You might soon be able to run Android and iOS apps on the same device
Since the mobile universe was first split into the great hulking behemoths of iOS and Android, smartphone users have been asking "How can I run Apple apps on my Android device?"
Well, this could be the answer you're looking for. A team of US computer scientists has announced the development and successful testing of software that allows Android and Apple apps to run side-by-side on the same devices.
PQChat secures your communications using quantum computing-proof encryption
After Edward Snowden’s many (and on-going) revelations, it’s easy to think there’s not much you can really do to avoid being spied upon or prevent your communications potentially being monitored. Of course you probably don’t have much to hide, and therefore what you say isn’t likely to be of major interest to the NSA or other snoopers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try to maintain a degree of privacy where possible.
SRD Wireless has today announced the launch of PQChat, a free app for iOS based on SRD’s own Never-The-Same (NTS) encryption which protects data using the McEliece cryptosystem, the strongest currently known, and which has never been broken (as far as anyone is aware, at least).
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Eighty-first in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best new applications and games for Windows 8. Microsoft released a Windows Store update earlier this week that introduces several new or improved features.
Among the new features are an always visible toolbar at the top, collections, and additional information displayed next to apps on listing pages.
Best iOS apps this week
Nineteenth in a series. iTunes was updated to version 11.2 this week. As my colleague Brian Fagioli reports, it's not the most exciting release with most changes relating to improvements to podcasts. It also fixes an annoying issue whereby iTunes could become unresponsive when updating Genius.
New and updated releases this week include an iOS port of classic indie PC game Thomas Was Alone, the official app of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a social network app that wants to be like a party, an arcade shooter, and a new app from FourSquare. RockMyRun has been updated too, and can now automatically adjust the speed of the music you're listening to so it matches how fast (or slow) you're running. There's a great travel app featured this week too.
Facebook for iOS supports drafting posts offline, preview before sending
Facebook has unveiled a landmark release of its iPad and iPhone app with the release of Facebook for iOS 10.0. Despite the major version number change, however, new features are thin on the ground.
There are basically two major changes to speak off: support for drafting posts while offline, and the ability to now review posts before they’re sent. The update arrives as Facebook starts testing a new card-based feature similar to Google Now.
Android developer surprised to find his app in Nokia Store
ADW.Launcher developer Ander Webbs has taken to Google+ to share his surprise after finding out his Android app was available in the Nokia Store -- the app store for Nokia X -- seemingly without his permission and without him ever launching the offering there. At first glance it appears Opera, which operates Nokia Store, has jumped the gun by creating an account and uploading the app on his behalf.
Without knowing the context, a number of vocal Google+ users have begun to accuse Nokia of unprofessionalism (bordering on wrongdoing). Fueled by a desire to bring the matter to the public's attention, it has quickly escalated. But, as it turns out, in 2010, Webbs agreed to have ADW.Launcher offered through Handster, which was later purchased by Opera.
Share your life with a total stranger
Anyone who has ever wanted to know more about the lives of others is in the luck as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an iPhone app that pairs strangers together for a period of a little under three weeks.
20 Day Stranger, which has been engineered by MIT’s Media Lab, works by pairing up two complete strangers and then sharing random information to each person for a period of 20 days, and the best part is you’ll never have to know the identity of the person on the other end.
Twitter for iOS adds mute button, multiple iPad improvements
Twitter has rolled out a new version of its iPhone and iPad app with the release of Twitter 6.5. Its headline new feature is support for the "mute" feature that allows selected users to be hidden from the user’s timeline.
Version 6.5 also implements a number of improvements to the iPad version that had previously been rolled out to the iPhone build. These include selected content previews in the user’s timeline and the ability to choose filters for photos.
Twitter's mute function lets you silence talkative tweeters
It is said that Twitter is the social network for those who suffer from verbal diarrhoea, and it's certainly true that you have to be slightly selective about who you follow if you are to avoid drowning in an avalanche of overwhelming drivel. But even if you do pick and choose who appears in your timeline very carefully, there may be times when you want certain people to just shut up. You could stop following them, or even go as far as blocking them, but this might be seen as taking things a little too far. Twitter's new mute function could be the solution to the problem you didn’t know you had.
Announced in a post on the Twitter blog, Product Manager Paul Rosania says the feature is being rolled out to not only the web version of Twitter, but also the official iOS and Android apps. In many ways, muting is a watered down version of blocking a user and it could prove useful in certain circumstances. You may have some friend who is watching a show you've yet to catch up with. To help avoid spoilers, you could mute their tweets until you're up to date; the same idea rings true for sporting results, and other big announcements.
Best Windows 8 apps this week
Eightieth in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best Windows 8 apps and games that were published to Windows Store. Microsoft has released updates for several core apps for Windows 8 without mentioning what actually changed on the apps' profile page or the Windows Store page listing the application.
Apps that have received updates are Bing Health & Fitness, Weather, Bing Sports, Music, Video, Bing Travel, Bing News, and Bing Finance.
Snap happy -- Google Camera app for KitKat is a winner [Review]
I was never a big fan of the camera interface that came with KitKat on my Nexus 5. Having to roll my finger about on the screen to get to the various menu options never really appealed. It felt awkward, and I was always missing the selections I wanted.
Anyone running KitKat may have come across the fact that the camera app has changed. My Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 both got it as an automatic download, but if you are running KitKat on a handset or a tablet and don't have the new camera app, you can pop along to the Play store and download it. It's called Google Camera.
Adobe Voice lets iPad users quickly create slideshow-based video stories
Adobe has unveiled a new free app for iPad users. Dubbed an app for storytelling, Adobe Voice 1.0 allows users to create animated slideshow-based video stories based on their own narrated scripts.
Each slide -- or "page" -- consists of a recorded sentence or two, a choice of layouts and then a selection of text, icons or photos that are automatically animated and edited together into a single movie that can be played back or shared online.
Overlooked testing conditions that affect mobile app quality and performance
Building a mobile app is difficult -- it takes a lot of time, money, and some luck. Success not only depends on the content and functionality of the app, but also on how your app performs on real devices under real user conditions. Tools and SDKs for mobile app development have improved these last few years, but often the development and testing process misses the rigor and attention to detail that is required to give your app a fighting chance.
First and foremost, you cannot rely solely on post-launch crash reporting and monitoring tools. In the web world, companies learnt the hard way that bugs that caused sites to crash or payments to fail ultimately led to unsatisfied customers and lost revenue opportunities. As a result, a culture of pre-release testing is now ingrained in web development. So why shouldn’t the same apply for mobile and apps?
Google Maps updated for iOS and Android, improves navigation tools, offline maps support
Google has updated its mobile mapping apps with the release of Google Maps for iOS 3.0 and Google Maps for Android 8.0.
Both platforms gain improved turn-by-turn navigation controls as well as the addition of travel time estimates. Also added is support for saving offline maps with user-defined names and tagging favorite locations when signed in for access via any device.
Google Play stats indicate slow HTC One (M8) sales
The One (M8) may very well be the best smartphone that HTC has ever launched. It is made of premium materials, looks great, does not go overboard with software customizations and, on top of that, has received rave reviews, including ones from our Brian Fagioli and Joe Wilcox. It, however, looks like the One (M8) is not quite the sales success that HTC has been hoping for.
The Google Play stats of the HTC-branded apps designed for the One (M8), that the Taiwanese maker released around the time of its official introduction, so far suggest that sales are within the one million mark. Even though this may not be the most accurate way to measure the total unit volume it does not paint a favorable picture.
Recent Headlines
BetaNews, your source for breaking tech news, reviews, and in-depth reporting since 1998.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.