Category: Android

15 New Wallpapers Available for Your Android or Windows Phone

April 25, 2015 Android, Wallpapers, Windows Phone No Comments
Smooth Stones

This morning I have uploaded 15 new wallpapers for you to download (for free) and use on your Android or Windows Phone device.  These wallpapers are not original creations but rather a collection of those I have found across the Web over the past few weeks.  As such it is a bit of what I like and hopefully you will too.

To get to the wallpaper page, just use the top navigation of the site or click this link.  There you will find the entire collection.

Wallpapers are a great way to personalize your mobile experience, be it your phone, tablet or even your laptop PC or Macbook.  There are literally millions of them on the web so my little collection is far from complete nor will it have something for everyone.

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Instagram for Android Updated With New Photo Editing Tools

April 24, 2015 Android, App Update, Instagram No Comments
Instagram Icon Android 200x200

The official Instagram for Android app has been updated today, bringing two new editing tools for users to enhance their photos.  The update, version 6.20.1 for those keeping score at home, is available now in the Play Store.  it is a small update at 8.14MB and one well worth getting.

The first new tool is a Color Tool.  This allows you to add a color overlay to your shadow or highlights.  So you can make the shadows red or blue for example.

Instagram for Android – Free – Download Now

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First Impressions of The BLU VIVO IV Android Phone

April 23, 2015 Android, BLU No Comments

Earlier this week I ordered a BLU VIVO IV Android phone from B&H Photo.  The idea behind getting this phone was really two fold.  First, I needed it for work to do some testing of software.  Second, when it comes to this blog, the reality is that right now Microsoft’s apps for mobile devices are far superior on Android and iOS than they are to Windows Phone.  That is going to change – soon I think – but in order for me to be a “Windows centric” site, I have to look at these other platforms for which Microsoft makes apps.

I will tell you though that I found the selection process for finding a new Android phone painful.  With iOS you get two choices on screen size and three choices on how much storage you want.  With Windows Phone, it is somewhat the same although you could argue there is a bit more variety available especially around screen size.  Then there is Android.  Not only do you have the normal screen size and storage capacity questions but you also have the question of what version of Android is on a device and if it is upgradable.  It is a bit of a nightmare and I will argue with anyone who tells me there is not fragmentation in the Android ecosystem due to the wide range of versions of Android running on devices.

But I digress.  I selected the BLU VIVO IV for several reasons.  First, spec-wise, it is impressive.  It is powered by a 1.7GHz Octa-Core processor with 2GB of RAM.  It comes with 16GB of storage built in but that is not expandable.  There is no MicroSD slot in this phone.  For some that’s a deal breaker but the reality is, for what I’m using this phone for, that should be plenty of storage.

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OneDrive for Android Update Brings Streaming Videos

April 23, 2015 Android, App Update, Microsoft, OneDrive No Comments
OneDrive Icon

The OneDrive for Android app has receive a big update today, bringing several new features including the ability to stream videos within the app itself.  The update, version 3.0 for those keeping score at home, is now available at the Play Store and is free.  Like on Windows Phone, OneDrive is a free service for 15GB of storage and if you allow the app to upload your photos automatically from your camera roll, you get another 15GB free.  It is one of the best values for cloud storage available today and sticking with Microsoft’s drive to have their apps on all platforms, is available on Windows Phone, Android, iOS, PC and Mac.

OneDrive for Android – Free – Download Now

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Microsoft Outlook for Android Updated With Stability Improvements

April 23, 2015 Android, App Update, Microsoft No Comments
Microsoft Outlook Icon

The Microsoft Outlook app for Android has received a minor update today, bringing performance and stability improvements to the app.  The update, version 1.2.1 for those keeping score at home, is designed for both Android phones and tablets and requires your devices be running Android 4.0 or later.  The app is free.

Microsoft Outlook for Android – Free – Download Now

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A Glimpse of The Future of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Apps – Via Android

April 14, 2015 Android, Office for Windows 10, Windows Phone No Comments
Windows 10 Icon

Over the past few weeks I have been using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 tablet as part of my daily routine.  As I put in my post a few weeks ago, it has been refreshing to have so many apps available on the platform but I still have plenty of things about Android itself that I’m not fond of exactly.  I love Windows and Windows Phone and I can only hope that the app gap is closed a bit when it is released later this summer.

We know for sure that Microsoft is heavily focused on their own apps in Windows 10 for the PC, Tablet and Phone and in Android, we get a glimpse of just where they plan on going with their apps on these devices running the new OS.  Equally, we know that Microsoft is pushing developers and themselves hard to create universal apps so no matter which device you are using an app on, you get the same look, feel and features across all devices.  If you look at the Office suite of apps – Word, Excel and PowerPoint – then look at Outlook on Android, you have a much richer and decidedly more touch friendly experience than you do currently with Office 2013 on Windows 8.1 PCs and tablets..  As for Office on Windows Phone, I’ve said before and I’ll say it again that it is just about useless at this point. Even Microsoft acknowledges it is a frustrating experience.

The future of these apps however looks bright and all you have to do is go look at them on Android.

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I Spent A Few Days With Android – And It Was Depressing

April 1, 2015 Android, Opinion, Windows 10, Windows Phone No Comments
Windows Phone 8 Icon

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless but works for Samsung sent a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8″ tablet.  The joke was, I showed up at a meeting with my Toshiba Encore 2 8″ tablet and he, being an Android centric company, gave me a fair amount of shtick over the Windows tablet coming into the meeting.  In reply, I said, send me a tablet and I’ll happily give it a go.

So there you go.  I now have a Galaxy Tab 4 tablet (which I have to send back to him BTW).

With the amount of travel I’ve had going on though it wasn’t until this past week and weekend that I had the chance to use this tablet and, more importantly, Android in anger.  The net result:  It was a very depressing experience but not for the reason you would expect from an admitted Windows and Windows Phone fanboy.

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Microsoft and Samsung Expand Relationship to Pre-Install Office Apps on Android Tablets

March 23, 2015 Android, Microsoft, Office 2016, Office 365, Samsung No Comments
office365-icon

Building on the announcements that they made at Mobile World Congress, Microsoft and Samsung today have announced a furthering of their relationship which will include the pre-install of Microsoft Office apps on Samsung Android-based tablets.  The announcement, while not a complete surprise, is good news for Samsung devices users as they will get these apps and the impact of this is both for consumers and businesses.  While I have been quite critical of how Google themselves had played with Microsoft, it is clear that Samsung sees the value of a relationship between the two companies even after a contentious legal battle.  While I’m not sure this is all kiss-and-make-up, it certainly is a step in the right direction.

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