Kiran Upadhyay

It might be a while before we get to see Android 5.0, but what would you expect from the future Android OS? A cleaner lock-screen, perhaps? How about a reworked Settings page? Or extended widget functions on the lock-screen? Well, this is what  Codebuild  came up with. Is it missing anything in particular?

What exactly is the difference between a Google Chromecast and a generic Android Mini PC stick? Although visually similar, Chromecast and Android sticks work quite differently. The Chromecast is simply an enabler. It enables you to mirror your Chrome tab from your computer to your TV, or broadcast certain apps from your Android or iOS device to your TV. It’s supplementary to the devices you already own. On the other hand, Android sticks are essentially Android phones without a screen or the cellular component. They run the full Android operating system, generally version 4.2, and can plug into any TV and accept input from devices like USB and Bluetooth mice and keyboards. These devices stand alone and don’t need the help of another computer or mobile device. So which is right for you? Let’s take a look at some of their features to dissect exactly what they are, and then we’ll see what kind of user would benefit the most from each. Google Chromecast Announced back in July,

Tired of sluggish apps bogging down your phone and bringing it to a crawl? Who doesn’t want a faster phone with faster apps so we can accomplish our tasks faster, faster, fast? Mobile browsers can sometimes be packed with unnecessary features, resulting in lag and frustration while surfing the web.  Super Fast Browser  attempts to fix that. There is, of course, the danger of swinging to the other side of the spectrum. Even if we didn’t want a fat and bloated browser, a barebones browser without any features would be just as frustrating. Super Fast Browser understands this and strives to provide a balanced experience: fast and sleek without sacrificing those wonderful browser features that you’ve come to love and adore. First Impressions An upfront confession: I rarely browse the web on my phone. That probably disqualifies me from making any judgments about  Android web browsers , but the  reason  I don’t browse much is because I have yet to find a browser that works for

Tired of big and bloated Android launchers that pack in useless features that you’ll never use? Sick of launchers that seem to be nothing more than copy-and-paste jobs and have no additional value? Smart Launcher may not be the first minimalist launcher on the Play Store, but it has successfully made itself into a launcher that prioritizes speed and efficiency without being ugly. I recently wrote an article detailing five awesome Android launchers for you to use, but the comments really surprised me with all the new launchers that I hadn’t yet discovered. Since then, I’ve gone ahead and reviewed the stylish Buzz Launcher as well as published a write-up on the minimal Yandex.Shell launcher. Reader  Dan  introduced me to  Smart Launcher , which very well might be my favorite launcher yet. Keep reading to find out why. First Impressions Like most launchers these days, Smart Launcher starts you off with a quick wizard. There are about half a dozen steps, each one asking you to

It’s been just over a month since Google officially announced the new Nexus 5 and Android 4.4 KitKat, but it isn’t sitting on its laurels. There are already over-the-air (OTA) updates rolling out to Nexus devices, and depending on which one you have, you should be seeing a notification to download Android 4.4.1 or 4.4.2 soon. Android 4.4.1 is the big update and brings a bunch of new changes. Google Nexus 5 reviews have noted that the camera isn’t as good as what you get on other smartphones, but the update is meant to fix that. It squashes some bugs and speeds up the overall performance of the camera, even with the optical image stabilization. Apart from that, the new Photos app is now the default Gallery app, haptic feedback has been tweaked, volume issues have been sorted out, and a bunch of bugs have been fixed. Koushik Dutta of CyanogenMod also says that the much-vaunted Chromecast will get the ability to mirror the screen of your Android device soon, something that curren

The Verge  has gotten a hold of an advance copy of Android 4.4.1, and the site says the update is all about improving the Nexus 5's disappointing camera performance. According to the report, the camera app is all-around faster, Google has sped up the shutter speed and auto focus, and the app opens a full second faster than it used to. Getting an in-focus photo is now much easier, as the shutter button no longer tries to refocus the picture when pressed; it just captures an image. Shots of moving objects are less blurry, and quality is up, too, with more contrasting images. The report also says that Google has a project underway to make Android's camera "more controllable and obvious." In the future, Google will work on undoing the layers upon layers of settings in the arc menu design. For now, there is a new progress bar in HDR+ mode, which better communicates the longer photo-taking process This is just Google's first attempt at improving the camera; it

Are you a tech support person on the go? Maybe you just want to be able to set up a download on your home computer while you’re away. There are any number of reasons why you might want to use your Android device for Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access to a Windows computer. If you’ve got an Android phone or tablet, and can set up Remote Desktop Protocol access on your Windows computer, you will find at least one good RDP client for you here. If you’re looking for something for your iPad, James Bruce writes it up well in The Best Free Remote Desktop Apps for Your iPad. Before we go any further, we should clarify that these clients do require a Windows computer to be set up with Remote Desktop Connection enabled. There are other ways to remotely connect to, and control, your desktop. Often they use an intermediary service like  LogMeIn  or one of these12 Excellent, Free Screen Sharing & Remote Access Tools You Haven’t Heard Of Yet . There are also open source alternatives, most

Google Hangouts for Android just received SMS-integration, while  Facebook Messenger for Android   just received a completely new user interface. As two of the best messaging apps out there, this just makes them even harder to choose between. On the surface, they’re quite similar, but dig a bit deeper and you begin to see the major differences. To decide on a winner, I’ll be examining every facet of both apps from their visual appearances to their differentiating features. Let’s get started. User Base First off, to message anyone on Messenger or Hangouts, they have to be using that service (unless you’re sending an SMS through Hangouts). That means that no matter how amazing an app is, it’s useless if none of your friends use it. Since Facebook already has a massive user base, and Google+ (which is tightly integrated with Hangouts) still struggles to gain steam, Facebook has a clear advantage here. Winner: Facebook Messenger User Interface Hangouts has the typical

Computer, find me the best route to Mars”. Sounds familiar? If you grew up in the 80s, 90s, or even the 00s, this was the symbol of the future. We saw our sci-fi heroes do it on screen, and we dreamed of being able to talk to our devices ourselves. Tell them what to do, ask them questions, and have them answer immediately. Well, it’s not science fiction anymore. Slowly, without us noticing, the future has arrived. Voice recognition is something we take for granted, and Siri, and all the awesome things it can do, is a household name. Google’s live-in phone intelligence goes by the less catchy moniker of Google Now, but many of us know it simply as “OK Google”. It can conduct Google searches for you and call people for you, but did you know it can do much more? Here are the best things you can say to your Android phone. Try them. If you don’t, you’re not really living in the future! Before We Start Google voice commands work via the Google Now app . The app generally wor

Android KitKat is out , and there’s no way you’ve missed it. Whether you’re an Android fan, an Apple buff or a Windows Phone enthusiast, you must have heard something about Android 4.4. But should you care? The simple answer is that you probably should. Android 4.4 is not only the latest and greatest from Google, it’s also made to run smoothly on lower-end devices. This means you may be using this version of Android before you know it, no matter which device you own (as long as it runs Android, of course). So what’s new and exciting about Android 4.4? What’s worth waiting for, even for non-techies? Here’s a full list. Phone Book In Your Phone In Android KitKat, Google decided to bring its search powers all the way to your dialer and contact list. Aside from searching through your own contacts, you will also be able to search for phone numbers you don’t even have. Want to call the nearest pet store? Type in the name where you usually search for contacts, and Google will find