Jaroslav Stekl

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.

Follow @jstekl

Dec

The First Fruits Of The Nuance-Swype Buyout Come To Light: Swype Updated With Dragon Dictation And Improved Language Modeling

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

Nuance, the company behind Dragon Dictation, bought out Swype almost three months ago, but the results of the deal haven't really been exposed since. No longer -- Swype has just been updated with a "Dragon Flame" key that, when pressed, initiates a voice-to-text system provided by none other than Dragon Dictation. In its current form, it features support for French, Italian, German, and English, with Swype representatives claiming more languages are on the way in 2012.

Additionally, Swype's language modeling algorithm has been improved. What's that mean? In the company's words, this will "increase the accuracy of the suggestions we offer (such as knowing that you mean 'mosh pit' instead of 'mosh pot')." The system analyzes your writing and shapes its predictions around the context of your sentences.

Dec

Episode 1 Of Duke Nukem 3D Free For The Next Two Days

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

Duke Nukem 3D, the good ol'-fashioned 1991-style Android FPS, is quite the game: sure, the plot is focused on invasion by sex-crazed aliens, but as the developers themselves said in the app's Market description, "that's what makes it fun!"

And for the next two days, the game is completely free, down from $0.99! Of course, if you want to try out episodes 2 and 3, you'll still have to cough up an additional $0.99 a pop - but still, it's not a bad deal considering the game's rather impressive quality.

Better still, this version of Duke Nukem 3D is free not only of charge, but also of ads - and you won't have to jump through any hoops to obtain it, either; simply scan the barcode below or click the Market link to get started.

Dec

Dropbox Preview Build 1.3.0.6 Now Available On The Dropbox Forums

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

Everyone knows and loves Dropbox, and with build 1.3.0.6, its Android version is about to get even better. For now it's but a preview -- a "forum build," by official Dropbox terminology -- though we'd expect that to change soon, as in my experience it seems quite stable.

The main addition here is "optimization" for Android 4.0, presumably consisting mainly of performance tweaks. Additionally, the update features:

support for foreign languages
quick offline access to files ("favorites")
the ability to bulk upload photos and videos
the option to rename files and folders
single-tap access to all file and folder actions
an improved gallery
uploading from and exporting to local storage
the obligatory bug fixes

Interested?

Dec

TeamWin Releases TWRP 2.0, A Highly Customizable Touchscreen Recovery

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Mods, News

TeamWin, the developers who originally developed CyanogenMod's WiMax compatibility, have been working on TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) for a while now, and have just released the second iteration of the custom recovery.

TWRP 2.0's most notable new feature is without a doubt its touchscreen-centric GUI -- while this isn't a first, it certainly is extremely convenient: gone are the days of "scrolling" through lists with super-stiff volume buttons and selecting items with a click of the power button; with TWRP 2.0 you can simply tap and be there!

Other than that, most of the other new TWRP 2.0 developments concern bugs and glitches in the original version of the recovery, so we shan't spend any more time on them; instead, let's take a look at some of TWRP's core features, as listed on TeamWin's website (these were present in the original iteration as well):

Ability to save custom recovery settings
Touchscreen driven with real buttons and drag-to-scroll
XML-based GUI that allows full customization of the layout – true theming!

Nov

Off-Contract Virgin Mobile USA Wildfire S On Sale For $99.99 (Half Off) Till November 26th

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Deals, HTC, Virgin Mobile, Wildfire S / Wildfire 2 (Marvel)

OK, so it might not be the Galaxy Nexus, but HTC's Wildfire S for Virgin Mobile is a fairly decent smartphone (the carrier's second best option), and it is available off-contract for a fraction of the price of a more high-end handset. Under regular circumstances, the device comes in at just $199.99 without any sort of contract, but from now until Saturday (November 26th), it's half off - $99.99.

Again, that's less than a Benjamin for a fully off-contract Wildfire S, complete with:

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
WiFi/3G radios
Bluetooth
A 3.2-inch touch screen
A microSD card slot
A 5.0MP camera
A battery good for 4 hours of talk time/12.5 days of standby

Admittedly, those specs don't quite make for a flagship handset, but then again, it costs under a seventh of the off-contract price of, say, the Galaxy Nexus.

Nov

Unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus Now On Sale At Expansys.com... For $750

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Samsung

Not in the mood to wait around for Verizon to finally decide to put a firm release date on the Galaxy Nexus' head? Tied to one of the other carriers? If your answer to either of those questions was affirmative (and if you have three-quarters of a grand lying around), you'll be delighted to know that Expansys just put up a page from which customers can purchase the I9250 GSM variant of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

At $750, it won't come cheap, but as this is an "intermational" handset (Expansys' "be first" motto apparently means it doesn't dedicate much time to proofreading), you'll be able to use it on both AT&T and T-Mobile.

Nov

Motorola Releases Source Code For DROID RAZR

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Droid RAZR / RAZR MAXX, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Never one to keep its source code hidden away from the public's prying eyes (certainly more than can be said for, say, HTC), Motorola has decided to release the DROID RAZR's source code. This should make ROM development significantly easier, so hopefully we'll see a few more alternatives to MOTOBLUR pop up shortly. Devs, get on it!

Download link: SourceForge

via Phandroid

Nov

Amazon Kindle Fire Review Roundup: For $199, It's A Great Tablet, With Only The Odd Bug And Bad Review To Throw It Off

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Reviews

The Kindle Fire is just about ready to launch, and not since the launch of the Motorola XOOM has an Android tablet been so hotly anticipated. With a little help from the mainstream media, consequent consumer excitement, and - last but certainly not least - Amazon's front page (all things manufacturers like ASUS could only dream of), it has skyrocketed to the top of many tech enthusiasts' holiday shopping lists. And at $199, it won't break the bank, either; the only thing that could possibly hold it back now would be, well, an underwhelming user experience. So has Amazon ironed out the kinks?

Nov

Google: Software Update Coming To Logitech Revue In The "Next Few Weeks"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Google TV, Logitech, News, Revue

Logitech may have said that launching the Revue was "a mistake of implementation of gigantic nature" and that it has chosen to ditch Google TV entirely, but it has, thankfully, decided against reneging on its promise of one more software update. And, yes, said software update is exactly the one that was shown to us back at the end of October: the one that brings an updated, usable interface and - drumroll please - Android Market integration.

Indeed, as indicated in the above tweet from the official @GoogleTV Twitter account, the update will be rolling out in the next few weeks, just as promised.

Nov

[Update: Here Are The Winners!] Five Trident Kraken AMS EVO 3D Cases Are Up For Grabs - Win One For Doing Next To Nothing!

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: November 23rd, 2011

Yesterday I reviewed one of the most full-featured (and full-priced) EVO 3D cases currently available: Trident's Kraken Adaptive Modular System. If you can afford it, it's a great choice, even if it may be a bit on the hefty side (I recommend applying only the middle part of the case, the "Perseus" layer).

For construction workers, hikers, and other outdoorsy types, it's a dream come true. And even if your job doesn't demand the kind of rough-and-tough case that can withstand anything from a roundhouse kick to a good ol' drop on cement, it wouldn't hurt to win a $45 case for free, would it?