Facebook beta for Windows Phone update – tiles and notifications

Facebook Beta for Windows Phone has received one of its regular updates, and this one is a bit bigger than usual.

Notifications and Messages have received big updates, with improved Toast notifications as well as Toast notifications for Messages/Chat. Tiles have also been redesigned, with a variety available, including a Messages Tile.

Toast notifications have often been a bit hit and miss on previous versions of the app, but so far so good, with notifications so far arriving  in parallel with iOS for me, which is a big improvement.

So although the version number has only incrementally change, it’s a bigger update than that suggests, so go get it now using the link below.

Source – WP Central

Link – Facebook Beta in Windows Phone Marketplace

Nexus 5 update to 4.4.1 now live

I’m really impressed with my Nexus 5, apart from one thing, the camera, don’t get me wrong the camera can take some quality photo’s, but it takes thought due to slow or sometimes two lots of focusing. I’m not the only one point out these gripes and it appears that Google have been listening too, for the last month or so it appears that they have been working on a update to address these very issues.

Google has officially announced that an update to Nexus devices ( Android 4.4.1 )  that supposedly fixes many of the issues with the Nexus 5's camera, including poor autofocus and slow capture speeds.

Now is the time to repeatedly keep tapping “check for updates” or if you have no patience waiting for the update to hit your device, you can grab a download of the official file from Google.

Picture this: your whole family, reunited for the holidays, in front of a crackling fire. A great image…except if you’re a photographer (in which case, you’d be saying “challenging low light, high contrast…argh!!”). Well, not with HDR+ on Nexus 5, alongside a fresh update to the camera rolling out today with Android 4.4.1.

HDR+ lets you to take great shots in challenging environments, say where there’s a large contrast of bright and dark portions of the scene and also in low light situations. When you press the shutter button, instead of taking just one picture, we take a burst of shots in about 1/3 of a second, and apply computational photography to intelligently fuse images together.

All of this gets a boost with an update to Android 4.4.1 rolling out today to Nexus 5. It improves the camera with faster focusing, especially in low light, faster white balancing, for truer colors, the ability to pinch-zoom the viewfinder in HDR+ mode and less shutter lag.

Ovivo update their plans, now get more for £0 per month

You lot are great, so I’m having a good ‘ole dig around for some bargain deals at the moment. Christmas seems to be the “crazy time” where we spend huge chunks of money, so I’m on a mission to get some cheap deals.

Ovivo are an MVNO using the Vodafone network and, as we’ve shown before, they charge a big fat ..

..per month. Yes, nothing. Mental huh? How does that work?

Well, they get a bit of money back by showing you an advert every now and then when you’re using mobile data. Their Freedom 0 plan now has more call-time added – 200 minutes per month. This is up from 150 minutes, and 200 minutes is around 3 an a bit hours – enough for many. There’s also 300 texts and 500MB of data.

If you want a bit more, you can get the same amount of calls and texts, but 1GB of data for a fiver a month. There’s a couple of other tariffs for £10 and £20 respectively (see more on those below), which adds more call time and texts.

There’s no contracts or ties to worry about, but you do need to spend a bit for the SIM itself. For example, the “Freedom 0? plan you’ll need to spend £20 for the SIM, and Ovivo will stick in £15 of credit for you. Not bad eh? Have a look at the small print for more, check their website, or watch the video here to explain how they do this..

Samsung Galaxy S3 receiving update to Android 4.3

 

The global rollout of Android 4.3 Jellybean to Samsungs previous flagship handset the Galaxy S3 has begun.

According to Samsung dedicated site Sammobile the rollout began with unlocked UK devices and has not started to be seen on devices in South Korea.

The list of changes and new features is extensive:-

- GALAXY GEAR Support- TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)- Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4's theme all over)- New Samsung Keyboard- GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)- New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message- New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo- Daydream- Driving mode- Actionable notifications- Move-to-SD-card feature- New Camera mode : Sound and Shot- New Additions in Notification Centre- Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)- Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)- New Samsung Apps: Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music- Full screen Samsung apps- New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)

As usual the update is an Over the Air update however you can update via Kies if you so choose.

Have you received the new update?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Nokia Camera update adds RAW DNG file support for the Lumia 1020 and 1520

A few weeks ago in Abu Dhabi Nokia announced real DNG file format support for the Lumia 1020 and 1520. Today they’ve pushed out the update to enable that, so if you really like to fiddle with your images then your going to be happy.

But there is a catch, you’ll need the as yet unreleased Nokia Black update.

In the meantime you can update the app anyway, wishing you could output RAW files.

Windows Phone Store Link – Nokia Camera

Sony announce update schedule for Jelly Bean 4.3 and KitKat

Sony have come under heavy fire in the past for not providing updates to its Android phones, but the release of its update schedule will come as pleasant reading to many Sony owners.

Android Jelly Bean 4.3 will be rolled-out in December to the following devices:

After that’s complete the roll-out of KitKat 4.4 will start to, what Sony call, the “first raft” of devices:

Xperia ZXperia ZLXperia Tablet ZXperia Z UltraXperia Z1

Here’s hoping that there will be a second raft!

There are the usual disclaimers that the timescales may be delayed due to carriers etc., but it looks like there’s more commitment to the future for many Sony owners than we’ve seen for a long time.

Source – Sony Blog

SwiftKey update brings new layouts and options

Swiftkey is the most popular third party keyboard replacement app for Android, and it’s easy to see why due to the uncanny predictions, swipe and standard input options, cloud sync and various themes. Now though, it’s got even more features!

Fully paid up Swiftkey users will find an update to version 4.3.0.186 waiting in the notification tray which gives multiple layout options, designed to suit any screen size.

As you can see from my screenshots above the settings screen has changed (accessed by long pressing the ’123' key) to include options for undocking, resizing and changing layouts.

The thumb keyboard layout is reminiscent of the split layout available for tablet users, whereas the compact option is similar to the one handed keyboard that Samsung added to its Note phones for those without E.T.’s fingers. As with the Samsung version this can change side so left handers can also enjoy the advantages of single thumb typing on their phablets.

The other new features are a selection of five different sizes (I’ve shown the smallest and largest), and a floating window, which can be use to move any of the layouts around the screen so you’ll never find yourself typing blindly into a text box that’s hidden by the keyboard itself.

Here’s a video from SwifKey to explain things further:

I’ve been using Swiftkey since its original beta programme and, although I’ve strayed once or twice, this has now become the first app I install on a new phone. It just seems to be more intuitive than other Android keyboards, and puts the stock Windows Phone and iOS offerings to shame.

All in all this is another useful update that raises the bar for the competition once again.

Source – SwiftKey on the Play Store

Update to Android 4.3 with the HTC One on Three

Three have announced that their HTC One handsets will be getting Android 4.3 today, so go check for updates if you’re still waiting.

If you have problems, check this Three support page for help and guidance through the update process. It’s also probably best to use WiFi to grab the software.

Let us know how you are getting on with this new update.

Nexus Media Importer gets an update to support the Nexus 5

Plugging USB accessories into Android devices has always been a bit hit and miss. Especially with some manufacturers using Slimport connectors instead of MHL connectors. The nice thing about Samsung devices is USB peripherals work, with no hassle, you plug it in and they just work. Nexus devices have always been a bit fiddly, often needing rooting. There has been a work around for non rooted people though and that was Nexus Media Importer, which became popular with the original Nexus 7 tablet. Allowing you to plug in USB card readers and move data between the internal memory and the plugged in memory.

This morning the developers have released an updated version of the app which supports Android 4.4 and the Nexus 5.

Nexus Media Importer allows you to stream and transfer music, video, photos and documents from a USB flash drive or card reader connected to your Nexus 7 (G1 & G2), Nexus 10, Galaxy Nexus, Xoom or other Android 4.0+ devices with USB Host support. See technical notes for a list of supported file types and file systems.

The app is a paid for app, but if you own a Nexus tablet and a Nexus 5 it’s rather useful for transferring data around. It doesn’t work with the Nexus 4 though. Just head over to the link below. Also there is a free trimmed down version that is just a viewer that lets you see if the main app will work on your Nexus. That is here.

Google Play Store Link – Nexus Media Importer

HTC One 4.3 Sense 5.5 update incoming

 

After starting in the Far East and US, European HTC One’s are now starting to get the Android 4.3 OTA update.

This update includes an update to Sense, including new Blinkfeed options, the ability to disable Blinkfeed, camera and gallery updates and the ability to save articles to read later or offline.

It’s a little vague as to which countries in Europe are getting when and mine hasn’t had it yet, but apparently it’s on its way, so keep an eye out for it.

Source – Android Police

Create your own QR code and update the content above the March

When you are presented with a QR code, there are several ways to read it. A lot of code readers are turning the various stores but Hipscan is a little different. Not only read QR codes, you can also create them and, through the use of a central destination that you can change on the fly, the QR code is never obsolete.

After you create your code you can send people to a specially designed QR code that can be fully controlled. This means that you can add updates on sales, address changes, offers and more. There is also functionality of video capture that lets you take video in real time and connect it to your own QR code.

Even if you choose to use this purely as a reader, which is quite good and comes with a variety of easy-to-adjust controls and settings. Check that on Google Play or have a nose in the video below that will give you a better idea of how the whole system works...

Quickoffice for Android gets an update adding better Drive integration

The Google Quickoffice app for Android has just had an update. The update now seamlessly switches into the Google Drive app if you open a file from your Drive. Which initially seems to me will limit my formatting options, as Drive doesn’t have as many options. I guess I just need to try it out a bit more.

 

The Quickoffice app is quite nice all in all, allowing you to create documents in the cloud or locally. It’s free also, which is also a bonus. Just head over to the link below or update or install it.

Google Play Store Link – Quickoffice

Donation drive – Update

We’re over half-way to our goal now and, again, I must thank everyone for helping towards our new server. Coolsmartphone has been going for well over 10 years now and we’ve grown to be more than just a “blog”. We have a dedicated team of knowledgeable writers and attend launch events the big trade shows to bring you the latest news.

We hate asking for money, but we have been approached by someone wanting to buy our existing server already. This is great news because it’s reduced the amount of money we need quite significantly. We’ve also got some more prizes, so if you do decide to donate – even £1, you’ll get added to the put and could win either a brand new pair of Skullcandy Navigator headphones and a new Acer Liquid E2. We’ve now added the Suite of Armour Galaxy S4 and Goosewhite Qi charging pad that we reviewed just yesterday.

 

GMail for Android update in progress

As recently confirmed by Google a new version of Android is due to be released rather soon.

Around the time that Google releases a new version we often see updates to the major apps that make a fundamental part of the OS.

The first of these updates appears to have been released with an update to Gmail for Android.

The update finally brings the card based system to Gmail making it fit in with the majority of Google’s products.

Starting today, Gmail for Android is getting a new, cleaner design for its conversation view. The update also includes a number of additional design tweaks such as checkmarks for multiple message selection so you can easily see what messages you are about to move, archive or delete.

As an added bonus the app will now tell you, right in your inbox, if account sync is off so that you won’t accidentally miss an important message again

 

The update will be rolling out within the Play store in the next few days.

source: Google

Speedtest for Android gets a rather snazzy looking update

App updates usually fall into two kinds, an update that adds features or fixes a bug and the other kind is where they’ve redesigned the app and made it look all pretty.

Last night’s Speedtest update has done exactly that. Oh and to give them their due, they’ve also done some other stuff.

The new look is rather nice and I wish I could get speeds like they’ve got on their history list.

Just head over to the link below to update or install the app.

Google Play Store Link – Speedtest