Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Hands-on with Burt Destruction, a runner game that feels like full fledged Comedy Central show

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 04:09 PM PST

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Runner-style games are a dime a dozen in the Google Play Store, so in order for one to capture our attention, it takes something with a little more flare than normal. Enter, Burt Destruction by RunWilder Entertainment. Apparently, the fella behind Burt Destruction is a veteran in the industry, dabbling in such video game works as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So does that mean Burt Destruction will feature a similar level of production and polish? Let’s find out.

Keeping in mind this is only a mobile game, Burt Destruction adds extra gameplay features not normally found from others in the runner-genre, while adding a storyline and design that’s unequaled. In fact, the guys that did the cut scenes and character art were responsible for Comedy Central shows like Ugly Americans — one of my personal favorite animations to come along in a long while. Just watching the opening sequence, I felt like this was a show I somehow managed to miss out on, getting a good chuckle from the voice overs and wacky animations.

Story

It’s a bit strange that there’s even a story to begin with, but Burt Destruction has an interesting one. An evil Yeti is hellbent on creating a hair ray to transform the entire world into beast like himself (I know, it’s silly) and you play as Burt, a seemingly normal dude with Big Foot and a dodo bird as a friend (the former has a PHD) who rages out at the slightest level of excitement. It’s Burt’s natural ability that Yeti and his team of evil cohorts feel would make the perfect addition to their team, so they set out to capture Burt, while completing their plans to turn the world into a beast-men.

Gameplay and Graphics

This is a runner game, so, players will only have to perform a single action to advance: jump. Sounds easy, right? Well, the level is filled with enemies that can be defeated jumping on top of (classic platforming fare), and obstacles that will need to be carefully navigated over. Collecting coins strewn about the level and defeating enemies builds up Burt’s rage meter and once max’d out, allows him to go into a hulk-smash mode, transforming him into his invincible alter ego. Players are offered a variety of ways to upgrade and customize their character, adding additional powerups in the form of ally summons, and additional costumes. While this isn’t a freemium title, the difficult challenge in Burt Destruction kinda leave you feeling like there’s only one way to advance (forking out real money), and that may not leave such a good taste in some player’s mouths.

Visually the game looks great. I did find the 3D cell-shaded style a bit jarring after watching the amazingly well animated cutscenes, but that was just my personal preference. There’s enough enemies and changes in backdrops to keep things fresh and exciting in Burt Destruction, and I like that.

Verdict

Overall, I’d say Burt Destruction is a solid runner/platformer. However, its insane difficulty may prove too challenging for some and even with an entry fee, players may find it impossible to advance without purchasing the many powerups made available via a plethora of in-app purchases. Still, I did find the Burt Destruction more than enjoyable and despite the shortcomings in its business model, still worth a $2 download if for nothing else than accessing all of the game’s cutscenes.

[Burt Destruction on Google Play]

Autodesk updates Socialcam for Android with complete redesign, video filters, front-facing camera support and more

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 03:53 PM PST

The folks at Autodesk have fully taken Socialcam under their wing after the startup was purchased in 2011. The app has been pushed under Autodesk’s banner and has gotten itself a brand new upgrade in the Google Play Store to go along with the occasion. Loyal fans can look forward to all new video filters, support for front-facing cameras, a complete redesigning of the user interface, and “tons of bug fixes.”

Autodesk touts that the app works on most new Android devices, a worthy note considering the app was terribly bad for today’s standards. Autodesk is hoping to win back the hearts of those who have abandoned the app, though, and this is a pretty decent first step to doing just that. Find the video sharing app in the Google Play Store and see if it can’t inspire you to get creative with the videos you share to your family and friends.

Password sync and autofill sync come to Chrome Beta

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:57 PM PST

The folks at Google have issued a new upgrade to the beta channel for Chrome for Android. Two big changes are incoming, including synchronization for both passwords and autofill information. These were two of the biggest requested features for the mobile version of Android, and while we caught wind before that Google began work on them we’re as excited as ever to see it’s finally here.

The beta channel of Chrome for Android isn’t 100% guaranteed to be stable, of course, but to be quite honest the stable channel isn’t without a few minor bugs of its own. It’s a good idea to use Chrome Beta to make sure you’re at the edge of Google’s latest innovations. PS: Google says the browser will only sync passwords and autofill information with other Chrome clients based on Chrome 26, so keep that in mind if you can’t get things working. Grab the download here to check it out for yourself.

This is how guys will use Google Glass to get laid [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:55 PM PST

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We could talk all day about the implications of Google Glass and what the high-tech eyewear could mean mean for the future of a connected world. Sure, capturing life’s fleeting moments and improving our day-to-day lives sounds all good and dandy, but some dudes out there just wanna know how wearing a chastity belt around their heads is going to hurt their chances with the ladies.

Well, we came across a fun video exploring this very topic. The good news? Having full access to the limitless knowledge of the world wide web strapped to your skull might not hurt your chances at all. But your friends are another story and of course, Apple still finds a way to cock-block. Some things will never change. Watch on.

This is actually a more humorous take from an idea explored in another short movie called Sight. A much darker flick, we featured Sight awhile back when it was blowing up on Vimeo and for those that missed it, here’s where Google Glass could take us in the very distant, cold future. Word of caution: if we ever get to 2099, never date a Google engineer.

Download these HTC Sense 5 wallpapers

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:40 PM PST

You might not be buying an HTC One or your HTC device might not be in line for Sense 5, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give it that Sense 5 feeling. The folks over at AndroidSpin have gotten the default wallpapers that will be included in Sense 5 for all to download. As is usually the case with HTC wallpapers, these look quite nice and elegant, and at least one of them is sure to be pleasing to your eye. Give one a quick download and see if you can’t apply some digital feng shui to your home-screen.

[thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

htc-sense-5-wallpaper-16 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-14 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-9 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-7 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-8 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-13 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-12 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-11 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-15 htc-sense-5-wallpaper-10

Android 4.0+ commands more device share than Gingerbread in latest platform numbers

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 02:14 PM PST

Google has updated its platform distribution numbers to reflect the two week period ending March 4th, 2013. The numbers are looking pretty interesting these days, folks, as devices with Android 4.0 and higher seem to be the majority now.

Ice Cream Sandwich has 28.6%, while Jelly Bean has 16.5%. Of course, Android 4.1 holds the vast majority of Jelly Bean’s share with 14.9% compared to the 1.6% 4.2 has.Gingerbread isn’t dead by any means as it still holds 44.2% of the pie. Amazingly enough, Froyo and Eclair are still kicking with a combined 9.6% of the share. We’re sure there are a few oddball devices still floating about, but considering the hundreds of thousands of device activations taking place each day that’s still pretty significant.

Google is expected to introduce Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie at Google I/O in a couple of months, and by the time we reach that version these numbers could be much different. The arms race for Android 4.2-enabled device hasn’t even taken off quite yet, as ASUS was the first OEM to deliver the goods to a non-Nexus device this week.

It’s tough to say if any of these versions of Android will ever quite reach Gingerbread status, but we’re happy things seem to be staying in the right direction. Check the chart above and find the full table at the source link ahead.

[via Android Developers]

Snoop Dogg game coming to an Android device near you [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:54 PM PST

So how would you like Snoop Dogg on your Android phone or tablet? If watching YouTube videos if his iconic sound from the 90s or his multiple stints on ESPN (where he’s recently been trying to push the “Snoop Lion” persona) don’t do it for you these days, Snoop’s going to be offering himself up in video game form sometime later this year. Dubbed “Way of the Dogg,” the game is a rhythm fighter that has you fending off his foes to the beat of his own music.

Set to release on Android, iOS, Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, the game will ask you to input buttons to the beat of the music, and only the most successful string of inputs will get Snoop pulling off martial arts combos that he probably couldn’t do in real life. The game pays homage to the classic blaxploitation cinema of a few decades ago, and Snoop says this is the first real “gamification” of his music.

Snoop was in the studio to do some voiceover work for the game, and you can find interesting snippets of that in the video above. Way of the Dogg is supposed to launch as part of a multimedia mega launch consisting of his latest album — Reincarnated — and a related documentary by the same name. The release date is still undetermined, though, so if you are looking forward to seeing what sort of lethal weapons Snoop Dogg has attached to his limbs you’ll have to wait a while yet.

Humble Bundle for Android 5 is now live

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 11:31 AM PST

Ready for another round of one of the best deals (and best causes) in mobile gaming? The 5th Humble Bundle for Android has gone live, and it includes a total of 6 games. You pay what you want and decide where you want your money to go — broken down between charity, the developers, and a “humble” tip for the Electronic Frontier Foundation — and get some pretty nice games in the process. Of course, two of those 6 games can only be obtained if you pay more than the average donation price (which, for this round, is about $5.71 as of the time of this writing).

The four standard games in this edition of the Humble Bundle include Beat Hazard Ultra, Dynamite Jack, Solar 2 and Night Sky HD, while the two bonus games for higher donations are Super Hexagon and Dungeon Defenders. You’ll also get the soundtracks for most of these games, and you’ll get access to them on other supported platforms, as well. The charitable donation this time around would go to the Child’s Play Charity, an initiative to entertain sick children in hospitals and let those children keep that entertainment even after they’ve been cared for.

You could just enter $0.01 and be done with it, but why not be a good sport and shoot for that average donation price? You’ll get two games in the process and you’ll feel good knowing that you were able to help a developer feed his family or brighten the day of a sick child. Watch the video above, and head to the Humble Bundle site to get started.

Verizon CFO: subsidized prices to come down in the next few years

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:56 AM PST

It’s no secret that when you think about Big Red you also think about lots of green. Verizon likes its money, but chief financial officer Fran Shammo has reason to believe that some of its price tags will eventually come down within the next few years. Specifically, Shammo touched on high subsidy prices when it comes to smartphone sales, and cited the growing LTE market and the blurred lines it’s creating as reasons why prices will soon be driven down.

The typical high-end smartphone on Verizon costs between $200 and $300 these days, but users can get perfectly fine LTE phones for $0 – $200 with decent hardware. With competition between operating systems and OEMs strengthening by the day we could be seeing lower MSRPs, and that is something that also directly affects the way a carriers subsidizes a smartphone.

Seeing how this trend affects the tablet space will be even more interesting, as some users still consider a $500 ticket price for a tablet on a two-year contract to be quite egregious. Shammo also said the launch of VoLTE within the next year will help drive subsidy prices down as more and more Verizon phones eventually ditch antiquated CDMA chips.

T-Mobile has shaken the subsidy model up the most in recent years with the advent of its value plans. On these plans, users can buy smartphones for a down payment (your cost after subsidy in typical pricing models) with payments for the rest of the phone spread out over the course of several months until the device is paid off.

Should you decide to end your arrangement with T-Mobile before then, the only cost to you is the remaining balance of the phone after those payments. Users going this route get a decent discount on service, too, and it seems to be a very valuable deal for those who take advantage of it.

It’s that sort of outside-the-box thinking that will force Verizon, Sprint, AT&T et al. to get creative in the near future and shape their business models to adapt to the changing wireless market. We won’t even consider factors outside their control like the general economy. It’s not at all ridiculous to think subsidies will get cheaper in the coming years, so the only question is “who first, and when?”

[via Fierce Wireless]

Yesterday’s leaked Galaxy S4 render revealed as fake

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:26 AM PST

We can all breathe a sigh of relief: the leaked Samsung Galaxy S4 render from yesterday has been exposed as a fake, albeit an unintentional one. The image was designed as a placeholder by the Expansys team to use on GS4 landing page. After finding its way to the usually reliable @evleaks Twitter handle, the image was posted online as a purported first look at the upcoming Samsung flagship’s final design.

While it once again puts us back in the dark as to the Galaxy S4′s appearance, the silver lining is that the rather bland picture presented as the phone is not representative of the real deal. It leaves some room for a much more interesting look, rather than the simple Galaxy Note-esque stylings seen in the render.

Looks like we might be waiting until March 14th and Samsung official announcement to get our real first look at the highly-anticipated Galaxy S4.

[via DroidDog]

UK retailer expects HTC One stock starting March 14th

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 10:12 AM PST

Wondering when the first group of folks around the world will be able to get a crack at the HTC One? At least one retailer — stationed in the United Kingdom — seems to have an idea of when these devices will be hitting the streets. Expansys has said stock is expected to arrive and ship beginning March 14th. That day is rather significant, of course, as Samsung will be hitting the ground running with its Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement in New York City (which we’ll be covering live if you haven’t heard).

Odd timing aside, this date is being treated as tentative and subject to change right now, but it sounds like HTC doesn’t want to wait too long into the month to get this beast into hands everywhere. The HTC One is outfitted with a 4.7 inch 1080p HD display and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 600 chipset. With two gigabytes of RAM and HTC’s “UltraPixel” camera, and all the features of HTC Sense 5 on top of Jelly Bean it’s sure to turn a few heads this year.

This is expected to be HTC’s baby as the OEM has confirmed it wouldn’t be creating multiple offspring. This is “the guy” for its 2013 line-up, and it will be pushing this device to carriers and users as the ultimate flagship to have on the year. Expansys has the black and silver versions available for pre-order for £519.99 if you’re interested, so head over there and get started if you’re already sold on this pristine package.

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S3 receiving Android 4.1.2 update now

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 09:44 AM PST

The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 is receiving its update to software version VRBMB1, a day after the change log for the latest build was posted online. The Android 4.1.2 update weighs in at 150MB and is currently being pushed over the air to owners of the handset.

Expected changes include keyboard and Bluetooth enhancements, the ability to use the camera while placing a call, and a manual refresh on the lock screen stock ticker. All small beans in the grand scheme of things, but users can also expect a number of bug fixes and performance tweaks. You can check for the update under the “About phone” section of the system settings if it hasn’t automatically reached your handset already.

[Thanks, Chris!]

Google Play gift cards now available in the UK

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:59 AM PST

Google is expanding the gift card program for the Play Store beyond the US with the first appearance of the cards in the UK. Cards valued at £10 and £25 were spotted at a Tesco supermarket. Google’s support page also lists a £50 denomination, though it didn’t appear available in store.

The arrival in the UK marks Google’s first push to international market with Play gift cards. The availability of gift-able credit to the Google Play Store was a long time coming, and it may be more time still for most regions around the globe. The arrival of the cards in the UK is a good sign, however.

[via EuroDroid]

Report: Tablets could account for nearly one-third of mobile usage by year end

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:00 AM PST

According to the latest data from Jumptap, the percentage of mobile content usage stemming from tablets is growing rapidly, eating into smartphones’ share. The ad network collected info on its ad network, which reaches 134 million mobile users in the US and 206 million worldwide, and determined that at the end of 2012 18 percent of all traffic originated from tablets. Smartphones accounted for 78 percent, with feature phones making up the difference.

The numbers are slightly disproportionate to actual device demand, with smartphones still accounting for the large majority of mobile devices sold. Analysts don’t see tablets making up more than 10 percent of sales this year, according to TechCrunch. Still, Jumptap estimates that by the end of 2013 29 percent of all mobile content usage will be tablet based.

Jumptap also used their data to make some predictions about future market share for the major mobile operating systems. As has been the case recently, while Android is predicted to remain in the lead, it appears the platform’s period of rapid growth has subsided, with numbers more or less reaching a plateau.

[via TechCrunch]

Official: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 available at Verizon March 7th

Posted: 05 Mar 2013 06:25 AM PST

Verizon has announced the availability of the LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for March 7th. The tablet will be available in stores and online for $599.99. For that price you get a slate with a 10.1-inch HD display, 1.4GHz quad-core processing, 5MP camera, and Android 4.1. The main difference from the standard Note 10.1, of course, is access to Verizon’s 4G LTE network.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 with LTE was first announced at CES back in January. The official statement from Verizon confirms rumors we heard late last week.

[via Verizon]
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