Google Hangouts for Android gets ‘last seen’ timestamps, smart location sharing, and video filters

Above: Google's Bradley Horowitz walks through the new Google Hangout app at LeWeb 2014 in Paris.

Image Credit: Chris O'Brien

Google  announced a major update to its Hangouts app for Android and promised that the equivalent iOS update would be “coming soon.” The new features are aimed at making it easier to find your friends, know when they’re around, and cut down the time you spend messaging in the app.

Google vice president Bradley Horowitz debuted the new features on stage at LeWeb 2014 in Paris. He promised that there are many new features to come.

“We’re still just getting started,” he said.

First, contacts now have a “last seen” timestamp. As Google puts it, you never have to ask “are you there?” again – much like in Facebook Messenger, you can now see when your friend or colleague was last active.

Hangouts already lets you share your location by hitting the attachment paperclip icon, choosing Location from the options, and then hitting send. Now, Google has added smart suggestion location sharing which lets you do this in one tap: When someone types “where are you,” the app will prompt you to drop a pin on the map.

It is also now easier to find your friends in Hangouts based on their phone number. They don’t need to be a personal contact in your phone: If your friend or colleague already uses Hangouts and has opted-in to phone number discoverability, you can easily connect with them on Hangouts.

Hangouts is also getting 16 new sticker packs and a few easter eggs. Google didn’t specify the number, but it did hint that sending keywords will result in an animation popping up (“woot” and “happy birthday” are pictured above, but there are others, like “hahaha,” as well).

“Stickers are not new,” Horowitz said. “But we really went to town on this.”

Last but not least, video calls are getting video filters (including sepia, vignette, black & white, and more). We wouldn’t recommend using these if you use Hangouts to communicate at work, but between friends they could be a lot of fun.

All of today’s additions are great, with “last seen” timestamps probably being the most useful of them all. Yet some will consider these “bloat” and demand a basic SMS app instead. To those, Google will likely point you in the direction of its recently-launched Google Messenger app.

Android L Calculator On Google Play: Avoid It Like The Plague!

Much has been said about Android L, where the Developer Preview has already been rooted, in addition to having an emulator roll out so that you need not own a Nexus handset in the first place. Having said that, there is a new Android L app that is made available on the Google Play Store which is called the Android L calculator, although based on the user comments alone, you would do well to avoid this like the plague.
It does seem to be nothing more than a fake app, and as at time of publishing, it still remains on the Google Play Store. The Android L calculator does claim to transform one’s basic functions calculator into a scientific calculator, where you slide the advanced menu on to the screen in either portrait or landscape mode. Or so that is what it is supposed to do, but users who have given it a go already claim that there are terrible app permissions required, as it asks for permission to modify and delete your storage contents, where these will include both photos and media. Any idea as to the reason behind a calculator app requiring such permission levels?
You know what they say – fortune favors the bold – the thing is, if you’re still curious to find out what kind of capability this app has, go ahead and give it a try despite the fact that some commenters are not too happy with it.

EverythingMe Releases Its Contextual Launcher Globally

EverythingMe‘s contextual launcher aims to customize your Android home screen so that you get exactly what you need every time you switch on your phone. It’s the results of years of work on mobile discovery. And today, the app is available globally.

 At the time, it was an iPhone app to improve the mobile search experience.

“But the number of search queries are decreasing on mobile,” Ben-David told me. So that’s why the startup started working on something completely different — context.

You might get the Kindle app when you’re at home in the evening, and the Twitter app when you’re waiting at the bus stop in the morning

When it comes to mobile startups, it’s still a brand new world. Modern smartphones only hit the market in 2007, and countless of developers started providing content for this new platform. Hundreds of thousands of apps are now available at our fingertips.

Yet, this is also a challenge. You may have 150 apps on your phone, but chances are that you only use a dozen of them. “Nobody swipes to the third page of apps,” Ben-David said. This is where EverythingMe is useful.

Here’s how it works. When you switch on your Android phone, you will get four apps that are relevant to the time of the day, your location and more. For example, you might get the Kindle app when you’re at home in the evening, and the Twitter app when you’re waiting at the bus stop in the morning.

Sometimes, you are looking for something in particular beyond these four apps. For example, you might want to get the latest world cup results. This app might not necessarily show up in your top four apps as you don’t open the world cup app all year round. EverythingMe automatically organizes apps in smart folders. You will find the world cup app in the “Sports” folder, maybe in the “News” folder as well.

In these smart folders, you will get information cards so that you even get info without opening and app. And below, you will find the relevant apps depending on the category, as well as app suggestions from the Play Store. You won’t have to micromanage your phone to organize apps anymore, and you won’t miss on this cool new app you installed and forgot a few minutes later.

Finally, EverythingMe replaces the search engine of your phone. For example, if you contact someone very often, his or her name will show up at the top.

The team of 65 has received $37 million in funding over the years, and has attracted millions of downloads in its test markets since February. This contextual launcher also powers Firefox OS. Overall, EverythingMe is all about learning about your habits to make your phone even more personal.

Nokia Unveils 'Z Launcher' for Android 4.1 or Higher Devices

A Nokia division not owned by Microsoft on Thursday introduced a new Android launcher app called Z Launcher. The Z Launcher app is a limited pre-beta release right now, and is only available via the Z Launcher website, and not via Google Play.

The Nokia Z Launcher app is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.1 or higher, and is not optimised for Android tablets. At present, Nokia is testing the Z Launcher on the Google Nexus 5, Samsung Galaxy S III , Galaxy S4 , and Galaxy S5 . In order to download the launcher app, users will have to sign up with their Google account first. 

The Nokia Z Launcher is named after one of its key features that lets user write a letter in order to search for anything directly from the launcher screen. Nokia calls it 'Scribble', a feature that can search anything on the phone "in as little as one second." With Scribble, users just need to draw the first letter of the search and it finds the related app, contact or task.

When the Z Launcher will be installed, users will see the time, date and one upcoming calendar event at the top of the home screen. Just like other launchers, with a tap on time will open Android's clock app and tapping the calendar event will open the Calendar app. Other than that rest of the screen is acquired by few apps, contacts and web pages.

"We're releasing the first version of Z Launcher with a limited number of downloads initially, to see how it works and learn from your feedback. In the next few months we'll provide updates on new versions, features and availability", noted Brook Eaton, Lead Product Manager on Z Launcher's blog.

The Z Launcher app is an independent project by Nokia, free of Microsoft. The company is no longer a cellphone maker as it sold its devices and services business to Microsoft handset for EUR 5.44 billion.

CyanogenMod Installer removed fromPlay Store after Google issues warning

Just a few weeks after its release, the

CyanogenMod Installer app has been

removed from the Google Play Store.

The app assisted users in replacing

their phone's firmware with the

CyanogenMod custom ROM (firmware)

which is also based on Android.

The creators of CyanogenMod informed

in a blog post that they have pulled

the app from the Play Store, after

being contacted by Google Play

Support team which informed them

that the application violated Google

Play's developer terms and advised

them to voluntarily remove the

application, warning that they would be

forced to remove it administratively

otherwise.

The developers informed that the app

essentially performed a single function,

of guiding users to enable

"ADB" (Android Debug Bridge), a

built-in development and debugging

tool, and then guide the user to the

desktop installer of the software.

It's

only the desktop app that then allows

users to install CyanogenMod on their

Android devices. The ADB mode just

lets users modify their device software

via their PCs.

They added that the Play team had

communicated to them that though

application itself was harmless, it

'encouraged users to void their

warranty', which is the reason why it

could not be allowed to remain in the

store.

"We've seen hundreds of thousands of

installations of the application, proving

the demand for more choice, and that

the need for an alternative Android

experience exists. As we work through

this new hurdle, we will continue to

make available and support the

installation process via our own hosting

services," said the developers.

The application will continue to be

available through the Get Started link

on CyanogenMod.org, and can be side

loaded, they informed. However, users

would need to enable app installation

from unknown sources through their

phone's security settings.

CyanogenMod

is also submitting the application to the

Amazon and Samsung app-stores.

Line app vs WhatsApp evaluated for 2013 chat

There are some great social
networking and communication apps
available for smartphone and tablet
users, and two that are of interest are
LINE and WhatsApp. These are both
extremely popular and are available
for Android and iOS devices from
Google Play or the App Store. We
thought we’d take a look at the Line
app vs. WhatsApp, giving an idea of
what they each have to offer and
evaluating them for 2013 chat. What
we’d really like to know is what
readers think of these apps?
We’ll begin with the LINE app, and this
one is available for both Android and
iOS devices. It offers a good
experience for social networking with
unlimited calling and messaging 24
hours a day, that’s free voice calls
and free messages. LINE is now
available in more than 230 countries
around the world and has over 180
million users. Features include high
quality voice calls, a message
function with icons, photo sharing,
location information, ways to express
yourself with stickers and Emoji, and
much more.
LINE also has a timeline feature and
you can leave messages and
comments, and there are now LINE
official accounts for popular
celebrities, and also money saving
opportunities via coupons. Data
transfer fees may be incurred though
so if you have an unlimited mobile
price plan that’s good news. LINE is a
free app and for Android devices it’s
available from Google Play here. This
is compatible with devices running
Android 2.1 or later. For iOS devices
head to iTunes here. This one is
compatible for iPhone, iPad and iPod
touch running iOS 4.3 or later. Both
the Android and iOS apps have
recently been updated with minor bug
fixes.
Moving on to WhatsApp Messenger,
and this is another app that is highly
rated. As its title suggests this is a
smartphone messaging app, and it
uses 3G or WiFi where available, to
enable you to easily communicate
with family and friends. If you switch
from SMS to WhatsApp you get the
first year free and it’s then $0.99
yearly afterwards. Once you’ve
downloaded the app, chat is unlimited
and there are no hidden costs. You
can send photos, videos and voice
notes to your contacts and enjoy group
chat, and there are also no
international charges if your friends
are also using the WhatsApp
Messenger app.
WhatsApp integrates with your
existing phone address book and
there’s no need to log in and out as
you are always connected. If you
miss a push notification, messages
can be saved offline for later retrieval,
and other features include location
sharing, contact exchange, custom
wallpaper, custom notification sounds
and much more. The Android
WhatsApp Messenger app is available
free from Google Play here and is
compatible with devices running
Android 2.1 or later. WhatsApp for iOS
devices is available from iTunes here
priced at $0.99. It’s compatible with
iPhones running iOS 4.3 or later.
Taking a look through user reviews of
these apps we can see that both apps
have a lot of fans. LINE for Android
manages a rating of 4.1 stars while
WhatsApp attains an extremely high
4.6 star rating. Many of the comments
about LINE have a lot of positive
things to say about the stickers
available. Looking at comments for
WhatsApp reveals that many also
people love this app. However, in
reviewing comments from the last few
days it seems that there are some
complaints about the app crashing
lately and some iOS users regret that
the app cannot be used with the iPad
or iPod touch.
We’d like to gauge opinion about LINE
vs. WhatsApp by asking readers to get
involved. If you use either of these
apps, what do you think about it?
Maybe you’ve used both apps but
have settled on your favorite? If so,
which do you prefer? Let us know with
your comments.

CBSE CTET, TET exam Android app with result

The team here on Phones Review try
and keep our readers up to date with
all the major mobile app releases,
especially ones that can turn out to be
really useful. That is one label that
can certainly be given to the CBSE
CTET, TET exam with result Android
app.
This free Android application is
perfect for anyone getting ready for
the CBSE CTET and all states TET
exams, and the developers have
promised to update the app on a daily
basis. Users that also give reviews for
the app via Google Play will be
provided with model question papers
with result.
There was no app of its kind on the
Google Play Store so Sharma Tutorials
decided to bring out this useful and
easy to understand app for CBSE CTET
aspirants. It features more than 200
questions with more added all the
time, and covers all sections that
include English, SST, Math, Social
Science, and Child Development and
Pedagogy.
Users are provided with correct
answers of the wrong questions and it
has a cool easy to use interface, and
there is the option of sharing the
application via Facebook and Twitter.
The application has quickly gained
numerous positive reviews from users
that have already been using it, and
for more information or to download
head over to Google Play.

WhatsApp is in the big leagues with 250M active users

WhatsApp's active user base could be a cause
for worry among some tech companies and
wireless carriers.
The messaging service announced Thursday
that it has more than 250 million active users
-- making it on par with Skype, Facebook
Messenger, and Twitter, according to The Wall
Street Journal.
Twitter's most recent numbers show more than
200 million monthly active users, while
Skype's are 280 million and Facebook
Messenger's aren't reported but its app is
ranked sixth in free apps in Google Play,
according to the Journal.
In the U.S., WhatsApp is ranked first in paid
apps in the iTunes Store and 31st in free apps
in the Google Play Store (the app costs 99
cents for iOS and is free on Android for the first
year, and then costs 99 cents). During the
AllThingsD mobile conference in April,
WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum hinted that the
service had surpassed Twitter's active users.
Besides having millions of users, WhatsApp is
also relaying billions of messages daily . The
service announced last week that it had
reached a new record of handling more than 27
billion messages in a 24-hour period. The
service's record before that was last December
when it handled 18 billion messages in one
day.
Wireless carriers make a big profit on text
messaging, and apps like WhatsApp are eating
into these earnings. Since WhatsApp offers a
free alternative to texting, users don't have to
pay for each message. According to a report
released in April by research firm Informa, text
messaging is on the decline due to chat
applications becoming users' preferred method
of communication.
However, Koum said during the AllThingsD
conference that carriers could easily turn
around and see his business as driving data
adoption. WhatsApp, Koum said, has
participated in a number of carrier partnerships
that further drive adoption and usage, including
local data deals in India and access to a
"roaming pass" with a partner in Hong Kong,
allowing users to travel elsewhere in Asia and
still use WhatsApp without extra fees.