OffTopic - 2/13 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

TeeFury Offering Up 'The Android Attack' Shirt For $10 Today Only – See (And Wear) Bugdroid As A Vintage Sci-Fi Monster

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News, Off-Topic

We've covered TeeFury's awesome Android offerings in the past, and today the online purveyor of t-shirts is back with a design inspired by vintage science fiction – The Android Attack by Adams Pinto. The shirt features our favorite green robot as a giant robot monster leaving the wreckage of a city in his wake and, for good measure, stomping on a defenseless piece of fruit I think we'll all recognize.

The shirt is just $10 right now, but that deal won't last forever – if you want to grab this tee, hit the link and place your order by the end of the day.

Sep

This May Just Be The Best Email To Ever Hit Our Inbox

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Off-Topic

Earlier today, we received an email with the title "iPhone 5 PR Stunt Ends in Disaster Leaving 21 Homeless." You won't see any spoilers from me - just read:

iPhone 5 PR Stunt Ends in Disaster Leaving 21 Homeless

September 26th, 2012, San Francisco, in a series of "stunts" to gain public attention for a new Apple iPhone 5 and iPad game launch, a startup went overboard causing massive property damage.

At 7:00 am, a crew drove 3 cranes, equipped with 1.5 ton wrecking balls, to a mid-city housing complex. The wrecking balls were painted to look like roundish flying Yumbies, adorable characters who smash through buildings and other structures in the game.

Sep

Nissan And Infiniti Are Going To Start Processing Car Lease Returns With An App

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Applications, News, Off-Topic

Have you ever found yourself annoyed that returning a leased vehicle to the dealer takes too long and requires too much paper? Well, if you're a car dealership, you actually might find this to be a real hassle. And it's a problem Nissan has decided to tackle in the US. Starting this month, Nissan and Infiniti dealers will use an app (for iOS or Android) to return a customer's leased vehicle to the dealership.

It works pretty simply - the camera takes a picture of the VIN barcode (vehicle identification number), and then sends that to Nissan's backend database to retrieve the lease information.

Jun

Alpha Colony: A Tribute To M.U.L.E. Is A Great Example Of Increasing Kickstarter Abuse - And The Blurry Line It Sits Upon

Posted by David Ruddock in Apps/Games, Editorials, Games, Off-Topic

Last Updated: June 21st, 2012

Update: I've refined a few of my points in this article to focus less on the whole "how much it costs to make a video game" angle, because I'm not exactly an expert on project funding. I think the point I'm trying to illustrate about Kickstarter as a whole is now clearer, and articulated in a more generally-applicable manner.

Note: This piece is of tangential relation to Android (and it grew more tangential as I wrote it), but the game in question is a joint Kickstarter venture promising an Android game, M.U.L.E. Returns, as well as a multi-platform title, Alpha Colony: A Tribute To M.U.L.E.

Jun

PSA: Sprint Users Now Able To Avoid $15 Fee, Switch Phone Number Using Online Interface For Free

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Off-Topic, Sprint

Sprint customers now have one more self-service option when managing their account online. A couple of days earlier than its official launch, the carrier has begun allowing users to change their phone number online, thereby avoiding the $15 fee charged when switching numbers via phone or in-store.

Inside Sprint Now indicates that while this feature is being labeled a "benefit," it may actually be a cost-cutting maneuver, executed in an attempt to reduce the number of calls to customer care, thereby saving some money.

While this may be a simple cost-cutting move on Sprint's part, it's always great to see enhanced account control becoming available to consumers.If you are looking to change your number easily (and more importantly without charge), just log in to your Sprint account online and head over to the (now live) "change phone number" page here.

Jun

[Update: Another Test, Same Fate] Drop Test Video Shows Exactly Why You Should Never Drop The Galaxy SIII

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy S III, Off-Topic, Videos

While your average "drop test" video isn't necessarily a source for scientific durability analysis, they can be entertaining to watch. Somehow, seeing expensive devices mercilessly dropped onto unforgiving concrete or pavement feels slightly gratifying, while the process simultaneously educates viewers on the dangers of careless phone handling.

Today, Android Authority uploaded a drop test video which saw Samsung's Galaxy SIII (by all accounts the phone of the moment) and Apple's iPhone 4S faced off against an expanse of hard concrete. Both phones were dropped on their face, back, and side, of course in an attempt to gather more experimental data.

It goes without saying that neither device fared particularly well.

May

Whatever You Do, Don't Use Your HTC One X As A Hammer Like This Guy Did

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Off-Topic

Your smartphone can be a lot of things. One thing it should not ever be is a hammer. The guy in the video below disagrees with my opinion that the HTC One X is not, in fact, a hammer. As you can see, he has a serious nail problem and, as the saying goes, "When all you have is a nail, all your HTC One Xes look like hammers." Or something like that.

The phone appears to be unharmed, despite being smashed in the face with a nail by a very sadistic ~~Russian~~ Chinese man 151 times. Yes, I counted. Each blow hurt my soul.

May

Thanks To CableWiFi, Over 50,000 Free Wireless Hotspots Will Be Available Across The US

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Off-Topic

Surfing the web while on the move has become a reality thanks to mobile internet over 3G or LTE. However despite yearly advancements in its technology, the reliability of mobile networks remains lackluster.

A solution to ubiquitous connectivity has come in the form of blanketing various cities with wireless hotspots. For example, in Singapore the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) have initiated the Wireless@SG program which aims to provide wireless hotspots all across the island.

In a similar vein, a group of US cable companies have come together to provide their customers with access to each others wireless hotspots. Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable have over 50,000 hotspots in various locations around the US, and soon these will all be accessible to customers of any of those five companies using the "CableWiFi" network name.

Apr

Your Eyes Aren't Lying - We Moved Our Comments To Disqus. Here's Why (Bonus: Preview Of Next Generation Disqus 2012)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Off-Topic

If you haven't noticed yet, AP comments are now powered by Disqus. It took a really long time to squash all integration bugs and accept some downsides of moving to a non-native comment system, but when two complicated systems and over a hundred thousand comments are involved, migration gets a little tricky (to say the least).

After studying the code of the Disqus plugin to the point that I am now familiar with it more intimately than I ever cared to be, over 200 emails with the Disqus team, reporting multiple bugs and submitting code patches, many sleepless nights, ripped our hairs, and cursing, I was finally satisfied enough to pull the trigger last Saturday night.

Apr

[Updated] Pssst, Sprint, That's Not A Nexus S 4G You Have On Your Front Page [Fail]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Off-Topic, Sprint

Everyone screws up at some point in life, but when a company as big as Sprint puts up a front-page banner showing a completely different, highly anticipated phone in place of one that's over a year old, we're going to have no choice but bring it up. And maybe even point the finger. Like so:

I'm sure we all wish the Nexus S 4G looked like that, but that is most definitely not it. I know, you're excited to get the word about the Galaxy Nexus out there (we are too, even though it's almost half a year late), but this is certainly not the way to do it.