The notification light on phones and tablets is slowly disappearing. The once staple feature is now only found on a few devices, and a bevy of other notification systems have sought to fill the gap. The most popular of these systems is Ambient Display, which has grown in popularity with OEMs over the last couple of years; even Google's own Nexus line of phones have made the plunge.
Google Maps, in conjunction with the Android operating system, is a powerful tool for navigation that is often underutilized. While it's no secret that it can get you to wherever you're going and back, some of you might not know that you can use Google Maps without even having to touch the screen. Not having to touch your display means you can concentrate on other things, you know, like driving or eating that jelly-filled donut.
If you use Google Chrome as your default desktop/laptop browser, then Chrome OS will be pretty easy to get up and running if transitioning from Windows or macOS. Google has created an operating system that is fast, lightweight, and versatile enough to be adopted by pros and novices alike.
If you own an iPad 2, a 3rd or 4th generation model, or original iPad mini, then you won't be able to utilize the new multitasking elements introduced in iOS 9. Although many iPads can use the Slide Over and Picture-in-Picture features, only the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad Pro have the ability to perform Split View.
The awesome thing about Android is that you rarely need to settle for what comes stock on your device. If your music app sucks, switch it. If you don't like your home launcher, swap it for a better one.
I have a personal rule when it comes to an app's interface: If it doesn't follow Android's design guidelines, it was probably written with Apple's iOS in mind first and foremost.
The transition from Android KitKat to Lollipop was pretty drastic in the looks department. Google's new Material Design guidelines changed the way many parts of the UI function, like the notification drawer, status bar, and most notably, the lock screen.
Texting has become the king of communication—gone are the days where everyone called each other. These days, it's down-right weird when someone calls first. Whether it be on a phone or on a computer, SMS and MMS messages are the most common way people keep in contact, so why not make sure your app of choice is the best possible one out there?
Living in Southern California means I don't really have a need to check the weather all that often. But every now and then, I'm caught off guard by a particularly chilly or hot day—no one wants to be the only person walking around with a T-shirt and sandals on a rainy, 50-degree day.
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If a person makes calls but doesn't have a Facebook account, are they even really a person? Yes, of course they are, but it just makes life easier when you're part of the world's biggest social network, as proven with Facebook's latest application, Hello - Caller ID & Blocking.
These days, using the power button to lock your Android seems a little old-fashioned. Thanks to third-party apps and mods, you could seamlessly lock your device using a double-tap, a swipe, and even gravity, or you could just throw it in your pocket, all of which help prevent additional wear and tear on your power button. Now, we've got another method for you—just shake.
Most custom ROMs are built from the freely-available source code of AOSP, so they share a lot of common ground with stock Android. The difference, though, is the fact that Google adds many minor tweaks and finishing touches to AOSP while creating the version of Android that ultimately comes pre-installed on Nexus devices.
With Nexus devices already enjoying Android 5.0 Lollipop, most other manufacturers are scrambling to get their flagships updated to Google's latest operating system. While HTC has promised Lollipop by the end of 2015, OEMs such as Motorola and Sony have already issued updates to their latest models. Then there's Samsung.
It's that time of year again, folks. Each fall, Google debuts a new device alongside the latest iteration of its mobile operating system—but this year marked the release of three new Nexus gadgets.
A musical hiccup during a DJ's set can completely ruin the mood, and that same feeling can definitely translate to mobile listening as well.
This past year, Facebook spent $19 billion purchasing the popular messaging app WhatsApp, and for good reason. Mark Zuckerberg isn't going to spend that type of money on just any application. WhatsApp is widely popular and frequently used by more than 500 million users worldwide, which is almost twenty percent of the Earth's population.
Google's Calendar service is one of the best out there. Just because of Google's web presence, your Calendar is available to you on almost any platform, so you never miss an appointment.
If you want to try out some of the new features in Android L, but can't run the developer preview on your Nexus—or simply don't want to—there's still hope. You don't actually need to be running Android L to try out some of the new improvements.
When Apple recently unveiled iOS 8, many of the newly-added features in their mobile OS seemed eerily familiar to Android users. This is probably because the vast majority of these new features have been available in Android for quite some time.
Quickness and efficiency should always be a fundamental aspect of the experience when using any Android device. Anything less, and we've got a problem. As app development continually progresses, these adjectives become much more refined and polished, making the use of a smartphone a flawless affair of swipes and gestures.
It's rare that a developer listens to the wishes of the masses, but that's exactly what CyanogenMod has done with their new CyanogenMod Installer, which automates the entire ROM installation process on your HTC One or other Android device. Previously, upgrading from the stock HTC One ROM to CyanogenMod required an unlocked bootloader, a custom recovery, the latest CM version, and Gapps. Let's be honest—unlocking the bootloader is a pain the ass, and probably the only reason stopping most peop...
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.
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.
A single movie download can consume a good ten percent of the storage on your Nexus 7 tablet, unless you went all crazy and opted for the 32GB model. Even then you're bound to run out of space fast, especially if you're like me and have tons of media files you want readily accessible on your tablet.
Real Racing 3 is by far one of the best racing simulators available on Google Play, and best of all—it's free! If you're playing this game on your Nexus 7, you've probably noticed that the graphics just don't look anywhere near as good as the in-game screenshots floating around on the web.
While websites may run smoothly without any noticeable vulnerabilities, there's always the looming threat that any background weakness in the site can be exploited by hackers. Once a site is compromised, it can be difficult to get it fixed without the proper help. Google has recently launched a new series entitled "Webmasters help for hacked sites”, which teaches web developers and site owners how to avoid getting hacked and how to recover their website if it gets compromised in any way.
With the new Samsung Galaxy Note II, there's a new Multi Window mode that allows users to run two different apps simultaneously on the tablet's screen. This feature works with Samsung and Google apps like Gmail, YouTube, Chrome and Talk.
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...
Are you considering making a move from Facebook to Google+? If you are, be sure to watch this video to learn a clever trick for importing all of your Facebook contacts to your Google plus account. Don't lose friends just because you are ditching Facebook for Google+ plus.
This helpful video will teach you how to recreate the iconic Google logo in Adobe Photoshop. If you've got a great idea for a fun Google doodle, or you just want to work on your Photoshop skills, check out this video to learn how to make the Google logo in Photoshop.
Google's search engine has been revamped so search results are brought to you instantly. Now, with the new Chrome 9 browser, it is possible to activate Google Instant so that the same search results are brought to you instantly in the browser bar itself.
Learn how to use Google's official Google Maps app on your Motorola Droid Android smartphone with this video demo from the folks at IntoMobile. Get where you're going with GPS-style turn-by-turn directions. This clip will teach you everything you'll need to know.
The first step to make Internet Explorer as fast as Google Chrome is to download Google Chrome Brain. Google Chrome Brain is a software program that allows you to manage and customize settings for higher performance in Google Chrome. After your download is complete for Google Chrome brain you must then install the program. After the program has completed it's installation you can choose from various settings to optimize performance. The narrator in this video explains that the simplest way to...
In this video tutorial, we learn how to use the Referring Sites pane in the Google Analytics web tracking service. Whether you're new to Google's popular web analytics platform or a seasoned pro merely looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial from Lynda.
In this video tutorial, we learn how to use the Map Overlay feature when using the Google Analytics web tracking service. Whether you're new to Google's popular web analytics platform or a seasoned pro merely looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video tutorial from Lynda.
In this clip, you'll learn how to use Google Website Optimizer to discover a losing page. Whether you're new to Google's Website Optimizer tool or are merely looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For the specifics, take a look.
Need some help coming up with keywords to drive traffic to your website or blog? With the Google Keyword tool, it's easy! So easy, in fact, that this home computing how-to from the folks at Easily can present a complete (and somewhat talky) overview of the process in just under five minutes' time. For the specifics, and to get started using Google's Keywords tool yourself, just watch this handy how-to.
Need some help figuring out how to get started with the Google Web Toolkit? It's easy! So easy, in fact, that this home computing how-to from the folks at Easily can present a complete (and somewhat talky) overview of the process in just under six minutes' time. For the specifics, and to get started setting up and using Google's official web development tools yourself, just watch this handy how-to.
In this tutorial, we learn how to display a custom-designed Google logo on your Mac/PC. First, you will want to download GreaseMonkey as a Firefox add-on. After you have installed this on your Firefox browser, type a search in Google for "how to change Google using greasemonkey". After this, click on the first page that come sup and download Java for Greasemonkey. Next, go to your Google page and you will be able to change what the "Google" logo says to say whatever you would like! This is a ...
With most of the new dishwashers today, they tend to run longer in order to give you the best quality wash. There are many special cycles that are built in that tend to extend the run time of the machine.
