Springpad gets update with added tablet support

by Jared Peters on
tagged ,

Looks like developers are really giving Android tablets some love today. Springpad has updated their application with new tablet support, giving some new life to all that extra screen space on your larger Android devices, great for organizing things in a visual way. In addition to tablet support, there’s a few other small improvements and bug fixes with this update:

- Now you can use the Springpad Board on your Android Tablet, perfect for organizing your notebooks in a more visual way (requires Android 3.1 and higher)
- Improved syncing with web, scroll performance and app speed
- Fixed an issue that prevented some Jelly Bean users from using the app
- Fixed a crash that prevented users with version 2.1 of Android OS from using the app
- Fixed a bug that prevented the widget from showing item thumbnails
- Learn more here: http://ow.ly/geEH0

Any Springpad users with a tablet excited about this update? Check out the download links below.

QR Code generator

Play Store Download Link

VUDU releases tablet app for video streaming

by Jared Peters on
tagged , ,

VUDU is a popular streaming app for movies and TV shows. Now VUDU has launched an application for everyone’s favorite new video streaming device: Android tablets. The app has a very clean, nicely designed interface that really utilizes all of the screen space on tablets’ larger screens. It’s worth mentioning that 1080p streaming isn’t supported on tablets (yet) so that may be disappointing for owners of super high-res tablets. Either way, more video streaming apps are never a bad thing. Hit the source below for the download links.

QR Code generator

Play Store Download Link

Best Launcher apps for Android tablets

by Jeff Causey on
tagged ,

In November 2012 Android fans were treated to news that Android’s share of the tablet market was growing much faster than previously projected. No doubt there will be many new owners of Android powered tablets once the 2012 holiday season passes. These new owners, or folks who have had a tablet device for a while, may be interested in trying out a new “launcher” for the tablet. For those not familiar with launchers, and I was one of them before I started working on this comparison, the launcher is the basic interface for the device. It controls things like the “grid” where apps are placed, how apps and widgets are accessed, the possibility of creating groups of apps, or automatically rearranging apps on a homescreen.

Readers may have run across references to manufacturers’ interfaces, like Touchwiz or Sense or Motoblur. These are launchers specifically included on devices to replace the stock Android launcher. In my case, I am testing on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, so I already have Samsung’s Touchwiz launcher installed.

For this comparison, I decided to take a look at some of the launchers we have covered here at TalkAndroid during the past year or that may show up at the top of the list when you search the Google Play Store for a launcher.

» Read the rest

Google News gets revamped for tablets with new interface and gesture support

by Jared Peters on
tagged , ,

Google News is an extremely popular source for news articles, with Google citing 6 billion pageviews per month to linked articles. And with the growing popularity of tablets like Google’s own Nexus 7, it would only make sense for some adjustments to be made for those to conform to each other. According to Google, that’s exactly what’s going to happen over the next few days, too. The Google News site will be redesigned to better fit tablet sized screens, with a more spaced out layout for articles and gestures to find new articles and switching between sections, for example. It will also feature the “Explore in depth” feature that allows you to look at similar stories to a specific article.

All in all, definitely something to look forward to if you frequent Google News. At first it will only be available to US users, however, and it’ll take a few days to roll out to all users. Check news.google.com to see if it’s working for you on your tablet.

source: TechCrunch

Microsoft Updates Its Xbox SmartGlass App To Include Support For 7-Inch Tablets, Adds In Bug Fixes For Good Measure

by Roy Alugbue on
tagged , , , ,

 

Most of us who happen to use our Xbox devices religiously got our very first taste of a native Xbox app for Android, but sadly— we quickly realized only smartphones were able to get in on the mobile action, not tablets. Fortunately, Microsoft has heard our cries and complaints and released another update to the SmartGlass app, this time adding official support for 7-inch tablets (like the Nexus 7), which ultimately bodes well for those with big hands such as yours truly. In addition to adding official 7-inch tablet support, the update brings some minor bug fixes and specific crashes when accessing the settings and when you go back to the achievement screen. Looks like the SmartGlass app is slowly, but surely getting better and better.

The update is available now in the Play Store, so be sure to grab it by clicking on the Play Store link or scanning the QR code.

 

 

Play Store

 

 

Android poised to take over tablet market share from Apple in 2013?

by Sean Stewart on
tagged , , ,

We knew this Android thing was kind of a big deal, right? Well due to the fact that no other real competitor has stepped up to try and challenge Apple and Android, the two have benefited from the lack of competition in the tablet market. It was originally thought back in 2010 that both would lose market share in the tablet market due to outside competition. That hasn’t happened, and it’s lead to Android closing Apple’s market share gap – to the tune of only 11 percentage points separating the two (55-percent Apple to 44-percent Android). It also doesn’t hurt that Android has so many manufacturers making tablets that run Android OS.

If Android does overtake Apple in tablet market share in 2013, they would have done it two years faster than some analysts initially predicted. I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise, right? I mean the shear volume of Android tablets out there is dizzying, and most of the prices are very comparable, if not affordable, when compared to Apple. Additionally, it didn’t hurt releasing 7″ tablets in Android flavor at a sweet price point to put a dent in market share, all but forcing Apple to do the same. Fortunately for Apple, it’s one of those companies that has the name going for it that folks of all ages can relate to. Sometimes it’s just convenient to grab an Apple as opposed to doing a little research, I suppose.

source:  TechCrunch

ASUS Currently Working On Getting Android 4.2 Update For Its Devices, Fails To Specify Which Ones Exactly

by Roy Alugbue on
tagged , , ,

 

ASUS is no doubt one of the more likeable Android manufacturers simply in part, because they push out timely software updates to most of its premium devices. So with Android 4.2 officially out, ASUS tablet owners are anxiously waiting on if/when their device will get the latest update as well and ASUS seems to have given an indirect answer. According to a recent phone call from a Transformer Prime owner to an ASUS customer service rep, ASUS is currently working on getting the Android 4.2 update out for its products, though the rep failed to mention specifically which tablet models would get the update. The hope is that tablets like the Transformer Prime and Transformer Pad Infinity tablets will see the updates since they’ve gotten lots of Jelly Bean love already, though it remains to be seen if devices like the Transformer Pad 300 will get the update.

Naturally, we’ll be on the lookout to post official guidance on its Facebook page regarding the Android 4.2 updates or hopefully see a leak or two in the meantime.

source: Android Planet
via: Phandroid

Skype updated to version 3.0 for Android devices, adds tablet UI improvements

by Jeff Causey on
tagged , , ,

Skype released an update today that focuses on Microsoft’s move to use the service in place of Windows Live Messenger and to introduce improvements in the tablet experience. Skype’s tablet UI changes include little things like re-positioning navigation buttons and menus to better use the screen real estate afforded by tablet devices. The window for video is larger as well. However, early adopters of this new version are already complaining that the app forces the use of landscape mode. » Read the rest

Pandigital Officially Out Of Business, Does Not Plan On Honoring Existing Warranties In The Process

by Roy Alugbue on
tagged ,

 

And another Android manufacturer bites the dust. Pandigital is a brand that may not be so familiar with most of you, but it’s a brand with a solid legion of customers. Despite its solid following, it had unfortunately succumbed to the dreary economy and signed most of its assets to creditors in order to better cope with its massive debt. During this transitional phase, there was slim hope that the company would at least try and offer support and warranties for its various products out there, but alas— it isn’t meant to be. Customers of various Pandigital products recently received the following email:

 

“You are receiving this email as you have recently been shipped a warranty replacement for a Pandigital product.

Please be advised that Pandigital, Inc (the ‘Company’), executed a General Assignment for the benefit of its creditors in favor of Credit Management Association on July 13, 2012 (the ‘General Assignment’). A general assignment is a common law means of concluding the affairs of an insolvent debtor as an alternative to the Chapter 7 bankruptcy process. Pandigital is currently in the process of liquidation by the Assignee.

Due to this liquidation process any further requests for warranty replacements cannot be honored”.

 

So there you have it— there’s basically no support for the device moving forward which is a bummer. Hopefully most of you who happen to own a Pandigital product have already moved onto other alternatives like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD or Nexus 7 tablet in order to help get over the hopefully minor grief.

More details can be found in the source link.

source: The Digital Reader

Sony Xperia Tablet S Gets Minor “release6a” Update

by Roy Alugbue on
tagged , , , ,

 

While the Sony Xperia Tablet S may just be getting over its physical defects, it is now getting some love thanks to a minor OTA update that is being pushed out to the tablet. This minor update dubbed “release6a” brings a major VPN fix to users who encountered issues trying to log onto corporate or enterprise networks. Sure the minor update still keeps the tablet on Android 4.0.3, but any update is better than no update, right?

If you own the tablet, be sure to head on down to your Settings and System Updates in order to grab the latest update immediately.

source: Xperia Blog