Inspired by Motorola’s excellent Active Display functionality on the Moto X, Peek Notifications in Paranoid Android provide users with a glimpse at outstanding alerts on their lock screen even when their smartphone is locked. All you have to do is lift your phone, and you can see whether you have missed calls, text messages, emails, and other important notifications waiting for you without actually having to wake up your device.

Until now, Peek has been available only with the Paranoid Android custom ROM — but you can now get it as an unofficial standalone app compatible with almost all devices running Android 4.4 KitKat.

The HTC One M8 is by far the prettiest Android-powered smartphone money can buy. Its sleek aluminum form factor makes its plastic-packing rivals look even tackier, and it’s one of the few phones I can think of that actually feels like it is worth its premium price tag. The only handset that comes close in terms of design is its predecessor, the original One (M7).

So, how do you make it even prettier? Paint it pink, of course. And that’s exactly what HTC plans to do with its latest flagship.

Samsung has officially documented the pricing and availability information for its recently announced Galaxy K Zoom. According to the South Korean company, the camera/phone is set to go on sale in Germany next week and will set you back €519 — that’s €20 more than it priced for the rest of Europe when it launches later this month, and we’re struggling to see why. It’s not as if the German variant has any extra features, either. It’s the exact same model.

The latest Android distribution figures are in!

Google has published the latest distribution figures for the Android operating system. The numbers, were uploaded to the official Developer Dashboard blog and reveal a consistent growth in the amount of users running KitKat (4.4), whilst older versions of the OS continue on their long path towards extinction.

More than a year after Google unveiled Play Music All Access in the United States, it has expanded the service to its neighbouring country — Canada. This means that Canadians can now enjoy listening to more than 20 million songs on their Android devices using the Play Music app.