Android App Party: Get the Ubuntu Phone OS sidebar on Android
This week, Android apps seem to be looking into the future.
Whether they're bringing features from forthcoming mobile operating
systems, attempting to filter Twitter to save its users from information
overload, or getting extreme makeovers to reel in more users, Android
users have plenty of downloading to look forward to this weekend. Glovebox, Free
While it's not exactly an emulation of Ubuntu Phone OS, the community over at the XDA Developer forums have shed light
on this gem for Android users. Glovebox essentially emulates the side
panel navigational bar that may come standard with Ubuntu Phone OS when
it launches. It’s free to download, though you'll have to fork over
$3.83 for premium features like the ability to pin widgets to the side
panel. It’s also a little buggy—none of the applications I added to the
sidebar list would show up until I exited the app and entered back in,
and it did force quit a few times while in use. Regardless, when it did
work it afforded some extra room for widgets on the home page. You can
also adjust the sensitivity of the side panel so that you're not
annoyingly grabbing while you're in an app. Neatly, Free (Beta)
Twitter has become the only way that I communicate with people
through social networking because it is so free, fleeting, and rampant.
Sometimes those tweets cloud the information that I actually want to
read, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I want to unfollow the
offending accounts. Neatly helps with this conundrum by enabling users
to sort and filter tweets based on relevance. Brought to my attention by
the Android Police,
Neatly considers itself the “smarter” Twitter client that scans your
timeline and helps you choose your Twitter experience based on your own
usage. The app also offers stats about how those you follow interact
with Twitter, which allows you to assess whether or not they’re really
worth following.
Unfortunately, it’s not readily available for Android users (though
BlackBerry 10, Symbian, and iOS users can check it out), but there is a
beta APK available to download
for users who don’t mind side-loading apps onto their devices. Do note
that you’ll need to tweak your Android settings to allow you to install
applications from unknown sources (available under the Security tab in
Android's settings). Slacker Radio, Free
In addition to a newly revamped mobile interface, this week Slacker Radio also updated
its business model by introducing an Rdio- and Spotify-like
subscription service for $9.99 a month. That means you can listen to all
the music you want without any annoying commercial breaks—those do get
annoying when you’re attempting to get into the groove—as well as skip
through as many songs as you like and download music directly to your
Android device. Plex for Android, $4.99
In other big app news this week, media storage service Plex announced
its completely revamped application for Android. It's targeted
specifically for Android 3.2 users and above and enables Google Cloud
Messaging, includes lock-screen music controls and global search
integration, and supports PlexSync. This particular application only
works with any existing Plex Media Servers.
LG plans to launch a flexible OLED smartphone before the end of the year, the company’s VP of mobile has confirmed, though it’s unclear to what extent the work-in-progress handset will actually flex. The OLED panel in question is the handiwork of LG Display according to VP of LG mobile Yoon Bu-hyun, the WSJ reports, with the proposed device set to launch sometime in Q4. LG Display’s work on flexible OLEDs has been underway for some time, though the company’s efforts have perhaps been overshadowed somewhat by rival Samsung’s YOUM development. Last year, according to a Korea Times report, LG Display was preparing for
Late least year, Microsoft rolled out a half dozen Bing Apps for Windows 8 users, each one focused on a specific category, such as travel and sports. The apps were designed to offer “immersive vertical experiences,” and now, about six months later, a big line of updates for them is being pushed out. Users can grab the updates now by heading into the Windows Store and selecting the updates notification.
Flexible displays are the Future of IT Industry! A part from 4k and smart home appliances, the CES 2013 saw a lot of attention being drawn towards bendable, flexible displays. The elasticised display idea isn’t something new as we have seen hoards of device concepts being crafted around flexible, bendable and even foldable displays. These concept devices give us a futuristic feel, be it a flexible phone to be worn around the wrist or a phone that opens up to turn into a tablet or PSP-like device. But how far is this future? Nokia has been toying with the idea ever since we remember. The technology sounds very fascinating and the possibilities and the extent to which bendable displays could be used are vast and leave us spellbound. However, these have always been concepts and we haven’t seen any device materialise in the real world. There have been several technologies that were conceived in these years and all have been put to their practical use. But the bendable d
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