Androidifying

HTC’s Sense is a fairly well-loved skin for the Android operating system. The only downside is that it has previously only been available on HTC devices. However, last week saw HTC rolling out email invitations to give Sense Home 8 a spin on their non-HTC smartphones. As of today, the beta is formally underway. Presumably once the beta is completed, Sense Home 8 will be made publicly available for all those who want this slick UI to be a part of their daily Android experience. For the beta, users were told that they would need compatible devices running Android 4.4 or newer.  If this requirement holds true once non-HTC Sense 8 Home leaves beta, then that means even many users still running KitKat will be able to take advantage of the clean, smooth launcher that came stock with the HTC 10. See also: It looks like HTC wants to offer the Sense launcher for non-HTC devices 29 One of the hallmarks of Sense Home 8 is its “freestyle layouts” feature. With freestyle layouts, users are

If the modern mobile industry is trinity of sorts, tablets would definitely be one of pillars, along with smartphones and wearables. Much has been mentioned about the “oversized phone” market, but perhaps nothing as curious as its decline . Tablets were once set for explosive growth and prominence, yet in recent years have begun to fizzle out to such a clear degree that even Samsung – which had oodles to offer at one point – has done an about face and Apple – the industry leader in sales – is having major trouble . Dell’s traditional tablet line is also having major problems apparently, and as such today announced that it will be discontinuing its Android-based Venue product lines. The company explains the news quite directly in an e-mail received by PCWorld , stating that: The slate tablet market is over-saturated and is experiencing declining demand from consumers, so we’ve decided to discontinue the Android-based Venue tablet line…For customers who own Android-based Venue prod

We’ve heard rumors for a while that the next Nexus offering from HTC would be a pair of smartphones , not just a single delivery.  Last week we caught our first glimpse at the smaller of these two devices, the HTC “ Sailfish .” Although word was in the water regarding its bigger brother the HTC “Marlin,” we didn’t have any specs to report. That is, until today. This leak comes via Android Police, who have gathered these specs from an unspecified source. Normally we don’t expect to hear official word from Google until September, and that month is still far enough away that any leaks at this early date should be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, here’s what the HTC Marlin will reportedly look like under the hood, but bear in mind that these specs may be inaccurate or subject to change. See also: Specs surface for alleged HTC Nexus “Sailfish” 50 HTC Nexus Marlin Specs Here’s what we think we know about the HTC Nexus “Marlin.” AP is unable to reveal their source and they a

Earthquakes might not be a part of your daily life, but the US Geological Survey estimates that somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000 earthquakes occur on planet Earth each year, and that nearly a fifth of these are strong enough to be appreciated by humans. Since this natural phenomenon (and occasional disaster) is such a common one, Google has integrated earthquake information into Search. Now when you search for “earthquake,” in addition to getting fun things like the definition of the word, you’ll also get an at-a-glance summary about any significant earthquakes currently going on in the world. “Earthquakes near me” will narrow this criteria in much the same way that “coffee near me” does. But with earthquakes instead of java. See also: Google Search will soon show Live TV listings 2 These at-a-glance summaries include maps detailing affected areas and giving you important information about a quake’s intensity and how to best stay safe if it’s happening near you. Tips wi

Google Keep ‘s new feature will help you search notes much quicker. Google has just announced a new update for Google Keep that’s rolling out now on Android, iOS and the web. The note-taking app will now organize your notes by automatically creating topics like food, places, books, quotes and travel for easier searching. Here’s how it works. Don’t want to scroll through your long list of notes? Just tap the search icon at the top, and you’ll see a number of different topics that will bring you to your notes pertaining to that particular category. So if you have a grocery list or recipe saved in Keep, those notes will be added to the Food category. Same thing goes for music-related notes; I have a note saved in Keep telling me to download Pedro the Lion’s Whole EP, and Keep automatically added it to the music category. Very cool! #GoogleKeep organized. Search automagically created topics like books, food and quotes for @Android , iPhones and web http://pic.twitter.com/wccSbThYpQ

The  Android N developer preview  gives us a sneak peek into what Android 7.0 Nougat will look like when it officially arrives later this year. Of course, developer previews quite often contain features that won’t make it to the final release but there’s still plenty to get excited about, so let’s dive right in. Here are all the Android Nougat features from the latest Android N preview updates as well as others we expect to see in future. Please note that some features have been officially confirmed by Google, while others, “confirmed” by the developer preview, could still disappear before Android 7.0. All the latest Android Nougat update news Download the new Android N wallpaper Update:   Google has officially revealed the Android N name : Nougat. Based on other clues outlined below, we now know the next major Android release will be known as Android 7.0 Nougat . Confirmed Android Nougat features: Android N name Google has revealed the official name for Android N is going

The wait is over! Google has officially revealed that the next version of Android will be known as Android Nougat! Introducing #AndroidNougat . Thank you, world, for all your sweet name ideas! #AndroidNReveal http://pic.twitter.com/7lIfDBwyBE — Android (@Android) June 30, 2016 Aside from the official name, no other details have been disclosed about the new version of Android. We will let you know the details once they start rolling in. Update: Here’s the official Android Nougat statue outside of Google HQ. The time has arrived! #AndroidNReveal http://pic.twitter.com/vtbSOjQvWh — Android (@Android) June 30, 2016