Thursday, May 19, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Apps of the Day [5/19]: SnapBucket, Grow, and More!

Posted: 19 May 2011 03:37 PM PDT

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You’d be surprised at the number of apps that come across our desks each day. Or maybe you wouldn’t be. Either way, we are daily faced with the task of navigating the ever-growing Android Market in an attempt to distill out what is and what isn’t worth downloading so you don’t have to. So we’re starting a a new feature here at Phandroid to hopefully make everyone’s lives a bit easier. Below you’ll find a roundup of recent apps we felt worth highlighting. Maybe because they are great, maybe because they fill a niche we haven’t seen before, or maybe because you should avoid them like the plague. You’ll have to read on to find out.

Solitaire Chess – This is a unique chess game that strays far from “traditional”. You play over 400 challenges (they get harder over time) that has you capturing pieces with legal chess moves. You’ll complete the challenge once all pieces but one have been captured. It looks to be a fun entry-level game that’ll give you a good idea of the nature of chess. [Market]

GTasks – The app is simple: sync tasklists from your Google account to your phone. Since Google doesn’t provide this functionality natively, users rely on applications like these to get the job done. The UI is simple, the functionality is everything you need it to be, and it’s free. [Market]

Coin Pirates – If you’ve ever been to Chuck E. Cheese’s or any other arcade that values coins, you’ve probably played a game like Coin Pirates. You drop your coins in, pull the handle and you pray that more coins will drop out in front of you. Graphics look great, sound is good and you don’t have to spend any real coin to play this one. [Market]

SnapBucket – The folks at PhotoBucket have come to market with their first Android application. You can snap a picture with the app and apply various special effects and filters. Once you’re happy with them, you can have it uploaded directly to your PhotoBucket account. You can even create your own and unlock filter sets. We’d like a fully-fledged PhotoBucket application, but this’ll do for now. [Market]

Grow - Don’t let the simple name fool you, or go ahead and let it fool you. Grow is, indeed, a simple game with one goal and one goal alone: gorge on everything smaller than you until you’re the biggest fish in the sea. Repetitive gameplay is made up for by a campaign long enough to munch away whole portions of your day. Fun graphics, smooth and easy controls, and a nifty upgrades and power-up system keep things engaging. We enjoyed it, but you may want to watch the video demo before deciding if it’s worth your $1.99. For those that can’t decide, Epic Pixel just launched a FREE version moments ago. [Market]

Official Preakness App – As a Baltimore native, the Preakness has always signified a day spent drinking epic proportions of beer while a horse race may or may not be occurring in the background. For everyone else the horse race takes center stage. No matter which side you fall on, the new official Preakness app has you covered. News and info on all the horses and jockeys, a schedule of events and map, and video replays will keep you in the action. [Market]

Prox – This handy utility allows you to assign actions to gestures made up of a combination of proximity sensor and accelerometer feedback, creating no-touch operation of you Android smartphone. Sound confusing? You can view a tutorial video over on YouTube for an idea of what to expect. The app works as advertised, though assignable actions are currently quite limited. More are promised in the future. While Prox strives to create an easy an efficient way to interact with your handset, it so far seems like little more than a novelty. With some refinement perhaps the utility’s true power will be realized. [Market]

Best Buy Announces May 22 Launch of the HTC Flyer

Posted: 19 May 2011 03:28 PM PDT

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Best Buy has finally revealed the date of their exclusive launch of the WiFi-only HTC Flyer. While the retailer has had HTC’s first Android slate on pre-order for a few weeks now, those awaiting the tablet can now look forward to May 22nd as the day they can finally get their hands on it. Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, and BestBuy.com will all host the tablet. Full statement from Best Buy below.

Wi-Fi HTC Flyer Tablet Launches May 22 Exclusively at Best Buy

Best Buy today announced that the Wi-Fi only version of the HTC Flyer™ tablet launches on May 22. All Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores, as well as BestBuy.com, will have the tablet exclusively at launch. The HTC Flyer is a fast, portable, light-weight tablet that integrates the immersive and highly intuitive HTC Sense™ experience and enables content including videos, music, games and more to be easily accessed and enjoyed. The addition of the HTC Flyer to our tablet lineup gives Best Buy further opportunity to help connect customers with the mobile technology that best meets their needs.

…and the Motorola Droid X2 Has Been Rooted

Posted: 19 May 2011 02:19 PM PDT

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It really shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point when a brand-spanking new device is rooted within 24 hours of its official release, so word that the Motorola Droid X2 already getting cracked with superuser access granted isn’t hard to believe. The device succumbed to Gingerbreak, an application package designed to grant root access to the leaked build of Gingerbread floating around for the original Droid X. Let’s ignore the fact that the Droid X2 doesn’t even have Gingerbread, for now (the app is actually based off of other root methods that presumably work just find for the new handset).

This comes as good news to those awaiting their Droid X2 to ship. The thing is basically root-able out of the box with little fuss. How about that?

[via DroidLife]

PopCap Hasn’t Forgotten Peggle, Still Coming to Android this Summer

Posted: 19 May 2011 01:01 PM PDT

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PopCap is on a bit of a roll, finally getting some of their bigger titles onto the Android platform. First Chuzzle launched, and soon to follow will be Plants vs Zombies, but we still have no solid date for my personal favorite, Peggle. But don’t think PopCap will sleep on their recent momentum. Senior director of product and business strategy at PopCap, Giordano Bruno Contestabile, dropped a little hint in an interview this week.

“…with respect to Android, what does the future hold? We can’t really say, but I’ve heard that a nice surprise might be in store if you love unicorns and rainbows."

And we get the feeling those rainbows and unicorns might be of the Bjorn variety, so don’t think the game developer isn’t still on track to get Peggle on to our handsets. It’s coming and I’m already trying to figure out how to fit more hours into the day to get my peg on.

[via DroidGamers]

Motorola Looking for Testers for Upcoming Cliq 2 Update

Posted: 19 May 2011 11:57 AM PDT

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Motorola is preparing a new update to the Cliq 2, and they are in search testers eager to give the new software a go. There is room for 200 users to be part of the beta, which should culminate with a final update getting pushed to all Cliq 2 owners. As Moto has done for these things in the past, completing a survey is the first step towards acquiring the update early. No word on what will differ with this build, but we can say for certain that it won’t be anything along the line of Gingerbread.

Interesting that Motorola is always keen to send out updates for their mid-range devices to beta testers, but never offers such a program for their high-end devices. Must be a matter of where they have resources devoted for in-house debugging. Follow the link below if you fit the bill.

[Motorola Support]

Pizza Hut app now taking orders in the Android Market

Posted: 19 May 2011 11:34 AM PDT

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I love pizza. Ask anyone who knows me. Say what you will, but I also love Pizza Hut. So it is with great pleasure that I bring you the news that Pizza Hut has finally released their mobile app for ordering up pies to the Android Market.

Funny story: before I owned an Android phone — before I owned any smartphone — I used to envy iPhone users for their ability to effortlessly order Pizza Hut from the comfort of their phones. Sure, I could use Pizza Hut’s website to place an order online, but that didn’t help me if I was in transit and wanted to grab some food on my way home. Anyway, I eventually got my first Android phone in hopes that a Pizza Hut app would soon be along. Almost two years later the day is finally here. I think I might just order a pizza in celebration. How about you? Grab the app from the Android Market at the link below.

Android Market Link: Pizza Hut

[Thanks, Paul!]

Verizon Data Plans in for Major Overhaul, Tiered Pricing and Family Plans

Posted: 19 May 2011 11:04 AM PDT

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If you thought Verizon’s $29.99 per month for unlimited 4G data was a bit too good to be true, well…we all know how that goes. The dust has once again been stirred up around talks of a data plan overhaul for Big Red, with tiered pricing seeming more likely than ever. The changes are said to be coming this summer, starting with the elimination of unlimited data at a flat fee.

CFO Fran Shammo said new plans will force heavy data users to pay more, but the hope is to offset tiered pricing with new family plans for data. This would eliminate the requirement for each line on a family plan to get its own data fee, and instead share bandwidth amongst all lines for a single fee. No word on what new plans or pricing will look like as of yet.

[via BGR]

Android 2.3.4 arriving for Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Play next week in UK

Posted: 19 May 2011 10:47 AM PDT

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You have to give some credit to Sony Ericsson. The smartphone manufacturer went from Android OS updates that were few and far between to a lineup that not only features the latest version of Android at launch, but which also is receiving updates at a much more reasonable rate. SE revealed today that their Xperia Arc and Xperia Play will soon rank among the short list of devices running Android 2.3.4, the fresh-out-of-the-oven update that brings along GTalk video calling among other things.

The update will also include a little feature Sony Ericsson has been cooking up called Facebook Inside. It creates a deep integration between the phone and the social network, allowing users to “like” currently playing music, share all sorts of content, and contact and calendar sync.

The update is slated to hit UK networks next week, carrier willing. We can only hope Sony Ericsson extends the privilege to the soon-to-be release US version of the Xperia Play.

[via Recombu]

CyanogenMod 7 comes to a handful of new Samsung devices

Posted: 19 May 2011 10:35 AM PDT

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The CyanogenMod family of devices is continuing to grow, with this week seeing official support of its first Samsung device, AT&T’s Captivate. But that wasn’t the only Sammy phone to gain the privilege. Also added to the ranks were the Samsung Galaxy S, Vibrant, and Nexus S 4G.

ROMs for these phones haven’t reached official release candidate stature, but the first nightly builds of CyanogenMod 7, based on Android 2.3.4, came online last night. If you feel comfortable enough with your rooting skills to give these early builds a go, you can find them at CM’s page for your downloading pleasure. Or simply click here for the Galaxy S, here for the Vibrant, here for the Nexus S 4G, or here for the Captivate.

[via AndroidPolice]

[Update: Gone] ASUS Eee Pad Transformer In-Stock at K-Mart [Hurry!]

Posted: 19 May 2011 09:47 AM PDT

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Here we go again, folks. Yesterday, Walmart’s stock of ASUS Eee Pad Transformer units sold out within seconds of me hitting publish. Thankfully, a new opportunity has presented itself today – via K-Mart. We’re not sure how in-store stock is looking, but you can order one of these online and there doesn’t appear to be any delay in shipping. This is the 16GB WiFi-only model for $400. Get to it! [Thanks Kenneth!]

[Update]: Darnit! Happened again. For the record, it was allowing me to enter billing and shipping information before I wrote this post up. Now it’ll only go as far as the checkout page before it yells at you and tells you it doesn’t have any stinking Transformers in stock. It happened so fast that the main product page hasn’t even updated yet. Bummer. We’ll remain on the lookout, folks.

Logitech Launching a Stable of Input/Output Accessories for Your Tablet Later This Month

Posted: 19 May 2011 09:22 AM PDT

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Logitech is remaining hands-off when it comes to bringing their own Android tablets and instead are content with providing accessories for those tablets. They’ve detailed three new bluetooth-enabled accessories coming to a store near you later this month. A wireless keyboard ($70), mouse ($50) and speakers ($100) will essentially turn your tablet into a PC of sorts. $220 worth of accessories seems steep for a device that was meant to be mobile, but it’s there if you want it. Product images can be found at the source links. [Logitech via Logitech Blog]

Angry Birds Rio Beach Volleyball Update Available Now in the Android Market

Posted: 19 May 2011 09:10 AM PDT

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The update to Angry Birds Rio was set to come out this Friday, but Rovio’s content with giving it to us a day early. The update – which we detailed here – has been out for a bit in the Amazon Appstore but exclusivity wasn’t very long at all. Rovio will updating the game each month through fall, presumably with different themes. May’s theme is Beach Volleyball, of course, so head over to the market and give it a spin if you’ve been waiting.

Verizon Adds Nine New LTE Cities Today, Expansion for Many Others

Posted: 19 May 2011 08:45 AM PDT

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Verizon gave us a heads up about this a few days ago, but there’s nothing like a nice press release to solidify things. They’ve just announced that nine new markets will be enjoying 4G LTE starting today. New cities include Mobile and Montgomery Ala.; Greater Fairfield and New Haven, Conn.; Gainesville, Pensacola and Tallahassee, Fla.; Fayetteville-Lumberton, N.C.; and Bryan-College Station and Temple-Killeen, Texas. Expansion cities include Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia. Verizon is committed to bringing 4G LTE to nearly 150 markets by year’s end and to their entire 3G coverage area by 2013. Read on for full press details.

erizon Wireless Launches Nine New 4G LTE Markets Today and Expands 4G LTE Network in Five Major Cities

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Verizon Wireless is turning on the world’s most advanced wireless network in nine additional metropolitan areas today, as well as expanding the 4G LTE network in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans and Philadelphia. The wireless leader announced today the 4G LTE network is now available in Mobile and Montgomery Ala.; Greater Fairfield and New Haven, Conn.; Gainesville, Pensacola and Tallahassee, Fla.; Fayetteville-Lumberton, N.C.; and Bryan-College Station and Temple-Killeen, Texas.

David Small, chief technical officer for Verizon Wireless, noted, “We’re now offering consumers and businesses in 55 metropolitan areas the most advanced 4G wireless network on the planet, while continuing to offer the nation’s most reliable 3G network coast to coast. We plan to bring 4G LTE mobile broadband to our entire 3G coverage area by the end of 2013.”

Consumers can choose from several devices to access the blazingly fast speeds of the 4G LTE network, including the newly-launched DROID Charge by Samsung and ThunderBolt™ by HTC smartphones, MiFi® 4510L 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot and Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot. Laptop users can enjoy speeds up to 10 times faster than the company’s 3G network with three USB modems from Novatel, Pantech and LG. In real-world, fully-loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

When customers travel outside of a 4G coverage area, the devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast. Verizon Wireless’ 3G network is the most reliable network in the country, allowing customers with laptops and smartphones to download and use cool apps, from mobile social networking platforms to GPS-enabled maps. Customers can also can rapidly browse the Web to keep up with news, sports, stock quotes, Hollywood gossip and more, work on-the-go with fast file sharing and stream must-see video and customized radio stations. Customers in 3G coverage areas today who purchase 4G devices will be able to take advantage of 4G speeds when the faster network becomes available in their areas.

As the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy game-changing 4G LTE technology, Verizon Wireless is committed to building its 4G network with the same performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized. Verizon Wireless’ consistent focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year. The company’s 700 MHz spectrum gives Verizon Wireless specific advantages with 4G, including a contiguous, nationwide network license.

Verizon Wireless’ vision also includes bringing its 4G LTE network beyond major cities. The company is working with rural communications companies to collaboratively build and operate a 4G network in those areas using the tower and backhaul assets of the rural company and Verizon Wireless’ core 4G LTE equipment and premium 700 MHz spectrum. Already, 10 rural companies have signed on to leverage Verizon Wireless’ scale for infrastructure while keeping their customers on the cutting edge of technology, including Bluegrass Cellular, Cross Telephone, Pioneer Cellular, Cellcom, Thumb Cellular, Strata Networks, S&R Communications, Carolina West / Clear Stream, Custer Telephone Cooperative and Convergence Technologies.

While Verizon Wireless’ 3G network covers more than 290 million Americans, the company’s 4G LTE network is already available in 55 metropolitan areas, including:

Mobile Ala.
Montgomery Ala.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Oakland, Calif.
San Diego, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
San Jose, Calif.
Denver, Colo.
Greater Fairfield and New Haven, Conn.
Washington, D.C.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Gainesville, Fla.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Miami, Fla.
Orlando, Fla.
Pensacola, Fla.
Tallahassee, Fla.
Tampa, Fla.
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Athens, Ga.
Atlanta, Ga.
Chicago, Ill.
West Lafayette, Ind.
New Orleans, La.
Baltimore, Md.
Boston, Mass.
Detroit, Mich.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
St. Louis, Mo.
Las Vegas, Nev.
New York, N.Y.
Rochester, N.Y.
Charlotte, N.C.
Fayetteville-Lumberton, N.C.
Wilmington, N.C.
Akron, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Columbia, S.C.
Hilton Head, S.C.
Clarksville, Tenn./Hopkinsville, Ky.
Cleveland, Tenn.
Nashville, Tenn.
Bryan-College Station, Texas
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
Houston, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Temple-Killeen, Texas
Seattle, Wash.

Since 2007, when Verizon Wireless jump-started the global 4G LTE ecosystem with its selection of LTE for its 4G technology, the company has developed deep partnerships to spearhead a broad LTE ecosystem, with many being fostered at the LTE Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass., and the Application Innovation Center, slated to open in San Francisco later this year.

Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

HTC DROID Incredible Gingerbread Test ROM Emerges

Posted: 19 May 2011 08:37 AM PDT

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Welp, there it is Incredible (original) owners – you haven’t been left in the dark as far as Android 2.3 is concerned. 911HTC has leaked  a test ROM for your device that’ll fill it up with as much ginger as it can take . Regular folks like me and you won’t be able to flash this, but developers can grab the file and start ROM’ing it up. And this means that an official OTA update is surely on its way. When, however, is the question. Download link is here. [via Droid-Life]

ASUS Issues Transformer Update to Fix Keyboard Dock Problems

Posted: 19 May 2011 07:35 AM PDT

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It seems certain models of ASUS’ Eee Pad Transformer were affected with problems pertaining to the tablet’s optional keyboard dock. We haven’t heard of these issues before today, but that’s because not a ton of people were affected by it. Regardless, ASUS has issued a patch – firmware version 8.2.3.13 – to fix whatever needs fixin’. Here’s the post from their Facebook page:

Eee Pad Transformer firmware update 8.2.3.13 released - keyboard dock issues fixed. Don’t forget once you have updated the firmware on the Pad and rebooted, you must then also click on the firmware update icon for the keyboard dock (it will appear as a triangle in the bottom right of the screen). We completed the process on our test unit here with no problems.

Note: this was posted on ASUS UK’s Facebook page. No word on whether or not the United States or other regions will be receiving the update. (Be sure to let us know if you do get one, will ya?) One user who applied the fix says it absolutely fixes every problem he was having with the keyboard dock. ASUS details those problems here:

Not all units affected. Some had connection problems (so the keys trackpad weren’t responding) and some weren’t allowing charge. The engineers are confident that the frmware update should resolve the glitches.

Glad to hear, ASUS! Now get a move on ramping that production up so more people are able to buy it. [ASUS UK Facebook, Thanks Marco!]
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