David Ruddock - 11/143 - 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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Mar

[Update: Really, It's Coming - Don't Listen To HTC] AllThingsD: Verizon Will Get The HTC One... But Not For A Month Or Two After Everyone Else

Posted by David Ruddock in HTC, News, One, Rumors, Verizon Wireless

Update 3/18/13: AllThingsD dismissed the now-deleted claim by HTC's Twitter account that the One would not be coming to Big Red as bogus and reiterated that it is, indeed, in the works. As originally reported (see below), it's scheduled to arrive months after other U.S. carriers.

According to AllThingsD, America's biggest and reddest carrier will be getting HTC's One phone - but not for a while. Yep, Verizon has signed on as a distributor of the handset, but it won't be available for "a month or two" after the three other major wireless providers in the US have it.

Mar

[Weekend Poll] HTC One Or Galaxy S4?

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S4, One, Polls

On last week's podcast, the question "HTC One or Galaxy S4?" came up, and was posed to each host. We all made our call, and now it's your turn. While I know many of you have no interest in either of these phones, today's question is not what your ideal phone is, but given a choice between them - which would you get? And no, 'neither' is not an option.

Each phone has its advantages and disadvantages - that's clear. The One is a beautiful piece of design with a few hardware tricks up its sleeve - dual front-facing speakers, a novel rear camera, and all aluminum chassis.

Mar

WhatsApp Messenger With New Holo-Style UI Out Of Beta, Now On The Play Store

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

The most popular standalone chat platform on Android, WhatsApp, has been updated with a whole new look - and it's holo-y. About a month ago, WhatsApp previewed its redesigned aesthetic in a beta release, and now those changes have made their way into the release client. While the changelog is pretty sparse on details ('update user interface to the latest android look and feel'), compared to the old version of the app, the visual differences should be fairly obvious.

There's also mention of three and five-year subscription discount options, should you plan your proprietary chat platform usage that far out, and support for Vietnamese.

Mar

[Deal Alert] Get A Refurbished 16GB Nexus 7 For $152.99 Shipped From Buydig If You Check Out With V.me By Visa

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, News, Nexus 7

This may be the best price we've yet seen on a refurbished Nexus 7, and if you're in the market for one of these devices on the cheap, read on. Buydig has its refurbished model at a list price of $172.99, a halfway-decent deal to start with, but they're willing to slash another $20 off that price if you check out with V.me by Visa after entering the promo code 'VMESAVESU20'.

The catch, as you might have guessed, is that you have to register with V.me by Visa (which takes all four major credit cards), and then add a card to your V.me account.

Mar

Verizon Announces First Software Update For Pantech Marauder (Version S910LVWD211F.D1)

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Marauder, News

Verizon has just announced a software update for the QWERTY-sliding Pantech Marauder, a phone we reviewed last August. The software update includes the now-standard Verizon Remote Diagnostics support utility, and a substantial list of software changes. The stock email app now supports a combined inbox mode and conversation view, Google Chrome has been added, and the Pantech 'Simple Mode' UI has been enhanced. The phone apparently doesn't reboot after a modem crash anymore, either, which is probably good.

There's no Android version upgrade included, unfortunately. The new update will likely be headed out some time in the next week or two.

Mar

Editorial: No, The Galaxy S4 Does Not Foretell A Samsung Overthrow Of Google Or An Imminent Android Fork

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials, Galaxy S4, News

A little over two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal published a juicy story about a technology love triangle gone sour, between Samsung, Google, and Motorola. That story, as most things published at the Journal about Android or Apple do, immediately caught fire. Is Samsung plotting to break away from a Google-approved Android? Is Google actually scared of Samsung's ginormous market share? It's the sort of backstabby drama that everyone in the tech news industry would love to see unfold. Count me among them - that would be something, wouldn't it? Samsung forking Android and eschewing Google's services and content once and for all.

Mar

Al Jazeera English App For Android Tablets Now Available

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

Al Jazeera has just released its official English news app designed especially for tablets on the Play Store, and it comes equipped with an absolute boatload of features (are you listening, CNN?). The new app includes access to video clips, free 24 hour live audio and video broadcast streaming, breaking news alerts, a dedicated gallery mode, search function, preloading of articles for offline reading, weather information, and the ability to save stories for later viewing.

Mar

HP: Galaxy S4 Will Be Able To Print On-Demand To Nearly 200 HP Printers, S III And Note II To Gain Support Later

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, News

HP just put out a press release announcing a partnership with Samsung on the Galaxy S4, which will include HP's wireless printing functionality found in devices like the upcoming HP Slate 7. HP promises "no setup, tools, drivers, or network configurations to adjust," and that its solution will be one of the only to offer access to sophisticated printer settings. Like duplexing, color, orientation, and paper type. Oh yeah.

The feature will be supported by "nearly 200 HP printer models" from the inkjet and LaserJet lines. A built-in "print" button will be included in a number of Samsung apps on the S4, as well, including the email, browser, photo gallery, contacts, S Note, and Polaris Office apps.

Mar

Samsung: Galaxy S III, Probably Note II And Others Will Be Updated With Many S4 Features

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

According to PCMag (I apologize for the awful floating ads in advance), Samsung will be issuing a software update to the Galaxy S III that will incorporate many of the new Galaxy S4's features.

Nick DiCarlo, a Samsung VP, said "Anything that we can do that's not dependent on hardware like infrared, we'll definitely bring to all the flagship devices."

So, I take that to mean the Galaxy S III, Note II, and possibly a couple other devices that might support some of the features in the S4 - perhaps the Note 8.0 and Note 10.1. Considering Samsung has massively overhauled the camera app and added a handful of new S-features, a new Premium Upgrade Suite with Android 4.2 is likely to bring some of those S4 goodies to older hardware.

Mar

[Poll] The Galaxy S4: Are You Going To Buy One?

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S4, News, Polls

Samsung just unveiled the next.. next big thing: the Galaxy S4. And while some might argue it's more Galaxy S III 'Plus' than brand-new, standard-setting flagship, there's no denying Samsung is going to sell a ton of these things. Our question, though, is will Samsung be selling one to you?

If you're in the market for an Android smartphone right now, you've got plenty of options: HTC's One is on the way shortly, there's the Xperia Z / ZL, and of course, the Nexus 4. While it doesn't look like anyone will be dropping a phone to trounce the S4 any time soon, it's also a more cutthroat and competitive era in the smartphone market than ever before.