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- Gamestick delayed, release slated for June
- Root method for Motorola RAZR HD and other devices running 4.1.2 released
- Motorola unlock tool for RAZR HD, RAZR M and Atrix HD released
- New redesigned Google Play Store (version 4.0.25) now available to download
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 coming to U.S. on April 11
- Featured Android App Review: MMGuardian Parental Control [Tools]
- WhatsApp says no deal with Google is in the works
- Xiaomi Unveils The Mi2S And Mi2A Smartphone
- Google Play Store gets fresh new look starting today
- Google in the hot seat again as Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle file new antitrust complaint with the EU
| Gamestick delayed, release slated for June Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:20 PM PDT When we last reported on PlayJam’s Gamestick project, they had started to take pre-orders for the $79 device after their successful Kickstarter campaign. Unfortunately, it appears that success has come at a price as PlayJam has announced they have delayed delivery of the Gamestick until June. PlayJam opened their Kickstarter project in January with a goal of $100,000 to be able to start delivering devices in April. However, they ended up pulling in $650,000 via pledges from around 5,700 backers. The Kickstarter fundraising effort was so successful, PlayJam was able to add a goal to provide a fourth color option for buyers. All of the additional units to be produced have resulted in some changes to production and shipping methods. According to PlayJam,
Although it is always disappointing to see delays for any product, especially one that has garnered as much interest as the Gamestick, at least backers can take heart that the reason is due to more demand than anticipated instead of a lack of demand. source: TechCrunch
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| Root method for Motorola RAZR HD and other devices running 4.1.2 released Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:31 PM PDT
Dan Rosenberg’s bootloader unlocking tool for Motorola devices is a pretty fantastic hack. Unfortunately, it does a painful requirement that some Motorola devices can’t get; root access. Many Motorola devices upgraded to Android 4.1.2 simply can’t be rooted. Well, before today, anyway. Dan Rosenberg, once again, has released a little hack to get your Motorola device rooted and prepped for that unlocked bootloader. This method was designed with the Droid RAZR HD in mind, but it will work on many other Motorola devices running 4.1.2. Like always, rooting your phone does come with upsides and downsides, so be sure to read up on it before you make any hasty decisions. When you’re ready, hit the break below to get the instructions. You can download the files you’ll need here.
source: DroidRZR
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| Motorola unlock tool for RAZR HD, RAZR M and Atrix HD released Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:17 PM PDT Yesterday, the bootloader was unlocked on some major Motorola phones by Dan Rosenberg; the RAZR (MAXX) HD, RAZR M, and the Atrix HD. Motorola devices are notoriously difficult to unlock, so that was a pretty big deal. Today, that unlock tool was released to users. As a warning, it does void your warranty, and the tool cannot relock the bootloader, only unlock it. Motorola also will probably fix the exploit used in a future software update, so if you want to unlock your device, it’s best to do it sooner rather than later. To get started, you’ll simply have to have a rooted, supported device, then follow the instructions below, and remember that as of right now, this is irreversible. Three final warnings before you make your decision:
Now, for the actual instructions. You’ll need to download the tool here before you get started.
There’s also a disclaimer that this will not work on any OMAP Motorola phones, such as the Droid Bionic or original RAZR. So if you were thinking about being adventurous, it’s probably not a good idea this time. source: Vulnfactory
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| New redesigned Google Play Store (version 4.0.25) now available to download Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:42 AM PDT Well that didn’t take long did it? Google officially announced the redesigned Google Play Store earlier, and the APK is already available to download for manual updating. All phones and tablets with Android 2.2 or higher will get the new update over-the-air, but unfortunately it will take roughly 3 weeks to hit every device. If you’re like me, you’re impatient and don’t feel like waiting around, so all you have to do is grab the APK from the download link below and install it just like any other APK. In case you’re not familiar, just make sure you have “unknown sources” checked under settings/security. Then from your phone/tablet, tap on the download link below, then tap Download (5.9MB) and it will save it to your phone/tablet. Tap on “com.android-vending-4.0.25.apk” in your notification panel, answer OK to replace system application, and tap Install. After it’s installed, just tap open to start enjoying the new card-themed Play Store. Enjoy!! Thanks to all that sent this in
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| Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 coming to U.S. on April 11 Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:05 AM PDT Last week the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 went on sale in the U.K. Fans of the Galaxy Note devices in the U.S. will be glad to know the WiFi only version of Samsung’s latest tablet will be available on Thursday, April 11th at major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, h.h. gregg, Newegg, P.C. Richard & Son, Staples and TigerDirect.com. The Galaxy Note 8.0 will be Samsung’s first device with their Samsung WatchON software that is supposed to make it easier to channel surf both live TV and streaming video sources. The Galaxy Note 8.0 also comes with a built-in IR blaster, meaning the tablet can be used as a remote control. Similar to the U.K. deals, Samsung is throwing in some extras for initial buyers of the device. Pick one up for $399.99 and you can get access to 50GB of DropBox storage for 2 years, a free month of unlimited music streaming in Samsung’s Music Hub, and for a limited time buyers will receive a $25 Google Play credit when they register their device. Check out our hands on video of the Galaxy Note 8.0 from this year’s Mobile World Congress and the full press release after the break. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Featured Android App Review: MMGuardian Parental Control [Tools] Posted: 09 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT We’ve covered a few apps that help with security for children’s phones, but I wanted to tell you about another one I came across called MMGuardian Parental Control from MMGuardian.com. It seems like the age that kids are given phones is getting younger and younger as time goes on. Of course you can give them a dumbphone, but with newer shared plans, it’s not out of reach to go for a smartphone. For some kids it might be an overkill, but a smartphone can give you a lot of features like knowing your child’s whereabouts, and with apps like MMGuardian Parental Control, it gives you the peace of mind you need when you give that shiny new or used smartphone to your child. I think when it comes to apps such as these, a lot of parents don’t want to bother with them because they think it will be overwhelming and difficult to set up. I think that’s true for a lot of these apps, but nothing could be further from the truth regarding MMGuardian. All you really need to do is install the app on your child’s phone and activate it with your password of choice. Then it’s a matter of going through each area of the app that you want to control. Your child won’t be able to uninstall or deactivate the app without the password.
After you install MMGuardian on your child’s phone, you will be given the opportunity to register your email address and enter the phone number of your phone as administrator. This is where you will also create the password for opening the app on your child’s phone. Administrator phones don’t need the app installed as they will be able to receive SMS text messages from the child’s phone for status updates. Later, in the settings you can add more administrator phones and/or change the password. The main screen consists of nine choices for setting things up: Lock This is where you are able to set an Auto SMS text response when the phone is actually locked. You will be able to schedule when the phone is locked from doing anything other than call or text an admin, and this auto SMS response will be sent to anyone who sends a message to your child during those times. Unfortunately there isn’t an option to disable it. I tried leaving it blank, but in my testing, the default message was still sent. I can see how some kids might feel embarrassed that their parents are locking their phone and don’t want to “broadcast” it. The default message is “Thanks for your message, I am not available at this moment.” It doesn’t necessarily say that their phone is locked, but those who receive that message will ask about it. Of course you can make the message whatever you want it to be, but hopefully the developers will add an option to disable it for those that wish to do so. Time Limits The Time Limits section lets you set the schedule for when you want the phone to be locked. You can set a number of different timeframes and it’s pretty versatile. You punch in your start and end times and select which days you want. For example, if you know your child does homework every weekday between 7:00pm and 9:00pm, you can set it to lock. You can also set a schedule for just the weekends as well as one particular day of the week. You can always override any of these schedules by sending an SMS to the phone in case your child needs access for whatever reason. Commands This is a help section that lets you see all the SMS commands that you can send to your child’s phone for controls or requests when they are away from you. You can send commands that will get your child’s location, allow you to lock or unlock the phone, sound an alarm siren, turn safe driving mode on or off, request a daily report, or add a monitor command. All SMS messages need to be sent from an admin phone and any responses will go to the admin phone. Also in this section, you can send sample responses to your phone as well as demo the lock and siren functions on the child’s phone. App Control This is where you can block or allow apps that are installed on the phone. You have your choice of creating a list of blocked apps or creating a list of apps that you approve of. You can block apps full time or based on a schedule. You can also check the option to receive an SMS anytime your child installs a new app on the phone. Track The Track section lets you set a schedule in which you would like to be notified of your child’s location. It has the same kind of versatility as the lock scheduling. Call Block This is where you can block calls from either a contact or by phone number. This isn’t based on a schedule and is full time. You can also check to be notified for any calls that were actually blocked so you’re aware of them. Safe Driving For this feature, you either turn it on or off. If on, the phone will lock when it detects that your child is moving faster than 10 mph. You can also create override times when you know your child regularly rides the school bus. Additionally you can set up an auto SMS response message to those that send your child a message if the phone is locked because of this feature. You also have the power to remotely disable the safe driving mode by simply sending an SMS to the phone. Monitor This is where you can specify certain words, and you will be notified if they are contained in an SMS message sent to or from your child’s phone. You will not only be notified that the word was used, but you will also get the full text of the message. Settings This is where you can add or delete admin phones as well as turn on or off the Daily Summary Report or Uninstall Protection. If you choose to get the Daily Summary report, you will get a text message once a day telling you how many SMS messages were sent and received along with how many outbound calls, inbound calls, and missed calls took place during the last day. You will also learn how many web clicks took place. The Uninstall Protection option ensures that your child cannot uninstall the app either via the Play Store or via the built in Android apps menu if turned on As you can see, MMGuardian is pretty comprehensive, but at the same time pretty simple to use. About the only thing missing is some sort of safe web browser, but hopefully that will be something that is implemented in the future. Now a service such as this isn’t normally Free. MMGuardian is actually Free, but you will need a premium subscription in order to schedule tracking, schedule lock times, block or unblock apps, block calls, and monitor words. The cost is $2.99 per month or $24.99 annually. You can also opt for a one-time license for $39.99. You do get a 14 day free trial when you first install the app so you can see how amazing it is before you commit to anything. If you don’t want to purchase a subscription, you can still utilize the safe driving feature as well as send SMS commands to lock or unlock the phone, locate it, or sound the alarm siren. The bottomline is it’s free to try, and 14 days will give you a good idea if it’s for you. Check out my hands on video below as well as their trailer, and hit one of the download links to get started. As always, let me know what you think. Features
      Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| WhatsApp says no deal with Google is in the works Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:40 AM PDT Yesterday we reported on rumors that Google may be looking to purchase the popular messaging app WhatsApp. According to WhatsApp business guy Neeraj Arora, sales talks with Google are not being held. Arora says there are no plans, or even discussions, at this time around Google buying WhatsApp for approximately $1 billion. Other than denying the rumors, Arora provided no other information. Next week WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum is schedule to speak at a conference in New York City. Hopefully he will be able to share some new information about the future direction and plans of the company in light of these recent rumors as well as last December’s rumored buyout by Facebook. source: AllThingsD
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| Xiaomi Unveils The Mi2S And Mi2A Smartphone Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:36 AM PDT Xiaomi is a Chinese manufacturer of MIUI-powered smartphones, and has announced two new smartphones. Predecessor to the Mi2, the Mi2S has been upgraded with a better processor and camera. The Mi2A is more affordable and also features a slightly larger display. Here are the specs of both phones: Xiaomi Mi2S
Xiaomi Mi2A
The Mi2S will cost $322 U.S. for the 16GB version and $371 U.S. for the 32GB version while the Mi2A will cost just $242. Xiaomi’s Mi2S will go on sale today from their website and the Mi2A will be available later this month. Source: Xiaomi
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| Google Play Store gets fresh new look starting today Posted: 09 Apr 2013 09:17 AM PDT The new version of the Play Store that leaked last month is now official. Google didn’t specify the version, but the overall look is identical with the new card-based theme. Google is touting the redesign as a simple and clean interface that helps you find great entertainment quickly. We have become a visual world so images and icons are much bigger and purchasing is now simplified so we can enjoy those apps, magazines, or movie rentals in quick fashion. The new Play Store will start rolling out today to all Android phones and tablets running Android 2.2 or above. Unfortunately it will take a few weeks to get to every device, so chances are slim that you will get it today. However, the apk will most likely leak, which will let you manually upgrade. Stay tuned as we will post it as soon as it’s available. source: Android Blog
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| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 08:12 AM PDT Looks like Google might be in the hot seat again because competitors filed a new antitrust complaint against them in the EU alleging that the Android OS gives an unfair advantage for Google apps. The complaint was filed by Fairsearch Europe, which consists Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle. Lead lawyer for Fairsearch said that Google is using Android "as a deceptive way to build advantages for key Google apps in 70 percent of the smartphones shipped today," He is referring to the fact that Android OEM’s have a contractual obligation to place Google-branded apps such as Maps, YouTube, and Drive in “prominent default placement on the phone.”
I guess if anyone is an expert with this kind of complaint, it’s Microsoft since they were already a victim for similar occurrences. Back in 2004, they were fined €497 million (or $600 million) for bundling Windows Media Player with its operating system. Then they failed to bundle competing web browsers with Windows 7 Service Pack 1, which cost them the €561 million (or $732 million). No comments to this new case specifically, but Google spokesman Al Verney said the company continues "to work cooperatively" with the commission. sources: NY Times / Fairsearch Europe (PDF)
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