ui - 10/13 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Completely Revamped Speedtest.net 2.0 Android App Now In The Market, Finally Catches Up To Its iOS Counterpart

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

When it comes to testing bandwidth throughput of your Android device, the Speedtest.net app is considered a de facto standard - it's functional, the UI is gorgeous, and there is a good chance they have a server pretty close to your location. I've tried all the speed testing programs in the Market, and always kept coming back to this one. For a long time the app has remained unchanged on the Market, lagging behind its iOS counterpart and its shiny new user interface. Well, no more.

Ookla, the company behind the Speedtest.net app, just dropped version 2.0 into the Market, and I can tell you that their final product is simply gorgeous (especially if you've never seen the iOS version).

Mar

The Super-Thin Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 And 10.1: As Seen From Outside A Glass Box

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Samsung

Yesterday at CTIA, Samsung unveiled its revamped Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the all-new Galaxy Tab 8.9 (check out our live coverage of the event). Unfortunately, that's about all Samsung did with them - neither was ever powered on. Samsung's CTIA exhibit housed the new devices in glass security cases (as you can see below), while early "prototypes" of the 8.9 and 10.1 running Honeycomb with Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 overlay were available for hands-on time, in order to demonstrate some of the software the company plans to include when the devices are released.

Why no demonstrations of the thinner, lighter, sexier Tabs?

Mar

New Honeycomb-Inspired Live Wallpaper Is The Perfect Complement To Clock Widgets, Theme, And Boot Animation

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

If you've been dying to imitate the Honeycomb UI on your device, things have certainly been looking up for you lately. First we saw the digital and analog clock widgets hit, and shortly after, Honeybread was released. Then, just a few days ago, the stunning Honeycomb boot animation dropped. Now, XDA members have come through again with a LWP inspired by the stock Honeycomb wallpaper.

Developers nemuro and Xaffron teamed up to create the LWP, and are offering it for free for the time being. The catch: it's essentially in trial form; some features will only work for a limited time.

Feb

Android Intervention, Part 2 Of 4: Cohesiveness, Uniformity, And The Little Things

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Editorials, News

Last Updated: August 1st, 2012

This is part two in a series of editorials addressing our editors' biggest gripes with Android. Click here for part one, on fragmentation.

Android has advanced by leaps and bounds with the last few revisions. Android 2.2 (Froyo) famously brought massive performance improvements, 2.3 (Gingerbread) brought many subtle (and in sum, quietly substantial) usability and UI improvements, while 3.0 (Honeycomb) is bringing an entirely new UI to the OS.

I have to admit - I laid out this editorial weeks ago, when Gingerbread was still in its infancy and Honeycomb had yet to be officially revealed. Having used Gingerbread-powered CM7 for nearly a week now, I can say that Google is really starting to make progress on my gripes.

Feb

Half-Baked Port Of Cyanogen Mod 7 Hits Galaxy Tab - Why This Is Hurting Android

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Development, Editorials

There's been exciting news floating around the blogosphere today of a "working" beta of CyanogenMod 7 for the Galaxy Tab being released. Just one caveat - it isn't really CyanogenMod 7.

Before I go onward with this rant, I want to make it crystal clear that I have nothing personally against the developer who ported CyanogenMod 7 to the Galaxy Tab, people like him (or her, of course) are part of the reason I love Android. But they're also part of the reason I have become increasingly frustrated with the custom ROM community's professionalism and ethical standards at large. Let me explain.

Feb

Dell Venue On Sale Now For $500 From Dell; Shipping February 18th

Posted by David Ruddock in Dell, News, Thunder

Do you have $500 laying around to spend on a smartphone? Well then, have we got a deal for you - Dell's most attractive piece of Android hardware to date, the Venue (formerly know by its code name "Thunder"), is up for grabs on Dell's website right now. At $500, it's not too exorbitant a price for an unlocked handset, and you get your choice of frequency band versions: AT&T or T-Mobile. You can expect it ship by the 18th of this month.

There will be no contract pricing, at least for the moment. The plus side to that, of course, is that on T-Mobile you can get a reduced pricing plan as a pay-as-you-go customer off contract.

Feb

Yes, Folks, Honeycomb IS A Tablet OS - Though Some Of Its Features May Arrive On Phones "Over Time"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

If, for whatever reason, you didn't believe that Honeycomb is an OS built exclusively for tablets (despite the third slide of Google's official video teaser), here's yet more proof for your doubting mind.

First up, we have a report from PC Magazine, who has been told by a "company spokesman" that Honeycomb will not be available on Android smartphones. However, some of its features will be carried over (PC Mag thinks Movie Studio and browser enhancements are likely candidates) - just as should be expected.

Additionally, Phandroid has a "trusted source" who claims that Google is currently working on Android build GRI17 (that's Gingerbread post-Honeycomb, or Ice Cream Sandwich).

Jan

ADW Launcher EX Update Released - Includes Custom Docks, Bug Fixes

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, News

An update to the popular custom launcher ADW EX was released today, and it adds a feature many ADW users have been clamoring for: custom dock backgrounds. While it may sound trivial, some have used the lack of a custom dock option in ADW to declare Launcher Pro the superior app. ADW EX comes with 8 of its own custom docks, though you can use any image from your gallery as a dock background. The update also includes a few additional customization options (you can find the full changelog here).

To get the custom docks, hit the Menu button while on a homescreen, select More, ADWSettings, UI Settings, Main Dock, Dock Background, Custom.

Jan

Dell Streak 7 Probably Landing On T-Mobile February 2nd

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Streak 7, T-Mobile

Last Updated: August 13th, 2011

While we weren't exactly impressed by the Streak 7 at CES, Dell's upcoming tablet successor to the similarly-named phone may be arriving on T-Mobile rather soon - say, February 2nd. A photo of an internal T-Mobile document (courtesy of TmoNews) taken by the world's worst photographer all but makes official a February 2nd release date for the 4G tablet.

If you'd rather not squint, I'll just quote the text in question:

Mobile Broadband - Dell Streak 7 (NEW) Kiosk ... (NEW for 2/2)

... Mobile Broadband - Dell Streak 7 Counter Sign ... (NEW for 2/2)

While these are just advertising materials, typically something as substantial as a full kiosk requires you have a working demonstration device to go with it, which usually don't show up until the product is actually on sale.

Jan

Google Translate For Android Hits Version 2.0, Receives Conversation Mode, Updated UI

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

As far as Android translation apps go, Google Translate is still among the best available - sure, it isn't perfect, but it's free and for the occasional translation it'll suffice. To celebrate the app's first birthday, Google has updated it to 2.0 and added a new feature called "Conversation Mode."

Image Credit: Engadget

Conversation Mode allows you and your foreign friend to speak in two different languages before having Google Translate display the words you say onscreen in your native languages (as seen in the second screenshot above). For now, it only works with Spanish and English, and it has problems with regional accents, background noise, and rapid speech, but it's a start.