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Remember yesterday when I said some games go beyond description? This is more what I was talking about. McPixel is a game in which things explode...or sometimes a volcano erupts? And you're a person (I think) that has to defuse bombs. Or put them places. Or make statues sneeze. It's really very confusing, in the best way. The objective is to stop things from exploding by doing things. Which may include stealing an old person's dentures, setting monks on fire, and kicking flashers. All very effective bomb disposal techniques.
It looks like Google has added a new feature to the Play Store on devices that will recommend apps to users based on personalized criteria. In a new section, you can find apps that have been +1'd by your friends, apps that are popular in your area, and even apps that are "popular with similar users" based on some undisclosed criteria.
Games on Android continue to get bigger and more elaborate. One of the top developers leading the way in less-than-casual gaming on the mobile platform is Idea Factory (together with Hyperbox Studio). Previously, the company released Spectral Souls, a 1GB RPG for $15 that promised hundreds of hours of gameplay (as any decent RPG would). Today, the similarly priced, and even larger 1.2GB sequel lands on the Play Store: Blazing Souls Accelate.
You may recognize this little guy from previous leaks of the so-called HTC Proto. The device looked very similar to the Desire V and, indeed, HTC's latest announcement is dubbed the Desire X. While it's no One X, the device does pack a dual-core Snapdragon S4. Unfortunately, it's not that one. This is the MSM8225 which still uses a 45nm architecture so it's not nearly as zippy as the S4 we all know and love from other, more high-end phones. That's sitting underneath a 4" SLCD display with a resolution of 800x480 which, while certainly not bad, isn't setting any bars for picture clarity.
Sometimes, a game comes along that is so bizarre, so weird, so completely out there that it's difficult to describe just how strange it is. This isn't one of them. In this game, a unicorn teaches you how to use farts to kill zombies. Duh. Of course some walkers only react to certain types of flatulence. Everyone knows this. That's why we have unicorn trainers.
Update: Not only does the update address the reboot issues, but it also brings about a very useful new feature: cycling directions for 10 different countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK)! This includes full turn-by-turn, voice-guidance in Maps Navigation for all 12 supported countries (all previously mentioned, plus the U.S. and Canada), as well. Getting around on your bike has never been easier!
Google's not pulling any punches this time around with its ads for its newest Nexus device. When it's not physically invading one of the most visited sites on the internet, the Nexus 7 can be found in some adorable videos that play to every one of your sappiest emotions. Take this newest ad, featuring a five-ish-year-old girl reading Curious George, and planning her trip to the moon. (No one tell her just yet, okay?)
Sony's just dropped a batch of bombshells on us today during an IFA press conference. Among the headlining new devices, the Xperia J which is being billed as an affordable smartphone with a "standout screen size." That "standout" size is 4", by the way. We're not entirely sure who Sony thinks they're going to impress with four inches, but the rest of the specs actually seem like a pretty good deal if the price is right.
HTC has been sitting out the tablet game for a while now. After the monumental failure of the Flyer and the Jetstream, the Taiwanese manufacturer has kept its nose out of the slate market. If these images are to be believed, though, the company is at least considering new ideas. Some very strange ideas at that. The pictures show a tablet that has one abnormally large bezel area, while the three others are normal sized. The odd thing is, the giant bezel is on the bottom.
One of the worst phrases a human being can put together is "automatic video editor." The whole thing feels like it's set up for failure. Like "vasectomy in a box" or "snooki's pregnant." Add in "for Android" and, well, let's just say I've been burned before. So it came as an unbelievable shock when I tried out Magisto, which claims to be both of these things, and it was good. I mean, really good. It doesn't offer you any control at all, but it does the job for the regular Joe or Jane in fantastic form.
Lenovo, the company best known for making some pretty sweet laptops and violating the seventh commandment, has released the IdeaTab A2109 at Best Buy. This 9" slate packs a 1.2GHz Tegra 3 processor, a 1280x800 display, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. At $300, this tablet is just barely more expensive than the comparable 16GB Nexus 7. For your extra $50 you not only get a bigger screen, but a rear facing camera and HDMI output. Not bad.
Good news, everyone! Everyone's favorite Android tablet is finally becoming available in more European countries. Today, the seven inch slate started showing up via Google's online storefront in France, Germany, and Spain. The price will be €199 for the 8GB model and €249 for the 16GB. Of course, once you count for the conversion rates, this means our friends across the pond will be paying a bit more than US customers do. This isn't an uncommon practice for foreign releases, but it still means the tablet will be a little more expensive overseas.
LG has launched a teaser for its next flagship smartphone. While we don't have a name for this device just yet, the specs are very impressive. The phone will be powered by a quad-core S4 Pro processor (APQ8064) with an Adreno 320 GPU. As you may recall, the dual-core S4 is the chip that manages to give the Tegra 3 a run for its money in some benchmarks due to its 28nm architecture (versus the Tegra 3's 40nm). So, the S4 Pro should be nothing short of blazingly fast.
Today, the Verge posted photos of what is supposedly known internally as the HTC Proto. Previous reports said that it would be a 4" device with a dual-core Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and HSPA support. It's no beast by any means, but still a solid device for a low-end phone.
I'd be lying if I said this story didn't just make my day. According to Business Insider, Facebook employees are being strongly urged and in some cases required to use Android phones instead of their smartphone platform of choice. Why? Because the Facebook for Android app sucks. Of course, this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who's ever used it. Despite a string of tiny, incremental, minor updates—or worse updates that add features nobody wants only to remove them almost immediately—the app has remained largely the same for the last six months at least.
Message For You, Sir: The T-Mobile Concord Will Be Available For $99 With Or Without Contract On August 26th
The T-Mobile Concord Will Be Available For $99
Let's get the tough stuff out of the way up front. The T-Mobile Concord is manufactured by ZTE, runs Gingerbread, and packs a pretty meager 2MP camera. Don't worry, though. This phone shall not have been mortally wounded in vain. With a price of $99 off contract (with certain plans*) from T-Mobile or Wal-Mart, it doesn't look like too bad of a deal for smartphone users on a tight budget. If you're in the market, you can pick one of these up on August 26th.
A bunch of new fun stuff is coming down the pipeline, Google-fans! Your favorite search giant has just pushed several updates to some of its headlining properties, including Play Music, Play Magazines, and Google Goggles. We've got the full rundown for you.
Space games are a dime a dozen. Finding one that looks good is a bit of a challenge. Star Splitter manages to accomplish the task, though. This space-based rail shooter has bright and complex scenery and a pretty cool system for ship upgrades and universes to explore. For the price tag of free, it's a pretty well-rounded game.
Motorola Confirms Via Twitter That Older Devices Will Not Receive Bootloader Unlock Tools
Motorola Confirms Via Twitter That Older Devices Will Not Receive Bootloader Unlock Tools
Bad news, owners of older Motorola devices. According to a tweet from Motorola's official Twitter account, if you own an aging Moto phone—including the Droid 3, Bionic, and Droid X2—you will not be receiving a bootloader unlock tool. While newer products like the Photon Q, as well as developer-centric devices like the RAZR Developer Edition and the not-quite-Nexus Xoom are supported, Moto has no plans to add any of its older lineup to the supported list.
Today, the folks behind the immensely popular Humble Bundle announced a few new games for the third edition of its Android package deal. Four new titles have been added for previous or future customers who pay more than the average (which, as of this writing, is sitting at $6.14). The new entries are Anomaly: Warzone Earth, EDGE, Osmos, and the crowd-favorite World of Goo, which, together, cost about $15 on the Play Store.