Snapseed, the hottest photo editing iOS app, arrived on Android this week; the free download is a must-try. Galaxy S III owners are about to get the ability to run two apps on one screen while the Samsung Muse MP3 player has a unique feature. Read more »
Most MP3 players share a common denominator: Unless they have a Wi-Fi radio, you have to connect them to a computer to get your music on them. Not so with the Samsung Muse a $50 pebble-shaped device that syncs music from a smartphone. Read more »
Samsung’s best selling Galaxy S III is about to get even better based on what the Premium Suite software suite will bring. The multi-window feature I like on my Galaxy Note 2 is in there as are several other useful functions as shown in this video. Read more »
Now that Amazon has its own devices in the Kindle Fire lineup, downloads from the Appstore are on the rise: up 500% in the past year. It doesn’t hurt that Amazon has added a number of developer-friendly features over the past 20 months, either. Read more »
The mobile-messaging value chain is changing as OTT players upend mobile operators’ SMS business. There will be 27.7 trillion messages by 2016, and most of the growth in traffic will come from IP-based services. Successful carriers will use this new technology to extend reliability and scalability. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple’s iPad app of the year in 2011 lands on Android in 2012 and if you take pictures with your Android smartphone or tablet, you’re going to want it. Snapseed uses a slick touch interface for photo edits and also integrates with Google+ for picture sharing. Read more »
The larger a smartphone screen is, the harder it becomes to use one-handed. Keyboard application Tyype for Android helps solve this problem because it adds a useful trackpad to the on-screen keyboard. However, it still needs to add more features for me to switch. Read more »
Nokia is hitting both the high- and low-end markets with two new handsets. The Lumia 620 is $249 before subsidies and are smartly aimed at new smartphone owners. The full-featured Lumia 920T comes to China Mobile, the largest operator in world, which has no iPhone. Read more »
In his latest book, The Human Face of Big Data, photojournalist Rick Smolan depicts the many ways big data is transforming the world. On Tuesday, he and his team released an iPad app that puts an interactive twist on many of the book’s examples. Read more »
Gmail for Android gains some great enhancements that everyone will likely want, but only devices running Android 4.0 or better can get right now. Pinch to zoom in email, swipe to archive and fit to screen are some of the more impressive features. Read more »
The company announced several other updates to the Google Maps for Android API on Monday, including vector-based maps, better 2D and 3D maps, as well as indoor mapping. Read more »
The week started with a nifty wireless NFC experiment but not ever Android phone has NFC. Free software accomplishes the same task of toggling Wi-Fi based on location. The Nexus 7 dock makes an appearance as does Xbox SmartGlass for Google’s 7-inch Nexus tablet. Read more »
The photo and video app market is a sizable one undergoing rapid changes right now. With low barriers to entry, this is a market that also consists of a large number of developers and is certainly not limited to a handful of well-financed startups. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I’m not one to waste battery power on my devices, so I often shut radios off when not in use. Smart WiFi Toggler for Android does this automatically when moving in or out of preferred network range. Best of all: It doesn’t use a GPS radio. Read more »
The SDK makes it relatively simple for Android apps to stream content to any DLNA-enabled device, from TV sets to stereos. Next up? Similar SDKs for Windows Phone 8 and iOS. Read more »
At long last, Google has added spreadsheet editing features to its Google Drive mobile applications. The updated software is available for both Android and iOS devices. You can’t get too fancy in your spreadsheets just yet, but this is a step in the right direction. Read more »
The only thing preventing this from happening sooner is the upcoming gift-giving frenzy of iPad minis, Nexus 7 and Kindle Fires in the U.S. China still doesn’t have the iPhone 5 or new iPad mini, but some carriers will start carrying the new iPhone next month. Read more »
Do you miss webOS as much as I do? If so and you use Android today, you’ll be happy to see webOS running as an Android app. The project isn’t ready for prime-time use, but it’s making progress. Practical? No. Geeky and nostalgic? You bet! Read more »
Don’t think that wireless NFC tags are just for mobile payments. You can do practically anything with them if you know how to program them with small bits of data. Some free apps make this easy and I’m already on the NFC bandwagon at home. Read more »
Cumulative Android sales started surpassing that of iPhones in 2010, but as Apple improves its handset, it often gets a sales boost following each model launch. Thanks to iPhone 5, that boost was enough to beat out Android sales in the U.S., but not overseas. Read more »
If you missed out on the first run of Nexus 4 smartphones from Google, you get a second chance on Tuesday, provided you live in the U.S. Google notified potential customers of new stock available, but still needs to improve the direct to consumer buying experience. Read more »
Android shopping traffic over the holiday lagged iOS even though there are more Android smartphones. We look at why Android still produces far less engagement than iOS and what might be contributing to the gap. Read more »
Most people today wouldn’t think of replacing their PC with a smartphone, but that future may not be far off. Amazing advances in hardware and software show this becoming a real possibility as shown in this fantastic video demonstration with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Read more »
About that Nexus 4 with no LTE. Turns out it has LTE, but only on a single band. Android owners got a Skype update this week and can expect to see more AirPlay-like features in the future from Google for media and apps. Read more »
Backed by Skype co-founder Janus Friis, Futureful is a content discovery tool that’s not dissimilar to StumbleUpon, only more heavily based on semantic tagging and machine learning. It’s due to launch in the U.S. in January. Read more »
Skype 3.0 for Android is here, boasting improved audio quality thanks to Skype’s own SILK codec. After testing the new client on both Android phones and tablets, I can hear a bit of a difference, but some key flaws remain for video calls. Read more »
Looking for a multi-purpose bag that can be used as a messenger bag, briefcase or backpack? What if that bag had an internal battery that charges a Mac, iOS device or other gadget over USB? Say hello to Phorce, a new Kickstarter project. Read more »
Samsung’s newest Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet features an LTE radio inside. That alone isn’t unique — Apple’s iPad offers an LTE option, for example — but this Samsung slate supports VoLTE, or Voice over LTE. Don’t get too excited; this model is launching in Korea for now. Read more »
Creator Scotty Iseri describes his new educational interactive web series and app experience as “gamified narrative” — he also approaches it as a start-up. The Digits, available on Android and iOS, frames math concepts for the elementary school set. Read more »
Google’s Nexus 4 smartphone launched and quickly sold out. That’s a shame as my review shows the Nexus 4 to be a fantastic phone for the price. HTC launched its Droid DNA this week and I’m watching TV on my Galaxy Note 2. Here’s how. Read more »
We have a few televisions, but there never seems to be a screen available. Or is there? Why not add a low-cost digital tuner or two to a home network
‘ I did and now I’m watching live HDTV on my iPad mini and Galaxy Note 2. Read more »
Using Twitter on an Android smartphone or tablet? You’ll want to check out Echofon; my favorite Twitter client for iOS and OS X. Why? Aside from all the basic Twitter features, Echofon for Android syncs your Twitter activity so you never read a tweet twice. Read more »
China may be Apple’s next frontier for smartphone growth, but the company has some catching up to do. Android handsets that cost one-third of the iPhone have taken the market by storm: Android now accounts for 90.1 percent of the smartphone market in China. Read more »
With many shaped and sized Android phones, it’s often difficult to find third-party accessories that work with multiple devices. Grace Digital’s gdock speaker won’t work with every Android, but it does support audio playback and charging for Samsung’s Galaxy S2, S3, Note and Note 2. Read more »
I tend to upgrade my Nexus phone every other year. Is the Nexus 4 good enough to change my mind and cause me to upgrade from the Galaxy Nexus in just a year? There are many reasons to say yes, even without LTE support. Read more »
HTC is going big with a stunning 1080p 5-inch Droid DNA, which will be offered through Verizon Wireless. The $199 device puts out 440 pixels per inch, sports a Snapdragon quad-core processor and also includes wireless charging. Read more »
Could a smartphone be your primary computing device? With this $99 Samsung Smart Dock for the Galaxy Note 2, it’s possible. The dock supports 3 USB accessories — think keyboard, mouse and storage — and includes HDMI out for 1080p video on a monitor or HDTV. Read more »
Matt shares impressions of Nokia’s Lumia 810 and 822 while Kevin gives a summary of the Nexus 10: Great hardware but not quite up to par on the software front. Plus, both hosts are addicted to Angry Birds Star Wars: May the Force be mobile! Read more »
Motorola’s Razr M is getting Android 4.1 quickly after launch, illustrating that the Google-owned company is looking to advance the pace of software updates. Verizon is tucking Isis support into the update. And Google is offering price protection on devices sold in the Google Play store. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy S III was the best-selling smartphone model last quarter, says research firm Strategy Analytics. That may or may not be true due to the “shipped vs sold” argument. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter because only Samsung could possibly rival Apple’s iPhone. Here’s why. Read more »
