Top 5 Apps to Know and Test Sensors Android Device

Android devices usually have a bevy of sensors onboard and accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and e-compass sensor are a few common mentions. But, there many instances of non-functioning sensors on the Android devices and if you are experiencing such an issue, you should remember that you are the only one in the Android ecosystem. Now, how would be able to detect if any sensor(s) on your device is in proper working condition or not? The process is pretty simple and it can be checked using some sensor testing applications that are available on the Google Play Store. Check out some of these applications that are listed below for assistance. 

Sensor Kinetics 

The Sensor Kinetics app is an advanced monitor for the standard sensors that are available on Android devices. It offers a comprehensive look at the dynamics of the combined functionality of the sensors. The app demonstrates the use of each of the sensors and provides a look at the charts associated with each of them to know how fast the sensors are operating. The chart viewers allow users to measure the accuracy and behavior of the sensors. 

Sensor Test

The Sensor Test application is a capable tool that is ultimately designed with the aim to detect the functionality of each of the sensors that are available on the user’s Android device. It displays the default sensors and shows the real time data and information of each sensor. This app provides support to Triggers sensors and supports devices running on Android 4.3 and above. 

Android Sensor Box 

The Android Sensor Box detects all the sensors that are available on the user’s Android device and shows their functionality with stunning graphics. The app also intimates the users about the sensors that are supported by their device’s hardware. It has to be noted that this app only detects the changes in the sensor operability and it may not show the accurate values if there is no change. 

Phone Tester 

The Phone Tester is an application that lets users to analyze and detect if the components and hardware of their device are operating correctly. Apart from checking the functionality of the sensors on the device, users can also detect Wi-Fi, telephony, GPS, multi-touch, battery and system information. The app also comes in a Pro version that shows more information including phone memory, CPU speed and SD card memory without any ads. 

AndroSensor 

The AndroSensor is a complete diagnostic tool allows users to know everything about their Android device and its status. It supports all the sensors on the device and detail on which of these sensors actually work or which of them are supports by the device hardware. The tool displays the real time sensor details in both graphical and text form and users can also record sensor data using the AndroSensor QuickBar into a CSV file.

Other Similar Apps

Applications that help the Android device users to check the sensor functionality are not only limited to the aforementioned ones. There are numerous such apps on the Play Store and some of them include Sensor Test, Advanced Sensor Tester and Sensor Checker.

Conclusion

Monitoring or detecting the sensor functionality on Android devices is quite simple with these applications. They help the users to understand the use of each sensor on their device and keep them informed about their device capability constantly. For those users who prefer to understand the in and out of their Android device, such sensor testing apps are highly recommended.

Top 5 RSS reader apps for Android

With our fast changing lifestyles, smartphones are becoming an integral part of us. We are constantly on the move and in a hurry so we tend to skip the news every now and then. Today we have for you the list of top 5 RSS reader applications for Android devices which keep you updated and never let you skip a single thing, all on the move.

1. gReader App For Android

gReader is a simple, fast and intuitive feed/RSS reader for Android which comes with podcast support and full offline support. It helps you read all your RSS/feed news in one place and it lets you do that as easily as going through your mailbox. It relies on Feedly and the Older Reader for serving you the RSS feeds. It comes with widget support too and can read out your articles as well. gReader is one of the most simple, quick and intuitive RSS reader apps out there on the Play Store. 

2. Flipboard App For Android

How can Flipboard be missed when we are talking about RSS readers. Flipboard has a magazine like user interface and you can catch up on the news, read stories from around the world and browse the articles, videos and photos friends are sharing through the application. Refreshing the content through RSS apps integrated with it takes a few swipes and once you get the hang of things, it become pretty easy to navigate. The user interface is quite user friendly. 

3. Feedly App For Android

Feedly is one of the most popular RSS readers that have gained immense popularity post the Google Reader going into oblivion. Instead of having to hunt down for news, feedly aggregates the contents of your favorite sites and delivers them as a fast mobile-optimized experience. Feedly is an RSS news reader that has been optimised pretty well for android phones and tablets. It makes browsing faster and more fun: the content of your rss feeds, news sites and blogs are transformed into pocket-sized cards which load very fast and are easy to browse. This one is actually my personal favourite and I run it on a tablet and smartphone both so can actually vouch for it.

4. Press App For Android

Press is the best one out there if you can shell out Rs 180 for it. The buying applications in culture is still catching up in India but is still in its nascent stages. It syncs with Feedly, Feed Wrangler, Feedbin, and Fever and they have already showcased that they are the best in business. The sweetest deal in the package is the immersive mode which is meant for adjustment according to your reading but is available only on KitKat running devices. It gives you a good experience of going through your RSS feeds courtesy of its intuitive and elegant design. Things would have been better if it was free because the apps and websites it integrates with have released their own free apps such as the Feedly mentioned above.

5. RSS reader App For Android

How could we miss the app which is named after the category we are talking about. The application has a clean UI and it can easily  sync with your favorite sites, blogs, and more all in one place. It will provide you with a notification for an update and will account for a pretty good widget too. Its UI is its USP and it is the no-nonsense getting things done RSS reader app whose functionality you’d surely appreciate.

Conclusion

With Google reader put to rest about an year ago, these RSS reader apps have surely taken the charge pretty well. All of them are as functional and as useful as the other one. You wouldn’t be going wrong no matter which way you go with these apps. Do drop in with your comments to let us know your opinion about them.

Behold: The always-available bubble-based Twitter app for Android

I don't know if you've noticed, but Android is kind of going bonkers for bubbles.

Bubbles first went big with Facebook's "chat heads" setup and have slowly but surely been showing up in other places ever since. One of my favorite bubble-based apps is Link Bubble, which opens links in floating, movable bubbles that you tap to view whenever you want.
Now, the bubble concept is coming to Twitter. A new app called Tweet Balloon puts Twitter into a movable bubble on your screen -- and gives you easy pop-up access to your timeline whenever you want it.

It's an interesting concept -- and fairly well-executed, too: Once you activate it, the Tweet Balloon bubble floats at the left side of your screen. Anytime you tap it, your full Twitter timeline appears in a window on top of whatever else you're doing. You can scroll through the tweets, refresh the timeline, or post a new tweet right then and there.

The nice thing about Tweet Balloon is that its bubble automatically hides itself to stay out of your way as much as possible when you aren't using it. The bubble slowly recedes more and more off-screen over time, and you can always move it to a corner to make it less intrusive, too. When you want to get rid of it altogether, you simply tap the bubble and drag it down to an "x" that appears at the bottom of the screen.

Tweet Balloon includes a more standard full-fledged app as well, and it's pretty nicely designed, with customizable columns and a clean, card-based UI. Fittingly enough, the app uses code from Tweet Lanes -- the now-open-source project created by the same developer behind Link Bubble -- so a lot of its UI actually comes from that project.

Tweet Balloon is by no means perfect: The app currently lacks support for multiple accounts, for instance, and its introductory screens have some cringe-inducing broken English. A little copy editing would go a long way in helping this app make a better first impression.

I'd also like to see a little more customization in the bubble portion of the app, which is clearly its distinguishing feature; as of now, there's no way to switch that view over to show only mentions instead of showing your entire timeline

Statistics Helping You Decide Between Android App Development And iOS Phone App Development.

It’s really a dilemma to decide one between android application development and iOS application development or to prefer one over other or to go with both.

Let us help with following data you easily come to a concrete decision. Market shares of both platforms give you a clear vision of trend-changes and what people really like or use nowadays.

Market shares of last three years and 1st quarter of 2014

(Others – BlackBerry, Microsoft, Symbian, Bada, etc.)

The above given table shows that from 2011 to Q1 2014, Android OS market share and the shares of forked versions of the OS, are constantly increasing. Android is truly an emperor when it comes to market share. The Q1 2014 data from ABI Research suggest that 80 out of 100 smartphone devices are running regular or forked versions of Android operating system, and of course they have access to Android apps too.

So, Android application development is the best choice for those businesses which want to make available their apps to the maximum number of smartphone and other smart device users.

But making available an app to big mass doesn’t always make big money too. App revenue matters, particularly if a mobile app developer wants to make money only through selling app or putting ads in it. Such developer needs to know that which platforms can make good money.

App revenue: iPhone vs. Google in 2012.

(Source: App Annie Intelligence)

Above given is the Android Vs iOS app revenue and it shows that iOS App Store earned more revenue in comparison of Google Play. The more an app store earns revenue, more app developers are earning too. The same data also show that Google Play’s earning is constantly increasing.

But the gap in revenue cannot be applied on all forms of monetization model; still some gaps are rather narrower while others are certainly wider. See the data below.

App revenue Gap: iPhone vs. Android 2013

Top 200 Android vs. iPhone paid apps reviews, rating, and pricing

Top 200 Android vs. iPhone free apps reviews, rating and pricing

Top 200 Android vs. iPhone free apps reviews, rating and pricing(Source:Piper Jaffray)

The numbers of apps for particular platform do also influence smatphones users. The more an app store has apps, the more it is being adopted by mobile app developers who are of course influenced with a large volume of users of a particular OS.

Number of Android and iOS apps available in last three years and 1st quarter of 2014.

 The data displayed above suggest that Android is a leading platform and is being used by more than 80% smartphone users around the world. But iPhone and iPad apps are making more money even if the market shares of these smart devices are considerably low. Google has been working hard in improving the standard of its platform. It has almost removed fragmentation and offered Google Play services app to keep its own app up-to-data even if the maker of a device is not willing to update the OS. Google Bouncer is already fighting with apps having malwere and ensuring app security of Android devices at user-end. Now there are more apps on Google Play than the App Store.

Top 5 Android Apps to Record Slow Motion Video from Smartphone Camera

If you are a photography enthusiast who loves to explore new ways of capturing snaps and videos from your smartphone or tablet, there are several technologies facilitating it. To click slow motion videos, there are a plethora of applications that can turn your device into a tool for capturing such clips. As far as the Android devices are concerned, there is no such default feature in them, but their competent – iPhone 5S comes with a slow-motion video feature. Hence, here we have listed out some of the slow motion video apps for you to download and try them.

Slow Motion Video

The Slow Motion Video app helps you record videos with the highest possible resolution and then plays them back in slow motion. This way, you can view the clip frame by frame and choose the speed of the playback as desired. It also facilitates in renaming or deleting the videos and also lets you to choose any video in the gallery and play in show motion with this app.

 

ReAction Slow Motion Video

The ReAction Slow Motion Video assists in creating dramatic slow motion videos instantly with no loss in the quality. It does not result in any motion blurs or inter-frame artifacts that are common in slow motion clips. There are in-app purchases for slow motion Speed Bump profiles and they include The Wall and The Drop, while Smooth is included by default.

Slow Motion Free

Slow Motion Free is a slow motion video viewer and you can choose to view an already existing video from the gallery or to record a new clip using the app. Also, you can choose the desire speed of video recording. This app also has a Pro version with frame rate bar sensitivity option, limitless recording time, ability to choose between internal or external storage and no ads.

Controlled Capture Lite

The Controlled Capture app makes it easy to capture time lapse sequenced pictures and slow motion videos. With this app, you can record both slow and fast events and observe the intricate details in the clip later. Interestingly, it has two modes – Image Capture and Video Capture and the latter is what we are talking about. Using this Video Capture Mode, you can capture Slo-Mo videos and normal ones and share them instantly. All you need to do is set the time length and it will start recording.

AndroVid Video Editor

The AndroVid Video Editor is capable of trimming, merging, splitting, transcoding, adding music, applying effects, adding text, grabbing video frames, making slideshow and more. There are several video effects and the most important as of now is the Slow Motion playback. This app also allows you to set video frames as the wallpaper of the device.

Other Applications

Besides the ones that are mentioned above, there are few more slow motion video capture and playback applications on the Google Play Store. Also, there is a slew of video editing applications. Movie Studio Video Maker and Easy Slow Movie Player are some of the noteworthy mentions.

Conclusion

If you were looking for an option to shoot slow motion video clips the aforementioned applications could prove to be very useful and you can really benefit from them. Apart from these, there are settings that can be done in certain high-end devices to enable slow motion video capture, but sometimes they could be obscure.

Facebook Announces TV Show And Music ID App Updates For iOS And Android

According to multiple sources, Facebook will unveil a new service today that can identify television shows and music playing in the background. The new software, which will be available via an updated App Store app on iPhone and a Google Play app on Android, will work in tandem with your smartphone hardware’s microphone. Facebook is said to be integrating the feature so Facebook users can more easily share what music they are listening to or what TV show they are currently watching to their Timelines. In iOS 8, Apple will unveil a new Siri feature in partnership with Shazam to identify songs playing in the background. Update: Official announcement after the break…

Facebook has now officially shared the news in a blog post today

You may have seen a friend post a photo after a tough workout with a “feeling proud” icon. Or you’ve seen your friend check in at a coffee shop “drinking an iced coffee”.In the last year, people shared more than 5 billion status updates that included these kinds of feelings and activities, sparking conversations with friends in a more visual way. Today, we’re making those conversations quicker and easier by introducing a new way to share and discover music, TV and movies.
When writing a status update – if you choose to turn the feature on – you’ll have the option to use your phone’s microphone to identify what song is playing or what show or movie is on TV. That means if you want to share that you’re listening to your favorite Beyoncé track or watching the season premiere of Game of Thrones, you can do it quickly and easily, without typing.Here’s how it works: If you’ve turned the feature on, you’ll see an audio icon moving on the screen when you write a status update. If the feature finds a match, you can then choose to add the song, TV show or movie to your post.

Like with any post, you choose who can see it. You can also turn the feature off at any time by clicking the audio icon in the top right of the screen.

If you leave the feature on, you will see the audio icon move and attempt to detect a match when you’re writing a status update. No sound is stored and you’ll always get to choose whether you post to your friends.If you share music, your friends can see a 30-second preview of the song.  For TV shows, the story in News Feed will highlight the specific season and episode you’re watching, so you can avoid any spoilers and join in conversations with your friends after you’ve caught up. This feature will be available on Android and iOS in the US in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit our Help Center.

LG L35: Soon To Be Released Android 3G Smartphone

LG L35 is an android based 3G smartphone that is soon going to be launched after first being showed off at the Mobile World Congress in February at Barcelona, Spain.

Here is the specifications available for the phone on German version of LG website.

Display	3.2 inch
Processor	1.2 GHZ Dual Core
RAM	512 MB
ROM	4 GB
Camera (Rear)	3.15 MP
Camera (Front)	No
Battery	1540 mAh

Now as you can see that specs are pointing towards the phone to be essentially a low-end smartphone especially with a Dual Core processor and a mere 512 MB RAM. Phone will operate with a Mini SIM and as told earlier it will support 3G technology as well as normal voice services over 2G. It is not known that which version of Android is seeded in this smartphone. Although the phone has support of external memory card up to 32 GB but it doesn’t seem that it would be of much use with such a poor processing power.

Even the 1540 mAh raises a red flag if you intend to use the phone for 3G purposes as the drain of battery while use of 3G is huge. You can use battery saving apps in order to secure some juice in your battery for a longer battery life.

This is going to be 2nd launch from LG in matter of few weeks as some weeks back, LG has taken covers off the LG F70, a 4G smartphone. image credit: gsmarena

Outlook.com Android App Leaves Email Messages Exposed

Researchers find Outlook.com emails unprotected by default on SD cards.

A Microsoft Outlook client app for Android devices stores, by default, email messages unencrypted on the device's SD cards, researchers say.

Erik Cabetas, managing director of Include Security, says the Outlook.com mobile client, which was developed by third-party app firm Seven Networks, leaves email messages in the clear on the removable SD cards. "Anyone can grab that and walk away," Cabetas says.

Android users must set up the device to encrypt the file system, something most consumers are likely unaware of, he says, noting that it's not a feature that's integrated with the Outlook.com service or app. "Users need to be aware so they can encrypt the file system of the SC card. Android has native tools to do that... but it's a [multi-click] setting and most don't know how to do that."

Outlook.com does have a PIN feature, but it only protects the user interface to the app, not the stored data on the file system, he says. "I could lock my phone with the PIN, but if someone gets the SD card, they still have all the data."

Other apps on the phone also could access the emails. "Any app on the phone can read that" information on the SD card. They don't need special permission. Phones nowadays come with preinstalled apps on them that could grab those emails."

Cabetas and his team contacted Microsoft's Security Response Center about the security weakness in the app, but Cabetas says Microsoft's response was that this was an issue with the device itself and outside the scope of the app and Microsoft's own security model.

A Microsoft spokesperson provided this statement in response to a press inquiry about the research:

Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For people using the Outlook.com app for Android, applications run in sandboxes where the operating system protects customers’ data. Additionally, customers who wish to encrypt their email can go through their phone settings and encrypt the SD card data. Please see Microsoft’s online privacy policy for more information.

Include's Cabetas says that, ideally, the app should alert users that it stores emails to the local file system. "As part of the app installation, it should alert the user that 'We store emails to your local file system. Would you like to encrypt it? Yes or no.' Even if a software vendor doesn't feel directly responsible for worrying about the local file system encryption, at least it should inform the user."

He recommends that users use full disk encryption for Android and SD card file systems, and the USB debugging (under the Developer Options setting) should be turned off.

Include says in a blog post that will be posted today:
Alternatively, Outlook.com for Android could use third-party addons (such as SQLcipher) to encrypt the SQLite database in tandem with transmitting the attachments as opaque binary blobs to ensure that the attachments can only be read by the Outlook.com app (perhaps using the JOBB tool). These methods would be useful for older devices (such as devices that run Android 4.0 and earlier) that do not support full disk encryption

Apple apps made to run on Android devices

Apple and Android apps have been shown running side-by-side on the same gadgets thanks to software developed by United States computer scientist.

The program, called Cider, has been created by postgraduate experts at Columbia University.

Cider lets Android gadgets owners mix and match the IOS and Android applications they load on their tablet and phone.

The 6 powerful team of researchers said they embarked on the project to make Cider to get around the limitations that cell phone and table users are forced to accept.

For example Cider said that Android users cannot get at applications that call on media in iOS and Apple iTunes gadgets owners struggle to use Flash-based content.

Cider would let people use only 1 gadget to access both, said the experts.

Getting an app written for one OS system to run on another often involves an idea known as virtualisation.

To reject the performance issues that virtulisation can introduce, the Columbia experts adopted a different technique that involves the kernel or core of the Android OS.

This approach works on the instructions stream passing via an Android gadget and alters just those relating to the iOS applications. An additional program helper offers some of the specialised data those applications require to job correctly.

Gmail for Android updated with Save to Drive for attachments and minor UI refinements

Google today started rolling out the v4.8 update for the Gmail app for Android that brings with it a number of new goodies including some minor UI enhancements and the ability to save your attachments directly to Google Drive.

The Hamburger menu now houses the Settings and Help options, just like other Google apps.

If you use multiple Gmail accounts, the app will also show your profile picture in the hamburger menu along with a small check mark against the currently active account.

Below is the full change-log of the update from Google:

Save to Google Drive

Instead of downloading attachments to your device which takes up valuable space, you can now save attachments directly to Google Drive. Files saved to Drive are easily accessible from any smartphone, tablet or computer.

Spam explanations

Have you ever wondered why a message ended up in spam? You’ll now find an explanation at the top of every spam message.

Improved RTL support

If you’re an English speaker, you’re used to reading sentences from left-to-right. But there are a lot of languages out there that are written from right-to-left (RTL), such as Arabic, Hebrew and Persian. If you’re a speaker of one of these languages, Gmail on Android now looks and feels the way you’d expect with profile pictures and the navigation menu on the right instead of the left.

Faster access to the side navigation menu

It’s easier to get wherever you need to go in the app. While reading messages, you can now swipe from the left edge (or right edge for RTL languages) to quickly access your accounts and labels. You’ll also find Settings, Help, and Feedback in the side menu.

Switching From iPhone to Android Can Make You Lose Your Texts

People who have switched from using an iPhone to another brand of phone are finding that they are not receiving texts. Turns out that Apple doesn’t use the same kind of text messaging system that “regular” phones use. Hundreds of people have complained, and at least one is suing Apple over the issue.

The technical problem revolves around the fact that iPhone uses iMessage to send texts. It is not using the regular SMS text message system that most phones use for basic messaging. So you have to disable iMessage BEFORE you switch phones — otherwise other iPhones will continue delivering messages to your iMessage account and not to your actual phone.

Disabling iMessage sounds easy, but according to users who have contacted us it is at best a multi-step process and at worst — say if your phone broke or your traded it in before killing iMessage — can permanently disable you from receiving texts from iPhone users.

Business Insider has a step-by-step procedure for fixing the problem before you change phones. It looks complicated, and you should start several weeks before you switch phones. However, if you are switching because you dropped your iPhone in the toilet, sorting out the problem could be difficult.

New AllCast apps ready stream photos, music and videos from your Android device

Earlier this month, ClockworkMod previewed an app that would let Fire TV users stream a video’s soundtrack through their Android device, allowing them to watch content with a private audio feed. Today, the company has officially released this new software to Google Play, along with an updated AllCast app. When paired together, users can cast pictures, videos and music from their Android devices to their TV via a smorgasbord of platforms, including OUYA, Fire TV, Roku, Xbox 360 and even Apple TV. If you’re looking to add to some new weapons to your media streaming arsenal, these two free apps are definitely worth the storage space.

GroupMe’s Android redesign includes an emphasis on direct messaging

GroupMe pushed an update to its Android app on Tuesday, bringing a slew of new features and a redesign, including an emphasis on direct messaging. The update, which brings the app to version 5.0, also includes in-line GIFs and a welcome improvement to battery efficiency.

Other apps have added direct messaging features in the past year, including Snapchat and Instagram. GroupMe actually has supported direct messaging to other users with the app for a while, but this update brings it to the forefront, adding a Contacts tab on the left hand side and allowing any user to simply swipe during a group chat to start a one-on-one. Direct chats also end up in the main chat archive among the group chats.

It’s important to remember GroupMe’s genesis as a way to easily wrangle large groups through SMS messages. In fact, there still is support for group chats through texts, but direct messages can only go to someone with an account and the app — otherwise, you could just text them. In the wake of WhatsApp’s acquisition by Facebook, any social service with a good chunk of users is underscoring direct messaging as a major feature. We’re reaching messaging app feature parity. After all, everyone wants to be the one messaging app that rules them all.

You have to assume that a user with GroupMe installed on an Android device has several options for text-based communication, so it’s hard to imagine someone downloading GroupMe simply for direct messaging. But it’s certainly convenient for users, especially if they’re already using GroupMe to communicate with several people at once.

The update is currently available on Google Play. The iOS app is still on version 4.4.3, but we’ll most likely see that updated soon.

With over 4,500 Android developers on their ad network, AdBuddiz launches on iOS

Following their launch a couple of years ago, Purple Brain first focused on their game discovery reward app Gifitz which is about to hit 1 million installs on Google Play. However, it was the launch of their Android mobile ad network AdBuddiz just under one year ago that marked a big leapforward for them and, as a result, drove their recent decision to forego the Purple Brain name and rebrand as AdBuddiz.

While focusing first on Android was a smart move for them, bringing 4500 developers from all around the world as well as many of leading game advertisers on to their platform, including the likes of Game Insight, Playtika, Urban Rivals, and Kabam, they’ve recently taken the decision to launch on iOS, opening up a huge new opportunity for them. Their iOS launch looks to have been the right call as according to cofounder Jonathan Ferrebeuf, adoption is growing even faster on iOS than it did for Android.

There are a few key factors that look to have been key in driving their success thus far.  Firstly, 95% of their business is international. They understood very early on that the games business is increasingly a global one and that having the widest reach possible for their ad network would be non-negotiable. For them, being international also means fully supporting their customers, publishers, on a local level. So, for example, they currently support six languages (French, Russian, English, Arabic, Korean and Japanese) with other languages such as Spanish and Italian coming on-line soon. In addition, they’re also continually rolling-out localized versions of their site.

The next decisive factor has been their goal of creating a quality mobile ad network. As such, they’ve taken a decision to go with full-screen rather than banner ads. They pitch-in with clients on the creative side to make sure the ads are not only eye-catching, but deliver the best results as well.

Finally, although they’ve done a great job attracting developers to their platform, publishers are also a big focus for them. Their offer which is 100% non-incentivized, easy to set up, CPI-based, and offers various targeting options such as geotargeting and publishing features, is structured to deliver the best campaign outcomes possible for publishers. In addition, with Giftiz in their portfolio, they also have another solution to help publishers increase awareness of and interaction with their games.

Still bootstrapped, it’s particularly impressive what they’ve achieved thus far. Given the big momentum around French ad tech, I fully expect those following the sector will soon take notice if they haven’t already.

Download Free APK's of Android Apps From ---> http://goo.gl/O44ZWc

It’s Android’s Turn For Facebook Messenger Update

The new features Facebook rolled out in the newest version of its Messenger application for iOS earlier this week have now been added to its Android counterpart.

The social network released an update to Messenger for Android, saying in the “What’s New” section on its Google Play page:

More ways to message: Now it’s easier to send photos, voice messages, and more.
Video: Send videos from your gallery and play them right in the app. (Works on Android 4.3 and up. We’ll continue to improve video and bring it to more phones.)
Instant photo sharing: Take a photo and send it in just one tap.
Stickers shortcuts: When someone sends you a sticker, press and hold down on it to get the pack.
Faster search: Just enter the names of people and groups.
Android users: Have you updated your apps yet? What do you think?

Download Facebook Messenger Free APK for your Android Device: http://www.appsmansion.net/communication/facebookmessenger.html

Worm-like Android malware spreads using text messages

A piece of malware targeting Russian-speaking Android users abuses a person’s contact list to try and infect other devices, according to security vendor Eset.

The malware, call “Android/Samsapo.A” can download other malicious files to a phone, steal personal information from a device such as text messages and block phone calls, wrote Robert Lipovsky, an Eset malware researcher. The malware uploads data to a domain that was registered about a week ago.

Samsapo spreads by sending text messages from an infected device to other people in the victim’s contact list, a worm-like characteristic that has been used by other mobile malware programs.

The text message says “Is this your photo?” in Russian and has a link to an Android application package (.APK) file containing a copy of Samsapo.

“This technique wouldnt raise an eyebrow on Windows, but is rather novel on Android,” Lipovsky wrote.

The APK file name makes it appear as a system utility: “com.android.tools.system v1.0.” The program doesn’t have a graphical user interface nor an icon in the application drawer, Lipovsky wrote.

Android will warn users when downloading applications from unknown sources. Google scans its Play store for malicious applications, which reduces the chance a user will download a malicious one.

Security experts generally recommend not downloading Android applications from third-party websites, as even legitimate looking applications may have been maliciously modified. Also, applications that ask for permissions such as reading and writing text messages should be viewed with caution.

Android Power's 3 favorite things for April 2014

Some people like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. As for me? Sure, I can appreciate a nice damp flower or fuzzy feline face. But if we're talking about favorite things, I might steer the discussion in a different direction.

From apps to accessories, Android is full of interesting treasures -- little things that add up to make a big difference in our device-using experiences. They don't have to be revolutionary; they just have to make our lives easier or make the mobile landscape a more pleasant place to live.

That's why I'm taking a moment to pause and shine the light on a few of my favorite things related to Android every so often. So without further ado, here are three things I'm particularly fond of at the moment:

1. Link Bubble

This seemingly simple app has changed the way I use my phone and quickly become one of the first things I install on any new device. It's a bit unusual: In short, Link Bubble acts as a companion to your regular mobile browser and handles all the links you open from within other apps.

That means if you tap on a link from, say, Twitter or Google+, Link Bubble will start loading it in the background while you continue to browse. The page will show up as a small movable circle on the side of your screen; once it's loaded and you're ready to read it, you just tap the circle and it pops up as an overlay on top of whatever else you were doing.

You can load multiple links into Link Bubble and then open them whenever the mood strikes. You can also easily drag links from Link Bubble into Pocket or any other saving/sharing service.

Link Bubble isn't meant to replace your normal mobile Web browser; rather, it supplements it by handling one specific thing in a more intelligent way. It's one of those features that, once you use it, just makes sense -- and makes you wonder how it wasn't always there.

2. HTC One (M8) Dot View case

Me? Praising a phone case? What, has hell finally frozen over?


Believe it or not, it hasn't (at least, as far as I know). HTC's One (M8) Dot View case is just really freakin' cool.

The reason: The Dot View case isn't just a case. It's a device that integrates closely with a phone to provide an unusual new function.

When the Dot View case is attached to the One (M8), the phone shines special retro graphics through tiny holes on its front. You can tap the case twice to see the current time and weather along with a limited range of pending notifications. And when the phone rings, the caller's info shows up through the case; you can swipe up on it to take the call and just start talking right then and there.

Pretty darn clever.

3. Chrome Remote Desktop

Oh yes, it's true: Google's Chrome Remote Desktop tool is finally available for Android phones and tablets. All you do is install the app, install the companion Chrome desktop extension, and ta-da: You can securely access your computer from any Android device, anytime you want.

There are other tools out there that do similar things, some of which are more robust -- but none that comes close to being as simple, painless to set up, and free as Google's new offering.

Google Launches Standalone Docs and Sheets Apps for iOS and Android

Google has launched standalone Docs and Sheets apps for iOS and Android, letting you create and edit documents and spreadsheets on your mobile devices. Slides app, which will let you do the same to presentations, is coming “soon.”

Why standalone? Because Google already offers the Drive app, which lets you store and manage your files as well as create and edit documents and spreadsheets as well as view presentations and PDFs.

Now, the company is splitting those functionalities in a separate app for each purpose. You can now get them in the App Store (Docs, Sheets) and on Google Play (Docs, Sheets). And if you just continue using Drive for editing documents and spreadsheets, you will be prompted to download the standalone apps over the “next few days.”

The apps have offline support, meaning you can create, view and edit files without an Internet connection. And, when you open the new apps, you’ll see your most recently edited files.
As for Drive, you will still be able to view and organize all your documents, spreadsheets, presentations and photos through that app.