Samsung gives second preview of Lollipop for Galaxy S5

It looks like Samsung is eager to show people how Android 5.0 will marry with TouchWiz on their current smartphone flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S5. A month ago, the Korean gadget giant offered a preview on the alpha build of Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S5. Today, we will be seeing more of the progress Samsung is making into building TouchWiz for this new version of Android.

Firstly, the Samsung build has changed names from the formerly cryptic “Android L” to the more definitive Android 5.0 – though it still doesn’t carry the “Lollipop” nickname. It might be obvious from the video shown below that Samsung may not be using Google’s latest build for Android 5.0 – but that’s fine, because there are a lot of new things in this build.

First up, there is a new system-wide font – quite similar to the first build but obviously slimmer, more consistent with Material Design. There are also more animations and transitions in this build, including a new “screen off” animation. Lastly, there are lots of new UI changes specific to common apps. You will want to see the video below.

Most Samsung fans will be excited about this. We understand that manufacturers are racing to be able to bring Android Lollipop goodness to their flagship phones as soon as possible. HTC has promised to bring Android 5.0 updates 90 days after Lollipop officially drops – which is just a few days from now. Samsung has promised that an Android 5.0 update for the Galaxy S5 will be available in December. Let's see if they can keep their promise.

VIA: Sam Mobile

Story Timeline

• Enable call recording on Samsung Galaxy S5, other devices


• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 teased with Android 5.0 Lollipop


• Android 5.0 update for Samsung Galaxy S5 to hit in December

Cell Phones : [ Galaxy Universal Vehicle Navigation Mount ] Galaxy Universal Vehicle Navigation Mount

**Compatible with Samsung smartphones with screen sizes between 4.0 and 6.3 in. **







The Samsung Universal Vehicle Navigation Mount lets you take the brilliance of your Samsung smartphone along for the ride! The custom fitted cradle holds the handset securely during long rides. Attach it to a windshield or dashboard and adjust the multi-angle neck for perfect viewing. GPS capabilities are optimized with navigation applications but that’s just the beginning with the endless Android® apps available. With your hands safely on the steering wheel, experience the convenience of powerful, voice-activated Android applications like S Voice. Your Samsung smartphone and Vehicle Navigation Mount duo is truly brilliance on the go. (Fits handsets with 4.0" - 6.3" screens)

Minuum keyboard app to get huge update, new themes and languages

For those of you using the Minuum Keyboard app, you’ll be glad to know that a new update will be rolling out for the productivity tool. The new update includes lots of new themes and additional languages, which the app developers are hoping would convince more and more users to use their pay-to-use keyboard.

Front and center on this update will be 12 new languages to add to the 13 that are already on the app since its last update, version 2.14. This is most likely to lure more non-English users to actually try out the app. The last update added Swedish, Czech, Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish to the language list. The new update should be a big boost for the app.

And to celebrate the new languages, Minuum is adding flags as themes for the keyboard – among the other new themes that it is adding via the update. Minuum has said that user feedback has given them lots of requests for new themes – so they’re doing exactly that.

Lastly, the app is adding new customization options with the update. The roll out seems to be going at a staggered process, with some markets and locations getting the update sooner than others. If you still haven’t gotten the notification for the update, all we can do at this point is wait. If you want to try out the Minuum Keyboard app, it is on sale for USD$0.99 at the Google Play Store here.

SOURCE: Minuum

Story Timeline

• Minuum shows how it's done on Android Wear smartwatches


• Minuum rolls out v2.11 with floating keyboard,quick tips


• Minuum keyboard update: better language switching, more languages

Battleheart Legacy signals Mika Mobile’s return to Android

Game developer Mika Mobile stopped making games for the Android platform back in 2012 (reasons speculated but unverified). But now two years later they are back with Battleheart Legacy, a dungeon crawler sequel to a hugely popular game for iOS devices. Android users will now be able to experience the rich and detailed fantasy world where you get to play a hero on a mission to defeat the enemy, get new weapons and abilities and establish your legacy. Yeah, no problem, it's that simple.

Compared to the 2D world of Battleheart, the sequel is now in 3D but it is still a throwback to the point and click games of yesteryears (if you call the 90s yesteryears). The real-time combat system, signature animation and visually stimulating VFX makes the game interesting even though you really can't expect a complicated storyline from Legacy. But it's always fun (if you go for that sort of thing) to use various means to crush your enemies by poisoning, clubbing them with weapons, blowing them up with a meteor strike or even put them to sleep in a song.

You'll be able to gather more than 150 unique skills across 12 different classes but that depends on what spells or skills you choose rather than a linear structure. You can even combine different classes so you can create an almost limitless number of classes. You also have over 200 kinds of equipment to use as you make your way across the seemingly endless dungeons. You also get to fight in several boss battles that will train and push your hero to the limit.

It's a good first game back in Android for Mika Mobile and if you haven't tried their previous games before, you get to find out why they were missed. You can download Battleheart Legacy from the Google Play Store for $4.99 and there are no additional in-app purchases necessary.

SOURCE: Mika Mobile

VIA: Android Police

Smash Champs lets you become a legendary trainer

If you enjoyed Subway Surfers, then you might like this new game from its developer Killoo. The company has just released Smash Champs, a new challenge that lets you battle your way to greatness.

With Smash Champs, you are not mainly the hero but you can take on the role as trainer to lead Champs to victory. Your goal is to prepare them for combat and teach them to be the greatest fighters of all time.

Smash Champs is an arcade adventure game that involves a lot of training and fighting to become a legend. Form a group of warriors that will prove their strength and lead them to greatness. You can be the best trainer of Smash Champs after numerous combats of your trainee. You just have to prove first that you can beat your opponents.

The game reminds me a lot of Kung Fu Panda and Fruit Ninja. Combat gameplay involves fast swipe actions and unlocking of champs. You can also customize your trainees with powerful gear as the game progresses. Do all these things and you'll be on your way to becoming a legendary trainer (just like Master Shifu).

Personally, I like the idea of the game but graphics aren't as impressive. The fact that you can't play with it without Internet connection is mostly a bummer.

So, are you ready to rise to challenge?

Download Smash Champs from the Google Play Store

Story Timeline

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• Godzilla Smash3 game unveiled by Rogue Play and Warner Bros.


• Smash Rider crashes into Android

Poynt pad tries to be all-in-one payment system for business

Point-of-sale systems, especially for small businesses, can sometimes be a very expensive pain with technology constantly updating and new payment methods continually cropping up. Former Google wallet chief Osama Bedier is behind a new product that will try to become an all-in-one payment system. It's called Poynt, and from the looks of it, it is poised (or will try) to revolutionize how we conduct financial transactions, at least digitally speaking whether in your store or even at bazaars and trade fairs.

Hardware-wise, Poynt is a touchscreen Android device that has dual displays, one for the merchant and one for the customer, to avoid all the turning and flipping when conducting transactions. Retailers will have a 7-inch tablet where they can enter the amount. It also has a speaker, a mic, a front-facing camera, a magnetic strip and a EMV "Chip & PIN" card reader. Meanwhile, the customer will have a 4.3-inch touchscreen which will also have a QR code reader and barcode scanner, an NFC antenna and even a thermal printer that can give them receipts.

The best thing about Poynt probaby is that it is platform agnostic, accepting varied payment systems including credit cards, Chip & PIN cards, NFC (which will include Apple Pay of course), QR codes and Bluetooth Beacon systems. Currently, the device will just use WiFi or 3G/4G connectivity. But later on, they plan to develop a dock with an ethernet port as well. In terms of analytics, it has several apps where you can track your financial performance either through the POS or even remotely through your Android device.

For now, Poynt will only be available in the US market. Shipping to developers will start in this year's last quarter, with the device priced at $499 while merchants will be able to purchase it at $299 by the first quarter of 2015. With the issues facing Apple Pay and also NFC payments being rejected by several retail pharmacies, let's see if Poynt can actually make waves in the retail and technology industry.

VIA: SlashGear

Truedialer app helps you manage contacts and calls

If you think there is no need to improve on your contacts and dialer that you’ve been used to since forever, you’re wrong. You see, smart dialers like the Truedialer are becoming more useful these days because they make searching for contacts and calling them easier and more fun.

The Truedialer app is best to use with Truecaller, another app from its developer, True Software Scandinavia AB. The dialer shows what seems to be a simple numeric pad but it actually gives instant access to more information about your contacts. Phone must be connected to the Internet though so you can search within your phonebook and the more than 1 billion contacts on Truedialer and Truecaller’s huge database.

If you don't know who owns a number, you can easily search the database and see if it's there. If there's a record, you can immediately read information about the new contact. This will be beneficial particularly for businesses and professionals who don't want to waste time on unnecessary calls. The key is to get to know the person you are about to call or information about the incoming call. This free app will show you relevant information about an incoming contact or the person you are about to call.

To date, about 85 million people use Truecaller to manage their calls and contacts. With the release of Truedialer, we can expect more people downloading the app and using its many special features.

Download Truedialer from the Google Play Store

Story Timeline

• New dialer app possibly leaked by Google's Twitter account


• More leaked shots show new dialer app for Android 4.4.3


• App Dialer lets you easily search through your apps