android

Most of the time I focus on practical products, but can't we have a little fun once in a while? Yes, yes we can; today's deal is all about fun.

Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Sphero app-controlled robot ball for $84.99 shipped. That's the lowest price I've ever seen for this way-cool gadget, which normally sells for $129.99.

Note: If Amazon does sell out, don't be surprised to suddenly see a higher price. What usually happens is that the product page flips over to a third-party seller, even though … Read more

Motorola's upcoming Droid Ultra will be thin and still as "tough as steel." At least, that's how the company is teasing it.

A page on Motorola's Web site displays a small gray box with a tidbit of promotional copy for the Droid Ultra: "Available in a bunch of glossy colors, this high-grade DuPont Kevlar body proves you can be even thinner and still be tough as steel."

The rest of the page is filled with lots of technical specs. But as noticed by blog site Droid Life, the specs are the exact same … Read more

Last week I made a visit to my local Verizon Wireless store. As the store employees rung up my wife's new Galaxy S4 and sang its praises, they talked even more giddily about the impending arrival of another phone on the nation's largest carrier -- the HTC One.

This is just one small-town store in a vast network of Verizon stores, mind you, but employees told me iPhone sales had fallen off in favor of Samsung's Note and Galaxy S lines, and that they were expecting even bigger things from the HTC One.

What I couldn't get a straight answer on was when the flagship Android phone might finally come to Big Red. It's been months since the last great hope for struggling HTC was released to the masses, and the HTC One has since landed on all other major carriers in the United States. … Read more

You know you have a hidden inbox on Facebook, right? The "other" message folder is reserved for those people who message you and aren't one of your Facebook friends.

There's a chance some messages from nonfriends will go to your main inbox (depending on your settings), but most of the time these messages make their way to your other messages, without you ever being notified of a waiting message. Unless the sender decides to pay $1 to guarantee the message ends up in your main folder.

Up until recently, the only way to access your other … Read more

The second generation of Nexus 7 tablet could arrive before the end of July, according to one Google+ user who chatted with an Asus support rep.

The LiveChat, which Android Authority first posted yesterday, was between an Asus representative and Google+ user Tim P. In the chat, the rep tells Tim that the rumored Asus K009 would be offered to the public, "before the ending of July." [sic]

Taking things a step further, the agent went rogue and spilled a laundry list of hardware details. Reportedly, the Nexus 7 will run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and will … Read more

Facing stiff competition in mobile messaging, Microsoft-owned Skype updated its Android application Monday with a crisper design meant to emphasize conversations. The application has been installed on more than 100 million Android devices, Skype said.

Skype for Android 4.0 arrives with a contemporary look where messaging -- chats, voice calls, and video calls -- takes center stage.

The application now features a person's most recent conversations on the home screen and comes with call and chat buttons at the bottom of the screen for quick access. Messaging dominates in the Favorites and Contacts tabs as well, as the … Read more

Slowly but surely, Next Issue is getting better.

The service slings unlimited digital magazines to your tablet (or Windows 8-powered PC) for a flat monthly rate, and its catalog is closing in on 100 titles (quite a jump from the 40 or so it offered when it first launched about a year ago).

Haven't tried it yet? Now's your chance to double the usual test-drive deal: StackSocial is offering a two-month Next Issue Premium subscription for free. Normally that would run you $30.

Let me get one big caveat out of the way right now: This offer is … Read more

Boomerang is a service that works with your Gmail to send e-mail later, give you follow-up reminders, and notify you if you don't hear back within a specific time. To use the service in the past, you had to install an extension for Chrome or Firefox.

Now there's Boomerang for Gmail on Android, an app that allows you to use all of the same features you expect from the Web versions on your smartphone or tablet.

One big reason for using the app alongside the desktop version is that you don't have to wait until you're … Read more

Android is flying high in Europe, due mainly to the "relentless" popularity of Samsung's smartphone line, according to a new report.

During a three-month period that ended in May, nearly half of all smartphones sold in Europe were produced by Samsung, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reported Monday. The research firm found that Samsung helped lift Android to a 70.4 percent share of the key European markets, Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, and Spain. During the same period last year, its market share was at 61.3 percent.

Trailing far behind Android, Apple's iOS platform owns … Read more