Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:16 PM PST   Gameloft has just released their newest freemium football title (the other kind of football) for Android and it’s being received in the Market with mixed reviews. There’s no denying the visuals are impressive, but some players are left feeling jipped after Gameloft’s “Real Football 2012″ is almost requiring players to fork over their cash in order to remain competitive. The game implements some sort of stamina system that once exhausted, will need to be refilled through an in-app purchase if players hope to stand a fighting chance in future matches.  Sneaky? Quite possibly. But it’s hard to complain when the game didn’t cost anything to begin with. If you want to give it a spin, you can find Real Football 2012 for free right now in the Android Market. Oh — let me know how you guys take to the stamina system (not a big sports fan myself, so, I’ll be skipping this one). For those complaining they’d rather fork over dinero for a freemium-free soccer game, there’s always PES 2012 by Konami for around $5. [Market Link] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:35 PM PST   You may remember during last year’s Google I/O when Google showed off their vision for a fully connected living room, better known as “Android@Home.” That was all the way back in May, and if you’re wondering why you haven’t heard any news or rumblings from the Google camp, you wouldn’t be alone. Developers too, have been receiving the same silent treatment without so much as a peep from the boys at Google. But after some new developments reported from the Wall Street Journal, we may now know why. Apparently, Google has been busy developing their very own wireless home-entertainment system to be marketed under big G’s own brand and will launch later this year. I know, it sounds a little far fetched seeing how Google normally likes to stay holed up in their cloud with their software and internet services, but it almost makes sense. Smartphones, televisions and now an entertainment hub — all connected to each other – providing a seamless, wireless experience for the consumer. Crazy, you say? Like a fox.  While it’s possible Google could be working closely with a manufacturer behind the scenes — much like how they do with Nexus devices — it’s not normal behavior for Google announce a new product without several partners lined up. Only question now is who exactly will be introducing this product from Google. Sony? Bose? Samsung? (Fast forward to 9:50) Android@Home will take Apple’s AirPlay head-on and this news comes only one day after it was revealed Google would be taking on Apple’s iCloud with their own cloud drive storage service. The gloves have come off, folks! Better grab your popcorn. [WSJ | LifeHacker | Via ComputerWorld] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 04:32 PM PST   Sprint is at it again, this time with an all new internal promotion — valid only at Sprint corporate locations — to keep customers from leaving for more magenta pastures. Where, the last time $100 was given to customers who’s contracts were up, this time around, Sprint is hoping to keep customers locked down for another 2 years by offering early upgrades. Starting February 12th, all an eligible customer would have to do is be willing to buyout the remainder of their contract, providing they’ve been with Sprint for more than 8 months. The longer it’s been since your last upgrade (or contract start), the bigger discount you can get.  The internal promo will run until March 14th after which, we expect the Galaxy Nexus or Note to launch the day after (a little carrier joke there). Anyone going looking to take advantage of this offer? Or will you continue holding out for the next round of 4G devices? [SprintFeed] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 03:36 PM PST  Another Google Wallet vulnerability has been discovered. After a brute force method was found to be able to retrieve the Google Wallet pin number on rooted phones which have been lost and don’t have any security features to keep people out of the phone, another vulnerability has been discovered. Unlike the other, this one doesn’t require root. It still does require your attacker to have your phone and bypass any security you setup, though. A user with your phone could simply clear Google Wallet’s application data. Upon doing this, a pin number is requested when you first launch the application.  The attacker can put his own pin in and gain access to the application. The only thing they’d be able to access are your Google Wallet Prepaid card. Any other credit cards tied to your account are removed upon clearing data. We’re not too sure how many people actually use this particular feature but we imagine those who do only add funds as they need them and don’t use it to house their entire life savings. It’s still a vulnerability, though, and needs to be addressed. Google could simply implement the PIN system on their server and request the pin even if a phone has been factory reset. They’d simply ask you to sign into your Google account and verify the PIN that is tied to that account for Google Wallet before allowing the user access. Even the freshest of installs couldn’t bypass that. We’re not sure what Google will be doing about this particular flaw but we’d hope that the above idea is tops on their list. It’s probably a good idea to setup a password on your phone and not lose that phone. Beyond that, simply don’t keep funds inside your virtual prepaid card. [via Droid-Life] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 02:26 PM PST  Reuters is reporting from sources close to the matter that Google and Motorola will have their acquisition proposal approved by the United States Department of Justice and that the deal could be cleared as early as next week. It will allow Google to purchase Motorola for $12.5 billion. While Google will own Motorola, Motorola will continue to operate as a separate entity. Google’s really in it for the patents that Motorola’s been successful with, as of late. Google originally stated that the acquisition would be key in their hopes to help Android OEM partners up against serious injunction lawsuits from competitors Microsoft and Apple.  Google has faced a long road to get to this point. With the opportunity to take control of a patent portfolio as big as Motorola’s, competitors and antitrust regulators carefully scrutinized this deal. Google’s approach to it all has gone a long way to ensuring those folks that they won’t abuse their power once they do gain control of the extremely lucrative portfolio. The Mountain View company sent letters to the IEEE and other standards committees to reassure them that they won’t use the patents for evil and will only seek injunction if other parties seek injunction against Google and/or its partners. Read more about that here. If the deal is approved, don’t expect much to change. Motorola will be Motorola and will push out devices like they have been. They’ll have a nice payday to make up for the quarter losses they’ve suffered and they won’t be getting preferential treatment from Google in terms of Android. Still, we’re happy to see that all of this will down. [Reuters] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 02:06 PM PST  This past weekend it was revealed that Google requested permission from the FCC to begin testing a home entertainment system that would use Bluetooth and WiFi to stream content to music players inside a home. It’s being built based on Android and it’s assumed that Android@Home and Google Open Accessory will be the driving forces behind the project. While the FCC report was enough to get us to believe that Google was, in fact, working on this, we’re glad to see the Wall Street Journal reporting very similar developments. They heard from the usual people who are familiar with the matter that Google will mainly look to provide a music streaming system not unlike Sonos. It could be controlled by Android apps on both tablets and phones.  That was already the obvious assumption but they’re also reporting that Google has room to introduce other multimedia options with this project, including video and images. Google will apparently market this device under their own brand. They don’t even market the Galaxy Nexus with their own name except calling it a Google Experience device (which lots of other devices also do). It”s plausible to suggest Google will be coming to I/O with this technology and that it might have been the main cause for the event to be delayed. It’s always hard to pinpoint these sorts of things but we can’t imagine Google won’t have a consumer-ready product ready to show off at their own developers’ conference when they made such a big deal out of it last year. It’s not quite Google TV but you have to wonder why Google wouldn’t add similar built-in functionality Google TV software. Of course, something like this might not require a TV but when it comes to video and images, a TV is likely needed anyway. Either way, Google should be coming to town with a separate product and we’re excited to see how it all turns out. [Wall Street Journal] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 01:51 PM PST   Negri electronics has begun shipping the white Galaxy Nexus to online shoppers. It’s the 16GB, white, unlocked model for use on any GSM network and is only $660. It may seem steep but considering you can’t get this particular model easily we understand Negri’s decision to go with this price point. For that much we’d expect more than 16GB of storage but that configuration seems to be a bit rare to find if you’re not a Verizon customer. For what it’s worth, the model will also be available in the United Kingdom on February 13th from various retailers. You gents might want to wait until then. Head to Negri to get started. [via Android & Me] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 01:38 PM PST   Another Android application has been updated to add to the huge list of updates we’ve had this week. This time, Netflix is our benefactor and they’ve brought some useful features for both tablet users and virtual socialites alike. For the former, a new volume slider has been added to the application for an easy way to adjust volume without having to reach for your tablet’s physical buttons. For the latter, you can now share which content you’re watching to Facebook in Latin America, Canada, the UK and Ireland. Netflix is also boasting improved audio/video syncing and has fixed a few bugs here and there. You can find the update here. |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 12:06 PM PST   If you’re looking for a chance to get some good music for cheap, Google has another interesting sale going on. They’ve put up Grammy award-winning and nominated songs and related albums up for sale. You can get individual tracks for $.59 and albums for $3.99, the cheapest we’ve seen music priced outside of “free”. Highlights include Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne” and Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now.” Find these deals and more at the music section of the market. |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 11:50 AM PST  Google surprisingly released Chrome Beta for Android this past Tuesday. Our excitement immediately began oozing through our pores as most of you who hung out with us on Google+ saw. We understand some of you haven’t had the chance to use it, though, as it’s Android 4.0 only and a lot of folks just don’t have that version of Android yet. Check out our hands-on look at the beta as we show you guys the tab integration with the desktop version, Chrome’s unique tab control on phones and more. We look at the app on both the Galaxy Nexus and the ASUS Transformer Prime so grab a seat and hit the play button on the video above. If you have a phone or tablet with Android 4.0, download it here. |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 10:46 AM PST  Amazon has updated their Kindle Reader application for Android. The update was moderately small in scope and in size as Amazon has reduced the file size from the 25MB it used to be to the to a measly 8.28MB.  The only other change than that are the real page numbers that Amazon now supports. Page numbers on your Kindle e-book will match the page numbers of the physical version of that book (if there is one, that is). Some books may be printed differently (I know I had a couple of books that had different page numbers in hard and soft copies) but for the most part it should be accurate. It’s not available for every book yet but Amazon claims they have added support for thousands. Find the update here. |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 10:28 AM PST   HTC today took to Facebook to give us insight as to when some of their devices would be getting upgrades to the illustrious Android 4.0, something that has escaped other manufacturers up to this point. They confirmed that most of their HTC Sensation devices, including the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation 4G and HTC Sensation XE, will be getting the upgrade in March. The HTC Sensation XL will be getting it soon after. Beyond that, we’ve gotten confirmation for several other devices, though HTC didn’t give us a window outside of “later this year.” In addition, we can confirm Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades will be coming later this year to the HTC Rezound, HTC Vivid, HTC Amaze 4G, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G, HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. Stay tuned for more updates on Ice Cream Sandwich releases in the coming weeks.You can pretty much expect their first generation Snapdragon devices, such as the HTC EVO 4G, to be left out of the fold, but we have a feeling those who really want it can figure out how to get it. Anyone with these phones excited for an eventual release? [Facebook] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 09:04 AM PST   When a handset is slow to get the latest version of Android, annoyed consumers are quick to point the finger at the custom user interfaces that companies like Samsung, Motorola, and HTC deploy on their devices. The fact that this custom software is often deemed clunky, superfluous, or differentiation for differentiation’s sake doesn’t help quiet the accusations. According to one Motorola executive, however, this simply isn’t the case. Motorola’s senior vice president and general manager of Enterprise Business Christy Wyatt says hardware plays as large a role as, if not a greater one than, software customizations in slowing down the Android update process. Her explanation is simple enough. Google builds each new version of Android based on a the hardware of a specific “Halo” device. For Android 4.0, this is the Galaxy Nexus. The source code released to manufacturers and developers is based around the software built for this specific device. When an older handset (or new one, for that matter) utilizes a different processor, different cellular radios, or any number of specification configurations that don’t align with the Galaxy Nexus, changes must be made in that source code. The issue is compounded by an overabundance of Android phones needing updates and the often extensive software approval process of carriers. While the latter is likely to change no time soon, manufacturers have expressed a need to release fewer handset in 2012 and instead focus on creating a handful of excellent devices. With less phones to worry about, Motorola’s software team can devote more time to preparing updates for their Android lineup. Wyatt’s words wont do much to help your phone receive its Android update any sooner, but it does help to point out that the manufacturer and carrier aren’t solely to blame. The way Google handles its Android source code releases plays a large part in how quickly updates can be delivered. [via Droid Dog] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:46 AM PST   Verizon has a handful of new updates rolling out to their Motorola product line, starting with the 6.12.173 software update for the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX. The changelog for the update went live a few days ago and a few users lucky enough to be part of Moto’s early release program received the software then, but as of early this morning the new build is rolling out in earnest. An update is also being pushed to the LTE version of the Motorola XOOM. Users are already receiving the newest version of Android 3.2.6 for the tablet, which brings the software build to HLK75H. Expect minor bug fixes for international travel and data connectivity. Sorry, guys. No Ice Cream Sandwich yet. Update: Verizon also has a pair of updates ready for the Motorola Xyboard 10.1 and Motorola Xyboard 8.2 that bring global roaming capabilities to the tablets, making them the first Verizon LTE devices to sport such capabilities. The update also includes fixes for WiFi/3G/4G data switching, improved touchscreen response, and browser enhancements. Owners should see the new software reach their tablets soon. [via DroidLife] |
Posted: 09 Feb 2012 07:03 AM PST   T-Mobile and Tony Hawk go way back. We’re talking way back to the days when Tony Hawk was relevant. You know, the whole Pro Skater video game era, back when the Sidekick was so cool that Mr. Hawk had his name applied to a special edition of the proto-smartphone. Apparently the two parties are still on good terms, but the folks at Magenta may be a bit steamed after Hawk posted a photo to Twitter of a Galaxy Nexus along with the text “I love T-Mobile.” Sure, it’s very possible to run an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile’s network, but this isn’t the first we have heard of the device getting an official release on the network. We’ve have it from inside sources that a Galaxy Nexus with T-Mobile branding definitely exists, though release details are a bit murky. Given the history between the carrier and their extreme sports spokesman, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Tony Hawk got his hands on a pre-release handset. Of course, Tony could just be a huge Android geek that bought an international Galaxy Nexus. His love for T-Mobile may stem from the fact that it is pretty easy to get the thing up and running on their network. Who knows? Regardless, T-Mobile is at least toying around with the idea of releasing the Galaxy Nexus. It only makes sense given their history with Google’s developer phones. |
Friday, February 10, 2012
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