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How many times has this happened to you: you're getting ready to flash a new ROM, so you drop in on the SD Card, reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery, do a Nandroid backup, and proceed with the installation, only to realize that you forgot to backup your apps. That has happened to me more times than I care to count, and flashing a backup just to do a Titanium Backup is insanely tedious.
Are you ready for some Friday morning source code? Even if you're not, Samsung thinks you should be -- it just released the source for three new phones to its Open Source Developer Center. The three phones in question are the Stratosphere on Verizon, the Transfix on Cricket Wireless, and the still-unreleased Galaxy Y Pro.
Motorola is resurrecting the world's first Honeycomb tablet one last time before the next generation of XOOM becomes available, but this time it has a family-friendly twist. It's called the XOOM Family Edition, and it's basically the same Wi-Fi XOOM that has been out for months now, but it's packing around $40 of additional games and other software specifically targeted at kids. Among the bundled software is Zoodles, an app that locks the home button and only grants access to user-defined apps, so you can keep those kiddos away from apps that you deem unfit.
Remember the Motorola XPRT? No? Allow me to refresh your memory... yeah, that phone. The Droid Pro. Only... not. Whatever it is, it's currently getting an OTA update to fix some bugs and, well, that's pretty much it. Here's the changelog:
A minor OTA update is currently rolling out to the Motorola Photon 4G that brings a few bug fixes and one notable feature: Google Talk with Video support. Other than that, it's a pretty bland update:
Online game rental service Gamefly pushed an update to its official app today which brings the same social experience to Android phones and tablets that iOS users have had since April of this year. The service allows you to create a profile and connect with other users for online gameplay (through XBox Live, PSN, or WII), follow other gamers to find out what they're playing, comment on others' posts, share content, and seamlessly integrate with Twitter or Facebook.
I want you to take a mental journey with me. Dig deep into your memory banks -- all the way back to 2001. You there? Great. Think, if you will, about the the state of video games. The Playstation 2 was the hottest console on the market (okay, that's debatable) and Grand Theft Auto III was the game to have. Kids loved it as much as parents, teachers, and other authority figures hated it, due to its (then) graphic nature. Violence. Crime. Scantily clad hookers. That game had it all.
Here's one for the car buffs among you: the official Top Gear app. With this app courtesy of BBC Worldwide and sponsored by Mercedes Benz, you can stay on top of the latest news, videos, and shenanigans from the Top Gear crew. The app features photos, behind the scenes goodies, Top Gear clips, previews of upcoming Top Gear "stuff," and reviews of the latest cars driven.
Gameloft just pushed the third iteration of its Let's Golf HD series to the Android Market for the low price of free. For those uninitiated with Let's Golf, here's the nuts-and-bolts: you get to play golf in some outrageous places, like outer space or the Great Wall of China. Despite its cartoonish nature, it's quite graphically detailed -- everything from the green to the surrounding details is bright, vivid, and detailed.
Who's in the market for a whack looking phone with some sort of flip-out hybrid keyboard-screen? You are? Then the LG Doubleplay is singing your song. Check this... thing... out:
If you've been considering making the jump over to T-Mo and aren't interested in the power-packed Amaze 4G, then there's a good chance you've been eyeing the Sensation 4G. If this scenario sounds familiar, then Best Buy's website is the place to be, as you can get the Sensation 4G for nary a dime.
It has been about five months since Glu Mobile dropped Contract Killer into the Market, bringing all sorts of awesome first person shooter action along with it. They're back with a new take on the title, throwing a more blood thirsty element to the mix: zombies.
A couple of new images of both the internally-named Motorola Spyder, rumored to be the device Moto and Big Red have planned to announce as the Droid RAZR on October 18th, as well as the 8.2-inch variant of the XOOM 2 have surfaced. While we've already seen rough prototype shots of both XOOM 2 variants once before, this new leak shows a much more polished look on the little brother, suggesting that it's near completion and most of the kinks have been worked out.
What do you do if you're a known patent troll and a major company announces a new device that is sure to sell millions of units? Try to sue the heck out of them, of course. That's exactly what's going on with Amazon's upcoming Kindle Fire, the still-unreleased tablet from the online retail giant.
Not to be outdone by DC Comics, Marvel just pushed its official app into the Android Market. The app allows you to purchase and download comics featuring all of your Marvel favorites -- everyone from Captain America to Wolverine are along for the ride.
The GO Launcher Dev Team, the branch of the GO Dev Team responsible for GO Launcher and a number of plugins/widgets, has released yet another extremely useful widget into the Market: GO Note Widget. This widget is a simple, yet highly functional addition to your homescreen that allows you to jot down a quick note, keep track of tasks and todos, or even draw or doodle in a note.
One thing that makes Android so versatile is all of the available apps that allow for extreme customization of nearly any device. Out of those apps, one of the easiest ways to customize the look and feel of your device is with a custom launcher. We've seen interesting takes on the launcher before, but Team ROU is looking to bring a whole new kind of interface to Android -- and it looks damn good. Check it:
Looks like Wirefly has cracked open the box for the HTC Amaze 4G and put it through its paces. As always, Bob Kovaks does a great job of showing of the phone's features, including a bandwidth test, benchmarks, a look at what the camera is capable of in both still shots and 1080p video, as well as touching on other features. Before you watch the video, here is a quick look at the guts of the Amaze:
On October 20th, VZW will be turning on LTE coverage in 20 new markets, and this morning, an announcement was sent out with details of 13 new cities that will be added to the mix on November 17th:
Want a small goodie from Ice Cream Sandwich to take the edge off your craving for the newest iteration of Android? Of course you do! What we have here for your downloading pleasure is the analog clock from ICS. Essentially, it's the same as the Gingerbread clock, with some obvious aesthetic changes.