David Ruddock - 113/143 - 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.

Follow @rdr0b11

Jun

[Updated: Existing Customers Can Keep Unlimited Data] Editorial: Why Verizon's Tiered Data Plans Will Punish Everyone - Not Just Heavy Data Users

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Carriers, Editorials, Verizon Wireless

Update: According to two separate Verizon memos intercepted by Droid-life, existing Verizon customers can keep their existing data plan pricing when renewing or upgrading. Unfortunately, as with all offers of this type, just how long it will last remains to be seen. But, given that the BIONIC is coming some time soon-ish, it seems very likely that existing Verizon customers will be able to get the device without being forced into tiered data.

This should sate a lot of potentially angry current Verizon customers, but will definitely punish those coming over from AT&T for the iPhone 5 later this year.

Jun

[Update: It's Live!] Peggle Coming Exclusively To The Amazon Appstore June 21st, Free Of Charge - $2.99 Thereafter

Posted by David Ruddock in Apps/Games, Games, News

Update 6/21/11: The game just went live on the Amazon Appstore, go get it!

P.S. Unavailable on the Hero and XOOM but available on the Tab 10.1 and EVO? I can maybe understand the Hero, but the XOOM?..

Update: According to the comments, the game should work on devices listed as unavailable - you just have to buy it in the web version of the Appstore and then download as usual within the Appstore app. Odd stuff.

Phandroid's just been tipped that the absurdly popular puzzle game Peggle will be heading to Android (finally) tomorrow - via the Amazon Appstore.

Jun

[Video] DROID Incredible 2 Bootloader Unlocked [S-OFF] By AlphaRev Team

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Videos

Well, that was pretty fast, actually. The DROID Incredible 2 has successfully been unlocked by AlphaRev - that means 100% rooted and (soon) ROM-ready. Instructions and a download will follow soon - so hold tight, we'll keep you updated on this one.

YouTube

Jun

Cut The Rope Finally Coming To Android This Friday?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Games, News

In probably the least subtle unofficial announcement possible, the Cut The Rope developer team (via Twitter) sent us a message with this picture:

Now, whether there is supposed to be an "Amazon" there is unknown. If so, they might want to change the spelling - lest they give Apple some ammunition in its recent litigation. And if it is an Amazon Appstore release, that means it's likely non-US Android users won't be able to access it for a couple of weeks. Bummer.

Still, Cut The Rope has long been promised for Android, and it's good to see the developer team has been hard at work making that happen.

Jun

[Update: It's Rolling Out Now] Exclusive: EVO 4G OTA Update Coming June 20th - Fixes Netflix, Voicemail Notifications

Posted by David Ruddock in EVO 4G (Supersonic), Exclusives, HTC, News, Sprint, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: As promised, this update is rolling out now. Here is the official changelog, per Sprint's forums.

Corrects voicemail notification issue (from 4.22.651.2)

Corrects issue with hearing aid compatibility menu disappearing (from 4.22.651.2)

Netflix compatibility (from 4.22.651.2)

You heard it here first, folks - the EVO 4G is receiving an update in just 5 short days to address two of the major problems that users have experienced after the jump to Gingerbread. Specifically, non-working Netflix (boooo), and odd Visual Voicemail notification behavior. The turnaround time in getting this update out is pretty impressive, considering the Gingerbread OTA landed just a little over 2 weeks ago.

Jun

The 5 Best Android Phones Under $50 - And Preferably Free: June 2011

Posted by David Ruddock in Carriers, Deals, Devices By Manufacturer, Tips & Tutorials

We've all seen "roundup" lists of smartphones before: who's got the best display, who has the quickest processor, the newest OS revision, the biggest battery - but let's face facts: that kind of stuff is for nerds (like all of us here at AP - and most of our wonderful readers). So we're going to try out something new - call it a pilot episode, if you will.

When you're attempting to convince the less geeky folks you know that they should pick up an Android phone, it can be a tough sell. Particularly when you're pitching a $200 handset to a person that has been quite happy with free flip-phones for the last 7 years.

Jun

Nielsen: Android Data Usage Only Averages 0.6GB A Month - Do Tiered Data Plans Make Sense?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, News

Nielsenwire released new smartphone figures this morning, with a focus on data consumption. Topping the list of the data consumers amongst the smartphone OS's was, of course, Android.

The average Android user utilizes 582MB (or roughly .6GB) of data per month - far less than what is allocated by any of the major carrier's plans. We often hear about consumers becoming feisty over data plan tier-ification or throttling, but how many people do these caps and throttles actually affect? According to Nielsen, less than 3% of smartphone users average data consumption exceeding 2GB per month. Now, this is combining all platforms - though Android obviously makes up the majority.

Jun

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[Update: It's In The Market Now, Too] Angry Birds Rio Carnival Update Now Available On Amazon Appstore - Adds 15 New Levels

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News

Surprise, surprise - Rovio's has issued the next major content update to Angry Birds Rio early! The Carnival update is now available on the Amazon Appstore (unfortunately that's the only place you can get it for now).

Here's the basic changelog:

15 levels in new world named Carnival Upheaval
Blue, the Macaw, can now be used alone.
The new hidden fruits are papaya (thanks to everyone who helped us figure this out)

Update: This update is in the Android Market now, too.

Angry Birds Rio

Amazon Appstore Twitter

Jun

Editorial: Android Tablets - Is It Just A Summer Fling, Or Are Manufacturers Here To Stay?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Tablets

I've been thinking about writing this editorial for some time now. And today, with the announcement of Panasonic's upcoming Toughbook Android tablet, I finally decided to go for it. The point this article is trying to make may not be abundantly clear in the title, so let me see if I can get it across as a question: Is it just me, or are there a suspiciously large number of companies in or planning to enter the Android tablet market?

It sounds like a silly question to ask. And to a degree, it's not exactly a hugely relevant question, either. Who really cares how many companies are trying to get into the tablet market?

Jun

[Updated: Some Apps Will Be Cut] HTC: We're Bringing Gingerbread To The Desire (But Only Because You Asked Nicely)

Posted by David Ruddock in Desire (Bravo/BravoC), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News

Update: In a new Facebook update, HTC explained that some apps would be cut to allow enough space for the Gingerbread update. Looks like it was all about internal storage after all, rather than RAM.

That was quick. HTC, via its UK Facebook page, has announced that Gingerbread will be coming to the Desire after all. Despite the all but scientific conclusion of HTC's engineers, after rigorous testing, that "there isn’t enough memory to ... both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire." So will the Desire be going Sense-less? Probably not, but that would be a very interesting move on HTC's part.