Ron Amadeo - 12/19 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Ron Amadeo

Ron loves everything related to technology, design, and Google. He always wants to talk about "the big picture" and what's next for Android, and he's not afraid to get knee-deep in an APK for some details. Expect a good eye for detail, lots of research, and some lamenting about how something isn't designed well enough.

Jan

[CES 2012] Tegra 3 Exclusive Shadowgun: Deadzone Coming In Q1 2012 With 8-Person Multiplayer

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Games, News

Nvidia's CES press conference featured a few people playing Shadowgun together, which was a little puzzling, because currently that's impossible. It turns out they were showing off a new version: Shadowgun: Deadzone. The cool new thing about Deadzone, if you haven't guessed by now, is multiplayer support.

Deadzone is bringing all kinds of bells and whistles to the Shadowgun series. It supports 8 player online multiplayer, gamepads, and voice chat. I think that puts it on par with full-on console gaming. You also get a few new toys to impress your friends with: there's new sprint and roll moves, and, of course, more weapons.

Jan

[Updated] [CES 2012] Nvida CEO Says The Asus Transformer Prime Gets Ice Cream Sandwich TODAY, January 9th - Confirmed!

Posted by Ron Amadeo in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0

Update 2 - It's Out! We've got the download right here.

Update 1 - Confirmed: Asus says ICS hits at 8pm Pacific time, today!

Here's a bit of news from the Nvidia's CES Press Conference. Jen-Hsun Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, announced that the Asus Transformer Prime is getting its Ice Cream Sandwich update today (January 9th, for those of you in the future).

The Transformer Prime sports an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, so Huang should have inner knowledge of the TPrime's update schedule. Previously the Prime's Ice Cream Sandwich OTA was set for January 12th, so if Huang is right, it looks like Asus finished up a little early.

Jan

[Update][CES 2012] Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Outed for Verizon LTE, Has A 1280x800 Super AMOLED Plus Display, Updated With Even More Pictures!

Posted by Ron Amadeo in 4G, Galaxy Tab 7.7, Samsung, Tablets, Verizon Wireless

The tablet flood continues, the latest from Sammy is the Galaxy Tab 7.7 for Verizon. This little guy hopes to stand out from the crowd with the largest OLED display Samsung has ever put on a tablet: a 7.7 inch, Super AMOLED Plus Display.

The "Plus" on the end of "Super AMOLED Plus" means "not pentile," so you're even getting the full compliment of subpixels. It looks like this:

Now for the bad news, it's only Android 3.2, and it's got Touchwiz, and lots of crapware. The Samsung Apps recommendation engine, Samsung Media Hub, Samsung Social Hub, Peel Smart Remote, and "an exclusive suite of security features".

Jan

Google Requires OEMs To Include The Stock Set Of UI Widgets In All Ice Cream Sandwich Devices, Developers Can Stop Skins From Messing With Their Apps

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, Applications, Development, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

We are going to need some restraint and careful explanation for this one.

Google is making life a little easier for developers. Today a post on the official Android Developers Blog announced a new rule for OEMs that insist on skinning Ice Cream Sandwich: You must also include the unmodified ICS "Holo" Theme files. Regular users still have to deal with a skinned OS, but developers can opt out of the skinned parts for their app. Observe:

This is what developers currently have to deal with. Apps will look wildly different depending on what skin your phone has. On the left is Motoblur, on the right is stock ICS. It's the same APK, but everything looks different because apps take many parts of their UI from the OS.

Jan

Android: A Look Back To 2011, And A Look Forward To 2012

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Android OS, Editorials, News

Last Updated: January 5th, 2012

Happy New Year! A new year means it's time for the annual Android prediction post. First off though, a trip down memory lane with a look at Aaron's post from last year.

A Look Back To 2011

Way back in January 2011, we were all gobsmacked at the recent announcement of 300,000 Android activations per day. That looks cute now, doesn't it? A year later and it's more than doubled, now we're up to 700,000 per day. That's just incredible. Android could hit a million activations per day by the end of the year.

Last Year's Predictions

Tablets: The New Netbook - Netbooks definitely died.

Dec

[Review] The Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich: The Future Of Android Starts Here

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Features, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Reviews, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: June 16th, 2012

Make no mistake about it - the Galaxy Nexus is the most important phone of 2011. It's the first device from the next generation of Android. It hits every major feature the phones of 2012 will be touting: On-screen buttons, a massive 720p OLED screen, NFC, LTE, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Together these things make this phone unlike any other Android phone. This is what Android's future looks like.

Specifications

CPU: 1.2 GHz, Dual Core TI OMAP 4460
GPU: 384 MHz PowerVR SGX540
RAM: 1 GB
Storage: 32GB (28GB usable, no SD card)
Screen: 4.65" 720p Super AMOLED PenTile
Camera: 5MP rear, 1.3MP front, 1080p Video
Battery: 1,850 mAh
OS: Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich (Stock)
Weight: 135 g (4.8 oz)
Dimensions: 135.5 mm x 67.94 mm x 9.47 mm
Verizon LTE

The Good

Ice Cream Sandwich is a revolution.

Dec

[Initial Impressions] The Galaxy Nexus Is Rocking My World

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Verizon Wireless

Finally. It's real.

After all the rumored release dates, and Verizon's best efforts to sweep this phone under the carpet, the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon is real. It's real and I have one.

I picked it up on launch day at 8am, at a pretty busy Verizon store. I went on a long Ice Cream Sandwich bender, and now I'm here to report my first impressions.

First off, forget all that technical Pentile stuff. I want to hate Pentile, I really do, but the screen is just gorgeous. I'm normally the type to complain about Pentile's checkerboard layout, but the pixels are so tiny I just can't see it.

Dec

[Deal Alert] Get A New HTC Evo View 4G (A 32GB, 7 Inch, Sprint Gingerbread Tablet) for $234.98, No Contract, 1 Day Only!

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Deals, EVO View 4G, News, Sprint

Remember this?

Apparently the demand for a hardware buttoned, Gingerbread packing, 7 inch tablet (with optional pen input!) at full price isn't very high, because the HTC Evo View 4G is hitting the bargain bin yet again.

This time it's over at 1saleaday.com, where you can get an Evo View 4G for $234.98 (after shipping), that's a full $4.97 less than it was 3 days ago (which sold out in minutes), and $165 less than Sprint's theoretical $400 off-contract price.

Their title is wrong. It says dual core, but trust us, unless they have some super secret prototype we've never heard of, the tablet you receive will be strictly mono-core.

Dec

Be Constantly Reminded Of What You Would Rather Be Doing With The Tegra-Exclusive Skyrim Live Wallpaper By Nvidia

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Applications, News

Last Updated: August 23rd, 2012

Hey you! Take a break from dragon slaying for a moment and install this live wallpaper.

Nvidia has created this Skyrim live wallpaper, in case you somehow forget during the day you would rather be at home parked in front of your computer.

This picture isn't entirely accurate, when you get it on a real device, there's snowfall and rolling fog. Other than that, there isn't much to it. The foreground and background are on different layers, so they scroll at different speeds when you switch screens. It's simple, but nice looking, and it doesn't make the phone chug like some other live wallpapers.