Android OS - 22/164 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Nov

Some Users Reporting Android 4.2 (JOP40C) Is Rolling Out To The GSM Galaxy Nexus Right Now

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Sure, we're only a few hours away from the Nexus 4 and 10 launches, but that doesn't mean we can't have a software update or two while we're waiting. Some users on Google+ and Twitter are reporting that the Galaxy Nexus is receiving an update to Android 4.2 as we speak. Of course, if you're on a Sprint or Verizon device, you will probably be exempt right now, but if you see your ~~miracle~~ upgrade, speak up!

The new software brings Photosphere support, Gesture Typing (don't call it Swype), Gmail 4.2 with pinch-to-zoom, lockscreen widgets, notification quick settings, and more.

Nov

Google Brings Play Music To France, Germany, Italy, Spain And The UK Right On Time

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Applications, Google, News

Just as planned, Google just unleashed Play Music upon select European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

We've known that Google would bring Music to Europe since last month, when the Mountain View giant also announced a new alliance with Warner Music Group, meaning that Play Music was finally partnered with "all of the major record labels globally."

Readers may remember that this rollout also heralds the introduction of music matching for Google Play Music users. Music Matching, for those unaware, is a service by which Google peeks at the music users upload to their account (up to 20,000 songs free), and checks the files against its own servers, automatically adding matched tracks to the user's library without the need for lengthy uploads.

Nov

Editorial: HTC And Apple Have Settled, And This Is Basically Good For Everyone

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Editorials, Legal, News

On Saturday evening, HTC and Apple issued a joint press release indicating the two companies had settled their ongoing legal slapfight. Under a confidential 10-year licensing arrangement, they have agreed to what essentially amounts to a rigid patent ceasefire. Even future patents are covered under the deal (there obviously will be exceptions to any deal, but that's the gist).

Immediately, most people assumed HTC was getting hosed. Then, HTC rep Jeff Gordon issued a slightly cryptic but factually vital statement, saying HTC "does not expect this license agreement to have any adverse material impact on the financials of the company."

Now, whether that means the cost of the license and the savings of not keeping 300 attorneys on retainer will cancel out, or if the settlement basically cost HTC nothing, is not clear.

Nov

HTC, Apple End Patent Quarrels, Settle On Ten-Year Licensing Deal

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, HTC, Legal, News

It would appear that the patent battle between HTC and Apple, which has been going on since early 2010, is finally closed, with the two companies agreeing to opt for a ten-year licensing agreement.

The dispute began over two years ago when Apple levied a complaint regarding twenty patents at HTC, claiming infringement. Of course after that the two slapped each other with dispute after dispute, and the fight has boiled on ever since. The sudden conclusion comes as something of a shock, since – as the Verge reports – HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang said just three months ago the Taiwanese manufacturer had no plans to settle its spat with Apple.

Nov

PSA: Motorola Is Changing The Update "Soak Test" Program To A "Test Drive" Program You'll Need To Sign Up For

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Jelly Bean 4.2, Motorola, News

As part of a statement on the general state of software updates at Motorola, VP of Product Management Punit Soni has revealed that a new early update testing program will be unveiled, known as Test Drive.

We know it’s important for many of you to get the latest Android software upgrades onto your phones as quickly as possible. With that in mind, we’re also introducing Test Drive, a new program that will allow consumers to take our major software upgrades for a trial run and provide valuable feedback before we launch the upgrade publicly. Starting with Android 4.2, the next iteration of Jelly Bean, we will release a preview of our software to a few hundred consumers that sign up for Test Drive. More details on how to sign-up and participate will be announced on the blog soon.

Nov

Samsung Releases Open Source Kernel Files For Galaxy Camera, Note 10.1, And Others

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Camera, Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Jelly Bean 4.1, Samsung, Stratosphere II

Samsung is back again with a fresh batch of source, today dropping open source kernel files for the Note 10.1 (N8000), its LTE counterpart N8020, the Stratosphere II (SCH-I415), and Sprint's version of the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (SPH-P500). The most interesting device on the list, though, is probably the Galaxy Camera (EK-GC100), which is just arriving at UK retailers this month, with no firm date announced for a state-side debut. Though the Galaxy Camera is a somewhat unconventional Android device, it's still great to see Samsung keeping up with its pattern of timely open source file releases.

If you've been waiting to put your hands on the official kernel source for these devices, or just want to take a peek at what makes them tick, hit the appropriate link below.

Nov

Android 4.2 Protip: Double Tap On The App Picker To Skip The Always/Just Once Button

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Jelly Bean 4.2, News

The Jelly Bean app picker saga continues! This time, there's an awesome new shortcut for those of us that are annoyed with the new-style picker that debuted in Jelly Bean 4.1. If you're drawing a blank, allow me to refresh your memory:

Gratuitous Backstory

The app picker is the thing that pops up when more than one app can handle an action. The left picture is what it used to look like in ICS, the right picture is what it changed to in Jelly Bean. The look of it isn't what we're concerned about, though, it's the function. The ICS version would go to your app of choice with 1 tap; the new Jelly Bean version requires 2, one for the app, and one for "Always" or "Just Once." This annoyed those of us who use it as an "open with" window, so that we can easily use different apps for different situation.

Nov

Brussels Philharmonic Replaces Sheet Music with Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), News

It looks like the Galaxy Note 10.1, despite our review, has found a higher purpose after all – as a digital sheet of paper. Looking for a solution for more quickly distributing sheet music while cutting down on waste, the Brussels Philharmonic has adopted a fleet of Note 10.1s to act as dynamic digital song books.

In the Philharmonic's search for efficiency, they initially turned to neoScores, whose software allows for quick, easy sharing, discovery, annotation, and use of digital sheet music. Samsung will be providing one hundred Galaxy Note 10.1 units to the orchestra members, all pre-loaded with neoScores' app, and all with their own S-Pen to quickly flip pages.

Nov

Humble Bundle For Android #4 Just Announced: 5 Brand-New Android Games At The Price Of Your Choosing

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Deals, Games, News

Humble Bundle is one of our favorite ways to donate to a great cause while also getting awesome stuff in return, and a brand-spanking-new group of games is up grabs this morning as part of Humble Bundle for Android 4.

These are all new titles for Android (except the bonus title, Machinarium, a game you should want regardless), which makes this an especially awesome time to chip in to some causes most techy-savvy folks can get behind. Here's the list of titles:

Splice
Eufloria
Waking Mars
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Superbrothers: Sword & Sourcery EP

Here are some screenshots from the aforementioned titles, which you can find convenient summaries of on the Humble Bundle blog.

Nov

Sony Xperia S No Longer An "Experimental AOSP" Device, Project Moved To GitHub

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Xperia S (Nozomi)

Sony announced today on it's official Sony Mobile Developer blog that the Xperia S "experimental AOSP support" project, first announced by JBQ back in August, is no more. It was an interesting idea, to be sure - a non-Nexus device that would be supported both with the help of members of the Google developer community, as well as AOSP maintainer JBQ, on the AOSP main branch.

The project did see some success, too - Android was booting, and according to Sony, Wi-Fi and sensors were up and running. Unfortunately, because of proprietary software binaries that by definition could not be part of AOSP (which requires legitimate open source code only), it seemed unlikely audio and mobile network modem functionality could be achieved in that environment.