Google ‘leaks’ 8-inch Nexus tablet

Just as it got done with the launch of Nexus 5 smartphone and Android 4.4 operating system, Google is again in the news for another Android product. The company has accidentally leaked an image of the new tablet on the official website for Android. 

The device in the picture is smaller in size than the Nexus 10, with speculations rife that it has an 8-inch screen. The image shows that the bezels around the screen in this tablet are much smaller than in the new Nexus 7, which was launched in July this year. 

LG, which manufactures the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones, submitted an 8-inch tablet called V510 for Bluetooth certification last week. 

There is no word on the specifications, features or launch of the tablet, currently being called Nexus 8. 

In July, a few technology websites published images of an 8-inch Nexus tablet, but they were carried as renders instead of leaked photos. However, the new image on Google's website looks exactly the same as the device in the earlier pictures. 

Google has 'accidentally leaked' several products in the past. Chairman Eric Schmidt was photographed carrying the Moto X smartphone before it was launched and Nexus 5 was listed on the Google Play website with price before it became official. The Nexus 5 was also captured on video on the company's campus when it announced that the next version of Android will be called KitKat. 

Apple's iPad mini with Retina display has a 7.9-inch screen, while Samsung has two models with 8-inch displays. LG recently launched its own tablet with an 8.3-inch screen size. 

Google is also expected to soon launch the next version of its Nexus 10 tablet. Now it is being said that the company may launch the next-generation Nexus 10 and the all-new Nexus 8 at the same time. 

Top Android Apps For NFL Fans

NFL is one of the most popular league sports not only in the United States but in the world as well. Enjoyed by millions and played by thousands, it is the highest level of professional football worldwide. Though there are many ways to keep up with the latest happenings in the NFL world, many people don't have enough time to follow their favorite sport. That's where the following Android apps will come in handy:

NFL Mobile

This is the official NFL app. Once installed, you'll have at your fingertips all the latest happenings in the NFL world. Be it breaking news, videos, highlights, and even live game scores, this app has it all. One of the main features of the app is scoring. The app shows up-to-date scores of the latest happenings in the NFL world. Also, you can set up the app so that you'll get alerts when your team plays a match or even if it enters the red zone.

Other features in this application include video highlights, fantasy football, and NFL.com webcasts. There is also an option to buy a premium subscription. This basically allows you to access more features like live streaming of NFL games, live game audio, live webcasts and more.

DOWNLOAD HERE

NFL by StatSheet

If you are always on the move but don't have time to catch the last game's highlights, this app is perfect for you. NFL by Statsheet brings previews, recaps, live scores, and even game analysis right on your Android smartphone. The app boasts of a database of over two billion statistics that are used to bring the latest of NFL to your device. Despite being free, the app has almost all the features you'd need from a complete NFL application. It has live play-by-play scores, which are dynamically updated, every team's full schedule, regularly updated standings and so much more. Definitely worth installing if you want to stay abreast with the latest in the NFL world. 

DOWNLOAD HERE

NFL Pro 2013

Though we all love to keep up with the latest news, sometimes, we just want to take some time off and enjoy ourselves. That's where mobile games come in handy. We have already covered a lot of Android-based games on our site before; however, for die-hard NFL fanboys and fangirls, those titles aren't enough to whet their appetites. NFL Pro 2013 is a game developed by Gameloft that puts you right on the field anywhere anytime. Officially licensed by NFL, this game has realistic graphics, solid gameplay, and a superb management system that makes you feel as if you are on the field.

DOWNLOAD HERE

NFL Trash Talk

This application is strictly for hardcore NFL fans only. If you are a complete NFL addict who loves bashing on other teams, this app is something you might have been looking for for years. The way NFL Trash Talk works is simple. Once a game starts, you get to chat with supporters of your rival team. Either you can engage in a very nice friendly banter (which you won't), or you can choose to trash talk them till they give up and stop talking. This is a very fun app to try especially if you are completely married to the game.

DOWNLOAD HERE

NFL Kicker 13

Featuring all 32 licensed NFL teams, NFL Kicker 13 is an app that challenges you to accurately kick the ball like a pro NFL player. With nicely designed graphics and officially licensed equipment, this game doesn't have a steep learning curve. Once installed, you'll be addicted to the game in no time. Having said that, NFL Kicker is a title that is not that easy to master. As the game progresses, the difficulty level starts going up and up making the game both fun and challenging at the same time. It is definitely worth a try whether you are a NFL junkie or not.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Top Monster Games for Android.....!!!!!

When people think of monsters, everything from Frankenstein to Adams' Family comes to mind. But for gamers, monsters have a special significance. Monsters represent, in gaming culture, a mighty opponent to the hero/heroine in his quest towards success. If you've played games like Final Fantasy, monsters are everywhere. In fact, in Final Fantasy XIII-2, you can even collect different monsters like you do in Pokemon. However, in this era of smartphones and tablets, monsters have started getting some special attention from game developers, especially on the Android platform.

These days, many new games have come up that allow you to tame monsters, battle with them, and play as a monster yourself. So, if you're looking for some good monster games for Android, here's a list of the best ones:


Paper Monsters

Paper Monsters is a 2D side scrolling game with gorgeous 3D backdrops. The game is set in Paperland with an adorable main character. In fact, the main character's quirkiness is what makes the game even more interesting. Once you start playing, you'll be going through a lot of different environments that are meticulously designed and manage to provide a great sense of novelty with every level. The side scrolling motion adds to the fun by making the 3D backdrops even more engaging. Though not free, Paper Monsters is definitely worth your hard-earned cash. Don't blame us if you get hooked to it for hours.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Monster Blade

If playing with cute monsters isn't your cup of tea then Monster Blade is a game that might interest you more. In this game, you get to slay powerful dragons and monsters in a complete 3D environment. This online arcade and action game is fast-paced along with a captivating storyline. You, of course, get to play the hero of the tale by saving the Elemental Plains from the rising power of the evil Godbeasts. Monster Blade, apart from being a captivating 3D game also lets you extend the adventure by playing with your friends. 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Monster Story

Another game that almost has an overload of monster cuteness is Monster Story. This casual fun game lets you collect various kinds of adorable monsters and then watch them grow. Monster Story has a magical evolution totem wherein you evolve your creatures pretty much like you did with your Pokemons. The game is online and finds itself pretty much in the genre of games like Farmville wherein you've to invest a certain amount of time before starting to enjoy the actual game.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Cut the Rope

With over 300 million downloads to boast of Cut the Rope is a game that deserves a worthy mention in this list. Little monster Om Nom is hungry and your job is to feed him candy. In doing that, you encounter various types of engaging physics-based puzzles that keep you hooked for hours. And, that's not all. Along the way, you get to collect gold stars, discover hidden puzzles, and unlock new levels thus making the game completely worth your time as well as money. It’s definitely the best game on this list. 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Monster Galaxy

A unique monster game on the list is Monster Galaxy. This arcade-style role-playing game derives heavily from Pokemon by allowing you to capture monsters and battle them. Monster Galaxy is set in Zodiac islands wherein the monsters have suddenly gone wild. It is up to you to capture them and make sure that they battle each other out. The game has as many as 125 interesting and cute monsters you can capture along with 14 zodiac-themed islands. There are also levels wherein you get to fight with interesting bosses and defeat the final boss as well. Monster Galaxy is free to play and can also be played on Facebook. Overall, it is a great game if you miss Pokemon a lot.

Best Linux Applications for 2013 (so far)..............!!!!!!!!!!

2013 has been the year of Android. With the Google-based operating system stealing the show with amazing devices, it's hard to believe that an open-source project has reached such heights. With stellar competitors like Microsoft and Apple, Android has once again proved that in the tech industry, anything is possible. That said, its freedom-loving brother Linux is still struggling to gain a foothold in the desktop market. As the demand for the desktop itself has started waning, the dominance of Microsoft that once bothered Linuxians, now seems like a thing of the past. However, that's not to say that Linux isn't growing. In fact, it has seen many new developments recently that have pushed it even further into the mainstream market.

One of the key aspects that will help Linux ensure a sustainable growth in the market is the number of software applications available. These days, the number of quality apps that an OS has, somehow signifies its popularity. In that case, here too Linux has seen surprising growth. This year, a lot of new applications were released for Linux. And yes, more are there to come with the Ubuntu App Showdown underway. However, not all apps that have come up on Linux have been that good in terms of quality. Some of them, well, they've raised the standards of the platform itself. In this article, we'll mention the best applications that the are available for Linux so far this year:

Lightworks

Though Lightworks was announced way earlier in 2012, Linuxians were impatiently waiting to get their hands on the professional tool. Used in many Hollywood movies, Lightworks is a professional-grade video editor from EditShare. The editor is free to try and use; however, if you want more, you can upgrade to the PRO version by paying. The application, though in beta, can be downloaded on your Ubuntu or Mint desktop right now.

Brackets

Out here in the Linux world, we aren't really big fans of Adobe especially after they stopped supporting Flash on this platform. However, this time, they've pleasantly surprised not only many FOSS supporters but also developers as well. In 2013, Adobe released Brackets, an open-source code editor for the web. Yep, open-source and Adobe sounds strange to hear in a single phrase, but that's the truth. Built with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, the lightweight code-editor can serve as a worthwhile upgrade from gedit or Kate.Brackets is really worth a try even if you are not a fan of Adobe. 

BitTorrent Sync

In the age of NSA spying and all sorts of privacy concerns, an application like BitTorrent Sync comes as a breath of fresh air. The free, cross-platform application lets you sync and share your files across multiple devices, safely and securely. All file transfers are encrypted, thus making the application NSA proof. And yes, BT sync handles large files exceptionally well thus making it a good alternative to Dropbox.


Viber

Viber is a Skype rival that lets you make HD-quality video calls to your friends and family. What makes Viber so special is that it is tied to your phone number. This means that unlike Skype, you won't have to remember any User ids. All you have to do is add the contacts that are there on your phone and let Viber sync them across all platforms. So, whether you are using Blackberry, Mac, Windows, Android, or even iOS, Viber works almost everywhere. And now, it's on Linux too. This is definitely good news for those who use Viber regularly. You can download Viber HERE. 

Steam

Well, this year was a big one for Linux all because of the release of Steam on Linux. While Windows gamers are silently mocking penguinians for their childlike enthusiasm about this announcement, only true FOSS supporters will understand how big a step it is towards the progress of Linux as a platform, both in terms of general usage and gaming as well. Steam, though it doesn't boast of many games as of now, is still a treat for gamers on the Linux platform. Let's hope the efforts of the gaming community continue this way to make Linux a true gaming platform of the future.

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for Android: Too Little Too Late?

Remember the days when having a BBM pin was sort of a status symbol? People merrily flaunted their BBM Pins across their social circles as if it was their phone number. In retrospect, for many, it was more than just a phone number. BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, was one of the most popular modes of communication. Not only did it allow you to send messages to your buddies and coworkers, it also let you share images, videos, and songs. And remember those funky status messages your buddies used to put up? 

Well, those days are gone. 

But here is the weird part. No one is sad about it. No one is missing BBM. Nor do people miss owning a BlackBerry device (unless of course, they belong to the select minority who prefer to own a smartphone with a physical keyboard). BlackBerry's glory days, in short, are over. First came the iPhone, then Android stepping up the smartphone game to such a degree that it made Research in Motion difficult to keep up with the changing trends. It reiterated their design, lowered the prices, and tried pretty much everything. But the level of innovation that Android and iPhone had put on display made BlackBerry sink deeper into the quicksand of failures. 

Shares tumbled. Deals were broken. Customers were lost. Efforts were made, but in vain. As the sales of the devices fell sharply, many speculated that BlackBerry might pull out their trump card by making BBM a cross-platform application. As customers were running away, it had only one hope of salvation: bringing BBM to the iPhone and Android and generate a whole new customer base. 

However, BlackBerry didn't heed the warning call and tumbled down the hill. It was after the fact that most BlackBerry users had already joined either the Apple or the Google faction, that RIM decided to bring BBM to other platforms. The question is that, is it too late? Can Droid or Apple save the dying hero? 

The answer is no. Neither Android nor Apple will be able to save BlackBerry. Bringing BBM to the masses who are already hooked on WhatsApp is a big challenge as it is. Those who have never used BBM, for example, will be reluctant to adopt to this new app. Old-time BBM users, on the other hand, might give it a try. But Android users have way too many choices these days to fall back on BBM. 

If, at the moment, BlackBerry is relying solely on BBM's expansion to bring back the company from the dead, they are headed for disaster. 

What does this mean to Android? 

BBM for Android only makes the Google-made mobile operating system stronger. Though it has nothing to brag about, especially to its biggest rival Apple, the messenger is a welcome addition to Android and can provide massive value to the system. Let's take the biggest chat client, which is WhatsApp. The free-yet-proprietary chat client is available for Android, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, iOS, Series 40, Symbian (S60), and Windows Phone. That's a lot of platforms. However, BlackBerry if it sticks to the top two platforms, that is Android and iOS, it can help some of the BlackBerry users switch to Android itself. Imagine a user frustrated and stuck with his old BlackBerry device but unable to upgrade due to the unavailability of BBM on Android. This change will finally help users make the move to Android without ditching BlackBerry entirely. In a sense, it is a win-win scenario for both Android and BlackBerry, that is, if BlackBerry manages to leverage it properly.

What can save BlackBerry then? 

A complete rethinking. BlackBerry has to stop relying on old ways of getting into the market now. There's no more room at the top if it wants to keep selling smartphones. One strategy would be to rely more upon BBM and develop it to such a point that it gets more users than WhatsApp. Also, it could try to come up with new apps centered around the BBM brand and branch out in the software world. The road to BlackBerry's success is a very steep climb. Only time can tell whether it will manage to reclaim some of its past glory.