Android 4.4 KitKat leak shows tweaked but familiar Android interface

Will Google announce KitKat and the Nexus 5 next week? Maybe. Is the latest leak enough to hold you over? Probably not, but here it is anyway. This is purported to be Android 4.4 running on the upcoming Nexus 5, and if it seems to look a lot like Jelly Bean, that’s because it does.

There are a few tweaks: a transparent notification bar, a tweaked app drawer showing five rows of four apps each over your phone’s background instead of black, and the ability to access Google Now by swiping left past the leftmost home screen. The Nexus 5 also reportedly features the same “OK, Google Now” voice commands as the Moto X.

There are likely to be plenty of other changes — some on the surface, some under it — that will be revealed when Google unveils the latest update.  It’s Android 4.4 version number, however, seems to be more and more fitting. Despite getting a new codename with KitKat, the build will share a lot in common with Jelly Bean.

Rumors point to Google unveiling KitKat and the Nexus 5 next week, possibly on October 15th. Keep it tuned here for all of the latest developments.

Droid Stars | Sprint LG G2

Greed for Glory: War Strategy for Android Review

Greed for Glory: War Strategy enters the freemium field with exciting but strangely run-of-the-mill gameplay. It's similar to titles like Battle Dragons and Clash of Clans: the only real difference being a new setting and art style. But despite lacking any sort of innovation, PerBlue's medieval-themed building/combat sim will keep you strangely captivated for weeks on end. Just go easy on the diamonds, okay?

More at DroidStars.com

Greed for Glory puts you at the helm of a small village looking to become more than a collection of wooden huts. Build new structures as you mine iron and gold, collecting as much currency as you can so you can raise a massive army of archers, knights, and wizards. With all of those trained soldiers milling around, might as well head out and attack nearby villages, right? Increase your fame (and your loot) by sacking other towns, slowly expanding and upgrading your base to accommodate your newfound power and glory.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD refresh sports new look, same specs

Amazon has just unleashed two new Android tablets to add to its Kindle Fire HD line, so it’s kind of expected that all eyes would be on the new Kindle Fire HDX devices. But if the high specs and relatively higher prices aren’t your kind of thing, then maybe Amazon’s second take on the Kindle Fire HD might make you feel less left out.

The Kindle Fire HD, itself an evolution of the original Kindle Fire, is already a year old. Everyone has been expecting Amazon to bring out new tablets, which it did today, but it seems that the retailer giant has other plans for the old 7-inch device. Instead of completely replacing it with the new Kindle Fire HDX 7, Amazon has decided to instead repackage the original Kindle Fire HD with a new look, both inside and outside.

T-Mobile Moto X getting software update to improve camera quality

The Moto X is an excellent phone, but if there is was anything holding it back, it’s the camera quality. The perception from myself and many other reviewers is that it’s a software issue, and it looks like we were right. An update is now ready to roll and T-Mobile’s Moto X is going to be the first to get it. The changelog is as follows:

Designing a custom Moto X with a 4-year old using Motomaker

Most of the tech bloggers were given an opportunity yesterday to customize a Moto X using a Beta version of Motomaker. We already did a thorough hands on at the Motorola event a couple of weeks ago so I didn’t take this opportunity to give you another boring hands on. I decided to bring my 4-year old son along for the ride and let him customize it the way he wanted. This video isn’t going to be as professional as my other videos, but it is an example of someone diving right in without playing with it for an hour before turning on the camera. We just opened the site, went through our selections, and order it. We didn’t get into the engravings or the wallpapers, but you can see more about that stuff in our previous hands on.

Motorola Skip for Moto X formally announced, includes three Skip Dots and is free with custom Moto X purchases

Last night, a new accessory for the Moto X called Motorola Skip showed up and vanished just as quickly. We already had an idea that it was designed to clip to your pants to unlock your Moto X easier, at least for those that use a security PIN or pattern lock. This is the case, but Motorola just formally introduced it and gave us a little more information.

If you remember, back in May at D11, Regina Dugan showed off some futuristic ways people will be able to use to authenticate their devices. The Motorola Skip isn’t that futuristic, but it is an example of some of the early progress that Motorola is making. Even though it is something that every smartphone/tablet owner should do, often times people don’t set a security lock screen since it’s such a pain to unlock the device just to read a quick email. Motorola Skip was designed to allow Moto X owners to implement this security, but still be able to unlock their device with ease.

Play Store Team Acknowledges Pervasive Package File Invalid Error When Installing Or Updating Apps, No Fix Yet

Update: The issue (#10230007) has been marked as resolved by the Play Store team. Apps should install and update fine now.

For the last week or so, a great number of Android users have become increasingly frustrated with frequent "Package file is invalid" errors when updating or installing apps. A variety of supposed fixes have been put forward by the community, but have proven to be merely placebos. Now Google has confirmed there is an issue. So no, it's not just you.