Liam Spradlin - 40/99 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Besides being an avid Android fan and blogger, Liam is a photographer with a degree in both Anthropology and Sociology. He can usually be found reading through blogs, taking photos, or studying ancient pottery. Liam has been known to leave on international trips at a moment's notice, and can't resist a new challenge.

Follow @LiamSpradlin

Jul

Bell Media's CTV Olympics London 2012 App Will Keep Canadian Android Users Up-To-Date With Live Video And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

We've already seen official Olympics 2012 streaming apps for both the UK and the US, promising great mobile coverage of this year's games, but Bell Media recently introduced another solution, this time for Canadian Android users looking to stay up to date on the action in London.

CTV Olympics London 2012's main feature is, of course, live streaming video of the games, but the app also offers several other features that will keep users entertained and tuned in.

Among these are up-to-the-minute video highlights, a trivia game that offers daily prizes from Samsung, and a series of "Ultimate Fan" challenges offering users the chance to attend the closing ceremony in London.

Jul

[Deal Alert] RadioShack Offering $50 Off Any Android Phone Purchase Of $99.99 Or More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, Deals, News, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

If you've been waiting for a sale to grab a new Android-powered phone, RadioShack is looking to give you the chance to get just about any phone you could want for $50 off. Customers buying a device for upgrade or new two-year agreement can save $50 when they spend $99.99 or more. The deal will run from now until Saturday, July 28th in stores, and until "the end of August" in RadioShack's online store.

What's great about this promotion is that it includes any phone $99.99 or over, including the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy SIII, HTC EVO 4G LTE, and others, so customers can get a hold of the latest flagships, or a device they've been keeping an eye on for a while.

Jul

Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OTA (JRO03E) Now Available For The Nexus S i9020A [Download]

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

After owners of the Nexus S i9023 and i9020T got an official 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OTA last night, the update has become available for the Nexus S' i9020A variant as well.

Just like before, the update can be downloaded straight from Google's servers, though Google has indicated that the OTA should be rolling out to Nexus S phones on "a number of carriers," meaning the wait for an automatic update prompt shouldn't be long.

RT @googlenexus: We've started rolling out Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, to Nexus S phones on a number of carriers with more to come. Enjoy!...

Jul

[Deal Alert] OfficeMax Has The 16GB Nexus 7 In Stock For $219.99 With Phone Order Coupon Plus Free Shipping

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, News, Nexus 7

UPDATE: Many readers are reporting that the Nexus 7 is now on backorder from OfficeMax and that the coupon may not work any more. That being said, the website still indicates that the tablet will ship in 1 to 3 days. Let us know if you have any luck getting the discount.

There's no doubt that Google's Nexus 7 has been exceedingly hard to find since its launch. From nebulous shipping schedules to stock problems at brick and mortar stores, customers everywhere have had a hard time getting their hands on the device.

Luckily, it has been discovered that OfficeMax has Google's hit 7" tablet in stock (shipping in "1 to 3 days") for $219.99 when you apply a coupon code over the phone.

Jul

Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OTA (JRO03E) Available For The Nexus S i9023/i9020T [Download] [Update: Now i9020A Too]

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Jelly Bean 4.1, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

Good news for Nexus S owners – your OTA update to 4.1.1 Jelly Bean is ready and at least one user has reported it rolling out to his i9023 already.

The 114MB update, which brings the Nexus S' build up to JRO03E, is also available to download directly from Google's server for users with either the i9023 or i9020T hardware variants. For those wondering, this update shouldn't wipe data during installation.

assert(file_getprop("/system/build.prop", "ro.build.fingerprint") == "google/soju/crespo:4.0.4/IMM76D/299849:user/release-keys" ||
file_getprop("/system/build.prop", "ro.build.fingerprint") == "google/soju/crespo:4.1.1/JRO03E/403059:user/release-keys");

Those who don't want to wait for an OTA notification to hit their device can download the update from the link below.

Jul

Motorola Xoom, ASUS Transformer, Transformer Prime Get CyanogenMod 10 Test/Preview Builds

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime

With the level of anticipation surrounding Jelly Bean and CyanogenMod 10, pretty much any news of a working build is good news. Today, test/preview builds of CM10 have surfaced for Motorola's Xoom as well as the ASUS Transformer and Transformer Prime (tf101 and 201).

Of course, since these are preview builds, they aren't perfectly stable. It's also worth noting that unofficial builds carry no guarantee of support or update.

That being said, the Transformer builds are surprisingly functional with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, camera, video acceleration, some dock functionality, and most sensors functional. GPS and light sensor functionality isn't quite there yet, but most of the device's critical functionality is present.

Jul

Official Ice Cream Sandwich Update Leaks For Motorola's Atrix 2

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, Atrix 2, Leaks, News

Users of Motorola's Atrix 2 who have been yearning for a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich on their devices have something to be excited about today – earlier this morning, an official ICS OTA update was leaked, or rather discovered using CheeseCake, a tool that essentially allows individuals to check specialized Moto servers for updates, meaning no company personnel need be involved in the leak. Here's a quick explanation from our contact Manoj:

Almost all Motorola based Android distros are fist put through a planning then development stage. During the planning stage, the smartphone is assessed as to analyze whether or not the phone is capable for an update.

Jul

Official CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies Arrive For The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 And Tab 2 10.1

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, News

With everyone anticipating the introduction of fabled CM10 builds, the CyanogenMod team is still hard at work bringing official CM9 support to even more devices. The latest additions to the list are the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (p3100, 3110, and 3113) and Tab 2 10.1 (p5100, 5110, 5113), each with their own nightlies ready for download and flashing.

It's worth noting, of course, that since these devices are just receiving their first nightlies, you may run into a bug here or there. But that's part of the fun of staying on the cutting edge of CM support, right? To grab your device's nightly build, just hit the appropriate link below.

Jul

Google Play Books Arrives In France Following The Settlement Of All Outstanding Legal Disputes

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Google, News

Last month, Google announced that it would be ending all legal disputes with French authors and publishers in an effort to bring books to a wider audience. The announcement came following the French Publishers and Author's Associations withdrawal of their suits against Google, and marked a "win-win solution" which opened "the possibility for out-of-print books to reach a wide audience," while maintaining commercial rights for authors.

Following up on that announcement, Google added a post to its European Public Policy Blog today indicating that Google Play Books has officially arrived in France.

In the post, Google explains that France, which is the fifth European country to gain access to Play Books (after Germany, Spain, Italy, and the UK), will enjoy a Books launch including Google Play's full selection of millions of books.

Jul

[New Game] Race Through City Ruins And Annihilate Mutants In Glu Mobile's Mutant Roadkill

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Games, News

Challenging players to "race through an apocalyptic wasteland overrun with mutants and other hazards," Glu Mobile recently released Mutant Roadkill to the Play Store.

As its name would suggest, Mutant Roadkill is a driving game (of sorts). The primary objective is to navigate the streets of an utterly destroyed, abandoned city, running over as many hapless mutant zombie creatures as possible while avoiding collisions with debris including other cars.

Building on this simple premise, the game offers powerups, combo bonuses, and upgrade-able cars. Players can earn coins in-game, or (of course) buy them via in-app purchase. Players can also gain powerups by completing special missions (for instance driving 2 miles without hitting a mutant, or activating 2 powerups in the same run).