Found 308 articles
23
Dec
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HTC's released plenty of phones lately,  but Verizon - arguably the biggest Android carrier - hasn't been getting any love since way back with the release of the Droid Incredible. What better way to bring it all back than with an LTE launch phone? Judging from HTC's rather smug (who can blame them?) teaser page, they're set to hit the ground running with a launch of the "Incredible HD" on January 6th. That coincides happily with the start of the Consumer Electronics Show, where Verizon are already expected to be pushing their LTE agenda.

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It may not be the only LTE device readying itself for action with Big Red, but staunch HTC fans have been somewhat starved of choice on the famously reliable CDMA network of late.

22
Dec
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Gameloft, the game publisher with arguably the most advanced Android games, which you, unfortunately, won't find in the Market (I guess they really hate giving Google the 30% fee), announced its latest daily Christmas promotion. On the 22nd day of December, Gameloft is giving away Hero Of Sparta, an RPG with awesome 3D graphics, for absolutely free.

The game's dedicated page lists it at $4.99, but this special url offers the freebie in exchange for your phone number, which Gameloft promises to use exclusively for sending the download link.

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While all countries are supported, not all phone models are. Fortunately, Gameloft provides this list of compatible hardware:

  • HTC Google Nexus One
  • HTC Desire/Bravo
  • HTC Incredible
  • HTC EVO 4G
  • HTC Desire Z
  • HTC desire HD
  • HTC My touch 4G
  • Motorola Droid
  • Motorola Droid X
  • Motorola Droid 2
  • Motorola Milestone
  • Motorola Motoroi
  • Motorola Milestone 2
  • Motorola Jordan
  • Samsung Galaxy S
  • Samsung Vibrant
  • Samsung Epic 4G
  • Samsung Fascinate
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

I found it funny that when I read their blog post an hour ago, the game was rated 6/10, and now, only 15-20 votes or so later, it's rated 9/10.

20
Dec
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The Android dev team has generally been assumed to have a passive stance on rooting and unlocking Android devices. That is, do it if you want - we won't stop you. And there's certainly evidence abound supporting this - Google's Nexus One could be unlocked via a simple ADB (Android Device Bridge) command: fastboot oem unlock. The same is true of the Nexus S.

Of course, it only makes sense - Google doesn't want to put any unnecessary barriers between Android developers and the open source OS, especially on developer phones.

But a new post on the official Android Developers Blog shows that team Android is a little more concerned with how their operating system is being used than some of us may have previously assumed.

16
Dec
snap20101216_091510

Google Maps 5, which we have been anxiously waiting for, mostly due to its 3D capabilities and offline map caching, has arrived! You can download the update in the Market by clicking the following QR code from your mobile phone or scanning it with Barcode Scanner:

QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.maps

Here are the new changes:

  • Explore the map in 3D. Two finger drag down/up to tilt; twist to rotate on supported devices.
  • Use compass mode to rotate the map to where you're facing. Center the map with My Location then tap again.
  • Improved map caching and offline Navigation rerouting if you lose your connection.
15
Dec
thumb_550_Nexus_S_live-wallpaper

The Nexus S isn't exactly a huge upgrade from Google's original Jesus phone (in fact, it could be considered a downgrade in some respects), but it does feature one potential selling point: Gingerbread. That said, there's no reason those of us with non-Nexus S phones should have to wait in order to enjoy the update's new features, as the leaked Gingerbread launcher and 2.3 keyboard have shown us.

thumb_550_Nexus_S_live-wallpaper CAP201012151227

Today, Android Central Forums member Upstreammiami tweaked the Nexus live wallpaper in Éclair and Froyo to make it nearly identical to the default wallpaper on the NS. Obviously, since the phone isn't available yet, Upstreammiami wasn't able to grab the files directly off Samsung and Google's creation; therefore, this isn't a direct port.

14
Dec
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This article was written by a guest poster Byron G and originally posted to his blog. It is reprinted here with Byron's full permission.

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Your Smartphone Is Lying To You (And It’s Not Such A Bad Thing)

Climbing out of bed, about to start your day, you unplug your new smartphone from its wall charger and quickly check your email. You’ve left it plugged in overnight, and the battery gauge shows 100%. After a quick shower, you remember that you forgot to send your client a file last night. You pick up your phone again, but the battery gauge now reads 90%.

05
Dec
CM6

After spending over a month in the release candidate stages, a final (stable) release of Android's most popular ROM has just been pushed out. Cyanogen himself tweeted the news, but also mentioned one small caveat: Samsung devices (read: the Galaxy S line) are left out of the fun, with no ETA. (Update: not available for the HTC Wildfire either.)

cm6.1_1

cm6.1_2

What's new in 6.1, you ask? Oh, just a few things:

6.1.0
  • Common: Update to Android 2.2.1
  • Common: Various bugfixes from AOSP and CodeAurora
  • Common: ADWLauncher 1.3.3 - Ander Webbs
  • Common: Configurable audio focus for music app - Jonas Larsson
  • Common: APN cleanup (fixes many issues with GPS and MMS) - Cyanogen
  • Common: Use ARMv6 optimizations for DS/Hero targets - Ninpo
  • Common: AudioDSP updates - Antti S.

03
Dec
Android-Devices-Nov-2010

Every few months, our pal Daniel Ruby, research director for ad firm Chitika, takes a look at the market capitalization of Android devices. As of early November, the original Motorola Droid still holds an astounding lead in the market with nearly 19%. The HTC EVO 4G checks in to second place with 12%, followed by the Droid X at 10%. The Incredible (7%) and Vibrant (5%) round out the top five.

Top-20-Android-Devices-by-Traffic

It's impressive to see that the Droid still has such a massive hold on the market, especially since it's been discontinued for a few months now. At the same time, that hold has fallen from the pant-crappingly high of 34% we saw back in June.

01
Dec
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As expected, today Verizon Wireless officially unveiled its plans to light up more than 1/3 of America with the next generation 4G LTE network. The switch will be flipped this Sunday, December 5th, but since VZW doesn't have any LTE-enabled mobile phones just yet, the only way to get a taste of the new network will be using one of the two USB modems VZW will be offering: the LG VL600 or the Pantech UML290.

The coverage area is pretty impressive, considering this is the first time LTE will be rolled out in the US - 38 major metropolitan areas and over 60 airports, which is pretty much unchanged from our report in October (see the full list in the PR at the bottom of this post).

24
Nov
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If you thought Amazon's recent deals on all AT&T Android phones and all Verizon Droids were good, just wait 'til you see what they've got in store for the holidays. Amazon Wireless' Black Friday deals are now up, though without a definitive end date - instead, the deals will be available while supplies last. Of course, it goes without saying that Amazon Wireless does not charge tax in most states (except for KY, KS, NY, ND, and WA) and has free shipping, beating out carriers' own retail stores any day.

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Check out the great deals we have on some of our bestselling smartphones from all the major carriers.