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Garmin International, the world leader in satellite navigation, has announced Smartphone Link for Android, an app which allows your Android-powered device to communicate seamlessly with your nüvi via Bluetooth, enabling live traffic information, traffic cam images, weather info and fuel prices to be displayed quickly and easily.
Lenovo has just unveiled its new X1 Hybrid laptop, which runs Windows with a twist – namely, it can boot into "Instant Media Mode," which allows the laptop to run off of a Snapdragon processor, utilizing custom software based on the Android 2.3 kernel. Ostensibly, this mode is meant for users who want to get through a long flight, or simply zone out with a variety of media, with double the battery life they'd have running Windows.
For those unwilling to sacrifice the latest hardware (and software) for the rather dated Sony Xperia Play's convenient physical game controls, Gametel has introduced a Bluetooth controller with a familiar button layout that will accommodate just about any Android-powered phone. Even better, the Bluetooth controller has its own battery, charged via micro USB.
Lenovo, "the world's number two PC company," has just introduced a bevvy of new Android-powered devices, emphasizing their specs and compatibility with Lenovo's "Personal Cloud," which promises to make the company a "personal cloud solution." Liu Jun, Senior VP and President of Lenovo's Mobile Internet and Digital Home business group, explained the significance of the Personal Cloud:
It has become obvious, thanks to some displays on the CES floor, that the Galaxy Note is indeed headed for AT&T, with a few tweaks. Namely, an AT&T logo prominently emblazoned near the top of the device, and four-button controls replacing the original note's layout. It may be worth noting that these posters (as pointed out by Engadget) appear to feature mock-ups of AT&T's Note variant, as there is no sign of a 4G indicator.
Remember SoulCraft THD, the awesome action RPG game we mentioned last month? Well, the open beta finally hit the Android Market today, bringing angels, demons, apocalypse, and rich, realistic environments to your Tegra device. Check out the video below for a taste of the action:
Always Innovating, a company which "leverages the latest developments in open source technologies worldwide to create innovative products that solve real problems for consumers," will be debuting a new device at CES this year – the HDMI Dongle. The Dongle looks to replace the set-top box for those who aren't interested in buying a hefty (or more expensive) GoogleTV device.
Tasker, an extremely versatile (and popular) app which allows users to schedule (and control) various automated tasks, received an update today, bringing the app to version 1.2.
Barnes & Noble announced today that it is considering selling its NOOK business, citing significant shortfalls in sales and cutting its full-year forecast.
It seems that Corning is gearing up for an exciting CES this year (which is just a few short days from beginning), publishing a news release earlier today which details the glass giant's plans for the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow.
Still holding out for a bargain on an unlocked Galaxy Nexus? Thanks to Mobile Daily Steals, you may be one step closer to getting your hands on one of 2011's most hotly anticipated devices (not to mention Ice Cream Sandwich). MDS is offering the 16GB Galaxy Nexus (unlocked) for a (relatively) paltry $559.99 - a huge discount compared to other prices we've seen. The GSM unlocked variant of the Galaxy Nexus will work with a wide variety of GSM frequencies, including AT&T and T-Mobile. A full list of compatible frequencies are listed at MDS' sale page. It's worth reiterating that (unfortunately) a 32GB GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus has not yet been priced. However, that doesn't make this any less of a bargain.
[Monthly Home Screen Challenge, January 2012] Post Your Android Home Screen, Win An Android Police Shirt
Post Your Android Home Screen, Win An Android Police Shirt
Creating an aesthetically pleasing home screen for your phone or tablet has become an art in itself, and an entire ecosystem packed with widgets, themes, wallpapers, launchers, and custom ROMs has built up to support it. Sometimes, it can be tough to find a winning combination of elements to create a beautiful and enduring home screen that provides both form and function.
December's Home Screen Challenge – like our first two challenges – gave us a look at some extremely impressive home screens, pushing aesthetics and home screen tweaking to their limits. It was tough to pick just one winner, but in the end, suprafreak1000's zen-like reimagining of the Android interface won us over. Like always, we'll break down the winning home screen and explain each of its parts, so you, the reader, can design your own creation using the same elements.
After getting a glimpse of Avast's new mobile security solution a few weeks ago, I just had to dive in and give the app a full review. Avast, the long-awaited marriage of Avast and IT Agents' Theft Aware (see our review), certainly doesn't disappoint. It has an insane number of features, all of which appear to work perfectly, and it sounds like things will only be improving with time.
The minds behind CyanogenMod have done it again, bringing nightly updates to several LG Optimus variants, and adding official CM7 support for the Epic 4G (not to be confused with Sprint's Galaxy SII variant).
Adding to the ever-growing list of knockoff devices found overseas, Nexian (an Indonesian mobile phone manufacturer) brings us the Android Magic A893 – a device that looks awfully similar to the iPhone, but which packs Android 2.2 Froyo and rings in at IDR 1,599,000 (about $175 USD). To get a better idea of the device's eerily familiar form factor, check out this unboxing video:
Just after expanding Nightly support to Samsung's Epic 4G and a slew of LG handsets, the CyanogenMod team has brought nightlies to a handful of Xperia devices, including Coconut (the Xperia Live with Walkman), Iyokan (the Xperia Pro), and Satsuma (the Xperia Active).
In a continued effort to unlock bootloaders everywhere using their online tool, HTC has added several exciting entries to the "supported devices" list. Perhaps the most notable of the new entries are the Droid Incredible 2 and HTC Thunderbolt. Officially, HTC's online unlock tool is compatible with all devices launched after September 2011, but the new additions reflect an effort to add compatibility for older devices.
Hot on the heels of the Droid Razr's leaked fastboot files, two more Motorola devices can now be restored to stock configuration in case of emergency.
Motorola Droid RAZR owners (and developers) received a bit of good news yesterday, thanks to a leaked set of fastboot files which allow your RAZR to be restored to stock in case of a soft brick or other unforeseen issue.