone. If the device didn’t make calls, or didn’t connect with Bluetooth headsets or Wi-Fi setups, Grignon had to answer for it. As one of the iPhone’s earliest engineers, he’d dedicated two and a half years of his life — often seven days a week — to the project.
The run-up to the event saw Apple completely take over the Moscone Center, with extra security hired to look after the iPhone prototypes 24/7. Jobs rehearsed his presentation for five days, and each day brought a new iPhone malfunction, from dropped calls to random freezes to complete shutdowns. On the day of the unveiling, Grignon brought a flask of Scotch to share between the engineers. Every engineer would take a shot after the portion of the demo that they were responsible for had worked. By the end of the presentation, the Scotch was gone, and the first public presentation of the iPhone had been a complete success.
Grignon later left Apple to become a part of the webOS team, moving on from there to found Quake Labs, a software startup.

Dead on Arrival 2 as seen on the Nvidia Shield

Android Central

 Dead on Arrival sequel played on the Nvidia SHIELD


Recently released, Dead on Arrival 2 is downloadable from the Google Play Store (see the link above). Controller and Tegra optimized, DOA2 pairs seamlessly with the Nvidia SHIELD. The game is free to download and play with in app purchases to advance, although our Kevin O'Quinn says
[those] aren't required. You can unlock seemingly everything through gameplay, with the purchases speeding up the process.
The game seems to run fantastically on this device; the integrated controller allows for precise hand-eye movement, the audio is nice and crisp, and the gameplay leaves nothing to want. You can learn more about the game by viewing the video after the break, If you've got a SHIELD at home and enjoy shooter games, feel free to take on the undead and let us know how you survive. 

Stock Talk: HTC's Q3 loss isn't good, but neither is it unexpected

HTC

The question remains, though: How (and can?) HTC regroup financially to compete in this industry? 

Earlier this week HTC Corp. published its unaudited results for the third quarter of 2013. Despite the number of headlines making a big deal out of the company’s first quarterly loss (yes, it lost money this quarter), the news was easily anticipated.
Like many public companies, HTC shares its business outlook in every quarterly press release. Last quarter it said to expect $50 billion to $60 billion (local currency) in revenue, and it expected an operating margin as low as -8 percent.  In actuality, HTC posted slightly less revenue ($47.1 billion), and the operating margin was slightly better than the worst-case scenario in its outlook at -7 percent. 
How did the market respond? The stock is actually up 1.5 percent today. That’s a tiny move for a tech stock, so it pretty much tells us Wall Street yawned at these numbers. 
It’s unfortunate that products like the HTC One and the HTC First “Facebook phone,” released earlier this year, didn’t turn around the company’s fortunes.  I honestly don’t know what these guys should be doing to fix things. There is no question HTC makes good products. People have long respected HTC’s design skill and product quality. But it clearly isn’t enough to sustain the business. The mobile business is now heavily concentrated around Android and iOS, and in the Android market it’s practically impossible to compete against Samsung. Not only does Samsung make by far the largest number of (very good quality) phones, but it has strong control over much of the supply chain by making its own screens, memory, and more.
HTC One
AS WE'VE SAID TIME AND TIME AGAIN — THE PRODUCTS AREN'T THE PROBLEM.
Still, HTC isn’t in imminent financial danger quite yet. Last time we saw HTC's balance sheet, it had about 14 times as much cash on hand as compared to this Q3 operating loss. Unless revenues plunge from here, HTC probably can get back to profitability with some careful cost cutting — which, yes, unfortunately often involves cutting people, which happened recently as HTC America confirmed it's laying off 20 percent of its employees. But contrast this with BlackBerry, which just announced plans to cut 40 percent of its staff, reduce operating expenses by 50 percent — and it still faces a heavily declining service business, which threatens to re-ignite the company’s cash burn rate even if management puts out the current fire.
What’s your take, folks? What strategic options should HTC implement? Should HTC look to sell itself? Shut down the business? Find another way to compete in the market somehow?
What options do these guys have to remain relevant?

AT&T HTC One Android 4.3 update passes certification, pushing out next week

HTC One
HTC America President Jason Mackenzie has confirmed on Twitter that the Android 4.3 update for AT&T's HTC One has passed carrier certification and will be pushing out "early next week."
HTC is in the midsts of pushing out its Android 4.3 update for various regions and carriers. Sprint's HTC One got Android 4.3 this week, while the U.S. developer version and Canadian versions got it last week. T-Mobile is expected to get the 4.3 update by mid-October, while Verizon is slated for the end of the month.
The update brings HTC's flagship up to the latest version of the OS, while adding in new (to the U.S.) HTC Sense features like additional video highlight templates, Instagram support in BlinkFeed and the ability to disable the on-screen menu button.

LG G2 tips and tricks: Long-press the volume buttons for app shortcuts

LG G2
The LG G2 brings with it some interesting new features. Chief among them is the moving of the power button and volume buttons to the rear of the phone. Used in conjunction with the "Knock-on" feature for turning on the display, it brings (somewhat) of a sense of normalcy to a very different phone.
But there's a bit of added functionality that we'd recommend you not forget about — and that brings us back to those rearward-facing volume buttons.

LG G2 tip: Hold volume-down for a camera shortcut

Most phones give you a shortcut to the camera on the lockscreen. The LG G2 is no different — but it actually goes a step further. You don't even have to wake the phone first to get to the camera.
Hold the volume-down button on the LG G2 — they say 3 seconds, but you'll feel the phone vibrate when it triggers — and you'll immediately launch the camera app. 
And once the camera app is open, you can press volume-down (or volume-up, for that matter) to serve as a shutter button. An awkward shutter button, perhaps, but a shutter button all the same.

LG G2 tip: Hold volume-up for QuickMemo

QuickMemo is a major feature for LG, allowing you to annotate just about anything. So, LG's given you a shortcut to it, too. Hold down volume-up for a couple seconds and it'll fire it right up. No having to wake the phone first. 
See? It's just like the other one. Only different.

Android sees slight dip in US market share, still holds over half the market

comScore market share

Samsung still the largest among Android makers, but still far behind Apple

As of August, 2013, Android still controls over half of the US market share, according to analysis bycomScore. 51.6 percent of the mobile market is impressive, but it is down 0.8 percentage points compared to May of this year. Apple's iOS, on the other hand, has gained market share in that period, up to 40.7 percent from 39.2 percent a few months earlier.
In terms of which manufacturers are selling devices, naturally Samsung is still on top of the Android heap. With 24.3 percent of the US market secured — up 1.3 percentage points since May — Samsung is solidly behind Apple's 40.7 percent (the same as its OS market share, of course) but far and away ahead of everyone else.
Rounding out the top five manufacturers are HTC at 7.4 percent (down 1.3 percentage points), Motorola at 6.9 percent (down 0.9 percentage points) and LG at 6.7 percent market share.
comScore market share

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