Facebook Home updated, brings lock-screen music controls

Facebook has released an update for its Facebook Home launcher in Google Play. The update might not be a huge one but still brings one important change – lock-screen music controls.

The small number of users, who are still sticking to Facebook Home, will now be able to play/ pause or go to the next/ previous song directly from their lock-screen.

The change-log does not mention any other features as a part of latest Facebook Home update. In related news, with the latest update, Facebook for Android now includes some animated stickers in messages like Pusheen, Beast and Anooki wave, dance and wiggle. The Facebook for Android change is only applicable to Android 4.0.2 or above users. In addition to all this, the update also brings some bug-fixes.

You can now update Facebook for Android on your device to get the new features for both Home as well as core Facebook app.

XOLO Play getting OTA software update

XOLO has announced that it is rolling out a software update for XOLO Play smartphone. The update is now available over-the-air and can be triggered by going to Settings << About Phone << System Updates.

The update is also available as a manual download from the company site and then can be applied using the embedded later in the post.

XOLO has not provided any change-log for this update and just notes that this update will improve the performance of this Tegra 3 smartphone. XOLO Play T1000 currently runs on Android 4.1.1 and it is unclear whether the new update bumps the Android version in the smartphone or not. If you have already updated your smartphone, do let us know the details in comments section

Originally launched last month, XOLO Play comes with 4.7-inch IPS display with 720p resolution, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The phone also features with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 2000 mAh battery.

Android 4.3 update release date: Galaxy S3 & S4, Moto X Phone, HTC One

The Android 4.3 software update is Almaty mythical in status, as it’s already been officially released but has yet to show up on most Android devices. While users of Google’s own Nexus devices already have 4.3, the rest of the Android platform still awaits its release date a month after it’s already surfaced. There’s precious little official information as to when the “Jelly Bean” Android 4.3 update will arrive on devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S3, HTC One, and Moto X Phone. But here are our best estimates.

Twitter for Android with new conversation view

Twitter has released an update for its official Android app earlier today. The new update brings a new conversation view and better support for entry-level Android devices.

According to a blog post by the company, the company wants to make to easier to follow conversations and be a part of them. From now on, users will be able to see conversational tweets linked by a vertical line.

XOLO launched Q1000S phone with quad-core CPU & Android 4.2

After multiple teasers on its social media channels, XOLO has finally announced the launch of its new XOLO Q1000S smartphone in the Indian market today. This QCore-series smartphone packs some impressive specifications in just 6.98mm thick chassis.

According to a press release issued by the company, XOLO Q1000S has been priced at INR 18,999 and will be available in the coming days.

Videocon launches A42 with Android 4.2 & 4.5-inch display for INR 7,490

Videocon Mobiles has announced the launch of a new Android smartphone in the Indian market today. Dubbed as Videocon A42, the smartphone runs on Android 4.2.2 and packs a 4.5-inch FWVGA display.

According to Videocon, A42 also comes with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM. The phone supports dual-SIM cards and the usual connectivity options. It will be sold for INR 7,490 in the country.

LG offers 7K discount on Optimus G Pro for your old smartphone

After Samsung and Sony, now LG has decided to try a buyback scheme to boost its smartphone sales in the country. The company has launched “The Best Exchange” offer for LG Optimus G Pro and is giving INR 7,000 discount on the best buy price of the smartphone if you trade-in your old smartphone.

The company has also bundling one year extra warranty (zero interest EMIs as well) with every purchase made via this buyback offer to sweeten the deal.

Google Translate for Android now supports handwritten input in Hindi

Google has released an update for its official Translate app on Android. The updated version brings several new goodies including Handwrite support for Hindi and Thai. So, users will now be able to input handwritten Hindi or Thai in addition to 46 more languages and translate it into other languages.

In addition to the new languages support in Handwrite, Google has also added camera input translation for Afrikaans, Greek, Hebrew and Serbian languages, which takes the total of supported language for this input type to 34.

“Simply tap the camera button, point at the text you want translated and take the picture, and brush over the text you want with your finger—in an instant you’ll see your translation,” Google notes in a Google+ post.

That is all for the new version and if you identify any other new features, do let us know in comments.

iBall launches Slide i9018 Android tablet with 9-inch display for INR 9,990

iBall has added another name to its growing Slide Android tablet lineup today in the form of Slide i9018. The new tablet has been priced at INR 9,990 and will be available in the coming days.

iBall Slide i9018 features a 9-inch 1024x600p resolution display, 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The tablet also comes with Android 4.2, 2MP rear camera, front camera and 5,000 mAh battery.

Celkon launched Campus A63 for INR 4,499

Celkon has announced the launch of a new smartphone in the Indian market today. The new smartphone is part of the company’s Campus series and is known as Campus A63.

According to a press release issued by the company, Celkon Campus A63 has been priced at INR 4,499 and will be available in the market beginning today.

Celkon Campus A63 features 4-inch display, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and 3.2MP rear camera. The phone also packs front camera, Wi-Fi, microSD card slot, dual-SIM support and 1500 mAh battery.

The company is included a free back cover in the box with every phone.

Celkon is also expected to launch more device in its Campus series in the coming weeks. Some of these upcoming smartphones are A60, A20 and A10, these pricing and availability details of the phones are unclear at this moment.