release - 19/28 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Dropbox Drops New Beta v1.0.9.3 With Lock Code Support, More Languages, Honeycomb Improvements, And Other Fixes

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

If you use Dropbox on your Android device and either like to live on the edge or help the company test out the latest betas, you will want to check out this post on the Dropbox forums, announcing a new public beta v1.0.9.3 with some new translations, Honeycomb improvements, new Lock Code support for the security-conscious, and other fixes. Forum replies also indicated that some sort of a folder opening bug got fixed in the process, though I am not sure what exactly that bug was in the first place.

Check out the changelog, then proceed to the direct download link, and once you've tested everything out, head back to the Dropbox forums to post your feedback:

Release Notes

Internationalization (French, Spanish, German, Japanese)

Lock Code now protects your Dropbox from prying eyes.

Mar

SPB Shell 3D Comes To Android, Your Current Homescreen Cowers In Fear

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

We all love eye candy, but when combined with practical functionality, it truly becomes a thing of beauty. That’s exactly what mobile developers SPB Software have accomplished with their new shell replacement app, SPB Shell 3D.

SPB Shell 3D is a homescreen replacement that brings 3D modeling like we have never seen before. You don’t have to take my word for it, though, just take a look:

Impressive, right? I’m sure that it takes pretty modern hardware to back something that visually appealing, but if you’ve got the power, why not flaunt it?

There are a couple of downsides, however – it’s not available for tablets (yet) and it will set you back $15.

Mar

[Updated] HTC Insists Android Kernel Sources May Be Published "When They Are Ready," Rather Than When Devices Are Released

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Editorials, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Some History

Update: Linux devs are not happy about this.

Update #2: And just like that, only a few hours after this article, HTC released the Thunderbolt kernel source.

If you've been following the "drama" around Android kernel source release timelines and device manufacturers (such as HTC), you should be already aware of 2 forces pushing in opposite directions:

On one side, we have the Android community, which maintains that according to GPLv2, Android kernel sources need to be published together with a given device release. Since Android kernel sources are essential to custom ROM development, it is clearly in the interest of the community to see them released sooner rather than later.

Mar

HTC Flyer Will Come To The US On T-Mobile

Posted by David Ruddock in Flyer, HTC, News, T-Mobile

Pocketnow dropped some images of the HTC Flyer in T-Mobile regalia earlier today, apparently dismissing rumors that the unbranded version of the Flyer would not be headed to American shores. In particular, the image below of a rebranded T-Mobile USA YouTube page would seem to all but confirm that HTC's stylus-sporting tablet will be making a stateside-debut.

HTC's Flyer tablet runs Android 2.3 (with a planned upgrade to Honeycomb), and utilizes a single-core, 1.5GHz processor. The 7" tablet's pricing has to be confirmed, but speculation on a Wi-Fi only version (read: not this T-Mobile edition) hovered around $500-600. This device will then probably be getting contract pricing, but it's anyone's guess as to how much a subsidy T-Mobile is planning.

Mar

HTC DROID Incredible May Be Getting Gingerbread (Android 2.3) In June

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, Incredible

Droid-life just dropped an exciting informational tidbit for Incredible owners to mull over: the device may be getting the Gingerbread bump some at the end of the second quarter. The upgrade to 2.3 will entail all of the optimizations made to the Android OS since Froyo's release almost a year ago, and hopefully will provide Incredible owners with the newest version of HTC's Sense UI.

The tip came via an email from an HTC rep in response to a customer's help ticket:

Dear Thomas,

I will be happy to assist with your software update inquiry. Indeed the Incredible is going to get 2.3 Gingerbread and we expect to be ready to release it with Verizon before the end of the second quarter of this year.

Mar

HTC To Launch Two Bigger, Better Flyer Tablets With Honeycomb This Summer?

Posted by David Ruddock in Flyer, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, HTC, News

There's not a whole lot of specificity that comes with this information, but at the same time it seems pretty likely that HTC isn't putting all of its tablet eggs into the Flyer and EVO View 4G basket. DigiTimes is reporting that HTC is planning to release two Honeycomb tablets bearing the Flyer moniker later this summer, both with larger displays than the incoming Gingerbread version.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as the Galaxy Tab and other small, non-Honeycomb tablets have demonstrated that consumers want a device with a bigger screen and a proper tablet operating system. HTC, it seems, is going to be last of the major manufacturers to enter the Honeycomb tablet foray.

Mar

Still Waiting For Froyo On Samsung Epic 4G And Transform? Circle Monday, March 21st On Your Calendar (EB28, EC05)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Sprint, Transform

According to one of our trusted tippers and backed up by a leak that surfaced earlier today at Android Central, Samsung Epic 4G and Transform owners will be finally getting a taste of Android 2.2 "Froyo" in 4 days - on Monday, March 21st.

It wouldn't be the first time Sprint tried to throw the delicious treat at Epic users - the long-awaited Froyo update began rolling out on February 21st but only lasted 3 days before getting shut down by Sprint due to multiple complications with SD cards and data connectivity. Froyo's most coveted features, such as push notifications, native apps2sd, and Adobe Flash support, plunged into an abyss of unknown depth yet again for those who didn't get a chance to upgrade.

Mar

Best Buy Claims Thunderbolt Will Cost $299.99 Starting March 20 - Something Smells Rotten

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Just when we thought that news about the HTC Thunderbolt was going to die down now that the mystery of its long-anticipated launch has been solved, word comes that Best Buy will only be offering the LTE phone at the $249.99 price until March 20 -after which it will be $299.99. While the phone has generated a lot of buzz, it's hard not to view this price hike as Best Buy shooting themselves in the foot.

In a promo post from their website, Best Buy said "The HTC ThunderBolt 4G [sic], a national retail exclusive for Best Buy, will be offered at a special launch price of $249.99 through Saturday, March 19, including all pre-orders.

Mar

[Poll] Now That The Thunderbolt Is Nearly Here, Will You Be Buying It?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Off-Topic, Polls, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

Now that there is finally a firm release date for the HTC Thunderbolt (Thursday, March 17, in case you have been in a cave), we thought it would be fun to take a little poll to see just how many of you are willing to forgive the frustration you were put through by all of the delays, or if you have already moved on?

Let us know below where you stand on the HTC Thunderbolt. Be sure to check back throughout the day to see the results.

Mar

CyanogenMod 7 RC2 Rolling Out Now, Packing Android 2.3.3, New Features, Bugfixes

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Development, News

Cyanogen has just announced via the CM blog that CyanogenMod 7 Release Candidate 2 is rolling out now for supported devices. The team has managed to work in the changes found in Android 2.3.3, and this is the first RC to pack WiMAX for the EVO (previously it was only found in nightlies). CM7 has been feature-frozen with RC2 as well, meaning the team will focus on fixing bugs from this point on.

CHANGELOG

7.0.0

Common: Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) - Google

Common: Fixes and changes from AOSP master - Various

Common: ClockworkMod Recovery 3.0: Koush, Cyanogen, Zinx

Common: Themes engine - T-Mobile

Common: Performance enhancements for Qualcomm hardware - Code Aurora

Common: New boot animation - 73v1n - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYXiKWwp0DQ

Common: Fix readahead values for NAND/MMC devices

Common: Revamped notification widget - cvpcs

Common: Updated various graphics for GB style - blunden

Common: DSPManager updated for 2.3 - alankila

Common: Restyled music app and forward-port of features - Jason Asher

Common: Rotary answer in Phone app - James Peterson

Common: BT VoiceDialer fixes - Matthew Sparby

Common: Calendar enhancements - James Peterson

Common: Stagefright fixes for 7x30, 8x50, and 7x27 - Zinx, arcee, Cyanogen

Common: Pacman package manager - Kmobs

Common: Workaround for unknown phone number - Jiri Tyr

Common: Trackball answer/hangup - Juan Rodriguez

Common: CMParts reorganization - Robert Burns

Common: Optional screen on/off animations - Diogo Ferreira

Common: New browser incognito mode - optedoblivion

Common: New trackball/trackpad wake - Zinx, Cyanogen

Common: Legacy sensor/GPS support - arcee

Common: Enabled v8 javascript engine on armv6 (msm7227/msm7225) - arcee

Common: Customizable overscroll - arcee

Common: Torch cleanup - defer

Common: 2D compositor backwards compatibility - arcee

Common: OpenGL backwards compatibility - Zinx, Cyanogen, Sileht, ezterry

Common: SMS templates using gestures - Riccardo Ciovati

Common: Phone Goggles - David Bidorff

Common: Option to always show battery percentage on lockscreen - Robert Burns

Common: CPU frequency/scaling control in CMParts - Robert Ramiega

Common: Option to pause/play music with camera button - cvpcs

Common: Allow SIP User-Agent configuration - arcee

Common (non-HTC): Fixed mobile connection suspension - arcee

Common: New music widgets - Jason Asher

Common: Updated FLAC support - cvpcs, Cyanogen, kroot

Common: Updated wallpapers - Fitsnugly, Prash

Common: Customizable search/long-press search - Sven Dawitz

Common: New lockscreen styles - Rotary Revamped (default) and Lense - Sven Dawitz, Stefano Pignataro

Common: Customizable app launcher on rotary lockscreen - Sven Dawitz

Common: Now playing and album art on lockscreen - kmobs

Common: GPS fixes - CodeAurora, arcee

Common: Breakfast/Brunch - arcee

Common: Statusbar battery percentage with mini icon - Sven Dawitz, design by Jazz Kalsi

Common: SMS split for braindead carriers - Mike Wielgosz

Common: CMParts cleanup - Sven Dawitz

Common: Notification profiles - Martin Long

Espresso/Legend: Enabled native WiFi tethering - Cyanogen, OMAPZoom.org

Z71: Enabled MPEG4/AAC video recording - arcee

Z71: Enabled native WiFi tethering - arcee

Passion/Bravo/BravoC/Supersonic/Inc: Kernel 2.6.37 - Google, Cyanogen, defer, Kali-, toastcfh, slayher

Vision/Glacier/Espresso: WiFi calling compatibility and optimization - Zinx

Vision/Glacier/Ace: Unified kernel - HTC, Cyanogen, Zinx, Kali-, defer

Vision/Glacier/Ace: Fix FM radio on 2.3 - Zinx

Vision: Only install WiFi calling on TMUS devices - attn1

Espresso/Legend/Liberty: Unified kernel - HTC, Cyanogen, attn1, jznomoney, Alex Hofbauer

Supersonic: WiMAX support - HTC, Shinzul, toastcfh, shift, #teamwin, Cyanogen

ONE: Enabled native WiFi tethering - arcee