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Most users accustomed to unlimited data cringe upon hearing the words "tiered data plans" - but they aren't always bad. As our own David Ruddock pointed out, they don't affect most users - and they might even be cheaper for non-data hogs (aka 97% of customers).
So it's true: the reason we haven't seen any 7-inch Honeycomb tablets thus far is that Android 3.0 just doesn't fit well on screens of that size. This has been our pet theory for some time now, but this morning, Huawei came right out and confirmed it with the announcement of their Android 3.2-running MediaPad.
The multimedia situation on Android has been rapidly improving over the last few months, with the introductions of Netflix's official application and Google's own Movie service. Today, it is set to get better still: Crackle, a movie- and TV-watching service launched v2.0 of its Android app with access to a large selection of free movies and TV shows. The service, previously available at $5/month, is now free and supported by ads.
Though Verizon would have you believe that Gingerbread is already rolling out to DROID 2 Globals around the world, Motorola is apparently riding a different train of thought entirely - according to a manager on their support forums, the update isn't quite ready yet.
Don't feel like waiting for Samsung and AT&T to get around to officially rolling out a Gingerbread update for the Captivate? Thanks to SamFirmware, you don't have to; you can flash an early build of the update now, provided that you're comfortable with running leaked and likely somewhat buggy firmware.
Looks like EVO Shift 4G owners won't have to wait till tomorrow to get their Gingerbread fix; in spite of what we heard yesterday, it appears that the update is already available.
HTC and Sprint's EVO 3D, the first three-dimensional handset in the US, won't be available in stores for eight more days - but the early reviews have already started flooding in. And I'll tell you this: they're pretty mixed. Some reviewers, such as LaptopMag's Mark Spoonauer, wholeheartedly enjoyed the device, even going so far as to give it an Editors' Choice award. Others, however, weren't nearly as fond of the phone - Gizmodo, upfront as always, called it "only suitable for shooting yourself in the face." Ouch.
Gingerbread-using DROID X owners, your handsets are excluded from the elite ranks of Netflix-compatible devices no more; a recent update to the official Netflix application added support for your 2.3-running phones. Unfortunately, the DROID X is the only Gingerbread handset (with the exception of the Nexus phones) currently compatible with the movie rental service - my EVO 4G, which received its official 2.3 update a few weeks ago, still can't access the app. Additionally, those DROID X users still running Froyo are left out of the fun. Bummer.
Just when you thought you were sick and tired of Angry Birds news (I certainly was), Rovio Mobile has unveiled an intriguing new spin on the classic throw-the-birds-at-the-pigs gameplay, and it involves the much-ballyhooed NFC chip found in the Nexus S.
A few months ago, Motorola announced that its "portfolio of devices" will be graced with unlockable/relockable bootloaders in late 2011. However, there was some confusion over whether this concerned future handsets only or current devices as well.
Let's face it: large physical retail stores can be difficult to navigate at times, especially for first-time shoppers. To help alleviate this problem, UK retailer Tesco (informally known as the European Walmart) has developed and is now testing an in-store GPS system that can be accessed from an Android phone.
Think of the hardest, most frustrating Android game you've played thus far. Is it Angry Birds, with its unparalleled addictiveness? Or how about Plants vs. Zombies, which has a seemingly infinite number of levels and is within spitting distance of Angry Birds' can't-put-it-down factor?
Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that cvpcs has achieved the impossible: he's thrown together (but not yet publicized) a build of CyanogenMod 7 that works on the Motorola DROID X!
At their NYC luncheon event, Sprint and Motorola just made official the second of their two new Android devices: the 4.1-inch Triumph. It'll be Virgin Mobile's first Motorola Android device when it launches later this summer, packing a 1GHz processor of some variety, a 5MP rear shooter in addition to a VGA front-facing camera, and an HDMI output port in its 0.4-inch thick body.
Come Friday, June 10, Sprint subscribers with 4G coverage will be treated to a pleasant surprise: the WiMAX uplink speed cap will increase from 1.0Mbps to 1.5Mbps.
Sprint subscribers, you can stop holding your breath now - the nation's third-largest carrier has officially announced the release date of the EVO 3D and EVO View 4G. The duo will be coming out of HTC's factories and landing in a Sprint retail store near you on June 24, just as we've been hearing from the rumor mill.
Roughly two months ago, Halfbrick - the company behind the infuriatingly addictive Fruit Ninja - released its latest and seemingly greatest Android game: Age of Zombies. The otherwise praiseworthy game had one major flaw, however - it was only available for Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY, which at the time wasn't widely available. This resulted in understandable disappointment and displeasure in the Android gaming community - our own Artem Russakovskii used the weekly app roundup to publicly express his desire to play (no pun intended) the game.
In another step toward becoming one of the most dev-friendly Android manufacturers, HTC today launched HTCdev.com, a website "dedicated to providing you with the tools, advice, and community you need to pursue the possibilities."
A slimster the Toshiba Thrive is not, but it's sure going to be more affordable than its competition when it goes on sale next month.
Horrific battery life on Android phones is nothing new, and neither is the mind-blowing shattering frailty of said handsets. We've seen - and reviewed - solutions to both of these issues, but for those who want a convenient, all-in-one product, nothing beats XPAL's "PowerSkins."