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

Mar

You Voted, We Tallied: Your Top 10 Favorite Android Apps

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Apps/Games, News

In last weekend's (non-)poll, I asked for your three favorite Android apps. You did your part, and nearly 100 people took the opportunity to vote. Now it's my turn, so I've compiled the results and I'll list them below along with details and a brief description of each app.

The Results

1. Launcher Pro (+ Plus) - 20 Votes

Given just how not-so-attractive Android 2.2 and below is, it's not really surprising that a launcher should take the top spot. What is a bit more surprising - at least to me - is that it really dominated ADW (which came in second, below) with more than twice as many votes.

Mar

Vendetta Online Helps To Usher In A New Wave Of Tegra 2 Gaming

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Games, News

If you have a snazzy new Motorola XOOM (or another Tegra 2 powered tablet) and are just itching for some fun apps to show what your baby can do, you just may have a new game to try in Vendetta Online. Vendetta is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which will only run on Tegra-powered tablets 7" or larger.

Just released into the Android Market, Vendetta sports some impressive 3D graphics that will likely remind many players just how far Android gaming has come since the initial wave of casual titles like Doodle Jump and various Bejeweled clones. Spaceships and asteroids zoom by with impressive 3D textures that, not long ago, were only to be seen on consoles and desktops.

Mar

Samsung Announces The 2.8" Galaxy Pro With A Candybar QWERTY Keyboard

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Froyo 2.2, Galaxy Pro, News, Samsung

Today at the SEA Forum in Singapore, Samsung launched the Galaxy Pro Android 2.2 smartphone featuring a QWERTY keyboard.

Shortly thereafter, UK mobile operator Three confirmed in the video below that the device will be carried by their network.

The video also revealed that the phone will have a modest 800 MHz processor, a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 3MP rear camera, and Wi-Fi. The phone will also come with Samsung's proprietary Social Hub software, allowing you to connect to your email, IM, and social networks through one interface. So, if you are like Brendan and always like to be connected, "this is the perfect phone for you".

Mar

[Rumor] EVO 3D, EVO View Tablet, And Nexus S 4G To Be Revealed By Sprint At CTIA?

Posted by Zak Stinson in Flyer, HTC, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Rumors, Samsung, Sprint

Earlier this week, Sprint sent out an invitation to a special release event at the CTIA WIRELESS 2011 conference later this month. After a less than amazing showing at CES, and the "innovative" move they made with the Echo, Sprint is due for a highly anticipated device to come to their users. Thanks to an anonymous tip received by Engadget (though in no way confirmed or proved credible), you may now start anticipating.

Nexus S 4G

Last year, after flirting with the idea of carrying the first "Google phone", Sprint dumped the Nexus One and went with the EVO 4G.

Mar

The Four-Gees Comparison: Which Carrier Should You Be Looking To For Your 4G Android Phone?

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Carriers, Editorials, Off-Topic, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: March 30th, 2011

4G is here - and it seems like all four of America's biggest carriers are more than happy to advertise the fact that they've got it. Sprint was first on the scene - offering their WiMax 4G, and T-Mobile shortly thereafter began its upgrade to HSPA+ technology. Verizon was next, providing mobile broadband LTE via USB dongle for laptops, though its much-awaited debut 4G handset, the Thunderbolt, has yet to hit shelves after numerous delays. Finally, lagging behind in truly characteristic fashion, AT&T has begun to roll out its own HSPA+ network, with plans to offer LTE in the second half of the year.

Mar

[Update: Root No Longer Required] XDA Team Enables Webtop Over HDMI For Everyone With A Rooted Atrix

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Development, News, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: March 13th, 2011

At the leading edge of this new wave of dual-core superphones is the Motorola Atrix. One of the major innovations of this device, besides the next-level processing power and fingerprint scanner, is Webtop - the desktop-style interface available when the Atrix is docked. By plugging into the HD multimedia or laptop dock (sold separately of course), you can interact with the phone on a larger display while using an internet browser, file explorer and Facebook in a pseudo-desktop environment.

While the feature is pretty nifty, the price tag isn't. The cost of the docks may have come down since the release of the Atrix, but $400 for the laptop version is still prohibitively expensive for some.

Mar

[Updated] Google Acknowledges DroidDream: Remotely Wiping Apps, Removing Exploit, Making Changes To Prevent It From Happening Again

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Google continues to be admirably quick to react to DroidDream, the nasty Android Trojan we helped uncover on Tuesday. After removing the offending apps from the Market in just a few minutes of finding out about them, a new post on the Google Mobile Blog reveals that they're now ready to take further steps.

Update: The tool Google is using to bulldoze DroidDream malware off your phone has surfaced in the Android Market: Android Market Security Tool. From the app's description:

"There is no need to download and install this application on your own.

This is an Android Market security update that undoes exploits caused by the malicious applications that were removed from Android Market on 03/01/2011.

Mar

Motorola XOOM + Android 3.0 Review: Sweet As Honey

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

Last Updated: February 8th, 2012

The Motorola XOOM: Ever since it was first teased at D: Dive Into Mobile, the Android community hasn't been able to take its eyes off the tablet's dual-core processor, gorgeous 10.1-inch display, and - last but certainly not least - Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system.

Well now the device has officially gone on sale, and I've been ~~testing~~ falling in love with a review unit for the last few days. Typically, I end up hating devices that I adore at first blush, but the XOOM is an entirely different story - the device is far from perfect (where are the tablet apps?), but I have yet to find anything truly upsetting about it.

Mar

The War Against Infringement On The Android Market Is Heating Up: Fruit Ninja Clones And More

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, Development, Editorials, News

The Android market is filled with apps of questionable legality. But oftentimes, overpriced, branded theme and clock apps like those you'll find here are considered relatively harmless - who's stupid enough to buy them, anyway? Still, apps in this category are in clear violation of registered trademarks - and that doesn't sit well with their holders.

Google even has a page for developers and copyright holders to submit DMCA takedown requests for apps on the Market. Google's form guides you through what information is needed, and how to identify the apps in question - really, it makes the whole process quite simple.

Mar

[Updated] App Preview: Friday Is Your Very Own Personal Assistant

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Update: We have been notified by the developers of this app that the app does not upload any information. The information is kept on the phone and organised by the app. In the future there are plans to implement a feature that would allow the information to be uploaded to a backup server. However, at present, information collected by Friday is not shared with anyone including the developer.

Each day a smartphone user receives information from a variety of different sources, including phone calls, text messages and emails. Keeping track of it all can be a major headache and more often than not we misplace crucial pieces of information because we are unable to recall when we had received them and/or what we were doing at the time.