One of the major issues with the YouTube app on Android is that it only plays back HD videos if your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Over 3G, the app only provides the option to playback videos in “HQ” mode.
With Android devices now packing full HD and higher resolution screens, watching videos on HQ mode is quite an eyesore. At the very least, Google should provide an option to view videos in HD mode even when streaming videos over mobile network.
Thankfully, a developer over at XDA forums has released a modded version of the YouTube app that allows for 720p/1080p video playback over 3G or Wi-Fi. The app will be especially handy for DROID DNA, HTC One, Galaxy S4 and other 1080p Android handset users, where videos in HQ mode don’t do justice to the screen of these phones.
Google unveiled a ton of astonishing new features, updates and applications at the Google I/O keynote on Wednesday, however something they failed to mention was the brand new update for their YouTube application for the Google TV.
Google has sent Microsoft a cease and desist letter over the YouTube app Microsoft built for Windows Phone. According to a letter obtained by Wired, Google demands that Microsoft immediately remove the YouTube app from the Windows Phone Store and then disable the app on all existing handsets by May 22.
In its letter to Microsoft, Google claims that the YouTube app allows users to download videos and strip out ads. Here’s part of the letter from YouTube’s Director of Platform Partnerships:
Samsung has revealed another two commercials for the new Galaxy S4, focusing on features that have been integrated into its TouchWiz user interface. One of the clips highlights the smartphone’s Eraser Shot feature, while the other shows off Easy Mode.
Like Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices, Barnes & Noble’s Android-powered Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets have always relied on the company’s proprietary app store for software distribution.
While this ensures that every app you download will work well on your slate, it also means that the app selection is limited, and nowhere near that of Android’s own Google Play store.
But that all changed today when Barnes & Noble announced it will finally be bringing Google Play to its tablets.
Google Glass is the future of technology. Maybe. But for most of us, it will be at least 6-12 months before we ever get to touch Google’s futuristic piece of headwear. In the meantime, Google wants to make sure everyone is prepped in advance and knows how to use Glass so it’s making a series of videos to get you up to speed.
Google just released its first instructional video for Glass on its new Google Glass YouTube channel . The video, titled “Glass How-to: Getting Started,” covers the basics on how to use Glass. It briefly runs down features like the TouchPad, cards, sharing photos, navigation, etc. Sadly, it doesn’t cover how to not look like a weirdo while wearing Glass.
A new update is making its way to Samsung Galaxy S III handsets on Sprint this week. In addition to fixing a lock screen flaw that allows users to bypass any security locks you have set — exactly one week after it was fixed on the Galaxy Note II — it also introduces Samsung’s excellent Multi-View feature, and more.
For those unfamiliar with Multi-View, it’s a TouchWiz feature that was first introduced to the Galaxy Note II, and it allows you to run two apps side-by-side simultaneously. So you can watch YouTube videos while you chat to friends on Facebook, or keep an eye on the sports scores while you reply to emails.
It’s true multitasking on a smartphone, and Samsung’s the only smartphone manufacturer that provides it — for now, at least.
The update also makes improvements to the built-in Gallery, Camera, and Paper Artist apps, and addresses the lock screen security flaw that was discovered on a number of popular Samsung smartphones earlier this year.
The update is rolling out over-the-air to Sprint users as I write this, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you should do fairly soon.
The new Galaxy S4 is the first Samsung smartphone to boast Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass 3, which promises to be up to three times as scratch resistant as its predecessor. And according to its first scratch test, it does not disappoint — the Galaxy S4’s display is almost impossible to scratch.
Samsung has published its first three Galaxy S4 commercials on YouTube today, and the company has chosen to focus on TouchWiz features rather than the handset’s hardware. The clip above shows off S Translator, while the two below demonstrate Group Play and Sound Shot.
YouTube Production Strategist Eileen Rivera teased Google’s Google Play 4.0 by posting a screenshot on Google+ on Sunday, ahead of the update’s official release. The image was removed shortly after it was published, but not before it had begun making its way around the web.
