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- News Corp Launches Android Tablet Built Exclusively For Education
- Google back with another ad showing off Google Now
- Mega Jump review: jumping for coins has never been so fun
- Dead Zebra unveils the Luck Cat series Android mini collectibles
- Featured Android Game Review: Robo5 [Brain & Puzzle]
- Google Now Co-Creator Shares Insights Into The Innovative Feature
- Disney’s Temple Run: Oz Transports You To The Yellow Brick Road
- T-Mobile prepares advertising responses to AT&T in carrier spat
- Latest Google Chrome for Android Beta features data compression for quicker web browsing
- Low-range Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo slated for May launch
| News Corp Launches Android Tablet Built Exclusively For Education Posted: 06 Mar 2013 04:54 PM PST
Android tablets open up new, affordable experiences for learning in schools, and News Corp has launched a tablet geared specifically for the education market. Back in July, the mass media corporation rebranded its educational unit to Amplify and this tablet was built out of that after months of testing. Specs are scarce at the moment, but what we do know is it’s a 10-inch Android tablet running custom software. What makes the Amplify tablet different is its clear focus on education. For example, once students are logged in, they have access to a set list of apps and on the right hand side are “notebooks” which allow quick access to different subjects. Teachers are able to add materials directly to these subjects by class period. Here is a video which shows off the features and functionality of Amplify:
Teachers will have such features as taking attendance, blocking apps, polling student comprehension, pushing specific materials to students who need it, and the ability to build custom lesson plans or “Playlists” that include content from digital textbooks or Khan Academy. As far as pricing, the WiFi-only version will run $299 with a two-year subscription at $99 per year. The Amplify tablet is also available with LTE for $349. However, the two-year subscription at $99 per year is still required and the cost of mobile data through AT&T will run $179 per year. Source: Engadget
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| Google back with another ad showing off Google Now Posted: 06 Mar 2013 03:52 PM PST
Last month we saw Google release an ad that aired during the Grammys to show off Google Now and how it can be used in real life. While the last ad took us around the world for visits with several people, this latest ad takes place in one location and focuses on a father and daughter. The ad shows the melding of Google’s Voice Search with Google Now and how having the right information at the right time can be so important. Should anyone think the response is a little quick compared to your real life experiences with either of the Google products, you are not imagining things. Virtually hidden, Google has included a disclaimer indicating the sequence was shortened. Hit the break to view the ad. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Mega Jump review: jumping for coins has never been so fun Posted: 06 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PST
A simple game that features a cartoonish design, a cuddly monster as a main character and the simple premise of jumping over coins in order to get major air can’t be the blueprint for an addictive game… can it? Well friends— Mega Jump brings those three components and effectively combines each to be what has to be not only one of the most painfully underrated games available, but an addictive game as well to hit gamers’ hands. What’s an even bigger crime is the fact that while the game is incredibly challenging to say the least, the gameplay is simplistic enough to have casual to hardcore gamers picking up the game and playing immediately— and with a minimal learning curve too. Read on to see what the game is about and why it may be worth your time.
As mentioned in the introduction, the story behind Mega Jump is exactly a reflection of the game’s title: all about getting major air and getting higher than you’ve ever possibly been. Acting as a cuddly red monster creature, gamers are tasked with not only jumping in the air in order to get as high as possible— but they will also need to collect precious coins in the process. Sounds a little basic, but there’s a twist— the only way to jump and gain air is by jumping through small and large coins in the sky— some of which move in real-time or even try to avoid your jump attempts. What’s even more astounding is the variety of power-ups that are available to help players progress through a level. There are items such as a balloon and astronomical masses that help to propel the character up, up and away. As players go up in a level, the coins appear in a variety of patterns… all the while going through obstacles and some surprisingly cute and cuddly-wuddly enemies that try to impede your path and ensure that you fall down to death. So the general goal is simple: jump as high as possible, collect coins and avoid enemies or die. The game’s simple, yet addictive gameplay is quite simply executed at a high level thanks to some simplistic controls. There’s no need to deal with the inconvenience of a lazy directional pad or unresponsive buttons in Mega Jump— instead, gamers will take full advantage of the game’s tilt controls functionality. So all players will focus on is try to tilt their device just enough to direct and steer the main character in order to hit the right coins and avoid any obstacles in the process. The controls are just sensitive enough to where players and can use minmal hand and wrist movement to direct the character to any particular location on the screen, but not too sensitive to where you can have too many inadvertent falls because players accidentally placed too much muscle into the tilt. There’s a slight learning curve for players to try and get comfortable with controlling the character but believe me— it’s as minimal as it gets and will certainly give players a true sense of satisfaction while playing. Also complementing the great controls and gameplay are surprisingly effective audios and visuals. The game features a cartoonish layout that appears to be major turnoff at the beginning, but really grows on you. The colors and levels really pop with bright colors, the different animations are pretty detailed for the most part and best of all— the visuals are incredibly fluid and don’t give any sort of slowdown. The audio features one soundtrack for each world, but the music is catchy as heck, while the sound effects showcase each action taken in the game pretty well. So what you have when you combine the above components and whip them together is one pretty solid title that can easily help pass time for all of you out there. Make no mistake— this game is truly one of the hidden gems out in the Play Store and worth a download… especially since it’s free. With over 20 levels, plus an additional special level— the game has immense value and will have players coming back for more.
    
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| Dead Zebra unveils the Luck Cat series Android mini collectibles Posted: 06 Mar 2013 12:44 PM PST
Dead Zebra just unveiled a new set of Android mini collectibles to burn yet another hole in your wallet. This time it’s the Lucky Cat Series by artist Shane Jessup. They might be adorable, but they will also “welcome wealth, prosperity, and protection into your home or business.” If that’s not enough, each mini figurine will feature an accessory and a swinging arm. There are a total of twelve mini figurines in the collection and they should become available later this month via the Dead Zebra website and retailers. Hit the break to see the entire collection.
            source: DeadZebra
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| Featured Android Game Review: Robo5 [Brain & Puzzle] Posted: 06 Mar 2013 11:43 AM PST We have already covered a few games from Animoca, but a new one recently hit the Google Play Store called Robo5. This is a steampunk influenced puzzle game in which you play a robot in a strange decaying future world. Your job is to climb mountains of boxes and crates. Each level presents a different scenario, and you need to get to the top in order to advance to the next level. Climbing in itself sounds easy, but you will need some strategy in order to make it happen. For example, you may have to push or pull some boxes in order to actually continue to move. Some boxes might float and others will crumble. You will even find some boxes that transport you. There are actually 10 different types of boxes in all: floor, wood, metal, suspended, fragile, leaking, explosive, transporting, secret, and final. Throw in the fact that you need to get to the top as fast as you can without running out of energy, and you have yourself a really cool and addictive game. You can gain energy by picking up energy packs, but ultimately you will be graded based on how long it took you as well as how many pieces you picked up. The star system is in play here, but you will need to achieve a certain amount of stars in order to open diaries, so the incentive is there to try to rack up as many as you can. Diaries aren’t fully explained, but it appears to be more of the same, just a lot harder. So much so that I spent a considerable amount of time solving the 1st diary, and you could hear my sighs in the neighboring states.
It’s promised that you will be given hints about Robo No. 5′s history, identity, and purpose as you progress through the levels and diaries. Robo5 is Free in the Play Store, which comes with 12 levels and 1 diary. You can buy the complete game of 40 levels and 8 diaries (2 endings) for an in app purchase of $1.99. Check out my hands on video below as well as Animoca’s trailer and hit one of the download links to get started. As always, let me know what you think. Features:
     Click here to view the embedded video. And Animoca’s trailer, which is very well done…. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Google Now Co-Creator Shares Insights Into The Innovative Feature Posted: 06 Mar 2013 10:50 AM PST
Google Now is one of the best features of Jelly Bean, delivering accurate information in blazing fast speed. Recently, co-creator Baris Gultekin was interviewed by MemeBurn where they discussed the vision behind Google Now and its future. Google recognized that phones were getting smarter, more context-aware, and the goal was to give user’s the information they needed at the right time.
Baris says that this is just the beginning of Google Now and when asked if it’ll be on other platforms, he said there isn’t anything to announce yet and hinted “But at a high level, we just want to help our users wherever they are.” As far as how Now got started, it was actually a 20% project which are projects that Google encourages employees to work on that are not company projects themselves. After showing a couple demos to executives, they were immediately excited and wanted the feature ready for launch. Privacy is definitely a big focus for Google and Baris makes it clear that Google Now is an opt-in product. You can choose not to grant access to your data, and if you do want to grant it, you have control over what information, “Cards”, are displayed. With many different ways of delivering relevant information to users, there’s the possibility of sharing too much information. Here is how Google combats that:
Design for Google Now was important and users see that with the informative Cards and subtle features like the header, which changes to day or night depending on your current location. Source: memeburn
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| Disney’s Temple Run: Oz Transports You To The Yellow Brick Road Posted: 06 Mar 2013 09:40 AM PST
Disney’s Oz: The Great And Powerful is out in theaters March 8th, and in anticipation, has released a new Android game called Temple Run: Oz. Inspired by Temple Run 2 and the upcoming Oz movie, the gameplay is simple. You play Oz and run through a magical land, outrunning crazy flying baboons while turning, sliding, and jumping to avoid obstacles or enemies. From the Play Store description:
The game is 99 cents and you get 1500 bonus coins to use towards in-app purchases. Here is a video of Temple Run: Oz giving you an inside look: Click here to view the embedded video.     
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| T-Mobile prepares advertising responses to AT&T in carrier spat Posted: 06 Mar 2013 09:21 AM PST
Everyone loves a good fight it seems. T-Mobile and AT&T are doing their best to ensure followers of the companies are not disappointed. The latest round involves some ads T-Mobile is believed to be preparing in response to AT&T’s ads that ran last week. You may recall AT&T ran some full page ads in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, claiming T-Mobile has twice as many dropped calls as AT&T and half the download speeds for data. According to TmoNews, proof prints of three different ads responding to AT&T have been submitted to T-Mobile for review and approval. It is unclear whether T-Mobile will sign off on any of the ads or if they do, when they will run or through which outlets. Sources claim the ads may appear today or tomorrow. The ads were created by the same advertising firm that has been handling T-Mobile’s recent television ads and reveal a new salty attitude on the part of T-Mobile. Why AT&T decided to specifically target T-Mobile is still not clear, especially after their failed attempt to buy-out T-Mobile a little over a year ago. The door is now open though and it looks like this spat between the carriers may provide us with some comedic relief as we watch the two spar with each other.    source: TmoNews
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| Latest Google Chrome for Android Beta features data compression for quicker web browsing Posted: 06 Mar 2013 08:50 AM PST
Not too long ago we heard about a web data compression feature Google was testing out. It was only available to Android 4.2 users, however, so not many of us got a chance to play with it. After some digging around in the source code for the latest Chrome browser, it turns out that Google has somewhat implemented the data compression feature into Chrome for anyone to try out. It’s a little tricky to get to the setting, as there’s no actual UI for turning it on yet. In Chrome, type chrome://flags in the address bar, and from there you’ll be able to switch the flag on to start data compression. All HTTP websites you visit will then be sent to Google’s proxy server to be intelligently compressed and optimized for Chrome, then sent to your smartphone, speeding up the web loading process as well as consuming less data. Pretty handy trick if you’re dealing with a data cap from your carrier. Hopefully we’ll see this feature make it into the stable release of Chrome before long. source: Google Developers Blog
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| Low-range Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo slated for May launch Posted: 06 Mar 2013 07:56 AM PST
To say that Samsung’s Galaxy lineup is ‘diverse’ is a huge understatement. More evidence of Samsung overtaking every level of the smartphone lineup is the soon-to-be-announced Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo. As the name suggests, this little fella will be pint-sized. It’ll come in two versions: with and without dual SIM capability. This new device is very similar to the Pocket Plus as well as last year’s Galaxy Pocket which raises a little bit of confusion. The Pocket Neo is said to launch with a 3-inch display (320 x 240) with QVGA resolution and a 2 megapixel camera. Again, these vitals are not much different, if at all, from the Pocket Plus or last year’s Pocket for that matter aside from the 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. The only color offering rumored at launch for the Pocket Neo will be silver, at least initially. We’re thinking maybe since it’s very similar to the Pocket Plus, that maybe the Neo is being targeted in emerging markets. source: SamMobile
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