Google has just rolled an update to its Google+ Android app, basically bringing the same cool-looking stream of contents shared on Google+ that was introduced in the recent update to the iPhone version of the app. Aside from that, the app also now lets you start a hangout directly from your Android phone or tablet. To start a hangout, you simply tap “Hangout” in the navigation bar, which incidentally is also a new feature of the app. Then add some friends and tap “Start.” What’s good about this new feature is that the app can now ring your friend when you invite them to join a “Hangout.” But that is only if you allow the app to do so. Another new feature of the app as previously mentioned is the beautifully presented stream of contents which are scroll flawlessly down and up. In addition to this, the app now includes full-screen media streaming, conversations that fade into view and instantly-touchable actions including +1. Other new features that the update brings include the ability to download photos directly from Google+ and make these photos into your phone’s wallpaper and online post editing.

Via [The Official Google Blog]

For those who take a lot of photos using your iPhone camera and wanted to have a way of uploading these photos at once, you’ll no longer have to do it one photo at a time via the regular Facebook app. Facebook has provided us with an iPhone app called Facebook Camera to make the task of uploading multiple photos from iPhone an easy task. Essentially, Facebook Camera lets you share multiple photos faster than before. All you need to do is select the photos you want to upload by tapping the check-mark on each photo, hit the post button and then the app will quickly upload these photos one by one. After uploading all the photos you’ve selected, you can then add captions as well tag friends before finally sharing your photos. Pretty cool, yeah? But wait, the app still has other some minor features and those include the ability to crop and apply filters to your photos, scroll down a single feed of all your friends’ photos and the ability to see photos from the different apps your friends use. Right now, this might seem a pretty simple photo/camera app but for sure, Facebook has other plans for this app. Perhaps integration with Instagram?

Via [Facebook], [App Store link]

Yahoo! just released a new app for iOS devices simply known in the App Store as Yahoo! Axis – A Search Browser. According to the app’s description, Axis is a new browser that redefines what it means to search and browse the web using your iPhone or iPad. It aims to provide a one-step search experience that lets you enter search, see and interact with results and find what you need without leaving the page you’re on. To make it even more interesting to use the app for mobile web searching – rich, visual snapshots of each results are included to provide a preview of the site before you visit them on your mobile devices. To summarize its key benefits, Axis offers a faster and smarter way to search, a connected experience since it lets you pick up wherever you left off as you move across your desktop, iPhone and iPad, and it also provides you with a way to centralize your online life via customizable Home Page with direct access to all your favorite sites and content whether you’re using your iOS devices and other platforms. Yahoo! Axis is available now from the App Store as a free download. You can also use it as a plugin on your desktop browser.

Via [App Store link]

It looks like Google has update the iOS Search app. This update is available in the expected location, the iOS App Store where it is now sitting as version 2.0.0 with the requirement of iOS 4.2 or later. The app also remains available as a universal with proper support for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

On that note, this update is split with some goodies going to the iPhone and some going to the iPhone and iPad. Beginning first with the goodies that are new on the iPhone. In terms of what is changed. Well, everything. According to details coming from Google, the Search app has been completely redesigned. And along with that comes another nice perk — “major” speed improvements. In addition, version 2.0.0 brings the following goodies;

• Auto full screen: scroll down to hide controls, scroll up to reveal
• Beautiful full-screen image search
• Swipe away webpages to quickly return to search results
• Search within a webpage using the built-in text finder
• Easily switch between images, places, news, and more
• Fast access to Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and more all from one place

And now for the items that include the iPhone and iPad, these users can now save images to the camera roll.

Via [iOS App Store] and [Official Google Blog]

Those using the Mint.com app on an iOS device will likely want to fire up the App Store and grab this latest update. Yup, an updated version of Mint.com has come available and this one not only takes care of some bugs, but brings some new goodies. In terms of the bugs, the what’s new section simply notes that this update “squished a lot of bugs.” Perhaps more important here, this update also brings the ability to split transactions. Specifically, you can now “split a single transaction into multiple categories (great for those shopping trips at Target or Wal-Mart).” Additionally, iOS Mint.com users can also create new budgets and edit existing budgets. Lastly, this update brings the app up to version 2.4 where it remains available as a universal with support for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (provided they are running iOS 5.0 or later).

Via [iOS App Store]

Amazon has officially announced the latest studio partnership that will benefit Prime Instant Video users. Simply put, Amazon has announced a licensing agreement with Paramount Studios. What this means for the users; “hundreds” of new hit movies coming to Prime Instant Video “over the next three years.”

“This deal will bring Prime Instant Video customers hundreds of new movies to enjoy on their Kindle Fire or any device connected to Amazon Instant Video, including titles such as Star Trek, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Top Gun, The Italian Job and The Truman Show, and we will remain committed to adding even more great movies and TV shows to Prime Instant Video in the future.”

Amazon is now touting Prime Instant Video as having more than 17,000 movies and television shows available. Of course, as we recently saw, those numbers may not be as exciting as they actually sound.

Via [Amazon]

It looks like an update is available for those sporting a Verizon Wireless branded Galaxy Nexus. Though we will clarify right up front — this update is coming direct from Google as opposed to a nice simple over-the-air update. In other words, if you choose to take this route you will be downloading a ZIP file from Google and then transferring over to your handset and manually installing it. And for those who think that sounds complicated, you may want to wait until Verizon details and rolls this one out. Otherwise, for those anxious to move forward and get the IMM76K software update installed — follow the via link below to get the process started.

Via [Verizon Galaxy Nexus IMM76K Update from Google] and [Phandroid]

T-Mobile announced the Huawei Prism smartphone earlier in the month, and well, it looks like the handset has since come available for purchase. This could be good news for anyone looking for a budget-priced Android smartphone. The handset is available in either red or grey and priced at $19.99 on a two-year agreement. One quick note on that price though — it comes after a $50 mail-in rebate which means you will need to make sure you have $69.99 to shell out on the day of purchase. Otherwise, the Prism brings goodies to include a 3.5 inch (480 x 320) HVGA touchscreen, 1400 mAh battery, 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. And lastly, the handset does ship with a 2GB microSD card which should help to ease the pain of only having 512MB of internal storage available.

Via [T-Mobile]

Amazon has just launched their Never Before on DVD, a new online video store which will feature films and television series which are making their way to the DVD format for the first time. Accessible via Amazon’s “Movies and TV” homepage, the Never Before on DVD store expands Amazon’s current selection of titles and enables Amazon to add more classics coming from the vault of Disney, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Bros., Home Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox. According to Amazon, the store will enable you to easily browse and locate more than 2,000 titles never before seen on DVD as well as current content from the mentioned studios and networks such as CBS, Lionsgate, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In addition, most if not all of the titles that will be featured in the Never Before on DVD store will also be made available through Amazon Instant Video and Prime Instant Video.

Via [Business Wire] and [Amazon]

Samsung is not the only one which is coming out with a special edition device dedicated for the Olympic. Acer together with Carphone Warehouse have teamed to bring the Acer Iconia A510 Olympic Edition tablet. This device is of course the same Acer Iconia Tab A510 released previously. But for its special iteration, the tablet now bears the Olympic rings on the back panel. For those who remembered, this tablet was made available in the US via the Acer website. And so just in time for the upcoming Olympics in the UK, Carphone Warehouse has teamed with Acer to bring it to the UK market. It will be available this June for 449. And for that price you’ll get an 10.1-inch tablet running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It also features a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, microSD card port, microUSB and microHDMI. If you’re interested in getting this Olympic edition tablet, better get your name listed on the Carphone Warehouse pre-registration page. We’ve include the link below to help you do so.

Via [Carphone Warehouse] and [Android Central]