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Want the source code for Google’s Android operating system? Just head on over to the Android Open Source Project. Want to run free and open source apps on your Android device? It can be a bit tough to find them in the Google Play Store.
That’s where F-Droid comes in. It’s an app store for FOSS apps. Just install it on your phone and you can search and browse for free and open source apps.
Want to search F-Droid on the web? That’s where Fossdroid comes in. It’s a new web-based app store that takes its data from F-Droid, but which organizes apps an attractive, Google Play-like arrangement. It also has at least one feature F-Droid currently lacks: the ability to view apps by popularity.
Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.
You can keep up on the latest news by following Liliputing on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
- Fossdroid: web-based app store for free and open source Android apps
Popular apps include Firefox, VLC, Tor and K-9 Mail… plus a bunch of ad blockers. Â [Fossdroid] - Republic Wireless “Maestro” plan to offer refunds for unused cellular data
The company already offers dirt cheap plans by combining WiFi and cellular calling. Moving to a pay-for-what-you-use system could make it cheaper to sign up for LTE service (which costs more than 3G for now). [Republic Wireless] - Disney/Carnegie Mellon develop smartphone controllers that use sound waves from its speaker
Is it useful? Probably not. But it’s pretty cool. [Gizmodo] - Here are some of the first websites to support Chrome 42’s push notifications
eBay, Pinterest, Facebook, and VICE News will be rolling out support in the coming weeks, letting you receive notifications even after you close a browser tab (but only after you give permission). [Google] - Tizen OS ported to the Raspberry Pi 2
The operating system Samsung uses on smartwatches, smart TVs, smartphones, and smart refrigerators can now run on the Raspberry Pi mini-computer. [Samsung Open Source Group] - Report: Nokia could return to the smartphone market
The company sold it smartphone division to Microsoft and under the terms of that sale Nokia won’t put its name on phones until 2016 at the earliest. Even then, it looks like Nokia is most likely going to design technology in-house and then license it to third-party manufacturers rather than building its own phones. [Recode] - Windows 10 coming in late July? AMD seems to think so
Microsoft has already said Windows 10 would launch this summer. Now an AMD executive let a slightly more specific date slip during an earnings call. [Geekwire]
There is the “List of free and open-source Android applications” on Wikipedia. That page has links to other places to browse Android FOSS apps.
F-Droid is a great app for installing and updating your FOSS apps. But outside of a simple keyword query, it has no way to browse apps easily. You still really need to browse on the web – and tgphe Fossdroid site is a welcome addition to help.