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

Feb

[Poll] HP's New TouchPad Is Hot, But Is It Enough To Lead You Astray?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Editorials, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

HP's recently announced TouchPad is a genuinely exciting device - there's no question about that. In fact, with such features as a dual-core Qualcomm CPU and the fancy new "Tap to Share" technology, it might just be the most serious competition Honeycomb tablets will face in the first half of 2011, aside from a certain Apple product.

But is it enough to cause you, dear Android Police reader, to second-guess the XOOM or G-Slate? I know it isn't enough for me - and here's why.

Just look at the TouchPad - its design makes it clear that what HP has created is essentially the iPad's twin sister.

Feb

Vodafone Makes It Official: Nexus S Launching Worldwide In Black And White

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Google, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Vodafone

Vodafone has officially announced they will be launching a black and white Nexus S on contract in 24 countries worldwide. Vodafone, which was one of Google's first carrier partners for the Nexus One, has listed the device as "coming soon" on their website. This should bump Nexus S sales a bit in the UK as up until now, the Google-branded handset was only available in the UK unlocked.

At this point, we do not have any details on a price or probable launch date, but look for this device soon. For those interested, hit the source link for more details.

Feb

Watch Your Favorite BBC Shows With iPlayer Android App

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Android OS, Applications, News

The majority of TV shows I watch are produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), primarily because the BBC iPlayer web app makes it incredibly easy to watch shows free and on-demand. The icing on the cake is the announcement today that a free iPlayer app will be launching on Android and iOS devices in the UK by the end of the week.

The app will deliver live content to any Android or iOS device, as well as radio broadcasts. Additionally, users will be able to access the BBC's full catalog of "catch-up programs," including seven days' worth of on-demand TV shows and radio broadcasts.

Feb

Android 2.3.3 Update To Gingerbread Brings New NFC Capabilities (Including Writing/Transmitting) And Other Enhancements

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, News

When Gingerbread was launched back in December of last year, we learned that one of its main selling points was Near Field Communication (NFC) support, which allowed for NFC-enabled devices to communicate when placed near each other.

Using your Android phone as a credit card or sharing information by bringing 2 devices close to each other seemed like a dream come true until we found that NFC support in Gingerbread was actually quite limited - writing/transmitting was not possible and only a limited subset of reading APIs was available.

Today, Google announced a new Gingerbread update bearing version number 2.3.3. The update is concentrated mostly around NFC, introducing writing/transmitting APIs and support for a wider range of NFC standards.

Feb

Jet Car Stunts' Luke Ryan Talks Porting, Android Development And Market Troubles, And iOS

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Apps/Games, Games, News

One game I absolutely loved on iOS was Jet Car Stunts. In my eyes, the game was both addicting and a pleasure to look at graphically. It was because of this that I became extremely excited a few months ago when I heard that Jet Car Stunts was going to launch on Android.

Having now played Jet Car Stunts for quite some time, I jumped at the chance to interview True Axis' Luke Ryan, the man who worked on bringing the game to Android. In our time together, I got a chance to ask him about True Axis' plans for Android and how he liked developing for the OS so far.

Feb

Motorola Clarifies Update Situation For CLIQ XT, i1, Flipout, And Charm: There Won't Be One

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in CHARM, CLIQ XT (Zeppelin), Flipout / Twist, i1, Motorola

Well at least you're honest about it, Motorola. The company just updated its Software Upgrades page, and the news isn't good for owners of the CLIQ XT, i1, Flipout, or Charm. We already knew that the first of those four phones will eternally be stuck on Android 1.5, but what may come as a bit of a surprise is that the i1 is now in a similar situation (i.e. forever doomed to Cupcake), while neither the Flipout nor the Charm will ever see an OS version more recent than Eclair.

Of course, that's not to say you can't get Froyo on these phones - in fact, there are already a number of 2.2-based ROMs for the CLIQ XT.

Feb

Screenshots Of Refreshed Version Of NPR For Android Surface, Images Point to Updated UI And New Search Functionality

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Applications, Apps/Games, News

One of the ugliest, but most functional, news apps on the Android Market has to be that of NPR News. While the app does provide a great deal of news and live streaming radio, it's completely hideous. Luckily though, this is all about change. We've landed some screenshots of a new refresh coming to the NPR for Android app. The update, which should be hitting the Android Market by the end of the month, looks to give NPR for Android a more polished look, matching the NPR for iPhone app.

At this point, not much is known about what the app update will bring, but it looks as if it will certainly bring a search functionality and give Android users the ability to view images within news stories.

Feb

26 Best (And 7 WTF) New Android Apps, Games, And Live Wallpapers From Last Week (2/1/11 - 2/8/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Last Updated: September 1st, 2011

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.

After reading your comments from last week, I've raised the standards for apps that make it into the list and split them into 3 sections: Apps, Games, and Live Wallpapers. Remember, I don't make the apps, so if you don't like any of them, don't shoot the messenger (although feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you feel about that).

I've also modified the template to include both AppBrain and official web Market links.

Feb

Verizon Moves Towards Voice-Over-Data With VoLTE

Posted by Josue Alamo in News, Revolution, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Verizon is about to add another card to its deck - at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, the carrier intends to announce VoLTE, which will enable voice calls to be routed over their fancy new LTE network. This opens the door for simultaneous voice and data usage, a feature AT&T customers have been bragging about for ages now. Additional benefits include superior call quality between VoLTE-enabled phones, though legacy 3G users will be left behind with no improved call clarity. Also in tow is video and text over LTE, with Verizon and Skype partnering up to provide conference calling opportunity to users.