Feb 11
The Nexus 4 has been around for a few months now, but the Android phone’s pretty wireless orb charger is just now available in the Google Play store. More »
Jan 31
Android users running a relatively recent version of the mobile OS will recognize the gold headphones immediately – it’s Android’s music app that comes pre-installed on mobile devices. An update for the app has just been rolled out, taking it to version 4.5.9 and adding a handful of new features, among them being new default album art and a bug fix for the freezing issue experienced by Galaxy S III owners.
First up is the bug fix, which corrects an issue experienced by far too many Samsung Galaxy S III owners. When used, the Music app would cause the handset to freeze, something that should stop happening once the update is installed. That’s the only bug fix that has been rolled out with this update, with the rest of the changes centering around new features and improvements on existing elements.
Instant mixes that contain more than 25 songs can now be set to continuous play all the songs, something previously unavailable. A “previous” button has been added to the widget, while album and playlist pages both now show pinning progress. Music can now be shuffled by album, artist, or playlist, and the default artwork has been updated with some new stuff.
If you have your mobile set to automatically install updates, you might have the new version already. If you don’t, you can manually grab the update at Google Play. The app is 5.3MB in size and runs on Android 2.2 and higher. The Music app works along with Google Play to automatically sync music purchases with the handset, and can be used in conjunction with a personal library of songs.
[via Phone Arena]
Google updates Play Music app for Android, adds new art and more is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 31
Grizzly Bear: Gun-Shy
Posted in: Today's Chili
We often describe an artist’s full commitment to a project in physiological terms—pouring his blood, sweat, tears, heart, and soul into the piece. Director Kris Moyes examines what that creative energy would actually look like for Grizzly Bear’s latest video, Gun-Shy, through a collection of surreal animated gifs. More »
Jan 30
Google Puts The Nexus 4 Back On Sale In UK, France And Spain [Update: Now Also In Australia, Sold Out In France And Spain]
Posted in: Today's Chili
Google yesterday started to offer the Nexus 4 once again in the Google Play stores in the U.S., Canada and Germany, and today it’s started to roll it out to the rest of the markets where it quickly went out of stock last year. Users can now order the devices in the UK, France, Spain and Australia, with shipping times of around 1-2 weeks, although more exact times might be given at checkout. [Australia is not live yet, we’ve been told.]
Update: And now the Nexus 4 is on sale in Australia, and Google has confirmed to us that the Nexus 4 has already sold out in France and Spain. In fact our readers below noted that the “sold out” sign was put up within about an hour of the phones going on sale.
(Note: those links will only appear local links in their respective markets; they will otherwise appear with stock information for whichever market where you are viewing them.)
Google’s Nexus 4 device, made by LG, is a Jellybean-based Android phone loaded with functionality (but no official LTE support yet) at a competition-beating price of $299.
When the device first went on sale in November, stock sold out in lightning speed. In January, LG engaged in a little mild mudslinging, noting that Google had massively underestimated demand for the device, with the amount of people in one market, the UK, at ten times the level of availability. Indeed, Google, TechCrunch understands from sources, had modelled its numbering based on sales of previous Nexus devices.
But with Android take up showing no signs of slowing down, and smartphones becoming ever more mainstream, it looks like the “Kindle Fire” effect, of offering a device quite compatible on specs and services but very competitive on price, was a recipe for rapid sales.
This week, Google gradually turned on availability across different markets possibly for a double purpose: the first is that it means it will be able to better handle an influx of orders and manage inventory accordingly.
And the second? It just so happens that the on-sale news will hit the same time as RIM launches its BlackBerry 10 operating system and a new device, the Z10 in a press conference it’s coordinating across different locations worldwide.
Today’s news follows on from reports (unconfirmed) that Google is also preparing to expand the Nexus 4 line with a white model.
Screenshot of how the Nexus 4 looks for sale in the UK below.
Jan 29
After a long, long wait, the much-loved Nexus 4 is back in stock at the Google Play Store. Google and LG have been experiencing some stock issues with the handset due to incredibly high demand, leaving potential buyers without many more options. The phone has been available at T-Mobile, but those who wanted to go straight through Google had to wait weeks for the handset to become available again.
Luckily, today’s the day, so if you’ve been holding out for it to return to the Google Play Store, you’ll probably want to head over there sooner rather than later. After all, there’s no telling if the Nexus 4 will sell out again, but with so many people waiting to buy one, it might not be long before stock is tight. At the time of this writing, the listings for both the 8GB and 16GB variants say orders will be shipping out in 1-2 weeks.
Hopefully that shipping time doesn’t get extended as more people order a Nexus 4, but you never know. The Nexus 4 proved to be incredibly popular upon release, packing in solid hardware at a price that’s too hard to ignore for many smartphone users. The 8GB Nexus 4 only costs $299.99, while the 16GB model is $349.99 – keep in mind that you’re getting an unlocked Nexus 4 when you order directly from Google, so that sweetens the deal further.
The Nexus 4 offers a 4.7-inch display at 1280×760 resolution, 2GB of RAM, a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and a 8MP rear-facing camera, so it’s pretty easy to see why folks are going nuts over it. It’s also one of the few devices to be running Android 4.2, and having the latest version of Android along for the ride isn’t bad either. You can grab one now by navigating over to the Google Play Store.
[via Android Community]
Nexus 4 returns to the Google Play Store is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 25
Google had quite the 2012 on iOS as it released its dedicated Google Maps and YouTube applications onto a competing operating system, and were downloaded a ton of times by grateful iOS users. But would you believe five of their applications were ranked in a top ten list for the most-used applications on iOS? Of course you would.
Even though Apple tried to rid itself of Google-related products from iOS, it looks as though their customers absolutely love Google products. A new report from comScore shows just how much as within the top ten list or applications most used in 2012, Google Maps, Google Play, Google Search, Gmail and YouTube were ranked second to sixth place, with the top spot going to Facebook. Pandora Radio, iTunes, Cooliris and Yahoo! Messenger rounded out the top 10.
2012′s most-used applications list speaks volumes to just how popular Google-related products are, even on a competing mobile operating system. We know Apple wants to break itself away from being dependent on Google products, but after the embarrassing fiasco that occurred with Apple Maps, we’re sure Apple knows just how much it needs Google products on iOS.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Doom & Destiny Hitting The Nokia Lumia Platform, NVIDIA Smartphones And Tablets Coming Your Way?, 
Jan 24
Today is the day that Temple Run 2 becomes available for Android, and much like what we’ve seen with the iOS version of the app (which took off like a rocket out of a nightmare the first 12 hours it was out), we’re seeing so many downloads your eyes will bleed. This game is largely the same as both the original version of Temple Run and, of course, the Temple Run 2 revealed for iOS last week – they’re basically identical, believe it or not!
We’ve simply got to direct you to Android Community right this minute to show you the fabulous job they’ve done with a review of this game right out of the cannon – video, pics, and all. You’ll find that with a selection of new graphics, performance that’s not to be beat, and much of the same great non-stop action that made the original a winner, Temple Run 2 is another hit for the future. This game is going to be a hit, and already is if you check the download rate here in the first day.
At the moment this game, not a few hours after having been revealed, has more than 4,000 reviews in the Google Play store. This means that there are many, many more downloads having happened before the first half-day has occurred. We’ll have some more solid numbers sooner than later, you can bet!
This game takes on everything we loved about the first Temple Run and makes it all the greater with a more broad look at the temple you will be running directly through! This game is available for essentially any Android device you’ve got on-hand with Android 2.2 FroYo or higher, and it’s free! All the cash these folks will be bringing in will be coming from in-app purchases – you can bet!
Temple Run 2 Android edition hits Google Play with a bang! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 23
According to the latest comScore Mobile Metrix ranking working with the audiences of the top mobile apps in the USA, Facebook has taken a relatively massive leap ahead of Google Maps through 2012 to become the top app in the USA. This listing includes polling of users aged 18 years or older on both iOS and Android devices with a time frame between March and December of 2012, and you’ll find that this isn’t the first month in which Facebook has taken the lead. Google Maps and Facebook have been nearly neck-and-neck since the earliest results from March of 2012, with Google Maps in the lead until September where usage of Google’s mapping solution appears to take a bit of a fall off of a cliff while Facebook continues to steadily rise.
Of course when you measure Google’s success in apps across the board, they’re still doing extremely well for themselves. Have a peek at the top US Mobile Apps as ranked by comScore according to unique visitors (again, from polls of 18+ year old citizens on both iOS and Android) and you’ll find that in December of 2012, Facebook still has the lead. It’s Google though that holds every position from number 2 to number 6, YouTube and Gmail as well as Google Maps, Play, and Search included.
This set of polls also includes comScore’s monitoring of time spent on Google and Facebook apps specifically, this accounting for Instagram (owned by Facebook) and YouTube (owned by Google) as well as Facebook, Google Maps, Gmail, and the rest. You’ll find that the largest piece of the pie goes to “Other Apps” for those polled that don’t actually find themselves on Facebook or Google apps all that much. After that though, It’s all about Facebook taking the number one spot with 23% of the time users spend on their smart devices.
It’s a tie between several other apps after that, with 3% of users’ time being spent on Instagram, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps. An ever-so-slightly smaller amount of time is spent (2%) on Google Play, Google Search and “all other Google apps” get another 1% of the pie each, then it’s that massive hunk for everything else in the universe. If there’s one thing this set of charts shows us, it’s that comScore wants to make it clear that both Facebook and Google are here to stay – in the mobile universe at least!
[via comScore]
comScore: Facebook ends 2012 as #1 mobile app in the USA is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 17
It’s been quite some time since we last heard from the Google Nexus Q, but the reason the media streaming device is making its way back into the news today isn’t very good. After months of silence, Google has at last changed the Nexus Q’s Google Play listing to say that the device is “no longer available for sale.” For those who have forgotten, the Nexus Q hasn’t been available for purchase since July, so why Google is just now getting around to changing its Play Store listing is anyone’s guess.
When Google stopped offering the Nexus Q half a year ago, the company said that it would take the player back to the drawing board after complaints that stated the price was too high for a device that ultimately didn’t do much. Perhaps the initial hope was that Google would be able to come up with some new functionality and quickly bring the Nexus Q back to market, but months went by without a new update from Google. In October, the company removed the Nexus Q from the Nexus landing page, apparently to make room for the new incoming devices, such as the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10.
The Nexus Q was never “officially” released, with Google pulling the plug on the project before it left the pre-order phase. Those who pre-ordered a Nexus Q received one for free, while everyone else was out of luck. Google similarly gave away the Nexus Q for free at Google I/O 2012, so despite the fact that there are a number of them floating around out there, it seems that Google didn’t receive payment for any of them.
Perhaps the Nexus Q’s fate will become more clear as we move deeper into 2013. It’s worth noting that the Google Play page for the Nexus Q is still up, so it’s possible that Google is still planning a comeback. Hopefully we find out more shortly, because to be honest, the suspense is killing us.
[via Ars Technica]
Nexus Q “no longer available” according to Google Play listing is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 16
Up until now, Google was only selling the Nexus 7 with AT&T SIM cards bundled with it, but since the device is unlocked and runs on HSPA+ cellular technology, Google decided that there was no harm in offering T-Mobile SIM cards with the 7-inch tablet, so customers can now buy a Nexus 7 for T-Mobile on Google Play right now.
Google added a new page for the Nexus 7, specifically for the new T-mobile version. It’s the same 32GB unlocked version as before, but this time it comes with a T-Mobile SIM card. So, just as with the AT&T version, you can now open up your tablet the minute you get it and connect right away to T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network.
Sadly, though, a 32GB version is only available for those wanting a T-Mobile variant, but we’re hoping a 16GB version will come to T-Mobile eventually. Google has a special relationship with the carrier, offering the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 only on T-Mobile, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the company brought more versions of their products to the carrier.
In related news, T-Mobile announced today that the Nexus 4 will be more widely available in its larger retail stores across the US, and the device will eventually reach all of the carrier’s retail stores in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the Nexus 4 will become available once again from T-Mobile’s website starting January 23.
[via Phone Scoop]
T-Mobile Nexus 7 now available on Google Play is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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