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Paranoid Android 4.5 Beta 2 gives Recents a bit more polish

You can really tell how dedicated (or alternatively, obsessed) developers are with a feature when releases are dedicated mainly to the improvement of a single, but arguably major, feature. Inching ever closer, hopefully, to a final release, the Paranoid Android team has released Beta number 2 of version 4.5 with, you guessed it, another round of changes to the redesigned Recents view.



Android L's fancy new Material Design has had some pining for the look and feel of the upcoming Android version. PA started the ball rolling by introducing a redesign of the Recent Apps list, one of the more visible changes found in Android L. Of course, it wouldn't really be remarkable if they just dumped the exact same thing from Android L to Android 4.4. They of course, gave the visualization their own spin and stamp of identity, and introduced some features not yet, and might never be, found on Android L. Like, for example, the ability to throw away all but the most recent app with a tap of a button.


Each iteration of PA 4.5, which came immediately after the first stable release of PA 4.4, was dedicated to polishing up this new feature. In this round, the changes are a bit more subtle but the overall effect is more pleasing. In particular, the layout has been improved, promised to give an easier navigation experience. Animations have seemingly also been tweaked a bit, making transitions between states a bit more fluid. Animations, to some, may just be eye candy, but judicious and reasonable use of transitions is also one of the pillars of Material Design. Of course, this is all better seen in action, so take a gander at the short demo clip below.




That said, the new Android L aesthetic might not be to everyone's taste. Fortunately, PA was kind enough to give their users a way to opt out and revert to the usual style of Recents. Of course, there are other changes included in this release, mostly related to the theming system. For one, the calculator has now been made themable. And, like clockwork, changes to the upstream Theme Engine have also been merged.


SOURCE: +ParanoidAndroid





Motorola Shamu benchmarks hint at a drool-worthy Nexus 6

We're back trying to figure out Google's next move when it comes to its Nexus device line. While the jury is still out on who will be bequeathed the privilege of making what people are calling the Nexus 6, one of the top contenders is Motorola, and this latest benchmarks of a certain "Shamu" device, believed to be the Nexus 6, is trying to tell us that the former Google-owned company might have something to show indeed.



As the next Android reference device, this Motorola Shamu unsurprisingly flaunts high-end specs on GFXBench's website. Included in that shopping list of top of the line hardware is a 2.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, which comes with the new Adreno 420 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal memory. The display is no joke either, with a 5.2-inch 2560x1440 screen, beating the LG G3's own 2K display in size and, therefore, pixel density. The cameras are quite run of the mill, with a 12 megapixel shooter at the back and a 2 megapixel on the front. The rear camera is noted to be capable of recording 4K video, which isn't surprising given the Snapdragon 805's multimedia bent.



motorola-shamu-gfxbench



This sheet is seemingly confirmed by popular benchmark site AnTuTu, who revealed a certain "Google shamu" sneaking into its list of devices. The name alone would clue us in on the Nexus association of this device. The two agree in almost all specs except for the camera, with AnTuTu putting a slightly higher 13 megapixel on the back and 2.1 megapixels for selfies.


motorola-shamu-antutu


Of course, benchmark sightings are never a certainty of an actual device coming to market so the door remains open for speculation and even other players. There is also word that a Motorola-made Nexus might not be possible until Motorola's assimilation into Lenovo becomes total and complete. That said, considering how Android L and, by extension, the Nexus 6 aren't scheduled to come out until later this year, there might still be enough time for all those pieces to fall into place.


SOURCE: GFXBench, AnTuTu

VIA: SlashGear





Galaxy Grand 2 in Gold shown in Samsung India website

Who doesn’t like their smartphone in the classic gold colors? Samsung has typically released a golden version for most of its flagship devices, but this time around, a mid-range phone is getting the golden treatment. In Samsung India’s website, they have listed a gold edition of the Galaxy Grand 2, the phone released late last year and which had only 3 color variants previously available in white, black and pink.



The device of course is not golden all over. It still has a black front panel, but the sides and the faux leather backing are indeed of a golden hue. It is currently listed as out of stock, but possibly Samsung will be making it available in the next few days or weeks (otherwise, why put it up there right?) We’re also not yet sure if this is something exclusive to India. But what we’re sure of is that it has the same specs as all other Galaxy Grand 2 devices.


The Galaxy Grand 2 looks like its other Grand predecessors but has slightly updated features. It’s slightly larger than the original Galaxy Grand at 5.25 inches and has a 1280x720 display. It runs on 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU and has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS + Glonass connectivity. It’s RAM is a bit strange at 1.5GB and internal storage is at 8GB with an option to expand up to 64GB with its microSD slot. In terms of its camera, it has an 8 megapixel main camera and a 1.9 front-facing one, with accompanying apps like Best Face, Best Photo, Continuous Shot and the Sound and Shot feature as well.


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There is no indication yet if other markets will also be carrying the Galaxy Grand 2 Gold. For now, we’ll be looking at the India site to see when it will be available and if other countries will follow suit.


VIA: Sammy Hub





HTC Zoe will be launched this week for non-HTC Android smartphones

As it continues to struggle in the smartphone market, not having the power to overcome leaders like Samsung and Apple, HTC tries to turn to another business channel as they launch their new business unit, HTC Creative Labs. The first product from this new venture will be launched later this week. It’s a short video app called Zoe and while it looks promising, it would be competing in an already crowded video app market.



HTC Creative Labs is made up of around 260 engineers and designers from different HTC offices from Seattle (where they are based) to San Francisco and Taipei. The purpose is to focus on software development not just for HTC smartphones but for other Android devices as well, like for competitors Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. This is already a “third act’ for the Taiwanese OEM, according to Creative Labs head Drew Bamford. They started out in creating hardware for Compaq and Palm until they eventually shifted to manufacturing phones in 2006.


The first product from the software group is the short video app called Zoe. It has already been in existence for the past couple of years, but only for HTC devices. This time around, it will be ready for other Android-powered gadgets. The idea is to choose up to 16 pictures or video clips from your phone, choose a theme and the background music and then it will create a 30-second video from all of these media. Your friends can also collaborate on the videos by adding their own images or videos or remixing the videos of other users.




HTC Zoe on One M8




However, it is not that simple to make a breakthrough in this market, as Instagram and Vine are only the big-time success stories so far. There are a lot of other apps which are aiming to take a piece of the pie, and Zoe would have to be more outstanding in order to make a name for itself. More than making a profit, HTC is looking at Zoe to also become a social media hub where people will share and discover videos created from the app. But the beta software right now still has lot of limitations, like not being able to choose the order of the images and videos in the clip. It also has limited granular control as well as requiring higher specs for it to work. So let’s wait and see what else HTC Creative Labs can come up with.


SOURCE: Re/Code

VIA: SlashGear


Android distribution: KitKat now over 20%

As a monthly 7-day data collection on Android platform distribution statistic, Google has published the August number – with Android KitKat 4.4 passes 20 percent, now at 20.9 percent. The gain in Android KitKat version is not because of the older Froyo or Gingerbread, but from the reduction of Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich version.



Google did not reveal how many devices it has tracked, while Android Froyo 2.2 continue to maintain at 0.7 percent like last month, its market share should be slowly reduced with more Android smartphones running on KitKat available in the market. Surprisingly, Gingerbread (2.3.3 – 2.3.7) market share has increased 0.1% at 13.6 percent, probably due to more Gingerbread devices "checked in" to Play Store this month.


Android KitKat 4.4 gets a nice 3 percent increase this month to 20.9 percent, although it is not its biggest jump (up 5.2 percent in June). With more Android KitKat devices are available in the market and more Android KitKat updates are rolled out by manufacturers, Android KitKat will continue to gain more market share.


android-distribution-august-2014

Since September 2013, Google will not include Android version with less than 0.1 percent market share. Android devices before Android Froyo 2.2 are not detectable too due to the old Google Play Store app. So far, only Android 3.x Honeycomb is eliminated from the list. It looks like Android Froyo 2.2 will be the next Android version that we will be missing, but probably not before we welcome Android L in the market share distribution chart – which will be rolling out in the next 3 months.


Box app updated with Box Notes and other enhancements

Productivity apps are a dime a dozen in an app-crazy market and it would have to take something special to make yourself stand out among all of them. For note-taking apps in particular, Evernote, Simple Note and OneNote have been dominant, so is there room for some other apps? Productivity app Box has a new update and its Box Notes features may actually give the aforementioned note-taking apps a run for their money.



Box Notes has tons of new features to make it easier (and maybe even fun?) to use for taking notes at school, meetings at the office or just your own personal diary. It has seamless integration with the web version and you’ll be able to use the app just like you would on your desktop. Some new features for the latest version includes having checkboxes instead of just the normal bullets, because organised people really love checking off tasks that they’ve already accomplished. They’ve also translated the user interface so it would work in all the supported languages available, so you could collaborate and share notes with people from different parts of the world.


In terms of enterprise productivity, there were also a few enhancements added. You now have one-click access to the last 25 files you’ve recently opened to give you easier access to notes that you may want to edit or share. You can also now control the settings for links you want to share, like setting an expiration date for until when they can view it or preventing them from downloading the file from the app. For advanced security settings, you can block the files from being opened in third-party apps, from copy-pasting text on their phone’s clipboard and also blocking uploads from the app.


Box Notes has a minimalist design that will appeal to some, but as of now, it really does not have something that would make it comparable or even better to other note-taking apps available. But if you’d want to give it a try, it’s available when you update your Box app from the Google Play Store.


SOURCE: Box (1,2)





TapPath lets you control where your links will lead to

While you most likely have a default browser with which to open the links that you click on wherever you are on your smartphone, there are times when you wish you had more options right? Well of course there’s an app for that and TapPath wants to be your app of choice for that kind of problem. It gives you the ability to control where yuou would like the add to lead to when you tap it once, twice or thrice.



TapPath’s function is simple: it just wants you to have an easier time when clicking on links, no matter what app you’re on, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Tumblr. It’s like the right-click function when you’re on a desktop, but of course since you’re mobile, it has to be through tapping. The app lets you set up which 3rd-party app the link will lead to when you single tap, double tap and triple tap (maybe frantic tapping could also be an option in the future?)


So for example, you’re going through Facebook and you want to open a link that caught your interest. A single tap can lead you to your default browser, for example, Google Chrome. Two taps will then open the link in Pocket, since you want to save it for later reading. And if you triple tap it, it can open in Evernote, if you want to save the link’s content directly on your note-keeping app. All you have to do is set up those options on TapPath’s settings and you can tap your links away.


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TapPath is brought to you by the same developer who made other helpful apps like Link Bubble and Action Launcher. It’s available at just $0.99 at the Google Play Store.




SOURCE: +ChrisLacy


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