David Ruddock - 108/147 - 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.

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Sep

Rumor: A 10-Inch Kindle Tablet Is Probably Coming In Time For The Holidays

Posted by David Ruddock in Amazon, Kindle Fire, News, Rumors

When we reported that Amazon was working on a number of Android devices earlier this year, shortly thereafter, reports began surfacing that the company would release two Android tablets before year's end, one 7", the other 10". The 7" device, now known as the Kindle Fire, is obviously for real.

But what about its supposed big brother? At this point, it seems almost imminent that it will be released. It also sounds very much like Amazon will unveil this bigger, better, Fiery-er device in time for Christmas in the US, and now we've got at least two reasons to think this is happening.

Sep

Nexus S 2.3.6 Update Is Nuking All Cellular Connectivity On Some Phones, Possible Fixes Inside

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, AT&T, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), T-Mobile

If you've downloaded or had the Android 2.3.6 update pushed to your AT&T, T-Mobile, or unlocked Nexus S recently without issue, consider yourself lucky. None of this applies to the Nexus S 4G on the Sprint network.

While we reported that the update was breaking Wi-Fi and USB tethering initially, it seems something much, much worse is happening to some users who have received 2.3.6 OTA.

If you check out this Google thread, you'll see a number of poor souls have had all cellular connectivity stripped from their devices after updating. The easiest solution so far? Roll back to Android 2.3.4 (or earlier), which almost inevitably requires a full wipe of the device.

Sep

Deal Alert: Refurbished NOOK Color For Just $150 Shipped, Ends At Midnight

Posted by David Ruddock in Barnes & Noble, Deals, NOOKcolor (Encore)

Looking to get a full-color eReader on the cheap? Or perhaps a CyanogenMod conversion candidate? DailySteals is offering up refurbished B&N NOOK Color tablets for just $150, shipping included (next best price we've found is $190 shipped for a refurb).

That's quite a steal for a 7" IPS display, complete with the NOOK's signature carabineer hook thing. The NOOK Color has been renowned for its hackability, particularly because you can get it to run CyanogenMod 7 pretty easily. And once you do that, you have a full-featured Android (albeit Gingerbread) tablet with Market access and a thriving developer community. For $150, we're going to go ahead and say this is one of the better deals you'll ever see on an Android tab.

Sep

Editorial: Is Samsung's Patent Licensing Deal With Microsoft The End Of Royalty-Free Android?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, HTC, LG, Motorola, News, Samsung

It certainly seems like it. Yesterday, Microsoft announced via blog that it had concluded negotiations with Samsung and reached a licensing deal for the same seven patents it previously licensed to HTC for Android (along with other, smaller Android manufacturers). There were rumblings about just what royalty rate Samsung is paying, but the guess is anywhere from $5 to $15 per handset (it's likely on a percentage-of-MSRP basis - so think about 1-3% per $500 MSRP phone).

When it comes to royalty agreements, rates are usually internally fixed regarding certain categories of IP to avoid confusion about damages in lawsuits, but when there are allegations of continued infringement, the game changes.

Sep

Deal Alert: Refurbished Motorola XOOM 32GB Wi-Fi For $355 Shipped

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Motorola, XOOM

If you head over to woot.com this morning, you'll find refurbished Motorola XOOM 32GB Wi-Fi tablets are being tossed off for a mere $355 shipped - that's $50 less than the best deal we've seen previously for a non-refurb, but honestly, you probably won't even notice they aren't new.

That's quite a bit of tablet storage for a pretty reasonable price, so we're inclined to say this deal is indeed a good one. Head on over to woot! to pick one (or 4) up.

Woot! via Droid-life

Sep

T-Mobile Follows Verizon's Lead, Tells Court Not To Allow Apple To Ban Import Of Samsung Android Devices

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Android OS, News, Samsung, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Everyone's getting on the peace train, it seems. T-Mobile, in concert with Verizon's filing last week, submitted an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief to the Federal Court for the Northern District of California this morning in regard to the ongoing patent and trademark suit between Samsung and Apple. Its contents? Basically the same thing Verizon's said - that denying Americans their 4G Samsung devices just for some silly little patent infringement will hurt 4G deployment in the US and decrease access to high-speed mobile broadband. T-Mobile actually refers to Verizon's brief in their own document, basically saying "Yeah, whatever he said, too."

After T-Mobile's statement regarding the fact that it still doesn't have the iPhone earlier this week (as though customers needed a reminder), this brief is a pretty logical step for the company to take.

Sep

Department Of Justice Taking A Second Look At Google-Moto Deal, Probably No Cause For Alarm

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Motorola, News

Over at Google's Public Policy Blog (yes, that really exists) today, Senior VP Dennis Woodside issued a statement that the U.S. Department of Justice was taking a "second look" at certain potential antitrust issues in the Google-Motorola deal. What's it mean?

A $12.5 billion acquisition of a major US company that has been independent for over 30 years is always going to invite scrutiny from Uncle Sam, and let's face it, it's probably not a bad sign that the government is batting a second eye at these kinds of purchases.

Google, according to the post as shown below, remains confident that the deal will go through, and is cooperating fully with the DoJ during this evaluation, one Google has undergone before.

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.