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Last week, we reported that cloud.tv removed Chromecast compatibility from its Dayframe app upon Google’s request. The reason behind this is that developers weren’t allowed to release any Chromecast compatible app until the updated version (4.2) of Google Play Services app had been released. Fortunately, Google yesterday announced that the rollout is complete and that the Google Play Services 4.2 SDK is now available. As a result, Dayframe developers were quick to release version 2.1 of the app which brings back Chromecast support. This is a good news for folks who’ve been waiting eagerly for the Chromecast support to be added again. However, you can get the Chromec…

Following the changes made to the Google Play Store app last year, Google has also made a little change to its web version of the Play Store as well. The Play Store will now indicate, below the ‘Install’ button, whether an application includes in-app purchases (IAP) as well . Google added an indicator for in-app purchases to its Play Store app last December, and it’s good to see that it has ported the change to its web version as well. This is useful to decide whether an app is worth the try or not. However, it’s quite difficult to determine whether the app is a freemium model and is completely based on in-app purchases or it only includes a few in-app purchases to re…

After the original Flappy Bird game was removed from the App Store and Google Play Store out of addictiveness-related guilt, a plethora of Flappy Bird copies and clones emerged, some safer to play than others. Further proof of the popularity of this simple, yet difficult to play, game is the fact that even Sesame Street has created its own Flappy Bird clone, ABC News reports, appropriately called Flappy Bert. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Japanese internet powerhouse Rakuten announced that it acquired Viber for $900 million. Viber has 300 million registered users and is known for its strength in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. The acquisition will no doubt reignite speculation about other mid-tier messaging apps. Behind the powerhouses like WhatsApp and LINE there is a cluster of messaging apps with strong growth and more than 100 million registered users - including two hailing from the picturesque hamlet of Waterloo, Ontario. Both Kik and BBM are on their way to hitting 150 million registered users by the end of 2014. And both have intriguing regional strengths that might make them as valuab…

BlackBerry's struggles are far from over, but the company's share price has rebounded substantially from a few months ago when investors thought the fallen smartphone vendor would likely be stripped down and sold for parts. Another huge round of layoffs and some confident talks from new CEO John Chen seem to have convinced people that the company is moving in the right direction, and a new deal will see BlackBerry work with Foxconn to develop and launch entry-level smartphones targeting emerging markets. We already know BlackBerry's first Foxconn phone, code-named Jakarta, will not have a physical keyboard, and now additional details have likely been revealed. Continue…

We've said for a while that Motorola's Moto G is one of the best smartphone bargains in the world and is now selling for as little as $80 off contract. Now, however, Nokia has decided to up the stakes and is selling its Lumia 521 for only $70 off contract through T-Mobile. The Lumia 521 is the most important Windows Phone model for Microsoft and Nokia because it's been priced aggressively enough to make it a popular seller in key emerging markets. While the Lumia 521 isn't for gadget fans who want the latest and greatest hardware, it does feature a 4-inch 800 x 480-pixel display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage. These…

When you upgraded to your most recent phone, what did you do with the old one? Based on market research group OnePoll's latest "Mobile Mountain Study," it's very likely that you stored it away for a rainy day. In fact, almost 40% of the participants in the study said that keep their old phones for themselves, while just 20% gave them to family members or friends and 9% actually dumped them in the garbage. Whether or not you fall into any of these categories, if you're holding on to an old iPhone, you're contributing to a $13 billion hole in the resale economy, reports MarketWatch. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

No two companies love one another more right now than AT&T and T-Mobile, which is why T-Mobile CEO John Legere has taken the extra step this year to send AT&T a Valentine's Day greeting of his own. On his Twitter feed, Legere posted a picture of a couple passionately kissing along with the tagline "Let's kiss and break up... with AT&T." Legere's latest attempt at starting a meme ties into T-Mobile's "breakup letter" campaign where customers who switch to T-Mobile can send readymade breakup letters informing their old carriers they've been dumped. T-Mobile, which added a very impressive 869,000 postpaid subscribers last quarter, said last month that more than 8…

In addition to strange-looking cars that drive around towns with huge cameras on top, Google relies on other imagery for its Google Maps and Google Earth products, with the former a prominent service accessed on millions of computers and smartphones. In fact, Apple and Microsoft also use the same company to get their imagery from space for their respective mapping products. Ball Aerospace is the maker of Maps- and Earth-related imagery satellites and it's now started working on the Worldview-3 satellite for commercial satellite operator DigitalGlobe, BBC News reports. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

To some, he's a hero. To others, a treasonous saboteur. But of one thing, there is no doubt: former NSA contractor Edward Snowden changed the course of history by leaking a mountain of confidential documents detailing various NSA programs used to covertly monitor communications around the world. Whether or not you agree with what Snowden did, there has always been a bit of curiosity surrounding exactly how the huge NSA breach went down. As it turns out, reality is far less thrilling than you might imagine. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 and Galaxy TabPRO 10.1 were made available in the US by Samsung today. You can pick up the high-end tablets on Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and other online retailers. They aren’t cheap, but you’re getting some high-quality hardware with these devices. The Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 will set you back $749, but you’re getting 32GB internal storage, a 9,500 mAh battery. an octa-core Exynos 5 processor clocked at 1.9GHz, 3GB RAM, an 8MP front shooter and a 2MP rear camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS + GLONASS connectivity, Android 4.4 KitKat, and Samsung’s new Magazine UX. You’ll also get the S Pen and a faux leather back. The…

Google will be keeping with their tradition of holiday-themed Auto Awesome photos tomorrow for Valentine’s Day. If you upload a photo to Google+ of people kissing, floating hearts (as seen above) will be added to the photo to make it “extra-special.” You can keep it private, or make it public for all the world to see. It’s up to you— try it out now! Source: +Erik Murphy-Chutorian Come comment on this article: Google+ adding Valentine’s Day themed effects to Auto Awesome photos Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more! News via TalkAndroid

T-Mobile has a number of big plans for February 23rd, and we now have a better idea of what those plans might include. We already knew that the company would introduce their Stateside Talk and Text feature, but today we have learned that they will also make JUMP! much better. Starting on February 23rd, JUMP! will no longer have time restraints dictating when you can update your phone. Customers will have no more than 6 months waiting period, and the service will also expand to tablets. Customers will also be able to trade in eligible devices to receive full credit for the remaining payments on that device. This goes up to half of the phones cost. Basically, custom…

Google is reportedly developing technology that will allow for Internet data speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, much faster than their current Google Fiber service, which is 1 gigabit per second. According to Patrick Pichette, Chief Financial Officer at Google, this next generation of the Internet is part of Google’s “broader, long-term obsession with speed.” Pichette stated that faster speeds will increase the use of software as a service, and that this is where the world is going. He also said that it may happen over a decade, but “why wouldn’t we make it available in three years? That’s what we’re working on.” Google Fiber is currently only available to resi…

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!! Apps Radiohead team releases PolyFauna app for Android and iOS AcDisplay app brings the Active Display feature to your Android KitKat device Carriers Sprint rolling out Android 4.4.2 KitKat to its Galaxy S 4 today T-Mobile JUMP! changing to include tablets and unlimited upgrades Android 4.4.2 now pushing to U.S. Cellular Moto X devices Verizon Wireless replaces Share Everything with the new More E…

Although Windows 8 license sales appeared to be keeping pace with Windows 7 within the same time frame for the first several months, updates from Microsoft became less frequent as time passed. As Windows 8 approaches a year and a half on the market, The Verge reports that Microsoft has taken the stage at a Goldman Sachs technology conference to announce that sales have finally reached 200 million. To put that number into perspective, Windows 7 had reached 240 million license sales in a single year, and that number has been climbing by the hundreds of millions every year since. From what we've seen of Windows 8.1 Update 1, Microsoft is moving in the right direction, but tw…

It looks like Samsung will be taking full advantage of the global stage that is the Mobile World Congress later this month. ZDNet Korea reports that Samsung will not only unveil the Galaxy S5 in Barcelona, but the Galaxy Tab 4 and the Galaxy Gear 2 as well. According to ZDNet's sources, the Samsung has prepared three different models of the Tab 4, with 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch screens. They will each feature a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 6,800 mAh battery, 64GB of storage (with an SD card) and Android 4.4 KitKat. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

The first reports of Apple's intention to drop the iPad 2 from its lineup appeared in late 2012, yet the $399 tablet still sits on store shelves today. Over a year later, and nearly three years since the tablet's launch, Apple Insider has learned that the ancient iPad 2 might finally be taken off the market this year. According to unnamed sources, consumers looking for a tablet at a slightly lower price point have begun shifting to the Retina iPad mini, displacing the evergreen iPad 2. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Sprint’s Galaxy S4 is about to get a whole lot better as the carrier appears to be ready to finally update the phone to the latest Android version available, Android 4.4 KitKat. After the kernel source was leaked yesterday, Sprint has posted confirmation that the real thing is rolling out to its subscribers. As usual, the update will be rolled out in stages, and it may take a while until all Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4 owners get their official KitKat build – on that note, if an automatic prompt to update the device over-the-air (OTA) has not arrive, users can manually check for the update. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Despite maintaining the platform of choice for millions of gamers around the world, Microsoft has never managed to form a real relationship with the PC gaming crowd. Microsoft's hiring of former Valve business head Jason Holtman as the new leader of the PC gaming and entertainment division looked to be the first step in a complete reversal for the company that plagued us with Games for Windows - Live, but Neowin discovered this week that Holtman left the company in January, just six months after he was originally hired. Continue reading... Via BRG - Boy Genius Report

Yesterday Rovio released a teaser image for a new line in their Angry Birds franchise. Today, they have revealed a little bit more in a press release announcing Angry Birds Stella. According to Rovio, the new title will take fans “to parts of the Angry Birds world we’ve never seen before.” Rovio also says the title will be “all about inspiration, empowerment and other real issues, without forgetting entertainment and quirky fun.” Rovio says this new story will exist in both the physical and digital world, with physical items like “toys, books and other retail products” part of the mix. The Stella referred to in the title is the pink bird introduced in some previous Ang…

LG’s next big flagship will surely be the LG G3, and it seems that the company has some big things in store for the device. According to LG execs, the company is “considering all possibilities” for the G3 after being asked whether the device could include an eye or fingerprint scanner. Here are the specs we already have heard regarding the G3: -Quad HD 1440 x 2560-pixel 5.5-inch display -Octa-core 2.2GHz processor -Android 4.4 KitKat The phone is expected to launch later this year. Via: Techno Buffalo Source: ZD Net Come comment on this article: LG G3 could include eye or fingerprint scanner Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, an…

The folks over at Fireproof Games are back with another edition of the “The Room” game. Like it’s prequel, The Room 2 is a “physical puzzler, wrapped in a mystery game, inside a beautifully tactile 3D world.” I’ve never played the prequel, but I have definitely thought about buying it before, especially because it has great reviews. The new game shouldn’t fall short of expectations either. Hit the break for a series of screenshots and the link to the game in the Play Store. Play Store Download Link Come comment on this article: ‘The Room 2′ launches in the Play Store Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more! …

Brand loyalty isn’t a concept unique to smartphones; it’s something pretty much all manufacturers of any consumer product work hard to get from their customers. A recent survey studied iPhone users and asked them if they would consider switching to any other device when it was time to upgrade, and a majority of those users said they were going to stick with Apple’s new iPhone regardless of other phones on the market. About 78 percent of over 2000 people asked responded that they couldn’t imagine having any other type of phone, and about 52 percent said their reasoning was that they were just very impressed with their current or previous iPhone. 54 percent had previo…

When Vivo officially announced their new Vivo Xplay 3S smartphone back in December, they were hoping to lay claim to the first smartphone to hit the market with a 2K display. That official announcement followed several leaks in November, like one showing the device’s screen in action. Unfortunately, producing prototypes that help demonstrate a new technology is different from mass production for consumers, a situation that Vivo has been dealing with much to their chagrin. After missing a January 15th sale data, which was already a reschedule of a December 12th launch date, Vivo pushed availability of the Xplay 3S out to February 12th. Obviously that day has come and go…