Samsung Galaxy S4 Official Release and Availability Announced

The months of speculation are finally over and the official release of the Galaxy S4 is here. Samsung themselves have released details about their newest top of the line device which will be available on all major network carriers. Although not giving a specific date, the “late April” claim is all we really have to go on. This may not suit some die hard fans who want to mark their calendars, but it’s the best we’ve got.

The price points are another big question which have been left out. Many fans are wondering if the price will be low enough to justify switching devices before their contract periods allow for discounts or not. The mobile carriers have been following suit and releasing their own announcements about getting their customers in line to preorder the new S4.

Although not entirely confirmed or for sure yet, two sources have credited T-Mobile and Sprint with spilling the beans a little early with release dates and prices for their specific networks. T-Mobile will offer the device starting April 24th and for $149.99 with new two year contract. Sprint will offer the S4 starting Arpil 27th and preorders opening tomorrow. The price for the S4 on Sprint will be $249.99, but offers an instant $100 credit towards the price if switching from another carrier.

AVG TuneUp – Battery Saver: A Great All-In-One App for Better Performance

All mobile device users know all too well the battle for battery life. No matter when you charge it, how often you use it, there is never quite enough battery when you really need it. It is a constant struggle that we all put up with, but now there is a contender in our corner with the AVG TuneUp app in the Google Play store. This app is an all around performance booster and battery management app.

Most of us have a small army of apps that we use to help conserve battery. In the end of the day all these apps do is limit the amount the apps themselves drain the battery life since we have to use all of them to manage various aspects of our battery use. The AVG TuneUp does away with that kind of thing and allows the battery use and performance of the app to be managed all in one app. A task killer, power saver, data use monitor, and storage manager are all included in this all inclusive app.

Now you don’t need four different apps to help you save battery, you just need to use this one. This app boasts increased power with battery life, more stability, and more space on your device. Get all of the benefits of these separate apps all in one app from a name that you can trust in technology, AVG

Source: AVG TuneUp – Battery Saver for Android

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]

Gameloft Releases Dungeon Hunter 4 in the Google Play Store

Dungeon Hunter is one of the most downloaded and highest rated games in the world of mobile Android gaming. The Dungeon Hunter franchise is one that has been faithfully growing with its extensive fan base over the years. The newest addition to this series, Dungeon Hunter 4 is now available in the Google Play store for old fans or new players alike.

The graphics in this game are nothing short of impressive. It’s one of those types of games you’d figure would really need a strong CPU or a more powerful than a mobile processor to get the full gameplay, but that’s not the case at all. If you’re a fan of RPGs and games with long, detailed plot lines and characters, then this is the kind for you.

There is a very well built and put together single player campaign mode, and an amazing multiplayer and co-op format to the game. All of these together create an amazing sense of teamwork and camaraderie whether battling alongside CPUs or with your friends.

Dungeon Hunter 4 has been receiving amazing reviews sine it has been released and the most complaints aren’t about the gameplay or the features, but about in app purchases. As with many massive multiplayers, there are options for purchasing tools and weapons outside of the app, to help your characters, and apparently there have been a few issues with this. Other than that it is a great app and one of the best mobile RPGs available.

Google Play Store: Dungeon Hunter 4 for Android

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]

Google Keep in an Always-On-Top Chrome Panel or a Simple Popup

Google Keep launched last month and the Evernote-esque note taking service for Google has already garnered a large following which grows each day. Just as when Google Drive launched, third party developers beat Google themselves in the race to make accompanying extensions for these services. Now, there is an extension for Google Chrome which allows Keep to function at its peak.

When taking notes on a computer one of the last things you want to have to continuously do is switch from window to window and tab to tab. Seeing both the content and the page of notes is vital to getting the most seamless note taking or reference jotting experience. Although there are ways to do this with two separate windows and drag and dropping one over the other, the bottom line is that it gets clunky and disorganized.

The Google Keep extension works through a function called “panels” which is an experimental feature that needs to be enabled for this to work. With Panels, you can have a portion of the browser set aside and devoted to keeping notes at all times. The Panel will always stay on the top of the other windows or tabs. If you don’t want this all powerful Panel masking a large portion of the window, you can also choose to open up Keep in a pop-up window or a new tab as well.

Although there are a few features that would have been nice to see with the Google Keep extension such as right click text editing for immediate saving and input, the overall extension works very well and is the first of its kind. So, although there may be creases to be ironed out, the effort was great and the ability to take notes in a more organized and efficient manner is certainly accomplished.

Chrome Store : Google Keep Extension for Chrome

[Image Credit: Chrome Web Store]

ZeroLemon 7000 mAh Battery Pack for Galaxy SIII

The idea of a smart phone is an incredibly caveat laden addition to our everyday lives. Not only do these devices add the stability and the function to our work and play on the go, but these machines have become extensions of ourselves on every level. Most students, parents, business people, and every folks cannot function without their smart phone now. The terrible thing is, the more powerful they get, the faster they run, the more functions they can take over, the sleeker their profiles become, the more of a drain on the battery it is. The average battery has a capacity of around 2100 mAh. This new one being offered from ZeroLemon for the Samsung Galaxy SIII comes in at a whopping 7000. That’s a capacity more than three times the conventional battery length.

Not only is this extended battery life going to enable you to remain mobile and working when you would otherwise be jockeying for an electrical outlet, or just plain out of luck on the road, but the cost of the battery is just under $34. At that price range the benefits far outweigh any of the possible negatives that could be associated with it. Although this battery does make the device noticeably larger simply due to the capacity, when taking into consideration the amount of time that will be added to the working possibilities of your day the size of the device is probably one of your last concerns.

The only other aspect of the phone battery that needs to added to the device is the case. The battery being larger means that the case it comes with will no longer be accustomed to your device. Obviously you should still keep it and keep your original battery charged up to have on hand as a spare, but to have a fully functional phone with the ZeroLemon battery of 7000 mAh, you’ll need to pick up a case on Amazon, or some other online retailer as these cases are not usually going to be able to be found in stores.

Source: Amazon Store – ZeroLemon Samsung Galaxy SIII 7000mAh Battery

[Image Credit: Amazon Store]

Hotspot Control: Access the Hidden Tethering of Your Device

Most Android devices have built in tethering functions. In fact, all devices from 2010 and on with Android 2.2 or later should have the feature. Whether it is hidden or accessible or not is another story. Chainfire, a well known developer for Android apps, has just released Hotspot Control, an app that allows you to unleash the tethering ability for your Android device whether or not it supposed to be available.

The app is designed with a clean and simple interface to accomplish a simple task. All you need to do is activate the app, pick a network name and password and then activate it. It’s worth mentioning that this is not meant as a tethering bypass, but simply to be used for a local connection only.

The other aspect worth noting for this app is that although it works on many devices it does not work on all of them. This is just a first run and the app is not designed and tested for every single device out there. Since many different carriers and software packages go about their tethering options and accessibility in different ways the only way to know if this will work on your device is to try it out. If you’re having issues then this is a great place to start and see if it works though.

Google Play: Hotspot Control for Android

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]