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Chainfire unleashes Sideload Launcher for Android TV

The Android TV platform is yet to have a formal launch but already we're seeing surging interest and activity around it, which is always good for a nascent platform. First there is that unofficial port that will let you install Android TV on an OUYA. Now even SuperSU creator Chainfire is jumping in with Sideload Launcher for Android TV, a handy little utility that will unhide regular Android apps that you might have indirectly installed on Google's fancy new entertainment platform.

Android TV is technically a full Android system but its use case dictates a different form of user interface. The launcher for Android TV itself, nicknamed "Lean Back", has been revamped to accommodate that, but it has also imposed a somewhat superficial requirement on apps. While you can definitely sideload and run regular Android apps on Android TV, they will not appear on the Lean Back interface unless the apps have been updated and advertise themselves as compatible.

Chainfire's utility solves that with a very simple fix. Sideload Launcher practically exposes those sideloaded apps' icons on Android TV, which means you will be able to launch them normally. Of course, just because you can, doesn't mean you should as apps that aren't designed or optimized yet for Android TV might not look or even work well on a large screen. Users who insist on doing so should be aware that problems arising from it should not immediately be blamed on the Android TV platform itself.

Sideload Launcher is available on Google Play Store but unless you have the ADT-1 dev kit, a Nexus Player, or perhaps an OUYA, you won't be able to install it, much less use it. Chainfire claims he doesn't foresee this app to be popular, but we'll have to confirm that once Android TV finally lands. Sometimes, it is the little, seemingly inconsequential tools like these that make a platform worth using.

SOURCE: +Chainfire

Android Wear's First Big Update Is Rolling Out

The first significant update for Android Wear is now rolling out, and it all lines up nicely with a rumor we heard early last month. Most significantly, the update brings offline storage for your music, enhanced Bluetooth pairing, and support for Wear watches with GPS. Basically, Android Wear really wants to be your running buddy.

Google Earth major update: 3D rendering, access to KML files

When was the last time you opened Google Earth on your Android device? Last week, two months ago, maybe never? Google is now giving you several reasons to open and use this often-neglected app as they are introducing 3D rendering technology and giving map-making users easier access to their KML files. While Google Maps is constantly updated with new features, it's been 10 years since there has been a major overhaul for their less-loved but supposedly more awesome-looking sibling.

"Faster, smoother, crisper". That's the promise that Google is giving us when it comes to transitions and browsing through the Google Earth app. The new 3D rendering makes you feel like you are actually skydiving into the places you're looking at, whether it's the Eiffel Tower or the Swiss Alps or New York City downtown. They've also given a visual refresh for the roads and labels on the app so that it's easier to look at the places you want to explore through Google Earth. The real-time basemap updates that Google Maps receives will also now be received by Earth.

For those who create their own maps on Google Earth, whether it's for professional, academic or personal (if you enjoy doing that kind of thing for kicks), they're making it easier for you to store and access your KML files as you can directly open them on the app from your Google Drive. You don't need to open your desktop and laptop just to be able to view the maps.

If you don't have it yet or you uninstalled the built-in app on your device, you can download Google Earth for free (of course) from the Google Play Store. Google promised more 3D updates in the next few months so we can expect a bunch of updates over the next few weeks.

SOURCE: Google

Sky+ app update tosses mobile pics onto the big screen

Sky+ users who have a Sky+HD box in their home may have used the Sky+ application before. The app originally allowed Android users to manage recordings when not at home and use mobile devices as remotes for the set top box if needed.

A new update for the Sky+ app has been pushed out and it adds a new feature that makes it easy to view images stored on your mobile device on a larger screen. The update brings with it the ability to sling images you have taken on your mobile to the big screen for viewing in a larger format.

To work, the smartphone or tablet running the app and the Sky+HD box have to be on the same wireless network. If they are on the same network, users only need to tap the camera icon on the apps nav bar and they can see the images stored on their device.

Those images can be viewed individually on the big screen or users can set up a slideshow to show off a bunch of images. The updated app looks like the Sky+ home page and has a new category called "New & Recommended."

SOURCE: Engadget

Galaxy Note 4 Duos unveiled in China in three flavors

Samsung has rolled out a new device in China called the Galaxy Note 4 Duos that is offered in three versions. Two of those versions correspond with different carriers and the third is a SIM-free version of the device.

All three flavors have dual-SIM capability. The China Telecom version is SM-N9109W, the China Unicom version is SM-N9106W, and the SIM-free version is SM-N9108V. One of the card slots on all three versions of the smartphone support 4G TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE.

The second of the SIM card slots on all three versions support 2G networks. The SIM free version is compatible with most carriers 4G networks and will sell for CNY5400, or about $880 in the US.

Pricing on the other two versions of the smartphone is unavailable at this time. Specifications for the Duos versions of the Note 4 include a 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 16GB of storage, and a 3000mAh battery.

SOURCE: Sammobile

Revamp Your Android Lock Screen With Microsoft's New App

If you haven't heard, Microsoft has kicked open the doors to its experimental Garage development hub, and among the projects now available for beta testing is the Next Lock Screen app for Android. Lock screen customization is nothing new, but this effort from Redmond is worth a look for the way it brings information, apps and settings right to your front screen.

Rovio’s Retry game to challenge and frustrate you

It was a wise man (or jedi) who once said, " Do or do not. There is no try." No, we're not talking about a new Star Wars game, but rather, a game that from the name itself already tells you that they do not agree with this philosophy. Retry is in the vein of games that will highly frustrate you (think Flappy Birds) but will hook you into trying to win again and again and again (hence, the name).

Retry is from the guys who brought you (or, as they say, the guys sitting in the next room) that most addictive of mobile games, Angry Birds. But they went old school on this one, using retro 8-bit imagery and a classic jalopy plane. Their game page states the basic outline of the game which is to "Fly. Crash. Repeat." Hooked yet? If you are the type who goes for the not easy games, then you will be. The plane basically flies through obstacles, earn stars to be able to unlock new worlds and get coins in keeping with the 80s theme.

Being the pilot of a jalopy plane, even if virtually, is always a challenge (we're just guessing, since we haven't really flown an actual plane). But unlike real life, here you can spin around, do "white-knucle stunts", fly through hills of Summer, and even go through time-bending passages (we assume the 90s are going into play sometime soon) of the future. And all this game will try to do is stop you from doing so.

So if you feel like crashing your plane several times and retrying again and again, then download Retry from the Google Play Store. It's free but there are several in-app purchases, so don't forget to put in the usual precautions to prevent you from spending too much.