Apple today updated the official Apple Music app for Android to add support for saving their offline music to an SD card.
Google wants its Nexus phones to be more like the iPhone
Google’s flagship Nexus 6P delivered significant design improvements last year, putting its hardware on par with the best devices from rival manufacturers. But Google wants the Nexus lineup to be even more like the iPhone.
To make that happen, the company will reduce its reliance on third-party manufacturing partners like Huawei and LG and assume greater control over Nexus hardware, according to one report.
Samsung to copy iPhone Upgrade Program to stop switchers
Samsung is reportedly planning to launch its own upgrade program to give Galaxy smartphone fans an easy and more affordable route to its latest devices.
The move would be a direct response to Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, and could prevent long-time users from making the switch to iOS.
Samsung is bringing all its best apps to iOS
Samsung and Apple have been bitter smartphone rivals for nearly a decade now, but it appears that Samsung may be ready to finally embrace iOS.
Some of Samsung’s best apps (if not all) are coming to iOS soon, according to a new report that claims the Galaxy-maker plans to pull a Microsoft and bring its apps to Apple’s platform as part of its effort to increase adoption of its connected devices.
Google paid Apple $1 billion to keep its search bar on the iPhone
Android and iOS may be mortal enemies in some ways, but Google clearly realizes the value of having Apple’s hundreds of millions of customers use its search engine.
So much so, in fact, that in 2014 Google paid Apple a massive $1 billion to keep its search bar on the iPhone.
Here’s how much Google has made from Android
Android has reportedly earned Google $31 billion since the mobile operating system’s inception, according to a stat revealed during the company’s ongoing court battle with Oracle.
Run to the hills in upcoming Iron Maiden mobile game
Are you willing to die with your boots on? Do you know the number of the beast? If so, you’ll want to keep an eye on this upcoming mobile game from heavy metal band extraordinaire, Iron Maiden.
In conjunction with Roadhouse Interactive and 50cc Games, the legends of metal are putting together a free-to-play role-playing game, due out this summer, on iOS and Android. It’s called Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (naturally), and will apparently include characters from the long history of Iron Maiden album art, as well as a soundtrack that has previously unheard live recordings from the monsters of rock.
Remix OS is the freakin’ awesome Android desktop you’ve been waiting for
Android has long been available on desktops in some form, but it has never been done right. That’s going to change later this month with Remix OS, a platform that brings Android to almost any Mac and PC — and makes it usable by adding a familiar desktop interface.
CloudMagic, the best mail client on mobile, comes to Mac
For managing multiple mail accounts on the go, nothing beats the brilliant CloudMagic. It packs everything you need in an email app — and a whole lot more — and supports almost every mail service you can throw at it. And now it’s finally available on your Mac!
Android’s design guru says iPhone interface is ‘heavy and burdensome’
The iPhone may have fundamentally changed Google’s plans for its Android smartphone platform, but according to Google’s design chief, the iOS homescreen layout — consisting of grids of apps icons — is disappointingly stagnant.
“[The iPhone] crystallised a lot of other things that were kind of stayed even by that point, like the rows of icons, which don’t scale very well,” Matias Duarte, Google’s vice president of design, told Wired. “This idea of a tiny grid that you manually curate starts to feel very heavy and burdensome.”
Use your words to save your sister in Scribblenauts Unlimited
Scribblenauts Unlimited, the latest version of a fun game that’s been on one device or another since 2009, is headed to mobile.
Main character and magic notebook owner Maxwell’s got a sister, Lily, who he’s gotten cursed, thanks to his smart-ass ways. The pair go to see Edwin, one of the 40 other brothers and sisters of Maxwell and Lily (go figure), and find out that doing nice things for people is the only way to earn starite, the magical cure for Lily’s curse.
‘Peak smartphone’ is why Tim Cook is so hot for switchers
Apple convinced us we couldn’t live without a smartphone. Now many of us have a smartphone in hand and Apple may be facing the curse side of the blessing — finding new customers for the iPhone.
Credit Suisse recently issued a report to investors that further fuels speculation that iPhone sales will dip for the first time since Apple introduced it in 2007. The upshot: Smartphone ownership is approaching 100 percent. We’re nearing “peak smartphone.”
Is there a class divide between iPhone and Android?
The war between iPhone and Android will wage on for years to come, but in this week’s Friday Night Fight, we’re not going to be bickering about which is best. At least not in terms of design, features, flexibility — and the other things normally discussed during a platform war.
Instead, we’re battling it out over the supposed class divide — the notion that the wealthy only buy iPhones, and the poor only buy Android because they can’t afford that Apple logo. It’s going to be a fun one!
So, join us below for one of our hottest Friday Night Fights yet, and be sure to weigh in at the end!
Google Maps takes on Yelp, offers prizes for local map experts
Google Maps offers a ton of local info when you use the navigation system on your Android or Apple smartphone, including local businesses, eateries, or interesting spots.
The company is expanding its Local Guides program in Google Maps, which will let you share your own discoveries directly to the map, making it more useful for others as well as competing with Yelp, which has a similar service.
But wait, there’s more. With every bit of local expertise you share with Google Maps through the Local Guides program, you’ll get points.
Can TAG Heuer help Android Wear defeat Apple Watch?
When it comes to smartwatch sales, Apple Watch has well and truly embarrassed the entire Android Wear ecosystem, even though it hasn’t spent anywhere near as long on the market. But with Google’s platform getting a high-profile supporter this week, is it time for change?
TAG Heuer’s new Connected is the first smartwatch from a luxury watchmaker, giving consumers a high-end alternative to the Apple Watch. It has beautiful hardware, great specifications, and even comes with an upgrade program that lets buyers swap it for a traditional TAG watch when it’s no longer useful.
So, is this the device Android Wear needs to mount a threat against Apple’s popular wearable?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over that very question!
All of Nintendo’s Android and iOS games will be free-to-play
All of the games Nintendo is currently planning for Android and iOS will be free-to-play titles, according to development partner DeNA. That means you won’t have to pay a penny to download them — but they will almost certainly be filled with in-app purchases.
Fandroids can finally boogie down to Apple Music
Apple Music for Android has finally arrived on the Google Play Store today after being publicly demoed at WWDC in June.
The new app brings Android users over 30 million songs from the Apple Music catalog, Beats 1 Radio, Playlists, Connect, and more. Apple’s offering users a 3-month trial, just like iOS. Pricing starts at $9.99 for a single plan, but Apple says your’ll need a Mac or iOS to sign-up for a $14.99 family plan.
Apple VP Eddy Cue says the launch is part of Apple’s plan to do things in music for everyone:
Clever hacker reproduces 3D Touch on Android device
As an Android user, you might feel a little saddened by the fact that you can’t use Apple’s 3D Touch system on your Android device of choice. It’s a pretty neat technology that lets an iPhone sense different pressures on the screen to produce some slick little tricks, like taking a selfie with a strong press on the Camera app icon.
Marco Chiappetta figured out a way to do something similar on his Sony Xperia Z3 using a pretty unexpected little trick.
Facebook Instant articles now available to all iPhone users
After five months of beta testing its fast-loading ‘instant’ articles, Facebook is rolling out the feature to all iPhone users starting today.
Instant articles load 10 times faster than normal shared links and rank higher in News Feed. Facebook has enlisted a number of top publishers to create content for the new article format with The New York Times, BuzzFeed, and The Atlantic among the first supporters.
Third-party service claims to be offering Apple Music for Android beta
We’ve heard very little about the official Apple Music app for Android since the service was announced back in June, but now a third-party company claims to be running a new beta program on Apple’s behalf.
Betabound is giving Android users the opportunity to register their interest in Apple Music for a chance to get early access — but we’re not totally sure it can be trusted.
All the phones at the party become one sound system with AmpMe
The party is on, but there’s a problem: There’s no stereo or Bluetooth speaker for the music.
But a startup out of Montreal has developed an app that allows partygoers to create a DIY sound system. AmpMe is an app that syncs streaming music across the many smartphones at that party to create one powerful sound system. That means iPhones and Android phones can join forces to save the day.
Android vs. iOS: Do adoption figures mean anything?
iOS 9 has been out for two days, and it’s already running on more than 20 percent of compatible devices, according to the latest data. In comparison, Google’s latest Android release, version 5.1 Lollipop, is running on just 5.1 percent of devices ten months after it made its public debut.
These figures highlight the staggering difference between updates on Android and iOS. But is it fair to compare adoption figures between these two platforms, and do users really care?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over this very topic!
Amazon plans on releasing a super cheap $50 Android tablet
If you can’t beat ’em, underprice ’em. That’s been Amazon’s motto with pretty much all its hardware, especially its Android-based Fire tablets and phones.
But what do you do when even pricing your entry-level Android tablet at under $100 each doesn’t move units? Drop the price to less than $50, apparently.
Android porn app holds your handset hostage until you pay up
An Android app that promises free porn has been secretly snapping photos of its users as they enjoy its content. “Adult Player” then locks up the victim’s device and uses their photo in a ransom note demanding $500.
Tiny charger taps AA batteries to keep your phone running
Modern mobile phones need a lot of power; chances are we’ve all got an external battery pack (or at least a second cable and wall plug) tucked away in a bag somewhere that will charge up our Android and iOS mobile phones while we’re on the run.
The thing is, those things need to be taken along with you when you leave the house. If you’re like me, though, that requires a heck of a lot of cognitive overhead and pre-planning.
The whole point of the Nipper, this tiny new mobile phone charger that uses two AA batteries to give you a bit of juice when needed, is to always be available.