The statement serves to update its position after it was discovered last week that the new Google Hangouts application cannot conduct two-way video chats over AT&T’s cellular network. “For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices,” explained AT&T, “we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and Blackberry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps.”

This includes FaceTime, ChatOn, and BlackBerry Messenger. Google Hangouts, which replaces Google Talk, technically qualifies as a pre-loaded app and Google has not sought to enable Hangouts over cellular with AT&T.

“Throughout the second half of this year,” continued AT&T, “we plan to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all our customers, regardless of data plan or device; that work is expected to be complete by yearend.”

Customers are still able to download third-party apps such as Skype, Viber, Kik, and others, to conduct video chats over cellular.

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According to Google, the app is now better at automatically uploading photos from Android smartphones to Google+ for safekeeping. Once uploaded, new tools automatically sort the images to “select the top shots” in each series, as well as auto-enhance the photos to make “subtle improvements” to the people and places the user captures. Last, the app adds the ability to create animations and panoramas from the photos in the user’s collection.

Google+ for Android 4.2 devices is free to download from the Google Play Store.

The post Google+ for Android Updated – Sports Photo Improvements appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Hangouts was announced last week, and encompasses instant messaging (old Google Talk) and video chats on the web, and Android and iOS devices. According to Google, the current version of Hangouts does not support outbound calls from Gmail (via desktop browsers), but it does support inbound calls to Google Voice numbers. Google Hangouts will soon support inbound and outbound calls via desktop-based Hangouts.

Google suggests that people who rely on this Gmail feature continue to use the older Google Talks tool (those who update to the new Hangouts will lose the functionality temporarily). Further, Google said “Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice” and that more seamless integration between Google Voice and Google Hangouts is on the way.

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To-date, Android has not included a built-in Bluetooth stack, which means device makers have been on their own to add Bluetooth. By adding support for Bluetooth Smart Ready (Bluetooth 4.0 on a dual-mode chip) and Bluetooth Smart, Android will be capable of interacting with nearly all Bluetooth devices (keyboards, mice, speakers, etc.). Developers and accessory makers will be able to use the core Android SDK and included APIs to access the Android devices’ Bluetooth radio, rather than use multiple APIs and work-arounds as they do today.

According to Bluetooth SIG, this new version of Android will arrive in the coming months.

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In addition to text messages, Google Hangouts will also eventually be able to make outbound calls. Storbeck didn’t provide a timeframe on when these features might become available, other than to say “soon.”

Google Hangouts replaces Google Talk for most Android users and can be used for IM, voice, and video chats.

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When they attempt to start a video chat, a message appears prompting them to connect to a Wi-Fi network; the feature won’t work on AT&T’s cellular network. When reached for comment, AT&T explained that AT&T customers are free to download any third-party video chat app they wish and they’ll work fine.

Apps that come preloaded, however, must be enabled by the developer for use over AT&T’s cellular network. AT&T did not address Google Hangouts directly, but it implied that 1. Google Hangouts qualifies as a “preloaded” app because it replaces the Google Talk app on Android handsets, and 2. Google did not follow the proper protocols required by AT&T in order for the app to function over its cellular network.

Google Hangouts for iOS, which qualifies as a third-party download on the iPhone, functions properly over AT&T’s cellular network. Google Hangouts for Android works fine on the cellular networks of other carriers.

Google has not yet offered a clarification on the matter

The post AT&T Blocking Andoid Users Video Chats in Google Hangouts appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Google Play Music All Access lets you start with any song and automatically build a custom streaming radio station of similar songs. Unwanted songs can be dismissed and re-ordered. The service is integrated into Google Play Music as Listen Now.

The service works on Android phones and tablets, and the web, and integrates your own music library with the streaming catalog. The service launches today in the U.S. for $9.99/month, with a 30-day free trial.

Users who sign up before June 30th can lock in a special $7.99 monthly rate.

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Miscellaneous changes include the ability to share items via email or Messages, and the addition of an “Add to 1Password” link to shares which lets people add items automatically. Search functions have been improved with the display of primary URLs and the option to expand results across all fields.

1Password is $17.99 and requires iOS 6 or later.

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Supporting Android 2.2 and later, the SDK will naturally allow for payments directly from the PayPal account, and will use a system from previously-acquiried Card.io to scan the face of the credit card via the device’s camera as an alternative to allowing the user to type it in manually. Crucially, the SDK will allow for payments within the app without needing the user to install or switch to the current PayPal Android app, keeping the payment process in-app and relatively simple.

Developers in the US will be able to start using the Android SDK from May 15th, with other areas to follow in the future.

The post PayPal Relases SDK to Android – Supports In-App Payments appeared first on Takes On Tech.

A new Geofencing API allows apps to be notified and take action when the user enters or leaves specified areas. An Activity Recognition API automatically recognizes certain activities such as walking, running, and driving, and gives that information to relevant apps. Finally, a new Fused Location API allows apps to determine the phone’s geographic location in ways that are faster, more accurate and use much less battery life.

As these APIs are Google Play Services, they are updated independently of the Android OS version.

The post Google Announces New Location Powers for Android appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The update brings back support for FM radios, expands the availability of Data Sense to more carriers around the world, and makes it easier to interact with XBox Music, including pinning tunes to the Start screen.

The update also brings with it support for CarDAV and CalDAV, which are contact and calendar syncing protocols necessary for Windows Phone 8 devices to play nice with Google Contacts and Google Calendar.

The update will be pushed out to the majority of devices that run Windows Phone 8. Timing will depend on region, carrier, and exact handset model.

The post Windows Phone 8 Update Coming this Summer appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The application and service will be available to the iPhone and Android devices later this summer. Basic messaging and groups support will arrive first, and other features, including BlackBerry Voice, BlackBerry Video, and screen sharing. Additionally, BlackBerry expects that iOS and Android users will also be able to use the just-announced BBM Channels later this year.

BlackBerry Messenger has to-date been a BlackBerry exclusive app and service

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A number of smaller improvements have also been made, such as automatic flipping of the read/unread state of tweets  as users scroll, and similar updating of indicators in timeline tabs. Yfrog images should appear in the in-app browser instead of the photo viewer.

VoiceOver feedback now additionally covers profile actions, and an extra, larger font size option has been introduced on the iPad. A number of problems have been fixed, including glitches with VoiceOver, and third-party logins remaining when a service is disabled.

The App sells for $2.99 on iTunes.

The post Twitterific Adds Readability, Droplr Support appeared first on Takes On Tech.

International variants will receive the update first over the coming weeks, followed by U.S. variants by the end of May. BlackBerry 10 makes it easier to manage Hub conversations, personalize notifications (vibrate, sounds, and indication light), and click-to-call BBM contacts.

It also improves image capture with the camera and provides other bug fixes. Last, the 10.1 update will also enable Skype on BlackBerry Z10 handsets. (Skype is available for all BlackBerry devices beginning today, too.)

The update will be available on a carrier-by-carrier

The post BlackBerry Announces BlackBerry 10.1 OS and Skype Have Been Released appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The app users can upload any image to their Cloud Drive account, as well as view and download any images already stored in the account.

The app also includes the ability to share images directly to Facebook and Twitter, or through e-mail.

Users who need more space than the provided 5GB or even the 20GB for $10 per year offer can purchase 50GB for $25 per year, 100GB for $50 per year, 200GB for $100 per year, 500GB for $250 per year and a maximum of 100GB of storage for $500 per year. The app can also be used to store and share photos outside Apple’s provided Camera Roll or Photo Stream offerings, making more total photos available for viewing or sharing provided there is an available internet connection.

The post Amazon Releases Cloud Drive Photos App for iOS with 5GB appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Chief among the new features is integration with Etsy, which means when users perform searches, the app will use the results to create a digital magazine on the fly. The new app also lets users collect content that’s interesting to them from various sources, such as articles, videos, and photos, and create their own, unique magazine in which to view them. The individually created magazines can then be shared with others. Other features include a new content guide, more interactive commenting, more personalized recommended reading, easier navigation within specific sources, and integration with Facebook Open Graph search.

In addition to the new Android app, Flipboard released a web-based editing tool that allows Flipboard users to manage their digital magazines online rather than on their device.

Flipboard for Android is a free download from the Google Play Store.

The post Flipboard Brings Feature Parity to Android – Now Sports Magazine-Creation Powers appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Twitter for BB10 now offers more up-to-date content in the Universal Search bar, and fits more content onto each screen. The app also supports automatic caching, so content is available faster when users first start up the app. LinkedIn sees a much more significant update compared to Twitter.

With the new version of LinkedIn, BlackBerry 10 users will be able to import their local BlackBerry contacts into the LinkedIn app. The app has been given a visual overhaul, making it easier to refresh content with pull-down gestures, and receive tactile feedback via haptics. LinkedIn for BlackBerries makes it easier to search for companies and lets users see how they may be connected to those companies. Last, the inbox gains several new abilities, such as archiving and deleting messages, and improved inbox search.

Twitter and LinkedIn for BlackBerry 10 are both free to download from BlackBerry World.

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The most significant new feature in the app is support for 16 more languages, including Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Swedish. Android device owners can use the Google Translate app to take pictures of text in these languages, which are then sent to Google and returned with the appropriate word or phrase.

The app also lets users save useful phrases of their own that can be instantly translated into other languages if need be. The phrase book can be synced across Google devices, including desktops and tablets.

Google Translate for Android is free to download from the Google Play Store.

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Google Earth 7.1 adds several new features, chief among them the ability to view locations at ground level through Street View. Other new features include improved search capabilities and directions that let users see 3D views of transit, walking, biking, and driving directions. It also has an improved interface and left-hand panel to make browsing through various layers easier.

Google Earth 7.1 for Android is free to download from the Google Play Store.

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The idea is to allow developers to control how web content is displayed within their own application. In many apps, clicking a web link forces iOS users out of the app they are using and into Safari. By using the new OpenInChromeController class with x-callback, clicking such links will instead open a Chrome window within the app, which also lets users go back to the main app by hitting the back button.

In order for this feature to work, the Chrome browser must be installed on the iPhone in question.

The post iOS Devs Can Now Add Google’s Chrome Browser to their Apps appeared first on Takes On Tech.

While Windows Phone has many pluses to it and runs great, it has struggled to gather any kind of momentum in the market place, for most the the main issue is its lack of support for popular apps.  So Having Hulu join the Windows Phone store is a good step into the right direction.

The app itself is free, and for the $8 monthly subscription, you can enjoy features like unlimited streaming and Live Tile support.

You can download Hulu Plus for Windows Phone on the Windows Phone Store.

The post Hulu Plus for Windows Phone 8 Is Out appeared first on Takes On Tech.

A $13-per-month plan includes channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Disney, Fox, Bloomberg, Comedy Central, and many others. Discounts on subscriptions are available by choosing 90- or 180-day subscriptions, and T-Mobile is selling special themed packs that offer access to content like Spanish-language channels or movies on Crackle.

The app is a free download, and runs on any device with iOS 4.3 or later. It is, however, only optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch, not iPads.

The post T-Mobile Official TV App Comes to iPhone appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Specifically, Gmail users who click Chrome, Google Maps, and YouTube links within Gmail will be taken directly to those on-board applications rather than the mobile web. Users can also choose to turn this feature on or off to suit their preferences. The new Gmail app also allows users to sign out of one Gmail account at a time rather than all accounts at once (Gmail for iOS supports up to five individual email accounts).

Gmail for iOS is a free download from iTunes.

The post Gmail for iOS Updated – Ads Better Support for Google Apps appeared first on Takes On Tech.

With a smartphone connected to SYNC, Ford drivers can launch Pandora by pressing the voice button on the steering wheel and saying “mobile applications” and “Pandora” at the prompts. With Pandora running, drivers can select from their existing personalized stations or create new ones on the fly without taking their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road.

“It’s been great to have Pandora along for the ride as we built our AppLink development platform over the past several years,” said Doug Van Dagens, Ford global director of connected services. “Ford customers love both AppLink and Pandora, and we’re excited that through this partnership, they will be able to enjoy their favorite personalized radio stations on the road ad-free through the end of 2013.”

SYNC AppLink is the industry-first connectivity interface that enables drivers to directly control compatible mobile apps using simple voice commands. Pandora – the first app enabled to work with AppLink when Ford introduced it in 2010 – recently surpassed the 200 million registered users milestone and now streams tracks from more than 100,000 artists per month. More than 69 million users access Pandora at least once every month and more than 140 million have used the mobile app on a smartphone or tablet.

There are more than 30 apps compatible with SYNC AppLink available on the Apple iOS and Google Android platforms, with more on the way.

The post Ford SYNC AppLink Users Can Get Ad-Free Pandora Listening Through the End of the Year appeared first on Takes On Tech.

It adds IPV6 to the mobile hotspot feature, improves Exchange-based email syncing, adds airplane mode notifications, fixes text behavior when in landscape mode, and makes some fixes to the calendar and back-up assistant. The update also removes the Zappos application, which was preloaded on the device.

The system update can be downloaded and installed over the air, though Verizon suggests that Note II owners use Wi-Fi. It is being distributed in waves and users will be notified when their device is ready.

The post Verizon’s Galaxy Note II Getting An System Update appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The revised application adds a handful of new features, including support for BlackBerry ID credentials for easier sign-ins; a redesigned user profile that includes swipe actions; and more granular control over individual notifications for actions such as retweets, favorites, and new followers.

Twitter 4.1 for BlackBerry OS 5, OS 6, and OS 7 is free to download from BlackBerry World.

The post Twitter Version 4.1 Now Available for BlackBerry OS 5 and Above appeared first on Takes On Tech.

The changelog only references an updated audio profile for the speaker. The update is free to download and install over-the-air.

The post Apple Releases Minor iOS Update for iPhone 5 appeared first on Takes On Tech.

Unlike Facebook, only the person who originally shot an Instagram photo can label the people in it. Instagram is also keeping Photos of You off of profiles until May 16th, which should give app users time to change privacy settings and/or approve tagged photos.

The Android app has meanwhile gained two other features. Grids will now appear in the camera, scaling, and cropping screens, helping with composition. For users of Android 4.0 or later, the quality of uploaded photos has been improved.

The post Instagram Adds ‘Photos of You’ Feature to iOS, Android Apps appeared first on Takes On Tech.

In addition to these, the iOS version of Twitter gains the ability to invite friends to Twitter from within the app, improved playback of Vine videos, and more complete conversations that include retweets.

Twitter for Android and iOS is free to download from each platform’s respective app store.

The post Twitter Updated for Android and iOS Again appeared first on Takes On Tech.

For all readers the app has gained some recommendation-related improvements. Books can be rated and reviewed by accessing the “Before You Go” menu from within Go To. The same menu has been given options to download free samples, or email reminders about recommended titles.

Japanese users have been given access to a new serif font, Hiragino Mincho ProN. The Kindle app is a free download, and requires iOS 5 or later.

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