Cameron Summerson
Contributing since March, 2011
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3396articles
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About Cameron Summerson
Cameron is a self-made geek, Android enthusiast, horror movie fanatic, musician, and cyclist. When he's not pounding keys here at AP, you can find him spending time with his wife and kids, plucking away on the 6-string, spinning on the streets, or watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on repeat.
Latest Articles
[Update: AT&T Date] Samsung Announces The Galaxy Mega For The U.S. – Coming To AT&T, US Cellular, And Sprint
Samsung Announces The Galaxy Mega For The U.S
If the Galaxy Note II isn't what you'd call "big," and you'd feel much more comfortable using something like a Nexus 7 as your phone, then perhaps the Galaxy Mega may be just what the doctor ordered. While the Mega isn't a new phone in terms of international availability, Samsung has just announced that the massive 6.3-inch device will be making its way to the States eventually. This comes as no surprise, as we've already seen both AT&T and Sprint versions of the device.
The amount of Bluetooth speakers on the market could easily boggle one's mind, with more manufacturers getting in the game every day. And while there are many worthy competitors in this somewhat-crowded market, one of our favorites in the "small and portable" category is easily the Braven 600 – a small speaker with a lot to offer.
Google Search Update Rolling Out, Brings Voice Search For Flights, Reservations, Shipments, And More
Latest Google Update Brings Voice Search For Flights, Reservations, Shipments, And More
Google Now is quickly becoming an excellent aggregator for all the information that most users need on a regular basis – be it weather, that day's schedule, tracking shipments, and so much more. Aside from its already-useful functionality, though, Google has been working towards making most actions voice-searchable. For example, you can tell Now to set a reminder, play a particular artist in Music, and more. Today's Search update brings more voice actions to existing functions, making it even easier get quick access to important information:
If there are two words that can quickly get people excited, it's "free money." And we just so happened to have some to give away, thanks to Venmo. Haven't heard of Venmo? Here's the skinny: it's a quick, easy, and efficient way to instantly send money to friends. Kind of like Paypal, but without the Paypal-ness of it all – it's all just very simple and straightforward.
SwiftKey Cloud Beta Bumped To v4.2.0.115, Brings Support For An Additional GMail Account, Improved Flow Responsiveness, And More
SwiftKey Cloud Beta Updated To v4.2.0.115
SwiftKey introduced Cloud Beta – a new feature that stores users' data in the cloud and syncs it across devices – a little more than two weeks ago, and so far the company has already pushed one update with a slew of bug fixes. Today marks Cloud Beta's second update in as many weeks, which brings several fixes and enhancements:
Since its inception, things have been tough for Google Wallet. Adoption hasn't been great, many carriers have blocked its use, and the rollout of new features hasn't gone as smoothly as one would hope. In short, it's been a long, hard road for such an initially promising product.
Phiaton Bridge MS 500 Headphones Review: Quality Sounds And Comfort Without Compromises
Phiaton Bridge MS 500 Headphones Review
When it comes to audio on-the-go, the consumer market has come full circle over the last several decades: back in the 80s it wasn't uncommon to see kids running around with massive headphones attached to their skulls, rocking out to whatever crap their parents hated the most. Fast-forward twenty years, and it was all about earbuds – stuffing tiny speakers into your ear canals was the only [socially acceptable] way to listen to music. Today, it's a good mix of both: earbuds are widely available for those who prefer the smaller form factor, and on-ear headphones have re-emerged into the premium market, as they often provide sound quality their smaller brothers are not capable of producing.
[Update: Winners] Giveaway: AnDevCon Is Happening On Nov. 12-15 In San Francisco, And We Have Two Passes To Give Away ($1,295 Each) Plus $200 Off For Everyone
We Have Two Passes To Give Away For The AnDevCon in San Francisco
If you've been reading AP for any amount of time longer than, say, six months, then you've probably heard of AnDevCon, the biannual Android Developer Conference. We've been teaming up with the AnDevCon crew since the beginning, and have offered two developers a way into the conference – including all tutorials, workshops, and the like – with every passing event. This time's no different.
Less than one week ago, Google announced the Android Device Manager, a native way to locate or ring your Android device directly from within a browser. A day later, a few ADM options started showing up in the Google Play Services app. Today, ADM is completely live and ready to use.
LG G2 Is Official: 5.2" Display, 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 Processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP Rear Camera, Android 4.2.2
The LG G2 is Now Official with a 5.2inch Display, 2.26GHz Snapdragon 800 Processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP Rear Camera, and Android 4.2.2
Like with most other devices, there has been no shortage of leaks and rumors surrounding LG's latest flagship, the G2. But now, all the questions have been answered, rumors put to rest, and leaks are no longer necessary – LG just unveiled its newest powerhouse to the world.
With SHIELD, NVIDIA made the decision to support the open source/root/Android modding community and embrace the hack-centric nature of the platform by making the device unlockable and easily modifiable. Now, it has made the necessary files available to really open it up for devs: the open source binary drivers and stock recovery image. Together, these files will not only allow developers to start tinkering with the device, but also flash everything back to its stock state should something go awry.
We're at a crucial time for Android tablets. The little green robot is finally starting to gain some traction in the tablet space, manufacturers are beginning to realize what users want from their devices on many different levels (price, hardware, etc.), and the newest versions of Android work as flawlessly on large devices as they do on small.The front runner of this Android tablet "revolution" was last year's Nexus 7, the flagship tablet from Google that literally changed the entire landscape. Like other devices in the Nexus line, the N7 runs a pure, untouched version of stock Android, which is one thing that makes it appealing to some users. Since not everyone wants a stock experience, however, ASUS decided to rehash the N7's design, throw some different guts in it, customize the UI, and release a budget device with a familiar form factor but very different user experience. The end result was the MeMO Pad 7 HD, a $150 7-inch tablet that surprisingly does a fairly good job of keeping up with the rest of the 7-inch pack... for now, at least.And with that in mind, let's dig in.
Little by little, Spotify is bringing all sorts of new and useful features to its mobile app. First it was Radio, and now the company is introducing a new feature called Browse that will allow users to find the perfect playlist for a specific event or mood.
There's no denying the usefulness of a keyboard when doing a lot of text input on Android, and there's no shortage of Bluetooth options that fit the bill perfectly. Anyone who spends a lot of time in email or a text editor likely has one of these handy little accessories laying around, but if that user also owns a Nexus device with 4.3, then they're in for a bit of a surprise the next time it's paired up: many Bluetooth keyboards no longer work post-update.
Avast Launches Mobile Security v3, Anti-Theft v3, And Backup v1 Betas In The Play Store, Starts To Roll Out Premium Features
Avast Launches Mobile Security v3, Anti-Theft v3, And Backup v1
When it comes to mobile security, we readily recommend Avast's option. Not only does it offer fantastic malware protection, but the built-in Anti-Theft is one of the best tools you can have installed should your device ever get lost or stolen. Today, the company is taking advantage of Google+ Community beta testing with Mobile Security, Anti-Theft, and a new product called Backup.
In our Chromecast review, one of Ryan's complaints was that the device can't be used on public Wi-Fi networks, like hotels, for example. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon, according to John Affaki, Engineering Manager for the dev experience on Chromecast. That's a real bummer for anyone who travels frequently and was looking to supplement the crappy hotel TV for something new and interesting via Chromecasts.
[Update: Winners!] US Giveaway: Win A 32GB Nexus 7 (2013), 16GB Nexus 7 (2013), Or A $50 Gift Card From Staples And Android Police
US Giveaway: Win A 32GB Nexus 7 (2013), 16GB Nexus 7 (2013), Or A $50 Gift Card From Staples And Android Police
At this very moment in time, the new Nexus 7 is probably the hottest tablet on the planet. There's a good reason for that, too: Google built on what it started last year with the first gen N7, improving it in almost every way. The new generation has a faster processor, double the RAM, and a higher-resolution display, just to name some of the most obvious changes. Early reviews of the device (worry not, ours is on the way) have praised it almost endlessly, proving that Google really hit the mark with its newest small tablet.
[Update: Winners] International Book Giveaway: Win One Of Ten Copies Of Android Native Development Kit Cookbook From Packt Publishing And Android Police
Win One Of Ten Copies Of Android Native Development Kit Cookbook From Packt Publishing And Android Police
Are you an Android developer who's curious about getting started with the NDK? Or maybe you'd just like to see what C/C++ can do as opposed to Java. Or maybe... there's another reason. I dunno. What I do know, however, is that Packt Publishing's Android Native Development Kit Cookbook ($25/$50) probably has the answer you're looking for.
If you're a DeadZone player, there are now more ways and places to play than ever before: as of today, the game is also available on Facebook and PC. Mac owners, fret not – it's coming soon to your platform as well. This means you can now get your DZ fix regardless of where you are – all games are cross-platform, and you can log in with your existing credentials.
It's not much of a secret that I'm basically obsessed with The Walking Dead. When new seasons air, Sundays are easily my favorite day of the week – every passing moment leading up to the start of each week gets me one step closer to finding out what's going to happen to Rick and the crew next. Season finales are always bittersweet – they usually provide at least some sort of closure to the intensity of the season, but I also know it will be months before new episodes are out. October already can't get here soon enough.