Category: Android

Why are Microsoft pushing Xbox Live to Android

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Since launch, Windows Phone has always had the games under the Xbox Live banner. So why release one of their own Xbox Live titles on Android? The smart thing to do would be to build up an Xbox ecosystem over a number of mobile platforms which includes Windows Phone. Microsoft’s work with Unity to help the cross-platform development tool is probably the biggest signpost. By growing Xbox as a whole, but working with a middleware engine that allows fast cross-porting between Windows Phone, iOS, and Android, Microsoft can increase the reach of the gaming brand, and at the same time

The £80 Android Tablet

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The Nook HD, now available for just £79 for 8GB in the UK, is a nice piece of kit. It’s not cutting edge, but it does the job, its comfortable to read on for long periods, and with the inclusion go Google Play, you can be sneaky and install the Kindle app if you’re locked in to Bezos’ ecosystem. It is possible to use the Nook HD and Nook HD+ as purely Kindle readers, which does feel a touch subversive as a user, and I did wonder how sales from the Barnes and Noble store have performed since the opening

Have a break, have… an Android 4.4 smartphone?

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As if the world of smartphones wasn’t satisfied with Microsoft buying Nokia, Google have announced the new version of Android (v4.4) will be called… Kit-kat. Seriously was Google so annoyed that nobody had written about Android for eight hours that they just rolled out the wackiest, craziest, idea possible? With Kit-kat advertised on every Android handset, and Nexus handsets advertised on ever Nestlé chocolate wafer bar for the next few weeks, it reminds me of the sort of crazy moves Google used to pull on April Fools Day in the past. I’ll be interested to see how the Nestle boycott around

Why did Samsung skimp on the Galaxy S4 Mini battery?

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It might be a derivate of the regular Galaxy S4, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a nice size in my hand, does all the basic smartphoen tasks well, and burns through the battery far too quickly. A few extra millimetres of depth would not have spoiled the lines of the S4 Mini, but would have allowed a larger battery compartment to be placed into the design. FInding another 200-300mAh with slightly more volume would have made the S4 Mini a handset that can get through the day without the user having to make any compromises in how they

The Russians making money from Android malware

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Fascinating write up from Lookout on the professionalism of the Android malware industry in Russia: Organized groups of Android malware authors are operating like startups: tapping multiple individuals or organizations for specialization in different business areas, leveraging online tools for promotion and developing affiliate programs. At least one Russian malware “startup” has been discovered earning tens of thousands of dollars per month and operating thousands of websites through their affiliates. This is one advantage to well curated app stores – if you restrict your downloading to these sources then you’re far less likely to be caught out by these apps.

Android Tablets as AOL CDs

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Classy footnote from Marco Armenti, as the ‘high sales / low use’ questions around Android tablets continue: I offered to give my Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire to Betaworks in the Instapaper acquisition, but they had so many of both sitting around already that they declined. Tech companies with mobile apps can practically tile walls with outdated Android devices. They’re the new AOL CDs.