update - 19/129 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Redbox Instant Updated To Support The Nexus 10, Still Won't Work On Rooted Devices

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

We have some good news, and some bad news. First, the good news: Redbox Instant was just updated with support for the Nexus 10! Now you can stream movies to your heart's content on that big, beautiful display. Fantastic.

And the bad news: it still won't work if you're rooted. So, if you were rejoicing that you can finally use it on your N10, you can probably stop now if it's rooted. Sadface.jpg.

OOPS!

Past that, this update "squashes some bugs." So, maybe if your device isn't rooted, it'll suck less now? Can't really say for sure since, you know, I can't actually give it a try.

Jan

Don't Adjust Your Monitors: Google Just Updated The Web Play Store With Its Roboto Font Everywhere

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

If you fired up the web version of the Play Store today and everything felt a little off, don't panic. Google just decided to apply its Roboto font to all text on the site. Stock Android users will already be familiar with the typeface as the default setting for all written words on their Nexus devices. Outside of that family, though, it may be relatively unknown. Which is a shame, because it's beautiful.

^{The new...}

^{...and the old.}

That being said, in times past Roboto has not shown itself to be terribly versatile in scaling down to relatively low-ppi displays such as computer monitors and in this case it seems to work alright for headings, though to my eyes, some of the smaller text gets a little messy.

Jan

Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) Now Rolling Out To The HTC One X On Rogers

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, One XL (Evita), Rogers

Hey Rogers guys – did you think HTC forgot about you? Turns out they didn't, as the Android 4.1 update is making its way to your variant of the One X as I type this. Exciting, no?

The update – which should clock in at around 635MB – brings all sorts of goodies to the flagship device, including Sense 4+, Google Now, Project Butter, and... some more stuff. Unfortunately, there's nary a changelog in sight so we can't tell you exactly what else to expect. In fact, the OTA is so fresh, even Rogers hasn't updated its OS update page just yet.

Jan

Sprint's LG Optimus G Receiving A Small OTA Update To Build LS970ZV9

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Optimus G, Sprint

If you have Sprint's version of the LG Optimus G, you may want to head into Settings > About phone and see if the latest OTA is available on your handset. The update – which bumps the device up to build LS970ZV9 – is just a small one that brings a couple of fairly minor enhancements to the device:

Visual Voicemail update
Battery improvements

This just started rolling out today, so don't stress if it's not yet available to you. Give it a few days – Sprint says that all users should have the update "within 10 days."

[Sprint]

Jan

Swype Beta For Android Updates To v1.4, No Longer Requires Registration, Adds 'Living Language' Crowd-Sourced Dictionary

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

Who knew that keyboards could be so competitive? After SwiftKey released its new Flow feature, and even included the ability to fly through space, Swype had a pressing need to escalate. Well, how's this for handy: now you no longer need to register in order to download the new Swype beta! In times past, Swype's distribution model has been a little cumbersome. Of course, this will only help people who want in on the beta, but it's still a great thing. Speaking of great things, here's a video of anthropomorphized finger ninjas talking about crowd-sourced dictionaries.

Yeah, you read that right.

Jan

Falcon Pro Updated To Version 1.5 With Light Theme, Multi-Window Support For Galaxy Devices, Various Enhancements

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Falcon Pro, the beautiful Twitter client born of Joaquim Verges' Falcon Widget, got an update today, bringing the app to version 1.5. Besides the usual bug fixes, this update brings several big enhancements, not the least of which being a completely new, completely appealing "light theme," which will switch your Twitter experience to a pleasing holo light look.

Jan

ASUS PadFone 2 Updated To Build 10.4.9.6, Full ROM Download Available For WWE And RU Devices

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, PadFone 2

ASUS has just uploaded the full ROM of build 10.4.9.6 for the ~~Turducken~~ PadFone 2, which brings a whole slew of improvements and enhancements to the device:

Jan

Grand Theft Auto III Updated To Version 1.3 With Expanded Compatibility, Improved Xperia Play Controls, And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Games, News

Grand Theft Auto III, the car-stealing, open world game that came to Android in celebration of the series beginning ten long years ago, got a nice update today, bumping it to version 1.3. Besides the usual bug fixes, the GTA update expands the game's compatibility to ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer Prime and the Medion Lifetab, while also adding support for Gamestop's wireless game controller, and enhanced controls for other gamepads and Sony's Xperia Play.

If that's not enough, users can now install the game to an SD card, enable haptic feedback, and adjust video display settings for better performance. Here's a full look at the version 1.3 change log.

Dec

Facedroid Finally Comes To Phones With Update To Version 2.52, Goes On Sale For $0.99

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, News

Facedroid is an app that ambitiously set out to give users a more powerful, functional Facebook experience. Until now, though, it was only available for Android tablets.

In a substantial update to version 2.52 today, that changed – the new update finally brings Facedroid to your phone. The phone interface, as you may expect, looks to bring the same functionality users have come to know and love from the tablet version. That being said, it should be noted that the phone interface is in beta, so users can expect that not everything works perfectly yet. To that end, the developers promise plenty of updates "coming soon" to continue refining Facedroid for the small screen.

Dec

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

Posted by Jeremiah Rice 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.

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.