Aaron Gingrich
Aaron is a geek who has always had a passion for technology. When not working or writing, he can be found spending time with his family, playing a game, or watching a movie.

27
Mar
nutter1

First Alpha Build Of Utter! Released With Limited Functionality, Goes By The Name Of (N)utter, Still Reads Your Mind

Posted by in Applications, News

About a month and a half ago, we posted about a highly impressive voice control app named "Utter!". Siri competitors are a dime a dozen nowadays, but Utter! is a lot more HAL than Siri:

Want a add a calendar appointment? Tell Utter, and it'll take care of it. Get travel details, find out the weather, and launch applications - all child's play for Utter, and all done using native applications instead of just simple searches.

Actually, that's just scratching the surface for Utter - if you watch the entire 22 minute video, you'll see the developer, brandall of XDA, use Utter to set his CPU governor (yes, it asks for superuser permissions), reboot into the bootloader, and even have a conversation.

24
Mar
play_redesign_thumb

[Weekend Poll] Does The Google Play Store's Mobile Interface Need An Overhaul?

Posted by in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see What Do You Primarily Use Your Tablet For?

A few days ago, a popular reddit post (heads up, NSFW language) drew attention to the fact that the Play Store looks like an absolute mess these days. And it's true - just about everyone on the team agreed with the statement. Liam (our resident designer) agreed so strongly he even went ahead and wrote a post about it, and even went a step further and by creating some renders of how he'd do things. Take a look at the current Play UI (top) and Liam's proposal (bottom):

play_1 play_2

play_liam_1 play_liam_2

We're curious, though: do people really think that Play even needs an overhaul?

24
Mar
2012-03-24 09h22_51

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Book Giveaway #17: Learn How To Develop With One Of Ten Copies Of Android Wireless Application Development

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, Development
Last Updated: April 1st, 2012

Learning to develop isn't always easy - and learning how to do it well is even harder. While it's true there are a plethora of resources available on the subject, sometimes they dive in too deep or skip over some of the prerequisites. Thanks to our friends over at informIT, though, we have just the book: Android Wireless Application Development Volume I: Android Essentials.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:
  • Barnett Hsu
  • Travis B
  • Phil (hagger)
  • Noah (colvin)
  • Kellye
  • Bazar6
  • David Shaver
  • Eduardo
  • Tamas Farkas
  • i300

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

23
Mar
2012-03-23 15h08_14

[Deal Alert] Transcend 32GB Class 4 MicroSD Card Just $23.99 At Amazon

Posted by in Deals

A high capacity microSD card is a good upgrade for any power user, even if at first blush you don't think the space is required. From my own experience, I never thought I needed one for extra space - I always had plenty enough storage as it was, or so I thought. But then I tried rooting a tablet and realized I needed a microSD card to do so, so sure enough, I ordered one. And today, I have no regrets; I keep music on it for local playback (since music streaming can still be spotty at times) and a few movies and photos that can be swapped from device to device seamlessly.

23
Mar
2012-03-23 08h41_03

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Giveaway: Want To Learn How To Develop For Android, But Don't Like Books? Try Android App Development Fundamentals LiveLessons

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, Development
Last Updated: March 31st, 2012

It's no secret that we work with a number of publishers to give away a steady stream of books to aid aspiring developers - after all, if we help developers, the entire Android ecosystem as a whole is enriched. But for some people, simply reading a book isn't the ideal way to learn. It's for these people that informIT has released Android App Development Fundamentals LiveLessons - a series of downloadable videos that are designed to teach Java developers how to build apps for Android.

This contest is now over. Here are our winners, selected at random:
  • wolex
  • Sam Monty
  • Adam Fursdon
  • ahunor
  • marshall
  • schnie
  • Shishir
  • Andy (atpiggy)
  • scott braunworth
  • Adrian

Congratulations, guys - all of you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

22
Mar
Samsung-GT-i9300_1

Blurrycam Photos Surface Of Samsung GT-I9300, Probably Isn't The Phone You've Been Waiting For

Posted by in News, Samsung

I hate the vast majority of rumors. About the only time I give a them any real consideration is when they're coming from a source that's highly reliable and they strike me as reasonable. It's for this reason I've stayed clear of the relative boatload of Galaxy S III rumors that we've been hearing for about a week now - first a potential render leaked (though we didn't like the looks of it). Next, an alleged Samsung employee leaked a photo of the SGSIII, then we heard a rumor that the device may feature inductive charging, and finally, we debunked a "leaked image" of the phone yesterday.

22
Mar
Komatineni 3930-7 POD.indd

[Updated: Here Are The Winners!] Book Giveaway #16: Take Your Developing Skills To The Next Level With One Of Ten Copies Of Pro Android 4

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, Development
Last Updated: March 31st, 2012

Let's be honest, there isn't exactly a shortage of Android apps. What there is a shortage of, though, is quality Android apps. You know, apps with great interfaces, support for new features (such as ActionBar), and formats (tablets, TV, etc.) Part of the problem could simply be that a lot of the people developing (cr)apps for Android aren't experienced developers... or if they are experienced devs, they don't know how to get the most from the OS. Luckily, Apress has just just updated one of their most popular books, Pro Android 4, which is written for developers looking to move into mobile - and to teach them the finer points of Android.

21
Mar
2012-01-27 13h38_07

[Update: THD Version, Too] Shadowgun Updated With Improved Effects, New (Free) "The Leftover" Expansion Brings 4 New Levels Amongst Other Goodies

Posted by in Apps/Games, Games, News

Update: After months of waiting, the THD version has now received this expansion pack. Hit the widget and get to killin'!

Shadowgun THD

Download Shadowgun THD from Google Play
QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.madfingergames.shadowgun_thd

Madfinger Games has just rolled out an update to their uber-hit third-person shooter Shadowgun, and this time around they have included more than just some bug fixes. The most significant aspect of the update is a new free expansion called "The Leftover" - check out the trailer:

The Leftover "directly follows the events of the original SHADOWGUN" and features:

  • 4 new levels
  • New enemy creature
  • New gun
  • New type of gaming interaction
  • New soundtrack

The update brings some new effects and features to the original campaign, as well:

  • Camera shakes and bullet trails
  • Player can now roll
  • Tuned difficulty, weapons, and enemies
  • Better, more intensive gaming experience

The THD version of the game (with improved graphics and additional effects to take advantage of the extra horsepower Tegra 3 provides) hasn't yet been updated, and there's no official word as to when it will be.

21
Mar
evil apple

Judge Decides Apple Doesn't Really Need All The Android Development Details, Tells Apple To Make Request Less Vague And Broad

Posted by in Motorola, News

Two weeks ago, the judge in Apple's case against Motorola ordered Google and Moto to hand over details on Android development. Naturally, Motorola appealed, and managed to change Judge Posner's mind. While the company isn't getting away scot-free (or at least, not yet), he did say that "[Apple's] motion is vague and overbroad and Motorola's objections are persuasive." In other words, Apple needs to tone down their request and make sure things are relevant and specific (or in my words, "Apple needs to stop requesting all the shit they can think of").

Presumably from here Apple will try to narrow things down as little as possible to get the request to hold, at which point Motorola will appeal it and both sides will hope for the best (before doing it all over).

20
Mar
2012-03-20 11h51_49

Verizon Droid Charge Update FP1 Imminent, Brings Bug Fixes, Enhancements, And The VZW Diagnostic Tool

Posted by in Charge (i510), News, Verizon Wireless

It's always nice to see a device update roll out. This time around, we're seeing the details of a new software update for the Droid Charge spring up on Verizon's support page. The update brings things to version FP1, and mainly consists of some bug fixes and minor improvements:

2012-03-20 11h54_25

While there are no really exciting changes here (*cough* Android updates *cough*), it's tough to complain about software support in any form. It's also nice to see another device get the Verizon Remote Diagnostic (VRD) app.

The update checks in at 85MB, and should be rolling out soon (if not now).

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