WhatsApp for Android now lets all users make voice-calls

WhatsApp’s much-discussed move to support voice-calls is nearing completion, as news emerges that anyone on Android can now make calls in-app to other WhatsApp users.

The Facebook-owned mobile messaging company first revealed its plans to introduce voice-calls way back in February last year, but it wasn’t until the past few months when the feature first started showing up in some Android users’ apps. Things subsequently opened up a little, with the feature being made available to anyone who received a call from another WhatsApp user who had voice-calls unlocked.

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LG Spirit With Android 5.0 Lollipop Launched at Rs. 14,250

LG has launched one of its new curved mid-range smartphones in India, the LG Spirit, listing it on its country-specific website at Rs. 14,250. The company has not yet announced availability details for the smartphone.
The LG Spirit was globally unveiled in February along with three other smartphones LG Magna, LG Leon and the LG Joy. The firm had showcased all the smartphones during MWC 2015 this month.

As per specifications, the dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) LG Spirit (LG H-422) runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and includes 4.7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution display with pixel density of 312ppi. The display is curved slightly, with a 3000mm radius curvature. In India, the smartphone packs a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM.

The LG Spirit features an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a 1-megapixel front facing camera. The 8GB of inbuilt storage is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). Connectivity options on the LG Spirit include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, and Micro-USB. The handset measures 133.25x66.12x9.95mm and is backed by a 2100mAh battery.

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Nexus 9 Android 5.1 Lollipop Update: What to Expect

Roughly five months after the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop and the Nexus 9, and Google’s now released a few small updates as well as a bigger bug fixing Android 5.1 Lollipop update. We’ve seen countless Nexus devices all get updated to Android 5.1 Lollipop, but those with the latest Nexus 9 tablet are still stuck waiting, but it should be coming soon.

Back in June Google debuted Android L, which is now known as Android 5.0 Lollipop that the company fully revealed in October and launched in November on the new Nexus 9, Nexus 6, and Nexus Player. They quickly released Android 5.0.1 and Android 5.0.2 with fixes, but then this month released a big Android 5.1 Lollipop update. One that is fixing many key bugs.

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Android fans confess what they envy most about iOS

Android fans are a proud bunch who don’t like admitting things they envy about other platforms, especially those made by (*spit*) Apple. However, open-minded Android and iOS fans alike can see things in other platforms they like and Reddit’s Android community recently had a confessional session in which they admitted what iOS features they’d most like to see Android adopt in the future.

The most popular response had to do with having more granular app permissions on the Google Play store. While Apple lets users grant individual app permissions to apps while rejecting others, app permissions on Google Play are an all-or-nothing proposition where you either grant all permissions or not use the app.

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Cyanogen wants to seize Android from Google, and now it has the cash to do it

In just 18 months, Cyanogen Inc., the commercial arm of the popular CyanogenMod Android variant, has raised over $110 million.

The latest round was for a whopping $80 million, and included investors such as Twitter Ventures, Qualcomm and Rupert Murdoch.

SEE ALSO: Cyanogen versus Google: Biting the Android that feeds

Investors are betting on Cyanogen because they believe it has the best shot at being the third biggest mobile OS, after Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

But wait, you're saying. Isn't Cyanogen based on Android? It sure is. But as Mashable contributor Evan Blass outlined last month, Cyanogen has aspirations for building a mobile ecosystem with no trace of Google.

In fact, Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster has said that Cyanogen is "attempting to take Android away from Google."

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The latest move in Microsoft’s quiet Android coup

With Windows Phone still stuck in neutral, Microsoft has come up with some extremely clever ways to make its mark on Android, including most recently a way for Android users to install a Windows 10-based ROM onto Android devices that essentially would take them over and offer Windows-based software offerings such as Cortana, Office and Skype. Microsoft on Monday made another announcement that could go a long way toward boosting its presence on Android by signing deals with OEMs such as Samsung and Dell to preload Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype onto their Android-based devices.

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Android 5.1: Top 5 Features That'll Make You Want To Lick Lollipop Now

Android 5.1 is rolling out, boasting a number of new features and improvements over Android 5.0.

While it is a rather minor update, there are some worthwhile additions in Android 5.1 Here are the top five features.

1. Device Protection

Android 5.1 adds a number of device protection features designed to help users better secure smartphones. Device Protection will be automatically activated for users that use security methods like a PIN code.

The feature essentially makes it much harder for someone to break into the user's smartphone. An example is the fact that a device will stay locked even after being factory reset, unless the user's Google password is entered.

It's important to note Device Protection is only available to the Google Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and new Android 5.1 devices.

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