Eric Abent

Author: Eric Abent

Android expected to cut into Apple’s tablet market share moving forward

By Eric Abent
on 5 Dec, 2012

There isn't any question that Apple's iPad line has been a major hit, but the time it's enjoying on top may not last much longer. Android has been slowly taking away Apple's market share with a number of excellent tablets (the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 immediately come to mind), and that looks like it'll continue as we crawl toward 2016. IDC has released new predictions for the tablet market, and unsurprisingly, the predictions have Apple's share falling year after year moving forward.

Yesterday game arrives on Google Play Store

By Eric Abent
on 5 Dec, 2012

Point and click adventure games are somewhat rare these days, but lately we've been seeing something a of resurgence. Double Fine hit it big when it put the Double Fine Adventure up on Kickstarter, and earlier this year, a game by the name of Yesterday caught a lot of attention from the PC gaming crowd. For whatever reason, the excitement over Yesterday seemed to die down shortly after launch, but if you missed out on it the first time around, you might be happy to know that it's available on the Google Play Store starting today.

Samsung Mobile Store opens its doors in Paris, France

By Eric Abent
on 5 Dec, 2012

If you're planning to take a trip to a Paris soon (or you happen to live there), then perhaps you should stop in at Samsung's first Mobile Store. The Samsung Mobile Store opened its doors late last week, and though it isn't the first retail store for ol' Sammy, it is the first retail location to focus only on the company's mobile devices. This means that you can expect a ton of Android devices on display, among other things.

Qualcomm announces two new processors in Snapdragon S4 line

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 line of processors has proven to be incredibly popular, so it isn't much of a surprise that the company has added two new CPUs to the Snapdragon S4 family. Announced today, the MSM8226 and the MSM8626 are bound for China, and offer a number of features that we have a feeling manufacturers will pay attention to. Those manufacturers will have a little bit of a wait ahead of them, though, as these new processors aren't scheduled to launch until Q2 2013.

Etsy launches Android app, get ready to shop

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

It isn't exactly a secret that Etsy has caught on in a big way, and it's quickly become the first stop for a lot of people looking for handmade products. Given the popularity of the service, many users have been wondering when the company was going to launch a mobile app. Wonder no longer folks, because the day has arrived at last - Etsy's official Android app has gone up on the Google Play Store.

Motorola launches notification light toggle widget on Google Play

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

The notification lights on Android devices are certainly handy, but there are times when they can be downright annoying. Some of them are so bright that they can sometimes cause problems when you're trying to go to sleep, and if you're the type who is always getting new notifications, having that blinking light going off all the time can wear on the nerves quickly. Luckily, Motorola has come up with a solution, releasing a new widget on the Google Play Store that lets you manually turn the notification light on and off.

Google Knowledge Graph gets support for seven different languages

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

We've been talking plenty about Google's efforts in the search space lately, and today's news holds another big announcement for us. Google has announced that its Knowledge Graph, which works behind-the-scenes with Google Now, has been expanded to include support for a handful of new languages. The Knowledge Graph is a way for Google to deliver not only the information you're looking for when you search, but also extra information that's relevant to your query.

Department of Energy program to make batteries more powerful, less expensive

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

When you're shopping around for a new phone or tablet, battery life is one of the most important bullet points you can look at. After all, you can have the best equipment running beneath a beautiful screen, but if the battery life is poor, those top-of-the-line components aren't going to do you much good. The Department of Energy has decided it's time to come up with new batteries that are not only more powerful, but less expensive as well.

Facebook Messenger Android registration now only requires name and number

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

If you've always wanted to take advantage of the Facebook Messenger app for Android but never wanted to go all-in and create a Facebook account to do so, then you'll like this next bit of news. The Facebook Messenger for Android app has been updated, ditching the requirement of a Facebook account for registration. Now, all you need to supply is your name and phone number.

GameKlip gets a redesign, universal phone mount

By Eric Abent
on 4 Dec, 2012

Mobile gaming has been the subject of much debate between those who consider themselves "true gamers," mostly because of touchscreen controls. A lot of gamers out there like playing with a keyboard and mouse or a controller and find touchscreen controls to be sub-par when held up to the other methods. Enter GameKlip, which looks to merge the best of both worlds by making your smartphone play nice with a PlayStation 3 SixAxis controller.