17
Sep
aliyun-os-600x480

Editorial: What Has Alibaba's Aliyun Shown Us About Google's Assertion Of Control Over Android?

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials

In the last week, many tech-savvy westerners have gotten more familiar than they probably would have ever liked to with a Chinese company by the name of Alibaba. Most of those people still probably aren't aware just quite how huge the Hangzhou-based firm is.

Its net worth is somewhere in the neighborhood of $30-$40 billion. It employs over 25,000 people. Its campus is a piece of architecture worth appreciating on its own merits.

Alibaba_group_Headquarters

In short, Alibaba is to China what Amazon (including cloud computing and mobile OS aspirations) and eBay (plus PayPal) are to the United States. Alibaba also controls China Yahoo!, which remains one of the country's most popular web portals.

17
Sep
2012-09-17_11h54_03

Google Acquires Nik Software, Maker Of The Incredible Snapseed Photo Editing App

Posted by in Google, News

It's almost become trite to hear that Google has bought another company that deals in photo editing software. Yet, here we are again. Today, Vic Gundotra announced on Google+ that Nik Software, creators of the impressive Snapseed app that we saw demoed at CES this year, will be joining the Mountain View team.

While there's no indication yet just which Google product will see the benefit of this new talent, it can only mean good news. When Google purchased web-based editor Picnik, for example, the app ended up being built right into Google+. Even if it remains fairly well hidden.

16
Sep
wm_IMG_3088

[Weekend Poll] Will You Be Buying A New Kindle?

Posted by in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Stream Your Music Library On Android, Or Store It Locally?

On September 6, Amazon announced three new Kindles: a 6" non-Android model called the Paperwhite (with or without 3G), the 7" Kindle Fire HD (16 and 32GB), and an 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (16 or 32GB), while updating the hardware and dropping the price of the original Fire to $160. Pre-orders for the new versions went live the same day, and release dates vary anywhere from September 14 to November 20.  The specs show Amazon's commitment to the ecosystem - and to not be undersold by Google:

As David found out, they certainly offer a compelling package at a very accessible price, especially thanks to the ecosystem Amazon has built up around the devices.

15
Sep
image

Aliyun App Store Confirmed To Be Distributing Pirated Android Apps, Many From Another Pirate Site

Posted by in Android OS, Exclusives, News

A couple of days ago, we ran a story about a circulating rumor that Google had expressed strong concerns with the launch of an Acer phone powered by Chinese Internet firm Alibaba's Aliyun OS. As the post explained, Alibaba claimed that Google had warned Acer that releasing the CloudMobile A800 could result in the search giant "terminating its Android-related cooperation and other technology licensing with [Acer]." These rather strong words led to speculation over just what the issue could be with Aliyun, and whether Google had issued the warning at all. Google quickly confirmed its stance, indicating that Aliyun was an incompatible version of Android, and one that could "weaken the ecosystem."

Aliyun OS, for those wondering, is a Linux-based operating system built by Alibaba Group, China's largest Internet firm by transactions.

14
Sep
gameroundup_icon_large

30 Best New Android Games From Last Week (9/5/12 - 9/14/12)

Posted by in Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News
Last Updated: September 18th, 2012

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 week or so.

This edition focuses only on new games.

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

The Tiny Bang Story

Android Police coverage: HeroCraft's 'The Tiny Bang Story' Sheds Xperia Exclusivity, Now Available For Other Devices

The adventure game is a lost art form that is thankfully getting a long-awaited revival on mobile.

13
Sep
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Acer Reportedly Cancels Announcement Of Aliyun-Powered Smartphone Following Google Warning, Says Alibaba

Posted by in Acer, Android OS, Google, News, Rumors

Earlier this evening, Nasdaq reported that Taiwanese manufacturer Acer decided to cancel a press conference scheduled for Thursday, which would have seen the announcement of Acer's CloudMobile A800.

The smartphone, which would have been unveiled in Shanghai, was set to run on Aliyun, a mobile OS developed by a Chinese Internet firm called Alibaba Group, the largest internet firm in China by transactions. Acer indicated that the press conference was canceled after Google, according to Nasdaq, "expressed concerns about the smartphone."

An anonymous official at Acer commented that "Acer will continue to communicate with Google and the company still wants to launch the new smartphone based on Alibaba software."

12
Sep
2012-09-12_19h43_45

Where Do They Get Those Wonderful Toys? Comparing The Newest iPhone To Android

Posted by in Editorials

Yes, we're an Android site. Yes, there was an Apple event today. We're gonna talk about it. As the newly-recast Rhodey said in Iron Man 2, "It's me. I'm here. Get used to it." Because the new iPhone raises a lot of questions: Didn't I see an Android phone with [some feature] before? Is the new iPhone really the thinnest smartphone around? Why in the world would apps need to be letterboxed? The answer to these questions and more lie within. What doesn't lie within is fanboy bickering. Let's keep it civil everyone.

It's The Size, Stupid

2012-09-12_19h09_16 2012-09-12_19h10_15

Easily, the biggest new feature for the iPhone 5 is the display size.

11
Sep
roundup_icon_large

45 Best (And 3 WTF) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (8/23/12 - 9/11/12)

Posted by in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, News
Last Updated: September 13th, 2012

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 is the app roundup. The game roundup from this week can be found here.

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

Video Locker Pro

Today's roundup is sponsored by Handy Apps' newest addition to its privacy and security stable, Video Locker and Video Locker Pro.

08
Sep
Google_Music

[Weekend Poll] Do You Stream Your Music Library On Android, Or Store It Locally?

Posted by in Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Polls series. For last week's, see Would You Give Up A Front-Facing Camera To Have A Bezel-Less Phone?

If you want to listen to your own music on your Android device, there are two ways to do it: first, store it locally, or second, stream it from a cloud-based service like Google Music or Amazon MP3. Obviously playing back locally would be faster (no buffering), reliable (you don't have to worry about reception), not use up valuable bandwidth, and allow you to use whatever music player you want. But if you choose to stream from the cloud, you're not limited by your phone's storage, so you probably have access to your entire library - not to mention you don't have to bother with syncing your music.

07
Sep
tinynom

[Update: Winners] Giveaway: 'Nom' Shirt Comes Back For Seconds - Score One Of Five Free, Or Buy One For $5.55 (Plus Shipping)

Posted by in Android OS, Contests / Giveaways
Last Updated: November 15th, 2012

Back in April, we gave away ten of the crowd favorite "Nom" t-shirt. Now, it's back for another round! We're giving away five more of these, courtesy of Tanga. If you're impatient, or want to guarantee you'll get one, you can purchase it for $5.55 (plus $1.99 shipping) directly from Tanga right now. Otherwise, time to enter for your chance to win!

The contest is now over. Here are the winners, chosen at random:
  • fixxmyhead
  • Zach B
  • Dustin Schneider
  • Marc Zdon
  • Daforce

Congratulations - you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Everyone else - keep participating and stay tuned to Android Police so that you don't miss our upcoming giveaway announcements.

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