BBC iPlayer app now adds support for 10-inch tablets, refined UI for smartphones and 7-inch tablets

by Roy Alugbue on
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BBC’s popular iPlayer app has just gotten a new update bringing more support and increased functionality to a wider array of Android tablets. First off the bat is new-found support for 10-inch tablets, so users won’t need to rely on having to go to the BBC website to view all that cool content anymore. On top of that, BBC has also announced some interface tweaks to the smartphone and 7-inch tablet variations of the app— while additional optimizations will be arriving on the app for 10-inch devices at a future date.

All of you 10-inch tablet owners out there are itching to grab this app can hit the Play Store link below and get in on all that fun BBC goodness.

BBC iPlayer QR

Play Store download link

 

Samsung planning to free up storage space on Galaxy S 4 for users

by Harrison Kaminsky on
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It looks like Samsung is about to respond to the recent criticism of the Galaxy S 4 that the guaranteed 16GB of internal storage turned out to be about only half of that, due to bloatware and the heavy Touch-Wiz UI. Samsung’s initial response was that users should get expansion microSD cards to get some more storage— obviously this wasn’t an acceptable answer to end-users. If a company promises a certain amount of storage, then the phone should actually have that amount of storage, or at least something close to it.

After an outrage from the Android community, Samsung seems to have taken a complete 180 turn on the issue. Today the company announced that it would be looking to update the phone to optimize software in order to free up space for customers. Whether this means they’ll be removing some bloatware or some of the Samsung “smart” features, we know either way that the company is looking to right their wrong. Check out the press release after the break. » Read the rest

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini specs leak, will feature high-powered Exynos 5210 chip

by Harrison Kaminsky on
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Yesterday we showed you some leaked pictures of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini, due for release at some point this month. We now have some more information on the device, as we now know that it will be run by the Exynos 5210 chip. This chip is a big.LITTLE architecture that combines the power-efficient Cortex A7 with the performance-driven Cortex A15.

The leaked spreadsheet shows this information, which has been confirmed by Samsung, as well as some other specs about the phone that we already knew about. The phone should come with a 4.3-inch qHD display, and RAM will most likely depend on the market— 4G markets will most likely get 2GB, while 3G markets will most likely get 1GB.

Some surprising information included on the spreadsheet is that it will launch with 32GB of internal storage— perhaps this is Samsung’s apology for the internal storage debacle with the Galaxy S 4. The spreadsheet also mentions that the Galaxy S 4 Mini will ship with Android 4.0 ICS on board, which is a bit confusing, considering the Galaxy S 4 is set to ship with 4.2. It could be a typo, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Source: Mobile Geeks

TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for May 6 – May 12, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on
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We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Google I/O is next week and we have the full scoop on the new and improved Nexus 7. Rumors say the Motorola X phone is scrapped for the time being, but a recent FCC filing seems to indicate it might actually be sooner rather than later. We weren’t expecting to see it announced next week, but could we get a surprise? Google Babel is expected to be unveiled under the “Hangouts” name, and recent developments support that Google will unveil an updated Nexus 4 with LTE.  Lastly, Google will unveil cloud sync gaming with Play Games. There were a lot of new apps, including a couple of reviews as well. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.

Guides

How to remove apps from the Google Play Store ‘My Apps’ list

How to make a Drama Shot or Sequence Shot on the HTC One

Reviews

Boulder Dash XL [Brain & Puzzle]

» Read the rest

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 10, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on
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With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Guides

How to make a Drama Shot or Sequence Shot on the HTC One

Apps

Facebook Home support appears for Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One, Sony Xperia ZL

Gameloft adds ‘Blitz Brigade’ FPS to Play Store, action-packed and fun-filled excitement

Angry Birds Seasons update called Abra-Ca-Bacon, coming next week

New app brings Google Now wallpapers to any compatible device

Google

Google prepping an Androidbook, smartwatch, and ‘over-the-top’ TV box, but neither will appear at Google I/O

Google cancels plans to unveil Google Wallet credit card at next week’s I/O

» Read the rest

Congratulations Samsung— the Galaxy S 4 is set to be featured on BBC’s Watchdog

by Roy Alugbue on
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There have more more than a few of us who have complained about Samsung’s habit of loading up crap unnecessary extra apps on its flagship devices, but it looks like the BBC has had enough of Sammy’s shenanigans. The famed British network will air a special episode of its Watchdog series pointing out some very serious issues that identified on the 16GB variant of the Galaxy S 4 smartphone. In fact, Host Anne Robinson poses this simple question best: “Samsung… claims that its brand new Galaxy phone has an extra-large memory, but what did it forget to mention“? Well– while the smartphone no doubt introduces some well… “unique” apps, much of the apps take up an extraordinary space on the device, resulting in roughly only half of the total storage capacity being available to brand-new owners.

Naturally, Samsung will probably want to rebuke the bold Watchdog claim by highlighting its 16GB Galaxy S 4 certainly has a microSD slot for users to take advantage of, but remember— regular apps can only be installed onto the phone’s internal memory, so there is the potential for owners to simply run out of room. Moreover, owners can always buy the larger capacity variants of the device as well because well— bigger is better anyways.

Hit the break to check out the teaser video for yourself.   » Read the rest

Google Glass “about a year-ish away” according to Eric Schmidt

by Spencer McClendon on
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Recently Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt appeared on the Martha Kearny show on BBC Radio 4. At about the 4:27 mark in the interview, he describes how Google Glass looks and works, and he likes that we can talk to it. When asked when we could expect to see them on the market, his response was “probably a year-ish away”, but they will monitor the feedback they get from the developers who will be getting their Explorer Editions in the coming months.

» Read the rest

The Android iPhone lives: Apple loses exclusivity rights to iPhone trademark in Brazil

by Nathan Alvarez on
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Back in 2000, 7 years before Apple debuted the infamous iPhone, a local Brazilian company called Gradiente Eletronica registered a phone with the same name. As you might expect, Apple has been in courts with the company attempting to claim exclusive rights to use the name internationally. As it turns out, the regulators handling this case ruled in favor of Gradiente Electronica and denied Apple the rights to hold the name exclusively in Brazil. However, the ruling did give Apple exclusivity rights for the iPhone name on items such as clothing, software and various publications.

» Read the rest

Google Nexus One ready to power Strand-1 satellite in orbit

by Jeff Causey on
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You have probably heard references to the fact that today’s smartphones contain way more computing power and capability than what was available to the world’s space programs back during the heyday of the space race. That saying is close to getting a test when the Surrey Space Centre and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) launch the British-built Strand-1 satellite into space later this month. At the heart of Strand-1 lies a Google Nexus One smartphone which the project team hopes will be able to take over full control of the satellite at some point during the six-month mission. » Read the rest

Featured Android App Review: Hideman VPN [Tools]

by Robert Nazarian on
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Several months ago I reviewed TunnelBear VPN, and I just came across a similar app called Hideman VPN. Connecting to a secure VPN from your mobile device serves two purposes. The first is security. If you frequent public WiFis, anyone on the same network could steal passwords or any data that you send via the network. Now I don’t say that to make you panic. Chances are you will be okay, but being extra safe never hurt anyone. That’s where a secure VPN comes into play, or in this case Hideman VPN. After you’ve connected to the public WiFi, you simply connect to Hideman VPN and everything you do will be completely secure and nobody will have access. Hideman VPN uses AES-256 bit encryption, which is as good as it gets.

» Read the rest