Dec 20
In the ever-expanding universe of Android devices, there are two distinct groups – those that are certified by Google, and those that are not. The big difference here is shown … Continue reading
Dec 20
Gresso is the maker of some high-end smartphones that are known more for their style than performance. The smartphones from the company are often very expensive as well. One of … Continue reading
Dec 20
Those who have been using Android for a while are probably aware of Team Cyanogen, or Cyanogen Inc. as they are known these days. They have been responsible for one of the more popular custom Android ROMs which more or less provides users with a near-stock Android experience and does away with the fancy UIs that usually come preinstalled on OEM devices. Well it seems that the journey of Cyanogen Inc. has only begun as they have managed to attract a second round of funding which saw them raise $22 million, a great deal more than their first round which net them $7 million.
This new round of funding is expected to be put towards expanding into China where they plan to open an office for around 50 employees. The company is also hoping to maintain its brand and to bring it into the mainstream which they are hoping to see happen in the near year or two. Over the past couple of months, we have seen Cyanogen Inc. start to evolve from merely offering custom ROMs. They have partnered up with Oppo for the Oppo N1 which is the first handset to officially come with CyanogenMod preinstalled. They have also attempted to release a CyanogenMod installer which has since been pulled from Google Play, and if the rumors are to be believed, they could be teaming up with a mysterious hardware partner to create a smartphone of their own.
Either for fans of the ROM and team, the future is definitely looking pretty bright and it will be interesting to see where all of this will take them.
Cyanogen Inc. Manages To Raise An Additional $22m In Funding original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 20
One of the more welcome features of Android 4.4 KitKat would be its “immersive mode”. Basically what this does is that it hides the notification bar and the navigation panel as well, allowing users to enjoy apps full screen without any distractions, hence the the immersion into the app/game. Well the good news for Android gamers is that Gameloft, a developer of many popular mobile games, is considering adding immersive modes to its games in the future, thus taking advantage of the new immersive API that comes with Android 4.4 KitKat.
Gameloft has yet to confirm any of this, so don’t get your hopes up just yet, but we reckon it’s something worth looking forward to not just from Gameloft, but from other developers as well. It makes perfect sense for developers to take advantage of this API, but this would mean that big name developers such as Gameloft who have many titles under their name would have to update all their apps, which could take time. Not to mention this would require the gamer to own an Android 4.4 KitKat device, which at the moment aren’t that many yet.
Either way like we said this is something worth looking forward to in the future, but what do you guys think? Are you used to Android gaming the way it is, or would you prefer if developers were to take advantage of this feature?
Gameloft Thinking About Implementing Immersive Mode For Its Android Games original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 20
Apple changed the mobile industry with the iPhone, and has been known to suggest that others have copied it along the way. Now, one of Android’s original software architects admits that Google had "to start over" the day the iPhone was announced.
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Dec 20
When you read a book or an article on your Android device, how much power—and access to your personal data—are you giving the app?
A new comparison of 17 of the most popular reader apps, compiled by Matt Bernius, answers that question, and in some cases users may be revealing much more than they think. Nearly a quarter of the apps tested required access to location information; half of them ask for "phone state and identity", which would let them grab people’s phone numbers and IMEI numbers; and a couple can retrieve a list of other running apps.
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Dec 19
Boy, don’t you just love the efficiency of the folks over at Motorola? They surely did not waste much time at all, after the Motorola Moto G was introduced slightly more than a month ago, having worked hard to make sure that the Motorola Moto G will be on the receiving end of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system update today. Of course, the Moto G handsets that are eligible for this particular update will be the ones that were purchased from Motorola.com or Amazon.com in the US, and it would also enable Moto G users to be able to print out emails and photos from the phone (with the help of a connected printer, of course, just in case you had the idea of a built-in printer within the phone itself. Wait a minute, that ain’t too shabby an idea now, is it?).
Just what will this update bring? We are looking at newly designed status and navigation bars, a full-screen mode, support for color emojis, improved closed captioning, enhanced security, and smarter power use among others. There is also a brand new dialer that will enable you to look up contacts directly from the dialing pad, or you can always opt to tap frequent contacts in order to make a call. The camera on the Moto G should also see some improvement, but do not expect to capture 1-billion pixel images just yet. [Press Release]
Motorola Moto G Gets Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 19
Let’s face it, while the iPhone is not the first touchscreen device to hit the market, it was probably the smartphone that helped kick off the smartphone revolution and made touchscreen devices a lot more desirable than back in the day. While it might be presumptuous to assume that Apple was the only company working on a smartphone back in the day, it seems that whatever they did was enough to make the competition stop and think about the direction that they were headed, which is exactly how some folks at Google felt.
According to former Apple engineering lead, Chris DeSalvo, who was also an early Android team member, it seems that when the iPhone made its debut back in 2007, it was enough to blow them away to the point where Google had to re-evaluate where Android was headed. Speaking in an interview with Fred Vogelstein for an upcoming book on the origins of the Android versus iPhone war, DeSalva was quoted as saying (via The Atlantic), ”As a consumer I was blown away. I wanted one immediately. But as a Google engineer, I thought ‘We’re going to have to start over,’”
Android’s co-founder Andy Rubin echoed those sentiments as well when he was reportedly quoted as telling a colleague, “Holy crap, I guess we’re not going to ship that phone,” after seeing Steve Jobs’ presentation for the first iPhone. Vogelstein’s book, Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution is available on Amazon for $17.92 for the Kindle version.
Original iPhone Launch Sent Google Back To The Drawing Board original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Dec 19
Fly Or Die: Motorola Moto G
Posted in: Today's ChiliIt always seems like the flagship phones get the most attention, but what about a device that doesn’t even bother trying to claim that title? Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside has been saying for months that one of the company’s priorities was to improve the experience of using a low-cost smartphone, and the end result of drive was the cheapo Moto G.
So how did Motorola do? Well, as long as you set your expectations appropriately before taking the plunge, you’ll find a lot to love here. The lack of LTE is a bummer for you North American types, but the Snapdragon 400 chipset nestled inside keeps things moving along at a respectable pace and the battery will run for days and days on a single charge. Purists may not be too keen on the sorts of oversaturated screens that Motorola seems so fond of but hey, you can’t with ‘em all.
Long time listeners of the Droidcast will know that it’s very rare for me and Darrell to see eye to eye on, well, anything, but we came together just this once to give the Moto G a pair of Flys.
Dec 19
Motorola has released Android 4.4.2 KitKat for the Moto G, surprising users with an early upgrade for the mid-range smartphone. The company had previously promised to begin its KitKat update … Continue reading
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