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.

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May

Official CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies Come To Three More Variants Of The Galaxy Tab 10.1: Verizon, WiFi + 3G (Unlocked), And 10.1v

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 10.1v, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Mods, News

Last we heard, CyanogenMod 9's interaction with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 line was limited to the variants shackled either to T-Mobile or to WiFi. However, the CM team has been hard at work, and as of yesterday, the following three editions of the 10-inch tablet have been granted access to the CM nightly kingdom:

Verizon's Galaxy Tab 10.1 (SCH-I905) - Download: p4VZW
Unlocked WiFi + 3G Galaxy Tab 10.1 (GT-P7500) - Download: p4
Galaxy Tab 10.1v (GT-P7100) - Download: p3

Definition: A "nightly" is a cutting-edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

May

Lookout Ad Network Detector Now Snooping Out SellARing

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

With the advent of the latest and greatest APIs, amazing new apps have been made possible. Unfortunately, these developments have also given rise to another, more insidious trend on Google Play: cruel and unusual advertising. For example, ad network SellARing allows developers to play a 10-second audio ad whenever users make a phone call.

Fortunately, Lookout recently released an app called "Ad Network Detector" to help with such obnoxious, intrusive ads; however, up until today, SellARing was not among the detected networks. No more - as of the latest update, version 1.2, Ad Detector users can identify apps that use SellARing; as with other ad networks, once the applications have been identified, Lookout gives you the option of opting out of the ads, getting more information about them, or completely uninstalling the apps that trigger them.

Apr

TGI Friday's Releases Android App, Lets Customers Pay Tabs From Their Phones

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Last Updated: April 29th, 2012

While the TGI Friday's brand might not exactly inspire awe in food critics, the fast food chain's flashy new Android app's functionality is undeniably impressive.

It has all the standard features you'd expect from an app of this sort (e.g. finding directions to a local Friday's, checking out the chain's menus, and placing orders); however, it also has one notably unique feature: the ability to pay your bill. Powered by a service called Tabbedout, Friday's app lets you create "tabs" of items you'd like to order, before paying the tab directly from your phone. By default an 18% tip is included, though this can be changed.

Apr

Republic Wireless Begins Sending Out Invites To Its Beta Program, Announces Plans For Future Device Availability

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in News, Republic Wireless

No, Republic Wireless hasn't merged with Google as per the Internet's dreams, but it has begun issuing invites to its upcoming beta service.

Indeed, those who signed up for the service a few months back should soon be assigned a "wave" of the beta. Following this assignment, the lucky few will be secured a spot on Republic's waiting list, and the waves will start opening up this summer.

But the real news here is the smartphone pricing that's been sent out to beta customers. Unfortunately, Republic Wireless didn't provide device names or any details of that sort; all that's been disclosed are three price points and some specs.

Apr

Movie Rentals From Google Play And YouTube Now Available In Australia

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Google, News

Despite Australia's historically diverse movie industry, up until recently, Aussies found Google's Play and YouTube services devoid of films available to them.

But no more! As of late yesterday, Australian Google users can access both the Movies page on Google Play and the YouTube counterpart. They'll have access to countless movies, both from US studios (e.g. The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Village Roadshow Pictures and Lionsgate) and from Australian producers (e.g. Roadshow Films, Icon Film Distribution, Madman Entertainment, Hopscotch and Transmission Films). Viewing options include your desktop browser (of course) as well as Android phones and tablets, so long as the Google Play Movies app is installed.

Apr

Quickoffice Updates Its Android Apps, Adds Spellcheck, Line Spacing, Chart And Table Support, And More

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Just when you thought Quickoffice was becoming out of touch with its user base (specifically, with their wallets) the company has released a fairly major update to its two main Android apps.

Specifically, both Quickoffice Pro and Quickoffice Pro HD were today updated to version 5.5.32. The update brings more than a number bump, though; here's the official list of new features:

** PDF ***
Add/edit/remove comments
Select text and highlight
Insert shapes
** DOCUMENTS ***
Spellcheck
Display charts in .docx
Edit line spacing
Create and edit tables
** PRESENTATIONS ***
Insert numbered lists
Display groups of items
Duplicate slides in PPTX
Insert and rotate extended set of shapes
** IN SPREADSHEETS ***
Move, resize and delete charts in spreadsheets
Update charts when referenced data is changed in spreadsheets

Though the press release, interestingly enough, is not to be released until next Monday, the updated apps are available now.

Apr

[New Game] Kairosoft Brings School To Google Play With Release Of Pocket Academy

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Games, News

Have you ever dreamed of creating and managing your own imaginary school? No? Well Kairosoft has launched a game that lets you do just that, regardless.

Indeed, Kairosoft, who has in recent memory brought us such releases as Dungeon Village and Cafeteria Nipponica, today made available a "management simulation game" called Pocket Academy. As its name suggests, with the app, you can use your phone to create a school that matches your dreams perfectly. You'll be able to sponsor various school events (e.g. athletic meetings and art shows), create clubs, manage classrooms, and "decide this week's hot couple."

If you've seen any of Kairosoft's previous ventures into mobile gaming, you already know exactly what to expect where graphics are concerned.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Expansys USA Drops Unlocked Galaxy Nexus To $399.99, Beats Google By Almost $50 With Free Shipping And Lack Of Tax

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Deals, Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime, News, Samsung

Just yesterday, Google started selling the Galaxy Nexus on its Play store. The news caught many off guard - not only had Google not done anything of the sort for quite some time, but the price ($399) was surprisingly low for an unlocked, contract-free device. Unfortunately, however, there was a catch: namely, the gadget was still subject to all the usual taxes and shipping fees (at least in all the states we tested - CA, TX, KY, MN, and likely many others), bringing the total cost up by almost $50. Here's a screenshot:

But fear not - Expansys USA has come up with a solution.

Apr

[Update: Now Live] Zynga Zombifies Mountain View's Android Statue In Preparation For ZombieSmash Global Launch

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

This morning, Google employee Steven Le posted a photo of the Android statue outside his office, which looked a bit stranger than usual:

While the statue's makeover was mysterious at first glance, a press release and accompanying video from Zynga soon clarified the situtation:

Indeed, the occasion was a promo of ZombieSmash!, a new Zynga game being launched on Google Play ~~later this week~~. To be clear, the game is technically already on Play, ~~but only in Canada~~; this week, ZombieSmash! will be made available globally.

Update: And we're live! You can download the app for $0.99 using the info at the end of the post.

Apr

Facebook Updates Its Android App With Revised Camera And Messenger Icons

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, News

Facebook for Android has been making some progress lately - just a few short days ago, version 1.9 of the app was made available, bringing some fairly major improvements. Now the app has been updated again, and while it's far from a full makeover, it has received one change that some users will surely appreciate.

Namely, the update includes revised icons for the bundled "Camera" and "Messenger" applications. While in all likelihood most of us will hardly even notice the change, it may still prove beneficial in the long term, as the "Camera" and "Messenger" icons included in the original version of Facebook 1.9 looked quite similar to Android's stock "Camera" and "Messenger" applications; the update makes them easier to tell apart.