update - 112/130 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

XOOM Owners Rejoice! Adobe Flash 10.2 Set To Launch In One Week, On March 18

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, News

Last night we told you about the update to the Motorola XOOM that has been rolling out which gives the tablet the promised capability to use Flash. Capability is the key word there, because XOOM owners still won't be able to experience Flash on their tabs until the final piece of the puzzle (Adobe's 10.2 Flash update) arrives. We now know when that will be, as Adobe has announced via their blog that it will be released next Friday, March 18.

As for the rest of us non-XOOM Android users, the update should also deliver some goodies, including enhanced performance for the Atrix 4G and LG Optimus 2X.

Mar

Angry Birds Seasons Updates For St. Patrick's Day, Brings The Drunken Heat To The Pigs

Posted by Brad Ganley in Apps/Games, Games, News

Last Updated: May 4th, 2011

If you haven't checked the Android Market for updates recently, you may not have noticed that Angry Birds Seasons updated to incorporate St. Patrick's Day into its pig-smashing holiday repertoire. Now you'll have something for your non-beer-holding hand to do while you pound those green brews (or green McDonald's milk shakes, for you youngins) during everyone's favorite celebration of superfluous, oddly-colored beer imbibition. They've re-done all the characters and levels in the usual Seasons fashion, and, honestly, this is one of my personal favorites:

You can grab it right now from the Android Market:

Angry Birds Seasons

As a rule, I don't condone drunken bird-throwing but, because it's a holiday, I may just make an exception.

Mar

[Update: Rooted? Roll Back To Stock] First Motorola XOOM OTA Update Will Prepare It For The Upcoming Flash 10.2 Release; Rollout Starts Tonight

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Motorola, News, XOOM

As you may know, one of Motorola XOOM's current biggest drawbacks is the absence of Adobe Flash, necessary to view Flash-powered websites and play Flash games. While this feature is widely advertised, Motorola warned us that the tablet would actually ship without Flash support bundled in, but will be updated to include it in a few weeks.

Well, the "in a few weeks" part is almost here, as @Motorola just tweeted that the XOOM's first over-the-air update is slated to start rolling out tonight to get the device fully ready for Flash 10.2. This doesn't mean the Flash Player application will be rolled out - it will likely just show up in the Market when it's ready instead, but it does mean that your XOOM will be ready to have it installed right away.

Mar

Has Your Android Market Been Automatically Updated To Allow The Featured Area To Scroll Up? [POLL]

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Off-Topic, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

Some of us noticed today that our Android Market received an OTA update to v2.3.4 sometime last night. Before, when on the main page of the Market, the big 'Featured' section at the top would stay put. Now, we scroll down and - poof! - it vanishes (though, only on the main page and not on Apps/Games/etc pages for some reason).

This got us wondering how many of you have found the new Market change in place. We asked around a little and found we weren't the only ones. In fact, some of you had received it a long time ago.

Mar

Support For Dinosaurs: OG Droid Set To Receive Update FRG83G To Fix SMS Bug

Posted by Will Shanklin in Droid (Sholes), News

It appears that a major glitch like the recent SMS bug can help spur on support even for an ancient (in Android years at least) phone. The original Motorola Droid will start receiving an OTA update today, sporting several crucial messaging-related bug fixes. Update FRG83G brings the Droid's Froyo version up to 2.2.2.

Released over 16 months ago, the OG Droid has actually been fairly well-maintained by Moto, launching with Android 2.0 'Eclair,' and now running an updated build of Froyo. In addition to several property space exploits (like rageagainstthecage) that were patched with 2.2.2, the SMS-related changes to this update include:

Sporadic issues with unintended recipient list corrected for text, picture, video and audio multimedia messages
Correct message populates when messaging application is opened and quickly accessed

While this may not be the Gingerbread update some have been hoping for, there is always CM7 for that, right?

Mar

Foursquare 3.0 Update Landing Tonight With An Emphasis On Discovery And Exploration

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Foursquare may be the king of the check-in game (they're boasting over 7 million users and over 500 million check-ins last year), but that won't keep them resting on their laurels. Launching tonight on the Android Market, Foursquare 3.0 will introduce several notable changes that could fundamentally alter how the service is used.

Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley explains that, because of the effort put into scaling the service for such a wide increase in users, they haven't been able to innovate and improve it as much as they hoped. But the update to version 3.0 should change that, by making use of every check-in:

One of the big ideas kicking around foursquare HQ these last few months has been the idea of “every check-in counts.” Regardless of whether you’re checking into the same ol’ coffee shop or some far-away beach, we want every check-in to add value to every foursquare user.

Feb

Official Gingerbread ROM Leaked For European And Asian Samsung Galaxy S i9000 Phones

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Galaxy S, Gingerbread 2.3, News, Samsung

The XDA forums are on fire this afternoon after a user posted a thread linking to a Polish Android forum, claiming to contain a download for an official Gingerbread build for the Samsung Galaxy S i9000. Before you get too excited, let me reiterate: this is not for US devices, and I would not recommend trying it on your Captivate/Vibrant/Fascinate/Epic.

That said, the handy development community will get their paws on this and have a field day, so you may be seeing unofficial Gingerbread ROMs for US phones (aside from CyanogenMod 7) start floating around on XDA in the next week or so.

Feb

Motorola To Offer Webtop Accessories For More Phones, And Gingerbread Updates Are Coming

Posted by David Ruddock in Gingerbread 2.3, Motorola, News

Last Updated: February 4th, 2012

In an investor call today, Motorola's CEO Sanjay Jha revealed two interesting tidbits: first, that the ATRIX 4G's Webtop app and accessory are going to be made available for more Motorola devices in the future, and second, that Gingerbread updates for all of Motorola's high-end Android devices are in the works.

On the former, it may be hard for some to get excited about more Webtop action, as the ATRIX 4G's has been dubbed overpriced and "gimmicky." However, it's important to realize that if Moto plans on continuing to offer Webtop accessories and software, they will also continue improving them. Rather than letting the idea die with the ATRIX 4G, it seems likely that Motorola will work to make Webtop a viable and attractive choice for smartphone users, and that means the technology will have to evolve as time goes on.

Feb

Android 2.2 Is Here For HTC's Aria

Posted by Zak Stinson in Android OS, Aria (Liberty), AT&T, Froyo 2.2, News

Just as promised, AT&T unleashed the Froyo update for the HTC Aria today. They provided a link to HTC's official download site, complete with instructions for applying the update and a warning that application will result in a hard reset of your phone. The mandatory reset does seem like a great idea, as the issues that plagued the Epic Froyo update were reportedly solved via a hard reset.

There hasn't been any word of major issues with the update - in fact, some users are praising it on AT&T's Facebook page, though this may be due to the small number of people who have actually gotten their hands on it.

Feb

HTC Desire HD, Desire Z, Incredible S Set To Join The Gingerbread Club, But...

Posted by David Ruddock in Desire HD (Ace), Desire Z (Vision), EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), G2 (Vision), Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, Incredible S (Vivo), Merge, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

SlashGear has confirmed with HTC today that the Desire HD, Desire Z, and Incredible S (along with the standard Desire) will be receiving the bump to Gingerbread some time in the second quarter of this year. But, there's a potential caveat: US phones might not be included.

It remains unknown if HTC was also referring to carrier-branded versions of the aforementioned devices in its statement, and if it was, if those devices would be receiving updates at the same time as their unlocked, HTC-branded siblings. Phones in this category include the HTC Thunderbolt and Inspire 4G (both based on the Desire HD), as well as T-Mobile's G2, the EVO Shift 4G, and possibly the HTC Merge (all based on the Desire Z).