Artem Russakovskii - 24/126 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Artem is a die-hard Android fan, passionate tech blogger, obsessive-compulsive editor, bug hunting programmer, and the founder of Android Police.
Most of the time, you will find Artem either hacking away at code or thinking of the next 15 blog posts.

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Mar

Surprisingly Affordable LG Lucid Now Available On Verizon For $79.99 And Wirefly For $60 Cheaper

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Deals, LG, Lucid, News, Verizon Wireless

The LG Lucid, previously known as the Cayman, is available on Verizon Wireless starting today, March 29th. This decently spec'ed handset sports:

dual-core 1.2GHz processor
1GB of RAM
4" IPS LCD reinforced by Corning glass
5MP rear and VGA front-facing cameras with 1080p video capture support
8GB internal storage with support for a MicroSD card up to 32GB in size (sold separately)
1700mAh battery
Wi-Fi Direct
802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR
4G LTE support (as will be the case with all future VZW phones)
Mobile hotspot with up to 10 devices while on LTE or 5 devices on 3G
Android 2.3, slated for Ice Cream Sandwich
A whole slew of VZW ~~apps~~ crapware

Looking at these specs, if I didn't know any better, I'd ballpark the price for this device somewhere around $150.

Mar

[New Game] Hands-On With Swerve And Destroy - A Game With Tilt Controls That Don't Piss You Off [Video]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Games, News, Videos

I love trying new and original-looking Android games, so when I saw Swerve And Destroy in the Play Store today, I had to take it out for a spin. Oftentimes it's the simpler games that end up being the addictive ones, causing you to miss class (you shouldn't do that) and call in sick to work (definitely don't do that), and Swerve and Destroy is no exception. OK, maybe you won't end up playing it for days on end, but it's a fun time-killer.

The game, created by Bullman Development, involves a little dot that you control by tilting your device, a-la Teeter, except instead of labyrinths, you have freedom of movement and evil red ~~dots~~ zombies you need to destroy - or they destroy you.

Mar

[Updated] Google Pushes Source Code Of Android 4.0.4 (IMM76D) Into AOSP

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Source code for Android 4.0.4 (AOSP tag android-4.0.4_r1.1), the latest incremental update with "a few hundred changes over 4.0.3," is being pushed to AOSP (Android Open Source Project) as we speak by JBQ, one of AOSP's main sourcerers (yes, I just made that word up).

This is excellent news for any ROM developers compiling their ROMs from AOSP (such as CyanogenMod) - chances are 4.0.4-based ROMs will start appearing very soon, maybe even tonight. Oh, and, of course, it's even more excellent news for custom ROM users (raise you hands).

Earlier today, official 4.0.4 updates got pushed out to the Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi and the GSM Nexus S.

Mar

[Updated] Official Android 4.0.4 (IMM76D) Update Comes To The Nexus S - Here's How To Get It Right Now [Download]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Last Updated: July 19th, 2012

An new official update IMM76 (Android 4.0.4) is poised to roll out for the Nexus S. The update file, which weighs 18MB, can be downloaded directly from Google's servers and applied only over stock IML74K (Android 4.0.3):

post-build=google/soju/crespo:4.0.4/IMM76D/299849:user/release-keys
post-timestamp=1332707372
pre-build=google/soju/crespo:4.0.3/IML74K/239410:user/release-keys
pre-device=crespo

It has been shown to work on the i9023 variant, and we're currently trying to figure out whether it works on different flavors of the i9020. If you have the Nexus S 4G on Sprint, sorry, this update is definitely not for you - you have access to 4.0.4 already anyway. And, of course, if you have the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, your 4.0.4 update leaked last month here.

Mar

[Obituary] SprintFeed Closes Up Shop, Founder Moves To Another Site

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News, Off-Topic, Sprint

SprintFeed, a site that sprung up 9 months ago seemingly out of nowhere, has been a solid source of Sprint leaks and rumors ever since. Outside of S4GRU, it was pretty much the only site dedicated to America's 3rd largest mobile carrier, but as of today it's closing its doors.

The founder, Mark Hearn, was offered a position of a full-time editor at TechnoBuffalo, a more general tech news site, which he accepted. Since he can't run SprintFeed and fulfill his editorial duties at the same time, something had to give, and that something ended up being SprintFeed itself.

Mar

[Updated] CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies Go Live For The HP TouchPad And AT&T LG Nitro HD / Bell LG Optimus LTE

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in AT&T, Bell, Development, HP, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, LG, News, Nitro HD, Optimus LTE, TouchPad, Videos

The AT&T Galaxy SII (i777) isn't the only Android device getting official CyanogenMod 9 nightly love today, as the first nightlies just went live for the HP TouchPad (codename tenderloin) and the LG Nitro HD (codename p930, also known as LG Optimus LTE on Bell Canada).

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

Mar

[Updated] The Real Temple Run Finally Comes To Android - Download It Now

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Games, News

After countless fakes, the real Temple Run is finally here. That's right - it is legit and available right on schedule, March 27th (looks like it happened Eastern time).

Even better news - it's free. Presumably, there are in-app purchases or ads, but we'll figure that out once we give it a go.

Update: No ads so far, but you can purchase coins for $0.99 or more (see the last screenshot below).

In the meantime, why don't you do that as well? I'll see you back here in a few hours. Or days. I won't judge.

Just remember to register for Google I/O in the morning, if you're thinking of going - don't forget, registration starts 7 a.m.

Mar

37 Best (And 2 WTF) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (3/14/12 - 3/26/12)

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

Last Updated: March 29th, 2012

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 the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here and the tablet app roundup 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 App

EasyMoney

Today's roundup is sponsored by Handy Apps' EasyMoney. EasyMoney is a popular personal finance manager for Android, which has already been downloaded over 500,000 times.

Mar

38 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (3/6/12 - 3/24/12)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in 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 edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon, and you can find the tablet app roundup 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 App

Tasks N Todos - ToDo List Manager

Today's roundup is sponsored by Tasks N Todos, a TODO manager from Handy Apps, the developer of such well received apps as Easy Money and Tip N Split Tip Calculator.

Mar

13 Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Tablets From The Last 2 Weeks (3/10/12 - 3/23/12)

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

Last Updated: March 26th, 2012

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 edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added tablet support. Regular apps and games are coming soon.

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.