Android and Me |
- A speedy hedgehog deserves a speedy tablet: Win a Toshiba Excite 10!
- Android Gaming Weekly: Gyro, Zombie Ace, Mobbles, NOVA 3
- Samsung Galaxy S III official Canadian launch pegged for June 20th starting at $159
- Qualcomm reveals speakers for Uplinq 2012, win a free pass or get 30% off admission
- Google+ Local, now being served with Zagat reviews
- Flipboard for Android to enter beta testing TODAY
- Top 10 most popular Android apps from last week: Mass Effect, GTasks, Uniqlo, Pair
- ASUS MeMO 370T passes through FCC, is it the Nexus 7?
| A speedy hedgehog deserves a speedy tablet: Win a Toshiba Excite 10! Posted: 30 May 2012 06:08 PM PDT  More chances to win a Tegra 3 device to properly relive your childhood love of Sonic, you say? Well, alright then! We’ve had a blast giving away an ASUS Transformer Prime, an Acer Iconia Tab A510 and an HTC One X in honor of the release of Sonic 4 Episode II. And yes, we’re not stopping – this week we’re offering up a chance to own a Toshiba Excite 10. Keep reading for details on how to win! The TrailerThe DownloadSonic 4 Episode II is available as a paid title for $6.99 and a lite version is free to install. The GameThe Sonic 4 saga continues with Sonic's beloved sidekick, Miles “Tails” Power. Players can now experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and HD graphics. “Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we've integrated community feedback into the game,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.” For the first time Android gamers can enjoy an experience that is nearly identical to the PS3 and XBox versions, and it comes at half the price. Players with Tegra 3 devices like the HTC One X or ASUS Transformer Prime will enjoy higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions. Episode 2 also features a collaborative multiplayer mode where players can team up with a friend via Bluetooth and take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic. We just installed the game on our devices, so look for our full review in the coming weeks. Release dates:
Pricing:
Episode Metal bonus pack: Players who have Episodes I and II installed on the same device will gain access to a new bonus pack called "Episode Metal." This unlockable story will feature a playable Metal Sonic, four exclusive levels, and allow players to discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic and learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD. If you missed the first episode, grab it from the link below. Benefits of Tegra 3 Tegra 3 offers gamers the most technically advanced mobile version.
 Non-Tegra vs Tegra 3 version of Sonic 4. The Contest – Win a Toshiba Excite 10 (AT305) TabletDelivering more performance, sleek durability and more essential ports and features than the average Android tablet, the Toshiba Excite 10 Tablet is an all-around tablet designed for home and on-the-go use. It features a bright, high definition 10.1-inch LED backlit display with 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. And it’s powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with GeForce graphics and 1 GB of RAM, opening up the possibilities for both everyday computing and mobile gaming. How to EnterSonic is a character who is “like the wind” and he is often impatient with slower things. Send us a picture of you and your slow phone, with this post loaded in the browser, and you will be entered to win the super-fast Toshiba Excite 10 tablet. You can upload the pic anywhere you like, but just be sure to include the link to the photo in the comments below. We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join. Multiple chances to win: Today marks the second-to-last chance to win a Tegra 3 powered device, so be on the lookout next week as well. Sega also provided us with some limited edition action figures and comics to give away, so there will be more chances to win some loot. Contest RulesThis contest is open to residents of any country. Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, June 6th. We'll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw. Contest WinnerComing soon…
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| Android Gaming Weekly: Gyro, Zombie Ace, Mobbles, NOVA 3 Posted: 30 May 2012 03:37 PM PDT  Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week's best in Android gaming. Top 7 New Games This WeekWe always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I'm going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 releases. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below. Zombie Ace Developer says: “Come fly the deadly skies in Zombie Ace! These undead pilots guarantee fast service to 14 destinations across the United States of America. When you need to infect the next city fast, trust a Zombie Ace to get you there!” Taylor says: For the third week in a row we feature a title from Hothead Games. These Canadian developers have been producing quality iOS titles for awhile, and now they are finally bringing over some games to Android. Zombie Ace is free, so check it out to see the quality of games they deliver. GYRO Developer says: “GYRO is an easy to play, but hard to master arcade game with intuitive touch controls, addictive gameplay, cool minimalistic graphics and gazillions of points to collect! Spin the wheel, match colors, collect power ups, neutralize viruses and earn achievements on your way to the top of the leaderboard!” Taylor says: Looks super simple, but I bet it gets hard fast. I’m downloading this now since it’s free to play. Lords & Knights Beta Developer says: “Play Lords & Knights now and become ruler of a mighty empire! Join other lords in exciting battles against thousands of players – all to take control of the country. Build carefully crafted castles across a great and glorious empire!” Taylor says: Not my style of game, but previous MMOs have been popular with this audience. Graphics look simple, but gameplay is said to be very deep. Shoot the Zombirds Developer says: “How long will you survive? Do you remember Pumpkin Boy? Last year he was protecting little Pumpkids from the evil birds. Now, that the Pumpkids have grown up a bit, the undead birds are after them once again. Dive into our new and absorbing game of bird and zombie shooting. Both at the same time!” Taylor says: I like the developer Infinite Dreams. They released a lot of quality Android games including Can Knockdown, SkyForce, Jelly Defense, Lets Create Pottery, and more. There might be an overflow of Zombie games, but this one is free and has an average review score of 4.6. Mobbles Developer says: “Mobbles are small and fun creatures living around us. Discover which Mobbles are around you with your Mobbles radar, and catch them if you’re close enough. Grow their affection by taking care of them like real pets when they need you. There are more than 60+ creatures available, can you capture and keep them all?’ Taylor says: I doubt Pokemon will ever come to Android, so this is about as close as you are going to get. Your pets can’t battle each other (boo), but you can still try to collect them all (yay?). Piranha 3DD: The Game Developer says: “Based on the motion picture, PIRANHA 3DD, become a bloodthirsty school of predators and troll the shallow shores in search of soft morsels of helpless prey. This time, nothing and no one is safe from the flesh eating fish as they sink their razor sharp teeth into the visitors of summer's best attraction, The Big Wet Water Park. Everything is on the menu from small feeder fish to humans. No fish and no human is safe from your starving school of razor sharp teeth.” Taylor says: This game could suck, but the trailer was pretty funny. I’d wait to read a couple more reviews before I hand over $0.99 to this developer. Castle Master 3D Developer says: “Humans, abandoned by God for their arrogance and greed, were deprived of all their 45 castles by the evil hordes from Hades. And the last knightage gathered together for the barely survived young prince. Starting from an action to take back the castle 'Gaia', humans' counterattack begins now! Lose yourself in the world of a classic RPG!” Taylor says: First mobile game to feature 300 vs. 300 castle siege battles. What else do you need to know? Honorable MentionsFashion Icon I just couldn’t list this in the Top 7, but it does come from Gameloft that normally produces quality titles. If you need to “indulge your inner shopaholic in Paris and become a true Fashion Icon”, then grab it from the link below. Android Games Coming SoonCastleStorm Zen Studios, the developers behind Zen Pinball THD, announced they have a new game in the works called CastleStorm. Pocketgamer reports that you goal is to prevent the enemy from storming your castle while simultaneously taking out your foe’s. The game is scheduled for release later this year, and there’s a chance it could debut first on TegraZone. Pocket Clothier DroidGamers spotted that Kairosoft has revealed their next game called Pocket Clothier. In their latest simulation game you take the role of running your own clothing store. I’m sure Kairosoft fans will eat this game up, but if sim games are not your thing then you might want to pass. Boom Brigade 2 Pocketgamer reports that Finnish developer 10tons is bringing their line-drawing, top-down shooter Boom Bridgade 2 to Android in June. The game will feature 30 levels that are spread across three themed chapters, and introduce a pause feature that will allow gamers to re-route their troops as they try to defend their base. N.O.V.A. 3 Gameloft said that N.O.V.A. 3 was coming to Android in May, but they have yet to provide a release date. With only one day left this month, it looks like the game is getting delayed. This has to be our most anticipated Android game, so we will be sure to let you know as soon as it is released. Games I'm currently playingBig Win Hockey: We featured this game a couple weeks ago and I finally had the chance to sit down and play it. Big Win Hockey is a simulation sports game where you buy packs of trading cards that let you build your team roster, powerup your skills, and customize your team. The game is free to play, but you will really have to grind to unlock the better players and skills. As with most free games, in-app purchases allow you to buy more cash and speed up the progress of the game. Overall I found it was a pretty enjoyable game and I’d recommend it to others. The developer also offers Big Win Soccer if you are not a fan of hockey. What Android games are you playing?Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.
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| Samsung Galaxy S III official Canadian launch pegged for June 20th starting at $159 Posted: 30 May 2012 02:11 PM PDT  Samsung’s response to the newly freed One series of devices is already available in many parts of the globe and while those of us in the U.S. are still just grasping at rumors, our neighbors to the north can now lord their certainty over us as Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S III will be available there starting June 20th. If that date sounds familiar it’s probably because that is the same date that is currently being tossed around for a U.S. launch on T-Mobile, but this isn’t about the U.S. so I’ll stop stealing your limelight, Canada. It should come as a surprise to no one that the quad-core Exynos has been dropped in favor of the dual-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. If that stings a bit then perhaps the full 2GB of RAM (whether you need it or not) will pep you back up. The LTE version (SGH-i747) will be available on Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless, SaskTel, TELUS and Virgin Mobile. Those of you on Mobilicity, Wind or Videotron will be getting the HSPA+ 42 variant (SGH-iT999). The rest of the specs match up with what we saw at the launch event in London so you can go back and check them out here or hit the “show press release” button at the end of the post. The only other discrepancy is that there is no sign of a 64GB version, but with a microSD slot available I doubt that should be too much of a concern. For pricing the only one to have officially weighed in so far is TELUS and they will be offering the 16GB for $159.99 and the 32GB for $209.99 both on 3-year contracts. No word on what it’ll cost you if you don’t want to do that kind of time, but if I remember correctly it was about $400 more to go with a 2-year on the Galaxy S II when it launched on TELUS so it’s safe to assume it’ll cost you. In the face off between the One X and the Galaxy S III you seemed to generally favor the One X. Has anyone changed their mind since then or is HTC’s latest still the top dog this time around? Show Press ReleaseThe Samsung GALAXY S III provides Canadians with a more human smartphone experienceCanada NewsWire MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 30, 2012 Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the Samsung GALAXY S III brings the best combination of power and performance to the Canadian marketplace MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 30, 2012 /CNW/ – Samsung Electronics Canada, today announces the models details and availability date of the much-anticipated GALAXY S III. Beginning June 20th, the Samsung GALAXY S III will be available through leading Canadian wireless carriers and authorized national retailers. “We are very excited to bring the highly anticipated GALAXY S III to Canadians so they can experience firsthand, the power, performance and passion that Samsung is known for,” said Paul Brannen, Vice President, Enterprise Business Group, Samsung Canada. “This next generation of the GALAXY S series is sleek and stylish, and offers users features that promote sharing, and are intuitive and powerful, allowing Canadians to enjoy a more human experience with their smartphone.” Natural Interaction Smart enough to detect face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the user, providing users an interface that is convenient and natural.
Easy and Instant Sharing The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it wants to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of location with the following features:
Uncompromised Performance With a 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth. The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options. The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways, with features such as:
The GALAXY S III will be available for purchase in Canada starting on June 20, 2012. Samsung is pleased to be working with all of the leading wireless providers in Canada, to give our customers a choice of service provider. The SGH-i747 variation of the GALAXY S III will be available from Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, SaskTel, TELUS and Rogers Wireless. The SGH-iT999 model will be available from Videotron, Wind and Mobilicity. Additional Features Include:
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| Qualcomm reveals speakers for Uplinq 2012, win a free pass or get 30% off admission Posted: 30 May 2012 09:17 AM PDT  Today Qualcomm announced the keynotes and agenda for their Uplinq 2012 mobile developers conference and we are celebrating the event by giving away a free pass to one of our readers. The conference will be held June 27-28, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel and will cover the Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8, HTML5 and Brew platforms. Qualcomm’s developer network, QDevNet, will also sponsor a pre-conference Mobile CodeFest & Hackathon on June 26 for hardcore coders. The event will include device giveaways, provide coders hands-on, deep-dive training on how to exploit leading mobile technologies to create extraordinary user experiences. The hackathon will end with a lightning round of presentations, with judging and awards totaling more than $50,000 immediately to follow. Uplinq 2012 keynote speakers and breakout sessionsKeynote speakers include:
Super session topics this year are:
Uplinq 2012 breakout sessions will cover such topics as:
Get 30% discount on admissionThe registration price for Uplinq 2012 is US$375, but our readers can get 30% off using a special coupon code. The price includes registration for the pre-conference Mobile CodeFest and Hackathon (limited to 300 coders). The Uplinq 2012 registration page can be found at www.uplinq.com/user/register. Uplinq 2012 30% discount code: UB2012 Win a free pass to Uplinq 2012As we mentioned above, we also have a free, 1-time pass to give away to one of our readers. If you live in the San Diego area and are able to attend, just leave a comment below to be entered to win. We are looking for someone who has experience with Android development, so include a link to any apps you have published in the Google Play Store to increase your chances of winning.
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| Google+ Local, now being served with Zagat reviews Posted: 30 May 2012 09:14 AM PDT  Google+ is going local with Zagat, the restaurant ratings and review company Google acquired back in September 2011. Starting today, Google is rolling out an update to it’s Google+ web front, which adds a local tab to help users discover venues based on their Zagat score and recommendations from people you trust on Google+. In addition to the new Google+ hub, Google is updating the Maps application to add a similar tab, which will give you a map view of restaurants and locales around you, complete with Zagat score and reviews from experts and people you know on Google+. In the updated Google Maps for Android, you’ll now find a local button on the bottom row of your home screen, and once you click through to the Local tab, you’ll be presented with a Places-like menu with Restaurants, Cafes, and other Venues. Once you click one of the buttons or search for a type of food, you’ll be presented with a list of places complete with the newly-integrated Zagat information. Android users will start seeing the update for Google Maps shortly, and the new Zagat-integrated features will show up the next time you launch Google Maps after the update. More integrations between the two companies are expected to launch over the next several months. Who out there is excited for Zagat integration into Google Maps/Places? Or could you care less about Zagat’s reviews being in Google Maps/Google+?
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| Flipboard for Android to enter beta testing TODAY Posted: 30 May 2012 08:25 AM PDT  Flipboard for Android made its debut on the Galaxy S III superphone, which is currently making its way around the world. Flipboard chose the Galaxy S III as a launch exclusive because it wanted to focus on delivering the same polished experience the application has on iOS to Android, and tailoring the application for one device (and one screen size) allowed them to accomplish that goal. Those who chose to hold out for an official application, and not install the leaked build, would have to wait indefinitely for Flipboard to end it’s exclusive deal with the S III. Update: Just received an invite to join the Flipboard beta via email, so those who signed up to receive updates should also be invited to join the beta soon. You will need to sign up for email to get it, for now. Flipboard has announced that it will be offering a beta testing period to all other devices shortly, allowing early adopters the opportunity to help Flipboard fine-tune their application for the wide array of Android devices currently available today. Beta testers can report bugs and issues they have with the application, which will in turn allow Flipboard developers to troubleshoot potential issues certain devices will have without the need to purchase the thousands of devices currently available. Those of you looking to get your hands on Flipboard for Android should keep an eye on their Android landing page, which will be updated with information about the beta trial. We will, of course, keep you up to date as we learn more of the beta launch. Stay tuned.
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| Top 10 most popular Android apps from last week: Mass Effect, GTasks, Uniqlo, Pair Posted: 30 May 2012 08:19 AM PDT  Every week we cover Android gaming on Wednesday, followed by Top 10 app updates on Friday. Now every Monday (or Tuesday) we will look back and see which ones were the most crowd-pleasing among our audience. Read on for the 10 most popular Android apps from your peers. 1. Solid ExplorerSolid Explorer won week 5 of #thenextinstall, so it’s no surprise to see it at take home the number one spot. It might not be the most full featured file manager, but it is easily the best looking that we have seen on Android. Solid Explorer is still in beta, so look for the developer to add more features over the coming months. 2. Mass Effect InfiltratorElectronic Arts launched Mass Effect Infiltrator last week and it was well received among our audience as the top game. We don’t normally see games place this high in our Top 10 lists, but Mass Effect really deserves this spot. The game will cost you $6.99 and it requires a high-end device, but it is one of the best looking shooters to ever hit Android. I’ve been playing the game since it came out and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun shooter. 3. GTasks: To Do ListIf Google ever releases a native Android app for their Tasks service, it would probably look a lot like GTasks. There are tons of to-do managers for Android, but few have the simplicity and Ice Cream Sandwich stylings of GTasks. If you are looking for a to do list app that synchronizes with your Gmail account, give it a try. 4. 100 FloorsIf games are really popular on iOS, they tend to perform pretty well on Android. The game 100 Floors was finally ported to Android last week, and it has already racked up over 100,000 installs and maintained an average review score of 4.2. The title is free to play, so grab it if you like puzzle games. 5. Death RacingGames continue to dominate this Top 10 list, and Death Racing by Feeling Touch debuted at the 5th spot. This title is also free to play and it generated over 500,000 installs since its release and averaged reviews at 4.3. The graphics are pretty ordinary compared to some other racers, but it has the twitch gameplay that is easy to pick up and play for mobile gamers. 6. UniqloFeatured in our most recent edition of #thenextinstall, Uniqlo claims to be an innovative new social alarm app that aims to make waking up every day an enjoyable experience. The app sounds really interesting, but it has received mix reviews so far and has an average score of 3.6. Most of the complaints are coming from certain countries or devices that have some serious problems, but the rest of the reviews are positive and we think the app still has potential to improve. The music is written by Grammy nominee Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada) and Yoko Kanno, who is active in songwriting across a wide range of genres including video games and anime (COWBOY BEBOP, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Macross), so we still think it’s worth checking out. 7. Go BackupAny of the apps from the GO Launcher team are pretty popular, and GO Backup continues that trend. This free app allows users to easily backup their contacts, messages, and apps, plus it features a clean look that we enjoy. 8. Metal SnifferMetal Sniffer is an app that uses a devices magnetometer to find magnetic fields and detect metals or magnets. The free app is still in beta, but the early users say it works pretty well and have rated the app with a 4.3 average review score. 9. PairPair is a new messaging app designed just for couples. The service allows two users to post video messages and photos that no one else will see. The app is new and might not be as well polished as Path, but it has some unique features like chat, sharing sketches, sharing to-do lists, and sharing location. There is even a weird thing called ThumbKiss, a feature that let’s you see where your partner is touching their screen so you can touch the same spot and make both phones vibrate simultaneously. If you have a significant other, this app might be worth a try. 10. Grand Theft Auto IIIRounding out the Top 10 is Grand Theft Auto III. Rockstar Games put the title on sale this Memorial Day weekend for $0.99 and lots of people took advantage of the limited offer. The price is now back to the regular $4.99, but it’s still worth it if you love the GTA series.
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| ASUS MeMO 370T passes through FCC, is it the Nexus 7? Posted: 30 May 2012 08:10 AM PDT  You probably remember the ASUS MeMO 370T from CES as we freaked out a bit when NVIDIA pulled it out during their press conference and reeled off a laundry list of fantastic specs and then dropped the bomb on us that it would retail for $250. The basic response to that was “give it now!” But of course as with many products that we see at CES, we had to wait. In the last couple months we have had a few indications that this one might be worth the wait as the ASUS MeMO 370T may now be doing duty as the first Nexus tablet, which our sources have confirmed will most likely come to market as the Nexus 7 (Yes, that is one better than those pesky Nexus-6 units in Blade Runner). As yesterday’s rumor indicated, the Nexus tablet could bring with it the first taste of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and may indeed bear the Tegra 3 processor, which was previously rumored to be dropped to bring the price of the tablet down to the insanely low price of $149-199 that we have reported previously. Today the ASUS MeMO 370T has passed through the FCC with just WiFi radios on board, which is certainly encouraging as even if it would come to pass that this is not the Nexus tablet it would still hopefully deliver a powerful tablet in a compelling form factor and at a price significantly lower than most of the competition. Another possibility is that there could be two versions of the device with slightly differing specs for the Nexus 7 versus the ASUS MeMO 370T. While FCC approval hardly provides a definitive timeline for a device to release it does typically come weeks and not months prior to launch so if this thing is going to make an appearance at Google I/O next month (perhaps in the hands of all attendees) and then become widely available in July, this timing would make perfect sense.
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