mobile

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Top 10 Android app updates this week: WordPress, SwiftKey

Welcome back to our weekly Top 10 Android App Updates column, where we take a look at the most frequently-upgraded apps for the week. I’ve found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to find the ones that are actually being updated by the developers rather than selecting the apps with the most installs. As in the past, we’re going to filter out minor updates for the super-popular apps that have over 10 million installs, but I’ll make exceptions for apps that have had significant updates. I hope you enjoy this weekly feature and that you discover some apps that end up being useful.

Amazon for Tablets – Version 5.50

Amazon for Tablets

What’s new in this version:

A fun new way to set aside items – press and hold on any product image and swipe downwards. You’ll find items that you’re interested in at the bottom of your screen so they’re accessible to you throughout the app.
Launch of Prime Fresh grocery delivery, an exciting new Prime Program.
Improvements to search, including a new refinement menu and new list and grid views.
Ability to turn ad personalization on or off.

BBM – Version 2.1

BBM

What’s new in this version:

Add more fun to your BBM chats with the introduction of stickers available in the new BBM Shop.
Increased file transfer size (16MB) lets you share higher quality photos, bigger files and longer videos.
Picture sharing in multi-person chats makes it easy to send a pic to a group of people so you can all talk about it together.
Other bug fixes and performance improvements.

AllCast – Version 1.0.9.3

Allcast

What’s new in this version:

Crash fixes.
Performance Fixes.
Redeem code support.

Rdio – Version 2.8.13

Rdio

What’s new in this version:

Playlist Editing. Now, you can update your playlists from any mobile device. Add, remove, and rearrange tracks; add and edit playlist artwork; change visibility settings and more. Available for Android 3.0 and higher.

VUDU – Version 1.5.0

Vudu

What’s new in this version:

Chromecast support! Start casting the latest TV Shows & Movies on Google Chromecast with your Android device.
Support for tablets at all screen pixel densities and mobile phones with xhdpi or higher screen density (>320dpi).
App and bug fixes.

SwiftKey – Version 4.4.5

SwiftKey Keyboard

What’s new in this version:

Added the ability to personalize from Evernote notes and Google+ public posts.
Fixing several forced closes/crashes.

Crackle – Version 4.1.0

Crackle

What’s new in this version:

Chromecast support: Cast Movies, Shows and Original Series to your TV.

Google Play Newsstand – Version 3.2

Google Play Newsstand

What’s new in this version:

See headlines on your Home screen with the Newsstand widget.
Scan more headlines quickly with mini cards (Menu > Mini cards).
Organize magazine issues (where available) by publication date.
Translate news sources instantly.
Support for RTL languages.

WordPress – Version 2.7

WordPress

What’s new in this version:

Refresh button has been replaced by a pull to refresh gesture.
Stats have been optimized to load and scroll faster than ever before.
Posts and Pages now support infinite scroll.
Media upgrades let you see content faster and scroll more smoothly.
Better post editor, uses less of your device’s memory when adding media to a post.

Facebook Messenger – Version 4.0

Facebook Messenger

What’s new in this version:

Groups: Now you can create groups for the people you message most. Name them, set group photos and keep them all in one place.
Forwarding: Want to send a message or photo to someone who isn’t in the conversation? Just tap to forward it on.
Conversation Shortcuts: Create a shortcut so that you can get to any conversation right from your home screen.
Free Calls: Talk as long as you want and stay in touch wherever you are. (Calls are free over Wi-Fi. Otherwise, standard data charges apply).

New One helps break 28 months of on-year revenue declines, HTC still comes up short in Q1

The numbers are in and HTC’s earnings report is mixed with both good and bad news. We’ll start with the bad. During the first quarter of 2014, HTC pulled in just over $1 billion in revenue, but that number came up a bit short of operating costs, amounting to a net loss of $62 million after taxes.Rather than focusing on the negative, HTC was extremely happy to report that revenue for the month of March was up 2.16% year-over year, breaking a 28 month trend of declining monthly revenue. While HTC’s new flagship went on sale during the last week of March, sale from the first round of inventory sales of the HTC One (M8) to service providers in Europe and North America played a factor in the revenue bump for the month of March. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out for HTC over the next few months as its new flagship and lineup of mid-range Desire phones hit more markets.

Are you planning to pick up the HTC One (M8) and help HTC return to profitability in the second quarter of 2014?

Samsung SM-T800 tablet rumored to pack 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display, KitKat

Samsung has announced quite a few new Android tablets in the past few months, including four models in the Galaxy TabPRO/NotePRO family and another three in the Galaxy Tab4 series. A new rumor suggests that Sammy’s not done crafting new slates quite yet, though. Spec details for a new SM-T800 tablet have leaked.

According to SamMobile, Samsung is prepping a new Android tablet with the model number SM-T800. This device is rumored to pack a 10.5-inch display that uses Super AMOLED display tech rather than an LCD panel like most of Samsung’s other tablets. The full spec rundown for the SM-T800 looks like this:

10.5-inch 2560×1600 Super AMOLED display
Quad-core Snapdragon processor
8-megapixel rear, 2-megapixel front cameras
2GB RAM
16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage
microSD slot
7900mAh battery
Android 4.4.2 KitKat

The SM-T800 appears to combine features from several of Samsung’s recent devices, packing a Super AMOLED screen like its flagship smartphones and pairing it with a 2560×1600 resolution like what’s found on the new TabPRO and NotePRO slates. There’s no word yet on when this SM-T800 might make its official debut, but if you’re on the hunt for a new Android tablet, this one might be worth keeping an eye out for.

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