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As we close out the year, it's time to take a look back at things. I've never been all that keen on "year's best" lists for applications, though that doesn't mean they don't necessarily serve a purpose. There are so many good apps, so many updates. Instead, I think it's a little more fun to take a look at how each one of us uses our phones and tablets. Are they travel companions? I, for one, remember all too well...

The release of Android 4.1 and 4.2 Jelly Bean brought several improvements to the handling and functionality of notifications. With expandable, actionable and prioritized notifications, developers can manage their apps and take control of what goes on when a notification is presented to the user. Notification Weather, as the name implies, takes advantage of the new notification options in Jelly Bean to elegantly...

If you got a Kindle device this year for the holidays, don't forget about the Kindle Store Daily Deals. There are always plenty of books for just $1.99, and they change daily. It's a great way to build your library on the cheap. You need a Kindle or Kindle Fire to buy them, but once purchased they are in your Amazon account and can be read on any device with a Kindle app. With WhisperSync taking care of your bookmarks,...

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for the Android Central app picks. We've got another smattering of random apps, games and utilities for your enjoyment here this week. This is our last roundup of app picks for 2012, but fear not, we're coming back stronger than ever in 2013 with more apps for you to check out.See how we did wrapping up 2012 after the break. Alex Dobie - BBC iPlayer The BBC iPlayer app...

Samsung will be taking several steps towards strengthening its U.S. presence with two new facilities to be constructed in 2013. The Korean handset and chip manufacturer already has some notable presence in the Bay Area, and has big plans to expand that in the coming year. The first big move is a 1.1 million square foot building to be constructed in San Jose with its current display and semiconductor business, which...

Verizon may take most of the headlines, but the Motorola RAZR MAXX(sans Droid) also made it's way to other carriers -- like Alltel. We love seeing the smaller carriers getting great Android phones like the MAXX, but folks who want to run a custom ROM are usually out of luck when this happens. Not so this time. Forum Moderator, Alltel subscriber, and Android hacker cole2kb has you covered. He has taken the most...

Press, a brand new Google Reader news client, has been the focus of the Android app community since its release, being heralded for its great design choices and general ease of use. It certainly isn't the first -- nor will it be the last -- in this arena, but right now its one that has everyone watching, and early indications are that it's living up to the hype. Do the design and features offer enough of a draw...

A quick heads up that there will be no live show of the Android Central Podcast tonight, or for the rest ofthe year. Frankly, there's nothing going on this week anyway, and the rest of this egg nog isn't going to drink itself. (For a different sort of concoction, we point you toward Jerry's Double Turkey Triple Sec.) While you wait for us to reappear next year, we invite you -- nay, we implore you -- to do the...

AT&T has confirmed to Engadget that starting tomorrow, Galaxy Note 2 users on its network will be receiving an update that will bring full multi-window functionality to their devices. AT&T is the last of the big carriers in the U.S. to roll out an update with the feature to Note 2 devices, something that many specifically want the device for. The multi-window feature, if you're not familiar, lets users...

One popular method of hitting up your favorite vBulletin forums -- including of course, the Android Central Forums -- from your Android device, is Tapatalk. While Tapatalkdoes a great job at hooking you into a pretty wide range of forums, the versions out there on public release don't include a dedicated Tablet app. There was a special version released through Samsung Apps for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, and...

Happy holidays, everyone! Got some time off and looking to unwind or get away from the Christmas chaos? There a bunch of solid Android games that have steep price cuts, and we've rounded some of them up for you here. Go on, treat yourself to a few - you deserve it. Of course, if you spot anything else that's on sale, don't be shy about dropping a comment! Plants vs. Zombies - $1.99 $0.99- Download now The Game...

If you use Rom Manager to manage your flashing habit and curate all your CWM backups, you're going to want to take a look at the latest update. Beside the theme fixes for older devices, there is a new feature that plenty of folks are going to find useful -- a backup server built right into the app. It's not just any backup server though. There are plenty of options out there to browse the files on your phone or...

You might remember that we hooked with Google last week and set up some giveaways for Nexus 7 tablets and Google Play gift cards. That's the kind of awesome stuff we do around these parts, and spreading the Android love around is something we enjoy. Anyhow, back to those giveaways. We went throughthe forums threads and picked out our winners, and here they be. Day one (December 17): scottyhifi Day two (December...

The first official Xperia Jelly Bean updates aren't expected until late February, but a leaked video has given us an early sneak peek at what to expect from upcoming Android 4.1-based firmwares from Sony. Vietnamese Sony community SonyViet has published a video of pre-release XperiaTL software in action, demonstrating a familiar Sony UI with some brand new features. Among these is a new home screen launcher with...

'Twere the app picks before Christmas, and... we didn't pick a bunch of holiday apps. We just want to bring you the best of what we find on Google Play -- holiday or otherwise -- each and every week. We've got a bunch of different tools and a couple of games available for your enjoyment this week, with just two holiday-themed apps thrown in. Stick around after the break and see how we did this week. Jerry Hildenbrand...