CyanogenMod is the most popular custom Android ROM out there and it packs some sweet out-of-the-box apps. Previously, they were unavailable outside the CyanogenMod environment, but thanks to the CM Apps utility, you can now install them on just about any ROM.

Available to download on the Google Play Store, CM Apps gives you access to cool CyanogenMod apps such as the Apollo music player, the famous Clock+Weather widget, DSP Manager, Torch and File Manager apps. Read more »

Google has released an update for the Gmail app on Android. One of the main additions is the presence of a Save to Drive option. Now, along with being able to save attachments to your internal memory, you will also be able to save a file on your Google Drive account, which will save space on your device and make the file accessible from any device that can connect to Google Drive.

Another new feature is support for RTL or right-to-left languages. This includes Arabic, Hebrew and Persian, which are written and read from right to left. It adjusts the UI so it feels more natural to use RTL languages. Read more »

Chances are if you own a Smartwatch, it’s probably a Samsung one.

That’s what the latest market research shows. Samsung is currently the top dog in the world of wearables. Read more »

The Sony Xperia Z2 comes six months after the Xperia Z1 to displace it from the top of the Sony foodchain by means of a better chipset, bigger display and a bigger 3,200 mAh battery.

The increase of just 200 mAh doesn’t sound like much when factoring in the 0.2″ bigger display and faster hardware but may turn out important in the end. We’re going to look at the Sony Xperia Z2 numbers and compare them with those posted by the Xperia Z1 to see the difference. Read more »

The HTC Desire 816 is the company’s second phablet after the HTC One Max from last year. Unlike that one, the Desire 816 is a mid-range device with specs similar to the new HTC One mini 2. Not an aluminum unibody though it does have front-facing stereo speakers and a 13MP camera.

So, why hasn’t HTC entered the phablet market the way Samsung, LG and Sony has, not to mention the countless smaller brands? Read more »

Samsung officially announced the Galaxy K Zoom camera phone a few days ago. Now, in an attempt to further push the device, the company has released its first promotional video.

The marketing effort, which runs for about two and half minutes, shows some of the main features of the Galaxy K Zoom. As one can expect, the clip highlights the 20.7 megapixel rear camera and its features such as 10x optical zoom, the Xenon flash and the Selfie alarm. Read more »

Schools in the US are running scalable 1:1 computing initiatives and Samsung created a tablet just for them. It’s based on the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 but adds Google for Education support and a rugged chassis. The tablet is aimed at K-12 schools and the tougher exterior will be needed, especially in the lower grades.

Google offers a web console (asking $30 per device) that allows school IT personnel to quickly set up a large number of tablets. Read more »

eBay is currently offering refurbished Nexus 7 (2013) tablets at a great price. The 16GB model sales for $149, while the 32GB one for $169. Normally, at the Google Play Store they sell for $229 and $269, accordingly.

If you’re in Europe, there are deals for you, too. The German branch of Amazon regularly holds Warehous Deals and now they have several listings for used Nexus 7 (2013) tablets in a very good condition for around €180. (Via) Read more »

Xiaomi’s announcement today didn’t end with the Tegra K-based Mi Pad 7.9″ slate. There was another unveiled device, which really deserves attention – the Mi TV 2 powered by Android.

It’s a 49″ TV with 4K resolution and 3D priced at the unbelievable $640! Read more »

Sailfish is one of several alternative OSes that are trying to make their mark on the mobile landscape but is so far available natively on only one device – the eponymous Jolla phone.

The launcher will soon be transplanted on Android so more people can use Jolla’s take on what a mobile UI should be like. Read more »

Today Xiaomi announced its first tablet called Mi Pad and it’s looking like a pretty exciting piece of tech at a hard to believe price point. The slate features a 7.9″ 2048×1536 pixel display (326 ppi), which matches the one on the iPad mini 2 and is the fist to be powered by the latest gen Nvidia chipsets.

Under the hood of the tablet lives the powerful Nvidia Tegra K1 with a 2.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A15 32-bit CPU, a potent 192-core Kepler GPU and 2GB of RAM. According to a leaked benchmark score the CPU inside the Tegra K1 is more powerful than even the Krait 450 inside the Snapdragon 805. Read more »

LG has the irksome habit of announcing stuff with just a photo and virtually no specs, the same thing happened with the three new LG G Pad tablets. We have to resort to sources like AnTuTu for specifications of the LG G Pad 7.0 as if it’s a rumored, unofficial device.

So, here it goes. The 7″ screen has 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, making for 216ppi. Read more »

A new set of Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 photos has surfaced thanks to the FCC. The photos show the tablet from different angles and not just from the front and rear as the first batch we saw a few days ago.

In addition to the new photos, the FCC also provides measurements of the tablet, carrying the model name SM-T800. It measures 246.5mm wide and 176.4mm tall. Sadly, thickness isn’t specified yet, but by the looks of it, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is quite slim. Read more »

The Moto E might have stolen the spotlight at the Motorola event today, with its impressively low price tag, but the updated Moto G might actually turn out to be the more important announcement of the day. Motorola Moto G 4G might have settled for the silver medal today, but the smartphone is certainly eager to triumph at the end.

A microSD card slot and an LTE radio might seem like a great deal when you consider the six-month period from the launch of the original, but fixing the two main issues on what was already the company’s bestselling smartphone in recent years sounds like a sure recipe for success. Read more »

Motorola is part of a small subset of phonemakers that doesn’t take part of specification races, but focuses on delivering great value at attractive price points. As such, ever since the summer of 2011 when Google set its eyes on the company, Motorola has set its focus on the mid- and low-end of the phone spectrum and it appears things aren’t changing after the Lenovo acquisition.

The Motorola Moto E is the company’s latest effort to capture the hearts of the budget-conscious smartphone customer. It did so with the Moto G, but it seems many of the boffins inside of Motorola though they can do better. Read more »