David Ruddock - 14/142 - 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

Mar

[Update: Mystery Solved] PSA: Machinarium For Android Has Switched Publishers, Old Hothead Games Version Gone

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News

Update: One of our commenters, Dan, actually spoke to Amanita on Facebook, and they explained the whole situation. Tl;dr - the old Hothead version will receive updates. Here's the full answer, which confirms some of our suspicions about the falling out:

hi, we had to republished Machinarium for Android because the older version was published by Canadian publisher Hothead Games. the collaboration wasn't ideal so we agreed to end it and publish the game again ourselves. unfortunately it's not possible to change the publisher of the existing app so the older app was unpublished and we could publish the brand new app.

Mar

Samsung Posts Part 2 Of Its 'Jeremy' Galaxy S IV Unpacked Ad, Is Still Seriously Pointless

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S4, News, Samsung, Videos

While Samsung often does do advertising right, I still don't really get what this Richie Rich-esque teaser trailer series for the Galaxy S IV is all about. Part 1 was unveiled last week, and today we've been treated to the second installment of A Boy Named Jeremy and a Cardboard Box That Says 'Unpacked' On It.

I'm guessing Jeremy and his mystical, light-producing parcel will be part of the official Galaxy S IV unveiling in New York later this week, and that there will be antics involved.

Oh, and the phone is apparently Jeremy's favorite color. One can only assume it's that classic Madeira Red his chauffeured Rolls Royce Phantom is sporting (I believe it's a standard wheelbase model).

Mar

[Weekend Poll: Redux Edition] A Year Later, Are You Still Using A Custom Launcher?

Posted by David Ruddock in Polls

Back in the day, when I was using a Nexus One, custom launchers were all the rage on Android - not using one was strange. And when I had a DROID BIONIC, I still found myself using my go-to option - ADW.ex - most of the time. Today, though, my primary device is a Galaxy Note II, and I haven't had the urge to use a custom launcher for a moment since using it. The NatureUX launcher may not be particularly pretty, but it's highly functional, and rock-solid stable.

About a year ago, we asked you what your custom launcher situation was - that is, are you using one?

Mar

US Cellular Galaxy S III And Note II Being Updated To Software Build MB1

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, Jelly Bean 4.1, US Cellular

US Cellular's variants of the Galaxy S III and Note II are slated to receive OTA updates to the MB1 build, which includes a bump to Android version 4.1.2 for the GS IIII (the previous Note II update here, previous GS III update here).

The Galaxy S III's release notes indicate only two changes: the aforementioned increase in OS version, and a fix for audio when playing streaming media (this may fix a long-reported issue with Netflix playback on the device).

Galaxy S III

Build JR003L.R530UVXMB1 - Android 4.1.2
Release Notes

Items updated, added, removed from the device:

Android version Jelly Bean upgrade to v4.1.2

Fixed audio issue with streaming media

The changes built into the Note II's update (build R950VXAMB1) are unknown, as it was already running Android 4.1.2.

Mar

[New Game] Pixel Kingdom Emerges From Kickstarter A Refreshingly Simple, Fun, And Lovable Take On Strategy

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News

Pixel Kingdom was a Kickstarter game project with a rather unambitious goal of $5000 in funding - a goal it met, with $800 to spare. The game was funded on February 11th, and now, a month later, has launched on Android.

Pixel Kingdom is deceptively simple, in the best way. I often lament the state of mobile games, but PK is a refreshing effort at not taking oneself too seriously, and instead just focusing on fun. The game has three control actions you can use while playing (select a unit to spawn, pick a lane to spawn it, and boost your mana regeneration rate), and your little soldiers attack and advance all on their own.

Mar

Uber's New Android App Update Is Absolutely Beautiful, Refuses To Be A Slave To 'Design Guidelines'

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

I readily admit that I'm not exactly on board with the notion that every Android app should conform to 'holo' aesthetics, or Android's 'design guidelines.' I think that such a view is inherently limiting to the creativity of developers, and ignores the fact that while there are many objectively bad ways to do software UI/UX, there are nearly as many good ways, too. And lest we forget: even Google doesn't always get these things right.

So, Uber (a taxi service that is revolutionizing the business, if you've not heard of it) updated its app to version 2.0 today, and the result?

Mar

DIRECTV Releases Awesome Android Tablet App And, Unsurprisingly, It Doesn't Work With The Nexus 7

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

Hey, are you a DIRECTV customer? Do you own an Android tablet? Then I might have some good news for you: DIRECTV just released an app for tablets, and it does all sorts of awesome stuff. You can watch live TV (only some channels!) on your home network, and some (read: fewer) channels from anywhere with an internet connection. You can browse listings, set and control your DVR, and even change the channel on your set top box - this really is an app absolutely busting at the seams with great features.

However, DIRECTV has thought it wise to make this app unavailable to 7" tablets (at least for now).

Mar

Sprint Officially Announces Optimus G Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.2) Update

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Jelly Bean 4.1, Optimus G, Sprint

While it began to trickle out to a few users at the end of February, the Android 4.1 upgrade for Sprint's Optimus G remained unannounced up until today. Here's the official changelog:

Enhancements/Fixes

- Android 4.1.2 Jellybean
- Google Now™
- Expandable, actionable notifications
- Android Beam™ to send photos and more
- QuickTranslator application downloadable from the Application Manager
- Smoother user interface. Vsync timing across all drawing and animation done by the Android framework, including application rendering, touch events, screen composition and display refresh; and triple buffering in the graphics pipeline.
- User-installable keyboard maps
- Ability to turn off notifications on an app specific basis
- Shortcuts and widgets can automatically be re-arranged or re-sized to allow new items to fit on home screens
- Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam
- Improved voice search
- Improved camera app
- Android mobile version of Google Chrome replaces stock Android browser
- Ability for other launchers to add widgets from the app drawer without requiring root access

Interestingly, this build is labeled as LS970ZVA, whereas the build that was rolling out to some users in February was LS970ZVB.

Mar

[Download And Manual Update Instructions] Install The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update For The AT&T HTC One X

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Device Updates, Jelly Bean 4.1, Tips & Tutorials

Update: It seems these instructions aren't working for most people. Until another method is found, you'll have to wait for the OTA update to be pushed to your device.

Still waiting for that Android 4.1 OTA on your AT&T HTC One X? Well, wait no more: you can manually flash the update to your stock AT&T HTC One X running the latest firmware using the following instructions (your data will not be wiped).

~~What you'll need:~~

~~The update file:~~

~~OTA_EVITA_UL_JB_45_S_Cingular_US_3.18.502.6_0.24p.32.09.06_10.130.32.34...~~

Warning: Proceed at your own risk - we aren't responsible for any lost data or damage that occurs to your phone while using the information in this post.

Mar

Motorola Officially Announces Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update For DROID RAZR And RAZR MAXX

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX

It's been a long time coming, but Motorola today officially announced that the Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean) update for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX will be rolling out in phases soon. The update brings all the Android 4.1 trimmings you may have already come to know and love, like Google Now, enhanced rich notifications, and more.

This update is also supposedly heavily de-bloated in terms of Moto's old don't-call-it-BLUR software suite, with many apps having been replaced with their Google-made counterparts. Here's Motorola's detailed changelog:

New User Interface

Look and Feel: Updated colors, font, icons, and animations.

New Features

Google Now: Added feature that generates real-time notifications throughout the day with relevant, contextual information such as weather, traffic, calendar.