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Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airbone hasn't even cooled down from its launch marketing blitz, but the developer has already moved on to its next racing game. That would be GT Racing 2, a sequel to the original GT Racing from 2011 and a more simulation-style affair, very much in line with EA's Real Racing and games like Gran Turismo. GT Racing 2 has no firm release date and few details, but Gameloft says it will come out this fall.
We've known that something's up at CyanogenMod for a while, and now the cat is formally out of the bag. Today Steve Kondik and other prominent contributors to the CyanogenMod family of ROMs, along with investors and new hires, announced the formation of Cyanogen Inc. The new company first aims to make the CyanogenMod ROM more stable, more widely available, and easier to install on more devices. Investor Mitch Lasky is reporting that the company has secured million in startup capital, and has at least one hardware partnership in the works.
Monster gets a bad rap from the technology community, but in all fairness, they absolutely deserve it. Between ridiculously overpriced home theater components and insanely malicious trademark lawsuits, the company is probably the most-hated technology corp this side of Electronic Arts. Having said all that, Monster announced its first Android tablet today, the 7", $149 M7. The combination of branding and price is incongruous to say the least.
A Year Late And A Dollar Short: AT&T Will Release The Samsung Galaxy S III Mini On September 27th For $.99
AT&T Will Release The Samsung Galaxy S III Mini On September 27th
Those of you looking for a cheap, small phone running Android will have one more option on AT&T starting later this month. The company issued a press release this morning finally announcing the release date for the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini. That's Samsung's cheaper, smaller version of the GSIII which actually has very little in common with the GSIII in terms of hardware. It will launch on AT&T on September 27th for $.99 on a two-year contract.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a game version of a popular and hilarious music video, an interesting take on the vertical platformer, and a reversal of the old Donkey Kong standard. Without further ado:
Earlier today we reported that Verizon is currently denying owners of the Nexus 7 2013 LTE model the ability to access new data lines on the company's network. We reached out to a Verizon representative for comment, and here's what we got back:
Update: Verizon has responded to our inquiry about the Nexus 7 LTE registration issues. A company representative said that the Nexus 7 LTE would be certified for the Verizon network at some point.
Update: T-Mobile's official response to the National Advertising Division is as below.
21 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (9/3/13 - 9/16/13)
The Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
The LTE version of the Nexus 7 2013 just started shipping to the US last week. If a week of running on a stock ROM is entirely too long for you, take heart: even while you read these words, modders and ROM developers are hard at work building all kinds of aftermarket goodies for your unlocked tablet. That's because Google just posted the first full factory image plus binaries for the new model.
US Cellular's Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Goes On Sale Tomorrow Online, September 19th In Stores For $149.99
US Cellular's Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Goes On Sale Tomorrow Online
Are you the kind of hulking man-monster than accidentally crushes tiny conventional smartphones in your Bunyan-like grasp? Alternately, do you always carry a purse (you too, ladies) and prefer a phone with as big a screen as possible? And are you a current or prospective US Cellular customer? Well then, prepare to have your day made. The leviathan Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 goes on sale for US Cellular tomorrow for $149.99 on-contract after an instant rebate.
A beta release is, by definition, and unfinished product. They're not always perfect - that's kind of the point. So it is with the latest beta version of Chrome for Android: many users are reporting that the latest build available on the Play Store is unexpectedly and repeatedly causing their devices to reboot. Users on the official Chrome blog and the Chromium code hub are citing the problem on the Nexus 7 and Nexus 4.
Play it again, Sprint. Now that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have all started accelerated upgrade programs with monthly charges (Jump, NEXT, and EDGE, respectively), Sprint wants in on the action. According to some leaked screenshots posted by Cnet, the last of the "Big Four" American carriers is planning a similar program called One Up. The plan has not been confirmed by Sprint, but the screenshot below looks genuine.
More and more developers are taking advantage of the nifty new ability to start a semi-closed beta on the Google Play Store via Google+. The latest is TeslaCoil Software, makers of the customization tool WidgetLocker (among other things). If you want to try out the latest and possibly greatest version of WidgetLocker, just head for this Google+ Community and join in.
Now that the HTC One Google Play Edition is dancing in the club that exclusively admits devices running the latest bleeding-edge version of Android, it's time for Samsung's Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition to do the same. For some reason Samsung seems a lot less coy about the update - while only a few users on the XDA forums are reporting that they've received the latest software (labeled MH5), both the kernel source code and the official over-the-air update have been posted to the usual spots.
The increasingly misnamed Final Fantasy series of role-playing games has been around for just shy of 26 years. In that time it's spanned the gaming spectrum from undeniable classic (FFIII and FFVII) to forgettable mess (pretty much everything since X-2), but it remains the unstoppable juggernaut of the Japanese RPG scene. Now Square Enix (that's Squaresoft for those of you who remember the days before the Xbox 360) is hoping to cash in on your nostalgia with Final Fantasy All The Bravest, a simplified RPG that combines the "endless" style of play with the company's rich intellectual property.
Qualcomm And The Amazing Technicolor Dream Box: Chip Maker Teams Up With Color Company For Media Streamer
Chip Maker Teams Up With Color Company For Media Streamer
If you thought that Google and Nestle were unlikely bedfellows, just wait till you get a load of this one. Qualcomm wants a piece of the low-cost streaming entertainment pie, and they intend to bring an Android-powered set-top box (a la Google TV or Chromecast) to market. There's not much information available about the hardware, but it will be called SVELTE, it'll use a Snapdragon 600 processor and an LTE wireless radio, and it will be distributed by Technicolor.
If you're using a stock HTC One from the Google Play Store, check your phone's notification drawer. Go on, check it. I'll wait. If you're one of the lucky few, you may be seeing a special surprise in the form of a software update. At least one XDA Developers member got the update to version 3.07.1700.1 earlier this morning, though he was using a standard model One that he'd soft-converted into a Google Play Edition.
It doesn't take very long for new phones to go on sale these days, especially if you're savvy enough to check Amazon. For example, the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is now just $108 for new customers, or $118 for those who are eligible for an upgrade. (You can also add a new line and get the phone for $108.) Want something a little tougher? Amazon is offering the ruggedized Galaxy S4 Active at the same prices.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a 2D fantasy real-time strategy game, a 3D puzzler with some Gumby character, a roguelike RPG, and yet another game featuring more cats than the yard of that weird lady down the street. Without further ado: