Eric Ravenscraft - 79/104 - 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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Jun

[Breaking] Google Acquires Quickoffice - Let The Productivity Wars Begin

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

So, Google just acquired Quickoffice, one of the leading distributors of productivity and office software for Android. The company, best known for being better than Docs or Microsoft Office on Android, has now been purchased by the search giant. Google says that the company will be working to bring Quickoffice's "record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats" among other "powerful technology" to its Apps product suite.

This is exciting news for Google ~~Docs~~ Drive. The company's interest in its office software has been growing lately, with a revamp of its Docs service, and the addition of the Dropbox-like Drive software.

Jun

Sony And HTC Are Partnering To Bring PlayStation Certification To HTC Devices

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in HTC, News, Sony

Back in February, we heard that HTC might be getting PlayStation Certification on some of its phones. Today at E3, Sony announced that it will be opening up the PlayStation Mobile program, which was previously known as PlayStation Suite, to HTC. This means, among other things, that HTC phones that receive PS Certification will be able to play the host of classic PlayStation games available. Additionally, HTC devices will also have access to the third-party apps and games developed using the SDK.

It's hard to say whether this is bigger news for HTC or Sony. On the one hand, having not-quite-but-kind-of exclusive access to PlayStation games gives HTC a competitive edge over Samsung and Motorola and the other Android manufacturers.

Jun

Sony SmartWatch Update Is Breaking Devices, Users Report Problems All Over The World While Sony Is Silent

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Sony

If you own a Sony SmartWatch, you may want to ignore the impending update to the SmartWatch app on the Play Store right now. Some users are reporting that, after updating the required app, their watches are experiencing random reboots, notifications no longer working, and random disconnects. We've reached out to Sony for comment, but so far we've heard nothing back.

It appears that version 1.2.33 of the software began causing problems. The current app has now been bumped to version 1.2.34, however it's unclear if this update fixes the problem and allows users to upgrade safely. What is clear is that if you already updated to 1.2.33, and your device was then bricked, you won't be able to update to 1.2.34, as the device disconnects right away.

Jun

Nyko Introduces Gaming Controllers For Android Tablets To Be Released This Fall

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Nyko, best known for making the slightly less solid and slightly less expensive console controllers you buy to save money, is getting into the Android game. Literally. Working with mobile gaming force of nature, NVIDIA, the peripherals company aims to bring "physical and familiar controls" to tablet games that run on NVIDIA processors, including, but more importantly not limited to, the Tegra 3.

^{The PlayPad in a variety of colors (left), and the PlayPad Pro (right).}

Beginning in Fall 2012, the company will begin selling two different controllers. The PlayPad will be the smaller of the two and feature a collapsible tablet stand and carrying case, making your tablet every bit as portable of a gaming rig as a Virtual Boy.

Jun

AT&T's Galaxy S III Goes Up For Pre-Order On June 6th, Red Galaxy S III Available Later In The Summer

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in AT&T, Galaxy S III, News

The last horse finally crosses the finish line, as AT&T announces that its version of the Galaxy S III will be available for pre-order on June 6th. The 16GB version of the device will be available for $199 with a two-year contract. The company is also boasting the option of a 16GB MicroSD card available in stores for $39 (which you can easily get elsewhere for much cheaper). This might mean that a 32 GB option is not available for AT&T yet. But you know what is? A red Galaxy S III.

That's right, AT&T is announcing exclusive access to a red Galaxy S III, "for red, white and blue color choices." The red version won't be available immediately.

Jun

HTC Drops Kernel Source Code For One S - Once Again Neglects The US Version On T-Mobile

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, One S (Ville)

HTC has given developers another treat today, in the form of kernel source code for the HTC One S. HTC's Dev Center has the downloads available, categorized by carrier and region. Unfortunately, the US variant on T-Mobile is conspicuously absent from the list. Previously, when HTC released the kernel source for the One X, the AT&T version was similarly missing and remains so to this day.

HTC hasn't explained why the US models are being left off the list, though it isn't difficult to imagine that the US carriers are simply more fussy than operators elsewhere in the world. In any case, if you use an HTC One S outside the states, and have need of the source code for your device's kernel, it's buffet time.

Jun

Samsung Confirms No Delay On The U.S. Pebble Blue Galaxy S III, Says No Change Made To Its Appearance

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News

While the Galaxy S III has been one of the biggest device launches this year, the so-called pebble blue version of the device has seen some production problems, and shortages in shipments have made the darker version something of a rarity. Today, multiple Samsung reps we reached out to have confirmed that the pebble blue version will be on track for US arrivals with no delays and that, contrary to reports circling the web this morning, no changes have been made to its appearance.

Of course, the rest of the web has some disagreement about that. For starters, official T-Mobile PR, as well as some store fronts have started using the language "metallic blue" to refer to the blue version, instead of "pebble blue", which has been the standard moniker since day one.

Jun

Corning Launches Willow Glass, A Slim, Flexible Glass That Makes Displays Bendier And Cheaper

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

Flexible displays are a great idea. Without flexible glass to go with it, though, some applications still remain difficult. Thankfully, Corning, the company behind Gorilla Glass (otherwise known as "the only type of glass you know by name"), has introduced a new flexible glass called Willow Glass. This new material is slim and strong, though we'd expect nothing less from Corning. The product will also allow manufacturers to pursue roll-to-roll processing which, if you're familiar with materials processing and manufacturing, you know is a very big deal. If you're not, here's the short version: it makes things cheaper.

The company doesn't go to great length to explain just how flexible this glass is.

Jun

Here's A First Look At The ViewSonic 22" Android Smart Display, And It's Kinda Nice

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, VCD22 Smart Display

We heard just recently that ViewSonic was launching a 22" tablet/display running Android. Today, we get a look at this display. We've also learned that it's running a dual-core TI-OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.0, and a 1920x1080 display underneath the gargantuan screen. The demo seems to be targeted at being used in a classroom setting, with plenty of child-friendly apps and videos, but that's just bundled software. The display, which starts at $479, could be used by any budget-conscious consumer that wants to try using Android instead of Windows as their primary OS for a shared family device.

Jun

Google Is Holding A Maps Event Just A Few Days Before WWDC, Could Be Big News For Google, Apple, And The Future Of Maps

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Editorials, News

Last Updated: June 2nd, 2012

Google announced today that it will be holding a special event on Wednesday, June 6th, regarding the future of Google Maps. Anyone who knows Google knows that these products are huge for the company, ranking right up there with Gmail and Android. More importantly, however, Google Maps is very important to Google's largest competitor: Apple. Which is why, when Google announces an event for one of its last major strongholds on iOS mere days before Apple's WWDC, we take notice.

How Did It Come To This?

It's not hyperbole to call Google Maps a stronghold on iOS, either. Those of you with decent long-term memories will recall that Google Maps was on the original iPhone.