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It's a regular rite of passage for new Android phones: most flagships get the root treatment within a day or two of being released, allowing power users access to tools and apps that most people aren't all that interested in. But there are some exceptions, namely those draconian carriers who insist upon locking the bootloader of their Android devices. Their reasons for doing so could charitably be described as "bull hockey," but they're pretty effective: it's sometimes months or years before these phones get rooted, if they do get rooted at all.
When was the last time that you used the Circle sharing feature on Google+? Statistically, it's probably been a while... and you certainly haven't used it in the last few days. According to enthusiast site Google Plus Daily, the ability to share Circles of followed people and pages was quietly removed from Google's social network earlier this week. If you've never used Shared Circles, they were similar to public follow lists on Twitter.
One of the more persistent and frustrating issues with the OnePlus One has been its touchscreen, which saw a spat of problems and firmware fixes late last year. A software update in November seemed to have fixed the glitches, but in the last few weeks dozens of users on the official OnePlus forums have reported a resurgence of touchscreen issues. Perhaps it has something to do with the new Android updates, perhaps it's because of the rising temperatures as spring hits the northern hemisphere. Whatever the cause, OnePlus One owners are steamed.
April was a bit sparse when it comes to new apps - there aren't any real standouts, though Facebook certainly made a splash with its self-branded phone dialer. The rest of the best picks from last month are mostly advanced tools for power users, or in the case of the impressive edjing, experienced music producers. Here in no particular order are our picks for the best of the lot, plus a few honorable mentions that might have broader appeal.
If you want to play classic ports or new PC games on your phone or tablet, then April was definitely your month. Between the blockbuster adventure game Broken Age and classics like Ys, there's a lot of non-mobile goodness to go around. But don't worry: there are a few original games to investigate as well, notably Implosion and the third entry in the Sorcery series. Here in no particular order are our top picks, along with some honorable mentions.
To say that Nexus 9 owners are somewhat miffed that Google's flagship tablet is currently lagging several versions behind the latest Android release is something of an understatement. The Nexus 9's slow software update rollout, well behind the rest of the Nexus line and even some third-party devices, is as odd as it is irritating. But according to an official Google Twitter post (update: Google+ too), the wait should be over today. Sort of.
Let's be honest here: you really don't give a crap about Arbor Day. But if you forget to record the season finale of The Flash, you're going to be out three bucks for a Google Play episode purchase. To help alleviate this first-world problem, Microsoft subsidiary Sunrise Calendar has added hundreds of TV shows across dozens of networks to its "Interesting Calendars" feature, allowing for quick and easy TV scheduling on top of its usual handy interface.
If corporate patent litigation was a soap opera, it would be at once the most interesting and most snooze-inducing show on television. The latest twist comes from a three-year-old suit by Fujifilm against Motorola Mobility, which was still a Google company instead of a Lenovo one when the suit first started. Fuji alleged that Moto violated three camera patents and one wireless patent in its phones without licensing. A San Francisco court invalidated Fuji's claims on all but one of them, so Moto will have to pay for the privilege of one camera patent.
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
The once and future king of stylized hyper-violent video games is back. The mobile version of Mortal Kombat X, published by Warner Brothers Interactive and developed by NetherRealm, is now ready to download in the Google Play Store after a lengthy geo-limited soft launch. It features high-end graphics and a 2D fighting system based mostly on taps, swipes, charges, and other gestures, very much like NetherRealm's previous mobile fighters Injustice: Gods Among Us and WWE Immortals.
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- It looks like LEGO Star Wars is back in the Amazon Appstore as well. It's still going for the original $6.99 price. How appropriate.
If the response to the first Episode VII trailer was any indication, pop culture is going to be positively saturated with Star Wars between now and Christmas. If you're in the mood for a take on the original classic trilogy and the other, not-so-classic trilogy, LEGO is happy to oblige. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, originally released for consoles back in 2007, is now on the Play Store for $7.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a new dungeon-crawler, another Kairosoft management sim, a puzzle-RPG combo, an 8-bit endless runner, and a new Tin Man game-book. Without further ado:
Yesterday owners of the year-old HTC One Mini 2 were unhappy to learn that the phone won't be getting an Android 5.0 upgrade, despite HTC's promise that all One series devices were slated for OTA updates for at least two years. To the shock of absolutely no one, HTC has also confirmed that the original One Mini (released in the summer of 2013, after the first One flagship) won't be upgraded to Lollipop. The news came from the official HTC Twitter account.
Alarm.com, despite its security-oriented URL, has become a thriving platform for home management hardware and software both defensive and benign. The latest update to the app, version 3.2, adds a handful of small but important features and adjustments that should make it much easier for users of compatible automated home hardware to get stuff done. The updated version appears to be rolling out in the Play Store with no delays, so no need to track down the APK.
The Indiana State Congress Uses A Collection Of Nexus 7s And CyanogenMod To Let Members Vote
Indiana State Congress is turning to the Nexus 7s.
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Here's a mildly interesting story discovered by one member of the CyanogenMod Reddit board. Apparently the state congress of Indiana uses a custom setup to allow its state senators and representatives to submit votes. A Nexus 7 running the CyanogenMod custom ROM is permanently attached to each congressperson's desk, connected to the building's intranet system using a custom Ethernet adaptor (to avoid problems from an overcrowded Wi-Fi connection - there are 150 senators who vote at once), and hooked into SmartVote software from Propylon.
Before we go any further: Google's local delivery service Shopping Express is still limited to portions of the San Francisco bay area, Los Angeles, northern California, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and New York City. If you live outside of those areas, go ahead and skip this story, because Google Shopping Express (and similar competing services) aren't expanding outside of the densest US urban zones anytime soon. But for those who do qualify for the service, version 3.0 includes a new user interface.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a unique head-smashing platformer, another Kairosoft management sim, a classic WWI dogfighter, a minimal lane-based strategy game, an interesting text-based interrogation title, a game where you eat people and smash paintings, and an anime-inspired badminton game. Without further ado:
Do you want access to YouTube's background playback feature without paying for Music Key? Then you're in luck... so long as you can provide your own video files. Video LAN Player for Android (better known as VLC) has a few new tricks up its sleeve with the latest release, most notably background playback for videos. That means that you can switch to another task or simply turn your screen off while continuing to listen to the audio - great for podcasts, sitcoms, and surreptitiously listening to Star Trek episodes at work.
There's a new Marvel movie coming out tomorrow in the US. You may have heard about it - it's kind of a big deal. So what better time for a developer to release a new game featuring as many Marvel (comics, not movies) characters as possible. You've got to have something to do while you ignore the repeating video ad for Dave's Discount Family Insurance that plays before the trailers start up, right?
Samsung's top-of-the-line Galaxy Tab S series is hard to beat, unless you're a stickler for "clean" software. If the TouchWiz skin and the physical navigation buttons don't bother you, then both the 8.4" tablet and the 10.5" tablet offer top-of-the-line specs and unbeatable AMOLED screens. The larger of the two is on sale on eBay's daily deals portal today. You can pick up the 16GB Wi-Fi base model for just 9.99, an impressive $220 off of the retail price, and $170 cheaper than Amazon.