SwiftKey adds more Indian languages, Diwali theme

Being the second most populous country in the world and having multiple languages, India should have a special place in app developers' hearts. Virtual keyboard SwiftKey has responded to requests from several users and in its latest beta update, they're adding 13 new Indian languages and they've also come up with a special theme to celebrate Diwali, which is India's biggest holiday.

If you're one of those who requested for these additional languages, you need to join the Google Group for SwiftKey Beta for Android, follow the instructions and download the SwiftKey Beta app. Only then can you have the new languages which are: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Nepali and Sinhala. Hindi and Hinglish are already supported in the previous version of the app. The group is also intended to get feedback from users in their goal to make support for India-related features better.

And since Diwali or the festival of lights is just a few weeks away, SwiftKey has also come up with a keyboard theme to celebrate the occasion. The festival, which sometimes runs for weeks is a celebration of light over darkness and is celebrated in India and Indian nationals all over the world, even if they don't practice Hinduism. It's great to see apps like SwiftKey giving support to other languages and cultures as calls for diversity in media and technology continue to grow.

For non-Indian speakers, the beta update for SwiftKey also includes other updates, like changes in the SSL certificate to make SwiftKey Cloud’s Backup & Sync services more robust and changing the popup EULA with links at the bottom of the page. If you're interested to enjoy all these new features, join the Google Group to download the beta version of SwiftKey.

SOURCE: SwiftKey

Story Timeline

• SwiftKey keyboard goes free, adds Store for premium theme purchases


• SwiftKey app improves and fixes features,brings new themes


• SwiftKey on Android updated with faster load times

WSJ says Nexus 6 coming out this month

In case you were wondering – and we know many of you are – the Wall Street Journal has got it on good sources that the whale-sized phone (geddit?) we all are waiting for would indeed be launching this October. We are talking about the new Nexus 6 made by Motorola, of course – more popularly known as “Shamu” or “Free Willy” or whatever whale joke-slash-name you would have for it.

The new phone, which will be bringing with it Google’s Nexus stamp of approval, has been leaked and re-leaked, benchmarked, and photographed to kingdom come – to a point where we don’t even know which is real anymore. But we do know this – it will come with a monster 6-inch screen and some whale-sized specs (sorry, couldn’t help it).

The guys over at SlashGear think that October may be a good time to launch the phone – just a little bit after the iPhone hype (and #bendgate) and a little before the holiday shopping rush. They have precedent for it as well, as the Nexus 5 was launched near Halloween – albeit without the hype and fanfare Shamu will undoubtedly have.

The WSJ report also confirms the big screen size and that indeed, Motorola will be making it. Of Shamu leaks, there are a lot. But solid official information has been hard to come by, so we rely on WSJ’s cred for this report. There are only 20 odd days left in October, so it can’t be that long a wait anymore.

VIA: SlashGear

Samsung offers extended warranty for selected Galaxy devices

Damaged smartphones and phablets, especially the ones that you bought for a lot of money, are a living and very real nightmare for gadget owners. No matter how careful you are in handling your phone, accidents will happen. You will drop your phone. You will spill something on it. No matter how tough your phone supposedly is, there will be damage at one point. And if your warranty is expired, good luck then. Samsung is now offering a product that will somehow set your mind at ease when it comes to this problem.

Samsung's Protection Plus Mobile Elite is a service that will extend the warranty of your device to two years after your original 1-year warranty has expired from the time you purchased it. For now, this only covers four Samsung devices: the Galaxy S4 and S5 and the Galaxy Note 3 and Note 4. This is understandable, since they are some of the more expensive smartphones/phablets out there. There isn't any word yet if they will also be offering this product to cover other Samsung devices, although the higher-end tablets should probably come into consideration,

During the coverage period, when your device suffers from such things as accidentally cracked displays (deliberately cracking an expensive device is a no-no supposedly) or liquid damage, you can make up to three claims. Samsung promises 24/7/364 days support (we don't know what is that one day where they cannot offer customer support) and a speedy resolution to your damaged product. They should also probably offer a short lecture on how to protect your gadget when you're in it for the third time.

You can avail the Protection Plus Mobile Elite plan for $99 for the Galaxy S4 and S5 while you need to pay $129 for the Galaxy Note 3 and Note 4. But it's not exactly free as you need to pay $75 (Galaxy S4 and S5) or $95 (Galaxy Note 3 and Note 4) plus applicable tax everytime you make those three allowable claims. But that is probably better than having it fully repaired or replaced on your own.

SOURCE: Sammyhub

Story Timeline

• Samsung Galaxy Alpha gets the iFixit teardown treatment


• Samsung boasts of S Pen capabilities in new video


• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 gets dropped over and over and over

Google Play Store updated, more Material Design and tweaks

This is a developing story, but it seems that Google has updated the Play Store app, and there are very obvious changes to this new iteration of our favorite app marketplace. The app has changed aesthetics closer to what we might expect from a movement towards Google’s Android L launch (soon, we hope). And there are some tweaks within the app itself that would be good to look at.

Officially, this new rollout is build number 5.0.31, an update from the most recent 4.9.13. And first up, we get a new Play Store Icon. Below is a history of icons, starting from the Android Market period. But the last one is the most recent one, giving a more “cleaned up” version of the 4.9.13 iteration. Personally, I like the cleaner, sleeker look to it.

Also, the update boasts more Material Design – which is, if you’ve been living under a rock these past few months – is the catch phrase for the cleaner, minimalist, and simplistic design theme taken to by the still un-launched Android L. Also, you will notice that the “What’s New” section for every app has been moved up – a much needed tweak, we would say. What took you so long, Google?

There should be a couple more new stuff in the update, allow us to explore more. This has just rolled out, so a number of you might need to wait a bit for the rollout to get to you. If you’re interested in downloading the APK installer for yourself, try this link here.

DOWNLOAD: mediafire

VIA: Android Police

Story Timeline

• Google Play Services updates Fit preview, Play Store redesign leaked


• Google Play Store IAP price listing detailed further


• Google Play Store now shows IAP price range, dev address

Enable ‘Guest Mode’ on your Chromecast, needs rooted device

As far back as Google I/O 2014, the mothership was already talking about enabling “Guest Mode” on Chromecast devices – that is, enabling users on other WiFi networks to stream media to Google’s casting dongle-slash-device. Well, four months hence and a number of updates have come and gone for the Chromecast companion app and we still haven’t seen this mode enabled.

Fortunately for us, we have guys at the XDA forums who “never sleep” for the good of all Android users. One of those guys is XDA contributor “r3pwn”, who has been able to give a workaround so that this mode is enabled. Chromecast works on the assumption that the device casting to it is on the same WiFi network. This mode will allow devices on other networks to cast to a particular Chromecast dongle.

The workaround will – for now – need a rooted Android device, there is no getting around that for now. For you to use this process, you will have to figure out how to root the device you want the Chromecast to work with. You will also need to make sure that you have the latest Chromecast APK. Then you will also need an app called “#Configuration for Root”, and execute two simple commands. Those instructions are clearly given via the official XDA thread here, click on over for more info.

Chromecast was initially renowned for a strict selectivity for devices which can cast to it, but Google has been slowly working on adding more options and supported devices as the device matures. And the Android community has been good enough to provide alternative options so that the device can be relatively opened to almost all devices able to stream to it. This workaround is just another step to make things better for Chromecast users.

SOURCE: XDA

Story Timeline

• Google adds Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact to Chromecast Screen Casting


• 8tracks curated playlists app updated with Chromecast support


• Google adds 'Backdrop' feature to Chromecast

Enable Guest Mode on Your Chromecast Today!

Back at the I/O 2014 keynote earlier this year, Google announced that a future update to the Google Chromecast would bring Guest Mode functionality to the budget-friendly media streamer. Once enabled, this feature will allow users to cast to a Chromecast without needing to be on the same WiFi network. Four months and a couple of Chromecast companion app updates later, Guest Mode has not yet been enabled by the Mountain View giant.

Luckily, yesterday’s Chromecast companion app update brings us one step closer. And with some help from XDA Recognized Contributor r3pwn, we can now enable Guest Mode ourselves. This is accomplished using an application called #Configuration for Root and two simple commands described in the thread that are executed from within the app. Once done, you will be able to use Guest Mode on your rooted Android device and cast to it even when you’re not on the same WiFi network as the Chromecast itself. For now, however, you will need to have a rooted Android device (Chro

You can enable Guest Mode for yourself by first making sure you have the latest Chromecast APK and then visiting the Guest Mode for Chromecast thread.

[Many thanks for the heads up, r3pwn!]

The post Enable Guest Mode on Your Chromecast Today! appeared first on xda-developers.

Nexus 6 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

The Nexus line is Google's Android champion, the annual display of Android in its purest form. As we get closer to this year's refresh, rumors are beginning to flesh out what the Nexus 6 is going to look like. Here's what you can expect from the next great Android phone.

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