Ubuntu phones arriving in 2014 from Meizu and BQ Readers

Canonical is finally poised to enter the mobile market. After years of teases, promises and demos, the company has locked up the first two manufacturers of Ubuntu phones. Meizu and BQ Readers will be releasing handsets with the Linux-based OS installed on them sometime in 2014. Details about release date, price and specs are still to be determined, but we were told to expect more info at Mobile World Congress (which kicks off this weekend). The list of supporting carriers also remains a mystery, but at least we know that there will be consumer-ready Ubuntu phones on the market before the end of the year. Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder, is keeping things close to his chest, but he did say that two more manufacturers with “household names” should be coming on board in 2015.

The bad news is that neither of these manufacturers has a large presence in US, so the chances of picking up a high-end Ubuntu phone on Verizon in 2014 is pretty slim. But Meizu is well established in China and should help the fledgling OS build visibility, while BQ Readers has a presence in Spain. Shuttleworth said that part of the reason these two particular companies were chosen was because of their “tactical” method for delivering handsets to specific markets with carefully targeted features and specs.

The next big challenge will be luring developers to the ecosystem. Shuttleworth aims to have the top 50 mobile apps on Ubuntu by the end of the year, which is a noble, but ambitious goal. Right now, big names Evernote, LastPass and Grooveshark are already enlisted, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Presumably Canonical still has a few cards up its sleeve for MWC, so stay tuned.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

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Source: Ubuntu

Keeping up with Chromecast Supported Apps is Tough, but we Found Some More

Just last week Google released the official Cast SDK for Chromecast app developers to start fully implementing Chromecast support to their apps. Since then we have been attempting to search out and check in on apps that were supposed to be adding the support along with finding new ones. It certainly isn’t an easy task. We all know the original apps quite well by now, and even some of the more prolific ones like AllCast. Obviously more and more are starting to get updated and released. Sadly, they aren’t in a simple “Chromecast” section in the Play Store. Hey Google, you hear that? We need a Chromecast page for apps that work with the magic stick. Ok, off to the races with a few apps we recently discovered. We haven’t gone and tested any of them yet, more so in discover mode.

• Juice for Chromecast – This is similar to AllCast because it lets you cast your locally stored Photos and videos to your TV. However, Juice for Chromecast also lets you cast music. You can send individual songs, albums or playlists and they can be shuffled. In the photo arena you can send individual photos or a slideshow. Juice for Chromecast is Free, but doe have an IAP for $2.99 to unlock all features.
• LocalCast Videos 2 Chromecast – Another local video casting app. That is all it casts right now is you locally stored videos. Some formats might not work. It is worth checking out since it is free with now purchase of any sorts to cast anything videos.
• Gallery Cast – Gallery Cast was one that we mentioned back on the 5th of February to be getting Chromecast support soon. They have since added in cast support. It supposedly casts local photos and videos. It is ad supported with no option yet to pay to remove them.
• GR8CTZ for Chromecast – This looks like a rather interesting brain/puzzle game that uses Chromecast. A Street View image will appear on your TV and you can rotate the view and image via your Android device. Then you have to guess what city it is in the shortest amount of time and the shortest number of guesses. The description says there are 177 cities and you start out in random points. You can also drill down and only do capital cities or just cities in Europe ect. GR8CTZ for Chromecast is $0.99 and could be a fun educational tool or great drinking game.
• Dayframe – This one came and went and is finally back. Dayframe offers you more than local image casting tough as it can tap into your G+ feeds, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and many more. You interact with the images, can plus, like and share from your phone all while they are on the big screen. Dayframe is free but you will need to upgrade to Pro to utilize the Chromecast features.
• MyShoeBox – This is a completely new app that has just landed on the Play Store. It offers free and unlimited cloud backup of all your photos on all your devices to one cloud. MyShoeBox will let you cast any and all those photos through your device to your Chromecast connected TV. The app says it is free and doesn’t mention an IAP’s.
• WatzOnTV – This is  supposedly a fully customizable online tv service that you can cast to your TV. The reviews are pretty low, but it has Chromecast support and is free.
• Podcast Addict – With this one you can manage all your audio and video podcasts on your device along with YouTube channels and News feeds. The Chromecast side, according to their FAQ section, works just fine but doesn’t have playlist support just yet. You can select a specific episode and cast it though. The app is free with a small banner ad at the top of the screen. You can purchase the paid version to remove the banner for $2.99. The donate/paid version is identical to the free version and doesn’t offer new functions.
• BeyondPod Podcast Manager – Another Podcast managing and streaming app that recently added Chromecast support. The app offers a 7 day free trial before you have to buy it, which is $6.99.
• RemoteCast – RemoteCast is in Beta still but has some powerful sounding options. The app lets you remotely control Chromecast apps. As one comment says, it works best if you have your Chromecast connected to multiple devices. Start casting from your PC and then control the volume and tracks and media with your phone.

I am sure there are some more out there, but that should get some of you started and keep you busy for a few days. I know I just installed a few of them to check out later this evening. Any others you guys see, feel free to add them in the comments and we will circle around and add them in. Besure to check and see if they weren’t already mentioned in the last Chromecast app article.

Opera Max cutting data usage up to half across multiple Apps

Data speeds, data usage, data caps and the likes are always a top concern for smartphone users across the globe. While plenty of us pay the extra for unlimited plans, even some of those have limiters at a certain usage point, others still pay smaller fees for smaller packages. There are a number of browsers out there that have gone the extra mile to help cut back on data usage while still keeping your pages loading fast. Google has even implemented it more recently and then there was always Opera.

Opera would take the web page request and render it on a server and effectively deliver you the same web page, but more in a snapshot file size. The page wouldn’t look any different, but it would load faster and use less data. Opera Software ASA has been working on helping to cut down the data usage across the boards and in all apps with a current beta app called Opera Max.

Opera Max has been in a closed beta since late last year and has, apparently, been well received by the lucky few that have been testing it out. The new app will be free for users to install to their respective devices and will help you cut up to 50% of your data usage across multiple apps you use on a regular basis. The screenshots they are currently showcasing offers up a brief look at the ap and its saving potential across apps like Dropbox, Vine, Drive, Chrome and Instagram. Essentially any app that isn’t an encrypted app can benefit from the use of Opera Max.

The final screenshot on the beta in the Play Store does show where the ‘free’ aspect runs out. After the beta period you will have three options to choose from to keep the cloud savings enabled. Eiter watch ads in the app, Watch an ad as soon as you run out of “charge” or pay $1 a month to remove ads entirely. Not exactly sure how you can “run out of saving” or why you would need to “charge” up. I assume you have to set, or given, a maximum amount of data savings per month though.

Still, a buck a month or watching some ads to cut down your data usage isn’t really all that terrible of a thing really. You can head to the Play Store and install the Opera Max Beta right now, but space is limited and people aren’t being let in on the Opera servers for the service in mass quantities. It is better to be on the waitlist and get in sooner to test it out though. We are 1407th in line to try it out ourselves. Hit up the Play Store badge below to go grab the app. Be sure to open it once so it can register you on the list.