Articles about Android

I have vague memories of Windows Mobile from some previous life...it's like a nightmare that I can't escape, though I am pretty sure it was a dream in that dark, distant era. Fast-forward to today and I have found myself torn between two mobile operating systems and thankfully neither is that early CE-based mess that Microsoft pushed on customers and businesses lapped up -- when they were not swayed by BlackBerry.

Since those heady days I have settled down to Android, as many of my colleagues here use. However, I cannot help but stray my eye to other possibilities and Windows Phone 8 intrigued me enough to take a shot. The hardware and software (I'm using the Nokia Lumia 928) grabbed me, but the lack of apps did not. Still, it proved smooth and usable. My Galaxy Nexus was set aside, becoming a glorified MP3 player because I cannot live without Google Music All Access or Beyond Pod.

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So, you got that new Android phone that's capable of taking HD video, but your friends and family really do not care to watch your cinematography skills on a five-inch screen. The good news is that you may just have a certain streaming set-top box sitting right in your living room that can solve your woes.

Today Roku announces the latest update to its Android app, bringing along a feature that the company had previously added to the iOS version of the service.

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Android is my mobile operating system of choice. While I am unhappy with the new KitKat name for 4.4, I still generally enjoy the OS very much. I like that Android uses the Linux Kernel and is more open than iOS.

However, there are five aspects of the operating system that I simply hate or find unnecessary. Read on for my choices, which like all good lists, are presented in reverse order...

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Nearly a year after it debuted Xbox Music, Microsoft has introduced iOS and Android apps for its impressive music service, and sent out a clear warning to the likes of Spotify with the introduction of free web streaming.

iOS and Android users with an Xbox Music Pass can now enjoy unlimited access to 30 million songs for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. When you add a song to your music library on Xbox, it will be instantly available on the mobile device.

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Looking at the biggest stories on BetaNews from September, 1 - 7, 2013. This was a week packed with news from IFA in Berlin -- lots of big announcements to whet our appetites for the coming months. LG's G Pad was revealed as a potential competitor to the Nexus 7 and iPad mini, while Acer was found to be proudly showing off its new R7 notebook complete with innovative Ezel hinge that allows for a range of working positions.

IFA was also where Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 3 as well as the Galaxy Gear smartwatch which will allow us all to live out our Star Trek dreams. It wasn't long before Note 3 pre-orders were being taken. If you've noticed that phones are getting bigger and bigger, the same is certainly true of tablets -- the Panasonic Toughpad 4K is a staggering 20 inches from corner to corner.

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Lenovo is making a lot of announcements at Berlin's IFA. After unveiling an impressive list of ultrabooks, the company went on to show that it has yet more to offer those in the market for a portable device. The S5000 is the latest tablet to be added to Lenovo's range, and size and weight are the interesting figures here. At 246g it is lighter than the Nexus 7 and at 7.9mm thick, it is also slimmer than Google's 7-inch baby.

Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on a quad-core 1.2GHz Media Tek 8389 processor, Lenovo claims the 7-inch tablet's 3450mAh battery will power eight hours of Wi-Fi browsing sessions or six hours of HD video watching on the 1280 by 800 screen. Storage can be expanded through the "On the Go" USB port and Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available when the tablet is released some time in Q4 2013.

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Unsurprisingly, Jelly Bean continues to increase its dominance in the green droid distribution charts, with the latest sweet in the family running on more than 45 percent of all Android devices visiting Google Play during the seven days ending September 4.

In the latest distribution charts, the first two Jelly Bean iterations -- Android 4.1 (36.6 percent) and Android 4.2 (8.5 percent) -- have a combined share of 45.1 percent, a number that is 4.7 percentage points higher compared to the previous data set that was released in early-August. A month ago, Jelly Bean had a 40.5 percent distribution level (34 percent for Android 4.1 and 6.5 percent for Android 4.2).

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When I was in elementary school, I thought I was pretty cool. You see, I wore the Nintendo Tetris watch. Sadly, I have not been cool since. I have patiently waited over 20 years for a watch to match the epic-awesomeness of that game watch. The rumor-mill has been churning out a lot of smart-watch news this year, pointing to Apple and Google.

Today, Samsung beats both of those companies to market and announces the Galaxy Gear smart-watch. The company describes this new watch as "a perfect companion device that further integrates the Samsung Galaxy experience into everyday life. Samsung Galaxy Gear combines smart device connectivity, tailored technological features, and stylish design as a single premium accessory".

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At IFA in Berlin, Samsung takes the lid off its giant screened smartphone -- the Galaxy Note 3. It use to be the case that as technology developed, devices became smaller -- colossal Walkmans were replaced by more svelte models, chunky Discmans by portable players barely bigger than the disc they were playing. There was a time when the fashion for cell phones took a similar route, but the current propensity for larger screens shows that this no longer rings true.

Samsung's Note range has long taken the idea of a large screened smartphone to the extreme, but the third generation pushes things even further. Equipped with a whopping 5.7 inch screen, the third iteration of the phone is thinner than its predecessor at just 8.3 millimeters, and also lighter at a mere 168g. The Super AMOLED display, boasting a resolution of 1920 x 1080 risks being something of a power sucker, but it's backed up by a 3,200mAh battery.

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In 2004, Major League Baseball announced a Spiderman 2 promotion. The first, second and third bases would display the superhero's logo. As expected, baseball fans were livid and, as a result, the promotion was cancelled -- they did not want to cheapen the sport that they love. However, baseball is not just a game. It is an identity. Yes, people actually identify with the pastime, and the same can be said for Android. Sure, some may view it as just a mobile operating system, however, many geeks and nerds actually identify with the mobile OS. It is not just an operating system to them. Android is their stance against the establishment and a way to bond with other Google OS users.

Today, the search giant announces that the next version of Android will be named KitKat, after the iconic Nestlé candy bar. Much like the way that candy bar can be broken into 4 pieces, the hearts of many geeks and nerds are broken too. You see, this is the first time that the operating system is named after a corporation's product. It is signaling that Android has "jumped the shark" and is no longer cool. What's next? L'Oréal? M&Ms? Nike?

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We've already seen an NFC (Near Field Communication) ring and it looks like a full complement of body adornments may soon be available. The latest addition to the jewelry box is an NFC bracelet from Nymi which will, when it sees the light of day, give owners the ability to unlock their smartphone with their heartbeat.

This might sound a little wacky but, just like your fingerprint, your heartbeat has a unique pattern to it meaning it can be used to uniquely identify you. Being a bracelet, the Nymi is worn around the wrist and when you need to authenticate to unlock your phone, a simple press of the sensor on top is all it takes. Of course, you need not limit yourself to unlocking your phone. The bracelet could also be used to replace car keys, make payments in stores and to open hotel doors.

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In something of a surprise move, Google announces that the successor to Jelly Bean will not be Key Lime Pie as everyone was expecting but… KitKat. There are no details of just what Android 4.4 will have to offer, or when we can expect to see it, but the new KitKat website promises to "make an amazing Android experience available for everybody".

The name might seem like something you would expect to hear announced on April 1, but this is no joke. The Nestlé website confirms that the next version of Google's operating system will be named after the "popular chocolate and wafer confectionery".

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Spotify users with both an iOS device and a premium subscription -- oh, and at least one set of compatible speakers -- will soon be able to take advantage of a new Chromecast-like feature. Spotify Connect allows for a seamless music experience, transferring music playback between devices and sound systems. Everything can be controlled using an iOS app, turn your iPhone into the ultimate music remote.

The new service is showcased in a YouTube video that demonstrates the ease with which music can be transferred from one set of speakers to another. Walk home from work listening to your favorite album on your iPhone earphones, and as soon as you step through the front door you can push the music to your home stereo.

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Or is it? It's not often that I see Windows Phone linked to being a "key player" on the smartphone market (quite the contrary, if some pundits are to be believed). But, according to a new report from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, it appears that Microsoft's operating system has established itself as a "real adversary" to Android and iOS. That appears to be no small feat.

Between May and July 2013, Windows Phones accounted for 8.2 percent of all smartphone sales in five major European markets -- France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK. Compared to the same time-frame from last year (when it had 4.9 percent market share), the OS grew by 3.3 percentage points, or 67.34 percent. That is a sizeable increase, however one that did not lead to Windows Phone's market share hitting double digits in a larger region (which, in my opinion, is a noteworthy steppingstone for any podium contender).

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Forget the iPad, LG wants you to give the G Pad some love -- the G Pad 8.3 specifically. The company is not new to the world of tablets, though it has been some time since its last foray into the arena. The South Korean manufacturer posted a teaser video on YouTube just a few days ago but a new announcement reveals more details and confirms the imminent release of the successor to the Optimus Pad, the G Pad 8.3.

The tablet -- which surely deserves to be known as the Mexican horse tablet (El Gee Gee Pad) -- is due to debut at IFA in Berlin in the next few days, with a release pegged for Q4 2013. But it's the specs that really matter, and LG has unveiled a full breakdown of what we can expect from its latest handheld device.

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