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Unlocking our phones is quite the hassle. Sticking a PIN or password on the lock screen is your most reliable option, but inputting that information every time admittedly gets old. There's face unlock, but that's too easy to circumvent. As for fingerprint scanning? The required hardware isn't exactly widespread. So now Descartes Biometrics is offering users the ability to unlock their smartphones... using their ears.
Sony announced the Xperia Z1s at CES earlier this month, and it quickly showed up on T-Mobile's website. So Americans looking to just own the handset have had a week to order one online from the carrier, while those wanting a deeper relationship with the device - to love it for what's on the inside, rather than the outside - have had to wait a little longer. But now their opportunity has come as well. Sony has published the kernel source code for the Xperia Z1s on the same day as the phone's debut in T-Mobile's retail stores.
There was a time not so long ago when entering keywords into a search engine and getting back a list of relevant URLs was convenient enough, but these days, long after the novelty of search engines has worn off, sifting through pages of blue and purple links can feel quite tedious. So Google is continuing to do more to make using its primary service easier. Starting today, when you click on the name next to a website's link in your search results, you will get served a small window providing a little bit more information than what's provided on the page.
Most games that get released for Android are decidedly casual. They're intended for quick, pick-up-and-play encounters when you have a few moments to kill while waiting in the fast food line or in the back seat of a cab. Most, frankly, can't compare to the lean-back experience we get from console games (or the lean-forward immersion of their PC brethren). Square Enix's Deus Ex: The Fall is a different beast entirely. This is a full-blown entry in the series designed from the ground up for touchscreens, and after getting released inside the Apple App Store this past summer, it's finally made its way over to Google Play.
On the surface, Table Top Racing looks like just another mobile racing game. The cars are simple, the graphics are charming, and nothing about the title suggests any semblance of depth. But hold on to your cereal, because the cars about to drift their away across your kitchen table are packing more horsepower than it seems. Table Top Racing comes to us from the creator of Wipeout (Nick Burcombe, now CEO of Playrise Digital), and while this release may not have that series' over-the-top futuristic spectacle, it has enough content to suggest it was made by someone who knows what they are doing. That said, don't expect anything resembling Wipeout here. Think Micro Machines, instead.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 currently has a starting price of $549.99 at most retailers, making it a relatively pricey tablet. Yet with its 2560x1600 10-inch display, 3GB of RAM, and quirky S Pen functionality, there's a lot to like here. So if you have your heart set on this device, and you aren't above picking up a refurbished model, then you can currently get one on Groupon for just $389.99. That's a 30% discount equating to a savings of $159.01. The larger, 32GB model is on sale for just $30 more, and both are available in either black or white.
Earlier this month, AT&T passed the 500 mark in the race to expand the number of areas across the country with access to the carrier's 4G LTE network. The effort is ongoing, though, and the company has now officially added several more locales to the list. Customers in areas ranging from the West Coast to the Atlantic Ocean should all now notice faster data speeds when browsing on the go.
Google Glass gives wearers access to notifications, the ability to take pictures of what they see, and other bite-size nuggets of general tech geekery, but the device relies on tactile swipes and voice commands to manage it all. Atheer One, a pair of smart glasses that were recently funded on Indiegogo, promises users the ability to interact with its virtual UI elements using just their hands.
Most current smartwatches, such as the Pebble and the Galaxy Gear, serve as notification hubs for whatever smartphone is paired to them, but this limitation is something several Kickstarter projects have sought to change by effectively turning smartwatches into phones themselves. This approach doesn't address how ludicrous it is to peck out words on such a tiny screen, but Minuum, the Android keyboard that fits the entire alphabet into a single row, could just be the ideal solution. The team has released a video showing the magic in action.
Today the folks behind Todoist have announced the latest version of their capable task management offering: "Todoist Next." This new name comes with a complete rewrite of the software that improves integration across its 13 supported platforms. Yet for us Android users, the app still looks largely the same. It has kept its current name in the Play Store, and it retains the look introduced in version 2.0 (even though the latest release is 3.0). That's not to say that there's nothing new to see here. Users are now able to work together with others on tasks and balance events more easily with a new visual scheduler.
Motorola has been making a name for itself by uploading many of its pre-installed apps (both the exciting and the utterly mundane) into the Play Store where it can serve out updates more quickly, but the Google-owned company isn't the only one to make use of this approach. Today Sony has uploaded the Xperia ZI's Timeshift Burst functionality into the Play Store.
Last week Sprint was proud to announce that it was the first carrier in the US that would let consumers pre-order the LG G Flex. All the company wanted was a $299.99 down payment and a two-year contract. Now AT&T is jumping in by delivering the same handset at the same price, though its customers also have the option to pay $26.74 for eighteen months or $34.75 for twelve with an AT&T Next plan. The carrier will begin offering pre-orders online and in stores on January 24th, with the actual availability date yet to be announced.
Much of Android's development is done out in the open, which is how several Android developers noticed that a recent commit to the Android Open Source Project master tree would break many of your favorite root apps. This is the result of a newly implemented security feature, rather than an active effort to lock things down on Google's part. Nevertheless, it could result in some inconvenience, so developer Chainfire has taken to his Google+ page to detail what will happen if the change is not reverted before the release of a future version of Android.
The LG G Flex isn't the kind of phone you recommend to everyone. Sure, it has a curved screen, but what is that actually good for? Yet if you've been craving this phone since watching it heal itself (which is admittedly pretty cool), Sprint's gearing up to put one in your hands pretty soon. The handset is now available for pre-order at a price point of $299.99 with a two-year contract. Anyone who calls dibs will also get a free QuickWindow Folio Case that would otherwise cost $59.99.
The title says it all here. GMD Air Command installs a shortcut on your Galaxy Note 3, 10.1 2014, or other compatible devices that can open Samsung's Air Command menu without you having to pull out the S pen. This is especially useful considering that some functionality, such as opening up a floating window, really doesn't need a stylus.
We are the Android Police, so it should come as no surprise that we have a soft spot for RoboCop. We understand what it's like to do the cop thing all while people fail to see you as anything other than a robot. We also get that times are tough right now, and with shrinking pensions and rising healthcare costs, this formerly dead guy crammed full of electronics has to try to make a living any way he can, even if it's by starring in another movie and getting in bed with Glu in order to market it. So here's RoboCop, the obligatory movie tie-in game designed to pump you up for next month's big release.
Let's all pause for a moment to recall fond memories of Sprint ID. Done? Yeah, that didn't take long. If you're reading this, then there's a solid chance you have little interest in a carrier-installed app that screws with your homescreen by providing an obnoxious wallpaper with a preselected assortment of apps and widgets. Thankfully, Sprint is ready to take a new approach. The carrier will start to push Sprint Live on some of the phones it sells later this year, a new experience from Chinese company NQ Mobile that strives to be an always-on replacement for your wallpaper keeping you up to the date with various content tailored to the brands and news stories you're interested in.
An update has rolled out to the Pandora Android app that builds upon what made the Internet radio service popular to begin with - making it easier to discover new music. To this day, Pandora still has an uncanny way of serving out songs that fit a listener's tastes precisely, especially for those who have been tweaking their stations for years. But we are all creatures of habit, and it can be easy to still fall into a rut even with Pandora's helping hand. The newest update addresses this by providing up to six suggested artist stations to add to your lists.
There are undoubtedly many people out there who received a new Nexus 7 for Christmas last month, and now they need a means of keeping it safe. There have already been three sleeves to choose from on the Play Store, but today that option jumps to four. Now owners can get the sleeve in bright "Ketchup" red. This unofficial name nicely complements the equally unofficially named Mustard Yellow, Pepper Black, and Salt Gray pre-existing options.
The 2014 Winter Olympics will take place next month in Sochi, Russia, and Samsung has just released an app into the Play Store for keeping up with all the hoopla. With bright colors and a clean interface, the Sochi 2014 WOW (Wireless Olympics Works) app might just be your best means of avoiding the excessive banter and lengthy commercials that come with trying to navigate the Olympics on television without a guide.