Google Play now offers Google Calendar app for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean

If you own a device running either Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) such as the Samsung Galaxy S3, we have good news for you. Google recently released the official Google Calendar app, which has the ability to sync all of your calendars.

Google announced that its Calendar app is now available on Google Play via its official Android blog. Previously, the app was only available to devices running the vanilla version of Android such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The app allows users to enjoy the usual features. It also comes with the ability to pinch to zoon on a certain day. You can also respond to a notification to update a particular event with customisable messages. You can respond by saying, “I’ll be late again”, or “I’ll be there in a sec”. From within notifications, you can also snooze an event.

If you’re constantly traveling, you’ll be happy to know that you can set up a home time zone, which helps you manage your time when travelling. A sync period allows you to review a year’s worth of events.

If you’re an avid Google fan, the native calendar app on Android handsets just won’t do. It’s likely that you’ll be more interested in the official Google Calendar app or other official Google apps such as Google+ or Gmail. If you own an HTC device, beware. There are a number of issues that will affect the app if installed on an HTC device. For the full list of issues on HTC devices , click here.

Are you an avid Google fan, or are you the busy type who needs to sync all of your calendars? Have you downloaded the official Google Calendar app on your Android device? How’s it working for you? Let us know through a comment on our Facebook page.

Tags: Android 4.0, Android 4.1, Google, Google Calendar, Google Calendar app, Google Play, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean
Category App News |

Apple co-founder thinks iTunes should be ported to Android

Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, thinks that iTunes should be in Android. Since porting iTunes to Windows made a lot of money for Apple, wouldn’t it make a lot of sense doing the same with Android?

Woz says, “Apple’s real rise from the small market-share Macintosh company to the iProducts of today began with iTunes and the iPod. This turned out to be a 2nd huge business which roughly doubled Apple’s ‘size’. If you remember, we ported iTunes to Windows. We now addressed 100 per cent of the world’s market with this integrated system (iPod/iTunes) and it began the era of Apple that we are now in.”

This makes sense. Having iTunes on PCs meant that users could get their hands on an iPod, and maybe an iPad or iPhone 5 in the future, without having to cough out a lot for expensive MacBooks or iMacs.

Wozniak adds, “So why don’t we port iTunes to Android? I love Apple products and iTunes and wish it were on my Android products too.”

So what’s the difference with Windows PCs and Android, in terms of porting iTunes? The iTunes software for PCs encourages users to get an iPod. This, however, isn’t the same case if iTunes was ported to Android. Users don’t have to get an iPod, an iPhone, or an iPad. They can stick to their cheaper Android devices.

In a Q&A session on Slashdot, Wozniak talked to Apple enthusiasts. There he discussed open-source, how he likes bigger smartphones, and wished “instead of all these lawsuits Apple was sitting down and cross-licensing with the other players”. Although Wozniak openly criticised Apple and praised Android, he admits, “Apple is #1 in my heart.”

Who do you think will benefit if iTunes was ported to Android? Would it be Apple, or would it be Android? Share your thoughts through a comment on our Facebook page.

Tags: Android, apple, iTunes, iTunes app, iTunes app for Android, iTunes for Android, Steve Wozniak
Category App News |

Only 4% of iOS 6 users use Apple Maps

According to new data, only 4% of iOS 6 users use the bug-infested Apple Maps app.

The figures come from Snappli, a mobile data management firm. The company prevents mobile phone users from going over their limit by compressing video and data. This new data comes from iOS 6 users from the US and the UK.

According to their findings, 25% of the iOS users made use of Google Maps daily before they made the switch to iOS 6.

Soon after the update was installed on devices, 35% of the 5,000 iOS 6 users tried out Apple Maps each and every day.

In the following days, that 35% made a dramatic drop to just 4%. This means that only one out of 25 iOS 6 Snappli users still use Apple Maps, probably still hoping that the service would improve.

According to Snappli, this figure is still continuing to fall.

On Friday, Apple made a surprising move. The Cupertino form is known for owning up to its mistakes. However, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, issued a public apology to its customers for failing to make the Apple Maps app work the way it promised. Cook also suggested that Apple customers use its rival’s services such as Google Maps instead, until the company irons out the bug with the Maps app.

If Apple doesn’t fix the problem, we won’t be surprised if the number of Apple Maps users on iPhones or iPads will drop even lower and even cease to exist.

Take note, however, that Snappli’s figures come from its own data. So it’s difficult to say if all iOS 6 users are affected.

Are you an iOS 6 user? Have you given up hope on Apple Maps, or are you still hoping that Apple fixes the issues surrounding their mapping service? Share your thoughts through a comment on our Facebook page.

Tags: apple, Apple Maps, Apple maps app, iOS, iOS 6, maps app
Category App News |