Google Play Games gets new features following Game Developers Conference
With Google highlighting that 3 out of 4 Android users now use their device for gaming, increased focus has been put on improving the experience for those users. Google has also said that the momentum of their Google Play Games service is continuing to grow, with approximately 4 times the amount of revenue paid to developers in 2013 when compared to 2012.
As part of this move to improve the Google Play Games experience is the launch of new features for the service during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) which is taking place this week.
The first change focuses around gamer engagement and discovery with the introduction of game gifts. This is a new service that lets players send virtual in-game objects to anyone in their circles or through player search. The Play Games app has also been updated to allow multiplayer invites to be directly sent, allowing your friends to discover and join your activity. This will be facilitated by the introduction of 18 new game categories to make it easier to find games that consumers want.
Perhaps one of the biggest introductions is the enhancement of the Play Games Unity Plug-in to support cross-platform mutliplayer services, meaning you can be on Android and participate in a multiplayer game against someone on iOS.
Futher improvements see enhancements brought to Play Games statistics on the Google Play Developer Console to provide analytics for developers and their games in the Google Play Store. This will include a dashboard to visualise player and engagement statistics for active users, retention analysis, and achievement performance.
Hopefully these enhancements to the Google Play Games services will entice developers to invest in the Android environment and see some great games brought to the platform. The end-user should also benefit from these changes by being able to engage with the community better, and also participate in cross-platform mutliplayer events.
Let us know your thoughts about these changes in the comments below.
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Opera 20 brings appless video chat to Android
For those of us who are overwhelmed by the vast array of video chat apps out there the new version of Opera may offer an appless video chat solution for you.
Opera 20 brings to Android a WebRTC-compatible browser that allows users of the browser to enter into a video chat across mobile phones and computers simply by entering the address of a video conference into the URL bar of the Opera 20 browser. If you are the creator of the video chat, then you have to visit a site such as appear.in to get an address for the video conference to share with your friends or colleagues. No special software or apps other than Opera 20 is needed.
The WebRTC (real time communication) protocol is a newer standard that promotes communication between browsers without having to rely on third party solutions to enable communication. With the addition of this protocol into the new version, Opera has joined the ranks of Firefox and Chrome who have been offering the protocol since last fall.
You can find the updated version of Opera in the Google Play Store.
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Mount & Blade: Warband goes medieval on Google Play
Whether you are a fan of action packed RPGs or just think that medieval weapons look downright awesome, Mount & Blade: Warband has something for you.
TaleWorlds Entertainment has just launched the new combat-filled RPG, developed specifically for SHIELD and other Tegra 4 devices. The game touts realistic combat letting players charge into battle with online multiplayer and lets players rule their own kingdom. For those of us that prefer to joust alone, do not fear, as there is a huge single player campaign packed into this game.
Taking place in Calradia, players are armed with courage and a sword. Players will find the dangers and adventures with great rewards for their risks. Mount & Blade features free-form sand-box gameplay, which gives the player ultimate control on creating their legacy as a ruler.
The game also incorporates some unique features like the ability to upgrade your companions to vassals by granting them lands and the ability to marry a lady of the realm for either romance or political gain.
To celebrate the release of the game, Mount & Blade: Warband has launched with a 30 percent discount on the Google Play store.
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Xiaomi confirms 5.5-inch, octa-core Redmi Note phone with teaser
The leaked Redmi phone we saw a couple of days ago is coming sooner than we expected, and it now bears an interesting name: Redmi Note. Does it mean we’ll be getting a stylus with this Chinese phone? No idea, as Xiaomi’s midnight teaser — pictured above — doesn’t reveal much, other than confirming the 5.5-inch screen (the leak indicates a 720p resolution) and the octa-core processor (1.4GHz or 1.7GHz). What’s missing is the price, but it should sit somewhere between the current Redmi’s CN¥699 (about $110) and the MI2a’s CN¥1,499 ($240) — so maybe CN¥999 ($160) at most. Folks in China will be able to pre-order at local time 8pm on March 19th using Tencent’s Qzone app, which got the exclusive for the Redmi Note’s debut sale. For those outside China, your usual gray market channels are standing by.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: Qzone
Xiaomi launches MIUI for tablets, new Nexus 7 gets first dibs
While Xiaomi has yet to launch its very own tablet (the Eden Tab doesn’t count), you can now get a first taste of its tablet-friendly MIUI Android ROM, which is available as an open beta for the 2013 edition Nexus 7. According to the company, this isn’t merely a scaled up version of MIUI V5, as it has a “brand new architecture” with content — including native apps, system menus and new screen animations — optimized for both screen orientations. Interestingly, CEO Lei Jun added that tablet vendors can get in touch if they want to ship their devices with MIUI preloaded, which would be a first for non-Xiaomi hardware. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean Lei’s not making his own tablets in the near future; but as of now, there are no reliable rumors of such plan.
If you have a new Nexus 7 lying around and don’t mind giving MIUI a go, then head over to MIUI’s website to grab the 278MB download.
Via: Lei Jun (Sina Weibo) (1), (2)
Source: MIUI
Daily Roundup: new Amazon and Valve controllers, Samsung’s ultrasonic phone case 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.
Reported Amazon game controller appears in pictures
It looks like Amazon might finally be building its rumored set-top box, and this is probably the controller that will come along with it. Thanks to Dave Zatz, photos of the rather chubby handset were uncovered from the Brazilian FCC. All in all, it’s got all your standard gaming functions, with the addition of a few Android controls and what appears to be an Amazon Game Circle button.
Samsung’s new smartphone case uses ultrasound to detect people and objects
Samsung announced that it’s bringing three new accessories to its low-end Galaxy Core Advance smartphone that are designed to help the disabled or visually impaired: the Optical Scan Stand, Voice Labels and most impressively, the Ultrasonic Cover. By using the latter, the Core Advance can detect objects or people in a 2-foot radius and provide vibrational feedback or spoken alerts.
Here’s a much clearer look at Valve’s new Steam Controller
Valve released the first prototype Steam Controller toward late last year, and now it’s given us a much better idea of what the final product will look like. When compared to the older version on the right, you’ll notice the newer model lacks the touchscreen, but adds several buttons in its place.
ASUS could drop dual-OS devices following pressure from Google and Microsoft
What’s special about the ASUS Transformer Book Duet TD300? It runs both Android and Windows operating systems in the form of a laptop or tablet. However, this interesting hybrid may never see the light of day due to contention from Microsoft and Google.
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Filed under: Misc
Google Maps for Android now tells you about upcoming events
Google wants to make sure that dance card of yours stays full. Rather than just showing you the best way to get to a new hot spot in town, today’s Maps update for Android tells you what events are coming up there as well. Information is displayed below the venue’s address, and may include a list of upcoming bands when you’re looking at a music club, or what games are set to go down at your local ballpark. No matter what you’re into, it should make planning your next night out that much easier.
Filed under: Wireless, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Google+
Source: Google Play
Google Wallet’s tap-to-pay feature will require Android 4.4 KitKat starting April 14th
It’s time to upgrade that old phone you’ve been using for Google Wallet payments at the local store. Google is now telling Android users that they’ll have to run KitKat to use Wallet’s tap-to-pay feature from April 14th onward. The company prefers the newer OS’ “improved experience” for NFC-based payments; in other words, it would rather use a more universal, cloud-based approach to processing your banking info. You may be out of luck even if you are using KitKat, though, since the new requirements rule out support for the EVO 4G LTE, Galaxy Note 3 and 2012-era Nexus 7. We suspect that many Wallet fans are early adopters that already carry qualifying devices, but Google’s move could have many shoppers looking for alternatives.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Google
Reported Amazon game controller appears in pictures
Amazon is probably making a game console, and today we’ve got a better idea of what that console’s controller looks like thanks to Dave Zatz and the Brazilian FCC. The standards are all there: two offset, concave analog sticks, four buttons (A/B/X/Y) on the right front, a d-pad in the lower left, and triggers/shoulder buttons around back/up top. What’s weird about this particular controller, however, are the other buttons. A slew of media controls sit at the bottom (play, fast-forward, rewind), and in the middle there are four buttons: Home, Back, Menu … wait a minute! These are Android buttons! Either Amazon’s building a controller for Android or the console it’s making is Android-based (we’re guessing the latter). Head below for more!
So, what’s the mysterious fourth button? Your guess is as good as ours, but it sure is shiny (the white spots in the images appear to be the reflection of the lights overhead). It could be a tiny trackball, but that’s a tremendously bad idea and we think Amazon’s smarter than that. Perhaps a power button for the console? Or maybe a share button, a la Sony’s DualShock 4? Again, we can’t be sure just yet. Feel free to venture your best guesses in the comments below (like we have to ask).
(Update: As several folks pointed out, the button looks an awful lot like the Amazon Game Circle logo, the digital service Amazon already has for games that add leaderboards and achievements, among other things.)
Further, there are six LED lights on the controller’s front. While we expect the set of four on the right to be used for indicating which player is holding that particular unit, it’s unclear what the other two (on the left) are being used for. Also, it takes two AA batteries.
It also looks like Amazon is employing Apple product assembly partner Foxconn to put the controller together, as Foxconn has factories in Brazil where this controller was put through government regulation. In case you have any doubt this is tied to Amazon (beyond the … Amazon logo on the controller itself), the regulatory filing was tied to “Amazon Fulfillment Services Inc.”
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals, HD, Amazon
Via: Dave Zatz
Source: Anatel (PDF)
EE prepping its own low-cost LTE handset for UK launch
We assumed Vodafone would be the first UK network to launch an own-brand LTE handset when a US regulatory filing, of all things, hinted as such. Nothing’s come of that as yet, but it looks instead like competitor EE’s going to give it a shot with the device you see above. Details about the handset itself are scarce, although we know it’ll be Cat 4 and thus take advantage of the theoretical max speeds available on the operator’s “double-speed” plans. From the picture, though, we can see a moderately EE-themed Android skin, three standard soft keys below the display, and what appears to be a polycarbonate band on the bottom edge. Oh, and the silvery back plate with EE logo over to the right.
We believe the phone will be priced below the Alcatel One Touch Idol S as the network’s lowest-cost handset (the Idol S is £130 on pay-as-you-go or from £19 per month on contract currently), but have significantly better specs than the current entry-level offering. EE declined to “comment on rumor and speculation,” but we’re allegedly a good few months from its official release, so still some way from knowing exactly how competitive the own-brand smartphone might be.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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