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Showing posts from October, 2015

Customize Doze Parameters With Doze Settings Editor

Now that more people are starting to get their hands on Android 6.0, we’re starting to see some interesting apps and modifications that take advantage of Marshmallow’s new features. One in particular comes to us from XDA Member p0isonra1n, called Doze Settings Editor. With DSE, you can tweak the various rules that Doze follows to completely customize how it functions on your device.

Looking to buy something unique and support the little guy? Check out Etsy.com

With the holiday season ready to kick into high gear, we are all going to be bombarded with advertisements as it is the time for the giving and receiving of presents. Some people are really difficult to shop for as they just have everything. I took some time to look for a few presents for friends and family, as I like to get a head start, because presents really should have thought behind them. At least, that is what my mom taught me. Although my research started out to look for gifts for everyone but myself, that’s not how it ended. In comes Etsy.com , founded in 2005, to save the day. Etsy.com is a marketplace for creative entrepreneurs who use their unique talents to create one of a kind items that you cannot find in mass market stores. In order to test out the Etsy app and website , I browsed for unique items using the Android app, that I literally could not find anywhere else. There are thousands of items to browse – from gadgets, jewelry, vintage items, paintings and so mu

How to fix AMOLED burn-in on Android displays

Does your AMOLED screen suffer from burn-in? The good news is that there's a workaround. Here's how to fix AMOLED burn-in on Android displays. (This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

OnePlus was one month away from launching a wearable

Remember when we thought OnePlus was on the verge of announcing a new wearable? Well, it was — but it wasn’t a smartwatch. The Chinese startup has revealed it was gearing up to launch a new fitness tracker — and a Bluetooth speaker — but both were scrapped right before launch. “We had a fitness tracker and Read the full article... The post OnePlus was one month away from launching a wearable appeared first on Cult of Android .

Friday App Sales: Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, Ice Rage: Hockey, and More

No plans for Halloween? Boo. Well, in case you might find yourself bored, there are a ton of apps and games currently on sale through Google Play, apparently to celebrate the spooky holiday. A few of the darker-themed games available at a discounted price include Call of Duty: Blacks Ops Zombies, Grim Legends 2, Elder Sign: Omens, Forever Lost, Zombies, Run!, and bit Dungeon. For apps that are not spooky games, available on sale is 7 Minute Superhero Workout, Paper Artist, Dual SIM Selector Pro, and Ice Rage: Hockey Check out the full list below. Friday App Sales Zombies, Run! 5K Training ($0.99) The Walk: Fitness Tracker Game ($0.99) 7 Minute Superhero Workout ($0.99) Forever Lost: Episode 1 HD ($0.99) Alice in Wonderland HD ($1.99) RAM Manager Pro ($0.99) Elder Sign: Omens ($0.99) Magicka ($1.79) Meld ($0.99) Paper Artist ($0.99) Fairy Tale Mysteries ($1.99) Grim Legends 2 ($1.49) Time Mysteries 2 ($0.99) Deadly Puzzles ($0.99) Call of Duty: Black Op

How to Turn Your Physical Home Button into a Touch Key on Galaxy Devices

Samsung's Galaxy series of devices have one common design theme that ties them all together—the physical home button at the bottom of the phone. This button can wake the phone, take you to your home screen, and even scan your fingerprint to securely unlock your device. The only drawback to having a physical home button is that literally everything else on your phone is interacted with by tapping or touching, not physically pressing and clicking a button. You touch the screen, touch the back button, touch the recent apps button—but you have to mechanically depress the home button. Simply put ... more

How to Record Android Gameplay with Google Play Games

A few months ago, Google unveiled a new YouTube Gaming service meant to compete with e-sports streaming sites like Twitch. At its launch, the service was capable of broadcasting desktop PC gameplay, but when it came to the mobile segment, users were only capable of viewing streams hosted by others. But now, thanks to an update to the Google Play Games app, Android users can now showcase their mobile gaming skills like never before. While a live-streaming option is still not available, you can easily edit and upload your Android gameplay to YouTube or YouTube Gaming, complete with a live feed ... more

How to Convert SoundCloud & YouTube Songs into MP3s on Android

A growing trend for many artists (most recently Kanye West) is to offer exclusive or experimental tracks on music streaming sites like SoundCloud or YouTube before releasing them anywhere else. On rare occasions, some of these great songs never make their way onto an official album, which can be disappointing for die-hard fans who need to download every song available from their favorite artist or band. While other services allow you to download tracks from SoundCloud or YouTube independently, using one application for both makes it extremely simple to find and download them directly onto ... more

Android Basics: How to Use Android Beam to Wirelessly Send Photos, Music, & Files

Android Beam is one of those features that makes you look at technology in awe, wondering how exactly something like that works. From a user's standpoint, you simply bring two devices together back to back, and what you're seeing on one screen almost immediately appears on the other. Behind the scenes, though, a technology called NFC initiates an impromptu Bluetooth pairing between the devices, which is then used to wirelessly transfer data. Don't Miss: The 5 Best Apps for Wirelessly Sharing Files on Android Don't Miss: More Android Basics for Your New Smartphone Considering that this ... more

How to Prevent Accidental Pocket Dialing on Android

With a slab-style touchscreen device, butt dialing is always going to be a problem. While you're moving about, your phone can unlock itself and give your most recent contact a ring, leading to an awkward one-sided conversation where the other person gets to eavesdrop on everything you're doing or saying at that moment. To save yourself from this potential embarrassment, you might have set up a pattern, PIN, or password lock screen in the hopes of adding an extra layer of protection, but this has its downsides as well. With these security features enabled, Android adds an "Emergency call" ... more

How to Hard Reset Sony Xperia Z5

The Xperia Z5 is indeed a powerful Android based device. However, in different situations you might find your phone a little bit too slow. Also, you might even report some bugs and lags, which should be resolved as soon as possible. Well, if you do want to learn how to deal with these types of […]

Sign up for Samsung Pay, get a free wireless charger

If you’re the proud owner of a Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus , or a Note 5 , then you have the chance to snag a free wireless charging pad from Samsung! From October 28 to November 8, Samsung is running a promotion to boost the membership of their Samsung Pay service. Owners of the aforementioned devices who sign up for Samsung Pay during this brief window will get a wireless charger mailed to them, no strings attached. You should note that the deal may run out sooner than November 8, as Samsung is limiting the offer to only the first 200,000 participants. Samsung Pay is the company’s digital payment medium that is accepted practically anywhere you would use a credit card. The service is easy to use, and Samsung boasts that Pay uses several layers of security to keep your information private. They also claim not to store or share payment data. This isn’t the first time Samsung has offered free stuff for signing up with Pay. The service only came out in September, and alread

Google tests teen waters with social media app Who’s Down

Google is dipping their toes into teen social media with a new app called Who’s Down . The app serves as a way to broadcast one’s availability and interest so as to bring together equally free and similarly inclined people. The app is currently invite-only, and the sign-up form for Who’s Down asks only for your email address and school, meaning the app is specifically targeting a younger demographic. Google seems tentative to re-enter the social media scene after their previous experience with Google+ . Although the Facebook alternative has attracted a number of hardcore fans who were more than ready to leave their Likes behind in favor of +1’s, the social media platform has failed to garner the same level of mass-market appeal enjoyed by its rival and has arguably become more of a niche platform (though one many of us love). Of course, Who’s Down likely isn’t seen by Google as a replacement for Google+, just a way target a different audience.  Who’s Down looks to be a new angle

MicroSD offline playback lets you take Amazon Prime music with you

Previously, if you wanted to take your Amazon Prime tunes on the go, you were limited by the internal storage of your device. Offline playback was available, sure, but not for microSD cards. Songs can add up fast in terms of storage space. For a long time, users have been crying out for Prime Music to allow offline playback of songs downloaded to memory cards so that they wouldn’t have to be constantly picking and choosing which songs they were going to bring along with them. Finally, Amazon updated the app to gain the ability to store songs on the microSD card for offline playing. In addition to this, Prime Music received support for Android Wear . Now your favorite streaming service can integrate seamlessly with your wearables, allowing you to control your beats without even pulling out your phone. Small perks, to be sure, but Prime Music has to pull out whatever stops it can to get ahead in this market. Amazon’s streaming service has long been lagging behind more popular ser

These 1-day Halloween deals are scary good!

Witches and creatures of the night roam our neighborhoods this evening, as do candy-hungry children looking to score sweet treats. But these little beasts won’t be the only ones in your front step; the AA Deals Store is also knocking on your door to offer you some scary good deals you simply can’t say no to. Joining the awesome savings the AA Deals Store already offers is an extra 15% discount. You just have to apply coupon code “ SCARY15 ” upon checkout. But you better hurry, as this additional discount will only be available today – Halloween. These offers include courses, drones and handy accessories. Code Black Drone with HD camera Brooms are good for flying around town, but they don’t come close to the performance modern drones can offer. And for $84.99 (plus the 15% discount), you really can’t complain about this Code Black Drone deal. This guy will literally do flips for you. And there are both beginner and expert modes, so you don’t need to feel intimidated or go take f

Podcasters, welcome to Google Play Music

Google Play Music helps connect people with the perfect soundtrack for whatever they’re doing—whether they’re stuck in rush hour traffic , staying up late with friends or lifting weights at the gym . But what if that same technology and curation could help connect people with great podcasts based on their mood or interest—something to make them laugh, get lost in a story or learn something new? We thought that would be awesome, so we plan to start offering podcasts on Google Play Music, giving podcasters access to millions of new listeners on Android phones and tablets. To that end, today we’re launching a portal for podcasters to start uploading their shows to Google Play Music before we open up the service to listeners. Along with direct searches and browsing for podcasts, the service will connect new listeners with podcasts based on what they’re doing, how they’re feeling, or what they’re interested in. Similar to our contextual playlists for music, this will give podcast fans a

Nexus 5 now available on eBay for $175

If you’re like us, it’s never too late to buy a good Android phone. Google has two new Nexus phones that are fairly cheap, but we’re certain that quite a few of you will jump at the opportunity to get your hands on the original Nexus 5  at a steep discount. The phone has been officially discontinued, but an eBay seller has limited stock of the Nexus 5 and is selling the phone for a mere $175. For those who don’t remember, the Nexus 5 features a 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of storage, a 4.95-inch 1080p IPS display, 8-megapixel camera and a 2,300mAh battery. In late 2015, it would be considered a mid-range device, but its stock Android build and clean design make it a must-have to the true Android fanboy.

Android Developer Story: RogerVoice takes advantage of beta testing to launch its app on Android first

Posted by Lily Sheringham, Google Play team RogerVoice is an app which enables people who are hearing impaired to make phone calls through voice recognition and text captions. Founded by Olivier Jeannel, who grew up with more than 80 percent hearing loss, the company successfully raised $35,000 through Kickstarter to get off the ground. Today the team publicly released the app on the Android platform first. The team behind RogerVoice talk about how material design and beta testing helped them create an interface which is accessible and intuitive to navigate for users. Learn more about how RogerVoice built its app with the help of Google Play features: Material Design: How Material Design helps you create beautiful, engaging apps. Beta testing: Learn more about using beta testing on Google Play for your app. Developer Console: Make the most of the Google Play Developer Console to publish your apps and grow and engage your user base.

OnePlus releases Reflexion, a unique photo app for all Android devices

OnePlus came out of nowhere last year and made a pretty big impression with the OnePlus One . Whether the long-term impression was positive or negative depends largely on who you ask, but the company has certainly continued to ramp up its ambitions in 2015. So far OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 2 , and is just starting to offer up its new OnePlus X . And now they are also getting into the app game with Reflexion, a new photography app that is extremely simple to use and basically is designed to capture two shots, one from the front cam and one from the rear, and stitch them together into a unique reflected pattern. As you’d expect, there is a social sharing option that makes it easy to share your “creations” with others. Get it on Google Play!

Apple publishes new Android app for managing Beats Pill+ speakers

Apple has just released their second app for the Google Play Store, and this one allows users to manage their Beats Pill+ speaker. This app follows up their less-than-diplomatic premiere Move to iOS , a release that saw some pretty hilarious responses . This Beats Pill+ app is far more functional and less passive aggressive than Move to iOS, and it sports features that allow users to synchronize multiple speakers to achieve greater depth of sound and stereo effects, as well as the ability to let more than one user control music playing from a single speaker. This companion app promises to give you and your friends greater control over your music. It was developed exclusively for the Beats Pill+ speaker, and it uses Bluetooth pairing to manage and control the device from your phone or tablet. The Beats Pill+ is a small speaker designed by Apple that aims to provide rich, powerful sound in a tiny, sleek package. Advertised as sounding “bigger than its size,” the Beats Pill+ use

Dead Effect 2 released to the Play Store

Dead Effect 2 is a game that aims to “push the boundaries of mobile gaming to another level,” promising console-levels of quality in terms of action, story, and RPG elements. The game placed second at the Very Big Indie Pitch contest in 2015, and it is now available for download in the Google Play Store. Zombie combat games aren’t exactly novel in the Play Store. UNKILLED is one of the more prominent recent additions to an already sprawling library of shambling undead awaiting touchscreen massacre. Nevertheless, this Dead-Space-esque sequel might be worth checking out. The game puts its weight on storytelling, which isn’t something you can often say about mobile zombie games. You find yourself where the previous game left off, adrift on an abomination-infested spaceshift adrift in the abyss, and of course you’re going to need to fight your way through. A wide variety of weapons makes sure you’ll never get bored, and the graphics are simply stunning. It even supports enhanced g

Google Play Games: capture and share the moment

As with many gamers, I enjoy watching recorded gameplay to learn how to get past difficult levels or just listen to funny commentary. Who doesn’t love a good ‘ Leeroy Jenkins ’ battle cry or a come from behind win? It’s a growing phenomenon. Every month, more than 144 billion minutes of gaming videos and live streams are watched on YouTube. Channels like VanossGaming and TobyGames are already part of mainstream culture, generating millions of views – numbers typical of famous Hollywood personalities and musicians. Today, we’re launching a new feature on the Google Play Games app that lets you easily record and share with others your own best gaming moments from your favorite mobile games. It’s simple. In the Play Games app, select any game you want to play, then tap the record button. You can capture your gameplay in 720p or 480p, and choose to add video of yourself and commentary via your device’s front facing camera and microphone. When you’re done recording, you can quickly e

New in Android Samples: Authenticating to remote servers using the Fingerprint API

Posted by Takeshi Hagikura, Yuichi Araki, Developer Programs Engineer As we announced in the previous blog post , Android 6.0 Marshmallow is now publicly available to users. Along the way, we’ve been updating our samples collection to highlight exciting new features available to developers. This week, we’re releasing AsymmetricFingerprintDialog , a new sample demonstrating how to securely integrate with compatible fingerprint readers (like Nexus Imprint) in a client/server environment. Let’s take a closer look at how this sample works, and talk about how it complements the FingerprintDialog sample we released earlier during the public preview. Symmetric vs Asymmetric Keys The Android Fingerprint API protects user privacy by keeping users’ fingerprint features carefully contained within secure hardware on the device. This guards against malicious actors, ensuring that users can safely use their fingerprint, even in untrusted applications. Android also provides protection for appl