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18 Android apps for credit cards and banking instutions Posted: 12 Feb 2013 12:09 PM PST So you’re new to Android and looking to manage your finances a bit with that new phone. Did you know that your bank or credit card likely has an official app?  Yep – in most cases the apps are really convenient to have and provide more than basic account help. Most of the following apps include location-based features to help find a local ATM, bank, or somewhere to make payments.  Some of them will let you explore and redeem rewards and membership perks and others allow for handling multiple accounts. And then there are banks that are so awesome that they have to release separate apps (Looking at you, AMEX). We know there are a handful of others out there that we may have overlooked so do share in the comments. Discover Mobile Chase Mobile (See others) Bank of America (See others) Citi Mobile Capital One (See others) American Express (See others) J.P. Morgan (See others) Wells Fargo USAA Mobile MasterCard (See others) Western Union PNC Mobile (See others) HSBC SunTrust KeyBank Fifth Third Huntington U.S. Bank (See others) The post 18 Android apps for credit cards and banking instutions appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Get this look for your Android smartphone: Now 2.0 Posted: 12 Feb 2013 11:00 AM PST One of our absolute favorite things about Android is the fact that you can bend and tweak the platform to your needs.  Sure, there’s rooting and modding for deep level personalization, but that stuff does not always concern the everyday user. Some of just want to change the home screen around a bit and create a new user experience. To that end, we present our weekly series of Get This Look posts. In a nutshell we will show you a new look for your Android handset and tell you which apps you’ll need if you want to mimic the feel. Note that the following details are but the ingredients to which you can create your own delicious Android dish – results will vary.  But that’s awesome. In fact, many of the designs we highlight tend to use the same apps. Now 2 by Ivan Chiang Click to view slideshow. WHY WE LOVE THIS LOOK: As much as we adored last week’s Get This Look, we understand that it took a bit of elbow grease and effort to achieve the desired layout. That’s why we like this one so much; similar effect with less time, effort, and money. If you want to create a simple home screen that looks like Google Now, this is one of the quickest and most painless ways to do so. Lines are clean, space is used properly and the icons are about as Google-y as you get right now. We also appreciate that the design doesn’t allow for some extra customization.  A simple tweak of the weather widget or the icon pack and you’ve got a brand new look.  The same goes for swapping out the wallpaper. Once you get this in place, it’s super easy to drop in an out! WHAT YOU’LL NEED Apex Launcher (FREE) Flat Icons for Apex Theme ( $1.00) Eye in Sky Weather (FREE) Minimalistic Text (FREE) Anything Else? Wallpaper (Dropbox) Apex Settings: HOMESCREEN: 7×4 Hor. Margin: Medium Vert. Margin: Small Icon Size: 90% Infinite Scrolling: Bounce Transition Effect: Card Stack Alpha Effect: On Wallpaper Mode: Non-Scrolling (Single Screen) Show Page Indicator: Off Hide Shadows Hide Icon Labels DOCK: Pages: 1 Icons: 5 Hor. Margin: Medium Vert. Margin: Medium Icon Size: 90% Show Indicator: No Hide Dock Divider Eye in Sky Weather: Yow Icons Text Color: White Background Color: Transparent MyColorScreen is dedicated to the great ways you can modify your home screens. The post Get this look for your Android smartphone: Now 2.0 appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Fitbit Android app will now sync in real time with select Samsung devices Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:58 AM PST Fitbit has updated its Android activity tracking app for Android, adding in a major new feature for select Samsung devices.  Available immediately, the new app connects via Bluetooth 4.0 (the first for Android) and can sync real time with the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. With additional models promised in the future, we can see comments in Google Play that others are already working. Click to view slideshow. The Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip and Fitbit Flex wireless activity trackers will now sync in real time directly with select Samsung devices, allowing you to see your Fitbit dashboard wherever you are, get real-time updates, receive motivating notifications and engage in fitness competitions with friends all on your Android device. By giving immediate feedback and encouraging you to move more, Bluetooth 4.0 syncing now further helps Android users make fitness part of their everyday lifestyle. Also, new to the Android app is support for NFC connectivity. For those who the Flex, you can simply tap the band to your device and launch the app. Set up and wirelessly sync (beta) the Fitbit Zip or the Fitbit One Activity Trackers (Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note2 required). Adds ability to create and edit silent alarms Includes support for international food database Adds distance tile on dashboard Adds push notification setting in the app Download Fitbit for Android The post Fitbit Android app will now sync in real time with select Samsung devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Samsung’s ‘Project J’ may be a series of 3 new devices Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:50 AM PST While it’s been known for awhile the Project J is a Samsung thing, the rumors were that it was the codename for the Galaxy S IV. However, once that name was actually revelaed as Altius, the rumor mill went quiet on project J – until now. While details are still being thrown around, it appears as though “Project J” may not be just one device, but rather a whole family of three different devices. Initial rumors could lead us to say that the entire lineup may include the Galaxy S IV, Galaxy S IV mini, and a mystery 3rd device. The S IV mini is said to be running under codename Serrano, and is missing the wireless charging ability of it’s big brother. The actual codename for the 3rd device seems to be Fortius, and looks to be a display device, such as a smartwatch, or something similar. The rumors say that, whatever it is, it comes with a pouch, and armband, and a bike mount – again, just speculation right now. Here’s a complete list of speculated accessories: Project J Altius: Clear Cover Flip Cover Protective Cover Pouch Extra Battery Kit Battery 2600 mAh Wireless Charging Kit HDTV Adapter Headset Project J Mini Serrano: Clear Cover Flip Cover Protective Cover Project J Active Fortius: Arm Band Bike Mount Pouch via sammobile The post Samsung’s ‘Project J’ may be a series of 3 new devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Android 4.2.2 update rolling out for Nexus 7, 10, and GSM Galaxy Nexus devices Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:39 AM PST If you’ve got one of the more recent Nexus devices, chances are you’ll want to hit up the update menu in your settings. The rollout for 4.2.2 to Nexus 10, Nexus 7, and GSM Galaxy nexus phones has started. While the update doesn’t seem to include the Nexus 4 (strangely), we can only assume that, considering the other devices that are getting the update, the N4 can’t be far behind. Reports don’t indicate any major changes in this update, but it’s sure to have a slew of bugfixes that could come in handy. via ac The post Android 4.2.2 update rolling out for Nexus 7, 10, and GSM Galaxy Nexus devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Google Now widget coming to Android Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:16 AM PST A Google Now widget may be coming to future versions of Android, according to a new round of rumors. Details found on a support page (since removed) show a glimpse of things to come but with no additional documentation. It appears that the cards would automatically fill in with your preferences and will update regularly. Sure, this could be something that comes to a specific, future release of Android however I suspect something else will happen first. I look for Google to include the widget in an update to the Google Search app that can be downloaded freely from Google Play. Building it into the Android experience makes sense for the long term but I would hope to see this given to all Jelly Bean users at 4.1 on up. Regardless of how and when this widget becomes available, we’re super stoked. Not only does a home screen widget save users precious seconds and tapping, but the lock screen widget is as immediate as it gets. Image source: Bart Dyer (Google+) Via: AndroidCentral The post Google Now widget coming to Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.

LG Optimus L series gets refreshed for Mobile World Congress Posted: 12 Feb 2013 07:31 AM PST In typical fashion, LG has announced the new product line ahead of the annual Mobile World Congress. Normally we would see the new models in the days leading up to the conference; however, this time we get the details weeks ahead of time. LG today announced that a new range of mid-range L series devices will be headed to Barcelona later this month. The updated L7 will be known as the LG Optimus L7 II and will have a dual-SIM take launching in Russia later this week. The processor jumps up to 1GHz dual-core and the battery gets bigger at 2460 mAh. The camera also moves up a notch from 5-megapixels to 8-megapixels. , will have a dual-SIM version that will launch in Russia this week. Moving down the ladder a step, the L5 II will feature a 4-inch WVGA display with a 1700 mAh battery while the L3 II will come with a 3.2-inch QVGA IPS display and 1540 mAh battery. It is unclear where the various models will ultimately end up however we might expect to see one or two of these come to prepaid carriers. LG The post LG Optimus L series gets refreshed for Mobile World Congress appeared first on AndroidGuys.