December 2011 Archives

Dec

[Update: Working As Intended] ASUS Transformer Prime GPS Performs Very Poorly Without Wi-Fi, Massive XDA Thread Ensues

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, News, Tablets

Last Updated: January 3rd, 2012

Update 2: ASUS has issued an official statement on the matter and determined that the Prime's GPS is functioning as intended, which for many folks means essentially non-functional.

Please note that this product is not a professional GPS device ... To avoid inconveniencing users who demand a powerful GPS device, we made the decision to remove it from our specification sheet and marketing communications. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
ASUS

That means if you're actually unable to live with your Prime without true GPS, there's not a lot to do but sell it - because ASUS isn't ...

Dec

339

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Skin Your Holiday Gift Giveaway Win One Of 50 Amzer Phone Or Tablet Cases For Doing Almost Nothing

Posted by David Ruddock in Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: January 2nd, 2012

Now that the holiday season has drawn to a close, a lot of you probably have shiny new Android-powered gifts you're struggling to put down for more than 30 seconds. That also means your brand-new toy might not yet have a case - and we're here to help. Our friends at Amzer have graciously provided 50 of their awesome phone cases to help protect your Android device from the many dangers it will face throughout its life.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:

Rajaram Janardhan

haibl

B J Books

Paul

Alex

Robert Walters

...

Dec

Sonic The Hedgehog 4, Episode 2 Coming To The Android Market And Tegra Zone Next Year

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Who's ready for some old-school gaming action? If not, you better get ready - Sonic the Hedgehog and his homie Tails are making their way to Tegra-powered devices in 2012 for a sequel to the 2010 hit Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Episode 1 (which, unfortunately, is not available on Android).

Episode 2 will bring some enhanced features over its predecessor, including a completely redesigned physics engine, new character animations, and, most importantly (to us, that is), the arrival on the Android platform. The game will be featured in NVIDIA's Tegra Zone for Tegra 2 processors, and the Sonic team ...

Dec

Motorola Droid Bionic And Atrix 2 Fastboot Files Leak – Come Back From Soft Brick In A Snap

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Atrix 2, Dev, Droid Bionic, News

Hot on the heels of the Droid Razr's leaked fastboot files, two more Motorola devices can now be restored to stock configuration in case of emergency.

Motorola's Atrix 2 and Droid Bionic have both had their fastboot files leaked in recent days, providing a bit of insurance for daring users and developers alike. The Atrix 2's files are available here, while the Droid Bionic's fastboot set can be found here.

For those not in the loop, fastboot allows users to flash unsigned partition images via USB (including recovery images), meaning it is possible to bring a ...

Dec

160

[Updated x4: More Info] Verizon's 4G LTE Network Is Down, Devices Left Without Data Connectivity Across The Nation... Again

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Verizon Wireless

It seems like this is becoming a weekly habit, doesn't it? Big Red 4G LTE devices across the nation are once again without data services (mine included).

It appears that this just happened, so there's no word from VZW as to when we can expect data services to be restored. We'll keep you posted on any new information as it comes along; until then, I hope you're around a Wi-Fi network.

Update: Some users are reporting that 3G is still working, while many others are reporting no data whatsoever.

Update x2: Verizon is aware of the issue and had this ...

Dec

Words With Friends Updated To Include A Store Where You Can Buy Commonly Requested Features (And Have An Advantage Over Non-Paying Users)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Ah, Words With Friends. What was once one of the most anticipated games on Android quickly becme one of the most hated due to its bug-laden nature and lack of good support. The app has now received another update that NOT only brings "loads of bug fixes" - call me skeptical, but I'll believe that when I see it - but a new Words with Friends store. Yeah, a store.

So, what kind of things can you buy from this store? Let's call them... enhancements. While some of these "enhancements" seem to be basic and fair (like ad-removal for ...

Dec

Mobile Analytics Firm Mobilewalla Shows Us Top Android Apps Of 2011 - The Results May Surprise You

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

As 2011 comes to a close, the internet is abuzz with best of, top, and most popular posts covering the past year. Mobile analytics firm Mobilewalla has gotten in on the action and released a list of the highest rated apps of 2011, as chosen using their own ranking system. The list itself covers all four major mobile platforms (Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7), but, naturally, we're just going to discuss the Android entries.

Each app was given a numerical value between 0-100, using a scoring system that calculates the app's overall rating based on a number ...

Dec

[New Game] Become The King Of All Malls In Kairosoft's 'Mega Mall Story'

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

In the ever-expanding world of Kairosoft's Story games, another entry just made its way into the Android Market. This go around it's all about designing your own mall, complete with food court and storefronts. There are several options in place to make your mall the top-dog of them all - you can even add a helipad on top!

Once your facility hits a certain level of popularity, a "fever" will strike the patrons and your mall will be swamped with new business. After you're well established, invest some money in surrounding areas and bring in even more business. ...

Dec

Samsung: The Galaxy Note Is Coming To The U.S. In 2012

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note, News

The Galaxy Note from Samsung, a device that has an almost cult-like following at this point. Those who love it, really love it. Those who hate it, well... just hate it. Some say it's too big, while others lust for its 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD display. Unfortunately, U.S. users have been left wanting since the Note's release a few months ago. Sure, we've seen tell-tale signs that it is indeed going to land stateside eventually, but Samsung has now removed all doubt.

The company stated during its one-million sales milestone announcement that the device will be coming to the States ...

Dec

Motorola's Droid RAZR Can Finally Be Restored To Stock Thanks To Leaked Fastboot Files – Development Sure To Liven Up

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Dev, Droid RAZR, Mods, News, Verizon Wireless

Motorola Droid RAZR owners (and developers) received a bit of good news yesterday, thanks to a leaked set of fastboot files which allow your RAZR to be restored to stock in case of a soft brick or other unforeseen issue.

Many users over at XDA and DroidRZR.com forums have already reported success in flashing the files and restoring their devices, indicating that the fastboot set is, in fact, the real deal.

For users, this means that there is always a way to get the RAZR back to stock configuration. The same goes for developers, meaning development for Moto's latest addition ...