News - 8/945 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

Google Play Games Feature Badges For Multiplayer, Achievements, And Leaderboards Rolling Out In The Play Store

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

It's been barely 48 hours since Google's brand new Play Games management system went online, and already dozens of high-profile games have been updated to include its features. But how do you tell which titles use Play Games and which don't when browsing the Play Store (without, you know, actually reading the descriptions)? The big G has you covered. Badges for the various features of Google Play Games are now automatically appearing in the relevant Play Store pages.

App tearer-downer extraordinaire Ron Amadeo spotted this feature in his leak teardown, though the lower right corner badge doesn't seem to be implemented yet.

May

Sony Posts Android Open Source Project Code For The Xperia Tablet Z To GitHub

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Android OS, News, Sony, Xperia Tablet Z

There's a lot to like about Sony's latest generation of Android devices. One od the things that most people don't like is the custom interface that Sony puts on pretty much everything. If you want to do away with it and get some sweet, clean Android Open Source Project code running on your shiny new Xperia Tablet Z, Sony is happy to oblige. They've posted an AOSP 4.2 build for the Tablet Z to GitHub, following their surprisingly open approach to other devices, most recently the Xperia Z flagship.

Sorry ROM aficionados, there's no flashable ROM package posted. Developers will need both the AOSP code and the binaries for their specific device (which you can find here) to build a working ROM, and end users need an unlocked bootloader, with the voided warranty that comes with it.

May

[Updated] NVIDIA SHIELD Finally Gets Real: $350, Late June Launch, Pre-Orders Open Today For Some, May 20th For Others

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Project Shield

The time has come, ladies and gents – NVIDIA's Project SHIELD (henceforth known only as SHIELD) is ready for pre-order for users who previously signed up to receive SHIELD updates via email. Everyone else will have to wait until May 20th to secure their own directly from NVIDIA or from NewEgg, Gamestop, Micro Center, or Canada Computers, which teaches us one thing: always sign up to be notified of device updates. The actual units should be shipping some time around late June, and the launch will be limited to North America.

Update: Turns out the response for SHIELD has been greater than originally anticipated, so NVIDIA and its partners have moved the pre-order date from May 20th, to today.

May

[Bonus Round] Dig, Turbo Racing League, Can Knockdown 3, Finding Teddy, Spin Master Bowling, And You Don't Know Jack

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News, Roundups

Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a new game from Crescent Moon, a tie-in for Dreamworks' upcoming animated movie, a sequel to one of the Play Store's most popular casual games, some bowling and quiz titles, and one of those beguiling indie-retro affairs that keeps popping up.

May

[Google I/O] 53-Minute Android Developer Tools Session Video Shows Everything You Want To Know About Android Studio IDE

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Android OS, Development, News

Yesterday Google launched an early access preview of Android Studio, an integrated development environment (IDE) for Android based on IntelliJ IDEA. This one-stop shop for coding, compiling, and testing includes all the standard Android SDK tools, plus build support, quick fixes, tools to catch major coding flaws, and a preview window. The Android Developer Tools session at Google I/O went into massive detail on the new project. The 53-minute session is embedded below, in case you couldn't make it.

One of the cooler features of Android Studio is the multitalented preview window, which shows your code running on mock-ups of most of the standard Nexus devices in a real-time layout.

May

[New Old Game] The Original Sonic The Hedgehog Rolls Into The Play Store For $2.99

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in Games, News

At GDC earlier this year, we learned that Sega ported the original Sonic the Hedgehog to Android, giving a new generation of gamers a chance to experience the game that kicked off one of the industry's largest franchises. The port, which finally showed up in the Play Store earlier today (several weeks late), comes with widescreen support and features exclusive to mobile versions, such as the ability to play as Tails and Knuckles. Both characters retain their abilities to fly, glide, and climb up walls.

Sonic the Hedgehog has been ported over a dozen times, with at least six of those ports being to other Sega consoles.

May

Elusive White Nexus 4 Spotted By AndroidAndMe, Said To Launch June 10th With Android 4.3

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in LG, News, Nexus 4

The white LG Nexus 4 has popped up a few times thus far, but now it has found its way into the hands of AndroidAndMe. The new image looks legit to us, so it appears this device is finally going to be a reality. What's potentially much more interesting is the assertion that Android 4.3 is going to be announced along with the new color option on June 10th.

The white N4 reportedly has the same vibe as past white Nexus devices with a white back and black screen surround on the front. Although only the back is visible in the pic on AndroidAndMe.

May

Google Glass Getting Social Media, News, and Productivity Apps, Becoming More Useful Every Day

Posted by Kyle Wiggers in Apps/Games, Glass, News

Ah, Google Glass. Though the venerable headset has a lot of potential, it has yet to become something people want to use all the time. If you're a social media addict, a news junkie, or a productivity pro, though, Google's heads-up computer just got a lot more compelling. Today at I/O, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, CNN, Elle, and Evernote pledged to support Glass by releasing official applications - "glassware," as Google calls them. Facebook's app is available now.

The social media apps do what you'd expect: post pictures and text. Facebook's app allows users to upload photos to their timelines and add descriptions with voice.

May

Archos Reveals The $200 80 Xenon Tablet: Android 4.1, 8-inch 4:3 Screen, And (Surprise!) A 3G Radio [Update]

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in ARCHOS, News

Archos has been cultivating a reputation for cheap, mostly reliable tablets since long before Android slates were mainstream. Their latest creation isn't all that remarkable: the 80 Xenon is squarely aimed at the iPad Mini, with an 8-inch, 1024x768 IPS screen, a Qualcom 1.2ghz quad-core (Snapdragon S4?) processor, 1GB of RAM, and a price tag of $199.99. Oh, and it comes with unlocked 3G wireless broadband. Wait, what?

Yes indeed, the 80 Xenon is specifically designed and marketed with mobile wireless in mind. According to the Archos PR, the tablet will work with "any operator", ~~which we assume means pentaband GSM~~.

May

[New Game] Kingdom Rush Brings Its War To Defend The Kingdom To Android

Posted by Bertel King, Jr. in Games, News

Kingdom Rush has amassed quite the following since it first appeared as a flash game in 2011 and an iPad port half a year later. Critics called it one of the best and most engaging games of its genre. Today, Ironhide Game Studio launched an Android version into the Play Store that has already been met with praise from users.

Kingdom Rush is a tower defense game based in a fantasy setting soaked in bright colors and vivid sprites. The usual fantasy environments all make an appearance here, including green forests, snow-covered mountains, and barren wastelands. Players command troops, wield magic, and - wait for it - build towers in their quest to save the kingdom from orcs, trolls, evil wizards, and other standard forces for darkness.