updates - 3/6 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Dungeon Hunter 3 Gets Massive Update With Multiplayer Support

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Games, News

Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 3 came out late last year, giving players access to a huge role-playing arena combat game with no admission price. The game has 4 different classes, 16 arenas, and 5 difficulty levels. Of course, none of that stopped people from complaining about the in-app purchases. But the new update sweetens the deal with honest-to-goodness multiplayer.

The game was supposed to launch with multiplayer, but Gameloft couldn't get things together in time. Now you can still journey alone, but co-op multiplayer is available to help you along the way. If you're the more adversarial type, there are also deathmatch player vs.

Jul

PSA: Latest Version Of Solid Explorer Requires Full Reinstall From New Play Store Listing, Brings Google Drive And SkyDrive Integration

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, News

Solid Explorer Beta was released a few months ago, and was instantly a fabulous file management app. It's clever use of swipable columns and fragments makes it easy to move things around. If you've noticed a distinct lack of updates as of late, there's a reason for that. The developer is unable to update the original app anymore, so it's been unpublished.

The old beta version of the app is now expired, and directs users to update in order to continue using Solid Explorer. The new version, going by the moniker Solid Explorer Beta2, has a few improvements, and the changelog includes a little apology:

I have to apologize all of you that you have to install the app from scratch.

Jun

Google Releasing Platform Developer Kit To Manufacturers Before Major New Android Versions - Are Speedier Updates On The Way?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Android OS, Development, News

Android has become somewhat infamous for slow (almost unbearably so) updates for users of pretty much any non-Nexus device. In fact, when Jelly Bean was announced earlier today, the first thought on some users' minds was that their handsets haven't even tasted Ice Cream Sandwich yet.

Google is well aware of this issue, though - last year, it made an attempt (albeit a feeble one) to solve the problem with the Android Alliance. I think we all know how that turned out.

This year's I/O saw a related announcement: that of the Android PDK, or the Platform Development Kit. In short, it's a set of tools which will aid manufacturers in porting new versions of Android to their devices and which will be released to said manufacturers a few months before the public launch of each major Android update.

Jun

AT&T Galaxy S II ICS Update Now Rolling Out Via Samsung Kies, No OTA

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Galaxy S II, News

After a little bit of a false start several days ago, it looks like the much-anticipated Android 4.0.3 update is rolling out for the AT&T flavor of the Samsung Galaxy S II. The update was available briefly a few days ago via the Samsung Kies update software, but Samsung pulled the file saying it was merely a "test."

Users from XDA have now successfully installed the update through Kies on stock devices. It's looking like the update is not going to go out over-the-air, but will be restricted to Samsung's old-fashioned desktop software. That means you'll have to plug your phone in with a cable to run the update, like it's the middle-ages or something.

May

Cloud-Synced Note-Taking App Evernote Gets A Huge Update To v4.0 With New Look

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Applications, News

Evernote is a great little cross-platform service that lets you sync notes between devices and save them in the cloud. Using Evernote is so seamless for me, it's like outsourcing my memories to the internet. The app was nothing to sneeze at before, but it just got a big update to version 4.0 that brings a new look and a few features that fit in perfectly with Android 4.0.

There is a new home screen with big, friendly buttons to make a new text note, audio note, photo, or upload a file of any sort. These functions were there before, but now the home screen is accessed by swiping to the left on any screen.

May

Motorola's MOTOACTV Watch Gets An Update To Version 6.12/6.13, But Not All Devices Are Equal

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in MOTOACTV, News

Motorola has released a pair of updates for the MOTOACTV Android-based sports watch. The last round of updates came in March with new features for golfers. The new updates, versions 6.12 and 6.13, come with most of the same features, but there is a confusing split based on whether or not your device already has the golf features included.

Both updates contain enhancements and bug fixes including:

Improved calorie burn algorithm during cycling workout with heart rate monitor
Added Primary Activity selection during setup so your MOTOACTV is tailored to your primary sport
Improved watch performance after display wake up
Enhanced the way Album Lists are displayed
Improved connectivity with Wahoo BLE heart rate monitor

The golf-compatible MOTOACTV watches will also get:

Improved Golf club recommendation by widening the distance range
Improved calculation for total score after a golf round.

Apr

Verizon Xperia Play Updated To Version 4.0.2.E.0.57; It's Not Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Gingerbread 2.3, Sony Ericsson, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

I know, I know. 4.0.2 sounds a lot like Android 4.0, but it isn't. It's actually Gingerbread 2.3.4, and Verizon Xperia Play owners who wish to rock out like it's May 2011 need only mash the update button.

The good news (in addition to the version bump) is that this update will let you take pictures with the right trigger (how did they not think of that earlier?), enable 720p video with continuous autofocus, and fix those crazy bugs like charging forcing landscape mode. You also get to take screenshots with the power button. The bad news is that it will install Verizon Video on Demand and Verizon Navigator.

Mar

Ice Cream Sandwich Updates For 2011 Sony Xperia Phones Starting In Mid-April, But Carrier Restrictions May Apply

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Live w/ Walkman (Coconut), Sony, Xperia Active (Satsuma), Xperia Arc (Anzu, X12), Xperia Arc S, Xperia Mini / Mini Pro (Smultron / Mango), Xperia Neo (Hallon), Xperia Neo V (Haida), Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone), Xperia Pro (Iyokan), Xperia Ray (Urushi, ST18i)

Before Sony Ericsson became Sony Mobile, the company seemed committed to developing an Android 4.0 update, going so far as to release alpha ROMs for a number of Xperia devices, and more recently a beta for the Xperia Play. Here we are, a quarter of the way into 2012, and Xperia owners are still gnawing on last year's official Gingerbread. Although, there may finally be a light at the end of the tunnel; the Sony Mobile blog has announced that the first Android 4.0 updates will roll out to select Xperia phones in mid-April. Don't get too excited when wireless carriers are involved though.

Feb

Temple Run Officially Announces Its Android Plans: Not In February, But Soon, Watch Facebook For Updates

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

If you've downloaded anything Temple Run-related from the Android Market, you've been scammed. We do our best to keep you informed, but this app in particular seems to spark a lot of fakes. Thankfully, Imangi Studios, the developer behind Temple Run, announced on their Facebook page that the app isn't out yet, but when it is the company will announce it at least a week in advance.

The sheer number of scam apps that have been appearing in the Android Market is astounding. However, none of them are legit. Here's the word from Temple Run's official Facebook page:

For the impatient: no, it's not out yet, yes everything on the Market claiming to be related to Temple Run is a scam, and you will have at least a week's notice from Temple Run's official Facebook page before the game comes out.

Feb

Motorola Is Preparing Gingerbread For CLIQ 2 Owners, Invites 1000 Customers To Give It A Shot Before It Hits The Masses

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in CLIQ 2, Motorola, News

Over on Motorola’s support forum, the company is recruiting 1000 customers to test and provide feedback on a Gingerbread software upgrade for the CLIQ 2. This usually heralds the coming of a software update available to the unwashed masses. While customers who buy devices like the CLIQ 2 may not be the same folks who are eager for the latest and the greatest software updates, Gingerbread will be arriving about 14 months after it was announced, and 13 months after the phone was released.