Saturday, December 22, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

XDA has launched XDA-University to help start your journey into Android development

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 12:28 PM PST

Ever get that tingle of wanting to dev for Android yourself but don’t quite know where to start? The guys over at XDA developers have your back and have launched an “XDA University” portion of their site aimed at helping users start their Android dev’ing endeavors. Per XDA:

XDA-University is the resource brought to you by the people behind XDA-Developers. We aim to help you start your journey into Android and development, as well as get to know XDA more.

The site provides very helpful tips and videos on app development, hardware hacking, and a beginners guide to Linux mobile development. This certainly seems like a great way to start if you’ve always wanted to look into Android developing.

Keep in mind that this is a hobby and one should not expect gaining significant money from doing this. If you’ve been looking into starting developing for Android, then certainly give this a shot! Source link will be provided.

source: XDA University

 

Android US market share continues to decline, Apple hits record high

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 12:00 PM PST

Just last month Apple managed to retake the number one position in terms of mobile OS market share in the US, overtaking Google’s Android in the process. Today, it appears that trend has continued through the month of November, with Apple reaching its highest ever smartphone market share in the United States.

Figures released today show Android falling to 41.9%, a decline of nearly 11% over the previous year. On the other end of the spectrum, Apple now sits at a staggering 53.3%, a rise of 17.5% year-over-year. While Android has managed to reach nearly 60% at one point, this is the first time in the Cupertino company’s history that it has passed the 50% mark. For comparison, Microsoft’s Windows Phone is having a tough time reaching 3%, having been stuck in limbo since last year. RIM, on the other hand, has all but fallen completely off of the map, dropping nearly 6 points in just 12 months.

In various other parts of the world Android continues to top the charts, constantly setting records for rate of growth. However, it appears as though Apple is once again dominating the US market. Android may be losing the battle, but at least it’s winning the war.

Source: Kantar

ASUS to show off two 7-inch tablets at CES

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 11:46 AM PST

On the heels of the Nexus 7 success, ASUS looks to be bringing a pair of tablets in a 7-inch form factor to CES next year. First up is the ASUS ME371MG which looks similar to the Nexus 7 but will supposedly will have a 1280 x 800 display, 16 GB of internal storage, and an Intel Atom 1.2 GHz single-core processor. I’m sure many people will be disappointed at that low clock speed and core count, but I’m personally excited to see Intel try to make some strides in Android devices.

The second device is the ME172V which sports a traditional ARM chip with Mali 400 GPU, but only has a 1024 x 600 resolution screen and a 1.3 front-facing camera on board. The good news is that both of these will launch with Jelly Bean 4.1 and will definitely be affordable tablets. Hopefully ASUS has something to really wow the competition with up its sleeve, though. Anybody interested in either of these tablets based on the specs?

source: Notebook Italia

Many Galaxy S III users reporting “dead” phones after mainboard failure

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST

Galaxy S III users have taken to Reddit and XDA forums to express outrage after their beloved phone “just died” with no explanation. Before you go getting all anxious about your beloved S III kicking the bucket, we should mention that it’s pretty normal for a few bad units to make it out of the factories when any new phone is released. With that said, this particular problem is a little too widespread for our liking. It seems that a failure in the mainboard or the nand memory is the killer in this case. According to the threads, the devices seem to last about 150 to 200 days before failing. Thankfully, Samsung has been replacing them under warranty whether or not the devices have been rooted. The bad news is that Samsung has been replacing the failed mainboards with the identical version, meaning that the same problem may very well happen again in a few months time. There has been no official acknowledgment from Samsung on this matter, but reportedly the warranty call-center workers are verifying that they’ve seen this issue reported a lot lately. If you’re a Galaxy S III owner, you may want to back up your pictures and music, or move them to your SD card, just in case. It’s never a bad thing to be prepared. Have any of our readers experienced this problem?

 

Source: Reddit and XDA Forums
Via: Pocket Now

Sony Yuga to debut as the Xperia Z, feature 5-inch 1080p display with OptiContrast technology

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 11:27 AM PST

A new report regarding Sony’s heavily leaked Yuga C660X has surfaced today, suggesting the elusive handset could eventually launch as the Xperia Z. In addition to the new naming scheme, the device is said to sport a water and dust resistant coating, with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP55 and IP57. In the past, Sony has equipped its Xperia V and Xperia Acro S with the same type of coating.

The handset’s rumored 5-inch 1080p display will be outfitted with Sony’s OptiContrast technology, something that isn’t all too surprising considering the latest fleet of the company’s devices features the same display tech. What’s more is that the Xperia Z will reportedly be just 7.99mm thin, equating to one of the thinnest devices ever for Sony.

Of course, there’s no word on a release date, or even when we’ll get a chance to take a look at this bad boy, but we’d expect to hear something official in Q1 of 2013.

Source: XperiaBlog

SwiftKey gets festive, offers new holiday pricing and theme in most recent update

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 11:06 AM PST

Everyone’s favorite keyboard maker is feeling festive this holiday season and has released a new update in the Google Play store. For a limited time only you can grab SwiftKey 3 and SwiftKey 3 for Tablets at 50% off the normal price. $1.99 will get you SwiftKey’s famous (and excellent) predictive typing feature, and if you grab it while it’s on sale, you’ll save yourself some cash when the long-awaited SwiftKey Flow feature is released in the near future. Besides all that, SwiftKey has given us a candy-cane red theme just in time for the holidays! Use the QR code or download link below if you want this great keyboard.

QR Code generator

Google Play Download Link

Google’s Android team wishes everyone a Happy Holiday with this magical video

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 10:30 AM PST

Sure I am a fan of Google and Android, but putting that aside, Google puts together some of the best promo videos. Today’s Happy Holidays video from team Android is another one to throw into the mix. This one is set at Google headquarters during a holiday party when one employee notices a lonely bugdroid. He sets up various Nexus devices around him showing a Christmas tree, a snowfall, and a fireplace, along with a little holiday music. All of this sets the stage for a magical ending. Hit the break to see it for yourself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

MOGA Mobile Gaming Controller Gaining Support From Top Game Developers

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 10:20 AM PST

Sometimes a good idea comes around but there’s not much consumer buy-in, possibly bad marketing, or there is poor developer support. I think most of us can admit that the way mobile games have come along in the past 12 months or so that a proper controller is needed to get the most out of games now. The only problem is the whole idea is moot unless the developers jump on board. Well it looks as if that momentum is gaining a bit – at least regarding the MOGA Mobile Gaming Controller from PowerA.

Two recent AAA games that released with MOGA controller support were Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Gaining support from the best developers is usually critical in pushing ideas forward, while almost making other games’ compatibility ‘mandatory’ just so another game doesn’t have an automatic advantage over it.

This is good news for us as consumers and gamers. The full list of games that have already launched, updated, or will soon be updated with MOGA support are:

  • Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour
  • BATTLE BEARS ROYALE
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • Dead Trigger
  • Wild Blood
  • NFL Pro 2013
  • Jet Set Radio
  • Tiki Kart 3D
  • Expendable Rearmed
  • The Bard's Tale

Here’s to hoping that this list continues to grow.

source:  Canadian Online Gamers

Google gives developers localized graphics support in Play Store

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 10:10 AM PST

Google announced today that it will be adding localized graphic support for developers in the Play Store. Basically, this allows developers to change the pictures users see depending on what part of the world they’re in, so developers can add a lot of Christmas themed stuff to countries that celebrate it but leave it alone in other parts of the world. That’s a pretty handy marketing trick. Google did also announce on its developers blog that 2/3 of revenue comes from countries that are not the US, which gives devs all the more reason to start using tricks like this.

source: Android Developers Blog

Pitfall! Now Available On the Play Store

Posted: 21 Dec 2012 09:52 AM PST

There’s just something about playing classic titles on our small devices these days, although some titles are best left in our memories. The latest game to grace our mobile devices is Pitfall! Well-known console software developer, Activision, has taken the 30 year old title and has breathed new life into it with an all new look and gameplay sure to appease fans of the classic while also in hopes of gaining a few new fans. Now, time to explain to your little one what an Atari 2600 was. Grab it via the Store link below.

Google Play Store Link

QR Code generator
Posted by at 6:44 AM

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