Google Chrome Beta For Android Updated

Google Chrome team has just announced that their Chrome beta for Android has been updated to version 28 (28.0.1500.21), bringing a number of requested features along with the new code base. For tablet users, there’s now the same full screen experience that phones have as of version 27, as the toolbar and omnibox simply vanish while scrolling down the page. Moreover, the automatic translate for pages not in the device's native language is now available, just like we’re used to while desktop browsing. The full list of change log includes:

• Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn't in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar

• Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar

• Support for fullscreen API

• New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature

• Mobile friendly error pages

The first impressions of the updated Chrome beta for Android are quite favorable. Try yourself – get the app from Google Play for free now, and do not forget to come back and share your opinion in the comments below.

Hi Hey Hello - A Musical Short Film By Samsung Galaxy S IV

Samsung has found a way to drive that Galaxy S IV can be used for many things, by sharing a short music video on its YouTube channel recently. Demonstrating how useful the device can be to any situation, the new 4-minute (symbolic, isn't it?) music video tells the tale of a Galaxy S IV owning bloke who has fallen in love with a girl from school. The description of the video reads:

“We all remember how it feels to fall in love. But times have changed. We've become more sophisticated. Our instincts developed. And so has the Samsung GALAXY S IV.

Samsung Mobile proudly presents a story of a young couple falling in love, starting with a simple "Hi, Hey, Hello", a song by The Chicharones.”

The clip has been filmed by Grammy Award-winning director, Joseph Kahn and is completely relevant to today's youthful mobile culture. The unique features of GALAXY S IV, including Dual Shot, Samsung Smart Pause, Drama Shot, Sound & Shot and Air Gesture are all used for grabbing the girl’s attention.

In a playful unraveling of new courtship, the male lead uses the GALAXY S IV's unique features such as Dual Shot, Samsung Smart Pause, Drama Shot, Sound & Shot and Air Gesture to attract the girl's attention.

As expected, the girl falls for him in the end, finding she finds herself returning the favor of snapping pics of the obsessed guy. Check the video provided below and do not hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments.

Suspected Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Demonstrated In Benchmark Running Android 4.3

With many out there waiting for any bit of news on a Galaxy Note II sequel, the news should be exciting - a device going by the GT-N7200 has appeared in an Antutu benchmark, already running Android 4.3! If it appears to be true, means Samsung Galaxy Note 3 could be first out the gate running the upcoming 4.3 Jelly Bean update leaked previously! This seems legit, as working so close to Google should definitely have some benefits.

The leaked specs of the upcoming Galaxy Note include:

• 13 Megapixel Camnera

• Exynos 5 Octa Core (8 core)

• Mali 450 (8 cores)

• 3GB RAM

• Android 4.2.2 – 4.3

• Touch Wiz Nature UX 2.0

However, the spotted benchmark revealed the device powered by an unspecified 1.6GHz processor. This could be running off Intel’s new Atom processor or the same Exynos 5 Octa 5410 chipset already found in the international Galaxy S IV devices.

Similarly to every Samsung device before the launch, Galaxy Note 3 will stay the subject of discussion before its unveiled officially sometime in September at IFA 2013 in Berlin. By then, do not hesitate to share your suggestions in the comments below.

Google Play Store App Updated With Minor UI Changes And Bug Fixes

The Google Play Store App has just been hit with an update, bringing it up to the version 4.1.6. The update process has been started and may take up to several weeks. The new version of Google Play brings user interface tweaks to an app that disputably needed them, along with some new flourishes Google brought.

The new Google Play Store has a much more consistent font design throughout the app, as well as retouched Uninstall and Open buttons when viewing application pages. Moreover, the My Wishlist’ feature now uses less capitalization, now saying ‘My wishlist’ instead. Despite being a minor one, this change demonstrates how much Google is attentive to details. Despite the title changes, the wishlist page has changed from a list of apps to a new, card-based interface too, while the cards so not have a uniform size.

As for the functionality changes, menu buttons for items now list the item’s price besides the ‘Buy’ button, and the app now warns the users when they are about to download a large update over a cellular data network. The ‘Update All’ button now includes apps that require new permissions, though oddly it now says ‘All’ even when there is just the one app requiring an update

Google Play Store App version 4.1.6 APK can be downloaded from here. Once you’ve installed it, do not hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sony Xperia UL Images Demonstrate 5-inch Device

With numerous rumors about Sony’s plan to unleash a 5-inch wallop of an Android device before the end of the year, the spy images have been spread over the web recently, demonstrating Sony Xperia UL.

The Chinese website CNMO published the images showing a 5-inch Android that looks similar to the Sony Xperia ZL, especially with the plastic back cover, and like the ZL, the specs are quite attractive. The Sony Xperia UL is rumored to feature 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and fairly sizable battery.

With the Xperia UL looking much like a lower-spec’d Sony Honami, it’s fair to assume that the device will have the same specs too, including Snapdragon 800 CPU, 20MP camera, 2,7000mAh battery and similar 5-inch full HD display. The 5-inch full HD display Sony Xperia UL is expected to head to Japanese carrier KDDI in the near future, with some variant of the device to launch in other markets as well. Check the images and do not hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Next Version Of Android To Be 4.3, Will Retain Jelly Bean Name

Are you waiting for the new version of Android? There is good news for you! The speculated new version of Android is expected to be announced during the Google’s I/O 2013 which is just one month away. It might even come earlier before this time and get announced in the event.

If you had in mind that the new version will be the Android 5.0 then you may be disappointed as it is turning out that the new version is actually Android 4.3 but not the expected Android 5.0 version which was much speculated by many.

It is also clear that the new version of Android will retain the Jelly Bean name as its build number is JWR23B and build numbers always have the first letter of the update name. Since the first letter of the build number in this case is J showing that the name is Jelly Bean.

Android 4.3 Update Showing Up In Server Logs And Chromium

It is reported that the Android 4.3 update was actually showing in server logs and it was successfully traced back to the Google employees and it even showed up in the comments by the chromium developer in the chromium bug tracker.

This Android 4.3 update has actually made several appearances and it is for sure going to a much better operating system from Google.

What About Lime Pie And The Announcement Of Both?

Being that the Android 4.3 update has a build number and has also made numerous appearances, it is suggestively going very close to its release and it might even be released by Google before the actual date of I/O 2013 date.

Is it possible that Google can announce two versions of Androids in the coming even when they are not even the main reason for the event? However, there is no much evidence o show that the Key Lime Pie will be announced or will not be announced during this year’s I/O. The Lime Pie has not shown anywhere as the Android 4.3 which has shown in most places.

This therefore makes everyone to believe that the Lime Pie may not be announced any time soon before or during the year’s I/O but may be later on after that. It is however hoped that it will actually be announced sometime this year but a bit further away if not in this year’s I/O as speculated by many.

Google I/O Highlights - Part 1

Much awaited annual conference by Google took start yesterday, with the event tickets sold out in less than an hour. Google I/O day 1 brought handful of exciting announcements. 

First of all, the big surprise of Google's I/O keynote was a Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android! Although the details are still somewhat scant, Android VP Hugo Barra said simply that "it's pretty awesome", with the great battery life and super-fast responsiveness. Hugo Barra commented that it’s not a finished product yet, having really only come together in the last week. This Nexus device combines Samsung's great camera and display with the purest form of Android (and LTE support). The phone is expected to become available for $649 by June 26th.

Android / Chrome boss Sundar Pichai also made an impressive announcement on stage at Google I/O 2013, revealing the key stats of Google’s mobile OS. 900 million Android devices have been activated since Google's mobile operating system launched to consumers four and a half years ago, with over 48 billion apps been installed thus far! It’s been forecasted that Android could cross the billion activation mark by the end of this year!

With Android 4.3 still being a mystery, it has been confirmed in a search listing on Google's developer website and is expected to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and the OpenGL for Embedded Systems 3.0 graphics specification. This will help conserve battery life on mobile devices that connect to peripherals like smartwatches and speakers, and OpenGL allows for advanced visual effects in games and graphics-intensive applications.

Google also announced its brand new development environment for Android at Google I/O: Android Studio. Hugo Barra, VP of Android product management, commented: “This is just scratching the surface of all the new features in Android Studio." Moreover, the developer console has also been improved, with more ability given to the developers to earn money from the Android Apps.

Hangouts: a unified messaging system for Android, iOS, and Chrome was also unveiled, replacing Google Talk, Google+ Messenger, and the original Google+ Hangout video chat service — Hangouts will eventually replace all of Google's communication properties. It’s basically a messaging app, in the same realm as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but with some of its own twists, including Google Voice integration and more.

Stay tuned, we’ll be back with more news from Google I/O 2013 soon! By then, do not hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below!