Articles about Android

Announcing a new top-of-the-line smartphone around the same time rival manufacturers are also showing off their latest flagships is not an inspired move, which is why LG has decided to unveil its upcoming G4 after MWC 2015, leaving HTC, Samsung and the like fighting for the public's attention.

So, the new G4 will debut later this month, at a dedicated event that LG is holding on April 28. The flagship will arrive 11 months after its predecessor, G3, and, unlike its rivals, the South Korean maker has already revealed some details about the camera and software.

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A number of consumer groups have filed a complaint with the FTC suggesting that Google is targeting children with "unfair and deceptive" ads in YouTube Kids for Android and iOS. A letter signed by Children Now, Consumer Watchdog, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, and others says that ads are displayed in a way that would not be permitted on broadcast or cable television.

The letter makes three main complaints about the app. The first suggests that Google mixes programming and ads, while another says that the relationship between Google and the manufacturers of advertised products is not clear. The groups ask for the FTC to take action to stop the advertisements.

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Great presentations aren’t just about the content -- how they’re delivered matters, too. Android app Swoosh helps you stand out by stepping through your slides with just a wave of the hand.

The $2 app needs a server component on your Windows, Mac or Linux system. There’s no installation or configuration required, just run the download, launch Swoosh, and as long as they’re both on the same Wi-Fi, they should find each other automatically.

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Low cost Android handsets are both a blessing and a curse. While it allows the operating system to infiltrate low-income markets, it also creates a low-quality perception to some. For example, anyone who buys an iPhone gets a quality device with a good experience; there is no low-quality version. Conversely, an Android buyer can buy a low-spec dud that can sour the experience.

Not all low-cost Android smartphones are duds, however; quite the contrary. Google's previous generation Nexus 5 was an incredible value, as is the OnePlus One. Today, a new low-cost phone enters the market by way of eBay -- the ZTE Blade S6 Plus. The value is quite remarkable, as not only is the price low, but the specs are very impressive.

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OnePlus today released the much awaited OxygenOS update for its flagship One smartphone in India. The said Android-based operating system brings a Lollipop update in addition to a set of features from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. Whether or not this is what you prefer, the OxygenOS bestows “pure Android experience”. The update is meant only for the OnePlus One smartphones sold in India.

OnePlus One global variant runs on Cyanogen’s Android KitKat-based CM 11 software. Days ahead of One’s launch in India, Cyanogen partnered with Micromax to give it an exclusive right to ship Cyanogen’s software in the country. The move spoiled OnePlus’ plan to debut in India with a bang. Cyanogen made it clear that it won’t be providing any software updates to OnePlus’ Indian variant.
Amidst the controversy, OnePlus announced that it will soon release an Android 5.0-based operating system for devices by the end of January. The company missed the deadline, but the software update is finally here. And so are a couple of other confusions.

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Samsung finally seems to have got things right in its flagship smartphone. After receiving flak for years for using stale design language and cheap plastic material in its Galaxy smartphones, the South Korean technology conglomerate took to the stage last month to announce the metal clad Samsung Galaxy S6 with glass panel at both front and back ends. But if the $679 off-contract retail price seemed exorbitant to you, there is a clone of the S6 out there costing just $169 from a shady Chinese smartphone company.

Called the Goophone S6, the handset resembles the Galaxy S6 and comes in four color options -- golden, white, black, and blue. From the chassis to the design, to the logo, the resemblance is uncanny. As for the hardware, the smartphone comes with a dual-core MTK6572 processor clocked at 1.0GHz or a quad-core MTK6582 clocked at 1.3GHz (if you're happy to shell out an extra $40), and 512MB and 1GB RAM options. The phone runs on Android 5.0 and comes with enticing air gesture control, and heart rate monitor features. Needless to mention that the Goophone S6’s offering is nowhere close to the powerhouse Samsung has launched.

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Google says that it is keen for Android to be a secure platform for developers and end users alike. It's not a unique claim; Apple would likely say much the same about iOS, and Microsoft about Windows Phone/Windows 10 for Phones.

To demonstrate how fervently it has been working away at improving security and introducing new security-focused features, Google today published a report looking back on Android security in 2014. Dubbed the Android Security State of the Union 2014, it makes for interesting reading. It includes the revelation that nearly 10 million Android devices have potentially harmful apps installed.

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Windows Phone is Microsoft's mobile offering to the world, and some people love it. Unfortunately, the operating system's market share is extremely low, meaning many of the cool features and exclusives do not receive wide exposure. Slowly but surely, benefits that Windows Phone users pointed to as exclusives to the OS are being brought to competing platforms.

Today, Microsoft brings another Windows Phone exclusive to Android and iPhone -- Office Lens. Yes, the super-cool scanning feature is finally available to the large majority of mobile devices. Will you try it?

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Shortly after introducing the new One M9, Taiwanese maker HTC has announced an updated version of its former flagship, One M8. Called One M8s, it packs a 64-bit processor, larger battery and more common camera module on the back.

What that means is instead of featuring the same 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2,600 mAh battery and 4 MP UltraPixel main camera as its older brother, the new One M8s comes with an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2,840 mAh battery and 13 MP camera on the back.

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Last year Google introduced support for Android apps on its Chromebook lineup. Since the announcement, we have seen several popular apps arrive at the Chrome Web Store, including Duolingo, Vine, and Flipboard, but the number of such ported apps has been pretty low so far. In an effort to lure in more uber-apps like VLC and others to Chrome OS, the company announces at an event, that it is opening the ARC program -- previously only accessible to select firms -- to all developers. The move will foster the growth of apps at the Chrome Web Store.

The Mountain View-based technology company last year at its developer conference I/O introduced support for Android apps on Chrome OS-powered laptops. The company had showcased a native client extension called “App Runtime for Chrome (ARC)” that runs Android apps on a Chrome OS-powered notebook almost natively through a sandboxed Dalvik VM.

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Facebook is about more than being social; it's about presenting a version of yourself to other people. When you share a photo of your meal, you're making a statement: "look at this delicious expensive meal I can afford", "look at the fancy restaurant we're visiting", or "gosh, aren't I healthy for making this salad?". But of course Facebook is not just filled with photos of food -- there are also photos of kids, presenting an image of family life.

Starting today, Facebook is rolling out a new scrapbooking feature designed specifically for pulling together photos of your child. The idea is to make it easier to collect together photos into one place so you can view all of your memories without having to jump from place to place.

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Late last year, Google introduced support for multiple email providers in Gmail for Android, welcoming users of Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail and other such services to manage all their accounts using its app. There are plenty of folks who are not just Gmail or Google Apps users, after all. However, the app wasn't properly designed to handle all the extra accounts that users would set up.

The problem? Users had to switch between accounts every time they received new emails or wanted to reply to a message. Now, Google is finally correcting this by giving Gmail for Android a much-needed unified inbox.

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Microsoft has announced that mobile device management is now available in Office 365 for commercial customers. The feature is built into the office suite and allows administrators to control access to Office 365 data by Android, iOS and Windows Phone tablets and phones.

Security is very much at the heart of Office 365's mobile device management, and it includes a remote wipe feature. For businesses who have embraced the BYOD philosophy, this will bring peace of mind as it allows for the remote removal of Office and associated files even on personal devices.

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Earlier in the month we reported that Apple was about to start offering gift cards as part of a trade-in program for people buying a new iPhone. The updated program has now gone live so you can take your old Apple device, or non-Apple smartphone to an Apple store, or mail it in to receive credit.

The credit can be used in store or online against the purchase of a new Apple device, and this program expansion is the latest move from Apple to try to tempt users away from other platforms. You can check online to see how much you can expect to receive for your existing phone and decide whether it's worth your while. Hint: it might not be.

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Half of all Android users are still vulnerable to a security flaw uncovered in the most-popular mobile operating system early last year, according to a new report from security firm Palo Alto Networks. The vulnerability in question allows an attacker to modify or replace Android apps with malware without the user's knowledge.

Google was informed of the vulnerability in February 2014, a month after its discovery, and has since come up with a patch, which it has included in later revisions of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and newer distributions. According to the latest data from Google, that still leaves 49.9 percent of all Android users unprotected.

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