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Last week, we reported on an OTA update for the T-Mobile Galaxy S II that brought a "Qualcomm fix," along with some general security enhancements and Vlingo S Voice improvements. It looks like that update was delayed shortly after it started rolling out, as Team Pink just updated its support docs with details of the update with a set rollout date of January 31st, which is today.
MetroPCS Intros The LG Spirit 4G As Its Newest LTE Handset, Available Today For $200
MetroPCS Intros The LG Spirit 4G As Its Newest LTE Handset, Available Today For $200
If you're looking for a 4G LTE handset on MetroPCS that packs a pretty decent punch, the just-announced LG Spirit may have your number. At $200 and no annual contract, don't expect the Spirit to be a game-changer, but at first blush it does look like a bang-for-your-buck investment:
Late last week, news broke that HTC was forcing the owner of HTCRUU.com to not only give up the domain, but remove all hosted RUU files and custom ROMs based on Sense. This was, of course, because he was in violation of HTC's intellectual property rights, as the site's name had "HTC" in the title, was adorned with official HTC logos, and contained official HTC software. Needless to say, the developer community was a little up in arms over the removal of the files – especially because HTC specifically requested that the Sense-based ROMs be taken down.
While Google's fledgling music service is pretty good, it's still far from perfect. Most GMusic users could probably jot down a laundry list of issues with both the app and service at a moment's notice; however, Google's slowly-but-surely doing its part to correct some of those problems. Let's take today's Play Music app update for example.
Earlier this month, we took a look at famed Android developer Koushik "Koush" Dutta's newest app: Carbon. Having absolutely nothing to do with the heavily belated Twitter app of the same name, this Carbon is a backup tool for apps and app data. So, how's it different than Titanium Backup? It doesn't require root. To put it mildly, this is something that Android users have longed for since, well, always.
Yesterday, we caught a glimpse of an alleged white Nexus 4. While we initially questioned its legitimacy, we ultimately walked away assuming that it was indeed the real deal. However, the question was: is this going to become a thing, or is it simply a prototype?
Yesterday, Google re-released the Nexus 4 in the U.S., Germany, and Canada. We also heard that the UK, France, and Spain would be the lucky ones today. So far, everything seems to be panning out nicely, as both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the device – as well as the bumper case – just went on sale in the UK. We're still waiting to confirm availability in France and Spain.
While I may have made my alliance to Predator pretty clear back in November when the official "Predators" game was released, it looks like I'll soon be given the opportunity to verify that with blood. Alien's blood.
Journey with me, if you will, back to April of 2011. It's a long way back, so allow me to refresh your memory: Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney sat down for a little chit-chat with Gizmodo, where they discussed mobile platforms. Naturally the discussion ended up at "are you ever going to bring games to Android?," where the resulting answer was basically "no." We were sad, but got over it eventually.
If you're a Republic Wireless customer, then you probably already know an OTA update started rolling out yesterday to the company's Motorola Defy XT (which also happens to break root – you can remedy that problem here). As a result of the update, Republic Wireless has also released an app into the Play Store that improves the reception on the DXT by adding a few enhancements to the way it manages calls and network connectivity.
The title basically says it all: if you're thinking of switching to U.S. Cellular as your family's mobile provider, the company will give you a $300 Mastercard debit card. All you have to do is sign a new two-year agreement with the regional carrier for two or more lines of service, one of which must be a smartphone. Past that, it's a done deal. You get new phones and service, they give you $300.
When it comes to online safety and passwords, I live and die by a password manager. I use one on my PCs, as well as my Android smartphones and tablets. This way, I always have my passwords with me, and I only have to remember one (to get into the password manager). In fact, I've never even seen some of my passwords when I use a generator.
Back on January 17th, OUYA announced a new contest called CREATE to motivate game developers to get their hands dirty and spend a little time (read: a lot) working on a some prototype games for the console. The entries are in, and there's a staggering 166 videos worth of alpha-esque gameplay for Kill Screen – who partnered with OUYA for this promotion – to sort through.
New SwiftKey Flow Beta Now Available, Allows 'Flowing' In Basically All Text Fields, Better Corrections, And Tons More
New SwiftKey Flow Beta Now Available
Finally! Since the first SwiftKey Flow beta hit the scene, the inability to "flow" in all texts fields has been driving me crazy. Thank God that's been fixed in the newest beta. Phew.
At 6:00 PM EST today, Republic Wireless will be releasing an OTA update for its single- and dual-band Motorola Defy XT. While the update will bring a slew of enhancements to the device, it also brings a not-so-desirable "fix:"breaking the root exploit uncovered by jcase back in December. That means if you're already rooted, you'll lose root during the update process, and if you haven't yet rooted, the old method will no longer work. Bummer.
Sprint this morning announced plans to offer a new ultra-rugged Kyocera smartphone with Direct Connect "this spring." The device – dubbed Torque – offers the standard features expected from a ruggedized phone, including water resistance, dust prevention, and drop protection. That means you'll be able to drop it in the toilet, use it during a sandstorm, or throw it out of frustration without fear of shattering it into pieces.
Samsung Announces Special Garnet Red Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Available For A Limited Time
Samsung Announces Special Garnet Red Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Available For A Limited Time
If you like red, and you like Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, then this may just be the best Monday you'll have all week. Why? Because Samsung just unveiled a Special Edition Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 in – wait for it – Garnet Red. Exciting stuff, I know.
When I was a kid, my grandfather used to always say "last to market, last to get official builds of CyanogenMod." Seems the old man's wisdom once again proves to be true, as official CM 10.1 nightlies just showed up for Verizon's variant of the Galaxy Note II.
Most of the time when we post a good deal – especially on a free phone – it's typically for new customers. In a rare event, though, Wirefly has turned that deal on its head by making the RAZR HD free for upgrades only. New customers will still have to shell out $50 for the same devices. It's a pretty good deal either way, but it's particularly killer for existing Verizon customers.
Everyone appreciates a good racing game. Likewise, most also enjoy blowing stuff up. When the two are married into one game, one would think the result would be amazing. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Let's take Polarbit's new title Cracking Sands as an example – the screenshots look good, the video is promising, but the game itself... well, that's something else altogether. Now, I'm not saying it's a bad game, because it's not. It works well and it looks good – I was just bored within the first race. Perhaps I've become jaded after years of playing different Android games. Or maybe I just expected more. Or maybe those are one in the same.