David Ruddock - 49/143 - 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

Oct

Download The Android 4.2 Keyboard With Gesture Typing Right Now

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Applications, Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Videos

As part of the unveiling of Android 4.2 yesterday, Google introduced a brand-new input method on the stock Android keyboard called "Gesture Typing." Basically, it's Swype. If you don't know what Swype is, check out this video. Basically, you drag your finger to type instead of tapping. Here's Google's version in action:

While I'm not a fan of the Swype-style typing, a lot of people do seem to love it, and it's cool that Google is now providing a tertiary input method (alongside normal typing and voice typing) on the stock keyboard. It integrates seamlessly, too. There's nothing to turn on, nothing to toggle - it just works.

Oct

CyanogenMod 10 Nightlies Go Live For The Optimus 2X

Posted by David Ruddock in Jelly Bean 4.1, LG, News, Optimus 2X (Star, p990)

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

If you're looking for a way to freshen up your Optimus 2X (read: make it not suck), the team over at CyanogenMod may have something of interest for you. CM10 (Android 4.1) nightlies have officially landed for the 2X (this ROM is not compatible with the T-Mobile G2X), and you can get the first build right here.

Oct

EE 4G LTE Launches In The UK Today

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Carriers, Everything Everywhere (EE)

Six months ahead of all competitors, EE - a joint-venture between Orange and T-Mobile - is launching the UK's first LTE network today. The initial launch rollout will cover 11 major cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield, and Southampton.

EE is promising at least 2,000 square miles of coverage expansion every month (which is probably a better coverage metric for the UK), with 5 more cities to be covered by year's end.

EE has a decided advantage over its competitors due to a spectrum crunch even worse than the one currently going on in the US, with T-Mobile and Orange using spectrum refarming to work around the lack of new airwaves.

Oct

Philips Hue Light Bulbs Have An Android Control App, Go On Sale Tomorrow, Let You Live In The Future

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

Smartphone-controlled lighting. That is one of the true signs that the future is now, ladies and gentlemen. And Philips is leading the charge with its [slightly expensive] Hue light bulbs. So, how do these bad boys work? Let's cut to video:

It's pretty simple, actually. So, when you buy a Hue starter pack (... $200), you get three light bulbs, and a wireless bridge device. The bridge, acting as a, well, bridge, links the light bulbs to your existing wireless router. The bulbs communicate with the bridge using ZigBee Light Link (an open, low-power Wi-Fi standard), and the bridge then communicates with your wireless network, which then communicates with your Android phone or tablet.

Oct

Why Doesn't The Nexus 4 Have LTE? Here's Google's Explanation, And Why It Sort Of Makes Sense

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, News, Nexus 4

If you haven't heard by now, the Nexus 4 doesn't have LTE. It probably won't ever have it, either, based on what Andy Rubin told The Verge regarding the latest Nexus handset's network situation in an interview.

He talks a lot about "tactics" and "user experience" (read: battery life), but it really boils down to one issue: money. The fact that the unlocked 8GB version of the Nexus 4 is just $300 is absolutely crazy. Looking at the hardware, this is easily a $600 phone. Having used an Optimus G (the platform this phone is based on), I already know this is a truly premium device.

Oct

Here Are The New Android 4.2 And Google Now Features - Including The Amazing Photo Sphere

Posted by David Ruddock in Jelly Bean 4.1, News

With the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and Nexus 7 3G all having been announced this morning in a rather unexpected way, we're having a hard enough time wading through all the stuff currently flooding our inboxes. And in this storm of hardware, the new version of Android - 4.2 - has gotten a little lost. Google announced the latest iteration of its mobile OS today, as well, and it includes some pretty awesome new features - particularly Photo Sphere.

Photo Sphere

A 360 degree camera mode, Photo Sphere allows you to take Street View-like images that can be navigated in Google+.

Oct

Nexus 4 Official: Available November 13th, Starting At $299

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Nexus 4

Well, sounds like Google decided to go ahead and announce its new Nexus devices without the fanfare or mega-event today, and just spill the beans to the world via the web. First to be announced was the Nexus 4, by LG.

Basically, this confirms everything we've seen thus far - it looks exactly like the leaks, has the same specifications, and will come in 8GB and 16GB flavors, at $299 and $349, respectively. And no, there's no SD card slot. Availability for the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia is slated for November 13th.

The Nexus 4 is a GSM HSPA+ pentaband device, and will launch with one carrier partner: T-Mobile.

Oct

[The Android Police Week In Review] The Biggest Android Stories Of The Week (10/21/12-10/28/12)

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Week In Review

Welcome to the Android Police Week In Review - your source for the biggest Android stories of the week. Don't forget, you can catch a lot of these stories (and more) on our weekly podcast.

Features

The new 10" tablet UI: I love it. Jeremiah... does not.
Is an Android / Windows war inevitable?

Product Reviews

Ron reviews the Galaxy Note II in a modest 7200 word mini-novel.
DROID RAZR HD Review

Rumor Roundup

Some guy made a fake Sony Nexus phone and then admitted he did it. The end.
Nexus 4
- An LG exec in India says the Nexus 4 exists and will be sold places.

Oct

Editorial: The Android 4.2 Tablet UI Looks Just Like A Giant Phone's, And That's Fantastic

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Nexus 10

After BriefMobile leaked what appear to be the first shots of a near-production-build of Android 4.2 running on a Samsung Nexus 10 tablet this morning, the response from many people has been absolutely vicious: the new UI looks like a giant phone, it doesn't look it's meant for a tablet, the pull-down notification bar doesn't make sense, the centered navigation buttons are going to be harder to reach, etc.

I think, though, that this is reactionary. It's kind of what I expected, honestly. Not the reaction, but the look - because Google never really said whether or not they were keeping the old tablet UI, which inherently put its future in peril.

Oct

[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 33: A Double-Helix Of Pixels Up In Yo' Face

Posted by David Ruddock in Podcast

Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 33. Don't forget - the Android Police Podcast's live broadcast is every Thursday at 5PM PST (www.androidpolice.com/podcast). The unedited video version of the podcast can be found here - and will likely include various verbal expletives, technical snafus, tangents, and probably a good 5-10 minutes of pre-podcast banter as we prepare. Watch at your own risk!

Don't forget - we're having 4 weeks of tablet giveaways for live listeners. Tune in every week for the next 3 weeks (week 1's prizes - 2 Fuhu Nabi 2's and a Transformer Pad Infinity pack - were given away on October 25th) for a chance to win.