Google Play Games Leaks, Will Debut at Google I/O

Google is preparing a gaming service called Google Play Games and a leak reveals that this may make multiplayer gaming on Android a much better experience.

The leak comes via Android Police, which tore through the latest version of the Google Play Services app to find the Google Play Games. The teardown of the APK reveals a lot about Google's upcoming gaming service.

Android Police has a very technical breakdown and it shows some interesting screen shots as well but the gist is that Google Play Games will offer matchmaking, in-game chatting, lobbies, the ability to save games to the cloud, leaderboards and invitations. If you've ever played any type of online game on a computer or a console, these should all be very familiar to you.

We're expecting Google Play Games to be officially announced at next week's Google I/O conference, as it would be nice to get eager developers to utilize this type of service. Google will be doing the heavy lifting on the game service side and that should be a boon for smaller developers who may not have the resources or expertise to create their own sort of system. We've been hearing about this rumor for a while and it looks like it is finally coming to fruition.

Google Play Games will also bring Android up to speed with its competitors. Apple has its own Game Center service for gaming which does a lot of the same things that the rumored Google Play Games will do. Microsoft has also built in its Xbox services into Windows Phone 8.

This is just one of many new services and products that we're expecting Google to announce during its I/O conference. We're looking forward to some new Android-powered hardware, a new version of the software and a handful of surprises.

Thanks to AndroidPolice. :*

Best Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

The Galaxy S III cemented Samsung as the manufacturer that could finally challenge Apple's iPhone dominance. With the $199 Galaxy S4, Samsung pushes the envelope even further, providing a bigger screen, a fantastic camera, a speedier quad-core processor and AT&T's zippy 4G LTE coverage. The Galaxy S4 is vying to be the best, with a long list of innovative features, such as motion gestures, built-in health tracking and a built-in TV remote. But is this flagship phone right for you?

Design

Despite the premium feature set, Samsung continues its trend of plastic bodies with the Galaxy S4. The rounded design is strikingly similar to the Galaxy S III, but Samsung was able to make this new phone even lighter than the Galaxy S III (4.6 ounces versus 4.7 ounces) despite the larger screen.

At 5.31 x 2.69 x 0.25 inches, the Galaxy S4 is wider and thinner than the 4.7-inch HTC One (5.31 x 2.63 x 0.28 inches). Additionally, the HTC One's aluminum chassis adds extra weight, making it half an ounce heavier than the S4. The Galaxy S4 is dwarfed by the LG Optimus G Pro which, at 5.8 x 3 x 0.37 inches and 6.2 ounces, is a hulking beast of a smartphone.

Available in white or black, the S4's polycarbonate (plastic) shell feels dense, but looks somewhat cheap next to the metal chassis of the HTC One and the iPhone 5. Even the rim, which is chrome in color, is the same smooth plastic that houses the phone's entire exterior. Both the white and Mist Black models have a subtle dotted pattern on the back, despite the smooth finish.

Unlike the HTC One and iPhone 5, though, the Galaxy S4 has a removable back panel for easy battery replacement. There's also a microSD slot that supports up to 64GB of additional storage, a feature also available on the LG Optimus G Pro, but sorely lacking from Apple's and HTC's flagships.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S4's 5-inch, 1080p Super AMOLED screen is absolutely beautiful, with bright colors and sharp images. We watched the full HD trailer for "Skyfall," and could easily make out the small details in the mountains and trees as Daniel Craig fell off a moving train. We watched the same scene on the LG Optimus Pro and the S4's viewing angles were much wider. The HTC One offered a brighter picture and comparable viewing angles.

The S4 screen's biggest drawback is the modest brightness level of 273 lux, which, while a big improvement over the Galaxy S III's 222 lux, is a bit lower than the 299 lux category average. The Optimus G Pro has a brighter 322 lux display and the HTC One blew them both away with 433 lux. The S4's screen was significantly harder to see outdoors with anything less than full brightness. We needed to disable auto-brightness and bump this setting to max in order to use the phone outside.

Audio

While it will never be mistaken for a personal stereo, the back-mounted speaker on the Galaxy S4 provided fairly loud audio. We played Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" and the higher saxophone notes sounded slightly tinny. Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" had a similar mechanical quality. We prefer the dual front-facing speakers on the HTC One, which offer richer sound.

Operating system and UI

The Galaxy S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean augmented by Samsung's TouchWiz UI. Changes include a physical home button flanked by a capacitive menu and back button, whereas stock Android puts these buttons on screen. You access recent applications by holding down the home button and Google Now is launched by long-pressing the capacitive menu button on the S4.

There are 19 quick settings buttons in the notification drawer, enabling users to toggle everything from Wi-Fi connectivity to unique features such as Smart Scroll. These buttons can be rearranged by clicking on a tile button in the top right corner of the notification drawer.

Multitasking

The S4's large screen is perfect for Multi Window Mode, which is part of Samsung's TouchWiz interface. Long-pressing the back button opens a sidebar with a list of Multi Window-compatible apps, including Chrome, Email, Gmail, Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter. These apps can be placed onto half of the screen, allowing the application to run concurrently next to any other app. We found it useful to browse the Web and check our email at the same time.

Though we were able to view videos in Multi Window Mode, we preferred Samsung's pop-up play feature, which allowed us to play clips in a floating, draggable window that appeared on top of our desktop and other apps.

Keyboard

Samsung's virtual keyboard is one of the most accurate, comfortable and intelligent we've used. The QWERTY layout has plenty of space between the keys, which made it easy for us to avoid adjacent letter errors. The dedicated number row allowed us to enter numerals without switching modes. The keyboard also supports haptic feedback and trace typing (like Swype).

Based on the popular Swiftkey predictive keyboard, the Galaxy S4's keyboard learned from our typing patterns and, after a short time, did a great job of guessing the word we might want to use next. The phone also has a floating keyboard mode, which gives you a smaller version of the keyboard you can drag around the screen, and a handwriting mode that did a great job of turning our scribbles into ASCII text.

Specification

Thanks to LaptopMag. :*

Easy Ways to Speed Up Your Samsung Galaxy S4

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the most powerful and versatile smartphones ever, packing a 1.9-GHz quad-core processor and a dizzying array of features. You can answer the phone with a wave of your hand, take photos using the front and back cameras at the same time, and run two apps on the screen at once. But depending on which settings and functions you have enabled, the S4 can feel a bit bogged down.

Not a fan of lag? Neither are we. When responsiveness is paramount, follow these easy tips to make your S4 feel snappier.

Turn Off the S Voice Shortcut

Samsung’s S Voice feature, similar to Apple’s Siri, has a long list of talents. You can ask it questions like “What’s the weather for today?”, find restaurants, navigate to an address, open apps, post updates to Twitter, dictate memos and more. However, we strongly suggest disabling the Home Key shortcut for this app, which launches S Voice when you press the button twice. We noticed significant lag when exiting apps to the home screen with this function on, as the S4 seems to be waiting just in case you press the Home button twice. Here’s how to avoid this delay.


Press the Home button twice to launch S Voice, or tap the S Voice icon.

Tap the Settings button to the left of the Home key.

Press Settings on the menu that pops up on screen.

Uncheck the box where it says Open via the Home key.

More: Set up your HTC one.

Turn Off Animations

The Galaxy S4 uses transition animations as you move from, say, the home screen to an app, or when you exit an app and go back to the home screen. While attractive, these animations can make the phone feel sluggish. The good news is that you can disable them. It’s a little tricky, but thanks to a great YouTube video by MADDTec , you can follow right along as you read these tips.


Open Settings, and tap the More tab on the right side of the screen.

Scroll down and tap the Build Number Field multiple times. Keep pressing until the S4 tells you that you are now a developer.

Press the Back button and tap Developer Options.

Scroll down until you see Window Animation Scale.

Select Window Animation Scale and select Animation Is Off.

Repeat for Transition Animation Scale and Animator Duration Scale under Developer Options.

Never Miss an Important Photo

The Galaxy S4’s camera runs circles around other smartphone cameras when it comes to features, but it’s the fastest. The first thing you’ll want to do is set a lock-screen shortcut for the Camera app, so you can unlock directly to the camera with a swipe. Here’s how to do it:


Enter the Settings menu, and tap the My Device tab at the top of the screen.
Select Lock Screen at the top of the list of options.

• Tap the Shortcuts option in the Lock screen menu. 
• Switch the Set Shortcuts option from Off to On. By default, the camera will be one of the five available options. (You can reassign any of these shortcuts).

The Galaxy S4 could also be faster when it comes to shot-to-shot times. However, if you enable the Best Photo feature, you’ll be able to fire off eight shots in a row and then select the best one. Here’s how:

• Open the Camera app and press the Mode button, and then scroll down and select Best Photo. 
• Press the shutter to capture eight consecutive images. 
• Long press on any photo you’d like to keep, and then tap Save.

Disable the Unlock Effect Feature

By default, the Galaxy S4 offers a nifty lock-screen Light effect that can follow your finger with a tiny beam of light. When you unlock the device, a wider beam of light spreads across the device. That’s cool, but we noticed that with this animation enabled, it sometimes takes a bit longer for the screen to turn on after you press the power button. The actual unlocking action takes only a hair longer. Still, every half second adds up over time. Here’s how to toggle the lock-screen effect off:

• Go to Settings and tap the My Device tab at the top of the menu (the second option in from the left). 
• Select the Lock Screen option. 
• Tap where it says Unlock Effect, and select None. 

Thanks to LaptopMag. :*

Samsung Galaxy S4 Speed Performance Enhancements to Make

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has only just been released in regions worldwide and it’s selling like hotcakes. It was virtually guaranteed success as the next in the line of flagship Galaxy S devices and this smartphone is likely to be the most dominant Android device of the year. Today we have some details for you about Samsung Galaxy S4 speed performance enhancements with a few adaptions you can make to make your Galaxy S4 even better.

Depending on region you’ll find your Samsung Galaxy S4 has either a 1.6GHz Exynos 5 Octa-core processor or a 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, which will both do a fine job of powering your device. However if you want to do your best to avoid lag and speed the performance up as much as possible there are a few handy hints that could make a difference.

The first is to disable the S Voice shortcut. S Voice is a great voice feature and can answer just about any question you ask of it, as well as perform functions of your phone just by speaking to it. By pressing the Home Key shortcut twice you can launch the S Voice app but Laptop Magazine noticed this function being switched on caused notable lag so disabling this shortcut could make a real difference. You can do this by hitting the S Voice icon or alternatively hitting the Home button twice to launch the app and then hitting Settings. When a menu pops up tap Settings and then you’ll see Open Via the Home Key. Simply uncheck the box and the shortcut will be turned off.

The next thing you can do is to turn off animations on your Galaxy S4. You may have noticed transition animations when you’re navigating the phone and although they are quite appealing they can slow things down. These animations can be disabled though and although there are quite a few steps there’s a helpful video that you can see below this story that will show you exactly how to do this and reduce stutter.

There’s also a way to speed things up so that you can always be ready to take a photo and you can do this by setting a Camera app lock-screen shortcut. By doing this you’ll be able to use one swipe to unlock straight to the camera of the phone. This can be done by going into Settings, hitting My Device at the top of the display, followed by Lock Screen. Once the Lock Screen menu is shown simply change the Shortcuts option from off to on and you’ll have set a shortcut direct to the camera meaning you should never miss a shot again.

There’s also a way to quickly take 8 photos in a row and this can be done by opening the Camera app, hitting Mode and then scrolling down to Best Photo. When you then press the shutter 8 consecutive images will be taken and then to save the best you need to long press on the one you want and hit Save.

Finally another enhancement to performance speed can be achieved by turning off the Unlock Effect feature. This is an attractive feature whereby you can see a lock-screen beam of light that follows your finger. It’s hardly crucial though and can affect the amount of time it takes from hitting the power button to the display actually coming on. It’s possible to disable this Unlock Effect feature by heading to Settings, then hitting My Device followed by Lock Screen and then tapping Unlock Effect. If you then select None it will disable that feature.

Hopefully you’ll find that the performance of your Galaxy S4 is improved after carrying out the above steps. You can also see step-by-step instructions with images for each tip at the source link below. We’d be really interested to hear from readers and to know whether these hints made a difference in speed performance on your Samsung Galaxy S4? Did you find any particularly helpful? Let us know with your comments.

Free Download Photo Studio PRO For Android

Photo Studio for Android® is utilized by both amateur and professional photographers who seek simple, but powerful image processing on-the-go. Users can turn their devices into a fantastic photo editing studio.
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• Magic Tools contains: Auto-Levels, Sharpening, Area-Auto-Levels, Blurring and Red-Eyes correction.
• Picframes helps you combine multiple photos into amazing looking frames with 100 adjustable templates in Classic and Art categories, adjustable borders, frames, corners and backgrounds. Free Download Photo Studio PRO For Android.
• Lens Boost – apply lens effect to your photos to get an amazing vignette effect with circle and linear (Tilt Shift) lens.
• Color Splash editor: create stunning artwork with your photos by removing or changing colors.
• Apply set of beautiful digital frames to your photos. Available packs: Holiday Frames, Christmas Frames, Summer Frames and Valentine's Day frames. You can download and try all frames for FREE.
• Base photo operations: brightness, contrast, RGB color adjustment, hue, saturation, use round and linear masks to highlight appropriate parts of you photos.
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• Action Sets: collect interesting operations into action sets and apply them again to new photos. 
• Apply several operations to one photo: you can edit a photo and apply all features and effects to one photo at the same time. Free Download Photo Studio PRO For Android.
• Use photos from your gallery or from Camera.
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Free Download Photo Studio PRO For Android:

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Free Download Zombie Diary For Android

A diary, recording a period of history about a miserable and unimaginable world and a legendary person, has been found by generations of humanity.

In 2013 B.C., resident evil breaks out. Zombies dominate our planet which is becoming bleedy hell. As the only survival citizen, you must kill all the zombies in the world who are trying to attack you. Human's mission lies on your shoulder. Free Download Zombie Diary For Android.

Now you can pick up weapons to fight for human's density, kill the endless zombies.Remember that your primary mission is to survive. Come on! Let's begin the journey to save the world!

In order to kill as many zombies as possible, you must make full use of your resources and earn more coins and crystals. You can buy better weapons and other auxiliary equipments to make yourself more powerful.

☆☆☆☆☆ Highlighted Features ☆☆☆☆☆
- 24 guns you can equip and use;
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- 3 meches can make you the king of the world;
- Various types of zombies, quick, strong, remote attack and powerful boss;
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- You can earn money in training room which appears after five days;
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Free Download Zombie Diary For Android:

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Facebook Announces ‘Facebook Home’ Replacement Launcher for Android Phones

As expected, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the HTC First Facebook phone today, but he also introduced a complete home replacement for many popular Android phones (and eventually tablets). It’s called Facebook Home, and according to Zuckerberg, “It sets the tone for your whole experience.”


Although the new launcher will work with all the apps that are installed on your phone, it changes the focal point to people as opposed to apps. The Coverfeed allows you to scroll through updates with large photos. You will be able to quickly see all the comments and respond inline. You will also find a notification pane that includes SMS messages and other important posts.

Chat Heads allows you to utilize Facebook Messenger or SMS while using any other app. You can simply carry on a conversation without closing the app. Floating pictures of your friends appears on the screen, and you can move them wherever you want. If you want to converse with any of your friends, just tap their picture to start chatting via SMS or Facebook Messenger.

You will also find a major change when it comes to notifications. They are now sorted by friend instead of apps. It’s all about telling you what your friend is doing rather than if an app has something to tell you. In a sense, your phone becomes one huge newsfeed.


The rumors leading up to today were that Facebook would fork Android, but Zuckerberg praised the openness of Android and said, “You don’t need to fork Android or modify the OS to do this.”

Facebook is offering Facebook Home to all manufacturers as far as making their phones compatible to it or by releasing phones that have it pre-installed. Some partners already signed up include HTC, Samsung, Sony, Huawei, and chipmaker Qualcomm.

Since it was announced that some phones already on the market would be compatible, it’s unclear whether an over-the-air update is necessary to enable this compatibility. These phones include the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, the upcoming Galaxy S 4, the HTC One, and the One X+. If you have one of these phones, you can simply download the app from the Play Store when it becomes available on April 12, which is the same day the HTC First will become available. Tablet support is on the way, but no timeframe was given.

Thanks to Robert Nazarian and Talkandroid. :*