google play

Malware went undiscovered for weeks on Google Play

Security researchers have discovered malware hosted on the Google Play marketplace that went weeks undetected masquerading as games.

Android.Dropdialer, a Trojan that sends costly text messages to premium-rate phone numbers in Eastern Europe, had gone undiscovered for two weeks in the form of two game titles, Symantec researcher Irfan Asrar wrote in a blog post yesterday. The two games -- "Super Mario Bros." and "GTA 3 - Moscow city" -- were uploaded to Google Play on June 24 and generated 50,000 to 100,000 downloads, Asrar said.

"What is most interesting about this … Read more

Non-U.S. Google Nexus 7 users to miss out on content

Gadget fans who preorder Google's Nexus 7 tablet outside the U.S. will not get full access to all of the tablet's features as first revealed at Google I/O last month.

U.S. buyers will see the full range of content, including TV shows, music, and magazines, whereas the remaining countries --- Canada, the U.K. and Australia --- will see a limited selection of content to download.

The Nexus 7's U.K. preorder page says the Nexus 7 will include "thousands of movies," and the "world's largest collection of e-books." … Read more

Google Play comes to Google TV

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's online app market for Android apps, movies, music, and books is coming to Google TV, the company announced Thursday in a blog post from the Google I/O developer conference here.

Later this summer, Google said, it will make video content that can be purchased or rented through Google Play available to Google TV. On Wednesday the company announced it would be adding TV content to the lineup of content it now offers via Google Play.

People will be able to purchase episodes of TV shows or buy the entire season and play it on … Read more

Nexus 7 tablet guidebook now available

Want to know more about Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? A free 84-page guidebook explains how to use the new tablet and OS.

The guidebook is available for Android, IOS, and PC users via Google Play.

Essentially an early version of the manual for the new tablet, the guidebook is geared more for people who already own the Nexus 7. But those of you thinking of buying the tablet when it debuts in mid-July can learn a lot about its operation and its use of Android 4.1. The document covers just about everything … Read more

Google Play gets video purchasing, TV shows, magazines

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Play, Google's online market for Android apps, movies, music, and books, now lets people purchase movies instead of just rent them.

"We're also adding TV," announced Chris Yerga, an engineering director for Android, at the Google I/O show today here. "You'll be able to purchase episodes or entire seasons."

Google has partnerships for the service with a range of producers, including NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Disney, Bravo, Paramount, Virgil Films, and Sundance, he said.

Also new are magazines, purchased individually or by subscription, he said. Google has deals … Read more

You can now update, uninstall Android apps via Google Play site

The opening keynote for Google I/O 2012 just wrapped up, complete with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q and an insane Google Glass product demo.

There were some changes brought to the Google Play Store as well. One of the changes wasn't even mentioned during the keynote -- the ability to update or uninstall apps on your Android device, directly from the Google Play Web site. A small feature, but one that is sure to come in handy to many users. Here's how it works.

Visit play.google.com on your … Read more

Rumored design change for Google Play Store in Android 4.1

The Android version of the Google Play Store will get yet another makeover, according to details hitting the Internet this week. Italian Android site HDblog (translate) obtained an image, which appears to show a new look for the app store that borrows from previous versions yet still resembles its desktop counterpart.

Appearing cleaner and clutter-free, the Google Play Store experience appears to offer quick access to the various types of content such as games, music, and books. The color-coded icons across the bottom mimic those found on the desktop version and the top left has what looks to be a … Read more

Android developers can now reply directly to Google Play comments

Android developers now have the ability to reply to user reviews and comments left in the Google Play store, according to the official developers blog. Starting today, those listed with Top Developers badges can log into the Developer Console and leave replies and other messages to users. A wider release is expected once additional feedback is gathered from developers and the Android community.

Ideally, this is a good way for companies to show its users that comments and criticism don't fall on deaf ears. Using the new tools, developers can create dialogue with its base and let them know … Read more

Get an 8-inch Android 4.0 tablet for $134.99

I know it's starting to feel like Tablet Central around here, but hear me out.

On many occasions I've warned against buying cheap, off-brand tablets. That's because most of the models I've tried were terrible. They had slow processors, resistive (as opposed to capacitive, which is what you want) touch screens, old versions of Android, and crummy app stores.

But something is starting to change. Yesterday, Ematic announced the eGlide Steal, a 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet priced at $119. (Stay tuned: I'm working on getting a unit in for review.)

And today only, Geeks.… Read more

Facebook pushes App Center with easy app installs

With mobile as Facebook's financial Achilles heel, the company continues to drum up hype around its forthcoming App Center for mobile apps. The company announced today that it is making it easier for developers to place their apps on Facebook and is also helping users install apps via a mobile device or computer.

"Facebook sends over 160 million people to mobile apps each month through news feed and timeline," Facebook software engineer Brent Goldman wrote in a blog post today. "Soon, with the App Center, it will be easier than ever to drive mobile app installs … Read more