December 2011 Archives

Dec

Looking For Some Android Games? Check Out All Android Police Game Roundups From 2011

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

Last Updated: December 28th, 2011

2011 was most definitely the year during which Android gaming was transformed from relatively mediocre to absolutely stunning. As an introduction for all the newcomers and a refresher for those who have been with Android for a while, here are all of the game roundups we've posted in 2011.

Every single one of you should find something in there that you will want to install. I can suggest two strategies:

Browse the top of each post for the cream of the crop selection (I think I started sorting by quality towards the end of the first half of the year).

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Dec

[Review] DroidAX PortaCharge 5400mAh Portable Charger With Digital Display: Extra Juice For Your Phone And... Nothing Else

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Other Reviews, Reviews

We've taken a look at a couple of portable chargers in the past, but the PortaCharge from DriodAX offers something that we haven't seen on any of its competitors: a digital display that outputs exactly how much juice the unit has (in percentage). This gives it a definite advantage over its competition, as it addresses one of the biggest annoyances with other portable batteries and ensures that you always know when it's time to put it on charge.

The question is, though, is a digital display enough to make this a winner?

Price: $49.95, making this one of the most

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Dec

HTC EVO View 4G And MyTouch 4G Slide Now Officially Unlockable At HTCDev.com

Posted by Cameron Summerson in EVO View 4G, myTouch 4G Slide (Doubleshot), News

HTC is continuously adding phones and tablets to its official bootloader unlock page, and a couple of new devices have made their way into the now-unlockable arena. The EVO View 4G is one such device, as it now joins its Wi-Fi only brother, the Flyer, in the world of open bootloaders. Also joining the mix is the T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide, the first device from the myTouch family to make its way onto the portal.

As always, the unlock process is a simple one, but keep in mind that, while it is an official method, it will still void ...

Dec

[Part 2] 44 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (12/7/11 - 12/23/11)

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

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This is part 2 of the game roundup. Part 1 is here. The app roundup is here.

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 roundup editions? Find them here.

Games

Crazy Bricks

As if a 3D brick breaker is not cool enough already, just wait ...

Dec

[Weekend Poll, Part 2] Did You Get An Android Device For The Holidays?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Did You Add A Payment Method To Your Market Account During The "10 Billion Promo?"

This is part two of this weeken's poll; for part 1, see Are You Giving An Android Device For The Holidays?

The holidays are upon us. For those of you who received gifts, did you get an Android device? Vote in the poll below, then head down to the comments to share.

And from all of us at Android Police, happy holidays!

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Dec

[Part 1] 44 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (12/7/11 - 12/23/11)

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

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This is part 1 of the game roundup. Part 2 is here. The app roundup is here.

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 roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured

Scrubs

Today's roundup is sponsored by HeroCraft's new game, Scrubs - yup, the official game ...

Dec

Huawei Honor Review: This Is What A Budget Phone Should Be

Posted by David Ruddock in Honor (U8860), Huawei, Phone Reviews

Last Updated: December 26th, 2011

Budget phone. The very sound of those two words, together, makes me slightly ill. In fact, it makes me almost immediately seethe with a sort of "nerd-rage." I hate the way budget phones are peddled onto the tech-illiterate by commission-motivated hucksters at "Big Four" carrier phone stores. I hate seeing people get locked into 2-year contracts because they got a "great deal" on a smartphone. "It was free!" they'll say, and that the nice sales representative (his name was Jimmy) kept them from buying "something they didn't need," because they walked in with a firm spending limit and they ...

Dec

[Weekend Poll, Part 1] Are You Giving An Android Device For The Holidays?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Did You Add A Payment Method To Your Market Account During The "10 Billion Promo?"

Another year, and another holiday season that seemingly leapt up out of the blue. For those of you who give gifts during the holidays, are you giving the gift of Android to anyone this year? Sound off in the poll below, and check back for tomorrow's follow-up holiday question.

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Dec

213

[Update: Possible Problem] ASUS Transformer Prime In Stock, Shipping Monday From Best Buy (32GB, Amethyst Gray Version)

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

It appears this may have been a special offer limited to select customers who preordered a different color that was delayed, and that the web page was set up to never run out of stock. The shipping date may be completely wrong, as well. We're waiting on a response from Best Buy to confirm, but given that it's a holiday, we're not expecting it until Monday. We advise you not to order.

If you head over to the Best Buy website right now, for $499.99, you can get your very own ASUS Transformer Prime 32GB Amethyst Gray edition on ...

Dec

111

Android Police Presents The First Annual Andy Awards: The Best of Android In 2011 - Submit Your Nominations Now

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Android Police Andy Awards: 2011, Apps/Games, Features, Tablets

For the first time, Android Police is having its go at a "best of the year" series, and we're going to need your help. Android Police will be featuring a number of posts in the coming weeks leading up to CES 2012 showing off the very best of what Android has brought to people around the world over the last year. Your favorite phones, tablets, apps, and games, will all be facing off for the chance at a (probably not very highly coveted) Android Police Andy Award, recognizing the best - above the rest.

Where do you come in? Well, ...

Dec

[Video] Auckland GTUG Wishes Users A Merry Christmas With Android-Powered Light Show

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Applications, Dev, Videos

Auckland GTUG, a New Zealand-based Google Technology User Group, uploaded a video to YouTube today demonstrating the power of the Android Open Accessory platform via an impressive Christmas-themed light show.

A product of GTUG's November coding session, the light show is controlled by an Acer Iconia A500 tablet, and the controller app allows for predetermined sequencing of up to 9 channels, and even supports syncing with music. Without further ado, here's the video:

On that note, all of us here at Android Police would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season, and a joyous new year!...

Dec

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Mega-Holiday Giveaway #9: Santa's Samsung Grab Bag: Win A Verizon Galaxy Nexus, T-Mobile Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 10.1 And More

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Captivate Glide, Contests / Giveaways, Exhibit 2 4G, Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: January 23rd, 2012

In our biggest giveaway yet, we're handing out a whole boatload of awesome Samsung Android products - including the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the T-Mobile Galaxy S II. Also included are the Captivate Glide and the Exhibit II 4G, all courtesy of our friends at Samsung's Mobile US division. This contest is open to US entrants only (they're US-only devices and Samsung USA is sponsoring, sorry guys).

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

Galaxy Nexus: Jason Kennedy
T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1: Daniel James
T-Mobile SGS II: Neal

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Dec

[New App] Clip Ninja Saves Almost Everything You Type, Like A Clipboard On Steroids

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

How many times have you typed something long, be it a URL or text message, only to accidentally erase the entire thing and have to start over? That has happened to me more times than I care to count, but thanks to a new app called Clip Ninja, that scenario could be a thing of the past.

The idea behind Clip Ninja is pretty simple: it keeps track of most things that you type. Of course, there are limitations (and in this case, that's a good thing) - it can't keep track of passwords. What it can do, though, ...

Dec

1,657

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Mega-Holiday Lightning Giveaway #5: Win An ASUS Eee Pad Slider 16GB Or An Acer Iconia A100 8GB + A Jambox + $25 AMEX Gift Card

Posted by David Ruddock in Contests / Giveaways, Eee Pad Slider, Iconia A100

Last Updated: January 12th, 2012

In our first giveaway of the day (there will be another one a bit later, stay tuned), we're handing out the last of our holiday goodies provided by our pals at NVIDIA. Two lucky winners will be selected, one will get the unique ASUS Eee Pad Slider tablet, and another will receive the new Acer Iconia A100. Both winners will also get a Jambox portable speaker and a $25 AMEX gift card. This is a "lightning giveaway," so you'll have until midnight tomorrow (December 24th) to enter.

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

Lucas

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Dec

Republic Wireless Makes Its 'Unlimited' Plan Truly Unlimited, Still $19/Month

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Republic Wireless

When we first heard about Republic Wireless, it sounded too good to be true. $19 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data? No way. Then we got into the fine print and realized that unlimited had a different meaning in this scenario (much like with other carriers), as RW actually intended on you using your cell more over Wi-Fi and reserved the right to eject you from its network (which runs on Sprint's 3G backbone) if you used too much 3G data.

Here's the beautiful part about RW in its current state: it's still beta, so changes can be ...