At Google I/O 2013, the company also announced that it has completed over 900 Million Android OS activations, jumping from 400 Million activations back in 2012. Google also announced that, over 48 Billion android apps have been downloaded officially from the Google Play Store since the market was released. Plus our open-source platform, Android is receiving 2.5 Billion app installs per month.

“People are adopting these devices at an amazing pace”, added Android SVP Sundar Pichai at the conference. This is truly a great progress made by Android within a short span of time, since it was released few years back. And is one of the most popular Mobile Operating System in the whole world. So, What do you think of this stats? Impressive or not.

The post Google Reveals Some Impressive Stats About Android At I/O 2013! appeared first on The iCydiaBlog.

Google has replaced Eclipse with a new Developer Tool and they’re calling it Android Studio. The announcement of Android Studio was made during Google I/O 2013 first day Keynote and believe me, this new developing studio offers developers a fully featured tool kit required for Android App development.

Google says that, this new tool is faster and productive enough to come handy for any Android Developer. Android Studio is also integrated with Cloud Messaging facility alongside other exciting features which allows every developer to refresh their old apps as well. The studio is based upon the IntelliJ IDEA and is an IDE built just for Android Developers and can be downloaded through the download button below.

Download Android Studio

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Google is going Samsung way! yes you heard that right, yesterday at the Google I/O Developers event Google launched a Samsung Galaxy S4 with stock android! Lets see what this Google’s altered galaxy S4 has got.

First of all this s4 might be the US variant, that means the same krait 300 quad core processor clocked at 1.9Ghz and an adreno 320 GPU. But for all you storage junkies there’s a bad news. Google will only be selling the 16 GB variant.

The best thing about this Google S4 is that it will get instant software updates! Yes, at the same time when the nexus line of devices get their updates! And stock means full stock! The experience when using the Google’s s4 will be the same as using a nexus 4! Well that’s a great thing for all the stock android fans out there! And that means flawless experience and no lags, which sometimes was caused due to the touchwiz ui.

There’s one more surprise for all those geeks out there! Google’s Galaxy S4 comes bootloader unlocked! So you guys can straight ahead install custom ROMS, root, and MOD your device!

The Google altered Galaxy s4 will hit google play store on 26th of June at a steep price of 649 USD. It also will be available on leading carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T and will support 4G LTE networking!

So, Love stock android? Bored of Nexus 4? Just wait for a month or so to get some magical stock Google experience on the much awaited Galaxy S4! Do let me know what you guys think of this collaboration of Google and Samsung in the comment section down below. Stay connected to iCB for more android, iOS and web news and reviews!

Hot Topics

• Hasan Ali icydiablog

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Apple has updated iTunes 11 to version 11.0.3 with some new and exciting features plus improvements. It’s not just an update only composed of bug fixes but also some tweaks to it’s vital elements, and these features cum tweaks are worth updating. Apple introduced the fab MiniPlayer feature with the launch of iTunes 11 and with this update, the fruit-company is taking MiniPlayer to the next brand level.

This new updated MiniPlayer displays your track’s album art linear to Music Controls with some other functions which makes the MiniPlayer a real MiniPlayer. Addition to this, no-doubt there’s a better and efficient performance and stability improvements made to this living need.

iTunes 11.0.3 also allows you to view Multi-Disc albums as a single album along with an improved Songs View section. Besides this, usual bug fixes and improvements are made for sure. You can grab this hop iTunes 11.0.3 update via Software Update and start enjoying.

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After the release of Google Play Game Services at Google I/O 2013, the internet king also announced another major change to it’s one of the major services, namely Google Maps. This Google Maps update is noted as the biggest change ever, since the app was released eight years ago. Google Maps now gives you a unique mapping service customized for you, depending on the tasks you want to perform in the real world.

The new Google Maps is just equivalent to your friend in terms of navigation and guiding. It allows you to create a new map highlight each time when you tap on a specific location depending on things which can matter the most while passing through the routes.

Being friendly with the map will help you alot to take the advantages of its new features. Google Maps also features stunning and attractive HQ images for exploring the world though it. Anyways for your convenience, We’ve posted the official Google Maps new description below.

Meet The New Google Maps:

Every click draws a new map highlighting the things that matter most 
Like a friend drawing you a map to her favorite restaurant, with only the roads and landmarks you need to get there, the new Google Maps instantly changes to highlight information that matters most.

And the more you interact with the map, the better it gets. When you set your Home and Work locations, star favorite places, write reviews and share with friends, Google Maps will build even more useful maps with recommendations for places you might enjoy.

Easier to find the best local places
In addition to a customized map, we’ve also made it easier to uncover the best local gems. Search results are labeled directly on the map with brief place descriptions and icons that highlight business categories and other useful information – like restaurants that are recommended by your Google+ friends. Info cards provide helpful information such as business hours, and ratings and reviews so you can quickly decide where to eat, drink and play.

Amazing imagery for exploring the world
Of course, no map would be complete without amazing images for exploring the world. The new carousel gathers all Google Maps imagery in one spot enabling you to fly through cities, walk canyon trails, climb mountains, and even swim the oceans. And on a WebGL-enabled browser, like Google Chrome, the carousel is also where you’ll find the Earth view which directly integrates the beautiful 3D experience from Google Earth into the new maps.

To use this new Google Maps which is still under test, you can follow-up for an invite through the button below.

Request An Invite For The New Google Maps

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Microsoft acquired service, Skype has been update for Mac OS X platform with some handy instant messaging features. This 6.4 Skype update focuses on ease of use of the entire Skype Instant Messaging service across the app on Mac.

Supporting Simplified Chinese language, Skype 6.4 For Mac now comes with a better search functionality within the chat section. The search results window is now simplified to display results in the same window with a better navigation instead of opening a new one.

Besides this, the app even features an improved file transfer system allowing users to re-accept the file and making the transfer remain active unless and until the sender cancels it from his side. For your neat convenience, We’ve posted the official changelog of Skype 6.4 for Mac right after the fold.

Skype 6.4 for Mac Changelog:

Infinite chat scrolling
We have introduced a new way of loading history. Each time you scroll upward, more and more messages will be loaded from history. Scrolling is motion sensitive, the faster you scroll the more messages load. To jump back in history. Ctrl + click anywhere (or right click) in the chat and select “Jump back “ and select the period you want to jump back to. We have also separated dates from the timestamps and created date sections instead to make it more visible in the chat. Skype will index all chat history when you first login and consume less resources after indexing completion.

Improved find within the chat
We have redesigned the find functionality to be part of the chat view, instead of opening in a separate window. You can easily navigate between results and see the total number of matches in the chat. Current match is highlighted in yellow. You can also search strings by using “Starts with” or “Contains” option. Recent searches are stored so that you can reuse them in the future.

Custom Chat Styles removal
We have removed custom chat styles to ensure consistency across our clients. If you prefer a more compact layout for your chat, you can go to preferences > messaging > “use compact chat style”

Improved send and receive contacts
We have redesigned the way contacts are sent and received by users. When multiple contacts are sent, the recipient will see an expandable list in the conversation and can either add them all at once or add them one by one. If the received contact is already in the contacts list, or is blocked, the recipient will see the relevant status.

Improved file transfer
We have improved file transfer allowing users to reaccept the file when receiving. File transfer will remain active till the sender cancels it.

Support for Simplified Chinese
We have added language support for Simplified Chinese.

Download Skype 6.4 For Mac

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Redmond based tech company, Microsoft has announced that it’s upcoming operating system, Windows Blue will be a free release for normal computing Machine as Windows 8.1. This announcement was made by Microsoft Windows’ CMO and CFO at a J.P. Morgan Investor Conference, last Tuesday.

Microsoft says its an Update not an Upgrade and will be in our hands in coming months as a revised version of Windows 8. This update is also noted as second version of Windows 8 which is quite not common for us. Anyways, We’ve posted the official announcement words right after the fold in italics.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Announcement:

The software expected in coming months will effectively be a second launch of Windows 8, the operating system that debuted last October to great fanfare but fairly tepid sales. But the Windows 8.1 name underscores that Microsoft considers the revised software a relatively minor update and not a do-over, which would point to fundamental problems with the original product.

[Source: WSJ]

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Google I/O 2013 just concluded yesterday and we got to see lots of new stuffs for developers and users including new services and APIs. As being a Google Developer, I really like the new APIs which was demonstrated and unveiled on the first day of Google I/O 2013 by our open heroes.

Expanding it further, Google has announced Google Play Game Services bringing up some new and cool features like Achievements, Leaderboards, Multi-Player, Cloud Gaming Facilities and more. Plus there’s also some cross platform compatibility services for both Android and iOS. For you’re convenience, We’ve embed the official key points about Google Play Game Serices for Android iOS.

Google Play Game Services Incorporates:

• Achievements that increase engagement and promote different styles of play.
• Social and public leaderboards that seamlessly use Google+ circles to track high scores across friends and across the world.
• Cloud saves that provide a simple and streamlined storage API to store game saves and settings. Now players never have to replay Level 1 again.
• Real-time multiplayer for easy addition of cooperative or competitive game play on Android devices. Using G+ Circles a game can have up to 4 simultaneous friends or auto-matched players in a game session together with support for additional players coming soon.

These Play Services are now available across the globe through both Android and iOS SDKs for games. Plus, Web and other platform developers can pick the corresponding REST APIs with respective libraries for some loving languages like JavaScript, Java, PHP, Python and more. Anyways, You can get to the official Google Play Game Services through the button below.

Google Play Game Services

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Have you ever heard the words “jailbreak” and “Cydia”? Well, these two are not synonymous but they are somewhat related to each other. Cydia is an app that works only with a jailbroken iDevice like iPhone.

What’s with Cydia and what’s the fuss about having it?

There are apps you cannot download straight from the App store but are deemed important. It is like a store where you can find all other sorts of apps which you cannot found in an App store. These apps are either free or sold at a lower price.

Newbie’s Guidelines:

First thing is first you need to know whether or not your iPhone has Cydia. This can be done through doing a search on your iPhone or look for the image shown below.

When you have found the Cydia icon, you tap it. It will take time for this app to load. This will only happen for the first time. Remember, you need to be connected to the net to use this app.

Here’s one trivia you should know about Cydia, you can get tweaks for free and for a fee. Yes, you can get free stuff at Cydia store. That’s cool, ain’t it? As soon as you open the app, it will then reload and update the sources found on Cydia. It will eat a little bit of time from the reloading, updating, and getting to the homescreen.

There are at least 5 sections you will see right at the bottom. These are the following:

a. Cydia

This section is the homepage.

b. Section

This section is used in order to browse tweaks right on their corresponding sections.

c. Changes

This section is where you are going to see any upgrade or new tweaks up for grabs for the tweaks you have installed into your iPhone.

d. Manage

This section is used in order to remove or add sources.

e. Search

This section is used in order to search and look around for any tweaks.The manage section will only be of need when you do buy an app straight from the Cydia store.

The Cydia app is not as complicated as you think it is. It’s user-friendly and you can always find your way around. Just get use with the different sections, be familiar with each of the section, what are its primary purpose, etc. This will save you time in the future when you are going to use this app. The most important thing you need to get hang with is the manage section. It would be applicable if you are into buying any tweak or app at the Cydiamstore.

If you are the type of person who wants to explore as to what your iPhone is capable of and do more things with this iDevice – then do have your iPhone jailbroken and get the Cydia app.

The coolest part of it all, buying is a lot easier. Unlike with the App store when you need to have an iTunes Apple ID, Cydia is not like that. You can even use your Twitter or Facebook account to login and payment is done through PayPal or gift cards from Amazon.

The Author:

This guest post is brought to you by Martin Nodskov of Frompo, a site that offers savings and current information on searches.

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Well, first of all you will notice a grown up Lumia look! The lumia 925 has got an aluminium chassis which looks quite elegant and sophisticated. But its the same old wine packed in a new bottle! Yes that’s right! The Lumia 925 has the same 1.5Ghz dual core prosessor! I mean come on Nokia! Move on from dual cores! In the ages where Eight cores are coming you guys should opt atleast a quad core chip!

Well it will take a whole thesis to complain so lets move to what else this guy has got!

The Lumia 925 has the same 8.7 mega pixels sensor as the 920. But nokia says that the 925 has improved optics which will give some better low light snaps.

The lumia 925 comes with a 4.5 inches panel with a decent resolution of 1,280×768. It has the same Clear Black technology. So no innovations in the display too!

Verdict

I think the lumia 925 doesn’t have much to show off! I will just recommend this phone to those hardcore windows phone fans who want a little grown up look! Else I would suggest to invest in a good android or an iPhone!

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