Khan Academy brings its free learning to Android
Online education platforms are rapidly gaining in popularity as more and more people revel in the idea of learning just about anything – from sciences to the arts, all from the comfort of their own homes. Khan Academy, the non-profit educational organization that works towards providing a word-class education to everyone, has announced that it has released a dedicated Android app as well as a redesigned iPhone app.
With a catalog that boasts thousands of educational videos and detailed scholarly explanations, the newly designed apps sport improved search features, an offline learning mode and even seamless syncing between your handheld device and khanacademy.org. This means all of your academic progress is up-to-date no matter where you access the content from. However the Android iteration falls short as it lacks interactive exercises that are present in both the iOS and online versions. Hopefully this will be remedied in future releases. The app is available to download now via the Google Play store and App Store.
Source: Khan Academy
Vinyl fans rejoice: Discogs finally has a dedicated mobile app
For whatever reason, it took until now for Discogs, the internet’s premiere destination for record collectors, to get an app of its own. Sure, iOS users have Milkcrate which hooks in with the vinyl database, syncs your collection automatically and lets you add to your stash via a barcode scan, but Android crate diggers don’t even have a halfway decent app to check prices or whether or not an LP is a bootleg. And no, searching for stuff on Amazon isn’t a valid substitute — especially not for albums that are either rare or out of print. The iOS app is in closed beta starting tomorrow, and it builds upon the work that Milkcrate’s done, while the Android beta tentatively launches in October.
Currently, buying stuff will redirect you to the mobile website, but Discogs’ aim for this was to just get the application out as fast as possible and add more features later based on feedback. The site hopes to officially launch it early next year and is leaning pretty heavily on its community for feature requests and the like. If you want in before your next black crack purchase, head over to discogs.com/app tomorrow to sign up.
Source: Discogs
Gmail’s block tool is a quick way to silence annoying senders
The block button on Twitter is handy for getting rid of someone who fills your mentions with a bunch of noise. Now, there’s a similar option for Gmail. Under the reply and forward options in Google’s email app, there’s now a block tool to quickly get rid of unwanted noise. Once you block a sender, messages will automatically go to your Spam folder. You can undo the action from the Settings menu, should the need arise. Block is ready to be put to work today on the desktop and it’s set to arrive in the Android app over the course of the next week. What’s more, the mobile software is also getting the handy unsubscribe feature that’s already available on the web.
Source: Gmail Blog
You can only watch Yacht’s music video when Uber surge pricing hits LA
The band Yacht has a new record coming out next month, and it’s debuting a new music video to tease a new single. However, you won’t be able to click over to YouTube to watch. The video for “LA Plays Itself” can only be viewed when Uber’s surge pricing goes into effect in Los Angeles. Increased demand for the ride-sharing service unlocks the song so the city (kind of) plays itself. What’s more, when surge rates hit two times the norm, the band will spin a remix version of the track. As the band states, it’s certainly a new take on the traffic jam.
[Thanks, Derek]
[Image credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for WIRED]
Source: LA Plays Itself
Google releases revamped Wallet for iPhones and iPads
Apple’s mobile devices are never going to get Android Pay, but Google has released its repurposed Wallet app for iOS anyway. Just like its Android counterpart, the app is now decked in green (with the new logo!) and focuses on person-to-person payments. If you’ve never used it before, note that you can use Wallet to split tabs with friends, send and receive payments, which you can then cash out to a debit card. It doesn’t look like Mountain View listed it as a separate download on iTunes like it did on Google Play, so you can just update your old app to get the new one.
New Google Wallet for iOS available now on the App Store. Easily split bills and settle up! https://t.co/Iz2Gi6EZNp pic.twitter.com/nlyV0ZABLZ
— Google Wallet (@googlewallet) September 21, 2015
Source: iTunes
Wilson’s connected basketball helps hone your skills on the court
Connected sporting goods are nothing new, and Wilson’s a smart basketball that tracks every shot you take on the court is adding to the fray. The Wilson X, which was first announced last year, uses an embedded sensor to tally makes and misses in real time alongside a companion app for iOS devices While it’ll only play nice with Apple gadget right now, it’ll be available for Android this fall. The mobile software also offers four modes for shooting drills. There’s a Buzzer Beater mode that offers the challenge of making the game-winning shot as the clock winds down, for example. Wilson says that this high-tech ball and app combo is made for shooters as it isn’t designed to track shots within seven feet of the basket.
As you might expect, the game-like simulations are complete with crowd noise and sports commentators. In addition to tracking shots taken and made baskets, the Wilson X can keep tabs on two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws before letting you brag to your friends via social networks or sharing stats with your coach. What’s more, the ball doesn’t need to be charged and Wilson says it’ll last up to 100,000 shots. That’s about 300 shots a day, every day, for a year. The ball is available in two sizes, 29.5-inch Official and 28.5-inch Intermediate, for $199.
Source: Wilson
Spotify brings new Running feature to Android
Spotify is currently in the midst of rolling out an update for its official Android app via the Play Store. In terms of added functionality, this upgrade transports compatibility for its formally iOS-exclusive Running feature, as well as several much-needed bug fixes and stability improvements to the application.
To see the Running feature in action, check out the video below:
Click here to view the embedded video.
To install the update on your smartphone, simply open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘Spotify’, then all that’s left for you to do is hit the update button.
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eBay 4.0 launches on mobile devices
eBay has officially launched their next major update, version 4.0, for their mobile apps. eBay describes the update as providing a “more browsable design” to help customers wade through the more than 800 million listings available on their service. The new eBay 4.0 platform adds new tools to make it easier for sellers to use the mobile app and is supposed to be more customizable, personalized, and simplified for all users.
For regular sellers, they will find they have access to a new dashboard to make it easier to see activity updates with a quick glance. eBay has also changed the information presented during the process of listing an item in an effort to help first-time and new sellers successfully list their goods.
You can check out a short video below showing some of the new look and features. If you want to grab the new eBay 4.0 app from the Play Store, use the link below. Let us know in the comments what you think of the new eBay app and how it compares to the last version.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: eBay
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Turbo Rush provides endless hours of fun
If there’s anything that should be on the list for an ideal game, internet connectivity (or the lack thereof) should certainly be on there. You can’t always have connection to a data connection or be fortunate enough to have a decent amount of data to use. “Turbo Rush” is one such game that not only provides entertaining gameplay, but also allows you to play it in any situation. The game is based on the idea of a car, which you steer, speeding through the streets full of obstacles.
Setup
The app opens with a short tutorial telling you how to control. It’s very easy, with the only actions needed being swipes to the right or left, obviously depending on which way you want to steer. Once you’ve read that, you go straight into the game. It took me a few minutes to get fully used to the game. There also aren’t any settings to change controls, you can change only the volume and music on/off.
Gameplay
As previously stated, the game is based on the idea of a car, which you steer, speeding through the streets full of obstacles. The obstacles change depending on what environment you’re driving in, but I’ll get to that shortly. The game is somewhat reminiscant of Subway Surfers, but feels like something new and different. You can’t see obstacles until you’re close up as the road is very “curved”. This provides challenging gameplay while you collect up coins. These coins can be used to unlock a new level, it’s basically the same difficulty but with a different car and environment. Some obstacles include tyres, hay bales and rocks. It would’ve been great to see some more interactive obstacles, like a child running across the road or a car coming in the opposite direction. Perhaps we’ll see that in an update.
Adverts make an occasional appearance but aren’t in-your-face and annoying. The developers took their time with graphics and coding as the game is smooth and lag free.
What we liked:
- Great graphics
- Entertaining gameplay
- Different places
What could be better:
- Obstacles
- Options for difficulty
Is it for me?
Almost everyone should enjoy it. It’s easy to use and entertaining. Suitable for anyone, everywhere.
Turbo Rush is a game that has pleasing graphics, good gameplay and entertainment to the max. I enjoyed it and it seems to stand out from other games.
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mypa looks to supercharge your contacts when they call your smartphone
mypa is a new app available for Android devices that presents users with an “intelligent calling screen” that hopes to make the incoming call and contacts screens on your smartphone useful. mypa says the most important question that may spring to mind when you have an incoming call is “what unfinished business” do you have with the caller? Their app hopes to help you answer that question.
When a call comes in, the app shows information like the last time you communicated with the contact, what was the conversation about, is there some task that is supposed to be completed, or is there a pending point of discussion. The whole idea is to help you be more prepared with a quick glance at the screen in the few seconds you have before answering an inbound call.
On the back end, mypa also gives users tools to generate actions and tasks that result from a call. Quickly setup a meeting, schedule a follow-up, or create a task to be completed.
mypa can also more intelligently manage your contacts by doing things like finding duplicates, identifying bad email addresses, or helping you find where someone works.
You can get mypa from the Google Play Store using the link below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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