There are over 4,500 launchers in the Google Play Store and their usage is increasing quickly. According to data by Flurry, in the first quarter of this year users have spent more time using launchers than they did in the whole of 2013. And there’s still most of March to go before the end of the quarter!
Compared to the final quarter of 2013, Q1 2014 will see more than double the custom launcher usage.
Samsung has initiated the mass production of what it calls is the “most advanced DDR3 memory”. Its based on the 20nm manufacturing process, which Samsung has been using for nearly 2 years now.
This time however the 4 gigabit modules are DDR3, not DDR2 and the company utilizes its new double patterning technology with something called ArF lithography immersion.
Rumors of an LTE-capable Surface 2 tablet from Microsoft has been making the rounds for the past several weeks, and we’ve finally been able to catch a glimpse of one in the wild.
The device will support LTE bands 4, 7, and 17, and will be exclusive to AT&T for an in-store price of $679.
Google will be giving away buyers of select models of the Chromebook free 60 days subscription to their Google Play music All Access service. Normally, users would get to try the service for 30 days but with this promotion you can get twice of that if you choose to go with a Chromebook. The offer is available on all Chromebooks, except the Cr-48, Acer AC700, and Samsung Chromebook Series 5.
All Access is Google’s music subscription service where you can pay $9.99 per month and get access to over 20 million tracks and radio stations from Google Play. Once subscribed, you can access the music from any platform the service is available on, including the web, Android and iOS.
The battery-packing Microsoft Surface Power Cover with full QWERTY keyboard is now available for pre-order in the Microsoft Store. Deliveries of the handy accessory for the Windows slate are set to begin this month, on March 19.
The Power Cover is priced at the far from unsubstantial $199.99.
An Indian commission accused Google of using its internet search engine dominance unfairly.
They cited it as a violation of antitrust laws, and Google may be facing a $5 Billion penalty as a result.
Last summer, Delta Air Lines announced a partnership with Nokia to equip its flight attendants with Nokia devices, aimed at providing quick and easy onboard purchasing for meals and other extras.
Now, flight attendants are getting upgrade to Nokia’s latest flagship, the Lumia 1520, which also allows the company to verify credit card payments real-time.
Polish tech distributor Arta Tech will be selling a phone with an e-Ink screen in Europe soon called Midia InkPhone. The handset promises comfortable reading and two weeks of battery life thanks to the energy-efficient screen and 1,800mAh battery.
It features a 4.3″ Pearl e-Ink screen (like the Kinde reader screens) of 480 x 800 piexel resolution that is front illuminated.
Samsung is preloading lots of value-adding apps and services on its latest top-tier devices. First we saw those premium software packages on the latest Tab Pro and Note Pro slates and now the Galaxy S5 is getting an even better treatment.
The apps and services every brand new Samsung Galaxy S5 is entitled to cost north of $600, but of course, chances are you wouldn’t have purchased them all anyway so it’s up to to judge how much they are worth to you.
Samsung has launched an updated ATIV Book 9 Style 15.6″ laptop with a full HD display and has given it the faux-leather back design. The company seems very fond of the look, which was introduced with the Galaxy Note 3 and then the second-generation Chromebook followed suit.
At 1.95kg, the Ativ Book 9 Style is quite light for its size and sports a thin 17.5 mm thin chassis. Under the hood, there’s an Inten Haswell 2.6GHz Core i5 CPU, Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM and a 128GB SSD.
Panasonic’s large 20-inch tablet, the Toughpad 4K UT-MB5, looks to finally be heading to retail outlets after numerous delays.
The large-screened 4K-toting tablet, which was announced more than a year ago at MWC 2013, has seen more than its fair share of delays stemming from difficulties on the production side of things.
The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit got the official hands-on treatment from Samsung to highlight their best features. Both devices can help you exercise with built-in heart rate monitors and display notifications from the phone.
The more advanced Gear 2 can also function as a standalone device, by streaming music over Bluetooth to your headset as you run, for example. It also handles voice calls and can control your TV via the IR blaster.
HTC released yet another teaser video for the upcoming All New One. Like the duo of clips which preceded it, the latest one is focused on a specific feature of the upcoming smartphone.
Hot on the heels of a teaser image from earlier this week, the new video brings the spotlight on the device’s camera.
We’ve got the trailer for the next Angry Birds gamer and it seems that Rovio’s flock of feathered protagonists are sick of outer space and Brazil, and they’re going back to the past.
The trailer suggests (heavily) that the next Angry Birds game will be set in Medieval Times. What tipped us off? Oh, maybe the giant armored knight in the trailer.
Smash Hits is the latest game from the folks who brought us Sprinkle, Sprinkle Junior and Sprinkle Islands. If those games tell us anything, it’s that Mediocre knows how to emulate physics in games.
In Smash Hits you throw balls at glass structures, which earns you points and keeps you moving forward. The game makes extensive use of physics for the movement of the balls and the glass and it all looks very nice. If that sounds interesting to you then you should read on for the full review.
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