Kiran Upadhyay

A few months ago at Google I/O, Google demoed Android apps running on Chrome OS. Today, Google is making that demo a reality by launching "App Runtime for Chrome (Beta)." Google is not opening the floodgates and loading a full Play Store with every Chromebook; instead, it is manually bringing over certain apps. "Over the coming months, we’ll be working with a select group of Android developers to add more of your favorite apps so you’ll have a more seamless experience across your Android phone and Chromebook," the company said in its announcement. For now, the feature is launching with four compatible apps: Duolingo, Evernote, Sight Words, and Vine. One app not mentioned was Flipboard, which was demoed at I/O. We were curious about just how this worked, so we got some more details from a Google spokesperson: The app code is all running on top of the Chrome platform, specifically inside of Native Client. In this way the ARC (App Runtime for Chrome) apps run

Did you drop your shiny new(ish) Nexus 5 and wreck the screen? Don’t panic! Google has tweaked their stance on accidental damage a bit, and will now (probably) replace the handset for free — but there are a few catches. Word going around the rumor mill was that Google had suddenly instated a new policy regarding a replacements for Nexus handsets that had been accidentally damaged. The weird part? No one seemed to have confirmation from Google themselves on the matter. So we, you know, called Google and asked. Here’s what we learned: it’s not so much a “policy” as it is an “exception” that Google’s CS reps are allowed to make — so you probably don’t want to be a jerk about it when you call. Also, it doesn’t seem like every CS rep necessarily knows about this yet. Up until now, accidental damage — be it water damage or a shattered display — generally meant you’d foot the bill. A replacement screen, for example, would cost about $150 bucks (or about 42% of the cost of buying a n

Samsung and Nokia have signed an agreement to bring Nokia's HERE mapping service to just about every Samsung device imaginable. Nokia announced that HERE for Android will be exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy smartphone line, and it will also be bringing a mini version of HERE to Samsung's Tizen-based smartwatches, including the newly-announced Samsung Gear S. Nokia HERE's origins lie in Nokia's Ovi mapping service and the company's 2007 purchase of Navteq. HERE data is one of the main competitors to Google Maps—besides the in-house app, the data also powers Yahoo Maps, Bing Maps, Amazon Maps, and Garmin GPS devices. This Nokia has nothing to do with Microsoft, which only bought Nokia's "Devices & Services" division. The remaining parts of the company deal with maps, cellular networking technology, and R&D. The move is Samsung's latest attempt to distance itself from the Google ecosystem. "What will you do without Google Maps&quo

Xiaomi (pronounced SHAO-mee) is a complete mystery in the West. We often hear stories about the "Apple of China" and how existing OEMs should be worried, but it's rare to get a look at any actual devices from the company. China is the world's largest smartphone market, and the #1 OEM in China isn't Samsung or Apple—it's Xiaomi. The company was only founded in 2010, but it sold 18.7 million smartphones in 2013. It expects to triple that number this year. Why—and how—is this startup beating the biggest companies in the world? To discover Xiaomi's secrets and to investigate the state of Android in China, we imported the company's brand new flagship: say hello to the Xiaomi Mi4. Xiaomi's greatest strength is its execution. A lot of things the company does are not unique, but Xiaomi does a fantastic job of whatever it puts its mind to. So yes, the front of the Mi4 (pronounced mee-four) is basically a big iPhone, but it's also built like an iPh

Growing Android fragmentation — or device diversity if you prefer — has been visualized in a new report by crowdsourced cell phone signal startup OpenSignal, which has surveyed 682,000 devices to build its annual peek at Google’s mobile OS ecosystem. While OpenSignal’s mid-2012 OpenSignal survey recorded just under 4,000 different Android devices using its software over the prior 12 months, its 2013 report saw that figure grow almost 3x, to near 12,000. This year’s report shows continued expansion in the number of different Android devices in use, with the survey identifying 18,796 unique Android devices — a growth rate of around 60 percent, year on year. The data also shows a slight dip in dominance for leading Android OEM Samsung, which takes a 43 percent share of the Android device market over the surveyed period, vs. 47.5 percent in the year ago report. That tallies with a slowdown in Samsung’s growth this year that has taken a little of the sheen off the phone giant. Inter

Samsung has officially announced its first metal phone in a very long time: the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Normally, Samsung goes all-out in the specs department and puts all the pieces in a plastic case—but the Galaxy Alpha is all about design over specs. The Galaxy Alpha is a 4.7-inch device that uses a metal frame, but it's not an undisputed new flagship and doesn't have top-tier specs. The screen resolution is 1280×720, which works out to 312 PPI, below the pixel density of most Android flagships (~430 PPI) but right in the iPhone 5S range (326 PPI). Samsung's official blog lists the processor as either an "Octa Core (Quad 1.8GHz + Quad 1.3GHz)," which would be an Exynos processor, or a "Quad Core 2.5GHz" processor, which sounds like a Snapdragon processor (either an 801 or 805) that might land in the US version. The processor will be paired with 2GB of RAM, which again is not top-of-the-line for Android but should still make for a perfectly servic

Control your Android phone or tablet using the mouse and keyboard on your computer. Whether you want to respond to texts using your computer’s keyboard or use your tablet as a second screen for research, this setup feels like magic when it’s working. Even better: you can copy text on one device and paste it on another. Synergy has long made it possible for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers to share the same mouse and keyboard. Doing so is seamless: move your mouse pointer past the edge of one screen and you’re immediately in control of another device. This is perfect if you have two computers on the same desk. It’s 2014, and most people don’t have multiple computers on the same desk — but it’s not unusual to have an Android phone or tablet alongside your computer. If you’d like to control that device using the mouse and keyboard you already control your computer with, the Android version of Synergy is exactly what you’re looking for. Synergy for Android requires your device

Smartphones have come a long way in the last few years and one big trend is that they have become more stylish and affordable. Especially in a country like India, budget smartphones are hot these days, thanks to Chinese and Taiwanese brands such as Lenovo, Asus, ZTE, Gionee, Huawei; they have introduced high-end devices at relatively low prices—in classy designs. Xiaomi, a leading mobile internet company from China, is the latest to descend on the Indian soil. The first Mi smartphone that Xiaomi has launched here is the Mi 3, attractively priced at Rs 13,999. It has tied up with Flipkart for sale and delivery of this product. Xiaomi has also announced it will launch Redmi 1S and Redmi Note over the next few weeks. Like the flagship Mi3, these Mi smartphones deliver high performance at affordable prices. The 4.7-inch Redmi 1S will retail at Rs 6,999, while the 5.5-inch octa-core Redmi Note will go for Rs 9,999. In addition, Xiaomi plans to build India-specific features for its phones

It was a strange day when text messages took over phone calls as the primary way to communicate with personal contacts. For those of us without unlimited texting plans, it can be a pain to keep up with friends and family. Need a free way to send messages with your phone? Check out these apps. Facebook Messenger Not so long ago, we compared Facebook Messenger with Google Hangouts, looking to determine which of the two reigns supreme. Facebook came out on top (not unlike the actual social networks themselves), beating out Google in every way except in quality of audio/video calls. Today, Facebook Messenger remains a strong contender in the messaging arena. What’s good? The best “feature” of Facebook is its massive userbase. Even if the recipient doesn’t use Facebook Messenger itself, you can still send free messages to them. You can also make calls for free to other Messenger users over WiFi and data (though data charges still apply). The Chat Heads feature, which causes messag

The hardest part of exercise is finding the time to do it. Motivation is a big part of it as well, but I think there are many of us who want to exercise but can’t fit it into our schedules. Is there an answer for us? Fortunately, yes. Exercising doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment, and these apps prove that. Stretching is often overlooked by those new to exercise, but it’s fundamentally important for improving flexibility, increasing blood circulation, repairing poor posture, reducing risk of injury, mitigating muscle soreness, and relieving tenseness from muscles (which can help with stress). Stretching Exercises is a great aid to get you stretching well. Read More

Are you having trouble trying to figure out how to work your Android smartphone? In part one of this series, we covered the basics of Android for absolute beginners, including topics like the homescreen, using apps, and adding contacts. If you just received an Android phone and don’t have any idea what you’re doing, you should start with that article. If you’re not a beginner but still want some tips, check out the full Android guide, or check out this article if you’re looking for apps to install on a fresh phone. If you’ve read through the first part of this guide for Android newcomers (we’ll assume you have going forward), you’re ready to master your phone. In part two, you’ll get acquainted with your phone even more, including understanding some settings — all in an easy-to-understand tone for amateurs. The disclaimer about Android differences in the previous article still applies here. Let’s get into it! Using The Back, Home, And Recent Buttons Before, we talked about how

For each Android release, Google likes to have a "Project" that picks an area of weakness and focuses on tuning the whole OS to fix it. In Jelly Bean we had  Project Butter , a concerted effort to make Android's UI animations run at 60fps. In  KitKat  there was Project Svelte, which aimed to get the OS running on only 512MB of RAM. Now in Android L we have "Project Volta," an attempt to boost the battery life of Android devices. Like the projects that came before it, Volta is a wide-ranging effort that touches many different parts of the OS. Google did some testing and found that waking a device up for one second burns  two minutes  of standby time. This isn't just turning the screen on—it also means an app waking the processor and modem to check for updates. To cut down on this battery burn, Android L has a new "JobScheduler" API that allows the OS to batch up unimportant app requests like database cleanup and log uploading. Developers can a

Calling all Android tinkerers! There’s one aspect of Android customization that a lot of users tend to overlook. Once you’ve fiddled around with a  custom Android ROM , new  Android launchers , new  icon packs , new wallpapers, and a  nifty new keyboard , is there anything left to play with? Yes! The lockscreen. Are you tired of looking at the same, boring screen every time you wake up your phone from sleep? That screen is called the lockscreen — because most users require a password or gesture to unlock access to the device — and it can be easily customized. Are you ready to breathe new life into your phone? Start Formerly known as Active Lockscreen, Start has really earned itself a large and loyal following. It’s sleek, classy, and packed full of features that make it a strong choice for an “all-in-one” lockscreen; in other words, it allows you to perform many different actions directly from the lockscreen itself. On the left, there’s a sidebar that lets you manage all

Windows 8 tablets are becoming more widely used, but the operating system – at least in its Modern mode – is light on the ground with particular apps. One way around this is to install Android on your tablet. Although installing Android on a desktop PC is reasonably straightforward (perhaps installing Android x86 on its own partition or using BlueStacks, YouWave or the Official Android Emulator), you might find that there are a couple of problems installing Google’s popular operating system on a Windows tablet: namely, that the tablet doesn’t have a CD/DVD drive. What this means is that things can get a bit messy, especially when you combine this shortcoming with the implications that Windows 8′s safe boot system has on installing an additional OS. What Tablet Are You Using? Although the process of installing Android on your Windows tablet – and by this I’m specifically referring to an Intel x86 device here rather than one equipped with an ARM processor (such as the Microsoft

On my beloved Rooted Nook Simple Touch I have a  serious  problem. It doesn’t have Play Store access and Titanium Backup isn’t entirely functional. I also need older copies of my apps to work with Android 2.1. This forces me to use a manual app extraction and backup method. But anyone with an older device, or an interest in the Android operating system’s file structure, will want to know the manual method. Exraction is known as “pulling”, which is the opposite of “sideloading”, copying a file to an Android device. Manually backing up apps requires that you  pull  the executable file out of a Play Store enabled device and  sideload  (transfer) it onto your Play Store-less device. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t. But the process itself doesn’t require much effort. While apps such as  Titanium Backup  or the Amazon Market can help acquire apps, it doesn’t give you a feel for interacting with the Android file structure. Furthermore, if something goes wrong with Titaniu