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Apps of the Week: Wag.com, SphereShare.net, Blip Blup and more!

Andrew Martonik — Sat, 25 May 2013 20:37:29 GMT

A couple tools, a game and a few odds and ends to keep you busy this weekend

We all love to discover new apps, but no matter how much the Play Store tries to highlight the quality ones, with hundreds of thousands to choose from it can be a daunting challenge. The best app recommendations we often get are from friends and family about an app "you just have to try". We try to help out with this app discovery problem every week by showing off one app from each of the Android Central writers -- the ones that we're using on a regular basis.

Hang around with us after the break on this Saturday afternoon and find a few new apps to install on your devices for the long weekend.

In honor of memorial day, get FREE SHIPPING all weekend from ShopAndroid.com!

ShopAndroid.com — Sat, 25 May 2013 15:49:00 GMT

In honor of the Memorial Day Weekend, if you're in the United States you will receive FREE SHIPPING on your ShopAndroid.com order. This special offer is valid all weekend long until Monday night (midnight PT).

We have tons of cases, batteries, chargers, Bluetooth accessories and more for popular Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, so be sure to browse around and take advantage of the savings on shipping.

Take me to ShopAndroid.com!

Google Play no longer able to pay Argentine Android devs

Alex Dobie — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:15:21 GMT

Google to stop accepting payments for Argentine developers from June 27, apps to be pulled from July 27.

Android developers based in Argentine have received notice from Google that it'll no longer be able to accept payments for them from June 27. A letter from Google to devs, obtained by South American phone site Celularis, indicates that the changes apply to both paid apps and in-app purchases. The Verge points out that the change is likely due to tough new restrictions on currency exchanges recently imposed by the Argentine government. But Celularis notes that despite the changes to Google Play, Google AdSense for mobile continues to operate in the country.

The letter from Google states that it'll stop accepting payments on behalf of Argentine developers from June 27. Paid apps and in-app items from these devs will be pulled a month later, starting July 27, following final payments on July 22. One solution for Argentina-based app developers is to move their account to another country where they're able to legally do business, an option Google itself suggests in its email to developers.

Google states that it hopes to restore payouts to developers based in Argentina in the future, but that "no specific plans are in place at the moment."

Source: Celularis; via: The Verge

EE makes up for network outage with free data

Alex Dobie — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:25:52 GMT

Customers' data counters reset for holiday weekend

Good news for EE customers in the UK this weekend -- the operator has announced that by way of apology for network issues earlier this week, all customers will have their data counters reset to zero. That means however much of your monthly data allowance you'd used, it'll reset to zero this weekend, allowing you to use an extra portion of data before your monthly billing date.

We've confirmed that our own account's meter was reset to zero as of this morning, and it looks like the changes apply to data-only contracts as well as regular phone customers. In fact, the reset seems to apply to all EE customers, regardless of whether you were affected by the recent outage.

Source: EE

How to turn on data compression in Chrome 28 Beta

Andrew Martonik — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:14:33 GMT

Help save that valuable mobile data with just a few taps in Chrome Beta

One of the lesser talked-about features rolled out at Google I/O last week was a new option for Chrome on mobile devices to cut down on the bandwidth used while browsing. Well the feature has been rolled out in an experimental capacity as part of the latest Chrome Beta update on Android, and it's a quick way to help save on data usage while browsing. Like most systems that work to preserve data while browsing, Google routes your browsing traffic through one of its own proxy servers, compressing it along the way as data is sent back and forth to your phone. Correctly, Google has chosen to only route HTTP connections through the proxy, and HTTPS request will always be sent directly. Google claims data savings can be as much as 50-percent, which is nothing to sneeze at.

To enable this new feature, you'll have to be running the latest Chrome Beta update (version 28, technically) on your phone or tablet. You will likely be greeted by a splash page the first time you open Chrome Beta after the update, but if you're not, head to the browser settings, scroll down to "Bandwidth management" and then tap "Reduce data usage" and hit the button at the top right to enable it. (If you don't see the option, try heading to "chrome://flags" in the navigation bar and enabling it manually.) You'll be able to come back after you do some browsing and see how much data you saved by enabling this new feature.

C Spire expanding LTE coverage to Alabama and Florida

Andrew Martonik — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:18:13 GMT

Customers in 21 cities across 6 counties will receive higher speed data this fall

C Spire Wireless, a regional carrier primarily serving the Southeastern U.S., has announced today that it will be expanding its LTE coverage to South Alabama and Northwest Florida starting this fall. The rollout, which will offer customers drastically higher data speeds, will cover a total of 2,899 square miles across 21 cities and offer the service to 687,000 people utilizing and 146 cell sites. Here's the city breakdown:

Alabama: 15 cities in the south Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin, including Mobile, Prichard, Saraland, Satsuma, Chickasaw, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Loxley, Orange Beach, Summerdale, Robertsdale, Silverhill and Spanish Fort
Florida: 6 cities in four northwest Florida counties, including Gulf Breeze, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Cinco Bayou and Miramar Beach

There isn't a detailed schedule for when the areas will start to roll out other than "this fall", but we'll surely hear more about the specifics as we near that launch window.

Source: C Spire Wireless

Nexus 4 running what could be Android 4.3 found at Thailand mobile expo

Andrew Martonik — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:46:35 GMT

Could these be some of the subtle changes to be found in Android 4.3?

Although we didn't get a big reveal of the next version of Android at Google I/O, some evidence is mounting that Android 4.3 could be the impending next version. According to pictures posted by a user at XDA, at a mobile expo in Thailand at least one Nexus 4 is being put on display running a purported build of Android 4.3 (JWR45B). Now we've seen plenty of faked "About phone" screens in our days, and that is a very real possibility in any of these types of leaks. But as the user poked around the phone to show a revamped camera UI, we tend to give this more credibility. The UI basically looks to be an expansion of the current long-press and swipe gestures found in Android 4.2, with multiple levels of settings that can be accessed -- thankfully none of which can be hidden by your thumb anymore.

Aside from the slightly different numbering and a visual refresh of the camera, we're very light on details for this potentially upcoming release. Hang around after the break for a video of the device in action, with most of the time spent on the new camera UI.

Source: XDA; (2)

Google gives sneak peek at probable future Gmail app design

Phil Nickinson — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:50:19 GMT

A good portion of Google I/O was spent, naturally, on the design of applications, and Google apparently gave a little sneak peek at what probably is an upcoming redesign of the Gmail app. As evident in the Structure in Android App Design session, Jens Nagel shows off a redesign navigation drawer that combines several views into a single drawer-style UI.

As the slide above shows, there are different layers to the views, collapsed by default. And most important is that you can get to this drawer from anywhere in the app, which is what lets them get rid of that lower Action Bar. (It's almost in the same vein as the BlackBerry Hub in BB10, just at an application level instead of at the homescreen level.) It should also mean a much faster switch between labels, long a sore spot for some of us here.

If we had to guess, we'd expect to see an updated Gmail app roll out with the expected Android 4.3 update, whenever that's available.

Source: YouTube; via Android Police

Sony Xperia S Jelly Bean now rolling out

Sean Brunett — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:38:03 GMT

Early 2012 flagship gets bump up to Android 4.1.2

The Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.2) update for the Sony Xperia S has begun rolling out. For a few months, now we've heard rumors that Sony was preparing the update to send out and now we finally have confirmation.

The official news comes from Sony's official French Twitter account, which said that the latest version of Android has begun pushing for the first builds. No timeline yet for everyone else, but we expect it shouldn't be too long, so keep checking through the Sony PC Companion app.

Have any of you Xperia S owners received the update yet? We'd love to hear how you like it, so shout out in our Sony Xperia S Forum!

Source: Twitter via Xperiablog

'Google Edition' HTC One coming soon with vanilla Android

Alex Dobie — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:35:23 GMT

The rumors are true — HTC and Google will collaborate on a 'Nexus user experience' version of the HTC One

Ever since the Samsung Galaxy S4 “Google Edition” announcement at Google I/O last week, rumors have been circulating that HTC might follow suit with a vanilla version of its own flagship device. Recently, Russell Holly of Geek.com and Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo have chimed in with reports that such a device is on the way. Today we can confirm through our own sources that despite official denials, the “Google Edition” HTC One is indeed real, and will be announced in the next week or so.

Let's take a look at what we know, and what it could mean.

BBC iPlayer app updated with 10-inch tablet support, UI tweaks

Alex Dobie — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:02:49 GMT

Support for larger Android tablets finally arrives in the BBC's streaming app

The BBC has updated its iPlayer app for Android, bringing support for 10-inch tablets for the first time. The new iPlayer version 1.7.0 has just landed on Google Play, allowing larger tablets like the Nexus 10 and Xperia Tablet Z to enjoy the full iPlayer experience. In addition, the Beeb says it's tweaked the phone and 7-inch tablet layouts, though we're not noticing any huge differences on our own devices.

Download support -- long present in the iOS version of iPlayer -- is still absent, but a note in the changelog reminds users that the BBC is working on bringing this feature to Android.

Hit the Google Play link up top to grab the new version of iPlayer. You'll also want to grab the BBC Media Player companion app for video playback.

Deal of the Day: LLOYD Flex Case for LG Nexus 4

ShopAndroid.com — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:35:34 GMT

The May 24 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the LLOYD Flex Case for LG Nexus 4. Made from a shock absorbent and scratch resistant TPU, the Flex Case provides great protection for the Nexus 4 from day to day use and accidental drops. The back of each case features our very own Lloyd mascot and is available in black, clear, green and smoke.

The LLOYD Flex Case is available for just $8.00, 60% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping!

Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts

Todo Pro beta for Android now available on Google Play

Alex Dobie — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:52:22 GMT

Team-based task management solution brings app to Android

Developer Appigo has announced the launch of Todo Pro in beta for Android, a companion app for its task management service of the same name. The app has been in private testing since February, and now a beta build is available on Google Play now for devices running Android 2.1 and above.

Todo Pro is a collaborative task management service with an app presence on iOS and MacOS for several years. The new Android app allows tasks to be managed and shared between team members, and assignments to be given to individual members, complete with support for comments and location tagging.

It's a subscription-based service, but basic web accounts are free, and premium accounts come with a 14-day trial period. Beyond that, it's $1.99 per month or $19.99 for a year.

Hit the Google Play Store link above to grab the Todo Pro beta.

Samsung Galaxy Young launching in the UK this weekend

Alex Dobie — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:29:18 GMT

Entry-level handset coming to O2, Carphone Warehouse

Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Young, first revealed back in February, will be hitting British shores this weekend. The budget-focused handset packs a 1GHz CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 3.27-inch HVGA screen and Samsung's TouchWiz UI atop Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Around the back there's a 1300mAh battery and 3MP camera. Not cutting edge by any means, but it's likely Samsung's looking to compete on price rather than specs here.

Samsung says the Galaxy Young will be coming to a range of outlets, including Carphone Warehouse and O2, in "a range of color options." On-contract prices start at £9.50 per month, or you can buy it outright on PAYG for £89.99

Red AT&T Galaxy S4 now up for pre-order

Alex Dobie — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:06:09 GMT

$199.99 on contract with 16GB, shipping June 11

Looking for a bit more color in your Galaxy S4? The "aurora red" version announced yesterday is now available to pre-order over on AT&T's online store. Currently you're limited to the 16GB storage option, which will run you $199.99 on contract or $639.99 outright. Pre-order today and AT&T aims to get your bright red GS4 out to you by June 11, three days before it arrives in brick-and-mortar stores.

Pre-order at the link below, and hit the comments to let us know if you're placing your order today.

Source: AT&T

Chrome beta adds language translation, full screen on tablets

Phil Nickinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:56:42 GMT

Chrome 28 just landed in the beta track for Android, bringing with it a couple of fun features. First and foremost is that it ties into Google Translate, just like on the big-boy browser. Run across a page that's not in your default language, and it'll ask if you want it translated. You also can go full screen on tablets, so it's go that going for it, which is nice. And if you opt in, you can see a graph showing how much bandwidth you're saving using experimental compression. Go to Settings>Bandwidth management to turn that on if you're not asked automatically.

Hit the link above to get your download on.

Source: Chrome release blog

Chrome 28 pushed to Android beta channel

Jerry Hildenbrand — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:45:22 GMT

Full screen browsing for tablets and automatic page translation highlight the changes for the latest Chrome for Android beta

Chrome beta for Android has been updated to version 28 (28.0.1500.21), bringing a number of requested features along with the new code base. Tablets now have the same full screen experience that phones have as of version 27, as the toolbar and omnibox simply disappear as you scroll down the page. In addition, automatic translate for pages not in the device's native language is available, just like users are used to on the desktop. Here's the bullet point change log:

Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn't in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar
Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar
Support for fullscreen API
New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature
Mobile friendly error pages

The jury is still out about any speed increases, but my first impressions are favorable. If you're following the Chrome browser beta track for Android, grab today's update in Google Play or from the link above.

Source: Google Chrome team

Galaxy S4 Developer edition headed to AT&T and Verizon

Jerry Hildenbrand — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:47 GMT

The same Galaxy S4 we all know and love, with less bootloader protection and more good karma

If you're the type who would rather not play the cat and mouse game with Samsung to keep your bootloader open on the Galaxy S4, here's some interesting news. The Developer Edition Galaxy S4 looks to be headed to both AT&T and Verizon. While we don't have any full details, we expect these to be identical to the standard 16GB versions, but with less bootloader protection. We also expect them to be full price, as carriers don't want to make it easy to get your hands on something they don't control.

Word from Samsung on both is just "coming soon" and neither AT&T or Verizon has had anything to say concerning these. Hopefully, they will be better received that the Developer Edition Galaxy S3 was last year, so Samsung knows it's worthwhile to continue to build developer-friendly versions of their carrier locked phones.

Source: Samsung (1), (2); via : Phandroid

HTC One is first HTCPro certified enterprise-ready device in US

Jerry Hildenbrand — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:50:43 GMT

More than just a pretty face, the HTC One is business ready and HTCPro certified

HTC has announced that the HTC One is their first HTCPro certified smart phone in the US.This means that the device meets standards that make it ready for the enterprise and a good choice for business customers. Specifically, the HTC One it meets the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 and offers 256-bit encryption. It also includes IPsec VPN for security when accessing corporate networks, and features device management APIs for remote administration from your mail server administrator.

We're not sure just how many of the 5 Million sold are being used for business purposes, but it's nice to know that they can be if that's your thing. For more information about the HTCPro program and the HTC One, visit the source link below.

Source: HTCPro

Hisense launches a pair of Walmart exclusive tablets starting at $99

Jerry Hildenbrand — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:26:50 GMT

Price meets performance with the new Hisense Sero line of tablets, exclusively from Walmart

Hisense and Walmart have got together on a pair of Android tablets designed for the budget minded consumer. There are two offerings, both at pretty compelling price points and the hardware itself looks nice enough to make us look twice.

First up, the $99 Sero 7 LT. At the cost of a typical e-reader you'll get a Google certified device with the following specs:

7 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display
1.6 GHz dual-core CPU
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
1GB of RAM
4GB of storage
Mini HDMI, micro USB, microSD
Wifi

While there's nothing here to amaze anyone, the price point and Google Play certification make it one of the better sub-$100 tablets available.

On the other hand, the $149 Sero 7 Pro has the right price, and specifications that best the Nexus 7 in almost every way:

7 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display
1.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
1GB of RAM
8GB of storage
5.0MP rear camera with auto-focus and flash
2MP front-facing camera
mini HDMI, microSD card slot, micro USB port
Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC
10 hour battery life

Hisense has made their first step into the tablet market pretty interesting we think, and we'll definitely have to take a good long look at the Sero 7 Pro. The tablets should be available in stores and online at walmart.com starting May 24. The full press release is after the break.

The Ashton Kutcher recap: On Twitter, streaming dicks and the future of mobile

Phil Nickinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:20:38 GMT

The actor, investor and first person to hit 1 million Twitter followers weighs in on the industry at CTIA

Turns out that Ashton Kutcher has a lot of the same problems you do. Twitter is too noisy. International roaming plans are expensive. Facebook, while great, has maybe become a bit overgrown.

Sound familiar?

The actor and investor sat down for a fireside chat today at CTIA in Las Vegas and had more than a few choice words for the mobile industry, and chances are you've heard a good many of them before -- and said them yourself. Things were a little winding, with moderator Julia Boorstin of CNBC keeping things moving, and nobody's breaking any real ground here. But it was an interesting chat from someone who's very much been at the forefront of the social revolution, for better or worse.

AT&T and Verizon Galaxy S4 bootloader exploits published

Jerry Hildenbrand — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:10:01 GMT

The raw exploits to work around the locked bootloaders on some Galaxy S4s is released

On the heels of the release of the Galaxy S4 on Verizon, Android security researcher Dan Rosenberg has released the tools and files needed to work around the bootloader security of the AT&T and Verizon versions of the Galaxy S4. Unlike the other versions of the S4, the versions built for America's two biggest carriers have an extra security layer at the bootloader level, which makes it a bit difficult to flash a custom recovery or boot image to the device.

Rosenberg's tools work around these issues, and allow the user to flash custom kernels and recoveries on the AT&T and Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy S4.

It's worth noting that these aren't for the novice, so you might want to wait a day or two to see what other developers can build using the new bootloader tools. Hopefully, something simple and sane can be made for those folks who want or need to do a little magic on the software of their Galaxy S4. See the links below for more information.

Source: XDA; Azimuth Security. Thanks everyone who sent this in!

Galaxy Mega 6.3 headed to Three UK

Alex Dobie — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:54:58 GMT

First UK network to confirm it'll carry Samsung's 6.3-incher

Three UK is the first (and so far only) major UK network to confirm plans to launch the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega. The Mega 6.3, which dwarfs even the Galaxy Note 2, packs a 720p display resolution, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the latest TouchWiz UI. On the inside it's running a 1.7GHz dual-core CPU and 1.5GB of RAM. And yes, it's a rather large telephone.

There's no date on the cards yet for the Galaxy Mega's arrival on Three, but reports from independent retailers point to a July launch. In the meantime, Three's published an official teaser video, which you can find over at the source link.

Source: YouTube

CTIA Day 3 Liveblog: Ashton Kutcher live at 12:30 p.m. EDT

Phil Nickinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:35:23 GMT

We're live from the third day of CTIA in Las Vegas. And at this morning's keynote address we're gearing up for a chat with actor Ashton Kutcher, who also happens to be a bit of a technology nerd as well as the latest portrayer of Steve Jobs in a movie that might or might not see the light of day later this year. (Initial screenings didn't go so well, apparently.)

So, strap in and join the liveblog after the break. Kelso's up at 9:30 a.m. PDT, 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Verizon Galaxy S4 officially available today

Alex Dobie — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:12:23 GMT

$199.99 with a two-year plan, or $649.99 outright

Verizon Wireless customers, your long wait is over -- today you can go out and buy the Samsung Galaxy S4. Though we've been hearing news of pre-order customers getting their devices early, today's the day the S4 is officially available for purchase online and in stores. Verizon is selling the 16GB Galaxy S4 in black and white color options, priced at $199.99 with a two-year plan, or $649.99 outright.

If you're picking up a GS4 on Big Red today, be sure to hit the comments let us know how you get on. We've also got bustling Galaxy S4 forums for all your questions. And if you're still on the fence, you can check out our exhaustive Galaxy S4 review.

More: Galaxy S4 review, Galaxy S4 forums

Source: Verizon Wireless