Today Twitter released a big update for their Android app and the iOS app (not so much the iPad though). The updates provide a new UI for both apps that are very similar in nature. They have changed Mentions to being called Connect now, combining an Interactions tab along with your Mentions.

Also included now is a Discover tab/hub, that allows you to to search hashtags or keywords, see what is trending, and also view your suggested friends. It is really nice that both Twitter and Facebook are trying to get on the same page with their apps on both platforms. Go ahead and update your apps or download them to try out the new updates, and tell us what you think?

Hit the jump to check out the video!

Are we ready for full on Facebook competition from Google? Ready or not, Google has announced today that they have signed deals with “select partners” for games to be added into Google+. There will be several available like Angry Birds, Bejeweled Blitz, Sudoku, Diamond Dash, and more games that you are used to seeing others play on Facebook.

They have an interesting approach though, Google will allow you to opt in and play all of your games and see the game post in their own separate stream, keeping the regular stream the same. This is great because, if you are a big time gamer and love these games or hate them with a passion, it should not affect your experience in the social network.

Along with the games, Google has heard from developers that they would like to create web apps for the platform and will allow the API access to them to create their apps. However, they do not have any kind of time frame on when that will happen. Google will be focusing on the partners games first to get those up and running smoothly. They will be rolling the games out slowly to all the Google+ users starting today.

So really what this comes down to is they are going for direct competition with Facebook but apparently trying to do things differently so they can appease everyone. Maybe this will be the icing on the cake that will bring most people that stay on Facebook over to Google+. What do you think, you think this is smart on Google’s part? Or do you think they should keep the games and applications out?

(via Google Blog)

Ander Web, the developer for ADWLauncher and ADW EX, was nice enough to take some time out for this Guru Interview. ADWLauncher is one of the most popular home launchers for Android with install number in the millions. ADWLauncher is also the default home app in the popular Cyanogenmod ROMS. Make sure you check out ADW on the Android Market and head over to ADW Things to stay up to date with all the happenings.

Can you give is a little background on how you got into Android development?

I got here when I got my htc magic (mytouch 3g in the us) and also got unemployed. It started as the typical “lets see if I can change the colors of the stuff” kind of hobby…

What apps do you currently work on?

Besides my current ones (ADWLauncher *) I work on a lot of apps, not for myself but as main android software engineer at my current job.

What’s your favorite aspect of developing for Android?

Learning! And creating visual stuff and UI related things.

Whats your least favorite?

Having to deal with android bugs and limitations (and there are a lot of them).

What challenges have you run into developing for Android. Fragmentation issues?

I think there are much more issues with the fact that android is been evolving a bit weird and kind of closed, and with some “google android gurus” acting as “$DEITY” (no mames, sorry) than with the fragmentation itself.

The only fragmentation specific issues I’ve faced were due to some device manufacturers playing really dirty with the android OS and adding more bugs to it (like if it didn’t have enough!)

How did ADW become the default launcher in Cyanogenmod?

Because it is opensource (and at the time Steve decided to merge it, was the only launcher with an opensource tree and continuous evolution).

What are some key differences in developing a home launcher vs a “regular” application?

Users (lol).
A launcher is like any regular app, but users think of it as “something special” that needs to contain everything inside.
The only real different thing on a launcher against any other app is that users expect it to handle android AppWidgets (desktop widgets), but even a “rss app” could allow users to put widgets over its feeds

What do you do to set ADW apart from all the other launchers out there?

I don’t think its apart from anything. As any other kind of app, there are lots of similar ones out there and users have the power to choose (or even use more than one). That is what makes android what it is today.

What is your ultimate goal for ADW? Do you think it will ever be “finished”?

The goal is to reach the day I don’t get a single feature request more, lol. That would mean it’s finished.

What can we look forward to in the future from you? Any new apps planned?

Yes, there are a few things around my head, but nothing really solid right now.

What devices do you currently use? Any favorites?

Currently the LG Optimus 2x and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
My favorite remains being the one and only incredibly awesome Nexus One, the phone that changed my life

Smartphone applications are doing more and more everyday. They can scan barcodes and find the cheapest price, they can stream music based on your tastes, and they can also spy on you. According to an article over at Computer World, many apps actually listen to what is going on around you, analyze that data, and send it to advertisers.

By listening in on your phone, capturing “patterns,” then sending that data back to servers, marketers can determine the following:

• Your gender, and the gender of people you talk to.
• Your approximate age, and the ages of the people you talk to.
• What time you go to bed, and what time you wake up.
• What you watch on TV and listen to on the radio.
• How much of your time you spend alone, and how much with others.
• Whether you live in a big city or a small town.
• What form of transportation you use to get to work.

Some of the apps that can do this are Color, Shopkick, IntoNow, Shazam, SoundHound, and HappyWakeUp. All of these apps can activate the microphone on your device and than send what it hears back to a server. Some of these apps do this as part of the core functionality, some do this in order to attain marketing information on users. It’s pretty scary stuff Computer World wrote up a pretty article about it, check it out.

via [Computer World]

This week the Gurus talk VZW cutting 1 yr contracts, FCC and roaming, Xoom sales, apps getting banned and much much more.

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The Springpad Android app lets you save anything you want to remember, but by using the Android-only sharing feature, you can add new things to Springpad without even launching the app.

how it works:

• As you surf the web or use other apps on your Android device, tap on your device’s menu, choose Share, then select Springpad
• Springpad will automatically detect the type of item you are trying to save, and populate relevant & useful information
• You can edit the title, add tags, and file to a notebook
• Once you add the new item to Springpad, you’ll be returned to your previous screen, so you can continue on your way…

Both Mike and Nic use this app and love it. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below.

via Springpad

Just like clock work Apple has announced it’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference for June 6-10, 2011.   The event sold out within hours of tickets being available.  Will there be a new iPhone announced?  Or will this be all about software?  Only time will tell!

Apple

According to a post directly inside Tegra Zone, NVIDIA’s processor specific app store, PlayStation games will be coming to Android devices powered by their Tegra based processor. I’m sure we were not alone in wondering how Sony would distribute their titles among the vast amount of Android phones, and this would make perfect sense. There will be a certification program that manufacturers will have to go through in  order to make sure their devices are able of delivering the experience that Sony sees fit.

“Sony Computer Entertainment is bringing its PlayStation games to NVIDIA Tegra-equipped phones and tablet devices later this year”

Via [BGR]