Thursday, November 8, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Rumored Microsoft Office app for mobile devices screens captured

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 01:37 PM PST

Last month we reported on an event in the Czech Republic where a representative of Microsoft revealed native versions of Microsoft Office were being prepared for both the Android and iOS platforms. The timeline hinted at mobile versions being ready sometime in the first quarter of 2013.

Today, The Verge was able to obtain some screenshots of the app that seem to indicate development is well underway. The screenshots suggest that at least MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel files will be supported. It is not clear how much editing may be possible using the app, assuming you would want to try that. The screenshots also seem to confirm the information suggesting an Office 365 subscription will be required.

You may recall that in the days leading up to the release of Windows 8, Microsoft indicated they were planning native versions of Xbox SmartGlass for Android and iOS. Microsoft surprised folks when they released the Android version on the same day as the Windows 8 release instead of two months down the road.

Considering Microsoft already has screenshots of the upcoming Microsoft Office app running, do you think it may be possible an Android native version will be ready much sooner than previously indicated? Is a Microsoft Office native app something you would be interested in installing?

source: The Verge

AT&T refunds wireless overcharge fees after FCC investigation

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 01:09 PM PST

AT&T has had their share of unlucky business with the FCC, and it looks like it’s happened again. Back in 2010, AT&T had discovered an error in their systems that moved some subscribers onto more costly data plans without the subscriber’s consent. Even though AT&T owned up to the mistake and refunded customers who contacted them about being overcharged, the FCC started an investigation about a year ago.

According to AT&T, the switch affected only .03% of their customers, and on average only incurred an extra $25 – $30 per month charge, which could have been much worse, although I certainly would’ve been pretty upset at an extra $30 per month. On top of reimbursing customers for those charges, AT&T has agreed to pay an additional $700,000 fine, as well as spend more resources properly training employees and notifying customers of changes to their bill. AT&T definitely looks eager to keep their customers happy and make efforts to keep them happy in the future. You can’t fault them too much for that, even if it came a little late in this situation.

source: Reuters

Sprint set to buy US Cellular’s Midwestern airwaves and customers

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:48 PM PST

 

Sprint has agreed to buy airwaves and customers from the Midwest section of US Cellular’s market to the tune of $480 million. Not a cheap acquisition, but Sprint hopes to use this band of coverage in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio to bolster their 4G LTE coverage. Considering Sprint is falling pretty far behind in LTE coverage compared to AT&T and Verizon, I’d say that’s a pretty smart move.

Sprint received $3.1 billion in cash as part of a $20 billion investment by Softbank Corp. Sprint is putting a good chunk of that pocket change into improving their network to maintain competitiveness with the other two big cellular giants. Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse said of the purchase that "acquiring this spectrum will significantly increase Sprint's network capacity and improve the customer experience in several important Midwest markets including Chicago and St. Louis." The deal will is expected to be completed by mid-2013. Sprint has agreed to pay cash and assume liabilities in the deal.

So, is anyone in that area excited to hopefully get improved coverage from Sprint?

source: BusinessWeek

Shadowgun:Deadzone officially out of beta and on Play Store November 15th

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:29 PM PST

About a month ago, Madfinger Games released the multi-player version of their popular 3rd-person shooter Shadowgun. The beta was initially open only to those with Tegra 3 devices and then later opened up to other devices. On November 15th the game will come out of beta status for all to enjoy. Once the finished product is released onto the Play Store, it’ll contain ten playable characters, a variety of weapons, equipment, and two game modes with up to 12 players total. The game will also feature a ranking system which, as you progress, will unlock other features. As mentioned, the game will be available on November 15th free of charge, but will have the option for in-game purchases.

 

source:  @MADFINERGames

Android adoption rate six times that of the iPhone

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST

Internet trends guru, Mary Meeker, released her latest reports recently and the news is very favorable on the Android front. At an event in San Francisco she presented minutia of data focusing primarily on mobile growth. It doesn’t seem like enough can be written about the sheer size and scope of mobile growth these days, and Ms. Meeker’s numbers certainly reflect that. The fact that stands out most of them all? Android adoption rate is 6 times that of the iPhone.

We knew adoption had to be high with well over one million Android devices being activated each day, but six times the adoption rate is very impressive. This figure seems to be growing exponentially with each passing quarter as it was only at a ’4-times’ clip back in May. What are your thoughts on this? I know, like most data, we can spin it in all sorts of directions, but this has to be good for Android, right? What are some of your theories?

source:  TechCrunch

Featured Android Game Review: 9th Dawn RPG [Arcade & Action]

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 11:41 AM PST

If you’re a fan of old school RPG games, you will want to check out 9th Dawn from Valorware. It’s by far the largest open world RPG game available on Android. You will start the game in a small village called Agaria, which is in the large island continent of Montelorne. As with any RPG, you will find mystery, danger and adventure.

For characters, you have your choice of being a knight, an archer, or a wise mage. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses giving you a chance to select the right one that suits your play style. The knight is by far the strongest with the ability to possess heavy armor and weapons. The archer is nimble and can take out enemies from further away with its bows and daggers. Last but not least, the mage is the most intelligent and can cast powerful magic spells.

Controls couldn’t be simpler. At the bottom left is the navigational circle or thumbpad. Just slide your finger in the direction you want to move. You will find another thumbpad at the bottom right which utilizes your weapon of choice. You can simply aim your weapon in the direction you want and if you’re utilizing a bow, just pull back in the direction you want to fire. You will also use this same thumbpad to cast spells with a simple tap. The rest of the controls is simple taps on the screen when you want to do something such as talk to someone or unlock a door.

As you take out opponents, you will earn attribute points, which can be used to increase certain attributes of your hero such as strength and wisdom. Also some enemies will drop things that can be used at a later time, and there are various amount of weapons and healing foods that you can purchase with silver, the currency of choice. Eventually you will have a pretty good sized inventory of weapons and useful items. You can access them from the menu, but sometimes you will want to get things quicker. You can add any items to mini boxes at the bottom of the screen, which will allow you to grab them quickly without going through the menu.

As I mentioned, 9th Dawn is the largest open world so there is so much to explore. You can simply explore wherever you want or you can go on quests by helping some of the characters. Every area or region is not only unique with different characters, dungeons, forests, and caves, but each area presents different types of enemies. In some areas, you will need to be more equipped before entering, while others have much weaker enemies.

Another thing that is exceptional in 9th Dawn is the soundtrack. It’s actually one of the best I have heard in a game. If you agree, you can purchase the entire soundtrack by naming your price (between $1 and $5), of which 100% of the money will go towards further development. If you’re interested, click here to find out more. I also need to mention that Valorware is one of the more communicative developers out there. They have a Tumblr page in which they will highlight the updates to the game. You will find the information to be very detailed as opposed to what you normally find in the “What’s New” section in the Google Play Store for each app.

All in all 9th Dawn is an awesome game for RPG fans, but those that aren’t as familiar with the genre can still have blast. 9th Dawn brings together old school RPG and the openness of today’s games, which makes it attractive to all gamers. There is a free version, which limits the area that you can explore, but it’s plenty large enough to give you an idea of the gameplay. If you like it and find yourself totally engrossed in the game as I expect you will, you can buy the full version for a reasonable price of $1.99. PC fans will also be happy to know that Valorware started a Greenlight campaign page to bring it to Steam. Just hit the link to help make it happen.

So check out the demo video below and hit one of the download links to get started. As always, let me know what you think.

 

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Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Hisense jumps into 4K TVs with the XT880, promises Android 4.0

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 11:23 AM PST

In a surprising move, Hisense is entering the “large” big screen TV market with it’s upcoming XT880 line’s of 50, 58 and 65 inch TV’s deliver that 3,840 x 2,160 picture resolution. Hisense also promised a full-fledged, 3D-capable smart TV based around Android 4.0 with WiFi internet access, a remote with voice commands and a removable camera for gesture control or Skype chats.

More details of this should surface come CES, but certainly seems interesting thus far. Hit the break below for Hisense’s full press release!

HISENSE UNVEILS CUTTING EDGE XT880 4K UHD 3D Smart TV

New XT880 delivers stunning 2160p resolution on virtually edge-to-edge 50″, 58″, 65″ panels; offers facial recognition, voice and gesture control, apps and more.

Suwanee, Georgia, November 6, 2012 – Hisense USA today unveiled its top-of-the-line 3D Smart TV, the XT880, with native 2160p Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution for stunning picture quality and beautifully realistic, natural motion.

Combining an ARM dual-core microprocessor with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, the elegant XT880 series of 50″, 58″, and 65″ televisions offers the ultimate entertainment experience. In addition to the standard 3D and Smart TV capabilities powering 3D movies, live TV, streamed content, web browsing and search, social networking, games and apps, the WiFi-enabled XT880 features a detachable camera that supports facial recognition, gesture control and services such as Skype calling. The ergonomically designed remote control also features a built-in microphone to enable voice control.

“The XT880 series brings together all of the latest features available on high-end televisions today,” said JoAnne Foist, Director of Marketing at Hisense USA. “With automatic backlight control, contrast enhancement and the XT880′s best-in-class video processing and scaling features, the XT880 represents the pinnacle of Hisense’s R&D strengths and bold design language.”

The XT880 series of UHD televisions will be shown at the CES 2013 Hisense booth, #7243.

See www.hisense-usa.com for more details.

Best Buy Black Friday ad surfaces, reveals $50 Galaxy S III on AT&T and Sprint

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST

As we inch closer and closer to November 23rd (Black Friday in retail speak), all of those wonderful Black Friday ads begin to slowly get leaked. Today the Best Buy ad has found its way to my desk. While we revealed on Monday that ‘The Shack’ would be selling the Samsung Galaxy S III on Sprint for $50 on a new 2-year contract, it looks like Best Buy will be doing the same for the Sprint version but they’ll be beating The Shack’s AT&T Galaxy S III price by $50 and offering it for $50 as well (16GB version).

Other devices of mention are the DROID RAZR MAXX 4G for free on contract, Samsung Galaxy S II for $1 on contract, and a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 for $179 before a $20 gift card. I know a lot of you are getting your Black Friday plans together so keep checking back here as we’ll be summing up all the deals for you when the dust settles.

source:  BFAds

Featured Android App Review: Internet Radio [Music & Audio]

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 09:39 AM PST

I just stumbled upon Internet Radio from Ensight Media. The name says it all as it’s all about listening to internet radio stations, approximate 50,000 of them from all over the world. What’s cool about it is the antique or nostalgic look the app has. Remember when the radio was just a dial? Yes that seems so long ago and now it’s easier than ever to listen to whatever you want from wherever you want. Internet Radio successfully blends the two generations in this simple app.

Upon installing the app, you will be able to easily find a station that suits your mood in no time. Maybe it’s that hometown station that you grew up with that you haven’t heard in awhile, or possibly you need to hear about your favorite sports team that resides on the other side of the country. Whether it’s rock, jazz, latin, dance, news, or sports, Internet Radio has it all. Just hit the CH+ button and you will quickly see your favorites along with options to search stations by country, SHOUTcast Radio station, or to add a station manually. You can also type in your search criteria once you select either by country or SHOUTcast radio. When you find a station you want to listen to, just tap it and it will load in no time. If you want to make it one of your favorites, just tap the star to the right of each station.

The other really nice feature Internet Radio offers is that you can easily see what’s popular. For example, when you hit search by country, you can quickly see the top 100 stations from all over the world, and after you tap a particular country, you can see the Top 30 for that country. It doesn’t stop there because you can even get the top 30 by region as well, so if you want to know the top 30 stations in California, USA, or Bologna, Italy, you can see them.

A nice touch is the Sleep Timer function, which is pretty self explanatory. Just tune to one of your favorite stations and set the timer so you don’t have to worry about falling asleep and forgetting to turn it off. They even offer a quick setting for preventing the screen from timing out and you can also set it to only stream when you are connected to WiFi.

Internet Radio is Free with ads that aren’t annoying. Check out my hands on video below and hit one of the download links to get started. As always, let me know what you think.

Features

  • Listen to 50,000 radios stations from around the world
  • Antique-style theme provided
  • Search for stations by keyword
  • Display song information (title/singer)
  • Control brightness / Volume
  • Listed stations by country
  • Listed stations by Top 100
  • Sleep Timer Supported
  • #1 App in Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, France, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania and Taiwan
  • #2 App in France, Germany, Italy, Czech, Belgium and Uganda
  • #5 App in Spain, Poland, Austria, Greece, Brazil, Russia, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Netherlands, St. Lucia and Trinidad Tobago
  • #1 Music App in 54 countries

What is SHOUTcast™ Radio?

The SHOUTcast™ Radio Directory is one of the largest directories of professionally and community programmed online radio stations in the world. Today SHOUTcast™ Radio features over 45,000 stations from around the globe. If you’re into popular or indie music, or want to check out local or world programming, you’re sure to find something you like on SHOUTcast™ Radio. SHOUTcast™ Radio also provides audio broadcasting software tools for those who want to create a radio station. It permits anyone on the internet to broadcast audio from their computer to listeners across the Internet or any other IP-based network (Office LANs, college campuses, etc…)

Internet_Radio_01 Internet_Radio_02 Internet_Radio_03 Internet_Radio_04 Internet_Radio_05 Internet_Radio_06 Internet_Radio_Splash_Banner

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Red Wing Ikaro Racing flight sim hits the Play Store

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 09:16 AM PST

Red Wing Ikaro Racing

 

Red Wing Ikaro Racing brings brings accelerometer-controlled aerial 3D racing to the Google Play Store. The high speed racing game is optimized for Tegra 2 and 3 devices and sells for $5.99. The 22 tracks, in 5 different surroundings, include both city and canyon landscapes. Players can choose from 6 different planes and the truly dedicated flyboys can even go back and watch their entire flight from several angles.

Hit the break for video and download link!

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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