Amazon today introduced Whispersync for Voice to its Kindle apps for Android and iOS, allowing users to switch between reading and listening inside just one app. The feature combines Kindle ebooks with their companion Audible titles using Amazon’s one-click Matchmaker service, and upgrades will cost as little as $0.99 per title.
Mojang has rolled out its “biggest update ever” for Minecraft: Pocket Edition, adding unlimited worlds, tons of new content, and a multitude of tweaks, fixes, and improvements. Players will be able to enjoy a plethora of new blocks, mobs, blomes — and a new AI that brings spiders, leaf rendering, drip particles, and an “immersive mode.”
All is fair in love, war, and smartphone launch dates!
According to a new report, Samsung is rushing ahead with its Samsung Galaxy F smartphone in order to release it at the same time as Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 6, which is set to debut this September.
The Galaxy F — which will be the premium model of Samsung’s flagship Android phone — will feature major improvements in screen resolution, processing speed and the camera, with 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution on its 5.3-inch screen, a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor under the hood, and a 16MP rear-facing camera with OIS.
Want proof of just how much app-based solutions can disrupt established businesses? Try the fact that Uber, the Android- and iOS-based alternative to traditional taxi services, has just been valued at $17 billion.
The valuation comes on the back of a new round of venture funding for the 5-year-old company, which saw investors pour in another $1.2 billion. This makes Uber one of the most valuable startups in tech history.
If you’re a Flickr user you might be annoyed by Yahoo’s latest power play, which removes third party logins — meaning that from June 30 you’ll no longer be able to log in to your account using your Facebook or Google ID.
Yahoo claims that it’s so that the service can offer “the best personalized experience to everyone,” but it seems a pretty shameless way of getting users to sign up for Yahoo accounts (which you’ll now need to sign up to, or keeping using, the service). While Yahoo announced that this would be happening earlier this year, this is the first time we’ve had an actual date to put with the report.
You can now use your Pebble to control music volume on your smartphone and tablet, thanks to a new Pebble app update that’s available now on iOS (and coming soon to Android). It’s accompanied by a version 2.2 firmware update for Pebble watches, which also adds the ability to reorganize the Launcher Menu.
One year on from the Edward Snowden NSA leaks, a group backed by tech companies including Google and Apple, called Reform Government Surveillance, is publishing a letter demanding that the Senate strengthen its NSA reform bill as recently passed through the House.
In addition to Google and Apple, CEOs who signed the letter include the heads of AOL, Dropbox, Yahoo, Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook and LinkedIn. The letter, which will be published tomorrow, notes that the upper chamber of Congress has the “opportunity to demonstrate leadership and pass a version of the USA Freedom Act that would help restore the confidence of Internet users.”
With iOS 8, Apple is bringing a multitude of exciting new features to iPhone and iPad. In some cases, Cupertino is playing catch-up as it tries to match what’s currently available in KitKat; in others, Apple’s next-generation mobile operating system is about to blast past the latest version of Android.
Android and iOS will secure a staggering 95 percent of smartphone market share between them in 2014, according to the latest research from IDC. While it’s strictly a two-horse race, Google’s platform is currently far out in front when it comes to number of users, with Android’s market share expected to reach 80.2 percent by the end of the year.
Google has a new Android update up its sleeve that will be announced this summer, but while Apple posts impressive upgrade percentages, Android fragmentation typically slows deployment of Google’s latest, greatest mobile OS.
Apple has always been keen to point out that iOS users spend more time with their devices than those who choose Android, but what exactly are they doing with them? According to statistics from Pornhub, one of the biggest and most successful free porn sites with 38 million users a day (did it need an introduction?), many of them are enjoying porn.
Motorola has confirmed it will close its smartphone factory in Fort Worth, Texas, The Wall Street Journal reports. The plant, which employed 700 staff and was responsible for the assembly of devices customized with Moto Maker, is unsustainable due to weak sales and high costs.
BlackBerry has today begun rolling out its version 2.2 update for BBM, which adds a bunch of new emoticons and makes some nice improvements. Signing up is easier than ever for new BBM users with this release — as is adding new friends to your BBM contacts list.
Google has taken its self-driving car concept a step further by integrating the technology onto its own prototype vehicle powered by electricity. The tiny two-seater is made using off-the-shelf car parts, and it does not require a steering wheel or pedals.
Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee has regained consciousness for the first time after falling into a coma two weeks ago, according to The Korea Herald.
The 72-year-old suffered a heart attack earlier this month, before undergoing a 60-hour heart surgery related to acute myocardial infarction. The medical team at the Samsung Medical Center say that he is recovering well. Lee was reportedly awoken after hearing family members cheer a Samsung Lions baseball game on a nearby television.
Samsung’s like the spoiled brat you went to school with: they have almost everything, but if another kid comes in with a toy that’s not part of their collection, mummy and daddy will make sure they get it.
Rumor has it the South Korean company is now developing its own virtual reality headset that will work alongside Galaxy devices — and it is desperate to get the product to market before Facebook and Sony launch theirs.
You need to change your eBay password. Now.
Later today the online auction giant will be emailing all customers to inform them that it has discovered a major security breach that took place several weeks ago. A database that included unencrypted passwords and personal information was compromised, but eBay promises your financial data is safe.
George Orwell once wrote that, “The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous.”
Yesterday we reported on the fact that Samsung and Apple were sitting down to negotiate an end to the ongoing litigation between the two companies — and unlike all the previous occasions, this time the plan was to make it stick.
Well, one day later, and talks between the two warring factions are reportedly breaking down — as lawyers from both sides express difficulty working with each other. What is seemingly particularly grinding gears in the Apple camp are statements made by Samsung’s top lawyer, referring to the protracted lawsuit as “Apple’s Vietnam” and Apple as “jihadist.”
Instagramming your skinny cinnamon latte and taking selfies of yourself with your skinny cinnamon latte is always going to take its toll on your phone’s battery. But that’s going to be less of a concern for those who live and work in New York, where AT&T’s new solar charging stations allow anyone to top up their juice while they sit down and relax with their skinny cinnamon latte.
Samsung was the elephant in the room following last week’s surprising news that Apple and Google/Motorola had come to a surprising agreement, in which both companies would agree to drop all ongoing litigation against the other.
Having spent the last few years waging bitter patent campaigns against each other in court, it seemed unlikely that Apple would be willing to afford similar treatment to Samsung.
Google Glass is immensely difficult to get hold of right now. In fact, you have little to no chance of bagging the device if you live outside of the U.S. and don’t have a spare $1,500. But thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign, you can now become a Google Glass owner for just $33.
You’ll have to act quickly, though, because it’s almost certainly going to get pulled by Google. And yes, there is a catch.
Hey, Titanfall players, disembark your mechs and listen up! EA just dropped a brand new Titanfall companion app for Android and iOS that delivers the ultimate second-screen experience. You won’t want to continue playing the game without it.
If you’ve ever wanted to run iOS apps on an Android device, six PhD students at Columbia University may be able to help.
They’ve created a piece of software called Cider which allows Android-powered devices to run both domestic and foreign binaries – meaning both Android and iOS applications – on a single handset or tablet.
Lee Kun-hee, the 72-year-old chairman of the Samsung Group, is reportedly in stable condition after suffering a heart attack.
Lee is currently at the Samsung Medical Center after undergoing heart surgery following a resuscitation. He is one of the wealthiest men in Korea, having inherited the company from his father but led the transition in turning it into the Samsung of today: a company involved in everything from smartphones to ships. Despite ongoing lawsuits for patent infringements, Apple uses Samsung to manufacture its semiconductors.
Nintendo refuses to bring its immensely popular games to smartphones and tablets for fear of damaging its own hardware sales, but the Japanese gaming giant isn’t against building mobile companion apps. The much-anticipated Mario Kart 8 will be accompanied by Mario Kart TV for Android and iOS, allowing players to replay their favorite races, view screenshots, and share gameplay with their friends.
In the race to bestow absolute control over your home entertainment paraphernalia, the Blumoo device is a sort of a jack-of-all-trades standout.
Similar to the now-discontinued Griffin Beacon, Blumoo lets you control all your devices that normally work with a remote control — TV, DVR, Bluetooth player, stereo, etc — from an Android phone or iPhone. But it also does double-duty as a Bluetooth streaming device, giving you the ability to stream music to pretty much any set of speakers it’s physically connected to.
We had a little hands-on time with the Blumoo, and came away impressed with the device — but frustrated by the software. Also, unfortunately the Blumoo Android app is a few weeks away from availability, so we played around with its iOS sibling instead; we’re not expecting any major difference when the Android app eventually arrives. Here’s what we liked, and didn’t.
Google Maps continues to show why it’s the best app for directions on any platform, with today’s impressive update that packs a number of small tweaks alongside one huge feature that will make following turn-by-turn directions easier and safer than ever.