If you havn't heard by now, Google has decided to change some of the names of its apps - mostly by adding "Play" to the title.
Not sure what kind reasoning they had to do this, but I am pretty sure they know what they are doing (I hope!).
Apps that had a title change:
Google Android Market = Google Play Store
Google Music = Google Play Music
Google Books = Google Play Books
Google Movies = Google Play Movies
Google Play Store can be updated manually by copying and installing the Google Play Store apk below.
The Motorola Motoluxe, expected for release in February/March 2012, is Motorola’s attempt to create an affordable, large screen, Android smartphone. The MOTOLUXE, alongside the Defy Mini, is one of Motorola’s first releases since Motorola Mobility - the mobile phone side of the business - was acquired by Google.
Many saw this as a move by Google not necessarily to turnaround a struggling part of the Motorola business but rather an attempt to expand their patented technology portfolio to use in other future Google phones. Nevertheless, the Google owned phone makers announced in 2011 their intention to release the two new attempts to break into the smartphone market.
The MOTOLUXE, with its large 4inch, 480 x 854 pixel screen on the front and a sharp 8 megapixel camera on its back with a built in zoom feature, certainly looks like a potential leader in the low-cost market. It’s very unlikely to ever rival the likes of the iPhone but then it was never really intended to as Motorola look to capitalise on this low-budget market.
*Updated 3/07/12* Google has changed Android Market to Android Play Store.
Ever since the announcement, the new Android Market3.0 has been rolling out for Android devices with 2.2 or higher. The main feature of this Android market is the way users purchase books and movies, which starts at $1.99. These can be streamed or downloaded to an Android device. The new services is currently only available in US markets. In addition to the service features, they also made a massive overhaul of the UI to greatly enhance speed and usability.
Once again the Android x86 Project team has released the latest version of the Android OS live CDs, Android 4.0 IceCream, for x86 processors(the cpus that is running on your PC). While Android 4.0 still has many bugs and is unavailable on most Android phones, it is worth the install an Android Virtual Machine to see what it has to offer. Download links are below.
While this release may not seem significant to most Android users, big chip manufacturers now has the ability to use the source code to build a heavy competition against ARM in the mobile market; ARM currently has a monopoly over most of the Android mobile CPU market, since Android was not designed for x86(intel/amd) architecture. With the mobile market constantly expanding, Intel and AMD will no doubt want in on the piece of the profit.
Sand Studio has now introduced a new Android App that allows the user full control of the Android phone or Android tablet. What makes it great is that you can do all of this from the PC's web browser, without ever touching the device. All that is required is installing the app on any Android device.
With AirDroid you can:
- Access, send, and manage SMS messages
- Manage contacts
- Uninstall and install apps from Android Market
- Backup apps(they are saved as apk files)
- Manage music and ringtones
- Access phone information(system, battery, status, etc.)
- Manage and transfer files
 
Do you know which features your Android antivirus software actually needs? Aside from its ability to clean up and determine computer viruses, adware and spyware programs, it has to have an updated database of well-known virus threats and it has to be able to look for infections on important system files, as well.
Other than that, mobile application inspections for viruses and real-time scanning would be important features to watch out for along with anti-theft protection. The program shouldn't have a hard time finding the device in case it is stolen, either, and it should be able to keep the information on it safe and secure. Another feature you might want to take into consideration would be the ability to check for SMS service content.
People who have recently purchased a mobile phone or tablet computer which runs on the Android operating system may have been made aware of the potential to root the device. Typically most people will be completely unaware of what this entails, in which case it would be pertinent to ask “what is rooting on Android?”
So What is Rooting?
Rooting Android devices essentially means giving the owners extended privileges. This would allow them to be able to customize various aspects of the software which would otherwise be very strictly controlled. Originated from Linux, the term "Root" is coined from the owner having to obtain superuser rights from logging in as a "Root" user/id. Thus, the process where the user goes through to obtain superuser permissions on an Android device(linux based) it is referred to as "Rooting".
How Do I Get Root?
The method of rooting Android devices varies depending on the make and model of the phone or tablet. Android is an operating system which is used in handsets by many different manufacturers, and so it is important for anybody who is thinking of attempting to root their device to carefully research the correct specific procedure. Any mistakes which are made could render the device useless, and since the procedure invalidates the warranty this could be very costly to the owner.
While the stock email app on Android Tablets and Phones is amazing enough, there are many reasons as to why an alternative app is needed. Whatever the case, Android has a large establishment of alternative email apps avilable on its Andorid market. One of those app is the K-9 Mail.
Of all the email apps I have used, this would be hands down the best alternative. Not only is it free, it incorporates and integrates all your email into one application. The app has a similar feel to that of Microsoft Outlook in that all mail from every account is displayed on one huge list.
Have you ever seen the little picture below? They seem to be everywhere these days. I’ve seen them on TV, ads, t-shirts, and even tattoos. So, what is a QR code? What’s the purpose of them? QR, or Quick Response, codes are complex 2d barcodes, similarly to the one you see on food labels. They provide quick access of information. Where the barcode can only provide serial numbers, QR code takes it a step farther by delivering complex text or strings.
Accessing the information is simple: download a QR code scanner app for Android/iOS and “scan” the QR code using the camera on the device. The app should decrypt the data automatically and then typically brings up the app/browser for the corresponding data type. Test it out by scanning the QR code below on your tablet or phone and you will see that it brings up the app market for the AndroidSim Mobile App.
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| AndroidSim Mobile App QR Code |
Com2us has finally ported over their popular hack n slash game, Third Blade, from iPhone/iPad. This is your typical side scroll slasher, where the enemies come in the dozens and where your goal is to spam attacks and skills to get to the next level. This game stays true to the proven methodology of hack n slash gameplay. If this style is your cup of tea, then know that this game pretty well executed for a free game(Apple App store sells it for $1.99). The animation is beautiful and the skills are plentiful. The customization on the other hand is a bit lackluster, as the character attributes are set in stone from stage to stage. You can only change the equipment and what skills to level up and where to place them on the hotkeys.
~Welcome to Android 3.2!~
The SDK for Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the latest platform for the Android tablet, was recently released. If you haven't already jumped on the Android development train, now is a good time to do it. The tablet app market is still in its infant stages, with only a handful of apps optimized for tablet use. Slowly, but surely, tablets will replace the common household laptop as the primary means to access the internet.
Use this opportunity to improve your chances of selling a popular Android app by entering in the market early. Selling Apps is undoubtedly one of the best passive income any individual or business can earn. Learn what it takes to make an app here then read the guide for SDK Installation.
*update* - Android 4.0 x86 is out!
The Android x86 Project team has recently released Android 3.2 and Android 2.3 Live CDs to the public. The Live CD is a disc that contains a bootable/installer for the Android operating system for desktop or laptop computers. While not being able to achieve the full functionality of the Android, it does well to give the user a good demo of the Android without a dedicated mobile device, and without making changes to your machine. These demos to the Android 3.2 / 2.3 operating system are not for long term use.
Ever since switching to Google Music and The Google Music app for the Android, I have yet to touch the Music Player Application on the Android. By reaching the 2,000+ uploaded songs treshold, I soon realized that this music software also suffers the same crtical flaw as iTunes: they can only organize the songs by Tag ID, typically using the Album/Artist/Genre Tags.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, if you own a large song collection, you probably realized that not all mp3s and other song formats have Tag IDs imprinted in them when you downloaded/rip the song onto your computer. Thus, when the songs are uploaded into a music software, all you have for organization is a HUGE list of file, making it a very diffcult to navigate through the songs just to find the one you want to listen to.
Changing the Tag ID of each songs one by one can be such a tedious task.
So my solution? Since I have songs organized in folders on my PC by either date of purchase or by album name, all I had to do was use the folder name as a tag.
*Update 11/15* Invites are all gone.
By now you probably have heard alot about the "cloud". Well, now Google has started to hop on the Cloud Computing scene with Google Music, a service that allows you to put your music collection online under a Google Account. This service can then be accessed anywhere and anytime using their webpage. They also have a convenient app for Android Phones and Android Tablets.
The market for tablet computers is growing steadily as these devices become increasingly popular. Their versatility as computers combined with their sleek and lightweight designs means that they can perform a range of operations for various groups of people, such as commuters and business professionals. The growing popularity of tablet computers has meant that there are now many different brands available with differing operation systems. It is many times difficult to judge the differences between so many of these tablets and what they have to offer. Here I will examine five essential reasons why an Android tab should be bought rather than any other kind.
1) Price - The price of Android tablet computers tends to be considerably cheaper than other competing models such as an iPad. There is far more choice for consumers regarding the number of tablet computers which use the Android operating system. People are not limited to one particular brand or model, and as a result, an Android tablet PC can be purchased very cheaply.
Did you know that by going into "Settings" => "About Tablet" then on
"Android Version" => tap on "3.1" about 10 times as fast as possible you would see this screen?
This is something that we also saw in Gingerbread.
If you are a Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tablet user then you probably know that your device is getting the TouchWiz 3.1 update. If you don't have or want to create a Samsung account then you have the option to do the manual update by downloading the ROM posted by this xda user. Obviously, the knowledge on how to flash ROMs and the ClockWorkMod Recovery is required.
There are many new Samsung apps included in this update, but the most noteable is the increase in performance, resulting in much smoother frame transitions. Read below for more features.
 Do you know those handful of essential applications that you always install first? Superbox package ten of essentials into one application. Not only is it convenient, with Superbox, you get all of the functionality of those 10 individual applications, with only using a fraction of the storage(3.42MB). Comparatively, when all the apps are installed individuality, they take up about 5.50MB. Storage is especially important for those users with older phones that cant run a thousand apps at the same time.
Here are the 10 apps that are packaged into the free to download SuperBox: File manager - Allows you to manage files on the device Cache cleaner - Clears the cache, making the device faster App2sd - Moves the nonessential elements of an app to the SDcard
Don't be confused; I'm not talking about paper thin phones like the Nec Media(currently the thinnest phone in the world at 7.7mm, see picture below). I'm talking about the PaperPhone made from the revolutionary computer paper.
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| Nec Media Phone |
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