If you already use Google, making the jump to Google+ is surprisingly easy. In several subtle ways, you probably are using parts of Google+ already. Your Google+ profile goes a lot of places. It ties into the Google Play store, putting a name and face to your +1s, ratings, and reviews. It ties into YouTube, tying together your comments and allowing you to reply to subsequent...
The microSD slot may not be as necessary as before, but to some users, it's still very much a dealbreaker. Samsung's announcement in Barcelona that the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are not going to have a a microSD card slot or a removable battery was a bit of a surprise to some of us — or maybe just me. We knew that this would break the hearts of many a faithful Samsung user would break at...
Is removable storage still a dealbreaker? Among the numerous changes to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge announced at Mobile World Congress Barcelona this week, many attentive Android fans noted that the microSD slot was removed. While Samsung touted the improvements to the overall build and promised versions with internal storage up to 128GB, many of us are still crying foul over the...
Navigation apps are some of the most important apps we use from a safety standpoint. Just think about it. A navigation app that sends you into off on some wild goose chase, into the sticks, or worse, off-road completely can cost you time and endanger you and anyone else you're driving around. You want an app in your pocket you can trust, and so this week we asked you what navigation...
Severe weather takes many forms. Blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, even haboobs can turn a regular day into a disaster, and if you're not prepared, it can turn from disastrous to downright dangerous. While you're stocking up the liquor cabinet, boarding up the windows, and collecting the games/movies from around the house to keep any little ones happy and distracted, don't forget to...
'OK Google, what's the weather like?' Weather is important, but sometimes you don't need a full two week forecast with barometric pressure and the exact phase of the lunar cycle. Sometimes, you just need to know if it's warm or chilly outside. Sometimes, you want to know the weather, but you just don't have your hands free. Sometimes, you just need Google. Google Now has always...
For more than just 'is it raining?' Most weather apps come with radar, but it can leave something to be desired, especially for those who are a little more dependent on the weather's wicked wiles. For storm chasers, meteorologists, and weather enthusiasts looking for more advanced radar on their Android devices, we've looked through the cream of the crop with KXXV-TV Meteorologist...
Maps can be tricky things... One of the most important devices our smartphone has replaced is the GPS navigation unit. Being able to search for a restaurant, tap one and be directed straight to it without having to type it into a separate device is just wonderful. Being able to send someone a location in a text message, or to pull a location from an email and have my phone...
Quick charging is indeed something a fair number of us have. This week's poll may seem a bit simpler than most, and the same holds true for its results, which show that a majority of the responding users — what 4,500 of you responded this week — said that you did have a quick-charging phone. This comes as a small surprise to us, as relatively few phones in the last few months have come...
It has many names: turbo, rapid, quick and fast. Whatever the name may be, there are a plethora of phones out there that support Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 standard (or a manufacturers own version of it) since it was first announced back in 2013. And while we're doing our series on quick-charging and the phones and chargers that support it, we'd like to see how many of our readers...
Who is using Google's social platform? Google's own social platform Google+ is something of a dark horse in the social media world, and many have called it a failure for not attracting enough of their real-life contacts to replace Facebook or Twitter. However, the tech world, and Android users in particular have extra incentive — or blackmail, if you wanna look at it that way — to have...
The wishlist is a great place to stash things for later, but that's about it Google Play's wishlist is something of an oddity. You can't share your wishlist. People cannot buy you things off your wishlist. Because of this, most users seem to think the wishlist in Google Play is useless, but they are wrong! Oh, yes, it does have a purpose! You just have to ignore the name. Your...
Sharing app links is easy — especially via Google+ Apps in Google Play are plentiful, and when you get right down to it, finding good apps can sometimes be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack, or a diamond in the rough. And diamonds are awesome, so you should share them with your friends when you find them. Sharing them on Google's own social platform Google+ is a little easier...
Google plus what? Now, Google+ might catch a lot of flak from the media and the rest of the social media market for being... well... a bit odd. And truth be told, Google's social platform is a bit odd compared to most other platforms. It's free to both users and brands, there's no advertising, there's not much marketing of Google+ as a platform — which makes the fact that Google+ has...
Taking away your IAP keys Google Play wants you to use a credit card for all of your purchases. And while that makes perfect sense, it's not always practical, especially on accounts used or controlled by your kids. And to that end, Google Play has a simple system you can use to rein in their — or your own — spending, and we know it works. How do we know? We have kids of our own...
Weather apps are like weather conditions: they're different everywhere We'll be digging into weather apps in a few weeks, but before we do, we wanted to get a feel for what apps our readers are currently using. And of the over 9000 of you — what, 9000?! — there were a few resounding conclusions. First, there is a surprising diversity of apps in the weather sphere, with plenty of apps...
Google Wallet and Google Play are wonderful services, and they're very convenient when you want to make a quick movie rental or order a new album. However, as easy as it is to put your payment information into an account to authorize a purchase, taking it back out isn't exactly difficult, but you do have to know where to look for it. Maybe you just wanted to buy your kid some Google...
Once you've set up your payments in Google Play, buying apps, games and music can be a breeze, but what happens when you want to use something else to pay for an app? Maybe you're saving your Google Play credit up for a movie. Maybe you don't want your partner to get upset when they see your bill covered with Google Play purchases. Maybe your debit card is almost overdrawn and you need...
The Google Play Store probably is your best bet for finding the apps you need So, you've got your Google Account, and now you want to dive into the rest of the Google Play Store. Well, there's a small trick to that. See, you can go into the Play Store and use it for movies, music and books without an Android device, but in order to install or purchase anything in the apps section, you...
Great apps are easy to find — if you know how to look Google Play has more than 1.43 million apps in its app section, and while bigger numbers are great for bragging rights, finding the apps you actually want in that haystack can get a little daunting. On one hand, it's a good problem to have plenty of apps for your Android. On the other hand, sometimes too much of a good thing can...