Fixes: Opera Browser beta & Chrome Beta for Android.

Both browsers for Android have the Beta moniker but not for the same purpose. Chrome beta is the app Google uses to test new features with the help of users like you and me before pushing them out to the official Chrome browser for Android. A treat for early adopters and developers. I'm not sure about why Opera still is in beta version though. I must admit that despite having installed on my Nexus, I never use it. Yes I'm a Chrome boy.

Both browsers have received a bunch of fixes and performance enhancements in the last updates. See the change logs for both browsers below:

Chrome Beta for Android:

• 263870: History search textbox disappears when search term is deleted
• 273763: auto complete in Omnibox not functioning properly with gesture based keyboards
• 283616: After Chrome update, Swype enters double words when touching space bar, delete with backspace word reappears
• 280717: Chrome on Android should only enable accessibility for "real" accessibility services

Known issues:  

• 274432: [Tablets] First suggestion is auto selected when we scroll the window upward
• 289768: [Android] Mobile Gmail compose page email fields do not work with Swype 3.26.*
• 276550: A bit of first letter of an URL in omnibox is cut.
  
  

Source: Google Play Store

Opera browser beta

- Chromium upgrade to version 29

- Compression method change in Off-road mode

- Improvements in download manager

- Improved NFC communication

- Various stability and performance fixes

Source: Google Play Store

Pocket Casts gets Chromecast support, pending Google approval.

I received my Chromecast this week after almost a month wait. We all remember how fast the $35 dongle sold out shortly after its announcement during Google IO. It was well worth the wait anyway. It's so much fun to instantly launch a karaoke from my phone or watch whatever YouTube has to offer. As of now only Youtube, Netflix and Chrome browser supports Chromecast. It should not take long to see other apps take advantage of it.

Coincidentally one of the first to add Chromecast suport to its app is ShiftyJelly's Pocket Casts, an app I use for my podcast consumption and one that I recommend. Pocket Casts published an update that adds Chromecast support. The thing is, the new feature is not activated yet as it seems it has not got Google's blessing. I don't know how that works, but it seems that the folks at Mountain View have to have their say into which app gets to support Chromecast or not. No matter what, I hope this is not one of these long corporate procedures.

Besides announcing the Chrome cast support into Pocket Casts, the update also contains a bunch of new features. See the change log:

What's New

v4.3

- Need for Speed 5, Android Drift: faster podcast grid, faster playlists, faster everything

- Auto download added for podcasts :)

- Quickly blow away boring episodes with our bulk delete feature (long press on an episode to enter)

- Fancy Pants Official Google side menu thing

- Bug fixes. Didn't see that one coming, did you!

- Chrome Cast support: we can't ship it until Google lets us. Residents of Mountain View: go poke some Googlers for us.

Source: Google Play Store

Accept LinkedIn endorsements right on your Android.

LinkedIn for Android was updated today with the ability for users to accept endorsements and endorse others right on the device. This feature was much needed as now users are not required to access the professional network website to process skills endorsements they have pending.  

LinkedIn, just in case you ignore it, is a social network for professionals. If you're on the lookout for a job, create a profile on LinkedIn and post your CV or any details that can help put you under the radar of the recruiters who roam the network. And this update makes it easier for you to apply for select jobs with just one tap by using your LinkedIn profile.

The app is a free download on the Play Store.

Facebook Messenger gets animated stickers in messages.

Heavy users of Facebook Messenger will most likely like this new feature that some stickers are now animated in messages. Besides this fancy addition, the app supports more languages: Croatian, Hungarian and Slovakian. Add to that the usual bug fixes and you get an update that is available for download from the Play Store.

What's New

2.7.1

- Some stickers are now animated in messages—see Pusheen, Beast and Anooki wave, dance and wiggle! (Android 4.0.2 and higher)

- Plus, the app is available in more languages: Croatian, Hungarian and Slovakian

- Bug fixes for reliability

Chrome Beta update fixes flickering on HTC One.

Chrome Beta is the app that Google uses to test features before publishing them to the official version of its browser for Android. Since Chrome beta is available for download in the Play Store, early adopters are welcome to download and test those features and give feedback to the team. An excellent way to get various views and experience from users around the world. 

Today's update does not any new features, but include the following fixes:

• 260227: Space missing from suggestions in google.com when query contains a typo
• 272062: Simple Cache heap peaks during index regeneration
• Support for input

Known issues:

• 237839: Blue shadow on edit context menu
• 263870: History search textbox disappears when search term is deleted
• 268896: Samsung S3 - Quitting app,when open new tab while playing mse video
• 261822: Partial white flashes and background border issues during tap-to-zoom
• 266572: Flickering on HTC1

Download: Play Store

Angry Birds Friends updated with Toons Channel.

Angry Birds, like Mario or Sonic, is now part of those games franchise that will probably never die. At least, it will survive as long as there will be eggs on this planet. Rovio published a 47.84MB update to the store today that adds the popular Toons Channel to the app so users can watch full Angry Birds Toons episodes and other videos on their devices.

Angry Birds Friends has also been updated with support for upcoming tournaments with special themes, new graphics and more interactive levels. Obviously, this update has the usual improvements and fixes to make the birds, pigs and eggs last longer and perform faster on our favorite platforms.

Download: Google Play Store

Long live the birds.

Contacts+ for Android gets new widget.

If you need something more than the default contact app on your Android, you should definitely consider Contact+. With it you can send regular text messages, interact with your friends on Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter etc. All in one place without the need to switch between apps.

Contact+ was updated today with the following features:

+ Bug fixes

+ For Android 4.0+ devices - supporting a New (free!) Widget, downloadable separately and includes:

Groups selection (based on phone contacts)

Themes: light, dark&black

Click action selection per contact: call, text, send WhatsApp message or open contact

Resizable & Scrollable !

Lockscreen enabled :)

Note: Once the widget is installed, place it on the homescreen by entering the apps drawer >> click widgets tab >> select “Contacts+ widget” (press & hold) >> drag & drop.

Download: Google Play Store

App updates: Google Translate, Google+, Maps, Avast, CNN, Box.

This is a list of updated apps I have installed on my Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.3. Checkout those apps if you do not have them on your Android. 

Google Translate
What's New:

• Handwriting input is now available for Hindi and Thai.
• Camera input is now available for Afrikaans, Greek, Hebrew, and Serbian.

Google+

What's New:

• View, edit and share photos stored in Google Drive
• Pull to refresh content in the stream and notifications
• Locations improvements: share your city-level location, control who is displayed on the map
• Easier switching between different accounts and pages
• Google Apps for Business support: restrict posts to the domain, domain icons to identify members
• Hangouts app replaces Messenger for messaging and video calls. Visit Google Takeout to download your Messenger data.

Maps

What's New:

• Scale bar lets you see distances on a map 
• Bug fixes

Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus

What's New:

• New App Locking Feature (Premium)
• New Ad detector feature in privacy advisor (Premium)
• Dashboard redesign, plus additional interface changes to improve user experience
• New features inside Anti-Theft (e.g Geo-fencing, picture taking)
• New Backup functionality
• Bulgarian language added

CNN

What's New:

• Crash and bug fixes to resolve video player issue experienced after updating devices to Android 4.3

Box

What's New:

v2.2.1: Bug fixes including those for uploads on Android 4.3 and Nexus 7 layouts

New left-swipe navigation drawer

Revamped updates feed with document preview and new filtering options

New resizable home screen widget with scrolling

Ability to sort a folder by name, date, or size

Grid (icon) view for files

Ability to switch between multiple Box accounts from inside the app

Real-time updates to offline files while inside the app

Localized file and folder sizes

Finnish language support

Happy download :-)

Twitter for Android gets two-factor authentication, new gallery view.

Twitter has added two-factor authentication to its official app for Android today in an update published in Google Play Store to protect users' account with login verification. This new feature can be activated and managed within the app itself. I strongly recommend that you activate it. Better be safe than sorry.

The update also lets you enjoy a new gallery view for photos in search results and includes the usual bug fixes and improvements.

Get the update on Google Play. 

Facebook update brings Chat heads to mid-range devices.

Chat heads was initially restricted to devices supporting Facebook Home, the failed attempt by Facebook to take over your device. Home was meant to be the main point of entry to access your phone features as it worked more like a launcher, an intrusive one which did not garner much support from users. But not all was bad about Facebook Home. 

Chat head remains quite popular and it seems Facebook has noticed and is bringing it to those devices that cannot handle Facebook Home. In the latest update to Facebook Messenger, they added support for Chat Heads for mid-range devices like the Samsung Galaxy Y and HTC Wildfire. A bug on the Sony Experia U which caused chat heads to appear incorrectly was also fixed.

Finally, the usual bug fixes are also part of the update as well as improvements to use less battery.

With this update, Facebook Messenger reaches version 2.6.1. If you haven't received the update notification yet, get it on Google Play.