Another week in the books and that means yet another chance for us to show you all some of our favorite applications. While some may be fun, others a bit more practical, they all serve a purpose, and rock at doing so. Let's hit the break and check out some of our favorites from this week!

Andrew Martonik - 1​Weather

It seems like the first thing everyone with a new Android phone does is download clock and weather widgets. They give a bit of visual flare and personalization to your device, and there surely are a lot to choose from out there. My latest favorite in this category is 1Weather, really for no other reason than the fact that it has a fantastic looking 2x2 widget. Luckily, the main app is pretty darn good too, with all of the information you'd expect from a full-featured weather app. Although I have to admit that since taking the OTA to Jelly Bean on my Galaxy Nexus I've been using Google Now for my weather needs, I realize that a very small percentage of users have that capability right now. If you're back on an earlier Android version, I strongly suggest you check out this app.

Download: 1Weather ($1.99)

Anndrew​ Vacca - Dunkin Donuts

It was one hell of a week for coffee lovers with the launch of Dunkin Donuts' mobile payment app on both iOS and Android. You'll be able to locate your nearest DD, browse the menu, and check in on Dunkin on both Facebook and Twitter. But most importantly is the mobile payment capability-- taking a page out of Starbucks' book, the app allows you to add a "Dunkin Card", which you can prepay and use at any location. You'll also be able to send someone a virtual gift card using the same basic principle. Only one downside here: you'll finally realize just how much cash your hemorrhaging on coffee and donuts.

Download: Dunkin Donuts (Free)

Sean Brunett - NINTEN​Pro_Weather Skin for Beautiful Widgets

My pick this week is not a stand-alone app, but an add-on to Beautiful Widgets. I love Beautiful Widgets and have been a fan of their for a long time. One of the cool things about the weather widgets is the ability to download custom skins from within the app. I’m also a huge Super Mario fan, so when I was browsing through the Standard Skins section, the NINTENPro_Weather skin immediately caught my eye. It is a free download once you have Beautiful Widgets installed and it transforms your weather icons to look like they’re directly out of a Super Mario game. The sun is the angry sun that is well known from the games, the moon is the smiling crescent moon and the clouds are the standard clouds with eyes that date back to the original game.

This app is developed by Jamen Lang, who also did a Kirby version of the weather skin. Since I changed the skin, I really enjoy looking at the weather to see the Mario icons. If you don’t have Beautiful Widgets yet, the app costs $2.79. But once you have it, you have access to a variety of skins that are completely free. You can access the skins by going to the Settings within Beautiful Widgets and clicking  ‘Weather Skins’.  You can also go directly to the web version of the Beautiful Widgets Store, from which you can download the add-on.

Download: NINTENPro_Weather Skin (Free w/ Beautiful Widgets)

Alex Dobie - Steam

If you're a PC or Mac gamer, chances are you've got a Steam account. Valve's digital distribution platform is the leading place to get games online, and there's also a ton of community functionality available through the service. However, that doesn't have to stop when you step away from your computer. Steam for Android allows you to keep connected with Steam friends, and browse Steam's catalog of available titles on-the-go.

Community features include Steam chat, and the ability to browse groups and profiles on your phone or tablet, in addition to news and Steam deals through the Steam news and Syndicated sections. You might not be able to play Steam games on your phone (yet), but until that happens, the Steam app for Android offers the next best thing.

The app is available for free on Google Play, for phones running Android 2.1 and above.

Download: Steam (Free)

Simon Sage - LBE Privacy Guard

Ever wonder why that fart app needs access to your address book? Me too, but luckily LBE Privacy Guard can brutally strip apps of access to personal data. Your handset has to be rooted, but the hassle is certainly worth it for the privacy-conscious seeking peace of mind. Apps are broken down by which permissions they require, and drilling down further shows how many times a permission has been allowed or blocked. You can also view apps based on how potentially dangerous they are, and view a full activity log to see what's been doing what. There's also a data traffic monitor built in so you can stay under any caps your service provider may be imposing.

LBE Privacy guard is free, so if you've got a rooted phone and want to keep your data secure, give it a shot.

Download: LBE Privacy Guard (Free)

Jerry Hildenbrand - Perfect Viewer

I was talking with our forum mod and Nexus hacker dmmarck  the other day, and the subject of great reader apps came up. In the midst of talking about our favorites, he tossed out Perfect Viewer as the best comic reader for Android, and said I should give it a look. He was spot on! Perfect Reader takes the recipe for a great comic reader app, and mixes it together into a very nice, fast, and free piece of work. Don't expect to see an app that follows the Holo guidelines, instead we find a great way to think outside of the box and provide a full screen app with a novel way to get to the settings -- tap in the dead center of the screen. I appreciate the Holo look and feel, but I appreciate full screen viewing even more in this sort of application.

Speaking of those settings, there are a ton of them. Nerds, tinkerers, and other folks who love a ton of options have plenty to choose from, and at the same time you can just point it to the folder you're storing your comics in (including CIFS and SAMBA network shares!), tell the app if you read from left to right or right to left, and start reading. Perfect Viewer lives up to it's name in the way it renders all of your .cbr files, and they really look great in full resolution or zoomed out to see a pane at a time. If you read comics on your Android device, you should give this one a look. I bet you'll click the donate link after using a while -- I did.

Download: Perfect Viewer (Free)

Chris Parsons - Songza

I'm a notorious music switcher. I can never seem to make my way through a whole song without reaching to skip it to the good parts. Mainly because I hear the same songs over and over, I just want to skip to the good parts. To help with finding some new music recently I been using Songza. It allows you to music based on your mood, day, time, situation. Rather than you selecting the music, it just creates a playlist for you and it goes through them. It's a cool set up and a neat way to discover some new music you not listen to if left on your own. Best of all, it's free.

Download: Songza (Free)

Richard Devine - F-Sim Space Shuttle

This app is something I've swooned over for some time on iOS, and finally it has made its way to Android. I'm not particularly a Space Shuttle buff in anyway, but a friend of mine had this on their iPad and it looked awesome. And we like awesome things. Imagine my delight this week then when it popped up in Google Play.

The idea is simple, this is a flight simulator based around landing the Space Shuttle at either JFK Space Center or Edwards Air Force base. You get to watch back a replay of your glorious approach and touchdown, and according to the developers "only the best pilots are awarded a perfect landing score." Definitely not me. Not yet anyway.

It's actually a really detailed app, and there are a number of tutorials and manuals to help you get to grips with it. You can view your landing from inside with a sweet looking HUD, or from outside the Shuttle. Auto Pilot can assist, or you can go pro and set everything to manual. There's also realistic radio comms throughout, adding to the immersive nature. And, it's has Openfeint integration, so you can show off your skills to the world.

I could talk for hours, but then I wouldn't be playing this. It isn't the cheapest app, but it's worth the outlay. It's had some glowing testimonials and reviews already from its time on iOS, and if you're even remotely into Space stuff, it's worth a try.

Download: F-Sim Space Shuttle ($3.99)

Source:AndroidCentral

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If you’re a fan of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), then this is a good day for you as their app has officially hit Android and the Google Play Store available for free. Here’s what you can expect with the WWE app:

• Unlock breaking news
• A colossal library of WWE videos
• current and classic
• 1000′s of photos and full Superstar pages
• Get exclusive in-app access to WWE’s companion viewing experience, activated during the weekly Monday Night Raw broadcast.

The app seems feature filled and a great tool to look at daily if you’re an avid WWE fan. Hit the break for the QR code or download link for your free download!

Google Play Download Link

Source:TalkAndroid

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Just when you thought it’s safe to roam the street once more, Madfinger has unleashed an update of its dead popular (tee-hee) Zombie-themed FPS game, Dead Trigger.  What does version 1.5.0 bring to fans of the now freemium game?
Aside from the usual bug fixes and gameplay improvement, the updated Dead Trigger also introduces new arenas to play in, new stories, and some new items. Here’s the full change log:

• 2 new Arenas: STADIUM OF DEAD  &  DEADLY CORRIDORS
• Reward for everyone who purchased DEAD TRIGGER before the game became for free
• New story missions
• New weapon: ALIEN GUN
• New items: LASER TURRET & MINI-MORTAR
• Improved gameplay of protect missions
• New tutorial for beginners
• Improved MINIGUN and COLT-M4
• Increased reward in the Arenas
• More chance to win at the Casino
• Auto-aim works better when more enemies nearby
• Better ammo drops for everyone who use more than one weapon

Yes, Madfinger finally heard the wishes of disgruntled customers who had to pay $1 for the game before it was given away for free. Their rewards are 25 gold, 10 casino chips, and the brand new alien gun to blast those zombies out of existence. Head over to Google Play to get the latest version of the game.



Source:AndroidAuthority

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When it comes to high-powered feature-heavy media players, one of the most well known devices is probably the iPod Touch. For those of us looking for a non-Apple alternative, there are certainly options out there, and this may soon include this very sexy, sleek 5.8-inch Samsung Media Player. If it proves to be the real deal, that is.
If you thought that the above photo was of the Samsung Galaxy S III, you are mistaken, though it’s an easy enough mistake to make. The high-end media player seems to be very similar to the S3, in a similar way that the iPod Touch is designed to look and feel like the iPhone. The redesigned media player was first tipped to SamMobile by an unnamed source. So what do you get with the media player? Besides the gorgeous 5.8-inch qHD display with a 540×860 resolution, there is also a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 3MP camera and the power of Android 4.0.4 ICS aboard the device.
While many of us are turning away from dedicated media players in favor of just using our phones, this could be a great device for dedicated use in a car, for a child or teen, or for those who simply like to keep their media needs and phone calls separately.
What do you think? Are you tempted by this new Samsung Media Player?



Source:AndroidAuthority

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Simulation games are games that replicate various functions or activities one can do in real life. If in one way or another, you can’t perform a certain activity in actuality, simulation games have you covered.

The Google Play Store hosts numerous simulation games in different categories like flight simulation, life simulation, business simulation, city-building games, war simulation, and a lot more. One perfect example of a simulation game that took the world by storm is EA Games’ The Sims. The game was very popular due to its similarity to what people do in real life.

Today, we have listed some of the best simulation games you can play on your Android device. These games are also highly addictive. Once you play them, you’ll keep coming back to check if you’ve accomplished the tasks you were given. Check out our list and see if any of these best simulation games for Android interests you.

The Sims Free Play

You can now play the most popular life simulation game using your Android device. The Sims Free Play brings you the same gaming experience as Sims 2 and 3. Building houses, families, and relationships are just some of the things you can do in this simulation game.

If you have played or are still playing any of the PC versions of The Sims, you can still do the same routines and tasks in the mobile version of the game, except that this app requires an Internet connection to let you play. You can create up to 16 customized Sims. Customize your Sim’s look, from its hairstyle to the shoes it is wearing. Pets are also present in this version of The Sims where you can care for your pet and it directs you to places where you can find buried items.

Designing your home is also made better with this version of the popular simulation game because there are items that are added almost everyday. Knock yourself out with the number items you can purchase and put in your home. You can still grow a garden outside your house and sell your produce for extra simoleons. Accomplishing goals will still add to your lifestyle points which you can spend on awesome items for your home. When you level up, you get to unlock hip items and you can purchase them using your lifestyle points.

http://youtu.be/P_344Dp_FbE

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CONTRACT KILLER

This is one simulation game both guys and girls will probably like. Who wouldn’t when in this game, you get to be a contract killer, hunting down your targets and taking them down with just one accurate and precise shot.

CONTRACT KILLER is a mission-based simulation game where you are given situations to either take a person down or blow up an establishment or a gas station. You have 20 weapons to choose from — handguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and a lot more. You can also use a tranquilizer gun if you need to capture your target alive.

Once you are given a mission, you have to locate your target, zoom in to position them in your crosshairs, and pull the trigger. If you successfully pull off a head shot, you’ll earn more than doing normal body shots. Aside from cash, you also get to earn XP or experience points to help your character become a better and more lethal contract killer.

Apart from the great gameplay, this simulation game also boasts equally great-looking graphics. Get CONTRACT KILLER for free from the Google Play Store today and earn lots of cash and experience for taking down those criminals.

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Ice Age Village

I personally love the Ice Age installments and the characters, Scrat in particular. If you have watched the movies and you are getting really excited for the newest one to be shown, playing the Ice Age Village game will surely do for now.

Ice Age Village allows you to create a village of animals with the help of Sid, Manny, Diego, Eli, Peaches, and the possums, Crash and Eddie. You start off with placing an animal in your village. You have to look for a companion for that animal to start making babies for them. Every time you create a family, complete with the parents and the offspring, you are rewarded coins and acorns which you can use for purchasing items.

Ice Age Village has lots of mini-games you can play. One of which is Kung Fu Scrat where you help this furry little rascal do kung fu moves on gnarly piranhas for trying to steal his acorn. Make sure you don’t hit any of the puffer fish, hitting one will take one life from the three lives you are given. Aside from the mini-games, you get to feed and collect coins from the animals in your village, a sure return for all the coins and acorns you’ve spent on building the village.

Invite your friends to play Ice Age Village and you can visit their villages. Ice Age Village is a really fun simulation game where you can assume the position of a village chief.

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Paradise Island

After going back to the Ice Age, let us now bask under the sun in this simulation game, Paradise Island. If you’re all for anything that has sun and sand, you might want to consider playing this game.

Paradise Island lets you be the boss of a sunny little island where you can practically build an empire. Your goal is to turn this island into the most popular and most visited island for tourists. Build establishments that will provide you with profits and expand your area to allow more buildings to be erected.

A lot of facilities, decorations, and buildings like casinos and bars are available for you to use in the game. You get to know the feeling of running a resort and being a tycoon, as well. Tend to your customers to assure that they get the best from your island. Even when you close your game, your island will still continue to operate.

What’s more, you get to play this game without annoying ads popping out of nowhere. Pure fun without obtrusive popups is a plus for this game since it is ad-free. Download Paradise Island now and turn a once uninhabited island to the world’s most visited and frequented tourist destination.

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Smurfs’ Village

Fans of the Smurfs cartoon series will really love this game app. The Smurfs’ Village is a simulation game app where you help the smurfs create a new village after the wicked Gargamel found their original village and scattered them around the forest.

With Papa Smurf’s guidance, you get to aid the smurfs in building a new village for them to live in. You start with one mushroom house but you’ll eventually build more as you progress in the game. You don’t only build mushroom houses; you can also build bridges, gardens, paths, and a lot more.

You can also play mini-games like Greedy Smurf’s Baking Game and Papa Smurf’s Potion Mixing Game where you are awarded coins every time you come out victorious. Try to accomplish tasks given out by any of the smurfs and you’ll earn XP or Smurfberries, berries that help speed up the growth of the crops you’ve planted and the construction of buildings in your village.

Smurfs’ Village doesn’t require an Internet connection for you to be able to play it. You can play the game even when you are offline. Check on your village’s progress even when you are in a remote area.

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Tiny Farm

Ever dreamed of having your own farm with various types of farm animals? Now you won’t be limited to just dreaming. With Tiny Farm, you’ll master taming and tending to various kinds of animals.

Tiny Farm is a simulation game app that shows you how it is to take care of farm animals. You don’t just look at the animals graze around your farm. You have to constantly feed them when they are hungry, show them love by grooming them, and breeding them with another animal to produce other animals that will fill up your farm.

The animals in this game also make sounds. The sheep go “baa,” the cows go “moo,” and the ducks go “quack.’ You are not limited to tending animals only. Plants can also be placed around the garden and will also need much attention from you. To make everything more exciting, go on a mission to to find legendary species of animals with the help of a ranger.

Collecting various types of common and rare animals will award you handsomely. The rewards you gain can be used to purchase items you can use in your farm.

With Tiny Farm, you can also connect your friends who also have farms. You can visit each other’s farms or you can go on missions together. Tiny Farm will certainly get you hooked for long periods. Get it today and shower your animals with their much needed TLC.

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Virtual City Playground

Some of us have hopes and dreams of owning a big multinational corporation or a chain of hotels and restaurants. Although it may take really long for us to achieve those dreams, we should not be discouraged, especially when there’s a game where we can practice our management skills.

Virtual City Playground is basically your city. You control everything that’s in it, may it be households or industrial buildings. Play mayor-slash-president of your own city. You have the freedom to choose what to build in a particular area, what services and establishments to include in your city, and what public events you think will make the citizens happy.

You can produce goods and services in this game and deliver them to the shopping malls you have built, too. Setting up a mass-transit system in your city will definitely make your citizens happier and your city more livable. The game gives you over 200 optional quests to accomplish and 95 achievements to earn for tasks you’ve completed. Your most ambitious dreams will seem real with Virtual City Playground. Get it from the Google Play Store for free.

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STARDOM: THE A-LIST

Gone are the days of watching celebrities live the life of fame and glam. You can experience how it is to be a celebrity with STARDOM: THE A-LIST game app. This simulation game lets you live the life of a celebrity, starting from scratch.

Make your way up the celebrity A-List by auditioning to soap operas, commercials, films, and even plays. Every task you do requires the use of energy, so be careful what you spend your energy on. You get to date fellow celebrities of the same level or if you get lucky, you can date A-List celebs even if you are still a starting actor.

Every TV commercial, movie, or play you star in awards you XP and pulls you up the list of the most popular celebs. One thing you’ll love in this game is the customization of your character’s look, from the skin color to the accessories. Once you reach a certain level, you will unlock other cities where you’ll be able to bag more opportunities.

STARDOM: THE A-LIST is one game you should have on your Android device if you have dreams of being a celebrity but are hindered because of various reasons. Live the life of a celebrity and experience the world of fame and glam.

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Fashion Icon

The world of fashion is not all glitter and gold. One has to go through a lot before she/he can call herself/himself a certified fashion icon. And, with Fashion Icon, you’ll get to experience how it is to go from being a no one to a well-known fashion guru among other fashion magnates.

Fashion Icon lets you control a young woman who has thrown herself onto the world of style and fashion. Guide her as she embarks on a journey where she does numerous jobs to make money for purchasing clothes. This simulation game app has stunningly beautiful graphics, especially the details on the clothes. You’ll appreciate this game because of how the clothes’ styles are detailed and polished, making it as stylish as it may be if it were real.

You get to battle other girls in this game, just to prove to the world that you have more style and swag. When you beat girls in parties or on the streets, you go up a level higher to becoming the most popular, most stylish woman in the game. Aside from battling girls, you also get to date guys from different industries, may it be from the movie, fashion, sports, or media industry. Style up and attempt to attract a guy with soaring-high manliness and if you are successful, you’ll be dating one of the hottest guys in town, adding up to your glam and style.

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My Clinic

To wrap up our list is a medical simulation game, My Clinic. My Clinic starts off with a small, modest clinic which you will be upgrading through the course of the game. The game’s goal is to be of service to various patients with different rare and comical illnesses.

You can purchase equipment for your clinic to help you tend to your patients better. Other doctors can be hired especially when you have a lot of patients flocking to your clinic. Medical interns are also available — extra help around the clinic for times when there are too many patients for all the doctors to manage. You can constantly upgrade the equipment and facilities your clinic has, ensuring quality service to your growing number of patients.

As your small clinic receives well-deserved prestige, the patients’ illnesses will also become more complex. To ensure that these patients are treated and are relieved of their sickness, hiring the best doctors and purchasing the most modern and powerful equipment will surely help you keep it all together.

My Clinic can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. Download this game and let the development and the success of the clinic lie in your hands.

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We just have listed some of the best simulation games you can find on the Google Play Store. There are a lot of simulation games you can play, depending on what you really like. Maybe from the list we’ve just presented, you may be able to download one or two that best fit your preferences. Which of the listed games have you played or planning to download? Any of the games from the list you like so far? Let us know your thoughts through commenting below, or vote in our poll.

Source:AndroidAuthority

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Android’s very rapid evolution and its booming success over the past couple of years have unfortunately brought the mobile OS a major hassle in the form of security vulnerabilities. The Android malware issue has been reported as increasing not only in quantity, but also in danger level in the last months, with malicious apps being more aggressive and dangerous than ever.

Google’s active efforts to fight the ever-increasing threats have themselves grown lately, but even with the introduction of the new “Bouncer” system and the supposedly “significantly improved Jelly Bean security,” nothing seems to be able to stop viruses and Trojans from spreading around.
The latest Kaspersky Lab report about Android malware is again sounding the alarm, as if the company’s warning over ZitMo attacks from last week wasn’t enough. According to the Moscow-based security firm, the number of new malicious programs targeting the Android platform has almost tripled during the second fiscal quarter of 2012.
After reporting 5,441 malware apps back in Q1 2012, Kaspersky engineers have found no less than 14,923 such malicious programs between the months of April and June. Comparing the number with similar figures from last year, things seem even more problematic, considering that in Q2 2011 there were only 936 malicious apps targeting Android, while over the following three months Kaspersky tracked 3,658 such programs.

Almost half of the malicious files found over Q2 2012 were “multi-functional Trojans” programmed to steal data from phones, such as contact names, email addresses and telephone numbers, but also capable of downloading additional modules from servers run by malicious users.
SMS Trojans came up in second in Kaspersky’s report, holding a “market share” of around 25% over the year’s second fiscal quarter. These programs are even more dangerous than the multi-functional Trojans, as they target stealing money from victims’ accounts by “sending SMS messages to premium-rate numbers without the owner’s knowledge or consent.”
An even bigger threat is posed by the malware apps that came up in third, representing 18% of the total Android malicious programs detected. These are “backdoors” that allow unauthorized people full access to an infected device. I’m sure you can imagine what can someone do to your phone by gaining full control of it, so I’m not going to get into details.
Finally, 2% of the total Android malware files were Trojan Spy programs, absolutely the most dangerous kind of malicious threats that currently exist. These can easily gain access to the most sensitive data one can enter on a phone, including bank account numbers, credit card codes and PIN numbers.

Scared much? Well, you should probably be, especially that Kaspersky Senior Malware Analyst Yuri Namestnikov wrapped up the report by saying that warning against a shift to more personal attacks.

In the near future, we expect not only more malware, but more effective and dangerous malware targeting Android. Judging from existing trends, we should expect that cybercriminals will soon shift to more personalized attacks. This is primarily about malware hunting for confidential data with which to steal money from users’ credit cards.

So we don’t end our post in a completely dark note, we should mention that a similar report from F-Secure, cited by PC World, has found some significantly different results than the one compiled by Kaspersky. According to the Finland-based anti-virus and security company, only 40 new malicious Android application package files were tracked during Q2 2012. This was still a 64 percent increase over the company’s previous quarter’s report, but that certainly doesn’t sound as severe as the tripling in malicious apps reported by Kaspersky.
No matter which one of the two reports is closer to reality, one thing is certain nevertheless. Android is a more and more appealing target for malware attacks, which is why you should take all precautionary methods possible to protect your devices from getting infected. I hope that you all know by now how to do that.




Source:AndroidCentral

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If you've been itching for a new Instagram update, your wish has been granted. Instagram 3.0 has now landed in the Google Play Store and it brings along plenty of changes. A new feature called photo maps allows you to showcase where you’ve taken your photos and check out where others have taken photos. In addition to that, new profile page changes are in effect and various other bits within the app have changed as well. Nothing drastic but it cleans the app up nicely.
Finally, the most welcome change for me and likely others -- speed. Instagram has been updated to allow for faster, endless scrolling and overall browsing of the app has picked up the pace. Users should notice less jerkiness in the app and images loading relatively faster. Instagram has dropped a new video highlighting the changes; you'll find it down below if you're looking for a walkthrough. Otherwise, go ahead and fire up the Google Play Store and get to downloading Instagram 3.0.


Source: Instagram

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Brands matter! Now if you’ll please pardon what could possibly be the worst introductory sentence ever, let me explain: brands might be evil (they have plenty of tactics for destroying the competition), they ruin all major TV events with those pesky multimillion dollar commercials, and some say that brands might even use mind-control nano-chips in their products to keep you loyal (although this is still to be proven), but all in all, brands definitely matter to most of us. And that’s almost entirely due to one thing and one thing only: you know what to expect!
If we’re to go into details, I for one sure know that a Kinder-made treat will be sweet, delicate and slightly more expensive than other unbranded treats. I know that a BMW will usually have a lot more character and sportiness than a classy Mercedes Benz. I know that a pair of Beats headphones are too expensive for what they have to offer, in the same way that I know a U.S.-made Fender Stratocaster will give me a way different (and better) sound than a considerably cheaper rip-off (say, Squire for example). And I know all this not because I was “told so” by the commercials or the nano-chip, but instead trough actual, real-world experience.
From an Android blogger perspective, I find that brand Android smartphones and tablets (think Samsung, LG, HTC) are more than often the best devices you can get, period. Even if the price for a Samsung tablet, for instance, is noticeably higher than the price of an Archos tablet with similar specs, I would still recommend that you go the Samsung way, if you can afford it. Granted, these examples are not edificatory, but you should get the point nevertheless.
Q: What is there to do when you desperately need an Android smartphone that has top-notch specs but are unwilling to spend heaps of cash on some of the most popular brand smartphones such as HTC One X or the Samsung Galaxy S3? A: You go for an unbranded smartphone!
Throughout the rest of the article, I will point out the no-brand smartphones that feature good specs, but first, you might want to learn about the top 5 reasons not to choose a cheap smartphone, then take the decision that you deem fit for your needs.

Xiaomi Mi2

To be completely honest with you guys, I was already done with the article and was going to claim that the K-Touch Treasure V8 (it is detailed below) is the best smartphone that you’ve never heard of. And then Xiaomi has just announced the Mi2, an Android 4.1 JellyBean smartphone that features the best specs in the entire Android ecosystem.
First, there’s the 4.3 inch IPS display manufactured by Sharp, one that works at a 1280×720 pixel resolution. Simple math skills show that the Xiaomi Mi2’s display has Pixel Per Inch (PPI) ratio of 341. By comparison, the Apple iPhone 4S showcases a PPI density of 326, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 features a PPI ratio of 306. Impressed? Wait, there is more!
On to the CPU, it’s a bit surprising to see that the Xiaomi Mi2 is the first smartphone in the world to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, the fastest smartphone CPU in the world at this moment. The GPU used by Qualcomm in their S4 Pro SoC is an Adreno 320, the fastest smartphone GPU in the world at this moment as well. Add 2GB of RAM memory and 16GB of internal memory, a 2000 mAh battery, as well as the 8MP camera on the back, and it becomes obvious that the Xiaomi Mi2 runs circles around every other Android smartphone in the world.
But the most impressive detail of them all is that the Mi2 will retail in the Chinese market for around 2000 Yuan (roughly $314). It is yet unclear if the Xiaomi Mi2 will reach other markets, but if it does, you better go ahead and grab one, since it offers the best specs in the world for just half the price of other top-end smartphones.

K-Touch Treasure V8

The second best smartphone that you probably never heard of is the K-Touch Treasure V8, a smartphone that K-Touch has shown off since MWC 2012 this February, although the Chinese manufacturer took the prototype back to the bench and has performed some upgrades since. The result is an Android 4.0 ICS smartphone (no updates to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean have been announced this far) that features a 4.5 inch display and looks a lot like some fat guy sat on an iPhone 4S. Running at a 1280×720 pixel resolution, it totals at an impressive 326 PPI ratio.
However, despite the fact the good resolution of the display, the main point of interest here is the Tegra 3 SoC, consisting out of a 1.5GHz quad-core A9 processor, the GeForce ULP GPU and 1 GB of RAM. Other specs include 16GB of internal memory and a 1820 mAh non-removable battery.
Unfortunately, hands-on reviewers have complained about the form factor and the quality of the build materials, but this isn’t something that should surprise you from a no-brand smartphone. In fact, you should expect all the smartphones on this list to feature build materials that are mediocre at best in quality.
The K-Touch Treasure V8 will reach the Chinese market at some point August and will be priced at 3,000 Yuan (roughly $480).

BLU Products VIVO 4.3

Granted, this one shouldn’t be unknown to our frequent readers, as Bogdan first introduced this cheap Android 4.0 ICS smartphone a while back here. But for a short recap, the BLU VIVO 4.3 is referred to (at least by the manufacturers themselves) as the World’s first Dual SIM smartphone to feature a SAMOLED Plus display and a dual core CPU.
The 4.3 inch SAMOLED Plus display on the BLU VIVO 4.3 (see the connection here?) runs at a 480 by 800 pixel resolution (that’s a 216 PPI ratio), while the dual-core A9 processor runs at 1GHz. Unfortunately, the GPU is a PowerVR SGX531, a chip originally launched back in October 2008, so you shouldn’t expect any outer-worldly frame rates while running next-gen smartphone games. In addition, the VIVO 4.3 features a 8 MP camera on the back and 1.3 MP on the front, 3G HSDPA connectivity, 4 GB of internal memory and a micro-SD slot.
Sure, this is no Galaxy S3 killer, but seeing as it will retail for roughly $250, I find the BLU VIVO 4.3 one option to consider if you’re looking into buying an inexpensive dual-SIM, dual-core smartphone.

Plum Might

Since we are on the topic of no-name smartphones that regular AA readers should know, let’s take a quick look at the Plum Might. Design-wise, the Plum Might is, for all intents and purposes, a Samsung Galaxy Note clone. The specs are a little below the average, even if we limit the range to the smartphones in this list, but the sub $200 price is also under the median, so balance is restored in the end.
The Plum Might features a 5.0 inch display running at a 480×800 pixel, thus featuring 186 PPI, a pretty low pixel density ratio when judging by current top-end standards, and the lowest of all smartphones in this list. The 1GHz single-core processor also isn’t the best you can find, while the 512 MB of RAM should handle most activities as long as you don’t open a gazzilion apps at the same time. Seeing as the specs are not mind boggling, I would expect the 2,800 mAh battery to do the job just right.
A microSD slot is also on board, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS chips. Unfortunately, the Plum Might is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and I don’t expect it to get Android 4.0 ICS.
Image credit: Electronista

ZOPO Pilot ZP100

The oddly named ZOPO Pilot ZP100 is a global dual-SIM Android smartphone. And by global, I am referring to the fact that it can use both GSM networks as well as CDMA ones. Other than this unique and quite helpful feature, the ZOPO Pilot is your basic, no-name Android 4.0 ICE smartphone.
The Zopo Pilot features a 4.3 inch LCD display manufactured by Sharp, a display that works at 960×540 pixels at 256 PPI.
Internal specs include a 1GHz single-core A9 CPU, a PowerVR SGX531 GPU and 512 MB of RAM. The ZOPO Pilot 100 has almost the exact same specs as the BLU Vivo 4.3, minus a processor core. Upsides include CDMA support and a $200 price tag, $50 less than that of the BLU Vivo.

THL W3

The THL W3 shares a lot of its specs with the ZOPO Pilot ZP100. You get the same 1GHz single-core A9 processor, PowerVR SGX531 GPU and 512 of RAM. The THL W3 also comes with Dual-SIM functionality as well as support for both GSM and CDMA networks, just like the ZOPO ZP100. The difference is that you get a a slightly larger and sharper screen: a 4.5 inch display running at a 1280×720 pixel resolution at a 326 PPI ratio.
The THL W3 is priced at $249 and comes with a 2000 mAh battery, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, an 8 MP back camera and a 2MP front camera.

Conclusion

As you might have noticed, most of these smartphones are priced under $250, the exact maximum price limit that I’ve used for creating the best cheap Android smartphones of 2012 list. Do you think any of these no-name Android smartphones should make it to the list? Let us know in the comment section below!



Source:AndroidAuthority

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We’ve been talking about for years now, and following the transformation of the media rich Android Market into the Google Play Store, it seems Google is finally ready to give us what we want — gift cards. Today the Play Store was updated to version 3.8.15 and while changes weren’t immediately apparent, a quick decompiling of the .apk revealed a few hidden images, giving us a good indication that Google will soon be bringing bringing gift cards to the Play Store. But that’s not all…

I’ve been screaming since the G1 days for Google to finally add some kind of bookmarking for apps in the Play Store (then Android Market). I literally have hundreds of of apps listed in an Evernote folder with an endless amount of lists for apps I wasn’t quite sure about downloading — or didn’t work with my then Android device — in hopes that I would later revisit and give ‘em a good install. Well, hidden inside this new version of the Play Store were, once again, hidden .png’s referencing “Wishlists,” along with some code.

Download Google Play Store 3.8.15

Exciting? You better freakin’ believe it. The addition of Wishlists and finally being able to buy friends and family gift cards for use in the Play Store is something the Play Store has been desperately lacking for ages (and will help it better compete against rival market places). It is time. Let’s cross our fingers that the next update will finally separate our previously installed paid apps, from the free ones. Thanks, Googs!

Source: XDA-Developers | Google+ | AndroidPolice

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From today, for some new devices, Adobe Flash Player will no longer be available from Google Play, marking the end of Flash’s brief flirtation with Android. That means if you want to get hold of Flash on an Android device that doesn't ship with it, you’ll need to resort to a little bit of trickery. Fortunately, though, it’s pretty easy to get Flash up and running manually, assuming you understand the risks.
Join us after the break to find out how to manually install a legacy version of Adobe Flash Player on your Android phone or tablet.

Big scary warning

Before we begin, make sure you understand the risks associated with running the now-unsupported Adobe Flash on your device --

• There’s no official support for Flash on Android now. That means no more security or stability updates, no official support channels if something goes wrong. In particular, if you’re using this on an Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) device, you can probably expect a few stability issues
• The fact that security updates are no longer being developed for Flash for Android means that running this could potentially open you up to security risks and malicious Flash content. There’s no record of Flash exploits specifically targeting Android users, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.
• You’re installing an app from a third-party source, so you’ll need to disable one of Android’s built-in security options. Remember to re-enable it afterwards for your device’s security.
• On newer hardware, particularly devices running Android 4.1, you may experience stability issues with Flash content. That’s just the way Flash rolls on mobile devices.

Prerequisites

You’ll need a phone or tablet running Android 2.2 (Froyo) to 4.1 (Jelly Bean). Check Settings > About phone / About tablet to see what you’re running. If you’re on Jelly Bean, check that you have a stock browser installed besides Google Chrome, as Chrome for Android doesn’t support Flash. Check your app drawer for “Browser” or “Internet.”

The method

Now, down to business. The process of getting Flash for Android on a device that doesn’t already have it is pretty simple.

1. First, you’ll need to tell your device it’s OK to install apps from sources other than Google Play. You’ll need to check the box marked “Unknown sources.” On Android 2.2, 2.3 or 3.x, this is found under Settings > Applications. On Android 4.x, you’ll find it under Settings > Security.
2. On your phone or tablet, download the Flash for Android application downloader. (It'll then download the file directly from Adobe.)
3. Once that’s done, pull down the notification area and tap on the file to install it. Tap “Install” on the next screen to confirm.
4. When Flash is installed, head into your phone’s stock browser (again, Google Chrome won’t support your newly-installed Flash apk).
5. On Android 3.0 or later, go to Menu (three dots next to the address bar on some phones) > Settings > Advanced > Enable plug-ins. To enable Flash content all the time, select “Always on,” or to enable it selectively on each page, choose “On demand.” Or on Android 2.2 or 2.3, go to Menu > Settings (sometimes Menu > More > Settings), where you’ll find the “Enable plug-ins” option.
6. You should now be ready to go. Check this link on your phone to confirm that Flash is up and running.

  

Finally, once it’s working, you may want to uncheck the “Unknown sources” option once again to keep your phone or tablet secure.

So there you have it -- Flash support on your Android device. Flash on mobile devices has never been perfect, but on the right hardware Flash 11.1 for Android will give you a decent experience. Remember, though, that Flash has been withdrawn from the Google Play Store for a reason -- it’s no longer officially supported, so bear that in mind as you’re browsing through Flash content on your phone.

Source:AndroidCentral

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