January 2011 Archives

Jan

44 Best (And 7 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/25/11 - 1/31/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: April 13th, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications and games that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. WTF apps were definitely in abundance this week.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous week's roundup? Find it here: 46 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Games From Last Week (1/18/11 – 1/24/11)

Note: I've removed the Texty application from this list after some valid concerns about

...

Jan

Update: LG Confirms via Twitter. LG Optimus 3D Picture Leaked Ahead Of MWC Reveal

Posted by Nate Kimmey in LG, News, Optimus 3D (p920) / Thrill (p925)

Last Updated: February 14th, 2011

Update:LG has confirmed via its MWC Twitter account that the Optimus 3D will indeed be shown at the Mobile World Congress. They also confirmed the glasses-free 3D display, 3D video capability, and HDMI.

LG's "Into the New Dimension" event is scheduled for February 14, but Phandroid has gotten a hold of an image that is purported to be the LG Optimus 3D. Although a 3D display can't be confirmed by the picture, we can determine that this device is not the LG Optimus 2X or LG Optimus Black. Considering this phone is set to be revealed in two weeks, ...

Jan

Google Opens Up Early I/O Registration

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, News

Google I/O, a conference dedicated entirely to Google technologies and hosted in San Francisco's Moscone Center, is fast approaching, and Google today opened up early registration to key developer partners and 2010 I/O attendees. Early reg, available to the first 1500 people who complete it, costs $450 ($100 more than last year). Don't worry though - when it goes public next week, the price is going to stay the same until April 17th, at which point it will go up another $100 to $550 (thanks for the correction, Philip!). Unfortunately, unless you've received a personal invitation, you will not ...

Jan

Google Hiring Android Developers To Create Apps In-House

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Although, the Android Market has exploded recently, it is no secret that apps on the iOS platform consistently look and perform better. With revenues from mobile apps set to triple this year, Google is going on a mass hiring spree to find developers to create quality apps for the Android Market, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Google, like Apple, takes a 30% cut for every app sold in the Market. However, with paid app sales failing to live up to expectations, Google is hoping to increase its revenue stream by improving the overall quality of the apps available in ...

Jan

Android Takes The Top Spot From Symbian Following Strong Sales In Q4 2010

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, News

Just a few weeks after Android became the number one smartphone platform in the US, Canalys is reporting that strong sales of Android devices in Q4 2010 has helped it overtake Nokia's Symbian OS to became the world's best selling mobile platform.

33.3 million Android-based devices were sold globally in Q4 2010, compared with 31.0 million Symbian-based phones and 16.2 million iPhones.

Android's growth is astonishing. In Q4 2009 it sold a mere 4.7 million units, a year later shipments have jumped by over 600%. In the same time-frame Symbian has grown by a mere 30%, while Apple's iOS platform ...

Jan

Motorola's New XOOM Ad Takes Another Jab At Apple But Fails To Impress

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Motorola, News, Videos, XOOM

It appears that Motorola's ad campaign for the XOOM is underway, with the following ad released today by ShareMoto. As in the previous, and I would say much more successful Tablet Evolution ad, Apple plays a big part, being compared to the Big Brother from 1984. Motorola then flies some [impressive] specs around and... that's it. No pictures of the XOOM - nothing. If this is indeed their Super Bowl ad they are planning to air during the game this Sunday, I will be very disappointed. You can do better, Moto. You didn't let us touch or ...

Jan

Verizon Comparison Charts Show Thunderbolt's LTE Speeds Crush WiMax, HSPA+

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

A couple of leaked Verizon charts popped up on Droid Life this morning, their contents? HTC Thunderbolt propaganda - well, at least in one of them.

If Verizon's estimated LTE speeds aren't just hot air, then Sprint and T-Mobile (and AT&T) should probably be worried right now. Sprint's smartphone plan price hike probably isn't winning them any points, and T-Mobile's 4G handsets aren't exactly new and exciting (G2, myTouch, or a rehashed Vibrant - take your pick).

I don't know where Verizon gets their network speed estimates for T-Mo and Sprint, but they seem pretty forgiving - given the speed ranges ...

Jan

NFL Enterprises Releases Official Super Bowl XLV Android App

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

The 45th Super Bowl is only a week away, and NFL Enterprises decided to help out all attendees by introducing the official Android app. The app features 3D pinch-to-zoop-and-rotate maps of North Texas, parking, events and local info, and a detailed map of the Cowboys Stadium with Steelers and Packers already clearly marked on the field. You can also utilize GPS to find yourself on the map in case you get lost in the crowd.

Not everything is as awesome as it looks like from the screenshots, however. UpNext, the company contracted to create this app, apparently thought it was ...

Jan

LG's Oh-So-Secret G-Slate 3D Tablet Shows Up In A Random YouTube Video Yet Again, Shows Off Kickstand (?), Dual Cameras

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in LG, News, Optimus Pad / G-Slate, T-Mobile, Videos

The G-Slate Honeycomb tablet, announced at CES, was never shown off to the public outside of this weak T-Mobile video which just embedded the official Honeycomb intro into a dark G-Slate frame. Last week, the tablet made a brief and fuzzy appearance in a random Korean music video, seemingly confirming previous rumors of a 3D camera.

Today, we are seeing it again in an even more random creation - a homemade video by MysteryGuitarMan. Dual cameras for recording 3D - check, LED flash - check (though only one), what looks to be a kickstand - check (seriously, nobody ...

Jan

Virgin Mobile USA LG Optimus V Now Available Through Radio Shack For $150

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in LG, News, Optimus V, Videos, Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile USA, a no-contract budget mobile U.S. retailer with plans starting at $25/mo for unlimited text/web/data and 300 minutes, has only crossed paths with Android once, with the introduction of Samsung Intercept. However, another contender, LG Optimus V, an equivalent of Optimus S on Sprint, Optimus T on T-Mobile, etc. just popped up at RadioShack.com, before even hitting Virgin's own site, which is expected to happen on February 1st. There have been reports of the device being available in some brick and mortar Virgin Mobile USA stores, but it looks like this RadioShack appearance is the first ...

Jan

[Updated: Maybe] Want To Port Your Number To Google Voice, But Don't Want To Cancel Your Contract? Call Ahead.

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Tips

Update: After contacting Sprint customer support a second time, they back-tracked and said there's no way to do it without incurring an ETF. The only options available are:

1. They can create an additional line on the account, then allow the first line to be pulled out - thereby cancelled. While doing so would allow you to maintain your account, you'd lose number history and would incur an ETF.

2. She also told me they may be able to work some voodoo and somehow simultaneously swap numbers, meaning that the existing carrier number is ported out to Google Voice,

...

Jan

HTC Thunderbolt, aka HTC Incredible HD, Shows Up In Early Unboxing Video With Some Interesting Details

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless, Videos

Last Updated: April 5th, 2011

HTC Thunderbolt, announced at CES earlier this year, may only seem like it's underpowered compared to the dual-core offerings, but according to a very early unboxing by someone named Michael, it's quite a beast with some very admirable features. I don't know how Michael got his hands on this device so early - perhaps he's a tester, a ninja reviewer, or a VZW employee receiving Thunderbolt training (I'm most likely inclined to side with the latter), but he does spill some interesting details that I've summarized below, conveniently mixed in with some specs.

Oh, and this is the same video ...

Jan

Yet Another Android Data-Stealing Vulnerability Uncovered, Affects All Versions Of The OS

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, News

Last year, we reported on a serious vulnerability in all versions of Android, found by a security researcher Thomas Cannon. It allowed a remote attacker to download files off a user's SD card upon visiting a webpage with malicious JavaScript code embedded in it. Google's response was swift, and the fix was rolled out in the public release of Gingerbread at the end of 2010.

A new report from eWeek came out today stating that another researcher, Xuxian Jiang, this time from North Carolina State University, stepped forward with a tweak to the very same vulnerability Google reportedly patched. The ...

Jan

Rovio Mobile And 20th Century Fox Are After Your Productivity Once Again With Angry Birds Rio

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Games, News

Rovio Mobile's award-winning Angry Birds. 20th Century Fox's upcoming Rio. A perfect match?

Rovio and 20th Century Fox obviously think so - they've teamed up to develop a new version of Angry Birds based entirely on Rio. They say it's coming to "app stores" in March (hopefully that includes the Android Market), and will feature 45 levels to call its own. Check out this cinema-quality teaser video Rovio released:

Looks like the Angry Birds brand isn't going away anytime soon - which could be either good news or bad news, depending on how you look at ...

Jan

Google To Give An In-Depth Look At Honeycomb, Android Ecosystem News At Event Feb 2nd

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Dev, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Next Wednesday, Google will be holding a press event to showcase Honeycomb and discuss Android at large. Team Android is going to give attendees an "in-depth look" at Honeycomb, news regarding the Android ecosystem, and a number of hands-on opportunities while at Google headquarters in Mountain View.

The presentation will be streamed live at www.youtube.com/android starting at 10AM next Wednesday, so everyone will get a chance to tune in for the latest and greatest in the world of Android and Honeycomb.

Considering this is being labeled a press event, it's probably just an opportunity for Google to give Honeycomb some ...