David Ruddock - 104/142 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

David Ruddock

David's phone is an HTC One X+. He is an avid writer, and enjoys imparting a legal perspective on Android news where it is relevant. He also doesn't usually write such boring sentences.

Follow @rdr0b11

Sep

Editorial: Amazon's Kindle Fire Has Just Made Every Other Android Tablet Manufacturer Look Bad

Posted by David Ruddock in Amazon, Android OS, Editorials, Kindle Fire

All I could think after reading the announcement for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet this morning was: "this is what we've been waiting for." Because it is. Amazon gets tablets, believe it or not. And despite the flagging success of the Amazon Appstore, the company has done what no other tablet manufacturer has even come remotely close to: matching access to Apple's curated content library (iTunes + App Store) at a price nearly everyone can afford.

Living In The Amazon Ecosystem

I buy my music from Amazon. I buy episodes of TV shows. I rent movies. I buy Kindle books - and I don't even own a Kindle.

Sep

HTC ThunderBolt Gingerbread Update Page Pops Up On Verizon - Same Build We Posted 3 Days Ago

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

If you're having difficulty controlling your desire to get Gingerbread on your HTC Thunderbolt right now, you're not alone. But, if you've been waiting for the official release, you've probably grown very impatient by this point. It appears the wait is nearing an end, as Verizon's support site now contains a page for the Thunderbolt's long-overdue bump to Android 2.3.4. Here are the changes they've listed:

Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update, Build Number: 2.11.605.3; Baseband: 1.48.00.0906w_1, 0.01.78.0906w_2, for your ThunderBolt by HTC. This update provides several improvements for your device, as well as upgrading to the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System (OS).

Sep

Poll: Does The Samsung Galaxy Player Really Have A Place In The US?

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy Player 4.0, Galaxy Player 50, Polls, Samsung

When I saw the announcement by Samsung that they were bringing the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 and 5.0 portable media players to the US, I paused, and thought "Uh, why?" We have yet to come up with an answer.

That's to say, we're not sure what Samsung is thinking bringing a PMP (portable media player) product line into the United States, where the iPod Touch dominates that already-dwindling market to a laughable extent. PMPs are a product of the early smartphone era, where having a device that could make phone calls, store your music, videos, and play games was simply impractical because of technological battery and storage limitations.

Sep

Verizon To Apple: Banning The Import Of Samsung Android Devices Is Not Something We're OK With

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events. In Samsung and Apple's ongoing attempts to sue the pants off one another in every court conceivable, an unlikely player has stepped into the arena as a voice of reason (sort of).

Verizon Wireless, the US's largest wireless carrier, has requested permission to file a brief in the Federal Court for the Northern District of California on the part of Samsung in one of the many lawsuits it is involved in with Apple. Apple filed a motion previously for a preliminary injunction, asking the court, in light of Samsung's alleged patent infringement, to ban the import of four Samsung Android devices (the Infuse 4G, the DROID Charge, the Galaxy S 4G, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1).

Sep

[Updated x2: Root May Not Be Related After All] Epic 4G Touch Experiencing Loss Of Service Bug On Some Devices

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Android OS, Epic 4G Touch, News, Sprint

Update: After receiving a distraught email from Team ACS, it has been brought to our attention that their root method may not be the cause of signal loss on the Epic 4G Touch. We're currently researching the details and will update this post accordingly.

Update x2: According to new information we received, there have been reports of this same issue happening on non-rooted phones. We're not sure how things got twisted around to point the finger at rooted devices, but we do know that Sprint is looking into it.

Have you rooted your Epic Touch 4G? Apparently, some users who have tried to flash Zedomax and ACS's custom kernel have experienced a loss of signal bug.

Sep

Download: Android 2.3.7 (GWK74) With Google Wallet For The Nexus S 4G

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Samsung, Sprint, Tips & Tutorials

WARNING: This file is only for the Sprint Nexus S 4G. To flash the update, the phone must be stock - that means no custom ROMs. Rooted handsets are OK, though this might reset root permissions (you just need to re-root). We've included a link to a full, flashable ROM which will probably require a wipe, as well.

If you find yourself still without the Android 2.3.7 (GWK74) update for your Sprint Nexus S 4G, have no fear - we're here to help. Thanks to Omar over on Google+, we've got a direct link to the update.zip from Google themselves.

Sep

[Deal Alert] Amazon Drops DROID BIONIC To $150 With A New Verizon Account, Still Includes $50 Gift Card

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Deals, Motorola, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: September 24th, 2011

Amazon has reduced the price of the Motorola DROID BIONC for new Verizon subscribers to just $150 - and you'll get a free $50 Amazon Gift Card to boot, which would probably wisely be spent on a spare battery and charger.

Verizon's first dual-core phone to feature LTE and a qHD display (with somewhat yucky PenTile subpixel rendering), the BIONIC is definitely Verizon's current powerhouse handset.

For current Verizon customers, the price remains unchanged: $250 with a renewal of your 2-year agreement. You can check out our review of the DROID BIONIC (which I think is a pretty good phone) here.

Sep

Dear Verizon: Your 4G Phones Have Data Connectivity Problems, And It’s Really Pissing Everyone Off

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Charge (i510), Editorials, HTC, LG, Motorola, News, Revolution, Samsung, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

When I switched from AT&T from Verizon and swapped my aging, battered, and bruised Nexus One for a DROID BIONIC, the possibility of buyer’s remorse was not on my mind. I was coming from AT&T - America’s single least reliable network in terms of dropped calls. So, I thought the last thing I’d end up doing was wishing I was back there. And now, at least part of me does.

If you own a Verizon 4G LTE handset, you’ve probably experienced an issue exactly or approximately like this one: You put your phone in your pocket or let it sit overnight, take it out some time later or the next morning, and there’s no data connection.

Sep

Parrot AR.Drone + AR.FreeFlight Control App Review: One Major Flaw Leaves This Bird Grounded

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Other Reviews, Reviews

Let's be honest: the Parrot AR.Drone is awesome. It's an awesome idea, it's an awesome design, and we had super high hopes for it. Unfortunately, one huge, massive, undeniable flaw means this bird will spend most of its life on the ground: battery life. It's that bad.

But before I, admittedly sadly, twist that dagger into the heart of this toy, let's go over what it does well - and why we're optimistic about Parrot's future smartphone-controlled vehicles. (Hint: mostly because this thing is so. Much. Fun.)

The Idea

Parrot's AR.Drone is a product we've covered in the past, even before its app was available for Android.

Sep

America Invents Act Now Law, Brings Biggest Changes To US Patent Law In Over 50 Years

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Off-Topic

If you've watched or read any of the major American news outlets today, you might have heard a solid 15 second mention about a little piece of legislation known as the America Invents Act. You probably heard that it brings the most sweeping changes to American patent law in the last half-century, and that it should ease the burden of patent filing for both inventors and the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office).

You also know patent litigation is a major part of life as an Android fan, so your interest was probably at least piqued by the passage of this bill.