Jaroslav Stekl - 32/47 - 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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Nov

Rumor: Motorola Olympus To Be Released In December/January

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, Motorola, News, Olympus

While we originally heard that AT&T would start selling the dual-core Motorola Olympus by the end of January, it now appears that the phone may be available earlier - according to a Facebook message which has since been deleted (see below), the handset may go on sale as early as December. Unfortunately, AT&T, who posted the message, later stated that "we don't have any information to share about upcoming devices" and that the message was posted "erroneously," so not much else came out of the leak. Still, here's what we do know: we're looking at a Tegra 2 handset that will most likely feature a front facing camera, a relatively slim profile, and a display in the 4-inch range.

Nov

Samsung Captivate And Vibrant Finally Get GPS "Fix" Via GPSSamsungRestore App

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, AT&T, Captivate, News, Samsung

The Galaxy S phones are, without a doubt, among the best Android phones out there, but for some time now, the handsets have been plagued by one potential showstopper - malfunctioning GPS capabilities. Worry not, though - in addition to an update that rolled out a few months ago, Samsung has developed an app called GPSSamsungRestore which is now available from the Android Market for all users of AT&T's Captivate and T-Mobile's Vibrant. So what does it do? It undoes any modifications to the GPS and basically reverts it to its original state. While it remains to be seen how reverting the GPS to its original, broken state fixes it, I suppose it can't hurt to give it a shot if you're a Captivate or Vibrant owner.

Nov

More Info On The LG Star Emerges - Runs Custom Skin, Has HDMI Port, Is A Beast

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in LG, News, Optimus 2X (Star, p990)

Last Updated: December 23rd, 2010

While most of us would be content with one Tegra 2-loaded device, one Android Forums member has managed to get his hands on two of LG's new Star dual-core beasts. What he found was quite enticing: a Quadrant score of 1759 (which outranks even the Droid Pro's 1528), an HDMI port on the top of the device, and... yes, despite the rumors we heard originally, LG apparently decided to include their own custom skin, which looks surprisingly similar to Samsung's Touchwiz UI.

The model in question was said to be running the aforementioned skin on top of Froyo, though as Phandroid pointed out, the OS could be upgraded to Gingerbread before launch time rolls around.

Nov

Barnes And Noble NOOKcolor Rooted; Sub-$300 Android Tablet That Doesn't Suck Is Now Available

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Barnes & Noble, Development, News, NOOKcolor (Encore)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is the only Android-based tablet worth considering. But is it? That question is now up in the air since Barnes and Noble's $250 NOOKcolor, an Android-based e-reader, has been rooted. While before the deed was done it was just that - an e-reader - it's now taken on a life of its own, a life complete with Angry Birds:

The procedure is still a bit complicated (as you'll see for yourself below), but it's definitely a start - until z4Root, SuperOneClick, or some other one-click solution becomes available, I've got a feeling this is your best bet.

Nov

White And Regular Editions Of Motorola Droid 2 Global Now Available From Wirefly For Half Of Verizon's Price - Just $99.99 On A New Two-Year Contract

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

So look, Verizon's price for the Motorola Droid 2 Global is nice (or at least pretty decent for a phone loaded with a 1.2GHz processor and dual GSM/CDMA radios), but it can't stand up to the deals you and I both know Wirefly's been cooking up. Well now the Internet's largest authorized retailer of cell phones has come out and made it official - it's selling both the white and the regular versions of the phone for just $99.99 with a new two-year contract. As for add-a-line plans, you'll be coughing up $129.99 , while existing Verizon customers looking to upgrade will be handing over $149.99.

Nov

Android Game Roundup: Five Of Our (Non-Angry Birds) Favorites

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

We've already brought you the top five 3D games for Android as well as several reviews of our favorite games, but developers have made the Marketplace such a great place to squander your time and money on the latest in the world of entertainment that we just have to keep coming back to this topic. Besides, since the majority of you are probably still on the lookout for a good Android game other than Angry Birds, I decided to put together another list of games, this time of the best ones overall. Dig in!

#1 - EVAC

After watching Artem's glowing review of EVAC, I immediately set of to download the PacMan clone from the Market.

Nov

New Version Of MIUI ROM Now Rolling Out Over The Air, Bringing Built-In Theming, Better Folders, CPU Management, And Major Speed Increase With It

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Desire (Bravo/BravoC), Development, Froyo 2.2, Google, HTC, Milestone, Motorola, News, Nexus One (Passion)

The MIUI ROM is definitely one of those things you'll either love or hate, but judging by the waves the arrival of the latest version of the mod has been causing, the community (or at least most of it) is of the former opinion. And rightly so, if you ask me - the ROM is now even faster, features user-creatable (and downloadable) themes, and pinch-to-zoom on homescreens, among many other additions. While it still has a detectable iPhone aroma about it, it's arguably worth it, if for no other reason than the fact that its system animations zip along at 60 FPS, which is more than three times higher than those of a stock Nexus One.

Nov

Rovio Confirms Angry Birds Christmas Edition, Episode 5, New Birds, All Coming Soon

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

It may only be Thanksgiving, which consequently means that December 25 (Christmas) is still a month away, but it looks like Rovio Mobile, the company behind the insanely popular Angry Birds, is already stocking up on Christmas gifts. Yes, a Christmas edition of Angry Birds no longer exists exclusively in your dreams - @RovioMobile, the company's Twitter account, recently replied to this tweet from @SkeenaNC:

with this message:

What "new things," you ask? Finnish website mtv3.fi yesterday acquired the following screenshot from what is presumably the Christmas version of Angry Birds:

That screenie does look a little squished, which could cause suspicion, but the company's Twitter account once again gave it all away:

The fact that the first annual Angry Birds fan meetup is going down on December 11th has caused some to mark that as the date for the game's release, but according to mtv3.fi, it will be here before November is out.

Nov

HTC Desire Z Review Roundup: The Best Of Both Worlds In One Not-So-Light Package

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Desire Z (Vision), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Vodafone

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

After the positive impact HTC's T-Mobile G2 made on American reviewers, it's no wonder the company has decided to try to impress their European colleagues with a similar phone, the Desire Z. The phone is available now from Vodafone, 3 Mobile, Virgin Mobile, O2, Talk Mobile, Orange, and Tesco Mobile if you want to take the leap; the question is, should you? Read on to see what four expert reviewers from TechRadar, CNET UK, Pocket-Lint, and PhoneArena had to say on the subject.

TechRadar

TechRadar's review, detailed as always, covered just about everything Desire Z-related, from its camera to its sturdy and sexy aluminum construction to HTC's new Sense UI in a span of only seven pages.

Nov

Android 2.1 Update For AT&T's Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Delayed Yet Again

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in AT&T, Eclair 2.1, News, Sony Ericsson, Xperia X10 (es209ra)

Despite the fact that Gingerbread is set to be released in the next few weeks, some of us are still waiting for an update to a version of Android two decimal places behind - Android 2.1, aka Éclair. Such is life for owners of AT&T's Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 who, after jealously watching as Scandinavian X10 owners received the update on Halloween night, are being told that 2.1 has been delayed yet again for their devices. This time, SE is blaming "especially rigorous" testing as the cause of the procrastination, stating that there are "technical requirements that must be met" in the US that are apparently not an issue in other countries.