Posted: 23 Mar 2012 06:12 PM PDT   As our smartphones become more and more powerful, blurring the lines between phone and handhelds, it really comes as no surprise that mobile game developer/publisher Gameloft has been cashing in. Along with the company’s annual financial report, Gameloft also announced a few new titles coming soon to our smartphones and tablets like:
[DroidGamers | Via PockeGamer] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 05:12 PM PDT   Earlier today we told you how AT&T essentially told the FCC “We told you so,” after T-Mobile closed one of its call centers resulting in the loss of at least 1,900 jobs. AT&T pointed out that this wouldn’t have been an issue had they taken T-Mobile under their wing as planned. Well, the FCC — never one to back down from a fight — responded to AT&T’s somewhat pompous statement saying, "In a short period of time, T-Mobile has re-emerged as a vibrant competitor in the mobile marketplace. Competition benefits all wireless consumers. The bottom line is that AT&T’s proposal to acquire a major competitor was unprecedented in scope and the company’s own confidential documents showed that the merger would have resulted in significant job losses."Oh, snap! AT&T just got served. But seriously. This is no laughing matter. I can’t think of anything more disheartening in the world than losing your job. Anyone who’s gone though it can attest. But what do you guys think? Despite AT&T’s promise to not cut call center jobs, do you think those 1,900 people would have really been better off had the merger gone though? Or was AT&T just blowing hot air? [AllThingsD] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 02:17 PM PDT  Sony is shipping their latest flagship handset to carriers and retailers around the globe, and we can add Rogers in Canada to the list. A picture posted to the Sony Mobile Facebook page gives us as clear an indication as any. Given the timing, the Sony Xperia S should launch on the Canadian network in April. The phone features dual-core processing, a 720p display, and pretty awesome 12MP camera. If you need a bit of a refresher on the Xperia S, hit up our hands on look from back at CES. [via MobileSyrup] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 12:51 PM PDT  The Motorola Droid R2-D2 is next in line for an update with support docs now posted to Verizon’s site. While the phone is still lacking in X-Wing navigation software, users not enlisted in the rebel fleet will enjoy bug fixes and security patches for the special edition Droid 2 handset along with a bump up to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. The update also includes upgraded Verizon-branded application as well as media, email, and messaging enhancements. The full changelog is captured above. More info can be found at Verizon. [via DroidLife] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT  After news that T-Mobile will be closing seven call centers and terminating the jobs of over 3,000 employees, AT&T couldn’t turn down the chance to get in one last dig at the FCC for shutting down a proposed merger between the two telecom companies. Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs (quite the title), took to the carrier’s public policy blog to do his best job of spreading egg on the face of federal regulators. “Normally, we’d not comment on something like this. But I feel this is an exception for one big reason — only a few months ago AT&T promised to preserve these very same call centers and jobs if our merger was approved. We also predicted that if the merger failed, T-Mobile would be forced into major layoffs.”That’s not even a roundabout way of saying “told you so.” That’s a pretty direct way of saying it. I especially like the first line, which only adds to the thick air of bitterness surrounding Cicconi’s comments. He continues to further pick at the FCC’s decision, which was based in part on evidence that approval of the merger would come at the cost of thousands of jobs lost. Instead, Cicconi chides, “rarely are regulatory agency’s predictive judgements proven so wrong so fast.” The outright frankness of the full statement makes it a worthwhile read. It’s as if Cicconi takes personal offense to the FCC’s disapproval of the merger. Rarely do we see this sort of public reaction from a high-ranking executive. Head over to the link below for the full read. [via AT&T] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT   When it comes to my Android device. I think of it as my baby. Like any good mother, I want to keep it safe, and I find pleasure in dressing it up in various outfits (cases). Seeing how the last case for my Sprint Epic 4G Touch was feeling stale, I decided to shop around the internets for a new outfit. That’s when I came across this generic case featuring a TPU rubber/hard transparent plastic combo. I’ve seen it pop up in my searches a few times and in various colors. “What the hell,” I thought, “I’ll give it a shot.”  One thing you should know about me: I’m a cheap bastard. It’s true. I don’t believe in spending very much for something as simple as a plastic mold. Well, I’m happy to report that I was quite impressed with how far my $5 was able to take me. The case felt great on my GS2 and the semi-transparent hard plastic with a matte finish gave my device a unique look while allowing the Galaxy S II logo to shine through. Overall, I am pleased. For the sake of being a little nitpicky, I did find it was slightly thicker than a few other TPU cases I’ve tried in the past, and I wasn’t particularly fond of how far the case is raised along the front lip (see above image). But I suppose, it could keep the glass from touching a surface when laying face down. I’ll continue my journey for the “perfect case” once my Galaxy Nexus comes in the mail. In the meantime, you guys can check out my very quick video for a better look and you decide if you’d like one for your Samsung Epic 4G Touch. Enjoy. [TPU Case for $5 on Amazon] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 08:54 AM PDT  It seems a nasty bug has creeped up on a g0od chunk of Gmail for Android users. Upon opening the application, it would flicker on and off, making it hard to read and write email. Google seems to have put this high on their priority list, and understandably so. A Google employee, going by the forum name “BrittanyBee,” had this to say: Beginning this morning, we’ve received reports of a bug causing some Gmail users on Android to experience screen flickering when they open the app. We are in the process of fixing it and the issue should be resolved shortly. We apologize for any inconvenience.I personally haven’t been experiencing this issue. It seems to be affecting a wide range of phones, including the DROID RAZR MAXX, the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Note. Oddly enough, even the Motorola XOOM has been reported by at least one user. Let’s hope this doesn’t take too long. [Google 1|2, thanks to everyone who sent this in!] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 08:06 AM PDT   We’ve just received a tip that the Motorola XOOM WiFi is due for an update soon. Emails have been sent to testers to notify them of a new soak test on the way. There’s no way to know what this is at this point, but we are always skeptical about the arrival of new major versions of Android. My mind immediately assumes “bug fixer,” but you can never know for sure. If anyone out there gets the test update be sure to drop us a line about what’s different here. [Thanks _______!] Hi, |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 07:58 AM PDT  While the LG Optimus LTE P936, a high-end phone and a slight variant of the SU640, seems to have fallen into antsy hands. It’s a 720p HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, an 8 megapixel 1080p HD camera and, most importantly, LTE (it’s in its name, after all). The folks at GSM Dome have published a brief preview of the device. While we get little more than benchmarks, it’s nice to see that the device isn’t a slouch against the likes of a Galaxy Nexus. Find the video above and head to the source link for more photos.  [GSM Dome] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 06:36 AM PDT  You guys think Apple will sue for this one, too? It appears Samsung is launching their own “Premium Shop” down in Peru. The press release issued doesn’t offer more than the usual public relations jargon, emphasizing the fact that consumers can go to the store and see the latest innovations in smartphones, tablets and cellular data. The store will be located in the Open Plaza Angamos Mall and Samsung is partnering with South American telecoms company Claro (Clear in Spanish). Let’s hope this spreads to the rest of the world soon enough. [Samsung]  |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 05:58 AM PDT   If you folks were still wondering when Orange would bring Ice Cream Sandwich to their Galaxy S II, the answer is a decent one, but still a vague one – April. April’s not totally unreasonable. It’s only 8 short days away. That doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing this thing as early as 8 days, of course, but without a “beginning,” “middle,” or “end” of the month window it’s hard to tell. It’s especially tough to swallow since other UK and European users have begun receiving the upgrade. But if you can wait another month and a quarter, you shouldn’t be disappointed… hopefully. These types of things are always unpredictable. [via Cnet] |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 05:51 AM PDT I absolutely could not contain my excitement when reading the following piece of news. The King of Fighters is now available on Android. It’s a classic side-scrolling 2D fighting game (Street Fighter for a more mainstream example) with many unique fighters (20) who have many unique abilities. This rendition has upgraded graphics and it shines.  More than 5 game modes, including 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 battles, an endurance mode, a challenge mode and a training mode, should add a lot of depth and replay value. Find the full feature set below. Unfortunately I can’t even take advantage of this offer: a vast majority of my devices (including the Galaxy Nexus, the EVO 3D and even the Transformer Prime) are not supported. In fact, here are the “confirmed” devices: Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Sony Ericsson Xperia acro, and the Xperia play. That last one hopefully means third party controller support is in, but I can’t confirm myself. It’s available in the Google Play Store for $5 if your device can even find it. |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 04:44 AM PDT  You may have remember that Shadowgun received a nice four-level expansion pack, dubbed Datadisc, a while back. Unfortunately, Tegra HD gamers were a bit left in the dark – their optimized version didn’t receive the update right away. The wait is over, though, as Madfinger Games have unleashed the free upgrade to the Google Play Store. The four levels aren’t coming alone. They’ve added a new gun, a new creature, new music, new element in the “roll” control, and a lot more. We also hear that they’ve optimized graphics in this update even more for Tegra 3 device. Find the update in the Google Play Store, or buy it for $5 if you haven’t already. |
Posted: 23 Mar 2012 02:06 AM PDT   Hello, friends. Once again, you’ve found yourself in the Android Overload. This is the place where we stash all the articles that didn’t make it onto our front page, in hopes that you’ll find something of interest. So don’t be shy. Have a look around, and leave us your thoughts. We’d love to hear ‘em.
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Posted: 23 Mar 2012 12:47 AM PDT   Ever since Adobe introduced the world to their mobile Flash player, it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Android smartphones have quickly became an outlet for lewd and naughty behavior normally reserved for the PC/webcam. What some news outlets are reporting as an epidemic among teens, the rise of sexting has prompted everything from PSA videos on MTV, to a boom of revenge websites for the scorned lover. Discount website CouponCodes4U recently conducted a “sexy survey” where they polled 2,673 of their users, ages 18 to 30 years old, asking them if they’ve ever participated in this new age of sexting/video sex. Here are those results: Now, I wouldn’t exactly call the results of this “study” as representative of the vast majority of users. A far greater number of subjects would have to be polled. But it is interesting to see that with bigger, better camera sensors and front facing cameras coming equipped on our smartphones, maybe this is directly correlated to the rise of sexting. I, for one, can vouch for receiving a misdirected graphic picture message from someone. Happened to me just the other day. These results ring true for you or any of your friends? You, dirty little Phandroids, you… [TechnoBuffalo | Via Chipchick] |
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Update - 286
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