Android

Super Mario Run for Android Finally Has A Release Date! 23rd of March

Mar 18, 2017 By

Super Mario Run has been one of the most popularly talked about and played games of recent times. The game released for the iOS in December 2016, and has since been quite popular. It was announced in September of 2016 during the Apple event where the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were launched. Nintendo had also commented that this game was all set to get Super Mario Run for Android in the days to follow. However no timelines were given then. We now have a confirmed date of the launch – 23rd March.

Super Mario Run for Android was on a pre-registration phase for a long time. For months all the users would see on the Super Mario Run app on the Google Play Store is a green button that says pre-register. Well, we will be seeing that button for just a few more days as Nintendo has officially confirmed via Twitter, the launch date of the game. Super Mario Run for Android will release on the 23rd of March.

In the past Nintendo had initially announced that the game will be releasing for the Android users, and then they had said that it should ideally be out by March. However the date is now set in stone. Super Mario Run for Android is likely to feature the same pricing as the iOS version of the game. The game comes free of cost for the users for the first ten levels. However, beyond that users need to pay a one-time amount of $10, after which there are no in-game purchases to be made and the game is free to play without any extra costs.

Super Mario Run for Android was expected to release a little earlier, however Nintendo wanted to ensure that the game is not hackable (or at least not easily). They had stated that their concern was that once it hits the Android OS, it could face certain security issues that are not usually possible with the iOS devices.

Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS Update Releasing For Google Pixel, Google Nexus Phones on 3rd April

Mar 15, 2017 By

The Android Nougat OS update has by far been the most popular Android OS update for Google in a long time. The company has brought forward numerous changes to the way things work in Android platform. Android Nougat is now running on over 2.8% of all Android smartphones. This is indeed a good sign of growth for the OS. In latest news, the Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS update is soon heading for the Google Pixel and Google Nexus smartphone owners.

While the rest of the world is still getting the Android 7.0 update, the Google Pixel and Nexus users are already on 7.1.1. A new update is soon expected for them which will upgrade their OS to Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. The information comes via a Rogers roadmap which rolled out for the Android Nougat OS Updates. The roadmap showed the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to be getting the Android 7.0 Nougat OS update on the 20th of March. The Google Pixel and Nexus users are also getting an unspecified update on the 3rd of April which is highly speculated to be that of Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS.

The time frame also coincides with Google’s two month promise which was made nearly 6 weeks ago. The update will be rolling out only for the Google Pixel and Google Nexus smartphones as of now as most other smartphones are yet to get the Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS update as well.

The Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS update does not bring anything significantly new to the table, but it does feature some minor changes to security and tweaks the overall functioning of the phones in terms of performance. Other than bumping up the number, the update feels rather trivial so far. Changes to the way LTE works are also likely to be a part of the update. Live wallpapers too, are going to get better support in terms of customization. Make sure to check your devices for the update on the 3rd of April.

Remix Singularity: Connect Your Phone To A Monitor and Make It an Android PC

Feb 22, 2017 By

Over the past few years, the Android OS has been becoming so massively popular that efforts are being made to get users to adapt it on a PC platform too. While Google has been doing it on their end with the Chromebooks, and they are getting better at it every year, other third-party organizations too, are trying it, thanks to Android’s open-source nature. Remix OS has been trying hard to get the Android OS up and running on PCs for quite a while now. They are now quite close to attaining a big breakhthrough in this direction with Remix Singularity.

Remix Singularity allows the users to connect their smartphones with their monitors with the help of a dock, and connect a wireless keyboard and mouse with the phone – in effect, this converts your monitor, connected to your phone, into a fully-functioning Android PC! This was demonstrated earlier today, and has been a really innovative approach from Remix.

In the past, similar attempts have been made by other major players too. Microsoft had tried this with their Continuum project with the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. However that was not so successful. Neither were other similar projects, like the Motorola Atrix or the Ububtu experiments. However, if anyone has ever come as close to attaining this in reality, it has got to be the Remix Singularity concept.

For those wondering how Remix singularity runs, it basically functions on a custom ROM. The company has said that they have tried to maintain a stock experience. They are now actively looking for partners who are willing to release their smartphones with Remix Singularity running on it! This could start off a revolution in the PC markets and can drop down the costs associated with computers massively. This is indeed a great project from Jide technologies, the developers of Remix OS.

Android Things to Bring all Interconnected Google Services on a Common Platform

Dec 14, 2016 By

Google, the search engine giant has strongly pitched the Android platform to cover all big and small smart devices in last few years. In time, Google has surfaced as a master Android OS developer—a fact that is evident from wide range of devices powered by it at present. Google Android OS already powers smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, televisions, set-top boxes and smartwatches. And now, this year’s brand new addition is Android Things.

Android Things Makes its Way into Google Family

Android Things is a platform meant to empower IoT (Internet of Things) gadgets. It owes its origin to Project Brillo, a predecessor that failed to grab much attention. Android Things effectively combines the Brillo technology with widely popular Android developer tools like SDK, Studio, Cloud Computing, Play services etc. The idea is to develop a smart platform for interconnected products.

The new Android version conveniently runs on thermostats, speakers, routers, security cameras and other smart hardware. It doesn’t interfere with the main functioning of devices, but silently runs in the background to handle more complicated tasks. In short, it lets the server do its bidding.

Android Things conveniently runs on thermostats, speakers, routers, security cameras and other smart hardware. The idea is to develop a smart platform for interconnected products.

Why was it developed? So that tech-companies can start manufacturing and shipping IoT hardware. It’s technically more convenient since most manufacurers are already familiar with Android developer tool. They have used it at some point of their life. Developers aim to fabricate it around complicated gadgets like security locks and printers. The idea is to create an interconnected network of smart gadgets for future homes.

How is it superior to Brillo? Well, Android Things uses Weave communications system to effectually integrate with both iOS and Android. Makers will furnish it with features so that it can access Google Assistant too.

What gadgets can we expect on Android Things Platform? Right now, the makers have just launched its developer preview. They haven’t named any partners so we don’t what gadgets can arrive on Android Things. Nevertheless, it has surely raised the stake higher for its competitors.

WhatsApp Receives Video Calling Support After A Long Wait

Nov 15, 2016 By

The instant messaging market is tougher than ever. Google recently introduced its messaging app Allo which has received quite a huge reception by the fans and with apps that are already in the market are constantly updating in order to stay ahead. Apps like Messenger already have introduced the video calling feature to compete with Google Duo and Apple. After long anticipation WhatsApp has received the video calling feature. The users were waiting for this for a long time and lot of the users also are said to switch to other messaging services in order to video call.

WhatsApp now lets you make or receive video calls just like any other messaging service out there. All you need to do is update the app and have a reliable cellular or a Wi-Fi connection and you are good to go. Facebook just had to include this feature in WhatsApp because of its huge active user numbers. WhatsApp has over one billion active users across iOS, Android and even desktop and it surely is more popular than the Facebook made messaging service, Messenger. The two messaging apps owned by Facebook are looking quite similar if you look at it that way. Both the apps offer all the basic messaging need to the users. The only major difference is that WhatsApp offers you the full end to end encryption which was installed earlier this year but messenger does not offer that.

The WhatsApp Video calling feature will allow you to video chat just like any other services are offering. According to Manpreet Singh, the company wants to offer the best video calling service among all its direct competitors. The huge competition that the company is facing in this service is Google’s Duo, Apple’s FaceTime and Microsoft’s Skype and the lead mobile engineer believes that WhatsApp will be able to beat them.

Xiaomi Mi Mix: All The Specs And Price

Nov 8, 2016 By

Xiaomi has launched a new concept smartphone in October called the Mi Mix. The new phone has been designed by French designer Philippe Starck. One first look, the Mi Mix resembles a slab of glass, but Xiaomi says it is using high-grade ceramic for this ‘concept phone’. Xiaomi is using “seamless connectors to fuse Mi Mix’s body without any external adhesives”. The Mi Mix has a 6.4-inch display which is edge-to-edge, and comes with a custom 17:9 ratio aspect. The display is a custom one with a narrower border, and unlike most regular smartphones it doesn’t have a selfie camera or a proximity sensor on top. Instead Xiaomi has put the front camera at the bottom of the phone, which will rotate on its own when a user wants to take selfies.

Xiaomi’s phone has a 91.3 per cent screen-to-body ratio and they are “maximizing the screen space” to give the users a “better content viewing experience.” The Mi Mix smartphone has a ceramic acoustic system, and an ultrasonic proximity sensor embedded inside the display along with a compact front camera. This front camera is 50 per cent smaller than other front cameras. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix came to China on November 4 and runs the latest Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB RAM + 128GB storage. The price is 3499 yuan, while there’s an 18k gold embossed version with 6GB RAM + 256GB storage for 3,999 yuan.

Overall specifications of the Mi Mix are: 6.4-inch edgeless display with full ceramic body. It has ‘Cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic’ technology instead of regular speakers and an earpiece. It has 4GB LPDDR4 RAM + 128GB UFS 2.0 storage and 6GB + 256GB version. The battery is 4400mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. Mi Mix also comes with Full NFC Functionality and supports Mi Pay. It also has GPS high-precision positioning, and there’s a 16MP PDAF rear camera. This phones runs the MIUI 8.