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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Top 10 most popular Android apps from last week: AllCast, Apex Launcher

Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 app updates on Friday. On Mondays we look back to see which ones were the most crowd-pleasing among our audience. Read on for the 10 most popular Android apps among your peers from last week.

1. Long Shadows Clock – UCCW Skin

App info: This week brings several apps associated with long shadow icons and skins. Topping the list for the week is Long Shadows Clock – UCCW Skin.

2. IcoPack (Nova|Apex|Go|ADW)

App info: The first of two icon packs by Shah Design is IcoPack.

3. ClearPack (Nova|Apex|Go|ADW)

App info: Shah Design’s other icon pack lands at #3 this week in our list.

4. Long Shadow Icon Pack

App info: Here is another nice icon set using long shadows.

5. Apex Launcher

App info: Apex is one of the most popular browsers that gives you tons of customization including the ability to use the icons sets we’ve listed above.

6. Action Launcher Pro

App info: Action Launcher is a great launcher replacement offering numerous customization options.

7. OffCorner UCCW Skin

App info: Here is a new set of widgets for the popular UCCW Skin.

8. EverythingMe Launcher

App info: EverythingMe Launcher anticipates what apps you need throughout your day and puts those apps front and center on your homescreen.

9. AllCast

App info: AllCast has been updated and now lets you stream local media from your device out to Chromecast.

10. 300: Seize Your Glory

App info: Play 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE – SEIZE YOUR GLORY and help Greek general Themistokles unite all of Greece by stopping the invading forces led by Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

Note: To ensure apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for 3 consecutive weeks and will place it in our Android and Me App Hall of Fame. We will post this Hall of Fame list in a dedicated series.

Any app with * next to the title indicates it will now be added to our Hall of Fame list and will no longer be listed in this article.

T-Mobile Moto X treated to fresh KitKat with Android 4.4.2 update

Good news, Moto X owners! Your Moto G-toting buddies may have gotten updated to Android 4.4.2 before you and your flagship handset, but you can stop being jealous now, because tonight Motorola has started to push the freshest version of KitKat to the Moto X.

The unlocked/T-Mobile version of the Moto X is now receiving its update to Android 4.4.2, which weighs in at 147.6MB and bumps the T-Moto X up to software version 161.44.25. The bump up to Android 4.4.2 is sure to be one of the most talked-about aspects of this update, but Motorola has squeezed a few other goodies in there that T-Mobile Moto X owners will want to be aware of:

Printing documents and pictures: Added support for printing photos, Google Docs, GMail messages, and other content via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and hosted services like Google Cloud Print and HP ePrinters.
Improved battery life: Fixed bugs which caused a small number of users to experience shorter battery life after upgrading to Android 4.4.
Fixed email sync delays: Fixed a bug that could cause email services like Microsoft Exchange to experience intermittent delays in data synchronization.

Overall this looks like a nice little update for T-Mobile Moto X owners. It may not be quite as significant as the device’s move from Android 4.3 to Android 4.4, but there are still some notable enhancements included with this latest update, and I’m sure that owners of the T-Mobile-flavored Moto X are pretty excited about being moved up to the latest version of Android.

The T-Mobile Moto X’s update is now available for manual pull. It can be accessed by grabbing your dimple-backed handset and heading into Settings > About phone > System updates >

Samsung’s latest teaser for Unpacked Galaxy S5 event includes new app icons

We’re now less than two weeks away from Samsung’s Unpacked 2014 Episode 1 event, and this morning the company kicked its hype train into high gear.Samsung has taken to its official blog to share the image you see above, which features the same “Unpacked” with a superscript 5 that was found on the original invitation as well as a set of 9 app icons for Speed, Outdoor, Curiosity, Fun, Social, Style, Privacy, Fitness and Life. The icons feature rounded borders and a flat design as well as a superscript 5 following each one’s name. Some of the app icons are ones that we’ve seen Samsung use with its TouchWiz overlay in the past, such as Knox and S Health.So what is Samsung up to? We’ve heard that the company is testing a new smartphone user interface, and screenshots of Samsung-specific apps with a new, flattened designhave also leaked out. This teaser could be a hint that Samsung does indeed have a new UI cooked up that it plans to show off alongside the Galaxy S5 at MWC. After all, is there a better opportunity to take the wraps off a refreshed Android overlay than at the same event where your new flagship smartphone is also making its debut? I’d say not!What do you think of these new Samsung app icons? Do the rumors of a refreshed, flattened version of TouchWiz have you more interested in the Galaxy S5?

Payday 2 Breaks Into PlayStation Plus This Week

BY RYAN WINSLETT

2014-02-11 07:35:14

Say what you will about the comedic stylings of one Dane Cook, the dude was spot-on about one thing: Pretty much everybody wants to be a part of one of those bank heists ripped from a big budget movie. This week, PlayStation Plus subscribers can do exactly that, as Payday 2 joins the Instant Game Collection for the PlayStation 3. There are also a few sales available, for those of you who fall in the small percentage of people who have never wanted to yell “Everybody, down on the floor!”

If I seem a bit out of sorts this week, it's because I'm still getting over last week's Plus update, Outlast for the PlayStation 4. I missed out on that game on the PC so last week, bundled up all alone on the couch with the lights off, marked my first trip stumbling through that mental asylum from hell. It was creepy as all get-out and utterly wonderful, all at the same time.

This week's Plus offering is a bit more razzle-dazzle, trading claustrophobic corridors and psychopathic killers for a series of robberies and shootouts with the police. Payday 2 took everything fans loved about the original game and bolted on more of it. There are more weapons, more gadgets, more mission types, more locations...More of everything.

Players team up and try to orchestrate the perfect heist, targeting locations that, to a degree, are actually randomized. Objectives and security cameras might be in different locations, for instance, or the flow of events might completely change from one bank heist to the next. The objective is usually to get in, get the goods, and get out alive. It's a nifty take on the first-person shooter genre that rewards teamwork and creative thinking.

This week, PlayStation Plus subscribers will have the opportunity to live out all of their wildest, most illegal heist fantasies when Payday 2 joins the PS3 Instant Game Collection. That should come as good news to folks who are already fans of the game, too, as this will likely mean a resurgence in online activity and quite a few new friends to take out on your favorite hits. If making the ultimate score isn't your idea of a good time (because you're a crazy person), then there are a few discounts being offered this week for Plus subscribers that you might want to consider. First up is TxK, the sugar-rush version of the classic arcade shooter, Tempest, coming to the PlayStation Vita. Usually 10 bucks, this bad boy can be yours for $7.99 through Plus. Dungeon-crawling beat-em-up Blood Knights(PS3) is also being marked down to $7.99 this week while Vita swipe-a-thon, DrawSlasher moves from $5.99 to just $2.75. For full details on this week's update, be sure to check out the(( PlayStation Blog)) or just visit the PlayStation Network once today's regular weekly update goes live. Otherwise, if you need me, I'll be renting a large white van and picking up some duffel bags and ski masks to help get me in the right mind frame for Payday 2.

Nokia Normandy Android phone tipped for MWC unveiling

The Nokia Normandy, also known as the Nokia X, is expected to launch at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event later this month as the company's first Android-based handset - even as the company completes the sale of its mobile division to Windows Phone creator Microsoft.

According to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, the Nokia Normandy will be an entry-level device based on a heavily customised version of Google's Android operating system. Specifications have not been formally confirmed, but earlier rumours had suggested that the Nokia Normandy would feature just 512MB of memory and 4GB of internal storage in order to keep the cost of the device as low as possible.

The Nokia Normandy is expected to run Android, but it won't use the same stock Android interface as other devices on the market: taking advantage of the open source nature of the operating system, Nokia has apparently 'forked' the code in order to create a new operating system of its own based on and compatible with Android. It's a tactic used to great success by Amazon with its Kindle Fire family of tablets, which are also based on a customised version of Android, but potentially means that some features common to Android handsets, such as the PhotoSphere panoramic imaging option on the Camera app, won't be available on the Nokia Normandy. It is also possible that the handset won't support the Google Play Store, instead using a third party app store created and curated by Nokia.

Nokia itself has refused to comment on the rumours, but is expected to unveil the handset at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona later this month, with a view to a commercial launch later in the year. What will happen to the device when Microsoft completes its acquisition of the company, however, is not yet known.

Pantech Vega No 6 For South Korea

For South Korea

GENERAL	2G Network	CDMA 800 / 1900
		GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 2100
		CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
	4G Network	LTE 800
	SIM	Yes
	Announced	2013, January
	Status	Available. Released 2013, February

BODY	Dimensions	158.6 x 83.2 x 9.9 mm (6.24 x 3.28 x 0.39 in)
BODY	Weight	210.5 g (7.41 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	Natural IPS Pro LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.9 inches (~373 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
		- Flux UX UI

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 2 TB
MEMORY	Internal	32 GB, 2 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSPA+, LTE, EV-DO Rev. A
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR
	NFC	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go

CAMERA	Primary	13 MP, 4128x3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, HDR
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps
	Secondary	Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon
	CPU	Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait
	GPU	Adreno 320
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity, compass
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White
		- T-DMB TV tuner - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - SNS applications - MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV/DviX/XviD player - MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player - Document viewer/editor - Organizer - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Li-Ion 3140 mAh battery
	Stand-by	Up to 450 h
	Talk time	Up to 16 h 40 min

MISC	SAR EU	0.72 W/kg (head)