Apps/Games - 324/395 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Report: Twitter In Talks To Buy TweetDeck For $50 Million

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

I know the subject of Twitter buying another company is not directly related to Android, but considering the importance of the social service in our day-to-day operations and the target of the rumor being TweetDeck, a crowd favorite when it comes to Twitter clients, I thought I'd give this one a mention.

According to a report published today by The Wall Street Journal, Twitter is reportedly in talks to buy TweetDeck for $50 million. This comes after relatively recent news of UberMedia's $30 million bid in cash and stock. As we've seen, UberMedia and Twitter don't have the best rapport, so keeping TweetDeck out of UberMedia's hands may well be in the best interest of Twitter itself.

Apr

Fixing The "Couldn't Install On USB Storage Or SD Card" Problem On Android

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, Froyo 2.2, Tips & Tutorials

Today, for the first time ever, my EVO 4G had an unexpected failure installing updates for some of my Android apps. All update attempts would inevitably end in an almost instant failure with the message that read:

Installation error

Couldn't install on USB storage or SD card

The weird part was that some apps installed OK but some got stuck in a perma-fail mode and could no longer be updated. After mucking around for a bit, I dug into the logs and found the following relevant log line:

Failed to create secure container smdl2tmp1

Aha! Now what the heck is smdl2tmp1?

Apr

Buy.com Releases Official Android App

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

To shopaholics' delight, Internet superstore Buy.com quietly graced us with its official Android app this evening. After playing with it for a few minutes, I found it to be quite similar to Amazon's shopping app, including a prominent search box, product listings, Buy buttons, account management, barcode scanning, and voice searching.

All in all, not bad for the initial release, but considering the account management is just a wrapper over their mobile site, it's nothing to write home about either. Still, Buy.com enthusiasts will find it a step above the mobile experience.

Have a look at the screenshots and proceed to the download links below.

Apr

Grooveshark Stands Up For Its Service - Makes Android App Available Online And Sends Out Open Letter To The Music Industry

Posted by Zak Stinson in Applications, News

Companies like YouTube and Grooveshark are at the center of the ongoing controversies around online distribution of copyrighted materials. This controversy reared its ugly head earlier this month when the Grooveshark app was removed from the Android Market. While this disappointed many of the users who stream all their favourite tunes without having to posses an actual digital copy, Google was justified in kicking these pseudo-pirates out of the Market, right? Not so, says Grooveshark.

In protest to Google's decision to drop the app, Grooveshark has re-released it to the public. Although the app is still absent from the Market, it has been made available on Grooveshark's mobile website.

Apr

Completely Revamped Speedtest.net 2.0 Android App Now In The Market, Finally Catches Up To Its iOS Counterpart

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

When it comes to testing bandwidth throughput of your Android device, the Speedtest.net app is considered a de facto standard - it's functional, the UI is gorgeous, and there is a good chance they have a server pretty close to your location. I've tried all the speed testing programs in the Market, and always kept coming back to this one. For a long time the app has remained unchanged on the Market, lagging behind its iOS counterpart and its shiny new user interface. Well, no more.

Ookla, the company behind the Speedtest.net app, just dropped version 2.0 into the Market, and I can tell you that their final product is simply gorgeous (especially if you've never seen the iOS version).

Apr

Playbox's Bang Bang Racing Coming Soon To A Tegra Android Device Near You [Video]

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Game development company Playbox has decided to jump into the world of Android gaming, given the power and presence of NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processor and its popularity in Android devices. The first of many games on the list to make its way to Tegra phones and tablets is Bang Bang Racing, which is currently available on both Playstation 3 and XBOX 360.

Bang Bang Racing looks like a super-awesome (and tiny) way to burn up the track, thanks to the dynamic environments and sharp graphics. It utilizes NVIDIA's PhysX technology to provide such a rich experience - just take a look:

The game will be available in the Market to Tegra-powered devices and showcased in NVIDIA's Tegra Zone app.

Apr

From The Makers Of Game Dev Story Comes Hot Springs Story: For Your Inner Digital Inn Keeper

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Have you always dreamed of owning your own Japanese inn? If so, I've got the game for you! It's called Hot Springs Story, and it's the latest game from Kairosoft Co, the same group that brought us Game Dev Story.

The object of the game is simple: make your guests happy and work your way to the top. You have total control over the environment in this management simulator-style game - everything from building new guestrooms and restaurants to adding intricate details like azalea bushes and pine trees to the gardens is in your power. Invest in the local community, build arcades and baths - whatever it takes to get you into the number one spot.

Apr

Easter Is Here! For Angry Birds, At Least

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

Yesterday we showed you the trailer for Angry Birds Seasons: Easter Eggs, noting that the expected update should hit the Market some time this week. I guess for Rovio Mobile, "some time this week" translates to "first thing Monday morning" - it's available for download now.

The update adds 15 new levels, as well as 3 bonus levels and tons of Easter Eggs, so head over to the Android Market and grab it.

Angry Birds Seasons

Source: Android Market

Apr

Trailer For Angry Birds Seasons "Easter Eggs" Update Released, Packed With More Eggs Than Ever Before

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Games, News

We've known about the upcoming "Easter Eggs" update to Angry Birds Seasons for some time now, but this short trailer gives us a quick glimpse into some of the 15 new levels that we can expect to see some time next week. You won't find any gameplay changes, but more levels to the classic Angry Birds formula are never a bad thing, right?

Source: YouTube

Apr

For The Conversationalists - Today's Free Premium Amazon Appstore App Is Trillian (Normally $4.99) [4/16/11]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

After a bunch of relatively uninteresting premium apps given out for free in Amazon's Android Appstore, today's offering is really quite refreshing. Users of the desktop version of Trillian will instantly recognize their beloved multi-network IM client's logo, and those new to it will find its features quite impressive:

support for AIM, Facebook, Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ, and, of course, Google Talk
Trillian synchronizes contacts, avatars, statuses, and accounts between Android, Mac, Windows, and Web clients
push notifications for those on Android 2.2+
multiple chat windows, emoticons, and more

While Trillian is no longer my client of choice on the desktop (Digsby took that spot), I must say that if you're looking for a great multi-network IM client on Android, it's hard to go wrong with this [normally $4.99] offering from Cerulean Studios.