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Google+ photos can now be viewed on Google Drive

We don't know if this might be the start of the "rebranding" of Google+, but it can be considered major news that the tech giant is now making your photos previously found only on the social networking site now available on your Google Drive as well. It's been long reported that Google is looking to make big changes to the way they organize and manage photos, and this may be the first step towards that.



Starting today, organizing all the photos you've backed up onto your Google account is easier because you'll be able to see them on your Google Drive. When you visit your Drive, you'll see a folder on it called Photos menu, where all the photos and videos that you've uploaded or backed up on your Google+ can be seen. That doesn't mean that all the photos will then be deleted from your Google+, unless you choose to do so. You can still store, edit, and share them from there. But having them on your Drive means you can have better control over all your files, including documents, spreadsheets, and now photos and videos.


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This isn't news, just confirmation, for those who have been following the whole "will they or won't they" Google+ saga, ever since Bradley Horowitz took over Google+ and that they divided it into two products, namely Photos and Streams. But now that Google Drive has been officially brought into the picture, we still have no idea what the Photos part will eventually mean for the social network.


You can check out your Google Drive now, whether it's on your desktop or on your mobile device, and you should be able to see the Photos folder. If it doesn't there yet, maybe wait a few more hours since Google will probably be rolling it out gradually.


SOURCE: Google


Xiaomi launches the Redmi 2A in China, a cheaper Redmi 2

If the Xiaomi Redmi 2 is the Chinese manufacturer’s entry level phone, then what do you say to a cheaper variant of an entry level phone? Well, that’s what the new Xiaomi Redmi 2A is – a poor man’s Redmi 2, if you will. Launched on the occasion of the fifth founding anniversary of Xiaomi in Beijing, it looks like the USD$45 billion-worth company is feeling a little magnanimous and presented the low-end market with a real treat.



The Redmi line is a budget oriented product line to begin with, but with the Redmi 2A, we will see a phone sold at just around USD$97. Let’s see what that includes. First up, this phone will be powered by a 1.5GHz Leadcore LC1860C quad-core processor, a Mali T628MP2 GPU, and supported by 1GB of RAM. The display will be a 4.7-inch HD (720p) display.


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Even at this level, Xiaomi is able to squeeze in Cat 3 LTE connectivity to the Redmi 2A. The main differences from the original Redmi 2 is the processor, and the type of LTE available – the Redmi 2 has Cat 4 LTE. And with 8GB internal storage, a 2,200mAh battery, and possibly Android 4.4 on it – the device looks to be a steal.


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The Redmi 2A is now available in the Chinese market, and there is no word as of writing on whether Xiaomi plans to release this model in other markets.


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SOURCE: Xiaomi





Decode the quotes with Next Quote for Android

Has it always been your secret dream to travel back in time to work as a codebreaker during World War II or in the present time, to work for the CIA and help in creating and/or breaking coded messages from around the world? If your answer is yes, then you have to start practicing for the eventuality that someday, you might be called upon to serve your country. Next Quote would be the perfect app to practice on, and be inspired by great thinkers on the side.



Next Quote - What's The Quote has a simple purpose, and that is to give you quotes from the best writers, philosophers, former US Presidents, and heck, even a few comic book superheroes thrown here and there. But before you can discover their messages, you have to break the cryptogram that they come in. This game has over 500 quotes, phrases and aphorisms that you have to discover simply by making legible the illegible code that they have been put in.


Lest you think you have all the time in the world, there is actually a timer so the pressure will be on. If ever you get stuck in certain areas, there are (limited) hints to help you along. If you're feeling competitive, then you can battle it out with online friends and even strangers. And of course, once you've broken the code, you can share the quotes on your social networks.


So are you excited to get inspiration from Steve Jobs, Batman, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, George RR Martin, etc? You can download Next Quote from the Google Play Store for free. There are in-app purchases also available.


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All My Gods is a city building game with a Roman twist

There’s a lot to be said about some people’s fascination to become “gods”, to have control over the fate of cities and worlds. Thankfully, we don’t have to go that deep in this article – but only that the Android platform allows some of that to an extent. “All My Gods” is a new game which allows you to practice city building powers as a Roman god.



As a Roman god – specifically the son of Saturn – the player will be “blessed” with divine capabilities. You can control a Roman village and affect its growth by befriending other gods, creating miracles for the people in the village and whatnot – just normal Roman mythology good stuff.



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Play the game right, your village grows in size. Oh, and you have to remember that the god of War dislikes you, you have to deal with that throughout the game, which plays heavy on your strategy skills. Strangely, the game devs promise a very specific amount of gameplay, 12 hours. We wonder why.


The game is free to play, but will have a lot of IAPs that you can use to boost your godly powers. The in-app boosts cost as much as USD$2.99. The game is free to pick up via the Google Play Store.


DOWNLOAD: Google Play Store





ASUS Chromebook Flip: budget netbook in tablet/laptop hybrid style

We somehow expect a lot from our netbooks nowadays, when before we only needed it for word processing and web surfing functionalities. But now we have a lot of high-end devices that can function as both a netbook and a tablet. Chromebook OS devices are also slowly growing in number, but they are either too expensive or on the other end of the spectrum, the low-end ones still leave a lot to be desired. But now ASUS is attempting to bridge the gap between premium specs and affordable prices with their new Chromebook Flip.



The 15mm thick (or we should call it thin) netbook runs on Rockchip's new 3288 quadcore chip with 1.8GHz and ARM Mali-T764 GPU graphics. The full metal device has a full HD IPS touchscreen and a convertible hinge that will make it easier for you to turn it from a netbook into a tablet. It can be useful for both personal use and even professional use but it can also appeal to students, particularly for art education as the touch screen functions of the Chromebook Flip.


Speaking of Chromebook, a lot of the touch-friendly functionalities of Google are baked into the device, like automatic screen rotation (which will hide window management buttons when you go into full-screen mode), a new virtual keyboard (including handwriting support, which is why it's very convenient for students taking notes), and many other features that we've come to expect from Chromebook OS devices.


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The way Chromebook Flip looks, you would expect it to cost a lot, but when you see its price tag, you would be pleasantly surprised. It will only cost you $249 (even cheaper than some of the smartphones out there) and it will go on sale this summer.


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New Moto X now with red leather option in Moto Maker

If your favorite color is red and you're in the market for a new smartphone that you can customize to your heart's content (well, at least more than the others available now), then the 2nd generation Moto X might be the one for you. They're now introducing a red leather option when you "create" your smartphone through their customizable Moto Maker, branding it under their hashtag #ChooseChoice.



The Horween leather back option, which previously comes in other colors like brown, gray, black, orange, blue but now, you can choose red as your color, making a striking look for your Moto X 2nd gen. They previously had a "football red" (the American football, not "soccer) edition, but this is only for the Verizon variant. But other than that, this is still the same Moto X that has gotten rave reviews from some tech enthusiasts.


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It runs on a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 quad core processor and has 2GB RAM and an option to get the 16GB or 32GB internal storage option. The Moto X has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 OLED display, with a 13MP main camera and a relatively low 2MP front-facing camera, which may not be that ideal for selfie-loving folks.


The red color is only available through Moto Maker but only in the US, UK, France, Germany and Mexico markets. It will cost you an additional $25, just like the other leather back options previously, and that will be added on top of the regular off-contract Moto X which starts at $399.99.


SOURCE: Motorola





Jamstik+ is a modern musician’s guitar, up for crowdfunding

When Zivix came out with the jamstik in 2014, we kinda sorta knew they were not going to stop at just the first edition, what with the warm reception as CES 2014 and NAMM 2014. Lo and behold, they have come out with the much improved Jamstik+, and Zivix is looking to crowdfund its initial push for the modern stringed instrument.



The Jamstik+, at its core, is a smart guitar which a musician is able to play by pairing it over Bluetooth to an Android smartphone or tablet. One of the biggest draws to this is that musicians who live in apartments can play it without producing any noise. You can record yourself without ambient noise and such.


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Is it comparable to a traditional guitar? Well, heck no. But it’s targeted at a very specific type of musician. The Jamstik+ is a lot smaller than a traditional guitar, so it’s easier to put inside your backpack. It just requires pairing a device that has either headphone or speaker outputs. The Jamstik+ has 5 frets, so as a guitarist you can imagine just what you will be able to play on it.




Zivix placed the Jamstik+ on Kickstarter, where it has gotten way more than the USD$50,000 goal amount. If you are looking to back this project, head on over to the campaign via the source link below.


SOURCE: Kickstarter


This is a crowdfunded project, and as such may not deliver what its creators initially promise. Most crowdfunding sites, like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, have policies about what happens to your money if the project fails to deliver on its goals, but choosing to back a project is inevitably a risk. Android Community's reporting on crowdfunded projects should in no way be seen as an endorsement, unless specifically stated, and we recommend closely examining the terms and conditions to understand your individual rights as a backer before making a pledge.





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