In light of Android’s possible future in Native Theming for AOSP code, developer Syko Pompos reflects on the history of interface theming and where CyanogenMod went wrong to ensure a prosperous and non-conflicting future for its own Theme Engine.
The post Runtime Resource Overlay and CM12 Theme Engine appeared first on xda-developers.
This great guide put together by a redditor shows you just how to get involved into the somewhat intimidating world of Android development, without any prior experience necessary. Lots of resources detailed and simple explanations inside, including a first-app tutorial. Start an XDA career!
The post Step-by-Step Android Development with No Experience appeared first on xda-developers.
If you carry ear buds with you in a pocket, briefcase or backpack you know that they can become a tangled mess in short order. There are several ways that you can keep them tangle free, but some of the ways are expensive and inconvenient. A new product has turned up called Spoolee that promises to make keeping your ear buds untangled easy and inexpensive.
Spoolee is made from soft and durable neoprene and has an opening that is designed to slide over your finger. The user can then wrap the cord to their ear buds around their finger until it's all stored away. A small elastic strap with hook and loop closure keep things coiled neatly.
When you are ready to use your ear buds again you simply put the Spoolee on your finger, unhook the strap, and then unspool the ear buds quickly. Since the neoprene is soft and flexible, it can be carried in small spaces such as a pocket.
Spoolee can also be attached to the headphone jack of your ear buds to keep extra cord out of the way when it's not needed. The Spoolee project was on Kickstarter seeking $8,000 and ended up raising a bit over $50,000. The Kickstarter is over, but Spoolee can be pre-ordered for $9.99 directly from the Spoolee website with shipping expected on March 22.
SOURCE: Kickstarter
Amazon has announced some interesting news for fans of free fast shipping of items from Amazon and Amazon original series that stream to Prime members. To celebrate picking up a win at the 72nd Golden Globe awards for its original show called Transparent, Amazon will be offering all ten episodes of the show to anyone via the Amazon Instant Video App.
Transparent is an original show Amazon produces that won a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Series. Its star Jeffrey Tambor also won a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a musical or Comedy Series. If you want to see what the show is about, get ready to binge it on Saturday or buy a discounted Prime subscription and watch the episodes at your leisure.
For Saturday only, Amazon will offer discounted Prime memberships for $72. That is a 25% savings off the normal price of a Prime membership. Amazon says that Transparent has proven so popular that a second season of the series is already in the works.
The Amazon Instant Video app is available for multiple devices including the Fire TV, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, and smart TVs. Android apps are available for mobile devices and tablets.
SOURCE: Amazon
It's been a while since our last Level Up! games roundup, so let's dig right into the past weeks' highlights. Of course, we have a bunch of new games for you, including some from rather big franchises like Dragon Quest and The Witcher. Naturally, some updates are also waiting for the more comic games of Angry Birds and Goat Sim. We even have some sweet deals for those who want to go beyond simple game playing and dive into the world of game making. Welcome to 2015's first Level Up! digest.
Dragon Quest V ($14.99, no IAP)
Square Enix just won't stop bringing its classic and well-loved titles to mobile, which is, of course a good thing. If not for the price tag, that is. Since the Final Fantasy series is pretty much complete up to Final Fantasy VI, the game publisher has turned its eyes to its Dragon Quest franchise. For this round, it's the turn of Dragon Quest V. Aside from the epic story line and authentic JRPG experience, what sets the entire DQ series apart, even from the FF Android games, is that the interface is optimized, and customizable, for smartphones, allowing gamers to play it in a portrait orientation.
Of course, this being Square Enix, we're talking about a rather hefty price tag, $14.99 all in all. Luckily that doesn't come with in-app purchases, a concept alien back in the days. For some, that might be an acceptable price to pay for this piece of gaming history in their pockets. Others might want to wait for some seasonal or flash sale instead.
The Witcher Battle Arena (Free, with IAP)
The Witcher is a relatively new RPG franchise that has been acclaimed for its deep, even a wee bit dark, storyline and meaningful world-changing choices. That said, don't expect any of that in this latest version of the game for mobile devices. As the name itself would suggest, The Witcher Battle Arena is The Witcher set in a MOBA-style world. You get to pick your choice of hero from the list of characters of The Witcher's world, except for main man Geralt himself. But if that's your type of game, then TWBA offers high-octane action, be it by yourself or in squads, and gorgeous graphics that fans of the title have come to expect.
The Witch Battle Arena is free to play but it does come with in-app purchases, so beware. The game may be out of beta now, but it also seems to be region locked for now.
WWE Immortals (Free, with IAP)
Ever wished your favorite wrestling personality was a superhero (or villain) as well? No? Well, someone at WWE definitely thought that a lot of fans did. WWE Immortals coats the likes of John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, The Rock, and even Hulk Hogan, in a coat of armor. Or spandex. If you thought wrestlers weren't violent enough, this will probably change your mind. The game pretty much plays out like any mobile brawler out there, using swipes and taps to attack and initiate combos.
WWE Immortals comes with no price tag attached but does have in-app purchases for bonuses and perks.
Adventure Time Game Wizard ($4.99, no IAP)
For those with a more peaceful but still a bit twisted bent, the popular Adventure Time might be more to your taste. More than just a simple platformer game, Adventure Time Game Wizard gives you the power to create your own levels. You can do so directly via the game or scan your hand-drawn torture maps. Reunite with your favorite Adventure Time characters and meed new ones, including the game's primary villain, Doodle Wizard, voiced by none other than Weird Al Yankovic.
The game does cost $4.99 but at least it doesn't come with any hidden purchases inside.
For some light-hearted moments, we have a few updates that will keep you entertained and perhaps even laughing.
Angry Birds Space's "Brass Hogs" update is pointed to be its biggest update ever. Aside from introducing a whopping 30 new levels, Brass Hogs also has a new swine to beat by the name of Hektor Porko. Fortunately for you, you won't be alone with a new The Wingman avian to aid your crusade. If you're up for even more challenge, there are daily challenges available as well. But for an even bigger challenge, get a three-star rating on a level to unlock its Mirror World counterpart, a harder and mirrored version of that level.
If you've fancied yourself more as a goat than a bird, then the Goat Simulator's latest update might be more up your alley. The ludicrous game not only gets a new map called, what else, Goat City Bay, there are also a bunch of new goats available. And to top it all off, there's a new *lickable* helicopter as well.
Although not exactly games, Android Community also has something for gamers with a more creative bent. If you've ever wondered or wanted to know what it takes to create an Android game, then now is your chance to find out. We have course bundles available specifically for learning game design and development. Our seven-course Android Game Development Bundle is back to teach basic and advanced programming and game making skills. We also have a "pay what you want" set for imparting the intricacies of game design. So what are you waiting for? Get cranking on your dream game! Who knows, it might be the next Angry Birds or Flappy Bird.
That's it for this week's edition of Level Up! Be sure to check out our Gaming tag portal for the rest of this month's news and updates for your Android mobile gaming fix.
Phone lock features are quite useful but unlocking can be a hassle at times. Frequent entering the passcode, pattern, slide, pin, or fingerprint or facial recognition can take a while. Why can't the phone just ask for the unlock code when it's not within a known territory? That's what the Smart Unlock app does. It offers a hassle-free mobile use at places that are safe and secure. When connected to a trusted device or known network, the phone will no longer ask for the pin. It eliminates one step to accessing your phone or tablet because you can directly go to homepage.
This app will particularly come in handy if you're in an area with familiar and secure Internet connection. Default lock security will be enabled once you disconnect from a trusted network or device so you have nothing to worry about. NFC and location based safe areas unlock features are not working yet but unlocking with WiFi or with Bluetooth should be okay.
The app works by simply adding trusted WiFi networks as a main feature. It works with Android 4+ and Android 5.0 Lollipop-powered devices. App doesn't require any rooting. Simply download the Smart Unlock app and change the settings. This will be very useful in places that are secure and safe for you to connect to. This could be your home, car, school, or the office.
Smart Unlock is a premium app. It cost $1.99 but you can avail of a 7-day free trial and see if the Smart Unlock app is for you.
VIA: XDA Developers
Download Smart Unlock from the Google Play Store
Android has its own alarm app and so do many OEMs but that hasn't stopped many from making their own spin on the app. One of those is AlarmPad, which features many addon features, including syncing alarms across devices and dismissing them using NFC tags. The app has just gotten a major update that not only imbues it with Material Design, it also adds a new and faster way to add a one-off alarm.
Material Design recommends the addition of an action button at the bottom right corner of the screen for easy access to adding new items to the app. Although you can definitely do that with AlarmPad's new look, there is an even easier way when setting an alarm for, say, 1 hour or so. Tap and hold that action button and then slide upwards. When you hit your desired time, let it go and see the alarm added automatically.
Of course, that's not the only new thing with version 1.7 of AlarmPad, but most of them revolve around easy access to most used functions. Tapping on the alarm icon will let you quickly change the color and icon of the alarm while tapping on the time itself will let you change the time. There are also new widgets that will let you change its appearance and its "when tapped" behavior. And lastly, there is a new home screen layout that shows users the summary of alarms in a day.
AlarmPad is a free up on Google Play Store, but an in-app purchase will unlock the "Pro" version. This will give users access to advanced functionality that make AlarmPad worth its salt, like backup and sychronization, using playlists, and using NFC tags.
Download: AlarmPad on Google Play Store