Jaroslav Stekl - 28/47 - 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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Dec

[Update: Hands-On] Honeycomb Music Player Leaked, Now Available To Download

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

We've known about the fancy new music player contained in Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb) since Google I/O, but up until now, we haven't really had a chance to get a look at it ourselves. Well the suspense ends today - an APK has just been leaked and is now available to download.

First off, the much-anticipated wireless syncing feature isn't here, as this is most likely a beta version of the final app (which wouldn't be surprising considering how buggy it is in its current incarnation). What it does have, however, is a gorgeous new UI. Judging by what I'm seeing in the video above, it's a lot like the Gallery app that's been with us since Éclair, right down to the stacks of music seen in landscape mode.

Dec

US Cellular LG Optimus U Review: What Free Phones Should Be Like

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in LG, Optimus U, Phone Reviews, Reviews, US Cellular

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

Let's face it: free phones are usually synonymous with crap phones. That's what the Optimus U is trying to change - and, at least on paper, it looks like it might just be able to accomplish the task. That said, this is a phone sold by LG and US Cellular, both of whom have yet to display real talent when it comes to Android - and there's a lot that could go awry, what with the lack of Flash (both on the camera and in the browser) and the 600 MHz processor. So did the two companies succeed? Has a free Android phone that doesn't suck finally been made available?

Dec

[Exclusive] HTC EVO Shift 4G Appears In Best Buy's System: $150 With Contract, $550 Without

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

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

If you've got your eye on Sprint and HTC's latest WiMax-capable baby, you're in luck - an anonymous source at Best Buy has just sent us the following shot of their system:

It appears the EVO Shift 4G, or SKU 1768561, will retail for just $149.99 on contract. As an unexpected (but very welcome) surprise, shoppers looking to upgrade to the phone from an older device will be charged the same $149.99 as new customers, provided they also sign up for a new two-year contract.

Those of you who prefer to buy your devices off-contract will be coughing up $549.99, while those who would rather go with a one-year agreement will be handing over $299.99.

Dec

ZENONIA 2: The Lost Memories Hits The Market, Ready To Take Your RPG Dreams To The Next Level

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, Games, News

Happy holidays, RPG fans! If you're rocking an Android device, you're in luck - GAMEVIL has just let ZENONIA 2 loose into the Android Market, complete with retro graphics, PvP, and of course, a dark plot conveyed in text that looks like it came from a typewriter.

Judging by what I've seen in the short time I've had to play with it so far, I have no choice but to agree with GAMEVIL's claim that the game is "enhanced in every aspect compared to the original." In addition to the aforementioned retro graphics, PvP, and dark plot, your character can belong to one of four classes ("Paladin," "Shooter," Magician," and "Warrior"), and the gameplay spans 152 maps, 98 quests, and three different levels of difficulty.

Dec

Next Version Of HTC Sense UI To Feature Online Media Store, "Natural Interaction"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, News

I'm no huge fan of UI overlays, but even I have to admit that HTC's Sense is getting better and better. With features like HTCSense.com and even an e-books store, there's no arguing that it's become more than just an Android skin - in Europe, at least.

It looks like the US is finally on the agenda for the new Sense. According to Drew Bamford, HTC's head of User Experience, the company will be rolling out a new version of the UI next year, which, among other things, will bring us Americans the features Desire HD and Desire Z owners have been enjoying for a while now.

Dec

Firefox 4 Beta For Android Gets Updated, Finally Enters The Market

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Mozilla's been pretty good about keeping the mobile version of its ever-popular Firefox browser up to date (both with the current beta and with the old Fennec Alpha), and it looks like they have every intention to continue that trend. Just today, the third beta of Firefox 4 went live in the Android Market, bringing a number of minor additions along with it:

Several UI modifications
Easier discovery of add-ons
The ability to save websites as PDFs so you can read them later
Support for complex scripts (i.e. Arabic and Persian) on devices with the appropriate fonts
The ability to copy and paste to and from the URL bar
A simplified setup process for Firefox Sync - less typing is necessary
Bug fixes

Additionally, this is the first release of Firefox for Android that's available in the Android Market, indicating that we are now one step closer to the final, non-beta release of the app.

Dec

OTA Update Fixes Bugs, Brings Latest Version Of Maps To Samsung Nexus S

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Gingerbread 2.3, Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

The Nexus S may have just been released, and it may be running the latest version of Android - but Samsung and Google aren't holding back on software updates. Instead, the two have teamed up to release the first OTA update for the device, which contains "important bug fixes" as well as the latest version of Google Maps. Don't feel like waiting for the update to hit your device? The file is already available to download from Google's servers, so after this, you can simply flash it as you would any other ZIP file:

After the file is downloaded, rename it to "update.zip".

Dec

Five New OpenFeint-Enabled Titles Launch Today, Six Existing Games Receive Updates With Feint Compatibility

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Games, News

OpenFeint, a social gaming network for Android and iOS users, already comes included with 158 Android games - not too shabby. However, it's about to get even better - five titles completely new to Android are launching today:

Additionally, the following six games have just been updated with OpenFeint compatibility:

Dec

"Android Data" Trademark Withdrawn From Erich Specht, Google Free To Continue Calling Android "Android"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Google, News

If you were worried that Google would no longer be able to call its mobile operating system "Android," fear not.

From 1998 to 2002, a gentleman by the name of Erich Specht ran a company called "Android Data." Android Data went bankrupt in 2002, and Erich hasn't used the name since. However, when he heard of Google's use of the "Android" name, he put together a website to "prove" that Google had infringed on his trademark. Shortly after, he sued Google, Android Inc., and the Open Handset Alliance for infringing on the name for $94 million.

Luckily for us Android enthusiasts, the judge in charge of the case wasn't convinced and consequently threw both the lawsuit and Erich's original trademark out the window, stating that the latter could result in confusion with Google's trademark and that Erich had used his mark "as a sword" against Google.

Dec

More EVO Shift 4G Pics Emerge, Still Looks Like Mutant Offspring Of G2 And EVO 4G

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), HTC, Knight, Sprint

Last Updated: January 4th, 2011

Sprint's current WiMax-capable phones are no slouches, but there's no denying the lineup could use a third phone, if only for the sake of keeping things fresh. The HTC EVO Shift 4G could be just what the doctor prescribed - it looks like the love-child of the T-Mobile G2 and the original EVO 4G. In fact, according to PhoneArena's tipster, the G2 and the Shift 4G share the same processor - an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7X30 unit - though the latter has inherited the EVO's plastic casing (lame) and HTC Sense UI (also lame). Additionally, the G2's optical trackpad has been moved from under the display to the keyboard.