Aaron Gingrich - 29/72 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

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.

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Jul

[Moar Bacon] First CyanogenMod Nightly Drops For Samsung Galaxy S II

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Development, Galaxy S II

Just over a month ago, Samsung sent out free Galaxy S II's to a few of the developers behind CyangonMod with instructions to get CM working on the uberphone as soon as possible. The first real sign of progress came a few days ago when they released a video showing CM7 running on an SGSII along with a message that nightlies would be following soon. Well, we're happy to report the first official build is now available to download and install.

First off, you have to be rooted. If you're not already rooted, check out this XDA thread and follow the instructions.

Jul

[Weekend Poll] Do You Actually Read App Permissions Before Accepting?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Apps/Games, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Which Is More Important To You In A Phone, Size Or 4G?

Quite a simple poll this weekend, and one that requires little explanation: do you read app permissions before installing an app, or do you just install with reckless abandon? Sound off in the poll below and elaborate via the comments.

Jul

Sprint-Branded Samsung Galaxy S II (Within) Poses For Mr. Blurrycam

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in News, Sprint

The all-around awesome Galaxy S II has made debut all over the world to the tune of major success, but nary a peep (aside from the occasional rumor) has been heard about any versions of the phone bound for the US. Today, however, we have a new detail in the form of two blurry shots of the Sprint variant (dubbed the Within), and... well, let's just say anyone who's seen pictures of the GSII before knows what to expect, because not a lot is different here. Of what is shown, the most notable difference (aside from the Sprint branding) seems to be the shape of the camera.

Jul

Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.3 Update Imminent? Looks Like It.

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Epic 4G, Gingerbread 2.3, News, Sprint

Nearly a month ago a Gingerbread build for the Samsung Epic 4G leaked, and if Sprint's website is any indication (and it is), the finalized update may be nearly ready to go. The official product listing for the Epic now says the device ships with Android 2.3 - a pretty strong suggestion indeed, and not likely to be a typo.

We don't have any indication of when, but given Sprint and Samsung's history on updates, anything we did hear - even if official - would probably get pushed back anyway. With that in mind, let's just hope it's soon, but don't get your hopes too high, eh?

Jul

Google Maps Adds Live Traffic Coverage For 13 European Countries

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, News

Google Maps continues the march of progress, officially adding traffic support for 13 European countries today. Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to see traffic in Maps, Navigation will now re-route you based on traffic conditions.

The countries:

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Germany
Ireland
Israel
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Poland
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland

The new functionality is live on Android, iOS, and in the mobile browser.

[Source: Google Mobile Blog]

Jul

[Poll] How Long Have You Been An Android Owner?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

Android has grown at an amazing pace in the past year, and so has our reader base. With that in mind, we have a simple question for our readers: how long have you been an Android owner? Were you one of the 'Droid front-runners, or did you join the game a bit later? Sound off in the poll below, and feel free to share some details in the comments below.

Jul

[Weekend Poll] Which Is More Important To You In A Phone, Size Or 4G?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in 4G, Devices By Manufacturer, Off-Topic, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Can Google+ Succeed?

From a manufacturer standpoint, 4G (for the purposes of this post I mean LTE and WiMax, not 3G+) is a bit of a nightmare. The immaturity of the technology means that chips are expensive and bulky, and realistically offer benefit to only a small portion of consumers. (Compounding the issue, "4G" has become yet another buzzword that consumers don't understand but think they need anyway... but I digress.)

Consider a diminutive device such as the Samsung Galaxy S II. It's thin and light, but could a 4G chip be integrated without expanding the dimensions in one or more directions?

Jul

HTC EVO 3D Overclocked To 1.8GHz With Temp Root Using Modified Kernel - Instructions Included

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, EVO 3D (Shooter), News

Last Updated: July 10th, 2011

It's hard not to love SetCPU developer Michael Huang. He's been on the overclocking frontline for many devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S II and Motorola XOOM, and now he strikes again with an ~~custom~~ tweaked kernel (update: to clarify, the kernel source isn't available, so this isn't a rewritten kernel - he used a hex editor to modify it) for the HTC EVO 3D that allows for a stable 1.8GHz. With a few minor tweaks the kernel should work for the Sensation as well, although he hasn't had time to get it working without a device in hand.

Jul

Confirmed: Motorola Droid 3 Has Locked Bootloader

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Droid 3, News, Verizon Wireless

All of Motorola's recent devices (save for the XOOM) have featured bootloaders that are locked down like Fort Knox, and despite publicly stating that they would be reversing that policy, the company has yet to take any action. Although they stated they wouldn't begin making bootloaders unlockable until late 2011, many people held out hope for the newly-released Droid 3. An apparently lost hope, unfortunately, as a Motorola Support forum admin has confirmed that the hot new Droid is as locked as its brethren.

Motorola painted a big bull's eye on itself when it started locking bootloaders, and now the company is certainly taking its time remedying the situation.

Jul

[Updated x2] Google Maps Updated To Version 5.7, Brings Public Transit Navigation, Downloadable Maps, Other Improvements

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, News

A new update for Google Maps was released today and brings some impressive new functionality. Artem put it well (although perhaps not exactly eloquently): "it's #$%^ing amazing... Google keeps blowing minds." In a nutshell, Transit Navigation (as it's officially dubbed) brings exactly what you'd expect - it helps you navigate public transport. In their words:

Transit Navigation (Beta)
Google Maps Navigation (Beta) currently provides over 12 billion miles of GPS-guided driving and walking directions per year. Now, GPS turn-by-turn (or in this case, stop-by-stop) navigation is available for public transit directions in 400+ cities around the globe with Transit Navigation.

Transit Navigation uses GPS to determine your current location along your route and alerts you when it’s time to get off or make a transfer.