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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

May

[Updated Again With Swype's Statement] Swype: Permission Spoofing Would Mean The End Of Swype Beta On Android

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, Development, Editorials, News

Update 3: Swype has contacted us to clarify the following:

Swype does not, and will not ever make money off of the data it collects from you. They do not sell ads. They do not sell information. The comment made on the CM review forum was a generalization about the larger Android app developer community, and in no way was intended to imply that Swype uses your data for ad revenue.

Update 2: Here's what Swype Community Representative Brian Resnik has to say about all this:

Swype Community Rep here (the guy who made the comments on Google Code).

Honestly, piracy is not our concern.

May

[New App] Omaha Steak Time For Android: Tender, Juicy, And Delicious (It Really is Awesome)

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Do you like steak? No? Then get out of this post right now - because it's Steak Time.

Omaha Steaks has had their popular app "Steak Time" on iOS for a while now, and it was only a matter of time before an Android version emerged. That day has come, and now Android users can grill with the best of 'em.

I know what you're thinking, "this is probably some gimmicky app that just wants me to buy overpriced Omaha Steaks." But you're wrong - it's so much more. First and foremost, Steak Time does what its name implies: it times steaks.

May

Urgent: Leaked Thunderbolt Gingerbread Radio May Cause Hard Bricks - We Advise You Revert To Froyo

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Tips & Tutorials

When we leaked the official ROM and radio image for the HTC Thunderbolt's Gingerbread update last week, users were understandably excited. An official Sense, Gingerbread ROM was probably highest on the list of demands for Thunderbolt users (aside from better battery life, perhaps).

Unfortunately, at this time, we have to officially advise anyone using any ROM based on this leak to revert to a Froyo build or to CyanogenMod 7 as soon as possible. This includes any and all third-party Gingerbread ROMs for the HTC Thunderbolt not based on CM7.

We don't take announcing this lightly, but we do so erring on the side of caution because of the extent to which this problem bricks the phone.

May

Barnes And Noble Unveils The Next Nook: 2 Months Of Battery Life, Android, E-Ink, And More For $140

Posted by David Ruddock in Barnes & Noble, News, Nook

It seems Barnes and Noble gave everyone a bit of a surprise today. It was expected that the bookseller would be launching a 3G version of its wildly popular NOOK e-reader (or maybe even a 3G NOOKcolor), but instead, B&N went straight for the competition's throat, launching the 6-inch e-ink display sporting, Android-powered (albeit Android 2.1) NOOK Simple Touch Reader. And all for the low, low cost of $140 - a price suspiciously reminiscent of a certain other e-book reader.

Look mom, no buttons!

Anyway, as I said, the screen is e-ink - so you're only getting black and white. But you're also getting absolutely ridiculous battery life: B&N claims 2 months on a single charge with Wi-Fi turned off.

May

Confirmed: EVO 3D's Bootloader, Recovery, and Kernel Images All Locked Down

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Development, EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, News, Sprint

Last Updated: June 1st, 2011

Update: If you've somehow inexplicably ended up at this article, please note, HTC has since announced the 3D will be unlocked (at some point) and their future policy is to have unlocked bootloaders on all devices.

It seems HTC has finally caved to what are likely the security demands of wireless carriers with its newest phones, and is locking down its handsets Moto-style. Latest case in point: the EVO 3D - which sports the same sort of security we found on the Sensation earlier this month. In other words, good luck cracking into this thing.

Before we get any further, there seems to be some confusion on what exactly is "locked down." Let's clear that up: the bootloader image itself is not encrypted.

May

Twitter Closes TweetDeck Deal For More Than $40 Million

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

This whole ordeal seemed a little surreal since day one of the rumors, but earlier today, Twitter and TweetDeck finalized an agreement which would see Twitter take ownership of the popular multi-platform social media app. The price is reported to have been over $40 million in cash and stock.

Twitter has always had stand-offish relations with the many 3rd party applications which tap into its own service, heavily restricting the manner in which such apps can use and present Twitter feeds. TweetDeck, though, has become wildly popular for its integrated feed system, which combines Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz all into a customizable multi-pane user experience.

May

Download: EVO View 4G Full Release Firmware Leaked, Get It Now

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, EVO View 4G, HTC, News, Sprint

911sniper has done it again - this time with a full RUU (full release firmware) from the upcoming EVO View 4G, Sprint's 4G-ified version of the now-available HTC Flyer (the latter is on sale now at Best Buy).

The hefty file weighs in at a staggering 522MB - and given the massive load that's going to be placed on 911sniper's mirror, we're going to try and get a copy of it up on our own high-speed mirror in the next hour (as soon as we finish downloading it), so that the community can get cracking on this thing.

Full RUU files allow developers to get their hands on what are often older flashable ROMs, which may contain unfixed exploits allowing rooting or bootloader unlocking.

May

ASUS Is Making a Tablet Phone Combination Thing, To Be Unveiled At Computex

Posted by David Ruddock in ASUS, News

With its Transformer tablet selling like hot cakes, ASUS is probably feeling pretty good about its Android product division right now. Next on the hardware manufacturer's list? A tablet phone sort of... thing. Is it going to be another Dell Streak mini-tablet mega-phone? I don't think so, though these are the images we've got of it so far:

The image on the top right is most intriguing to me. It appears as though we're seeing the back of the device, but in the center, it looks like something is plugged in or docked into the chassis. My guess is that we're seeing a gutless tablet, with display and battery, with a phone that docks into it to power the the device.

May

EVO 3D Pricing Confirmed To Be $200 At Radioshack, $100 If You Trade In Your EVO 4G

Posted by David Ruddock in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, News, Sprint

Sprint subscribers have been waiting with baited breath for news on the price of the upcoming HTC EVO 3D - and now it seems like that information is all but Sprint-official, thanks to Radioshack.

You can pick up an EVO 3D from the Shack for $200 (on a 2-year contract, of course) - trouble is, no one knows when you actually go about doing that, as there's no confirmed launch date for the EVO 3D at this point. However, you can pre-order an EVO 3D from Radioshack right now, and feel at least a little more assured as to the price you'll be paying.

May

Confirmed: HTC Flyer On Sale At (Some) Best Buy Stores Right Now

Posted by David Ruddock in Flyer, HTC, News, Tips & Tutorials

That's right, folks - HTC's much-anticipated first Android tablet is up for grabs at Best Buy stores across the U.S. right now. You can pick one of the Wi-Fi only tablets up (note: no stylus included) for a mere $500. A stylus will costs you $80 (yikes), should you so desire one. But consider yourself warned - the Flyer doesn't support handwriting recognition at this point in time, though you could still presumably do all sorts of fun artsy things with it.

How do we know it's on sale? Our man on the street (or in the building, rather), Brad Ganley, snapped a shot of a Flyer demo unit at his local Best Buy: