Matt Demers - 6/12 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Matt Demers

Matt Demers is a Toronto writer that deals primarily in the area of Android, comics and other nerdy pursuits. You can find his work on Twitter and sites across the Internet.

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Jul

Canadian HTC EVO 3Ds To Come With Bootloader Unlocked, Says Rogers

Posted by Matt Demers in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, News, Rogers

Canadian telecom Rogers have given Android users north of the border a bit of good news this afternoon, as they've confirmed that their release of the HTC Evo 3D will have an unlocked bootloader.

This response came from Rogers rep "RogersKatie" in the discussion thread below a blog post announcing their forthcoming Android products. This hopefully confirms the carrier's official stance on the matter, and isn't a matter of miscommunication.

As a Canadian consumer, this is a great step in the right direction when it comes to keeping our devices up to date and in line with Android devices in the United States.

Jul

[Deal Alert] AT&T Samsung Infuse 4G Available For $50 at Target July 17-23

Posted by Matt Demers in Deals, Infuse 4G, News, Samsung

For those of you who've been looking for a nice deal to help beat this summer heat, Target is now offering an Infuse 4G for the low, low price of $50 on a two year contract.

The deal requires you to sign up a new AT&T account for the pricing to take effect, and is available both in their brick-and-mortar stores and online. I'm not sure if this little caveat means that current users of the service will be left out in the cold, or whether they'll just have to renew their contracts.

The promotion is only running from July 17-23, so if you're thinking of taking part, you've got a week.

Jul

Android 3.2 Available Now On Xoom Wifi Via ClockworkMod Recovery (Instructions Within!)

Posted by Matt Demers in Android OS, Motorola, News, Tablets, XOOM

While we reported earlier today that Motorola Xooms would be receiving Android 3.2 "in small batches," the update is available now for those of you who have the wifi-only model. The update brings long-awaited features like app zooming and support for SD cards.

Users from the XDA forums have found a way to get that update without having to rely on carrier distribution, which is detailed below. It involves the Xoom Wifi Android 3.2 update, flashing ClockworkMod Recovery for the Motorola Xoom, configuring the Android SDK for your computer, and having adb functioning properly.

Obviously this is not a basic operation: it's a good idea to have an idea of what you're doing beforehand.

Jul

[New Game Review] Inotia 3 Gives Us A Great Hack And Slash, But Is It Ruined By Micropayments?

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Inotia 3, at it's core, is a story-driven RPG where you use a party made of six classes to confront your destiny, yadda yadda yadda. Along the way, you'll complete quests, World of Warcraft style, to appease villagers, get loot and become stronger. The game's main story is actually quite expansive; I haven't had the chance to play through the entire thing yet, but the developer touts 230+ quests, 130+ maps and enough quest text to let you get right deep into it.

This is actually true: the game doesn't shy away from the text, and from what I can tell the translation is much better than the game's market entry.

Jul

[Review] Diversion Surprises Us With Simple Platforming And Investment-Free Gameplay

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Alright, I know what you might be thinking when you look at this game: "What's Matt thinking? Doesn't he know a hastily-churned out app when he sees one?"

That was the first impression I had when I was downloading this game, as well - Diversion's art style and woefully-specific name had me pessimistic. However, I was a bit surprised at how well this game actually plays; while it's not for everyone, it is actually kind of fun in small bursts.

Diversion is a platform game that is fairly simple in concept: you're a constantly-moving-forward character that can jump when the player taps the screen.

Jul

[Review] NASA's Official App Takes Us To Infinity And Beyond

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Space. The final frontier. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're a nerd of some kind. I know for a fact that there are a lot of nerds that love space, and NASA has decided to indulge us with an app that brings all the information we'd want to know to one place.

NASA's app has a remarkably simple function: give you access to a ton of media that the organization has to offer. Through its menus you'll find links to Twitter feeds, photographs of the day, articles describing space missions, and even live video feeds. The videos deserve special mention, as they give you a full TV schedule of when things are set to air, and give you two different feeds to watch them from on your phone.

Jul

Amazon Expands Your Cloud Music Storage To 'Unlimited', With A Catch

Posted by Matt Demers in Amazon, News

While Google Music and iTunes sync have upped the game in terms of cloud music storage, we're quick to forget that Amazon had the first service of its kind out on the market (see our review).

In an effort to remain competitive, the online marketplace now announced that you can upgrade your storage to an unlimited amount of MP3s or AACs if you have a 20GB or higher plan. You can then upload as many files as you want to the service, and it won't use up any of your bandwidth. You can find the details of the promotion in this handy FAQ provided by Amazon.

Jul

[Review] Age of Wind 2 Makes Us Yearn For The Seafaring Life

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Age of Wind 2 indulges the side of us that would like to go off with Captain Jack Sparrow and look to make our own fortune. After an opening "story" sequence where you're tossed overboard from an exceptional ship, you're left to start with your own crew and a smaller vessel, hopefully to achieve success.

Yo ho!

Age of Wind 2 plays a lot like one of my favourite titles, Sid Meier's Pirates!. In that title, you would take on the role of a budding young pirate, patrolling the Caribbean and plundering how you'd like. The game was great because it was a sandbox game with a great premise: you could choose national allegiance and help them gain dominance over the Spanish Main, or just wreck everyone.

Jul

[New App] Last.FM Releases 'Festivals', Looks To Be In Your Pocket While You're In The Mosh Pit

Posted by Matt Demers in Applications, Apps/Games, News

I've used Last.fm for a couple of years now, logging (or, in their terminology, "scrobbling") over 58,000 tracks as I listen to them. It's kind of your music player's "most played" list on steroids, as it's cross-compatible with everything.

Last.fm also works with local event listings, as well; they've just released a new app called "Festivals" that will hopefully find its way to music fans' phones everywhere.

Festivals works like a trip planner to make sure you get the most out of your festival experience. It provides you with a list of shows that are occurring during the day, as well as matching your compatible tastes according to your Last.fm account.

Jul

[Review] Sports Tracker Keeps Track Of Your Mileage And Gives You The Support Network To Keep You Going

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Phones are quickly adding "personal trainer" to the list of roles they can perform for their users. The potential for note-taking, record keeping and stat tracking is immense, as there's a good chance you won't forget your device when you go out for a run or hit the gym.

Sports Tracker works by letting the app use your phone's GPS signal to determine distance and speed travelled while doing activities like cycling, running, swimming or rowing. The app also takes input like heart rate, allowing you to journal your progress across a number of days, further supported by the optional Bluetooth heart rate belt that's on sale from their website.