Hasta La Gadget!

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of July 30th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Refresh Roundup: week of July 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft update 1.3.1 has gone live, and we’re going to level with you: it sounds pretty awesome. This is easily one of the biggest Minecraft updates we’ve had since the game officially launched back in November, adding a variety of new things and fixing a number of bugs. Though there’s a lot of cool stuff to check out in this update, the biggest change by far is the merging of single player and multiplayer worlds.

Mojang described this change last month, saying that single player mode was basically becoming a “shell on top of multiplayer” so modders would only have to make one version of their mod, and Mojang would only have to fix a bug once instead of twice. That may be the biggest change, but there’s plenty more to tide over the die-hand Minecraft fan. For starters, emeralds have been added to the game, and players now have the ability to trade with NPCs.

Ender chests and “large biome” worlds have been added as well, and now players have the option of spawning a “bonus chest” when they start a new world. The bonus chest is aimed at getting you set up quickly, containing a number of items that make starting a new world a smoother experience. Temples can now be found in jungles in deserts, and Minecraft 1.3.1 also tosses writable books into the mix. Take a look at the full list of patch notes, straight from the Minecraft blog:

+ Single-player now runs a server internally
+ Publish the single-player instance to LAN
+ Automatically detect LAN worlds in multi-player screen
+ Added “cheats” option in single-player (enables commands)
+ Added “bonus chest” option to give players a quicker start in a new world
+ Added adventure mode (work in progress)
+ Added trading with villagers
+ Added emeralds, emerald blocks and emerald ore
+ Added cocoa beans to jungles
+ Added the Ender Chest
+ Added tripwires
+ Added new creative mode inventory with search functionality
+ Made it possible to gain enchantment orbs from mining ore and smelting
+ Added writeable books
+ Added “large biomes” world type
+ Added temples to jungles and deserts
+ Added chat settings
+ Added option to turn off and view snooper data
+ Added more information on the debug screen (F3)
+ New launcher with “Play Demo” button if not premium user
+ Added /seed command to see map seed
+ Added /defaultgamemode to set default game mode in a world (affects new players)
+ Added /debug command for profiling
+ Added SRV record lookup support
* Decreased max enchantment level from 50 to 30
* The /tp command can now send players to a specific coordinate
* Mobs can spawn on flat surfaces (such as up-side-down stairs)
* Updated language files
* Mobs are much less likely to glitch through blocks
* Server list can be reordered
* Nearby items in the world will auto-stack
* Stars are smaller and brighter
* Sky color in The End has been changed
* The “pick block” functionality has been improved
* Certain items that previously wasn’t stackable can now be stacked
* Hill biomes are slightly taller
* Wooden log blocks can now be placed side-ways
* Wooden half-blocks now act as wood
* Water slowly drips through leaves during rain
* Minecarts and boats will be placed by dispensers, if possible
* Gravel texture has been modified
* Levers can be placed in the roof
* Creepers’ explosions damage is now modified by difficulty
* Performance improvements
* Other bug fixes…
– Removed Herobrine

See? We told you that this update was massive. Booting up Minecraft and logging in will trigger the update prompt, and we highly suggest you say “yes” when asked if you want to update to 1.3.1. After all, it isn’t every day that a new block type is introduced in Minecraft. Have a look at our story timeline below for more on Minecraft, and happy digging!

Minecraft update 1.3.1 arrives with emeralds and NPC trading is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Some Retina MacBook Pro owners have been waiting for this day for six weeks: that promised Retina support in Google Chrome is now part of a finished, stable release. Chrome 21 is now crisp and clear for those who took the plunge on Apple’s new laptop but would rather not cling to Safari for the web. No matter what hardware you’re using, Google has rolled in its promised WebRTC support to let webcams and microphones have their way without Flash or other plugins. Other notable tweaks like wider support for Cloud Print and gamepads tag along in the update as well. If you’re at all intrigued by the expanded hardware support in Chrome, Google has an abundance of details (and downloads) at the links below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Google Chrome 21 stable release adds Retina MacBook Pro support, webcam use without plugins originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you aren’t all about grabbing a new account for Microsoft’s Outlook email today and do indeed have a Gmail account you use with your iOS device, today is looking up. The iPhone and iPad version of Gmail has been updated to version 1.3 today for the masses, made for not just bug fixes, but a selection of worthwhile upgrades as well. Have a peek at your updates drawer right this minute to make the change, and meanwhile bask in the warming glow of free software boosts.

The first think you will be noticing in Gmail 1.3 for your iPad and/or iPhone is the overall smoothness of the user interface. This version of Gmail for iOS has been updated for smoother animations as well as smoother scrolling for all devices. Next, you’ll find that your ability to download attachments to your photo library now exists. You’ll still be limited to photos for your photo library of course, but all is well!

The bugs that Google has fixed for this release of Gmail have not been listed, but we’re sure they weren’t that wild in the first place – so just chill. Google has let the world know that, “Buttons respond to presses a little more quickly, scrolling is smoother and new views transition faster” as well. These updates come directly after some announced updates that came down just a few weeks ago directly following Google I/O 2012.

You’ll find that using Gmail with your iPhone or iPad is just as easy – or easier – than using it on your PC or Mac at home at the desk. These apps are made to make perfect use of your touch interface and make it beyond-entertaining to do everyday tasks as well. Stay tuned as Google continues to push their own apps on all software, especially in the wake of the competition ramping up!

Gmail iOS app updated to stay smooth is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s Gmail app for iOS has been docked by some potential adopters for feeling like a poor cousin to other native apps. It may be worth revisiting: the 1.3 update has just arrived with a much-requested ability to save common image attachments to an iOS device’s photo collection. Should that not be enough, Google has smoothed out animations and scrolling for iPhone and iPod touch owners. The new version has pushed live for everyone, leaving just a quick download between us and saving our parents’ vacation photos for posterity.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Gmail for iOS adds option to save photos, becomes a smoother operator originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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