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

Mar

[App Roundup] Our Five Picks For Best New App From February 2013

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Roundups

Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

The Play Store has been off to a great start in 2013 – January saw the introduction of some brilliant apps like Carbon Backup and Pushbullet, and February followed up with some great entries of its own. From widgets to root apps to content creation tools, February had something for just about everyone. As always, we'll take a quick look at five of the very best apps we saw in the past month.

DashClock Widget

When it came time to decide which apps made the cut for the best of February, DashClock was a no-brainer. The widget, developed by Googler Roman Nurik, is – simply put – awesome.

Mar

[Deal Alert] Factory Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III (i9300) Only $470 With Free Shipping On eBay

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, Galaxy S III, News

The Galaxy S IV is coming. As such, vendors who bought a huge backstock of Galaxy S IIIs need to clear 'em out and make some room. That can only mean one thing: lower prices. Today, you can get a brand-new, factory unlocked Galaxy S III (GT-i9300) for $470. No contracts. No carrier crap. Just a phone that you can activate on any compatible GSM carrier.

If the deal itself wasn't already good enough, you can also choose between all six different colors: Garnet Red, Marble White, Pebble Blue, Sapphire Black, Titanium Gray, and... brown. I'm sure you're all familiar with everything the GSIII has to offer at this point, so there's only one thing left to do: hit the link below to buy yours.

Mar

[The Android Police Podcast] Episode 52: Monkey-Lovin' Snakes On This Monday-to-Friday Plane

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Podcast

Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 52. This marks our one-year anniversary and, to celebrate we had a very special drinking game episode. As such, the show may be a bit more adult than usual, but also tons more fun.

Don't forget - the Android Police Podcast's live broadcast is every Thursday at 5PM PST (www.androidpolice.com/podcast). The very unedited video version of the podcast can be found here - and will likely include various verbal expletives, technical snafus, tangents, and probably a good 5-10 minutes of pre-podcast banter as we prepare. Watch at your own risk!

Mar

[International Giveaway] Win A Sony Xperia Z From Handy Apps And Android Police

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Xperia Z

Last Updated: March 27th, 2013

It's no secret that Handy Apps puts out some useful and, well... handy, apps. Need a way to keep your passwords locked up tight? Look no further than PassWallet. Or maybe a powerful, yet functional to-do list is what you're after – check out Tasks N Todos. Maybe there's some pictures or videos you want to keep away from prying eyes. No worries – Photo Locker or Video Locker should do the trick.

This contest is now over.

The final results are listed below. If you've won, you will be contacted in the near future. Congratulations!

Everyone else - keep participating and stay tuned to Android Police so that you don't miss our upcoming giveaway announcements.

Mar

US Cellular Galaxy S III And Note II Being Updated To Software Build MB1

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, Jelly Bean 4.1, US Cellular

US Cellular's variants of the Galaxy S III and Note II are slated to receive OTA updates to the MB1 build, which includes a bump to Android version 4.1.2 for the GS IIII (the previous Note II update here, previous GS III update here).

The Galaxy S III's release notes indicate only two changes: the aforementioned increase in OS version, and a fix for audio when playing streaming media (this may fix a long-reported issue with Netflix playback on the device).

Galaxy S III

Build JR003L.R530UVXMB1 - Android 4.1.2
Release Notes

Items updated, added, removed from the device:

Android version Jelly Bean upgrade to v4.1.2

Fixed audio issue with streaming media

The changes built into the Note II's update (build R950VXAMB1) are unknown, as it was already running Android 4.1.2.

Mar

[New Game] Pixel Kingdom Emerges From Kickstarter A Refreshingly Simple, Fun, And Lovable Take On Strategy

Posted by David Ruddock in Games, News

Pixel Kingdom was a Kickstarter game project with a rather unambitious goal of $5000 in funding - a goal it met, with $800 to spare. The game was funded on February 11th, and now, a month later, has launched on Android.

Pixel Kingdom is deceptively simple, in the best way. I often lament the state of mobile games, but PK is a refreshing effort at not taking oneself too seriously, and instead just focusing on fun. The game has three control actions you can use while playing (select a unit to spawn, pick a lane to spawn it, and boost your mana regeneration rate), and your little soldiers attack and advance all on their own.

Mar

NASA Releases Augmented Reality App With 3D Models Of Real Spacecraft Like Curiosity

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

NASA is kind of awesome. In case you live under some red rocks, the organization sent this crazy robot to Mars that sends us back high-resolution photos. The future is amazing. Of course, there's nothing the space administration loves more than curiosity (which is why they named the Mars rover after it), and it's aiming to fuel yours with this 3D model explorer.

In a somewhat odd move, instead of simply providing the 3D models themselves, the app requires you to print out some markers. Then, as you've seen in other AR apps, you point your camera at the page and the model appears.

Mar

Squids Wild West Hits The Play Store, Mashes Up Every Game Ever

Posted by Cody Toombs in Apps/Games, Games, News

Imagine combining Angry Birds, Final Fantasy Tactics, SpongeBob SquarePants, westerns, and so much more in a single game. I'm not sure if there is a better way to describe Squids Wild West by The Game Bakers, but it's pretty darn fun.

Squids Wild West picks up where the original SQUIDS left off. The sea is being corrupted by a black ooze that threatens to destroy the lives of our quirky underwater heroes. They must fend off infected crustaceans while searching for a way to stop the dark slime from consuming them all.

The game is loaded with colorful, western-inspired characters with a style that blends Angry Birds with SpongeBob SquarePants.

Mar

AT&T: 'We Unlock Our Customers' Devices', Claims New Ban Will Not Negatively Affect Any Of Its Customers

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Legal, News

Most of the time, major corporations like to cushion their words so that, in the event of a PR disaster, it's easier to walk back its statements. Today, an AT&T exec in charge of public policy decided to throw that caution to the wind and announce in no uncertain terms 'the Librarian’s ruling will not negatively impact any of AT&T’s customers.' Well. That sure is blunt.

We're not apt to take any AT&T rep at their word, and there are certainly some things to raise eyebrows over. For starters, at one point in the post, the author says the following:

As we make clear on our website, if we have the unlock code or can reasonably get it from the manufacturer, AT&T currently will unlock a device for any customer whose account has been active for at least sixty days; whose account is in good standing and has no unpaid balance; and who has fulfilled his or her service agreement commitment.

Mar

FOX NOW Updated, Brings Streaming TV To Verizon Fios And Mediacom Customers, More Coming Soon

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

I don't know about you, but it's my dream that one day I can completely ditch my cable company for an a la carte solution where I only get the channels I actually want. I feel like we're edging that way at a snail's pace, even though most streaming channels still require cable service before they'll offer up shows on mobile.

The latest to join this trend is FOX, with its FOX NOW app. The name may actually sound familiar, as it actually hit the Play Store a few weeks ago. At the time, however, it only offered a second-screen experience and the like.