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HTC Reiterates Via Facebook That Desire S, Thunderbolt, And Other Devices Will Receive ICS By August
Today on Facebook, HTC took to answering some user comments about ICS timelines for a few of its flagship devices. In particular, the manufacturer confirmed
Today on Facebook, HTC took to answering some user comments about ICS timelines for a few of its flagship devices. In particular, the manufacturer confirmed that both the Desire S and the Thunderbolt would be receiving updates to Android 4.0 before the end of this month. The latter in particular is good news, as rumors have been circulating that the Thunderbolt would not receive the upgrade after its similarly-specced sibling, the Desire HD had its frozen dessert plans cancelled.
[Deal Alert] Rocketfish SPX15 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Available For $40 ($60 Off) For One Day From Best Buy
Yesterday, we featured a great deal on a stationary Bluetooth dock. Say you need something a bit more portable, though. What should you buy then? Heavens,
Yesterday, we featured a great deal on a stationary Bluetooth dock. Say you need something a bit more portable, though. What should you buy then? Heavens, can anyone save you from this crisis of audio need?! Well, yeah. And calm down. Here's a portable Bluetooth speaker from Best Buy. Today only, this Rocketfish SPX15 is available for $40, which is $60 off its normal MSRP and about $30 off its already-lower price on Amazon. Not bad.
According to reviews on Amazon and CNET, it's a decent little box. The built-in battery is rechargeable which is always a nice touch, and reports are that the sound quality is good. Not great, but good. Of course, most reviewers were looking at this from the standpoint of a $70-80 price tag. At $40, it's a bit harder to pass up. So, if you have a need for a portable, rechargeable Bluetooth speaker, hurry up and grab this deal before the end of the day.Source: Best Buy
Gameloft's (Other) First Unreal Engine Game, Wild Blood, Gets Teased On Video And It's Bloody Awesome
We saw a brief hint recently for Gameloft's upcoming game based on the Unreal Engine. A single still image showed a man holding a giant sword, covered
We saw a brief hint recently for Gameloft's upcoming game based on the Unreal Engine. A single still image showed a man holding a giant sword, covered in blood, as he stood alone in a field of his enemies' remains. Yeah. Awesome. Well, now Gameloft has unveiled a trailer for the game that teaser teased. Watch it. Now.
Google Translate Gets Bumped To v2.5, Adds Live Updating And Image Translation
Google Translate, the frequently-overlooked wonder app of the 3rd millennium, got some new features today. Chief among them is an amazing new image-based
Google Translate, the frequently-overlooked wonder app of the 3rd millennium, got some new features today. Chief among them is an amazing new image-based translation mechanism. The app now supports use of your camera to take a picture of the text you would like to translate. Once that's done, just "brush" over the word or phrase you need to read and Translate will do what it says on the tin: render that text in your preferred language. It's not quite WordLens' live view, but then, if you've ever used WordLens' pause feature, you know that slowing things down a bit might actually be helpful.
[New Game] Kingdoms & Lords Arrives On Android, Is Half-Sim, Half-Strategy, All Medieval Action
Apparently simventure is quickly becoming its own genre. Today's latest entry into this crossover category is Kingdoms & Lords from Gameloft, which
Apparently simventure is quickly becoming its own genre. Today's latest entry into this crossover category is Kingdoms & Lords from Gameloft, which has finally hit release after being announced back in June. Part of the game will take place in a simulated kingdom (spoilers, I know). You'll spend your time managing your economy "on a daily basis", as the description on the Play Store is quick to point out. Hopefully this won't be the Farmville-ian style where, if you cease to play for a few hours, your kingdom dies. After all, plants may need watering, but these peasants ought to be able to fend for themselves.
[Editorial] Hey Google, What Ever Happened To Movie Studio? (Or: It's Time To Start Caring About Content Creation Again)
Back in February of 2011, Eric Schmidt took the stage at MWC to announce Google's latest tablet-oriented app: Movie Studio. It was a rather exciting new
Back in February of 2011, Eric Schmidt took the stage at MWC to announce Google's latest tablet-oriented app: Movie Studio. It was a rather exciting new addition to Google's first foray into the tablet world. This made it possible for tablet users to not just view content, but to create it as well. This was a big deal. At the time, Apple already had a year-long head start on tablets. Not only would Android need a lot of third-party app support, but first-party apps would be essential to the platform's success.
Splashtop 2 HD Arrives In The Play Store, Is Free For A Limited Time
Splashtop is one of the leading pieces of remote desktop software, not to mention app of choice for NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang when he wants to play Skyrim
Splashtop is one of the leading pieces of remote desktop software, not to mention app of choice for NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang when he wants to play Skyrim on his tablet. Now, Splashtop 2 HD has hit the Play Store, bringing pinch-to-zoom support, a new interface, and a very attractive price tag of free, for the time being.
AIDE Is Out Of Beta, It's Releasing On Time, Will Charge Small One-Time Fee For Premium Features
When we last left our heroes, AIDE was just released on the world, to the excited cries of developers who liked the idea of writing and testing their apps
When we last left our heroes, AIDE was just released on the world, to the excited cries of developers who liked the idea of writing and testing their apps on the same device, but still probably couldn't replace their desktop development rig with a tablet. However, the app has been steadily making improvements and, as of the newest version (1.0.1), it's out of beta and will be moving to a freemium model.
You Want This Homemade Android Arcade Cabinet - No, That's Not A Question
Arcade cabinet mods are certainly nothing new. Ever since the kids of the late 70s and early 80s grew up into the adults of the late 90s and early
Arcade cabinet mods are certainly nothing new. Ever since the kids of the late 70s and early 80s grew up into the adults of the late 90s and early aughts, the internet has been filled with folks building wooden boxes around computers and joysticks. Today's example, though, uses an Android tablet and a Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fight stick for what might be one of the cheapest, easiest-to-replicate Arcade cabinets around.
Khronos Announces OpenGL ES 3.0 Spec - Get Ready For Faster, Better-Looking, More Desktop-Like Games
Speaking at SIGGRAPH 2012, a yearly computer graphics convention featuring some of the most prominent names in the business, Khronos unveiled updates for
Speaking at SIGGRAPH 2012, a yearly computer graphics convention featuring some of the most prominent names in the business, Khronos unveiled updates for several key OpenGL properties including the specs for Open GL ES 3.0. OpenGL ES is the primary graphics API for mobile device platforms, including Android and iOS. As you would expect, the updates are rather technical, but here's an overview of what we can expect in the future.
Wi-Fi Shoot (Beta) Lets Users Share Photos And Videos Via Wi-Fi Direct
As of right now, very few Android devices support Wi-Fi Direct sharing, which was first implemented as part of Android 4.0. The protocol requires Ice Cream
As of right now, very few Android devices support Wi-Fi Direct sharing, which was first implemented as part of Android 4.0. The protocol requires Ice Cream Sandwich, which is still only on 16% of Android devices. Beyond that, the device needs some software to take advantage of the new API. Some devices (like the Galaxy S III) include built-in support, but for others that either haven't included support in the OS—or that do, but don't work very well, like my own E4GT—you'll need some kind of app to take advantage of it. Luckily, we happen to have some kind of app right here! Wi-Fi Shoot is an explicitly beta product that can connect two Wi-Fi Direct-compatible devices together to share photos and videos.
[Rumor] HTC Reportedly Working On A Massive 5" 1080p Phone To Be Launched In September-October
According to a new report from DigiTimes (hang on!) this morning, HTC is preparing a new monster flagship phone for launch this fall. The Taiwanese publication
According to a new report from DigiTimes (hang on!) this morning, HTC is preparing a new monster flagship phone for launch this fall. The Taiwanese publication says the device will come with a 5" display and a resolution of 1794x1080. If that number sounds a little off to you, it's because those dimensions probably exclude 126 lines to make room for the navigation buttons.
[Update: Officially Dead And Gone] Google Listen Quietly Pulled From The Play Store, Previous Users Can Still Find It
Listen, the relatively popular, if neglected, podcast app from Google has been surreptitiously pulled from the Play Store recently. It's unclear just how
Listen, the relatively popular, if neglected, podcast app from Google has been surreptitiously pulled from the Play Store recently. It's unclear just how long ago Google pulled it (though it appears to be within the last week or so), and users are looking everywhere for it. There is also no indication on what Google has planned for it from here on out. We've reached out to Google for comment but have not heard back as of publication. For users who have previously installed the app, you can still find the Play Store listing here. Everyone else, however, will see the familiar 404 landing page:
MetroPCS To Launch Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G, Still Comes With Gingerbread For $459
Today, MetroPCS announced yet another addition to its stable of prepaid Android smartphones. One of the pricier off-contract handsets, the device retails
Today, MetroPCS announced yet another addition to its stable of prepaid Android smartphones. One of the pricier off-contract handsets, the device retails for $459. So, what do you get for a significant portion of your rent for the month? Well, for a Metro PCS phone, it's actually a pretty decent spec list:
Negri Electronics Tweets Pics Of The Galaxy Note 10.1, Says It "Ships 8/3" - Color Us Confused
Well, this is...odd. To say the least. Tonight, Negri Electronics, which is a well-respected and reputable dealer in consumer electronics, tweeted the
Well, this is...odd. To say the least. Tonight, Negri Electronics, which is a well-respected and reputable dealer in consumer electronics, tweeted the picture of a partially-unboxed Galaxy Note 10.1, claiming that the device "Ships 8/3", and included the hashtag "#beforefirst." It's a little unclear what "#beforefirst" means. Maybe Negri gets to ship the product before everyone else? Or is it that pre-orders are starting? You can pre-order on Negri's site right now, so maybe that's it. However, the ship date of tomorrow sounds, well, sudden.
[New Game] Kairosoft's Kairobotica Is A Colorful Space-Based Sim-venture Game That Will Have You Drooling Rainbows
Quick. Name the top three most time-consuming video games you can. Did you say RPGs, sims and "anything that even remotely looks like Farmville"? Well,
Quick. Name the top three most time-consuming video games you can. Did you say RPGs, sims and "anything that even remotely looks like Farmville"? Well, one, Farmville already is kind of a sim so that doesn't really count and two, yes! Now, what happens if you mix all of these together into one big, colorful Japanese game? You get Kairobotica.
Agent Dash Is A Secret Agent Themed Running Game, Has No Idea Who This James Bond Character Is
Remember when Angry Birds came out, and suddenly a ton of games popped up based on flinging things at other things in a physics simulation? Well, now it's
Remember when Angry Birds came out, and suddenly a ton of games popped up based on flinging things at other things in a physics simulation? Well, now it's the running game's turn to get a million "variants". Agent Dash is just the latest in a series of games that have come out centered around dodging stuff while your character continuously runs forward, apparently unable to slow down. The Eames-era style, though, certainly makes this one a looker.
[Editorial] The Ten Commandments Of Naming Phones And Tablets - Thou Shalt Not Epic 4G Touch
Manufacturers, you're awful at naming things. Sorry. It's true. In many cases, you've either muddied the brand of your flagship devices, or made it incredibly
Manufacturers, you're awful at naming things. Sorry. It's true. In many cases, you've either muddied the brand of your flagship devices, or made it incredibly difficult for customers to know what they should be asking for when they walk into a store. This is probably not a good thing since you want customers to buy your stuff. More than that, though, you want them to love your stuff, so they'll buy more of it. Making it easier to say the name of the product will go a long way towards that goal.
More Leaked Nexus 7 Accessories Surface, Including A Rotating Stand Case, Bluetooth Keyboard Case And More
British gadget site Mobile Fun has some fantastic stuff for us to drool over today. After seeing some premium Nexus 7 accessories just a couple days ago,
British gadget site Mobile Fun has some fantastic stuff for us to drool over today. After seeing some premium Nexus 7 accessories just a couple days ago, these new leaked photos show us even more Nexus 7 accessories including (brace yourself) a rotating stand case. In case those words don't make sense to your brain when placed together, here's how it works: it's a protective case that can turn into either a landscape or portrait stand. This is kind of awesome.
Gears And Guts Goads You To Grind Zombies Into Goo With Your Gas Guzzling Death Wagon
When you're creating a game, there are a few key things you need to include: a good atmosphere (be it an intriguing story or just some wildly immersive
When you're creating a game, there are a few key things you need to include: a good atmosphere (be it an intriguing story or just some wildly immersive effects), good gameplay mechanics, and a good hook. What's going to grab the users' attention? Well, for Gears and Guts, all three of those requirements can be summed up with "driving cars into zombies." Oh, and did I mention there's a sweet soundtrack to go along with it?