update - 51/129 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Facebook Updated To v1.9.7, Brings Bug Fixes But Requires Froyo And Up

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Another update to Facebook for Android has rolled around, and even though it doesn't bring the complete overhaul so many people desire, it does bring some helpful changes. In addition to the usual bug fixes, version 1.9.7 speeds up the login process as well as navigating through the app, and front-facing camera support has been added.

Unfortunately for some, the update requires your device to be on Android 2.2 or above, meaning that the < 6% of users on Android 2.1 and below are stuck on the current version.

It is a manual update to the fact that it now requires the (unexplained) "Read phone state and identity" permission.

Jul

Slice, The Amazing Package Tracking App, Gets Updated To 2.0, Supports Outgoing Package Tracking, New Email Services, And More

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

When we first discovered Slice, the app that scans your email for packages that you're waiting to be delivered, has updated to version 2.0 and brought a host of new features with it. For starters, if you use Hotmail, AOL, or iCloud as your primary email, you can now join in the fun. You can track outgoing packages by scanning tracking barcodes as well or entering the number manually, and filtering options have been improved.

The app also adds a new feature called "Thingerprint" which, aside from having a truly bizarre name, allows you to see how much money you've spent on what types of goods.

Jul

ICS Now Rolling Out OTA-Style To The Sprint Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (Build FF18)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Epic 4G Touch, News, Sprint

Last Updated: July 31st, 2012

Well, E4GT owners, today is the day you've been waiting for (unless you've rooted and flashed a custom ICS ROM, in which case, you're no longer waiting for anything): the official ICS update is now rolling out to your device. As expected, the update brings a host of new features:

A refined, evolved user interface that is simple, beautiful and useful
Face Unlock: use state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to unlock your phone with a smile
Redesigned camera which introduces panorama mode, effects like silly faces and background replacement, and a powerful photo editor
Android Beam™: quickly share web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with your friends by simply tapping two Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled phones together
Web browser now lets you sync Google Chrome™ bookmarks, request full desktop versions of sites, see your open tabs in a new layout and even store web pages for offline reading
People: browse friends, family and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+
Improved keyboard with incredibly accurate typing, an inline spell checker and improved copy and paste support
New Calendar app that lets you add events quickly, sync with Google Calendar™ or Microsoft Exchange and even pinch to adjust your calendar display
Redesigned Gmail™ app that now lets you swipe between conversations to catch up quickly, and search for emails even without a data connection
Google+ integration that lets you hangout and video chat with up to 10 friends using your front-facing camera

Notice the part in italics up there?

Jul

Sprint Pushing OTA Update Build 254_13 To The Motorola Photon 4G

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Photon 4G, Sprint

It's been close to a year since Sprint last showed the Motorola Photon 4G some update love, but after seemingly forgetting about this once flagship device, The Now Network is now pushing an OTA update to the device that brings a handful of useful updates and features to the device:

More easily import contacts from SD card.
Improved music playback, both streaming from Amazon Cloud or Internet Radio services and music saved to the phone - minimizes occasional skips or -repeats
Enhancements for WiFi hotspot in GSM/UMTS mode and adding new WiFi connections.
Now supports 1080p HD video capture, and enhanced video settings for more responsive playback.

Jul

[Update: Skyrocket, Too] Samsung Open Sources The Epic 4G Touch's Kernel Ahead Of Ice Cream Sandwich Update (FF18)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Epic 4G Touch, News, Samsung

Today is a good day, I think, for source code drops! Samsung has just released the source code for an update for the Epic 4G Touch, Sprint's variant of the Galaxy S II. The update (FF18) is said to be rolling out to devices right now as an OTA. If you want to get your hands on the kernel code to fiddle with it yourself before the update arrives, however, you can head to Samsung's download page here.

Dat source code.

If you're not a developer, chances are this won't be of interest to you. No you can't flash it and yes you're better off waiting for a ROM to be built or the update to rollout to your device.

Jul

Turntable.fm App Updated, Fixes The Annoying 'System Volume Mute' Bug And Lets You Login With Your Turntable Account

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

If you've used the official turntable.fm app, then you've probably noticed a couple of different things: firstly, it's awesome. Kicking it in a room and spinning tracks with your homies from your mobile is just rad, and the experience is very similar to that of its desktop counterpart.

Secondly, you've probably also noticed that, upon disconnection of headphones or Bluetooth audio devices, the volume was suddenly muted, even when the turntable app isn't running. In fact, I had no idea that turntable was the cause of this exceedingly annoying problem which has been driving me nuts for weeks (to be fair, though, I haven't actually looked for a solution, either).

Jul

[Update: Now With yakju] How-To: Download And Update GSM Galaxy Nexus To Android 4.1.1 Manually (Jelly Bean JRO03C)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Galaxy Nexus, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Samsung, Tips & Tutorials

Following yesterday's Jelly Bean AOSP invasion, the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus is now receiving the release build 4.1.1 (JRO03C) of Jelly Bean. That's indeed great news, but since the rollout is usually staggered, not all phones are allowed to receive it the second it's out there. If you're rooted or have an unlocked bootloader, why not just bypass the line and flash the update manually? I just did, and it took only a few minutes.

Prerequisites

Update 7/11/12 4am PT: we now have yakju!

Here's what you need to have for this method to work (I will update the post if we figure out the links to OTAs for more variants):

takju - this is the GSM variant sold directly by Google and given out at I/O 2012.

Jul

Sprint EVO 4G LTE Update v1.22.651.3 Rolling Out, Finally Fixes Google Wallet Along With A Bunch Of Other Things

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, News, Sprint

Ding-ding-ding! EVO 4G LTE owners, the update you've been waiting for is ready. v1.22.651.3 of the software is rolling out starting today, July 11th, and according to Sprint fixes a whole array of bugs. The most important aspect of the update has to do with Google Wallet which has been broken since pretty much day one of the release. Other changes include improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity, playback of sideloaded videos, the crashing gallery app, calendar reminders, random power cycling, and more.

Here's the full changelog posted by Sprint:

Version

1.22.651.3

Date released

07/11/2012

Description of enhancements/fixes

This update addresses:

Google security updates

Wifi disconnect issue

Time zone issue

Google Wallet fix

Side loaded video pause issue

Random power cycling issue

Pioneer Bluetooth Car Kit connection issu

Gallery app crash

Calendar reminder (all day even time) issue

Fire up your engines by going to Settings > System updates > HTC software update if you're running stock or wait for your favorite custom ROM developer (my personal choice is flipz of Fresh ROM) to merge the changes and provide an update you can flash.

Jul

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Rollout Beginning Now With HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus Devices

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

In a post to the Nexus Google+ page just minutes ago, it was revealed that the official rollout of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to the Galaxy Nexus is beginning now (just after its addition to AOSP), starting with HSPA+ connected Galaxy Nexus Devices. Users of Galaxy Nexus devices carrying the Yakju and Takju software variants should expect to receive an OTA prompt some time within the "next several days."

The post also revealed that the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus won't be alone in receiving an official Jelly Bean update. Android's latest and greatest iteration is expected to come to all Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and Motorola Xoom users as well.

Jul

Ice Cream Sandwich And 'Premium Suite' Now Available Via Kies For The AT&T Galaxy Note

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Galaxy Note (GT-N7000), News

Last Updated: December 27th, 2012

While Samsung may have started pushing the ICS update to international Galaxy Notes back in May, AT&T owners of what is essentially the same device were left wanting. Today, however, that all changes; Samsung has made available Ice Cream Sandwich for the AT&T version of the Note.

Aside from all the added benefits and enhancements of Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung has also includes its "Premium Suite" of apps designed specifically for the Note. After the update, users will find a few new applications, including S Note, an application that "enhances productivity and professionalizes communications" and My Story, an app that allows users to create customized greeting cards and notes.