Paranoid Android Shows Us ‘Hover’ in New Video
Paranoid Android has still got to be the most innovative ROM out there, but opinions will differ. From introducing the Android world to PIE, to bringing us nifty little notification bubbles called HALO, Paranoid is always striving for excellence. They recently told the world that they are discontinuing HALO in their newer builds, which kind of broke my heart, but now they will be bringing in the much simpler (and probably less annoying) Hover feature.
What Hover does is it brings the best part of HALO, which is the fact that a pop-up window shows up on your screen when clicking on the notification. It takes multitasking to a whole new level, but instead of a bubble that many people found annoying with HALO, a banner pops out of the top of the screen and once you click it, it will bring on that pop-up window for easy access to the notification. The banners looks very much like the app Notifier, but having the pop-up window makes me want to forget Notifier. Check out the video below to see it in action.
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GO Launcher 5.0 Teased in New Video Claiming Big Change is Coming
Anyone remember GO Launcher? That creative little launcher that took on LauncherPro and ADW back in the early days of Android? It won the hearts of Android enthusiasts, but once the Android ecosystem grew, and Nova and Apex were thrown in the mix, GO Launcher really couldn’t keep up with their hype. But don’t count them out just yet. It seems that the GO Launcher dev team is cooking up something for GO Launcher 5.0.
In the video below, GO Launcher 5.0 is teased to the point of not even showing any features or screenshots of the launcher. Just a quick video with words stating that it is coming, and that big changes are coming with it. Should be interesting to see what they have come up with, so whenever it hits the Play Store we will let you know.
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Sprint may try and buy T-Mobile in June or July, possibly with John Legere at the Helm
Image courtesy of Android Headlines
Rumours of Sprint attempting to put a bid on telecommunications competitor, T-Mobile, stretch back to December 2013. In May 2014, the rumours are definitely still alive, and according to a report from Bloomberg today, they might even be true. According to Bloomberg, Softbank, which is a 80% stakeholder in Sprint, has already been in discussions with banks to ensure that lenders would be ready when the time comes. If the move is green lit, however, it would be sure to draw the ire of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Justice as the merger of the 3rd and 4th largest U.S. networks would have immense influence over the landscape of the U.S. telco market, a fact that the chief of the FCC has previously affirmed.
It would certainly be one of the more high profile mergers in recent years should the process be approved. The result of the merger would likely be intriguing as Softbank and Deutsche Telekom, who own 67% of T-Mobile, are apparently still discussing who would lead the new merged company. One of Bloomberg’s sources apparently says that T-Mobile CEO, John Legere, is the front runner in this discussion, and there’s no doubt that many T-Mobile customers would emphatically support this decision. The bid by Sprint is likely to come some time in June or July, so we’ll know sooner or later whether Sprint is going to be able to do what AT&T couldn’t.
What do you think about a potential acquisition of T-Mobile by Sprint? Is your opinion different if John Legere were to lead this new merged company? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg via TalkAndroid
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Engadget Daily: Facebook anonymous login, Hulu adds free mobile content, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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Facebook will let you log in anonymously to third-party apps
If you’re wary of logging into third party apps with your Facebook credentials, you’ll be happy to know that an anonymous option now exists: the apps won’t remember your username or password. In doing so, you won’t be able to share anything to your wall, but it does provide a safer way to try out new apps.
Nintendo bundling Wii U with two games and an extra controller for $330 on May 30th
Do you really love Mario Kart but need an an incredibly good excuse to buy a Wii U? At the end of May, you’ll be able to grab a Wii bundled with the racing series’ eighth entry, an extra Wii Remote Plus gamepad and a free download of one of four games — for only $329.99.
Motorola’s first post-Google phone is coming on May 13th
It looks like Motorola has one more surprise up its sleeve before Lenovo takes over, and it might be the alleged Moto E. Earlier today, the company invited us to a new smartphone event in London on May 13th.
Hulu will bring free TV shows to your phone, and it’s trying to reach your cable box
Today, Hulu announced that it’s bringing a selection of add-supported shows to mobile users for free streaming, regardless of whether or not they have a Plus account. The app’s also in line for few new ad-based developments, one of which will let you order pizza without leaving the latest episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
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Filed under: Misc
WSJ rumor has AT&T talking about buying DirecTV
With Comcast attempting to gobble up the second latest cable business in the land, it’s no surprise that other rumors are said to be on the table, but this one comes out of left field. The Wall Street Journal reports AT&T has approached DirecTV about a possible acquisition of the satellite business and its 20 million or so customers for $40 billion or more. While the combination of a telecom giant and satellite TV company sounds odd, the two already work together for services in places where U-verse TV doesn’t reach yet and have a deal that will run until 2015 (which replaced AT&T’s short-lived agreement with Dish Network back in 2009). Still, the timing of the rumor is curious, and it comes about a month after Bloomberg reported DirecTV and Dish Network were considering trying a merger again — their first attempt in 2002 was blocked by by the government. A DirecTV / AT&T combo would put 26 million customers under one brand, compared to about 30 million for the Comcast + Time Warner Cable team-up once it’s all said and done. As usual, the most likely answer is that everyone is talking to everyone else, but it’s worth keeping your head on a swivel before your current internet or TV provider fades away.
[Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, AT&T
Source: Wall Street Journal
Cox wants to hop on the gigabit internet bandwagon this year
In case there was any doubt that gigabit internet access is spreading like wildfire in the US, Cox has revealed plans to introduce an ultra-fast service of its own. The cable provider tells Bloomberg that it hopes to have 1Gbps speeds available by the end of the year, with news of the initial markets coming in the next two to three weeks. CEO Pat Esser notes that gigabit has been on the cards for a long time, but admits that news from rivals like AT&T and Google tipped Cox’s hand — the company wants to let its customers know that they won’t be left in the slow lane.
The news will no doubt cheer customers who otherwise wouldn’t get speedy data, but pricing and coverage haven’t been announced so far; it’s too early to tell if gigabit access will be within your reach. While AT&T and Google both price their service aggressively at around $70, cable providers like Comcast can charge $300 per month for a 300Mbps connection. That’s not exactly accessible, and there’s no certainty that Cox will undercut those rates. The firm will also have to deploy service quickly if it wants the new offering to be seen as more than an experiment.
[Image credit: Ed Shadid, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet, HD, Google, AT&T
Via: CNET
Source: Bloomberg
Google adds standalone Docs and Sheets apps for your Convenience
The Google Drive app has never been the most streamlined app out there; I know my personal Drive homepage is completely cluttered with documents. Well, it looks like Google may be trying to help us with our messes as they have released standalone apps for Google Docs and Google Sheets which gives your documents and spreadsheets a much simpler, bespoke home.
These apps also have offline support right out of the box which means you can use them like any other document apps and create documents on the go which sync when you finally do have connection. Google also says that a Slides app is also on the way which will add a home for errant presentations. Now all we need is Chromecast support for these apps. Pretty please?
You can pick up the Docs and Sheets apps from the Google Play Store now for free (links are below) but note that the Google Drive app will still be hanging around if you’re perfectly happy with it. Let us know what you think about these standalone apps in the comments.
Application: Google Docs
Price: Free
Application: Google Sheets
Price: Free
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Sunrise Calendar updated with widget and performance improvements
At AndroidGuys, we’re huge fans of Sunrise Calendar for Android. It’s a feature-packed, beautifully designed calendar that makes planning easy to bear. Though it’s still in Beta, you can grab the update today, just as long as you’re a member of the Google+ community.
First of all the update offers a few bug improvements and performance enhancements. Most notably, though, is the addition of a widget!
The new widget is exactly what you’d expect – a simple agenda view with no frills.
There isn’t much more in this update, but the biggest hurdle to jump over was the addition of a widget. It’s pretty and functional… what more could you want?
Interested in joining the community of Sunrise Calendar testers? Head to the Google+ community here.
The post Sunrise Calendar updated with widget and performance improvements appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Now for Android remembers where you parked
You probably have a trick or two up your sleeve to remember where you’ve parked amidst a sea of other cars. But if you’re still prone to forgetting your parking spot, Google’s refreshed Android Search app might be able to help you out. The update adds a new Google Now parking card that lists the address of the place where you left your car, along with a map that shows how far you are from that location. In case the card got it wrong the first time (ever got lost because Google Maps gave you faulty directions?), it can also offer alternative places that you can check. Yes, that’s a nightmare if you’re in a massive parking lot, but it sure beats going around in circles for hours. Update not showing up for you? You download the APK from Android Police instead.
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Google
Via: 9to5 Google
Source: Google Play, Android Police
T-Mobile wraps up deal that promises LTE in more places
After champing at the bit for months, T-Mobile has finally closed its deal to buy $2.4 billion in wireless spectrum from Verizon. The UnCarrier now has the all-clear to roll out LTE data on the 700MHz band, which will help it upgrade its 2G-only areas to 4G speeds; you won’t have to settle for pokey mobile internet access just because you’re visiting friends in the countryside. The expanded wireless support is also coming to big urban centers like New York and Los Angeles, so existing LTE users should see more consistent coverage both indoors (where lower frequencies excel) and in otherwise patchy places. T-Mobile has already said that all its network should have LTE by mid-2015, but you may notice improvements by the end of this year.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, T-Mobile
Source: T-Mobile
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