AnTuTu v5.0 available now on Play Store

Have you ever tried a benchmarking tool with your Android smartphone? AnTuTu is one of the most popular Android benchmarking tools, and has been used in all the smartphone reviews you have read. Today the company has pushed a major update to Google Play Store, which will update the previous v4.0 to v5.0 with new benchmarking details.

With the continuous improvement of smartphone processor capability, few of the graphics performance tests in the V4.0 reach its peak. According to AnTuTu, the v5.0 has added new test methods through a 2D game engine “Coscos2D” and real game engine “Havok Vision Engine”. The 3D testing scenario has been tweaked with more complex lights, shadows, normal mapping – up to 3x tougher in v5.0 compared to v4.0.

Instead of just testing the processor in its full power, AnTuTu v5.0 has introduced CPU performance testing with single-core, because you will probably be running one or two cores only in normal usage, even though your smartphone processor is quad core. AnTuTu is also ready for 64-bit Android L devices. Both 32-bit and 64-bit processors from ARM and Intel are supported now with new test algorithm.

It might seems like benchmarking tools are useless to you. What else you can do with the AnTuTu other than running a boring test? The ranking tab in the app gives you a list of the top performing smartphones. That list can be used as a convenient reference if you are looking for current top performance models.

There is also a device info tab to let you better understand your smartphone hardware details, including Android version, IMEI number, root status, supported sensors and more. Though, if you want to use it to detect a counterfeit phone, you will have to also retrieve the hardware info with CPU-Z and Android Hardware Info

Try the AnTuTu v5.0 here on Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• AnTuTu v5.0 to put greater weight on graphics performance


• AnTuTu Q2 surprises: Snapdragon 800, Nexus 5 at the top

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 gets an unofficial advanced preview

All eyes are on the Galaxy Note 4 headed for IFA 2014 next week, but there is another big boy that might also be in town at the same time. The less gigantic Galaxy Mega 2 isn't out yet, but the guys over at DroidSans have managed to get their hands on one and are now giving the rest of the world a sneak peak at Samsung's extra large phablet.

The Galaxy Mega 2 with its 6.0-inch display sits cozily in between the 5.8-inch and the 6.3-inch Galaxy Megas. This means that while it is still too big for one-handed use, it isn't as obnoxious as the largest phablets-almost-tablets in the market today. That display also boasts of Super AMOLED and a resolution of 1280x720, so at least it isn't lacking too much in that area. And fortunately, Samsung has endowed it with its multi-window feature to take advantage of the extra space available.

This phablet won't be a powerhouse, but it won't be an underdog either. It is said to house an Exynos 4415, a quad-core Samsung chip running at 1.4 GHz. There 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage space, of which only 11 GB is really available to the user, most likely thanks to bloatware. There's an 8 megapixel shooter at the back, complete with Auto Focus and LED flash. On the front, you have 2.1 megapixels. The battery is marked at 2,800 mAh.

In terms of design, the Galaxy Mega 2 resembles more closely the Galaxy Note 3, with its faux leather back cover with stitches, rather than the Galaxy S5's perforated pattern. And like the Galaxy Note 3, the edges are silver-coated plastic. This smartphone is slated to launch sometime next month. DroidSans puts the price tag at 14,500 THB, which is around $455 in the US.

VIA: DroidSans

Story Timeline

• Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 certified by TENAA, has faux leather design


• Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 leak shows a different set of specs


• Malaysian retailer advertises availability of Samsung Galaxy Mega 2

Nokia speeds things up in Z Launcher update

Nokia (yes, the real Nokia, or what's left of it) is announcing an update to its still pre-beta Z Launcher homescreen replacement. Focusing on performance improvements under the hood, Z Launcher is taking a few steps closer to becoming a more serious contender in the Android launcher race.

Considering that the basic premise of Z Launcher is to get you to apps, contacts, and whatnot as quickly as possible, it is only natural that the launcher itself should be fast and responsive, a major improvement in this latest version of Nokia's surprise app. That said, fast doesn't need to mean ugly, so the dev team have sprinkled some new animations when transitioning to the home screen or to and from apps. The animations are noted to be still works in progress and the devs are asking for feedback on them.

There are also some functional improvements in the update, particularly regarding how contacts are displayed in the search results. Contacts that have multiple possible actions associated with them (like call and text) now appear collapsed in the list, so that a single contact won't monopolize the screen space. The gesture portion of the launcher has also been adjusted so that you don't accidentally launch an app when you draw a letter too quickly.

Z Launcher is a curious take on an Android launcher. It is search-centric like EverythingMe but unlike that launcher, it revolves around scribbling the letters instead of typing them, which, for some users, might feel easier or more natural. Z Launcher is still in a limited testing stage, so getting access to the app still requires applying for permission. Those who already have the launcher installed just need to go to the app's settings to manually query the server for available updates.

SOURCE: Z Launcher

Story Timeline

• Nokia pre-beta tests Z Launcher for Android


• Nokia Z Launcher sees first update, welcomes new testers

Pandora brings music streaming service to Google Glass

If you’re wearing your Google Glass and want to bust out a dance move to show how cool you are, you can now have a perfect partner app for that, instead of just relying on the music in your head. Pandora has now arrived for Google Glass as a result of the music streaming service’s hack-a-thon this spring, which Google was more than happy to adapt to their precious wearable.

The Pandora app allows you to control your radio stations either by voice command or through the touchpad. If you want to use the former, you’ll be able to choose from among your existing radio stations or create a new one based on your new favourite artist or genre. But if you want to have more advanced controls, you need to use the Google Glass’ touchpad to be able to pause the song you’re listening to, skip the one that you’d rather not listen to and stop the radio altogether.

You can also use the touchpad to give the current track a thumbs up or thumbs down, depending on how you feel about it. But how will you be able to listen to music through Google Glass? Glad you asked. You can use either the built-in wireless speakers in the device, the single earbud which is included in the Explorer kit or a double earbud that can be attached to the glass using microUSB.

To download Pandora on your Google Glass, all you need to do is find it on the glassware page and turn it on and you’re on your way to your listening pleasure. Google Glass is only the 2nd wearable device where Pandora is available, after launching it on the Pebble smartwatch a few months ago. They promise to add more in the future as wearables continue to slowly make an impact on the market.

SOURCE: Pandora

Story Timeline

• Pandora for Pebble coming soon to Android


• Pebble updates firmware, Android app, adds Pandora to store

Dropbox Pro updated to better security and sharing settings

As more people start to discover the convenience of having their files on the cloud for easy access, cloud services need to step up their game to get the consumers’ attention and loyalty. Dropbox is one of the most popular ones out there and Pro users now have something more to sing about as the latest update brings you more security and sharing settings, as well as giving you even more space for all your media files and documents.

One of the best things about having your files on the cloud is having a convenient way to share needed files to your colleagues, classmates or friends. Instead of saving it on a USB flash drive or emailing it to them, you can just share it through Dropbox. The new security options will ensure that only the people you intend to share the files with will be able to access them. You can now add passwords for your shared links, which can also be set with expiration dates.

To further secure your files, you can also set view-only permissions for shared folders so that they’ll be able to view and edit within the folders only. Just in case you lose your smartphone, tablet or laptop that contains your dropbox files, you can delete them remotely by wiping the Dropbox data from the device while still keeping them safe in the cloud. But the most exciting update to Dropbox Pro is that there is just now one plan to rule them all where you get 1TB of space to store all your files.

While all these features are indeed useful, you won’t be able to have them if you have a free Dropbox account. It will cost you $9.99 a month to upgrade to Pro, but if your problem right now is that your Dropbox is almost always full, then that amount shouldn’t be a problem at all.

SOURCE: Dropbox

Pushbullet SMS reply now works with any messaging app

Pushbullet has just announced an update that is sure to delight fans of the file pushing, notification mirroring, and, as of last week, universal copy/pasting utility. The developers have expanded their "reply to SMS from the desktop" feature they announced last June to support Android messaging apps other than EvolveSMS.

Pushbullet started out as a way to easily push files from an Android device to a computer and vice versa. Over time, it has evolved into a more generic "pushing" framework, letting you push files to your contacts, "push" notifications from your phone to your PC or laptop. Then last June, the developers revealed one of the most interesting new features of the app: letting you reply to SMS right from the PC notification itself so you won't have to reach out for your smartphone just for a quick reply.

Unfortunately, at that time you can only have that feature if you were using EvolveSMS as your default messaging app. They added support for other apps as well, but always in piecemeal. Well, not anymore. With the latest version of Pushbullet, any messaging app that is set as the Android default will support this quick reply feature. So whether you are using stock, your OEM's app, or Hangouts, you will be able to take advantage of that as well. Here's the video announcement from June in case you forgot how well it works.

One caveat though is that on the PC side, it seems that the functionality still only works with the Chrome browser extension. So those using Firefox as their browser of choice will, for the meantime, be left out of the fun. That's true, and even worse, for the standalone Windows app that is still in an experimental stage, as it doesn't even have some core functionality, like notification mirroring.

Download: Pushbullet on Google Play Store, Chrome Web Store

SOURCE: Pushbullet

Story Timeline

• PushBullet becomes social, can now send files and links to friends


• Pushbullet Notification Mirroring now syncs with all devices


• Pushbullet, EvolveSMS lets you reply from computer


• Pushbullet update brings universal copy and paste

Humble SEGA Mobile Bundle gives more Sonic and some monkeys

As expected, Humble Bundle has expanded its latest bundle half way through the two-week campaign. While it may not be an exciting giveaway, one of them isn't even a game, it's still a deal considering how much you would be paying for the games individually otherwise. That is, of course, if you're a huge fan of the speedy blue hedgehog.

It may have SEGA in its name, but this bundle is undoubtedly all, or at least mostly, about the iconic Sonic. In this new batch, you get Sonic CD, an Android port of the original game of the same name that was first launched on SEGA's relatively unknown Mega-CD console and later made available for numerous other platforms. Amusingly, Humble Bundle is also throwing in Happy Sonic!, a live wallpaper for those times when you just can't get enough Sonic even outside the games.

That said, there is also a non-Sonic addition to the bundle. Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition is the latest incarnation of a hilarious arcade game that puts you in control of one of four comical monkeys inside translucent balls, maneuvering them across tracks to acquire, what else but bananas. And in case you get tired of the main game, there are mini games in there too, including monkey ball bowling, monkey ball golf, and, exclusively for tablets, monkey ball base.

These three additions are, of course, available only if you beat the average, which hasn't risen considerably since the start of the campaign. It now sits somewhat steadily at $3.88. There are still 6 days to go to make up your mind, in case you want to pick up this Sonic-themed deal. If you do, you will be able to download these DRM-free games using Humble Bundle's new, not-anymore-beta app, which also lets you download accompanying soundtracks, if there are any, as well as books and comics you have also purchased from other bundles.

SOURCE: Humble Bundle

Story Timeline

• Humble Bundle app moves out of beta, gets a facelift


• Humble SEGA Mobile Bundle brings Sonic at budget price


• StackSocial has pay-what-you-want Android game bundle