The Verge - Android Posts

Flickr launches redesigned Android app for smartphones and tablets

2013-05-20T21:31:54Z

After launching an all-new app for iOS last December, Flickr is finally giving its Android offering a similar overhaul. Announced moments ago on stage at Yahoo's New York City event, the revamped Flickr for Android is available today for both phones and tablets. "The new Flickr for Android maintains your photos’ original quality, so every image you take, edit, share, or view on your phone or tablet looks spectacular," wrote CEO Marissa Mayer in a Tumblr post announcing the update. The new-and-improved Flickr for Android includes support for 10 languages and is available in the Google Play store now.

AT&T says 'any' mobile video chat app will work on its network by the end of 2013

2013-05-20T18:12:46Z

When Google Hangouts first launched, we noted that AT&T Android customers couldn't use its video chat capabilities on a cellular network. A statement from AT&T implied that video chat could be used on downloaded apps (like the iOS Hangouts app), but that Google would need to work with AT&T to enable it for pre-loaded apps, which Hangouts for Android technically is. Now, AT&T has given another statement, suggesting that we could see an across-the-board approval of video chat apps by the end of the year.

Hangouts is 'the future of Google Voice,' full calling functionality will return to desktop soon

2013-05-20T16:01:24Z

Google's new unified messaging platform, Hangouts, has made some worry about the future of Voice, the company's web-based phone service. Google has now clarified that full Voice functionality will soon be part of Hangouts. Users discovered that an update to the Gmail web app disabled the ability to make outbound calls from a computer, and there was no promise that the feature would return. However, in a post on Google+, the company's Nikhyl Singhal says that "outbound/inbound calls will soon be available." He advises that Google Talk will remain available for Gmail users until they add full Voice functionality to Hangouts, so if you need to place outbound calls using your Google Voice number you'll still be able to.

As for rumors of...

Google Glass apps: everything you can do right now

2013-05-20T16:00:06Z

Google Glass isn’t ready for prime time. Even Google knows this, which is why it hasn't shipped to the masses yet. Instead, Google floated a few units to “Explorers,” glorified guinea pigs who can enjoy the joys and trials of this cuttingest edge of cutting edge technologies. But nascent or not, Glass exists, and it works. Or at least it "works." Developers are still getting their feet wet, high-profile apps like Twitter and Facebook feel more like experiments than finished products, and bugs aren’t the exception, they’re the rule. But, you know, the thing turns on, and hears you say "Okay, Glass," and eagerly awaits your next command. Beyond the home screen, it’s up to Glass Explorers to wade through the good apps, the bad...

Google+ update for Android includes improved photo experience and Snapseed integration

2013-05-20T15:37:15Z

Google+ received some significant updates at Google I/O last week, many of which focused on a new and improved photo experience for users, and now the company is bringing that experience to its Android app. Just like the desktop version, Google+ for Android now includes auto highlight (for a selection of "top shots" from each gallery you upload), auto enhance, and auto awesome (which searches through your images to automatically build new creations like animations or panoramas). Given the major emphasis Google placed on these features last week, we're not at all surprised to see them show up in the Android app.

Google+ continues to push photos as its killer feature

Further photo enhancements come in the form of Snapseed integration —...

Ruggedized Samsung Galaxy S4 Active revealed in leaked images

2013-05-20T14:03:23Z

A ruggedized variant of Samsung's Galaxy S4 might not be too far away from launching after new leaked images have captured the device in operation. Photos of the Galaxy S4 Active, acquired by GSMArena, show Samsung has significantly altered the design of the original Galaxy S4, adding three front screen hardware buttons and a reinforced rear shell with four screws on the back — though they might just be for decoration.

Jolla prices first Sailfish OS smartphone at €399 for a 2013 launch

2013-05-20T09:37:20Z

Jolla has just unveiled its first smartphone, which will go on sale this year for €399 (roughly $510). Running the company's MeeGo-derived Sailfish OS, it features a 4.5-inch display, a dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, LTE (in selected markets), removable back covers, 16GB of onboard storage, and a microSD slot. According to Jolla, the handset will be "compliant" with Android apps, although it's not sure how many apps will be supported, nor is it clear where users will download the apps from.

Galaxy S III software leak reveals potential S4-class upgrades

2013-05-20T08:25:42Z

Samsung appears to be making good on its promise to port Galaxy S4 features to the Galaxy S III. A test Android 4.2.2 update, discovered by SamMobile, includes the lockscreen effects and widgets, enhanced screen modes, updated settings, and new S Voice control features found in Samsung's new flagship. Samsung previously said it would include updates that were "not dependent on hardware," ruling out gestures like Air View and the smart TV remote app.

Nook Simple Touch e-readers reportedly adding web browser and email client next week

2013-05-20T00:25:45Z

Barnes & Noble’s E Ink e-readers are getting an update next month that will add a web browser and email client, reports TechCrunch. Citing an unnamed source, it writes that the Nook Simple Touch and Simple Touch with GlowLight will start receiving the updates on June 1st.

The Nook Simple Touch shipped with a limited, hidden web browser when it was first released in 2011, but Barnes & Noble removed the function in a software update a few months later. The ability to check news headlines and do some light email work should give the $79 Nook platform some extra value, although slow-refreshing E Ink doesn’t really provide the best browsing experience. The low-priced Nooks aren’t the only ones to be getting extra attention from home...

British explorer Daniel Hughes makes first video call from Everest's peak

2013-05-19T22:37:06Z

The first live video call from a smartphone at the peak of Mount Everest has been made by British explorer Daniel Hughes, as part of his effort to raise money for the Comic Relief charity. The call, made with an HTC One, is not the first mobile call made from Everest's heights — but it's the first video call to be made using a smartphone. Speaking to the BBC, Hughes said that "as you can see, this is the world's first live video call, never been done before, from the rooftop of the world." To complete the call, Hughes used Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network service, which has previously assisted other climbers in making phone calls from the mountain's dramatic face. Despite the impressive effort, the stunt has so far raised just...