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Huawei's not very good at honest advertising. Remember when it photoshopped the bezels out of its P8 and P8max marketing photos? Or when it used a $4,500 DSLR to take P9 "camera samples"? The company has gotten caught in yet another act of deception, this time in an impossibly hilarious manner thanks to a slip-up from an actress involved.
The idea behind MONZO, a sort of simulator for Revell-branded plastic model kits, is actually pretty cool. You "open" a kit, read through a paginated, simplified version of the instructions, then "assemble" digital analogs of the real pieces from the kit. The 3D model of the, uh, model is extremely detailed, and the pan and zoom tools let you examine it minutely. If your phone or tablet has decent 3D capabilities, it's a surprisingly soothing experience.
Autodesk's mobile offerings for Android are almost always impressive or useful, often both. From SketchBook to Pixlr Express, the company has consistently provided Android users with great apps. Today, there's a new entry in Autodesk's catalog that lives up to that reputation - 123D Catch. In a nutshell, the app lets users create 3D models of real objects using just their smartphone camera.
When I was a kid, my dad used to tinker with model cars. As I got a bit older, he started buying them for me, as well; first, the simple snap-together kits, eventually moving up to ones that required glue, and then on to completely blank canvas vehicles that needed paint, glue, and everything in between. Those took some time, but there was a real sense of accomplishment when it was all finished (assuming everything went smoothly). That seems like it was ages ago at this point, and I probably haven't even thought about model cars in close to two decades. I feel old.
It's no secret that I enjoy Autodesk mobile apps. From Pixlr Express to Sketchbook to AutoCAD 360, it's hard to find an instance when the company has produced a sub-par piece of mobile software.
As we get closer and closer to Google I/O, speculation inevitably ramps up about what Mountain View will be unveiling this year to set the Android world on fire. The most likely plans involve boosting Play Store features and availability, given the recent push not only to expand into new countries, but to frame the Nexus line as a great content consumption platform. If Fortune is right, then Google may have a huge axe to swing in that battle with not one, but two different subscription music services coming soon.
Adobe has kind of a scattershot mobile strategy. On the one hand, it released six apps back in 2011 for tablets that ranged from okay to awesome. On the other hand, it killed off five of them last year. The tablet versions cost $10 each. Pricey for an app, but Adobe knows how to bring it's A-game. Today, it's bringing it again with a phone version of Photoshop Touch. A distinct piece of software for $5.
Following yesterday's price drop at GameStop, it looks like the Nexus 7 is slashing prices everywhere. Staples, Sam's Club, Office Depot, Wal-Mart, and a few other places all list the tablet at $199 (or a rough foreign equivalent). What's a little more rare is the 32GB Nexus 7 going up for sale in a few locations, though it's unclear how approved that is. Sam's Club has it up for order here, and PC Advisor is reporting that at least one user was able to buy the slate from PC World by asking for it, though it wasn't on display. Also, NewEgg has what looks like an incomplete listing here.
Autodesk, the company behind AutoCAD and hugely impressive Android apps like Design Review, Buzzsaw, and Sketchbook, brought another awesome app to the table recently with ForceEffect Motion.
Looks like the new Email Developer feature that the web Android Market received on Friday was just the icing on the cake! While it was nice to finally have the ability to contact developers without having to go through the device Market, it was still a pretty minor addition. Don't fret - Google was nowhere near being done - you can now:
Paid app models have always been fascinating to me - I've even had a TODO sitting around in my post ideas list to explore various methods of distributing software without inundating users too much. Pro features, time trials, disabling ads for money, in-app key unlocks, lite versions, paid-only ones without trials - these are all on the list and all have their pluses and minuses.