Liam Spradlin - 87/99 - 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.

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Oct

Device Frame Generator Allows You To Drop Screenshots Into Actual Android Device Frames, Giving Beautiful, Polished Results

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Tips & Tutorials

Roman Nurik, an Android engineer, recently gave the Android Asset Studio an awesome new tool that allows users to create gorgeous, high-res PNG images of any screenshot framed by actual press asset photos of Android devices.

The resulting images are, well, pretty. Gone are the days when developers or designers have to spend time in Photoshop layering up images and fabricating gloss, just to get an appealing graphic to show an app in action. Heck, even if you aren't a developer, this tool is still fun to play around with.

At the moment the selection of device frames is limited to the Nexus One, Nexus S, and Motorola Xoom, but it sounds as though more devices will be coming soon.

Oct

iOnRoad Takes (Most Of) The Thinking Out Of Safe Driving, Offers Augmented Reality Using Your Android's Camera

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Bringing to the Android Market what I consider one of the only useful augmented reality apps in existence, iOnRoad has introduced iOnRoad Augmented Driving. This app utilizes your Android device's rear camera to have a look at traffic in front of you, and, using complex visual algorithms, it determines headway, speed, direction, and potential traffic threats.

What's more, the app still keeps watching, and keeps you abreast of any potential dangers while running in the background, meaning you can switch to your music player, messaging app, or phone, and still get alerts from iOnRoad.

On top of its incredible safety features, the apps also offers social integration, allowing you to unlock (and compete for) driving achievements (which seem to be geared toward safe driving), and upload snapshots of interesting sights, reckless drivers, etc.

Oct

New Dropbox Beta Brings Improved UI, Favorites, Renaming, Bulk Upload, And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Dropbox, arguably one of the best file storage/sharing services around, recently released the new beta version of their app for Android, making it even easier to access files on the go that may otherwise be spread across several devices.

Besides bug fixes, the new beta includes the ability to store "favorite" files for quick offline viewing, bulk upload for multiple photos and videos, renaming of files and folders, upload from and export to local storage, and last but not least, a hugely improved UI which includes a more appealing gallery view and quick, one-tap access to file options.

Oct

Samsung/Google's Nexus/Ice Cream Sandwich Event May Be Back On, This Time In Hong Kong

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Rumors, Samsung

Since Google and Samsung called off their event (which was set to announce Ice Cream Sandwich and the next Nexus device), the rumor mill has been going at full tilt. Today, however, a more positive rumor has spun out: Engadget reports that "an inside source" has indicated October 19th as the new date for the Unpacked event.

The source also tells Engadget that the event will be held in Hong Kong, and is timed to line up with AsiaD: All Things Digital, taking place next week. This tip, of course, has not been confirmed, but with time ticking away until the alleged date, we're sure to hear something soon either way.

Oct

Replay Games Working On A Remake Of Leisure Suit Larry For Android, Others

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Games, News

You may remember Leisure Suit Larry - an "adventure game," following a middle-aged man in his pursuit of attractive women, navigating through pixelated environments featuring up to 16 colors.

Replay Games is working on reviving the risqué mid-80s hit, and bringing it to a variety of platforms, including Android.

Replay says that if all goes well with their initial remake, they will look into remaking the rest of the series as well, for a total of seven games, and potentially making direct ports of the originals as well.

Right now the only information we have regarding release is that Replay plans to debut the first game in early 2012.

Oct

T-Mobile Announces Enhanced Functionality For Bobsled, Its Universal Web Calling Service

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, T-Mobile

T-Mobile announced today some interesting updates to Bobsled. In collaboration with Vivox, Bobsled is T-Mobile's bid at providing "a universal way to communicate however and whenever when connected to the Web."

First in the lineup of T-Mobile's improvements to its Bobsled service is the ability to call, message, and voice message their Facebook contacts at any time. To implement this service, T-Mobile offers the ability to turn on a sort of Bobsled toolbar (in the form of a Facebook app) - a tab that displays in your browser (meaning you see it almost all the time) and slides along web pages, allowing for quick access to calling options.

Oct

AT&T Announces Samsung DoubleTime, Pantech Pocket, Motorola Atrix 2, And More - The Fall Lineup Seems To Have Something For Everyone

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, Atrix 2, Avail, Captivate Glide, DoubleTime, News, Pocket, Samsung

Last Updated: December 23rd, 2011

AT&T has just given customers a handful of devices to look forward to, announcing earlier this evening the addition of five new Android devices to their fall lineup. The new line is largely populated by Android devices aimed at budget-conscious users, but those looking for higher-end devices will have plenty of options as well.

Motorola Atrix 2

First up is the Motorola Atrix 2. Following up on the original Atrix, it's compatible with a special 'Lapdock' to increase productivity. In keeping with the Atrix name, the phone is packing some rather nice specs under its sleek frame:

UMTS 850/1900/2100
GSM 850/900/1800/1900
4G HSPA+ 21 Mbps (Category 14)
1 GHz dual-core processor
Internal memory: 8 GB ROM, 1 GB RAM, 2 GB microSD™ card (expandable to 32GB)
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
4.3-inch qHD screen 960x540TFT, with more than 500,000 pixels for sharper, clearer display
8 MP camera and LED flash
Front-facing camera
1080p HD video capture, 30 frames per second playback
On Device Encryption (ODE) and Enhanced Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS)
IPsec VPN
Lapdock 100 Accessory

Samsung DoubleTime

Samsung's DoubleTime is no doubt a lower-end Android phone, putting an emphasis on its compact, portable design and full flip keyboard, and running Android 2.2 (which seems a bit odd considering the impending release of Ice Cream Sandwich, which will make Froyo 2 steps behind current technology).

Oct

Google Debuts Dart, An Easy New Programming Language For Web Development

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Development, News

Earlier today, Google officially debuted Dart, their new programming language intended to make web development easy by offering a somewhat familiar structure with enough flexibility to open up new possibilities, including the ability to run on "all modern web browsers and environments."

Google's dedicated Dart website features the language spec and preliminary development tools as open source, giving developers a chance to get acquainted with the language during its early development. The site also has code samples and a few tutorials to get you started.

Lars Bak, a software engineer on the Dart team, describes the new language on Google's code blog as a class-based, optionally typed language, aiming to fulfill the goals of being structured yet flexible, offering a familiar and natural feel for developers, and ensuring that Dart offers a high standard of performance on "all modern web browsers and environments ranging from small handheld devices to server-side execution."

The code blog goes on to explain that Dart has the ability to be implemented on a native virtual machine, or through a compiler that translates it to JavaScript, allowing the language to fulfill its goal of running on each and every modern browser.

Oct

[Monthly Home Screen Challenge, October 2011] Post Your Android Home Screen, Win An Android Police Shirt

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Home Screen Challenge

Last Updated: January 3rd, 2012

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.

For this reason, we have decided to open up a call for gorgeous, well-decorated home screens of all shapes and sizes. Each month we will select the very best home screen configuration(s) and completely break it down into its component parts, providing you with all the necessary information to create your own awesome home screen.

Oct

Qualcomm Vows Lower Power Consumption, All Around Better Performance With Newly-Announced Snapdragon S4 SoC

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News

Qualcomm just announced yesterday the details surrounding its Snapdragon S4 System on Chip, promising an impressive array of improvements over their current-gen line.

To begin with, the Snapdragon S4 shifts away from previous 45nm constructions and boasts a trim 28nm process technology, which will improve power consumption and thermal performance, as well as free up more space by using smaller components.

In the CPU department, the S4 CPU, codenamed Krait, will top at 60% better performance over Qualcomm's current Scorpion line, reaching speeds from 1.5 to 2.5GHz, while utilizing asynchronous multiprocessing and dual-channel memory.

The Adreno 225 GPU will top the 220 by about 50%, adding DirectX9.3, OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 capabilities for Windows 8.