15
May
google_play_thumb

Tablet Apps Are Now Highlighted In The Play Store (And So Are Some Non-Tablet Apps)

Posted by in Applications, News
Last Updated: May 17th, 2013

Google made a big deal out of its improvements to the Play Store in the massive keynote that kicked off I/O, and at least some of them are live right now. Probably the most important for tablet owners is the ability to highlight apps specifically designed for tablets, or at least, the ones that have given some thought to layout and interface on larger screens. The updated tablet view is being rolled out right now, and on at least some devices (read:mine) it includes the option to filter out the smartphone chaff from the tablet wheat.

2013-05-15 19.16.24

If you want to see it, make sure your tablet is running the latest build of the Google Play Store (4.1.6 - download it here) and tap the Apps link on the front page.

29
Mar
unnamed

SoundHound Updated With A New Tablet Interface, All Hail Big Screens

Posted by in Applications, Device Updates, News, Tablets

Nothing brings a smile to my face like the words "Tablet Optimized," and thanks to SoundHound, I'll be walking around with a little grin all day long. The music recognition service has updated its Android app to include a fully realized tablet UI and a few other performance enhancements. Here are a few screenshots for comparison (taken on my Nexus 7):

2013-03-29 04.14.372013-03-29 04.15.04
Original

2013-03-29 04.19.132013-03-29 04.18.56
New

The new tablet UI replaces the boring stretched out rows with drag-able lines of large cover art, making much better use of space on the main screen, discovery, and song pages. In landscape mode, history and bookmarks now stack songs into two columns instead of one, but appear otherwise unchanged.

29
Dec
unnamed (1)

Verizon's NFL Mobile App Gets Slightly Less Terrible With Free Tablet Streaming For Verizon FiOS Subscribers

Posted by in Applications, News

We've lamented the various restrictions on NFL Mobile's streaming audio and video before: the fact that it costs extra even for games on public broadcast, the fact that you can't use it with HDMI output, and most of all, the fact that it's only available on Verizon. Today the app gets a little less restrictive, at least assuming that you use Verizon FiOS for your home Internet connection. The latest update indicates that FiOS subscribers will be able to access NFL Mobile live streaming on their tablets for free. I guess they figured that they've got enough of your money.

unnamed (8)

The update text reads as follows: "Now Verizon FiOS customers can enjoy Live video on Android Tablets." We don't have a connection to test, but we suppose that means that WiFi tablets are fair game for streaming, so long as you have a FiOS account.

20
Dec
unnamed

Verizon's NFL Mobile Finally Updated With Tablet Support, Also Adds Postseason Video

Posted by in Applications, News

You can watch live NFL games on any carrier you want, so long as you want to watch it on Verizon. The exclusive deal between the league and Verizon wouldn't be so frustrating if they'd update the app more often, but it looks like they've finally added tablet support for the various XOOM and Galaxy Tab models in their lineup. In case you're wondering, no, this won't work if you tether your tablet to a Verizon smartphone.

unnamed (3)

Other features include an updated streaming schedule for the postseason, the 2013 Pro Bowl, and the Super Bowl. You'll still need an NFL Mobile Premium subscription for live video and other features, and your local games might still be blacked out.

02
Nov
hi-256-0-97fee102832f343b11e913b6ce89744efa917c3b

[New Game Review] Age Of Defenders Easily Overshadows Existing Tower Defense Games With A Polished, Thoughtful, Unique Approach

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games
Last Updated: November 4th, 2011

About a month after CUKETA got us excited about Age of Defenders, their unique new take on tower defense has hit the Android Market. Of course I had to get a copy and check it out for myself. I wasn't disappointed.

At A Glance

First of all, Age of Defenders is gorgeous. The menus, loading screens, and of course the gameplay environments are all extremely polished and look great. Besides its aesthetic appeal, Defenders offers a lot in the way of functionality. What's unique about this game is that it's a hybrid between tower defense and strategy, making you both the defender and attacker at once, while competing against other players online.

11
Jul
compat-toggle

Android 3.2 To Add New 'Zoom' Mode For Viewing Non-Honeycomb Apps

Posted by in Android OS, News

In a world void of many Honeycomb-specific apps, we often turn to small screen variants in order to fulfill our on-the-go needs. While many of the apps designed for phones work and scale appropriately on the large screen, it often to leads to odd placement of objects, tiny buttons to tap, and other inconveniences that end up being less-than-ideal. Fortunately, Google incorporated a solution to this problem in Android 3.2 (Honeycomb): "zoom mode."

compat-toggle

Currently, when you run an app designed for phones on a Honeycomb tablet it stretches everything to fit the screen. With the new "zoom to fill" option, it will instead run the app in MDPI resolution (320*480) and upscale everything - effectively running the app at 200% its original size.