Eric Ravenscraft - 71/103 - 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.

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Jul

ESPN Replaces Its Old, Crappy ESPN Radio App With Brand New, ICS-Ready Hotness

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

ESPN hasn't exactly been the poster child for great app design in the past. While the company has made several Android apps, many of them have looked rather atrocious and a bit too iOS-y. ESPN, however, has re-launched its ESPN Radio app. The old app appears to have been made by independent company Airkast, while the new app has been brought in-house. And, apparently, ESPN's house does a fine job of making an app. Just take a look:

^{The old ESPN Radio app}

^{And the shiny new one}

The new app adheres much more closely to Google's app guidelines and looks much better for it.

Jul

[Update: Now 1-2 Weeks] Hey Look: The Galaxy Nexus Is Back On The Play Store, Will Ship In 2-3 Weeks

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Nexus, Google, News

Just a few days after the Galaxy Nexus was removed from the Play Store following an injunction in Apple's suit against Samsung. However, as of today, the flagship Android phone is available from the Play Store again. While customers can purchase the device, the site says it won't ship for 2-3 weeks. This is in contrast to the immediate availability the device had prior to the injunction.

Update: And now the site says that the Galaxy Nexus will ship in 1-2 weeks. We're unsure what caused the change, but the net effect is still largely the same: you can't get it immediately, but soon.

Jul

Verizon's Galaxy S III Has Been Rooted, Custom Recovery Flashed Despite Verizon's Lockdown

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News, Verizon Wireless

Of the four major US carriers to receive the Galaxy S III, Verizon is the only one to lock down the bootloader. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. Nevertheless, enterprising hackers over at XDA and RootzWiki have successfully managed to circumvent the lock, achieve root, and flash ClockworkMod recovery. If you're on Verizon and anticipating owning a Galaxy S III, congratulations: your phone is yours again.

The process is laid out on both sites. Achieving root seems to be a fairly simple process if you're familiar with Odin (a common, easy-to-use tool for flashing Samsung devices).

Jul

[New App] Ringtonium Is An Absolutely Gorgeous Ringtone Editing App

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

I have a confession to make: I don't use ringtones. Most of the time, my phone is on vibrate, and when it's not, I insist that my ringtones actually ring. However, if I were to use custom ringtones, Ringtonium is the app I'd use to set them up. This app is beautiful. In a way that few apps are. The interface is brilliantly easy to use and accessible to even the most tech illiterate users.

Very similarly to turntable, this app might remind some folks of iOS just a bit, although this is more due to a design philosophy than any particular UI element.

Jul

[Updated] HeroCraft's New Game, The Tiny Bang Story, Is A Creative Mystery Puzzle Game, Exclusively Available For Some Sony Devices

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

If you own an Xperia phone or Sony's Tablet S, then you're finally going to get a treat before the others do. The Tiny Bang Story is a game centered around the inhabitants of Tiny Planet. An asteroid did a number on this planet, and now it's in shambles. Fortunately, you don't need cheap labor to rebuild. Just some solid problem solving skills.

Update: The exclusivity period will last until August 5 2012.

The game features a wide variety of puzzle games, including actual puzzles. As in, with pieces that you put together. The variety of brain teasers is actually pretty impressive and the artwork is fantastic.

Jul

[Deal Alert] Amazon Is Giving Away $3 In AmazonMP3 Credit Right Now

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Amazon, News

In the world of digital music stores that aren't iTunes, Amazon is a crowd favorite. With DRM-free downloads of widely-compatible MP3s and a cloud storage player that isn't the worst in the world, it's hard to not enjoy the utility of Amazon's music service. If that's not enough, though, how about some free stuff? Amazon is currently offering $3 worth of free music to anyone who asks. As long as you ask before midnight (PST), that is.

Similar to Amazon's recent Kindle Fire deal, the company is offering a voucher that can be used to purchase music between now and July 12th.

Jul

Draw Race 2 Lets You Feel All The Thrill Of Racing In Your Finger Tip

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Hey guys! It's a game that's not tower defense or puzzle-themed! Draw Race 2 is a new take on the racing game genre. Whereas most racing games on mobile devices use your accelerometer for steering, Draw Race 2 opts for a top-down view, tracing the race track to direct your vehicle. It's certainly a novel approach to the problem of racing controls on mobile devices.

The apparent second version of this game includes tons of challenges and skill games to test your ability to run your finger around your screen. The game also boasts realistic car physics, which is great because when I'm driving, I love to feel the momentum as my car comes around a corner in my index finger tip.

Jul

The Galaxy Nexus Is No Longer Available For Purchase From Google Play In The US

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Nexus, Google, News

If you just felt a disturbance in the internet, as if millions of Android users cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced, here's why: the Galaxy Nexus is no longer available via the Google Play Store. This comes after Apple won an injunction against the sale of Google's flagship device last week. As of now, the device is not allowed to be sold in the US which includes, but is obviously not limited to, online sales from Google.

At the moment, the site merely offers users the chance to sign up to be notified when the device will become available.

Jul

Verizon Officially Announces The Galaxy S III Will Be Available In Stores On July 10th

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News, Verizon Wireless

The wait is nearly over! Just a few days after AT&T announced the Galaxy S III would be available in stores soon, Verizon enters the fray with its own announcement. The much sought-after device will be available in Verizon stores starting July 10th. So, if you've been holding off on pre-ordering until you see it for yourself, your wait will be over in a week.

Both the 16GB and 32GB models will be available for $199 and $249 respectively. The device will also be available online for same-day ordering. Currently the device is available for pre-order only, indicating that the device will ship by July 11th, so you might get it a bit earlier if you don't pre-order, oddly enough.

Jul

Google Launches Indoor Maps For The UK, Can't Avoid Rain Jokes Any Better Than I Can

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

Indoor maps are becoming the hot new thing in the world of not getting lost. Google may be using fancy 3D planes to map everything the sky can see, but sometimes it's just as easy to get lost in a train station as it is in a city. Google's recent indoor maps have made navigating easier, and now UK locations are being added to the supported list.

The maps have been seamlessly integrated into the Google Maps app. Just zoom in to a location and the indoor maps will "magically" appear. You can even search for directions from within the building, across multiple floors.