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.

F-Secure says 99 percent of new mobile malware targets Android, but don't worry too much

The malware numbers for Android keep rising, but you'd still be hard pressed to end up with a malware infection on your own device. Security firm F-Secure released its quarterly mobile malware report on Tuesday morning based on data culled from the company's mobile app users.

Between January 1 and March 31, F-Secure says it found 275 new threat families—or new takes on old ones—for Android, compared to just one for iOS and Symbian respectively. Of those threats it found, F-Secure says 91 percent were considered malware, while the rest were dubbed 'potentially unwanted apps' (PUAs) that could pose a risk if they were misused.

Nevertheless, despite Android's high share of mobile malware, F-Secure readily admits that security threats are nowhere near the problem they are on PCs.

F-Secure said that its app blocked around 5-10 pieces of malware for every 10,000 users in the United States between January and March. On the PC side, that kind of infection rate is what you would call a very good day indeed. Consider that a 2012 report by Panda Labs claimed 30 percent of all PCs in the US were infected with some kind of malware.

But while the threat to individual users may be particularly low, what's really interesting about F-Secure's report is how advanced Android malware is becoming.

The bad guys are getting better...

The bulk of Android malware does things like attempt to send text messages to premium numbers or introduce some other type of money-making scam. But particularly novel types of malware in recent months included a Windows-based banking Trojan that attempted to install malware on Android devices when they were connected to an infected PC via USB.

The first Trojan appeared that tries to use Android's Orbot Tor client to connect to botnet command and control servers. There was also the first cryptominer app, which attempts to silently mine virtual currencies in the background for the malware author.

Finally, Android's first bootkit was discovered in January. It can infect a device's start-up code and is often difficult to detect and remove, with most bootkit infections seen in China.

...but don't sweat it too much

Despite all those advancements in malware technology, however, your chances of being infected are still really low. Nevertheless, if you want to be really safe from malware and other mobile threats there are a few measures you can take—and most of them involve being smart about how you use your device.

Make sure you use a screen lock so that others can't access your device and try to install a malicious app onto it. Set-up Android Device Manager so that you can change your device password remotely or wipe your phone should it ever be stolen.

More importantly, only download apps and APK files from sources you trust, such as Google Play. Google's online store is not bullet-proof and you can sometimes get scammed (see Virus Shield), but the odds of downloading malware via Google Play is very, very, very low, especially if you stick to well known apps from brands and developers you trust.

Finally, check over your permission requests before installing or updating apps. My bank recently updated its app asking to read my call log. That's one of many apps I've stopped using recently due to permission requests that I wasn't comfortable with.

Finally, if you really want to, you can download an antivirus app such as F-Secure's Mobile Security or Lookout Security & Antivirus. These security apps offer in-app purchases for many features you can get for free on Android, such as remote wipe.

What most of these apps do for free, however, is to scan other apps as they're installed or updated to see if they contain any known malware. Then again, Google recently announced an addition to its Verify Apps program that continually scans sideloaded apps as well as Google Play installations for bad behavior, so whether you actually need an anti-virus scanning app is debatable.

The Verify Apps feature is available for Android 2.3 and up. To make sure it's active on your device, open up the Settings app and navigate to Security > Device Administration > Verify apps.

Google says about 0.18 percent of app installs in the past year have triggered a Verify Apps warning. Malware may technically be more prevalent on Android than on any other mobile platform, but as with most types of malware attacks, the biggest vulnerability is not the device itself but the carelessness of the operator. Stay smart and you'll stay safe.

Acer announces Liquid Jade smartphone with accompanying Liquid Leap fitness tracker

Acer has announced their latest entry into the smartphone market and their first entry into the wearables/fitness track market with the Liquid Jade smartphone and the Liquid Leap smart band. The Liquid Jade is one of the most rounded smartphones you’ll ever see, with no sharp edges and Gorilla Glass that curves into the edges of the phone. It’s definitely a unique look for the phone.

Unfortunately, Acer wasn’t straightforward about the specs of the Jade, so all we can really guess is that it’s a larger phone, probably around 5 inches. No word on camera, processor, memory, etc. Acer typically tries to hit the budget markets, so I wouldn’t expect anything to compete with the HTC One and Galaxy S 5.

The Liquid Leap is Acer’s first stab at the wearable market. It’s more similar to the Gear Fit or one of the many fitness trackers available, as opposed to something like an Android Wear device or Samsung’s main Gear line. It’s just 17 mm thick and can do some pretty basic things, including health monitoring and basic notifications like texts, calls, and emails.

Both devices will be available in July or August this year, but pricing wasn’t revealed. Acer said they were in talks to bring the device to US carriers, but as of right now, they can’t confirm or deny whether or not it’ll be widely available in the States.

Source: SlashGear

Google Android Wear to be dubbed LG G Watch

The smartwatch market has not been as successful as many expected, but as with many other products experiencing relative slow starts, it may just be the slow beginning to a great innovative success. Although it is not a new invention as Motorola and Sony have both taken their shot amongst other manufacturers at this market. In 2013, we saw Samsung’s Gear smartwatch and in 2014 Samsung left the forked Android OS to replace it with the improved Tizen OS for use in their Gear 2 watches.

LG to Manufacture Android Wear

Although Google worked on its Google Glass rumors were going around that, they might also produce their own version of smartwatch. Google revealed that the Glass is not a finished product, but a living prototype, whereas the G Watch will be a true consumer wearable. In March 2014, it was officially confirmed that we could expect the Google Android Wear later this year. LG is suspected to be the manufacturer, although several manufacturers have signed up with Google in delivering the needed hardware. If rumors are to be believed, it will be called the LG G watch.

Features and Specifications

Very little has been unveiled, but it is rumored that the smartwatch will have a 1.65-inch display and internal storage of 4GB. When LG announced the intended Google Android watch would employ a rectangular design. They also released a render on their official Facebook Page clearly depicting the prototype from various angles.

The watch will indeed be made from plastic
The band will be replaceable
There will be no visible buttons
Original strap to be white
Front panel color is black
Watch body is gold
Display will be “always on”
It will include a “OK Google” function, which is its voice-activated search function
Dust resistant
Water resistant
Wide range of sensors in available apps, which includes heart rate monitor and accelerometers
Actionable and glance able information throughout the day
The G watch will not feature a camera
Touch Screen capability
When Can We Expect to See the New G Watch?

Reports were that the watch is solid however, the pictures of the device seems to depict the opposite especially when compared to other devices in the same market. It is expected that Google will have more details on the new release as well as the expected release date of the smartwatch later this year. Between June 25 and June 26 Google has a Press Conference scheduled and it is expected to unveil more information. However if rumors are to be believed it may be available to consumers in the United Kingdom shortly after the press conference.

LG G Watch Expected Price

Although it is still only rumors as with all unreleased devices, there are always estimated expected prices. It is expected to sell at less than 180 U.K. pounds or less than $300.

We will have to wait a few more months, however it is suspected that the watch may emerge as the dominant platform of Google and not comparable to Google Glass, which works on much the same principle. However, the Google Glass can hardly be called discreet although it is comfortable, the smartwatch on the other hand may just be Google’s flagship.

Premium 'Android Silver' phones may replace Google's Nexus program

With a new report on the existence of “Android Silver,” it's looking ever more likely that Google will ditch its Nexus smartphone brand and take a slightly different approach to hardware.

Instead of selecting a single phone maker to launch each Nexus phone, Google may work with several phone makers on high-end smartphones running clean versions of Android, according to The Information. Phone makers would face limits on how many non-Google apps they could pre-install, and users could have the option to uninstall any of these apps.

In exchange, Google would pay phone makers for their participation, handle the Android update process and offer its own tech support. Google would also help promote the phones through wireless carriers and retailers.

This isn't the first we've heard of such a program. Earlier this month, Android Police also reported on the possibility of Android Silver, while expressing some doubts about whether the program would actually happen. And in January, Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin claimed that Google would kill the Nexus program in 2015, replacing it with a rebranded Google Play Edition program.

Android Silver does sound like a cross between the Nexus and Google Play Edition programs, allowing for a wider range of devices than the Nexus program, but with an extra level of input, involvement, and promotion from Google. If all these reports are accurate, the question is how much incentive Google can provide to adopt Android Silver, both for phone makers and for consumers.

According to Android Police, Google may include some extra services as part of the program. That could include a loaner phone while users track down lost handsets, a “hangout assistant” for live tech support via video chat and an easy data migration feature for users who are switching from another smartphone. Wireless carriers may also be required to assist in the migration process.

In the past, carriers have been more eager to sell non-stock Android phones, onto which they can add their own services and bloatware. But with the move toward early upgrades and monthly installments instead of subsidies, carriers may be willing to sell more stock Android phones if they don't have to eat the hardware cost.

If these plans come to fruition, the Silver program could launch next year in several countries, including the United States, The Information reports. In other words, don't expect any official word from Google for a while, and do expect at least one more round of Nexus hardware before anything changes.

HP SlateBook 14 leaks out: the first Android-based notebook

The first Android laptop is likely to become a reality very soon. Leaked images have just revealed the HP SlateBook 14, the first notebook that has surfaced so far running on Android only. It features a 14-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, it runs on an unspecified Nvidia Tegra chip, and is expected to feature a modern version of Android.

Interestingly, so far, Android has never been used as the main platform on a notebook - we’ve seen it on convertibles along with other operating systems, it’s also appeared on 2-in-1 tablets with a keyboard, but never as the only OS on a full-on notebook.

What we can say from the leaked images is that the HP SlateBook 14 definitely looks modern, with a stylish color-accented design (we’re seeing only a black and yellow version at the moment), with a large Beats Audio speaker area above the chiclet keyboard, and with a front-facing camera, of course. The loud anspeaker

You can even spot all the ports and slots: there is a separate power jack, 3 USB ports, a full-on HDMI connector, a headphone jack, and a MicroSD card slot. Probably best of all, though, it’s got a SIM card slot, obviously for mobile data on the go. This certainly sounds like a winner to us, what do you think?

Microsoft promises to keep on selling Android devices but will phase out Nokia brand slowly

The Nokia-Microsoft deal is the talk of the town these days and new details about the future of the acquisition are coming out slowly. Recently, we came to know that Nokia Oyj will be renamed Microsoft Mobile Oy and the latest word that has come out is that Nokia as a brand name will soon see its sunset. Microsoft intends on rebranding the handset business soon and won’t be using the Nokia brand name for long.

“Microsoft Mobile Oy is a legal construct that was created to facilitate the merger. It is not a brand that will be seen by consumers. The Nokia brand is available to Microsoft to use for its mobile phones products for a period of time, but Nokia as a brand will not be used for long going forward for smartphones. Work is underway to select the go forward smartphone brand,” is what Stephen Elop has said.

He has further clarified that Microsoft will keep on selling the Android devices that were built by Nokia and the reason for the same is being cited as the fact that these low cost devices are increasing the usage of other Microsoft services as new people are coming under the umbrella. Nokia’s Android devices come with a forked version of Android and support Microsoft services by default like Bling and Hotmail instead of Google search and Gmail. Microsoft is working towards rebranding with which the consumers can connect. Let us wait and watch how that turns out in future.