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Angry Bird Star Wars II gets new chapter with latest update

Angry Bird pop culture iterations continue to be popular and in demand, despite the appearance of many imitations and (some would say better) more difficult alternatives. And as excitement continues to build for the new Star Wars movie coming out in December of 2015 (witness the craziness over the first released teaser trailer), game developer Rovio decided it's time for another update for Angry Bird Star Wars II.

"Revenge of the Pork" is the newest chapter in the seemingly endless war between birds and pigs. The two species are still at it, and this time around, you'll get 32 new levels to try and fling birds to destroy those pesky pigs across Genosis and Mustafar. The update also brings 16 new Master Your Destiny levels so you can practice being a jedi, just in case the actual rebels in the Star Wars universe need to call on your skills. And when we mean skills, we mean bird-flinging capabilities.

If you expect any bird or pig iteration from the upcoming new movie to show up, you will be disappointed. The plot and characters from the movie are a closely guarded secret anyway, so fat chance that the folks over at Rovio will be able to take a peek. This update is really more of the same, but if you're hungry for any kind of Star Wars thing and you're still a fan of Angry Birds, then this will be more than okay for you.

The update is free for anyone who's already been enjoying the game. If you haven't yet, you can download Angry Birds Star Wars II from the Google Play Store for free, but with in-app purchases available.

Facebook Trending now on mobile, with more resources

For market researchers, social media community managers and people who are just curious what people on the Internet are talking about, Facebook's Trending feature was heaven-sent when they started it back in January. The latest update now brings this to your mobile devices and there are even more ways to read and analyze the topics you want to explore, with more resources available at the swipe of your smartphone or tablet.

There are now five sections for each trending topic that you'll click on. One stream, called "Articles" is to show you articles from media organizations and how they are bringing the story to the rest of the world. The "In the Story" section will bring you the point of view of people who are actually part of the story, like if it's about a political personality or a celebrity. If you want to look at stories from people you know, you can head to the "Friends and Groups" stream so you'll see what they're saying about the trending topic. "Near the Scene" is all about those who are posting and talking about the topic and are near in that area where it is happening. Lastly, "Live Feed" is a real-time ticker that shows you what people all over the world are saying about it.

The timeliness, engagement and other algorithims determine which post or stories will show up in the different sections. As for your own posts, they will only show up if you use the Public settings or if you are in the audience for said post (friends' or groups updates).

The Trending update will start rolling out for Android devices and web users as well. However, for now, it is just limited to the US, but hopefully, this will also roll out to other countries and regions.

SOURCE: Facebook

Verizon outs software update for Galaxy Note 4-Gear VR compatibility

So you've got your Samsung Gear VR and your Galaxy Note 4 ready to give virtual reality a try? Well, you've got to update your Note 4 first before you can enjoy the VR headset. More so if the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is from Verizon.

This isn't surprising but the bigger news is that Verizon already has the necessary software update. Okay, so maybe Verizon has changed it's a welcome surprise. If you've got your Verizon Galaxy Note 4, you need to download the software update first. It brings a few changes to the Gear VR compatibility, Galaxy Essential widget, and the ISIS wallet name now changed to Softcard.

After the Galaxy Note 4 is updated, you'll notice a new transparent Amazon Widget, new legibility for screen and font colors non-active items, Spanish support for Mobile Hotspot, email notification bugs fixed, and better WiFi performance. If you're observant enough, you will notice the Google Drive and Office viewer compatibility problem also fixed. Fingerprint scanning is also better. Thank you Verizon.

A software update before getting to enjoy the Gear VR and experiencing virtual reality is such a small thing. Do it before you turn on the Gear VR because carrier variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 won't work without the software update.

To finally get the update, go to Settings > System > System Updates and see if it's already available. It should be there now. Enjoy!

VIA: SlashGear

Marvel Contest of Champions lands a blow on Android

Marvel and fighting games fans will have something to drool over, or conversely to pan, on Android now that Contest of Champions is finally here. Marvel's highly hyped mobile game, developed by Kabam, promised a lot of things, especially console-level graphics quality and intuitive touch controls. But are they able to deliver all those as well as a game that doesn't feel like "yet another" mobile game?

The plot of Contest of Champions is taken from two events in the Marvel world of the same name. Here, you are the unnamed Summoner who is pitted against one of the dreaded villains of the Marvel universe, Kang the Conqueror. Pulling the strings is the Collector, who, as his name points out, collects not just things but people as well. You, the Summoner, and Kang don't fight directly. Instead, you use a selection of Marvel heroes and villains to do the dirty work for you.

This mobile rendition of that event was praised early on for its graphics, and here Kabam does deliver, at least to the extent that they can on mobile devices. The scenery and the character models do feel like they jumped right out of a console, or an arcade box at least. This should definitely give Marvel fans a reason to vie for this game, especially considering the rather extensive roster now available at launch, a mix of both popular and sometimes fringe characters.

Although the game is best played with two hands in a controller grip, it actually doesn't make you feel that you're trying, and failing, to use a button-less controller. In fact, it could probably be played without holding it like a controller, but the feeling will definitely be different. A simple tap of the right half of the screen initiates a low attack, while a swipe in that same area is used for a medium one. Tap and hold charges up for your higher attack. The left side of the screen is used for blocking (tap and hold), backing up, and dashing forward. The only time you might actually have to be conscious of your finger placement on the screen is for the super attack, where you have to tap on a specific button to activate.

Champions, in other words the heroes and villains you can use, are acquired via crystals, though it seems to be a semi-random game of luck trying to get your hands on your favorite characters. An interesting element in this fighting game is the concept of character classes and bonuses, where one type of character, for example a "DNA" one, has bonus damage against a class weak against that type.

That said, the game doesn't stray too far from the comforts of well-tested, and sometimes annoying, mobile gaming tropes. Ladderized progress, hour/day-based bonuses and limits, and of course, the dreaded in-app purchases. Still, it might be worth taking a shot, especially since it's free, just to see your favorite Marvel characters dish it out in Full HD, depending on your device, of course.

Download: Marvel Contest of Champions

Delete photos already backed up on the cloud through Cloud Carousel

We've all been there before (well, unless your device has like a gazillion, okay, 128 GB of space), especially if you're a massive mobile photo taker. You take and take pictures, or save pictures from various sources on your device, but you're quickly running out of digital storage space on your phone or tablet. Dropbox is offering a solution to this problem with Dropbox Carousel, which lets you delete those that have already been backed up.

Sounds a bit risky, if you're concerned about properly backing up your files before freeing up space? Yes, it can be, if the company will make a mistake in the process. But Dropbox' head of product development for Carousel, Chris Lee, said that they are ensuring this will not happen. The app assigns a unique identification number on the photos uploaded, and this will determine if they're already completely backed up on the cloud before deleting it from your device.

But it will not also automatically delete it. It will actually give you a prompt when, for example, you're running out of internal storage space on your smartphone or tablet. You still can control which ones should be removed from your device since they're already backed up on Dropbox. The original photo will not be marked for deletion until it is fully (and not partially) uploaded on the cloud. The prompt will happen at three points - when you first use the Dropbox Carousel app, when your device reaches the 50% capacity mark and finally when it gets to 80%.

Photos that are backed up and are older than 30 days will be marked for deletion. Android users can expect the update for Dropbox Carousel to roll out from the Google Play Store gradually starting today.

VIA: SlashGear

Youtube Now Supports Offline Playback in India

If you’ve had your eyes on the headlines in September, you may have heard of plans by Google to enable Youtube support offline playback of videos in India. Announced at the Android One event, this would work by introducing an extra button with a downward arrow as an icon under the video, which if pressed, will prompt you to select the video quality you want to download. And being in India, such functionality for offline support will come as a much welcomed feature, especially by those with sparse access to 3G and 4G.

Scheduled to go live within a few weeks, the release of the feature was pushed back for months until, well, now, because it seems like this feature is finally rolling out in India. The release will be in stages, so users in India should be receiving notifications for a Youtube update in the upcoming days. So to the folks waiting patiently, or justifiably restlessly, hold tight, because you’ll be able to watch offline Youtube videos very soon.

[Via AndroidHeadlines and AndroidOS.in]

The post Youtube Now Supports Offline Playback in India appeared first on xda-developers.

Game of Thrones adventure game now on Android

With the fifth season of HBO's smash hit Game of Thrones, based on the equally successful book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, still a few months away, fans of both the show and the yet unfinished book series would gladly feast on anything Westeros thrown their way. A new title from developers TellTale, known for popular adventure games, has finally hit Android devices and it should tide you over until the new season begins.

But if you expect that the Game of Thrones, errr, game, would be massive and epic as the eponymous TV series, you might be in for a slight disappointment. It is more of the classic point-and-click adventure games where your decisions for the story line will fuel your gameplay. You are a member of the House Forrester, which is actually a new house created just for the game. You are a vassal of the unfortunate (but fan favorite) Starks of Winterfell and you are caught up in all the political intrigue, warfare and power play in the War of the Five Kings.

In the game, you will become different members of your house, and your actions and decisions will determine the fate of your entire clan, whose words are "Iron from Ice." The game is of course based on expanded elements from the show itself, but since you are of a house not featured on the series, your actions will drive the story forward. The game comes with dramatic voice overs, interesting characters, and just like the series, a lot of blood and sex, hence the "High Maturity" required warning.

The first episode of the Game of Thrones title will cost you $5 and the rest of the episodes, 2-6 to be exact, can be bought in-app when they are released. You can buy the game from the Google Play Store, but make sure that your device is running on Android 2.3.3 or higher and is not a Galaxy Tab 3 or Droid RAZR (it won't work in either device).