Monday, May 7, 2012

Android and Me

Android and Me

HTC says “restrictions” prevent AT&T One X from joining in their bootloader unlocking program

Posted: 06 May 2012 09:33 AM PDT

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After a huge backlash in 2011, HTC changed their strategy and said they would start allowing customers to unlock the bootloaders on their devices. Over the past six months HTC has unlocked over 45 devices, but it looks like the AT&T One X might not be participating in that program quite yet.

Android hacker Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo noticed that his AT&T One X kept getting an error when he tried to unlock the bootloader, but he assumed this was an issue with pre-release software. Now it’s been confirmed that others are seeing the same issue, after the AT&T One X went on sale today.

Paul reached out to HTC who quickly responded with a message that doesn’t look good for AT&T customers.

HTC is committed to listening to users and delivering customer satisfaction. Since announcing our commitment to unlockable bootloaders, HTC has worked to enable our customers to unlock the bootloader on more than 45 devices over the past six months. In some cases, however, restrictions prevent certain devices from participating in our bootloader unlocking program. Rest assured, HTC is committed to assisting developers in unlocking bootloaders for HTC devices and we'll continue to unlock additional devices in the future.HTC Representative

Last year Peter Chou, HTC CEO, said, “There has been overwhelmingly customer feedback that people want access to open bootloaders on HTC phones [and] we’ve listened. I’m confirming we will no longer be locking the bootloaders on our devices.”

Unfortunately in this case it looks like AT&T has overturned the will of its customers. This doesn’t mean that the One X will never see its bootloader officially unlocked, but it might take a little outcry to convince the carrier to change their mind.

AT&T has a history of crippling the Android experience, but they have gotten better over the years by allowing users to install non-Market apps and improving the speed of software updates.

If you planned on buying the HTC One X from AT&T (or already picked one up), let AT&T know what you think of their decision to keep the bootloader locked.

Gameloft producer explains why you will buy N.O.V.A. 3

Posted: 06 May 2012 09:10 AM PDT

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Gameloft thinks N.O.V.A. 3 will be their best game to date and they have pulled out all the stops to make sure you know that. We already saw three teaser videos released last week and they are back again with a new clip that shows all the outstanding visual improvements you can expect.

Executive producer, Arnaud Bonnard, walks us through a new 90 second video that shows off a ton of eye candy tricks including depth of field, motion blur, distortion effect, normal mapping, dynamic lighting, shadows and particles.

We don’t have an exact release date, but Gameloft has said the game will debut on Android in May. Some were worried that Gameloft might ruin this game by making it a freemium title, but Gameloft has said it will be a paid title, with a retail price around $6.99.

Has Gameloft convinced you to buy N.O.V.A. 3 yet? I’ve seen enough to hand over my money.

HTC One X now available from AT&T

Posted: 06 May 2012 07:37 AM PDT

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The HTC One X from AT&T is finally here! AT&T stores across the country are now selling the HTC One X for $199.99 with a new two year contract while off-contract pricing is set at $549. If you’re looking to save a little extra cash, you can pick up the HTC One X from Amazon Wireless for only $149.99.

Based on our review of the HTC One X, it is currently the best Android powered phone money can buy in the U.S. market. The HTC One X’s 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD2 display is breathtaking and the battery life of the phone will impress even the toughest skeptics.  Is the HTC One X right phone for you? Only you can decide that. Leave us a comment below and let us know if you plan to or have already purchased the HTC One X.

 
Posted by at 8:08 AM 0 comments

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

S Voice on the Galaxy S3 passes the “woodchuck” test [Humor]

Posted: 06 May 2012 12:24 PM PDT

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That Siri grabbed the majority of the limelight in the aftermath of the iPhone 4S launch would be an understatement: to me, it seemed like the phone was marketed almost exclusively with it’s voice assistant feature. But what the people loved, more than actually productive stuff like scheduling appointments or sending texts, were the more... random commands (some of which are admittedly hilarious).

So, to convince people who might for some strange reason need the ability to decipher those commands, Android Central’s Phil Nickinson put the Samsung Galaxy S III’s S Voice feature to the “woodchuck” test. Good news, folks, the phone passed.

Konami’s X-Men arcade game port for Android free on Amazon App Store today [deal]

Posted: 06 May 2012 12:02 PM PDT

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Last year, Konami brought their classic X-Men arcade game to Android 18 years after its first release. And if you haven’t given it a try already, and are in the US, you got no more excuses: the app is free today on Amazon App Store.

Glancing through the reviews, the game clearly has some issues. But hey, who doesn’t love playing these oldies once in a while?

Droid Razr coming in blue? Does it even matter any more?

Posted: 06 May 2012 10:38 AM PDT

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Android Central were tipped with this screenshot showing the Motorola DROID RAZR with blue trims. While it’s rumored to launch on May 18, let’s face it, what we really want to see now from Moto is the Razr HD.

How many of you would still spend some money on the Razr just to get it in this new shade?

Gameloft executive producer discusses N.O.V.A. 3 visual effects, looks delicious

Posted: 06 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT

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Gameloft’s clearly excited for their upcoming summer releases. Having teased M.I.B 3 and Asphalt 7: Heat already, they’ve now posted a video where Arnaud Bonnard, the executive producer behind the latest N.O.V.A. sequel, discusses the effort the developer has put in for the visual effects in the game.

If you’re a fan of the series, do have a watch. If you’re not, still do. This looks like a really exciting game that I honestly can’t wait for.

[via Android And Me]

HTC One X now available from AT&T

Posted: 06 May 2012 10:02 AM PDT

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It’s the day many of you have been waiting for: the HTC One X is now available at AT&T stores countrywide. You can pick one up for $199 on-contract (or $549 without one). Or you can head over to Amazon Wireless and save $50.

How many of you are heading over to get a little hands-on before making the purchase? And if you already have one, do share your early impressions with us in the comments.

Ready For Some Football? Get the 2012 Schedule App!

Posted: 06 May 2012 07:32 AM PDT

During the football season, my Sundays are reserved for watching football, and what glorious days those are (except for my team’s pesky bye week). With the draft complete and 3 months until the start of Preseason, we couldn’t help but share a little 2012 Football Schedule app we made in preparation. There weren’t many clean, polished, lightweight schedule apps out there, so we thought we’d make one ourselves: check out Football Schedule 2012 on Google Play.

In addition to being a nice little app for football fans, Football Schedule 2012 serves a few additional purposes. As you may know, last year was Neverstill’s first year of running our Football Pickem contest (through FootballBeast.com) where we gave away $2,200 in prizes plus a Grand Prize of tickets to The Big Game. We’ll be running the same contest this year, and in preparation, wanted to revamp the app and get feedback from users. Football Schedule 2012 is our way of beta testing, so we’re eager to hear your feedback.

How it works

The first time you open the app, you’ll be asked to select your favorite team. You can change this selection at any time, and your favorite team’s schedule will then get a reserved screen on the left panel of the app. The middle screen provides a full schedule in collapsible list form.  Stars on the right side of the list allow you to highlight key matchups throughout the season, easily viewing all of the important games on the app’s right panel.

I’m guessing a lot of fans will be starring Denver and Indianapolis games thanks to Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. I’m also especially excited to see some Washington games; their long drought at the QB position may finally be over. Besides watching my hometown BMORE boys, I never pass up an opportunity to see Michael Vick tear up the turf.

Future Features: Live Scores & Theming

We’re strongly considering adding some features for the season’s start, including live scores and customized colors based on your favorite team. But once you add live scores, shouldn’t the apps title convert to “Football Scores 2012″? It’s also a slippery slope: before you know it, we’ll be motivated to add standings, stats, and the whole 9 yards (pun intended). What would you like to see in the perfect football app?

Notice The Ad? Case Study Time!

Another reason we created Football Schedule 2012 was to perform a case study for developers. While mobile is definitely the tech world’s hottest topic, how to launch, promote, and monetize mobile apps is still uncharted territory for a large percentage of developers (especially indie devs). We’re hoping to document the life of Football Schedule 2012 and publish our findings in a case study on Phandroid.

You may not particularly enjoy ads, but it’s one of the primary reasons developers are able to bring awesome apps and games to our Android Phones. Sure, there are other ways to support development (paid apps, in-app purchases, etc…), but in-app ads are one great way to keep apps free to users, and we’re eager to test the results.

Developers: if there is anything specific you’d like to see in a case study, please share your thoughts in the comments below. We’ll be as transparent as possible in the case study.

Make your predictions

What are your predictions for the 2012 season? Who is going to go all the way? What rookies will stand out? Will Peyton return to his superstar form or be a shell of his former self? Let us know your opinions in the comments below!

 

Verizon hard-selling 4G Android phones over iPhone: CNN Report

Posted: 06 May 2012 06:37 AM PDT

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While the matter of choosing between an Android phone or an iPhone is a case of personal choice, with a significant number of people preferring each platform’s implementation of key features (that’s me at my diplomatic best). However, there is one area where the iPhone just can’t match the flagship Android phones: 4G LTE.

And based on this report by CNN, it seems like this key offering available on devices such as the Droid Razr/Razr Maxx and the LG Lucid is enough for the Verizon employees to suggest potential customers choose one of those over the iPhone 4S. As the author of the source notes, he spoke to 10 Verizon reps, telling half of them he wanted to buy a new smartphone, and the other half he was interested in the iPhone 4S.

In the former case, he was always directed to the Razrs or the Lucid. In the latter, they gave him the information he wanted on the iPhone, but once he asked if it was the best smartphone available, he always met with a “no”.

Although the next iPhone would almost certainly feature LTE, Android has a significant advantage here thanks to this scenario. By ensuring that users enjoy their experience, they might not be tempted to switch to the iPhone in the future.

Samsung takes the Note to the streets – Have you seen one of these around?

Posted: 05 May 2012 07:19 PM PDT

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AT&T and Samsung have really gone all out with the Samsung Galaxy Note. Advertisements are everywhere, but apparently they feel like that isn’t enough, and they have taken it to the streets. Google+ user Amar Rajvanshi has recently posted a few pictures of some Samsung representatives just going around the streets showing off the device.

The pictures were taken at South st. in Philadelphia. They are riding around in a truck that has Samsung ads posted all over it. I was a bit confused by the fact that the cars in that street were not circulating, and seem to all just be parked. Maybe a special street or some sort of event?

Either way, it was just interesting to see that Samsung has decided to do brick & mortar advertising. Hey, maybe a few of the people that check it out will actually buy it! I have never seen anything like this in person. Have you guys ran into any of these trucks around?

[Source: Google+ Via: Reddit]
Posted by at 7:41 AM 0 comments
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