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Apr

Samsung Begins Dropping Galaxy S4 Kernel Source - GT-I9500 And GT-I9505 (Unlocked), SGH-I337M (Virgin Mobile Canada)

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Galaxy S4, News

Developers, get ready - Samsung has begun unleashing a barrage of Galaxy S4 kernel source on its open source repository, starting with unlocked editions of the phone and a variant bound for Virgin Mobile Canada.

The distinction between the GT-I9500 and the 9505, in case you're not aware, is one of chipset. The 9500 is the Exynos Octa-powered edition of the Galaxy S4, which has not yet had any official release date attached to it. The 9505 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 variant that will be going on sale in many major markets at the end of this month. The SGH-I337M is the Virgin Mobile Canada version.

Apr

Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.0.26

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News

An incremental update to the massively refreshed Google Play Store started rolling out yesterday evening. The new version is 4.0.26 while the previous version from April 9th was 4.0.25.

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.10 With Location Bug Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

As expected, there are no major changes in this release, just minor bug fixes, as confirmed by Ron's quick teardown and comparison.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Woot Has The ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T Tablet For $370 + $5 Shipping

Posted by Cody Toombs in Deals, News, Transformer Pad Infinity

When it comes to using a tablet as a laptop replacement, the first place anybody should look is the ASUS Transformer line. At the top of that hill stands the TF700T, reviewed here. If you happen to be in the market, Woot is offering the Transformer Pad Infinity for just $369.99 + $5 shipping. These are new units, not refurbished.

Specs:

10.1" Super IPS+ Display @ 1920x1200
nVidia Tegra 3
1 GB RAM
32 GB Flash storage
8 MP rear camera, 2 MP front camera
Approx 9.5 hours battery life (25 Wh)
1.3 lbs

I know, you're wondering why a tablet released 9 months ago would still be attractive.

Apr

HTC One With Free Car Dock Now Live At T-Mobile.com - Order Yours For $99.99 + $20/Month Or $579.99 Lump Sum

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, News, One, T-Mobile

The HTC One page just went live at t-mobile.com, so if you've been lusting after what David called the most important phone of 2013 (read his review to understand the reasoning behind such a bold statement), you can finally secure the Glacial Silver version online. It doesn't look like the Stealth Black variant is up yet if you were looking for one of those, but on the upside T-Mobile is throwing in a free car dock with the purchase. Not a bad deal.

With the new Simple Choice plans, the One will run you $99.99 out of pocket with extra $20/month for 24 months or $579.99 outright.

Apr

Google Invites Users To 'Do A Little, Change A Lot' With Charity-Minded One Today App

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Google, News

Google has just launched a new app that brings a charitable side to the Play Store, making it easier than ever to – in Google's words – "do a little. Change a lot."

The basic idea behind the app (which, for now, is limited to the US) is that users can donate $1 at a time to a daily project such as saving cheetahs, bringing clean water to those in need, or providing a roof for school children. That's not all it does, though – users can track their "impact," and almost gamify the process by challenging friends to match contributions or sharing their good deed via social media.

Apr

[Deal Alert] Buy New Trent iCarrier External Battery Pack And Get New Trent iGeek Battery For 99% Off (Save $59.35)

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Deals, News

Riddle me this: what is better than one big honkin' external battery? Yes, two big honkin' external batteries. If you head over to Amazon right now, you can get two New Trent batteries at quite a discount. In this age of non-removable smartphone batteries, how can you lose?

All you have to do is add the New Trent iCarrier and iGeek batteries to your cart. Then use the coupon code J8F6EA63, and you'll get the $59.95 iGeek for (almost) free. The iCarrier sells for $76.95 and has a 12,000mAh capacity. The iGeek is smaller and more portable, but still packs 9,900mAh of juice.

Apr

Facebook Rolling Out Voice Calls On Android To Messenger Users In The US

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Facebook has been on a real push to take over users' phones as of late, with Facebook Home, Chat Heads, and updates to its official and Messenger apps. Today, it goes a step further, offering full, free voice calls to US users. This is the same feature that rolled out to Canadian users late last month.

The service requires Facebook Messenger to be installed (naturally) – to initiate a call, simply head into your contact list, open a message, and hit the "I" in the top-right corner. You should see an option for "Free Call" in the list; if it's white, the users can receive a call.

Apr

MOGA Pro Officially Launches Today, Grab Yours Now For $50

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

When it comes to gaming on Android, there's nothing quite like adding a game controller to give the experience a more classic feel. There are several options floating around out there to make that happen, like Nyko's PlayPad/PlayPad Pro or the MOGA Pocket. If none of those float your boat, however, MOGA's newest controller – the MOGA Pro – just hit virtual shelves today.

Unlike it's highly-portable sibling, the MOGA Pro is more of a "full" game controller, with improved grips, dual shoulder buttons, a standard D-Pad, and raised, clickable joysticks. Also unlike the much smaller Pocket, the Pro features a rechargeable battery, which should save you from having to constantly buy AAA batteries.

Apr

Archos Announces A New Line Of Ultra-Affordable Smartphones, Prices Start At Just $99 (No Contract)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in ARCHOS, News

When it comes to buying a new smartphone, Archos generally isn't the first company that crosses ones mind. The company is looking to change that with a new line of highly affordable "3G+" smartphones, which were just unveiled today. Say hello to the 35 Carbon, 50 Platinum, and 53 Platinum.

This trio keeps the somewhat familiar Archos branding – the number indicates the display size, while the suffix alludes to the "quality" of the product (i.e. Carbon is lower-end, while the Platinum name is reserved for higher-end products).

ARCHOS 35 Carbon

The 35 Carbon is the smallest and packs the least impressive specs of the trio, but for $99 without contract, you shouldn't expect much in the first place.

Apr

51 Best (And 4 WTF) New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (4/2/13 - 4/18/13)

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News, Roundups

Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured App

Ice Rage by Herocraft

Today's roundup is presented by Ice Rage from HeroCraft. Somewhere between air hockey and foosball lies Ice Rage, a hockey-themed casual game with the publisher's typically high production standards.