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Monday, 24 December 2012

myBattery for Windows Phone

Posted on 11:34 by Unknown
MyBattery" is out, and it's free for some days!

Do you want to see your battery level in the live tile or in the lock screen?
NOW YOU CAN.. with the best app for this category!
Just pin the tile and check your battery level.


Features:
  • Modern UI with animations.
  • Battery percentage.
  • Remaining charge time.
  • Charts: from daily to all history.
  • Swap chart color.
  • Choose your images: colored or not.
  • Notifications in the Lock screen.

    Windows Phone API limitations:
    • The live tile and the lock screen can be updated approximately every 30 minutes.
    • The live tile and the lock screen can show percentage from 0 to 99.
    • The notification icon in the lock screen can't change.



    Check the marketplace now: Download myBattery


    QRCode
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    Posted in appdeals, apphub, c#, hot, marketplace, microsoft, myBattery, silverlight, windows phone | No comments

    Sunday, 2 December 2012

    Windows Phone - Battery API

    Posted on 10:24 by Unknown
    One of the new additions with the Windows Phone SDK 8.0, is the ability to query the battery charge.

    Here the simple code:
    Battery battery = Battery.GetDefault();
    var percentage = battery.RemainingChargePercent;
    var remainingTime = battery.RemainingDischargeTime;

    And the event:
    battery.RemainingChargePercentChanged += (s, args) =>
    {
    // your code here
    };

    Enjoy!
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, hot, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Tuesday, 13 November 2012

    myTasks for Windows Phone

    Posted on 09:41 by Unknown
    With myTasks you can manage your daily tasks in easy steps.


    Change the priority with a double tap and customize the UI as you wish.
    Complete and restore the tasks with one tap.
    If need, set the due date and/or the reminders.
    With the new version you can backup and restore your data via SkyDrive.

    UI customizations:
    • Task color
    • Priority color
    • Task font size
    • Priority font size
    • Live Tiles

    Check the Marketplace and buy myTasks for only 0.99$.

    QRCode
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    Posted in appdeals, c#, csharp, marketplace, microsoft, silverlight, tasks, windows phone | No comments

    Saturday, 10 November 2012

    NowPlaying for Windows Phone

    Posted on 03:01 by Unknown
    With NowPlaying you can listen your music and share the #NowPlaying hashtag in Twitter, Facebook and the other networks.


    Gestures control:
    • Open your media library.
    • Play or pause the music.
    • Move to next or previous song.
    • Share your #NowPlaying status.



    More features:
    • Live Tile customizable with the last song played.
    • Select your #NowPlaying style from the default formats or create your own with the simple editor: you have the full control.
    • Disable the Lockscreen from the application.

    Check NowPlaying in the Marketplace and remember to swipe down to share!

    QRCode
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    Posted in appdeals, marketplace, microsoft, music, NowPlaying, silverlight, telerik, windows phone | No comments

    Sunday, 4 November 2012

    Windows 8 - Images and DPI

    Posted on 14:13 by Unknown
    Windows 8 is DPI aware then the applications auto-scale images according to DPI and screen resolution:
    • 100% when the scale is not applied.
    • 140% when the screen resolution is 1920x1080 and for all devices with minimum 174 DPI.
    • 180% when the screen resolution is 2560x1440 and for all devices with minimum 240 DPI.

    The developer can use vectorial elements like SVG or XAML without problems.

    Otherwise when the developer uses the images raw, bitmap, png or jpg, he needs to create a file for every case.

    He can explicit the scale factor in the file extension:
    \myLogo.scale-100.jpg
    \myLogo.scale-140.jpg
    \myLogo.scale-180.jpg

    Or use the folder convention:
    \scale-100\myLogo.jpg
    \scale-140\myLogo.jpg
    \scale-180\myLogo.jpg

    When the application don't has static images, it's possible to create a logic to have the same result from code behind.
    switch (DisplayProperties.ResolutionScale)
    {
    case ResolutionScale.Scale100Percent:
    img.Source = new BitmapImage(new Uri("url?s=100"));
    break;
    case ResolutionScale.Scale140Percent:
    img.Source = new BitmapImage(new Uri("url?s=140"));
    break;
    case ResolutionScale.Scale180Percent:
    img.Source = new BitmapImage(new Uri("url?s=180"));
    break;

    default:
    // some exception
    }

    The class DisplayProperties has some event to help the developer:
    • ColorProfileChanged: when the color profile changes.
    • LogicalDpiChanged: when the the pixel per inches (PPI) changes.
    • OrientationChanged: when device orientation changes.
    • StereoEnabledChanged: when the property StereoEnabled changes (3D stereoscopic).


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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, silverlight, windows 8, windows RT | No comments

    Sunday, 28 October 2012

    Windows Phone - Localization

    Posted on 05:09 by Unknown
    When you publish a Windows Phone application in the Marketplace, you have more visibility if you support the region language.

    An easy way to build a localized app is to use resources file (.resx).

    First of all remember to set the default "neutral" language in the project properties! This is an important step because the "AppResources.resx" file is used from all not specified languages.

    Add new file, and name it "AppResources.resx" for default language. For a new language, just add a new resource named with the CultureInfo ISO letters:
    • AppResources.it-IT.resx for italian language.
    • AppResources.cs-CZ.resx for czech language.
    • AppResources.fr-FR.resx for french language.
    • etc..
    Remember to set all resource files to the public access modifier.



    Now unload your project and edit the csproj file to add your supported language:
    <SupportedCultures>it-IT;en-US;cs-CZ;fr-FR</SupportedCultures>

    Create a class to get your resources.

    public class LocalizedStrings
    {
    private static AppResources localizedResources = new AppResources();

    public AppResources Strings
    {
    get
    {
    return localizedResources;
    }
    }
    }

    In your xaml you need to declare your class as resource:
    <phone:PhoneApplicationPage.Resources>
         <local:LocalizedStrings x:Key="LocalizedStrings"/>
     </phone:PhoneApplicationPage.Resources>

    Now you can use your localized string like this:
    Text="{Binding Strings.Loading, Source={StaticResource LocalizedStrings}}"
    Or from code behind:
    txtLoading.Text = AppResources.Loading;

    To test your app you can insert this code in application launching event:
    Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = new System.Globalization.CultureInfo("it-IT");
    Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new System.Globalization.CultureInfo("it-IT");

    All CultureInfo codes here.
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, hot, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Friday, 19 October 2012

    Windows Phone - Get Album Art

    Posted on 14:45 by Unknown
    When you use MediaPlayer class in Windows Phone, usually you want to get the album cover for the current song.
    You can access the current track with the ActiveSong property. This property is exposed by the Queue of MediaPlayer. Then you can check out the album art.

    This code is all you need:

    if (MediaPlayer.Queue.ActiveSong.Album.HasArt)
    {
    BitmapImage bmp = new BitmapImage();
    bmp.SetSource(MediaPlayer.Queue.ActiveSong.Album.GetAlbumArt());
    imgAlbum.Source = bmp;
    }
    Read More
    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, music, silverlight, tips, windows phone, xna | No comments

    Saturday, 6 October 2012

    Equality Comparer with Lambda

    Posted on 07:03 by Unknown
    Today, it's normal to write code with LINQ and Lambda Expressions.
    But when you need to use IEqualityComparer, it's not possibile to use a lambda predicate.
    The Interface needs a class, then you have to create a new type that inherit from IEqualityComparer.

    You can use this workaround:
     
    public class EqualityComparer<T> : IEqualityComparer<T>
    {
      private Func<T, T, bool> _fnEquals;
      private Func<T, int> _fnGetHashCode;
       public EqualityComparer(Func<T, T, bool> fnEquals, Func<T, int> fnGetHashCode)
      {
       _fnEquals = fnEquals;
       _fnGetHashCode = fnGetHashCode;
      }
       public bool Equals(T x, T y)
      {
       return _fnEquals(x, y);
      }
       public int GetHashCode(T obj)
      {
       return _fnGetHashCode(obj);
      }
    }

    The simple usage is:

     
    Dictionary<int, string> d = new Dictionary<int, string>() { { 1, "a" }, { 2, "a" }, { 3, "b" } };

    var d2 = d.Distinct(new EqualityComparer<KeyValuePair<int, string>>((kvp1, kvp2) => kvp1.Value == kvp2.Value, kvp => kvp.Value.GetHashCode()));
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, lambda, microsoft, tips | No comments

    Monday, 24 September 2012

    Windows Phone - Settings Page in 5 minutes

    Posted on 13:34 by Unknown
    The best user experience for a settings page is: stay away from the save button.

    People don't love to press the back button and lose all settings. Then it's better to save when the user does something.

    Thanks to Jerry Nixon you can use this code and have a base framework for all your applications.

        public static bool EnableLocation
        {
            get { return Get("EnableLocation", false); }
            private set { Set("EnableLocation", value); }
        }

        public static event PropertyChangedEventHandler SettingChanged;

        private static T Get<T>(string key, T otherwise)
        {
            try
            {
                return (T)IsolatedStorageSettings.ApplicationSettings[key];
            }
            catch { return otherwise; }
        }

        private static void Set<T>(string key, T value)
        {
            IsolatedStorageSettings.ApplicationSettings[key] = value;
            if (SettingChanged != null)
                SettingChanged(null, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(key));
        }

    The code is very easy:
    • the "Get" function return the default value if the key don't exists.
    • the "Set" function uses an event to immediatly reflect changes into your apps.
    • the functions use "Generics".

    Enjoy!
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Friday, 14 September 2012

    myMoneyBook for Windows Phone

    Posted on 15:16 by Unknown
    "myMoneyBook" is an easy way to manage your personal finances. You can customize catogories according to your needs, and set a monthly budget to keep track of what you spent. The dashboard summarize the balance with simple indicators and have two big tiles to speed up your operations.
    All screens are in perfect Windows Phone style.
    It's possible to set your privacy with a password.

    There is a fast option to backup and restore all data via SkyDrive, and to export the records in file .csv.


    The landscape mode show customizable and zoomable charts for detailed statistics.


    "myMoneyBook" offers also customizable live tile:
    • Change image
    • Enable budget alert
    • Show today balance
    • Show monthly balance
    • Show total balance

    At moment myMoneyBook is translated in Italian, English and Czech language.



    More screenshots:


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    Posted in appdeals, apphub, c#, csharp, developers, marketplace, microsoft, moneybook, mymoneybook, silverlight, windows phone | No comments

    Thursday, 13 September 2012

    Windows Phone - Live Tiles with Telerik

    Posted on 11:38 by Unknown
    The default Windows Phone framework offers a simple template for tiles:
    • Static background image from application or from url.
    • Title.
    • Number (top right).
    • A back message.

    With Telerik RadControl for Windows Phone you have more power in your hands!
    
    
    myWeather

    "LiveTileHelper" class helps you to create dynamic live tiles with your own design and your own content.

    The "RadExtendedTileData" extends the standard tile data with two properties VisualElement and BackVisualElement.
    Now the amazing thing: this properties accept UIElement. Yes, UIElement!!

    Now let's code...
    LiveTileHelper.CreateOrUpdateTile( 
    new RadExtendedTileData()
    {
    Title = "My front title",
    VisualElement = new MyUserControl(),
    BackTitle = "My back title"
    BackContent = "My back message",
    BackVisualElement = new MyUserControl2(),
    },
    new Uri("/MainPage.xaml?param=myparam", UriKind.RelativeOrAbsolute)
    );

    You can customize MyUserControl and MyUserControl2 as you want, the only limit is your imagination.

    Then, why should you use this controls?
    • Easyness
    • More features
    • Time saver
    • Support and help

    And remember this: a good app, has a good live tile.
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, hot, microsoft, silverlight, telerik, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Saturday, 8 September 2012

    Windows Phone - Low memory devices

    Posted on 08:44 by Unknown
    SDK 7.1.1 includes features specifics to developing for 256MB devices (Nokia Lumia 610 and others).

    Low memory devices have some limitations, then you need to check the memory size and if needed, disable some features to target the largest possible market.

    First, you need this MemoryHelper:
    public static class MemoryHelper
    {
    public static bool IsLowMemDevice { get; set; }

    static MemoryHelper()
    {
      try
      {
       Int64 result = (Int64)DeviceExtendedProperties.GetValue("ApplicationWorkingSetLimit");
      if (result < 94371840L) IsLowMemDevice = true; else IsLowMemDevice = false;
      }
      catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
      {
       //windows phone OS not updated, then 512mb
       IsLowMemDevice = false;
      }
    }
    }

    Now you can easy detect device type:
    if (MemoryHelper.IsLowMemoryDevice)
    // do some work


    Tips:
    • PeriodicTask and ResourceIntensiveTask classes are not supported to 256MB phones. This background agents throw an exception if you try to schedule them on this devices.
    • Check your app with Windows Phone Memory Profiler (it is included in VS2010).
    • Use WebBrowserTask instead of the <WebBrowser /> control to display web pages.
    • Use BingMapsTask instead <Map /> control.
    • Consider to reduce image quality and reduce the number of the animations.
    • Avoid long lists of data. The best practice is to use data virtualization.
    • Consider to disable page transitions.
    • Remember to test your application with all two emulators!
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Thursday, 6 September 2012

    Windows Phone - Keyboard suggestions

    Posted on 12:15 by Unknown
    In Windows Phone standard apps (like mail and messaging), when you enter a text, you will see the list of suggestions for the text you are typing.

    In your app, every Textbox has the ability to have an InputScope assigned to it.

    XAML:
    <TextBox InputScope="Text" /> 
     
    InputScope help the developer to assign also the good keyboard for the context:
     
    • URL: this keyboard gives you a ".com" button to finish typing your URLs, but that button, with a long-tap, will also expand to show you .net, .org, .edu, and .co.uk.
    • TelephoneNumber: it gives the user a numeric dial pad instead of an alphabetic keyboard.
    • EmailNameOrAddress: it gives a period, an @ symbol and ".com" button.

    You can find more InputScopeNameValue enumerator on MSDN.
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Wednesday, 5 September 2012

    Windows Phone - Share Status Task

    Posted on 21:00 by Unknown
    Microsoft made available to developers some Launchers and Choosers.
    Now is very easy to share your status in the most popular social networks with a simple code:

    ShareStatusTask shareStatusTask = new ShareStatusTask();

    shareStatusTask.Status = "Hello, today is a great day";

    shareStatusTask.Show();
     
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    Posted in c#, csharp, developers, microsoft, silverlight, tips, windows phone | No comments

    Wednesday, 1 August 2012

    You asked, we listened: more Android!

    Posted on 11:21 by Unknown

    A few months ago, we asked what content you wanted to see more of on the Google Mobile Blog, and the answer was quite clear: more Android! We launched +Android on Google+ and now we’ve launched the Official Android Blog, a new place for you to find all the latest news from the Android team.

    Going forward, the new Android Blog will be a must-read for anyone interested in the latest news like today's Google Wallet announcement. Thanks for being such a great audience over the years.

    Posted by the Mobile Blog Team
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    Tuesday, 19 June 2012

    Google Offers app now available on iPhone

    Posted on 10:33 by Unknown
    Today we’re announcing the new Google Offers app for iPhone. Now, iPhone users can discover, buy and redeem Google Offers, as well as deals from our partners, on-the-go. Some of the features of the new Google Offers app for iPhone include:
    • Instant savings, just around the corner: Quickly discover offers near you in map view or search for deals by category to easily find the right deal for you.
    • See & use the deals you want, when you want them: All of your purchased and saved offers are tracked in "My Offers,” for easy access from your iPhone or online.
    • Savings made simple: Instantly redeem most offers with your iPhone, without having to print vouchers.
    • Never miss a great deal: Get notifications when new deals are available or when a deal that you’ve purchased or saved is about to expire.
    Browse deals near you in map view/Purchase offers directly from the app/Get instant access to all of your deals in “My Offers”
    Browse deals near you in map view, purchase offers directly from the app, and get instant access to all of your deals in “My Offers”
    Download the Google Offers app for iPhone today from The App Store. This app is only available in the U.S.

    Posted by Robert Kim, Product Manager, Google Offers
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    Wednesday, 23 May 2012

    A faster, simpler Google Search app for iPhone

    Posted on 09:17 by Unknown
    (Cross posted on the Official Google Blog)

    Starting today, when you use the Google Search app on your iPhone, you’ll see a completely redesigned interface that gives you faster results, beautiful full-screen image search, and a simple way to access all your Google apps in one place.

     Search by voice, by typing, or with your camera

    Get results, fastWhen you’re on the go, you usually want to get things done quickly. Autocompletion of search suggestions is significantly faster in this latest version of the app, bringing you search predictions instantly with each letter you type. You'll also notice that results load faster, and checking out webpages is easy with the slide-in panel. Quickly swipe back and forth between webpages and your search results, and swap between search modes like Images and Places with a swipeable menu. Finding text within a webpage is a snap as well; just try tapping the magnifying glass on the bottom menu option on any page.

    Easily switch between search modes using the swipeable menu at the bottom
    Swipe the slide-in panel to instantly return to your search results


    Beautiful Image SearchSearching for images will never again be a chore. Tap the images button at the bottom of the search results page, and watch high-resolution images load into a beautiful grid. Browse the images by scrolling down the full-screen grid, or tap on a single image to get details about it and then quickly swipe from image to image. You can also tap and hold an image to save it to your camera roll to use as your wallpaper or share with a friend.


    Full-screen image results take advantage of every inch of the screen


    Swipe or tap on the edges to move between images.

    Sutro Tower image by Marc Liyanage



    Simple accessWe’ve put all of your favorite Google services in one place for easy access. You can choose to browse Google web apps, or see just the apps that you have on your phone. Sign in once, and you’ll never need to sign in again to check a quick email, view your next calendar appointment or see what’s hot on Google+.

    All your Google mobile apps in one place

    Download the Google Search app now for a fast, beautiful, simple search experience on your iPhone.


    Posted by Noah Levin, Interaction Designer, Google Search app
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    Wednesday, 9 May 2012

    Shop and travel smarter with Google Maps 6.7 for Android - now with Google Offers and indoor walking directions

    Posted on 10:06 by Unknown
    (Cross-posted on the Lat Long Blog)

    Wherever you are, Google Maps for Android helps you get around and discover new places. Today with the 6.7 release we will help you find offers from nearby businesses in the U.S. -- everything from restaurants, to salons, to city tours. Also, we’ve added indoor walking directions in the U.S. and Japan, plus 360-degree interior photos of businesses, to help you intrepidly make your way indoors and out.

    Discover great offers near you

    Today, in the U.S. only, we’re launching a way to discover nearby Google Offers in Google Maps for Android. To see great deals near you, tap on “Maps” to open the dropdown menu and then tap on “Offers.” If you see something you like you can click on it to learn more. Some Google Offers can be purchased and saved for later while others are immediately available for free. With free Google Offers, press “Use now” to redeem instantly or “Save for later” for future use. You can also opt-in to receive notifications in the app when there are offers near you.


    Explore the great indoors with walking directions and Business Photos.

    Since we launched indoor maps in the U.S. and Japan in Google Maps for Android last November, business owners have been adding their floor plans to our maps with Google Maps Floor Plans. Today, we are launching indoor walking directions for participating venues in these countries. This will help you get directions not only to a building’s front door, but also through those doors to the places where you want to go inside.

    Get Indoor walking directions in indoor maps (photo: Macy’s San Francisco)

    With Google Business Photos you can explore panoramic photos of the inside of a business from the palm of your hand. Now you can get a feel for a restaurant or store inside as well as outside using Street View technologies. To access these 360-degree panoramic views, look for the “See Inside” section on the Place page of select businesses.

    See the interior of participating businesses with Business Photos (photo: Toyjoy)

    Download Google Maps 6.7 for Android from Google Play, and use it as your trusted guide to help you find and discover places to eat, shop and play! You can also learn more about other great features on the Google Maps YouTube channel.

    Posted by Benjamin Grol, Product Manager for Google Maps for Android
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    Tuesday, 24 April 2012

    Galaxy Nexus now on sale in Google Play

    Posted on 08:00 by Unknown
    We started shipping Nexus phones more than two years ago to give you a pure Google experience and access to the latest Android updates. Today, we’ve started selling Galaxy Nexus (HSPA+) from a new Devices section in the Google Play web store, so you can quickly and easily purchase an unlocked version of the phone. We want to give you a place to purchase Nexus devices that work really well with your digital entertainment.

    Galaxy Nexus by Samsung runs the latest Android software, Ice Cream Sandwich, with Google mobile services, Google Play and new features like Android Beam and Google+ mobile hangouts. It also offers a 4.65” HD Super AMOLED display that’s perfect for watching movies, playing games or reading books on the go.

    First available in the U.S., Galaxy Nexus costs $399 and arrives at your door unlocked, without a carrier commitment or contract. You can use it on the GSM network of your choice, including T-Mobile and AT&T. It also comes pre-installed with the Google Wallet app which lets you easily make purchases and redeem offers with a tap of your phone. Best of all, we'll give you a $10 credit to get you started with your new mobile wallet.

    We’ve come a long way since the first Android devices started hitting shelves three and a half years ago and since the launch of the first Nexus device. More than 300 million Android devices have been activated globally. We’ve worked with developers and content partners to launch Google Play, offering more than 500,000 apps, millions of songs and books, and thousands of movies. And we’ve implemented new customer support services to improve the purchasing experience on Google Play. We’ve taken all of this into consideration in designing Devices on Google Play. We hope to bring it to more countries soon.

    Posted by Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Digital Content
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    Tuesday, 17 April 2012

    Chrome for Android Update

    Posted on 10:56 by Unknown

    (Cross posted on the Google Chrome Blog)

    Since we launched Chrome for Android Beta in February, we’ve been listening closely to all of your feedback (thank you!). It’s great to hear how so many of you love having the Chrome experience on your Android 4.0 phone or tablet.

    With today’s update, Chrome for Android Beta is now available in 31 more languages and in all countries where Google Play is available. We’ve also added many much-requested features, including:

    • You can now request the desktop version of a website, in case you would rather not view the mobile version.
    • You can now add bookmarks as shortcuts on your home screen, so you can get to your favorite sites faster.
    • Choose your favorite apps to handle links opened in Chrome.
    • Have a proxy setup for Wi-Fi access? You can now use Chrome with the system proxy configured in Android settings.

    If you build websites, you may want to take note of a change in the User-Agent specification for Chrome for Android.

    If you haven’t already, you can install Chrome for Android Beta from Google Play on your Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phone or tablet. As we're still in Beta, we look forward to your feedback so we can continue to improve Chrome for Android.

    Posted by
    Dan Alcantara and Oli Lan, Software Engineers on Chrome for Android

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    Wednesday, 11 April 2012

    Google Currents goes international

    Posted on 08:54 by Unknown

    In December we launched Google Currents, an app for Android and iOS devices that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger. We’re thrilled by how many readers and publishers are using the app in the U.S. -- nearly 400 publisher editions and over 14,000 self-produced editions are now available.

    After the U.S. launch, the top features readers requested were to make the app available internationally and to allow content to sync quickly. We’ve heard you, and today we’re making Google Currents 1.1 available around the world. Hundreds of U.S. editions are now readable in your preferred language with a new publisher-selected translation feature, and local publishers can begin adding their content to the catalog through Google Currents Producer. Plus, a new dynamic sync feature improves your reading experience with fresh content wherever you are.

    Whatever you’re interested in -- whether it’s science (Popular Science, Scientific American, Space.com), sports (Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Surfer), business (Harvard Business Review, Inc.), celebrities (Celebuzz, HollywoodLife, Now magazine, TMZ), health & wellness (Men’s Health, Yoga Journal), design (Colossal, Dwell) or news (The Atlantic, PRI, Slate) -- it’s easy to find a great edition to read in Google Currents.

    Read in more places

    With this update, we’ve made Google Currents available globally, wherever apps are available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. International publishers, using Google Currents Producer, can now begin adding local content for an international audience, choosing where to make it available globally and whether to enable auto-translation. For example The Guardian in the UK, LaStampa in Italy, Financial Times Deutschland in Germany, ABC News in Australia, Neue Zürcher Zeitung in Switzerland and Hindustan Times in India have already started publishing editions with local content. Readers can also add their favorite local blogs which are instantly converted into Currents editions.

    Read in your favorite language

    To help you enjoy content in your preferred language, we’ve integrated Google Translate into Google Currents. Just press the globe icon while reading an edition, and you can automatically translate that edition to one of 38 supported languages. So it’s easier than ever to keep up with Italian and German sports (Corriere dello Sport, kicker.de), or read Scientific American, in your preferred language.

    Read fresh content, automatically

    With our new dynamic sync feature, you’ll always have fresh content to read. As you open each edition, new content is dynamically delivered, using a minimum of your phone or tablet's battery, bandwidth and storage. Those of you who travel on planes and trains can choose which editions you would like fully packaged for offline reading, including images.

    Learn more about what’s new in Currents here.

    Google Currents is now available for download on Google Play and in the Apple App Store, wherever apps are available. Whether you’re a reader or a publisher, we hope that Google Currents helps you easily experience the best content on the web, now in even more languages.

    Posted by Mussie Shore, Product Manager

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    Wednesday, 28 March 2012

    Crossing the 50 billion km mark & giving Google Maps for Android a fresh look

    Posted on 11:04 by Unknown
    (Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

    Every day, millions of people turn to Google Maps for Android for free, voice-guided GPS navigation to guide them to their destination. So far, Navigation on Google Maps for Android has provided 50 billion kilometers of turn-by-turn directions, the equivalent of 130,000 trips to the moon, 334 trips to the sun, 10 trips to Neptune or 0.005 light years! When getting to your destination matters most, Google Maps for Android will get you there:




    A new look for Navigation on Android 4.0+ phones

    In today’s release of Google Maps 6.5 for Android we’ve redesigned the Navigation home screen in Android 4.0+ to make it easier to enter a new destination or select from recent and favorite locations by swiping left or right.


    Left: New Navigation home screen Right: Navigation in Google Maps for Android


    Crisper, faster maps for high pixel density devices

    If your device has a high pixel density screen, such as those on Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, Droid Razr and others, you’ll now get higher resolution map tiles that take better advantage of the pixels-per-inch on your screen. The result is a crisper, less cluttered map that is easier to read:


    Left: Previous style Right:New style in Google Maps 6.5 for Android


    Compare our new map on the right to the previous map on the left. The road network is easier to see, less obstructed by labels, and has more color contrast. At more zoomed-in levels, you’ll notice a more controlled amount of maps labels to avoid cluttering the map and blocking out street names. The new style also helps maps react faster to panning, zooming, and twisting.

    You'll start seeing the new style as you navigate around new areas on the map; however, you can see these changes immediately by clearing your cache from the Maps settings.

    Pick your preferred public transit mode and route option

    Google Maps 6.5 for Android now lets you choose to prioritize a particular transit mode (such as the bus or subway) and route option (like taking the recommended route, one with fewer transfers or one with less walking). Whether you just need to get somewhere as fast as possible, or you want to avoid the risk of a missed connection or you prefer not to tire your legs, you can get the transit directions that best suit you. Transit directions and schedules are available for 475 cities around the world.




    To start using Google Maps 6.5 for Android, download the update from Google Play. Learn more about how to use other great features of Google Maps for Android on the redesigned Google Maps YouTube channel that has 12 new videos available today.

    Posted by Harlan Hile, Software Engineer
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    Thursday, 22 March 2012

    Google Voice for Android, now with Ice Cream Sandwich voicemail integration

    Posted on 11:34 by Unknown
    (Cross posted on the Google Voice Blog)

    Since we launched Google Voice back in 2009, we’ve supported visual voicemail so you could open the Google Voice app, see all your voicemails with text transcripts, and play them on-demand. But sometimes when I get a missed call, I don’t want to jump between my call log and the Google Voice app to see who has called me and what message they left.

    So, today, we’re updating our mobile app so you can view and listen to your voicemails on demand directly from the call log on your Android phone. Your voicemails will appear alongside your outgoing, incoming, and missed calls in your phone’s call log and you can just simply touch them to play them. You can slow down the playback of the message which is great for when someone is telling you their callback number, or you even speed playback up, so you can quickly listen to longer messages.




    To turn this feature on, download the latest app from Google Play and check “Voicemail display” under settings. This new feature requires Android 4.0+.

    Posted by Yong-Hoon Choi, Software Engineer
    Read More
    Posted in | No comments
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