News - 762/945 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Does HTC Lack Confidence In The Flyer? Only 1 Million Reported To Ship By August

Posted by Will Shanklin in Flyer, News, Rumors

In what could be construed as a white flag being waved before even marching into battle, a new report is saying that HTC will only ship one million of their upcoming Flyer tablets between its launch (which is still unknown) and August. The news comes from a Chinese language newspaper, which also reported that the new slate would set buyers back $600.

The 7" tablet, which will march to the beat of its own drum (with a stylus and Android 2.3 with Sense overlay), has been met with largely ho-hum anticipation compared to larger, Honeycomb-running tabs like the XOOM, G-Slate, and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Mar

Latest Thunderbolt "Release Date" Shot Down

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

You can chalk up another false rumor on the list of "impending releases" for the HTC Thunderbolt. The latest speculation to be debunked is that the March 10 date that had been teased is a no-go, according to a leaked Verizon chart picked up by Droid Life. The internal memo shows the much-delayed Verizon phone falling sometime after the iPad 2 launch (which is March 11).

This news makes sense, as, despite the anticipation for the first 4G phone on Verizon's LTE network, the iPad 2 launch would likely take priority with Big Red. The chart below, highlighting the launch of Apple's latest tablet, clearly shows the order of launches Verizon has planned:

To add another rumor to the list, our sources are telling us the end of March will be the real release date (possibly landing on the 24th).

Mar

New Google Navigation For Android Utilizes Traffic For Routing

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, News

A feature that has been long-awaited by some Android users has now been added to one of the most practical (and free) apps out there. Google has just announced on their mobile blog that their Android Navigation feature (part of the Google Maps app) is now incorporating current traffic information into the routing that it predicts for you.

A "fastest route" that only lands you in a traffic jam doesn't do you much good and this update attempts to remedy that with more of what Google likes the most: data. This from Google's mobile blog regarding the update:

"Before today, Navigation would choose whichever route was fastest, without taking current traffic conditions into account.

Mar

Wi-Fi-Only Motorola XOOM May Be Hitting Staples Stores On April 3 [Update: Employee Training March 23]

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, XOOM

The latest in a string of rumors about the upcoming Wi-Fi-only version of the Motorola XOOM comes from the team at Droid Life, who say that the carrier-free model may be hitting Staples stores on or around April 3. The same folks are also now reporting another leak from Staples which shows that employees will get the slate in their hands to begin training on March 23.

This dates come from a tip offered up by a Staples insider. Take it as you wish, but this would be consistent with recent postings from UK site PC World, citing early April as the availability date for the UK market.

Mar

You Voted, We Tallied: Your Top 10 Favorite Android Apps

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Applications, Apps/Games, News

In last weekend's (non-)poll, I asked for your three favorite Android apps. You did your part, and nearly 100 people took the opportunity to vote. Now it's my turn, so I've compiled the results and I'll list them below along with details and a brief description of each app.

The Results

1. Launcher Pro (+ Plus) - 20 Votes

Given just how not-so-attractive Android 2.2 and below is, it's not really surprising that a launcher should take the top spot. What is a bit more surprising - at least to me - is that it really dominated ADW (which came in second, below) with more than twice as many votes.

Mar

Vendetta Online Helps To Usher In A New Wave Of Tegra 2 Gaming

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Games, News

If you have a snazzy new Motorola XOOM (or another Tegra 2 powered tablet) and are just itching for some fun apps to show what your baby can do, you just may have a new game to try in Vendetta Online. Vendetta is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) which will only run on Tegra-powered tablets 7" or larger.

Just released into the Android Market, Vendetta sports some impressive 3D graphics that will likely remind many players just how far Android gaming has come since the initial wave of casual titles like Doodle Jump and various Bejeweled clones. Spaceships and asteroids zoom by with impressive 3D textures that, not long ago, were only to be seen on consoles and desktops.

Mar

Samsung Announces The 2.8" Galaxy Pro With A Candybar QWERTY Keyboard

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Froyo 2.2, Galaxy Pro, News, Samsung

Today at the SEA Forum in Singapore, Samsung launched the Galaxy Pro Android 2.2 smartphone featuring a QWERTY keyboard.

Shortly thereafter, UK mobile operator Three confirmed in the video below that the device will be carried by their network.

The video also revealed that the phone will have a modest 800 MHz processor, a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 3MP rear camera, and Wi-Fi. The phone will also come with Samsung's proprietary Social Hub software, allowing you to connect to your email, IM, and social networks through one interface. So, if you are like Brendan and always like to be connected, "this is the perfect phone for you".

Mar

[Rumor] EVO 3D, EVO View Tablet, And Nexus S 4G To Be Revealed By Sprint At CTIA?

Posted by Zak Stinson in Flyer, HTC, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Rumors, Samsung, Sprint

Earlier this week, Sprint sent out an invitation to a special release event at the CTIA WIRELESS 2011 conference later this month. After a less than amazing showing at CES, and the "innovative" move they made with the Echo, Sprint is due for a highly anticipated device to come to their users. Thanks to an anonymous tip received by Engadget (though in no way confirmed or proved credible), you may now start anticipating.

Nexus S 4G

Last year, after flirting with the idea of carrying the first "Google phone", Sprint dumped the Nexus One and went with the EVO 4G.

Mar

[Update: Root No Longer Required] XDA Team Enables Webtop Over HDMI For Everyone With A Rooted Atrix

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Development, News, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: March 13th, 2011

At the leading edge of this new wave of dual-core superphones is the Motorola Atrix. One of the major innovations of this device, besides the next-level processing power and fingerprint scanner, is Webtop - the desktop-style interface available when the Atrix is docked. By plugging into the HD multimedia or laptop dock (sold separately of course), you can interact with the phone on a larger display while using an internet browser, file explorer and Facebook in a pseudo-desktop environment.

While the feature is pretty nifty, the price tag isn't. The cost of the docks may have come down since the release of the Atrix, but $400 for the laptop version is still prohibitively expensive for some.

Mar

[Updated] Google Acknowledges DroidDream: Remotely Wiping Apps, Removing Exploit, Making Changes To Prevent It From Happening Again

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Google continues to be admirably quick to react to DroidDream, the nasty Android Trojan we helped uncover on Tuesday. After removing the offending apps from the Market in just a few minutes of finding out about them, a new post on the Google Mobile Blog reveals that they're now ready to take further steps.

Update: The tool Google is using to bulldoze DroidDream malware off your phone has surfaced in the Android Market: Android Market Security Tool. From the app's description:

"There is no need to download and install this application on your own.

This is an Android Market security update that undoes exploits caused by the malicious applications that were removed from Android Market on 03/01/2011.