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

Apr

[New App] Icon Themer Lets You Use Any Icon Pack With Any Launcher On Rooted Devices

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Yesterday we covered an app that lets rooted users tweak certain aspects of the system, so why not one that'll let you tweak it aesthetically, too? Icon Themer, a new app from developer Faruq Rasid (HelixLauncher, QuickDesk), aims to bring any icon pack to any custom launcher. That's a pretty big deal for those who've bought icon packs for specific launchers but have since started using something different, or those who feel tied down to a particular launcher because of a beloved theme that won't work with others.

Icon Themer is fairly straightforward, though it does require Xposed Framework (the app can automatically install this) so the IT module can be activated.

Apr

Dead On Arrival 2 Coming Soon To Android, Private Beta Registration Now Open

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

If you're a fan of the top-down zombie carnage free-for-all that is Dead on Arrival, good news: N3V Games just opened registration for the private beta of the game's sequel – the appropriately named Dead on Arrival 2.

There are a few requisites, of course – namely in device specification. For starters, you must have a device with at least a Tegra 2 (or equivalent), though a Tegra 3 (or equivalent) is recommended. Aside from that, you'll need a minimum of Android 3.0 (though 4.0 is suggested). Past that, the additional recommendations are the best part:

Have a stomach for wave after wave of bloodshed and mayhem!

Apr

Amazon's Tablet-Optimized Mobile App Updated, Now Available In China, Japan, And Canada

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Amazon just threw a bone to its users in China, Japan, and Canada, as it has finally made its tablet-optimized shopping app available to users in all those areas. This brings the total available locations up to nine: Japan, China, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, UK, and the US.

Also as part of the most recent update, Amazon added the ability to subscribe and save subscriptions to the Your Account page, along with fixing some issues with Bluetooth keyboard input on certain tablets.

The app is, of course, a free download – hit the widget below to give it an install.

Apr

[Deal Alert] AT&T's 32GB HTC One $150 ($50 Off) For New Accounts And Upgrades From Amazon Wireless

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Deals, News, One

While HTC's newest flagship may have just hit the streets a few days ago, that hasn't stopped Amazon Wireless from starting to hack away at the price. The company is offering AT&T's 32GB variant of the device for $150, which is $50 off what Big Blue is asking right out of the gate. That price is good for both new contracts and upgrades, so it's a worthy deal for anyone looking to grab what could be HTC's best handset to date.

Processor: 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600
GPU: Adreno 320
Operating system: Android 4.1.2
Display: 4.7" S-LCD3 1920x1080 (469 DPI)
Memory: 2GB RAM, 32GB storage
Cameras: 4MP rear, 2.1MP front
Battery: 2300mAh, non-removable
NFC: Yes
Ports / expandable storage: microUSB / none
Thickness: 9.3mm
Weight: 143g

If, for whatever reason, you're not into buying from Amazon, an equivalent deal is also available at Wal-Mart.

Apr

ASUS Cube Hits Online Availability For $139.99

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ASUS, News, Qube

ASUS' Cube (formerly known as Qube), is now up for sale. Yes, the plucky Google TV-packing square we saw at CES this year can be yours for around $140, unless, that is, you were hoping to buy from Newegg.

According to ASUS, the Cube should be launching with three online retailers: Newegg, Amazon, and Adorama. Happily, Adorama is showing the device as in stock and ready to go. Amazon briefly showed a 2-4 week wait, but now indicates the Cube is in stock with a possible one to two day delay "to process." Newegg meanwhile says the device is launching on April 25th, but gladly offers customers a pre-order.

Apr

Swype Finally Arrives In The Google Play Store For $0.99, Playing Catch-Up In A Race It Invented [Update: Trial Version]

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

Time for a little history lesson. Way back in the summer of 2010, when smartphone screen sizes were still reasonable and people were still complaining about how hard it was to type on them, a little company called Swype Inc. thought it had the problem of touchscreen input licked. Android users went crazy trying to get into the beta for their gesture-based software keyboard, and tech blogs threw around words like "innovation" and "miracle" like rice at a wedding. Then the other shoe dropped: Swype was only interested in selling its slidey wares to hardware manufactures, as a tie-in for brand new phones - they had no intention of selling their nifty keyboard directly to end users.

Apr

Sprint Galaxy SIII Set To Get Update To L710VPBMD4 Starting April 24 With Security Fix, Multi-View, More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Device Updates, Galaxy S III, News, Sprint

Sprint Galaxy SIII owners fire up your "check now" fingers – you'll be getting a software update to version L710VPBMD4 soon, bringing a home screen security fix and a few other changes.

Specifically, the update – slated to start rolling out April 24 – brings Multi-View functionality (by which you can split the screen for multi-tasking purposes), enhancements to the camera and gallery apps, the addition of Samsung's Paper Artist photo editing app, and unspecified bulk SMS enhancements.

If you're the owner of a Sprint-bound Galaxy SIII and don't know the drill already, head over to Sprint's site for instructions on manually checking for your update, or simply wait for it to roll in.

Apr

Google Supposedly Snaps Up Aggregator Wavii In $30 Million+ Acquisition

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Google, News, Rumors

Wavii, a service that promises to help you "keep up with everything you care about" has been snapped up by Google, according to Tech Crunch, for a sum totaling over $30 Million.

The deal, which signals an end to an apparent acquisition battle between Google and Apple, likely means that Wavii's language processing prowess will be integrated with Google services from the Knowledge Graph all the way down to (perhaps) Google Now. It also means that Wavii will not be joining forces with Apple's Siri.

For those unfamiliar with Wavii, the service is basically an aggregator of news it thinks is both interesting and relevant to you, the user.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Move Fast: Unlocked Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500 Exynos Version) Is Back On eBay Daily Deals For $740

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Galaxy S4

The last Galaxy S4 eBay Daily Deal we posted was sold out within minutes of posting, so move quick if you're considering an unlocked Galaxy S4 - it's back on eBay Daily Deals for $740, $40 more than previously. This may not sound like a 'deal,' but most sites are still taking pre-orders for this version of the S4, and many are charging $900 or more for the device. This eBay Daily Deal gets your S4 shipped out in the next week.