Friday, December 2, 2011

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Motorola Droid 4 and XYBoard Pause for a New Photo Op

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 03:42 PM PST

Hey there…. wanna see some new pics of the DROID 4 and the DROID XYBoard’s? Here, we got a few that were just posted by CNET after they spent a couple days of hands on time with the two devices. Unfortunately they don’t have any release date information for us so these new images will have to tide us over for now.

As you can see from the pics, the DROID 4 has a direct resemblance to the new DROID RAZR, plus the addition of the slide out keyboard. If you want to check out the device’s specs, vist our previously leaked info here.

One interesting thing to note about the XYBoard is the appearance of the tablet version of the Moto Blur UI. You didn’t think they wouldn’t eventually slap it on to tablets too, did you? Thoughts? Concerns?

Motorola_Xyboard10-Side_620x413 Motorola_Xyboard_Both_620x413 Motorola_Xyboard10-01_620x413 Motorola_Xyboard08-Dock_620x413 Motorola_Droid4-02_620x413 Motorola_Xyboard10-Back_620x413 Motorola_Xyboard10-Dock_620x413 Motorola_Droid_4-01_620x413

 

Check to See if Your Device is Running Carrier IQ with This New App: Voodoo Carrier IQ Detector

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:29 PM PST

This whole Carrier IQ thing just hit us like a storm, didn’t it? All the sudden everyone is up in arms, worried weather or not their beloved Android device is reporting every little move they make. In case you missed this huge Carrier IQ fiasco, check out our previous report explaining the in’s and out’s of the whole ordeal and come back here to learn how to find out if your device is currently harboring the Carrier IQ tracking software.

Today, a new app was released into the Android Market solely designed to check your device to see if the CIQ software is present. For those of you who are Verizon customers, apparently your device is free and clear of the CIQ program (but who’s to say they don’t use something different?), so you need not worry about checking your device. In case you still want proof for yourself, and for all the other peep’s out there, download the new Voodoo Carrier IQ Detector found through the Voodoo link below. Root status is not required and this app should work across all devices and manufacturers. Since this app is fresh off the press, the developer claims that “it’s unfinished” and  ”results are not reliable yet,” so don’t get all upset if you are not happy with the outcome, it may be reading a false positive or something similar. App updates will be issued in the near future, and hopefully soon it will be a reliable source, but for now it seems to be producing fairly accurate results (All of my Verizon devices have come up clean). Let us know the outcome in the comments below, I am curious to see which devices/carriers use the software.

Voodoo Carrier IQ Detector

 

 

 

Various Galaxy Nexus Accessories Finally Arrive

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:12 PM PST

 

Even more Galaxy Nexus news, The folks over at MobileFun appear to have gotten their hands on a bunch of different docks and accessories for the Galaxy Nexus. These accessories include a car dock, HDMI dock, spare battery charger, and a pin dock. Hopefully these will be released in the U.S. for whenever the Nexus itself is released. Rather than go into detail, I will let the videos do most the talking. Hit the break below to check these accessories out. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shine Runner Hits Onto Android Market

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 01:20 PM PST

Vector Unit is at it again trying to give gamers an alternative experience to racing games. Fresh off their Riptide GP, Vector Unit has created Shine Runner. Shine Runner is a water-based racing game similar to Riptide GP– with a few (humorous) differences. Visually, the game is gorgeous as it has the same fluid gameplay and clean graphics found here as it was seen in Riptide GP. However, users will be able to race through the muddy waters of the backwoods bayou using a fanboat. You’ll be able to smash and crash through a destructible world filled with rickety swamp shacks, fishin' boats, chicken coops, gators, and more. You essentially will race against other fanboats and literally hit anything that impedes your way– docks, chickens, etc. Oh there’s more for those of you who want to act on your secret inner criminal. You can buy and sell contraband goods like Moonshine and Tobacky, smuggling them from one colorful locale to the next in a race for maximum profit. Moonshine? Hitting chickens? Smuggling? Sounds like a tootin’ good time I reckon. You can find Shine Runner in the Android Market now for $1.99. Hit the break to see some screenshots, a nice clip, the Android Market link and QR code.

 ———
FEATURES:
———

AMAZING BOAT PHYSICS

Power slide through twisting rivers with the most realistic boat physics ever seen on mobile.
COMPLETELY DESTRUCTIBLE ENVIRONMENTS

Crash through docks stacked high with barrels. Demolish shacks and outhouses. Punt gators and chickens. If you can see it, you can smash it!
SMUGGLE YOUR WAY TO RICHES!

Buy and sell contraband goods like Moonshine and Tobacky, smuggling them from one colorful locale to the next in a race for maximum profit.
TOUCH AND TILT CONTROLS

You want options, you got ‘em. Tilt or touch, Shine Runner is easy and fun to pick up and play — challenging to master.
GORGEOUS HD VISUALS

Explore a colorful southern world filled with high-detail boats, animated characters, beautiful bayou, marsh, and mountain environments, all running at a silky smooth framerate on your smartphone or tablet – or on your HDTV with HDMI out.
OPENFEINT™ SUPPORTED

Make your name in the Shine Runner Hall of Fame leaderboards or show off your skills with some of the wackiest, most inventive Achievements around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

[Android Market]

 

Rovio Addresses New Permissions In Angry Birds Seasons

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 12:49 PM PST

Tis the season to be… concerned? That’s how many people feel when a new update to Angry Bird Seasons arrived to the Market. Apparently included were new levels, a “Big Pig” and wait for it… wait for it– new permission requests! We’re not talking about the ‘prevent phone from sleeping’ permissions either. We’re talking about the game accessing phone states and SMS permissions. Now before everyone becomes skeptical and causes an uproar, Rovio has come out addressed users’ concerns:

“On Android, the Angry Birds game itself asks only for the permission to use the Internet. Versions of the game that include advertisements, support for in-app purchases, or both, require additional permissions. The ones that might concern our customers the most are coarse location, phone state and SMS related permission.

Coarse Location:
Coarse location is used to target advertisements geographically, for example to avoid showing Chinese advertisements in the USA and vice-versa. Android also allows finer location discovery, but we have decided not to enable it for advertisement purposes.

Phone State Permissions:
The phone state permission is used to identify devices in order to implement advertisement frequency capping and targeting. Basically the aim is to avoid a situation where our customer has to view the same advertisement too many times on the device in question.

SMS related permissions:
SMS related permissions allow in-app purchases, where available. For example the Mighty Eagle, to be securely billed on the device owner's phone bill.

Rovio does take privacy issues very seriously. The Android permissions that our games require are constantly reviewed and we strive to provide the best possible user experience while respecting our customers' privacy”.

Perfectly logical explanations from Rovio. Kudos to them for coming out and addressing this in a prompt manner.

[Android Market]

Another Galaxy Nexus at the FCC Suggests AT&T Will Be Getting One of Their Own

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 12:34 PM PST

The Galaxy Nexus has been making a lot of news lately with various rumors and what not, and if you have missed out on any of the news that the Galaxy Nexus has been making, you can get your fill here. Well you can also add this article to the pile because it appears that the FCC has approved the GT-i9250T. That is, a Galaxy Nexus with 3G frequencies at 850MHz and 1900 MHz, which is what AT&T and other non-US carriers use. The GSM model that has already been imported is lacking T-Mobile 3G (AWS) 1700MHz frequency and given the possible merger, it appears AT&T is trying to cover all their bases.

While we knew that the Galaxy Nexus would be sported by multiple carriers, it appears that things are moving right along to make it an actual reality. Who knows, maybe AT&T will have theirs out by the time Verizon decides to launch theirs. Another question posed to you the readers, would you prefer an AT&T version or a Verizon version of the phone?

Update: While it was said that the 3G (AWS) 1700 MHz frequency was lacking it appears that it does work. Thanks to the readers, crazifyngers and Tenkely for the update.

 

Amazon Kindle Fire is outselling the iPad at Bestbuy.com

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 11:33 AM PST

The Amazon Kindle Fire was released with high expectations. How could it not be one of the hottest items this Holiday season priced at $199.99? The real question is how well it will do against the iPad, everyone’s measuring stick. Unfortunately these two devices are completely different, but the Kindle Fire has the ability to get into more hands of mainstream Americans since it costs $300 less.

The results are starting to show as Best Buy is showing the Kindle Fire as the best selling tablet. Is this a shocker to anyone? It all comes down to price and with a name like Amazon the Kindle Fire will have continued success. Eventually Android will take over iOS for tablet market share, and the Kindle Fire will be one of the biggest contributing factors even though it’s not marketed as an Android device.

Gingerbread now on the majority of Android phones

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:54 AM PST

It’s that time of the month again when Google reports what percentage of Android phones have what versions of Android running. Last month Gingerbread was sitting at 44% of all Android phones. For the 14-day period ending December 1, Gingerbread showed up on 50.6% of all Android phones.

So basically it took about one year to get on half of the Android phones. This is not good news folks. With Ice Cream Sandwich just released, does anyone want to take a guess on what percentage of devices will have ICS this time next year? I said it before, and I will say it again, if you want ICS and you’re not a hacker, don’t buy a device unless ICS is already on it. Promises of a month or two down the road don’t mean a thing these days.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus gets LTE speed test and update to 4.1.0

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:38 AM PST

The saga of the Galaxy Nexus is starting to get real old. This isn’t as long as the DROID Bionic affair, but it’s starting to feel like it. Either way, it continues to dominate the news. We already reported that it hit the Verizon Cellebrite systems again, but the way Verizon is dragging their feet, you might be starting to wonder if the phone really exists. If you need proof, we now have video of a download speed test over Verizon’s 4G LTE. It hit 8667 kbps downloads and 2892 kbps uploads with only 2 bars of signal.

If you’re still clammoring for more Galaxy Nexus news, we can now tell you that the Verizon version received an update to 4.1.0, which includes an update to the radio and a new screensaver, which could be the one we showed you yesterday called Android Dreams.

Click here to view the embedded video.

CyanogenMod Posts Update on CM 9 Progress

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:25 AM PST

Chomping at the bit for some Ice Cream Sandwich action brought to you by CM9? Then you’re in luck, sort of. The developers of CyanogenMod released an update to their blog showing progress for CM9. As they say things are “slowly starting to come together.” I think however, that given they got the source code a little over two weeks ago, they are moving along pretty well. They have a number of devices running CM9 and they are focusing on getting it on more devices.  OMAP4, MSM8660/7×30 and Exynos devices will most likely be the first ones ready for this ROM. Tablets are being shown some love too as both the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Asus Transformer are in the “pipeline” early.

Older devices will be seeing CM 9 as well. As the blog put it:

“Our goal is to provide continued support to all CM7 devices back to the QSD8250 series of devices such as the Nexus One. I don't want to make any promises at this time, but that is the plan.”

Bad news for those of you with the original Droid. CM9 will not be seen on your device. As the CyanogenMod puts it, “time to upgrade.” Given that the Android framework has had some major changes the CyanogenMod team has had trouble with compatibility with older proprietary camera and graphics drivers, but, they are pretty confident that they will be able to overcome these issues like they have in the past. The CM team has also created a solution to CM7‘s long spin-up time by adding new devices on-demand which saves bandwidth and avoids long start-up time. 

CM9 will bring other enhancements too and they will include:

  • a completely overhauled music app,
  • a new file manager,
  • and a new launcher based on stock 4.0.

For those with a Nexus S, you can check out the code and the most recent build for yourself today. CyanogenMod promises to send out status updates when they make more progress on this and other devices.  This is certainly good news and it appears that the CM team is hard at work. While we do have betas out for some phones, it’ll be nice to see more devices getting CM9. Anyone out there playing with a nightly build yet? Still too soon?
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