up - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Review: Jawbone UP + Android – A Baby Step Toward Truly Powerful Wearable Tech

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Other Reviews

When Jawbone's UP wristband was released in late 2011, I was excited. Then I was disappointed. The motion-tracking band seemed like a perfect step into wearable tech at the time, but its companion app wasn't available for Android. Whether and why Jawbone didn't see fit to invest resources in developing for Android was a mystery, but now – thankfully – it's immaterial. Just over a week ago, Jawbone released an official UP app to the Google Play Store, and I wanted to be first in line to try it out with Jawbone's updated 2012 wristband. Having used the band (which, by the way, is available from Jawbone for around $130) and app for about a week now, I've learned several things that will hopefully help those on the fence in making a decision about the device.

Mar

Jawbone UP App Available For Android - Lets You Track Your Daily Exercise, Sleep Patterns, And Calorie Consumption

Posted by John Thompson in Applications, News

Did you enter 2013 with visions of eating healthily, becoming more active, and staying fit? Not so easy a few months down the line, is it? The good news is that Jawbone may have just provided you with that extra boost that you needed, as the UP app is finally available for Android.

On the surface, the Jawbone UP wristband is comparable to the Nike+ Fuelband, although with the app in tow it allows you to take a more holistic view, tracking your sleep patterns, looking at how you eat every day, and how much exercise you do.

The data regarding your daily exercise and sleep is stored within the wristband and will transfer to the app whenever you sync, but if you want to check your eating habits you'll have to put in a little bit of extra work.

Mar

HTC Extends $100 Trade-Up Program Through April 26th Following Rumored Launch Delays

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, One

Last Updated: March 25th, 2013

Last month, HTC announced a smartphone trade-up program, offering potential customers the chance to trade in their old cell phone for a $100 prepaid VISA card or the value of the phone (whichever is greater) after buying a new HTC One. The decision was a good one, especially for a phone that – while technically great – is badly in need of some effective marketing.

The deal was set to expire March 31st, but HTC has decided to extend the offer all the way up to April 26th. Here's what HTC had to say in our correspondence:

HTC is thrilled with the positive response we have received to our $100 trade-up offer, and as such we are extending the offer for customers who purchase The new HTC One by 4/26 and trade in their old device by 5/31.

Mar

Google To Lay Reader To Rest This Summer As Part Of A 'Second Spring Of Cleaning'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Development, Google, News

"We're living in a new kind of computing environment," says Urs Hölzle, SVP Technical Infrastructure and Google Fellow in a new post to Google's official blog. The search giant has resolved to make a second sweep at spring cleaning that began two years ago. After this round of cleaning is complete, the total number of features and services Google will have closed will number 70.

In the post, Google announces the closure or deprecation of eight features and services, but buried four items deep is the one that will probably affect the most users: Google Reader.

Oct

Polls: Are You Planning On Picking Up A Member Of The New Nexus Family?

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Google, Nexus 10, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Polls

Now that we're acquainted with the new Nexus family, many users are beginning to make plans to pick up one, two, or potentially all the new additions to Google's flagship product line.

There's no doubt that all three devices are tempting – the Nexus 4 packs a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, an 8MP camera capable of creating beautiful "photo spheres," and a 4.7" 1280x768 display.

The new Nexus 10 tablet has a display that might melt your corneas at 2560x1600 (~300dpi), a dual-core A15 processor from Samsung, and 2GB RAM for exceedingly speedy performance.

And of course, the Nexus 7 has also received a refresh with 32GB and 3G-connected variants making their debuts soon.

Jul

[New App] Sudo QuickLaunch Replaces Jelly Bean's Google Search Swipe Gesture With A List Of Your Favorite Apps

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

Sudo Make Me An App has just released Sudo QuickLaunch to the Play Store, an app that handily replaces Google Search's swipe-up gesture in Jelly Bean with a list of your favorite apps.

If you're like me, you hit the search bar in Jelly Bean more often than you swipe up to get to Google Search, so Sudo QuickLaunch is a welcome addition that not only makes that gesture useful, but can keep your home screen clutter-free. Plus, those wanting swipe-up access to Google Search can place the Search app in their QuickLaunch tray.

Besides its functionality, one of the benefits of Sudo's new app is that it is simple – it works exactly how you'd expect, is ad-free, and requires absolutely no special permissions.

Jan

[Poll] Some Users Are Reporting Frequent Lock Ups And Reboots After Ice Cream Sandwich Update For Asus Transformer Prime

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

Yesterday, Nvidia's CEO announced that the Ice Cream Sandwich (that's Android 4.0 for those of you new to the game) update for the quad-core Asus Transformer Prime would begin rolling out immediately. Sure enough, users started receiving the update, and we managed to snag and host the OTA ourselves (as well as help you prevent it from breaking root). For most, the update brought everything you'd expect from the hot new version of Android: even smoother, snappier performance, sleeker transitions, and various other perks. But for some, it appears that the update has seriously screwed up their device.

According to a six-page thread over at XDA, there are a number of users (though likely a very, very small percentage) who are having some pretty serious issues after updating, regardless of whether or not they were rooted beforehand.

Mar

[Bootscreen Animation Roundup, Part 1] 5 Bootscreens That Will Really Turn Your Phone On

Posted by Brad Ganley in Android OS, Bootscreen Animation Series, Development, Other Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Let's face it: It sucks waiting for your phone to turn on. It takes too long, and you're forced to watch what is essentially a commercial for your carrier and hardware manufacturer. Well, no more! Here are five bootscreen animations that will make rebooting your phone a much celebrate event! Have your friends gather round and watch at the spectacle that is your phone powering on! Gasp at the twists and turns of pretty images on your screen before your device has even turned on!

If you have no idea how to modify your bootscreen, check out our bootscreen primer.