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Nov

[Weekend Poll] Will/Do You Use The Multi-User Support In Android 4.2?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Jelly Bean 4.2, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see HTC And Apple Have Called A Truce - Are The Patent Wars Winding Down?

Android 4.2 is here, and with it comes proper support for multiple users on tablets. According to Cam, it's easy to setup and intuitive to use, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on phones at this point (presumably because of a Nokia patent).

At this point, we do have to address the pink elephant in the room here: it's likely you don't have 4.2 yet. And if the Android Platform Distribution numbers are any indication, most devices probably won't get 4.2 until mid-2014.

Oct

Here Is Another Reason Google Continues To Shun SD Cards - Multiuser Support

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Google, News, Nexus 10, Nexus 4, Nexus 7

The lack of expandable storage in Nexus devices becomes one of the hottest and most controversial topics every time Google does a refresh and we find out that the next generation lacks SD cards entirely yet again. Couple that with the decision to limit onboard storage options to 16GB max, which is the case with the Nexus 4 at the moment and was the case with the Nexus 7 for a while, and you've got a full-blown revolt.

You may have read one explanation of Google's aversion to SD cards, which was brought up by Android engineer Dan Morrill last year: it's confusing to users to have multiple storage points, the insecure "free-for-all" area was not meant for private app data but rather for media, and essentially SD cards are the sources of all evil.

Oct

There Is Hope For AOSP Support Of Sprint's Galaxy Nexus After All As Google Releases "Experimental" Binaries

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Galaxy Nexus, News, Sprint

The Galaxy Nexus variant on Sprint might actually have a chance of being officially supported by Google in AOSP after all, which would be a big step in the right direction for carrier-branded Nexus devices.

If you remember, neither Verizon's nor Sprint's Galaxy Nexus was supported by the Android Open Source Project at launch, with the Verizon's version joining the program over half a year after its release. Even though the Nexus S 4G is fully supported, Sprint's GNex variant remained absent from the Nexus Binaries page and was therefore completely unsupported by the Android team.

When the Android 4.1.2 binaries (i.e.

Oct

Zombies, Run! Update Brings Accelerometer Support, Now You Can Flee For Your Life On A Treadmill In Front Of Strangers

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

How far we've come since the early days of running from zombies! Why, back in my day, if we wanted to be chased by hordes of the undead, we had to actually get out of the house and run around, since GPS was the only supported method for keeping track of our progress. Now, however, the app that's designed to get you working out by forcing you to flee for your life has added accelerometer support, so treadmill runners can get in on the action. Nifty!

In addition to accelerometer mode, there is also a bit of new content.

Sep

Google Wins Multi-User Face Unlock Patent, Further Teases Our Multi-User Dreams

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Google, News

Today it was learned, through a US Patent and Trademark Office filing, that Google has been granted a patent concerning the logging in of multiple users by facial recognition.

Typically, the granting of yet another tech patent wouldn't be extraordinarily interesting news. But given the fact that Google's latest patent relates to multiple user support, and the fact that code meant for multiple user support has been sitting right under our noses in AOSP for some time now, patent number 8,261,090 is definitely worth discussing.

Without quoting the entire 17,000 word filing, patent '090 essentially covers methods that allow a "computing device" to recognize one or more users' identities based on facial recognition, and then give them access to resources specifically assigned to them.

Aug

Skype Updated To Version 2.9.0.315 With Bluetooth Improvements, Bug Fixes

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Skype, providers of one of the most popular IM and video calling clients available, deployed an update for the service's Android app today, bringing it up to version 2.9.0.315 and packing a few minor, yet very much needed fixes and enhancements.

Among the changes in 2.9.0.315 are more reliable connection with Bluetooth headsets, support for a wider range of headsets, and several key bug fixes. Here's the full change log:

What's in this version:

Bluetooth improvements
• More reliable connection with headsets
• More headsets supported
Bug fixes
• No more random signing out
• Fixed green video on HTC devices
• Restored video quality on Nvidia-powered devices

While this is a relatively small update, it brings improvements that should give users a more pleasant experience with the app overall, and will definitely help functionality for those using HTC or NVIDIA-powered devices.

Aug

HBO GO And MAX GO Updated With Jelly Bean Support, MAX GO Still Incompatible With Tablets

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Home Box Office Inc. brought updates to their HBO GO and HBO MAX apps today, adding various bug fixes, performance enhancements, and support for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

For those who aren't familiar, HBO GO (which just got support for tablets running Android 4.0.4 and below last month), provides a mobile streaming service for those with eligible HBO subscriptions through participating television providers. Likewise, MAX GO provides mobile streaming for eligible Cinemax customers.

While it's great to see both of these apps updated to support the latest and greatest iteration of Android, it's odd that HBO's MAX GO app is still incompatible with tablets.

Aug

ASUS Transformer Pad TF300's Full Jelly Bean Firmware (US Version) Now Available For Download

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ASUS, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Transformer Pad 300

Keeping true to its reputation for timely updates, ASUS pushed out an official Jelly Bean OTA update to lucky Transformer Pad TF300 owners in North America last Saturday after a quick tease. Now, under a week later, it looks like ASUS has provided the full firmware for download directly from its support site.

The download, which those who didn't receive the OTA (due to an unlocked bootloader or otherwise) can use to get to ASUS' clean Jelly Bean experience, weighs a hefty 438MB and is meant only for users of the US version of the TF300. It's worth noting that using ASUS' downloadable firmware to upgrade to Jelly Bean will break root and overwrite any custom recovery you may be running.

Aug

Play Store Gift Card Pages Are Now Live, 'On Their Way To Retail Stores Near You'

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

We'd previously heard that Play Store Gift Cards are set to arrive officially on August 26th. While that may be true for stores that are still waiting on their shipments (read: not Target), Google has decided to take the wraps off of the whole thing ahead of time. The elusive URL we've seen floating around for a gift card landing page is now live. As well as that support page we found last night.

The landing page confirms that gift cards are on their way to Radio Shack, Target and Game Stop. No official confirmation of any other retailers, although we've heard that Wal-Mart is also ~~likely~~ definitely on the short list.

Aug

Elusive Google Support Page Confirms Play Store Gift Cards Will Be US-Only At Launch, Reveals Available Denominations

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

It looks like the biggest leak of the Play Store's soon-to-launch gift cards may be coming from Google itself. A support page showed up in search indices (that has now been pulled) which confirms the cards will be US-only at launch and will come in $10, $15, $25, and $50 increments. Through some Google-fu, we've also learned your Google Play balance will have a $2000 limit and cannot be used on subscriptions or devices. So, sorry about your plans to buy a hundred $50 gift cards and then buy 25 Nexus 7s. That's forbidden.