Android

Google unveiled its media-streaming glowing orb to many oohs and ahhs, followed by head-scratches. The thing looks cool. And it sounds good, both in concept and fidelity. But two major questions remain: Who is it for, and how well does it work? Why It Matters: It matters because this is the first product like this Continue Reading →

Android devices may, at last, get the kind of sound performance that makes music and audio apps satisfying to use. We’ve suffered through generations of the OS and hardware that were quite the opposite. But material, measurable changes to software, combined with more rigorous standards for hardware makers, could change all of that soon. And Continue Reading →

HBO has updated its streaming-video application to support a wide range of Android-based tablets. The update, which landed in the Google Play marketplace yesterday, now allows HBO customers to stream the company’s programming on tablets running Android versions up to 4.04 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In addition, HBO Go’s latest version includes some new performance enhancements Continue Reading →

Google’s latest operating system, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich, is now running on more than 10 percent of Android devices. According to stats posted on Monday, Android 4.0+ is available on 10.9 percent of Android-based devices, up from 7.1 percent last month. Android Gingerbread, however, is still kicking, with the mobile OS present on 64 percent Continue Reading →

The iOS crowd’s been able to enjoy Flow’s AR features since late last year, but fortunately for those on the Android side who’ve been missing out, this powered-by-Amazon app is now (finally) also available on Google’s OS. It’s simple, using augmented reality and A9’s “continuous scan technology,” the application allows users to buy, as well Continue Reading →

It looks like Amazon is building up its presence in the mapping business. The tech giant today closed a deal to acquire 3D mapping startup UpNext. For Amazon, which doesn’t have a mapping service of its own, the acquisition seems to mark a move into new territory. To access maps on the Kindle Fire, users Continue Reading →

Days after U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh banned the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone in the U.S. due to a patent dispute with Apple, Samsung has appealed the verdict. Samsung’s main point in the appeal is that sales of the Android Jelly Bean-based Nexus cannot harm Apple’s sales. “The Court’s order is inconsistent Continue Reading →

Android is often considered king of the mobile world, but Apple’s iOS actually holds the lion’s share of the market, at least according to the latest stats from Net Applications. iOS continues to grow, capturing a global market share of 65.3 percent in June, up from 52.4 percent a year ago. Though in second place, Continue Reading →

After years in development, the VideoLAN team have finally launched their popular VLC video player on Android, meaning that if you own one of the newer ARMv7-powered Android devices, you will be able to download the first beta of the app from Google Play today. Initially targeted at “power users and hackers”, the beta is Continue Reading →

The late Steve Jobs famously predicted the death of Flash more than five years ago, and barred it from the company’s iPhone and iPad. One of the apparent advantages Android always had over iOS was Flash, but this will not be the case come August 15th when fresh installs of Adobe Flash will come to Continue Reading →