Droid my Drug

Send Me To Heaven gamifies wanton smartphone recklessness (video)

Like to tempt fate? Then you might want to check out Send Me To Heaven, the Android app that uses your phone's accelerometers to track how high it travels when thrown upward. Assuming you don't fumble your handset on its return trip, its distance will join that of other daredevils on the game's leaderboards. That's all there is to it. Really. According to Kotaku, Apple pulled the game from iTunes because it encourages "behavior that could result in damage to the user's device." We've reached out to developer Carrot Pop for comment on Apple's actions and will update this post if we hear back. In the meantime, do you feel lucky?

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile

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Via: Kotaku

Source: Carrot Pop, Google Play

Ikea's 2014 Catalog app lets you arrange virtual furniture in your living room via augmented reality (video)

In 2013, Ikea took the plunge into the wide world of augmented retail reality, when it released a companion app to go with its catalog -- to give Swedish furniture fans access to bonus digital content related to products shown on its pages. A new version of the app is now upon us, and with it comes new AR functionality. Namely, users can now see what certain pieces of furniture (or at least a digital version of said furniture) will look like in a given room. For the feature to work, users simply need to scan one of the 90 AR-enabled product pages with the app, and toss the catalog on the floor where they want to see the digital version of the product appear. Then, the app superimposes a 3D model of that bit of decor on your mobile device's screen, allowing users to assure their would-be furniture will maintain perfect feng shui without, you know, having to actually move stuff around.

Filed under: Software

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Via: Geek.com

Source: Apple App Store, Google Play

The Next Big [Case] and New Storefront

One of the most popular forums on XDA as of late is the Samsung Galaxy S4 and its US carrier variants (T-Mobile, Sprint and their bootloader-locked siblings on AT&T and Verizon). This is with good reason, as the device boasts top-of-the-line specs as well as pretty heavy backing from a marketing machine around the world. What is of great benefit to you, the user community, is that accessories (like cases) are interchangeable across the variants. And that’s where our partner CruzerLite comes in.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, not only have you missed some great seasons of Doctor Who and The Big Bang Theory, but you’ve probably missed the emergence of CruzerLite as one of the premier suppliers for Android-related merchandise. Back in December of last year we embarked on a great partnership with them to make XDA-branded cases and apparel, with the express desire that we not make anything from the sales, instead passing on the savings to you – the community.

That continues with the recent addition of the Galaxy S4 to the lineup of molded-case offerings from CruzerLite in black, green, and smoke. Made of scratch-resistant material, these fit like a glove and protect your precious device from all manners of perils as a result of your travels. And while you may think this type of case would cost you a pretty penny, it can be yours for $14 plus flat rate shipping of $4. That’s an extraordinary deal for keeping your expensive device in pristine condition.

But CruzerLite hasn’t stopped there. They recently unveiled our own storefront found at store.xda-developers.com, making it simple for you to find all of the XDA-related merchandise you desire all in one place. So make sure you visit the storefront and show your support for XDA and CruzerLite.

Square app now records and tracks all payments, prints over Bluetooth

Many shops that use Square readers still have to accept checks and gift cards, but they haven't had an easy time reconciling those physical payments with the digital variety. Thankfully, updated versions of Square for Android and iOS should bring harmony by recording and tracking payments in virtually any format. The new release is particularly friendly to iPads serving as registers, giving them both cash management tools and support for printing receipts over Bluetooth. Storeowners whose sales still involve lots of paper or plastic will want to grab the latest Square apps through the source links.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile

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Via: The Next Web

Source: App Store, Google Play

Moto X review

One year ago, Motorola, fat and fed by its Google acquisition, inched quietly into a silicon-spun cocoon to gestate. The subsequent passage of time allowed it to transmogrify and re-emerge a thing of red, yellow, blue and sometimes green beauty; a Google thing made by a Google company. The Moto X, its newborn monarch, arrives in an array of different colors, made possible by the NikeID-like Moto Maker site. It also comes with a homespun narrative: it's assembled here in the USA. Time to empty your wallets, patriots. This is America's smartphone and it costs $199 on a two-year contract.

If I'm right in reading between the lines of Google's marketing speak, the Moto X was made in the image of the everyman. It's the product of a democratic process -- you can take that future design poll on Facebook as proof of this point. The 4.7-inch screen size, the curvature of its back, the composite materials, its weight and front-face look were focus-tested for maximum inoffensiveness. The Moto X exudes no tech halo like the Galaxy S 4 or the HTC One because it is the sum of averages. Here's how I see it: You know those people who own iPhones, but don't know which model number they own and also refer to all Android phones as Droids? This phone is for them.

Gallery: Moto X review