Android

Geohot “makes it ra1n” on Android with a rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Geohot—a name that's virtually synonymous with iPhone jailbreaking—has taken up quite a few different ventures since departing from the jailbreak scene. He's dabbled in Playstation 3 hacking, and working at Facebook. He was even rumored to have been on the precipice of an iOS 7 jailbreak, but nothing formally materialized from him.

But yesterday, Geohot (real name George Hotz) made his name known on an even wider scale when he released a new rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and other Android devices. The tool, which is called Towelroot, is a downloadable package that allows Galaxy S5 users to quickly root their devices. This is especially helpful for GS5 users on Verizon and AT&T, because those two mobile carriers lock the bootloader.

I've tried out Towelroot on my Galaxy S5, and it works just as described. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Hotz's past jailbreak tools. Check inside for all of the details.

Google said to be building its own health platform called Google Fit

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Hot on the heels of Apple's big HealthKit unveiling comes word that Google is building a health platform of its own. The news comes from Forbes, who says the service—dubbed Google Fit—will be announced at Google's upcoming I/O conference.

According to the report, Google Fit will closely resemble HealthKit in that it will collect and aggregate data from popular fitness trackers and health-related apps. And Google is believed to have already forged partnerships with wearable device makers...

Microsoft mulls porting Cortana assistant to iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2014

Microsoft has wont to arrive late to parties: following Siri's introduction nearly three years ago, Redmond in April of this year has finally gotten around to unveiling a personal assistant of its own, Cortana, at the Build Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Originally conceived as a Windows Phone 8.1 exclusive, the Windows giant is now reportedly considering bringing the virtual assistant to rival platforms, namely to iOS and Android.

Let me get this straight. Beats updates Android app. Microsoft launches Office for iPad before even releasing a touch-optimized version for Windows 8 tablet. Apple reportedly mulling iTunes for Android...

What a difference a few years make, eh?

Despite Apple deal, Beats updates Android app, plans on using Samsung shill LeBron James in ads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Looks like Tim Cook wasn't joking when he told The Financial Times Apple would keep alive Beats Music apps for Android and Windows Phone platforms. Keep in mind that Cook made that promise after Apple snapped up Beats' streaming-music service, headphones, brand and talent in a $3 billion transaction.

Indeed, Beats has now issued an update to its Android client, the first refresh post-acquisition. But that's not all: it seems Beats will continue to feature Samsung endorser and Miami Heat cager LeBron James in future advertising...

Meet Ringly, the smart ring that alerts you to iPhone notifications

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

At first glance, the Ringly appears to be an ordinary piece of jewelry. Slip it on your finger, and it looks and feels like a typical fashion ring. That all changes, however, when your iPhone receives a notification, as the ring begins to vibrate and light up.

Using the low energy Bluetooth standard, Ringly connects to your phone and sends you customized notifications through vibration and light. It's discreet enough for a meeting, but conspicuous enough that you'll never miss an important call or message...

Sunrise Calendar is now available everywhere, including on Android and the web

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Sunrise Calendar, a free iOS calendar alternative, on Thursday rolled out to Android smartphones, now available free of charge in Google's Play Store. In addition, the software has been released on desktop, too, in the form of a web app available in the Chrome Web Store.

And ff you prefer Apple's Safari over Google's Chrome browser, Sunrise Calendar can now be enjoyed as a regular web app, too, though you'll lose Chrome-specific functionality such as the offline mode. With that in mind, the app is now available pretty much everywhere: across the iPhone, iPad and Android devices and on the web...

Beats Music apps to remain in Android, Windows Phone stores

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Now that the long-rumored Beats deal has been confirmed by Apple, folks are wondering what's to become of the Beats Music service. Although it just launched in January, it has already built up a [small] loyal following of subscribers.

The good news is, it sounds like Apple is going to allow Beats to operate as a separate company, which will include its streaming music service. And according to reports, it has no plans to pull the Android and Windows Phone clients...

MBLOK is a wireless flash drive for iOS that fits in your pocket

Joe Rossignol ∙ May 20, 2014

May appears to be the month of Kickstarter campaigns featuring products that eliminate the need to use iTunes for transferring files between a Mac or PC and iPhone or iPad. Last week it was the iStick flash drive with a built-in Lightning connector, and this time around we're taking a look at the MBLOK wireless storage and flash drive by a team of students and entrepreneurs from Waterloo, Canada. Take a look…

Student research project brings native iOS apps to Android devices

Cody Lee ∙ May 14, 2014

This is pretty interesting. A group of six PhD students from Columbia University's Department of Computer Science have developed 'Cider,' an OS compatibility architecture capable of running iOS apps on Android.

The research project utilizes binary compatibility techniques to run both domestic and foreign binaries on the same device. So essentially it can trick an app's code into thinking it's running on Apple's XNU kernel...

Apple litigation won’t cripple Android, Samsung lawyer insists

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The Great Apple-Samsung Legal War has been raging on for years now, and on a scale almost unprecedented in business history. The latest in the saga involves a California court awarding Apple $119.6 million in damages over Samsung patent infringement, a far cry from the $2 billion the iPhone maker was shooting for.

The ruling has prompted many watchers to question the wisdom of Apple's thermonuclear war on Android. Adding the latest damages award on top of the $900+ million awarded to Apple from the first patent megatrial barely results in $1 billion. I'm certain this is the price Samsung is happy to pay for profiting from willfully lifting Apple's patented iPhone technology.

But no amount of litigation will ever stop Android dead in its tracks, argues an attorney for Samsung who represents the South Korean conglomerate in the courtroom...

Patent filing reveals Apple’s work on gesture-based passwords

Cody Lee ∙ April 17, 2014

The US Patent and Trademark Office published a pair of interesting Apple patent applications yesterday. The filings are titled 'Gesture entry techniques,' and together they describe a device-unlocking feature that involves a user drawing a custom pattern on a screen by connecting illuminated dots.

Apple filed for the patent in late 2012, several years after Google introduced a very similar feature in Android. It would appear, though, that the iPad-maker's version of the gesture-based password is at least slightly more advanced, as it can account for swipe speed, use of invisible dots, and more...

LG launches AirPlay-like SDK to stream media to multiple TVs, Apple TV support incoming

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

LG is hoping to make it easier for users to beam media to their televisions, with a new SDK it's making available to developers to integrate into apps on iOS and Android.

Smart TVs have historically been one of the most closed platforms out there, with manufacturers developing features for only their own TVs and set-top boxes, and not the broader market - example being Apple's AirPlay. LG is changing this with its new Integrate Connect SDK, a standard to place into mobile apps to beam media across multiple platforms onto the big screen.