Analyst Alex Barredo today tweeted a photo today depicting the size of the app stores on all major mobile platforms. According to the chart, Android’s Play Store has the most apps, with iOS’ App Store not too far behind it. Both are growing rapidly, and both are approaching the 1.4 billion mark.
After revealing plans to finally bring Spotify to Canada last month, users in the country have now started receiving invites to try the streaming music service. A reader sent in the image above and others have received their invite over the last 24 hours,.
Congratulations — you’re in!
You’ve been chosen to try Spotify in Canada before everyone else!
Millions of songs are now waiting for you. The artists you love, the latest hits and new discoveries— all for free on mobile, tablet and desktop. Happy listening!
The company initially announced last month that the service would launch in the coming months, but now seems to be launching a test of the service with select users that signed-up here. Spotify is currently available in a long list of countries around the world, but it doesn’t yet list Canada on its website.
The company appears to be offering the service in trial mode for free but doesn’t mention pricing for a premium service for Canadians. Users that receive a code can access the service here.
(Thanks Josh!)
Sony just announced that users of its Xperia E1 and Xperia E1 Dual smartphones will soon get access to Android 4.4 KitKat as the update begins rolling out today. As it has already done with some of its other devices, the update to KitKat also comes with other Sony specific features including new Status Bar and Quick Settings features, animations and live wallpapers similar to the PlayStation 4, and much more:
Sony notes that its next device to get the update will be the Xperia M2 & M2 Dual. As always, the update will hit users at different times depending on your carrier and market.
Google yesterday kicked off what it’s calling the #PlaySale in 17 countries, and with it comes some fantastic deals across the marketplace. Tons of movies are going on sale to be available for less than $10, tons of apps are going free, and hit games are getting some steep discounts.
Be sure to check out Google’s discounted movies feature page, where you’ll find titles like Anchorman 2, Gravity, Son of God, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, all for less than $10. Likewise, Google is touting “up to 85% off and more!” on a huge selection of apps and games, where you’ll find everything from indie games to popular third-party apps. Also, as an added bonus, you’ll find that many apps are offering discounts on in-app purchases as well.
17 countries are about to get the lowest prices of the year on new titles. Check out #PlaySale http://t.co/0rhDnZfUu9 pic.twitter.com/T8xE1sktPp
— Google Play (@GooglePlay) August 8, 2014
Google today rolled out an update to its Android Device Manager app that bumps it to version 1.3.8. For those unfamiliar, Android Device Manager is Google’s solution for those who have lost or misplaced their phone or tablet and need to locate it. Today’s update is relatively minor, but there is one feature that will be incredibly e helpful, should you misplace your device.
Yelp announced today that it would be updating its Android application “soon” with a new feature that automatically translates reviews in 15 different languages. According to a Yelp blog post:
The translation feature works for all 15 officially supported Yelp languages: English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, French, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, and Japanese.
An exact date for the feature on Android has not been announced yet. The Yelp app is free on the Google Play Store.
Fleksy today updated their Android keyboard with support for new themes and more languages, Arabic and Chinese. The Arabic keyboard is launching in beta today, with the Chinese version coming sometime in the near future.
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In an announced by Facebook’s Ian Lake, an updated version of Messenger, version 9, will include lots of new Android Wear focused improvements. First on the list is voice replies. The update includes the ability to tap the reply button when a message comes in, and speak what you want to say. Also included is the ability to mute a conversation directly from a Wear device.
Microsoft announced today that its cloud-based OneDrive storage application is now available for the Kindle Fire and Fire Phone via the Amazon Appstore. Similar to Google Drive, Microsoft’s online storage solution lets users share photos, videos, documents and other items with other people directly from their smartphone or tablet.
Mobile messaging app Emu today confirmed that it’s being acquired by Google in a message on its website (via TechCrunch). Google is yet to confirm the purchase on its end, but the message from Emu notes that the app will be shut down as of August 25, meaning it will no longer be available to iOS users via the App Store and current users will no longer be able to receive send or download messages:
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Google announced today that it’s adding a new “unsubscribe” link at the top of emails in Gmail making it easy to unsubscribe from mailing lists. Most of us have hunted for the unsubscribe button in an email that marketers often bury at the bottom and make hard to find. Some users might have noticed the feature rolling out in recent weeks, but it appears Google has now made it live for all.
Making the unsubscribe option easy to find is a win for everyone. For email senders, their mail is less likely to be marked as spam and for you, you can now say goodbye to sifting through an entire message for that one pesky link.
This new Gmail feature will get rid of that problem by detecting emails that include an unsubscribe link and putting an easy to access button right next to the sender’s email address. You’ll notice the option in Gmail’s Promotions, Social, and Forums inboxes.
Sony announced rather unexpectedly today that it will be ending PlayStation Mobile for Android devices, its mobile gaming service integrated with PlayStation that currently comes with its “PlayStation Certified” Android devices.
The service will still exist on its PS Vita handheld and PS Vita TV, but the company will no longer guarantee support on devices running Android 4.4.3 and up, meaning users planning to upgrade to the upcoming Android L release this fall are out of luck.
It’s unclear what the motivation behind the move is, or whether or not Sony has other plans to somehow bring the long list of indie and classic PlayStation games offered through the service to Android gamers. Sony has an FAQ here about the change.
During the summer of 2013, the line-up of Google Play Edition devices grew incredibly quickly, with devices available from HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony. Last month, however, the selection of devices dropped to just three: the Moto G, Galaxy S4, and HTC One (M8). Now, this evening, Google has removed the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition from the store without any replacement in sight.
Amazon has announced this morning that a slew of new media apps are now available for your enjoyment on the Fire TV. On top of the platform’s already large number of apps, you can now access WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney Jr., MLB.TV, Animal Planet L!ve, and the WWE Network. The company says that even more are coming though, including WATCH ABC, NFL Now, A&E, Lifetime, and more.
The press release also touts the company’s TV gaming endeavors including its exclusive deal with Rovio to bring Angry Birds Family to the Fire TV. The company says that many more apps and games are on their way to the platform, and that this is just the beginning.
New services include WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney Jr., MLB.TV, Animal Planet L!ve, and WWE Network, and more are already on the way—by the end of the year TV services such as WATCH ABC, WATCH ABC Family, NFL Now, A&E, Lifetime, Outside TV, Young Hollywood, North Face TV, Fashion TV, Green TV andDailymotion will all be available to Fire TV customers.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Google is planning to soon separate its photo services from Google+ that allow users to backup, store, manage and edit photos. The move is apparently an attempt to “attract more users” to its photo services by offering them without the requirement of a Google+ profile.
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Following a quiet launch for its Amazon Seller app for iOS devices back in March, today Amazon appears to have done the same for Android users. The Amazon Seller app is available on Google Play now allowing merchants selling goods through Amazon to manage their listings and interact with customers.
Use the Amazon Seller app for Android to help grow and manage your selling business on Amazon. The app’s mobile features make it easier than ever for you to quickly identify new selling opportunities on Amazon.com, list your items for sale, and respond to customer questions.
The Amazon Seller app is available for free on Google Play. A full list of features included in the initial release below:
Manage Inventory
Search, sort and filter your inventory items. Update prices and quantities on the go.Search for new items to sell on Amazon
Check current prices, sales rank, and customer reviews of items on Amazon by using text search or scanning barcodes.Estimate the profitability of your items before you sell
Add product cost information to see the estimated profitability of your items after primary Selling on Amazon and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees.List your items for sale
Create listings on Amazon.com quickly and easily.Respond to customer messages
Provide great customer service by responding to customer questions quickly with the app.Support from Amazon
Have a question about selling on Amazon? Use the app to contact Seller Support.Secure access to your Amazon Seller account
All activity is routed through Amazon’s servers.
Update: Google says Now Launcher is available for all Android 4.1+ devices:
[tweet https://twitter.com/Android/status/495293118036447233]
It looks like the Google Now Launcher might soon be available on a long list of new devices as a small update to the app brings reports of expanded compatibility for a number of notable Android phones. AndroidCentral points us to users seeing compatibility with devices including the LG G3, Verizon’s Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8, One E8, One Mini 2, Desire 816, and the Huawei Ascend P7.
The expanded compatibility isn’t officially included in the release notes nor has Google officially made an announcement, but we expect to hear more shortly. The Google Now launcher, which was previously only available for Nexus and Google Play Edition devices, adds Google Now to the home screen for a more integrated experience with the OS.
The Google Now Launcher is available on Google Play here.
Amazon has announced it’s expanding the Amazon Appstore for Android apps to a long list of new countries including some big markets like Egypt, Indonesia, Singapore, and Turkey. The expansion brings the total number of country and territories the Appstore is available in to 236:
Publishing your Android app on Amazon means you can reach customers from around the world, including those in countries that were previously inaccessible… This expansion represents an opportunity for Amazon developers to target new areas in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, including some of the most populous and connected nations in the world. Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey are just a few examples.
Amazon reminds developers that “all apps will not be approved to be published in all countries, based on local restrictions,” while apps will automatically be distributed to new areas if developers have opted to sell in all available countries and meet local restrictions.
The company has more information for developers on getting apps ready for the new countries here.
6Wunderkinder released a new version of its Wunderlist productivity app today and according to the company this is the software’s biggest revision yet. Wunderlist 3 ships with over 60 improvements, however its standout changes are a retooled design and real-time sync which keeps your lists up to date across multiple devices.
Hulu announced today that it’s updating its Android users to offer both smartphone and tablet users the ability to sample new content for free.
That update means that on top of the free selection of current and past episodes the Hulu app already offered, non-subscribers also now get new free content from Hulu Originals, Anime, Kids, Movies and Latino libraries. The update will put the free content available in the Android app on par with what users get on the free, ad-supported version of Hulu on the web.
As always, the full Hulu library is available in the same app only to Hulu Plus subscribers that pay $8/month. Hulu notes that users can now upgrade to Hulu Plus directly from within the Android app for access to the full selection of movies and TV shows. The updated app is available on Google Play now.
Crowdfunding service Indiegogo is finally going mobile alongside the launch of a new look for its main website and a recent $40 million Series B funding round in January. While noting the platform’s traffic has doubled international on mobile over the last year, the company today launched its first mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch. Android users don’t get to join in on the fun today, but the company did sneak in a mention that an Android app is indeed in the queue:
Android App Is In Flight!.. We know that many of our funders and campaigners are on Android – ourselves included! We’re excited to bring our platform to Android devices everywhere… Sign up below and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready for you.
Those interested in learning more when the Android app is available can sign up here. We imagine the app will have many of the same features of the iOS version launched today, which includes the ability to both discover and support projects and manage campaigns you’ve launched.
Amazon has just kicked off a 2-day Android App sale that includes 30 different apps for free. These “essential” apps cover a range of categories including games, utilities, travel, finance, fitness and more. This sale is a great way to pad your app library without spending a dime.
Before you get started, make sure you have the Amazon Appstore for Android installed on your smartphone or tablet.
Here’s our top picks:
Yahoo has released a new version of its Finance app for Android featuring the addition of a new tab bar for quicker navigation and other visual changes creating a more open user interface.
The new tab bar at the top of the app consists of the primary Home view for information related to stocks you’re tracking, a new News tab for following general finance news and information, and a Markets view for an overview of U.S., Europe, and Asia finance data.
The update also includes support for adding stocks to your watch list, push notifications for those stocks including breaking news, and interactive graphs.
Yahoo Finance for Android is available on the Google Play Store.
Earlier this month, Microsoft-owned Skype rolled out a group video calling feature to Windows tablets. The free video calling allows for calls with up to ten people, and integrates with Skype on the desktop, which has supported group video calling since April.
Today, Skype tells us that the group video calling feature will be coming to all of its mobile platforms in the future:
We’re excited about Skype group video calling and are working to bring it to more of our platforms. In the future, we’ll be enabling group video calling for all our users across more platforms – at no cost
Unfortunately, the company could not yet provide a more specific rollout timeframe. Skype has been rapidly releasing new products over the past several months, with a major redesign of the Skype iPhone app arriving a couple of months ago.
