Android software

Use Duolingo on Android to learn languages while mobile

In the past I've written about Babbel for mobile and Rosetta Course (mobile version of Rosetta Stone) for language learning when you have spare time. Now another contender enters the ring, and has a lot of promise.

Duolingo turns learning a language into a game, more so than the other apps. You are given a few hearts (representing your health pool) that you don't want to lose during the learning levels. Hearts are lost by answering questions incorrectly. Once you finish a lesson with hearts remaining, you'll earn an achievement to track your … Read more

Glu Mobile to offer cash for gaming

Glu Mobile, a developer and publisher of freemium games on smartphones and tablets, will start offering cash to highly skilled gamers.

Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, the company confirmed that Android users playing "Deer Hunter Reloaded," its hunting-simulation game, will be able to win cash prizes if they achieve strong results in certain skill-based contests.

In order to win the cash, gamers will need to pay a fee to enter the competition. The company told Reuters that if all goes well, it will bring the cash-for-gaming system to its other Android titles.

Because the cash-based system is based … 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

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

Android 4.3 pops up in the wild after skipping Google I/O

After failing to appear at Google I/O, evidence that Android 4.3 is forthcoming soon has been leaking out slowly. Now, the first photos of the next sweet iteration of the mobile OS running on a device have been spotted. It looks to be a new flavor of Jelly Bean rather than the whole slice of Key Lime Pie.

Photos that appear to show a Nexus 4 running Android 4.3 at the 2013 Thailand Mobile Expo have surfaced on the xdadevelopers forum, home to many an Android leak, hack, and more.… Read more

Sample Rosetta Stone on your Android device

Rosetta Stone touts itself as one of the fastest and easiest ways to learn a new language. However, its learning system also carries a rather steep price tag: $300-$500 for the complete set. Of course this price is without any specials/discounts the company may be running at any given time. Still, if you're going to spend that kind of money on a language course, you might want to try it first.

The Rosetta Stone Web site offers a free demo of its software. Though, if you're thinking of learning in your free time, you might consider … Read more

Top apps to track severe weather

Though the official 2013 hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, the news earlier this week out of Moore, Okla., is a sobering reminder that dangerous weather comes in many forms, and you often don't know where the next disaster may strike. Even now, many states are being pounded by heavy storms as the cleanup from the tornado in Moore is still under way.

Recently, I collected a few weather apps that are great for a quick glance at the weather, but those apps won't help you much in severe weather conditions. For more-serious weather activity, … Read more

Use Google Drive on Android to save receipts

Do you keep the receipts for everything you buy? Like me, you've probably noticed that the ones printed on thermal paper can begin to disappear over time. Soon, you're left with only a blank piece of paper that can't act as a proof of purchase or help you at tax time.

Wednesday's update to Google Drive on Android lets you easily store all of your receipts and even search through them. Doesn't a nice digital archive sound better than piles, folders, or boxes of receipts all over your home? Here's how to … Read more