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TuneIn Radio gets updated to allow Google Play Music Store purchases

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TuneIn Radio is a popular app internet radio streaming. It features over 70,000 different stations that stream anything from pop music to talk shows, as well as tons of podcasts. Well, Android users have gotten an update to the TuneIn app that will now allow you to quickly purchase a song you’re listening to on the Play Music Store. You can also favorite music to go back and purchase it with a direct link later on. If you’re already a TuneIn user, this is a pretty useful feature for you. If you haven’t tried it yet, why not test out a new music discovery service? Hit the break for download links.

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Amazon Coins now available for Kindle Fire owners

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A few months ago, Amazon announced their Coins currency for its Kindle Fire devices. These coins would essentially be in-app currency exclusively for Amazon’s App Store and can be used to purchase apps, games, and in-app content. The Coins have an exchange rate similar to normal currency, so 1 coin equals 1 cent. Kindle users will receive a free 500 Coins to test the service out, and more Coins can be purchased from Amazon.

The biggest advantage to using these Coins is buying in bulk. Amazon says you’ll be able to get up to 10% off if you buy large amounts of coins, so it can save you money in the long run. The Coins also help developers because it gives consumers a universal currency to use to buy apps and games, so that’s always a plus. Developers will still get their 70% of revenue from app purchases, so no change there. I think this is going to be a great service for Amazon and Kindle Fire users, and I think it’s safe to say we can expect Amazon to push this new system pretty hard in the next few months.

Cyanogenmod 10.1 nightlies slated to hit the HTC One relatively soon

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Itching to get Cyanogenmod installed on your new HTC One? You won’t have to wait too much longer. According to a Google Plus post, Cyanogenmod’s GitHub site has repos set up for the One, and nightlies should begin building for the AT&T and Sprint version of the device “relatively soon.” They’ve updated the CM Wiki with pages for the HTC One to offer a little support and info for when the nightlies do begin building. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as they’re available.

source: Google Plus

Google shows five-year roadmap towards stronger device authentication

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Security and privacy are two huge issues with smartphones, and anything connected to the internet, really. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Google unveiled a five-year plan towards increased device security on Wednesday. This roadmap has Google breaking away from its traditional user sign-in process on devices, and instead replaces with an extremely secure, once-per-device-log-in. By replacing traditional passwords with complex authentication codes, a device can register itself with Google and keep the owner of an account from having to repeatedly sign in to their Google account multiple times. » Read the rest

US version of the Galaxy S 4 uses separate image processor for eye tracking

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Everyone knew Samsung was offering different variants of the Galaxy S 4 based on region, but according to an IHS iSupply teardown, that difference goes a little deeper than just the CPU.

According to the teardown, the US variant of the phone uses a separate Fujitsu image processor to handle functions such as the eye tracking and scrolling features that Samsung has heavily promoted. The reason behind this is that the Snapdragon S600 apparently couldn’t handle the processor intensive tasks alone, so Samsung improvised. The Exynos version of the phone doesn’t have the extra processor. Overall, it’s not really a huge deal, as most users probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway. And, honestly, that’s a pretty smart move by Samsung to make both versions of the device perform roughly the same.

The teardown also revealed that the US version uses different hardware for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc., although I’m sure that had more to do with cost and availability than performance.

source: iSupply

via: ComputerWorld

Carmageddon shows up in the Play Store with a free promo version for 24 hours

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Carmageddon was a game made in the late 90′s that saw it’s share of banning and censorship around the globe, and in case you were interested, it’s now available on your Android device thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign. This is the game’s first major release since an early 2000′s console port to the Nintendo 64, and for the first day, it’s going to be free. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t allow free apps to turn into paid apps in the Play Store, so after the 24 hours are up, the promo version will be pulled from the store and therefore won’t receive any updates. You can still opt for the paid version or use the demo version afterwards if you want to get updates to the app.

So if you want to test drive the game before you make a full purchase, hit the links after the break to check it out. Don’t wait too long, though.

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Huawei CEO says company not linked to US cyber threats

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Huawei has been in hot water with the US government recently after being accused of posing a major security threat to the US, along with other Chinese company ZTE. Ren Zhengfei, found of Huawei and still CEO of the company, has come out and denied any links to cyber threats to the US and denied any improper links to the Chinese government. Now, this is a pretty big deal because Ren has spend the past 26 years at Huawei avoiding the press.

Ren went on to say that Huawei equipment is barely used in US networks at all. Huawei has never sold equipment to any major US carriers or to a US government agency, which undermines the accusations by the US government. So while those accusations don’t necessarily hurt Huawei’s business in the US, it does in turn cause other countries to be more skeptical about using Huawei equipment, which has been the case in Australia and Canada. Hopefully this all gets sorted out sooner or later.

source: Yahoo

5-inch Sony Xperia A drops by the FCC with a removable battery

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2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Sony’s mobile division. The Xperia A has slid through the FCC, and it appears to be a cousin of the Xperia Z, except for one key difference; a removable battery. Aside from that, the rest of the device looks the same, including the five inch screen and the sturdy power button, as well as most of the internal specs, including the 13 megapixel shooter and 16 GB internal storage. It’s obviously a bit thicker to allow that removable battery, but close enough. One thing that wasn’t mentioned, however, was the processor. I’d be a little surprised to see Sony launch a flagship variant like this with the Xperia Z’s S4 Pro, especially if they’re trying to compete with Samsung, HTC, and LG. Regardless, as soon as anything shows up on the radar, we’ll be sure to let you know.

source: FCC

via: Engadget

Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

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According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung has run into a problem at the end of March; they almost have too much money. Samsung’s net profit rose 42% in March 2013, and after calculating debt and everything, they’re left with about $28.5 billion. That is an extremely large pile of money. That figure has tripled in the past year. Samsung’s mobile division accounted for about 74% of that rise in profit, which is a pretty staggering statistic when you consider all the televisions, components, and appliances Samsung makes.

Analysts expect Samsung to put that money into investing in different areas of its businesses, and possibly give shareholders higher returns. Samsung has stated that they will make ”investments sustainable for areas like facilities, R&D, and marketing that will help the company solidify or boost competitiveness,” which I think is a pretty typical, safe answer. Rest assured, I think we can all say Samsung is likely going to beef up it’s Galaxy line of mobile devices, as it’s the biggest cash cow for the company right now.

source: Wall Street Journal

Ouya console gets high ratings from iFixit, easily disassembled and repaired

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For some buyers, the ability to repair a device can make or break a sale. Being able to make simple repairs on your stuff is always nice, but many manufacturers are going with new hardware that’s extremely difficult to fix in order to cut costs and keep devices small. Fortunately, the Ouya console doesn’t have that problem. According to iFixit, the Android powered game console is a very straightforward, cleanly assembled device. All the components are easily removed and easily tucked back into the device. This is also good news for people who like to take apart their electronics for thorough cleaning. All of this nets the Ouya a 9 out of 10 on the repairability scale.

One thing that stood out is that the Ouya is actually weighed down with small metal balls. There’s five weights to keep the device balanced against cables from pulling it off a table or desk. In an age of light, portable electronics, seeing a device intentionally add weight is definitely out of the ordinary.

source: iFixit

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