Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 197



Posted: 12 Mar 2012 03:06 PM PDT

Chances are pretty good that you're at least partially aware of the annual college tournament known as March Madness.  Tipping off later this week (March15) and culminating on April 2, this is the reason for all of those printed brackets and charts you see lying around the office.  In the spirit of the game, we've gathered up sixteen Android applications that we think you should check out if you're into tracking the games.  The following is a mixed bag of free and paid applications, some for smartphone, and others for tablets.  We're not saying that any one particular app is better than the rest, however we're pretty darn fond of the Elite 8.
Aside from grouping these into two parts, there is no particular order to the apps below.  Hit the list up and tell us which are your favorite apps for NCAA basketball and, specifically,  March Madness.  Did you see your favorite here?  What did we miss?

Elite 8

NCAA March Madness (FREE)  - It doesn't get more official than this one, nor does it come as fully-featured.  Unfortunately, the number of supported devices (tablets?)  is shorter here than for the others on our list.  Nevertheless, it's got all kinds of NCAA goodies, including live radio for every game, alerts, social chatter, and the ability to create and share your bracket.  Cough up $3.99 (in-app) and get access to a slew of added features such as the ability to watch every game, live streams of practices, video highlights, and the option to watch on PC!

ESPN Bracket Bound (FREE) - Features include nightly video highlights and analysis, news, columns and blogs, and live game-following experiences from across the country (requires WatchESPN)  Customize the app with your favorite team and get quick and easy access to scores, news, Twitter, schedules, and more

Yahoo! Tourney Pick'em (FREE) - Sign up, make your picks and follow along from Yahoo! client.  It's easy to manage your picks and view brackets, keep an eye on live play-by-play, and even win a few thousand dollars in the process.  Pick a perfect bracket and you could walk away with $5 million.
Bracket (FREE) -  Perhaps the most "indie" title on this list, we're digging the support for Android 1.5 and higher since it gives EVERYONE access.  No-frills and easy to learn, the app is a work in progress that gets better with each incremental update.  We're rating this one above some of the others  as it plays nice on both phone and tablet.
SportCaster
SportCaster (FREE) - From the developers of TweetCaster, FriendCaster, and BaconReader comes this all around wonderful sports title.  Tailor the application to your liking and get instant updates on the sports and teams that matter most to you.  We love to talk trash and follow some of our favorite analysts, players, and bloggers, and suspect you will as well.
PocketBracket March Basketball 99¢ - Create unlimited brackets, join unlimited pools, and/or create your own pools.  Need a little help figuring out whether to go with a #1 seed or #16 then let the SmartPick feature pick it for you.  Live scores, detailed stats, and the ability to share across Facebook and Twitter round out the clean and clutter-free app.
SportsTap (FREE) - Light on glitz and glamour but certainly gets the point across, the app provides news, stats, schedules and in depth box scores.  Just caught the fever and want to follow along but don't know which team you should be rooting for?  Try LocalTap and search within a 50, 100, or 200 mile range to see who the home team is.
Sporting News NCAA Basketball (FREE) - From one of the oldest and most trusted names in sports reporting, this app provides all you'd expect, including at-a-glance info and customized settings.  Stay up-to-date with push notifications so you know the moment your team makes it to the next round.

The contenders (AKA other sports apps worth having)

Sweet 16: Android apps for NCAA March Madness originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
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Posted: 12 Mar 2012 01:23 PM PDT

Virgin Mobile has begun taking preorders for their next Android handset, the Gingerbread-powered (PCD) Venture, with expected shipping to begin March 15.  At $99 it's pretty much all the Android you might hope to see out of a no-contract carrier, if not a little more.  Hardware is a blend of low-end and mid-range but the Android 2.3.4 means that it should support many of those 450,000+ apps in the Google Play Store.
Specs include:
  • Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
  • 600MHz processor
  • 512MB ROM
  • 512MB RAM
  • 2-megapixel camera
  • Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth
If you're interested in grabbing a smartphone for a first-time user, the Venture should fit the bill quite nicely.  It's just enough to whet your whistle but not enough to break the bank.  The no-contract rate plans are pretty hard to pass up, too.
Virgin Mobile adds $99 Venture to Android lineup originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 11:36 AM PDT

An entry-level HTC device has been leaked via EXIF data found in the camera's presumed first image.  Tipped as having a codename of HTC Golf, it sounds like the handset maker may be aiming for the lower end of the spectrum.  Rumored specs include Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a display around 3.5-inches, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, and slower speed HSDPA.  As far as the camera goes, the EXIF data from the picture reveals that it is only 3-megapixels, much lower than the 5MP/8MP stuff we're getting used to seeing.  All that said, this should ultimately be a budget-friendly Android for first-time smartphone buyers.

We're not sure whether we love or hate this picture.
Source: Pocketnow

Image source
Entry-level HTC Golf tipped in EXIF data originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
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Posted: 12 Mar 2012 10:13 AM PDT

Amazon Wireless, in the spirit of NCAA March Madness, has started running a pair of deals centered around Sprint and Verizon Android smartphones.  If you're in the market for a new Android handset and are considering either of these carriers, this would be a wonderful place to get started.  Where else would you find an Epic 4G Touch for one cent or a Droid Razr with a $35 price tag?
Keep in mind that these prices do require two-year service agreements and are for new activations only.
Spring into Sprint (Penny Deal) – All Sprint 4G phones will be on sale for $0.01 for any customers launching a new two-year service plan. AmazonWireless will also waive the activation fee ($36) until 3/19/12, so consumers can pay just one penny for hot phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G Android Phone  and HTC EVO Design 4G Android Phone.
DROID Madness Sale – All Motorola DROID devices from Verizon are on sale (see prices below). Purchase of a 4G phone will also qualify for the "Double Your Data" promotion, which gives customers double the amount of data for the same monthly price.
  • Motorola DROID 4 4G Android Phone - $49.99
  • Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX 4G Android Phone, Black 32GB - 199.99
  • Motorola DROID RAZR 4G Android Phone, Purple 16GB - 34.99
  • Motorola DROID RAZR 4G Android Phone, Black 16GB - 34.99
  • Motorola DROID RAZR 4G Android Phone, White 16GB - 34.99
Amazon Wireless March Madness: Sprint penny phones, discounted Droids originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 09:53 AM PDT

T-Mobile has officially given the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G a release date, listing the smartphone with a March 21 debut. Interested consumers will be able to go into select retail stores and pick one up.  A week later, the handset will be available in a wide release one week later, for $149.99 after $50 mail-in rebate card and two-year service agreement.
Initially announced back during CES in January, the Galaxy S Blaze 4G features a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 3.97-inch Super AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera, and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera.  Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G comes loaded with DropBox, Evernote, Square, TripIt, Camscanner, LinkedIn, TeleNav GPS Navigator, and a few Samsung and T-Mobile apps
For more information, visit http://galaxy-s.t-mobile.com/samsung-galaxy-blaze.
T-Mobile Galaxy S Blaze 4G gets March 21 launch originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 09:33 AM PDT

The first alleged image of the Sony MT27i 'Pepper' smartphone has arrived online and it appears to be a cross between Xperia old and Xperia new (NXT).  The presumed dual-core handset looks to feature a 3.7-inch WVGA display, 512MB RAM, and 8GB internal storage.  We're not certain as to when the phone will arrive on the market, however a leaked roadmap from January indicates that we could see it in the coming weeks.
Knowing what you do about the Sony Xperia Pepper, would you consider picking one up with your carrier?
Source
First image of Sony MT27i ‘Pepper’ arrives online originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:33 AM PDT

AT&T today announced that they will be expanding their 4G LTE network to another twelve markets this summer, including our hometown city of Canton, Ohio.  With no specific time frames listed or hinted at, AT&T does advise that they plan to roll it out "April, May and into the early summer". Once turned on, the following markets will have access to 4G LTE speeds on smartphones such as the HTC One X, Pantech Burst, and Galaxy Note.
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Akron, OH
  • Canton, OH
  • Naples, FL
  • Bloomington, IN
  • Lafayette, IN
  • Muncie, IN
  • Baton Rouge, LA
  • New Orleans, LA.
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Bryan-College Station, TX
  • Staten Island, NY
Press release
Cleveland, New Orleans, and 10 additional markets to see AT&T LTE in summer originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 08:08 AM PDT

As many of you know, we've been waiting for an awful long time for Instagram to come to Android.  Sure, we've gone through a number of photo filter and editing applications over the last few years and found a few that we really love.  Still, that's not to say we aren't geeked to have the big name arrive on our favorite platform.
The last few times time we checked in we have been told that Instagram for Android would be coming soon.  Let's update that status today to "very soon," as that's directly from the company's founder.
Yeah, yeah, whatever.  Before you get upset and worry that the app will fail to deliver, we'd like to let you know that the Instagram team believes that the Android version is, in some ways, better than the iOS version.
Speaking at a fireside chat at SXSW this weekend, Instagram's Kevin Systrom indicated that they are working very hard to ensure that the Android edition of their app is one of the best you'll ever download.  After taking Apple's title for iPhone App of year for 2011 we are more than ready to get our hands on the app.
"In some ways, it's better than our iOS app. It's crazy," said Systrom.
The Android version is said to be in private beta testing mode right now so we shouldn't be too far off.
Source, and image, courtesy of Wired
Instagram developers: “Android version better than iOS” originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


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