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mardi 29 novembre 2016

Google is finding and taking down fake reviews in the Play Store

Play Store Top Charts

Play Store Top Charts

The number of fake reviews and rankings for apps and other content in the Google Play Store may be taking a big drop in the near future. The company announced today it has made some improvements to the backend that will allow it to find and take down those kinds of reviews.

See also:

How to get a refund for apps purchased from the Google Play Store

September 6, 2016

A few weeks ago, Google announced it would be going after apps who generate a lot of recorded installs through fraudulent means. Today, the company said that actual fake reviews, or reviews that have been created by people who have been paid to do so, will be identified and removed from the Play Store. Obviously, Google does not want to reveal exactly how it is making these removal decisions.

The company also mentioned once again that any Android apps in the Play Store must abide by its Developer Policy. That means app reviews must come from people who have actually used the app they are writing about, and that those users should not have been paid or given any other incentives to write their review. In this era where "fake news" has now become a buzzword, it's a relief to know that Google is trying its best to keep reviews of apps in the Play Store honest.



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10 best new Android apps of November 2016!

App developers are pushing the envelope on a daily basis trying to improve and enhance our smartphone and tablet experiences. In fact, so many Android apps come out every day that it's difficult to keep track of them all. It's difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you're getting bored with what you've got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month! You can watch the videos from passed months by clicking here!


adobe photoshop fix best new android appsadobe photoshop fix best new android appsAdobe Apps

[Price: Free (may require Adobe CC subscription)]
Adobe released three new apps in the month of November. The first was Photoshop Fix. This app lets you retouch photos and it also comes with some restoration features. The second was Adobe Photoshop Sketch. As the name implies, this app gives you a variety of tools to sketch and create original pieces of artwork that can then be ported to Adobe's desktop apps. The last one is Adobe Comp CC. This one allows you to design wireframes using images, text, shapes, and fonts. They're all free to download, but you'll need an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription to use all of the features.
Download Adobe Photoshop Fix from Google Play!
Get Adobe Photoshop Sketch from Google Play!

Download Comp CC on Google Play!

android auto best new android appsandroid auto best new android appsAndroid Auto

[Price: Free]
Android Auto was released to the world this last month. It was out previously but only for a few devices whereas this release is for pretty much everybody. It integrates Android Auto directly into your device so you won't need a smart car in order to use it. You'll be able to to a basic set of tasks including checking and sending messages, navigation, and listening to music and playlists, and more. It still needs quite a bit of work. That said, it is free and we expect the platform to get better sooner rather than later.

Download now on Google Play!

autotools best new android appsautotools best new android appsAutoTools

[Price: Free / $2.99]
AutoTools is a no-root extension for Tasker. It allows you to easily create some stuff in Tasker that would otherwise be a little more tedious or difficult. You can have it create toasts, badges, time calculations, and even gestures. AutoTools also has support for data processing, Chrome Custom Tabs, a flashlight, and more. You can try the app out for free for 30 days. After that, you can buy the app for $2.99.

Download now on Google Play!

brave browser best new android appsbrave browser best new android appsBrave Browser

[Price: Free]
Brave Browser had actually been out for a while. However, it was re-re-branded as Link Bubble and a new Brave Browser was released in its stead. This browser comes with built-in ad-block as well as a range of security features and battery optimizations to help keep things running smoothly. Along with that, it supports the usual range of features, including private tabs, bookmarks, history, and more. It's a fairly decent little browser if you're in the market for one.

Download now on Google Play!

brave browser best new android appsbrave browser best new android apps

fingerprint gestures best new android appsfingerprint gestures best new android appsFingerprint Gestures

[Price: Free / Optional donation]
Fingerprint Gestures is a fun little customization app. It allows you to use your fingerprint sensor as a sort of track pad. You'll be able to assign gestures along with various tap patterns to perform various tasks. For instance, you can have it show your notifications if you swipe down. It seems to work well for the most part, although some devices have better luck with it than others. It's a free download so you can see if it works for you. You'll need a device running Android 6.0 Marshmallow at the very least.

Download now on Google Play!

fingerprint gestures best new android appsfingerprint gestures best new android apps
See also:

Best Android phones!

4 weeks ago

learn how to draw best new android appslearn how to draw best new android appsLearn How to Draw

[Price: Free / $0.99]
Learn How to Draw is a simply named app that, to the surprise to no one, helps teach you how to draw. It features lessons for beginners, intermediates, and even some advanced lessons if you already know a little bit about drawing. The tutorials were created by Will Sliney who is a known comic book artist. There are hundreds of tutorials to go through. The app is reasonably priced and you can try it out for free before you dropping the $0.99 to get the full version.

Download now on Google Play!

microsoft selfie best new android appsmicrosoft selfie best new android appsMicrosoft Selfie

[Price: Free]
Microsoft Selfie is a simple camera app that takes selfies. It features a very simple interface that allows you to get in, take your selfie, and then send it where it needs to go. It has an editing tool that lets you move a slider back and forth. According to Microsoft, the slider is backed by technology that takes into account things like age, skin tone, gender, lighting, and other variables. It works pretty well if you need something simple.

Download now on Google Play!

microsoft selfie best new android appsmicrosoft selfie best new android apps

photoscan best new android appsphotoscan best new android appsPhotoScan

[Price: Free]
PhotoScan is an app by Google that helps you port your actual photographs into your device. Basically, it's a scanner app that you use to scan your photographs. It has a tool that lets you outline the photo so you can easily remove things like the frame or any background that you may get. Once it's digital, you can back it up or post it to social media if you want to. It takes a moment to get used to, but otherwise it's a simple app to use. It also works pretty well.

Download now on Google Play!

pulse best new android appspulse best new android appsPulse SMS

[Price: Free / Subscription / $10.99]
Pulse is an SMS application that also has cross-platform support. On its own, on a single device, it functions like a simple SMS app. However, you can install it on your computer, tablet, and other devices and sync your SMS between all of them. You can pay a recurring monthly subscription for multiple device support or you can buy a lifetime license for $10.99 and not have to worry about it again. It works pretty well although there are some bugs as you'd expect with a newer app. It's worth a shot.

Download now on Google Play!

snipback best new android appssnipback best new android appsSnipBack

[Price: Free]
SnipBack is a voice recording app with some unique features. It gets the basics right. You can record your voice, share or backup that recording, and recordings are listed by session for easy organization. However, the app also includes background noise reduction and the ability to record audio before the app starts running. It runs as a service and you can actually recover the last 30 seconds of audio even if you're not recording. It works well enough, although running it as a constant service may not always be the best idea.

Download now on Google Play!

Related best app lists:

If we missed any great new Android apps, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.



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Cyber Monday 2016 brought in over $1 billion in mobile shopping revenues

cyber monday sales deals

cyber monday sales dealsShutterstock

A few days ago, Adobe issued a report that Black Friday 2016 brought in a total of $3.34 billion from online shopping sources in the US, with $1.2 billion of that number from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. At the time, Adobe thought there was a chance that the online revenues from Black Friday would top those from Cyber Monday, which traditionally has been the top online shopping day of the year.

See also:

Best Cyber Week deals on headphones

3 days ago

As it turns out, Monday, November 28 showed that online shopping numbers just beat those of Black Friday. Adobe said today that revenues for Cyber Monday 2016 hit a new record of $3.39 billion, narrowly ahead of Black Friday's numbers. Of that $3.39 billion, $1.19 billion in online shopping came from smartphones and tablets, which is a 48-percent increase from 2015, but still slightly lower than the numbers from Black Friday 2016.

The majority of visits to retail websites during Cyber Monday were from mobile devices, with 44 percent coming from smartphones and 9 percent from tablets, for a total of 53 percent. Actual direct online sales from mobile devices are still lower; Adobe says they accounted for 35 percent of all online sales on Monday, with 25 percent from smartphones, and 10 percent from tablets.

Overall, online shopping revenues in the US over the entire Thanksgiving weekend (November 24-27) came in at $9.36 billion, a 16.4 percent increase compared to 2015. It goes to show that more and more people might be abandoning the rush to go to a physical store during that busy shopping season in favor of spotting deals online.

Did you spend the majority of your holiday shopping this past week online or in stores?



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Google Earth can now show more of our planet’s changes over time

tibet_china

tibet_china

Google Earth is a great online resource to see how our planet looks from above, and now it's even more useful to see how parts of the Earth have changed over time. The company has now expanded its Timelapse feature, which it introduced in 2013, with even more images that span several years in certain locations.

See also:

Google Maps and Google Earth now have insanely high res satellite imagery

June 27, 2016

Google said it went through over 5 million satellite images to add the ones in this new Timelapse update for Google Earth. The best from all those three quadrillion pixels were used to create 33 images of the entire planet, one for each year. From those photos, the company made 25 million overlapping multi-resolution video tiles from a number of locations on the planet. Using technology from Carnegie Mellon CREATE Lab's Time Machine, those tiles were converted into images that not only offer time-lapse movement over the years, but can also be panned and zoomed into by the user.

This means that Google Earth users can see how glaciers move over a period of several years in Antarctica or the growth of urbanization around Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, or many more such locations on the planet. It really is fascinating to just look at how mankind has made its mark, for good and bad, on Earth through these time-lapse satellite images. You can check out all these updated views of our planet at the Google Earth Engine site.



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Facebook Messenger update lets users play Pac-Man and other classic games

facebook-messenger-games

facebook-messenger-games

Facebook Messenger can already be a huge time sink just by simply chatting with friends. Now the app is rolling out an update for Android and iOS that will allow users to play a number of classic and current games directly in Messenger, which could cause even more productivity losses.

See also:

The best texting apps for Android

April 13, 2016

The update is a bit different than the hidden basketball and football Easter egg games that have been previously released for Messenger.  The new version of the app adds a game controller icon below where users normally type messages. Tapping on it will bring up a list of the free games that are available to play within the app. There are current 17 games to choose from, ranging from classic arcade titles like Pac-Man, Galaga and Space Invaders to more recent releases such as Words with Friends: Frenzy.

The Messenger update also allows friends to challenge others online in games to see if they can beat each other's scores on a leaderboard. In addition, games on Messenger will allow for in-context chat and group thread conversations.

Facebook Messenger will be adding more and more free games in the following weeks and months. The games update is now live in 30 countries, with more markets to be added in the future. Will you be challenging your friends to a quick Pac-Man game in Messenger soon?

Get it at Google Play


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Hill Climb Racing 2 coming to Android on November 28 (Update: out now!)

hill-climb-racing-2

hill-climb-racing-2
Update (11/29): If you've been waiting to give Hill Climb Racing 2 a shot, now's your chance. Developer Fingersoft has just released the game to the Google Play Store for free. Head to the Play Store link below for the download!
Get it now from Google Play

Original post (11/17): I won't introduce Hill Climb Racing because with over half a billion installs across both major mobile platforms and countless variations on the theme, you undoubtedly know the concept. This time Bill is back in Hill Climb Racing 2, which will arrive on Android on November 28 after a long four-year wait.

See also:

15 best free Android games of 2016!

3 weeks ago

Far from a reboot, Hill Climb Racing 2 delivers greatly improved graphics, more customization options for drivers and vehicles and also adds asynchronous online multiplayer mode. There's over 30 stages in multiplayer mode and an endless single player mode as well.

The game will be free to install but will contain in-app purchases. There's no word yet on the pricing structure for IAPs, but if you were a fan of the first game you're probably not going to care.

Simple games like this tend to do extremely well on mobile but it's not thanks to IAPs. For more on why this is, don't miss our interview with Noodlecake Studios discussing what made Alto's Adventure so popular.

What's your favorite mobile game? Do you prefer pick-up-and-play titles or complex games?



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4G smartphone shipments expected to reach 1.17 billion for 2016

4G LTE icon 1

4G LTE icon 1

The International Data Corporation predicts that worldwide smartphone shipments will reach 1.45 billion this year, 1.17 billion of which will be 4G enabled devices. That's a significant increase from last year's figure, with 967 million 4G devices shipped.

See also:

Samsung will only launch 4G phones in India from now on

October 21, 2016

According to IDC's report published today, we are likely to see a significant year-to-year growth rate in 4G smartphone shipments for this year. 21.3 percent, to be exact. Whereas last year, we saw 967 million 4G smartphone units shipped, the figure for this year is expected to surpass the one billion mark.

In terms of overall smartphone shipments, the year-to-year growth isn't all that substantial: at 0.6 percent, the total number is expected to be around 1.45 billion units for 2016. This means that the ratio of 4G smartphones in the overall number of units has increased dramatically over the year.

4G technology is very mature in markets like the US and Canada, Western Europe, and certain Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea. In fact, Korea was not only the first to launch LTE-Advanced, but is eyeing to be the first to launch 5G to coincide with the Winter 2018 Olympics. Well, combine all that with developing countries and their fast growing 4G markets, it makes sense that 4G enabled smartphones are becoming more and more prevalent and feature phones alike are disappearing into the background.

With developing countries and their fast growing 4G markets, it makes sense that 4G enabled smartphones are becoming more and more prevalent.

According to the IDC, that trend is going to continue as the prohibitively expensive 4G data tariffs are no more in emerging markets: many manufacturers are already offering affordable 4G smartphones in these markets, and local carriers are taking advantage of the occasion by providing attractive data pricing.

The report also offers some insight into the impact of Google's Pixel phones on the Android ecosystem: although the search giant has been aggressively marketing the Pixel duo, it is unlikely that the current hierarchy – where Samsung and Apple are at the top – will change anytime soon.

Do you own a 4G enabled smartphone? Do you think feature phones or 3G phones are a thing of the past? Let us know by leaving a comment below!



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