2013 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

Google I/O 2013 From Our Perspective: The Photos, Bacon, And Crazy Bartending Robots

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, Off-Topic

Google I/O, one of the most exciting conferences of the year for us, has come and gone. From sleeping several hours a day to juggling about seventeen things during the live keynote coverage to suddenly finding ourselves within inches of people like Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Lord and Savior Matias Duarte, Hugo Barra, Vic Gundotra, Robert Scoble, Chainfire, Saurik, and other brilliant Googlers, reporters, and developers, the days spent at every I/O are absolutely priceless.

By now, you've already heard, seen, and possibly even played with the new Music, Hangouts, Google+, Maps, Now/Search, Play Games and other awesome Play Services, Play Store, Play Books, Wallet, Jelly Bean Google TV, Nexus-in-spirit Galaxy S4, etc.

May

Roundup: Our Top Eight Picks For Best New Game From April 2013

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Games, Roundups

Of course after our app roundup earlier today, we've got to have a roundup of the very best games from last month. This time we have a few more than usual, bumping the count to eight. While our shortlist isn't so short this time around, all the games discussed are well worth checking out. From racing to hidden object, April 2013 had something for just about every type of gamer.

CSR Racing

First up is CSR Racing. If you sense a lack of super-shiny racing games on Android, CSR Racing by NaturalMotionGames will fill the gap. Check out the promo video, which itself is as fast as the racing.

Apr

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z Up For Pre-Order In The US

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Sony, Xperia Tablet Z

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z, the tablet first announced for Japan about three months ago, and spotted again at MWC, is finally up for pre-order for those customers awaiting the device's US launch.

When we saw the Tablet Z in person at Mobile World Congress, its super thin, super light water/dust-resistant frame impressed. Its 1920x1200 10.1" display, S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and promised Android 4.2 base also sounded good on paper, but we concluded it could still be held back by two things: a 6000mAh battery, and a $500 price point for the 16GB model.

Sony announced the tablet's pre-order availability in a post to its official blog today, adding a new video featuring Dreyfus, Sony's loveable three-legged spokesdog.

Mar

It Has Begun: April Fool's 2013 Roundup From Around The Web [Continuously Updated]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, Off-Topic, Roundups

Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

April Fool's 2013 is here (at least in some time zones), and the Internet has already given birth to a few early pranks. We will spend the next two days second-guessing every piece of written content, getting rickrolled, and generally feeling the way members of bomb squads do on their missions.And we will ~~hate~~ love every minute of it.

So, let's take a look at the best Android, mobile, and Google-related jokes that hit the web this year.

*** This page will be continuously updated ***

Check out April Fool's pranks from 2011 and 2012.

Mar

Facebook Wants To Show Us Their "New Home On Android" On April 4th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News

Facebook is throwing an Android event at its headquarters in Menlo Park in exactly a week - on April 4th at 10am Pacific to be precise. We've just gotten our invite, and from the looks of it, so has the majority of the Android and tech press. Needless to say, Facebook wants as many eyes as possible on whatever it's about to announce, be it a new Facebook-heavy phone, another app, or maybe even a full-fledged Android-based Facebook OS not tied to specific hardware.

Judging by the "Come see our new home on Android" motto, I highly doubt it's going to be a single app or an app update.

Mar

Hands-On With The Galaxy S4 - A Minor Refresh Of The Galaxy S III

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy S4, Samsung

I'm at Radio City Music Hall checking out the Samsung Galaxy S4. Tell me, have you seen the Galaxy S3? Then you've pretty much seen the GS4. There have been a few cosmetic tweaks, and a spec bump, but it's mostly a "Galaxy S 3S."

The screen is probably the biggest upgrade. It's been fitted with a 5-inch, 1080p AMOLED display, and it looks gorgeous. The viewing angles are perfect. As usual with AMOLED, the colors are hyper-saturated, but we're all used to that by now. Sadly this is still Pentile, but the pixels are so tiny I couldn't tell.

Mar

Video: Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan Gives Mouth-Watering Demo Of Google Glass At SXSW, Shows Off Controls, Apps, More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Glass, Google, News, Videos

The hype surrounding the concept of Google's much-talked-about Project Glass may have hit its first peak during last year's Google I/O conference when stuntmen jumped out of a plane wearing the device, but the demonstration left many people wanting an explanation of what else Glass can do besides first-person photo/video recording.

Since then, we've seen a few admittedly awesome videos, including a DVF fashion show through glass, and more recently the brilliantly-executed "How It Feels" which went a bit further toward showing real-world use, but at SXSW today, attendees were given what might be the most informative (and exciting) demo we've seen yet.

Jan

Sundance 2013 App Lands In The Play Store, Guides You Through 'jOBS', 'Google And The World Brain' And Much More

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

On this site, you'll read a lot of Android news (which is why we put it in our name). You will also hear a lot of tech news. You will maybe hear a tiny bit of movie news. Today, though, you're getting a triple-whammy of all three. The Sundance Film Festival, which actually began yesterday, has released the 2013 version of its mobile app to help you keep track of everything going on at the event.

The app contains full schedules of everything playing and where, film synopses with trailers, and even social network integration so you can easily share what you're watching.

Jan

[CES 2013] Hands-On With Polaroid's Android Camera With Swappable Lenses - The iM1836 (Video)

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, News, Videos

So, the idea of an Android-powered camera with a swappable lens intrigues you, yes? Well, last night we got a chance to play with such a device, the Polaroid iM1836... and moral of the story: execution, execution, execution. Polaroid, we think, got it wrong. While we were playing with a pre-production model, I can't help but feel Polaroid took a half-decent idea and managed to totally flub it. First, the video.

Even after a few short minutes with the iM1836, we were able to assemble a formidable list of problems with the device. First, the actual image sensor for the camera is located inside the lens.

Jan

[CES 2013] Bring On The Influx Of Android-Powered Photography Machines: Polaroid Announces The iM1836 Mirrorless Camera With Jelly Bean [Updated]

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Polaroid

Last Updated: January 8th, 2013

Not to be outdone by Nikon and Samsung, Polaroid has taken the wraps off of its previously leaked new Android-powered camera, the iM1836. Past its super-clever and easy-to-remember (not really) name, this offering weds an 18.1MP mirrorless body, 3.5" display, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with Android 4.1 for an out-of-the-box hoot of a good time.

While there's no tentative release date for the iM1836 right now, the camera is already tagged with a price of $399, which includes a 10-30mm lens. That's a pretty reasonable price for a mirrorless compact, especially considering its versatility over the competing offerings from Samsung and Nikon.