planetandroid - 12/17 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Nov

MoDaCo's Paul O'Brien Releases Patch For Galaxy Nexus Softkeys With Menu And/Or Search Key Reinstatement

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Development, Galaxy Nexus, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

One of the most prominent new features on the Galaxy Nexus, and Ice Cream Sandwich, is that the soft-keys are displayed right on the screen. While the notion is a sound one, there will always be those who miss some of the legacy features left behind. In this case, those would be the Menu and Search keys, stalwarts of Android's interface paradigm since its release with the G1. What was once four buttons - Home, Menu, Back, Search* - has been whittled down to just Home and Back, along with the introduction of the new multitasking-purposed App Switcher button. This combination was seen previously in Android 3.0 Honeycomb, but is about to encounter widespread use on upcoming phones**.

Nov

[Updated] Galaxy Nexus Owners Experiencing Strange Volume/Muting Bug

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Galaxy Nexus, News

Update: Things have gone from "Looks like a weird software bug" to "Damn, this could well be a serious hardware issue". As some users had been suggesting, the problem does indeed link to use of 2G. However, it turns out that the issue can be replicated by the use of 2G even on another, proximate phone. As you can see in the video demonstration by kongzs7 below, the volume rocker keys' sensors are set off even when the phone is only at the bootloader.

This absolves Android 4.0 from blame, and suggests either an issue with the internal hardware, or possibly the firmware of the device, both significantly more problematic to sort out.

Nov

Nook Tablet Rooted, Looks To Continue Where Its Predecessor Left Off

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Barnes & Noble, News, Nook Tablet

A new device being rooted may raise few eyebrows nowadays, but for those of you looking for a nice cheap little tablet, the Nook Tablet has taken the first step to becoming yet another hobbyist's favorite. Given the enormous popularity of the Nook Color before it, this bodes well for the future of the Nook Tablet. However, with the release of the $200 Amazon Kindle Fire, no longer is the $250 Nook Tablet alone in American cheap-tablet market, so this development may well help to convince would-be buyers. Over at XDA-Developers, poster Indirect has tested the proven zergRush method on their own Nook Tablet, as well as created a batch file for Windows users to help automate the process.

Nov

Amazon Kindle Fire Review Roundup: For $199, It's A Great Tablet, With Only The Odd Bug And Bad Review To Throw It Off

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Amazon, Kindle Fire, Reviews

The Kindle Fire is just about ready to launch, and not since the launch of the Motorola XOOM has an Android tablet been so hotly anticipated. With a little help from the mainstream media, consequent consumer excitement, and - last but certainly not least - Amazon's front page (all things manufacturers like ASUS could only dream of), it has skyrocketed to the top of many tech enthusiasts' holiday shopping lists. And at $199, it won't break the bank, either; the only thing that could possibly hold it back now would be, well, an underwhelming user experience. So has Amazon ironed out the kinks?

Nov

14 Best (And 1 WTF) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From Last Week (11/6/11 - 11/13/11)

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

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.

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

This roundup is sponsored by SeekDroid. SeekDroid is one of those security apps that are both simple and functional, and it's long been one of my favorites.

Nov

17 Best New Android Games From Last Week (11/6/11 - 11/13/11)

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

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.

This edition focuses only on new games. The app roundup is coming up soon, and you can find the tablet app roundup 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.

Games

Space Conquest

Wow... this game is an absolute mind#$%@ (watch the video).

Nov

3 Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Tablets From Last Week (11/6/11 - 11/13/11) - The Mind-Blowing/Gorgeous Edition

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

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.

This edition focuses only on new tablet apps or ones that added tablet support. Regular apps and games are coming soon.

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.

For Tablets

ZeroPC Cloud Navigator HD

Wow. I had no idea what ZeroPC was until I found this tablet app, and boy - it's like discovering a whole new OS that not only lives in the cloud but talks to, searches, and integrates with other cloud services - Dropbox, Google Docs, Evernote, Sugarsync, Instagram, etc.

Nov

Google: Software Update Coming To Logitech Revue In The "Next Few Weeks"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Google TV, Logitech, News, Revue

Logitech may have said that launching the Revue was "a mistake of implementation of gigantic nature" and that it has chosen to ditch Google TV entirely, but it has, thankfully, decided against reneging on its promise of one more software update. And, yes, said software update is exactly the one that was shown to us back at the end of October: the one that brings an updated, usable interface and - drumroll please - Android Market integration.

Indeed, as indicated in the above tweet from the official @GoogleTV Twitter account, the update will be rolling out in the next few weeks, just as promised.

Nov

[Update: Here Are The Winners!] Five Trident Kraken AMS EVO 3D Cases Are Up For Grabs - Win One For Doing Next To Nothing!

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: November 23rd, 2011

Yesterday I reviewed one of the most full-featured (and full-priced) EVO 3D cases currently available: Trident's Kraken Adaptive Modular System. If you can afford it, it's a great choice, even if it may be a bit on the hefty side (I recommend applying only the middle part of the case, the "Perseus" layer).

For construction workers, hikers, and other outdoorsy types, it's a dream come true. And even if your job doesn't demand the kind of rough-and-tough case that can withstand anything from a roundhouse kick to a good ol' drop on cement, it wouldn't hurt to win a $45 case for free, would it?

Nov

38 Best (And 3 WTF) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (10/22/11 - 11/5/11)

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

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 2 weeks or so.

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

Today's roundup is sponsored by HeroCraft's latest game - Musaic Box. Our own Liam Spradlin reviewed this game a few weeks back and found it to be excellent for both lovers of puzzle/hidden object games and music.