News - 751/978 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

[New App] File Manager HD Is A Honeycomb Optimized File Browser For Your Tablet

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Up until now, if you needed a file manager on your Honeycomb tablet you were stuck using one that was designed for phone versions of Android, which didn't always translate well to the larger screen. Software developers Rhythm Software saw this issue, grabbed it by the horns, and took care of it. The end result? File Manager HD.

File Manager HD is the first file manager specifically designed for Honeycomb tablets (according to the developer). It offers a slew of useful features:

* Based on Android 3.0 new feature and theme
* High definition(1280*800) support
* 3 sets of commercial icons for 60+ different file types, toolbar and menu items
* Cut, copy, paste and cancellable progress dialog
* List and grid view for file browsing
* Compression and decompression support
* Search and share files
* Multiple selection and sorting support
* Thumbnail for photo, pictures and apk files
* Built-in text editor and swf player
* Fully tested on Motorola Xoom

This isn't their first rodeo, either - Rhythm also has a phone version of File Manager, and it's rocking a near-five-star rating.

Apr

FCC Is Open To Comments On The AT&T/T-Mobile Deal - Grab Your Pitchfork!

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, Carriers, News, T-Mobile

It's no secret that the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T is largely unpopular in the Android community. T-Mobile was the first carrier to offer an Android phone and has been very supportive of the development community as of late. It would be a real shame to let an Android-friendly carrier fall under the control of a company that has the absolute worst track record in regards to Android devices, and mobile service in general.

Well, why don't you get off your duff (not actually, you can stay seated) and do something about it? The FCC is considering the matter currently, and has just opened up to the public, asking for opinions.

Apr

[New App] HBO GO Lands In The Android Market, Now You Can Watch True Blood Anywhere

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

If you're an HBO subscriber and just can't get enough TV, then I've got good news for you! HBO has just released its official watch-it-on-the-go Android App, HBO GO. Of course, you have to be an HBO customer in order to use this app, but that's the only prerequisite as far as I can tell.

The app allows you to watch all of your favorite HBO content directly on your mobile device, including movies and HBO original content. It should work on 3G, 4G, and WiFi, but unfortunately it is limited to US customers at this time.

That's not the only downside, either.

Apr

Guerrilla Bob Comes To The Tegra Zone, Now You Can Blow Stuff Up In HD

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Games, News

More and more game developers are taking advantage of the raw power of the Tegra 2 processor, and today, Angry Mob Games brings Guerrilla Bob to those ranks. The graphics have been completely revamped to provide a more aesthetically pleasing experience, adding things like post-processing effects like bloom and glow, real-time lighting, and higher resolution textures.

As far as gameplay is concerned, you can expect the same in-your-face killing field that has always been Guerrilla Bob, only prettier. With a full on assault of weapons - like Machine Guns, Molotov Cocktails, Double Uzis, and Rocket Launchers, just to name a few - you will always find new and exciting ways to execute your enemies.

Apr

We Knew It Was Coming: Google Is Being Sued Over Location Tracking in Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News

I would like to say that this comes as a surprise... but I would be lying. Two Michigan women have filed a class-action lawsuit against Google for location tracking features used in Android's GPS, stating that it puts "users at serious risk of privacy invasions, including stalking." Their request? That Google stops selling phones that can track users location. Puh-lease.

This $50 million class action lawsuit comes after Google acknowledged that Android phones temporarily store some location based data directly on the phone after using GPS. Google stands firm that this information is not traceable back to the originating device, nor a specific individual.

Apr

Google I/O 2011 Schedule For 20+ Android Sessions Now Available

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, News

Google I/O 2011 is almost here - can you feel it in the air? Personally, I'm counting down days to May 10th when I'll be waking up extra early to gallop over to the Moscone Center in San Francisco and try to attend at least some of the 22 planned Android sessions, including fireside chats and office hours with the Android team.

The [almost - there's 1 TBA] final schedule for these sessions is now up at the I/O site, so if you're one of the lucky attendees, have a look below or hop on over to this document to see the whole timetable in its full glory.

Apr

[Hands-On Video] DROID Charge: First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

While Verizon has temporarily pushed back the release date of the DROID Charge after a 24-hour 4G LTE network outage yesterday, I did manage to get my hands on a review unit this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how sleek and futuristic this phone looks - it is just plain cool, in a way that no HTC or Motorola device even comes close to. The boot animation is probably the best on any DROID to date. It's shaped like it was designed to thwart radar detection - and it's pretty light to boot, a perception that is reinforced by the Charge's faux-carbon fiber battery cover.

Apr

Adobe Releases Major Update To Flash 10.2, Including Enhancements For Honeycomb

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Acer, Applications, ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Iconia Tab A500, LG, Motorola, News, Optimus Pad / G-Slate, XOOM

The latest update to Flash 10.2 for Android (version number 10.2.157.51) hit the Market earlier today and introduced several enhancements, most notably hardware acceleration for 720p videos (mentioned here earlier), albeit only on Honeycomb tablets.

Browser integration in Honeycomb has also been improved, and "important bug fixes and security enhancements," including a fix to the "critical" vulnerability discovered a few weeks ago, have been made across the board - not just in Honeycomb.

The only problem - both of the Honeycomb enhancements above require a yet-to-be-released system update, which could potentially bear version number 3.1, at least according to the app's initial changelog.

Apr

[Like A Boss] Acer Iconia Tab A500 Rooted, Process Is Stupid Easy

Posted by Brad Ganley in Acer, Applications, Development, Iconia Tab A500, News

Good news, everyone! The Acer Iconia has been rooted and the process is so ridiculously simple that it's almost offensive. Seriously. Here is the entire step-by-step process to gaining full root on the Acer Iconia:

The link in that post goes to the XDA thread for a modified GingerBreak, an application for rooting devices in one click; no computer necessary. You simply download the modified APK, install it on your Iconia, run it, and become rooted.

I must say, I'm impressed at how simple and fast that was for a device that just came out, let alone the fact that it's got an operating system only a small handful of devices are running.

Apr

HTC ThunderBolt vs. Samsung DROID Charge: Battle Of The Specs

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), HTC, News, Samsung, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Verizon's pair of LTE handsets are sure to confuse some shoppers - though one is from Samsung (the DROID Charge) and the other from HTC (the ThunderBolt), the two sport relatively similar feature sets and designs that somewhat resemble one another. So what's the difference? Well, aside from the Charge being $50 more expensive than the already-pricy ThunderBolt, there really aren't many differentiators - let's take a side-by-side look at their spec sheets:

Spec type	DROID Charge	ThunderBolt
CPU	1GHz Hummingbird	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
Display	4.3" Super AMOLED Plus	4.3" SLCD
OS	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz UI	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Sense UI
Front camera	1.3MP	1.3MP
Rear camera	8MP with 720P HD recording	8MP with 720p HD recording
RAM	512MB	768MB
Internal storage	2GB	8GB (though not all of that storage is usable)
Included SD card	32GB	32GB
DLNA support	Yes	Yes
Buttons	Physical	Capacitive
Size	130 mm x 68 mm x 12 mm	122 mm x 66 mm x 13.2 mm
Weight	143g	177g
Battery capacity	1600 mAh	1400 mAh
Price on contract	$299	$249

As you can see, neither device is anything to scoff at, though - at least in my eyes - the fact that the ThunderBolt runs Sense UI turns the tide in its favor (despite the Charge's superior screen and slightly thinner profile).