Wikipedia app on Android receives facelift with material design

Searching for any type of information on the internet, whether it's from Yahoo, Bing, or Google - almost always provides you a link to Wikipedia. Although Wikipeda is not considered a credible website to use as a research source, the site does provide large amounts of information that can be seen as pretty much accurate and spot on with background and history on the searched topic. This week the Wikipedia app on Android received more than a beautiful facelift, and it’s looking good.

The Wiki app for Android was released back in February 2012, and hasn’t seen too many major updates since. Today is a time for change - the Wiki app for Android has received some Material Design love with new usability features. The updated app features images more prominently with parallax scrolling. Articles now feature a contextual-image and description at the header. Going hand-in-hand is an image viewer which allows you to tap an image to display as a larger pop-up panel - tapping again minimizes the image.

The new update includes the “read more” feature - which provides you three related pages to the searched topic. The search feature has been improved and includes a list of recently searched topics, but still retains a dull gray search bar.

The new updated app is staying current with material design influences and animations. Improving the app’s usability makes it look and feel more modern.

VIA: Google Play Store

Turn WWE superstars to immortal heroes in new Android game

If you think that what happens on the WWE stage, or rather ring, is already over-the-top and ridiculous, real life has nothing on this new Android game. Not only do your favorite wrestling superstars have super strength, they are actually immortal superheroes. If you're a huge wrestling fan and a mobile combat game enthusiast, then WWE Immortals will be right up your alley.

The game is WWE meets Mortal Kombat, which may be an appropriate description, since it is actually developed by the makers of the latter (and another popular combat game, Injustice). With just your smartphone or tablet's touch screen mechanics, swipe and tap your way to victory, playing your favorite WWE stars like Triple H, Jon Cena, The Rock, and even old school Hulk Hogan. Each has unique superpowers and moves, sometimes based on their actual signature moves, but amped up to superpower, cyborg and even mythical creature levels.

Initially, there are 14 different Superstars and Divas, but they will probably be adding more in future updates. The game format is 3-on-3 combat, but you can also take on real opponents in the Online Battles mode, where you can compete with the rest of the world and even in-game events from the WWE itself. And as the game stores your gameplay on its server, you can watch replays so you can study where you went wrong or what your strengths are.

Of course, you can expect great graphics from this game, which includes custom animation for each of the WWE stars. WWE Immortals is free to download from Google Play Store but with in-app purchases.

WhatsCloud [ROOT] update brings improved power efficiency

The WhatsCloud Root app has been around for a while now and as the name implies, it requires root access to your device. The app is designed to allow you to message friends from your desktop or a tablet and is meant to be secure with 256-bit AES end-to-end encryption.

Users that use WhatsCloud on the desktop get notifications in Chrome when a message is received. For many people sitting in front of a computer, using WhatsCloud to chat is more comfortable and faster than using the smartphone or tablet keyboard.

The update to the app brings one major improvement to the mix- improved power consumption. The latest version is 1.1.9 and improved battery usage with the update means no more wakeups for your device.

By using less power, your device will be able to run longer between charges. The update landed January 15 and is 2.8MB in size. WhatsCloud [ROOT] has as many as 50,000 installs and requires Android 2.3 or higher to operate.

SOURCE: Google Play

Android Studio 1.1 Preview 1 Released

A short while ago, the Android Studio replaced Eclipse with ADT as a default IDE for Android development. The studio has recently been updated to version 1.1, which is available to download as a preview in Canary and Dev channels. Get it now to see what has changed.

The post Android Studio 1.1 Preview 1 Released appeared first on xda-developers.

Mugen releases extended battery for Samsung Galaxy Note 4

While the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has met expectations of fans of the OEM's Note series (well, most of them at least), it still suffers from the common ailment of smartphones and phablets like it: battery life leaves much to be desired. Yes, the Power Saving mode may have improved it a bit, but because users are often mobile, you still need the help of battery extenders. Mugen has come up with another high-powered accessory, made specially for the Galaxy Note 4.

The HLI-N910XL Mugen Power 6640mAh is an extended battery that can give your phablet 2.06 times more life, which is of course way better than the standard 3220mAh battery. Mugen says that the accessory has undergone rigorous testing to be able to bring the "highest quality and lowest return rate." It is compliant with CE requirements and can also be charged wirelessly through both NFC and Qi Wireless Charging platforms.

The charging capacity of the battery is pretty impressive and better than most of its rivals, although it is still not the biggest in the market. Last month, the 10000mAh Zerolemon Galaxy Note 4 battery case was introduced for those in need of extending the life of their smartphone, and at the same time, have a sturdy case to protect their phablet. Expect more similar heavy duty batteries to come out in the market in the next few months.

But if you'd like the Mugen Galaxy Note 4 battery now, you can purchase it through their website. You can get it for $89.50, which is a bit more expensive than the Zerolemon which is priced at $59.99.

SOURCE: Mugen

Gunslugs 2 launches for Android gamers

Fans of the original Gunslugs game on Android will be glad to hear that the second installation in the franchise is now available to download. Gunslugs 2 puts players into a world that is under attack by tanks, spiders, bombs, rockets, aliens, and other bad guys.

The game offers a combo of fast run and gun game play with elements from movies and pop-art from the 80s and 90s. It looks like an old school video game in design and graphics. The story puts players into a battle against the Black Duck Army.

There are seven worlds to battle through and each world has eight levels of game play. The levels have end bosses to fight and inside areas are randomly generated. That means that the game is replayable and you won't be dealing with the same enemies in the same places each time.

The game launched January 14 and is 11MB in size. So far, only about 50 people have installed it. The current version of the game is 1.2.0 and Android 2.3 or higher is required to play. The game is from developer OrangePixel. Check out the video trailer to see more of what the game is about.

SOURCE: Google

Color coordinate your outfit and watchface with DressWatch app

You might be able to easily change the wrist band of your smartwatch, but watchfaces allow you to inject style into your wearable. But what if you want it to match the color of your OOTD (that's Outfit of the Day for the uninitiated), it might take you a few minutes to search for a matching watchface. But a new Android Wear app called DressWatch will make it easier for the fashion conscious to do so.

That is basically the function of DressWatch, to match your smartwatch with your outfit. You take a picture of your clothes or upload an already existing picture to the app. It will then grab two colors from the picture and then create a watchface based on those two colors. But if you're not happy with the colors that are pre-selected for you, you have the option to change it to whatever color you want, just in case you want them to deliberately clash with your OOTD.

You can download the DressWatch app from the Google Play Store through your smartphone connected to your smartwatch. It will adapt to the size and shape of your wearable, so no worries that it will look weird on either your square face or round watch.