News - 753/978 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

[Updated] Motorola XOOM Update Adds Google Talk Bluetooth Support And More

Posted by David Ruddock in Motorola, News, XOOM

According to a tipster at Droid-life, the Motorola XOOM will be receiving a (relatively minor) system update tomorrow, and no - it doesn't include SD card support (exactly why, we can't even begin to guess). Here's the list of changes and additions:

Access and stay connected to Wi-Fi networks with added Proxy support

SSL data transfer with websites is now supported

WPA Pre-Shared Key pass-phrases are now supported when using the device as a Mobile Hotspot

POP 3 HTML emails will display in their entirety

Bluetooth is now supported in Google Talk

Application storage errors will not appear unless the device has reached maximum storage capacity

Safely dock the Motorola XOOM into the docking adapter without interruption

Ability to add and use a Bluetooth mouse

View and import pictures from digital cameras with Picture Transfer Protocol

When using the device in accessibility mode, menus will no longer prompt with sounds

Generally, this update seems to fix a lot of bugs and add support for some more technical items - nothing to get too worked up about.

Apr

Want HSUPA On Your Motorola ATRIX Right Now? Fret Not - XDA Has You Covered

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Development, News

Each Motorola ATRIX owner has seen their fair share of ups and downs, the biggest down of all perhaps being the lack of up(load speeds), as the ATRIX 4G doesn't have HSUPA support out of the box. AT&T has promised a fix for this and we've even seen phantom updates arise to fix the issue. As always, though, when carriers and manufacturers fail us, who do we look to? XDA, of course! This occasion is no different, and user dew.man has come through.

This fix is for rooted devices only.

If you're not familiar with flashing and RSD Lite, then you may not want to try this.

Apr

Official Google Docs App For Android Is Out - It's About Time

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Last Updated: October 7th, 2012

If there is one single Google service that I've wanted on my phone since the day I got it, it's Google Docs. That wait is finally over, because Google has released an official Docs app for Android - and it's nothing short of awesome.

This app not only allows you to view and edit all of your Docs, but also brings a few other killer features. Firstly, it offers a widget that allows you to quickly create a new document, take a picture and upload it, or directly access your starred documents.

The most impressive feature, however, is the ability to snap a picture of a document and turn it into a fully editable Google doc.

Apr

Another Day, Another Source Code Delivered: Samsung Releases The Source For The Galaxy Prevail

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, Galaxy Prevail, News

Last Updated: November 23rd, 2011

Earlier this month Boost Mobile announced the Samsung Galaxy Prevail, the first decent Android handset to land on the Sprint prepaid subsidiary. It's slated to be released just two days from now, and keeping up with its seemingly new demeanor, Samsung has already released the Froyo kernel source code over at the Open Source Developers Center.

While its tiny 3.2 inch screen and crummy 2MP camera certainly don't make this phone anything to write home about, I think it's nice that Sammy is paying attention to the little guys and big guys alike.

You can grab the source download by going here.

Apr

Acer Iconia Smart Hits The FCC: 4.8 Inches Of Tabletphone Glory

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Acer, AT&T, News

The Acer Iconia Smart, which was originally unveiled in November of last year and slated for release in April of 2011, has officially hit the FCC. This revealed 850, 1900, and 2100MHz 3G frequencies, which basically means that this tablet-phone hybrid device is almost certainly going to land on AT&T.

If you haven't heard about the Iconia Smart, you're not alone - but this is definitely one device to keep your eye on. Check out the specs:

4.8 Inch 1024x480 display
1GHz Snapdragon processor
512MB RAM
8MP rear camera with 720p video capture, 2MP front camera
Android 2.3

Naturally, we're all going to question why Acer has decided to put a single core processor in such a beastly phone, but we're crossing our fingers in hopes that we'll see an update before the final release of this device.

Apr

Twitter For Android Updated, Adds Features That Other Clients Already Have

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

If you use the official Twitter for Android app, then you'll be happy to know that it was updated today. This update brings some pretty decent features, some features that most other clients already have, and others that are nothing to write home about, but are probably welcome anyway. I'll do this the easy way and just give you the list first.

What's in this version:

Displays search results in a tabbed view

Add and remove saved searches from universal search suggestions

SSL used for network requests

Font size setting

Tapping on a map in detail view searches nearby Tweets

Launch links directly from a message

Ability to delete messages

Added Tweet count to user profile

Improved avatar loading

Improved the way data is cleared to conserve more space

Fixed a bug where music skips when refreshing, etc.

Apr

Motorola Says 2011 Devices To Have "Unlockable/Relockable Bootloader"

Posted by Zak Stinson in Development, Motorola, News, Rumors

Last Updated: April 27th, 2011

Motorola has had a dark past when it comes to bootloaders. Apart from a couple exceptions (most notably, the XOOM), all of the major Motorola devices have had locked bootloaders, and thus, Android customization enthusiasts have been shut out from such tweaks as custom kernels.

Recently, there has been quite an outcry directed at Motorola and their bootloader policy, in the form of petitions and hijacked polls, and it looks like they have heard users' requests. In response to questions from Irwin Proud, the man behind the petition, Motorola has indicated that they plan on changing their tune.

“In terms of your question – we completely understand the operator requirement for security to the end user, and as well, want to support the developer communities desire to use these products as a development platform. It is our intention to enable the unlockable/relockable bootloader currently found on Motorola XOOM across our portfolio of devices starting in late 2011, where carriers and operators will allow it.”

*Hold for applause* Yes, it looks like the company notorious for their developer-unfriendly attitude has heard the requests of the Android community and is ready to embrace handset freedom.

Apr

[Free Stuff Alert] Amazon Is Giving Away 8 Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi Tablets

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Motorola, News, XOOM

If you head over to Amazon's Facebook page right now and press "Like," you'll find the first product in Amazon's ongoing A-Z Sweepstakes, a Motorola XOOM, is up for grabs. Eight of them - to be precise. All you have to do is give Amazon your name, email address, and phone number to enter. This is a US residents-only contest, though (unlike our super-awesome Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi Giveaway.)

Amazon

Apr

HTC Sensation To Ship With 'HTC Trace' - A Swype Style Keyboard

Posted by Zak Stinson in EVO 3D (Shooter), HTC, News, Sensation / Sensation 4G (Pyramid)

We Android fans love our input methods. Luckily there is no shortage of options, with keyboards ranging from the standard Gingerbread keyboard all the way to wacky ones such as 8Pen. Despite all the competition, and the fact that it isn't even available on the Android Market, Swype is one of the most popular custom keyboards around. It makes the tedious act of touchscreen typing that much smoother by letting users glide their thumb from letter to letter rather than tapping.

There are a number of imitators on the market today that try to implement this swiping method of text input, and HTC Sense 3.0 is said to be bringing another into the mix.