Reviews - 65/69 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

[App Of The Week] ExtendedControls, A Power Control Widget On Steroids + Giveaway For 50 Licenses!

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Reviews, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

ExtendedControls - Power Control On Steroids

Do you like Android’s native Power Control widget? Are you unable to go through the day without using it more times than you can count? Do you wish it had a few more buttons (for things like Airplane Mode, or a flashlight) and that they could all fit in one row? Then you’ll probably be very interested in ExtendedControls—an app which takes the wonderful idea that is the Power Control widget, and turns it into a supercharged multi-tool.

Jul

Review: Samsung Intercept (Sprint) – Android Hits The Mainstream

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Intercept, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sprint

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

A few weeks ago, Samsung was kind enough to send us an Intercept for review. While it may not be of Galaxy S caliber, it’s not intended to be. Rather, it’s more so aimed at the feature phone crowd – those who want something more powerful than a feature phone, but maybe not all the bells and whistles of a high-end smartphone. We spoke (unofficially) with Samsung about what other phones they think people will cross-shop the Intercept to, and they agreed its target is something like the enV Touch.

There are two compelling things about this phone. First, the hardware for mid-level phones has improved tremendously.

Jul

Review: XDAndroid Allows You To Run Android Froyo On Your WinMo HTC Phone

Posted by Rick Morayniss in App Reviews, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Still holding onto that HTC Windows Mobile phone? Love the hardware, but hate the OS? Well, you’re in luck, because the enterprising hackers over at XDAndroid.com have developed a version of Android 2.2 (Froyo) that you run from your SD card.

Currently, this version runs on the following HTC phones:

Raphael (Touch Pro)
Fuze
Diamond
Blackstone
Topaz
Rhodium.

Getting Started With XDAndroid

To run XDANDROID, simply download the appropriate version of Android 2.2 (Froyo) for your phone to your computer, extract the files, and copy them to your phone’s sd card.

Begin by starting Haret.exe from your file manager. Your phone will do a soft reset, and boot the XDANDROID operating system.

Jul

[Giveaway] 20x WaveSecure Licenses ($20 Each) + Our In-Depth Review. Back Up, Remotely Lock, Wipe, And Track Your Android Phone

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Contests / Giveaways, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

This contest is now over. We have selected the winners - see if you are one of them towards the bottom of the page.

What is WaveSecure?

Have you ever wondered what you would do if your precious Android was lost, or even worse, stolen? Here is where WaveSecure steps in and provides you with more tools than are probably necessary in either scenario. WaveSecure allows you to:

Remotely lock your device to prevent its use
Remotely track your phone’s location via WiFi location, GPS, or cell towers
Remotely wipe your phone’s call log, sms/mms messages, contacts, and SD card
Remotely view call/sms activity on your phone via automatic backup system
Backup your SMS/MMS messages, contacts, and call logs to your WaveSecure account

How Do I Get It?

Jul

[App Of The Week] Craigsnotifica by Widget, A Powerful And Customizable Tool For Navigating Craigslist

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

We here at Android Police know how important apps are as a part of the overall Android experience. We also know how notoriously difficult the Android Market is to navigate. With these two things in mind, we decided to introduce the Android Police App Of The Week.

Every week, we'll take one app that we think is a cut above the rest, and give you an in-depth look at what we think makes it exemplary.

Like the idea of Craigslist? Don’t like actually using the website (especially on your phone)? Or like the idea of having a more powerful Craigslist with features such as notifications, favorites, and saved lists of searches?

Jul

[Hands-On] RockPlayer Media Player Goes Official, Now Offers Playback Support For Nearly All Android Devices, Plays DIVX, XVID, H264, And Other Formats

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

What is RockPlayer?

The first multi-device, multi-format video and audio player for Android, RockPlayer, has been officially released on the Android Market today. The free version is fully functional, but features in-video ads on occasion. The paid version eliminates said ads for the price of $10.

RockPlayer gives your Android phone (more on which ones later) a formidable array of media playback capabilities which not even the iPhone can hope to match. The surprisingly long list, below:

Supported file formats: avi, mkv, rmvb, mp4, mov, wmv, asf, wma, wav, mpg, ts, mpa, dvd, au, mp3, mid, ivf, aiff, ogm, ogg, cda, flic, d2v, aac, roq, flac, drc, dsm, swf, pls, pmp

Supported audio and video encoders: AAC, AC3, DTS, FLV4, LPCM, ALAW, ULAW, MPEG Audio, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, RealVideo, RealAideo, Vorbis, AVC (H264), VC1, XVID, DIVX, SVQ, Theora, Bink

Whereas in the previously announced non-Market beta version, only ARMv7 devices were supported, now 3 different versions of RockPlayer are available based on your device’s processor, with device compatibility for each listed below:

ARMv7 instruction set version: Google Nexus One, HTC Desire, HTC Incredible, HTC EVO 4G, Moto Milestone, Moto Droid, Moto XT800, Samsung Galaxy S, Sony Ericsson X10 (and presumably Droid X)
ARMv6+VFP version: HTC Legend, Samsung i5700
ARMv6 version: All other devices

Performance

How does RockPlayer stack up in terms of performance?

Jul

Unboxing: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini / Mini Pro

Posted by Jose R. Ortiz in News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Videos, Xperia X10 Mini / Mini Pro (Robyn / Mimmi)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

You didn’t think the unboxing goodness was over did you? Well just in case the Captivate and Intercept didn’t quite fill your appetite, here’s a two-in-one unboxing for you: Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro.

In November 2009, Sony Ericsson announced its entry into the Android arena by adding the X10 to its XPERIA line. Three short months later, SE decided to put the X10 under a shrink-ray to create the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro. To say these Mini handsets are small is an understatement. The X10 Mini measures a scant 83mm tall and 50mm wide with its QWERTY packing brother being only slightly larger.

Jul

I Am Iron Meh: LG Ally Review

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Ally (Aloha), LG, Phone Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

If you’re a fan of a physical QWERTY keyboard, your Android options tend to be fairly limited. Your best bet would be to pick up the Motorola Droid, but if, for some reason, that phone doesn’t do it for you, you’re limited to either the Cliq or the Backflip – both developed by Motorola, and both gimmicky and under-powered. For some reason manufacturers seem to be avoiding high-powered QWERTY handsets like the plague, instead opting for touchscreen ‘superphones’, such as the EVO 4G, or the Nexus One.

Sure, these are nice handsets, but for those of us that just can’t get used to a touchscreen keyboard, QWERTY handsets are where it’s at.

Jul

AT&T’s Samsung Captivate Unboxing And Initial Hands-On!

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in AT&T, Captivate, Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Samsung, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Our friendly neighborhood FedEx employee stopped by this morning with our Samsung Captivate, so I figured I’d do a quick unboxing video, snap some pictures, and give you guys our initial thoughts before our review in a couple days.

The box itself is fairly boring, sticking with a generic “You bought a cell phone on AT&T!” design rather than trying to shake things up a la the EVO 4G’s eco-friendly box design, or Apple’s sleek iPhone packaging. Still, though, it’s what’s inside that counts, right?

Sliding the top off reveals a ‘quick start’ guide under which lies the phone itself, and below that, the charger, USB cable, and an above average set of ear buds.

Jul

Top Android Apps Every Rooted User Should Know About, Part 1: Apps 1-8

Posted by David Ruddock in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, Best Apps For Rooted Users Series, Development, Reviews, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Ok, I’ve Rooted, So Now What?

Aside from allowing the installation of popular ROMs developed by the Android community, rooting your phone also comes with the benefit of being able to install apps that require root permissions.

Finding such apps can be a hassle, so we’ve done some of the leg work for you and come up with a detailed rundown of our top 8 root-only applications.