Android OS - 31/165 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

[Deal Alert] Philips Fidelio AS351 Speaker CowBoom's Deal Of The Day At Just $24.99 (That's About $105 Off List Price)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Accessories, Android OS, Deals

Remember the Philips Fidelio AS851 we reviewed last year? Well, it's smaller counterpart, the AS351 is once again on sale, this time for the crazy-low price of $24.99 from CowBoom. For reference, the AS351's list price is $129.99, and Amazon's price is $81.57, a little over $56 more expensive than CowBoom's offer.

While, unlike the AS851, this dock doesn't offer a remote control, this little speaker is Bluetooth capable and only a little less powerful than its more expensive counterpart, and at $24.99 is a complete steal. Something else to note about this speaker dock is that it can be powered by AA batteries, making it easy to take the sound outside.

Oct

Amazon Appstore Headed For Japan 'Later This Year'

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

Amazon, in an effort to continue expanding its services globally, announced today that its Android app distribution service, the Amazon Appstore, is heading for Japan.

The shopping and media giant is now inviting developers to submit their apps and games for distribution in Japan, giving them the chance to participate in a new market with Amazon and "expand their business." Jim Adkins, VP of the Appstore, explained:

Opening our portal to app and game developers looking to reach Japanese customers is an important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally. Many of our existing developers are anxious to localize their apps and games for Japanese consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting for a chance to bring their Japanese content to the Amazon platform.

Oct

Rumor: Evidence Mounts That An LG Optimus G Nexus Is Coming - Along With A Nexus Phone Certification Program

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, LG, News, Optimus G, Rumors

That's right, we're finally jumping on the rumor train for the next Nexus phone(s?). Today, Android and Me published an article with a rather detailed rumor stemming from a "regular source who has provided accurate information in the past."

Given their confidence, and the specificity of their assertions, we're inclined to put some stock in them. So, what is the rumor? Let me break it down for you.

First, the Optimus G is going to be a Nexus phone. But it's not going to be the only one. According to A&M's source, the annual Nexus flagship program is being dismantled in favor of a more open model.

Oct

US Cellular Galaxy S III Update Today Brings Google Wallet - First Subsidized Wallet Phone Not On Sprint

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Device Updates, News, US Cellular

If you have a Galaxy S III on US Cellular, we're here to give you some good news: you're getting Google Wallet. And you can probably actually get it today if you download the update manually from Samsung. First, though, let's take a look at this leaked image showing the changes the update brings:

Basically, a lot of updates to stock apps, and various bug fixes you can see detailed in the image above. The real interesting part, though, is at the bottom: Google Wallet support. This is the first US Cellular device to get Google Wallet. In fact, it's the only subsidized smartphone outside of Sprint to be equipped with Google Wallet.

Oct

AT&T Pantech Element Android 4.0 Update Now Live

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Element, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Pantech

Do you own a Pantech Element? Hello? Is this thing on? Well, anyway, if you do, the company is now rolling out an update for the semi-rugged slate that brings Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, along with a host of other changes.

Check out the changelog below, and grab the update on Pantech's website right here (FYI: you'll need a Windows PC to flash it).

New User Features

Enhanced Home screen canvas switcher edit functionality(In the preview of home screen panels, users can change a main home screen panel).

Enhanced Multitasking and Notifications functionality.

Enhanced User Interface : Virtual buttons in System bar, contextual options in Action Bar.

Oct

Google Working On New Android Build System To Replace, Unify Eclipse's ADT And Ant – Devs Can Try It Now

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, News

Looking to create a more versatile and powerful build system for Android developers, Google has been working on what is currently called "New Build System," a tool that aims to (one day) replace, unify, and build upon the functionality of Eclipse's ADT and Ant build systems.

While the new build system is still in very early stages (just reaching build 0.1 today) and not yet ready to build ship-able apps, it's already proving useful. Our own Artem cites the ability to build both dev and production versions of apps simultaneously and the ability to use the same build process between ADT and Linux as signs that the project is already showing great potential.

Oct

HTC Promises Jelly Bean For One X And One S To Begin Rolling Out In October

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, One S (Ville), One X (Endeavor)

Tucked away in HTC's press release about the HTC One X+ and Sense 4+ was one tidbit that should make quite a few people happy:

The Android Jelly Bean with HTC™ Sense 4+ update is scheduled to begin rolling out for the HTC One™ S and HTC One™ X from October.

As most of you probably already know, Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) is the most polished version of Android yet. Coupled with some of the "enhancements" in Sense 4+ - namely, the improved camera software and the Get Started functionality - it should be quite a nice update. With the rollout scheduled to begin "from October," it seems safe to assume it should be out en masse by the end of the year.

Oct

HTC Unveils The One X+ With Sense 4+, Jelly Bean, Tegra 3 With LTE, And Improved Specs

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, One X (Endeavor), One X+

Last Updated: October 26th, 2012

The worst kept secret in HTC's recent history, the One X+, was finally officially announced this morning by the Taiwanese manufacturer. Let's take a closer look at what has changed.

Hardware

The updated One X variant features:

A beefier Cortex-A9 NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 processor running at 1.7GHz (up from 1.5GHz)
ULP GeForce NVIDIA GPU, running at 520MHz (up from 416MHz)
64GB of internal storage (up from 32GB)
2100mAh battery (up from 1800mAh), which HTC says may give you up to 6 hours of extra talk time
1.6MP front-facing camera (up from 1.3MP)
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Sense 4+
135g - slightly heavier but only by 5 grams (up from 130g)

The rest of the specs remain the same, including a 4.7" 1280x720 display, 1GB of RAM (a real bummer considering Samsung's and LG's latest offerings contain and really benefit from double that), Beats Audio, and an 8MP rear-facing camera.

Oct

Google Updates Android Platform Distribution Numbers – Jelly Bean Crawls To 1.8%, Gingerbread At 56%

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

Google has once again updated the Android platform distribution numbers. The numbers, released right on schedule today, show Gingerbread still leading the pack at 56% of devices (down from 57.5% last month), with Jelly Bean crawling up the ladder to 1.8%, up from 1.2% last time.

The two most important stat changes from last month, Gingerbread and Jelly Bean, are somewhat disappointing – both shifting at a lower rate than last cycle, but promised updates and leaked devices we may or may not see in the near future will likely help those numbers along.

Other versions, meanwhile, are moving as expected.

Oct

T-Mobile Galaxy S Blaze 4G Ice Cream Sandwich Update Available Right Now Via OTA Or Kies

Posted by David Ruddock in Device Updates, Galaxy S Blaze 4G, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung, T-Mobile

T-Mobile has begun rolling out the long-awaited Ice Cream Sandwich update (T769UVLH5) for the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, and you can get it right now one of two ways. First, you can head to your phone's settings menu and check for the update. If the update doesn't appear, though, you'll either have to wait, or download Samsung's Kies utility (here) and check through that.

Here's the changelog:

Android version 4.0.4 / Software version T769UVLH5 - Current version
Version

Android version 4.0.4 / Software version T769UVLH5

Updated 10/3/2012

Optional Manual update

Improvements

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Mobile Hotspot Icon location fix

Add Email option fix

Prerequisites

Manual (via Samsung Kies) update

Android version 2.3.6 / Software version T769UVLB7/T769UVLF4

Device software is not rooted

50% battery life

Data connection

20 MB available memory (File size of update is 15.7 MB)