Microsoft is gearing up to release a software development kit that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Xbox Live features into their games.
The SDK, which will be officially confirmed by Microsoft next month, will also be available to Nintendo Switch developers. It will make Microsoft the first console-maker to open up its platform to third-party systems.
Nintendo has confirmed that Dr. Mario will be its next franchise to make the leap to mobile.
Dr. Mario World is scheduled for a worldwide release in “early summer” on Android and iOS. It will be developed by Nintendo, Line, and NHN Entertainment, and just like the rest of Nintendo’s mobile lineup, it will be free-to-play.
You’ll have to wait longer to get your hands on the very first Mario Kart game for Android and iOS.
Nintendo has confirmed that the launch of Mario Kart Tour has been pushed back to this summer. The much-anticipated title was originally scheduled to arrive by the end of March, but Nintendo says it needs more time to “improve quality of the application.”
It is Nintendo’s second big delay in just one week.
In its quest for minimalist perfectionism, Apple loves shaving ports off its products wherever possible. But even it has stopped short of creating a phone like the Meizu Zero.
Promising no buttons, no speaker holes, no Sim card slot, and no charging port, this sleek Chinese Android phone looked like a concept phone or, uncharitably, an early April Fool’s joke when it first popped up online last month. Well, it seems that that’s not the case at all — since pre-orders have just gone live on Indiegogo. Be warned: It’s not cheap.
Google’s official Gmail app is getting a fancy new redesign on Android and iOS.
The fresh lick of paint won’t just make Gmail look better; it will also come with new features and tweaks that will make it quicker and easier to use, as well as phishing alerts for dodgy emails.
Apple Music is finally compatible with Android tablets, more than three years after it launched on Android phones. Apple started beta testing the larger interface last month, and now it’s rolling out to everyone in the latest Play Store update.
Google has poached senior macOS engineer Bill Stevenson to help build its upcoming Fuchsia OS.
Stevenson will make the switch in February after spending 14 years at Apple, where his most recent role was senior manager for Mac and Windows program management.
If buttons, ports, and speaker grilles give you real anxiety when looking at your smartphone, Meizu has the perfect handset for you. It’s called the Zero, and it’s the first phone that completely ditches all of the above for a gorgeous ceramic unibody design.
But is it really worth it?
Google Maps now shows you speed limits and speed traps while you’re driving in several countries around the world.
Google started testing the feature a couple of years ago, but only in the San Francisco Bay Area and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Now it is expanding its on both Android and iOS.
Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Phone, is officially dead.
After failing to compete with iOS and Android, Microsoft is now advising users of Windows Phone to go out and buy an iPhone before the end of the year.
The App Store raked in almost twice as much revenue as Google Play in 2018, despite significantly fewer downloads.
Google’s marketplace did enjoy a 27.3 percent rise in gross app revenue year-over-year — a larger rise than Apple’s — but iOS remains the most lucrative platform for developers by far.
Some Android phones already claim they’re connected to a 5G network. This is the result of some fairly shady rebranding on the part of AT&T, which is pretending that improvements to its LTE network make it no longer 4G.
This is raising protests, especially from the other Big 4 wireless carriers.
Apple is said to be “in discussions” over adding Rich Communications Services (RCS) to iOS.
The upgrade to traditional text messaging would allow for some iMessage features — like read receipts and typing indicators — when talking to friends who use Android and other platforms.
Huawei has demoted two employees over a Twitter update sent from an iPhone.
The New Year message, which has since been deleted, was mocked for being published “via Twitter for iPhone.” But Huawei isn’t the only smartphone maker that’s been caught using a rival’s devices.
The iPhone XR got off to a fairly strong start. In November, this just-launched model made up 30 percent of Apple’s U.S. sales, slightly higher than the iPhone X in Nov. 2017.
But the standout aspect of the XR’s launch is this new model drew in a higher percentage of Android fans than any Apple device in years.
Samsung has been getting a lot stick lately for posting tweets from an iPhone, but it turns out it’s not the only company that sometimes uses a competitor’s devices. Apple is guilty of it, too.
The official Apple Music account recently published a tweet using an Android device.
The biggest photo and video sharing social network in the world is doubling down on voice messaging.
Instagram launched a new feature today that gives all users the ability to share short voice messages with other people through the Instagram Direct section of the app.
Apple may not be planning to release a 5G iPhone until at least 2020, but don’t expect rival Android handset makers to be willing to hold on for so long.
According to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, by this time next year the market is set to be flooded with 5G Android phones. “Every Android vendor is working on 5G right now,” he said.
The foldable future of smartphones has officially arrived.
Just one day after we saw the first folding smartphone hit the market, Samsung took the wraps off of its new Galaxy X smartphone that packs a folding display that allows it to also be used as a tablet.
Nintendo could finally be preparing to bring The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong to mobile. The two beloved franchises have proven to be incredibly successful on the Japanese company’s own consoles, and there’s a sign they may be coming to your pocket.
WhatsApp is one of the biggest messaging platforms on the planet, and it has somehow gone without support for stickers — until now!
Some users now have the ability to send and receive stickers, and the rest will be able to enjoy the same functionality on both Android and iOS in the coming weeks. A selection of sticker packs from WhatsApp own designers are available, and third-party packs are coming soon.
Leica had decided to give one of its most popular new digital cameras an analog redesign. And the iPhone plays a crucial role.
The camera company revealed a new variant of the M10 today. It completely ditches the rear LCD display and replaces it with your smartphone via a new app, making it free of digital distractions so you can just shoot.
Google’s new Pixel 3 XL smartphone is supposed to be the company’s best challenger yet to the iPhone. But when it comes to speed, Google still can’t keep up.
YouTuber PhoneBuff put the two new smartphones through a real-world simulated speed test and found that the Google Pixel 3 has some serious shortcomings when it comes to performance. Despite boasting a spec sheet that looks nearly as good as the iPhone XS Max’s, the Pixel 3 XL came in more than a minute slower than the iPhone XS Max.
Watch Google’s new phone get dominated.
Apple will never bring iMessage to third-party platforms like Android, but there was a time when it tried to convince carriers to adopt a standardized version for everyone.
Former iOS chief Scott Forstall has revealed that the company approached operators in an effort to convince them to take a number of features that make iMessage so great and bring them to traditional texting. But due to a number of reasons, the “explorations didn’t pan out.”
Google is being forced to start charging Android device makers a fee to use the software that previously came free with this operating system. It’s possible device makers will pass this cost along to phone buyers.
This only applies in Europe, though, as it’s a result of the EU ruling that Google used anti-competitive business practices. The company was also fined about $5 billion.