OpenAndroid

http://cdn04.androidauthority.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Snowball-Play-Store-samples.png <div class='gad_smallimage_cont'> Android users have a new app to play with, it is called Snowball Beta and it will become your one-stop shop for all of your messaging needs. Snowball looks to be your single unified inbox bringing together messages from <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/tag/facebook/' title='Facebook - Android Authority' target='_blank'>Facebook</a> Messenger, <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/tag/Google-hangouts' title='Hangouts - Android Authority' target='_blank'>Google Hangouts</a>, Snapchat, WhatsApp and more. <a href='https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.squanda.swoop.app' title='Snowball Beta - Google Play Store' target='_blank'>Snowball is free in the Google Play Store</a>. <div class='chitika-adspace above'> </div> If that is not enough, Snowball will bring you your messages on a floating icon like you’d find with <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/link-bubble-review-360454/' title='Link Bubble Review' target='_blank'>Link Bubble</a>, or, I suppose the more appropriate comparison would be Facebook’s <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/hangouts-chrome-app-536004/' title='Hangouts gets a new Chat Heads-style app for Windows and Chrome OS' target='_blank'>Chat Heads</a>. Snowball is the brainchild of Anish Acharya and Jeson Patel. Their combined resumes include Google, Microsoft, Amazon and SocialDeck with a couple little projects you may have heard of, <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/google-play-games-gifts-357798/' title='Google Play Games adding game gifts, new categories and more' target='_blank'>Google Play Games</a> and the mobile side of <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/google-polls-for-plus-535996/' title='Google+ is rolling out support for polls' target='_blank'>Google+</a>. Snowball is as much a solution for their own fragmented social experiences as it is a great free app for us to play with. <div data-content-width='1280' class='rve'/> Snowball currently supports Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Line, Slack, SMS,<a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/snapchat-chat-video-375582/' title='Snapchat now does chat and video calls, but everything’s still ephemeral' target='_blank'>Snapchat</a>, Twitter, WhatsApp and WeChat. They say these are just the services to get things rolling, that other services can be added in just a few days each. The approach is fairly simple, as is the experience at this point. Instead of officially plugging into the APIs, if any, of the individual services, Snowball works off of your Android system <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/music-notification-bar-tasker-514292/' title='Android customization – control music, send SMS and more from your Notification bar with Tasker' target='_blank'>notifications</a> to collect the messages and bring them to you. If it matters, they say this is an Android only thing, iPhone users can only look on with envy, as the system notification technique is not possible on iOS. <img alt="Snowball Play Store samples" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-536238" height="400" src="http://cdn04.androidauthority.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Snowball-Play-Store-samples.png" width="710"/> To be clear, Snowball is not a messaging service, it is simply a unified inbox for the other services that you already have apps installed. Stay tuned to our <a href='http://www.androidauthority.com/tag/Android-Customization/' title='Android customization - Android Authority' target='_blank'>Android customization</a>series starting October 16th, we’ll be starting a project of our own, for you to follow along, that rocks the same sort of functionality. While this may be the first time many of us have heard of Snowball, it is already en-route to bigger things. They have announced a round of seed funding worth more than $2 million, and a sly tease that Snowball is just the first layer of a larger app that is in the pipes. <a href='https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.squanda.swoop.app' title='Snowball - Google Play Store' target='_blank'>Snowball is free in the Google Play Store</a>, including an update that rolled out today that fixed all of the initial Xposed module compatibility issues, if that was a concern for you. What do you say, is a single unified inbox the thing you need to keep your messaging in order, or do you prefer the segregation of the apps? </div> <div class='gad_smallimage_cont'><img alt="snowball_app_googleplay.jpg" class="imgbdr aligncenter" id="HeadContent_FullstoryCtrl_mainstoryimage" src="http://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/snowball_app_googleplay.jpg"/></div> <div class='' id='HeadContent_FullstoryCtrl_fulldetails'> Messaging apps are among the most popular apps on both Android and iOS. Check the top apps in either app store and you’ll come across several messaging apps. While different messaging apps serve different audiences and, sometimes, a different purpose, it can get tiresome to have multiple chat apps on your smartphone. Google Ventures funded app Snowball tries to solve that problem by unifying popular messaging services, by letting users access multiple services at once. At launch, it supports SMS, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/whatsapp' target='_blank'>WhatsApp</a>, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/facebook-messenger' target='_blank'>Facebook Messenger</a>, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/google-hangouts' target='_blank'>Google Hangouts</a>, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/twitter' target='_blank'>Twitter</a>, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/line' target='_blank'>Line</a>,<a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/wechat' target='_blank'>WeChat</a>, <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/snapchat' target='_blank'>Snapchat</a>, and <a href='http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tags/slack' target='_blank'>Slack</a>. It acts as an inbox for notifications from all these apps. The app uses chat heads for notifications, similar to the pop-ups Facebook Messenger shows on the Android home screen. Snowball is one of the few apps that went Android first. This is because iOS doesn’t allow third-party apps to integrate deeply with the system. Snowball doesn’t rely on authentication from each messaging app it supports, but integrates with Android notifications to pull show new messages on the home screen. Techcrunch <a href='http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/08/snowball-debuts-a-unified-inbox-for-all-your-messaging-apps/' target='_blank'>reported</a> that the app’s founders Anish Acharya and Jeson Patel sold their first company, SocialDeck, to Google in 2010. The report said Patel founded Google Play Games, while Acharya later left Google for Google Ventures. In a blog post on Medium, Snowball founder Anish Acharya <a href='https://medium.com/@illscience/snowball-50c0cf0cdfa9' target='_blank'>wrote</a>, “Our conversations are spread across more apps than ever: my fiancé only uses SMS and my co-founder uses WhatsApp. My sisters are into Facebook Messenger and I’m pretty sure our office dog Luna prefers Line, though I haven’t yet found a way to confirm.” Highlighting the fact that the idea behind the app was to unify the messaging experience, Acharya wrote, “We built Snowball to bring these conversations together; one place for all of the messages from all of the social apps you already love. We didn’t want another social app, we wanted a way for all of our existing social apps to work better together.” Snowball is available via <a href='https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.squanda.swoop.app' target='_blank'>Google Play</a>. At the time of filing this report, it wasn’t available for download in India. </div> <a href='' class='print_link'>Print this entry</a> <a href='http://www.openandroid.in/snowball-android-single-window-messaging-apps.html?utm_source=BG&utm_medium=Get+Android+Source+Blogspot&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BOpenAndroid'>Snowball for Android Is Your Single Window to All Other Messaging Apps</a> Source: OpenAndroid

Snowball for Android Is Your Single Window to All Other Messaging Apps

http://cdn04.androidauthority.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Snowball-Play-Store-samples.png Android users have a new app to play with, it i...

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AI8NtpeA--/lgceu809xkemcegby693.jpg <div class='post-content entry-content new-annotation'> <img alt="How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Right Now" class="transform-original js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AI8NtpeA--/lgceu809xkemcegby693.jpg" data-chomp-id="lgceu809xkemcegby693" data-format="jpg" height="358" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AI8NtpeA--/lgceu809xkemcegby693.jpg" width="636"/> <div class='chitika-adspace above'> </div> Yesterday, Microsoft announced the <a href='http://lifehacker.com/all-the-new-stuff-in-windows-10-1640838152' target='_blank'>newest version of Windows</a>. Today, the company is allowing adventurous users (like yourself) to try it out for free. Here’s how. <aside class='referenced-wide referenced-fullwidth js_inset tmpl_referencedGroupFullWidth clearfix'><div class='container'> <div data-inset-id='1641208687' class='referenced-item'> Microsoft gave us a small peek at the next version of Windows today, confusingly dubbed Windows 10. …<a href='http://lifehacker.com/all-the-new-stuff-in-windows-10-1640838152' class='js_readmore readmore-referenced' target='_blank'>Read more</a> </div> </div> </aside><h3 data-textannotation-id='15a321226720224205f082a863eb07cc'>Before You Install</h3> There are a couple warnings you should be aware of before you do anything: <ul> <li data-textannotation-id='48ffda3b6b99327c8ef42655483bc93e'> Back up your data first! <a href='http://lifehacker.com/theres-no-excuse-for-not-backing-up-your-computer-do-1547987206' target='_blank'>Not that you had any excuse not to anyway</a>, but be sure to perform a backup on your data before you upgrade if you have anything you can’t recover. Or even if you don’t. Just do a backup.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='d76cf7b318f033779009af44fad4ea39'> You won’t be able to use your recovery partition to downgrade. If you have a recovery partition on your system, it will no longer be able to restore your computer to the version of Windows you had before.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='74f4cf71492e30e4abd915d461b87807'> You’ll need external recovery media to undo the upgrade. As you might expect since you don’t have a recovery partition, you’ll need a disc or USB drive with Windows 8 (or older) on it to get back to the way things were if you don’t like or can’t use Windows 10.</li> </ul> <div id='inset_placeholder_1642931793'/> As Microsoft mentions multiple times, this is pre-release software and is expected to be very buggy and probably crash-prone. Furthermore, they can <a href='http://lifehacker.com/windows-10s-keylogger-fiasco-has-been-blown-out-of-pr-1642931793' target='_blank'>collect a lot of data</a>—including text you type or the kinds of files you open—to improve the product. It’s not advisable that you install this on your work machine or anything you need daily or sensitive use out of. We’ll show you how to install it on a spare PC, or—if you don’t have one—in VirtualBox. If you aren’t sure whether you want to install it, <a href='http://lifehacker.com/heres-what-windows-10-looks-and-feels-like-1641369982' target='_blank'>our video walkthrough</a> can give you a brief glimpse into what it looks and feels like. <aside class='referenced-wide referenced-fullwidth js_inset tmpl_referencedGroupFullWidth clearfix'><div class='container'> <div data-inset-id='1641622926' class='referenced-item'> The Windows 10 technical preview is out with a peek of some new upcoming features. If you…<a href='http://lifehacker.com/heres-what-windows-10-looks-and-feels-like-1641369982' class='js_readmore readmore-referenced' target='_blank'>Read more</a> </div> </div> </aside><h3 data-textannotation-id='a297e2d4f12afc3590548aaed87eab57'>What You’ll Need</h3> <img alt="How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Right Now" class="transform-original js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--JEcyBWhr--/qvbqldjnsm2euoujy6wx.jpg" data-chomp-id="qvbqldjnsm2euoujy6wx" data-format="jpg" height="358" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--JEcyBWhr--/qvbqldjnsm2euoujy6wx.jpg" width="636"/> This time around, Microsoft has created the <a href='https://insider.windows.com/' target='_blank'>Windows Insider Program</a> to allow users to test out the new hotness. You’ll need to agree to a special terms and condition, which likely mostly consists of “don’t blame us if this breaks your stuff” in addition to the usual jargon. In addition to downloading the update, the Insider Program will be how you provide feedback and get help from the community. Once you’re enrolled in the program, here’s what you’ll need: <ul> <li data-textannotation-id='850ff5b0943149a8bbb21faf6160f9ce'>A DVD or USB drive large enough to hold a 4GB ISO file.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='59d8a8626f6b21dff3820ebfc0cb87f8'>One of the Windows 10 ISO files</li> <li data-textannotation-id='7ed4b3cfdd432bf28063eb7bd02fa22b'>A spare computer to install it on (Microsoft does not recommend using your daily driver), or <a href='https://www.virtualbox.org/' target='_blank'>VirtualBox</a> installed on your main machine.</li> </ul> As soon as you’re enrolled in the Insider Program, you’ll be directed to download one of several ISO files. Currently, there are four languages supported (English, English UK, Chinese Simplified, and Portugese Brazil), in both 32- and 64-bit configurations. Grab the version that matches your needs and let the download do its thing. Though you may want to grab a snack, as the downloads range from 3-4GB, depending. <h3 data-textannotation-id='6361e3867273b153ef8386824838c043'>Option One: Install the Windows Technical Preview on Your PC</h3> <img alt="How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Right Now" class="transform-original js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--mLIIim2P--/rcrsixq3sx1jjdivzs4o.jpg" data-chomp-id="rcrsixq3sx1jjdivzs4o" data-format="jpg" height="358" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--mLIIim2P--/rcrsixq3sx1jjdivzs4o.jpg" width="636"/> Once you have everything you need, follow these steps: <ol> <li data-textannotation-id='408664ac7494c3967e8b2225a284701c'>Copy the ISO to a disk or USB drive. You can use <a href='http://lifehacker.com/5100980/hive-five-winner-for-best-cd-and-dvd-burning-tool-imgburn' target='_blank'>a tool like ImgBurn</a> to unzip the contents, though if you’re installing on a device that’s already running Windows, the OS should be able to mount the ISO itself.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='50c9855e5fe286f3142cf6bb7a2d59e2'>Insert the disk or USB drive in the computer that you want to install Windows 10 on.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='c990bb730b2c1bb4257469ce4bd4b41e'>If you have an older copy of Windows installed on that machine, start it up and double-click setup.exe from the installation media. If not, you can <a href='http://lifehacker.com/5991848/how-to-boot-from-a-cd-or-usb-drive-on-any-pc' target='_blank'>boot up your PC from the installation disc</a> to start installation.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='ee414bd1d14797996e4835589a677cf4'>Follow the wizard to install Windows on your machine.</li> </ol> Microsoft’s wizard will walk you through the rest of the installation process. If you want to do a clean install, make sure you choose to “Keep Nothing” during the wizard. <h3 data-textannotation-id='d61fa6a8123d27bdf1f91e7a5a232ca8'>Option Two: Install the Windows Technical Preview in VirtualBox</h3> <img alt="How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Right Now" class="transform-original js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--0I-hrSHw--/haijuzjn7amugeygvjo4.jpg" data-chomp-id="haijuzjn7amugeygvjo4" data-format="jpg" height="358" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--0I-hrSHw--/haijuzjn7amugeygvjo4.jpg" width="636"/> If you don’t have a spare machine to try out the Technical Preview, we recommend installing it in VirtualBox. That way, you can try it out, see what’s new, and play around without overwriting your main system. <ol> <li data-textannotation-id='ae1b657d1b8389ab64406e2d81b2397e'> <a href='https://www.virtualbox.org/' target='_blank'>Download and install the latest version of VirtualBox</a>, and star t it up.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='125c873aec5d6675514235e05017b00b'>Click the “New” button in the main window to create a new virtual machine.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='fa2b965c2f56589c30111737be83adb2'>Give your operating system a name (like “Windows 10 Technical Preview”) and choose Windows 8.1 from the list (since VirtualBox doesn’t have a Windows 10 option yet).</li> <li data-textannotation-id='1284b870ba5b2186bfd1abf00b9c7ca8'>Follow the VirtualBox wizard to set up your virtual machine. You can <a href='http://lifehacker.com/the-power-users-guide-to-better-virtual-machines-in-vir-1569943402' target='_blank'>read more about VirtualBox’s settings here</a>, but the default settings should be fine.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='bce27c656bc4e0150ad8e5416e67e6fc'>When it finishes, you should see your new machine in the left-hand sidebar. Click on it and hit the Settings button along the top of the VirtualBox window.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='e49b314ca6a055314429badb14057a3f'>Head to Storage in the left sidebar, and next to “Controller: IDE”, click the Add CD button.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='738bc46229cea6b83959dbc5db22749b'>Select “Choose Disk” and navigate to your downloaded Windows 10 ISO.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='c792745b9fd89d14d9dc1aa31386a0bd'>Click OK.</li> <li data-textannotation-id='868b07147523945ace859e66a5502ea5'>Press Start to start up your new virtual machine and go through the Windows 10 installation process.</li> </ol> To improve your VirtualBox experience, check out <a href='http://lifehacker.com/the-power-users-guide-to-better-virtual-machines-in-vir-1569943402' target='_blank'>our power user’s guide to VirtualBox</a> for tweaks and tips that’ll speed up your system. <aside class='referenced-wide referenced-fullwidth js_inset tmpl_referencedGroupFullWidth clearfix'><div class='container'> <div data-inset-id='1609045520' class='referenced-item'> VirtualBox is great for testing out a new operating system, but your virtual machines probably…<a href='http://lifehacker.com/the-power-users-guide-to-better-virtual-machines-in-vir-1569943402' class='js_readmore readmore-referenced' target='_blank'>Read more</a> </div> </div> </aside>Remember, this is pre-release software, so install at your own risk! If you aren’t interested in risking your machine, we’ll be poring over the new OS to let you know what other cool stuff Windows 10 has in store over the next couple days. Good luck! </div> <div class='row'> <div class='post-bottom column'><a name='replies'/></div> </div> <a href='http://www.openandroid.in/install-windows-10-technical-preview-sourcelifehacker-com.html?utm_source=BG&utm_medium=Get+Android+Source+Blogspot&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BOpenAndroid'>How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Source:lifehacker.com</a> Source: OpenAndroid

How to Install the Windows 10 Technical Preview Source:lifehacker.com

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AI8NtpeA--/lgceu809xkemcegby693.jpg Yesterday, Microsoft announced the newest version of...