You can now officially download YouTube for Android videos, as long as you’re in Asia

Since September, Google promised the idea of YouTube offline viewing would come to fruition, though it would make its initial mark in emerging markets. It looks like El Goog kept its promise, as the functionality is now available in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

When watching videos, a download prompt will appear above the Subscribe button. From there, you can choose to download the videos in either standard definition or high definition (in this case HD is720p). File sizes are shown to make sure you have adequate space for your videos. After your video finishes downloading, it can be found in the Offline section of the YouTube app.

Related: Google pulled the plug on the Nexus 5, so you’d better hurry if you want one

There are several catches, however, the main one being you have 48 hours to watch your downloaded videos before they disappear. In addition, not every video is available for offline viewing, as licensed content can’t be downloaded. Finally, as mentioned previously, this feature is only available in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In its blog post, Google explained that it chose these regions first because of the importance of mobile Internet in these locations. “Asia has proven itself to be a mobile-first world in terms of smartphone adoption, but access to high-speed, affordable data remains a big challenge,” wrote Google. “In response, we’ve been working on ways to lessen the demands of speed and data for people using our products in places where there are challenges to access.”

There’s no word on when YouTube offline viewing will make its way to the West, though Google did update the app to adopt its Material Design guidelines.

View the original article here

Android 5.0 Lollipop: LG tells lucky G3 owners Lollipop is on its way very soon

Android 5.0 Lollipop is here, and that means a mad scramble is about to occur, as manufacturers all rush to update their existing phones to the new version of Google’s operating system. Well, we say “rush” and “scramble,” but often, bringing out an update can be a plodding affair, sometimes taking months for it to show up. To make sure you’re fully informed, we’ve pulled together all the official news and the rumors concerning 5.0 Lollipop’s arrival on your smartphone or tablet of choice. Check it out below.
Updated on 11-10-2014 : Added in new information on LG’s Android 5.0 update for the G3, which will arrive sooner than expected.

LG

LG sent out a very welcome tweet regarding the G3 smartphone from the LG Electronics UK Twitter account at the end of October, informing us the G3 will get its Lollipop update before the end of the year. No precise date was mentioned, but new information says it could come sooner rather than later.
LG says G3 owners in Poland will be first on the list, with the process expected to start from November 10. According to LG’s blog, “other key markets will follow in the near future.” LG’s obviously proud of its Android 5.0 efforts, and confidently states it’ll be the first global manufacturer to provide the latest version of Google’s OS this year. As always, it’ll be a staggered release which will depend on network cooperation.
This does fit in with earlier rumors. According to a Dutch report, the company informed G3 smartphone owners in the Netherlands and Belgium they should expect Android 5.0 to arrive before the end of the year.
It’s no great surprise to hear LG will service it’s flagship phone first, and once that’s underway, LG says it will talk about its other devices being prepared for the software. We expect the G Pro 2, along with phones such as the G Flex, and the G3 Beat to be high up on the list.

Samsung

There’s no official information from Samsung’s offices on an Android 5.0 update, but anonymous sources talking to SamMobile.com say the new version will come to the Galaxy S5 in December. Whether this will be before or after the Christmas break isn’t stated, but it may end up coinciding with LG’s rumored Android 5.0 release for the G3.
Alongside the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy S4, plus new models such as the Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Note 4 and its predecessor are all prime candidates for a lovely Lollipop. If they’ve been good, of course.

Sony

Sony has some good, early news for owners of its Xperia Z smartphones. It will be updating all its premium models to Android 5.0 Lollipop. It has confirmed the following phones will be getting the new software: The Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3V, and the Xperia Z3 Compact.
It’s not avoiding its tablet duty either, and will bring Android 5.0 to the Xperia Tablet Z, the Xperia Z2 Tablet, and the new Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The Google Play Edition of the Xperia Z Ultra will be the first to get see the update, which should happen soon, and Sony plans to begin a wider rollout – starting with the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 hardware – at the beginning of 2015.

Android Market on a computer - how it works

Google introduced the possibility to manage all your Android Apps via computer instead via phone. We had a look at this new feature and show you how it works!
Even though Android is already a pretty neat system from a usability perspective, some things are still achieved in a more efficient way by doing them on a "real" computer. One of those things is managing the apps that are installed on your Android powered smartphone.
A couple of days ago, Google introduced a management tool that runs in any browser, allowing basically the following functions:
Search for Android appsInstall apps to any Android phone that was used at least once in the pastRate, review apps
The most interesting feature for sure is the capability to easly manage apps across different phones. To do this, the user can manage his/her devices via an easy to use interface. In order for a device to appear, the user needs to have logged-in to the market on that particular device at least once:

The device can be renamed so it can be identified easier later on.
Now, how does tha actual installation work? Let's assume you found an app that you want to install on one of the devices listed in "My Devices" - for example the se-first.com News Alert App :-) After searching for the app, you simply hit the "Install" button, select the target device, and within seconds (as long as the target device is available via network or WiFi), the download and installation on the mobile phone starts automatically. Really cool!

Now, this is where the current version of the apps administration via Browser stops. We would like to see the following additional functionality:
Remove appsBulk-installManage (=backup and restore) app data along with the app
The latter two points would address the typical use case of switching mobile phones. Wouldn't it be cool if you could transfer all of your apps, including the data that they stored, from one phone to another?
We think that this solution has a lot of potential in the future, and we are looking forward to Google adding more features in the (hopefully near) future.
If you want to try out what you just saw for yourself, head over to the Android Market on the web!
View the original article here

Android getting in-app purchases next week

Google kicks off developer testing for Android's in-app purchasing, with plans to launch the feature for the public sometime next week.

The Android Market, as large and as widely used as it is, suffers from one chief drawback: there’s no option for developers to include in-app purchasing with their releases. Google confirmed its coming alongside the announcement of Honeycomb earlier this year, even released the code and a toolkit for developers to implement the functionality. The feature has yet to arrive however, though it seems that’s all going to change next week.

Android Developer Ecosystem guy Eric Chu announced the news on the Android Developers blog. “Back in January we announced our plan to introduce Android Market In-app Billing this quarter,” he wrote. “We’re pleased to let you know that we will be launching In-app Billing next week.”

Assuming Google intends to stick to that first-quarter release plan, the new feature will launch no later than next Thursday. For now, developer testing has officially launched. Chu writes, “You can now upload your apps to the Developer Console, create a catalog of in-app products, and set prices for them. You can then set up accounts to test in-app purchases.”

This is particularly great news for the makers of mobile games and for consumers of the same. Many of the game apps released these days hinge on or at least feature some sort of microtransaction model. With the new functionality coming to Android Market, the Google mobile OS suddenly becomes a much more attractive option for the developers of those games.

Trackback URL: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/software-mobile/android-getting-in-app-purchases-next-week/trackback/

View the original article here

RIM confirms Blackberry PlayBook Android integration, with a catch

RIM will broaden the app horizons of its PlayBook tablet by allowing it to run Android apps, but don't toss your Tab just yet - there's a catch.

Finally, there’s been some confirmation on a very important PlayBook rumor that’s been around for months now. RIM has officially stated that it will open up the PlayBook for BlackBerry Java and Android-based applications – but of course, it can’t be quite that simple. In a press release, RIM explains that the Android Market itself won’t be operable on the PlayBook. Users will only be able to access Android apps via BlackBerry App World. And there’s another catch: Only specific Android apps will run on the tablet. For now, the PlayBook will only support Android 2.3 apps.

“Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users.”

It’s definitely a coup for the PlayBook: A launch that includes a hearty amount of apps is always beneficial, and tying itself to the established Android ecosystem doesn’t hurt. The QNX OS BlackBerry has chosen to use for PlayBook doesn’t have the recognition Google’s mobile OS does, not to mention the sheer number of applications. It also makes the tablet more attractive to developers. While there’s been increasing interest in creating PlayBook applications, it doesn’t have the pull Android does, and now developers will be able to market their programs to both easily due to what RIM describes as “a high degree of API compatibility.”

RIM revealed in its earnings call (via BBC) today that shares fell 12 percent, saying the sagging numbers were caused by “investments in the future.” But good news, as RIM CEO Jim Balsillie also revealed there are “many corporate clients that have approached us about, you know, each wanting tens of thousands, several tens of thousands of PlayBooks.” The PlayBook launches April 19.

Trackback URL: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/rim-confirms-blackberry-playbook-android-integration-with-a-catch/trackback/

View the original article here

Amazon launches Appstore for Android with free Angry Birds Rio

Amazon celebrates the launch of its Appstore for Android with a free download of Angry Birds Rio, normally $0.99, for one and all.

The birds don’t have anything to be angry about this morning. Amazon has officially launched its Appstore for Android, celebrating the release with a free download of Angry Birds Rio to encourage people to check out the newness. The app will reset to its still-low price of $0.99 after today, but plenty of Android users are sure to jump on the promotion for the insanely popular mobile game before then.

There are two options available for accessing the Appstore: anyone with an Android phone can either download it straight to their device or head over to amazon.com/appstore for web access. Both options offer users access to the more than 3,800 apps that are available at launch, though the web-based frontend also offers access to Amazon’s Test Drive feature, which takes advantage of the online retailer’s cloud services. Using this, people are able to play around with any app in a browser window for 30 minutes. Amazon also intends to offer one app for free per day to help get things going for the newly launched Appstore.

This comes on the heels of the news late last week that Amazon will be setting its own Appstore prices, some of which will undercut identical offerings in Google‘s Android Market. The Android operating system offers a more open environment to operate in than Apple’s closed App Store model, which is why we’re not seeing a similar offering for iPhones and iPad.

The question people have been asking is whether Amazon’s entry into the app store space is helpful or harmful to the Android user base. Competition is healthy of course, and Google’s openness in allowing such a thing to exist on Android phones stands in stark contrast to Apple’s own approach. It could also serve to fragment the Android community as users are faced with a choice between purchasing the same apps from two different sources.

While Amazon’s 3,800+ offering of launch apps sounds healthy enough, the number falls far short of Android’s 200,000+. Many of those core 3,800 are among the most in-demand items, but there’s still a lot of ground to be covered before Amazon can be considered on the same level as Android Market.

Trackback URL: http://www.digitaltrends.com/trash/amazon-launches-appstore-for-android-with-free-angry-birds-rio/trackback/

View the original article here

GetJar: Android will outsell iPhone two-to-one

Online mobile application store GetJar—which competes with the iTunes App Store, Android Market, and other venues and claims the “largest open app store” in the world—has published the results of a global consumer survey it commissioned to look at mobile phone users’ app usage, brand loyalty, and acceptance of in-app advertisements. The results: GetJar says about twice as many mobile phone users plan to switch to Android rather than the iPhone when they get their next phone…and that mobile users are surprisingly OK with in-app ads.
“The survey results make it clear that all eyes are on Android, as well as the importance of brand equity in the increasingly competitive mobile app space,” said GetJar’s chief marketing officer Patrick Mork, in a statement. “In addition, the data also reveals that brand marketers and advertisers also have a reason to be hopeful about consumer’s appetite for in-app advertisement.”
GetJar did not reveal who they commissioned to conduct its survey, or how the survey was conducted. Sample bias may be an issue with GetJar’s figures. GetJar offers some iOS applications, but most iPhone users are locked into Apple’s iTunes App Store, so iPhone users may be significantly under-represented in GetJar’s survey. Historically, GetJar users have predominantly used Symbian phones and Java-based feature phones.
According to GetJar’s survey, about one third of mobile phone users spend an hour or more a day using apps on their phone, compared to about half who spend the same amount of time watching television. Some 58 percent of respondents reported using apps more than once a day. Users find apps in a variety of ways—and not always through stores: almost half of respondents said they discovered apps while browsing online, while only 25 percent said they discovered apps in an app store. Some 17 percent say they discovered applications through social media or friends.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey found that gaming applications were the most popular with respondents, followed by social networking applications. Users reported that the most important things that users considered in a mobile application store where the ease of searching and the number of free apps available; furthermore, the single biggest factor in deciding whether to download an application was its price. GetJar found that app quality impacts brand perceptions: some 80 percent of respondents said a good app makes a brand more trustworthy, and 72 percent said they were more likely to “engage” with a brand if they thought its app was good.
The survey also found that 73 percent of respondents said they have downloaded an application that had embedded advertising, and some 60 percent of those respondents said they would do so again. Surprisingly, the survey claims one in four respondents made a purchase after clicking on a mobile ad.
GetJar says the “pro-Android” views revealed by the survey bolster its resolve to expand its own program for Android publishers to “secure its position as the premier open Android Market alternative,” although GetJar says they still plan to support BlackBerry and iOS devices.

View the original article here