Samsung GALAXY Mega unveils with 5.8 and 6.3 inch sizes

Samsung has been on a roll lately with their steady announcements of new devices. This is a welcome addition to the smart phone market which has been plagued by the same old thing for a couple of years now. There have been tablet/phone combinations before on the market, but with all of these larger Samsung devices hitting the shelves in the coming months there may finally be a new style of phone which is widely used. Samsung announced two of these larger screen based phone devices which are being dubbed under the Galaxy Mega title. They will feature screens with the 5.8 inch and 6.3 inch varieties.

The stats and specifications of the Galaxy Mega line will resemble in many ways the new S4 device, but with just a sizable screen added to the mix. The thing about the massive screens is that the resolution is not great. Lower than that of the S4 and S3 and many other Android devices. This begs the question of what niche these devices are playing to. If they are not seeking those who want the highest definition screen and just people who want a larger than normal phone screen the market for that kind of thing will be seen to be desirable or not.

They will come packed with the newest Android software and the double sided cameras for front and rear use. Other than those types of specifications the phones are all around pretty decent but nothing groundbreaking. They will have decent batteries and pretty good memory expansion with the MicroSD card slots. They are a new combination phone and tablet, but edging very close to just a large phone and not really a tablet. We’ll see how successful these devices turn out to be.

Instagraph: The Temporary Instagram for Windows Phone 8 Users

It is now a running joke among Instagram users, where the Windows Phone 8 users are the butt of the joke, that they don’t have access to Instagram. Instagram is the largest and most effective photo sharing social media platform there is right now. This flaw that Instagraph has exploited allows Instagram to be updated and used through the Instagraph program app. Now Windows Phone 8 users can use Instagram like the rest of their mobile device using friends.

Instagram has been that end goal that Windows Phone 8 users have always wanted. It is sort of now available. Although this is not the official Instagram for Windows Phone, it will allow you to use and actual Instagram account with a Windows 8 Phone. This is a big first step in the right direction and allows some level of Windows Phone 8 support.

There are of course catches to a non official app. The first is that you are throttled to 3 uploads a day. This is to not fill the server with tons of downloads as the app is supported by a much smaller company than a Google or Facebook style developer like Instagram is. The developer does say that they are upgrading the servers and will either increase this quota or eliminate it completely in a short amount of time.

There have been a lot of complaints with this app so far in terms of it not working appropriately or at all. This is often the case with smaller independent developers, but hopefully soon enough the problems will be fixed and Windows Phone 8 users can have this pseudo Instagram on their phones.

Source: Instagraph App for Windows Phone

[Image Credit: Windows Phone Store]

 

Cinemagram is Launched for Android Devices

Cinemagram is an odd little app to describe, but it is quite an entertaining and useful one at times. What it boils down to is essentially an Instagram for short movies or GIF files. While this may seem a bit weird, I assure you the demand is there, and the entertainment value is great. This app has been a long time coming since it has been available for iOS for quite a while, and the developers have hinted at this app for Android for over a year.

To really say what this app does you really need to understand what a GIF is. It is a small segment of a video which loops back over and over of the same clip to create a little video that never ends. You can finally turn your own videos into these GIFs and even clip, edit, and choose which portions of the video to animate and which to remain still.

The app is still brand new to the Android market and so there are the inevitable flaws and bugs which need to be ironed out. The bottom line is that the app is still very fun and allows you to make the absolute quickest short video clips to share and get to your friends. Vine is a very similar app which allows creation and sharing of videos, so we’ll see which app wins the Beta Max vs. VHS style battle in the end.

Google Play: Cinemagram App for Android

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]

External Keyboard Helper: Helps Make the Most of an Attached Keyboard

Anyone who uses an Android device for more than just leisure has flirted with the idea of connecting an external keyboard to their device. No matter how good a touch keyboard interface is, or how well the applications are set up around them, you can expect some bumps in the road or some problems to arise. External Keyboard Helper Pro is an app that was specially designed to make your external keyboard function to the best of its ability and make your portable computing experience the best it can be.

The thing about this app is that it really does help make using an external keyboard better. Features such as a whole slew of international keyboard layout supports, combining character shortcuts, and full layout and modification customization within the app. Using a keyboard the way you want to with an Android will have never been less painless.

There is a demo version available for free, but it is pretty stripped down compared to the actual paid version which is only $2.48 in the app store. The great thing about this app is that any issues that are brought up are discussed and usually fixed within a very short period of time and customer support seems to be amazing. Working with external, third party hardware can be very frustrating, but the tutorials and walkthroughs they have set up make the process much easier and better to navigate.

If you use an external keyboard or need better support for your keyboard and Android device, then check out External Keyboard Helper. I feel like this app is worth it for the international layout feature alone, but the other aspects just make it hard to turn down.

Google Play: External Keyboard Helper Pro

[Image Credit: Google Play Store]

Newly Redesigned Google Play Store Released Today

Google Play is now the storefront for all Android based app downloads and products. The interface has been updated heavily over the past few years, but now the Google Play Store has been completely redesigned and released today. Hold onto the edge of your seats and prepare yourself to discover all that the new Google Play Store has to offer.

The news of the Google Play Store renovation has been rumored for a few months now. This morning however, Google made the official announcement about their release of the new platform. The new version of the Google Play Store features a more streamlined approach to the marketplace and better integration of the Google services like searching and Google Now.

The main difference is the quality and the presentation of the user interface, or UI. They have switched to a “card” system rather than their old lists. Now icons feature the presentation of the app or widget rather than simply a name on a list. Google Play also removed over 60,000 apps from their stock to slim down the number of low selling, low performing, and unwanted apps. This is a step towards improving the overall experience and only having great quality apps for Android users.

Don’t fret if your Google Play Store goes without being updated for a little while. The strain this will put on Google’s servers will be enormous, so while some will have the new store today, others may be weeks behind.

Source : Android Blog

LightMail: A Great Mail App for iPhone

One of the biggest problems with the built in iPhone app suite is the mail app. It leaves so much to be desired that most users seek a third party resolution. Although there are many mail alternative apps out there for iPhone users, there is a great one that is simple and easy to use, but allows all of the features the stock app doesn’t have. It’s called LightMail.

One of the main issues I had with the mail app on iPhone was with attachments. Writing and blogging all of the time means that I’m constantly being emailed attachments and sending attachments to other people. In the stock mail app you have to scroll down to the particular message and dig it out no matter how far back it is, or how difficult it may be to find. In LightMail, every attachment is stored in one, easy to find place. This eliminates a lot of the guesswork or finding these.

Also, for some reason or another my iPhone email never seemed to fully sync with all of the mail carriers I had it linked to, but I haven’t had that issue yet with LightMail. Signing up all of your notifications for your email addresses into the LightMail interface is quick and easy. And, with offline reading, you can download emails to save and read later if you know you’ll be somewhere without network or WiFi connection.

Last but not least the app is free which means you have very little to lose. I liked it and now use it as my go to email app for my iPhone and iPad, but if you don’t it’s not like you wasted any money on it. If you’ve been battling with your default email app give this a try and I can almost guarantee you’ll be converted.

Source: LightMail App for iPhone

[Image Credit: iTunes Store]