Text input is one of the most frequent functions we perform on our smartphones, and not every virtual keyboard is right for every user. Some platforms limit our options — though that will soon change for iOS device owners — but Android’s open nature means that dozens of solid third-party keyboard options are out there for people looking to improve this crucial part of the smartphone experience.

We’ve all heard of the more popular third-party keyboard options for Android, such as Swype and SwiftKey, but a new lesser known option has the potential to completely change the way you use your smartphone or tablet.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Netflix is not afraid to hold its ground against Verizon’s cease and desist attack, defending its right to inform customers about ISPs network performance when it comes to streaming Netflix content. In a letter to Verizon obtained by Quartz, Netflix general counsel David Hyman attacked the Internet provider, saying that Verizon is at fault for the poor performance some of their mutual customers experience, not Netflix.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

It’s not clear when KitKat’s successor will be released, but Google is reportedly preparing a major design makeover for its “L” version of Android. According to information received by Android Police, Google is looking to unify design across its products and across platforms, and the initiative is apparently referred to as Quantum Paper.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Hidden code in iOS 8 beta 1 has revealed that Apple is working on a split-screen multitasking feature that could be available on iPads in the future, although the company is yet to officially introduce it. Nevertheless, developer Steven Troughton-Smith used the code to create a short video that shows how split-screen multitasking would work on an iPad running iOS 8.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

If 3D effects and tilt controls weren’t enough to sell you on Amazon’s upcoming smartphone, perhaps a halfhearted streaming music service will do the trick. In the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, Amazon quietly launched Prime Music, a streaming service that has been tumbling around the rumor mill for more than a year. Prime Music is a free add-on for Amazon Prime subscribers, though the recent Prime price increase likely had something to do with its imminent arrival.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

One of the main iOS 8 features that Apple introduced at WWDC 2014 is support for third-party keyboards, a type of application many iOS users have been waiting for. While some keyboard app developers including Swype, Fleksy, SwiftKey and Adaptxt have already confirmed plans to launch such apps in the future, TouchPal has gone ahead and released a video of its own keyboard app for iOS 8.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Two scientists from the University of Toronto have figured out a way to create cheaper, lighter and more flexible solar cells, CNET reports, which could allow more users in the future to harness energy directly from the sun for different purposes.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Over the past several years, we’ve seen brave state legislatures rise up to tackle the most dangerous threat to the American way of life: Small towns that hate their incumbent cable companies and want to build their own broadband networks. DSLReports points out that Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler has written a new blog post where he points out that some towns and cities have successfully built their own high-speed fiber networks and that those municipalities haven’t yet succumbed to communism.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Pair an Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller to a Windows PC and you’ve got yourself a Windows console, but whatever setup you’ve got going at home may not be as cool or as powerful as this completely new, and unexpected, Alienware Windows 8.1 gaming console and home entertainment system.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report

Remember when some of us thought that Apple’s iTunes Radio might be a significant competitor with Pandora when it was announced last year? Well, we were definitely laughably wrong about that but we do feel confident in saying that Amazon’s new music streaming service won’t pose much of a threat to Spotify. The New York Times reports that Amazon’s new music streaming service will launch as soon as next week but it won’t feature any new releases and it won’t have any albums from the Universal Music Group, which just happens to be the world’s largest music company.

…

Read more here: Boy Genius Report