Facebook Home has been downloaded more than one million times since its release in Google Play last month, according to the social network. Today Facebook announced the one million milestone alongside the news that Home is getting its first major update this afternoon.
When Home was released, Facebook said that it would be releasing an update during the second week of May. Home’s first update will focus on squashing bugs. Plenty of additional features are in store for updates down the road.
Sprint and social network startup Path are getting cozier. The two companies have announced a partnership of sorts. Sprint will place Path in the “Discover It” widget it preloads onto newer Android devices like the Galaxy S4 and HTC One. In turn, Path will reap the benefits of being displayed front and center to all of Sprint’s Android users.
The Fitbit Flex has officially gone on sale for $100 online and in U.S. retail stores. We saw the “OG fitness-tracking dongle” at CES earlier this year, where it was clear that Fitbit was trying to steal the mojo from competitors like Nike’s Fuelband and the Jawbone Up. Now the Flex is out in the wild, and users can be the judge.
Bluetooth 4.0 is used to connect the silicon wristband to an Android device or iPhone. It does everything the typical fitness tracker accomplishes: counts calories and steps, monitors sleeping, and lets you share stats with friends to keep you motivated. The actual exercise is still on you, though.
The U.S government has been warming up to consumer smartphones for some time. A couple months ago, the Pentagon announced that it will permit “the use of commercial products for classified communications for the first time.” Android handsets and iPhones are starting to be used in areas that previously didn’t offer security clearance.
In a world that has been ruled by Blackberry, the latest Samsung and Apple devices are about to be let into deeper parts of the government.
Today AT&T updated its store trade-in program to incentivize more customers to trade in used smartphones for an upgrade. The carrier is now giving $100+ credits towards the purchase of a new smartphone with a two-year plan. The catch is that you have to trade in a smartphone that is “no more than three years old and in good, working condition.”
