Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle: Which Kindle Should You Buy in 2026?

Choosing between the Kindle Paperwhite and the standard Kindle sounds easy until you actually start comparing them. They both read books. They both have sharp E Ink screens. They both last for weeks. They both plug into Amazon’s huge Kindle Store. And if you’re replacing an ancient Kindle from years ago, either one will feel like a nice upgrade.

But the differences matter more than they first appear. The latest Kindle Paperwhite is bigger, warmer, waterproof, longer-lasting, and nicer for long reading sessions. The latest standard Kindle, also called the non-Paperwhite Kindle, is cheaper, smaller, lighter, and honestly good enough for loads of people.

So this Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle guide is not just about specs. It’s about where you read, how often you read, whether you care about warm light, how much you want to spend, and whether Amazon is even the right eReader ecosystem for you.

Quick verdict: Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle

Buy the Kindle Paperwhite if you read most days, read in bed, travel a lot, want waterproofing, or want the best all-round Kindle without jumping up to a Kindle Scribe or Kindle Colorsoft. It is the better device, and for many people it is the best Kindle overall.

Buy the standard Kindle if you want the cheapest good Kindle, read mostly novels, commute with a small bag, or are buying a first eReader and do not want to overspend. The standard Kindle is not fancy, but it is sharp, compact, and very easy to live with.

Consider a different eReader if you want easier library borrowing outside the US, colour comics, open file support, Android apps, page-turn buttons, note-taking, or less Amazon lock-in. Kobo, Boox, PocketBook, and Nook all make sense for certain readers.

Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle comparison table

Specs below are based on current product information, but prices can change quickly depending on region, retailer, storage size, lock-screen ads, bundles, and sales. Treat the price row as general positioning rather than a fixed forever number.

Amazon lists both current Kindle models as 300 ppi devices with 16GB storage, while the Paperwhite adds the larger 7-inch display, adjustable warm light, IPX8 waterproofing, and longer quoted battery life.

Design and build quality

The standard Kindle is the cute one. It is small, light, and easy to throw into a bag. It is noticeably easier to hold one-handed than the Paperwhite, and that matters if you read on the train, in a queue, or half-asleep in bed.

The Paperwhite feels more grown-up. It has a larger body, a bigger screen, and a more premium reading surface. It is still thin and portable, but it is not as pocketable as the standard Kindle. The extra size is not wasted, though. More screen means fewer page turns, better line spacing, and a calmer reading layout.

Build-wise, the Paperwhite wins because of waterproofing. Amazon rates the Paperwhite as IPX8, which makes it far less stressful around pools, beaches, sinks, and baths. That does not mean you should treat it like a bath toy, but it does mean the Paperwhite is much more relaxed around water than the standard Kindle.

The standard Kindle is simpler. No waterproofing, no warm light, no premium extras. But it also feels less precious. If you want a device that exists to read books and disappear into your routine, the standard Kindle does that well.

Screen and reading experience

Both Kindles have sharp 300 ppi screens, so text looks crisp on both. This is important because older budget eReaders often had softer text. The current standard Kindle does not feel like a blurry cheap model. It is a proper reading device.

The Paperwhite still has the better screen experience. The jump from 6 inches to 7 inches sounds small, but it changes the feel of reading. You get more words on a page, bigger fonts feel less cramped, and long chapters feel less stop-start.

The standard Kindle is still pleasant to read on. For novels, memoirs, fantasy, thrillers, romance, and general nonfiction, it does the job really well. The Paperwhite just gives you a more spacious, polished version of the same basic experience. If you are asking for the best pure reading screen in this Kindle vs Paperwhite comparison, the answer is the Paperwhite.

Front light and warm light

This is one of the biggest real-world differences. The standard Kindle has an adjustable front light. That means you can read in the dark without a lamp, and because it is front-lit rather than backlit like a tablet, it feels softer than reading on a phone or iPad.

The Paperwhite has an adjustable front light and warm light. You can shift the display from white to amber, which makes night reading feel less harsh. This is one of those features that sounds like a minor luxury until you use it every evening.

Warm light is not essential, but once you get used to it, going back feels a bit cold. It is especially nice if you read before sleep, share a room, or hate the blue-white glow of screens at night.

Reading at night

For bedtime reading, the Paperwhite is the easy winner. The warmer screen is more relaxing, the larger page is easier to read at lower brightness, and the battery lasts longer between charges. The standard Kindle is fine in bed, especially if you keep brightness low or use dark mode, but its light is cooler and the smaller display can feel tighter if you bump up the font size.

If your Kindle mostly lives on your bedside table, get the Paperwhite. This is one of those upgrades that does not look dramatic on a spreadsheet but feels obvious after a week.

Waterproofing and travel use

The Paperwhite is the better travel Kindle. Not because the standard Kindle is bad for travel, but because the Paperwhite removes more little worries. Poolside? Paperwhite. Beach bag? Paperwhite. Bath? Paperwhite. Rainy camping trip? Paperwhite. A bottle of water leaking in your backpack? Again, Paperwhite.

The standard Kindle is easier to carry because it is smaller and lighter, so commuters and hand-luggage minimalists may prefer it. But if “holiday Kindle” is the job, the Paperwhite is the safer buy.

Battery life

Both Kindles last long enough that you will probably forget where you left the charger. Amazon rates the Paperwhite at up to 12 weeks and the standard Kindle at up to 6 weeks, based on typical reading assumptions. In real life, battery life depends on brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audiobook use, indexing new books, and how often you read.

The basic takeaway is simple: the Paperwhite lasts longer, and both last much longer than a phone or tablet.

Storage and audiobook support

Both the standard Kindle and the regular Paperwhite come with 16GB storage. For normal ebooks, that is loads. You can carry thousands of books before storage becomes a problem.

Audiobooks are different. They take up much more space, and both models support Audible playback over Bluetooth. Neither is really trying to replace your phone as your main audiobook device, but the option is there if you want a distraction-free listening setup.

The Paperwhite Signature Edition adds 32GB storage, wireless charging, and an auto-adjusting front light. It is nice, but not the model most people need. The regular Paperwhite is the sweet spot.

Performance and software

Kindle software is simple, sometimes almost too simple. You get the Kindle Store, your library, reading settings, highlights, notes, search, dictionaries, collections, and sync across Kindle apps.

The Paperwhite is positioned as the faster Kindle, and it does feel like the smoother device overall. The standard Kindle is not slow in a frustrating way, though. Page turns are fine, book loading is fine, and reading itself is calm and distraction-free.

Menus, store browsing, and large libraries still feel very Kindle-ish. That means you should not expect iPad speed. But honestly, that is part of the appeal. A Kindle should not beg you to check email, watch videos, or scroll social media.

Portability

The standard Kindle wins portability. It is lighter, smaller, and easier to hold one-handed. It is the better commuter Kindle and the better “I always keep it in my bag” Kindle.

The Paperwhite is still portable, but it is more of a sofa, bed, beach, and travel reader than a tiny everyday gadget. If you have small hands or want the least bulky eReader possible, the standard Kindle is lovely.

Price and value for money

The standard Kindle is the better bargain. It gives you the core Kindle experience, a sharp 300 ppi screen, front light, USB-C charging, and 16GB storage for much less money.

The Paperwhite is the better value if you read a lot. The extra money buys features you actually feel every day: bigger screen, warm light, waterproofing, longer battery life, and a more comfortable reading setup.

My honest take? If the price difference feels painful, buy the standard Kindle and do not feel bad, it’s good, great even. If you can afford the Paperwhite without stretching, buy the Paperwhite. You are unlikely to regret the upgrade. Buying the best you can afford here will really pay dividends.

Best Kindle for students

For students reading novels, essays, set texts, and lighter nonfiction, the standard Kindle is probably enough. It is cheaper, lighter, and easy to carry around campus.

For students reading for long sessions at night, the Paperwhite is better. The warm light and larger screen are kinder during long reading blocks.

For students dealing with PDFs, textbooks, diagrams, or note-heavy work, neither is ideal but for a little bit more you can look at the Kindle Scribe, Kobo Elipsa, Boox tablets, or an iPad or iPad Pro instead.

Best Kindle for holidays

The Kindle Paperwhite, no contest. Waterproofing, bigger screen, longer battery life, and a better front light make it the Kindle I would pack for a beach holiday or long trip. The standard Kindle is fine for a city break, but the Kindle Paperwhite is more relaxed around water and sun.

Best Kindle for younger readers

For younger readers, the standard Kindle Kids model is usually the sensible pick because it keeps the cost down and the device is small enough for smaller hands. The Paperwhite Kids version makes more sense if the child reads a lot, travels often, or will use it near water.

As always with kids’ bundles, check exactly what is included before buying. Covers, warranties, Amazon Kids+ offers, and subscription periods can vary by region and promotion.

Best Kindle for serious readers

The Paperwhite is the best Kindle for serious readers who mainly read text. The bigger screen makes long sessions nicer, warm light is excellent at night, and waterproofing means it can follow you around without drama. You do not need the Signature Edition unless you specifically want 32GB storage, auto brightness, or wireless charging.

Best Kindle for people buying their first Kindle

The standard Kindle is the safest first Kindle for price. It gives you the real Kindle experience without asking you to spend Paperwhite money.

But the Paperwhite is the better first Kindle if you already know you read often. It feels like the one you will still be happy with three or four years later.

Kindle Paperwhite vs other eReaders

Kindle is the default choice, but it is not the only good eReader world.

Kobo Clara and Kobo Libra

The Kobo Clara BW is probably the closest non-Amazon rival to the standard Kindle and Paperwhite. It has a 6-inch E Ink screen, 16GB storage, waterproofing, dark mode, and ComfortLight PRO for adjusting colour temperature.

The Kobo Libra Colour is more of a Paperwhite alternative with extras. It has a 7-inch colour E Ink Kaleido 3 display, 32GB storage, page-turn buttons, stylus compatibility, ComfortLight PRO, waterproofing, and strong library-friendly features where supported.

Kobo is especially tempting if you want more freedom with EPUB files or library borrowing. The devices are friendly, the screens are good, and the Kobo store is decent. Kindle still has the larger, smoother store ecosystem, but Kobo feels less locked down.

Boox eReaders

Boox eReaders are for people who want freedom and do not mind extra complexity. Devices like the Boox Go Color 7 run Android, support Google Play, offer expandable storage, and let you install apps such as Kindle, Kobo, Libby, Readwise, and news apps. That flexibility is brilliant if you want one E Ink device for lots of services. It is less brilliant if you want something simple enough to hand to a parent and never troubleshoot.

Boox is not really “better Kindle”. It is more like “Android tablet, but E Ink”. For tinkerers, students, app-hoppers, and people who hate being boxed into one store, that can be perfect.

PocketBook devices

PocketBook is worth a look if file support matters. For example, the PocketBook Verse Pro Color has a 6-inch colour E Ink Kaleido 3 screen, Bluetooth audio, text-to-speech, IPX8 water protection, SMARTlight, and broad file format support including comics formats and Adobe DRM.

PocketBook devices do not have the same mainstream pull as Kindle or Kobo, but they are appealing if you own lots of files and want an eReader that feels more open.

Nook

Nook is mostly relevant for US readers who like Barnes & Noble. The Nook GlowLight 4 Plus has a large flush-front display, waterproof design, Bluetooth/headphone audiobook support, and physical page-turn buttons.

For UK buyers, Nook is usually not the practical choice. For US buyers who already shop at Barnes & Noble and like physical page buttons, it still has a place.

Why someone might leave the Kindle ecosystem

The biggest reason to leave Kindle is freedom. Kindle is brilliant if you buy from Amazon. It is less brilliant if you want to borrow library books easily outside the US, manage your own EPUB collection, use several reading apps, or avoid one-company lock-in.

Kobo is usually the best Kindle alternative for normal readers. Boox is best for people who want Android apps and flexibility. PocketBook is great for file support. Nook makes sense for Barnes & Noble loyalists in the US.

Why someone might still prefer Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem

Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem is popular because it is easy. The Kindle Store is huge. Prices are often competitive. Kindle Unlimited is built in. Audible support is there. Your books sync across Kindle devices and Kindle apps. Setup is simple, and gifting Kindle books is easy.

For many everyday readers, that convenience matters more than openness. You buy a Kindle, sign in, grab a book, and read. No file formats. No app juggling. No fuss.

The wider Kindle ecosystem explained

The Kindle ecosystem is both the best and worst thing about Kindle. The good bit: Amazon makes buying and reading ebooks ridiculously easy. The Kindle Store offers millions of titles, and Kindle Unlimited gives subscribers access to a large library of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Amazon UK currently lists Kindle Unlimited at £9.49 per month, though subscription pricing and offers can change.

Kindle Unlimited is great if you read lots of romance, thrillers, indie fiction, genre fiction, manga, or discovery-friendly books. It is less exciting if you mostly read brand-new hardback releases from big-name authors, because not every book is included.

Audible support is handy too. If you already buy audiobooks through Amazon, the Kindle ecosystem keeps everything feeling connected. Just remember that Kindle devices use Bluetooth for audiobook listening, so you will need headphones or a speaker.

The awkward bit is library borrowing. In the US, many library ebooks can be borrowed through OverDrive and read on Kindle. OverDrive says Kindle Books are currently available for US libraries only, so UK readers should not buy a Kindle expecting direct Libby-to-Kindle borrowing in the same way many Kobo users enjoy.

You can send personal documents to Kindle, and Amazon has improved EPUB handling through conversion, but Kobo, PocketBook, and Boox still feel friendlier if you manage your own ebook files.

Real-world buying advice

If you mostly read in bed

Buy the Paperwhite. Warm light is the feature you will appreciate every single night. The bigger screen also feels better when you are tired and using a larger font size.

If you read on holiday

Buy the Paperwhite. Waterproofing and longer battery life are worth the extra money. It is the Kindle you want by the pool, in a beach bag, or on a long trip.

If you commute

Buy the standard Kindle unless you really want warm light. Its small size is brilliant, and it is easier to hold one-handed on a train or bus.

If you want the cheapest decent eReader

Buy the standard Kindle. It is not a sad budget option anymore. The screen is sharp, the light is useful, and it gives you the core Kindle experience for less.

If you read comics or PDFs

Do not buy either of these as your main device. For comics, look at Kindle Colorsoft, Kobo Libra Colour, PocketBook colour models, Boox colour readers, or an iPad. For PDFs, go bigger. Kindle Scribe, Kobo Elipsa, Boox tablets, reMarkable, or an iPad will be less annoying.

If you want library freedom

Look at Kobo first, especially outside the US. Kindle can be awkward for library borrowing depending on where you live. Kobo is usually the cleaner choice for library-first readers.

If you are buying as a gift

The Paperwhite is the safer “nice present” Kindle. The standard Kindle is the safer budget gift. If you are buying for someone who already reads a lot, get the Paperwhite. If you are buying for someone who might use it casually, the standard Kindle is fine.

FAQ: Kindle vs Paperwhite

Is the Kindle Paperwhite worth it over the Kindle?

Yes, if you read often. The Paperwhite’s bigger screen, warm light, waterproofing, and longer battery life make it the better long-term buy. If you only read occasionally, the standard Kindle is enough.

What is the difference between Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite?

The standard Kindle has a smaller 6-inch screen, no warm light, no official waterproofing, and shorter quoted battery life. The Kindle Paperwhite has a larger 7-inch screen, adjustable warm light, waterproofing, and longer quoted battery life. Both are sharp 300 ppi eReaders with access to the Kindle Store.

Which Kindle is best for reading at night?

The Kindle Paperwhite is better for night reading because it has adjustable warm light. The standard Kindle has a front light and dark mode, but no warm light.

Is the standard Kindle good enough?

Yes. For novels, memoirs, thrillers, romance, fantasy, and general reading, the standard Kindle is absolutely good enough. It is sharp, light, compact, and much better than old entry-level Kindles.

Can you read Kindle Paperwhite in the bath?

Yes, carefully. The Paperwhite is IPX8 waterproof, but soap, bath oils, salt water, heat, and drops can still cause problems. Use common sense and dry it properly afterwards.

Are Kobo eReaders better than Kindle?

Sometimes. Kobo is better if you want library borrowing, EPUB openness, page-turn buttons, or a colour model like the Kobo Libra Colour. Kindle is better if you want Amazon’s store, Kindle Unlimited, Audible support, and the simplest buying experience.

Which eReader is best for beginners?

The standard Kindle is the easiest beginner eReader if you want Amazon. The Kobo Clara BW is a great beginner pick if you want waterproofing and more library/file flexibility.

Should I buy a Kindle or use an iPad?

Buy a Kindle if you mostly read books. Use an iPad if you read colour comics, magazines, textbooks, PDFs, or want apps. An iPad does more, but a Kindle is calmer and much better for long text reading.

How long does a Kindle last?

A Kindle can last several years if you look after it. Batteries age, screens can crack, and software support eventually matters, but Kindles tend to have a long useful life because they are simple devices built mainly for reading.

Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?

Kindle Unlimited is worth it if you read several included books per month and enjoy the genres it is strong in. It is less worth it if you mainly buy specific new releases, literary hardbacks, or library books.

Final recommendation: which Kindle should you buy?

For most people, the Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle to buy. It hits the right balance of screen size, comfort, waterproofing, battery life, and price. It feels like a proper upgrade, not just a basic eReader.

The standard Kindle is still easy to recommend. It is the best cheap Kindle, the best small Kindle, and the best first Kindle for someone who wants to spend less. If your budget points there, buy it happily.

But if you are already reading regularly, or you want a Kindle that feels ready for bed, bath, beach, and daily use, get the Paperwhite. In the Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle debate, the standard Kindle wins on price and portability. The Paperwhite wins almost everywhere else.

The post Kindle Paperwhite vs Kindle: Which Kindle Should You Buy in 2026? by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Recently we wrote about Lumberyard, Amazons free to use game engine with inbuilt support for Amazons own cloud platforms and Twitch, another Amazon property.

Well it turns out that with Lumberyard, Amazon are thinking of the future. Your future. As with most pieces of software Amazons terms and conditions don’t give you a license for use in life-threatening situations. Unless of course there’s a zombie outbreak. Clause 57.10 of the Lumberyard terms and conditions states that you can’t use it for the operation of systems such as those in nuclear facilities, or spacecraft, unless a zombie outbreak occurs.

57.10 Acceptable Use; Safety-Critical Systems. Your use of the Lumberyard Materials must comply with the AWS Acceptable Use Policy. The Lumberyard Materials are not intended for use with life-critical or safety-critical systems, such as use in operation of medical equipment, automated transportation systems, autonomous vehicles, aircraft or air traffic control, nuclear facilities, manned spacecraft, or military use in connection with live combat. However, this restriction will not apply in the event of the occurrence (certified by the United States Centers for Disease Control or successor body) of a widespread viral infection transmitted via bites or contact with bodily fluids that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh, blood, brain or nerve tissue and is likely to result in the fall of organized civilization.

It’s worth noting that, in the event of a zombie outbreak, I for one won’t be looking to play any games on my Kindle Fire. I’ll be grabbing my tinned food and heading for the hills.

The post Lumberyard is safe to use in the event of a zombie outbreak by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Amazon have just announced Lumberyard, a free to use game engine aimed at creating the next generation of PC, mobile and console games. As with everything Amazon it’s heavily integrated with their eco-sphere with inbuilt support for Amazons AWS cloud platform and Twitch, the gamers video community site, which Amazon purchased in 2014 for nearly $1 billion.

GameLift provides near instant onlining of servers and resources

Lumberyard is based around a modified version of the popular Cryengine though it’s rapidly losing out to Unity and Unreal which are considered to be more flexible. Whilst Lumberyard is free to download Amazon are hoping to generate revenue from the AWS cloud services that the engine integrates with and to that end have included some very tempting features. GameLift, for example, will allow developers to quickly bring online game servers to support surging numbers of gamers with each server instance making use of the usual AWS tariff.

From the outset this doesn’t really affect general Android users. Lumberyard doesn’t currently export to Android at all. However it’s easy to see a future in which Amazon Kindle Fire devices have access to a rich range of games before other platforms with Amazons AWS cloud platform providing massive cloud-based processing power and delivering awesome games on cost effective hardware.

With Apple TV, Google Nexus Player and Amazon Fire TV all fighting for space in your living room, it only takes a small nudge for one of them to get real traction. Could gaming be Amazons secret weapon?

We spoke to Iestyn Lloyd of Lloyd Digital, a Unity developer and VR expert; “It’s too early to tell what impact Lumberyard will have on the market but it’s likely that Amazon are going to support to support all their (Fire) devices and this can only mean good things”.

The post Amazon introduces Lumberyard, a free cloud aware game engine. by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

With more than half of all smartphones relying on the Android operating system, it’s a big deal to a lot of people when a new version arrives. A full year after the previous version, KitKat, a dramatically new system called Lollipop is cropping up in a variety of Android-based smartphones. While Lollipop features a lot of improvements, there are five that are particularly valuable in making this a powerful tool for both work and play.

A Work Of ART

Java, the programming language used to create Android apps, was designed to be compiled ahead of use. Instead, previous versions of Android chose to rely on an interpreter to run apps. This approach, reading each line of code and translating it for use, meant slower execution and greater taxing of the processor, resulting in more power consumption.
The new Android Runtime or ART environment utilizes Java-based apps as they were originally meant to be by compiling them as they’re downloaded so the compiled code can be quickly enacted when needed. This advancement over the Dalvik environment also allows the battery to last longer.

Pinning It Down

Application Pinning is a new feature aimed primarily at children of Android users but can be useful in a multitude of situations. With pinning, a single app or document can be locked in place by moving it to the center of the screen and pressing the pin icon in the corner. In combination with an access code, pinning prevents the temporary user from activating the home screen or any other app, avoiding accidental security breaches.
We’ve already seen innovative apps such as the parental control app Screentime make use of Pinning as a way to control access to devices.

SD Cards For All

While previous versions of Android incrementally allowed greater access to auxiliary storage, Lollipop has permitted almost full access. This change lets apps possessing large amounts of memory to operate smoothly by either placing their own files on a microSD card or easily accessing existing files stored there. In fact, this feature even lets apps completely move themselves to an SD card to free-up main memory for other operations.

Easy Transfer

Tap and Go is the name given to Lollipop’s ability to allow all files, apps, settings, and other stored information in an older phone to be successfully transferred to a new one. Rather than store information at Google Play and downloading to a new phone, this method performs the transferral directly. Simply by placing the old and new phone next to each other, Tap and Go utilizes the phone’s NFC capabilities in conjunction with Bluetooth communication standards to send all desired information to the new phone after the user logs into their Google account and gains permission.

Welcoming Guests

Long a feature of laptops, desktops, and more recently, the Android tablet, guest accounts are now available for smartphones, too. Lollipop allows multiple users to create their own temporary guest accounts through Guest Mode with individual wallpapers, settings, and apps. This feature keeps the main account and all guest accounts secure from each other and provides the options of either saving guest account data or clearing it quickly.

What have been your favourite features in Lollipop? Let us know in the comments.

The post 5 of the best new features in Android 5 Lollipop by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The Christmas season is a time for gifts, family and some pretty interesting Android apps. There are Christmas apps that tell stories and Christmas apps that help people to prepare for the holiday season. Anyone who is having a difficult time getting their holiday shopping and party arrangements under control should be happy to know that there is an app for that and it is available for the Android.

1. Christmas Facts

Since Christmas only comes once a year, there are usually a lot of questions that people have about the holiday and its history. The Christmas Facts app will help anyone to look up some of the more obscure facts about Christmas and provide the answers to questions that family members and friends have been asking for years.

2. Christmas Story Books

Christmas is supposed to be a magical time for children and parents can add to that magic by putting the Christmas Story Books app on their Android phone. This is an app that contains some of the most popular children’s Christmas stories that parents can refer to anytime they need to.

3. Christmas Tree Live Wallpaper

Many people have a Christmas tree in their homes and one at the office as well. The Christmas Tree Live Wallpaper app allows Android users to have a Christmas tree on their phone as well, which can be completely portable and useful in many holiday occasions. Get your Christmas cheer right on you wallpaper every day.

4. Christmas Joy Ingredients

Christmas is a time for eating and there are plenty of specialty foods and desserts that people have heard of, but may not know how to make. The Christmas Joy Ingredients app has many of the recipes for those holiday favorites in formats that are easy to read and use.

 5. Free Christmas List

When it comes to practical Christmas apps for the Android, it is hard to be the Free Christmas List app. This is an app that allows the user to create buying lists for all of their friends and relatives and then either buy the gifts online, or check the gifts off when they are purchased at a store.

6. Christmas Coloring Book

During the school Christmas break, it seems like it is difficult to find things for the kids to do, especially when it is time to take the kids to the doctor or some other appointment. The Christmas Coloring Book app allows kids to be creative by coloring in their favorite holiday scenes.

7. Christmas Countdown Widget

It’s not far away but you’ll want to keep an eye on how many shopping days you have left. The Christmas Countdown Widget gives the user several ways to countdown the day until Christmas morning.

8. Christmas Photo Frames

During the Christmas season, it can be fun to send people pictures with a bit of a holiday touch. The Christmas Pho.To Frames app allows users to give a Christmas look to any picture before sharing it with friends and family members.

9. Christmas Ringtones

The ability to use any kind of ringtone a user wants has always been a big selling point for Android phones. The Christmas Ringtones app capitalizes on the Android’s versatility by offering a wide selection of holiday inspired tones.

10. Gift Wrapping Ideas

Part of the joy of giving a gift is in the presentation. The Gift Wrapping Ideas app allows Android users to choose from a variety of gift wrapping ideas that will make any gift more fun to give.

The post The 10 best Christmas apps for Android by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

If you, or your kids, are addicted to Minecraft PE you might know the frustration that comes when you have to move to a new device or you have to reset your tablet but there are a few easy apps to help you backup your Minecraft PE worlds. Here’s our quick list of 3 apps to backup Minecraft PE on Android. It’s worth noting that these techniques can be used to backup any folder on your Android device.

Note: Minecraft PE keeps your worlds in the /sdcard/games/com/mojang/minecraftWorlds folder which can easily be accessed from any file explorer tool or from the apps below.

1. Autosync for Google Drive

Autosync comes in two flavours; Free and Pro. The Free one is ideal for most Minecraft worlds and it’s only real limit is that it can only back up one folder and it will only backup files up to 10mb in size which for most creative worlds seems fairly reasonable. You can set your Minecraft folder to back up at fixed intervals such as every hour and your folder is mirrored in your Google Drive. Because your folder is mirrored it’s more suitable for keeping a copy of your worlds ‘just in case’ rather than having a series of point-in-time backups of your folder.

2. ES File Explorer

The old-faithful ES Explorer is another great option. ES Explorer allows you to connect to any number of Cloud storage providers and easily copy files and folders to them manually. There’s no automatic scheduled backup so it’s not suitable for set-and-forget type of backups, but it’s easily one of the most friendly tools to use if you want to backup Minecraft, or any other data, before wiping your device.

3. FolderSync Lite

FolderSync also comes in two flavours – can you guess what they might be? – and the Lite is going to be more than capable of backing up your virtual worlds. FolderSync supports the full range of Cloud providers, just like ES File Explorer, so wherever your storage is located you should be good. There’s a wealth options in FolderSync Lite including scheduled syncs, notifications, allowed WiFi networks and much much more.

The post 3 Apps to backup Minecraft PE on Android by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Great news! Those of you that have grown up with the Oddworld franchise can now get a fix on Android as Oddworld: Strangers Wrath has hit the Google Play and Amazon app stores.

Strangers Wrath first hit the shelves on the Microsoft XBox in 2005 and follows the journey of a Stranger who accepts the ultimate bounty. Armed with a pack of slightly bonkers living ammunition of his double barrelled crossbow he sets of on a quest. Strangers Wrath is part puzzle-solver, part first person shooter and part third person adventure.

Oddworld games are known for their fun script and voice-overs and Strangers World looks to be no different. It also supports twin stick controllers so it will be interesting to see how this runs on Google Player attached to your TV.

The post Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath released on Google Play and Amazon Appstore by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

We’ve recently been looking at point and click adventure games for Android. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know that Inner World is definitely worth buying, and it appears that the jolly red beared men at HeadUp Games have been reading your Christmas list.

For this weekend you can get a hohoho-inducing 75% off HeadUp Games’ Inner World on the Google Play store.

Inner World sees you play as Robert, a slightly dim court musician, deep inside an artificial world called Asposia. Three gigantic fans provide the air for the inhabitants of Asposia and, one by one, these fans have stopped working. Robert finds himself on a quest to save the planet with his slightly mysterious sidekick thief, Laura.

The post Get Inner World cheap this weekend by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The guys over at Humble Bundle have added even more games to their Crescent Moon bundle for Android devices. Crescent Moon have released a wealth of solid titles over the years and now you can get a whole set of their games for a steal and donate money to charity in the process.

The original titles in the bundle were Space Chicks, the awesome 2-Bit Cowboy, Neon Shadow and Ravensword: Shadowlands. Additional titles have been unlocked as the amount of money raised by the Humble Bundle has increased. Currently, if you pay more than the average which stands at $7.80 at the moment, you get the following games;

• Shadow Blade
• Paper Monsters Recut
• Mines of Mars
• Siegecraft Defender
• Blocky Roads
• Topia World Builder
• Clash of Puppets
• Aralon: Sword and Shadow
• Slingshot Racing
• Relic Rush
• Pocket RPG

It’s an insane list of games and it would easily make a great present for someone before Christmas time. It would make it even better if you increased the amount of money going to charity this Christmas by moving that slider up at the checkout. You have 6 days to take advantage of the latest bundle offer.

For those of you that haven’t already come across Humble Bundle it’s a unique way to pay for games. Developers allow Humble Bundle to release their games for purchase which are then delivered by the Humble Bundle app. When you purchase a game you get to decide how much of that money goes to the developer, how much goes to charity, and how much goes to Humble Bundle themselves. Those of you know that read my articles know that I’m keen on supporting smaller developers and this is a great platform to do just that, and if it gives you a smashing deal in the process, all the better.

The post Humble Crescent Moon Mobile Bundle gets even more games by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

In case you haven’t seen it yet the latest incarnation of the Google Santa Tracker has been released for 2014. As was the case for last year, not only can you gauge the location of everyone’s favourite present-giver but you also get more hidden games.

To make sure no one has been left out this Christmas the Google elves have released the Santa Tracker for Android, browsers and also Chromecast. They’ve also thrown in a mass of information on Christmas traditions around the world and K12 learning information for kids at school.

It’s like Christmas has come early…nearly.

The post Get ready for Christmas with Google Santa Tracker by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The much anticipated God game, Godus, has finally landed in the Google Play store after previously being available only on Steam and iOS. The game, by Peter Molyneux’s UK based 22 Cans game studio, is a free-to-play title with in-app-purchases.

Godus puts you in charge of a world which you can sculpt and manipulate as you try to bring civilisation to the tribes of people you find there. You can make your followers travel between lands, with each land under the control of a different God. In this way you can play against, or with, other online players within the game.

Peter Molyneux is of course best known for classic games such as Populous, Dungeon Keeper and Fable and can truly be said to have invented the God genre of gaming. Godus is the first release from his UK based 22 Cans company and, if it’s an indication as to the direction that they are heading, it shouldn’t be the last title we see.

The post Godus now available on Android by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Hello everyone! In our new minigame you’ll assist Dr. Fiddle in mixing up fuel for his new invention, a jetpack! You need to make a good mixture out of 4 different liquids to help Dr. Fiddle fly as high as possible. But beware, some tend to get hot extremly fast and will make his jetpack explode, other won’t have enough power to even let him lift off the ground. You need to figure out a good mix to get on top of the highscore-list!

It is pretty easy, if you know how to mix the fuel. You just need do drag the pillars up/down and the fuel will fill, once you finished your mixture hit GO and the jetpack will start. But you’ll have to keep an eye on the heat. If the jetpack gets too hot it will explode. You can use cooling water by tapping the screen. But there a only 5 charges to cool it down. So be careful.
Enjoy the ride!

The post Dr. Fidelius Fiddle by Uberactive Game Studios by uberactive game studios appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Enjoy and relax: Brilliant Labs Limited, a leading mobile games company, announced today that their newest app, Sudoku Zen, has launched worldwide on Android platforms, free of charge. That’s Zentastic!

This version of the classic sudoku sensation puzzle presents a delightful new gaming experience that propels players into a happy and fun environment, with blue skies and moving tiles, much akin a Japanese themed scenario. Each one of the thousands of featured sudoku grids, have been masterfully crafted to let users find the most unique solution through logical thinking, with no guessing required… just a lot of proverbial Zen patience.
Designed for pro sudoku lovers and newcomers alike, Sudoku Zen introduces entertaining features for players who love to challenge themselves and others. With four different global leaderboards, one for each difficulty level, and an original smart scoring system, Sudoku Zen promises to be both easy to learn, yet hard to master.
Sudoku Zen is available free of charge on Google Play Store in the Board category. Keep Zen and play Sudoku.

Some of the features of Sudoku Zen include:

• Thousands of free sudoku grids
• Our Sudoku grids only have one solution for you to find. No guessing required.
• Four difficulty levels: Play easy, medium, hard and, if you dare … diabolic.
• Beautiful and easy to use interface with nice big buttons, animations and sound effects.
• Note taking: Easily enter and remove notes to help you solve the puzzle.
• Hold your device however you prefer, Sudoku Zen works in both portrait and landscape.
• See how you compare against friends and people around the world on the global leaderboard.

Additional information:

• Requires on Android 4.0 and up
• Designed for phones and tablets
• HD graphics: native resolution on all screens

Get it free on Google Play

The post Sudoku Zen Launches Worldwide on Android by Brilliant Labs appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The Tempo by BlueMaestro

There’s a wealth of additional sensors available for Android thanks in part to the inclusion of Bluetooth smart technology. We’re looking at the Tempo environment sensor from UK based BlueMaestro technologies makers of the wonderfully hi-tech Pacifi, a smart baby pacifier.

The Tempo monitors the basic range of temperature, humidity and barometric pressure perfect for gardeners, greenhouses, fridges, freezers or, as in my case, home breweries.

The Sensor

Ideal for outside areas and beer sheds

There are two parts to any Android sensor, the sensor itself, and the Android app that interfaces with it. The Tempo hardware is a small pebble of a thing, weighing only 200 grams and just 8cm wide. It fits easily in to your hand and wouldn’t look out of place in any garden or greenhouse. It’s powered by two AA batteries which BlueMaestro say should last easily over 6 months depending on how you configure the sensor.

Underneath the device you have three small screws holding the battery compartment in place and a small multi-function on/off button.

From a technical point of view the Tempo can operate in temperatures ranging from -25 Degrees C up to +75 Degrees C and pressures ranging from 5% to 95% relative. This puts it squarely in to the home enthusiast band and should be good for the majority of western homes. If you want something that can survive more extreme environments then this isn’t for you.

Temperatures and pressures can be logged at various intervals from 5 minutes up to 24 hours. With hourly logging the Tempo has enough internal storage to store data for around 30 days. Clearly the amount of time you can store data for reduces as the amount of data increases and with 15 minute checks the storage reduces down to about one week, and down to about 3 days if you are checking the temperature every 5 minutes. 3 days might not sound much, and it isn’t if 5 minute checks are important to you. In reality it’s unlikely you are going to want to check temperatures more frequently than every 15 minutes. As a result the tempo provides enough storage for most requirements.

The App

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The Tempo app makes viewing data simple

Your day to day experience of the Tempo is going to be from within the Android app that BlueMaestro provides for free in the Play store.

The app makes viewing your captured data very straightforward. Data is presented clearly and is very easy to read. The live data from each sensor can be viewed in a dashboard with a clear display of the pressure, humidity and temperature. Stored data can be viewed as graphs or in table form. Data can also be exported to CSV so that you can bend it and shake it in any of the common spreadsheet or data handling tools.

Graphs are functional if a little lacking in beauty

The graphs are effective, if perhaps a little too functional. Whilst they work – it’s a graph right – and the data is valid they are clearly very functional and it would be good to see some flourishes. It would be good if they had some colour, some animation whilst being rendered, they could show average lines. You get the idea.

The app also allows you to make changes to a range of settings within each sensor as well as providing useful some tools. There’s a ‘find’ feature which makes the chosen sensor beep so that you can find it more easily. You can also calibrate each sensor and change alarm thresholds.

Each sensor also supports Apples iBeacon technology but in our review I couldn’t get this working as expected. Several Android iBeacon apps found the device but reported that it wasn’t a valid iBeacon though this may have more to do with our devices running Android and my set up of the iBeacon settings (of which I know nothing).

Overall

At £45 each (about $70) the Tempo is great value for money. BlueMaestro have chosen just the right position in the market. There are more advanced sensor based monitoring systems out there but they easily cost much more and may well be overkill for the requirements of your day-to-day hobbyist. There are also cheaper, more basic, weather station style units but these don’t offer the integration to your mobile device or the range of other features provided by the Tempo.

That’s not to say that the Tempo is perfect, but it’s a great unit and good value for money. We had some problems with the app but these were quickly sorted by their support and we’ve since had updates. It would be nice to see small things like a reminder from the app to download your Tempo data so that you don’t lose any if the sensor fills up. It’s also crying out for some kind of wifi Tempo hub which can do the BlueTooth data transfer from multiple sensors for me and then make the data available to my device via wifi or the cloud, and alert me of temperature changes.

BlueMaestro also have plans for a multi-sensor tag which includes light and movement sensors so we’re going to be hearing much more from them in the future.

The post Review of Tempo by BlueMaestro by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

One of the many new features in Android Lollipop is priority interruptions. Not all notifications are create equal. If I’m in a meeting I don’t want to be disturbed unless it’s someone important, or my mum. Priority interruptions are were you need to turn. You can disable message alerts and incoming calls from everyone except your starred contacts.

This kind of functionality has been around in a wide range of applications for a while but it’s now baked in to Android.

Enable priority interruptions

1. You can enable priority interruptions by adjusting the volume on your device.
2. The pop up volume slider will have some new options underneath it. Tap priority to enable priority interruptions.
3. You can also set the duration. If it’s just short term then you can tap “For one hour” and adjust the time using the -/+ buttons.

Interruptions settings

There’s a wealth of settings to play with for interruptions within Android.

To set a time schedule for priority interruptions to automatically kick in pop in to Settings then “Sound and notifications” and tap on Interruptions. From here you can choose whether to set events, calls and messages as priorities. You can also tap “Calls/messages from” to specify whether calls and messages from starred contacts are always treated as priorities.

Priority app notifications

You can also set apps as priority apps, so that any notifications raised by that app interrupts you. Pop to Settings and then in to “Sound and Notifications” and go to “App notifications”. Here you can tap an app and within it’s setting change the Priority mode. In this way you can always get your Candy Crush notifications whatever you are doing.

The post How to enable priority interruptions in Android Lollipop by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

So your phone is running a shiny new Android Lollipop update and your friend wants to give it a go. No one likes sharing, and now you don’t have to. You can enable guest mode and let your friends have a play with your phone safe in the knowledge that they won’t be endangering your data.

Enable Guest Mode

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to bring the notification pane down.
2. Swipe down again to bring the quick settings pane in to view.
3. Tap on the user picture in the top right corner to reveal the user pane.
4. Tap on Add Guest to enter guest mode

Remove the guest data

Once you’ve entered guest mode your friend can start using the device and their data will be completely separate from yours. They can also sign in to most of the common Google apps so that they can check their email, get contacts phone numbers etc.

Once done they’ll want to remove their data so that any future guests won’t be able to use it. Just repeat the steps above but choose Remove Guest and their guest data will be eaten by your phone, never to be seen again.

The post How to allow a guest users to use your phone without accessing your data by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

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Sentinel 4 features challenging game play based on an alien world. As you move around the planet you defend your base from the various attacking armies with the help of a variety of units and your Commander who himself can be upgraded and swapped out as the game progresses.

Playability

If you aren’t familiar with tower defence games then let’s have a quick run through. In tower defence games you typically have to defend your base, or tower, from an ever increasing horde of would-be invaders. You get a range of units that you can deploy on the map, each with strengths and weaknesses and each with it’s own upgrade options. There tends to be two distinct approaches seen in tower defence games, the open map and the fixed map. Open map gives you a large playing area and allows you to place your units where-ever you like – you’d normally use them to build corridors of death and destructions for your attackers to wade through. Fixed map games allow you to position your units only in certain areas and the attackers always come down certain paths. Sentinel 4 Dark Star very much takes the fixed map approach, and Sentinel 3 was one of the best examples of a fixed map tower defence game you could find.

Sentinel 4 Dark Star builds on the work of Sentinel 3 by adding a range of new upgrade options and one time power ups. These are powered by collecting star fragments within the game and, of course, you can buy additional star fragments via in-app purchases. Add to this a progression in the storyline and you have the core of Sentinel 4 Dark Star, an evolution on Sentinel 3 Homeworld for devoted players, rather than any radical revolution of the game.

The type of available units remain broadly the same with the laser unit still featuring as your basic unit. There’s been slight adjustments to the usefulness of each unit – in Sentinel 3 Homeworld the basic laser tower could be upgraded to a weapon that seemed far too powerful. In Sentinel 4 these minor issues have been resolved.

My only issue with the playability really is that there seems to be a chasm between the difficulty on normal and hard. Normal is a walk in the park, it’s safe, dull and you will never ever be beaten. On Hard it’s easy until about half way through where it just smacks you in the face with a tower defence shaped wall of pain.

Graphics

The graphics are reasonable and appear to be little changed on the previous release. They could do with being a bit…more. You only see the quality of them when you zoom in, which you rarely need to do, and as a result the graphical work doesn’t stand out like it should. There are other games in the genre that manage to pull of fantastic graphics and challenging game play.

The maps are decent enough and well drawn out but it would be nice if they were more detailed – perhaps there could be an HD version in the future.

Audio

Audio is way down on the list of reasons why you should get Sentinel. Any of you that love playing mobile games for the portable audio experience aren’t going to add this to your Christmas list. It’s arguable that people don’t play tower defence games for the sound but even so, more could have been done.

I would have liked more ambient sound, particularly from your Commander who helps defend your structures. Hearing a few well chosen words of encouragement, or shouts of pain or demands for reinforcements would really make the sound worth turning up. A few “VICTORY!” audio congratulations wouldn’t have gone a-miss and instead when you slog through a touch level you just get shown a simple thumbs up. A little more audio detail would have gone a long way.

Overall

I loved the previous release, Sentinel 3 Homeworld, which I’ve played through several times across a number of devices. I’ve been beating my head against Sentinel 4 for several weeks now on the harder levels and I still love it. It’s challenging, difficult, and the new upgrades and power ups add reasons to revisit levels. But I love it for more or less the same reasons as I loved Sentinel 3. Other than a few additional bits here and there little has changed.

I hoped for some new spin on the game play, some graphics that made my phone melt with the power needed to make the HD goodness come alive. The audio really hasn’t changed much and I would kill for some actual audio-personality.

Sentinel 4 Dark Star is well worth buying and it will provide you with many hours of mind breakingly hard tower defence glory. For those of us who played through Sentinel 3, and love the genre, it wasn’t as much as we were hoping for and I hope that Sentinel 5 brings the enhancements we crave.

The post Sentinel 4 Dark Star by Origin8 by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

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The Inner World is another in our look at adventure games for Android. We’ve already looked at Yesterday, Detective Grimoire and the superb Blackwell Series. It’s clear that there’s some excellent adventure game titles available on Android but will The Inner World be amongst them?

This is Headup Games first attempt at a point and click adventure game, having previously been better known for the very successful Bridge Constructor Playground. The game sees you play as Robert, the slightly dim court musician, on an artificial world called Asposia. Three fans provide the air for the inhabitants of Asposia and, one by one, these fans have stopped working. Robert finds himself on a quest to save the planet with his slightly mysterious sidekick thief, Laura.

Playability

From the outset this game really did remind me of classic adventure games like Monkey Island. Overall The Inner World plays really well, with the puzzles being some of the more abstract of all the games we’ve seen in our Android adventure games series, sometimes a little too abstract. The game is broken down in to scrolling playable areas and, like The Blackwell Series and Detective Grimoire, puzzle elements span the playable areas making you collect items and return to previously played through areas. This also unlocks additional conversations and items as you progress. It’s fairly standard stuff, but done with real thought and passion.

I have to say that I started playing through The Inner World. The first time round I didn’t get in to it. I’m not sure why but it left me a bit cold and I just didn’t connect with it. A week or so later I picked it back up again and suddenly, BAM!, it grabbed me. The first few puzzles, which I felt to be a bit arbitrary, matured as I progressed and I found myself really warming to the journey of the little musician on the screen. As I moved to-and-fro through the areas the conversations expanded and I realised that there was more to this game than I at first thought.

It’s not perfect however; some of the touch points are tricky to hit on anything smaller than a tablet or the largest of phablet style phones and the inventory icon needs to be a few pixels larger if you want to hit it without walking about the screen. All told though the playability is solid inspired stuff.

Graphics

The graphics are really well done and I’ve really enjoyed playing through all our Android adventure games for that reason. It’s one genre of games that I think really allows for the artistic style of the studios to shine through, and it’s no exception with The Inner World. It’s certainly got a quirky, unique, design running through the game.

It feels a lot like you are playing through a slightly dark kids bedtime story book and it manages to mingle that sense of darkness with the innocence – some would say stupidity – of the main character.  There’s detail everywhere you look and if you are a lover of good looking adventure games then this is one for you.

Audio

Overall the audio is pretty decent if a little lacking. The voice-overs, which are available in both English and German, are well done and of a decent quality though the lead characters voice can become a little grating after a while. I also felt like I wanted more background ambient noise as I moved around. A lack of background chatter or people going about their lives makes the areas feel a lot more empty than the artwork implies.

You won’t be disappointed by the sound but I think that more could be done to match the visual style with a good audio style.

Overall

The Inner World is beautifully imagined and is a solid addition to your collection. It’s artwork is gorgeous and as the game develops you’ll find yourself increasingly loving the characters. There are better games in the genre  – in my mind the Blackwell Series is by far the leader as an overall experience and as a show of passion for gaming – but really there aren’t many that look so unique and develop as well. You might choose to play the game with the sound off – if you do you’ll miss out on some great voice overs – but doing so won’t affect the playability.

I’m really looking forward to the next adventure game from Headup Games and if they build on The Inner World and focus on a few key areas any future game will be an instant classic.

The post Review of The Inner World by Headup Games by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Google have started to roll out updates to their note taking service, Google Keep. The update mainly focuses on bringing the Material UI re-design to the web and app versions of Keep.

Keep is Googles note taking and reminder service, similar to Evernote though much less feature rich. With Keep you can take notes, create lists and set reminders based on time or location. You can also share these notes with others and access them from within your Google Apps services. There’s no sign that Keep will be receiving any massive new functionality such as being able to tag notes or other organisational aspects which users have been asking for.

Let us know if you have received the new Google Keep app from the Play store.

The post Google Keep receiving Material updates by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Google has finally started releasing the over-the-air updates to Android 5 for it’s existing range of Nexus devices. The update had previously been withheld for a week or more so that last minute WiFi bug fixes could be included.

The update will be coming for Nexus 5 and 7 devices with Nexus 4 devices hopefully coming later on. You won’t all see this update at once however as the update is being released in waves. We haven’t seen any reports of UK based users receiving the updates yet but some US users have.

Android 5, also known as Lollipop is set to include a range of new features and broad overhaul of the look and feel thanks to the Material UI re-design. One of the most significant features will be the modulisation, or appification, of large parts of the operating system. This means that Android OS updates can be delivered via the Play store more easily, more quickly, and to a larger number of devices. We’ve already seen Moto G 2014 receiving Android 5 update" href="http://androidcowboy.com/2014/11/moto-g-2014-receiving-android-5-update/">Motorola releasing their Android 5 update to their Moto X second edition (2014) before Google and this trend is likely to follow.

The post Android 5 is finally coming to a Nexus near you by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

It was assumed that the Nexus 4, 5 and 7 would receive the latest version of Googles Android operating system before any other handset. This is the usual approach and one of the reasons Android fans flock to the Nexus range.

However Motorola has stolen the march on Google and managed to get the Android 5 update for the Moto G 2014 released this morning, just before the expected Nexus update. The update appears to be hitting the second generation Moto G released in 2014 rather than the first generation 2013 release of the handset. The devices themselves are very similar so it’s possible that an update might pop up for the 2013 Moto G very soon.

Nexus owners can expect to see Android 5 any day now. The original release date was missed after a critical WiFi bug was reported just days before the update was due to appear.

If you are seeing Android 5 hitting your device then let us know.

This article was originally published on ArsTechnica

The post Moto G 2014 receiving Android 5 update by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

inCharge aim to bring out the smallest, most portable, mobile charging cable imaginable with their latest IndieGoGo campaign. The cable comes in the form of a keyring which folds out in to a truly tiny micro-USB cable.

The campaign has so far managed to raise $104,000 of it’s $20,000 target. This is a phenomenal response for such a small common sense device and it shows just how frustrating people find it when they don’t have a charging cable to hand.

The keyring itself will be available in a range of colours and will support both Apples lightning ports for iDevices and micro-USB for Android and all other handsets.

Check out the IndieGoGo campaign now before all the available perks sell out.

The post inCharge, the usb cable that will follow you everywhere by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

VentureBeat have reported on the latest market research by Good Technology showing that Apple have managed to claw back some market share within the enterprise space. iOS now accounts for 69% of activations within the enterprise, with Android accounting for 29%. This reverses recent gains made by Googles Android OS.

The latest data has been released by Good Technology in their Mobility Index Report. Despite having only just been released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus remain strong contenders within the enterprise space in part because of the perceived quality of the products and the good security and management provided by Apple.

The graph shows a great visualisation of the current breakdown of the market. The most interesting figure has to relate to Microsofts market share. The King of the Enterprise, which still has its software on the majority of enterprise desktops, has continuously failed to make any headway in pushing their devices in to the enterprise. Their share has remained stationary at a whopping 1%. Quite how Microsoft can lead the market in so many areas and yet fail to get their devices taken seriously shows both how far from the mark their devices have fallen and also how they have failed to understand the needs of both users and IT departments.

With the anticipated security and management features included in Googles new Android 5 OS, and with solid business focused tools such as Samsung Knox seeing traction, Androids share of the enterprise market is sure to explode in upcoming years.

The post iOS and Android fight it out for enterprise users by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

If you are thinking about picking up a shiny new Nexus 6 with Android 5 then Apple may have made it just that bit easier to bin your iPhone with the release of their iMessage Deregistration Tool.

Ex-iPhone users, let’s call them converts, have often suffered issues receiving text messages once they have moved to a non iOS phone. This is because Apples iMessage app sends both SMS messages and iMessage messages through the same servers. Users who have registered their SMS phone number with the iMessage servers will have those messages sent to their iOS device, which they are no longer using. The result is that messages from iPhone devices to these ex-iPhone users get lost in the system.

The new tool will allow users to have their details removed from the iMessage servers thus allowing their iPhone wealding friends to send them text messages again.

The post Apple makes it easier to move away from the iPhone by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Google have started to push out a new Gmail app via the Play store this week and there is an up date to the Calendar coming over the next few weeks.

Those of you who have managed to snag the release version of Android 5 will have noticed a new Calendar app already and this is going to be released on the Play store “within the coming weeks”. The changes are mainly aesthetic with a change to the new Material layout along with the inclusion of a new Schedule view. Schedule View gives you an oversight of your upcoming events along with images of the locations you are due to visit.

Also new is the Assists feature which sounds much like a predictive auto-complete. Calendar will learn what you do and predict titles, names, dates and times of commonly repeated events.

Gmail app updates

The new Gmail app, which is also included in Android 5, has been released on to Play this week. It includes the new Material design which is quickly becoming the norm for Android apps.

There aren’t that many new features but the most apparent is the inclusion of an always present new email button in the lower right corner of the screen. Also included is the ability to add non-gmail email accounts. This should see the removal of the omni-present, and not much used, Email app from our devices.

The post New Gmail and Calendar apps coming to Android by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Lenovo have released their second quarter earnings today which reveal they are now the fourth largest provider of smartphones in the world. This is on the back of solid growth, both in terms of revenue and profits, for the Chinese based manufacturer with pre-tax income of US$329 million, of which earnings account for US$262 million. Total revenue for Lenovo hit for the last quarter was US$10.5 billion in revenue.

Shipments of phones rose to 35.6 million smartphones which is a record for Lenovo and puts them in to fourth place. If you include Motorola they are now 3rd in the global phone raise. It’s not just their smartphone business that’s seeing real growth, they have become the number one shipper of PC tablets – the so called PC+ market – with a 14.1 percent market share, up slightly by 1.2 percent year on year.

Though most areas of the business increased their share of the market this wasn’t the case for all. The Chinese market saw a decline of  2 percent year-over-year for Lenovo which reflects the slow down in the Chinese economy. However other area more than made up for it, with Lenovo’s revenue in the Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) geography during the second fiscal quarter up US$753 million, a whopping 33 percent increase, to reach US$3 billion.

Yuanqing Yang, chairman and CEO of Lenovo, was bullish about the future “…in the last month, we successfully closed both our Motorola Mobility and IBM x86 acquisitions. With these two deals, we are now #3 in both businesses, but we are not satisfied. We will replicate our success in PCs by outgrowing the market to challenge the top two.  Mobile and Enterprise are now our new growth engines, and over time, like PCs, they will become our profit pool as well.”

With devices like the Z2 Pro being released by Lenovo they are showing that they can release real challengers to both the high end and mid range markets. They, above all other manufacturers, are placed to really offer something different to customers, particularly in the business sectors. With a range of high end phones, solid and well loved business PCs and tablets, Lenovo should capitalise on this and provide an integrated platform for customers to manage devices and hardware out of the box, thus cementing their hold on both markets.

However it remains to be seen whether Lenovo can continue this amazing increase in revenue and market share. It’s much easier to disrupt a market with new devices than to remain at the top of the market. We’ve seen Samsung smash mobile phone sales records and quickly become king of the manufacturing hill, only to see their revenue and sales slide rapidly in recent years. Ultimately manufacturers are slaves to Google who control the Android platform and that puts Lenovo and Samsung in a very different position to the likes of Apple who own and control their entire device ecosystem.

The post Lenovo becomes 4th largest phone provider by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

It appears that Nexus users are seeing the Miscellaneous entry in their battery settings account for around 70% of their battery usage. This results in the devices battery draining much faster than normal, in some cases within a few hours. Clearly this isn’t something Google want people to have to deal with on day one of the Android release schedule, so the entire rollout has been suspended until it’s resolved.

It now looks like it will be November the 12th or later before we get our hands on the release version of Android 5.

The original article can be found here.

The post Rollout of Android 5 being put on hold due to wifi bug by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Samsung, once king of the Android market, have seen a reduction in fortunes in recent months. Over the last few years Samsungs profits from it’s once very profitable mobile phone division have seen a remarkable decline. Sales of it’s latest Galaxy S5 handset have been luke warm and it’s failed to build on its previous success.

Statista have released a graphic that shows the drop in market share that Samsung have experienced over the last year. The graph, which shows the share of the mobile device market by the main players, also hints at other interesting facts. Whilst Samsung and Apple have both seen reductions in market share, Xiaomi has seen an increase in sales along with Lenovo. LG have also worked hard to increase their position and their G2 and G3 handsets have been widely seen as some of the best devices on the market. The Other category, which includes HTC and the Nexus brand, has also gained more share, understandably as both HTC and the Nexus range of devices have been applauded recently.

The full article can be found here.

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Hello,

We are Ben and Markus, founder of ‘uberactive game studios’, an indie game studio dedicated to mobile game development and we’ve released our first Android title, “Jaeger Strike”, an action packed retro top down space shooter.

You can see it in action on YouTube.

In “Jaeger Strike” you pilot a ship through space while taking on missions and fight against dozens of different enemy types. The full version is 1.39€ (approx. 1.85$) on Google Play or Amazon but if you’re interested in the gameplay, you can also try out the free version, which also contains the full content.

Feel free to check it out, and if You want, then visit us on our social media sites.

T: https://twitter.com/UberactiveGames

FB: https://www.facebook.com/uberactive

G+: https://plus.google.com/+UberactiveDevelopers

Visit our Blog

Best regards, Ben and Markus

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WayGo have announced the addition of Korean to the increasing range of translation options in their popular Android and iOS app which now includes support for Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters.

Waygo is the leading visual translation service that changes the way tourists, language learners and business travelers experience China, Japan and Korea. Derived from the Chinese pinyin 外国 (“wài guó”), or foreign country, Waygo uses a combination of optical character recognition and a translation piece to translate Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters into English text. The app sees images, finds relevant text and creates sensible phrases by simply holding the phone over the characters. Waygo instantly translates and does not require an Internet connection to operate. More languages are being developed and are coming soon. For additional information, visitwww.waygoapp.com.

The post Korean translations coming to WayGo by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

We all love Halloween – if you don’t you’re on your own – so why not get in to the spirit of things with our spooky list of seasonal apps.
 

1. Halloween Fireflies HD Wallpaper

We all love to get in the Halloween mode and the Halloween Fireflies wallpaper by nataliLWP will certainly do that. With crisp HD visuals, all you’ll be missing are some pumpkins and a toffee apple.

2. Horror Halloween Soundboard

Scare your kids, scare yourself, with a scary halloween soundboard…ooohhwwoooooooohhhhhhhh. It’s great for your halloween party and for creeping up behind people at work.

3. Let’s Fold Origami Collection

FiveThirty Inc bring you Let’s Fold Origami Collection, a fun puzzle game where you have to create origami models. Think of a paper Simon Says with pumpkins.

4. Halloween HD Live Wallpaper

More scary wallpaper, this time by PremiumLW. With dynamic bats, crows and animations you’re sure to be spooooked. Maybe, but it looks fantastic.

5. Bubble Blast Halloween

While your tripping out on sugar you’ll need something to keep your attention, so how about Bubble Blast Halloween edition by Magma Mobile. It features two different game modes and over 5000 levels so you’ll never be short of something to do whilst walking to the next trick-or-treat.

6. Greedy Pigs Halloween

Tower defence games are always great, but what are they missing? PUMPKINS! It’s an oldy now but any game with defence in the title and pumpkins in the imagery is gonna be worth playing at this time of year.

7. Halloween GO Launcher Theme

It’s not just you that wants to get in to the spooky action, your phone would love a bit of a seasonal make-over as well. How about a Go Launcher theme?

The post 7 seasonal Halloween Android apps by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Google has released Google Fit, it’s health monitoring app which is set to compete with Apple Healthkit. The app was announced at Google IO earlier in the year but has only just hit the Play store.

Google Fit uses the existing sensors in your Android device to monitor how much you walk and run. It also integrates with all major fitness apps such as Runtastic, Noom Coach, Runkeeper, Strava, MapMyRun, and Withings. Others are sure to follow. Using the accumulated information from all these different sources it provides you with a lush range of visualisations as to your overall health and fitness.

It should prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle in the overall health marketplace. Anyone who frequently exercises and uses a range of apps to monitor their progress knows how frustrating it is to have to update and check multiple apps. With Google Fit you should be able to aggregate all that information in to one place and get instant feedback.

The post Google releases Google Fit for Android by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

[rwp-review id=”0″]

Leo’s Fortune is the latest game from Swedish game Studio 1337 & Senri LLC, the same guys who brought you the quirky but superb real time strategy game Devils Attorney so it has a great pedigree behind it. So here’s our Leo’s Fortune review.

Leo’s a very grumpy puff ball who has had his gold stolen from him who is on a mission to reclaim his stolen gold from his equally grumpy, and much more untrustworthy, family. Set across five very visually gorgeous acts, each level slowly pumps up the difficulty and takes you to meet another one of Leo’s distant family members. Along the way you have to solve all manner of different puzzles and, piece by piece, retrieve Leo’s fortune.

Playability

There’s only so much you can do with a platform puzzle style game, but that’s partly why we love them, and why they are so successful, and Leo’s Fortune doesn’t let us down. As you race around the worlds you’ll find a mix of mechanical based puzzles using rich physics and a dash of speed, racing and jumping, and the learning curve is really well done and spot on.

There are times when the touch interface lets the game down. I can’t tell whether it’s not responsive enough or whether it just doesn’t suit some of the more precise movements needed in some puzzles but I found myself change interface types in the options on a few occasions. It doesn’t happen often however and for the most part you’ll be flying along like a mad blue furry thing.

Graphics

From the outset the graphics are fantastic. Each act has it’s own look and the artwork is rich and really very nicely done. Even the little Leo has his own graphical flare with his blue fluff moving as you dash about and his oh-so-admirable moustache twitching as he mutters.

If you have a higher end tablet then you really do see the great artful at its best and I can’t wait to see this on an Android TV based Nexus Player.

Audio

The audio is great with a really pleasant soundtrack playing away in the background though you can’t disable the music aspect within the game. The cut-scenes are particularly well done with a lovely voice-over for Leo.

Overall

Leo’s Fortune is a great little platformer game and proves to be great value for money. It’s crying out for additional acts, and I hope that 1337 will release additional content in the future. That’s not to say it’s a small game, or is quick to play through, it would just be great to see a Christmas themed content option with a santa-clause themed Leo bouncing along some winter wonderland.

From the outset I couldn’t help but think of how this would play on a Nexus Player, Googles new set top device featuring it’s Android TV OS. This kind of platformer, with it’s lush graphics and puzzles, is ideally suited to controllers and would look stunning on a big screen. With games of this quality and price it’s easy to see why Android TV would be challenger to the current consoles for adhoc gaming.

The post Leo’s Fortune Review by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Android TV, which is the platform at the heart of the new Nexus Player announced just the other day, is set to be a really challenge to the current TV based gaming sector, says Chris McKillop, Googles Android TV engineering manager, in an interview with Fortune.

Android TV is a Player

The new Nexus Player is powered by Android TV

With increasingly sophisticated graphic capabilities in current devices it’s clear that the gaming industry is going to be the next industry disrupted by Android. McKillop says “The latest generation of GPUs in Mobile SoCs are now at or exceeding those of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. When the PS3 originally launched, Android was still nearly two years away from a 1.0. It’s not going to take long for the mobile chipsets to catch up with the current fourth-generation systems (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)

A question of control

With PS3 graphics now in your hands the problem becomes one of interaction; no one really likes playing classic console style games on a touch screen device. Some games pull it off well, but none really excel at converting our console experiences to touch screen device. One of the traditional issues faced by Android developers is the lack of a standard for interface devices. This meant that if you develop a game and want to support a controller, you need to focus on one brand of gamepad, or even perhaps one specific model of gamepad. Most don’t bother.

Android Lollipop provides a standard for gamepad developers to work with which means games can be designed for gamepad support and gamers, and developers, won’t need to worry about whether their new games will support any gamepad they buy. This, and the level of graphics available in devices right now, means we are going to see an explosion in the Android TV platform. On that McKillop comments that “Android TV will give developers a reason to get controllers working, and this will translate directly to controller gaming on phones and tablets. That’s the power of a single platform across all form factors.”

Certainly Sony and Microsoft must be looking at these developments very carefully. Whilst it’s unlikely that any Android game is going to challenge the likes of “Last of Us” on PS4 any time soon, the rapid turn around of the Google Play store and the cheap, high quality, plethora of games available on Android is really going to attract instant gamers.

It’s clear that Android TV is going to be a game industry disruptor without doubt. The full article can be found here

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So you’re getting ready to buy your new Nexus 6 or Nexus 9 and you want to sell your current phone or tablet. Before you put your phone on eBay make sure you securely wipe. Not just reset it, but make sure it’s really gone for ever. This is how to securely wipe your Android device.

Due to a weakness in some implementations of Android found on devices it’s possible that resetting your phone doesn’t wipe as much as you think. Avast have been able to recover photos and data from a great many second hand devices. Given how much most of us are using our phones and what kind of data is on there, this is a real concern. With Android Lollipop devices will be encrypted by default making your data much more secure.

In the meantime the best approach is to encrypt your device before you wipe it, that will ensure that any recovered data is just meaningless encrypted garbage.

1. If you have a phone or tablet that supports an SD Card make sure you remove it. It’s often found next to the Sim card slot or near the battery.
2. Go to your settings and scroll down and tap on Security.
   
3. Tap Encrypt phone. This will start the encryption process and require a passcode to be entered each time you boot. Now don’t worry, we’re going to reset the phone immediately afterwards so you’ll have to unlock it once.
4. After a restart, got back to Settings and tap Backup and reset.
5. Now tap Factory data reset.
   
6. When prompted just tap the Reset phone button to begin.
   

The post How to securely wipe your Android device by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Introducing Google Player. Do you remember Google Nexus Q? No, well, most people don’t. It was the first attempt that Google made in to the set top box area in an attempt to rival Apple TV. After a few delays, the odd looking round lump was cancelled and refunds were given out.

The Google Player is Googles latest attempt at the set top box fight that’s happening in your living room. It’s part of the latest Nexus family of devices announced just today. It’s possibly easy to overlook it but it’s going to provide you with an interesting addon to your shiny new handset.

Player has Chromecast built in, allowing you to send output from your phone or tablet direct to your TV. Chromecast has long been the golden nugget in the Play Devices store providing great value for money and it’s great to see it integrated here. It also includes a small remote that is, of course, completely voice enabled allowing you to search for content and movies using Google Search.

You can also see that Player supports gamepads. Though they don’t come in the package, the gamepads should really encourage a greater level of TV friendly games and I hope that developers start upgrading some of our favourite games.

The post Introducing Google Player by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Android Lollipop is finally here. Google have quietly announced their latest version of the Android OS this afternoon which features some much discussed new features. It will be initially available for Nexus 5 and 7 devices before being released with the new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.

Material Design

The most apparent new feature of Android Lollipop is the new Material Design, which not only gives Android a fresh new look but also provides a much greater level of feedback. In an article on the BBC Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google engineering chief, said that the additional animation present in the interface design is “eye candy, but at the same time there’s a purpose to them. They give feedback to the customer that you’ve tapped here, and the software got it, and is doing something about it,”.

Split Personality

Lollipop will also feature multiple home and work personalities. These will allow companies to have a control over their data and allow them to wipe or remove data without affecting the users personal data. The users images and content will remain in place. Samsungs Knox has been doing this for a while and of course Blackberry have made this a key part of their Blackberry 10 OS.

Better Notifications

The notifications in Lollipop have been massively overhauled with a much greater level of control and customisation available to Android users. Notifications will appear on the lockscreen and you can customise which notifications and from whom they appear. You can also allow only key contacts to disturb you using Priority mode, enabled by the volume key.

Users for phones

Finally phone users will get the Users feature that has currently only been in place for Android tablet users. This will allow you to set up multiple users for your phone as well as enable Guest mode to allow people access to the phone without being able to access your data. You will also be able to log on to another Lollipop phone and access your contacts and make calls. This means if you leave your phone you can still get in touch by borrowing another handset.

The full release information can be found on the Google site and you really should take a read. The first release will be available on Friday 17th November from Googles Developer site.

The post Android Lollipop is finally here by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The auto backup feature in Googles Photo app is very useful. If you’re like me then you probably backup all your photos to Google but find that your phone also backs up a load of pictures that you collect throughout the day. Personally I find that I have to scroll through a million screenshots to see a photo I took just last week.

Here’s how to exclude a folder from Google Photos auto backup feature.

1. Open the Google Photos app on your Android device.
   
2. Tap on the menu icon in the top left corner.
3. Tap the “On device” option.
   
4. You’ll photos grouped by their location on your phone. Scroll about until you find the folder you want to exclude.
   
5. Tap the blue cloud icon by the folder name so that it has a cross through it.
   

The post How to exclude a folder from Google Photos auto backup feature by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Google have released a teaser video about the name of the upcoming Android OS, those cheeky monkeys.

The video features a range of L based sweets and treats getting ready for the auditions. There’s no hints within the video but one thing is for sure, we really don’t need an Android Lady Finger.

Android L is due out any day now, and many are expecting an announcement today. It looks like Google are going to avoid a full on press party and instead stick with a blog post making the official announcement with something more fantastic when the OS is ready for release.

The post Android L on the casting couch by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

AndroidCentral are reporting that the Nexus 6 has made a brief appearance on the AT&T website. Users of the website are seeing a reference to the “Motorola Nexus 6” when viewing the product details of the LG G3 Vigor.

It’s likely to be a placeholder so don’t bet on the pricing…the image…heck, don’t bet on anything, but given that we might be expecting an announcement as early as today it’s certainly looking good.

Original article here.

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Google Mobile Voice Study Infographic (PRNewsFoto/Google Inc.)

Google have released the results of their Mobile Voice Study which aimed to assess the mobile usage of americans of various ages. The survey resulted in some interesting, if odd, results and a lovely infographic.

Use of Google Search is prevalent amongst teenage users, something which anyone with teenage kids can attest to.

Here’s some interesting results from the survey;

• 40% use voice search to ask for directions.
• 39% use the feature to dictate a text message.
• 32% do so to make a phone call.
• 23% of adult Americans use voice search “when I’m cooking.”
• 51% of teens (and 32% of adults) use voice search “just for fun.”
• 27% use voice search to check the weather.

So far most of those results are fairly normal, though I’m not sure what “just for fun” relates to. Certainly I’ve caught my dad trying to catch out Google Search by asking it about Blues albums from lesser known artists. Perhaps he’s the 32% of adults.

One odd statistic is that 22% of teens claim to use it “when I’m in the bathroom”. I’m not entirely sure what this means but I hope they wash their hands. How about this one, when asked to “pick one thing you wish you could ask your phone to do for you,” 45% of American teens selected “send me a pizza.” Clearly there’s a need for an app that will, literally, just send you out a random pizza based on your command, using your GPS location and billing to your Google Wallet.

If only.

The full article can be found at PR News.

The post Google search used mainly by teens…looking for pizza. by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Evan Blass, also known as @evleaks, has posted a photo claiming to be of the Google Nexus 6.

As ever take this with a pinch of salt. However it broadly matches a cartoon version of the Nexus 6 seen in todays Google adverts, with a curved back similar to the Moto X 2/2014. Note the position of the buttons on the side of the case, which would be easier to reach on a larger phone.

The phone itself is rumoured to be a performance beast which is expected to run Android 5/L. It’s also rumoured to be announced later either this week or early next week.

It’s looking like a great handset. I’m sure we’ll hear more rumours before the week is out.

The post New image of Google Nexus 6 by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Three new video ads have been released by Google featuring a whole swath of little Android folk. The ads all feature devices which certainly, albeit in a cartoon way, hint at new Google Nexus 6 and 9 devices and would suggest that we are very very close to some announcements.

The ads all feature the tagline “Android. Be together. Not the same.” The “Bus Stop” ad shows at the end a device running Android L and which looks very inspired by a Moto X2, with a noticeably curved back. Whether this is artistic design or whether it hints at something more realistic remains to be seen.

The “Winnebago” ad also features a bus driver wearing an Android Wear smart watch. I guess Google are taking every opportunity to push their new ranges.

The post New Google adverts hint at upcoming devices by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Dropbox have confirmed that hundreds of accounts may have been compromised but state that their servers weren’t hacked or compromised. The username and passwords apparently were “stolen from unrelated services” according to a blog post at Dropbox.com.

A user of the Pastebin service was responsible for publishing the logon details for around 400 dropbox users. Apparently they are just part of a haul of up to 7 million Dropbox user credentials which will be released for BitCoin payment. The passwords were still available at the time of writing.

Pastebin is a service that allows users to paste plain text and share that text via a URL. It’s commonly used to share code and log files amongst technical users but is increasingly at the heart of data leaks such as TheFappening, which saw leaked photos of celebrities shared online, with Pastebin being used to share the URLs.

If you are a Dropbox user, which a great many Android users are – anyone using Samsung or HTC devices commonly get upgrades to their DropBox storage – we would advise that you reset all of your passwords immediately. This is a great reason why you shouldn’t re-use passwords across multiple sites.

The post Millions of Dropbox accounts compromised but apparently not hacked by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Perhaps a little too tenuous.

Rumours abound today with the likelihood that Android 5 will be named Licorice and not Lollipop as long believed. This stems from a post by Giovanni Calabrese, a Google worker, and also the man that designs the Android statues that you see standing outside of the Google offices (I’ve always wanted a Father Christmas one of those standing on my lawn, go figure).

Giovanni posted an update on Google+ saying that he “never had a great liking for Licorice, but damn!  there are some great flavors out there!!!”. Phone Arena have picked up on the fact that Licorice was spelt with a capital L. That, and the fact that he works for Google, as the Android statue designer no less, is enough to make the post stand out.

It could be nothing – let’s face it it’s most likely nothing – but we all love the self induced hysteria that precedes an Android update.

Personally I was hoping for Android Lion-Bar, which would raise the possibility of some great marketing images. What about Android Lemon Bon Bon, or Android Lindt Chocolate? Or the delightful Android Love Hearts?

Who knows? But I think we’re about to find out.

The post Could Android 5 be nick-named Licorice not Lollipop? by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

We’ve previously shown you Windows 95 running on Android Wear, well the guy behind that, Corbin Davenport, has released a new video showing a Game Boy Colour emulator running on Android Wear.

For those of you too young to remember Game Boys were the handheld console of choice for maddeningly addictive games. The Colour version was like a revelation. Yes, we use’d to play games in black and white (well kind of shades of grey really).

The emulator used is VGB and the controller is made by Moga which is supported out of the box by Android Wear. There’s a guide to getting Doom working on his YouTube channel. Great stuff.

The post Game Boy Colour games on Android Wear by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Microsoft Research have released a prototype of one of the strangest apps I can think you might need for your new Android Wear smart watch. The new Analog keyboard allows you to draw letters on your smart watch screen as a replacement for a traditional onscreen keyboard.

There’s a real need for a keyboard solution for smart watches. Voice input really isn’t for everyone, and even if you love it, not all environments suit voice input (try telling your wife you’ll be late whilst you’re in a business meeting). Other keyboard apps are out there, Minuum being one, but it’s a tricky nut to crack and the Microsoft offering does show a really different approach.

It’s available for download now and supports square and round Android Wear devices.

The post Microsoft Analog Keyboard for Android Wear by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Nvidia have accidentally released more information about the upcoming Nexus 9. The legal document published on the Nvidia website mentions that the Nexus 9 is to include the stonking Nvidia Tegra K1 graphics processor. The document, which was soon taken down, related to a claim made against the ITC with regards to issues relating to Samsung and Qualcomm.

So, we now know more than we did and it’s increasingly likely that the mythical tablet will be released next week.

Brightsideofnews are pitching the price at around $399 which would make sense. Whilst it’s a good deal more than the Nexus 7, it’s also much more tablet and power, so an increase in price is a fairly reasonable assumption. Brightsideofnews also have it on good authority that the release date will be the 16th of October.

Let’s hope so.

The post Nexus 9 to feature Nvidia Tegra K1 by Oliver Marshall appeared first on Android Cowboy.

Artems G+ post

Is Android L and the Nexus 6 (X) coming on the 15th? Perhaps. A recent Google+ post from Artem Russakovskii from Android Police implies that it might.

Artem does say that “I don’t feel very confident in the above info, but it was suggested that October 15th is the magical date for all these.” Given the hype about the each version of Android it’s not surprising that some mis-information might come to light, but as we get closer so the dates suggested might become more accurate.

We do know that a big number of announcements are coming up, and it’s expected that these will include the much discussed Nexus 6 (possibly X), a revised tablet in the form of Nexus 9 and of course Android L (probably renamed to some sweet based product).

The post Is Android L and the Nexus 6 (X) coming on the 15th? by Paul Howard appeared first on Android Cowboy.

The curiously named feature that comes with HTC Sense based devices called Zoe is now available on Android devices. Zoes are short videos (up to 30 seconds) which you can mix with audio and photos.

HTC has increased the abilities of Zoes over time, from simple Vine like short videos, to collaborative 30 seconds video. You can share Zoes with your friends who can then add to them as well. If you have an HTC then you’re more than likely familiar with them, though I’ve yet to hear anyone say “Here, look at my Zoe”.

An iOS version is coming out later in the year and for now you can grab the Android beta from the Play store.

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