When on-screen buttons were introduced alongside Android 4.0, it didn't take long before Google added a gesture to these virtual navigation keys. Since then, an upward swipe originating from the home button has always been a shortcut to Google Now on Nexus devices.
Google's original messaging service got a nice version bump today. Hangouts now sports stickers, video chat filters, an updated Material Design interface, and a few new features that should make the service a little more fun and easy to use.
When it comes to subscription-based music streaming services, the conversation doesn't go much further than Spotify and Google Play Music (previously called "All Access"). Both services are essentially the same aside from slightly different catalogues and social options, and they both run ten bucks a month for unlimited music streaming and offline track saving (although Spotify does have a free, ad-supported service).
You have to give Amazon credit where it's due. Aside from being a retail powerhouse, they're not averse to dipping their feet in new and sometimes strange areas. Take Fresh, the first major effort at bringing your local goods directly to you in same-day fashion. Or Amazon Dash, which aimed to make adding items to your cart a breeze by allowing for scanning goods or speaking them into a small, hand-held device. Along these lines, the company has now introduced an invite-only product, the Amazo...
Many reminder apps offer various bells and whistles that make them overly complicated to use when all you want to do is one or two things. If the only things you care about doing are setting quick reminders and adding timers, you probably don't care about cloud syncing or calendar integration features.
Apple doesn't make it very easy to delete things quickly from your Photos library, mainly for two reasons. First of all, if you delete multiple pictures at once, it's difficult to know the full details of each individual one you're selecting because the tiny thumbnails don't show very much detail. Secondly, if you delete the pictures one-by-one, you'll be able to view them in full screen, but it will take forever. And dealing with a delete confirmation each time is enough to drive anyone crazy.
There's no TV show that stands out quite like American Horror Story. With its crazy characters and nightmarish storylines, there are countless costume ideas hiding in its episodes.
Accumulating approximately one million downloads on the Google Play Store in less than 72 hours from its initial release, TouchPal instantly became a favorite among Android users.
Guardians of the Galaxy wowed moviegoers this summer with its sassy, strong team of intergalactic superheroes. From Groot, the ever-growing tree, to Rocket, the rough-around-the-edges raccoon, the film had an unending supply of unique characters—but no one stood out as much as Gamora.
Who doesn't love The Lego Movie? With a theme song that shouts the film's awesomeness, becoming one of its brick-bodied, eternally happy characters is everyone's dream.
Sometimes, when it comes to Halloween costumes, the easiest ones to make are the best. They require little effort, but can pack a punch and look even more authentic than complex character replications.
HTC is one of the few OEMs that make it easy to unlock the bootloader on their devices. And while they do warn you that doing so voids your warranty, they don't tell you that it also prevents you from collecting promotions that come with their devices.
Break out the office supplies and kitchen utensils, because improving your morning makeup routine is about to get a lot easier. Some of the things you have lying around the house can provide the perfect solution for some of the most common beauty problems. We've collected 10 of our favorites.
It's been a minute since Michael Bay released his tragedy of a remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As a huge fan of the cartoon and the movies from the '90s, I have made it a point to not watch the latest this franchise has to offer—I'm certainly not in the business of ruining my childhood. But the awfulness of the remake aside, the TMNT resurgence means I'm celebrating the comeback of everybody's favorite teenage reptiles. Thankfully, Todd's Kitchen has a tutorial for mutant ooze that's ...
The first thing you probably noticed after turning on your LG G3 for the first time was its gorgeous Quad HD display. The G3 is the first device to offer the soon-to-be standard QHD screen, and it's a beauty. That being said, the colors can look flat and dull, especially when compared to my previous device, the Galaxy S4.
The latest software update to the Amazon Fire Phone packed a lot of new and enhanced features, one of which makes the Carousel (a favorite feature of mine) much more useful.
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.
Using Facebook and Twitter as a news source can be frustrating at times, mainly because opening links will divert you away from your current application. Instead of a smooth process, you find yourself going back and forth from app to browser, over and over again.
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.
When the Google Maps web app got a massive redesign earlier this year, I was pretty excited to try it out, but it was a fairly disappointing update for me. The slower load times, confusing street view, and bicyclist neglect are just a few of the reasons I don't enjoy it over the old classic Google Maps. The brand new drag-and-drop measuring tool released this week is actually pretty useful, but not enough to change my mind.
Love or hate them, selfies are here to stay, and because of their rise in popularity, developers are clamoring to jump on the bandwagon. Most companies offer ways to add filters and share them, but few aim at changing the way the are taken.
You may not have noticed it, but Google snuck a new feature into Glass recently. Called Notification Glance, this feature lets you view new notifications by simply looking up at the screen.
Google I/O 2014 is currently going on in San Francisco, but as the conference rolls on, the Android Gear smartwatches continue to be one of the hotter topics.
Tricking out your phone is nice, but there's nothing better than saving money in the process. Google Play is full of apps that offer great functionality, but some of them are not always cheap, and that's why AppSales was made. AppSales is an app browser that lists apps that are currently on sale, and can also keep track of those you are interested in buying in case the price drops.
Just in case you weren't aware, Google has more money than you and I will probably ever see in our lifetime, and now it seems that the search giant will be spending that money sending satellites into space.
For $100 each year (unless you used Faisal's workaround to save yourself twenty bucks), Amazon Prime membership gives you access to all the best that Amazon has to offer. From free 2-day shipping to Prime Instant Video, there's a lot to like about the service.
Gaining major consumer support and the ire of Big Cable, Aereo today announced support for the Chromecast through it's Android app. A revolution for cord-cutters, Aereo lets you record and stream live broadcast TV on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or media streaming player (Apple TV, Roku, and now Chromecast).
We don't typically cover games here on softModder, unless they have some special feature to offer like unlocking your device, but sometimes you've just gotta game. When you've only got a few minutes to do so, you've gotta choose the right game, and I've got just the thing for you.
Probably one of the most sought after features of the LG G2 is its "Knock Knock" capabilities. Rather than dealing with that pesky power button, you simply double-tap portions of the screen to either sleep or wake your device.
The little black status bar at the top of your screen is great for at-a-glance info, but let's face it—it's pretty ugly. If you want to hide it completely, only showing it when you need it, check out our guide on using Immersive Mode in KitKat. However, if you want to keep the at-a-glance convenience and have it blend in with your apps, try out Tinted Status Bar.
A banner alert for notifications is like the Robin to our iPhone's Batman—they're taken for granted and don't really get the recognition they deserve. Yes, they can be disruptive at times, but just like Robin, they can be necessary for getting things done.
Android devices are awesome, let me just state that now, but when iOS 7 came out, the new flat theme caught my eye. Yes, we can easily apply new themes on our Nexus 7 tablets to make it look more like iOS 7, but they won't actually change the individual look and feel of apps like Instagram.
Well, that was quick. A little over a week after releasing the third beta for iOS 7.1, Apple presented a fourth build to developers.
Long before Windows Phone hit the scene, Windows Mobile was the operating system for Microsoft's older brand of smartphones through the early 2000s. But due to its clunkiness and inability to keep up with modern features, it was scrapped in 2010.
Snapchat is like that very attractive girl at the bar that has one too many shots and ends up slobbering on the bouncer as she gets led out. Of course she can still recover since she is hot, but you only get so many chances before you just become a complete failure. And that's where Snapchat has been treading these past few weeks.
With the bombardment of technical issues that have plagued GTA Online since its inauguration, it hasn't been easy to enjoy stealing cars and killing hookers with all your friends.
Cavandoli Macrame (also called Tapestry Knotting) is an intricate form of knotting used to create geometric patterns. The Cavandoli style is done mainly in a single knot, the double half-hitch knot. Reverse half hitches are sometimes used to maintain balance when working left and right halves of a balanced piece.
Adjusting the brightness on your Samsung Galaxy S3 can be a real pain sometimes. Each app you open may need a different amount of light to better optimize its use of the screen, and then you have to worry about it potentially eating up your battery life if it's too bright.
During today's press event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple announced that iOS 7 will come bundled with several new ringtones—something that has stayed relatively static the past few years.
While making the transition from Apple to Android may not be hard for some, there are others that miss the small features that Apple offers on the iPad and iPhone. If you just got a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or other Android device and want a familiar piece of Apple on your device, check out Hi Dev Studio's new Hi Notes application, which gives you iOS-styled notes.
