Stephen Tenerowicz - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Urbanspoon For Android Gets Yelped Out: UI Update, Nearby Restaurant Search, And Dinner Reservations

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Android OS, Applications, Apps/Games, News

Urbanspoon, the popular restaurant review website, has had its Android app treated to a huge update today. The app - which helps the user find nearby local restaurants using filters such as cost, distance and type of food - can now do much, much more.

The update features a new home screen, and also shows photos and reviews of individual restaurants. In addition to letting users sign up for an Urbanspoon account and write their own reviews, you can now also book reservations (although I could not do this in the area where I live), and connect with Facebook friends.

Feb

Vodafone Makes It Official: Nexus S Launching Worldwide In Black And White

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Vodafone

Vodafone has officially announced they will be launching a black and white Nexus S on contract in 24 countries worldwide. Vodafone, which was one of Google's first carrier partners for the Nexus One, has listed the device as "coming soon" on their website. This should bump Nexus S sales a bit in the UK as up until now, the Google-branded handset was only available in the UK unlocked.

At this point, we do not have any details on a price or probable launch date, but look for this device soon. For those interested, hit the source link for more details.

Feb

Jet Car Stunts' Luke Ryan Talks Porting, Android Development And Market Troubles, And iOS

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Apps/Games, Games, News

One game I absolutely loved on iOS was Jet Car Stunts. In my eyes, the game was both addicting and a pleasure to look at graphically. It was because of this that I became extremely excited a few months ago when I heard that Jet Car Stunts was going to launch on Android.

Having now played Jet Car Stunts for quite some time, I jumped at the chance to interview True Axis' Luke Ryan, the man who worked on bringing the game to Android. In our time together, I got a chance to ask him about True Axis' plans for Android and how he liked developing for the OS so far.

Feb

Screenshots Of Refreshed Version Of NPR For Android Surface, Images Point to Updated UI And New Search Functionality

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Applications, Apps/Games, News

One of the ugliest, but most functional, news apps on the Android Market has to be that of NPR News. While the app does provide a great deal of news and live streaming radio, it's completely hideous. Luckily though, this is all about change. We've landed some screenshots of a new refresh coming to the NPR for Android app. The update, which should be hitting the Android Market by the end of the month, looks to give NPR for Android a more polished look, matching the NPR for iPhone app.

At this point, not much is known about what the app update will bring, but it looks as if it will certainly bring a search functionality and give Android users the ability to view images within news stories.

Jan

Abra-Kadabra! HTC Thunderbolt To Allow For Simultaneous Voice and Data On Verizon 3G!

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

With training for the HTC Thunderbolt starting today, a few Thunderbolt goodies surfaced. According to the leaked screenshot, the HTC Thunderbolt will be able to handle both voice and data simultaneously on Verizon 3G. As many of you probably already know, Verizon's CDMA network was incapable of producing this in the past (voice and data use separate channels on CDMA), but apparently HTC and Big Red have done some magic and figured out a way on this new 4G device.

For those who can’t see the text in the watermark in the image above:

There is functionality in the Thunderbolt that allows simultaneous voice and data while on the VZW 3G network, however, we cannot promise the experience will be one that is consistent with our brand. As a result, do not reference this functionality as a benefit during your conversations with customers.

Jan

Interview with Firefox For Android's Matt Brubeck

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Applications, Interviews, News

Last Updated: April 14th, 2011

Introduction

As a fan of Ubuntu, I really love using Mozilla Firefox. In my opinion, it is the best desktop browser out there (sorry, Chrome). It was because of my love for Firefox that I became elated when I first heard that Mozilla would be developing a browser for the Android platform.

Having followed the development of Firefox for Android from an alpha and now to a beta, I jumped at the chance to interview software engineer Matt Brubeck, one of the lead developers of Firefox for Android. In our time together, I got a chance to ask him about Mozilla's plans for Android, why Firefox for Android seems so slow, and much, much more.

Jan

Jet Car Stunts Lite Lands In Android Market, Includes 8 New Levels Of Goodness

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Apps/Games, News

Having just released the full version of Jet Car Stunts, mobile game development company True Axis also decided to release a demo version of the game, aka Jet Car Stunts Lite (currently live in the Market). Like the full version, the lite version features OpenFeint compatibility and gives users the ability to make huge jumps and fly through the air doing crazy stunts. For those who aren't familiar with the game, it’s a 3D driving sensation where your opponents are not other players, but the tracks. As a fan of the game, I can tell you that it is very addictive and extremely fun.

This version includes:

8 new levels not found in the regular version
Responsive accelerometer controls
Great crashes
36 unique and 'insane' tracks
Multiple play modes
Jet assisted drift landing
Half car and half jet means you'll have in-air controls
Online leader boards and achievements with OpenFeint
Upload replays with your best times

For anyone who wants to try the game before buying it, this is a great opportunity.

Jan

It's A Phone! It's A Laptop?! It's The Motorola Atrix 4G

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, Froyo 2.2, Motorola, News

Last Updated: January 11th, 2011

The Atrix 4G may not be the only dual-core powered Android phone announced this year at CES, but it certainly seems to be the only one that claims to 'redefine the line between a phone and a laptop'. It's able to blur said line by featuring the relatively unique 'Laptop Dock' accessory, which, for all intents and purposes, will convert your Android phone into a netbook running Motorola's 'Webtop' application.

Details on the actual Webtop interface are sparse, but Motorola did spill the beans on the internals powering the Atrix 4G:

Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1 GHz processor
1 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory
HSPA+ 4G compatibility with AT&T
4 inch qHD display
5 MP rear camera with LED flash
VGA front-facing camera
Fingerprint scanning security (located on the back of the device)
Android 2.2 (Froyo) with MotoBlur (which looks to be refined, I might add)
Wi-Fi b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
1930 mAh battery for 9 hours talk time

Note the incredibly beefy battery - 1930 mAh is probably the largest mobile phone battery we've ever heard of.

Jan

Motorola CLIQ 2 Announced for T-Mobile

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in CLIQ 2, Devices By Manufacturer, Motorola, News

What a night! Along with announcing the Motorola Xoom, Motorola's CEO also announced the CLIQ 2 and its crazy honeycomb-patterned sliding keyboard.

The handset will pack a 1GHz processor, 5MP camera, WiFi calling, mobile hotspot capabilities for up to 5 devices, and a 3.7-inch FWVGA (854x480) display. With dual-core phones coming out of the woodwork, it seems that 1GHz CPU's will quickly become the new mid-range favorite, which is pretty incredible considering everyone's favorite 1GHz packing 'Superphone', the Nexus One, was announced just one year ago today.

Still no word on pricing, but you should be able to nab one come January 19th -- as long as you can tolerate that funky keyboard design.

Jan

Photos And Videos Of Rumored LG Optimus Pad Hit Engadget

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in LG, News

Well, well, well, what do we have here? The device Engadget found in LG's CES booth (see the thumbnail above and the video at the source link) could very well be the long-rumored Optimus Pad. The 8.9-inch device, which is said to be powered by a Tegra 2 dual-core processor, is something I have been lusting after for a while now.

While we can't be sure that the device in the thumbnail is the Optimus Pad, it sure looks a lot like the render below. Obviously, at this point, we have no way to confirm the exact specs, so all we can do is speculate - hopefully, LG will clear this up at CES.