Android

How to watch WWDC keynote live on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Windows, Linux and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

As you know, Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off tomorrow with a State of the Union-like keynote address. WWDC is the most important event for the Apple community as it gives a sneak peak at how the firm plans to woo app developers in the year.

The 26th summer event runs from June 8 through June 12 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, where CEO Tim Cook will share the stage Monday morning along with other company executives to deliver latest advances concerning iOS, OS X and Watch OS platforms.

iDownloadBlog, the biggest name in jailbreaking, doesn't get invited to Apple events. Not to worry: we'll be providing a remote live coverage of the two-hour long presentation and following up with related tidbits throughout the day so you don't miss a thing.

Apple will be providing a live stream through the Apple Events webpage on its website, using the new familiar weblog-like layout.

Although the official live stream is limited to Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV devices, you can enjoy it on other platforms, too. Without further ado, here's a quick tutorial on what you'll need to watch the keynote live on both Apple devices and non-Apple platforms like Windows, Linux and Android.

SoundHound has created a voice search app that will knock your socks off

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2015

Apple's introduction of Siri back in 2011 was a watershed moment for voice-activated personal digital assistants. Today, a myriad of Siri-like services exist such as Google Now on Android devices and Microsoft's cross-platform Cortana, which will be hitting iOS soon following Windows 10 debut on July 29.

But many if not all of the existing services, Siri included, could be put to shame by Hound.

Hound is a forthcoming digital assistant which promises a groundbreaking smartphone experience, created by SoundHound, the maker of namesake mobile music and audio recognition service.

Rumor: Nintendo’s next-generation gaming console is based on Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 1, 2015

Nintendo's next-generation console codenamed NX, which the company is currently developing, is going to use Android if a report Monday by Nikkei, one of Japan’s largest newspapers, is anything to go by.

According to one insider who spoke with Nikkei, the Nintendo NX will supposedly be built around the Android OS, which should help “speed up getting all game developers on board.”

It would also mean that development could be expanded to smartphones, tablets and other devices, this person added.

Cortana is coming to iOS with Windows 10 Phone Companion app, Microsoft confirms

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 26, 2015

Microsoft Cortana, the software giant's Siri-like personal digital assistant available on Windows Phone and Windows 10 mobile and desktop platforms, will expand later this year to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, as well as Android smartphones and tablets.

The company officially confirmed the news in a blog post this morning, basically corroborating an earlier March report by Reuters which claimed Cortana would hit non-Microsoft mobile platforms this fall.

Google’s Android M to adopt Touch ID-style biometrics

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2015

To this date, only a few Android devices come outfitted with their own fingerprint scanner for authenticating purchases and password-protected apps, such as Huawei devices and Samsung's Galaxy S5 and S6.

Unfortunately, Google's mobile operating system lacks system-wide support for fingerprint scanning, thereby hampering broader adoption of this useful feature, which Apple users have been enjoying for nearly two years now.

That's about to change in Android M, the next major version of Android, which should adopt Touch ID-style biometrics, according to BuzzFeed News.

Review: Asus ZenFone 2 from an iPhone user’s perspective

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Today, I picked up the ZenFone 2 from Asus. It's a mid-tier Android phone with flagship specifications.

This phone is actually quite good from a pure specs perspective. It features 4GB of RAM, and it's one of the first phones to do so. It also packs in a 64-bit quad-core 2.3 Ghz Intel Atom processor, and 64GB of flash storage, expandable up to 128GB.

The screen is 5.5 inches, and it's roughly the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus, though a bit thicker. Needless to say, this ZenFone is firmly in the realm of the "phablet" and although it's selling at mid-tier prices at $299, it's got some decent specs.

In this review, which won't be your typical review where I spout off statistics and benchmarks, I look at 5 things that this phone does right, and 5 things that it does wrong—all fed through my iPhone-tinted glasses.

Andrios is now available for download on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 6, 2015

Andrios, the jailbreak tweak that brings some awesome Android-inspired features to iOS, was our top item on this week's episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak. It's rare when a tweak gets the thumbs up from Cody, Sebastien, and I, but Andrios was able to pull off that impressive feat.

Since our initial review aired, I've received numerous emails, tweets, and messages about Andrios and its launch. After a slight delay, I'm happy to tell you that the tweak is now available for purchase and download from Cydia's BigBoss repo.

Andrios: an Android-inspired experience for iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Andrios has been a hot topic for jailbreakers as of late. The upcoming tweak, which should be touching down any second now on Cydia, brings many Android-inspired features to iOS.

The developers of Andrios, BrandDev & Logan O'Connell, have worked hard to make the tweak's tag line live up to the final product. Does it succeed in doing so?

Android Wear update takes aim at Apple Watch, adding Wi-Fi and gesture support

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Google announced a sizable update to its Android Wear platform on Monday, days before the Apple Watch lands on the market to much fanfare. Google's update to Android Wear is the platform's largest yet, making it more usable, and even gets rid of the need to use it with a smartphone.

How to pair Android Wear without an Android Phone using a virtual machine on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

I know, it may sound fairly niche, but hear me out. Recently, there's been a lot of buzz about using Android Wear devices with the iPhone, and that's the reason why I started exploring this topic to begin with.

As it turns out, when you buy an Android Wear device, you need an Android device to "activate" the smartwatch (go figure). Since I don't currently own an Android phone, my LG G Watch was stuck at the pairing screen.

Yes, there are more "in-depth" ways to go about getting passed this screen, but not everyone is up to that task. With this in mind, I've created a video tutorial that shows you how to run an Android virtual machine on your Mac with Parallels, and how to then pair an Android Wear device with the virtual machine.

How to run Android apps like WhatsApp and Instagram on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 19, 2019

ARC, or App Runtime for Chrome, is a tool that allows you to run many Android apps right on a desktop machine. For the most part, the apps look and function like they do on an Android phone or tablet.

Why is this so cool? Well, it means that you can now have access to whole variety of new apps. Some apps, like WhatsApp, have no native desktop counterpart, so it's especially nice for apps like these.

While it isn't a perfect 1:1 solution, and some apps outright don't work, it's worth trying if there's an app that you want that isn't otherwise available on the desktop. In this post and video, we'll walk you through the steps of configuring Google's ARC Welder tool, and show you how to run multiple applications as well.

Apple expands iPhone trade-in program to select Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone handsets

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 30, 2015

As promised, Apple on Monday started rolling out a new trade-in initiative aimed at Android phone owners who would like to upgrade to an iPhone. Part of Apple's existing Reuse and Recycling Program, the non-iPhone trade-in is now rolling out in the United States and several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

Eligible non-iPhone devices include smartphones running Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone operating systems.