May

Amazon Coins Virtual Currency Available Now, $5 Credit For Kindle Fire Owners Makes It Slightly Less Awful

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, News

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it was preparing a proprietary virtual currency specifically for its Appstore. Then the incorrigible Eric Ravenscraft spent a few thousand words explaining exactly why Amazon Coins, and any system that substitutes real money for meaningless points, is just a pretense for sucking money out of people's wallets. If you can't wait to pay Amazon's tax on those without common sense, you can now hand over your real dollars for fake ones to spend on apps and in-app purchases.

If you're a United States Amazon customer and you own any model of Kindle Fire, congratulations, you've just been credited with 500 Amazon Coins, or $5 in non-fake money.

Apr

Animoca: Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 Line And The Kindle Fire Family Are Still The Most Popular Android Tablets Worldwide

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Android OS, News, Tablets

A little less than a year ago, we saw a report that showed the Galaxy Tab was the most popular Android tablet, followed closely by the Kindle Fire. A lot has happened since then. The Nexus 7 has rolled out and set the new bar for what a small, cheap Android tablet should be. So, what's changed worldwide? Well, according to Animoca, not much.

According to the firm—which distributes games and entertainment apps—the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is the top Android tablet with 11.8% of its network, followed closely by the 10.1 model of the same line. Following that is the Kindle Fire and the Kindle Fire HD which collectively make up another 12.4% of Animoca's users.

Mar

Amazon Pushes Software Updates For The Kindle Fire (2nd Gen), Kindle Fire HD 7", And Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

Posted by John Thompson in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD

Amazon has been busy working on software updates for its line of Kindle Fire devices, and the latest versions of the software for each device are now available to download.

For each device, the update provides enhancements for viewing textbooks, with the 2nd generation Fire and the Fire HD 7" getting "X-Ray for Textbooks". This feature allows users to access the most important terms and concepts, with glossary definitions and links to relevant pages within books.

The update also provides enhancements for print replica textbooks across each device. Thumbnails of each page are now available at the bottom of the screen, and you can make notes and highlights in your books, as well as jump from one chapter to another.

Mar

AT&T Offering Free Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Sonos Play:3, Or Xbox 360 To Customers Packaging U-Verse Internet With TV Or Voice

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, AT&T, Deals, Kindle Fire, Nexus 7

If you're a new AT&T U-Verse internet customer (or considering becoming one), listen up – the service provider announced yesterday that it is now offering a selection of devices free when new customers package internet service with either U-Verse TV or Voice. Customers can choose between a Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Sonos Play:3 (with WiFi bridge), or an Xbox 360. What's more, customers will get access to AT&T's WiFi network free of charge.

While a free Android tablet (or Play:3 or Xbox 360) may not be your primary reason in signing up for brand new lines of service, those in the market for new internet, TV, or voice service who also happen to want a new gadget (Android-powered or otherwise) may find this deal appealing, and would be well-advised to mention the offer when ordering.

Feb

Yet Another Study Shows The Galaxy Brand Is Becoming Synonymous With Android

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

One of the biggest problems Google faces with Android is avoiding a situation where one manufacturer controls so much of the market that everything else falls by the wayside. As study after study shows, though, this is becoming an increasing risk as Samsung gobbles up more customers. To wit, this survey from Localytics—a company that provides analytics for mobile apps— showed that of the top ten Android devices its customers used, eight were made by Samsung, and seven had the Galaxy brand attached.

The trend is staggering, but not surprising. After all, between Samsung and Apple, the two companies account for somewhere between most and more than all the smartphone profits.

Jan

Android: A Look Back To 2012, And A Look Forward To 2013

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Editorials, News, Rumors

Last Updated: January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year! It's that time again; with the new year comes our new annual prediction post. I tackled this last year, and rather than do a bunch of crazy, pulled-from-thin-air predictions, I ended up with a link-filled research-fest for the year. It worked out pretty well, so that's what's on the docket for today. First though, I'll take a look and see just how many of last year's predictions and rumors came true, and provide some updates for the more important topics.

A Look Back To 2012

What a crazy year. 2012 brought us two versions of Jelly Bean: 4.1 and 4.2. We saw a complete transformation of Google Search with the Knowledge Graph, Google Now, voice output, and Google Goggles integration.

Dec

Amazon Introduces 'Kindle FreeTime Unlimited', Offers Slews Of Restriction-Free Children's Content For A Low Monthly Fee

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, News

It's no secret that Amazon is trying to turn the Kindle Fire/HD into the device that the entire family shares for content consumption, but now they've built a service that makes it even more relevant as such. Dubbed FreeTime Unlimited, the all-you-can-eat plan is serving up hot bowls of children's content, ready to be consumed day or night.

Among the unlimited content, you'll find books, games, educational software, movies, and TV shows - all just for kids. FreeTime Unlimited lets children dig through everything that's available to them, picking and choosing what to do next. The cool thing here, though, is that they've also disabled all in-app payments, ads, and all social media links/references within the FreeTime content - so parents can rest assured that their kiddos are safe inside of the virtualized world.

Nov

Gameloft's Black Friday Sale Offers Several Games For $0.99 Including Spider-Man, Gangstar Rio, And Backstab

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Were you hoping to score some sweet new games this holiday season? Gameloft's got you covered. For its Black Friday sale, the developer will be offering several of its wares for just $0.99. Among the titles in the promotion are The Amazing Spider-Man, Gangstar Rio: City Of Saints, Backstab, and The Adventures Of TinTin.

If you happen to have a Kindle Fire of some kind, you can still get in on the action via the Amazon Appstore with Kindle Tablet editions of Backstab HD, The Amazing Spider-Man, and N.O.V.A. 3. These deals will be going on all weekend, so you've got a bit of time to do your usual shopping first, then grab a few games for any phones/tablets you may be gifting this holiday season.

Nov

Amazon Releases Open Source Files For The 8.9" Kindle Fire HD

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire HD, News

Amazon, "in accordance with certain free and open source software licenses," released today the open source code files for their 8.9" Kindle Fire HD, one of the latest tablets to join their wildly successful e-reader lineup.

The source code release comes about five days before the HD 8.9 was scheduled for official launch (though it actually began shipping today), giving those who want to tinker, develop with, or simply ogle the fresh batch of source a fair lead time.

If you've been waiting to get your hands on the HD 8.9's source code (or even if you haven't), just hit the link below to grab the full download.

Sep

The Kindle Fire HD And Second Gen Kindle Fire Both Have Locked Bootloaders

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, News

So, you were thinking about picking up a Kindle Fire HD, rooting it, and throwing a ROM on it for an impressive $200 tablet? Turns out that idea may not work out as well as we initially thought: both the Kindle Fire HD and the second gen KF have locked bootloaders. Bummer.

This may not mean that custom ROMs are impossible on these devices, only that it's more improbable.

For those who may not know, the bootloader is responsible for checking the firmware's signature before a device boots. In this case, if it doesn't match what Amazon says it should, then it simply won't do anything.