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Last year, PowerA tried to change the game (quite literally) with its MOGA (later changed to MOGA Pocket) and MOGA Pro controllers. While the idea was great and execution was decent, there was still a lot of room for improvement with both. This year's models – the Hero Power and Pro Power – not only look to improve the overall form factor and experience over last year's models, but also bring more juice and the ability to charge your device while you play using the internal battery. Sounds great, right? Sure, but at $60 and $80 respectively, the question is are they good enough to warrant the price?
One of the best things about being an Android fan is having a killer little mascot that defines the brand. The Bug Droid is everywhere – on cases, shirts, posters, toys, speakers, and a lot more. If you can dream it up, it probably exists somewhere. Out of all the Android-branded accessories, however, PoweredByGen's Andru is one of the best – it's a device charger that looks like the Bug Droid. If you've been reading Android Police for any somewhat-lengthy amount of time, then you've definitely seen them floating around the site from time to time.
NVIDIA Pushes Update 65 To SHIELD, Brings Gamepad Mapper Enhancements, 1080p Gamestream Console Mode Support, And More
NVIDIA Pushes Update 65 To SHIELD, Brings Gamepad Mapper Enhancements, 1080p Gamestream Console Mode Support, And More
So far NVIDIA has been making good on its promise of regular updates for its SHIELD portable gaming console, and this month is no different. Update 65 is rolling out now, and it brings a handful of new enhancements to some of SHIELD's flagship features, like Gamepad Mapper and Gamestream. Before we get into the details, here's a look at the full changelog:
Reddit Sync Gets A Massive Update, Brings New UI, Multiple User Support, Hamburger Navigation, And A Lot More
Reddit Sync Gets A Massive Update, Brings New UI, Multiple User Support, Hamburger Navigation, And A Lot More
If you're a reddit user, there's no shortage of Android clients to choose from. Out of those, if you haven't tried reddit sync, there's no time like the present to give it a shot – it just got a massive update. Encompassed in this big ol' re-written-from-scratch update, you'll find a brand new card-based UI, support for multiple users, the hamburger navigation menu, multireddit support, and more. Here's a look at the new UI:
If you love the idea of Chromecast but wish it worked with locally-stored media, then Koush's AllCast may be a solution. It doesn't actually stream media to Chromecast, but it does have support for Roku, Apple, TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TVs, Panasonic Smart TVs, WDTVs, and DLNA Renderers, so if you have one of those, then you're set.
If you dig gaming on the go and like the idea of having a controller instead of touch controls, then you've likely considered PowerA's Moga controllers. At this point there are four to choose from: last year's Moga Pocket and Pro, and this year's Hero Power and Pro Power. Each have their own allure – for the Pocket and Hero, it's size. For the Pro models, it's the feel of a full-size controller to get your game on with. If you're sold on the idea but don't want to shell out the asking price, Amazon has a good deal going right now that may be able to sway you over the other "OK, I'm going to buy this" side of the fence.
I have a confession to make: as much as I love The Walking Dead, I haven't actually read the comics. Initially this was because I didn't want to have any insight into what was going to happen on the show, but with the past season (or so) TWD creator Robert Kirkman stated that the comics and the show were basically on two different paths. With that, I started on a journey to research the comics and start reading. The first place I went was Google Play, hoping that I could get 'em on my Nexus 7. They weren't there, and I was sad.
Back in April, I said that BLU "is a company to keep an eye on moving forward." A few months later, I reviewed (and loved) my first BLU device: the Life Play. Since then I've also taken a look at the Life View – the company's take on a large-screened phone – which was also very impressive for the cost. I'm definitely a fan of what BLU is doing right now, and the company seems to be keeping a nice momentum with the Life series. It just officially announced the newest member of the family, the Life Pro (which it actually teased along with another device back in September). I was able to spend some time with a pre-production version of the Life Pro over the last week, and it's a sleek, sophisticated device.
[Deal Alert] [Update: $99 At Wal-Mart 11/28-12/1] Fuhu Nabi 2 On Sale For $130 On Best Buy's Deal Of The Day ($50 Off)
[Deal Alert] [Update: $99 At Wal-Mart 11/28-12/1] Fuhu Nabi 2 On Sale For $130 On Best Buy's Deal Of The Day ($50 Off)
We've talked about the Fuhu Nabi 2 quite a bit over the last year or so, and it's probably my favorite tablet designed specifically for kids. It's built tough, packed full of useful educational software, and sports enough power to stick with your little one for at least a few years.
If you have a lot of events and/or deadlines to keep up with, then Google Calendar is a good way to know what's coming up and know where you stand in terms of time. One of the biggest benefits of Android (in my opinion, anyway) is widgets, so a Google Calendar widget is a quick and easy to see your schedule at a glace. The thing is, the stock Calendar widget is pretty... ugly. It's actually kind of an eyesore. Sorry, Google – it really.
Since the dawn of Chrome Beta for Android, Google blocked it from the Play Store's search results for some reason. For those who use the browser as their default, this was a huge pain in the ass, as it meant searching Google to find a direct link to the browser when installing it on a new device. Sure, that may sound minor, but not being able to find your favorite browser from the device's Play Store search results is just annoying. You couldn't even find it directly from Google's developer page.
Two days ago, Google officially launched Newsstand, an app that combines Play Magazines and Currents to offer an all-in-one-place news source. To celebrate the launch of this new product, the company is now offering several magazines for free or at a discounted rate, presumably so potential customers can get their feet wet and see what the mag experience is all about.
OUYA Pushing Out 'Abominable Snowman' – Its Largest Update Yet
OUYA Pushing Out 'Abominable Snowman' – Its Largest Update Yet
If you have an OUYA, it's time to hit the power button – the team just released its largest update yet, and it's a damn doozie. This OTA is packed to the brim with new stuff: External Storage is now in open beta (and stupid-easy to use), there's a new UI, double-tapping the OUYA button will now bring up the system menu instead of exiting a game, incremental updates have been enabled, update notes are available directly on the console, bug fixes, and more.
Verizon just released its variant of the HTC One Max for a cool three-hundred dollar bill this morning, but Wirefly clearly thought that was just too much, so it knocked a full 50 percent off that. Yeah, you can get the One Max for $150. Of course, that requires a new two-year agreement, but it looks like it's working for both new contracts and upgrades. That's hard to beat.
A couple of days ago, Amazon and NewEgg slashed the price of the 32GB 2013 Nexus 7 to just $239. What made this odd is that the 16GB variant, which is just nine dollars less, didn't receive any sort of price cut. This of course made the buying choice super easy – the 32GB version was the only way to go. If $239 is still a bit too much to be easily justified, however, the 16 gigger is now only $199. If you're in the market for a seven inch tablet, that makes this one hard to resist.
If you like massive phones, fingerprint scanners, HTC, and Verizon, today might just be the luckiest day of your life. Why is that, you ask? I'll tell you why! Because the massive HTC One Max is now available on Big Red. See, dreams really do come true.
Hey! Remember they Droid Xyboards? No? Well, surprisingly, Verizon does. In fact, both the 8.2- and 10.1-inch versions are getting an OTA update that brings Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.2) right now. Fantastic.
We've been hearing/seeing/talking about Newsstand for the past several weeks, and it's officially live as of now. As expected, the app takes the place of Play Magazines, but it also replaces Currents as a news reader. It's basically becoming the go-to place for news, magazines, and online feeds. Everything you want to read all in once place. That's cool.
Toshiba pisses me off. It's a company that released one of my favorite Android tablets of all time (which is also subsequently abandoned after 4.1). When I know that a company is capable of putting out good gadgets but they continuously release garbage, it frustrates me. Announcement after announcement, I think this could be the one – this might just be the next good Toshiba device. And every single time, I'm disappointed. And even if they do release something that's worth using, the chance of it ever seeing a major OS update is basically zero. I constantly hope for a second Excite 7.7 with better support.
You know who likes fragments? Android users. And if you're a developer, you should be taking full advantage of that so users of your app will love it more. More love for your app means better reviews, and the better the reviews, the more installs you're likely to get. See how that works?