Monday, July 2, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Rovio Proudly Unleashes Amazing Alex Trailer

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 03:05 PM PDT

Famed developer Rovio is out to show it can whip up games outside of Angry Birds fame. That’s why its gone out and released a brief teaser for its upcoming game called Amazing Alex, an intriguing game we told you a few months back. CEO Mikael Hed describes the background of the game as one that will feature educational elements and center around the Alex, “a curious young boy who loves to build things”. This physics-based puzzle game which will feature 100 levels and also 35 additional objects for all of you budding developers to go out and create your own levels and designs.

We’re certain all of you Angry Birds fanatics are ready for an encore— Rovio pledges the game will be out sometime in July. Hopefully there won’t be too much of an uprising before the game’s release, but in the meantime— why not check out the exciting trailer once you hit past the break?

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: The Next Web

Jelly Bean brings USB Audio support to Android devices

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 03:01 PM PDT

Digging into the new features and capabilities present in Jelly Bean, one item we have discovered is the addition of USB Audio. Support for USB Audio means audio from a Jelly Bean based device can be accessed via the USB port. This presents an alternative to streaming audio through the external speaker jack or a Bluetooth connection.

Using USB Audio, hardware makers will be able to build audio dock devices to interface with Android powered phones and tablets. A good example of this was an Android.Connect dock on display from Gear4 during Google I/O.  Check out the video after the break showing how this will work.

As the Gear4 video demonstrates, the ability to carry audio over USB opens some possibilities for the design of hardware that minimizes complexity. Plugging in multiple cables (e.g. audio cable for sound and USB cable for charging) or pairing up Bluetooth will no longer be necessary. According to Gear4, an app is in development that will enable backwards compatibility with Gingerbread and ICS devices so they too can carry audio via the USB cable. Unfortunately, the app was not available at Google I/O.

Can you think of other devices for which the presence of USB Audio opens the development door? Is there a particular accessory you hope will now be available thanks to this new capability?

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: Android Developer site

Google Sound Search from Jelly Bean available now for all ICS devices, No root required

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 08:34 AM PDT

Do you have an Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich and feeling left out of some of the Jelly Bean love because you’re not into rooting and ROMs? Well I have something for you. Google added a new widget called Sound Search to Jelly Bean, and it will tell you the name of the song you’re listening too much like Shazam and Soundhound, but with one minor difference. It links to to the Google Play Music Store where you can buy the song if you wish. It was previously posted on XDA by asdfzz, but it was only for rooted devices. Thankfully, lbrfabio helped out with an APK that can be installed without root. All you have to do is download the APK, and install it. Put the widget on one of your home screens and the next time you’re listening to a song, you can just tap the widget to find out what song it is. Even if you already know the song, but would like to purchase it from Google Play Music, you can use the widget to quickly find it in the store. Hit the break for the download link and more images

Download here Don’t forget the wallpapers from Jelly Bean are available here as well.

source: xda

T-Mobile Galaxy Note Delayed once Again

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 07:40 AM PDT

The Samsung Galaxy Note phone/tablet released last year has been a big success even though most people in the tech community initially counted it out due to its large 5.3″ screen.  In the U.S. the note has only been available for AT&T even though it has been rumored to be released on all carriers, but the T-Mobile version is the only one with real photo evidence and FCC approval. The Note has had a number of rumored release dates with the most recent being July 11th. It looks like that date is no longer walid as a leaked roadmap now shows the retail date as August 8.

Its seems rather strange that T-Mobile would wait so long to release what has been a great selling device with over 7 million sold world wide.  The Note is still a great option with a large display and added stylus functionality. It will be interesting to see how it fares against the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One S already on T-Mobile. The Note is mentioned along with other upcoming Samsung devices the Apex Q witch is rumored to be a QWERTY rocking device that sports 720p display.  Tho other phone mentioned named Cacao is unknown at this point, but we will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Is the Galaxy Note still one of the phones you have your eye on, or has the wait soured the whole thing?

source: pocketnow

The Droids of I/O

Posted: 01 Jul 2012 03:25 AM PDT

Google I/O 2012 was nothing short of a spectacular event, and Android was front and center with Jelly Bean‘s announcement, the Nexus 7 tablet, Google TV updates, and the Nexus Q media ball thingy (I vote for calling it the ‘Q Ball’). There was an entire floor dedicate to our beloved green robot, and he could be seen virtually everywhere inside and outside the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Head on past the break to see pictures of an army of Androids at the conference. Which one is your favorite?

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“Save to Wallet” feature coming to Google Wallet

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 07:45 PM PDT

As the dust starts to settle from Google I/O and folks finish processing the big news related to products like the Nexus 7 tablet and the release of Jelly Bean, we are starting to get details on some other Google products. One of the sessions covered Google Wallet and the introduction of a new feature, Save to Wallet.

The Save to Wallet feature will initially apply only to offers and payment cards. For offers, users will be able to visit a participating vendor's web site and, upon finding an offer they are interested in, hit a button to save an offer to their Google Wallet. Google Wallet will then provide notifications to the user to take advantage of the offer before it expires. When a user finally decides to visit the store, they can show the offer code to a store employee or use the NFC capabilities of their smartphone.

The payment card part of Save to Wallet will work in a similar manner. When one visits the web site of a participating store, they can click on a button to save their payment card number and information to Google Wallet. When they visit the store, they can then use their smartphone to share the payment card info during checkout.

Google is keeping tight control over the API due to the sensitive nature of the data to be saved. Only approved partners will be able to access the API. Initially, the API will be released to a limited number of partners as part of a closed beta. The good news for partners who ultimately have access to the API is that adding the necessary buttons to a web site to implement the Save to Wallet feature will only involve some Javascript code.

Longer term, it appears Google has plans to expand the functionality of Google Wallet so it can compete with Apple and Microsoft alternatives. While tablets and operating systems and other products make a big splash and grab headlines, there is plenty of room for Google to grow and compete in areas like payment processing with products like Google Wallet. A bigger issue for Google may be driving greater adoption and reducing barriers.

source: androidcentral

Nexus 7 tablet rooted within days of release at Google I/O

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 07:04 PM PDT

Since the Google Nexus 7 tablet was made available at Google I/O only a few days ago, some attendees (or others who have managed to get their hands on one) have been very busy. Over at the RootzWiki web site, user birdman has already posted a ClockworkMod and root method for Nexus 7 tablets.

Those who have the Nexus 7 on pre-order can now breathe a little easier knowing a root procedure will be ready for them as soon as they receive their device if they are inclined to root a brand new tablet. If you are among those interested in rooting your Nexus 7, just hit the source link for the details. Be sure you are familiar with the process and tools for rooting a device and remember, you are responsible for what happens if you attempt to root your device.

source: RootzWiki

Google Unveils Its Platform Development Kit, Offers Glimmer Of Hope For Grabbing Latest Updates Sooner For Devices

Posted: 30 Jun 2012 06:46 PM PDT

 

It’s no secret that owners of Android devices love major OS updates, but hate having to wait 6-12 months to update their devices to grab the latest updates. In fact, while Google pledged a commitment that Android devices of all would get major software updates up to 18-months after the initial release, it hasn’t quite come to fruition as roughly a mere 7% of all Androids are featuring Ice Cream Sandwich as the latest OS. Google has re-thought its strategy and announced its Android Platform Development Kit (PDK). The brand-spankin’ new Android PDK is more or less a group of tools to help manufacturers port the latest Android software to their devices, faster of course. Here’s how it works: Google will release the PDK to developers a few months before it launches each new version of Android, in order to get a leg up on getting the new version to its devices. What this means is Android manufacturers will have a headstart on modifying the new version of the Android OS to reflect its branding, so they won’t have to wait for Google’s official announcements in order to begin modifying the software. Owners of devices will get to see that dolled up Sense, TouchWiz, Blur— or whatever else infused flavor of Android far sooner than before. Oh and in case you’re wondering, Google has already enacted the PDK by allowing select manufacturers to try out its new Jelly Bean 4.1 beta build… before the official Jelly Bean announcement.

While it will stay take some time for most (newer) devices to receive the ICS upgrade that seems so last year at this point, owners of Android devices can look forward to the future and the fact that it is quite possible that they will see major software updates to both current and future devices, without the latest software becoming obsolete. Let’s just hope the wireless carriers don’t mess anything up and prolong what will be the faster update process with tiresome certifications and all. But hey— here’s hoping we see the beginning of something special for Android owners everywhere. Keep your fingers crossed that this works out!

source: Gotta Be Mobile



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