Eric Ravenscraft - 6/103 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Eric Ravenscraft

Eric is a snarky technophile with a taste for the unusual. When he's not obsessing about Android, you can usually find him obsessing about movies, psychology, or the perfect energy drink. Eric weaves his own special blend of snark, satire, and comedy into all his articles.

Follow @ocentertainment

Apr

The More I Watch This Virgin Mobile Ad Luring T-Mobile Customers Away With $100, The More It Makes Sense And That Scares Me

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Virgin Mobile

Raul Julia. That's what this Virgin Mobile ad makes me think of. I'll explain that later. First, the facts. If you're a T-Mobile customer, Virgin Mobile wants your business. So much so that it's willing to give you a $100 credit if you port your number over before May 31st. Straightforward, right? Cool. Now, here: Have an octopus.

Did you ever watch Mystery Science Theater 3000? If not, you should. You can start with the episode where they watch Overdrawn at the Memory Bank. A made-for-TV movie starring Raul Julia. A man you may know better as Gomez from the Addams Family.

Apr

Samsung Announces A Mid-Range 4.7", Android 4.1 Phone Called The Galaxy... Sigh... The Galaxy 'Win'

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Samsung

Don't let your eyes deceive you. That is not a Galaxy S III (or IV) you're seeing. No, that is a new phone from Samsung. Yes, it has a name. You know what else it has? A 4.7" 800x480 display powered by a 1.2GHz quad core processor. What's that? You want to know the name? No, you don't. You want to hear about the 5MP camera, or the 8 whole GB of internal storage!

Let me tell you all about how this phone is a decent device for mid-range customers. Not cutting edge, but not too terrible, either. Hmm? You still want me to tell you the name?

Apr

In California, Using Your Maps App Is Just As Illegal As Texting While Driving, Court Says

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Legal, News

Texting and driving is a pretty heinous crime. Bad enough that it's spawned entire ad campaigns devoted to educating the public on the dangers of such acts. Of this, you are no doubt aware. What you may be less aware of is the fact that figuring out where you're going is exactly as dangerous as sending someone a message that says "Doesn't the Peachoid look like a giant..."

California, despite having no known Peachoids, knows this very well and a court has ruled that using a mapping application is just as bad (and illegal) as texting behind the wheel. This isn't the first time California has come down hard against GPS in cars.

Apr

[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 56: Twin Fighting Cameron Galaxies

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Podcast

Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 56.

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!

Apr

[Deal Alert] Unlocked International Galaxy S III (16GB) Only $379 On eBay Daily Deals (In Limited Quantities)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Deals, Galaxy S III, News

As the launch of the Galaxy S IV fast approaches, the prices on last year's model (which is still less than a year old) is bound to drop. In fact, it's already begun with this deal on the unlocked international model currently going for $379 on eBay Daily Deals. This model packs 16GB of internal storage, which makes it only $20 more expensive than the comparable Nexus 4.

This deal is only available in limited quantities, so we can't say how long it will last, especially at this price. If you want to get it, sooner would be better than later.

Apr

NAMCO's Corn Quest Is A Tower Defense Game That's A-maiz-i—No, I Can't Do It

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

If you like corny puns and tower defense, NAMCO is ready to harvest your money and time with Corn Quest. This tower defense game puts you in charge of an army of vegetable minions. You're the kernel—get it? GET IT?!—and it's up to you to save your stalks from the evil aliens. You do this with guns. Because vegetables have guns.

The game play functions just about like any other tower defense game. There's a steady stream of baddies, you add soldiers to shoot them, gain currency to buy more, and play to survive. Standard fare. The most entertaining part of the game, though, is how it handles in-app purchases:

Right in the main menu, there's a big red button that says "Buy Stuff." Dear developers: I don't really like in-app purchases for upgrades or power-ups.

Apr

[Editorial] Facebook (Shockingly!) Didn't Fork Android, Because Forking Android Rarely Makes Sense

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Editorials, Google

Today, Facebook announced the Facebook Home suite that we've been hearing so much about. Well, to be more accurate, we've been hearing that Facebook is going to build its own phone and fork Android and create its own special social OS and that it would be the end of Google and that civilization will crash around us and we'll all wear monkey pelts and "Like" statuses by hurling spears through our enemies. Or something. Well, as it turns out, the world didn't end, Android is still whole, and Zuckerberg even thinks the idea of forking an entire OS to make an app is silly.

Apr

Google Allows Developers To Back Up Data To Your Drive Account, Creates Custom Properties For Docs

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

Today, Google launched a couple new features for developers that will give them a lot more flexibility in storing data associated with apps. For starters, using what's called "app data folders," a developer can store important files in a user's Drive storage space. This is huge news as, up until this point, the main method for backing up data has been the Backup API, which is great for small things that are 1-2MB or so, but isn't really sufficient for larger files.

Lest you worry that developers can now pile a bunch of data into your Drive account, users will still be able to see how much data is being stored.

Apr

comScore Releases February 2013 U.S. Numbers: Android Drops 2%, Apple And Samsung Gain OEM Share

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

comScore just dropped some new U.S. market share numbers on us and if you like drama, you're going to love this one. According to the analytics company, for the three month period ending in February 2013, Android's share actually dropped 2%, while Apple's rose 3.9%. Before you panic, though, no, this isn't the end of the world.

Since comScore actually gives us the total number of smartphone subscribers in the country (by its count), we can use that percentage to get an idea of just how many total users a platform gained or lost. There were 133.7m total smartphone users in February, versus 123.3m in November.

Apr

[Update: Pre-Orders Live] AT&T Announces Official Availability Of HTC One: $199 For 32GB, Confirms 64GB Exclusive For $299, Launches April 19th

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in AT&T, HTC, News, One

Last Updated: April 19th, 2013

Update: Pre-orders for the One have gone live on the AT&T website - you can get either the 32 or 64GB version, as long as you want Glacial Silver.

After some misinformation was spread yesterday (and not just the April Fools' kind) about the price of the HTC One, AT&T has stepped forward to clarify some things. The 32GB model will sell for $199 with a two year contract. Additionally, for the storage hungry, the carrier will have the exclusive on the 64GB model at launch, which will cost $299. There is no word on when other carriers might get a 64GB variant as well, but we imagine it will at least be a few months.