android

Galaxy S4 Mini gives Samsung's flagship a smaller sibling

Samsung announced its Galaxy S4 Mini on Thursday, delivering a smaller, lower-end cousin of its hot-selling high-end Android phone with a 4.3-inch screen.

The Korean electronics giant has been steadily pushing smartphone sizes larger, but not everyone is ready for a the 5-inch screen of a Galaxy S4. And the new model will ensure Samsung a place in the market for more cost-conscious buyers, though the company hasn't yet said how much the device will cost or when it will go on sale.

Although the new phone has many of the S4's software features -- tools to … Read more

Google adds color labels to its Calendar app for Android

For those extra-organized people, Google has updated its Calendar app for Android to add color labels and a new date and time tool.

The color labels palette lets users customize events or calendar listings with a choice of 24 colors. Certain important dates can be highlighted in different colors to especially catch users' attention.

As far as putting in certain events, the redesigned date and time tool lets users customize time zones and schedule events to be repeated on certain days, weeks, or months.

In other Google news, the tech giant also announced on Wednesday that it's revamping … Read more

Verizon issues major software update to Samsung Galaxy S3

Verizon Wireless has a rather massive software update ready to issue for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone.

Expected to roll out over the next few days, the 129MB file delivers handy features such as multiscreen and multiwindow. Other noteworthy changes include the "Best Shot" camera feature, the ability to bill Google Play apps to a Verizon account, and an option to tag weather, people, and places in photos and video.

Indeed, the software update is not all major improvements and new features; bug fixes and minor tweaks are also found throughout. NFC, for instance, is easier to toggle … Read more

Does this movie have a bonus scene after the credits? This app knows

If you've seen "Iron Man 3," you know there's a quick bonus scene -- a "stinger" -- at the tail end of the credits. A pretty good one, too.

That's par for the course with Marvel superhero movies, which started the tradition following the first "Iron Man," but what about other films? Is there anything at the end of "Star Trek Into Darkness" worth waiting for? Or "Fast & Furious 6"? Does "Before Midnight" tease the inevitable "Before Nursing Home" post-credits?

Instead of … Read more

Galaxy S4 Mini may sport dual-core Snapdragon 400 chip

The Galaxy S4 Mini won't be quite as beefy as its bigger brother, at least according to alleged specs leaked online.

Benchmark results reportedly obtained by German blog site All About Samsung show the Mini powered by Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor. Outfitted with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the phone will offer a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display. The Mini will also come with 1.5GB of memory, an 8-megapixel camera in the back, and a 2.1-megapixel camera in the front.

In comparison, Samsung's 5-inch Galaxy S4 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, … Read more

Porn coming to Google Glass: OK, now it's creepy

If you think people who turn their noses up at wearable technology like Google Glass are overreacting a tad, I have bad news.

Thanks to the imminent arrival of Google Glass porn, I just got creeped out for the first time about the prospect of a Glass-filled future.

Android adult app store MiKandi told CNET sister site ZDNet:

Google Glass Porn has been making its rounds, and while studios are intrigued, no one seems to be doing anything about it. So I wanted to let you know that we picked up our Glass and, yup, we're making content for … Read more

iPhone users found to spend more time on their handsets

iPhone users in the U.S. average more time on their smartphones than Android users, but they spend less time talking on their handsets than their open-source counterparts, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Overall, the average American adult spends nearly an hour a day on their smartphones, but just a quarter of that time is spent talking, according to Experian Marketing Services research. The findings illustrate the increasing shift of consumer tastes to mobile devices for their information and entertainment.

Voice calling was the most popular single smartphone activity among U.S. users, comprising 26 percent of smartphone … Read more

Use Google Now to send text messages, e-mail

During Google I/O Google announced some improvements to its Google Now service. One of those improvements -- as we have already covered -- was the ability to create reminders within the app. One other feature we haven't discussed yet is the ability to send a text message or e-mail using Google Now.

Similar to the way Siri works, you're able to give a voice command to Google Now and have a message composed, complete with the recipient of your choosing (so long as they are in your contacts). After Now has filled in all of the required … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to debut at June 20 event -- WSJ

Samsung could take the wraps off the Galaxy S4 Mini at a launch event scheduled for Thursday, June 20.

Citing "a person with knowledge of the matter," The Wall Street Journal said today that the S4 Mini will likely be one of several new products taking the stage at next month's event in London. Announcing the event Monday, Samsung highlighted its Galaxy and Ativ lineup but was mum about which devices would be featured. The Ativ line includes PCs and tablets that run Windows 8, as well as smartphones outfitted with Windows Phone 8.

Samsung may have … Read more