Android Phone Fans |
- Apps of the Day: Study Success, Battle Harvest & More
- Words With Friends Getting a Bug Smashing Update Soon
- Evolve III Brings Tri-Boot (Windows, Meego & Android) With Maestro Tablets [Video]
- LG Thrill 4G Visits the FCC
- Angry Birds on the eInk Nook? Yes, Please [Video]
- MyTouch 4G Slide Cases Press Shots Revealed
- Motorola Clarifies Statement Regarding Poorly-Developed Apps, Says They’re Appreciative and Supportive of Dev Community
- T-Mobile G2 Nearing End of Life?
- Complaint Filed with the FCC Over Verizon 4G LTE Tethering
- FCC Gets a Look at the Sony S1 Tablet
- Netflix Not Playing Nice with Gingerbread on the EVO 4G, Fix in the Works
- Latest Android Malware Turns Control of Your Phone Over to Hackers
- Samsung Indulge Comes to Cricket for $329.99
- Motorola XT882 Comes to China as Dual-Core, Dual-Mode, Dual-SIM Powerhouse
- HTC ChaCha Gets Pre-Launch Processor Boost to 800MHz
| Apps of the Day: Study Success, Battle Harvest & More Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:25 PM PDT Students, alcoholics, and security buffs rejoice! We actually have more applications than games in this edition of Apps of the Day, from apps that’ll help keep people out of your phone to ones that’ll save your life. (As well as the lives of other.) We also have a fun and whacky puzzle game for you bored folks at there, and a study tool for those of you with finals coming up. Go on, read!
Study Success – Here’s an app that I’m sure more than a few of you need. Study Success helps you time yourself while studying to help you soak up all the information you can. As you know, your brain can only handle so much information before it craps out and refuses to retain anything more. Study Success reminds you of when you should take a break from studying so that you have a better chance of remembering everything you’ve read. I wish I had this in high school, but I suppose any old time would have done. Find it for free in the Android market. [Market]
Battle Harvest – This is a puzzle game that has you saving pieces of fruit and vegetables from being turned rotten. No, really. You have to save these delicious things from this scary guy who was in prison but was let our on good behavior or something. Simply match three of the same fruits or vegetables to get them out of harm’s way. Ridiculous story aside, the game itself is quite enjoyable and worth a free (ad-supported) download. [Market]
Can You Drive? – Can You Drive doesn’t test your rad parallel parking skills. It’s an app that’ll help you avoid a DUI ticket by determining whether or not you should be behind the wheel. You can enter your weight and gender so that they know how much alcohol you can consume without getting too wasted. They use GPS to find your location and adjust their results to your county’s local laws. You can also enter specific cocktails and beers so that the application knows if a few drinks means 3 beers or 3 rum and Cokes. Let’s contribute to a safer road, folks. [Market]
Visidon AppLock – We truly are in the future, folks. No longer do you have to put in passwords, pins or swipe a pattern to get your phone securely unlocked. Even a fingerprint scanner is obsolete thanks to Visidon AppLock. It’s simple – unlock your phone or access to an application using your face. Their facial recognition technology will let you in as soon as it sees your face and will keep other prying eyes out. The only downside to this is someone can easily take a photo of you and put it in front of the camera, but it’s still cool. (And free!) Only works on 2.3+, unfortunately. [Market]
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| Words With Friends Getting a Bug Smashing Update Soon Posted: 07 Jun 2011 03:05 PM PDT
Words With Friends is, without a doubt, the most popular Scrabble clone in mobile, but its port to Android wasn’t exactly pretty. In fact, it was downright sad. The game itself was great, but all of the problems it was plagued with when it first launched ruined the experience for many. Since then, tons of updates have come to fix some of this stuff, but there are still a lot of problems. Fortunately, Zynga has been hard at work on version 4.0 and it’s said to clean up the rest of the major problems that have been giving users headaches. Our friends at Android Central suggested this thing was out and ready to download, but we can’t find it in the Android market. Be on the lookout for an update notification, though, because we have a feeling it’ll come really soon.
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| Evolve III Brings Tri-Boot (Windows, Meego & Android) With Maestro Tablets [Video] Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:41 PM PDT Dual-booting on mobile devices? Psh, that’s so yesterday. Tri-booting is all the rage now and the folks at Evolve III, an Australian firm, are ahead of the curve. They’ve introduced the Maestro C and Maestro S, two tablets that can tri-boot Android, Windows and Meego. The only differences between the two are that the C has a side-mounted kickstand and can be used with a keyboard ala ASUS’ Transformer. It’s a tablet that was designed with the business professional in mind, and unsurprisingly, it’s also a tablet that was priced with the business professional in mind – you can get the Maestro C and S in Australia for AUD$825 and AUD$800, respectively. Take a quick look at what’s under the hood:
No word on which version of Android will run on this thing, but we’ll be highly disappointed if it isn’t Honeycomb. They opted not to show off the tri-booting functionality in the video for some reason, but if you don’t mind seeing this thing run Windows 7 then hit the play button above. Sadly, there’s no word on if or when this thing will make its way to other regions. [Android Police]
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| Posted: 07 Jun 2011 02:19 PM PDT Oh, hello there, LG Thrill. It’s been a while since we’ve last seen you. The device is poised to be AT&T’s first 3D-enabled handset and is best described as their version of the Optimus 3D. The version we got a look at in Orlando at CTIA this past March looked exactly like the Optimus 3D, but an AT&T rep told us that it’s likely this would change for launch.
Aside from that 3D goodness, this one will have 4G radios inside, a front facing camera and a 1GHz processor. Several revisions of the Optimus 3D have passed through the FCC and a carrier-branded version for AT&T seems to indicate that LG’s just about ready to put this thing on store shelves.
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| Angry Birds on the eInk Nook? Yes, Please [Video] Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:12 PM PDT We wondered what could possibly be done with a fully eInk NOOK running Android, and the first of those possibilities has risen – gaming. Angry Birds, one of the most popular games in mobile period, was ported to the device. As you might imagine, things aren’t pretty as the eInk display has to adjust the different levels of greyscale for changing colors and shades, but it works. Most of you won’t want to opt for this because of that reason, but the installation process also seems to be quite difficult. Regardless, it’s cool.
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| MyTouch 4G Slide Cases Press Shots Revealed Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:35 PM PDT
The MyTouch 4G Slide is just about ready to slip out and our friends at PocketNow have gotten their hands on some clear renders of the device. The images are meant to show the cases off, but we’re not here for that. The front closely resembles the original MyTouch 3G Slide and we’re not mad at that at all. There are dual-LED flashes alongside the camera on the back, a genius button, what looks like an optical trackpad, a front-facing camera and a dedicated camera button. The display is 3.7 inches and will likely be 800×480 in resolution. Inside is 768MB of RAM, HSPA+ and we expect HTC to use Qualcomm’s single-core 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. We know it exists, T-Mobile, so just give it to us already. Let’s hope that’s what they’re doing in Texas tomorrow as they’ll look to unveil three new smartphones. [via PocketNow]
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| Posted: 07 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT
Last week, Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha was caught on the record saying that poorly-developed Android apps in the market are to blame for poor device performance and battery life. What’s more is that he claimed MOTOBLUR would be able to help with the battery life part in the future with technology that’ll show which apps on their phone eats the most battery. He came under heavy fire from the community, including some words from yours truly. They’ve clarified the CEO’s remarks, saying “he did not state that 70% of smartphone returns was due to third-party applications, but that examples of potential contributing factors are battery life, sluggish operation and third-party applications.” That’s all fine and dandy, except that is not what he said at all. In his words, his belief is that, because the Android market is more open than others, more applications aren’t designed for optimal power consumption, stating “power consumption and CPU use, those apps are not tested. We’re beginning to understand the impact that has [on battery life and performance].” Funny, that, considering most folks blame MOTOBLUR for their devices’ bad performance and poor battery consumption, stating performance is just as bad out of the box as it is when they install 10-30 applications. And from my own personal experience, MOTOBLUR absolutely does bog Android way down. We know the PR folks at Motorola are just doing their jobs, but there’s no way to skewer that one. On the bright side, they did state that they’re 100% behind Android developers and want nothing more than to provide support. Unfortunately, this goes in the exact opposite direction. [Computer World]
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| T-Mobile G2 Nearing End of Life? Posted: 07 Jun 2011 11:11 AM PDT
It hasn’t even been a year since its release and the T-Mobile G2 already seems to be headed to the Android phone graveyard. TmoNews has received evidence of the device’s retirement on Magenta. Users can’t find the device on T-Mobile.com and you might be hard-pressed to find it in one of their corporate stores. It’s a sad result for the followup to the original Android phone and one we didn’t expect to come so soon. It hasn’t even gotten Gingerbread yet! (Though T-Mobile assures us they’re definitely working on it.) It might not be completely dead yet, but it’s getting there.
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| Complaint Filed with the FCC Over Verizon 4G LTE Tethering Posted: 07 Jun 2011 09:35 AM PDT
An organization going by the name Free Press isn’t too happy with Verizon’s decision to block tethering functionality in their hot new 4G LTE handsets, and they are taking their gripe to the FCC. The group filed a complaint against Verizon, saying their policies go against FCC rules giving subscribers the freedom to use the devices, applications, and services of their choosing. We had previously seen the policy brought up in discussions related to jailbroken iPhones and rooted Android devices and their deployment on networks other than those originally intended. Free Press says Verizon customers already “pay through the nose” for their 4G LTE service, and they should be able to use the bandwidth in any way they want. The complaint has some merit, but it is treading in murky territory. At some point, Verizon has to be able to regulate the broadband they sell, so where is the happy medium? The FCC’s response is eagerly awaited, to say the least. [via MobileCrunch]
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| FCC Gets a Look at the Sony S1 Tablet Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:54 AM PDT
Several variants of the Sony S1 tablet have made their way into the hands of the FCC, racking up six model numbers in the process. The SGPT1111US/S, SGPT1112US/S, SGPT1111CA/S, SGPT1112CA/S, SGPT1113JP/S, and SGPT1114JP/S have all been listed for approval, with the actual differences between the group boiling down to country and most likely internal storage or color scheme. The US and CA versions (which we might assume are headed to the US and Canada) make no mention of cellular radio, but the JP listings sport WCDMA bands II and V support and an Ericsson F5521gw HSPA+ modem. Those specs seem to indicate AT&T or Rogers as a possible destination, though the JP in the model number suggests a Japanese release (if we continue to assume the letters designate region). Suppose we’ll just have to wait and see when the S1 rolls out alongside the S2 in the fall.
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| Netflix Not Playing Nice with Gingerbread on the EVO 4G, Fix in the Works Posted: 07 Jun 2011 08:21 AM PDT
Netflix has been slowly making its way to more and more Android handsets, but the recent update to Gingerbread for the HTC EVO 4G knocked the Sprint handset from the list of supported devices. You may have noticed the problem if you had been using Netflix prior to the upgrade to Android 2.3, and if you have yet to install the app you will no longer find it in the Android Market when searching from your EVO. The phone has been removed from the list of compatible devices. Netflix has confirmed that the new Gingerbread software is indeed to blame, but promises a fix is in the works. There are no further details on when that update might become available, so choose the lesser of two evils: Netflix movie streaming or Gingerbread on the EVO 4G. [via AndroidCentral]
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| Latest Android Malware Turns Control of Your Phone Over to Hackers Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:18 AM PDT
In the wake of “DroidDreamLight,” a data-stealing malware attack brought to our attention last week, yet another instance of malicious software has been found running around the seedier parts of the Android world, and it might be the worst yet. The new attack gives hackers a backdoor entrance to complete control of your handset, allowing for the traditional acquisition of your personal data, but also paving the way for much more devious deeds. The malware will allow hackers to gain remote control of your Android and “basically make your smartphone do anything they want.” The bad juju comes courtesy of “DroidKungFu,” a trojan buried within a couple of apps frequenting Chinese forums and third-party software sites. Researchers at North Carolina State University discovered the malware, which has gone undetected by mobile anti-virus software thus far. The good news is you can do a lot to prevent yourself from picking up the bad apps. There is no word they have hit the official Android Market yet, so keep an eye on what you are downloading and only download apps from trusted sources and you’re already off to a good start. [via MobileCrunch]
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| Samsung Indulge Comes to Cricket for $329.99 Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:41 AM PDT
Cricket has scored yet another Android handset in their pursuit to bring smartphones to the month-to-month crowd. The Samsung Indulge has been introduced to their Android lineup and will sell contract-free for $329.99. The device comes in as the most powerful smartphone available for the carrier, sporting a 1GHz processor, 3.5-inch display, and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It doesn’t, however, sport the 4G LTE radio found in its MetroPCS counterpart. The Indulge seeks to bring a high-end experience to the budget-minded smartphone user, and hence some elements aren’t up to par with more polished Samsung devices. The screen is TFT LCD and the camera comes in at only 3.5MP. For the price, we aren’t complaining.
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| Motorola XT882 Comes to China as Dual-Core, Dual-Mode, Dual-SIM Powerhouse Posted: 07 Jun 2011 06:02 AM PDT
Usually devices headed to the Chinese market do little to excite us with low-powered specs and poor implementations of the Android OS, but a new phone from Motorola just dropped that is sure to make any smartphone fan jealous. The MOTO XT882 provides a triple threat as a dual-core, dual-mode, dual-standby handset based around hardware that roughly mimics that of the Motorola Atrix 4G The Android 2.3 XT882 features a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU clocked at 1GHz, 8GB of internal storage, an 8MP camera, and 4-inch qHD display. The real kicker is the phone’s dual GSM/CDMA and dual-SIM support, which will have you covered just about anywhere you’d want to go with this phone. Those features were absent from the Atrix, but might they make an appearance within the Droid Bionic? Verizon has been on a bit of a world phone kick lately. Sadly, you won’t be able to pick up the XT882, but you might not mind that after reading the price tag. $830 is the price to play. [via Motorola]
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| HTC ChaCha Gets Pre-Launch Processor Boost to 800MHz Posted: 07 Jun 2011 05:37 AM PDT
When the HTC ChaCha first showed up at Mobile World Congress back in February, it was accompanied by a spec sheet that promised a 600MHz processor. Fast-forward to the present day with the ChaCha set to launch this month, and HTC has updated their product page for the Facebook-laden handset to list a chip bumped up to 800MHz. The extra umph is no-doubt appreciated, but make don’t go mistaking the ChaCha for anything more than it already is. The extra 200 MHz probably won’t be noticed after HTC’s Sense UI customizations are done with it. But you do get a cutesy Facebook button, and that has to count for something, right? [via IntoMobile]
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