Enjoy Multitasking on Android? Then You’ll Love the Sidebar Launcher

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

Let’s face it, if there’s one thing (among many) that Android does pretty damn well, it’s multitasking. We can easily run a good amount of apps at the same time and switching between them has been real easy ever since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the multitask button. That’s great and all, but as always, the community has taken this part of Android and made it even better. We’ve seen a number of new launches hit the scene over the past year, and Sidebar Launcher is a little different. It leverages the great multitasking inside of Android, and amplifies things to bring you a bucket load of functionality with a simple slide out.

The app is available from the Play Store and, somewhat impressively, it runs on anything from Android 2.3 Gingerbread and up, making it a decent app to breathe a little new life into that old phone you just refuse to get rid of. The launcher itself is easy to set up and works off a concept of “cards”, which I like to think of as modules. Each module contains different functionality, and they take up a strip of your sidebar launcher – which is scrollable, by the way – and feature things such as toggles to adjust WiFi and such, to memory monitors and music controls. You can customize where and how your launcher appears too, which makes things a little easier when using your phone for long periods of time.

There’s even a way to put this guy on your lockscreen, and the app is under active development, so don’t hesitate to swing by the thread on XDA and leave a suggestion, leave thanks or whatever it is you want to say. Apps that developed like this one are the reason we love Android so much, and we’re sure that Sidebar launcher will only continue to get better. You can download the app from the Play Store and take a look at the video below for a taste of what it can offer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The post Enjoy Multitasking on Android? Then You’ll Love the Sidebar Launcher appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1fy5NWz

Tinder Prepares to Launch Verification Method for Celebrity Users

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

If you happen to be a celebrity who uses Tinder (Ashton Kutcher reads Android Headlines, right?), then here’s a bit of good news: CEO Sean Rad has announced that Tinder will soon offer a verification process to its celebrity users, allowing them to bypass the requirement of logging in with a Facebook account. Verification for celebrities on social networks is nothing new, as Twitter has been plopping green checkmarks on the accounts of high-profile people who verify their identity for quite some time.

For the uninitiated, Tinder is a dating and networking app that allows users to swipe through potential matches, swiping right if they’re interested in getting to know the person better, or swiping left to move onto the next one. The app pulls information and images from Facebook and uses them to conjure up suggested matches, basing who you see on things like your proximity to one another or mutual friends the two of you share. The app has blown up in a pretty big way too, boasting up to 10 million matches per day.

It’s a neat idea, if we’re being honest, but celebrities who use the app – such as Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan – find that they don’t get very many matches because users who encounter them during their swiping frenzies assume the profiles are fake. According to Rad, celebrities will soon be able to enter Tinder in a different way, but he didn’t get too specific about the verification process. Then again, we suppose a very small percentage of us need to know the ins and outs of the process, so in this case, it’s at least somewhat acceptable that Rad is holding back most of the details.

Once the verification process is in place, doesn’t that mean the celebrities who use Tinder will suddenly be flooded with an endless amount of new matches and chat requests? Not necessarily, as Tinder requires both users to swipe to the right before one can contact the other. There still isn’t any word on when Tinder will receive this new verification feature, so until further notice, it might not be a bad idea to continue swiping with caution when a supposed celebrity pops up. Stay tuned.

The post Tinder Prepares to Launch Verification Method for Celebrity Users appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1nlsG4B

Tweeting Just Got Easier Thanks To A New Twitter Client Called Robird

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

In case you haven’t found the perfect Twitter client app for use with your Android device yet,(and in my honest opinion this is because the two best have already reached their maximum amount of users: Carbon and Falcon Pro) a new Twitter client app called Robird for Twitter has popped up to offer a solution to those who are without when it comes to Twitter apps. Robird give users an option with a clean and minimalist look, with a simple to user interface and arguably one of the best and most useful features we’ve seen from any Twitter client app around. We’re putting all cards out on the table, and letting you know that Robird for Twitter will cost you $1.99 if you want to use it. With that being said, we think you’re getting your money’s worth here and it definitely has what it takes to be up there with the best of them.

First of all, one of the better features we’ve seen is the ability to Tweet anything any time, no matter what you’re doing within the app. Robird for Twitter achieves this by placing a tastefully noticeable button at the bottom right corner of the screen, which displays your Twitter profile image next to a pencil, which opens up a new tweet upon tapping it. This button never goes away and is placed on top of any page that you’re on inside the app so it’s always simple to Tweet something, and fast. We found it to be non obtrusive and out of the way just enough that it didn’t take away from the beautiful simplicity of the rest of the app. In terms of the apps aesthetics, Robird for Twitter is as minimalist as one could get without skimping on some nice design aspects. It has a clean news feed without a bunch of clutter, which is always nice. It also adds to the design by allowing users to choose a theme from a preset list, of which there are a few. We we’re partial to the standard dark theme show in the image above.

Everything else you need to access while using Twitter is just a tap or a swipe away, so using the app is nice and fluid. Settings is located in the top right, just like you’d find inside the Play Store and many other apps, which makes accessing the settings menu familiar and a snap, just tap and you’re there. As for everything else, we said it was just a swipe away and we weren’t kidding. From the main screen of your news feed, just swiping your finger from the left edge to the middle of the screen brings up anything else you could want or need to do in Twitter, and lays it out for you in a nice, clean list of options. Robird for Twitter has a dedicated Tablet UI so it’ll look great no matter what device you’re using it on. One of the other great things we noticed about it, is that it’s fast. Some other awesome and notable features about Robird for Twitter are that it has Pebble smartwatch support, and.. it has a widget extension for one of our other absolute favorite apps, which is Dashclock. There are plenty of other great features to Robird for Twitter but arguably too many details to name off. If you want to check out Robird for yourself, you can grab the app from the link here.

The post Tweeting Just Got Easier Thanks To A New Twitter Client Called Robird appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1lXZxuC

Get Ready For Angry Birds Epic, Rovio’s Take On The RPG Style Of Play

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

Rovio has been quite busy as of late it seems. They should be getting ready to release their new Angry Birds game called Angry Birds Stella, which features the female bird as the main character. If that were the only game that they had coming Angry birds fans would probably be extremely content. That’s not including any updates that they might have had planned in the near future for their already existing line up of Angry Birds games. Rovio isn’t stopping there though. Recently we let you guys in on some news about a new game that Rovio was hinting at with a teaser trailer, that showed us a suit of armor which ended up having the red bird inside the helmet, leaping out at the very end of the video.

If you wanted more information about what Rovio was planning, you got it. It seems that this new game is taking a turn down the wonderful path of RPG titles. Will it live up to the standard that great RPG games usually deliver? Who knows but it definitely looks and sounds interesting. According to Kotaku, the game is getting its soft launch in two regions, Canada and Australia. There has been no mention it about how long the soft launch will last and when other regions around the globe will get their chance to play this new epic Angry Birds game, or if it will follow a free game model like some of their other titles. All we know for the rest of the world is that the game will coming sometime later this year.

The game is actually even called Angry Birds Epic, which is as fitting of a title as Rovio could have possibly given it. Heavy RPG elements are said to be incorporated into the game play, with turn based combat found in typical JRPG games, and a heavy focus on crafting and upgrading items for your birds. We can only wonder if there will be massive bosses and team based fight systems. Something about a clan of birds battling through dungeons for epic loot just sounds hilariously awesome. The soft launch is reportedly a beta of sorts only for iOS, while the global launch of the final version will see the game land on multiple platforms consisting of iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8. This leads me to my next question, of if the game will support cross platform online play? That would be fantastic.

The post Get Ready For Angry Birds Epic, Rovio’s Take On The RPG Style Of Play appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1iCrvvy

ASUS Game Box Controller Shows Up On Official Bluetooth Website

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

With the various options that are already out there and available for meeting your Android home consoles needs, at least one major OEM seems to be trying their hand at making something to fill the needs of those who want hardware like this in their living rooms. ASUS, most known by many for their work on the last two Nexus 7 tablets, and the upcoming Padfone X on At&t, looks to be interested in entering the Android home console market. If this is true, I just have to say I’m already sold as I have loved every ASUS product I have ever owned. The ASUS Game Box as it seems to be called for now, was spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website which leads us to believe that we could see a new Android Console competitor vie for the crown in Android based gaming consoles against others like the OUYA and Mad Catz M.O.J.O. If ASUS is going to succeed here they’ll have to think about two major factors, content, and price. To be competitive they’ll have to try and come down lower than what Mad Catz is asking, and they’ll want to make sure that there is a large library of Android games available.

We had already learned a little about the ASUS Game Box from specs leaks listed on AnTuTu, so the Bluetooth listing just makes this that much more realistic. The Bluetooth listing was not for ASUS Game Box itself but rather the controller that looks to be used for playing the games that should be made available on the Game Box. Just looking at the image, the controller looks like it would comfortable to hold for extended or short sessions, and it seems to have all the standard buttons we see on gaming controllers these days. Spec wise the Game Box is thought to be using the Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and come packed with 2GB of RAM, but only 8GB of internal storage. The storage amount is fairly small so there should most likely be an option to expand on that in some way, whether it be with a microSD or flash drive support.

The Controller itself seems to support Bluetooth 3.0, and comes with a small but reasonable 430 mAh battery. The Bluetooth listing states that will provide the controller with up to 12 full hours of gameplay time before it needs a charge. That sounds good to us but we’ll have to wait and see if real world battery life follows the suggested time frame. So far there were no specifics about where the device is slated for launch, but the Bluetooth listing does have general geographic areas. The ASUS Game Box looks like it’s slated for launches in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. This of course could change between now and the time that it actually releases. We have no word as of yet on when we will see this hit stores, where you’ll be able to buy it or what it will cost. Personally we’re interested to see the ASUS Game Box itself.

The post ASUS Game Box Controller Shows Up On Official Bluetooth Website appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1nODBRa

Threes Please! Threes Game Developer Has Answered The Call, The Game Is Now Available On Android

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

If you’ve been spending all your time on the recently released game for Android called Fives, it’s time to cut that number down by two and give all your time to Threes!. Many of you may already know, and for those who don’t, Threes! was an extremely popular game on iOS, and it’s now available for Android. It’s a puzzle game where you have to match numbers on the board to get threes. Seems simple right? It is at first, but then gets increasingly more challenging and addictive. The games developer is referring to Threes! as a tiny game about matching numbers that can be learned quickly. That description is pretty much spot on. The basic idea of the game is to combine tiles to make multiples of three, and continue to do so while working towards your highest possible score before the board fills up. In a way it feels like it meshes together the stacking component of Tetris with matching up numbers for the high score factor.

The game is simple enough that anyone can pick it up, and with simple basic math skills can continue to play endlessly until your phones battery dies if you so choose. And that’s just what might end up happening if you ever decide to start playing the game in the first place. Seriously, it’s addicting. More addicting than Smash Hit,(which is still a great game)and once you begin you won’t want to put the game down. Right now the game is on sale for a limited amount of time to celebrate its Android launch, and the sale price is seemingly $1.99. That price is 33.3333333333% off according to Threes! developer, which is a quirky and humorous discount that is odd but makes complete sense given the nature of the game.

You can grab Threes! at any time from the Play Store from the link we have provided, just make sure that you don’t play it till you’re done with whatever work you might have to do during the day. Some other great parts about the game are no IAP whatsoever, so I know that many people will be happy about that specific factor to the game, it also has a great little soundtrack that the developer is describing as heart warming to lighten your mood, which might translate to keeping you from throwing your phone at the wall because you can’t seem to beat your high score.

The post Threes Please! Threes Game Developer Has Answered The Call, The Game Is Now Available On Android appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1oNz28d

All New HTC One Verizon Model With 32GB Of Storage Allegedly Sold On Ebay

via AndroidHeadlines.com |

We’re not sure what to make of this, and we certainly aren’t sure if we believe it just yet, but it appears that the Verizon Wireless model of the All New HTC One has made its way into an ebay listing auction and was reportedly sold online. HTC has not had the easiest time keeping details about the All New One under wraps, in fact, they have failed so horribly at keeping the specs, design, and seemingly everything else about the phone a secret that some people most likely lost some excitement. Nevertheless, the fact that an image of the Verizon packaging has surfaced up shouldn’t really surprise anyone as we’ve seen so many leaks at this point we should almost be expecting at least one or two a week.

The surprising part here is that this allegedly official Verizon All New One was sold on ebay. If this is true, someone who must have been a Verizon employee either got fired, or someone is just playing everyone for a fool. Most notably the person who is said to have made the purchase. That is, if the sale or auction were even real in the first place. Along with the picture of what the Verizon packaging seems to look like for the new HTC flagship device,(which is scheduled to receive the announcement on March 25th in New York and London, and is rumored to be released just two short weeks after that), the listing is said to have had the specs in it which we can’t verify because the listing auction has now ended and the link only goes to HTC One related auctions now. If this is all real and the auction was for a legitimate device, than there should be no more question about any of the specs we seem to have learned about so far. For the specs that would match up with what we’ve heard at least.

The listing apparently had the following spec sheet included. The platform was listed to have Android paired with HTC Sense which is an absolute given. We don’t think anyone would have been confused without this particular detail. Interestingly enough though it seems that the Android version was not listed, but from everything we already know the version should be Kit Kat. The CPU was listed as being the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked in at 2.3GHZ. The sim listed was of the nano size, which we saw on last years HTC One, and the storage size was listed as 32GB, with 2GB of RAM. It was also listed that the device was carrying a microSD slot for expandable storage, which we knew already as well. The other specs are the dual-lens camera with dual-led flash and UltraPixel, using a BSI sensor, and HTC image chip 2 with HDR video, and a 5MP front camera. HTC Boom Sound with dual front speakers was also listed. The display was listed as being a 1080P 5-inch display, and the connectivity rounded all the specs out with the standard 3.5mm audio port, micro USB, Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled, WiFi, DLNA, GPS/AGPS, NFC, and LTE.

Everything seems to match up, but we really have to wonder if the sale was real. We’ll probably know more about this in the near future. If not, all is well because we’re nearly at the announcement date for the device anyway, where HTC will tell us what all the specs are.

The post All New HTC One Verizon Model With 32GB Of Storage Allegedly Sold On Ebay appeared first on AndroidHeadlines.com |.

http://bit.ly/1nO2qwL