On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I found myself navigating with Google Maps and virtually exploring my destiniation using its built-in Street View feature. The thing is, using Street View can make keeping track of your exact location difficult as you zoom in, out, and about. It's a little discombobulating.
Thanks to a recent back-end update to Google's Search app, every KitKat-running device can use "Okay, Google" from within any app—even the lock screen. However, the default settings for the OnePlus One's mic leave it unable to detect your voice unless you have it right up to your face. That isn't a good look for anyone, but thankfully there is an easy fix to get this working correctly.
A security analyst has discovered a flaw in Chromecast's initial setup process that allows would-be hackers to assume full control over the online streaming device.
As Matias Duarte and the team over at Google's Android Design department ready their wares, they've given us a preview version of the upcoming "L" release of Android to try out.
There is no SD card support on the Nexus 7, so managing internal storage can be tricky. There are ways to free up space, but the biggest space hog on my tablet is music, and that's not something I'm willing to delete just yet.
It's the biggest day of the year for all things Google. Their developer conference, dubbed Google I/O, gives us a peak at what the guys at Mountain View have been working on over the course of the past year, and this year, Android was center stage.
With the release of the M8, HTC decided to begin publishing some of its exclusive apps to the Google Play Store. While most of these apps aren't available for download unless you own an HTC device, this practice made it possible for the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer to issue updates to its users independently of carrier-modified firmware upgrades.
Google's new camera app has a highly innovative and unique feature dubbed Lens Blur, and the most interesting thing about it is not necessarily what it does, so much as how it does it.
Google Glass is all about transforming the world around us with little to zero interaction from the wearer. Much of this is done using augmented reality—a live view of physical, real-world environments that are augmented by computer-generated input in the form of graphics, sights, and sounds.
On more than one occasion, I've wanted to check out the Google Play page for an app I was currently using, whether it was to get contact information or read recent reviews to see if others were experiencing issues that I was.
The flexibility within Android is pretty amazing. Unlike iOS, you can make a lot of modifications with nothing more than a download from Google Play, but to really step up your softModder game, you'll need to go a little further.
After months of waiting, Google has released the SDK (Software Development Kit) for their Gadget of the Year, the Chromecast. As announced on their blog, the release of the SDK means that any app developer, whether for Android, Chrome, or iOS, can now add Chromecast functionality to their app. And though only a few apps have been released with Chromecast support, that's all about to change.
A long time ago, we recommended the Hover Zoom extension for Chrome as an easy way to blow up small image thumbnails without actually have to "click" on the images themselves. Over the past year, there have been reports that Hover Zoom now collects and sells your browsing data to third-party advertisers without your consent.
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well as via POP3 or IMAP4 protocols. Gmail initially started as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though still in beta status at that time. The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, along with the rest of the Google Apps suite.
It may not be as large as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but the Galaxy S3's screen size is still big enough to make iPhone owners cry themselves to sleep. The 4.8-inch AMOLED display with 720 x 1280 pixels makes the GS3 a great mobile companion—and an even better portable gaming device.
While there's still no set date, Jelly Bean 4.3 is rumored to be released on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and other TouchWiz devices within the next couple of weeks (or months), presumably sometime after the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event.
On the new Moto X smartphone, the only thing you have to do to activate the virtual assistant is say "Okay, Google Now." That's it. You don't have to press a button or tap on the display at all. It's always ready for your voice commands via its "Active Listening" feature, making it a truly hands-free experience.
Snapchat users upload a whopping 150 million pictures a day—which are deleted as just quick as they're sent. However, none of these images are coming from Android tablet users. If you try downloading Snapchat from Google Play on your Nexus 7 or other Android tablet, you'll get the "Your device isn't compatible with this version" message. Even those with the new Nexus 7 tablets that have the front and rear cameras are out of luck. Unless you're a softModder.
The Google Play Store exists so you can download as many apps as your heart desires (and as your memory can hold). Sure, you may only use them once, but it's your choice—and isn't that what life is really about? With that said, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 already comes with a ton of preloaded apps from Google, Samsung, and your device carrier, like Yellow Pages and Google Earth—both of which I never use. So why is it that Android won't let me remove or uninstall them?!
In old-school Konami fashion, there's an Easter egg lurking inside your Samsung Galaxy S3, and I'm not talking about gingerbread men, robots, or jelly beans. In fact, it's actually an achievement, like those you would unlock in Black Ops on your Xbox 360, and it's pretty easy to find.
There are quite a few flaws with Apple's mobile products, and one that drives me crazy is their reliance upon iTunes for all your music syncing needs. If you want a song on your iPhone, you pretty much have to use iTunes to get it on there. Either that or buy it directly from the iTunes app on your device.
Inhabiting the microgravity environment on the cusp of the world's atmosphere has to be filled with some of the most unique experiences in the world. Astronauts eat, sleep, and work just as we do, except that their lives are filled with the added dangers of extreme temperatures and possible life-threatening malfunctions, all while being 240 miles up in the sky. Well, now's your chance to ask a handful of astronauts anything you ever wanted to know about life on the International Space Station.
One of the most frustrating things on the Internet are sites that make you register just to view content. I'm not talking about paywalls—I mean the sites that make you give them personal information to look at free articles or forum threads. Most people are uncomfortable with this because a lot of these sites either spam you themselves, or sell your information to someone else who will.
There is nothing worst then having to wait for something you really want. It doesn't matter how old you are or what the item is, the fact that you have to wait for it makes you want it even more. It's the love-hate relationship I have with Amazon and anything I order, and when that anticipation is for a new smartphone, it's amplified by about a thousand. The LG Nexus 4 has received great reviews and is one of the most sought after phones this holiday season, but it's a hard one to get a hold ...
When the specs for Google's Nexus 4 came out, most critics were more than thrilled. A very fast processor, lots of RAM, a big display with very high resolution, and an 8MP camera made it the media darling of the smartphone world. It climbed the ranks of the best smartphones available, but couldn't quite reach to the top due to one reason—no 4G LTE. Samsung's Galaxy S III and Apple's iPhone 5 both come with 4G LTE, so why couldn't the LG Nexus 4? While there are many reasons, Google was stated...
It's no secret that most people who got an iPhone 5 (or upgraded their old iPhone to iOS 6) have been sorely disappointed with Apple Maps. We may all miss Google Maps, but the Google says they aren't even working on an app for iOS 6 yet. Even worse, Google exec Eric Schmidt says they're waiting on an invitation from Apple, and if we know Apple, that could be a while. Users who didn't get an iPhone 5 have had an even worse time of things—Apple disabled 3D maps and turn-by-turn directions on ol...
Until recently, brainwave-reading devices have pretty much only existed in science fiction. Sure, electroencephalography (EEG), the technology that powers these devices, has been used in medicine and psychiatry since the late 1800s, but diagnosing people's brains and reading their minds are two totally different things. The first EEG headsets available to the public were used mostly in gaming and even in fashion, but in the last few years, they've gotten a little more sophisticated.
When OS X Lion (10.7) debuted last year, a lot of Apple users were dismayed that the "Save As" option had disappeared, replaced by the "Duplicate" function. Most felt that it just wasn't the same, so when Mountain Lion was released, the "Save As" option was brought back… sort of.
Mozilla Firefox is one of the Big Three web browsers, beloved for it's open nature and lack of affiliation with Microsoft or Google. Firefox 4 has been in a rather cranky Beta for some time, but has finally reached Release Candidate (RC) status! Watch this video for a guide to the new features you can play with in the RC, then click the link below to download it.
Need to print something but you're on the go and only have your smartphone or iPad with you? No worries! This tutorial shows you how to use a little app called Dropbox to print to your home printer anywhere, anytime, with any mobile device. Print THAT!
If you're interested in installing an application that you can't find in the Android Market, you'll need to use an apk (or Android packet) file. Don't know how to load an apk onto your phone? No problem: this Android owner's guide will walk you through the process. You'll find that, with a file manager application like Astro File Manager, it's a snap.
With unrEVOked, it's now easier than ever to root your HTC Evo mobile phone. So easy, in fact, that this hacker's how-to can present a complete, step-by-step overview of the process in just four minutes.
Whether you want to search the web or just the contents of your phone, the Desire HD's searchbar widget is the way to go. Learn how to use it with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Organize your contacts list by merging duplicate entries. Learn how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Spice up your digital photos with filters and effects. See how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Get turn-by-turn directions and find places of interest with the Locations app on your HTC Desire HD. See how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Personalize your Desire HD's home screen with custom widgets! See how with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Don't like the default position of the tabs and applications on your Desire HD? Learn how to move 'em around with this quick, official guide from HTC.
Tethering lets you share your Desire HD's 3G Internet connection with a second, Wi-Fi enabled device. Learn how to use it with this quick, official guide from HTC.
In this clip, you'll learn how to use Gmail in its lesser-known offline mode. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started using Gmail when without a live Internet connection yourself, watch this handy home-computing how-to from the folks at CNET TV.
