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

Apr

[Update: Never Mind!] CyanogenMod Will No Longer Allow Opting Out Of CM Stats – Cyanogen Says To Chill

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News

Update: So, scratch all that. Steve Kondik took to G+ today to say that CM will return the opt-out option and will not require users to share data. Though it's with a heavy heart, it seems. Expressing some exasperation, he had this to say on the matter:

It's incredibly frustrating that a handful of incredibly vocal users are ready to "fork" over the issue. News flash: there are already a hundred forks of CM... In the end though, we should respect everyone's wishes here.

CyanogenMod is one of the most popular Android ROMs as far as anyone can tell. It's actually hard to know for sure.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Get The PowerA Moga Pro For $37.49 (25% Off) And Free Shipping With Coupon Code

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Accessories, Deals, News

The PowerA Moga Pro is a step up from the already adequate Moga controller. A little bit bigger, with a better grip and an included tablet stand make this iteration a worthy successor. Assuming you can make do with the limited selection of supported titles (or don't mind working with some key mappers to make it work yourself), that is.

Now, a Slickdeals user (didn't I tell you?) points out that with coupon code "MOGAzombie" (no quotes), you can get 25% off your order directly from PowerA, which brings the price of the controller down to $37.49.

Apr

Tiny Apps Is A Nifty Mini-Suite Of Floating Apps, Including Calculator, Notes, Recorder, Paint, And Music Player

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

There are few things on Android more useful than good floating apps. Because, honestly, how often have you been looking at something and needed to jot down a quick note but didn't want to leave the foreground app? Or how about those times when a calculator is clutch, but so is seeing the numbers you need to calculate? We've seen various apps that answer these quandaries before, but now there's a place to get a handful of mini-apps all in one place. It's appropriately called Tiny Apps, and consists of some of the most useful tools one could have atop other windows: notes, recorder, paint, music player, and calculator.

Apr

AT&T Clarifies Galaxy S4 Prices: 32GB Version Will Cost $249, 16GB Will Be Available For $199

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Samsung

Just a week ago, AT&T filled us in on its pricing plans for the Galaxy S 4, stating that the 32GB device would retail for $249 with a two year commitment. While that is technically true, what the carrier neglected to mention was that it would also carry a 16GB model for $199, bringing the entry-level price for this phone in line with nearly every other major handset on the market.

That being said, if you're a nut for extra storage and you're debating between this and the HTC One, you'll pay more for the extra geebees with Samsung. HTC's handset will also start at $199, but that's for the 32GB model.

Apr

Slickdeals, One Of Our Favorite Sources For Great Stuff On The Cheap, Gets Its Own Android App

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

We've featured more than a few ways to save money on this site that have been found via Slickdeals. Today it gets even easier to spot those gems with a shiny new Slickdeals app. It includes both the highlights on the front page as well as access to the forums where eagle-eyed shoppers can share their finds.

The app looks nice, with adherence to standard Android UI (for the Holo faithful among you) and even includes a handy side panel navigation area. Optionally, you can get push notifications for major deals if you want to make sure you don't miss a thing, and you can use GPS to find local listings aggregated from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.

Apr

[Rumor] Second Generation Nexus 7 To Come With Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, Could Be Available 'Around July'

Posted by Cody Toombs in ASUS, News, Nexus 7, Rumors

It seems that no company can keep a secret for very long. With I/O fast approaching, Google and ASUS are in the spotlight again as details creep out about a pending refresh to the Nexus 7. According to Reuters, two undisclosed sources have leaked plans for a likely release date around July with pricing as low as $149. The tipsters also let slip that the revised tablet will be packing an unspecified Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and that Google hopes to ship 6-8 million units before the start of 2014.

A shipping window of "around July" is pretty vague, but that might have something to do with the lessons learned during the Nexus 4 launch.

Apr

[New Game] Revive Your Latent Snake Obsession With Nimble Quest

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

Not that many years ago, cell phones didn't have fancy color touchscreens, fast processors, or ample storage. In those days, we were thankful we had Snake to pass the time (snow, barefoot, uphill both ways, etc.). While the technology has improved, there is still something alluring about that classic game, and Nimble Quest looks to capitalize on it. In this game, you lead a column of heroes against endless swarms of enemies. The more battles you win, the longer the chain of heroes becomes. Sound familiar?

The heroes come in all sorts – there are ranged units like wizards and archers, as well as the melee swordsmen and samurai.

Apr

[New App] Autodesk Introduces SketchBook Ink For Tablets, A Well-Built Line Drawing Tool With Huge Exports For $4.99

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Autodesk has a fantastic record of powerful, well-built apps. Continuing the pattern, the Pixlr Express makers today released SketchBook Ink, a (you guessed it) sketching and line work app specifically built for tablets 7" and above.

While SketchBook Ink is perhaps not up to handling a professional illustrator's full time workflow, it's a versatile tool with functionality that's suprisingly sophisticated for a mobile app. Ink's got a full screen workspace built on a "new resolution independent engine," with seven preset ink styles, a wonderful color picker (with RGB sliders, a color wheel, and a block for shade selection), layering options, and plenty of options to explore.

Apr

Google Releases Android Platform Distribution Numbers For March With New Collection Method – Gingerbread Down To 39.8%, Jelly Bean Hits 25%

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Well, it's that time again – time for the monthly update to Android's Platform Distribution Numbers. Each month, Google publishes the latest figures, letting developers know what versions of Android are currently dominating active devices.

This month, we're seeing a familiar pattern – Gingerbread is continuing its slow descent, hitting 39.8%, down from 44.2% this time last month. Meanwhile the latest and greatest – Jelly Bean – accounts for exactly 25% of the overall distribution, meaning it's finally hit one quarter of all tallied devices. That, for those interested, marks a nearly 9% jump from last month's 16.5% figure.

Ice Cream Sandwich is still strangely climbing, hitting 29.3% up from 28.6% in February.

Apr

[Update: Winners!] Giveaway: Tons Of NFC Tags From AndyTags And Android Police

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: April 11th, 2013

It's no secret that we're big fans of automation – and thus, NFC tags – around these parts. Tapping your device on a small tag to automatically adjust settings to accommodate any given situation is not only convenient, but honestly, it's downright awesome.

We've shared this love by giving away some tags in the past, and now we've teamed up with a [somewhat] newcomer to the scene to do it again: AndyTags.

Don't let the fact that AndyTags hasn't been around all that long fool you, though – it's offering up some nice-looking, customized tags in both MiFare and NTAG203 variants, along with keychains and unique Anti-Metal tags that have a special backing, allowing them to work on metal surfaces.