New Gmail to Feature Categories for Social, Promotions, and Updates?

by: | posted 05.25.13 | News, Rumors

Gmail

Along with a redesigned app for Android, is Google planning to introduce a new type of organization for Gmail across all platforms? In a series of leaked screenshots sent to TheNextWeb, we may see a set of five category types embedded within our inboxes to help keep things organized. 

Misfit Shine Activity Tracker From IndieGogo Drops Android Support After Months of Delays and Reaching $846,000 Funding Goal

by: | posted 05.25.13 | News

misfit shine

Crowdfunding of new tech products through sites like Kickstarter and indiegogo has become the go-to method for anyone with a brilliant idea, but little cash to get things up and running. We have probably covered dozens of projects over the last couple of years (some good, some not-so-good), as many of these ideas are amazing concepts that have the chance at becoming a reality thanks to enthusiasts like you and I. One of those ideas from the last year was the Misfit Shine, an activity tracker similar to the Nike Fuelband or Fitbit, only it carries a much simpler, minimal-yet-beautiful, and less intrusive design. It won awards at CES, bragged about its awesome mode of syncing, and attracted almost 8,000 backers before closing as one of indiegogo’s most successful campaigns ever with a closing goal of $846,675.

But where it stood out to Android users, was the fact that its creators were willing to support Android from the beginning, something that even Nike wasn’t able to do after leading us on for months. Just before the campaign closed, they went as far as to show off their Android app, or at least the first render of it. This looked to be one of coolest, most attractive, and well-thought-out fitness trackers to date. Well, that was the case until today. 

Android Accessory Roundup: zBoost 4G LTE Signal Booster, samDock Cable, Y-Cam HomeMonitor System and More

by: | posted 05.24.13 | Accessories, News, Reviews

Android Accessory Roundup

The accessories industry is very large and continues to grow daily. Couple that with the fact that smartphones are starting to take over the world’s population, leaving you with entire conferences such as CTIA and CES, based solely on consumer items, such as smartphone accessories.

We wanted to try and highlight some of the accessories we have stumbled across in a roundup post, so allow us to introduce the Android Accessory Roundup. We will go over the basic function of the accessory, the pros and cons, the price of said accessory and that’s it. Hopefully this will help some folks find a neat new toy that goes will with their favorite gadget.

Video: Here is the Android 4.3 Camera UI With Improved On-screen Controls

by: | posted 05.24.13 | News, Videos

new android camera

After we got our first sighting of Android 4.3 this morning, information continues to flood in. We were able to spot a tweaked UI to the camera in the original set of pictures, but this video gives you almost every little detail that has been changed. The biggest is obviously the change to a settings UI that isn’t covered by your finger.

In the old UI, once you long-pressed in the center of the camera, a ring would appear around the focus with options, many of which couldn’t be seen because your finger was in the way. With this, Google has moved the settings menu to above the circle and builds on top of itself as you enter new menus. If you don’t want to interact with the menu in the middle of the camera UI, you can tap the settings circle in the bottom right, which then pops up settings over top of the shutter button. We’re also noticing a new timer option that I’m not able to find on my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2. 

New Gmail App for Android Possibly Spotted in Google I/O Session, Assuming It’s Not Just an Ugly Mock-up

by: | posted 05.24.13 | News

new android gmail1

Are you looking at the new UI of a redesigned Gmail app for Android? Possibly. The slide above appeared at the “Structure in Android App Design” session at Google I/O, which was focused on teaching developers how to choose which navigation techniques to use in their complex apps. This was the only look at what could potentially be the new Gmail, but if this is indeed it, there are some things worth talking about. 

Android 4.3 Possibly Spotted Running on Nexus 4, Build Number JWR45B

by: | posted 05.24.13 | News

Android 4.3

Over on XDA, a user posted some pictures this morning of a Nexus 4 that was seen at a mobile expo taking place in Thailand. What makes this N4 special is that the device appears to be running a completely new build number, JWR45B. Coupled with the new build is a kernel that was built in May, signs that we could definitely be setting our eyes on Android 4.3.

HTC One “Google Edition” Said to be Imminent, After the Company Denied Its Existence

by: | posted 05.24.13 | News, Rumors

htc one google edition

Within an hour of Google’s announcement at I/O that they would soon sell a special “Nexus experience” edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4, rumors popped up suggesting that HTC would do something similar with the One. And as soon as those rumors surfaced, HTC quickly shot them down, claiming that a “Nexus edition” was not in their plans. Well, here we are a week later, and rumors have once again surfaced surrounding a “Google Edition” of HTC’s popular One device. According to sources who spoke to both Geek.com and Modaco, an announcement is imminent, potentially happening next week. 

Mailbox Founder Suggests That an Android Version is Next in Their Plans

by: | posted 05.23.13 | Apps, News

mailbox

Heard of Mailbox? It’s an iOS app that was such a massive success as an email replacement at launch, that Dropbox bought it within a couple of months of its existence. Today, the company launched an iPad version of its popular app, but that’s not what Android users care about. In a sitdown with Read Write, Mailbox’s founder Gentry Underwood said that a presence on Android is next on their list of things to do. He wouldn’t specify a time frame, only that it’s on their radar now that the iPad app is out.