Friday, September 20, 2013

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Top 10 Android games this week: Yeti on Furry, Incredipede, Zombie Gunship
Sep 19th 2013, 19:07, by Steve Raycraft

Welcome back to Android Gaming Weekly, our weekly recap on new game releases. We still plan to cover upcoming releases and games we're playing, but this column is dedicated to new games you can install and start playing right now. Check out our top picks and let us know if you have any suggestions for next week in the comments below.

Angry Birds Star Wars II

Description: The Force is strong with this one. Get ready for Angry Birds Star Wars II – the epic follow-up to the #1 smash hit game! Based on the Star Wars movie prequels, use the Force for good against the greedy Pork Federation or choose a much darker path.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Description: The world's fastest hedgehog, Sonic, and the SEGA All-Stars are zooming on to your Android phone or tablet for the ultimate party racing showdown. Race as your favorite character across 16 white-knuckle courses in a frantic race to the finish line.

Incredipede

Description: Incredipede is a puzzle game that celebrates the vast diversity of life in the world. Follow Quozzle, a lone Incredipede with the unique ability to grow new arms and legs wherever she needs them. Transform into a snake, a spider, a horse, a monkey – anything you can imagine.

Dumb Ways to Die

Description: Enjoy 15 hilarious mini-games as you attempt to collect all the charmingly dumb characters for your train station, achieve high scores and unlock the famous music video that started it all.

Yeti on Flurry

Description: Unleash the yeti's fury on completely crazy climbers in a hilarious tower defense in 3D… and fur. Confront an onslaught of insane climbers – from the most stupid to the most vicious – all of whom have special tricks for reaching the top of the mountain: tunnels, ziplines, even teleporters!

FINAL FANTASY ALL THE BRAVEST

Description: FINAL FANTASY ALL THE BRAVEST is a casual and light-hearted game in which you continuously battle enemies to advance through the many available stages. Defeat foes to level up, which in turn grants you character slots to add more and more members to your party.

Bumblebee

Description: Help the cute bumblebee collect as many flowers as possible! Show it the way through the world full of thorn branches, evil hornets, strong wind, falling leaves and lethal lightnings! Achieve bonuses and use extra powers to increase a chance to survive.

Zombie Gunship

Description: Zombie Gunship® puts you in the gunner seat of a heavily-armed AC-130 ground attack aircraft. Strategically fire your powerful guns to slay endless waves of zombies and protect the remaining survivors of the zombie apocalypse!

Smash’n'Bash

Description: Smash’n'Bash is a compelling runner game in the finest handheld tradition. Bash opponents with an innovative match-color battle system and dodge obstacles. Use your looted gold in the shop to purchase numerous updates and become even stronger.

DuckTales: Scrooge’s Loot

Description: A new DuckTales adventure begins in this all-new quest for gold! Jump into mounds of riches with this exciting, online treasure-hunting game! The infamous Beagle Boys have swindled Scrooge's fortune! It's up to you to join the citizens of Duckburg to recover his stolen loot!

COMING SOON

Republic Wireless wants to help pay for your Moto X, and charge you $5 a month for service
Sep 19th 2013, 18:59, by Dustin Earley

Republic Wireless has been around for awhile now in cell phone industry time, trying to make a dent in big carrier policies by offering cheap handsets with even cheaper plans. They’ve yet to see a whole lot of success thus far, but now they’re really upping the ante.

Announced today on their community blog, come November Republic Wireless will be selling the Motorola Moto X for $300 with plans starting as low as $5 a month. So how are they able to charge $300 for a normally $650 Moto X? They’re going to eat the cost. Republic is so convinced there’s a profitable business model in they way they operate, they are willing to pay for more than half of your device’s cost just to get you using their service. And how are they able to charge you only $5 a month for service? By being a WiFi only VoIP moderator.

Republic Wireless’ plans are based on the fact that most people with a smartphone are around WiFi all day. For $5, you get unlimited everything, but it all has to be done through WiFi. If you can’t get a WiFi signal you can’t use your phone. The way I look at it, the $5 plan is like having a smartphone for a home phone. But one you can most likely take to work and still have function just fine. For just $5 more, at $10, you can get unlimited minutes and texts on Sprint’s cell towers, but no data. Data for the $10 plan is available on WiFi only. The next step up is a $25 plan, which includes unlimited everything with 3G data, followed by a $40 plan, which has unlimited everything with 4G data.

Republic Wireless’ plans do come with a lot of caveats, but there are plenty of people out there who would get along just fine with their plans. Especially with a $300 Moto X. If I could get away with a WiFi only plan, I’d do it in a heartbeat. How about you?

AT&T announces Galaxy S III Mini, we ask why
Sep 19th 2013, 18:55, by Dima Aryeh

The Samsung Galaxy S III Mini was Samsung’s attempt to shrink down their flagship into a smaller and cheaper device for the masses who can’t afford a full-size Galaxy S III. While the Galaxy S III Mini isn’t quite a small Galaxy S III due to weaker specs and worse performance, it was still a decent low/mid range device for its time.

But here lies the problem: this phone was released a whole year ago. Since then, Samsung has released a new flagship and a new mini version of that flagship. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini is available, so what were the people at AT&T thinking? They announced a phone almost no one wanted at launch a whole year late, and they have the guts to charge you a dollar.

Yes, this device will not be free. It will cost you $0.99 with a new two year contract. For that price, you get a 4-inch WVGA display, 1.2GHz dual core, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of memory with microSD slot, a 5MP camera, a 2,000 mAh battery and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

My recommendation is that most of you stay away from this device. It isn’t ever worth buying a low-end Android phone an entire year after it is released, because Android phones age fast. Get something higher end. Get last year’s Galaxy S III, it’ll serve you well. It’s only a penny on Amazon with a new contract, so you’ll even be saving money.

If you’re still interested in this device, it will launch on September 27, so you can purchase it online or in an AT&T store. It’ll come with all the fancy software of its bigger brother, including S Voice, S Beam, Smart Stay and motion controls. But really, it isn’t worth it.

Show Press Release

Beginning Sept. 27, AT&T* will offer the Samsung Galaxy S® III mini for $0.99 with a two-year agreement. The Galaxy S III mini brings the high performance and intuitive ease-of-use of the Galaxy S III to an elegant, compact smartphone at a budget friendly price.

On Sept. 19, you'll be able to pre-order the Galaxy S III mini at www.att.com/galaxysiiimini.

"Our Galaxy family continues to grow and we're excited to offer the Galaxy S III mini as an option for customers seeking a premium smartphone experience at an outstanding value, all on the nation's fastest, most reliable 4G LTE network," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T.

The Galaxy S III mini is a 4G LTE smartphone that features a 4.0-inch Super AMOLED™ display and runs Android 4.2, (Jelly Bean). Its compact size gives users a comfortable grip and is ideal for one-handed use. The Galaxy S III mini also comes with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of internal RAM and includes a 5-megapixel camera.

The Galaxy S III mini has all your favorite Galaxy features, including:

S Beam™ quickly and easily share files simply by tapping two S Beam enabled smartphones together. Or use Buddy photo share™ to send a photo simultaneously to your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.
S Voice™ natural language recognition software lets you use your voice to unlock the phone with simple customized commands. Play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, organize your schedule, or automatically launch the camera and start taking photos.
Group Play™ lets you share music in "surround sound" so you can keep the party going. Group play also lets you collaborate and share photos as well as share files such sense PowerPoint presentations and PDF documents with other Galaxy devices.
Easy Mode is a great option for new smartphone users or simplicity seekers. Start out with a basic version of your home screen that keeps your favorite apps and features within reach.
Smart Stay™ uses eye-tracking technology and keeps the screen lit as long as you are looking at it.
Motions and Gestures provide helpful shortcuts, making everyday actions easier – and faster – than ever before.

Super AMOLED display offers a stunning 4.0-inch screen for a sharp, rich viewing experience.

AT&T has the fastest and now the most reliable 4G LTE network. According to independent third-party data, AT&T has the highest success rate for delivering mobile content across nationwide 4G LTE networks.** And AT&T was named America's fastest 4G LTE network in PC Magazine's 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks 30-market study – and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest. ***

From the initial purchase to ongoing service interactions, AT&T is focused on providing an unparalleled customer experience. AT&T was recently recognized with two significant achievements, outperforming competitors for customer service and wireless purchase experience. J.D. Power awarded AT&T the "Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers" and "Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full Service Wireless Providers" in their 2013, Volume 2 studies.

For more information, please visit www.att.com/galaxysiiimini.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

** Speed claim based on comparison of national carriers’ average 4G LTE download speeds for AndroidTM and Windows smartphones and iPhone 5. Reliability claim compares data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.

*** PC Magazine, June 17, 2013; http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp

AT&T received the highest numerical score among full service wireless providers in the proprietary J.D. Power 2013 Wireless Purchase Experience Full Service StudySM – Vol. 2. Study based on responses from 8,693 consumers measuring 4 full service wireless providers and measures opinions of consumers who purchased a wireless product or service within last 6 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed January-June 2013. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

4G LTE speed claim based on national carriers' average 4G LTE download speeds. Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. 4G LTE availability varies.

Moto X Developer Edition now available for Verizon for $649, GSM variant comes tomorrow
Sep 19th 2013, 17:43, by Dima Aryeh

Carrier control over devices is disappointingly strong. Locked bootloaders and tons of bloatware are what make or break a phone for many tech enthusiasts, and the Moto X is no different. On both AT&T and Verizon, the devices have permanently locked bootloaders with no unlock method. Trying to appeal to the tech crowd, Motorola has released a Developer Edition Moto X that works on the Verizon network and can be modified to your hearts content.

The device will have a black front and white textured back, along with the words “Developer Edition” inscribed on the back. And as a bonus, you’ll also be getting 32GB of memory instead of 16. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use your upgrade on one, and you’ll be forced to pay full price. The device will set you back $649.99.

If you’re an AT&T customer, the GSM Developer Edition device will be released tomorrow in the same color and with the same price. Neither can be customized with Moto Maker, so you’ll have to deal with the half black half white color scheme (I personally like it).

Not many people will be getting these devices, purely because most people don’t care about locked bootloaders and would rather get it subsidized. Plus, at such a high price, buying this device is a little prohibitive. But if you’re serious about the Moto X and want full control over it, this is the device for you. Hit the source links to go to the sale pages. The Verizon model is currently out of stock, so you’ll have to wait until they restock it. Will you be getting a Developer Edition?

Source: Moto X Developer Edition (Verizon), Moto X Developer Edition (GSM)
Via: The Verge

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