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BlackBerry has been rumored to be working on an Android phone for quite some time. In fact, almost as soon as its CEO John Chen teased the portrait slider dubbed ‘Venice’, it was predicted it might run Google’s operating. We’ve seen a leaked render showing the front of the device with what looks like stock Android. We’ve even seen slides showing off some of the BlackBerry-inspired user interface elements. What we haven’t seen yet is that ever-elusive keyboard.

Android Auto updated with fresh home screen UI

Cam Bunton Aug 18 2015 - 2:05 pm PT

Google pushed an update to its Android Auto app today refreshing the home screen to bring bigger, easier to see cards, particularly when using navigation and playing music. Previously, all stacked cards were of equal height. Now, the top activity card is double the height of any of the cards below. Being bigger not only makes them easier to see, but also easier to interact with on the touch screen.

As well as the updated user interface, there are a few bug fixes and performance improvements. You can download the fresh update right now from the Google Play Store. It’s a free update and requires Android 5.0 or later to work. Obviously, you’ll also need a car with a compatible built-in system, or a compatible after-market system.

You can find out more about Android Auto, including compatible vehicles, over at android.com/auto.

Android 6.0 SDK and final Android Marshmallow Developer Preview update live now

Tom Maxwell Aug 17 2015 - 11:01 am PT

Right on the heels of Google unveiling the official name for Android M — it’s Marshmallow — the company has released the final preview version of the operating system bump along with the Android 6.0 SDK and access to all the new APIs that Marshmallow includes…

First look at Fallout for Android [Video]

Cam Bunton Aug 14 2015 - 7:54 am PT

Yesterday, Bethesda finally launched the long-awaited Fallout Shelter for Android and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. In this video, I take you on a brief walkthrough and tour of the initial game stages and how to play. If you haven’t already, you can download the game for free from the Google Play Store right now.

Google’s new Mobile Vision API makes it easy for Android developers to tell if you’re smiling

Tom Maxwell Aug 13 2015 - 2:02 pm PT

Google has today completed its roll-out of Google Play services version 7.8, the package of app tools and APIs that Google manages and which make it stand out from those who use the open source version of Android to create their own mobile platforms. With version 7.8 comes some new technology that will make it easier for developers to recognize when you’re smiling into your Android device’s camera.

Fallout Shelter for Android now available on the Play Store

Cam Bunton Aug 13 2015 - 4:54 am PT

After what seems like an age waiting with anticipation, Fallout Shelter has finally been released for Android. The popular title landed on the Play Store this morning and is available to download for free.

Fallout Shelter’s basic concept is to build yourself a subterranean paradise in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. When I say paradise, I mean a vault where your responsibility is to build, repopulate and defend your world from attacks. Not exactly as glamorous as The SIMs, but perhaps more enjoyable for that very reason. As per the Play Store description:

BUILD THE PERFECT VAULT
Create a brighter future…underground! Select from a variety of modern-day rooms to turn an excavation beneath 2,000 feet of bedrock into the very picture of Vault Life.

OVERSEE A THRIVING COMMUNITY
Get to know your Dwellers and lead them to happiness. Find their ideal jobs and watch them flourish. Provide them with outfits, weapons, and training to improve their abilities.

PROSPER
A well-run Vault requires a variety of Dwellers with a mix of skills. Build a Radio Room to attract new Dwellers. Or, take an active role in their personal lives; play matchmaker and watch the sparks fly!

EXPLORE THE WASTELAND
Send Dwellers above ground to explore the blasted surface left behind and seek adventure, handy survival loot, or unspeakable death. Find new armor and weapons, gain experience, and earn Caps. But don’t let them die!

PROTECT YOUR VAULT
From time to time, idyllic Vault life may be disrupted by the dangers of post-nuclear life. Prepare your Dwellers to protect against threats from the outside…and within.

Vault-Tec has provided the tools, but the rest is up to you. What are you waiting for? Get started building your Vault today for FREE.

If you want to try it out, be sure you’re running at least Android 4.1 or later and then head on over to the Play Store. It’s free, and supported by in-app purchases ranging from $1-$20.

Both LG and Huawei Nexus phones rumored to share features, including USB Type-C, fingerprint sensor, more

Cam Bunton Aug 12 2015 - 3:43 am PT

Alleged Huawei Nexus prototype/dummy

Well-known leakster, Steve Hemmerstoffer has leaked further information regarding the upcoming purported Nexus devices. Using his OnLeaks account, he shared some detailed specifications an features of both the rumored smaller LG device and larger Huawei-made smartphone.

Information passed to Steve by his sources suggests that both phones will feature front-firing speakers, USB Type-C compatibility and a fingerprint sensor on the back. Although both are rumored to likely feature a metal chassis, the dimensions will be different. LG’s Nexus is purported to measure in at 9.8mm thick, 147mm tall and 73mm wide while the Huawei device is allegedly going to be 8.5mm thick and measure at around 12.5mm taller and 5mm wider than LG’s Pure Google phone.

No surprise, Google’s new Alphabet domain is blocked in China

Cam Bunton Aug 11 2015 - 2:37 am PT

Yesterday, Google announced a massive restructuring and the creation of a new parent company, Alphabet. While Google will still focus on the traditional internet-related products like Chrome, Android and web search, other company’s will be set up to focus on more exploratory ventures. Along with the announcement yesterday, Alphabet launch its new domain: abc.xyz. Unsurprising to anyone, this new domain is already 100% blocked in China.

The news comes via GreatFire, a site which actively and constantly monitors URLs blocked within China’s borders. Alphabet’s home page has been blocked since it went live yesterday. Although it could be easy to see this as a pre-emptive, and active blocking against Google from China, it’s more likely that the country already blocks any site bearing Google’s SSL certificate. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t matter what site Google launches, it’s blocked before it even goes live in China.

Google and China’s relationship is an interesting one to say the least. Which is to say: They don’t really have one. Google’s products and services are blocked almost completely. Android phones in the mainland don’t have access to Google’s Play Store to download apps, and Play Services are a complete no go. It’s one of the reasons it’s been rumored the company could be partnering with Huawei to launch the next Nexus smartphone. Google apparently hopes it can use Huawei’s Chinese influence to build its own presence and launch services in China.

Exclusive: Google planning an affiliate program for Google Play, starting with Movies & Music

Tom Maxwell Aug 10 2015 - 12:01 pm PT

Google is working on launching an affiliate program for Google Play similar to the one Apple runs for its own digital content stores, a source briefed on the matter has told 9to5Google.

The affiliate program, which is said to still be in its early stages of development and could get called off or change significantly between now and its time of launch, is said to be powered by Performance Horizon Group, the same company which in 2013 began supporting Apple’s affiliate program.

Our source, who requested to remain anonymous, said the program will initially cover only content sold through Play Movies and Music but eventually expand to include apps and even hardware, presumably those devices sold through the Google Store…
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Hangouts 4.0 goes live today with new look, full Android Wear support, more

Tom Maxwell Aug 10 2015 - 8:09 am PT

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Yes, the day many have been waiting for in eager anticipation is finally here: Google has officially announced in a blog post that Hangouts version 4.0 goes live in the company’s Play Store today.
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Fresh BlackBerry ‘Venice’ renders leaked, again hint at Android presence

Cam Bunton Aug 10 2015 - 5:30 am PT

We’ve been hearing a lot about BlackBerry’s long-rumored Android smartphone over the past few months. In fact, almost as soon as BlackBerry teased the ‘Venice’ slider back at MWC in Barcelona, it was rumored that the upcoming device would ship with Google’s OS onboard. A previous render showed a pretty clear image of Android running on the BlackBerry slider, and now some more official-looking images appear via CrackBerry to hint at a Google-powered system.

Chrome Beta 45 for Android brings Custom Tabs, updated bookmarks interface, more

Tom Maxwell Aug 3 2015 - 10:04 pm PT

Chrome Beta version 45 for Android is rolling out today (Play Store link) and includes some nice interface tweaks as well as one addition that was previously announced at Google’s I/O developer conference back in May. Chrome Beta is a build of the Chrome browser which includes features and changes that are almost, but not quite, ready for use by the masses. Showing up in the Beta build of the browser is a good indicator that a feature or adjustment will soon reach those masses, so it’s always interesting to see what’s been added.

Google Play minimum price now Rs. 10 in India, Play Movies goes live in Indonesia and Malaysia (Update: Singapore too)

Tom Maxwell Jul 30 2015 - 10:54 am PT

Update: Google posted to Google+ shortly after we published this to announce that Play Movies is actually now available in three new countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Our report below doesn’t mention Singapore as a new supported country.

Google Play and Play Movies are both getting some international love today. Play is Google’s store for apps and games, while Play Movies contains movie and television content.

First up, developers in India can now price their Play Store apps lower than ever before: Rs. 10, which comes out to approximately 10 cents in US dollars. This is major because while India is a rapidly developing country with many starting to rise to the middle class, its per capita GDP is still much smaller than that of the United States. Also, and this is just my opinion, 10 cents is much more of a impulse buy area. This new minimum pricing only applies to India. Google recently began selling Play Store gift cards in the country as well – India is very reliant on cash over plastic (credit, debit cards), so by making gift cards available that can be purchased with cash, the company has ostensibly increased its potential customer base in that country.

Also new today, or at least very recently, is the launching of Play Movies in Indonesia and Malaysia. Several people have reached out to Android Police as of late with tips and screenshots of its availability in the two countries, so it’s pretty assured to be real. Play Movies is, as mentioned, Google’s movie and television entertainment store for Android devices. The company also rents out video content through YouTube, although the availability of both of these varies widely by region and country.

Testing Android apps is now easier with new ‘open beta’ option

Tom Maxwell Jul 30 2015 - 9:52 am PT

Up until today, testing out an Android app that’s in beta has required going through a non-intuitive process that includes joining a group on Google+ (or Google Groups) and then clicking a special Play Store link which typically doesn’t even work until a few minutes after you join the associated group (which can lead people to thinking that something isn’t working). It’s weird and inelegant, so Google has just announced two new (easier) ways through which developers can grant users access to their betas.

Get ready to see search ads in Google’s Play Store: they’re rolling out now

Tom Maxwell Jul 29 2015 - 11:23 am PT

Google at its I/O developer conference back in May took some time to discuss improvements it was making to its Play Store for Android devices. Of those, one area in particular the company touched on was improving the discoverability of apps through better categorization and the ability for developers to A/B test their listings to find which combination of titles and screenshots would lead to the most downloads.

Another way the company has been working to help developers drive awareness of their apps has been through testing Play Store search advertisements, placing a developers’ app at the top of search results against specific keywords. The ability to purchase these placements is starting to roll out today.
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Yahoo’s Livetext is a one-to-one live video texting app soon available on Android (Update: Live now in US)

Tom Maxwell Jul 29 2015 - 9:59 am PT

Update: As expected, the app has just gone live in the Google Play Store for the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and UK. You can download it here, and Livetext should also be rolling to to U.K., Canada, Germany and France as we speak.

After testing the waters by releasing the app to the iOS App Store in certain regions a few weeks back, Yahoo has come out publicly to unveil Yahoo Livetext, a new (unabashedly Snapchat-like) messaging app from the company with some unique twists to it…
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Google Play Store carrier billing added in Denmark, Saudi Arabia, & 2 more countries

Tom Maxwell Jul 23 2015 - 12:55 pm PT

Carrier billing, also known as direct billing, is a way through which customers of Google Play can pay for premium downloads without ever manually inputting a credit, debit or gift card – by having new charges billed directly to the carrier service plan they pay monthly. Now it’s available for Play Store customers on a few more select carriers in several countries – only on select carriers, though. The change was initially spotted by Android Police.

Here are the carriers and countries where Play Store carrier billing is now available:

3 in Denmark
Sun in Philippines
Mobily in Saudi Arabia
Avea in Turkey
du in UAE

Typing on mobile devices can be a frustrating, mistake-prone experience that takes longer than typing on a full-sized desktop keyboard, so it’s no surprise to see app developers quickly bringing to fruition changes that reduce the amount of finger-pecking necessary to take action – making password input a fallback to fingerprint scanning being one example. The full list of carriers and countries that have support for Play Store carrier billing is available on Google’s support site.

Yahoo News Digest app now available for Android tablets

Jordan Kahn Jul 23 2015 - 11:12 am PT

Yahoo’s News Digest app that delivers the best from Yahoo News to readers twice a day is now available for Android tablets. The app was previously only available for Android smartphones and iOS devices.

The popular app offers summaries of top stories from Yahoo News with two daily updates, once in the morning and again at night. Content is a mix of human curated stories from Yahoo’s editors and picks via its algorithms from various sources around the web:

Each story is created from multiple sources to present the essential bits and pieces of information, known as “atoms”. Atoms are key quotes, images, videos, maps, infographs, and Wikipedia excerpts among others. These atomic units provide a unique context to the news. Our stories are both algorithmically and hand curated to ensure high quality, and come with a textual summary.

The updated Yahoo News Digest app for Android with support for tabtlets is available on Google Play now.

Free Google Play apps and games are now available in Sudan

Stephen Hall Jul 17 2015 - 1:58 pm PT

Google announced today that, for the first time, free apps and games are available in Google Play Store for those located in Sudan.

As part of a commitment to helping more people around the globe use technology to communicate, find and create information, we’re announcing the availability of free apps and games on +Google Play in Sudan for the first time!

It’s worth noting that Google specified free apps, meaning there’s no way for those in Sudan to yet purchase apps and games. For the full list of countries that can access Google Play, head over to Google’s support site.

Skype 5.5 for Android remembers log-in details, adds web link previews

Jordan Kahn Jul 14 2015 - 2:47 pm PT

Skype for Android is getting an update today that brings two notable new features. The app now remembers log-in details making it faster and easier to sign-in, while chat gets the web link previews feature that first arrived on the Mac and iOS.

With the improvements we’ve made to battery use and notifications, you can comfortably leave Skype running on your Android devices without signing out. However, for those of you who still want to sign out, we’ve made it easier for you to sign back into the app.

With the app’s new ability to remember log-in details, users will be to decide whether or not a password is required for each log-in. The app will remember your password by default, but you can switch it off in Settings in the Privacy section.

Skype also notes that web link previews, a thumbnail showing a preview of webpages for links shared in chat windows, will start appearing for Android users over the next few weeks with the latest update.

Version 5.5 of Skype for Android is available on Google Play now.

Google Maps tip: Send directions to your Android phone from your desktop (Video)

Cam Bunton Jul 13 2015 - 4:22 am PT

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Late last week, Google updated its Maps Android app to version 9.11.0. Although its user interface remains the same, it has one new, awesome feature: you can now send locations, navigation instructions and directions straight to your Android phone.

We put together a short video to guide you through the very quick and painless method. This feature competes directly with that built in to the Mac Maps app included in OS X Mavericks which allows iPhone users to send directions direct from Mac to their phones.

Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides for Android get improved editing, collaboration features

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2015 - 11:15 am PT

Google is rolling out updates today for its Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android, bringing a few improvements to editing and collaboration features in the process.

First up, Google will now offer quick access to editing titles for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations directly from the app’s overflow menu in the top right corner of the UI across all three apps (as pictured above).

In addition, the Google Slides Android app gains the ability to switch layouts of existing slides: individuals can now change the layout of an existing slide to one of several predefined layouts, allowing them to update presentations on mobile more effectively.

Lastly, the Docs app get improved collaboration features for those using the Office Compatibility Mode:

People can now reply to comments when working in Office Compatibility Mode in the Docs app. In addition, when in OCM, suggestions and comments now appear in the Comments panel in the order they were made—rather than as all comments first and all suggestions second.

All three app updates should be arriving on Google Play for Android users sometime today.

Google’s Messenger 1.4 lets you send animated stickers, quickly share your location

Stephen Hall Jul 8 2015 - 9:27 am PT