Google has started rolling out an update for the Play Store application on Android that updates the UI with Material Design elements. This is the same update we heard about before back when it had leaked.

Those expecting a complete UI overhaul might be a bit disappointed, however, as this can only be called a semi-Material Design update. The only thing changed here are the product pages for the apps, games, movies, music, magazines and books. The actual homepage (which is terrible, by the way) and the category lists still look the same as before. Read more »

eBay’s barcode scanning software, RedLaser, is now branching out from just Android and iOS.

It’ll now be available for Google Glass as well, so you’ll be able to take a look at products in the store and see if you can find them cheaper on eBay, just at a glance. Read more »

Is inputting a password or using the Face Unlock feature on Android too annoying for you? Then you’ll be happy to hear that Motorola has another solution for unlocking your phone: digital tattoos.

The phone manufacturer has joined forces with VivaLnk to give you a temporary tattoo that will last on your body for as much as five days. What’s special about this tattoo? Well, all you need to do is tap your phone on the area you’ve placed the phone-unlocking-ink and voila! Your phone will be unlocked. Read more »

In the battle of the mobile personal assistants, Google Now seems to have the edge compared to Apple’s Siri. At least that’s what a study conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has found.

Google’s service has become slightly more accurate than Apple’s, despite the situation being the opposite last December. Read more »

Amazon has silently released a new app for Android, which is already available in both the Play Store as well as the retailer’s own Appstore. It’s called Amazon Wallet, but despite the name it doesn’t let you make mobile payments, nor can it store your credit and debit cards.

For now, what it does do is act like a storage space for your various gift and loyalty cards from different stores, with options to organize those as you see fit. The app is still in beta, though, so more functionality is expected to come in the future. Read more »

Last week a couple of pictures surfaced showing a deformed back panel on an apparently overheating Exynos-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4.

According to the information received by early adopters the slate would get so hot that it would cause its thin plastic back panel to bend at certain spots. Now Samsung has officially addressed the issue saying the problem lies with a limited number of defective back covers and the processor isn’t to blame or fear. Read more »

It’s a story as old as time – tech time that is. At first when Samsung bashed Apple in ad form it was amusing to some and not so much to others and now it’s just par for the course with big company rivalries.

The latest Samsung ad is nothing new really – an iPhone user that’s oblivious and insecure and a Samsung Galaxy S5 user that is upbeat because his phone has a big screen, which evidently is what the first guy is dying to have added in the next iPhone. Read more »

Motorola US is doing some spring cleaning and has put up an array of accessories on a clearance sale. The prices of some products have been significantly slashed so if you wanted a power pack, headset or other accessory for your Moto now’s the time.

Also cases and shells for the Moto X and Droids are 50% off, screen protectors – 25%. Read more »

Microsoft is shutting down Nokia’s Android program, but this can’t stop the determined Finns from bragging their custom launcher on the Nokia X2.

Despite that all future Nokia X designs and devices will be immediately transferred to Windows Phone, Nokia has launched a promo video of the enhanced Fastlane feature on the X2, which is now smoother and offers more information with a quick glance. Read more »

File this under ‘This is why we can’t have nice things’. In fact, those were the exact words of Gameloft community manager on the game’s Facebook page. And he does have every right to be annoyed.

As it happens, Gameloft gave away early access copies of the iOS version of their latest Modern Combat 5: Blackout game to contest winners. Instead of being thankful and playing the game as they were expected, some of these people cracked the game and uploaded it on pirating sites. Read more »

Just a few days after outing another new feature, Facebook today has announced the Save functionality. This basically allows you to save anything you see on the social network – to read later.

So yes, it’s clearly a competitor to standalone services such as Pocket, Instapaper, or Readability. There are certain differences, though, chief among which is the fact that Facebook’s Save lets you store any content you come across on the social network – including links, places, movies, TV and music. Read more »

The original Samsung smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear that debuted last year alongside the Galaxy Note 3, is now in the process of receiving the update to Tizen in the US.

This update began rolling out at the end of May, but only starting today can US-based owners of the Android-powered Galaxy Gear actually install it. After doing that, the OS of the watch will change to Tizen, bringing it in line with the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Read more »

Google is currently updating its Maps app on Android devices to version 8.2. Upon release we saw the changelog and it had biking elevation info, voice actions in navigation, better My Places menu but Google didn’t say anything about the Explore Nearby page.

Explore Nearby has been sighted by a couple of users and it manifests via a shortcut right next to the GPS button in the Maps interface. When you select it you’re taken to a separate menu that gives you information on where you are, what’s the weather and lists points of interests, broken down by the time of day. Read more »

We’ve been all about QHD screens in the past couple of months, ever since the latest tech wave has had LG and Oppo at the forefront of the high-res display arms race by being among the first manufacturers to tout 1440p flagships.

But who gets the first-place medal? LG claims that it takes the prize on Twitter, but Oppo has its own say in the matter. Read more »

AppAnnie is a mobile application statistics aggregation company and it has published a report on how Android and iOS apps have been doing in Q2 of this year. Both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store did great for the quarter, besting their results in Q1 by 60% and 45%, respectively.

That gave the Google Play Store, nearly 50% more downloads compared to the iOS App Store. It terms of revenue, however, it’s the Apple repository that still comes ahead. Read more »