Android | Gadgetsnu

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) coming to iOS and Android

by vinayak mathur

The BBM has been one of BlackBerry OS most popular features, years before there was iMessaging, Viber, or WhatsApp. Today, at the company’s annual Blackberry Live 2013 conference, CEO Thorsten Heins announced that this summer they will make the trademark BlackBerry messaging service available as a third-party app to the two most popular smart platforms – iOS and Android.

Initially, the BlackBerry Messenger or BBM, as it’s more commonly known, will only support BBM chats, multi-person chats, voice note sharing, and BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups to share calendar, photos, files, etc.

However, as Heins stated on stage, they have plans of making BBM as fully featured on those other platforms as possible. BlackBerry has plans to expand the functionality of the iOS and Android apps with some of the new BBM features such as Voice and video calls, Screenshare, and the just announced Channels. These will come as subsequent updates.
BBM Channels is a new way for BBM users to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about.

The BBM will be available to iPhones, running at least iOS 6.0, and to droids, running at least Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Category : Tech News

Tags : Android, bbm, blackberry, coming, ios, messenger

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Google announces Samsung Galaxy S4 with ‘stock’ Android, coming in June for $649

by vinayak mathur

Inline with earlier rumours, Google announced a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S4 that runs stock Android at the Google I/O event in San Francisco.

Google will be selling the phone bootloader and SIM unlocked on Google Play Store at a price of $649 (Rs. 35,500 approximately) before taxes and shipping starting June 26. Since the phone is SIM unlocked, it should work on GSM operators across the globe. Bootloader unlocked means the users are free to install any custom Android ROM on the phone, or, theoretically at least, any other OS on their phone altogether.

As mentioned earlier, the phone runs ‘stock’ Android, which means it is free from any third-party skins or software and provides the Android experience as Google intended. Google also confirmed that the phone will receive updates directly from Google, just like the Nexus phones.

As of now, Google has announced plans to sell the phone only in the US and plans to launch the phone in other countries remain unclear.

The phone targets users and developers who prefer the stock version of Android over the version that adds Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface layer. We’re not sure if many are fans of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, that has been panned for employing big, glossy and cartoon-like icons and menus. So the phone might find favour among Android enthusiasts who’d like to have all the power that the Galaxy S4 carries under the hood along with the simplicity of stock Android.

We wonder what will happen to Samsung’s custom apps, motion and hand gestures, and camera features such as dual-shot, employing the use of both front and back camera, eraser shot mode to remove people from photos, and a Cinemagram like feature called Cinema Photo. The phone’s apps also make use of its several hardware sensors including temperature and humidity sensors. It will be interesting to see if Samsung has deployed additional apps and software to offer the same functionality or totally get rid of it.

The existence of the phone was reported a day before and now we know that it’s in fact a real deal.

Samsung had unveiled the Galaxy S4 on March 14. The phone sports a 5-inch full-HD screen with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels, and pixel density of 441ppi. It is powered by 1.6GHz Exynos octa-core processor in some regions, and a 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor in others. It has 2GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX544MP3 triple-core GPU.

The smartphone comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants but will also feature a microSD card slot for expanding the memory. The Galaxy S4 sports a 13-megapixels rear shooter and a 2-megapixel one on the front.

Previously, HTC had released a developer edition of the HTC One in limited quantities in the US. The phone which is available SIM and bootloader unlocked, is offered at a price of $649. However, that does not run stock version of Android. Previously, HTC had released a developer edition of the HTC One in limited quantities in the US. The phone which is available SIM and bootloader unlocked, is offered at a price of $649. However, that does not run stock version of Android.

Category : Android, Mobile Phones

Tags : 649, Android, Announces, coming, Galaxy, google, June, s4, Samsung, stock

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Angry Birds Friends released for iOS, Android; original game free on Windows Phone till May 15

by vinayak mathur

Rovio has released Angry Birds Friends, the latest iteration in everyone’s favorite pig popping adventures. The game is now available as a free download for iOS and Android.

Angry Birds Friends puts a social twist to the game you are familiar with, letting you challenge your Facebook friends for the title of ultimate bird flinger. Players have the option to compete in weekly tournaments with friends and see if they can snag the gold, silver or bronze trophies. This is similar to how Rovio has been offering the game Angry Birds on Facebook.

Also included are daily rewards, the ability to send and receive gifts, and, of course, bragging about your accomplishments. If you’re playing Angry Birds Friends on Facebook, your tournament progress will automatically be updated, so you can continue playing wherever you are.

The game also includes four classic power-ups, plus one exclusive to Angry Birds Friends on mobile.

Angry Birds Friends is now available as a free download for iOS and Android.

Rovia also announced a new version of the original Angry Birds game for Windows Phone, replacing the $2.99 version released earlier. The game has over 400 levels from the get-go, and is free to download for the first two weeks. The Windows Phone 8 version also features have Xbox Live integration with new achievements and leader boards.

Rovio didn’t mention the exact reason for re-release, simply saying “it will be technically easier to support” the new version. The company recommends you download the new title even if you bought the earlier title, as the original game will no longer be updated.

Angry Birds for Windows Phone is free to download until May 15.

Category : Tech News

Tags : 15, Android, Angry, birds, FREE, friends, game, ios, original, phone, released, Windows

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Lava to launch Android 4.2 tablet for under Rs. 10,000

by vinayak mathur

Lava is all set to launch what it claims to be India’s first Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) tablet. This tablet will be available from the first week of May and will cost less than Rs. 10,000, the company said via a statement.

Lava is already offering a few tablets under its E-Tab range and this tablet is expected to join that league. As far as the specifications go, the new tablet will pack in 1.5-GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card slot.

For camera, there is a 2-megapixel rear shooter and a VGA one on the front. This tablet will be only a Wi-Fi only tablet and will not have a SIM card support. It will come with a HDMI port. The tablet will also come with a 3,700 mAh battery.

In the past three-four months, Lava has been quite aggressive in the tablet space and has launched a couple of interesting options. About a month back, Lava had launched E-Tab Connect 3G tablet.

Lava E-Tab Connect 3G features a 7-inch screen with WVGA resolution. The tablet runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and supports 3G voice calling.

Priced at Rs.9,499, Lava E-Tab Connect 3G comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that clocks speed of 1GHz. Other specifications for this tablet are 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. For camera, there is 2-megapixel rear camera and a VGA shooter as the front camera.

The tablet packs in a 3,000 mAh battery and comes with pre-installed apps from Hungama, Bigflix, Edukart, Meritnation, Diamond Comics and Readwhere. Apart from that, Lava has also partnered with Meritnation to offer free Vedic maths content. The company is also offering a discount of Rs. 750 on any of Meritnation.com packages with the purchase of the tablet.

Category : Android, Tablets

Tags : 10000, 42, Android, launch, lava, rs, tablet

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Microsoft encouraging Android users to ‘Switch to Windows Phone’ with new tool

by vinayak mathur

With an intent to attract more Android users, Microsoft is releasing a “Switch to Windows Phone” app for Android next week.

According to a report by NeoWin, the app will allow Android users to find Windows Phone equivalents of their commonly used apps in addition to third party substitutes for apps that are officially not present on Windows Phone. Microsoft has partnered with third-party developer Quixey, which is an app search engine, to deploy the service in the app. It essentially uses Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud storage service to store a record of the user’s Android apps, while a Windows Phone version of the app uses the list to find similar apps on Windows Phone store, offering users app listings.

A Quixey spokesperson told the online publication that the app will release sometime next week and that the company worked closely with the Windows Phone team for developing the app. The report also mentions that currently there are no plans to release the tool for iOS.

While this move is a step towards changing the perception that Windows Phone is lagging behind when it comes to the app ecosystem, we’re not sure if it would actually make Android users switch to Windows Phone as it doesn’t replicate the actual Windows Phone experience. It’s not the first time though that Microsoft has made an app for users of other mobile platforms to lure them. A Windows Phone experience app was built for Symbian users when Nokia transitioned from Symbian to Windows Phone.

While the move is a constructive step in attracting more users from Android, the Microsoft Windows Phone team had earlier done a #DroidRage campaign on Twitter in December 2012, encouraging users to share their stories related to malware on their Android smartphones. In return, Microsoft promised “get-well presents” to the best/ worst stories. While the campaign received some genuine responses, it wasn’t long before it backfired on Microsoft, as people started sharing their horror stories related to Windows Phone, tagging them with #WindowsRage.

Category : Tech News

Tags : Android, encouraging, microsoft, phone, Switch, tool, users, Windows

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Google X to be released with Android Key Lime Pie 5.0.1

by vinayak mathur

The AnTuTu Benchmark result of Google X smartphone has confirmed the roll out of Android 5.0.1 (aka Android Key Lime Pie).

According to reports the confirmation is an indication that Google’s next version of Android could well be in Beta stages and on track to be launched at the Google I/O, which is scheduled for May.

Rumours have already suggested that the Google X smartphone will be powered by a processor that clocks up to 1.5GHz but it is yet to be seen if the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, Snapdragon 800 or Tegra 4 has been deployed. However, earlier rumors had suggested that Motorola X smartphone will clock speed to the tunes of 2GHz and have a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

Given that Google X has already started popping in benchmark results is also an indication that the smartphone might be launched in the near future.

As per past rumors, Motorola X smartphone will be highly customizable, will have a 4,000mAh battery and might be a water-proof device.

Earlier in the month, Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt had shared that the smartphones coming up at Motorola are “very, very impressive.” Schmidt had also remarked that, the new set of products will be phenomenal and these smartphones should not be termed as just phones, but “Phones-plus”.

Category : Android, Mobile Phones

Tags : 501, Android, google, key, lime, pie, released

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Download patched Facebook Home for all Android devices.

by vinayak mathur

Facebook Home for Android just went live. In addition to using it on the newly available HTC First, you’ll be able to get it on “select” Android phones including the HTC One, HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Go get your homescreen on. [Google Play]

But for those who do not own these phones can use these modded apks of Facebook home,

Instructions:

1)Download all the 3 apks.

2)Uninstall previous installations of facebook messenger and facebook.

3)Install these apks using file manager.

4)Have fun.

APK 1

APK 2

APK 3

Category : Android, Tech News

Tags : Android, devices, download, facebook, Home, patched

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Tumblr for Android Gets a Facelift

by vinayak mathur

Tumblr unveiled dramatic changes to its Android app on Monday.

The blogging platform announced that it has “completely redesigned” the app’s interface, added post animations and made images more prominent, among other updates.

Now available on Google Play, Tumblr for Android also has a new “post anything” screen that lets users share videos, chats, links, quotes, photos and text by clicking on individual icons. What’s more, the free app has “advanced controls” such as saving drafts, queuing posts and customizing tweets. So far, reviews have been generally positive, with users particularly fond of Tumblr’s new look on Android.

The last significant update to its interface was in 2012. Last December, the app began supporting tablets by accommodating larger screens.

Tumblr reached a milestone last month after it announced more than 100 million blogs and 44.6 billion blog posts were created using the platform.

Category : Android

Tags : Android, facelift, tumblr

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Samsung Galaxy Win launched with 4.7-inch display, Android 4.1

by vinayak mathur

Samsung had recently launched its Galaxy Win smartphone in China and now the company has announced the global edition of this smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Win packs in 4.7-inch screen with WVGA TFT display. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor. The smartphone will come with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded further by up to 32GB via microSD card. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and houses a 2,000mAh battery. For camera, there is a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front camera.

Samsung Galaxy Win will be available in two different versions – single SIM and dual-SIM, depending on the market. The Galaxy Win launched in China was a dual-SIM model. It will be available in two colour options – Ceramic White and Titan Gray.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy Win comes with several enhanced smart features, such as Easy Mode, Smart Alert, and Motion UX. Easy mode is the home screen mode that gives smooth access to the top functions of your smartphone. With the help of Smart Alert you can get the notifications for events you may have missed such as missed calls or deadlines. Motion UX, on the other hand, makes use of functions such as Mute, Refresh & Update, and Scan for other devices with simple motion controls.

There is no word on when this smartphone will be available in India and at what price.

Samsung has recently launched Samsung Galaxy Young and Samsung Galaxy Y Plus in India. Priced at Rs. 8,290, Samsung Galaxy Young is powered by a 1GHz processor along with 768MB of RAM. There is 4GB of internal storage available on the smartphone, which can be expanded by up to 64GB via microSD card. It features a 3.27-inch HVGA TFT display and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It comes with a 3-megapixel rear camera.

Samsung Galaxy Y Plus, on the other hand, is powered by an 850MHz processor and has 4GB of internal storage and microSD card slot for up to 32GB expansion. It comes with a 1,200mAh battery and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It is available for Rs. 6,290.

Samsung Galaxy Win key specifications

4.7-inch TFT capacitive touch screen with 800 x 480p display
1.2GHz quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage, can be expanded by up to 32B
5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
VGA front camera
Dual-SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 3.0, GPS
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
2000 mAh battery

Category : Android, Mobile Phones

Tags : 41, 47inch, Android, display, Galaxy, launched, Samsung, win

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Android smartphones under Rs. 20,000 with HD display

by vinayak mathur

Micromax A116 Canvas HD
Price: Rs. 14,499

Micromax A116 Canvas HD comes with a 5-inch HD IPS screen that sports 720×1280 pixels resolution and a colour depth of 16.7 million. It is powered by MediaTek’s MT6589 quad-core processor that clocks 1.2GHz. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out of the box.

The smartphones packs in a 2,000mAh battery, which as per the claims of the company gives 5 hours of talktime and standby time of 174 hours. Micromax A116 Canvas has an 8-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash and 4X zoom and a VGA front camera. Other features of the smartphone include 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to up to 32GB via microSD card. It is a dual-SIM smartphone, which supports GSM frequency on both the SIMs.

The only disadvantage is that this smartphone is suffering from supply issues and you might have to wait a bit to get your hands on this smartphone or might have to pay a premium.

Xolo A1000
Price: Rs. 13,999

Xolo A1000 sports a 5-inch 720p IPS display. Internally, the phone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Mediatek MT6577 processor along with 1GB of RAM.

Other specs on the Xolo A1000 include an 8-megapixel autofocus rear snapper with LED flash, a 1.2-megapixel front camera and a 2,100mAh battery powering this phone. The device supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) functionality. There’s 4GB of internal storage with additional expansion support for up to 32GB via microSD.

Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, USB and GPRS. It comes pre-installed with the stock Android and Opera Mini web browsers.

Xolo A1000 deploys one glass solution (OGS) and is just 8.8 mm thick. It is a good looking smartphone but unlike Micromax Canvas HD does not come with a quad-core processor.

Another option from the company is the recently launched Xolo X1000 that comes with a 4.7-inch SHARP HD 2.5D edge curved glass display with a resolution of 720X1280 pixels. The smartphone packs in a 2GHz Intel Atom Z2480 processor with PowerVR SGX540 GPU.

Wammy Passion Y HD
Price: Rs. 16,999

Wickedleak has recently launched Wammy Passion Y HD in India. This smartphone too comes with a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels. 1.2 GHz MediaTek MT6589 processor powers this smartphone. The smartphone comes with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB.

For camera, there is an 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel one on the front. Wammy Passion Y HD comes with a large 2,800mAh battery, which is the largest amongst this list here.

At the time of the launch Wammy Passion Y HD offered Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), but it has now got an update to Android 4.2.

Gionee Dream G1
Price: Rs. 17,999

Gionee Dream G1 comes with a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED Plus display and 316 ppi. This smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex A7 processor along with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB. The company has bundled in a 16GB microSD card along with the smartphone. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and has a 2,100mAh battery. Camera wise, Gionee Dream G1 features an 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and a 1-megapixel one on the front.

Celkon A119 Signature HD
Price: Rs. 13,499

Another 5-inch smartphone that you can look at is Celkon A119 Signature HD. This smartphone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM. Celkon A119 Signature HD runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

The smartphone comes with 4GB of internal storage of which 1.45GB is user accessible. It comes with 12-megapixel auto-focus camera on the back and a 3-megapixel one on the front. Celkon A119 Signature HD is also a dual-SIM smartphone.

There is also a bonus smartphone to consider – UMI X2. This is the only full-HD smartphone to be available under Rs. 15,000.

UMI X2
Price: Rs. 14,000

UMI X2 boasts of 5-inch screen with 1080x1920p display resolution and 441ppi pixel density. The smartphone comes with 1.2GHz quad-core Mediatek processor with 2GB of RAM. It also has 32GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded by another 32GB via microSD card. UMI X2 comes with a 2,500mAh battery.

For now the smartphone runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) but the company has promised to roll out an update to Android 4.2 soon. It comes with a 13-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash and a 3-megapixel one in the front.

UMI X2 is a dual-SIM handset. Other connectivity options include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0

Category : Android, Mobile Phones

Tags : 20000, Android, display, hd, rs, smartphones

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