Androidifying

  Bandai Namco has now launched Digimon Heroes, a free-to-play card game on Android. Any Digi-addicts out there will now be able to get their fix anytime and anywhere the craving starts, because the adventures on File Island will be right in your pocket.   The game functions as a fairly straightforward card collecting battler, with players picking up new Digimon and upgrades as they play. There are more than 1,000 distinct Digimon available for play, and these can be digifused, digivolved, and upgraded to build an unbeatable team. See also: 10 best action games for Android! 18 What makes Digimon Heroes unique is the interesting match-three battle system that lets you combine like cards into more devastating attacks. As you fight your way across File Island, facing stronger and stronger opponents, you’ll happen across special events and unusual challenges. Your team will have to be tough, and you’ll have to master the system if you want to make it through to the end. Alterna

Last year, Pushbullet rustled some feathers , to put it very mildly, when they launched the premium version of their widely used smartphone/PC synchronization app. Users complained that the company effectively gutted the free version to strong-arm users into forking over $40 per year for essentially the same service they’d been enjoying for free. This created a perfect opening for competitors like Join to step up to the plate. While Join was in beta , the app offered many of the same features as Pushbullet for no charge at all. In a move that starkly contrasted the actions of Pushbullet, the developer gave his users warning well in advance that he would be monetizing the app, and he even consulted with them to help determine a fair cost. Although many users said they would be willing to pay more for the app, developer João Dias ultimately decided to go with the lowest price point of 5 USD. This single payment unlocks all features of the app and turns off all ads. See also:

Recently I got my hands on both the Nexus 6P and Huawei Mate 8. I’ve already written about my experience updating from a Nexus 6 to a Nexus 6P, but now I want to share a little bit about my experience with Huawei when using a phone that is not running stock Android. I want to preface this entire opinion piece by saying that the Huawei Mate 8 is so close to being one of the best phones I’ve ever used, but some glaring issues manage to muck it all up, and almost all these issues have to do with the software. For anyone who has ever used a Huawei phone, barring the Nexus 6P from the discussion, it is pretty much common knowledge that Huawei builds excellent devices but EMUI, its heavily skinned Android build, is a mess. See also: Huawei Mate 8 review 43 Now this isn’t the usual “stock vs skin” conversation that one might have when talking about Sense, TouchWiz, LG UI, or other mainstream skins. Yes, I will admit that I tend to gravitate to stock Android devices, but certainly not e

Google started their Vulnerability Reward Program all the way back in 2010 as an incentive to encourage researchers to take on the hard work of finding possible exploits. 2015 saw two new major features added to this program. First, Google added Android to the program. Second, the company began offering Vulnerability Research Grants, which are lump sums paid to researchers before investigations even begin, thus ensuring that researchers are paid for their work even if no vulnerabilities are found. These changes resulted in Google paying out over $200,000 to Android researchers over the course of the year, with the largest single payment being $37,500 to an Android security researcher. The award for most prolific researcher, however, goes to one Tomasz Bojarski, who found 70 bugs on Google in 2015… including one on their vulnerability submission form! All told, the Vulnerability Reward Program as a whole paid out over $2 million last year. See also: LG just fixed a bug that left

The ZTE Grand X3 was first announced earlier this month at CES 2016, where we had the opportunity to go hands-on with the device . At the time we knew it was destined for Cricket, and now it has arrived both in-store and online for $129.99. As the low price tag would suggest, this is very much an entry level handset, as further evidenced by the Snapdragon 210 processor that powers the Grand X3. While the processor is less impressive than we’d like to see, the phone does have some positives including 2GB RAM and a sizable 3080mAh battery that should provide pretty solid battery life. ZTE talks past, present and ... ZTE Avid Plus hands-on! ZTE Grand X3 First Look Other specs include a 5.5-inch 720p display, 16GB storage with microSD, and Android 5.1 Lollipop. The Grand X3 also stands out as being one of the few Android devices with a Type-C USB port, and about the only one at this price range as far as we are aware. The Grand X3 certainly won’t impress anyone, but

This week, Google is rolling out a selection of new features to its Calendar app , along with support for 30 additional languages. The update will be heading to both Android and iOS devices. First up, there’s a new way to create Google Calendar events that automatically offers up suggestions for titles, places and people. When you start typing up a new event, the app will suggest some options, tapping “at…” will offer up locations and directions, and adding “with…” will allow you to link up your contacts to the event. English users will also be able to use an extra “on…” option to specific a date, time and duration for the event. The GIF below demonstrates how these suggestions and options work step-by-step. Keeping track of national holidays is now easier too. Under Settings > Holidays , Calendar users will now be able to select from 143 different countries, as Google has just added 54 new ones. Once picked, country specific holiday dates will be automatically added to your cal

Shutterstock We all use Android apps on the daily, but have you ever considered making your own applications? Sounds amazing, but it sure is an intimidating idea. Coding is not easy, and neither is paying to learn how to do it. Thankfully, we now have plenty of online tools that will help you get started with the right foot… or with both feet in, in this case. You want to know the best part? You can get started for just $29, not bad for all the content included — five classes covering a variety of different Android-related subjects. Included classes: Learn Android Lollipop Development (& Marshmallow!) The Complete Java Developer Course Learn How to Reskin, Upload & Publish an Android Game Play Framework Development with Java Reskin Games for App Stores–No Coding Required Ready to sign up? Just head over to the AA Deals Store to get started on your new career (or hobby) making Android apps. Buy the Hot Java Android Coding Bundle for $29