David Ruddock - 51/142 - 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

Oct

The iPad Mini Vs. The Nexus 7: A Showdown Of Miniature Proportions

Posted by David Ruddock in Editorials, News, Nexus 7

After seeing Apple launch the iPad Mini today, doubtless, many Android fans were unimpressed. And there are good reasons for that - it wasn't actually that impressive. Not a particularly dazzling display. Fairly old internals. A price tag that, at best, is described as "cheaper than an iPad."

And let's face it, it's really not that attractive as a product, especially by Apple's high standards. It sort of looks like one of the new iPod Touches and an iPhone 5 had a really fat baby.

Regardless, we already know that, barring some sort of unspeakable catastrophe, Apple is going to sell a lot of these things.

Oct

The 8GB Nexus 7 Is Out Of Stock On The Play Store - Is It Gone For Good?

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Nexus 7

If you head over to the Play Store right now, you'll see that the 8GB edition of the Nexus 7 is currently out of stock ("Coming Soon"). While this isn't really news in and of itself, it's been that way the past 12 hours or so, and we already have a strong suspicion that the 8GB N7 won't be with us much longer.

We also know that the 32GB Nexus 7 is coming - probably next week in New York - and that the 16GB version may be poised for a price drop. From day one, many have complained that the 8GB version of the N7 simply lacked sufficient storage (5.6GB usable), and dropping it entirely sort of makes sense at this point, particularly with both the iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD starting at 16GB.

Oct

Beach Buggy Blitz Drops Tegra Exclusivity, Gets Halloween-Themed Update

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News

When it came out early last month, Beach Buggy Blitz was one of an increasing number of Tegra-exclusive titles to hit the Play Store, which understandably upset some people. Namely, those people without Tegra devices (what a great excuse to buy a Nexus 7, though).

Now, the game has gone for a wider audience, and is available for most modern, high-end phones. The only specific handsets named are the Galaxy S III / II and One series, but there are obviously plenty of others that should be able to handle Buggy Blitz.

The update for non-Tegra compatibility also brings a Halloween theme to the game, which adds the "Grim Rod" car and two new drivers.

Oct

Apple's Rubber-Banding Patent Is Invalid - Here's What That Actually Means, And Why It Was Invalidated

Posted by David Ruddock in Legal, News, Samsung

In perhaps its soon to be most-publicized decision in decades, FOSS Patents is reporting that the USPTO has issued an initial finding of invalidity on every claim in Apple's patent for "rubber-band scrolling," that is, the scroll bounceback patent which anyone with half a brain knows is about as patent-worthy as any purely aesthetic user interface element is.

The claims were rejected on findings of prior art from two sources - an AOL patent, and a patent previously filed by Apple. All of the claims of the '381 patent were either rejected as being anticipated (previously described) by prior art, or being obvious in light of it.

Oct

Google Wallet Adds Support For MetroPCS, Galaxy S III Compatible Right Now

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Applications, Apps/Games, MetroPCS, News

While we're just hearing that an entirely new version of Google Wallet is on the way (what exactly is new about it is what we don't know), Google announced via Twitter that MetroPCS is the latest Wallet carrier partner. The Galaxy S III is the only Wallet-compatible device on Metro for the moment, but you can probably expect most future Metro phones to carry Wallet support, as well.

Happy to announce that @metropcs now supports Google Wallet!Have a Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS? Download: goo.gl/5RhBZ.

— Google Wallet (@googlewallet) October 22, 2012

If you're keeping count at home, that brings Wallet support up to three carriers: US Cellular, Sprint, and MetroPCS are all now official Wallet partners, US Cellular being a recent addition we reported on earlier this month.

Oct

A New Version Of Google Wallet Is Coming, Sign Up For An Invite

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News

If you head over to this URL right now, you'll land on a signup page to get an invitation for a new version of Google Wallet. Yep, Wallet is doing something big. And we're not sure what, but we fully expect it to be announced very soon (like, today). The landing page suggests the new Wallet will support multiple mobile platforms - including iOS - not just Android. Take a look:

Yeah, we're excited, too. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.

Google Wallet via BusinessInsider

Oct

Camera ZOOM FX Receives Major Update To v4.0 - Brand-New UI, Tons Of New Features

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

If you're not a fan of your phone's stock camera app for its lack of vintage polaroid filters, you probably have come across Camera ZOOM FX at some point or another. It's pretty popular, but since the introduction of Android 4.0, its UI has looked a little dated. Today, that changed - along with over 20 new features, ZOOM FX is sporting a brand-new look. Check it out.

I'm not going to list all the new features here (because let's face it, a filter is not a feature, it's a filter), but here are some of the highlights:

New UI / performance enhancements (hardware acceleration)
Portrait mode
Adjust brightness, exposure, ISO, light metering
Horizon and stability indicators
Golden spiral grid
New UI for photo timer
Pinch digital zoom
Gallery mode
XHDPI support
Customizable actions
Facebook sharing

That's a lot of stuff.

Oct

Isis Mobile Payments Start Today In Salt Lake City And Austin - Here's The Full Breakdown

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, News, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Isis launched its mobile payments platform in Salt Lake City, UT and Austin, TX today, in a limited, initial rollout that's probably best viewed as a tech test more than an NFC payments panacea. We've know for quite some time that these would be Isis' launch markets (after numerous delays), and we also had a basic idea of how the system would work: NFC. What wasn't so widely-known is the fact that Isis uses the SIM secure element method to store payment credentials.

This is in contrast to Google Wallet's method, where your virtual MasterCard (used as the medium through which your payments are processed) is stored in a secure element that is typically included as a part of the NFC chip.

Oct

[The Android Police Week In Review] The Biggest Android Stories Of The Week (10/14/12-10/21/12)

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

Oct

[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 32: My Calendar's Better Than Yours

Posted by David Ruddock in Podcast

Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 32. Don't forget - the Android Police Podcast's live broadcast is every Thursday at 5PM PST (www.androidpolice.com/podcast). The video version of the podcast below is an uncut, unedited edition - and will likely include various verbal expletives, technical snafus, and probably a good 5-10 minutes of pre-podcast banter.