December 2011 Archives

Dec

Be Constantly Reminded Of What You Would Rather Be Doing With The Tegra-Exclusive Skyrim Live Wallpaper By Nvidia

Hey you! Take a break from dragon slaying for a moment and install this live wallpaper.

Nvidia has created this Skyrim live wallpaper, in case you somehow forget during the day you would rather be at home parked in front of your computer.

This picture isn't entirely accurate, when you get it on a real device, there's snowfall and rolling fog. Other than that, there isn't much to it. The foreground and background are on different layers, so they scroll at different speeds when you switch screens. It's simple, but nice looking, and it doesn't make the phone chug like some other live wallpapers.

Dec

Verizon Hates Us, Posts Galaxy Nexus Visual Voicemail App In The Android Market, Your Grandkids Will Love It

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Applications, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Verizon Wireless

The endless teasing continues.

Verizon has posted the Galaxy Nexus version of their hideous visual voice mail app, despite having no way to, you know, actually use it. You can pay $2.99 a month for the privilege of using ...this:

Why was this even made? Ice Cream Sandwich has APIs for integrated visual voicemail, carrier crapware like this is no longer needed. Get with the program, Verizon.

I'm sure those with cash to burn and a blind spot for aesthetics will appreciate this when it is finally able to be used, which right now is looking like sometime around 2054.

Dec

Bring Your GSM Galaxy Nexus Back From The Dead With This Official Image

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Have you modded your Galaxy Nexus a little too much? Do you have the boot loop blues? Google is here to help with an official Galaxy Nexus image.

Flashing the image will wipe out your Nexus and return it to it's original, stock state. You can get your factory fresh copy of Android 4.0.1 right here. The archive contains the bootloader, baseband, and the system files.

Install instructions are the usual ADB shenanigans, full details from JBQ himself can be found here.

Good luck! Oh, and if you can't get your Nexus working, I'll be glad to take it off your hands for you.

Dec

[New Game] Inertia Escape Velocity Is A Side-Scroller That Will Infuriate And Confuse You In The Greatest Way Possible

Posted by Brad Ganley in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, News, Reviews

If there's one thing we love here at Android Police more than anything, it's puppies. That usually doesn't come into play here, though, so we often deal with our very close second favorite thing: Amazingly playable, gorgeously rendered, ingeniously designed games. I just so happen to have one of those right here.

Inertia Escape Velocity is a game in which you play a futuristic scavenger collecting what I can only assume are generic, mass produced future-machine parts. Oh, yeah, you can also turn off gravity. I've been playing the game for 15 minutes now, so I'm pretty much a pro and feel like I owe it to you to show you some video of me playing the game.

Dec

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Corporation Scorned: AT&T Responds To The FCC's Merger Report

Posted by Ron Amadeo in AT&T, News, T-Mobile

So yesterday, the FCC released a report detailing its feelings on the AT&T/T-Mobile. The FCC basically called it like it is and said the merger will reduce competition, raise prices, cost jobs, and AT&T will have to build out its network with or without T-Mobile.

Well, AT&T got wind of that report, and they are not happy. Today they responded with all the composure of a rejected middle schooler:

We expected that the AT&T-T-Mobile transaction would receive careful, considered, and fair analysis. Unfortunately, the preliminary FCC Staff Analysis offers none of that. The document is so obviously one-sided that any fair-minded person reading it is left with the clear impression that it is an advocacy piece, and not a considered analysis.

Dec

[Update: Rolling Out Now] Gingerbread Update Finally Ready For The Samsung Fascinate (Build EH03)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Fascinate, News, Verizon Wireless

Update: We just confirmed that the update is rolling out now. Hit Settings > About phone > Software update to see if it's available on your device!

Fascinate owners, you've been waiting for a long, long time for the update to Android 2.3, and it's finally here. The Gingerbread update is ready to go according to Verizon's support documents, and it could begin rolling out in full force as early as today.

The update brings the expected enhancements and bug fixes:

We're starting to hear reports that this update could be on its way out now, but will update when we get some solid confirmation.

Dec

Verizon Wireless: Carrier IQ Is Not On Our Phones

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Verizon Wireless

If you're a Verizon Wireless customer and concerned about Carrier IQ, it looks like you can leave your worry at the door. Verizon's Jeffery Nelson confirmed via Twitter to The Verge's Joshua Topolsky that Verizon phone are free of CIQ, and that this "was made clear two weeks ago."

So, if you're on Big Red and have been feeling panic-ey thinking about CIQ or digging through your running processes looking for IQRD, you can rest your weary mind - Papa VZW has your back. The only thing that could make me happier now is an official Galaxy Nexus release date.

Dec

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket Gets A White Coat Of Paint Just Before The Holidays, Available On December 4th

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy S II Skyrocket, News

Last week, Samsung showed off the white variant of the T-Mobile Galaxy S II, which will be available sometime before the holidays. T-Mo isn't the only one getting a white GSII, though - Sammy just announced white version of the Galaxy S II Skyrocket on AT&T. The white Skyrocket will share the same specs as the black variant:

4.5-inch 480x800 Super AMOLED Plus display
1.5GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
16GB built-in storage, microSD card slot
8MP rear shooter, 2MP front
Android 2.3.x with TouchWiz

The white Skyrocket will be available on December 4th and should be going for the same price as the exiting model.

Dec

50GB Free Cloud Storage On Box.net For All LG Android Devices

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in LG, News

Good news for owners of LG Android devices as they have partnered with popular cloud storage provider Box to offer 50GB free storage for personal accounts.

If you wish to claim the 50GB of free storage, simply download the free Box Android app and login before March 31, 2012. The promotion is valid on all LG phones and tablets in the US running Android 2.1 and above. Once claimed, your account will have 50GB of free, secure file storage and sharing forever.

Offering free cloud based storage seems to have become a trend for device manufacturers, as HTC recently partnered with Dropbox to offer 5GB of free storage on all Sense 3.5 handsets.