About Ryan Whitwam
Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.
Latest Articles
[New Game] Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery Arrives In The Play Store After Debut In Humble Bundle 4
We see a lot of the same tropes repeated over and over in mobile games, but Sword & Sworcery is something fresh and new – at least to Android. After showing up in the Humble Bundle a few weeks back, this innovative title has made it to the Play Store.
The Nexus line is still one of the few places you can find Android 4.2. The software on most Nexuses has zero interference from carriers and OEMs. That's great for Google as it gets to control the entire software experience. The downside is that there is no one else to point the finger at when something goes wrong. And something is pretty hilariously wrong in the startup wizard on the iPhone – I mean, the Nexus.
[New App] Small Call Is A Floating Call Notification That Lets You Pick Up, Hang Up, Or Text Back
The incoming call screen got a big overhaul in Android 4.0 last year, but it's still not perfect. An incoming call pulls you away from what you might be doing with your phone. Writing an email? Not anymore you're not. Reading a webpage? You can reload that after the phone call. Small Call notifies you of incoming calls in an unobtrusive way while still preserving functionality.
We all have that one friend – you know the one. Always running a little late, and everyone has to wait for him or her to show up. Well, now that Twist is on Android, you can find out in real time how much longer you're going to be standing around. It's like putting one of those radio tracker animal collars on your friends.
[New Game] Kairosoft Releases The Pyraplex, Walks Like An Egyptian All The Way To The Bank
There is something undeniably addictive about Kairosoft's games. Whether you're developing video games, slaying monsters, or racing cars, Kairosoft grabs you by the eyeballs and won't let go. This time you're going way back in time to run your own pyramid/bazaar in The Pyraplex. Stop me if this sounds familiar.
Gameloft has carved out a nice little niche for itself by taking popular console games, and tweaking the formula (and title) just enough to get away with it. The Modern Combat series has been presented as the mobile equivalent of Modern Warfare, and it's just reached its 4th incarnation with Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour. Does this formula of console-style play still work on Android?
It can be hard to hear how speedy and wonderful Verizon's 4G LTE is when there isn't a 4G tower within 100 miles of your home. Well, that's about to change for some lucky folks in the western half of the US come December 20. Big Red continues to creep closer to a 100% overlay with its 3G network all the time.
Google Unleashes Massive Wave Of App Updates To Drive, Earth, Shopper, Magazines, Search, And More [Updated]
Google Currents is not the only Android app the company updated today as many first-party apps saw relatively minor updates through the Play Store this afternoon. Basically, the next time you check your app list be prepared to wait on those updates to download.
As if you needed another reason to hate the very concept of Airpush ads in Android apps, there is now a lawsuit alleging that these ads have been used to bilk consumers out of some real cash. The class-action complaint, filed in U.S. District Court of Colorado takes aim at developer GoLive Mobile and the Airpush ad network. If the claims are accurate, there has been some seriously seedy stuff going on.
[New Game] Namco Releases Isaac Newton's Gravity 2 With Even More Physics Fun Than The Original
I'm not usually in favor of leveraging the name of a long-dead and respected scientist to sell an app, but for Namco I can make an exception. Isaac Newton’s Gravity 2 is the newest physics-based puzzle game on Android, and you can try it out for free.
Twenty years ago you had to pump quarters into an arcade machine to enjoy the punishing shooter known as Raiden. The game was so successful that multiple sequels followed. Now you can play four Raiden arcade games on your mobile device for a one-time fee. This is a retro gaming experience that tries to preserve the feel of the original game, and still make it work on a touch screen. So is Raiden still awesome? Let's see.
T-Mobile Removes Nexus 4 From Its Website Entirely [Update: It Returns, And At $199]
Remember earlier today when T-Mobile inexplicably cranked up the price of the LG Nexus 4 from $199 to a whopping $399 on-contract? Well, you don't have to worry about folks being gouged like that anymore. No, T-Mobile didn't realize how boneheaded that price was. It has just removed the Nexus 4 from the website entirely.
[New App] Official Etsy App Arrives On Android To Make Shopping For Artsy Trinkets Even Easier
Are you feeling particularly craft-y today? Then you will be interested to know that everyone's favorite handmade marketplace, Etsy has a new Android app. It's never been easier to browse for reasonably-priced knickknacks on your phone.
If you're old enough to remember a time when arcades blanketed the landscape, you probably also remember Raiden. This top-down scrolling shooter debuted in 1990 and attracted legions of fans. Now more than 20 years after it showed up in an arcade cabinet, you can play Raiden and its three sequels on your Android device courtesy of DotEmu.
Sprint and T-Mobile might have beaten the big boys to the punch, but now it's AT&T's turn to get its Galaxy S III updated to (almost) the latest and greatest version of Android. The 4.1.1 update has started showing up for users of the AT&T Galaxy S III (that's the SGH-i747) in the Samsung Kies update and sync software.
Cablevision Releases Optimum App For Controlling And Streaming TV, But Your Device Probably Isn't Compatible
Cablevision might not cover the largest geographic area, but it's actually the 8th largest cable company by number of subscribers. Those lucky enough to have Cablevision TV piped into their homes have a new app to play with today. The Optimum app lets you stream TV and control your DVR right from the device. Of course, you need a compatible phone and those are apparently hard to come by.
Android 4.2.1 (JOP40D) Rolling Out To Nexus 10, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi, And Nexus 7 Wi-Fi/3G – Manual Update Available [Updated]
If you just can't wait for the 4.2.1 update to arrive on your Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 (Nexus 4 is here), it's your lucky day. The update URL has been uncovered so you can manually update the device right now.
Sailboats do not have a reputation for being particularly exciting, but the new game from Infinite Dreams is looking impressive anyway. In Sailboat Championship, you can run a different kind of race than you're used to. Basically, this title is a little more leisurely than the typical racing game.
There are only so many permutations of the scrolling arcade shooter, but that didn't stop developer CatfishBlues from taking a swing at it with Hyperwave. This is a top-down game that could pass for the spiritual successor to Space Invaders. You have to pilot your lone craft against all the glowing horrors of space to defend humanity. At least that's what the backstory is supposed to be. It's really just an excuse to shoot stuff, but that's okay.
The nation's smallest national carrier has to score points with customers somewhere, and providing free visual voicemail has been one of those places. Some of the big players charge Android users a monthly fee for this feature. Well, T-Mobile has to defray the monstrously large costs of making your voicemail easier to access somehow, right? In the newest version of T-Mobile's official visual voicemail app, it has chosen to include banner ads. The users are not amused.