Apps

Use Duolingo on Android to learn languages while mobile

In the past I've written about Babbel for mobile and Rosetta Course (mobile version of Rosetta Stone) for language learning when you have spare time. Now another contender enters the ring, and has a lot of promise.

Duolingo turns learning a language into a game, more so than the other apps. You are given a few hearts (representing your health pool) that you don't want to lose during the learning levels. Hearts are lost by answering questions incorrectly. Once you finish a lesson with hearts remaining, you'll earn an achievement to track your … Read more

Get Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on Android Home with SO.HO

SO.HO by Inq Mobile wants to be the first thing you see when picking up your Android smartphone by replacing your launcher -- TouchWiz, HTC Sense, stock, and so on. Instead of only offering access to Facebook updates from your connections, SO.HO lets you see updates from Twitter and Instagram as well.

To get started, you'll need to install the most recent version of SO.HO on your Android. Then, connect the social-media accounts you want to see updates from. Once finished, you can easily switch social-media accounts from the top left-hand corner menu.

The … Read more

Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov launches iOS game Marbly

Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov has launched a new game designed exclusively for mobile devices.

Dubbed Marbly, the title is available for both Apple's iPhone and iPad. The game's description in Apple's App Store says that it's an "easy to get, but tricky to master real puzzle game" It comes with over 180 puzzles that users must work their way through.

Pajitnov has been developing games for decades, but he's best known for creating Tetris -- the massive hit for Nintendo's Game Boy.

Marbly is available now as a free download in Apple'… Read more

Google Music All Access coming 'soon' to iOS

Google Music All Access, the company's streaming music service, will come to Apple iOS sometime this summer, according to a Google executive.

Speaking at the D11 conference, Android and Chrome chief Sundar Pichai said All Access is due for iOS in "a couple weeks."

A Google representative confirmed that, but hedged on the timeline, saying only, "Google Play All Access is coming to iOS this summer."

"[T]he teams are working like crazy to do it," said Pichai.

The service launched a few weeks ago at Google I/O 2013, the company's … Read more

Evernote locks down three new security features

Evernote, the popular note-taking app available on the Web and on mobile devices, has some new security features.

The company announced the new features on its blog on Thursday, saying that it's now offering three security tools that it didn't before. First up is two-step verification, which requires that users input both a password and a security code that can be sent to their mobile device. The company says that the two-step verification will only happen when users install Evernote on a device or access the service from the Web. It's also optional, so it can be … Read more

Glu Mobile to offer cash for gaming

Glu Mobile, a developer and publisher of freemium games on smartphones and tablets, will start offering cash to highly skilled gamers.

Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, the company confirmed that Android users playing "Deer Hunter Reloaded," its hunting-simulation game, will be able to win cash prizes if they achieve strong results in certain skill-based contests.

In order to win the cash, gamers will need to pay a fee to enter the competition. The company told Reuters that if all goes well, it will bring the cash-for-gaming system to its other Android titles.

Because the cash-based system is based … Read more

Music discovery app Shazam launches for Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 users can now add more music to their lives, courtesy of Shazam.

Officially unveiled Thursday in the Windows Phone store, the Shazam app works its musical magic by identifying the song currently being played in proximity to your phone. You can then buy the song through Microsoft's Xbox Music service or through Nokia Music if you're using a Nokia Lumia phone.

Shazam adds a social aspect as well. You can share and comment on your musical discoveries with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can also tag any song so that other people can … Read more

Waze directs drivers to Facebook events

Waze has updated its iPhone and Android applications to provide people with a single-tap, no-address-input way to route themselves to the events that they've RSVP'd in the affirmative to on Facebook.

The release, which highlights exactly how the social network can add real-life value to maps, tailgates the news that the companies have reportedly walked away from acquisition talks.

Five-year-old Waze makes a people-powered navigation application and is used by 49 million people in 193 countries. The startup, which likens its service to a search engine for smartphone owners, specializes in routing drivers around traffic and hazards, and … Read more

Google adds color labels to its Calendar app for Android

For those extra-organized people, Google has updated its Calendar app for Android to add color labels and a new date and time tool.

The color labels palette lets users customize events or calendar listings with a choice of 24 colors. Certain important dates can be highlighted in different colors to especially catch users' attention.

As far as putting in certain events, the redesigned date and time tool lets users customize time zones and schedule events to be repeated on certain days, weeks, or months.

In other Google news, the tech giant also announced on Wednesday that it's revamping … Read more