Liam Spradlin - 93/99 - 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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Sep

Gameloft's Back-To-School Sale Slashes Backstab HD, N.O.V.A. 2 HD, And Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD To $0.99 Each

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, Games

Gameloft, one of the biggest names in mobile gaming, is holding a back-to-school sale that cuts the prices of three of its most popular games for Android down to a manageable $0.99.

First in line for a price cut is Backstab HD, an action game with beautiful environments that's been compared to Uncharted and Assassin's Creed which had its debut in July.

Next is N.O.V.A. 2 HD, a sci-fi style FPS title first released back in June with highly detailed maps, multiplayer support, and a healthy amount of shooting action.

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD completes the list of price cuts, bringing single player and multiplayer racing action in a variety of worldwide locations and leagues to the palm of your hand.

Sep

[Update: It's Getting Closer] Google Wallet May Be Launching In Time For NFC World Congress On September 19th (Yes, Tomorrow)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Rumors

Update: It still hasn't been officially announced yet, but the word on the street is that some businesses (such as Peets Coffee & Tea shop in San Francisco) are already displaying the Google Wallet logo near the register. We're definitely getting really close now. [via Phandroid]

For those awaiting the launch of Google Wallet (specifically those with the Sprint Nexus S 4G and a Citibank MasterCard), we've got some good news.

TechCrunch reported today on a document allegedly circulating among Google Wallet partners, indicating that tomorrow, September 19th is the launch date for Google's wallet-consolidating service, which will allow customers to pay at PayPass terminals everywhere with a simple tap of their Android phone.

Sep

[Mobile Security App Shootout, Part 14] ESET Mobile Security RC Still In Development, Offers Strong Features Nonetheless

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Mobile Security App Shootout

The developers behind the already popular ESET Security solutions for various desktop platforms is responsible for the next entry in our Mobile Security App Shootout: ESET Mobile Security for Android. Before we get started with reviewing the app, it's important to note that right now ESET for Android is in its Beta stage, and the app available on the Market is a Release Candidate, meaning it's not quite finished yet. The good news, however, is that the app is free throughout its stages in beta. ESET's other mobile solutions (for iOS and Symbian) run about $30.00/year.

At A Glance

ESET Mobile Security is a well-designed, easy to use app.

Sep

The Wait Is Almost Over - ASUS Eee Pad Slider Coming At The End Of September, Starting At $475

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Eee Pad Slider, News, Tablets

Since its debut at CES, ASUS' Eee Pad Slider has been a hotly anticipated device, blurring the line between tablets, netbooks, and webtops. After months of waiting, it seems the Slider is almost upon us - Engadget reported today that based on the information received at an event in New York, ASUS' latest entry into the tablet market will be available by the end of this month.

The Slider's 16GB model will be coming in at $475, with a 32GB model available for $575. For those who need a reminder, here are some of the Slider's specs again:

Android 3.2
Dual Core Tegra 2 Processor
10" IPS Display (1280x800)
1.2MP Front Shooter and 5MP Rear Shooter (with flash)
Mini-HDMI, Mini-USB, and MicroSD slots
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
2.2 lb
1/2" thick

Engadget goes on to break down their hands-on experience, explaining that the Slider looks quite elegant in person, and while the keyboard's sliding mechanism eats up a fair amount of space, it's still a relatively comfortable typing experience when processing words in "short bursts." This is aided however by the seemingly strong build quality.

Sep

[Hunt For The Best Dialer, Part 2] Touchpal Dialer Brings Together Useful Features And Subtle Design

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Applications, Hunt For The Best Dialer

Next in our hunt for the best replacement dialer app is Touchpal from the developers at CooTek, the same team behind Touchpal Keyboard and Search.

CooTek's dialer is extremely well-designed, unassuming, and easy to use. It combines most of the features I want in a dialer but doesn't attempt to overdo things with too many superfluous or redundant functions. Best of all, the dialer is totally free.

At A Glance

Immediately after installing Touchpal, I was impressed. The design is clean, simple, and unassuming. It combines the familiar tabbed browsing of Android's stock dialer with a dialpad/call log screen reminiscent of HTC's Sense dialer, in a way taking the best aspects of both and combining them into a simple, lightweight app.

Sep

Manilla Releases Android App, Makes Bill-Paying Easier Than It Should Be

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Manilla, a popular account management/bill paying solution, has made the process of paying for goods and services even easier by releasing an app for Android today.

The app allows you to view all of your accounts and payment statuses in a single place, and boasts the same soundness of security as its online counterpart.

For someone like me who enjoys the convenience of paying bills online and often double, triple, and quadruple checks their bill payment statuses, Manilla is a great solution, and now you can securely pay and manage accounts from almost anywhere. If you haven't already, go grab the app from the Android Market.

Sep

Aviary Announces New SDK Enabling Developers To Embed Advanced Photo Editing Into Their Apps

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, News

Aviary, developer of a bounty of online creative tools, has just announced its latest venture into the iOS and Android mobile platforms: a new SDK that allows developers to embed Aviary's advanced photo editing tools into their apps. The SDK allows the developer to choose which editing features to include, and takes "just minutes to implement."

Some of the editing features the SDK offers include:

Auto-Enhance
Crop, Flip, Rotate
Sharpen and Blur
Redeye Removal
Teeth Whitening and Blemish Removal
Adjust Colors and Saturation
Adjust Brightness and Contrast

Other options such as text, stickers, drawing, and a meme generator are also present.

Sep

Facebook For Android Updated To v1.7, Brings Pull-To-Refresh, New Sharing & Tagging Options, Photo Swiping, More - Finally Back In The Tablet Market Too

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Facebook for Android got one step closer to being a viable replacement for its online counterpart today, after receiving an update today that brought several anticipated sharing, privacy, and interface changes.

Users now have access to the same privacy controls for posts as in Facebook's online interface and can tag friends and places as well. The update also brings improved messages and notifications, fixes for performance issues, and a couple of interface changes including redesigned profile and group walls, and a swipe interface for photo browsing. The developers have also added some other subtle enhancements such as pull-to-refresh capabilities iOS users are already so used to.

Sep

[Hunt For The Best Dialer, Part 1] RocketDial Makes Improvements Over Stock, But Still Overshadowed By Bugs

Posted by Liam Spradlin in App Reviews, Hunt For The Best Dialer

With all the things that Android phones are capable of, it's easy to neglect the feature of the device that actually makes it worth carrying around instead of a tablet or laptop: the dialer.

Android's native dialer is super fast, but pretty basic. It works alright, but just doesn't add that extra something that brings making a phone call up to par with the rest of the things your phone can do. That's why we've decided to set out on the hunt for the best dialer. That is, the best dialer to replace the one that comes preinstalled on your phone.

Sep

[Tip] The DROID Bionic Has FM Radio - Tune In Using The DROID 3 Radio APK

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Bionic, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: September 14th, 2011

If you're one of a handful of people who have been wondering whether or not the new Droid Bionic has FM Radio capabilities, the folks at Android Central forums have confirmed that it does, and that the radio APK from the Droid 3 will let you listen whenever you want. It definitely works on our review unit:

The only thing required for the APK to work is a set of headphone plugged into the phone to act as an antenna. The app does have the option to play via the rear speaker however, so you aren't constrained to a set of ear buds (technically, you just need a wire with a 3.5mm plug).