This thought-provoking essay argues that Material Design is the closest thing to a unifying theory of design, as it provides consistency and coherence through elements in both time and space. If you are into Material Design, you might find this to be an interesting and enjoyable read.
The post Material Design is Design Science? appeared first on xda-developers.
Google’s Play Music radio streaming service is rolling out! If you don’t want to wait, here is the APK to install right away. It also brings some tweaks to the navigation drawer. Read more about the update here!
The post Google Play Music Radio Stream Update appeared first on xda-developers.
In what may prove to be a defining move in the war between music streaming services, Google has just announced a free, ad-supported version that is now available in the U.S. This puts the service directly in the path of Spotify (which already offers a free version) and the upcoming Apple Music which is to be launched later this month.
It is not an overly large presumption to say that the impending arrival of Apple Music prompted this change in strategy. Another player in the music industry can only be a good thing for us the users, and in this instance the impending competition seemingly brought us a free tier that offers radio stations hand curated by the Google Play Music team, including the people behind Songza. These stations can be browsed by genre, decade, mood or various activities such as “taking the kids to school” or “working out”. Searching for an artist, song or album will create a playlist of music that is similar.
The primary difference between the free version of GPM and Spotify is a lack of control over specific songs: with the new Google music tier you will be unable to choose the individual songs you hear. You can of course skip tracks (up to 6 tracks an hour) however the songs you ultimately hear are outside of your control. Whilst not offering the freedom of the paid tiers, it is ideal for people who may just want a laid back experience or those who love to find new artists and songs. Several of the other limiting factors of the free service include: an inability to rewind, save playlists or see what will be playing next. A benefit to the free tier over other services is that they can still listen to music at 320kbps, unlike Spotify which limits your quality unless you pay for premium.
Check out the new trailer below:
What do you think of the free service? Leave a comment below!
The post Google Play Music Gains Free/Ad-supported Version appeared first on xda-developers.
The Note Edge was a proof-of-concept phone that paved the way to the much more popular Galaxy S6 Edge, which critics and users alike enjoy (even if just because of the aesthetics). The Note Edge, though, did not see as much production as the regular Note 4, and it was priced significantly higher than its regular brother.
It also did not hit as many markets, and all of these factors combined meant that, compared to the regular Note 4, not many developers got their hands on this device. The Note Edge does have its fair share of tweaks, mods and ROMs, but with flagship phones like this – with so many capabilities – it is natural for XDA users to want as many options as possible. The T-Mobile Note Edge has some good offerings out there, but a new ported ROM brings a new flavor of TouchWiz that’s more open to pre-existing XDA goodies:
XDA Recognized Developer & Contributor TEKHD has released his TEKXodus ROM for the T-Mobile Note Edge. I personally run TEKHD’s Note 4 version of this ROM, and I love it. This does bring nice options and optimizations to the Note Edge, but it obviously loses the Edge functionality. However, what it does gain is that all mods from the Note 4 are fully compatible with this ROM, including TEKHD’s own flashable themes but also many tweaks from other guides. So essentially, your device becomes a Note 4 with a wider screen.
I can vouch for the stability and speed of TEKHD’s ROMs — his latest ROM update for my T-Mobile Note 4 brought a base speed I never thought I’d see on TouchWiz. The package is good as is, but the fact that you can modify more bits by adding mods for Note 4 ROMs opens up development and options for Note Edge users. It is possible that many modifications won’t perform in the same way nor be fully compatible due to some minor differences, but you can still find some nice uses for the additional possibilities. Keep in mind that you will lose many of the things that make the Note Edge unique, so it is up to you to figure out if this ROM is worth the trade-off.
You can find TEKHD’s Note 4 port in his ROM’s thread.
Do you run ported ROMs? If so, which? Let us know below!
The post T-Mo Note Edge Gets Note 4 ROM for More Mods appeared first on xda-developers.
When rumors began saying that Nintendo would be releasing Android games, many gamers old and young alike were salivating at the possibility. Since the initial rumors and reports, we haven’t heard much in the way of official statements, but now Pokémon has actually reached Android for you to enjoy… well, listen to. For money.
Pokémon Jukebox is a new application that, as its name implies, allows you to listen to pokémon music. Pokémon games have some of the most recognizable tunes for any gamer, and those who do not call themselves gamer can easily spot many of them as well. It sounds like a fair deal, but the problem is that Nintendo is not making this an app for all its fans, but rather the ones that are willing to pay for each song. This is primarily an IAP app if I’ve ever seen one.
The design has some hints of pokedex, which is definitely a nice touch. As soon as you fire up the app you are explained how the system works — and how you must pay. In fact, throughout my testing Nintendo was keen on reminding me multiple times that I have a free preview of each song… for a limited time! You can also listen to three of the hundreds of songs for free, daily. That is pretty benevolent to say the least. So I tried my previews to check out some age-old classics.
The interface has many options and allows you to loop the songs (considering that these are very short, you probably want to unless you’ve got a playlist). You can also set buttons to make different Pokémon game sounds such as pokémon battle cries, pokeball bouncing, etc. And that’s about it. There really isn’t much to see here, just a lot of childhood memory triggers.
Don’t get me wrong — I am sure many people will enjoy this application. To a nostalgic fan who may want to occasionally listen to Pokémon music for remembrance sake, this app is a good option. To those who want to listen to these tracks regularly, it probably is not. Paying close to a buck for a single 1 minute 8-bit track is not quite worth it, especially considering that many of these songs are widely available and easy to get or listen to from other means and many other sources.
You can find Pokémon Jukebox on the Play Store. If you are a hardcore Pokémon fan or simply nostalgic, it is worth checking out. Whether it is worth investing in it is up to you. If you do, be sure to save your random string of numbers ID.
What do you think of Pokémon Jukebox? Let us know below.
The post Pokemon Jukebox Brings Classic Tunes — at a Price appeared first on xda-developers.
Bloatware is something that many mobile phone users have to live with, but for those with an S-OFF AT&T M9, there is another way. XDA Senior Member clsA has posted instructions in the linked thread on how to convert your HTC One into the leaner Developer Edition.
The post Convert your AT&T HTC One M9 to a Developer Edition appeared first on xda-developers.
Stock Android is great, but there’s nothing like the excitement you get from installing a fresh new custom ROM. Custom ROMs are usually first to get many bug fixes and requested features, sometimes even long before official support from OEMs. Let us know your favorite custom ROM for your device, and what makes it so awesome.
The post What Is Your Favorite Custom ROM for Your Device? appeared first on xda-developers.
