While there were plenty of people charging to get into Google+, only US users get to try the Android app. Not any more – you can download the APK file and install it manually, regardless of where you roll.

You will need a Google+ account for that and most people report that the loophole, which allowed many to sneak in despite not having invites, has been closed. Read more »

HTC Thunderbolt users on Verizon are being treated to a new software update, v1.70.605.0. Unfortunately, this won’t update the phone to Gingerbread but brings with it some nice new features as well as fixes some issues with the current firmware.

For starters it reduces the number of power cycles and resets on the phone. There is also an improvement in data connectivity. Apart from that you get enhanced call history view, tabbed layout in application menu, people search function, Backup Assistant, Desktop cradle app and the addition of NY Times as a bookmark in the browser. Read more »

So far there has been a lack of a good turn-by-turn navigation software for the Windows Phone 7 platform. So to address this issue, Garmin has stepped in and released their StreetPilot app on the Windows Marketplace.

The app costs a hefty $39.99 but comes with a host of features such as the aforementioned voice prompted, turn-by-turn navigation, real time traffic updates, integrated local search, lane assist with junction view, current weather with forecast, etc. Read more »

Nokia has updated its Maps app today to version 3.08. It brings both visual and functional improvements that will be appreciated a lot from the people using it on a regular basis.

Maps 3.08 comes with improved design and new dashboard for Drive guidance and assistance. The settings have also been reorganized and shortcuts for easy switch between the different metric systems have been added on the screen. Read more »

The ultra-popular Swype text input method has finally landed on iOS. An early beta of the alternative keyboard is already being seeding to iPhones around the globe. So if you want to try some of its predictive magic, now is your chance.

Of course, being still in the beta stages of its development, the Swype app is far from a finished affair. The blue line tracing your swipes isn’t available just yet and it only works with the stock iOS apps. Read more »

The juggernaut that is the iOS App Store has reached yet another landmark. Apple is now reporting that users have downloaded over 15 billion apps till now from range of 425,000 apps out of which 100,000 are native iPad apps. Apple also said that they have collectively paid developers a cool $2.5 billion, while earning about a billion dollars for themselves thanks to the 70:30 policy.

Whichever way you look at them, those are some serious numbers, especially for a store that came into existence only three years ago. I’m sure Apple competitors would kill to have these numbers, apart from Android which is the only one that comes close. Of course, while it may not be so great for the competitors, the developers are laughing all the way to the bank and even the customers couldn’t be happier with the kind of choice they have. Here’s to another 15 billion downloads. Read more »

According to a 30-day survey conducted by Nielsen, games is the most popular category of apps downloaded and used in the US on mobile phones. 64% of the users that were asked said they played games on their phones, with 60% using weather apps and 56% using social networking apps. Also, 93% said that they wouldn’t mind spending their money for a game, as compared to 87% for apps in the entertainment category and 84% for productivity.

On an average, users spend 7.8 hours playing games on their phones. iOS users spend the maximum amount of time, clocking at 14.7 hours while Android users come second with 9.3 hours. Those with BlackBerries, Windows Mobile/Phone devices and feature phones spend less than under 5 hours each Read more »

Gameloft, the developer of some of the finest Android games will be giving away some of its works for free this weekend. There will be three titles in the giveaway, one for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

To participate you need to follow the Gameloft UK account on Twitter, so you can learn on time when a free game has been made available. Each of the giveaway games will only stay free for a couple of hours so unless you pay close attention you might miss it. Read more »

LG has just announced the launch of Optimus 3D in South Korea. This is not actually the news here, but thanks to this press release we learned a few other tasty bits about the device.

We finally get to see the list of the free full games to come pre-installed with the Optimus 3D plus the titles to be available at half price. Read more »

Nokia has updated the Symbian developers guidelines, which should be used by 3rd party developers when creating new Symbian apps. According to the company the new guidelines “should be seen as a style evolution, not a revolution”, but changes are quite significant nonetheless.

The first thing you can expect from future Symbian apps is to use a smaller status bar. So far quite a lot of space got wasted, but Nokia urges the developers to end this. The tab bars should also be updated so they are now easier to press (they should fill the entire row). Read more »

Stephen Elop may have said that Nokia will not be looking back at MeeGo even if the N9 becomes a success but that does not mean Nokia will be abandoning it altogether after launch.

This assurance comes from Nokia’s Head of Portfolio Management, Klas Ström, who tweeted that Nokia will continue to support the N9 for years and release several software updates for it. We hope Nokia doesn’t plan on launching a buggy device to be actually needing those updates badly but it is nice to know in case it does have a problem you won’t be left out in the cold. Read more »

Google Maps just keeps getting better, folks. The latest update of the popular service, version 5.7, brings a whole bunch of improvements, along with a shiny new feature for its users – Transit Navigation (Beta).

As the name of the brand new feature suggests, Read more »

There may not be many iPad users who have Bing as their search engine of choice right now, but this latest update to the Bing app might make quite a lot of people reconsider. The Microsoft search engine is yet to catch up with Google in terms of results accuracy, but it just leapfrogged its competitor in terms of usability on the Apple tablet.

So here’s the deal – from now on initiating a search with the Bing app for iPad is as simple as drawing a circle around the word(s) you want searched. There’s no need for holding, copying, pasting any more so the searches are also quite a lot faster. Read more »

You don’t offten see a mobile concept as elaborate as this one. The Rimini UI/device combo is a refreshing breeze in the current attrition warefare led by the major mobile OS’s. Though the concept will hardly see daylight in a real product, it is evident a lot of thought has went into creating this interface system that’s unlike any other. Meet the Project Rimino.

Created by designer Amid Moradganjeh as part of his Master’s Thesis, the Project Rimino describes a minimalist mobile device that reacts to human interaction more intuitively than anything I’ve seen before. Read more »

Symbian users with a thing for augmented reality apps should definitely check this out. The developers from Nokia Beta Labs have just announced the public availability of the 3D World Glaze app.

The Symbian app gives you a new kind of viewpoint to the world, allowing you to see through the surface (and insides) of the planet all the way to the other side. In addition to geographical features such as continents in their real physical locations, Nokia 3D World Gaze allows you to see geotagged media, day and night regions, current location of the Sun, and other content from locations around the world. Read more »