Ryan Whitwam - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Ryan is a freelance tech 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.

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May

[Deal Alert] Samsung Galaxy S4 i9500 (16GB) On Sale Through eBay Daily Deals For $599.99 While Supplies Last

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Deals, Galaxy S4, News, Samsung

No one wants to drop $700-800 on an unlocked smartphone, but that might be your only option if you want the latest and greatest sans contract. In the case of the new Galaxy S4, eBay has been offering some compelling deals culminating in today's $599.99 offer. It's a heck of a deal!

The i9500 is the unlocked international variant of the 16GB GS4, meaning it will not work on LTE networks. You're limited to HSPA+ 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100. That also means Verizon and Sprint customers are out of luck here. The i9500 runs on the Exynos 5 Octa 5410 ARM chip rather than the Snapdragon 600 found in the US versions.

May

[Hands-On] Initial Impressions Of The Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Sony, Xperia Tablet Z

Sony's first attempt at making Android slates was less than a rousing success. Not one to be discouraged, Sony is back with a new Android-powered tablet called the Xperia Tablet Z. This is the big brother of the Xperia Z flagship smartphone. I've spent a little time with the Tablet Z and I have some thoughts in advance of the full review.

Hardware: Swoon

The device is surprisingly thin and light. Yes, I know what the spec sheet says, but it's different when you get it in your hands. Just knowing that it's 495g and has a 10.1-inch screen doesn't mean much until you pick it up.

May

[New Game] Combo Crew Review: An Old-Fashioned Brawler With New-Fangled Controls

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

The arcade-style brawler has a long and storied history. From the X-Men to Double Dragon, nothing has quite the same feel as a good button-mashing beat-em-up. The main problem with these titles on mobile devices is the lack of buttons to mash. Sure, there on on-screen thumbsticks and attack buttons, but it's just not the same. Combo Crew comes to Android in hopes of getting you (and your friends) hooked on its fluid gesture controls and slick presentation. Let's take a look at this just-released fighter.

Controls

Each stage in Combo Crew takes place in a single room with wave after wave of bad guys dropping in from above.

May

[How-To] Root The Verizon Galaxy S4 With No Device Wipe Necessary

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Galaxy S4, News, Verizon Wireless

Give the community enough time and almost any device can be cracked open, no matter how determined a carrier or OEM is to keep it locked down. The Verizon Galaxy S4 has proven a tough nut to crack, but a new root method is much less convoluted than previous ones. Just flash a kernel, run some tools, flash again, and you're done! Well, it's a little more involved than that, but not much. Here's how you do it.

First up, grab the necessary tools:

Samsung Official USB Drivers - Link
ODIN v3.07 - Link
VRUAMD2 Pre-release Kernel - Link
VRUAMDK Stock Kernel - Link
Motochopper Root Exploit Tool – Link

ODIN is a tool used for flashing firmware and kernels on Samsung devices.

May

[Deal Alert] AT&T's LG Optimus G Pro On Sale At Amazon – $169.99 For New Accounts And Upgrades ($30 Off)

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in AT&T, Carriers, LG, News, Optimus G Pro

If you have a penchant for big phones, but find the Galaxy Note II entirely too pedestrian, the LG Optimus G Pro on AT&T might be just the thing. AT&T is asking $199.99 for this brand new device, but Amazon is already offering a deal (albeit a small one). The Optimus G Pro can currently be snatched online for $169.99 on a 2-year contract.

This new LTE-packing handset has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. Inside is a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, the same super-chip found in the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. Sadly, there are no fun color choices for this device – it's just black.

May

Google's Field Trip App Finally Does Something Useful By Offering Free Admission To 13 Museums Around The US

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Field Trip is a somewhat experimental project out of Google's Niantic Labs, an internal start-up that is also responsible for the game Ingress. Field Trip is a location-aware experience just like Ingress, but its purpose is to alert you to notable stuff in your general vicinity. Showing you mildly interesting landmarks is one thing, but Field Trip can now get you free admission to 13 museums in addition to telling you where they are.

Wander near any of the participating institutions and Field Trip will pop up a card (in the Nearby tab) that contains instructions on how to get your free culture injection.

May

Yahoo Updates Flickr App To v2.0 With Slick New UI And A Ton More Storage

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, Apps/Games, News

It seems like Yahoo is really trying to make waves lately with new-ish CEO Marissa Mayer at the helm. Not a day after announcing its acquisition of Tumblr, the company's other vowel-deficient service is getting a makeover, and that includes a new Android app. Flickr, that photo-sharing site of yesteryear, has been updated in Google Play with a new interface. Don't let the old Google Play screenshots fool you – the app has been totally redesigned to match the new desktop site.

The photostreams are now made up of large tiles set against a dark background. There is a slide-out navigation menu and a new interface for applying filters to pictures.

May

AT&T Says Hangouts Video Calls (And Other Video Chat Apps) Will Work Over Cellular Data By The End Of 2013

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in AT&T, Carriers, News

AT&T has long had a chip on its shoulder when it comes to video chat apps running on its network. It took a few years to enable Apple's solution, but Android users were stymied just last week when the new Hangouts app refused to connect to video calls over AT&T's 3G and 4G. The rationale the carrier is using to justify its decision is incredibly convoluted, to say the least. However, things are going to change in the second half of 2013.

AT&T makes a bizarre distinction between apps that are downloaded, and those that are included on the phone. Hangouts replaces Talk, so even though it's new to Google Play, AT&T considers it a pre-installed app.

May

[Deal Alert] Amazon Offering AT&T HTC One And Sprint Galaxy S4 For $129.99

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Deals, Galaxy S4, HTC, News, One, Samsung

Now that the big spring phone releases are out of the way, you can make an informed decision on any pending purchases. The HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 both have their strong points, and you can get a solid deal on both of them, provided you're flexible on carriers. Amazon has both currently listed for $129.99 with a 2-year contract.

The HTC One in question is the 32GB AT&T variant, and it's usually $199.99 (last on sale for $150). A $70 savings on a fairly new device is great, and it's impressive what HTC has done with its new flagship phone.

May

Fire And Forget Review: Rough Around The Edges, But Not Forgettable

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games

When a stereotypical madman has access to some conveniently forgotten nuclear weapons, the only thing that can stop him is a flying tank. There is probably no other game in which that sentence makes a lick of sense, but it's the basic premise behind Fire and Forget: Final Assault.

This is an arcade-style action game based on the classic franchise. In this title you must blast your way through waves of bad guys in a post-apocalyptic wasteland to reach Captain Nucleo's nuclear-equipped hovercraft. It certainly sounds like it has all the makings of a killer experience, but is it?