Subscribe:

Ads 468x60px

Labels

Chromecast 1.8 Custom Wallpapers, Chrome Updated to 38

Google Android Apps

Last Friday, we saw the release of Google+ version 4.6, which brought Google’s Facebook competitor a bit more inline with the latest Material Design UI guidelines. Now just a few days later, Google is gracing our Android devices with two new updates, Chromecast 1.8 and Chrome Stable v38.


First up, we have an update to the Chromecast companion app, bringing us to version 1.8.22. The Google Chromecast has always been lauded for its aesthetically appealing backgrounds. But now with today’s update, users are finally allowed to personalize their Chromecast devices with custom backgrounds. You can also enable weather updates, satellite images, and news headlines, just like what was mentioned back at I/O earlier this year.


Next, we have an update to Chrome Stable, which brings us to version 38.0.2125.102. Much like we saw in last month’s Chrome Beta v38 release, we have new Material Design UI tweaks, as well as the new highlight to search feature that is activated when highlighting a word in the browser and clicking on the new G icon.


As always, both of these updates will begin rolling out to consumer devices over the next few days. However, we’ve gone ahead and mirrored the APKs on our Google Drive for your early access, sideloading pleasure. Head over to the links below to get started:



[Many thanks to Portal Supporter MihirGosai for the APK!]


The post Chromecast 1.8 Custom Wallpapers, Chrome Updated to 38 appeared first on xda-developers.


Mistwalker launches Terra Battle for Android

If you loved Final Fantasy, you’ll definitely like the new game developed by its creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Terra Battle is the latest role-playing game by Mistwalker Corporation that lets players go on a journey where powerful heroes and warriors are the main characters.



Goal of the game is to eradicate the enemies by moving units freely around a grid-based map. Move the characters to outflank the enemies or attack from both sides. You can finish off multiple enemies in one strike with chain attacks. Characters can be customized depending on the skills and jobs you want them to have. They can also have job changes. To be more powerful, you can acquire skills to combine together and create new characters. In a strange world, be ready to face a variety of foes found on different battle maps.


The Terra Battle app also includes a Download Starter CampaiGn that brings updates and new content to the game. These rewards are enabled once milestones are achieved within the game. Some of the rewards given include new scenarios, characters, and in-game music. Also included are updates and news about Terra Battle’s development. Game developer plans on brining a console version once two million downloads are achieved.




Mistwalker bringing its games to consoles is not surprising because it has already produced some role-playing games for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. In 2006, the company released Blue Dragon and The Last Story for Nintendo Wii and the Lost Odyssey for Xbox 360 back in 2010.


Download Terra Battle for Android from the Google Play Store


terra battle_c terra battle_b terra battle_a Terra Battle for Android





Say yes to Yes Chef! so you can play with your food

"Don't play with your food!" This may be something you constantly heard from your parents when you were at that age when everything just fascinated you, including the food they set in front of you at every meal. But now that you're (supposedly) an adult, a new Android game will let you do just that. From the creators of the highly-addictive Fruit Ninja, now comes Yes Chef!, a game that would like to be as pervasive as well.



Yes Chef! is a match 3 puzzle game where you must help a young, aspiring chef named Cherry who wants to be the best one in the world. She is searching around the world for the best recipes she can find and add to her menu. But don't worry, you're not required to learn all these recipes and make them. What you just need to do is match three kinds of ingredients as you serve customers' orders, bake cakes and get high scores to "become a true cooking legend."


The game has over 100 levels and you will receive power-ups and special "powers" to help you achieve your goals. You can switch and match the ingredients and meals that include vegetables, seafood and even desserts. There are timed challenges, special games and other ways of playing the game in case you get bored with just doing the three of a kind swiping. And if you're feeling a bit competitive, then you can challenge your Facebook friends and get additional points as a reward.




Of course you don't expect complicated storylines or state-of-the-art gameplay and graphics with these type of games. But if you do like the simplicity of it and want to keep yourself hungry or craving for food while playing, you can get Yes Chef! for free from the Google Play Store. There are some in-app purchases available so remember to disable this if someone else will be playing the game on your smartphone or tablet.


chef1 chef2 chef3 chef4 chef5


Sony SmartWatch 3 lands at Verizon in Oct

The wearables market is growing rapidly with new products seemingly launching all the time. The next new smartwatch product to land at Verizon will be the SmartWatch 3 from Sony, and the device is set to land at the carrier this month.



The Sony SmartWatch 3 has a 1.63-inch 320 x 320 pixel display and is designed to connect to any Android smartphone running KitKat. Sony made the watch weatherproof with an IP68 rating. That should mean it will survive getting wet in the shower.


sonysw3-1 sony-smartwatch-3-hands-on-sg-0 sony-smartwatch-3-hands-on-sg-1 sony-smartwatch-3-hands-on-sg-4


Inside the device is a digital compass, gyroscope, and a GPS chip. On the app front, the SmartWatch 3 will have Google now and access to Android Wear apps right out of the box. One of the features of the new wearable is that the smartwatch hardware is inside a small black puck that can be put into different bands for wear.


That means you can pick the color to suit your mood. We talked about the Sony SmartWatch 3 last month. Check out the video below to learn more about the wearable. Pricing and an exact date the smartwatch will land at Verizon is unknown.




SOURCE: SlashGear





Android L 64-bit emulator finally out, only for Intel x86

From Google I/O 2014, we were treated to a preview of Android next OS releases, now known popularly as Android L. Android head honcho Sundar Pichai also made it clear that Android 5.0 (or is it Android Lollipop?) will be optimized for 64-bit apps, but as launch date nears (we hope) – there have been few updates regarding Android L 64-bit capability. Thankfully, we have one right now – as Android Dev has announced the availability of an Android L 64-bit emulator for Intel x86 architecture.



This emulator image is specifically for app testing, as developers begin to take advantage of specific features that 64-bit processing can give. Those include increased addressable memory space, a larger number of registers, and new instruction sets for their apps.


Android Dev also announced that apps coded in Java will be able to automatically access these new benefits, while those built with Android NDK will have to make specific changes – namely, the have to compile for 64-bit architectures by including “x86_64” in the build target, or use the catch all code “APP_ABI=all64” in their Application.mk.


This is all good, as developers can now start testing their apps for 64-bit. But we need to address the obvious white elephant here – where is the emulator for ARMv8? This emulator release is specifically for Intel Atom/Bay Trail processors, and not ARM. NVIDIA’s 64-bit Tegra K1 may just be around the corner, and Qualcomm is already pushing their 64-bit capable processors, so Android Dev needs to put out for ARM architectures soon.


SOURCE: Android Developers





New Oppo N3 leaked pics, event set for October 29

Oppo is a smartphone maker that is big in China and became better known elsewhere when it tied up with CyanogenMod with the original Oppo N1 smartphone. With that tie-up, Oppo became the first phone maker to ship a device offering CyanogenMod right out of the box. The Oppo N1 is aging now and its time for Oppo to offer up a new device, and the firm has been teasing that unveil. Oppo is set to have an event on October 29 where the N3 will be unveiled.



The N3 is the predecessor to the N1, clearly the company decided to skip the N2 designation. The N1 was an interesting smartphone with a big 5.9-inch full HD screen, 13MP camera, and CyanogenMod OS. There have been many rumors about the N3 so far, one of them suggesting that it would have a rotating camera.


oppon1-2


That rotating camera would allow users to have a device with a single snapper that could take normal photos as a back camera and be flipped around to use for selfies as well. Rumors suggest that the N3 will feature a 5.9-inch 1080p screen, Snapdragon 805 processor, and 3GB of RAM.


Whether or not the device will continue to offer CyanogenMod remains to be seen. Considering that was one of the big differentiators for the N1, CyanogenMod on the N3 seems likely. We only have a few weeks before we know for sure what Oppo has in store for us.


SOURCE: SlashGear





Google expands PayPal support for Play Store

This is clearly good news for all of us here who rely on the Google Play Store so much for apps, entertainment, productivity and such – Google has expanded its list of countries where it accepts payments via PayPal. We have been aching for PayPal support for the longest time, and in May this year, it seems that the gods of Google finally heard our cries.



Of course, it wasn’t a top-to-bottom, all countries kind of list – the initial move was to accept PayPal app purchases from 12 countries – namely Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, the US, and the UK. This move, while surprising, was definitely accepted with positive support from the Android community.


Just recently, if you didn’t know, Google added to this list (together with a significant design and aesthetic update) – because really, if you didn’t live in the 12 countries listed above, that would still be a bummer. The added countries are these, for your information: Australia, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, and Sweden. This brings the list up to 18 countries now.


We hope this momentum will build to the point where we can say that majority of the countries enjoy PayPal purchase support at the Google Play Store, because the convenience is just miles and miles above having to use real plastic credit cards for your purchases.


VIA: Android Police





Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)