Waze speeds up its sat nav app with quicker search and simpler interface
Even though Waze is now under Google’s umbrella, it’s continued to operate as if nothing has changed, other than the fact that it now has a billion dollars. To that end, it’s just rolled out a new release for Android and iOS with some welcome new features, most significantly an auto-complete function for addresses and categories that plays well with its new Google search powers. Other goodies include a redesigned main menu, easier waypoint editing and new icons on the map view to see traffic reports or nearby pals. Hopefully, other than borrowing its tech, Google will continue to leave the new acquisition alone — after all, how many apps let you be guided around by a celebrity?
Source: Waze
Engadget UK Giveaway: Win a Samsung NX2000 courtesy of Ebuyer.com
Holidays are coming… and with all those chocolate liqueurs being passed around, your memory of those special days can sometimes get, well, a little hazy (liqueur responsibly, please). What you really need is a fancy-pants camera to keep your family moments safe, preserved in photo form. If you’re living in the UK, then our friends at Ebuyer.com have sent us a Samsung NX2000 to give to one of you lucky readers. All you gotta do is head past the break, and enter via our ever-so-simple widget. So, put that mini-chocolate kahlúa down and get right on it. And please, read the rules.
The Rules:
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at ourlawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will win one (1) Samsung NX2000 camera.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Ebuyer, and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honour warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until December 16th at 23:59 GMT. Good luck!
Kit Kat India Goes Into Damage Control, Will Honour The Winners Of The 2013 Nexus 7
A few days ago, we covered the story of some people in India possibly getting the short end of the stick in the Android KitKat competition where one of the prizes was a 2013 Nexus 7. The story goes that some winners of the Nexus 7 ended up receiving the older, 2012 Nexus 7 instead of the 2013 version. Kit Kat India appeared to be indifferent at first, however their Twitter and Facebook pages started getting bombarded with expressions of disappointment. A truly messy situation, one which threatened to escalate and damage the Android KitKat brand in the region and wider community.
Fortunately seeing the potential to damage both Android and Nestle’s KitKat brand, Kit Kat India caved and posted the above photo on their official webpage earlier today. A message went up on their Facebook page soon after to confirm that they would be calling up winners of the competition who had received the 2012 Nexus 7 to organise a replacement with a 2013 version. This wasn’t the quickest of resolutions, nor was it done completely voluntarily, however it likely did wonders for the Nexus 7′s reputation in particular ahead of any last minute Christmas shopping this festive season.
What do you think about this whole ordeal? Do you think Kit Kat India could have handled this better? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Thanks Manu for calling this in!
Source: Tech2Yantra
Mirror app for Android can record your screen or stream it to Apple TV (video)
CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta has followed up his CM 11 Screencast display recording app with one for a wider range of Android users with an extra feature. Mirror for Android can not only record whatever’s happening on your tablet or phone’s screen, but it can also display it wirelessly, AirPlay- or Miracast-style, on an Apple TV. Currently it requires Android 4.4.2 and root access, but Dutta says there is a non-root solution on the way. If you’d like to try it out and have the appropriate hardware, just click here to join the Google+ community, click here to join the beta and then download the app from Google Play. That may not be possible for individuals without a Nexus device and / or CyanogenMod 11 nightly build, so if you just want to see what it’s like, check out a quick video demo embedded after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+), Google Play
Motorola gets snowed in, delays Moto G shipments due to winter storm
Winter storm Dion has been wreaking icy havoc across the US for a few days, but now it’s hitting technophiles where it hurts: phone shipments. Customers who pre-ordered the Moto G have been receiving emails from Motorola, explaining that bad weather has stalled operations at the company’s Fort Worth facility. Long story short, Moto G deliveries are going to be to be delayed, and there’s no firm date on when the devices will ship out. The email posted on Android Central does mention a December 17th shipping date, but the website reports that it varies from person to person. Whatever date they get, buyers will receive their orders the next day, thanks to Motorola spreading goodwill (and softening the blow) by shipping out all units overnight for free.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Android Central
Booq Galaxy S4 Complete Protection Kit review
You may not have heard of Booq, a company mostly known for making laptop sleeves and cases, but they’re venturing into the smartphone world with “Complete Protection Kits” for various devices. I had the chance to use their Complete Protection Kit for the Galaxy S4, which includes a hard shell case, a tempered glass screen protector, and two adhesive home button covers. There are some major pros and cons to the kit overall, so let’s start with the good news.
The tempered glass screen protector is absolutely fantastic. I had no issues applying it, and managed to do so without any air bubbles. One of my biggest pet peeves with normal screen protectors is that they usually just look cheaply applied because of the air bubbles. The tempered glass screen protector included in the Complete Protection Kit takes care of this, and gives the Galaxy S4 a classy, simple layer of screen protection. It’s very easy to clean, and is quite smudge-resistant. Obviously the tempered glass gives a strong level of scratch protection as well, which is always a plus.
The home button covers were somewhere between great and useless for me. I understand their purpose (to compensate for the raised edges of the screen protector around the home button), but the practicality just wasn’t there. Booq gives users two adhesive home button covers with the Complete Protection Kit, but I found them to be more frustrating than useful.
For starters, it’s nearly impossible to peel off the adhesive paper without getting fingerprints on the underside of the button covers. And since they’re transparent, my home button was more or less a permanent fingerprint showcase. In addition, the button covers themselves are ridiculously hard to apply correctly. After multiple attempts that resulted in countless instances of crooked home button covers, I just gave up and removed them.
While the screen protector is great, the Booq Complete Protection Kit does have a major downside: the case. Included in the kit is a slim, hardshell plastic case that’s offered in either black or clear (I received the clear variant). The back of the case is slightly frosted, although still mostly transparent. It snaps on fairly easily, and keeps a minimal profile. I don’t doubt that the case itself offers a fair level of drop protection, but there’s a major downfall to its design.
Buttons, buttons, buttons
The button cutouts on the Booq case are just downright bad. For some reason, the power and volume cutouts are incredibly thin, and the raised plastic edges surely don’t help. I found myself repeatedly attempting to press the power button to lock my Galaxy S4, only to find that my index finger or thumb just wouldn’t fit into the cutout. The volume buttons are just as irritating, which makes me wonder why the case was designed this way.
Along with the cutouts, the edges of the case are actually somewhat sharp. When swiping on the screen, my finger hit the edges quite a few times, which is not helpful to the overall experience.
In the end, the Booq Complete Protection Kit for the Galaxy S4 has its strong and weak points. The tempered glass screen protector is great, but the hardshell case leaves a lot to be desired. I probably wouldn’t recommend the case to anyone, but the screen protector gets a strong thumbs-up. Still, that case might be a deal-breaker for some users.
You can pick up the Complete Protection Kit directly from Booq for $34.95. Justifying that purchase might be hard for some users, given that the hardshell case isn’t the best. With that being said, tempered glass screen protectors aren’t exactly the cheapest of accessories, so that price might be worth it just for the screen protector.
The post Booq Galaxy S4 Complete Protection Kit review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga’ Arrives in U.S. App Store [iOS Blog]
Warner Bros. Entertainment and TT Games’ LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, a part of the popular LEGO series of video games, has arrived in the App Store.
The game is a combination of two games released in 2005 and 2006 called LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and is credited with not only revitalizing the LEGO brand, but also kicking off the successful LEGO video game series.
LEGO Star Wars is a 3D platforming game that involves light puzzles in levels that re-tell the stories of all six Star Wars films, allowing players to play as characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader and over 100 others.
While the game doesn’t include iOS game controller support, it does, like the other LEGO games, allow users to use either the “classic” or “touch” control scheme.
36 STORY MODE LEVELS + BONUS CONTENT
From the Trade Federation’s “negotiations” with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace to the space battle above Endor in Return of the Jedi, play the most memorable and exhilarating scenes from your favorite episodes. Also unlock special bonus content featuring Bounty Hunter missions, a special Challenge Mode, Arcade Levels, and more!
OVER 120 CHARACTERS
Play as your favorite Jedi Knight or Sith Lord! There are over 120 playable characters to unlock, including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, and Boba Fett.
FORCE POWERS
Which side of the Force will you use? Both dark and light side characters have their own unique Force abilities. Will you use a Force Throw to defeat the Jedi or choose your Lightsaber and Force Push to take down the evil Empire?
LEGO STYLE GAMEPLAY
Smash objects into LEGO bricks and switch characters on the fly as you play through different story levels. Create your own Star Wars character mash-ups like Han Windu and Lando Amidala!
DYNAMIC CONTROL STYLES
Switch between “Classic” and “Touch Screen” controls to find the play-style that suits you best
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is available in the App Store for free. Episode 1 is a free download, but Episode II to Episode VI are in-app purchases. [Direct Link]
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Google brings flight, hotel and restaurant reservations to Maps for iOS
If you fancy yourself a jetsetter, fine-diner, or, er, traveling salesman and happen to use an iDevice, Google has some good news for you. The latest update to Maps on iOS brings some of Google Now’s functionality into the company’s navigation app. Search for your restaurant, departing airport or hotel, and the application will auto-populate with your plans — so long as the confirmations were sent to your linked Gmail account. Sure, it’s similar to what the outfit added to Maps’ desktop version earlier this year (pictured above), but since when was feature parity a bad thing?
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: iTunes
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas available on iOS right now, Android and Windows Phone next week
If you’ve been jonesing to spend some HD quality-time with Carl Johnson on your iDevice, the wait is over. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is available from iTunes right this moment for $7, and is compatible with most recent iOS gizmos. If you want to roll with Officer Tenpenny on a different mobile platform, Rockstar Games tells us that the promised Android and Windows Phone versions hit next week. Just remember: What happens in Las Venturas, stays in Las Venturas.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile
Source: iTunes
Twitter looks back at 2013, 140 characters at a time
500 million tweets a day and 230 million users: Twitter’s job of neatly summarizing the year is probably getting tougher each time. For 2013, the social network’s displayed what happened and when in month-by-month summaries of both the major events and hashtags of the moment. It also has specialized synopses for sports, news, entertainment and showcase. The latter is curated highlights from Twitter’s selected publishing partners, so it’s pretty classy fare. If you already can’t remember what’s gone down since January, hit up the source, or watch Twitter’s summary after the break, which pulls together Royal babies, typhoons, red pandas and well, the launch of its own six-second video sharing service, into a single-minute highlight reel.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter
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