OffTopic - 9/13 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Call To Developers: Cloud Data Backup Capabilities Have Existed In Android Since Froyo, So Why Is No One Using Them?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Apps/Games, Development, News, Off-Topic

While we love apps like Titanium Backup that make restoring your data relatively easy when you upgrade phones, buy a tablet, or switch to a new ROM, what if they weren't even necessary? What if all of your apps' data could be stored in the cloud? This would not only make backing up and restoring easier, but it would save you a big chunk of SD card storage, right? It turns out that these capabilities have been present in the Android OS since the arrival of Froyo last year. So why aren't developers using them?

Check this out from the Android Developers' Guide:

Android's backup service allows you to copy your persistent application data to remote "cloud" storage, in order to provide a restore point for the application data and settings.

Mar

[Poll] Now That The Thunderbolt Is Nearly Here, Will You Be Buying It?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Off-Topic, Polls, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

Now that there is finally a firm release date for the HTC Thunderbolt (Thursday, March 17, in case you have been in a cave), we thought it would be fun to take a little poll to see just how many of you are willing to forgive the frustration you were put through by all of the delays, or if you have already moved on?

Let us know below where you stand on the HTC Thunderbolt. Be sure to check back throughout the day to see the results.

Mar

Samsung Galaxy Line Of Devices Loaded With Goofy Silicon Art

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab, Off-Topic, Samsung

Off topic? Sure. Amusing? Quite. ChipWorks has cracked open a Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Captivate (a Galaxy S device) to take a look at the chips inside, and found a surprising number of visual goodies packed within. Using some scanning electronic microscopy, they saw a message that reads "If you can read this, you are much too close." Much too close, indeed: the letter "o" in the message is less than 1/10th the thickness of a human hair.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. They also found four other images in the chips, including "a fairly simple smiley face...

Mar

Presenting: The Official Android Police Video Intro [3D Animation]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Android OS, News, Off-Topic, Videos

For the past few weeks, a very talented Android Police fan Mike Smith has been working on something special for us - our very own video intro that we can use as a pre-roll in the YouTube channel going forward. Today, I'm proud to show all of you the final product.

Here goes - the world premiere of the official Android Police video intro (toggle it to 720p to experience the best quality):

So, what do you think? Let Mike and us know in the comments.

P.S. You may remember Mike from this gem he created to show his loyalty to Android:

Mar

Has Your Android Market Been Automatically Updated To Allow The Featured Area To Scroll Up? [POLL]

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, Off-Topic, Polls

Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

Some of us noticed today that our Android Market received an OTA update to v2.3.4 sometime last night. Before, when on the main page of the Market, the big 'Featured' section at the top would stay put. Now, we scroll down and - poof! - it vanishes (though, only on the main page and not on Apps/Games/etc pages for some reason).

This got us wondering how many of you have found the new Market change in place. We asked around a little and found we weren't the only ones. In fact, some of you had received it a long time ago.

Mar

The Android-Controlled Shirt: Yes, I'm Serious - Complete With Flaming Skulls

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Off-Topic

Can you tell news is a little slow in the world of Android this morning? Either way, this is absolutely, 100%, ridiculously awesome (not that I would ever, ever wear it):

The shirt works via Bluetooth connection with an Android device and a custom app that utilizes the accelerometer in your phone to light the skull eyes up based on your movement from side to side. I think, had he worn it, this could have made up for Nicolas Cage's performance in Ghost Rider. Oh well - too little, too late.

@wubbahed

Mar

The Four-Gees Comparison: Which Carrier Should You Be Looking To For Your 4G Android Phone?

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Carriers, Editorials, Off-Topic, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: March 30th, 2011

4G is here - and it seems like all four of America's biggest carriers are more than happy to advertise the fact that they've got it. Sprint was first on the scene - offering their WiMax 4G, and T-Mobile shortly thereafter began its upgrade to HSPA+ technology. Verizon was next, providing mobile broadband LTE via USB dongle for laptops, though its much-awaited debut 4G handset, the Thunderbolt, has yet to hit shelves after numerous delays. Finally, lagging behind in truly characteristic fashion, AT&T has begun to roll out its own HSPA+ network, with plans to offer LTE in the second half of the year.

Mar

Apple Haters Take Note: Conan O'Brien Just Eviscerated The iPad 2

Posted by Will Shanklin in Off-Topic

Okay, so maybe this doesn't directly relate to Android, but man, do we think some Android fans are going to like this one. With all respect to Apple, most of us are familiar with their promotional videos which can be a little, let's say, "predictable" at times. Beloved late night host Conan O'Brien created this mock iPad 2 video that... well, let's just let the clip speak for itself:

Source: Team Coco

Mar

Only 0.3% Of The Global Population Owns A Tablet - But There Are Over 5 Billion Mobile Subscribers

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, News, Off-Topic

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky has run the numbers on tablets and lined them up for comparison against a bevy of other figures. Surprisingly, there are 5.113 billion mobile subscribers in the world (out of 6.898bn global population), but only 394 million smartphone and tablet users.

Abramsky's calculations show that there will be more than 400m tablet users by 2014. Equally as impressive is that he thinks 185m tablets will be sold in 2014 - or 47% of the number of smartphones and tablet owners today.

It's a bit surprising that the number of smartphone and tablet users is so low, but then again, that just speaks to the massive upside potential of the market.

Feb

Honeycomb Statue Arrives At Google's Headquarters

Posted by Will Shanklin in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, Off-Topic

Who needs to visit Disneyland to feel like a kid again? Google's collection of dessert statues that correspond to their Android releases has a new addition today, in the Honeycomb statue.

Last week, we were wondering when we could expect a shrine in the Googleplex, and had the following exchange with the search giant: