We first heard about Google’s “Designed for Families” Play Store program in mid-May, and Google officially announced that it would be adding new family-focused features to the Play Store at Google I/O 2015. Now, a new section labeled as “New Family Fun” is popping up on the Play Store, featuring the friendly star mascot, iconic character categories, and more…
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Google has—finally—officially announced Google Play Services 7.3 (which first surfaced a couple of weeks ago), bringing several important new features to the company’s Google-powered app support package. Most importantly, the update brings new Android Wear APIs allowing multiple wearables to be connected to a single phone…
Multiple wearable devices can be connected to a user’s handheld device. Each connected device in the network is considered a node. With multiple connected devices, you must consider which nodes receive the messages. For example, In a voice transcription app that receives voice data on the wearable device, you should send the message to a node with the processing power and battery capacity to handle the request, such as a handheld device..
The update also brings the addition of nutrition data to Google Fit, as well as “improvements to retrieving the user’s activity and location, and better support for optional APIs, there’s a lot to explore in this release.” Check out the goofy and entertaining announcement video below, and learn more over at Google’s Android developers blog:
Google has started the April Fools Day fun a bit early with a new Pac-Man easter egg allowing users to play the classic arcade game on the streets of Google Maps. Here’s how to do it:
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC1jHHF_Wjo?list=UUadEYJR8MgdLjzmFDuMuzeQ]
Monument Valley, a popular and critically-acclaimed game that was released recently on iOS, is now available for Android devices. The game, available today for $3.99, features beautiful graphics and an interesting storyline.
In Monument Valley you will manipulate impossible architecture and guide a silent princess through a stunningly beautiful world.
Monument Valley is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Guide the silent princess Ida through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, unfolding optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People.
While somewhat expensive for an Android game, Monument Valley is well worth the cost. It’s one of the best games I”ve played on a mobile device in the past year. My only complaint is that it’s relatively short — hopefully now that the game is available on both major platforms, the developers can start adding additional levels.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLN3olo7xzA]
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 — the game, not the movie itself, which is due to be in theaters on May 2nd in the US — is available right now for Android. The game is priced at $4.99, and follows the same story as the movie (so you might get a sneak peek at some storyline). Developed by Gameloft, this movie-based title may not live up to the hype surrounding the movie. Regardless of how the graphics look, the gameplay seems solid, so this Spider-Man game may well make for a nice way to kill fifteen minutes here and there.
As December continues to tick away and as we look back at 2013, I’m about to cleanse my smartphones (plural) and kick out all the apps I haven’t touched in months. There’s little question that this year has been chalk-full of all-star apps and even some duds. It’s tough to narrow down all my favorites of the year especially when you factor in some app updates that made at least one or two of my favorite apps jump from the second or third page right up to my first page of apps.
Google announced today on Twitter that it’s giving away $25 in Google Play store credit & free shipping to everyone that purchases the Nexus 7 through the Play store. That brings the cost down to around the same amount as the $199 deals we’ve seen on 9to5Toys through Walmart, Amazon and others in recent weeks. The deal is only available for those purchasing the Nexus 7 through the Google Play store online in the US and Canada, and the credit will be emailed at the time the device ships.
Holiday Special: $25 Google Play credit and free shipping.*
For a limited time, you will receive a $25 Google Play credit when you purchase a Nexus 7 from the Play Store. Your Google Play credit will be emailed when your Nexus 7 ships.
Also on offer is a free HD movie rental from Google Play with the purchase of Google’s $35 Chromecast.
You’ll be able to find the Nexus 7 for $199 this Black Friday through a number of retailers. Stay tuned to 9to5Toys for all the latest deals.
[tweet https://twitter.com/GooglePlay/status/405408020298874880]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiqbNxRurFA
Earlier today we told you that Facebook had updated its Messenger app for Android with the new “Chat Heads” feature from its Facebook Home platform. Today also marks the official launch of Facebook Home for the initial list of supported devices and now the app is finally live on Google Play and available to download.
Facebook Home is the mobile experience that puts your friends at the heart of your phone. From the moment you turn it on, you see a steady stream of friends’ posts and photos on your home screen. Upfront notifications and quick access to your essentials mean you’ll never miss a moment. And when you download Facebook Messenger, you can keep chatting with friends when you’re using other apps.
In addition to the new HTC First, Facebook Home is currently supported on the HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and eventually the HTC One and the Galaxy S4.
You can learn more about Facebook Home from our coverage of the launch event here and check out a gallery of screenshots below:
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An updated Google Play with an image-centric design will be rolling out to all Android devices running Froyo (2.2) and up over the next few weeks, the Official Android blog confirmed. The redesign focuses on connecting ‘similarly themed’ content so apps, songs, and movies of the same genre are grouped rather than scattered everywhere.
Perhaps it’s too soon to state this with any certainty — surely this update has been in the works for some time now — but we may already be seeing the influence of Facebook Home on app design, at least as it pertains to the use of larger imagery and simplified interface. Something to keep an eye on at the very least.
Almost 60,000 apps have been removed from Google Play, reports TechCrunch, in a move believed to be in response to the number of apps falling foul of the store’s anti-spam policies.
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As the PS4 keynote event unfolds, a new great feature has just been announced: Android tablets as game controllers. The specific reveal came along with the game Drive Club. It’s a first-person team-based racing game exclusive to the new PS4. EvolutionStudios, the brains behind the new game, are allowing users to create a game and challenge their friends with Android tablets while on the go. More information as to whether this feature is exclusive to this game or a new PS4 feature has yet to be announced, but we’ll be sure to update you as we get word.
Update: Well that’s all folks! The PS4 “reveal” event is over now (with no hardware sighting), and Drive Club is the only game with Android tablets as confirmed second controllers. As more games are announced and eventually released, we’ll probably see this feature included. But, for now, Drive Club is the only known game.