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.
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.
You send out a lot of emails, but probably get very few responses. How can you be sure those emails are even opened?
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.
Lately, it seems, that we live in a two-dimensional world. With smart phones and tablets constantly at our fingertips, it always seems as if we are looking into a screen.
It appears that the next iteration of KitKat, Android 4.4.3, is fast approaching. If the past is any indication, today's update to the Nexus 5 software changelog on Sprint's website tells us a new version of Android will begin rolling out within 24 hours. Sprint has broken the news of a forthcoming Android release twice in the past. With 4.4.1 and 4.4.2, a mini-changelog was posted on the Sprint website about a day before Google began pushing updates to its Nexus devices.
Just because you have a Mac doesn't mean you can't root your Nexus 7 tablet. In fact, rooting Android 4.4 KitKat on both the 2013 and original 2012 N7 models is easy, if not easier than rooting it using a Windows PC.
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.
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.
This year in Android has seen a myriad of visual improvements among various apps' user interfaces. From the card swipes of Google Now to the article fade-ins of Circa News, developers have shown that they can strike a beautiful balance between form and function. Check out the following video, complied by redditor hinesh, for some examples.
The Nexus 5 is the current Google flagship packed with the latest and greatest of all things Android, but what if you never made the leap from your Nexus 4 smartphone?
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.
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.
This is a video by Tinkernut on How to Make a Chrome App in 5 Minutes. Making a Chrome App and an Extension is actually a fairly simple task. All you have to know is a few required fields and the JSON syntax.
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.
Welcome back my fellow army of hackers! Today we'll be hacking a website. Hacking is technically not the right word used here. It should be defacing! So we are going to deface a website...
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.
Want to search through your Samsung Galaxy S III or other Android smartphone using only a web browser? Thanks to XDA-Developers member Metal Droid, you can now access and download anything from your phone through any browser on your computer using DroidXPlorer.
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...
The new iPhone 5 was just revealed yesterday, and it's 18 percent thinner and just 1/5 the weight of its 4S predecessor. It's also taller with a larger screen, which gives you a fifth row for apps now. As far as speed is concerned, it has a speedy A6 chip and can tap into wireless 4G LTE networks for fast Internet. Both the iSight and front-facing FaceTime cameras were improved, too. The only downside seems to be the tinier "Lightning" connector, which replaces the standard 30-pin connector w...
If you want to embed an iFrame into a Blackboard 9.1 page, you'll need to grab the code from whatever source you want (YouTube, Vimeo, Google Docs, etc.) and use the Build Content option in Blackboard. Select "Item" under the "Create" menu and turn off the Text Editor so that you can properly paste the code in. Take a look at this tutorial to see all the steps in action.
Tired of waiting for Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) to come to your HTC Evo 4G Google Android smartphone? Speed the process along by installing the Kings Gingerbread ROM! It's easy and this video presents a complete, step-by-step overview of the process.
Interested in rooting your HTC Evo, Desire, Incredible, Aria or Wildfire phone? With the unrEVOked jailbreaking tool, it's easy! So easy, in fact, that this hacker's how-to can present a complete overview of the process in about four and a half minutes. Learn how to root your Google Android smartphone with this video jailbreaking walkthrough.
This tutorial will work on any Apple device running iOS 4. Besides finding books through the Apple store, you can also find unlocked epub-format books (such as through Google Books or the Gutenberg Project) and use the iBooks application to read them on your iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. Even customize your covers!
In this clip, you'll learn how to unlock NAND and install a recovery menu on a rooted HTC Evo 4G. Whether you're the proud owner of an HTC Evo 4G Google Android smartphone or are merely considering picking one up, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Want to make a wireframe for something that's ultimately going to end up on an iPhone 4 or Google Android smartphone? This quick clip offers some advice. Whether you're new to the Omni Group's popular task management application or simply wish to get better acquainted with the program, you're sure to find value in this software tutorial. For more information, including step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Root your Droid X Google Android smartphone and run custom ROMs! This hacker's how-to presents a thorough, step-by-step overview on unlocking and rooting a Motorola Droid X smartphone. For detailed instructions, and to get started rooting your own Motorola Droid X phone, watch this free video tutorial.
Interested in fancifying your Google Gmail signature by including custom fonts and images? This clip will show you how it's done. It's simple! So simple, in fact, that this home-computing how-to can present a complete, step-by-step overview of the process in just over a minute and a half. For more information, including complete, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
Want to use something other than Google as your default search engine? In this quick iPhone 4 user's guide, you'll learn how to change the phone's default search engine. Whether you're the proud owner of an Apple iPhone 4 or perhaps just considering picking one up, you're sure to benefit from this free video tutorial. For more information, including complete, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
There are a couple of options available to you when it comes to navigation on your new HTC EVO 4G. In this clip, you will learn how to use the two most popular options: Sprint Navigation and Google Navigation. These apps are similar but each have their own pros and cons, so check out this clip before you choose so you can make an informed decision.
Want to know how to send and receive SMS text messages from your Google Gmail account? It's easy. So easy, in fact, that this home computing how-to from the folks at CNET TV can present a complete (and somewhat talky) overview of the process in just over a minute's time. For the specifics, watch this handy how-to.
When you sign up with Gmail, Google gives you both an "@gmail.com" address and an "@googlemail.com" address. You can take advantage of this fact to reduce the amount of spam you receive. And this video tutorial from the people at CNET TV will show you how. Regain control of your Gmail inbox with this hacker's how-to.
Access accessibility features on an Android 2.0+ smartphone. One of the salient advantages of a Google Android smartphone over, say, an Apple iPhone, is the inherent extendibility of the open-source Android mobile OS. There are a seemingly infinite number of settings to tweak and advanced features to discover and use. This free video tutorial, in particular, discusses how to enable your Android phone's KickBack, SoundBack, and TalkBack features.
Want to root your Google Nexus One Android smartphone from a Mac? It's simple! So simple, in fact, that a complete walkthrough of the process can be presented in just over eight minutes' time. For the specifics, and to get started running custom ROMs on your own Nexus One phone, watch this hacker's how-to.
This is a Tinkernut video cast. This video shows you how to control your computer (mainly games and miscellaneous programs such as Google Earth) using your webcam.