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.

10
May
credit-cards-cut

AllThingsD: Larry Page Declines To Go Forward On Physical Google Wallet Card, Kills Project, Axes VP Of Wallet

Posted by in Android OS, News

In an oddly-specific narrative published this morning, AllThingsD reported that sources close to Larry Page and Google Wallet have confirmed that plans for the physical Google Wallet credit card have been cut up, and VP of Wallet Osama Bedier pushed out of the company.

We exclusively reported on the Wallet card last November, when it appeared in a leaked version of the Google Wallet app. You could even initiate the card ordering process, suggesting the project was well on its way to completion. So, we waited. And we waited. And then we waited some more. The Wallet card seemingly went off the radar, and as Ron noted, the "new Google Wallet" sign up page still greets visitors of the Wallet site, like a big "Coming Soon" banner in front of that one restaurant that never seems to actually make progress on those renovations that have been going for like 6 months now.

09
May
unnamed (1)

AT&T's New Aio Wireless Prepaid Arm: What You Need To Know, And Why It May Be Bad News For Straight Talk

Posted by in AT&T, News

AT&T launched its own prepaid arm today called Aio Wireless. It's sort of like Boost is to Sprint - AT&T owns Aio, but Aio is sort of its own company - so it's easiest to think of it like an MVNO (Straight Talk, NET10, Virgin Mobile, etc.). Here's what you need to know about Aio, and how it differs from other MVNO providers using AT&T's network, like Straight Talk.

  • Aio is being rolled out on a trial basis, and for now subscribers must have a billing address in Houston, TX, or Tampa / Orlando, FL. The list of cities will grow over the next year [...

09
May
leiahologram

WSJ Says Amazon Is Working On Two Smartphones... With The Caveat That The Projects Could Be Shelved At Any Time

Posted by in Amazon, News, Rumors

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is working on making not one, but two smartphones. And one of them will have some kind of awesome quasi-holographic glasses-free 3D display. That sounds like the kind of 3D people might actually want! The other one is... a phone of some kind. That's literally all the detail that was provided.

The one you're actually interested in, though, did come with a few extra tidbits about this glasses-free holographic voodoo magic. The Journal's sources claim that the phone will use "retina-tracking" technology to display an image that appears to actually float above the screen at any angle, and that this technology may also allow navigation of some parts of the phone using only your eyes.

09
May
unnamed

Carmageddon Crashes Onto The Play Store - Free Promo Version Up For 24 Hours, Too (Though It Won't Get Updates)

Posted by in Games, News

Carmageddon was a smash-hit in the late 90's (mostly because of its extensive banning and censoring around the world), though my introduction to the game, sadly, was the god-awful Nintendo 64 port released in 2000. But now, a day earlier than promised, Carmageddon has debuted on Android as a result of the Kickstarter campaign. Update: The game actually went live on time - Australian time.

unnamed (4) unnamed

And, as promised by that campaign, the game is absolutely 100% free for the next 24 hours. You may ask "how?" if you're at all familiar with how the Play Store works, as Google does not allow apps to go from being free to paid.

07
May
sony_xperia_sp

Sony, Wake Up: Selling A Boring Mid-Range Phone For Nearly $500 In The US Is The Definition Of 'Doing It Wrong'

Posted by in Editorials, Sony

Hey Sony. It's been a while since I last ranted about how you're kinda-sorta screwing up that whole smartphone business of yours. In fact, it's been almost a year to the day. I had really hoped that by this year everyone's favorite Japanese electronics mega-corporation would have figured out the smartphone market to a reasonable extent in the US, but surprise: they haven't!

I really don't mean to single out Sony, but sometimes, it's very difficult to watch a company that is very clearly capable of making good products make such terrible decisions.

While the company's most-recent flagship handsets, the Xperia Z and ZL, have been far from hated by critics, neither has received much in the way of real acclaim, and it's not difficult to see why: they're simply not as good as handsets from the likes of Samsung and HTC.

06
May
nexusae0_wm_IMG_5735

[Updated] Bluetooth Filing Reveals LG LS980 Running Android 4.2 - Is This The Snapdragon 800-Powered Sprint Optimus G 2?

Posted by in News, Optimus G Pro, Rumors, Sprint

Update: Turns out this probably isn't the Optimus G Pro - it looks a heck of a lot more like what is being collectively dubbed the Optimus G 2. It seems an official Sprint page with build.prop info for the LS980 has been dug up (by our commenters), and it reveals a few tasty tidbits -namely, confirming Android 4.2[.2], and an MSM8974 chipset. That's no Snapdragon 600 - that's a Snapdragon 800. That processor isn't even out yet, so whatever phone this is, it's still a ways off. Our guess is the successor to the Optimus G.

While Bluetooth organization filings aren't always the most reliable way to identify a particular upcoming device, we're fairly confident in a filing that was made yesterday for a certain piece of LG hardware: the LS980.

03
May
unnamed (1)

[New App] ArcNote For Android Transforms Your Crappy Photos Of Presentation Slides Into Amazing Full-Size Images

Posted by in Applications, News

ArcNote is an app that's difficult to describe in a few, short words. So, let me have some visuals do the talking. Look at the screenshots below, and you'll probably pretty quickly understand what this app does.

unnamed (7) unnamed (6) unnamed (5)

Now that you've looked at them, you probably realize this is kind-of-sort-of amazing. If you're constantly in meetings, or attend some kind of higher education institution, you probably see a lot of PowerPoint / Keynote slides. This app lets you take a picture of a slide presentation while also simultaneously recording audio, and those pictures can then be transformed / tweaked into properly-oriented, full-sized slides.

03
May
wm_IMG_5898

Samsung Releases Kernel Source Code For Sprint And US Cellular Galaxy S4 Variants

Posted by in Development, Galaxy S4, MetroPCS, News, Sprint

Samsung has just released the kernel source code for the Sprint and US Cellular versions of the Galaxy S4, models SPH-L720 and SCH-R970, respectively. The timing is likely due to the fact that both devices operate on relatively similar CDMA networks.

s1

s2

The kernel source for these devices mark the first such release for American versions of Samsung's brand-new flagship. That means AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, C-Spire, and Cricket source code are still yet to come down the pike. And you can probably bet Verizon's will be last, too. Hit up the links below to get your hands on that sweet, delicious source.

03
May
unnamed

Internet DIY Community Fixya Releases Official Video Android App - Get Your Fixes On The Go

Posted by in Applications, News

Most DIY'ers are probably well aware of the existence of fixya - an internet community / Q&A repository devoted to, you guessed it, fixin' stuff. The site, though, has its limitations. Uploading video is kind of a pain, and oftentimes having to run back and fourth between your laptop and whatever it is you're trying to tinker with is inefficient. Fret not, though, as now there's an official Android app, and fixya diehards will likely be thrilled to know it supports in-app video uploading, making it a heck of a lot easier to inject some invaluable audio-visual action into the description of your problem.

03
May
wm_IMG_5823

[Deal Alert] Wirefly Now Taking Verizon Galaxy S4 Pre-Orders - $179.99 For New Accounts And Upgrades

Posted by in Deals, Galaxy S4, News, Verizon Wireless

If you're a Verizon Wireless subscriber looking to get your hands on a shiny new Galaxy S4 come release day, you're probably weighing your various pre-order options already. Well, Wirefly's one you can toss into the mix, and with a half-decent deal - their Verizon GS4 is just $179.99 for new account or upgrades, $20 less than Verizon's price. Here's the white version, and here's the black.

wf

Even better, Wirefly doesn't charge sales tax for many states, and that's actually a big savings, since generally you're charged the full MSRP of the phone for sales tax. In California, for example, tax in my region would otherwise be over $60 if I were to buy from Verizon.

Page 2 of 14212345...102030...Last»