Yo: This app can't do anything else!
While there are many fairly specialized mobile apps out there, Yo, which was just launched by Life Before Us, takes the cake for being the narrowest-focused messaging service available on Android and iOS now.
Why? Because Yo can only be used to say "Yo" to your contacts. As you can imagine, it does not even trigger a keyboard when you want to hit a friend with a message, as a touch of a button will do the trick (Life Before Us touts this as a feature, in case you are wondering why the heck I am mentioning it).
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2: Big, bold and interesting [Review]
Samsung's Galaxy Tab Pro comes with an 8.4-inch, 10.1-inch and 12.2-inch screen. I reviewed the pen-friendly foil to the largest Tab Pro, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 earlier this year, and we've also already looked at the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4.
What you have in the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 is quite an interesting concept. A giant sized screen, in tablet format, that at £480 for the 32GB version easily costs as much as a good laptop but which lacks a lot of laptop features. There's no capacious hard drive, no physical keyboard, no support for the huge range of apps you might want to run on Windows or OS X.
Huawei Ascend G6: Affordable 4G smartphone [Review]
I was quite a fan of the Huawei Ascend P7 when I reviewed it last month, noting that it was a worthy flagship phone. At the high-end of the market, Huawei's problem is less what it does with its handsets, and more the profile it gets as a company in competition with the likes of Sony, Samsung and HTC.
The Ascend G6 is not a flagship handset. It is currently available for around £225 SIM-free as a 4G handset, and an otherwise identical 3G version will be around £185. It is a good comparator for the new £235 HTC Desire 610.
Amazon takes on Apple and Google with Fire phone
Amazon today unveiled the latest entrant to the smartphone race -- the Fire phone. The handset continues the Fire name that is more readily associated with Amazon's range of Android tablets, and it has a few tricks up its sleeve to make it stand out from the competition. A press event in Seattle brought to an end weeks of rumor and speculation as the phone, which features Dynamic Perspective that allows for maps and other images to be displayed in three dimensions, was revealed.
Run by four ultra-low power specialized cameras and four infrared LEDs, Dynamic Perspective has numerous uses. One application makes it possible for users to gain a different perspective on an image or object on screen by moving their heads. In games, a move of the head can be used to switch views, and there is scope for unique navigation options within apps. Some applications are slightly simpler, and mimic those found in other handsets such as Samsung's Galaxy range. For example, auto-scroll allows for easy reading of lengthy documents and web pages without the need for swiping.
Why you may want to buy a BlackBerry again
Canadian mobile maker BlackBerry may have just cracked its biggest problem -- the weak BlackBerry 10 OS ecosystem -- as it just signed a licensing agreement with Amazon, which will bring the Android Appstore to its ailing smartphone operating system.
When the upcoming BlackBerry 10.3 OS launches this fall, more than 200,000 new apps will be available on the platform, on top of what BlackBerry World already offers. The latter is likely to feature more apps that leverage BlackBerry 10 features, while the former will take on the role of filling the biggest gaps, caused by missing popular titles like Candy Crush Saga, Netflix and Minecraft, among others.
This is the Samsung Galaxy S5 you really want
The Samsung Galaxy S5 can get easily lost in a crowd of Android flagships. Compared to any of its well-known rivals, like the HTC One (M8) and Sony Xperia Z2, it fails to differentiate itself when it comes to screen resolution, processor choice and RAM capacity. And, compared to the more recent LG G3, it clearly loses the fight.
Some folks expected Samsung to release the Galaxy S5 with Qualcomm's mighty Snapdragon 805 processor and a higher resolution display, which would have given it the edge over the increasingly fierce competition. Now, the South Korean maker is doing just that, by adding a better version of its flagship smartphone to the lineup. Meet the Galaxy S5 LTE-A.
Android smartphones shipping from factory with malware
Hardware being shipped with viruses or malware is not a new thing. In the past, there have been flash drives that were accidentally infected at the factory and made it into customers' hands. However, in the new age we live in, where nothing can be trusted, there becomes an increased paranoia in trusting hardware. There is no telling what backdoors or spy software is installed by foreign governments to spy on US Citizens. Hell, the US Government could do it too!
Sadly, it seems Android phones are being shipped pre-loaded with malware according to German security company G Data Software. Before you panic and throw your phone into a lake, please know that so far, this is only discovered to exist in Europe on what seems to be a clone of the popular Galaxy S4. In other words, if you are in the USA you are probably safe -- for now. However, there is no telling where else the trojan Android.Trojan.Uupay.D may secretly be residing.
Avast's new Android app removes ransomware from infected phones and tablets
Of all the malware threats out there, ransomware is arguably the nastiest. It locks your computer, encrypts your files, and then demands payment to free your data. You can remove it easily enough, but doing so won’t get you your files back. And unfortunately ransomware is beginning to make its way on to Android devices.
Avast has just released a Ransomware Removal app which will eliminate this type of threat from infected Android phones and tablets. It scans your device, tells you if you’re infected and if you are it will remove the malware and (according to Avast) decrypt your hijacked files.
4G LTE Motorola Moto G available now in US
In Mid-May, Motorola made the entry-level Moto G Android smartphone even more appealing to consumers on a budget by announcing the still-affordable 4G LTE-toting model. The faster cellular connectivity has been an oft-requested feature as more and more mobile operators roll out compatible networks across the globe.
This enables subscribers to experience faster data speeds, leading to an improved experience when it comes to things like web browsing and video streaming. Costing just $219, the 4G LTE Moto G is now ready to offer these kind of benefits to a large pool of potential buyers, as it goes on sale in US.
Extend your battery life with Comodo Battery Saver for Android
There’s no real secret to extending the battery life of your Android device: just keep your screen brightness and timeout to a minimum, while turning off, disabling or uninstalling everything you don’t really need.
Applying these tweaks at the right time is often a hassle, of course, and it could be simpler to allow the free Comodo Battery Saver to manage everything for you.
1Password for Android now supports on-device password editing and management
AgileBits has unveiled 1Password for Android 4.0, a complete rebuild of its app for giving Android device users access to passwords stored securely using the 1Password service.
Previously, the app only gave users read-only access to passwords created on other platforms, including Windows, Mac and iOS, but is now a fully fledged password manager in its own right.
Root almost any Android device, including AT&T or Verizon Galaxy S5, with towelroot by geohot
Sometimes things are serendipitous in the tech world. This past Friday, I received a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 to review for BetaNews. Yesterday, as part of my testing, I wanted to see how easily I could achieve root access. To my surprise, after many weeks on the market, root was still not achieved by anyone. I even learned that the xda community had raised $18,000 in pledges for whoever could achieve root for both the Verizon and AT&T variants.
Well, coincidentally or serendipitously, root access is announced today, merely one day after I began my search. Fabled internet hacker geohot, most famous for jailbreaking the iPhone, is the man to claim the $18,000 bounty. He has released a simple APK that does the work -- no ADB or computer needed. However, his discovery goes far beyond the S5 and could work with almost any Android device released before June 3, 2014.
The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week: June 8 -- 14
Eyes were focused on Microsoft as the company held an Xbox One press conference at E3 2014, with the focus being very much on games. Not to be outdone, Sony also held a press conference at the event. Consoles from Sony and Microsoft are still largely reliant on traditional controllers -- dull! But the SteelSeries Sentry Eye Tracker is something to, almost literally, keep an eye on as it allows for controlling games with your peepers. PS4 users have the arrival of YouTube to look forward to, and Chromecast owners will soon be able to stream files from VLC.
In security news, AVG publicized details of yet another OpenSSL flaw. While less serious than other vulnerabilities that have been discovered recently, it's still something of a cause for concern. We're still feeling the fallout of the Zeus botnet, and F-Secure set up an online testing tool that can be used by anyone to check for the infection. One tactic used to attack websites is bombarding them with comment spam, and new research shows that 80 percent of such spam is generated by less than a third of site attackers.
Android gets ability to run Firefox OS apps -- do you care?
Google's vision of a web app utopia is made quite clear by Chrome OS. This concept is gaining traction with consumers too, as Chromebooks become more popular every day. However, the web app concept works best when it is open and not tied to a specific operating system. In other words, a consumer should be able to run any web app on any modern device.
Sadly, Google has not been as open as it should be and some web apps will only work well in Chrome. But what if you do not like Chrome? What if you don't like Google? Firefox is here to help. Mozilla announces that it will empower Android users to run Firefox OS apps on their device by utilizing the Firefox browser.
Logitech announces the Type-S -- Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 keyboard case
The dust is still settling from Samsung's monumental announcement of its Galaxy Tab S tablets. Make no mistake, the screens on these tablets are a game-changer and sure to push other manufacturers to improve their screen-technology too. While it is surely an iPad competitor, it will likely lag in one place -- accessories. Yes, when it comes to third-party add-ons, Apple's devices are on top.
Don't tell that to Logitech though. Even though the company makes cases and keyboards for the iPad, it supports Android too. Right on the heels of the Galaxy Tab S unveiling, Logitech announces the Type-S, which is a keyboard-case for the 10.5 inch variant.
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