Friday, October 31, 2014

Full offline Mauritius map now available in Nokia Here Maps for Android.

Google Maps is a great navigation tool on Android and so far competition has either been lame or inexistent. But that has changed with Nokia making its popular Here Maps available for Samsung devices first, and for other Android devices recently. Don't go look in the Play store, you won't find it there. Here Maps for Android is still in beta and can be downloaded on Nokia's official Here site.

Since you will be downloading a file outside the Play store, make sure "Unknown sources" is enabled in your phone settings. If it is not activated, your phone will offer to take you there after you tap the download link. Once the download is complete, go ahead and install the app.

Tap the Hamburger inside the app (that's the three horizontal lines stacked upon each other) and tap "Download maps". In order to download, you must sign in with a Facebook or Here account; A sign up link is also available. After you authenticate, the app will get a list of maps. Tap "Download new". Select Africa > Mauritius. The file is 126.4MB in size, double the size of the Windows Phone version.

I will compare how Here Maps work on Android and Windows Phone in another post.

Enjoy offline maps of Mauritius.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Searching and sharing gets easier on LinkedIn for Android.

The professional network, LinkedIn, has been updated today that makes it easier for its members to search and share in full screen mode. Users will thus be able to see more results. The change log also mentions a new location-based jobs search. Finally, it is now possible to share articles directly from the home screen.

An update that feels like LinkedIn is playing catchup. I have an account there but hardly use the app I have installed on my Android and Windows Phone. Do you use LinkedIn?

Download LinkedIn free on Google Play.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Amazon Kindle: Start playing narration before audiobook download completes.

The app that brings over a million books at your finger tips has been updated today with the ability to start playing narration before the audiobook download is complete. No need to wait for the book download to complete before you can enjoy your audiobooks.

Amazon also updated Kindle app with localized support for Dutch and the ability to tap on highlight to edit, plus the usual bug fixes. The app is available free in the Play store.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Google Play Newsstand gets material design and more.

Yesterday, Google blessed the Play Newsstand app with its material design which basically makes images bigger and transitions smoother. Make no mistake, material design is not just making Android and apps look flat. It is a completely different experience. In a blog post, Mussie Shore, group product manager for Google Play Newsstand, writes: "You can swipe left and right between topics, and swipe up and down to dive more deeply into a particular topic. Play Newsstand puts the news you care about front and center with big images that jump off the screen."

This update also adds topic cards in the Explore section that lets you easily subscribe to topics that are of interest to you. "Topics deliver a personalized and up to date reading experience on your passions and interests. And our new Android app is faster than ever."

Google Play Newsstand is available free on Google Play.

Source: Android Blog