Apps Banned from Bypassing Google Play Updates

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Google has changed its mobile app store policies in order to prevent developers from creating apps that will update themselves outside of the official marketplace system.

Apps downloaded from Google Play will now only be able to update through the search giant’s marketplace, putting restrictions on the way they act in a bid to improve security.

In a statement, Google said: “An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism”.

Facebook had recently altered its Android app to update itself outside of Google’s app store ecosystem and there is speculation that Google may have made its move as a pre-emptive strike before other app developers implement the same kind of changes.

However, Google has recently been tightening up security in its app ecosystem, recently removing 60,000 malicious apps from Google Play. It is possible that the new policy could be a part of a wider plan to cultivate a more secure environment for Android, in line with that which already exists for iOS.

Google has changed its mobile app store policies in order to prevent developers from creating apps that will update themselves outside of the official marketplace system.

Apps downloaded from Google Play will now only be able to update through the search giant’s marketplace, putting restrictions on the way they act in a bid to improve security.

In a statement, Google said: “An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play’s update mechanism”.

Facebook had recently altered its Android app to update itself outside of Google’s app store ecosystem and there is speculation that Google may have made its move as a pre-emptive strike before other app developers implement the same kind of changes.

However, Google has recently been tightening up security in its app ecosystem, recently removing 60,000 malicious apps from Google Play. It is possible that the new policy could be a part of a wider plan to cultivate a more secure environment for Android, in line with that which already exists for iOS.

Samsung Welcomes its New Galaxy Tab 3 Tablet into the Family

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Samsung has updated its most basic 7-inch tablet, and announced the Galaxy Tab 3, however instead of refreshing the spec sheet, the company has only slightly tweaked the feature list. The prime difference comes with the design, which now fits with other Samsung products, such as the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet and the Galaxy S4smartphone.

Like those, and many other Samsung mobile devices, the rear of the Galaxy Tab 3 is flat with curved edges, and a centrally mounted camera lens. The side profile reveals the Galaxy S4′s influence, while around the front it’s easy to see the link between it and the Galaxy Note 8.0. It’s also lighter and slimmer than the Galaxy Tab 2, which Samsung says makes it more comfortable to hold, and to its credit, it dips below the already lightweight Nexus 7′s figures.

So, the design has changed, but what about the spec? The processor has been upped to a 1.2GHz dual-core chip, plus a 1.3 megapixel video call camera has been added. Samsung has installed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean too, and covered it in the TouchWiz UI.

The screen has stayed at 7-inches, as has the 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, which does put it below many of its cheap Android tablet competitors. The 3 megapixel rear camera is also the same. Samsung will release two versions of the tablet, one with Wi-Fi and the other with 3G. The 3G tablet will double as a phone, which seems to be a growing fashion, following the launch of hardware such as the Asus Fonepad.

Samsung will put the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 3 on sale in May, with the 3G version coming in June, however prices have yet to be confirmed

Samsung Galaxy Nexus review: Opening new doors

Introduction

Once again, it is the Nexus time of the year. This time, Google has left the Gingerbread cookies and, together with Samsung, has brought to us the Galaxy Nexus to deliver the Ice Cream Sandwich. And while a cold dessert is totally out of place this holiday season, the latest release of Android is more relevant than ever.

The Galaxy Nexus packs an impressive spec sheet, but it is (yet again) the OS which is the device’s main highlight. After all, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is widely expected to put an end to the fragmentation, which currently plagues Google’s mobile platform.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus official photos

Unlike its Nexus S predecessor, which was essentially a rebranded Samsung Galaxy S, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a completely different device from the current flagship of the company, the I9100 Galaxy S II. The latest Google phone sports a different GPU and chipset, which are, well, not as powerful as those found inside the Galaxy S II.

Here is a quick look at what the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has to offer, along with its main disadvantages.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM; penta-band 3G support
• HSDPA 21Mbps; HSUPA 5.76Mbps
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with stock UI
• 4.65” Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution; 16M colors; oleophobic surface
• Slim profile at 8.9mm
• Dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU; PowerVR SGX540 GPU; TI OMAP 4460 chipset
• 16/32GB built-in storage; 1GB RAM
• 5 MP camera (2592x1936 pixels) with autofocus, LED flash; 1.3MP front-facing unit
• 1080p video recording @30fps; touch-to-zoom while recording
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• DLNA; Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth 3.0 with ADP
• Charging MHL microUSB port with TV-out (1080p) support
• GPS receiver with A-GPS support
• NFC connectivity
• Accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensors; compass; barometer
• Back cover made of Hyper Skin material for increased grip
• Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages

• Camera resolution is not on par with the rest of the high-end dual-core competition
• Below average battery life
• Lacks a dedicated camera key
• No microSD card slot
• No mass-storage mode (some files don't show up in MTP mode)
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is yet to be fully compatible with all apps from the Android Market
• No FM radio

A quick look at the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will show you that the smartphone’s hottest hardware feature is its Super AMOLED screen with HD resolution – a first for a Samsung smartphone. The display combines amazing contrast ratio and superb viewing angles, with eye-popping size and resolution – a perfect match for the spanking new OS on board.

As far as the rest of the hardware is concerned, we heavily suspect that Samsung has intentionally omitted a couple of Galaxy S II features such as the microSD card slot and a superior 8MP camera unit. The superior screen of the Galaxy Nexus, while giving it a touch of exclusivity hardware-wise, will not be enough to cannibalize the strong sales, which the I9100 still enjoys.

The latest Google phone will be aimed at the Android purists – the crowd, which doesn’t like launchers or UI tweaks. And also the crowd that likes to get the latest OS updates from Google first. In this aspect, the smartphone is entirely in a league of its own.

The 10 Best Android Tablets

When it comes to tablets, it's been an interesting year for Android. Since Google released its tablet-specific operating system, Honeycomb, we’ve seen a steady flow of high-quality Android tablets. (Pre-Honeycomb Android tablets were another story.) This is a good thing, since they provide viable alternatives to the Apple iPad, which has dominated the tablet market since its first release in early 2010. One of the major benefits of Android over the iPad, the dearly departed HP TouchPad, or the dead-on-arrival BlackBerry PlayBook, is that instead of a single hardware choice, you can access the OS on a number of different tablets.

Overall, the Android tablet experience is a very good one. But not all is perfect, even in the land of Honeycomb. The biggest problem with the platform continues to be the lack of third-party apps. We're coming up on a year after the OS release, and tablet-specific Android apps are still in the low hundreds, while apps designed specifically for the iPad continue to climb into the hundreds of thousands. Given its Google roots, though, Android is the most configurable tablet operating system you’ll find. It's a master multitasker with an excellent notification system, and top-notch integration with Google services like Gmail, Google Chat, and Google Maps. Plus, you get Flash video support.

Turns out that the most compelling Android tablet we've seen so far doesn't even run Honeycomb. Amazon's Kindle Fire uses a modified version of Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, which is meant for phones. It's not perfect, but the smaller 7-inch screen, and Amazon's OS tweaks, along with its own high-quality content ecosystem and on-board Appstore make for one of the best tablet entertainment experiences you can find. And its $200 price, in a market where most tablets cost around twice as much, means Amazon has a real chance to steal some market share from Apple. If the Kindle Fire doesn't do it for you, though, check out the slideshow for a look at our other top-rated Android tablets or compare these tablets side by side.