WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger Windows Phone apps get minor updates
Popular messaging apps WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for Windows Phone got new updates this week. However, neither one has a change log so we can assume they are minor revisions.
Disney’s DuckTales: Remastered comes to the Google Play Store for $9.99
The original DuckTales video game, which debuted on the NES in 1989, quickly became one of the most popular action platformers around. If you’ve been waiting to play the game on your mobile device, now may be your chance. Disney has just released DuckTales: Remastered to the Google Play Store, though you’ll need to pay a pretty penny to download it.
You’ll get to play as Scrooge embarking on an adventure across the world to discover the five Legendary Treasures and to save his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. Magica De Spell and the Beagle Boys are back as well, and they’re on a mission to steal Scrooge’s treasure.
Here is a full list of what the remastered game has to offer:
- Play as Scrooge McDuck in this remastering of the classic, side-scrolling platformer game
- Explore the Himalayas, Amazon, Transylvania, African mines, and Moon in search of the five Legendary Treasures
- Attack enemies with Scrooge’s iconic pogo jump and cane swing
- Battle and defeat villains in epic boss fights
- Power up with invincibility and discover extra hearts to increase health
- Collect gems to unlock over 90 pieces of production art from the original TV series
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The controls are intuitive and easy to master. But if you can’t get the hang of on-screen controls, DuckTales: Remastered has Bluetooth controller support.
Disney has made the game available in the Play Store for a hefty $9.99. There are no in-app purchases whatsoever, so once you pay the upfront fee you’ll be able to enjoy the game to its fullest. Sure, it might be priced a little high, but we’d imagine fans of the original video game will be pleased with this new and improved version. If you’re interested in checking it out, head to the Play Store link below.
Phone calls in Hangouts on the desktop getting a performance boost
Those who use Hangouts for phone calls on the desktop will want to listen up. Those who have moved away from using the platform for making phone calls due to its performance will be happy to know that Google has updated Hangouts on the desktop to enhance performance.
When you make a phone call you’ll now notice faster call connections inside of both Gmail and Inbox and quicker call answering for Voice calls. While that may not seem like much, it’s kind of a big deal given the abysmal performance that once plagued the platform.
The update is set to roll out to everyone over the next few days as is Google fashion.
source: +Mark Chang
Come comment on this article: Phone calls in Hangouts on the desktop getting a performance boost
Sony buys what’s left of OnLive, service shuts down April 30th
Sony Computer Entertainment is buying the remaining patents and assets belonging to OnLive, the cloud-computing service that some might say was ahead of its time. OnLive as a service will shut down on April 30th and the company won’t collect any more subscription fees. On April 30th, all OnLive player data will be deleted, though any Steam games purchased through the service will continue to reside on Steam.
“It is with great sadness that we must bring the OnLive Game Service to a close,” OnLive writes. “Sony is acquiring important parts of OnLive, and their plans don’t include a continuation of the game service in its current form.”
Sony bought game-streaming service Gaikai for $380 million in July 2012, and it’s since turned all of that tech into PlayStation Now. OnLive was purchased once before: A venture capital bought the company for $4.8 million in 2012, after the company accrued roughly $30 million in debt. OnLive hung in there for a few more years, in 2014 announcing a new cloud-based enterprise.
Regarding its closure, OnLive says, “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being an OnLive customer, and we wish you all the best.”
It is with great sadness that we must bring the OnLive Game Service to a close. Sony is acquiring… Read More: http://t.co/WGaO1IsrmY
– OnLive (@OnLive) April 2, 2015
Source: OnLive
Android customization – improve battery life, use ADB logcat to find battery hogs
Last week on our Android customization series, we took a few moments to look at the built-in Android tools in an attempt to hunt down rogue apps eating up your battery. We continue that pursuit for battery life perfection this week, taking a little bit more advanced look at identifying battery killing apps.
Warning: This week’s post is not intended for beginning Android users. While we encourage you all to expand your abilities, maybe even to give this project a go, we will be using Google’s ADB developer tools, which are not exactly made for your everyday Android experience.
Before we get started
Today we have a whole bunch of requirements, luckily, there is a great chance that you have everything you need kicking around. First, you will need a computer with a functioning Windows, Mac or Linux operating system. From there, that computer must have a functioning USB port. Doesn’t sound too bad so far, does it? Lastly, as far as hardware goes, you’ll need the USB cable that goes to your Android device.
Aside from the super obvious stuff above, you are going to need to have the Android SDK and appropriate drivers for your Android device installed on your computer. If you are unsure how this is done, rest assured, we’ve got you covered:
How to install the Android SDK
How to setup ADB
Use Logcat to watch your system
The idea is pretty simple here today folks, logcat is a tool that watches all of the system level actions on your device. While this list may be a little overwhelming at first, it is a low level developer’s tool after all, it shouldn’t take long for you to recognize your apps and how they are taking up the cycles on your device.
Once you have the Android SDK and ADP setup and running, you are likely already connected to your computer, but let’s start with those steps anyhow.
Connect your Android device to your computer.
Turn on the necessary settings for your device, including USB Debugging, which is found in your Developer Options.
Fire up a command prompt on your computer.
Now, you will either have to CD (change directory) navigate to the location of your ADB.exe, or, find it in your platform-tools folder and open the folder in a terminal/command window.
Enter the command adb devices and hit enter. This step isn’t actually required, but it is a simple way to make sure your PC and your Android device are talking.
Enter the command adb logcat and hit enter.
Sit back and watch as your device pumps out its actions to your computer screen.
Now that you have your logcat, what’s eating your battery?
There is no easy solution here. Logcat is designed to catch actions as they happen, this means you will need to spend some time connected, allowing your device to do its thing. As you watch the log, you will soon begin to identify your apps, especially if they are misbehaving.
Our results
If you recall, we’ve been hunting down poor battery life on our Nexus 9. Although we still have to figure out the real culprit, we learned something extremely valuable. We were able to determine that, as anticipated, two of our favorite customization apps, Pushbullet and Zooper Widget, are very well behaved apps. They do keep the device awake a bit here and there, as is expected with this level of use, but certainly are well behaved enough that uninstalling them is not required. At least this is true when you are connected to WiFi!
That’s right, the moment we turned off WiFi, as we have been doing frequently in an attempt to reduce power consumption, activity for both services ramp up. Again, the actions Pushbullet and Zooper Widget are taking are not strenuous on the battery themselves, but they are frequent, preventing your device from entering and remaining in a sleep state, thus, killing the battery faster than would be expected. Do we uninstall the apps or just keep WiFi turned on? Not sure yet, but we are pleased that we have something to work with.
What’s next
I hope that you were not expecting magic here today folks. There is no doubt that logcat is a bulletproof method to see what your device is doing in the background, but it is now up to you to determine if all of your apps’ actions are justified, or if you need to do a little uninstalling.
Every once in a while you can repair an app without full un-installation. Make sure you’ve got the app data backed up, if applicable, then head into the App section of Settings, try hitting the Clear Cache and/or Clear Data buttons. Clearing data will reset the app to an empty state, wiping all of your saved game data or requiring you to log back into the service.
While there is no guarantee that wiping an app’s data will fix it, you should find it is at least worth trying before giving up and uninstalling completely.
Final thought, do keep in mind that there are some apps that you just cannot fix. We’ve named and shamed some of these apps before. In the end, you may choose to live with the battery drain, if the app serves a purpose well enough for you. Worst of all, you may find that the Android operating system itself is sapping all your juice. If you are like me, you are just sitting back praying that Google pushes out a fix soon, or are considering some of those custom ROMs out there instead.
Next week
As we continued the process of hunting down apps that are eating up our battery, our Android customization post this week took to logcat to see what is going on. To get to logcat, we needed to use ADB, and you know what, ADB has some other cool features as well, let’s take a look at a few next week.
Did you manage to find any rogue apps in your logcat today? Will you uninstall them? Can you uninstall them?
SDK Manager lists Android 5.1.1
It has only been a few weeks since Android 5.1 was introduced to the public and pushed to select devices, but software updates wait for nothing. There is always something to be fixed, changed, or added. The next version of Android, 5.1.1, could be released soon as it has been spotted in the Android SDK Manager. It has not yet been added to AOSP, so hold off on continuously checking for a software update.
We will let you know when Android 5.1.1 starts hitting Nexus devices.
Via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: SDK Manager lists Android 5.1.1
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge drop test shows unexpected results
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge might be the most beautiful Samsung device to date with its beautiful edges and glass front and back, but the question is: Is it also the strongest Samsung device as well? The answer would be no. TechRax, a Youtube channel famous for testing devices, he did a little ‘Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge drop test’, and the end result was not that pretty. See it yourself in the video below:
As both front and back panel are Gorilla Glass 4, I was expecting they will endure the impact, but turns out that a 5 feet drop will most probably smash your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. So if you are planning to grab Galaxy S6 Edge, make sure you also buy a strong body case as well. Of course it will decrease the beauty of the smartphone, but taking a risk and going without a case will cost you more.
Were you expecting the same results? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: TechRax
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge drop test shows unexpected results appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X (2013), Moto E (2014), and Moto G with LTE going straight to Android 5.1 Lollipop
After seeing the Moto X (2014) get Android Lollipop within days of it being released to manufacturers, first gen Moto users have been waiting for their stake in the sweet goodness that is Lollipop. However, with the Moto X (2013) in particular, it has been difficult to get Android 5.0.2 released due to the unique architecture of the X8 computing system that runs the phone. It doesn’t help that Android 5.0 has its fair share of issues to begin with.
In light of this, David Schuster, the Senior Director of Software Product Management for Motorola, announced on Google+ that the Moto X (2013), Moto E (2014), and Moto G with LTE will be skipping Android 5.0.2 in favor of Android 5.1.
While this may concern some as it means longer before people with these devices see Lollipop, this should be encouraging news. What this means is when these users do get Lollipop, it’ll be the best possible version they can receive. The RAM management issues that were heard throughout the web with 5.0.2 won’t exist, along with some other small enhancements and features introduced with Android 5.1.
How do you feel about this news? Happy, or frustrated?
Source: David Schuster
The post Moto X (2013), Moto E (2014), and Moto G with LTE going straight to Android 5.1 Lollipop appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X (2014) tips and tricks
The Moto X may be mostly stock, but don’t you dare think that it isn’t a phone that’s hiding a little something up its sleeve.
Since Motorola has adopted to integrate Google apps into its mobile solutions instead of competing with them like some other manufacturers we know, that frees up their design and software teams to focus instead on neat little tricks and perks that can help make your phone, your experience, and possibly your day even better. And even though the Moto X has been around a while now, we’re still finding new perks and quirks to it everyday.
Let’s make some Moto Magic.
Apple Promotes Educational Apps on App Store for World Autism Awareness Day [iOS Blog]
On the eighth annual celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, Apple has launched a new section of its App Store focused on apps designed specifically for autistic individuals (via 9to5Mac).
The sixteen apps on display range in variety from helping users feel comfortable in their surroundings thanks to contextual environment mapping via an iPhone or iPad’s camera to a science-based kids’ show “that works to help kids navigate the social and emotional world.”
Most of the apps are between the normal free “Get” option to the $2.99 range, but a few break the $100 mark, thanks to their complexities and depth of features. Proloquo2Go [Direct Link], for example, provides users simple visual aid cards that, when tapped, construct grammatically correct sentences in one of over 35 different voices. The normally priced $219.99 app is now $109.99, a 50% discount thanks to today’s promotion.
Navigate to the App Store’s Education section to visit the apps within Apple’s newly introduced Autism Awareness Month promotion.
AIVAnet 