OnePlus releases OxygenOS, its custom take on Android
After a pretty sizable delay, OnePlus has at last released OxygenOS, its in-house version of Android 5.0 Lollipop. As promised back near the start of the year, this Cyanogen replacement is all about a “back to basics” approach that keeps things stock unless the startup thinks a new feature would be genuinely useful. Right now, that’s largely limited to features you already had on your One: you can draw Oppo-style gestures to trigger functions when the screen is off, switch between hardware and software navigation keys and customize your quick-access settings. OxygenOS isn’t for the faint of heart at this stage, since you’ll have to be comfortable with installing ROMs (and likely put up with early bugs), but it’s worth a shot if you want to catch a glimpse of OnePlus’ software future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: OnePlus Blog
AMIDuOS brings Android platform to Windows devices
The other day we introduced you to the ARC Beta, which is a Chrome project that enables users to run Android apps within Chrome. If that is too limiting for you though and you would like to run Android on some Windows 7 or Windows 8 hardware you have sitting around, a new option is available for you. American Megatrends Incorporated has released AMIDuOS, which will create an Android environment on your Windows PC that you can quickly switch to without dual-booting to run your favorite Android apps.
AMIDuOS creates a 100% native Android environment on a Windows PC and according to the developers, can run just about all Android applications. To help users get started, AMIDuOS includes the Amazon Appstore, but users can install additional markets with the AMIDuOS package installer.
AMIDuOS takes advantage of Windows OpenGL drivers, even when a user is running Android, to enable fast frame rates and support for graphics-intensive applications like games. Most of the time AMIDuOS runs in a native x86-mode, but it will switch over to ARM emulation as needed.
One thing users will discover is that AMIDuOS is able to recognize a full array of sensors and peripheral hardware, including ambient light sensors, gyrometer, compass and orientation. Depending on what kind of hardware one is using, this could effectively create a full Android tablet experience.
AMIDuOS supports both tablet and desktop modes for users so they can take advantage of hardware like keyboards. AMIDuOS also supports file sharing between Windows and Android, making it easy to switch between the operating systems to access pictures, video and music.
If you are interested in giving AMIDuOS a try, hit the source link below to grab the installer and get going. If you decide you like it after the trial period, AMIDuOS costs $9.99. Currently it is running Android 4.2.2 but an upgrade to Android Lollipop is planned.
source: AMIDuOS
Come comment on this article: AMIDuOS brings Android platform to Windows devices
Mailbox for Android update brings Material Design
Dropbox is currently in the process pushing out an update for its official Mailbox application via the Play Store. This upgrade doesn’t deliver any new features to the app, but it does bring an appearance transformation that complies with Google’s recently-announced Material Design guidelines, as well as a multitude of bug fixes and speed enhancements.
For those unaware, Mailbox provides users with instant access to their Gmail and iCloud email accounts through an extremely simple, yet productive application and incorporates a revolutionary ‘Auto Swipe’ feature that lets users archive emails instantly.
The full changelog for the V2.0.1 update can be seen below:
- Material Design
- Tablet Support
- Bug Fixes
To install the update, simply open up the Play Store on your device, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘Mailbox’. Next, hit the update button, and the application will instantly start to download and install the upgrade from the Google Play servers.
Come comment on this article: Mailbox for Android update brings Material Design
A brief history of the Samsung Galaxy S series [Infographic]
The Galaxy series has come a long way since Samsung debuted the Galaxy S back in 2010, and here’s a handy infographic to take you back through the series to see how we’ve gotten to the Galaxy S6, courtesy of MobileMadhouse.
The devices have certainly come a long way since the original and shows the changing times and evolution in specifications. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post A brief history of the Samsung Galaxy S series [Infographic] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google publushes stats to show that Android is safe
Google announced through a white paper that Android is safe and is only getting safer. Everyone should understand that cyber threats are not gone. We witnessed Sony get hacked in 2014, which was one of the biggest eye-openers for all of us last year. I think many of us realized, if Sony can get hacked, so can we.
Google, Apple, and Microsoft understand that security is on the forefront of everyone’s concerns when it comes to digital data. We also saw Snapchat hacks last year where thousands of private photos were leaked to the web for everyone’s viewing pleasure/displeasure. Google knows security is vital to all of us, whether we have private photos to protect, banking information, private emails, etc., most of us have something we want to keep private. If our privacy were to be violated, I am sure most of us would start looking for another platform to use.
Google has analyzed billions of data points, and in the white paper they give stats on how many people are protected.
– 1 billion devices are protected by Google Play – for perspective, the US has a population of 318 million people. That would be over 3x the population of the US. The UK on the other hand has a population of 64 million people.
– Fewer than 1% of Android devices had a potentially harmful app. That means, in all likelihood, you are safe. No system is perfect, but less than 1% if pretty good. That would be an A+ grade at a university.
– The overall worldwide rate of Potentially Harmful Application (PHA) installs decreased by nearly 50% between Q1 and Q4 2014. – Google is getting better at protecting us.
I’ve used Apple devices for years before I used Android. My own experience leads me to believe Android is the most safe environment out of both platforms.
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Office Lens for Android and iOS turns your phone into a scanner
You no longer have to carry a Windows Phone if you want to quickly copy receipts and meeting agendas for the sake of your notes. Microsoft has just released Office Lens in both finished form for iOS and a preview for Android, letting you use your device of choice to turn photos into usable documents. The experience is familiar if you’ve tried the app before — all you have to do is get a good snapshot, and the app will convert the output into OneNote-friendly text and image formats. Both Office Lens releases are free, so don’t hesitate to give them a spin if you’d rather take pictures than jot down memos.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Office Blogs
HTC’s One M8s revises last year’s flagship for Europe
We may have just peeled the cellophane off HTC’s One M9 flagship, but there’s still life left in its predecessor. Today, we (well, those in Europe) get to meet the HTC One M8s — a revised version of last year’s top billing handset. What does a lower case “s” (and about £379) get you? Mostly a camera refresh — the M8’s (note the apostrophe) 4-megapixel UltraPixel camera has been updated a standard 13-megapixel, f/2.0 affair (the front-facer is the same 5-megapixels as before). There’s been a swap-out of processors, too. The original’s 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 801 quad-core is now a 1.7GHz 615 octa-core (don’t let the number of cores fool you). If you were wondering if this is just another way of branding a “mini” phone. It’s not. At least on a technicality — the HTC One M8s has the same 5-inch 1080p display as the phone it shares a design with.
There are other, minor changes going on. The battery is a bit more capacious (2,840 mAh compared to 2,600 if you’re counting), and there doesn’t appear to be a 32GB version (only 16GB of internal storage). You will, of course, be getting Android 5.0 out of the box. Given that you can still buy last year’s phone for almost exactly the same price… we’re guessing it all depends on how sold you were (or not) and the whole UltraPixel thing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Raw speed test pits the Galaxy S6 Edge against the iPhone 6
The latest flagship device from Samsung boasts the most powerful processor on the market, enough RAM to equal some consumer computers, and a state of the art curved display; but how does it stack up against the competition? Sure, it’s one of the best Android devices on the market, but what about the offering from Apple?
The video below puts the Galaxy S6 Edge up against the iPhone 6 with the same set of apps installed in a battle of raw speed.
Opening all 16 apps took 2 minutes 9 seconds on the S6 Edge while it took 2 minutes 17 seconds on the iPhone 6. Perhaps the tests weren’t fair since the apps could have been loaded in memory running in the background thanks to Androids’ multitasking, or maybe it really is the fastest out of the two.
Thoughts?
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Cute Pocket Pets 3D: In-depth app review
Cute Pocket Pets
Cute Pocket Pets 3D is a rather interesting game. I tend to avoid games that have “3D” in the title because that usually is an indicator of some strange graphics, and Cute Pocket Pets 3D is no exception.
Let’s take a look at this “Cute” little “3D” game, shall we?
Concept
So the concept of Cute Pocket Pets 3D is sort of like a combination of Sims and Club Penguin. The player controls a little animal and runs around playing mini games to earn money. Instead of running around an entire world like you do in Club Penguin or the Sims, your fluffy little creature in this game is confined to its house. This is all fine and dandy because I don’t like going outside anyways.
In this game, you are playing as the pocket pet. You control it’s every movement. However, with great power comes great responsibility. You must make sure to take care of the pets every need. You have to keep up with vitals in a Sims like fashion.
There is an indicator for how hungry your pet is, how tired, how bored and how badly it needs to use the restroom. Taking care of these functions isn’t all that bad. You just walk up to the respective object and interact with it to raise your levels.
In order to raise the pet’s happiness levels, you have to play mini games. While playing, you earn in-game currency that you can spend to upgrade the furniture or buy some clothes to jazz up your pet. Each object that you can buy also give you some sort of boost that varies per object.
Interface
The interface is the worst part of this little game. The controls are poorly placed and make game play hard. The games are challenging enough without a joystick that is placed right in the corner of my screen. It is quite the challenge to move left or down without moving your finger completely off the screen.
While the mini-games could have been a fun way to pass time, the placement of things on the screen make the effort almost not worth it.
Overall
Cute Pocket Pets 3D is a nice little game for a toddler, but not much else. The game should take care of your small children with its quirky graphics and simple game play, but it won’t keep an adult entertained.
The game can be downloaded from Google Play Store or the Amazon App Store for your Android phone, or the Windows store on your Windows Phone.
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Onkyo’s music player is also DAC and headphone amp for your phone
The chatter surrounding high fidelity listening devices and services picked up over the last year or so (thanks, Neil Young), and Onkyo hopes its new 3-in-1 device will lure you to the land of high definition. The company’s aluminum-wrapped DAC-HA300 is not only a portable music player for audiophiles, but it also serves as both a headphone amp and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for iOS and Android devices, or even your office workstation. With its primary function, the PMP can wrangle up to 128GB of tunes via a microSD card for 192 kHz/24-bit listening, while also serving as a headphone amp for that set of cans you take along on the daily.
If you’d rather leverage that Tidal subscription from an iPhone or Moto X, you can still use the player as a headphone amp, but when paired with a mobile handset, Onkyo’s gear fills the role of DAC with the help of a companion app. When you’re stationary, the same USB jack that connects with your smartphone of choice can also be used to handle any desktop headphone amplifier duties. If you’re like me, you have a favorite set of cans you’re too fond of to take out in the elements, so this is a nice touch. And one that helps soften the hit to the ol’ wallet… a bit. Speaking of the price tag, the device will ship at the end of April for £499 (around $740). Of course, you’ll need to be willing to fill not one, but two pockets with audio tech for your evening walk.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Mobile
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