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Greg Hartrell with the Google Play Games team is inviting Android game developers to a special Google Developer Day as part of the larger conference. The Developer Day will be held on March 18th when teams from Google will be on hand to “share their insights on the best ways to build games, grow audiences, engage players and make money.” Hartrell highlights some of the sessions to be held, including: Growth Hacking with Play Games Making Money on Google Play: Best Practices in Monetization Grow Your Game Revenue with AdMob From Players to Customers: Tracking Revenue with Google Analytics Build Games that Scale in the Cloud From Box2D to Liquid Fun: Just Add Water…

In addition to going on the record to say that Google had never entered a bidding war with Facebook for acquiring the WhatsApp messaging application, Google’s Sundar Pichai addressed several other matters when talking to journalists at MWC 2014, Frandroid reports. The executive also talked about the newly launched Nokia X, and even answered questions about the future Nexus 6 and Galaxy S6 handsets. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Apple is on the verge of collapse. Its core business — selling iPhones — is in jeopardy. You might not have realized this, what with Apple having just sold more iPhones in a single quarter than it ever has before while raking in record revenue of $57.6 billion in the process. But it's true. So says Forbes contributor Antony Leather, who has the distinguished honor of playing host to our "WTF of the week." Just... wow. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

With all of the rumors that were flying around in 2012 and 2013, the wait for Sony and Microsoft's next-generation consoles was agonizing. It's not that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will terribly boring, it's that these exiting new consoles promised features, gameplay and graphics that would blow the older boxes out of the water. So, did the new console generation deliver? Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

One of the problems with Android devices is the amount of OEM and carrier bloatware that’s preloaded on them, which can’t be easily removed by users. While South Korea has passed a law that will force device makers and carriers to allow users to easily delete pre-installed apps they don’t find useful, similar laws do not exist in other countries. That means users have to resort to rooting their device to get rid of unwanted software in order to free up storage and/or improve device performance. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

If there's one "dying" company you have to back, Microsoft is probably a solid choice. Pundits have insisted that Microsoft is dying for years now. Decades even. Of course most of the things that were supposed to kill Microsoft have come and gone, and Microsoft is still standing. With a market capitalization of more than $310 billion, revenue in the most recent quarter that grew 11% to a record $24.5 billion, and a share price that has ballooned 35% over the past 12 months, Microsoft isn't just still standing, it's flourishing. Of course, none of that will stop pundits from saying stupid things about the company. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Repor…

We knew it was only a matter to time until the Google Now Launcher (aka Google Experience Launcher) landed in the Play Store, and that time is now. However there is one caveat: It’s only for Nexus and Google Play Edition devices running KitKat. If you think about it, that is really not that limited since the launcher does require KitKat and there really isn’t that many devices with KitKat other than the Moto X, Moto G, and a few Samsung devices. I would expect it to be expanded to more devices in the near future. There are some really cool things about the Google Now Launcher that I like such as that Google Now is all the way to the left most home screen, it’s easier t…

The 2013 model of the Google Nexus 7 was released way back in July, but Asus has just released both wired and wireless docks for the device. Although there are already a number of third party docks on the market, many people have likely been waiting for the official Asus ones. Both docks can be purchased from a number of different retailers, including Amazon. While they both certainly look pretty nice, they come at a price, with the wired one costing $50 and the wireless one coming in at $90. This may seem like a lot of money, especially when you consider the fact that many third part docks come in at around half that price, however a lot can be said about the quali…

Despite selling Motorola to Lenovo, Google decided to keep the Advanced Technology and Products (ATAP) department and Project Ara in Mountain View. Today, Google has announced that the inaugural Ara Developers’ Conference will be held on April 15-16. The focus of this first event will be the Ara Developers’ Module Kit since it will enable developers to create components compatible with Project Ara. With Google now holding a conference for Project Ara, it looks like it is starting to gain even more steam. Hit the break for an update video from Phonebloks. Click here to view the embedded video. Source: +GoogleATAP, Project Ara Come comment on this article: Goo…

Android’s Google+ app is seeing a big update today that adds in a few new features, all focused on photo editing. It’s a gradual update that will slowly roll out to devices over the next week or so. One of the new features is a non-destructive editing mode, which now lets users continue editing photos on a device other than the original device that started the editing. A full resolution can be backed up on a desktop, touched up on a tablet, then finished up on a smartphone, and all of the changes can be completely reverted at any time. Before now, if you began editing a photo on a phone, you wouldn’t be able to get the original photo back if you finished editing the…

Goophone is known for creating clones of well known devices, and over the years they have come up with a number of these clones. In recent times they have become well known for creating device clones in a matter of a couple days. That’s the case with their new Galaxy S5 clone, the Goophone S5. While the Goophone S5 isn’t available to purchase just yet, it might come out even quicker than the Galaxy S5 itself. The visuals of the device are almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy S5, but under the hood it’s a bit of a different story. The Goophone S5 will feature a 1080p HD display, a 13MP rear facing camera, and a 5MP front-facing camera. It will also boast a 2GHz octa-c…

The upcoming Xbox One Titanfall bundle is a brilliant move by Microsoft to encourage hesitant gamers to reconsider picking up the new console, but it might not be having as big of an impact as the company had hoped. DualShockers noticed that GameStop started taking preorders on a PlayStation 4 bundle that includes Infamous: Second Son, an extra controller and one year of PlayStation Plus for $570 (I'll spare you the math: there's no discount on that bundle), yet it currently tops the best-selling list on GameStop's website. The Xbox One Titanfall bundle is sitting at No. 12. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Project Ara and Project Tango are two very interesting smartphone-related Google endeavors currently developed by Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects division, with the former further detailed in a new video . Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The "Uncarrier" is already seeing a lot of excitement building for Samsung's next big thing. T-Mobile CMO Mike Sievert writes that his carrier has already received 100,000 pre-registrations for the Galaxy S5 in the span of less than two days, which leads him to conclude that Samsung's newest flagship phone "is gonna be big!" Pre-registrations aren't the same as pre-orders, of course, since they aren't commitments to buy a device and are only sign ups to be alerted it when it becomes available. Nonetheless, getting 100,000 pre-registers in under two days is definitely indicative of high interest in the Galaxy S5, although it will have a tough act to follow since the Galaxy…

We all love music streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora but how good are they for the artists who make our favorite music? The Guardian reports that cellist Zoë Keating, who releases all her recordings independently, has released numbers showing how much money she made from various sources over the past year and music streaming revenues are a paltry portion of her total income. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

World of Warcraft players who don’t want to spend all the extra time to level their characters will have the option to buy level 90 character boosts for $60 directly from Blizzard, the company has confirmed to Euro Gamer. The move makes game play even more convenient for those players that don’t want to keep wasting time leveling. A single level 90 character boost is available free of charge to players who buy the Warlords of Draenor expansion, but that may not be enough for some gamers. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

HTC isn’t the only company getting a kick out of taking shots at Samsung. Above, you are looking at a teaser that Oppo is using to hype its upcoming Find 7 handset. On the left is probably a shadowed corner of the Find 7 that resembles the number itself. On the right is Samsung’s Galaxy S logo tilted to represent the number five which is for this year’s Galaxy S 5. Hit the break for a video and another teaser image from Oppo. In this image, Oppo is highlighting the Find 7′s inclusion of expandable storage and a removable back (with a screwdriver). This differs from Samsung because the removable back for the Galaxy devices simply clicks in after being removed. Op…

Boeing, the company that primarily makes fighter jets and all kinds of airplanes and aviation equipment, is stepping into the Android smartphone market with the Boeing Black. What makes the Black stand out in the crowd is its laser-focus on security; the device features top of the line security software and hardware based on Boeing’s own PureSecure architecture. The device is going to be aimed squarely at government agencies who need that type of insane security on a device. If the ridiculous encryption and secure elements in the phone weren’t enough for you, the Black solidifies itself as the most secure phone ever with a self-destruct feature. If you try to physic…

RealNetworks’ RealPlayer Cloud service has gone live and the app is now available over in the Google Play Store. Formerly known as just RealPlayer, RealPlayer Cloud will allow users to store and play videos from — you guessed it — the cloud. The company says it already has more than 500,000 users in the United States and Canada combined. And aside from being able to use RealPlayer Cloud with televisions and web browsers, Chromecast support is included. Hit the break for screenshots and download links. Play Store Download Link Source: RealPlayer Cloud Come comment on this article: RealPlayer Cloud, dubbed “Dropbox for videos,” is now avail…

AT&T has put a few more markets under their LTE umbrella, adding to their growing list of cities covered by their speedy 4G network. They didn’t add any huge new cities to the list, but hey, more coverage is never a bad thing. A total of 12 new markets got the green light, including the following markets below: Defiance & Bellefontaine, Ohio Greenwood & Seneca, South Carolina Lumberton, North Carolina Deridder, Louisiana Lebanon, Missouri Gainsville, Texas Anderson, Indiana Midland, Michigan Claremont, New Hampshire Bismark, North Dakota Come comment on this article: AT&T turns on 12 new 4G LTE markets Visit TalkAndroid for Androi…

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!! Accessories Asus releases wireless and wired docks for Nexus 7 2013 Apps Google Now Launcher now available in the Play Store RealPlayer Cloud, dubbed “Dropbox for videos,” is now available in the Play Store MLB.com At Bat app updated, includes two new features Carriers AT&T turns on 12 new 4G LTE markets Chromecast Plex comes with Chromecast enhancements in new update Google Google…

Two of my favorite pieces of tech aren’t only getting better today, they’re integrating with one another. Automatic’s Link, which plugs into a vehicle's OBD-II port in order to track rides and send other useful tidbits to one’s phone, now works with IFTTT. The latter is a free service that enables one thing (in this case, a notification from Link) to trigger another. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Plenty of the apps on our smartphones provide us with entertainment and information, but how many protect us from the dangers of the world around us? As far I know, there aren't many, but the upcoming Android app Audio Aware from the developers at One Llama could do just that. According to MIT Technology Review, Audio Aware will be capable of comprehending noises in the environment that could signal danger, alerting "hard-of-hearing smartphone users and distracted walkers" to an oncoming emergency vehicle or the sound of tires screeching on the pavement. If you happen to be wearing headphones when the background app picks up a distressing noise, it could pause your music …

The "Internet of Things" was a major focus at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, with virtually every company introducing more connected devices. This is for good reason, as a report from last December said the Internet of Things industry would be worth $309 billion by 2020. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, according to Cisco CEO John Chambers. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The OnePlus One Android phone may just be one of the most interesting handsets of the year, at least for hardcore Android users, but there’s actually nothing official about this vaporware device yet. The company has been marketing a concept as a well-built flagship handset that’s supposed to have an affordable price, but specific details about it aren't available yet. The only thing sure about the device is that it will run CyanogenMod, a popular custom Android OS version. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report