Jaroslav Stekl - 13/47 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jaroslav Stekl is a tech enthusiast whose favorite gadgets almost always happen to be the latest Android devices. When he's not writing for Android Police, he's probably hiking, camping, or canoeing. He is also an aspiring coffee aficionado and an avid moviegoer.

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Jun

[Rumor] Verizon Implementing Tiered Data Plans On July 7th, And They're Not Pretty

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in News, Verizon Wireless

Most users accustomed to unlimited data cringe upon hearing the words "tiered data plans" - but they aren't always bad. As our own David Ruddock pointed out, they don't affect most users - and they might even be cheaper for non-data hogs (aka 97% of customers).

However, in the case of the new tiered data plans Verizon Wireless is rumored to be implementing early next month, there's not much of an argument - they don't add any value whatsoever for VZW subscribers, and their sole raison d'être seems to be raping subscribers' wallets further still. Have a look for yourself:

2GB – $30/month
5GB – $50/month
10GB – $80/month
Overages - $10/1GB

No, this isn't a nightmare.

Jun

Huawei Unveils 7-Inch MediaPad Tablet - Two Cores And Android 3.2

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Huawei, MediaPad, News

So it's true: the reason we haven't seen any 7-inch Honeycomb tablets thus far is that Android 3.0 just doesn't fit well on screens of that size. This has been our pet theory for some time now, but this morning, Huawei came right out and confirmed it with the announcement of their Android 3.2-running MediaPad.

We know you'll want to know all about the new flavor of Honeycomb, but at the moment all we know is that, unlike Android 3.1, the version that runs on most Android tablets, 3.2 will support 7-inch displays. We can only hope that devices like the HTC Flyer and the new Galaxy Tab 7 will get a taste.

Jun

Crackle Drops Subscription Fees, Launches Brand New Free TV/Movie-Streaming Android App

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

The multimedia situation on Android has been rapidly improving over the last few months, with the introductions of Netflix's official application and Google's own Movie service. Today, it is set to get better still: Crackle, a movie- and TV-watching service launched v2.0 of its Android app with access to a large selection of free movies and TV shows. The service, previously available at $5/month, is now free and supported by ads.

You'll need an Android 2.2+ device with Flash installed (though neither the XOOM nor the Tab 10.1 seem to be supported at this point, so looks like it's phones only for now), but if your handset meets the requirements, you'll be able to stream as many feature-length films and TV shows as you like, provided, of course, that they're in Crackle's catalog.

Jun

Gingerbread Update For DROID 2 Global Not Rolling Out Just Yet, Says Motorola

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Droid 2 Global, Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Though Verizon would have you believe that Gingerbread is already rolling out to DROID 2 Globals around the world, Motorola is apparently riding a different train of thought entirely - according to a manager on their support forums, the update isn't quite ready yet.

Misinformation indeed. Let the inevitable kerfuffle begin!

Source: Motorola Support Forums via Android Central

Jun

Official Gingerbread Update For Samsung Captivate Leaks Out, Is Now Available To Download

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Captivate, Development, Gingerbread 2.3, News, Samsung

Don't feel like waiting for Samsung and AT&T to get around to officially rolling out a Gingerbread update for the Captivate? Thanks to SamFirmware, you don't have to; you can flash an early build of the update now, provided that you're comfortable with running leaked and likely somewhat buggy firmware.

SamFirmware actually has two such leaks, the first (I897UCKE3) dated May 26th and the second (I897UCKF1) having a build date of June 8th. Though the folks at XDA Developers are still digging through the leaks' contents, we already know that both builds contain AT&T bloatware - as is to be expected from any sort of official software - as well as sideloading capabilities (yay!) and...

Jun

Gingerbread Now Available For HTC EVO Shift 4G As A Manual Update

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Sprint

Looks like EVO Shift 4G owners won't have to wait till tomorrow to get their Gingerbread fix; in spite of what we heard yesterday, it appears that the update is already available.

As a refresher, the update brings Swype and addresses a few media streaming-related bugs in addition to adding all the usual Gingerbread goodies.

To download it to your device, first open the Settings app, then tap "System Updates," and finally go to "HTC Software Update." Alternatively, you could wait for Monday, when Sprint will officially begin the rollout, automatic notifications and all.

Feel free to leave a comment about what it's like to be liberated from the shackles of Froyo at long last!

Jun

HTC EVO 3D Review Roundup: One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

HTC and Sprint's EVO 3D, the first three-dimensional handset in the US, won't be available in stores for eight more days - but the early reviews have already started flooding in. And I'll tell you this: they're pretty mixed. Some reviewers, such as LaptopMag's Mark Spoonauer, wholeheartedly enjoyed the device, even going so far as to give it an Editors' Choice award. Others, however, weren't nearly as fond of the phone - Gizmodo, upfront as always, called it "only suitable for shooting yourself in the face." Ouch.

Then again, you can't summarize the successor to one of the most successful Android phones ever in just two sentences; for the full scoop, let's take a quick look at five of the best EVO 3D reviews on the net.

Jun

Netflix Now Officially Compatible With Gingerbread-Running DROID X

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Droid X (Shadow), Motorola, News

Gingerbread-using DROID X owners, your handsets are excluded from the elite ranks of Netflix-compatible devices no more; a recent update to the official Netflix application added support for your 2.3-running phones. Unfortunately, the DROID X is the only Gingerbread handset (with the exception of the Nexus phones) currently compatible with the movie rental service - my EVO 4G, which received its official 2.3 update a few weeks ago, still can't access the app. Additionally, those DROID X users still running Froyo are left out of the fun. Bummer.

Nevertheless, if you're rocking an updated DROID X and feel like adding a touch of Netflix to your Gingerbread-infused phone, you can grab the app via the widget below.

Jun

Confirmed: Motorola To Make Bootloaders On Current Devices Unlockable In "Late 2011" - Where Carriers Allow It

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Motorola, News

A few months ago, Motorola announced that its "portfolio of devices" will be graced with unlockable/relockable bootloaders in late 2011. However, there was some confusion over whether this concerned future handsets only or current devices as well.

Yesterday, Ausdroid reported that unlocked bootloaders will be coming to all existing Motorola Android devices (or rather, those still on Moto's update schedule) later this year via a software update. Needless to say, this was excellent news, and it had many a DROID X user jumping for joy.

To confirm, we reached out to Motorola - here's what we got in response:

Motorola has announced we will enable an unlockable/relockable bootloader in future software releases where channel and operator partners will allow it.