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.

01
Apr
nightskytiny

Nicalis Releases NightSky HD To The Play Store For $5 After Its Humble Bundle Debut

Posted by in Games, News

Back during the Humble Bundle for Android #5 (not to be confused with the current Android-focused Humble Mobile Bundle), NightSky HD made its first appearance on the platform. Now, the Steam-native game is available on its own in the Play Store for $5.

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The title brings its distinct visual style to the genre of physics puzzlers. In this game you control a dark orb as you attempt to navigate a silhouette world of platforms and pits. In what's becoming an increasing trend, NightSky offers a calming experience with soothing ambient music over the tense, over-stimulation of shooters and destruction-driven physics puzzlers.

30
Mar
playstoreeastersale

The Ultimate List Of Easter App And Game Sales On The Play Store [Continuously Updated]

Posted by in Applications, Deals, Games
Last Updated: April 1st, 2013

Whether Easter to you involves bunnies, crosses, or just heralds super cheap chocolate at the store on Monday, the one thing we can all agree on is that inexpensive apps are cool. A wide array of developers share this belief and, to celebrate your preferred reason to consume candy, have offered steep discounts to their Play Store submissions. Continuing our lengthy tradition of rounding up stuff for you to buy, we've assembled a big list of things to save money on. Let's not beat around the bush, but get right to it.

We'll update this list throughout the weekend as we find new sales, so check back for more.

29
Mar
ATT-galaxy-s-ii-400

AT&T Pushing Small Update (I777UCLL6) To Galaxy S II With Bug Fixes And Security Enhancements

Posted by in AT&T, Galaxy S II, News

According to a forum post on AT&T's support site and some scattered user reports, the carrier's Galaxy S II variant is receiving a small update today. Rolling out over the air as you read these words, the software fixes an issue where devices would become unresponsive or power down while idle.

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The update also includes the requisite "security enhancements." If you haven't updated your phone to 4.0 yet, well for starters, why not? Secondly, you'll need to do so first before you can apply the update. This is rolling out over the air, so hit your Settings app to find it or just wait for the notification to show up.

29
Mar
01A_AndroidPolice-logo-with-bg-242x242_thumb_thumb1_thumb4

[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 55: Cheap Unsubsidized Jack Blacks

Posted by in News, Podcast

 

Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 55.

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!

28
Mar
search logo

Google Launches Open Patent Pledge, Promising Free Use Of Patents For People Who Don't Sue

Posted by in Google, Legal, News

Google has announced a new initiative today that might, if we're lucky, slowly lead to some meaningful changes in how patent litigation is approached. Or, alternatively, make it easier to highlight the jerks who are ruining it for everyone. The Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge gives would-be inventors a pool of patents that Google promises to never sue anyone over, "unless first attacked." That last part is where eyebrows go up, though.

First, some context: there are 10 patents in the mix, which already isn't a lot. The company says more will be added over time. For these ten patents, Google is ensuring that any company, group, or developer working on open source software may use the technology without worry of being sued by the search giant.

28
Mar
sprintlogothumb

[Updated] Sprint's Epic 4G Touch Gets An Update To Jelly Bean, Requires Kies Due To File Size

Posted by in Epic 4G Touch, News, Sprint

We sure weren't expecting this, but today Sprint announced on its support site that the Epic 4G Touch (the Now Network's branded version of the Galaxy S II) is getting an update to Jelly Bean. Undoubtedly version 4.1, but this would still be a welcome upgrade as it brings with it the ability to access Google Now, among a host of other features.

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The update will require Samsung's Kies software to install. Apparently the file size is too big to rollout over the air. Though, if we had to guess, the fact that the device is nearly two years old by this point and is relatively low-priority for Sprint played a factor in the decision to let consumers foot the bill for the bandwidth.

28
Mar
frontlinecommandotiny

Glu Mobile's Frontline Commando: D-Day Arrives On Android's Shores For Free (With The Usual Catch)

Posted by in Games, News

Last week, we saw a teaser for Glu Mobile's newest game that plays off the horrors of war, Frontline Commando: D-Day. Today, it's landed on Android as a free-to-play cover-based shooter. Touting 145 missions "based on the actual beach landings," the game promises plenty of playtime for your money. What's that you say? The game is free? Well, about that.

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In our last article, we mentioned (by way of an overly complicated Nazi analogy wrapped in a ridiculous satirized mockery of Eisenhower's speech to D-Day troops) that Glu said you could turn off in-app purchases. Well, as it turns out, the developer apparently meant via iOS's built-in restrictions.

28
Mar
galaxysivtiny

AT&T's Galaxy S 4 Pre-Orders Will Begin April 16th For $249 With A 2-Year Contract

Posted by in AT&T, News

The launch of the Galaxy S 4 grows ever closer and the carriers want you to know they're on it. To wit, AT&T announced today that its branded version of the new flagship will go up for pre-order on April 16th for $249 on a two-year contract. Pretty standard fare, though with a $249 up front price tag, we imagine T-Mobile will probably have something to say about that.

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Way to blow it, Jeremy.

AT&T is also quick to remind us that it's the first U.S. carrier to pick up the Galaxy series, both historically and presently. So, if you're waiting for the hardware on Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile, you'll have to come next in line.

27
Mar
2013-03-27_23h26_44

Nexus 4 Goes On Sale In Brazil, But Not Via The Play Store, Costs A Whopping R$1,699 (~$843USD)

Posted by in Google, News, Nexus 4

While Google's been on a roll entering new countries with all its services lately, today is a little different. The Nexus 4 has reached Brazil's shores, but it's not via Google's own-branded storefront. You can pick it up at Fast Shop, Ponto Frio and, presumably, other retailers. No word on when (or if) it might launch on the Play Store.

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With the good news comes the bad, though. According to Google's post, the phone starts at $1,699 Brazilian Reals, or about $843 USD. That is an unbelievable premium over the U.S. Play Store version. While it's hard to say how this compares to most handsets without living in the country (residents are free to shed some light in the comments), people on Google+ do not seem happy about the price.

27
Mar
fbmessenger

Facebook Quietly Begins Rolling Out Free Voice Calling In Messenger App For UK Residents

Posted by in Applications, News

Facebook has been slowly rolling out VoIP calling to its Messenger app in an effort to make it the single, unified source for all your communication needs (before Google can). Today, it apparently took another baby step forward by granting UK users of the mobile app the ability to connect for free (minus data charges where applicable) to anyone they're friends with.

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At the moment the service doesn't seem to have rolled out to all users yet, and it may even still be a bit buggy (the slow expansion is partially to conduct tests, after all). However, the important thing is it's coming.

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