Sunday, October 14, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Android Overload: Google TV, updates, humor and more

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 05:34 PM PDT

We love bringing you all the content, but many stories still don’t make it to the homepage. This is why we have Android Overload. We don’t want you to miss anything, and today we have a flurry of great news that are definitely worth a look. Make sure to check them out before heading over to your weekend adventures!

  • Google TV v3 video gets uploaded by accident [Engadget]
  • NOOK HD tablet pre-orders up over 240% from previous NOOK devices [IntoMobile]
  • Apple Maps parodies will make you LOL [Gizmodo]
  • Crackle app updated with better UI and improved performance [Google Play]
  • Need For Speed: Most Wanted video uploaded [EAMobileGames]
  • History Here released, highlights historical locations across the US [Android Police]
  • Do you buy books from Amazon? You could be getting some money back! [Amazon]

Microsoft bringing Google to court along with Motorola

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 04:50 PM PDT


The patent wars have been fierce and even annoying, to a certain point. Lawsuits are coming left and right, but until now Google has been left out of the court rooms. Even though they are the creators of Android, and sometimes the cause for these lawsuits. Microsoft is taking the next big step, though, and it seems Google could be forced to get involved this time.

Microsoft has revealed its plans to add Google as a defendant on a lawsuit against Motorola in Germany. The reason being that the lawsuit involves Google Maps, which Motorola has limited information on. More specifically, it revolves around the way a smartphone can obtain a map from one database, search for information like surrounding places and businesses from another database and use both together.

This would be the first time Google goes directly against Microsoft in a court room, regarding our favorite mobile OS – Android. The Search Giant is not exactly happy about this, but you can bet the team is ready:

“We want to focus on innovation, not litigation, but we’ll vigorously defend against any amended complaint Microsoft files.” -Google Deputy General Counsel, Allen Lo

As one of the largest tech companies in the world, Google has the resources and power to make a bigger presence in court. Let’s just hope this one works out well for us Android fans, but things could be getting interesting. If Microsoft happens to win, other patent trolls could follow along and try to hit Google.

[Source: Reuters]

Why won’t Square Enix’ Chaos Rings play on rooted devices?

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 03:21 PM PDT


It is hard to dislike Square Enix, as the popular game developer has brought some of the best RPG titles in the history of video games. This week felt like heaven for Chaos Rings fans that have been waiting for years for a port to come to Android, as it has been iOS exclusive until now. The game finally hit the Google Play Store, but there is a major discrepancy with the highly anticipated port – it won’t play on rooted devices.

We know Square Enix is very protective and proud of its games, and their pricing system is proof of that. Square Enix has such a strong foot hold that it charges $12.99 for a mobile game and still manage to sell massive amounts of downloads. The company has only ported a few of its games to Android. Much of the reason is probably related to the open ecosystem, which allows users to easily pirate games and apps.

There is no doubt Chaos Rings brought a whole other mentality to mobile gaming. It’s graphics and gameplay match that of many console games, and there is no doubt Square Enix has the experience to put together a great storyline. Developers need to stop being so scared of rooting in order to move forward in this platform, though. At least now it seems the company is changing its position:

We are aware of the issue affecting Android users who attempt to download Chaos Rings with rooted devices. We are currently working towards applying an update that will grant those players access to the game and we expect this update to go live sometime next week. We thank the Android community for its patience and continued support as we continue to bring great mobile games to the Android platform.

And we say changing their position because developers from XDA are claiming this was done intentionally, and not as a mistake; which is what they seem to claim in their statement. The game was designed to force close after finding a root file on any device.

Android is made open for many reasons, and very rarely is rooting used to steal apps or content (which is mostly the case with jailbreaking iOS devices). Fellow root users simply want to take advantage of their devices; improve performance and experience. It makes nearly no difference when it comes to pirating.

Furthermore, even if a device is rooted, there are ways to bypass this type of security. Users have been able to freely play Chaos Rings by renaming the root file. And it’s their prerogative after paying a whopping $13 for the game. We know your games are quality and making a great game costs a lot of money, Square Enix. But limiting root users won’t help stop piracy, it will only bring a horde of angry customers. All those root users would gladly pay that over-priced sum of cash for a good game so fix things soon or you will only loose money and popularity as those 1-star reviews keep piling up.

[Via: Ars Technica]

The new Granny Smith update is out of this world!

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT


Literally. Our friends from Mediocre (creators of Sprinkle) have updated the popular Granny Smith game with 12 new space levels. As expected, lack of gravity will force users to think differently if they want to get very far. The game does seem to be much harder after playing it for a while, so get ready for a new and completely different adventure!

Now I know what I will be doing after work for the next few days. Granny Smith is really fun and popular; probably one of the most popular since Angry Birds. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this one is a must-have for gamers, so get it at the Google Play Store for $0.99!

And don’t forget to check out our hands-on video of the game if you need some convincing.

[Image via: Technology Tell]

T-Mobile roadmap displays upcoming device release dates – Galaxy Note 2 missing

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 01:40 PM PDT


We are still wondering when many of those hot “Fall” and “Winter” devices will be hitting store shelves, but if you are with T-Mobile this leaked roadmap may help clear things up a bit. Even though the listed devices are not all that exciting for Android fans.

According to the roadmap, we have the Samsung Galaxy S2 coming in different colors by October 24th, the LG Optimus L9 and a Huawei Summit by October 31st and a possible Samsung tablet called “Toba” by November 7th. Out of these, we would say the most exciting is the LG Optimus L9, which is not a bad device at all (check out our hands-on video).

Other devices include a Blackberry Armstrong and the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which could be exciting if you are not exclusive with the little green robot. We are sad to see the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is missing, but we still expect it to come to T-Mobile before the end of the year. After all, leaked documents change and rumors don’t always end up being true.

[Via: TmoNews]

T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger to be completed by June 2013

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 01:08 PM PDT


As we continue to wonder what the future of T-Mobile will be like after said company merges with MetroPCS, the meetings keep bringing in results for both parties. Now we are hearing Sprint wants in on the action and is trying to bid for the regional carrier. It seems T-Mobile and MetroPCS are following their plans, though, as we are now learning that the deal should be finalized some time between April and June 2013 (2nd quarter).

That seems like a reasonable amount of time. The deal will have to be approved by US regulators and all those processes take a hefty amount of time to accomplish. It is still unknown how everything will pan out, as it seems these carriers will continue to run as separate entities for a while.

Maybe there will be changes coming once LTE starts rolling out for T-Mobile. Previous reports point to a complete move from Metro’s network to Magenta’s 3G radios, freeing spectrum to build a more solid 4G LTE network.

We suppose time will tell, but this could help T-Mobile move to the #3 spot in the top list of carriers. It will be a while before Verizon and AT&T are taken from their pedestals, but if done right, this could help T-Mobile step closer in.

[Source: Reuters]

Oh look! Another picture of coffee taken with a… Nexus 4?

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 12:27 PM PDT


You know you have too many pictures of food and drinks when they start reaching Android sites, but this one is much more than just another coffee shop photo. According to the EXIF data pulled from the Googler-uploaded Picasa image, this device was taken with a “Nexus 4″ made by LG.

This comes as a bit of proof that the device will indeed be named the LG Nexus 4, but we wouldn’t rule out the idea that the name is nothing but a placeholder until the official name is decided. Furthermore, EXIF data can easily be modified to display whatever information one prefers.

This could very well be a fake, or it could be the real deal. But whether the device is named LG Optimus G Nexus, LG Optimus Nexus, LG Nexus 4 or anything else, it will be a device we will keep a close eye on. Take it with a grain of salt, and let’s hope the device gets unveiled by October 29 (rumored date).

Now, I am not very satisfied with that image quality, so I hope this is a fake. But tell us, guys – which name would you prefer?

[Via: Droid-Life]

Worth a watch: the making of an LG Optimus G

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 11:52 AM PDT


Commercials for Android devices are mostly a hit or miss project. Some are simply to vague and don’t show much of what the device is capable of (like DROID ads), others are mostly making fun of the competition (Samsung) and others are downright boring. Very few times do we see a fun commercial that manages to display the device’s capabilities while entertaining the viewer, and LG has just accomplished that.

We believe this product video is worth the 4 minutes of your life. It displays the LG Optimus G’s features with visually striking cinematography, immersive sound and performing arts. One can really say this is a form of “artistic” video, but LG managed to accomplish this by also demonstrating features like QSlide function (video multi-tasking), QuickMemo, Dual Play, battery performance and some camera features.

If you have seen our hands-on video, you know we are very excited about the LG Optimus G at Phandroid. We believe this will be one of the hottest devices of 2nd half, 2012. Not to mention it might even be released as a Nexus. A full review is coming, but sit back and enjoy the video for now!


Motorola DROID RAZR M gets its first Android 4.1 leak [Download]

Posted: 13 Oct 2012 11:21 AM PDT


The Motorola DROID RAZR M has raised expectations of affordable devices, almost blurring the line between mid-end and high-end smartphones. The $100 phone comes with very good specs, far better build quality than expected and over all great performance (check out our hands-on). It lacks one thing, though – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It is hard to see a device being released with ICS during 2012′s second half, but Motorola promised a Jelly Bean update before the end of the year and it may be coming sooner than we thought.

The RAZR M has just seen its first Jelly Bean leak, with reports stating that it is very stable. And the best part, one does not need to be rooted to be able to upload. There are still some downsides to getting this awesome, yet not final leaked update.

These leaked updates are usually not final, and still may have a few bugs here and there. Also, because this is not an build ready for the masses, it could stop your upcoming updates for a while; at least until a newer leak comes or a way to downgrade is found.

But what is life without a bit of risk, right? If you feel comfortable tinkering with your device, you can go ahead and download the file, rename it to “update.zip”, copy it to the root of your microSD card, reboot into recovery and tap on “install update.zip”.

It is relatively simple, but we still advice you don’t go through with this if you want to stay on the safe side. Or if you are simply not very experienced in these processes. Remember, always do your research and be careful because this could void your warranty or harm your device.

Let us know how it works if you are one of the brave souls using this leaked Jelly Bean update! The RAZR M is already a great device, so we are curious to see how much better Jelly Bean can make it.

[Source: P3Droid]
Posted by at 7:55 AM

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