News - 49/939 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Download: Completely Redesigned Latest Google Play Store 4.0.25

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News

Following several recent leaks and the official announcement earlier today, Google started pushing out a completely redesigned, simpler, cleaner, and faster version of the Play Store for Android. The previous version was 3.10.14 while the new one is 4.0.25, and we have the download mirrors for you right here.

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:

The new Play Store really does look a lot better, especially on tablets.

Apr

[Update: It's Back] Deal Alert: Refurbished 32GB Nexus 7 Up For Grabs From eBay Daily Deals For $189

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, News, Nexus 7

Update 4/9/13: The deal is back today.

Those who missed out on eBay Daily Deals' recurring deal on the Nexus 7 ($30 VISA gift card, ear buds, 32GB Nexus 7 for $259.99) the last four times we've seen it, Daily Deals has pulled through once again, this time with a significantly better price. Though the 32GB slates up for grabs are refurb and don't come with a random pair of earbuds, $189 is an undeniably good price for a 32GB Nexus 7 which, if new, would cost buyers $249.99 from the Play Store.

Apr

Official Imgur App Hits Google Play – Available Exclusively In Australia For Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Everyone's favorite image hosting site has just made its way into the Play Store. Of course I'm referring to Imgur, "the simple image sharer." Unfortunately, the app is georestricted to Australia during its beta period, so those of us in the rest of the world will have to wait a bit to get our hands on it.

Those who can use it, however, will be able to browse through Imgur's content, comment and vote on images, upload directly from their device, manager their account, and more. So, basically, everything that can be done on the site, just from a phone or tablet.

Apr

Google Confirms The New Play Store UI, Rollout To Phones And Tablet On 2.2+ Starts Today

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

We've been seeing leaks about a new Google Play Store UI, that we all thought was going to be released at I/O this year. Nope! The rollout starts today, chaps! According to a post over on the official Android blog, the fancy card-based UI is coming to Android phones and tablets running Froyo (v2.2) and up. Worldwide, the new version will be available "over the next few weeks.

Oh, and you should be happy to know that the ugly pattern across the Action Bar is, in fact, not part of the final release. Additionally, the blog post touts a continuous scrolling interface that will show you more recommendations as you move down the page.

Apr

Samsung Announces US Availability Of The Wi-Fi Galaxy Note 8.0, Will Be Hitting Store Shelves April 11th For $400

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note 8.0, News

In a world full of Galaxy devices, some are great, some are good, and some make you scratch your head as to why they even exist in the first place. Among those considered by most to be good (or even great), we have the Note series. It all started with an oversized phone set to change the way people use their mobile devices. And it did just that – soon after it was followed by a bigger, better successor and a 10-inch tablet wearing the same name.

While there's no shortage of other 10-inch Android tablets to choose from, there is one space that has yet to really be covered by a high-end Android device: eight inches.

Apr

WhatsApp: No, Google Isn't Buying Us, Don't Believe Everything You Read

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

We've been seeing leak after leak about Google's rumored unified messaging service. Now, as more details get seemingly confirmed and and we even get a look at the possibly near-finished app, clearly this is the time for Google to acquire a competing IM service, right? Well, not so much, according to AllThingsD. As it turns out, Mountain View is not about to buy WhatsApp, a company that makes a product that Google is currently nearly done building itself. Just in case you were wondering.

This contradicts rumors that WhatsApp would be selling to Google for close to $1 billion.

Apr

Microsoft (Along With Nokia, Oracle, Others) Tells EU To Stop Letting Google Bundle Its Apps With Android, Misses Irony

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News

FairSearch Europe—a coalition of Google competitors or legal adversaries including, among others, Microsoft, Nokia, and Oracle—has filed a complaint with the European Union alleging that Google is abusing its dominant OS position in the mobile market to push its own set of apps.

The group claims that Android is used "as a deceptive way to build advantages for key Google apps in 70 percent of the smartphones shipped today," pointing out that manufacturers have to agree to a certain set of rules requiring inclusion or placement of certain apps. If they want to use Google apps, of course. Manufacturers are free to use Android for whatever purpose they choose without them, if they think that will be a greater benefit.

Apr

[GDC 2013] SEGA Announces The Original Sonic The Hedgehog For Android, Coming In April For $2.99 [Updated]

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, News

There were a lot of cool things about the early 90s, but few made the impact on gaming that one spiky blue mammal did. Sonic the Hedgehog was SEGA's flagship product, and that original game was (and still is) amazing. Well, at GDC today SEGA broke the news that the original Sonic the Hedgehog is coming to Android in April. What's more, it has been completely remastered to be native on Android. My nerd heart sings, friends.

Update 4/9/13: Gameplay video.

Sonic was great because of the incredible sense of speed – something so few games (including recent Sonic titles) have managed to replicate.

Apr

The More I Watch This Virgin Mobile Ad Luring T-Mobile Customers Away With $100, The More It Makes Sense And That Scares Me

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Virgin Mobile

Raul Julia. That's what this Virgin Mobile ad makes me think of. I'll explain that later. First, the facts. If you're a T-Mobile customer, Virgin Mobile wants your business. So much so that it's willing to give you a $100 credit if you port your number over before May 31st. Straightforward, right? Cool. Now, here: Have an octopus.

Did you ever watch Mystery Science Theater 3000? If not, you should. You can start with the episode where they watch Overdrawn at the Memory Bank. A made-for-TV movie starring Raul Julia. A man you may know better as Gomez from the Addams Family.

Apr

30 Best (And 1 LOL) New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (3/27/13 - 4/8/13)

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, News, Roundups

Last Updated: May 13th, 2013

Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This is the app roundup. The game roundup from last week can be found here.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured App

PassWallet - Password Manager

Today's roundup is brought to you by PassWallet (formerly Password Wallet) by HandyApps. Passwords are hard, thanks to the thousands of logins required for modern digital living.