News - 31/941 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Galaxy Note 8.0 Toolkit Now Available At XDA – Root, Recovery, Backup, And More Made Simple

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note 8.0, News

I've been using Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0 for the past week or so, and it is hands-down one of the best tablets I've ever used. The form factor is great, and the S Pen adds some really useful functionality to this little beast. If you're looking for a new tablet in a smaller-than-ten-inches form factor, I readily recommend this one.

And once you've decided to pull the trigger and buy one, you may want a quick and easy way to gain root access, flash a recovery, make a backup, and all that other fun stuff that so many Android users like to do.

Apr

[New Game] SEGA's Hell Yeah! Pocket Inferno Is The Best Runner Game Starring An Undead Gun-Toting Rabbit On A Rocket Drill You'll Play Today

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

SEGA has a rich history of platfoming titles to draw upon as it makes the transition to mobile gaming. Alex Kidd. Sonic the Hedgehog. Nights. But one you might not have heard of is Hell Yeah!, a downloadable title from developer Arkedo Studio. After making waves on the PC and consoles last year, this tongue-in-cheek gorefest has been adapted into what might just be the strangest endless runner on Android.

You play as Ash, spawn of the Dark One, prince of Hell, and somehow, also a rabbit skeleton. For reasons that are not fully elaborated, Ash rides a rocket-powered drilling machine.

Apr

Small 17MB Update (v10.6.1.15.3) Rolling Out To The ASUS Transformer Pad 300, Fixes Some Bugs

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Transformer Pad 300

When it comes to well-support devices, ASUS is a company that stands by its products. The TF300 was the first non-Nexus device to get Android 4.2, and the Taiwanese manufacturer followed up by bringing the updated build to the TF700 (Infinity) and MeMO Pad Smart.

Today, it's sending another small (17MB) update to the TF300 that brings a handful of improvements and bug fixes:

1. IME bugs fix
2. improve HDMI compatibility with more devices in the market
3. improve the Gmail compatibility with Splashtop
4. improve the privacy : only account owner can access any UI or settings related to external storage device
5.

Apr

Google Drops The Hammer, Bans Facebook (And All Others) From Performing Non-Play Store App Updates

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Shortly before the Facebook Home launch, some users noticed a new version of Facebook was available on their device, but it wasn't through the Play Store. Instead, the update came directly through the app, bypassing the Store altogether. Naturally, there was outrage, people were angry, felt violated, and whatnot. For Facebook, however, this was a way of getting a beta version of its app out to some users without having to give it to all users. It did a similar sort of update just last night, proving that this wasn't just a one-time thing.

Regardless of why Facebook has chosen to circumvent the Play Store for its own update mechanism, though, that didn't sit too well with Google.

Apr

Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.0.27

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News

A minor update to the new, cleaner Google Play Store v4.0 started rolling out earlier today. The new version is 4.0.27 which follows closely the previous version from April 19th - 4.0.26.

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.6 - Sweet New Designs And OCD Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

Ron and I tore down the apk but found only minor changes to translations and a small change to the manifest that removed android:excludeFromRecents="true" from one of the billing activities.

Apr

AT&T Launches Digital Life App For Android, Announces Service For 15 US Markets, Promising 50 Markets By Year's End

Posted by Liam Spradlin in AT&T, News

After a brief delay, it looks like AT&T's Digital Life service is finally ready for prime time. The service, which promises extensive home automation from temperature control to security monitoring to door lock control, will launch first in fifteen markets including Atlanta GA, Austin, Houston, and Dallas TX, Boulder and Denver CO, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Riverside CA, Miami FL, Philadelphia PA, Seattle WA, St Louis MI, and "select areas of the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area." By the end of the year, AT&T says it plans to expand the service to fifty markets.

So, what is Digital Life and why should you care?

Apr

Amazon's Kindle App Hits Version 4.0 With Reworked Interface

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, Apps/Games, News

Amazon's Kindle app has just received a significant update, bringing the reader up to version 4 and introducing a refreshed UI, among other things.

Just when I'd decided to try switching to Play Books (despite giving up things like quick two-finger brightness adjustment), Amazon has introduced a redesigned library that's much more lively than a simple grid of book covers. The new library interface has your books plus a nice "carousel" up top for recent items. The navigation panel has also been expanded for quick access to documents and Newsstand items, along with items that used to hide under the overflow button.

Apr

Full Details (And An Image) Of The Optimus G Pro Surface Ahead Of Next Week's Event

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Leaks, News, Optimus G Pro

LG has an event coming up in New York City on May 1st. That is exactly six days from today. And do you know what it's going to announce? The Optimus G Pro for the US. But if just knowing that isn't enough, pictures and full details of the device have hit the 'net today, leaving essentially nothing for LG to actually announce next week.

So, there's the phone, sporting full AT&T branding. No surprise there. So far as the specs are concerned, it's essentially everything you'd expect (mostly because it's practically identical to the international version, save for one small detail), according to Engadget:

5.5" HD IPS Panel (vs.

Apr

[New App] SoftKeyZ Lets Rooted Users Easily Change Android's On-Screen Navigation Buttons

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Android's navigation soft keys have proven to be a hit with many users, despite the fact that some manufacturers refuse to utilize them. As nifty as they may be, however, they get kind of boring to look at after a while. And, of course, most Android users love to tinker with things to make them look however they want. Up until now, though, there hasn't been an easy way to add a little flare to them.

Say hello to SoftKeyZ – an app that makes swapping out the nav bar keys super simple.

Basically, so long as you have root and busybox is installed, all your bases are covered – just install the app and fire it up.

Apr

SEGA's House Of The Dead Overkill: The Lost Reels Hits The Play Store, Is The Most Fun You Can Have Shooting Undead Strippers

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

The original House of the Dead (and its sequels) is one of my absolute favorite arcade shooters of all time. And House of the Dead: Overkill brought a whole new experience to the franchise, with more dynamic characters and full-on adult content (we're talkin' drug use, strippers, and more f-bombs than Pulp Fiction can shake a stick at). Needless to say, it's a fantastic rail shooter.

For those who have longed for more HotD action, Sega just pushed Overkill: The Lost Reels to the Play Store. The game – which was promised back at GDC – brings all the original characters to the mix, including foul-mouthed playboy cop Isaac Washington, his unlikely (and reluctant) partner Agent G, fully-armed stripper Varla Guns, and the oft-forgotten busty blonde Candi Stryper.