free Stories June 22, 2016
Google and Udacity have today announced the Android Basics Nanodegree, a new program to help people — namely, those with no previous development experience — learn the basics of creating applications for Android. The series of courses is developed by Udacity in collaboration with Google and allows students to work within the Android Studio at their own pace…
free Stories May 13, 2016
Following the launch of Gboard yesterday, Google has released a version of the I/O 2016 conference app for iOS. With the dedicated app, attendees who use iPhone won’t have to rely on I/O’s mobile site.
free Stories April 11, 2016
After first planning to launch the app during Google I/O 2015 and changing its mind at the last minute, Google has finally launched Voice Access in beta, a new accessibility app that allows users to control their phone using their voice. With Voice Access, you can use a wide variety of voice commands like “open Chrome” to bring up the browser or “go home” to go to the home screen…
free Stories April 3, 2016
How to get a free year of MLB.TV Premium if you’re a T-Mobile customer, a $109.99 value
T-Mobile may not traditionally have the MLB coverage that bigger providers like AT&T and Verizon possess, but no one can argue that it isn’t trying to do everything in its power to stand out in other ways. Between April 3rd and April 10th, T-Mobile customers can sign up for a free year of MLB.TV Premium service, a $109.99 value, that features live games for the entire 2016 MLB season.
free Stories March 24, 2016
Google’s Nik Collection of Photoshop & Aperture plugins are now free to download
In 2012, Google purchased Nik Software and made their excellent mobile photo editor Snapseed free on Android and iOS. Since then, many of Snapseed’s features have been integrated into Google’s various photo products. Besides mobile, though, Nik also developed plugins for desktop photo editors — and starting today they are also free.
free Stories February 12, 2016
Latest update to Google’s Clock app lets you resize its home screen widgets
Google recently pushed out an update to its Clock app, and this one’s a game changer. You know the clock widget that lets you put analog and digital clocks on your home screen? Until now, dragging it around and resizing the widget simply changed its alignment. Now, when you resize the widget, the clocks themselves actually change size too…
free Stories January 12, 2016
Skype bringing free group video calling to Android
Skype today announced that it’s bringing free group video calling— a feature it’s long had available on the desktop—to mobile devices including Android users.
Yes, it really has been a decade since Skype changed the way people connect with their loved ones. 6 years ago, we innovated again with one-to-one video calling on mobile phones. Today, we are excited to announce the next evolution – group video calling on Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows 10 Mobile.
The feature will officially launch in the coming weeks, but you can pre-register through Skype’s website here starting today.
And keep an eye out for updates to the Skype for Android app. In the latest update to the app, Skype also introduced to the ability to “Send video messages to groups directly from group chats.”
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t20MzFcwWVM]
free Stories December 16, 2015
Facebook Messenger now lets you call an Uber w/ friends
Facebook today announced it’s rolling out a new feature for its Messenger chat app that will let users book a car through Uber. The feature, it said, expands on other “integrations” it’s added recently outside of the app’s core chat functionality, like the ability to send money or use the app for customer support.
free Stories November 17, 2015
The Pushbullet you know and love isn’t going to be the same for much longer, at least for those that don’t want to throw $40 at the company for a year-long “Pro” subscription (or $5/month). Today, the company announced a “Pro” version of its app, which sadly doesn’t add any new features at all. Instead, Pushbullet is simply using emotional appeals and asking for users to start paying for features that were — until today — free.
What’s more, it looks like the original Pushbullet creator, a man by the name of Ryan Oldenburg, once promised that exactly this kind of thing would never happen happen… expand full story
free Stories October 30, 2015
An exciting new feature came with Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the form of UI Tuner, a hidden section of the Settings app that was practically useless unless you knew what you’re doing… until now. With a new app called Custom Quick Settings, you can quickly and easily create new custom tiles in the Quick Settings pull-down with just a few taps… expand full story
free Stories October 7, 2015
Google launches experimental Delhi Public Trasnport Offline app
Google has today released a new app called Delhi Public Transport Offline and, well, most people probably don’t need it. But if you do happen to live in Delhi and would like a very simple app to help you get around town via public transportation, today’s your lucky day — it’s free, and it’s packed with lots of features that might make a quick download worth your time…
free Stories September 14, 2015
Download 10 tracks of Latin Vibes for free over at Google Play
Google Play has 10 tracks of Latin Vibes Free for a limited time. Just head on over and download the full album.
We can honestly say we are only familiar with one artist in this collection (I think you can guess who), but the price is just right.
free Stories July 31, 2015
Google teased some kind of #paywithaphoto Google Photos promotion last week, and now it looks like the food trucks are rolling out. The first locale luckily able to participate is New York City, and you can see the full schedule, running until August 2nd, below. expand full story
free Stories July 15, 2015
Some in public housing to get free Google Fiber connections through the ConnectHome initiative
Google announced today that it is launching a program to bring completely free internet access to public and affordable housing residents in four of its Google Fiber markets. The initiative is part of President Barack Obama’s ConnectHome initiative, which hopes to bring broadband connections to low-income households in communities across the United States…
The web is where we go to connect with people, learn new subjects, and find opportunities for personal and economic growth. But not everyone benefits from all the web has to offer. As many as 26% of households earning less than $30,000 per year don’t access the Internet, compared to just 3% of adults with annual incomes over $75,000. Google Fiber is working to change that. Today, in all of our Google Fiber markets, we’re launching a program to connect residents in select public and affordable housing properties for $0/month with no installation fee.
Google says that the program aims to bring Internet to children and families living in homes under the assistance of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This currently includes 27 communities, four of which are Google Fiber markets where the Mountain View company will be able to contribute: Atlanta, Durham, Nashville and Kansas City. Google says it’s coming to future Fiber markets as well.
free Stories July 8, 2015
Fleksy keyboard gets new features & themes as app goes free indefinitely
After around seven million downloads of its popular third-party keyboard app, Fleksy is today announcing that its mobile apps will be completely free for all going forward.
The company was originally charging $4 for the app but had dropped the price to $1 and even made the app free temporarily a couple times in the past. Starting today, however, Fleksy says its apps for both iOS and Android will be free forever.
For everyone that has paid for the app and feels left out, Fleksy is offering a free gift that it says is worth $8 to make up for it. The in-app download includes a selection of new themes and extensions, which also arrive with today’s update. While the app is going free for all to download and use, the company will continue offering premium themes and extensions as paid in-app purchases.
In addition to going free, the company highlighted some other new features and improvements arriving today:
Going free is not the only big update today. We also launched an improved rich content view called Highlights. Meaning, Fleksy will better assist with GIF, sticker and other content discovery based on what you type. Instead of manually searching for stickers and GIFs on separate pages, now you’ll only need to tap on the auto-recommended hashtag (Highlight) and Fleksy will take you to an integrated page of relevant content all in one convenient place.
The Fleksy Keyboard app for Android is available now. A full list of what’s included in the update below:
free Stories July 3, 2015
One of the biggest reasons of going with cardboard for Google Cardboard was to get these viewers into the hands of as many people as possible. But while many vendors are selling their Cardboard viewers for around $20 (and up), OnePlus has decided to sell its new viewer—which will help you watch the VR launch of the company’s next handset—for just $0 plus shipping. And it’s available now.
free Stories July 1, 2015
Verizon HTC One M9 buyers can get $100 in Google Play credit for a limited time
Convincing educated buyers to grab the HTC One M9 might not be the easiest task, but Verizon seems to want to take a crack at it. For a limited time, buyers of HTC’s latest—and less than well-received—flagship handset will get $100 in free Google Play credit…
free Stories June 2, 2015
Update: A tipster has sent an email confirming the existence of the “Welcome Kit”…
If you’re one of the lucky few who have received their invite to Project Fi, you’re probably also the kind of person that already owns a Nexus 6. If you don’t already have a Nexus 6 and you sign up for Fi though, Google makes you buy one—as it’s the only phone currently compatible with the service. According to a couple reports on Reddit, Google is giving these buyers some goodies… expand full story
All of the attendees of Google I/O this year (myself included) got the latest version of the Mountain View company’s Cardboard virtual reality headset for free—and now it looks like you can too. To promote their “Adult Swim Virtual Brainload” app, Adult Swim is trying to put a free Cardboard viewer in the hands of as many people as they can. But there’s only one catch: You have to fax them a form. expand full story
free Stories May 26, 2015
Minecraft Pocket Edition for Android updated w/ skins, fishing, and much more
Mojang today announced a huge update to its popular Minecraft Pocket Edition app for Android devices. The big focus of the update is access to new free and paid skins for characters (as pictured above):
Skins are the way you change the appearance of your Minecraft character. Instead of looking like Alex or Steve, you can roll with a different vibe, like a butcher, dog, or plumber. Skins are purely cosmetic – they don’t affect the way the game plays or give you any special abilities.
Paid skins are available to purchase in bundles, but users can also upload or create their own as well as find free skins within the game. You’ll get around 20 skins for $0.99/€0.79/£0.79 if you opt for the paid bundles.
The update also includes other improvements and new features including the ability to fish and a long list of new animals. The full list of what’s new is below:
You can grab the updated Minecraft Pocket Edition on Google Play soon.
free Stories May 8, 2015
AppChat is a really interesting new app. First released just a week ago in a humble thread on XDA-Developers, the app—which creates little chatrooms for all of your currently-installed apps—has seen the creation of almost 80,000 of these rooms and more than 70,000 messages sent within them. The response has been pretty big, and the app has gone through 6 releases over the last week to make the experience as great as possible.
But what exactly is AppChat? expand full story
free Stories April 28, 2015
As it usually does, Samsung is giving away a bunch of free content to owners of its new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and now it has revealed what exactly will be included this time around. expand full story
free Stories April 27, 2015
T-Mobile & Sprint make calling & texting Nepal free, waive bills to aid earthquake relief efforts
Update: Sprint too.
Many tech companies are attempting to help victims of the devastating Nepal earthquake this week and the latest is T-Mobile. The carrier announced that it’s making calling and texting Nepal free in order to aid relief efforts:
In the wake of the devastating Nepalese earthquake, many T-Mobile customers are trying to stay in touch with their family and friends in Nepal. T-Mobile is making this easier by waiving and crediting fees for all calls and text messages to and from Nepal from Saturday, April 25 through Saturday, May 16. Calling and texting to and from Nepal without charges applies to all postpaid and prepaid customers of T-Mobile, MetroPCS, GoSmart Mobile and Walmart Family Mobile with international calling.
T-Mobile also notes that its customers can text to various charities to make a donation that will be charged to their mobile bill:
Google and Apple have also launched efforts to aid people in Nepal impacted by the earthquake.
free Stories April 16, 2015
Earlier today, Google announced a new program called “Works with Google Cardboard” that highlights all of the third-party Cardboard-compatiable viewers. The program is Google’s attempt at unifying the various variants of Cardboard, which was first shown at I/O 2014, and making sure they are all compatible with the variety of Cardboard apps that are available.
To celebrate the launch of Works with Google Cardboard, Dodocase is briefly offering its Google-certified virtual reality viewer for free… expand full story
Up to $105 in paid Android apps for free: Amazing Alex, Plants vs. Zombies, Runtastic PRO, Table Top Racing, many more
From 9to5Toys.com:
Amazon has now kicked off another large freebie Android promotion. This time around you can grab up to $105 worth of paid Android apps for free on the Amazon App Store.
Along with several other notable and highly rated titles, one standout from the bunch is Amazing Alex from Angry Birds creator Rovio. The physics based puzzle game is regularly listed at $1 and features more than 100 levels:
From cleaning up his room to battling cardboard robots in his backyard, Alex creates amazing chain reactions to get the job done with the maximum amount of fun!
Other notable titles in the sale include Plants vs. Zombies (Reg. $1), Runtastic PRO GPS Running (Reg. $5), Pudding Monsters HD (Reg. $1), Wolfram|Alpha (Reg. $3), Table Top Racing (Reg. $2), Osmos HD (Reg. $3), plus more.
Head over to our daily roundups for more of the best game/app deals across every platform.
free Stories April 15, 2015
Google has today released version 1.0 of its new “Handwriting Input” keyboard, which lets you manually draw the text you would like to type. The app works on both smartphones and tablets as you can see in the gallery below, and it’s—based on my first few minutes using the app—actually pretty good at deciphering your handwriting no matter how bad it may be. It works in any Android app that has a text input field. expand full story
free Stories April 8, 2015
Motorola is giving away a free Moto Hint ($150 value) w/ purchase of unlocked Moto X
Motorola has been running a lot of Moto X promotions lately, and today the company has launched yet another sweet deal: If you head over to the Motorola online store and buy an unlocked Moto X, the company will send you a Moto Hint (worth $149.99) with your order completely free.
Moto Hint lets you ask your Moto X questions, make calls, and send messages — all hands-free. Now through 4/14, when you customize your off-contract Moto X (starting at $499.99), add a Moto Hint wireless earbud to your cart for free, a $149.99 value.*
You can purchase your unlocked Moto X in one of three flavors: “Pure Edition” with a T-Mobile SIM, or as an AT&T or Verizon variant. To take advantage of the deal, add both a Moto X and an Moto Hint to your cart. You should be able to take advantage of this offer through April 14th.
free Stories March 26, 2015
Update: AT&T has now shared their Galaxy S6 preorder details too.
T-Mobile and AT&T are both offering an HTC One M9 presale, but it looks like the un-carrier is also going to offer a similar promotion for Samsung’s Galaxy S6. Starting Friday, March 27 at 7 a.m. PDT you’ll be able to order Samsung’s newest flagship from T-Mobile, and the company says it will be shipping presale orders sometime before the device’s official April 10th launch date.
free Stories February 18, 2015
Google has today launched an official app for its AdWords platform, but sadly the company is restricting access to Canada for the time being. This news comes after Google launched its AdWords Express app last year, which was made specifically for the company’s automated AdWords service for small businesses.
free Stories February 17, 2015
9to5Toys Last Call: Galaxy Note 4 (unlocked) $480, Samsung Chromebook 2 $250, Galaxy S3 case $30, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
free Stories February 12, 2015
9to5Toys Last Call: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 $65, unlocked Galaxy Note 3 $300, free streaming stick w/ Sling TV, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
New products & more:
free Stories February 2, 2015
Paranoid Android hits Lollipop in newly-released 5.0 Alpha 1 build
The team behind the second most popular custom Android ROM, Paranoid Android, has today updated the software to have a baseline AOSP Lollipop 5.0.2. Along with this first Lollipop-based build, the team has included a bunch of new improvements and features.
Today’s update is “ready to be used in public,” according to the Paranoid Android team. But keep in mind that this release is still an alpha build. “Hope for awesome buttery smoothness, be ready for a bumpy ride,” the announcement post says.
Here’s what new in this version:
- Update the baseline to AOSP Lollipop 5.0.2
- Improvements to Heads Up, such as an option to disable heads up interruptions completely
- Add Quick Unlock
- Extend the power menu
- Animate the volume panel in a more material manner
- Make it possible to skip songs using volume buttons when the device is locked
- Add CM12 Theme Engine
- Fix various small annoyances from AOSP
The last version of Paranoid Android was released four months ago, version 4.6 beta 5.
free Stories December 17, 2014
Hangouts Dialer can now be used as a system dialer, replace your phone for good
Before today, if you wanted to replace your phone with the Hangouts Dialer, it was a pain. The app didn’t actually identify itself as a system dialer, meaning that tapping phone numbers within other apps wouldn’t let you dial out via Hangouts. Calling out from the Yelp app or within Chrome meant using your phone’s app, and you were never prompted with the option to go with the Hangouts Dialer instead.
Today we’re launching an update to Hangouts Dialer. You’ll now be able to use Dialer to place calls initiated from other apps like your browser or Maps, directly from the Hangouts Android app. Just select Hangouts Dialer when you’re choosing your call method.
This is all changing with the latest release of Hangouts Dialer, meaning the app will finally be useful for many people. As you can see in the screenshot above, tapping a phone number within another app will now prompt you with the option to go with the standard Phone app or the Hangouts Dialer. And if you’re sure you want to always use Hangouts, you can choose “Always” and never deal with this problem again.
Keep an eye on the Play Store today for the app to be updated.
free Stories December 16, 2014
YouTube is hosting a live music night in Los Angeles to celebrate the past year in music, with performances from some of the most well known artists, such as Tyler Ward and Megan Nicole, on the platform. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM Pacific (10:00 PM Eastern) and we have embedded the live stream ahead…
free Stories December 11, 2014
Action Launcher has always been one of the better known launchers to hit the Play Store, and today, Android developer Chris Lacy has released an updated version of the app with a bunch of new features that takes everything that was already great about the app and brings it up to date for Android 5.0 Lollipop. But this update isn’t just an iterative Material Design update; it packs a bunch of great completely new features as well.
free Stories June 13, 2014
Facebook Messenger for Android updated with 15-second video messaging, bigger likes
Facebook Messenger for Android has been given an update, bringing the ability to send 15-second video clips through the app, as well as send even bigger thumbs-up graphics for when you just really, really like something that your friend said.
Notably, this update brings the app in line with much of what Snapchat offers. But also, doesn’t this new video feature kind of duplicate the true Snapchat competitor that Facebook is launching soon?
You can grab Facebook Messenger version 6.0 on the Play Store for free.
What’s New
Instant Video Sending: Shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera right in the app.
Big Likes: Press and hold to send an even bigger thumbs up when you really, really like something.
free Stories May 5, 2014
T-Mobile is again offering free MLB At Bat access to customers
Like it did last year after inking a partnership with Major League Baseball, T-Mobile is once again offering free access to the MLB At Bat apps on iOS and Android. Tmonews points us to official confirmation from a T-Mobile support employee:
“UPDATE: As the official sponsor of Major League Baseball, we will be offering MLB At Bat 14 to our customers for free starting May 1 through the entire regular season! With our unlimited data and nationwide 4G LTE, you can enjoy all the great features MLB’s At Bat has to offer!”
That’s instead of paying for one of several MLB subscriptions that grants access to the app starting at $2.99 monthly or $20 for the entire season. There’s no word from T-Mobile with the official details yet, but we’d imagine customers will get access to all the live games and content apart from premium features available to $115/per year MLB.TV Premium subscription.
free Stories March 27, 2014
Office Mobile for Android goes free for all users
While Microsoft’s biggest news of the day might have been the debut of its Office productivity app suite for iPad, there was also news on the Android side as well.
Microsoft didn’t make dedicated apps for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but the company did make Office Mobile for Android free for all users. Previously, Office Mobile for Android required an active subscription to Office 365.
Just like Office Mobile for Windows Phone, we are making Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones free for everyone. With Office Mobile, you have the ability to view and edit your Office content on the go. Office Mobile is available in the App Store and Google Play.
Now that Microsoft has moved that requirement to its dedicated iPad apps, Android and iPhone users can now enjoy Office Mobile’s full feature set without any limitations and not subscribe to the membership.
Office Mobile for Android is available for free on the Google Play Store.
free Stories March 7, 2014
Samsung announced today that it’s launching a new free and ad-free music service called “Milk Music” that’s powered by Slacker and available to customers of select Galaxy devices. Samsung says the app, which is available now on available as a download on Google Play, is “fully customizable” and offers over 200 stations and a library of over 13 million songs.
“Milk Music introduces a fresh approach to music that reflects our innovation leadership and our focus on creating best-in-class consumer experiences,” said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Telecommunications America and Samsung Electronics North America Headquarters. “We’re offering consumers amazing, rich music experiences built around what matters most to them and their lifestyle.”
The service is launching today in the US and available to those with a Galaxy S® 4, Galaxy S® III, Galaxy Note® 3, and Galaxy Note® II as well as the upcoming Galaxy S 5. Samsung added that it will soon offer “unique music programming from top selling and emerging artists available exclusively through Milk Music.”
While Samsung is promoting the service as completely free and free of ads, the Google Play page for the app says that the app will only be without ads and free for a for a limited time. It’s unclear if Samsung is referring to the ads or the service being free of charge, but it appears that it will either be implementing advertisements or a fee for the service in the future.
Here’s a list of features from Google Play: expand full story
free Stories December 10, 2013
Google refreshes its Free Play Music list with Led Zeppelin, Drake, Bob Marley, Madonna, more
I don’t often use this terminology but there is “something for everyone” here.
free Stories November 19, 2013
FreedomPop, the wireless service provider offering free and cheap no-contract plans on Sprint’s network, today announced it’s now allowing customers to bring their old Sprint phones to activate on its $0/month wireless plans. We’ve confirmed with the company that will also soon include iPhones and Sprint’s full lineup of Android devices.
The company has been around since 2011 with various hotspot products and recently launched its first smartphone direct to customers alongside the world’s first completely free mobile service. A guaranteed 500 MBs of data, 500 text messages, and 200 anytime voice minutes for free each month would sound enticing to anyone, but previously customers would have to pay $99 for an almost two-year old HTC Evo Design to get it. Despite that, FreedomPop says it “immediately sold out” of stock when it launched last month.
That’s about to change today as FreedomPop will now let Sprint customers bring their own device to activate on its free and cheap plans. Although there is no mention of it in the carrier’s press release, we’ve confirmed that includes the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as 20 other Sprint devices initially. Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop’s CEO, tells us it will be another few weeks before the iPhone is compatible, and eventually all Sprint smartphones will be supported. 
expand full story
free Stories October 30, 2013
AT&T offers free 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 with purchase of select Samsung Galaxy phones
AT&T announced today that it’s adding a new promotion that will allow customers to get a free 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 when purchasing selecting Samsung phones. Starting today, those who purchase a Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, or Galaxy Note II on contract or on AT&T Next instalment plan will get the tablet completely free. You will, however, have to activate a Mobile Share data plan for the device:
Customers interested in receiving a free** Galaxy Tab 3 can take advantage of the offer by visiting any AT&T company-owned retail store or participating dealer (or soon, online at att.com), and purchasing one of 4 eligible Samsung Galaxy smartphones with a 2 year agreement or AT&T Next installment agreement and a Mobile Share voice and data plan, and activating a Mobile Share data plan for the Galaxy Tab 3. With an AT&T Mobile Share plan, customers can add the Galaxy Tab 3 to an existing Mobile Share plan for $10 more per month. And with Mobile Share, up to 10 devices can share data without needing to purchase separate plans for each one.
free Stories September 19, 2013
Last time we checked in with Kamcord, the free SDK that allows developers to easily implement in-game recording functionality in their iOS games, it had just hit 1B videos recorded, announced a brand new user community, and picked up an additional $1M in funding. At the time the company told us it was planning Android support, and today Kamcord becomes the first major platform to make in-game recording available free to Android developers.
Kamcord is today starting to accept signups for its new Android beta through http://kamcord.com/android, and in the coming weeks will make the SDK available to download for anyone.
Kamcord’s in-game UI for sharing recorded gameplay on iPad
We spoke with CEO Matt Zitzmann this week who told us all about the company’s plans to break into the Android world after having success on iOS. With next generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles bringing new in-game recording features to the mainstream, Kamcord has the opportunity to be the go-to solution for similar functionality in mobile games, and Android is a big piece of that puzzle. Zitzmann tells us that the company hopes the new Android SDK will help “to more easily drive adoption within Asia” where Android is thriving.
Kamcord’s biggest rival, Everyplay, is yet to introduce Android support for its similar platform, and today’s release of the Kamcord beta for Android could give the company a big jump on its competitor.
CEO of Djinnworks Robert Szeleney, a publisher with over 140 million app downloads across iOS and Android, is excited to bring the Kamcord platform to its Android titles: expand full story
free Stories September 6, 2013
Update: Amazon has now said that the phone won’t be launched this year, and it won’t be free. “We have no plans to offer a phone this year, and if we were to launch a phone in the future, it would not be free,” Amazon said in a statement to AllThingsD.
According to Jessica Lessin and Amir Efrati, Amazon is considering making its upcoming, long-rumored smartphone available to consumers free of charge. However, it is unclear what strings are attached to the deal:
There are many unanswered questions about the plan and what strings will be attached for customers. One of them is whether Amazon would require its smartphone owners to pay for services such as Amazon Prime, the company’s loyalty program. But the people familiar with the matter said that Amazon wants the device to be free whether or not people sign up for a new wireless plan at the same time. (Wireless carriers typically discount the price of devices if customers sign up for a one- or two-year wireless contract.)
A launch date for the device is currently unclear. Like with the Kindle Fire tablets, past reports have suggested that the Amazon phone will run on a forked version of Google’s Android operating system.
Earlier this year, reports emerged with claims that Amazon is working on a bevy of products, including a phone with a 3D display, and various audio/media center devices. Amazon’s hardware development division for these products is (like Apple) situated in Cupertino.
free Stories August 27, 2013
Google has released a new application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to make it easier for users to setup and manage the Chromecast TV device.
• Set up your Chromecast to work with your Wi-Fi network • Manage your Chromecast settings (such as changing your device name, Wi-Fi password, etc.)
The application is free on the App Store. The Google Chromecast is a device that plugs into a TV set via an HDMI port. The Chromecast allows users to stream content, such as YouTube and Netflix, from devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones.
free Stories June 17, 2013
Google announced today on Google+ that a new partnership with Starbucks will provide free WiFi and the ability for customers at Starbucks locations to stream unlimited songs, radio and more from Google’s recently launched AllAccess music service. Apple has of course offered similar promotions and continues to offer free iTunes content and more through Starbucks locations. Back in 2007 it announced a partnership with Starbucks in the US to offer a free iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, and it continues to offer its free app and song of the week picks through physical cards in store and through mobile apps.
Google’s new streaming music service is still limited to the US, so we’re assuming the new promotion is also limited to Starbucks locations within the country. Last we heard an iOS app for the service would be arriving sometime this month. expand full story
free Stories April 10, 2013
We’ve written about the Burner iOS app from Ad Hoc Labs in the past on our sister site 9to5Mac– an app that received a lot of attention for its ability to provide temporary numbers for receiving SMS and calls on the iPhone. Today the developers are announcing a major update to the app that introduces a number of new features such a referral program and custom voicemail messages alongside the launch of the Android version of Burner. While temporary burner numbers aren’t free, Ad Hoc Labs is also dropping the $1.99 price tag and making Burner available as a free download starting today.
Not only can you download the app now for free, Burner is also providing a “Sample Burner” to get you started: expand full story
free Stories April 2, 2013
After releasing a free version of the Quickoffice iPad app for its Google Apps for Business customers in December, Google today announced free iPhone and Android versions of the app exclusively for its Apps for Business customers.
Google Apps for Business can already edit Microsoft Office files using Quickoffice on an iPad, and starting today they can do the same on iPhone and Androiddevices. From Word to Excel to Powerpoint, you can make quick edits at the airport or from the back of a taxi and save and share everything in Google Drive… iPad and iPhone users can open and edit Office files directly from the Drive app. Just open Drive and select the file, make edits using Quickoffice and save it back to Drive.
Google noted the updated apps also bring new features including support for multiple Google Drive accounts, improved chart rendering, ZIP folders from multiple files, and the ability to sort Drive files by “Shared with me, Starred, and Recent”: expand full story
