Posts Tagged family
NVIDIA Announces The New Tegra 4 Processor Bringing Even More Quad-Core Goodness And GeForce Grid Which Brings Cloud-Based High Quality Graphics To All
It’s been a long time coming, but NVIDIA has finally unveiled its latest addition to its chipset family and “GeForce Experience” by introducing the world to the Tegra 4 processor. As indicated before, the world’s first speedy ARM 15-based quad-core all-in-one chip will feature an astoundingly efficient 28nm process (which happens to match the Snapdragon S4 Pro chip), 72-cores and the ability to handle a 2,560 x 1600 resolution at full 1080p and 120Hz. The neat thing is that we’ll all see the same type of DDR memory and 4 + 1 architecture as found in the Tegra 3 chip, so we can expect to see incredibly responsive and fluid performance in everything from gaming to just the swiping from screen to screen in an efficient manner. Oh and for those of you that care about looking towards the future— the Tegra 4 has full LTE support.
Additionally, NVIDIA also announced its NVIDIA Grid cloud computing tool. NVIDIA Grid allows for any sort of smart devices from TVs to Android devices to run high-quality graphics and games all based off of the cloud. Essentially— users will open the app and through high quality servers that host specialized graphic cores, the same users will be able to play all sorts of high quality apps and games in awesome video and rendering quality thanks to a basic internet connection. This means that users won’t need to worry about having a device with an old built-in graphics unit anymore since it won’t be doing the dirty work of having to render high-quality video— the cores on the NVIDIA Grid servers will do all the dirty work for you.
HTC One VX review
The HTC One VX looks to be a great (and cheap) way to get an entry-level LTE smartphone on AT&T
This may be one of those rare instances in which we know too much. For those of us who live and breathe smartphones all day long (and that includes many of you out there), it's tough to look at an HTC One phone without seeing the entire line in context. With regards for pecking order, there's the One V. The One S. The One S. (There's also the new One SV in Europe and Asia, and in the U.S. on Cricket.) And now, on AT&T, we have the HTC One VX.
Where the hell does this phone fit in?
To answer that question, you need to take it out of context a little bit. Instead of looking at where it sits in the HTC family, think about where the One VX sits in the AT&T lineup. Things start to make a little more sense in that respect, especially considering that as of this writing, the One VX is exclusive to the U.S. carrier.
As its name might imply (again, to those of us who live and breathe this stuff), and as the spec sheet spells out, the One VX picks and chooses from some of the best features of the other phones in the HTC One line. You can't help but compare it to its older siblings. But it's also important to remember where it stands for AT&T. This phone serves a purpose for AT&T — filling a hole in its lineup — more than it does for HTC. And that's OK. Because what we end up with is a really good entry-level phone.
So, with all that said, on to our HTC One VX review.
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ARCHOS Unveils TV connect – Future Ready your Existing TV – First and Only Multi-Touch for Android on TV
ARCHOS TV Connect features a multi-gesture TV Touch remote with game control mapping and an HD camera for video calls
- Pointer – Allows you to control your TV just like you would your tablet with a tapping and/or swiping motion
- Full multi-touch gesture support – Control your apps easily with zoom in, zoom out and rotate with ARCHOS developed unique gesture controls
- Full keyboard with Android shortcuts – The TV touch remote includes a full keyboard and Android shortcut keys including a key for voice controls and voice typing
Play Android Games on your TV- Critically acclaimed games at your fingertips
- Thousands of games available on your TV – Choose from over 700,000 apps and games on Google PlayTM
- Dual thumb sticks and buttons – Play all your favorite games with full gaming controls and dual analog thumbsticks
- ARCHOS Gaming Mapping Tool – Map the controls of games to the buttons and controllers of the remote for playing virtually any game on your TV – as recently introduced on the GamePad
Turn your TV into a Smart TV – Get a full web experience on your current HDTV
- Internet - Surf on the net from a big screen
- Online video streaming – Stream videos directly on your TV through YouTubeTM, Daily motion and other video applications
- Emails – Send and receive emails or share photos from your Facebook page with friends
HD video calls – Connect with a group of friends or family members on a big screen
- HD webcam - ARCHOS TV connect is equipped with an HD webcam for High quality video calling
- LED notification – LED lights notify you when you have an incoming calls while watching TV
- Compatibility with all popular video calling apps - Video chatting with Skype or Google TalkTM as a family from your sofa has never been easier
Multimedia Player - The ARCHOS TV connect includes the critically acclaimed ARCHOS Media Center applications so you can finally get control of your home media content, including:
- Best video codecs and format support - Read all your favorite video files with format and codec support including H.264 decoding in full 1080p HD
- Media Center Library – Tailor-made UI with automatic jacket, synopsis and subtitle download as well as library organization even for files stored elsewhere on your home network
- Easy home streaming – Stream your media content over your home network either through WiFi or Ethernet
- The right connections – Features HDMI (cable included), full USB host and micro SD slot
- Google™ Certified with Full Access to shop on Google Play™ – With over 700,000 applications, get all your favorite Android content on your TV including books, music, magazines and movies
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Internet on your TV
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HD video calling on your TV
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Critically acclaimed multimedia apps
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Happy New Year from Android Community!
We wanted to take a quick moment and drop a hello to everyone this fine Tuesday afternoon. This Tuesday being the first of many fun Android days of 2013. It’s all over folks! 2012 is all over. We hope all of our friends, readers, and partners had an excellent, safe, and fun filled New Years Eve this year.
Happy New Year!!!! Android in 2013 will be extremely exciting. We’ve been taking the past few days to reflect on Android as a whole over the past year. That goes from smartphones, tablets, apps, rumors, predictions and everything else in between. While I’m sure many of you are nursing hangovers, cleaning up party favors, or hanging out with friends and family enjoying a nice lunch we wanted to ring in the new year with a few quick posts.
As mentioned above, we’ve taken the past few days to look back at everything 2012 had to offer in the world of Android. So here we wanted to share in one post a few of our round-ups for you all to enjoy. We’ll start with our Android in 2013: Expectations and Predictions. It’s a good read where we wrap up 2012 and discuss many of the things we’re hoping for, and expecting to see from Google and everyone else next year. Then we took a moment to reflect on Android the OS, and where it’s headed as 2013 hits full stride.
In 2012 we had over 80 Android device reviews, almost 100 hands-on videos, and plenty of app reviews in between. For a quick look at tons of links, coverage, and our wrap up check out our Android Community Reviews Rundown for 2012. We also focused on Android apps and took a look at the state of Android apps in 2012. Then last but not least, we couldn’t think of a better way to ring in the new year then to wrap up some of the top game changing Android devices of the year. We hope you enjoyed our coverage from 2012 and look forward to serving you here again throughout 2013.
The Android Community team will be enjoying the rest of the day to spend with our friends and family, and we hope you all do the same. Don’t worry though. We’ll be back strong tomorrow as we get ready for CES 2013 taking off starting Sunday. Get excited!
Meet my friend Andru, the cutest USB charger in the world
Christmas has come and gone and if you have friends or family in other cities/states/countries, you’ve probably received a few gifts after the fact. This was the case for me when a good friend of mine was kind enough to send me the single greatest gift ever. His name is Andru and a few days ago he showed up on my doorstep. Let me introduce you to him.
Andru is a universal USB charger in the shape of everyone’s favorite mascot, Android’s “Bugdroid.” As an Android fanboy, you probably can’t get enough of this little guy and whether he’s on your shirt, car, or phone. A USB charger is the final component to complete and total Android fandom.
Build quality
Now, before you write off Andru as some cheaply manufactured, 3rd rate charger, upon closer inspection you’ll find that Andru is as premium a USB charger as money can buy. The soft touch finish gives Andru a smooth feel and antennae are made of a flexible rubber. Andru’s Ample 1A output means there’s enough output here for a wide variety of devices. Even the USB cable itself was given special attention, constructed with a strong rubber material and accented with matching colored tips. As a bonus, his light up eyes make a great night light. I’d dare you to find something of this quality outside of an official OEM charger.
Bonus: He’s alive
The best part about Andru is he doubles as an actual Android figurine (although not for children). His arms move, and matching stand allow him to be displayed on your desk. This makes Andru more than just a USB charger — he’s your smartphone’s best friend. Andru’s maker, Gen, has made Andru available in 3 colors: classic green, black with red eyes (perfect for Droid devices), and albino white (compliments a white Samsung device perfectly).
Value
There’s no question: at $25 Andru is definitely more expensive than your run of the mill generic USB charger. But that makes sense with the amount of thought and attention to detail put into Andru. Then again, it’s nothing more than you’d pay for an official OEM USB charger from your phone’s manufacturer. When it comes to buying for myself, the frugal buyer in me would more than likely go with some cheapy $.99 cent charger on eBay. But as a gift, therein lies the difference. As a gift, I wouldn’t think twice about buying one of these for an Android friend. And I know, for a fact, they’d love it.
There is a slight downside to consider when adopting an Andru. Bigger devices like the Galaxy Note 2 require a bit more output from a charger (up to 2A). This means Andru could take a little longer to charge larger devices than when using a stock OEM charger. Still, when it comes to battery health, a slower charge could keep your phone holding a charge for longer over time.
If you’d like to buy Andru either for yourself or a loved one, all colors are available via the links below.
Disney World Mobile Guide Showcases On-Ride Photos for Top Attractions
TimeStream Software’s new Disney World Mobile Guide 1.6 app for the iPhone and iPod touch gives guests all the trip-planning and in-park information they need to plan and enjoy a magical trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. But guests will find far more than a wealth of valuable park information. Also included are over 600 high-quality original photos exclusive to the app, including many difficult-to-obtain “on attraction” images.
“Walt Disney World Resort is an extremely visual experience for the entire family, so it’s only fitting that we made sure to include an abundance of high-quality photos in our flagship Disney World Mobile Guide app.” said Mike Westby of TimeStream Software. “I think guests will find the quality of photography to be outstanding, and the fact we include multiple photos per attraction, as well as elusive ‘on-attraction’ photography, is a valuable bonus.” (more…)
Finish reading “Disney World Mobile Guide Showcases On-Ride Photos for Top Attractions” and see screenshots for the app on AppCraver.com.
[New App] Sing! Karaoke From Smule, The Maker Of Audiorap And Songify, Puts Your Voice To The Test
Okay, get those pipes warmed up for the show. Sing! Karaoke has just dropped in Google Play and it’s free to try. Don’t worry if your friends and family flee from the room when you get up to sing – you can share your performance later via Facebook, Google+, Twitter, email, and SMS.
Sing! Karaoke includes all the songs the kids are into these days, but not all of them are available to sing for free. You can earn in-app currency by completing offers, or just pay for a subscription and get all the tunes. Once you choose a song, the app will scroll the lyrics and display pitch lines to help you (maybe) sound less terrible.
- [MWC 2012] ASUS Unveils The Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T), Packs Tegra 3 Or Snapdragon S4 Under A 1920×1200 Super IPS Display
- Pandora Updated To v1.7, Introduces A Brand New UI, Song History, And Lyrics
- [Update: Gray Now In Stock] ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 Pops Up On Amazon In Multiple Colors And Capacities, Keyboard Docks Too
- [Updated] ASUS: Ice Cream Sandwich On Existing Tablets Before Year’s End, Transformer Prime Info, Padfone in Q1 2012
[New App] Sing! Karaoke From Smule, The Maker Of Audiorap And Songify, Puts Your Voice To The Test was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Protect your new Android in style with our Cruzerlite $10 Giftcard Giveaway
Merry Christmas, Phandroids! Hopefully you were good this year and Santa brought you everything you asked for. Those of you that were really good, you may have even received a shiny new Android device under your tree. Chances are, you’re going to want to keep it shiny and blemish-free, and there’s no better way to do that than with a protective case. Good thing Cruzerlite is here to make sure your device is protected in style and it doesn’t matter if yours is a Christmas newborn, or if it has a few months under its belt.
With so many Android options out there, it wouldn’t be much of a giveaway if we committed to a single device. Thankfully, Cruzerlite was nice enough to accommodate, giving us 10 coupon codes to giveaway to our readers for use on whichever case they’d like. Nexus 4? You’re covered. Galaxy S3? You’re good too. Two-handed Galaxy Note 2? Come on down.
To enter, it’s easy. Simply leave us a comment down below with how you and your family spent the holidays and we’ll pick 10 random participants sending them a coupon code for $10-off the Cruzerlite case of their choice from their Amazon storefront (it’s essentially like a $10 giftcard). Just make sure your Disqus account is registered with some kind of email address (so that we can easily contact you). Contest cuts off at 12AM PT tonight. Merry Christmas everyone and have a fantastic rest of your holiday! Here’s to many more.
Merry Christmas from Android Community!
We hope this morning you find yourself surrounded with friends and family, loads of gifts, and of course boxes with neat little ribbons and bows on top. It’s Christmas! From all of us here at Android Community to all of our dearest loyal readers, Merry Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Hanukkah! And anything else you’re celebrating this wonderful day.
If you’re one of those Christmas and birthday on the same week people (like my brother) enjoy getting the same amount of gifts that count as birthday presents too — you earned it. As mentioned yesterday, the entire Android Community crew will be taking a break from the world of smartphones, tablets, and Android today to focus on our friends and family for the holidays.
If you just got a new tablet for x-mas check out these tablet apps, as well as a nice selection of apps for a new smartphone. Sadly I’m already doing tech support duty, so be warned when you give your old paps a shiny new smartphone with more features than his car. We’ll be back at it tomorrow morning as usual, accelerating into New Years eve, and the new year to see what Android and Google brings our way.
We have tons to look forward to in the next few months here at Android Community, especially early next year. As you all know we have CES 2013 in early January where we’ll be seeing copious amounts of quad-core 1080p HD smartphones, tablets, and more. Android will continue to grow and expand as the most dominate mobile OS in the world, and we’ll be here each and every step of the way. Make a few Skype or Google+ hangout calls to friends and family, and enjoy the rest of the holidays. We’ve had a pretty amazing year, and we’d like to thank you – the readers, the manufacturers, the PR teams, and the advertisers – for helping make it all possible.
Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays: Here’s some top apps for your new Android tablet
Many of you this morning will be waking up to friends and family, warm fireplaces, hot chocolate or coffee, and tons of presents under the Christmas tree. Today’s Christmas around these parts (or something similar) and for those that were lucky enough to get some Android toys for the holidays, we have you covered. Today we’ll be sharing some top apps for your new Android tablet, as well as another post for your new Android smartphone.
If you were lucky enough to receive a shiny new Google Nexus 7, Samsung Nexus 10, Or a Transformer tablet rocking a Tegra 3 quad-core processor (or any Android tablet for that matter) we have a nice list below of some of our absolute favorite apps and games. First off you’ll want to check out this list of games for sale, as well as the app called AppSales for everything on sale this holiday season in the Google Play Store. Then enjoy our list below.
We hope you all are having an awesome Christmas or holiday season, and hopefully the list of apps below will help you enjoy that 7 or 10 in Android tablet even more. This is just a few (of many, many) apps that us here at Android Community enjoy, or love enough to specifically mention. Also feel free to drop comments in the section below if you want to suggest a few yourself.
Riptide GP
Just like last year, Riptide GP is still one of our absolute favorite games for Android. The graphics are stunning (especially on Tegra 3 devices) the gameplay is extremely addicting, and it seriously never gets old. This game holds a special place for my Android devices, and gets installed on everything I own. This is a premiere racing game for Android. And we enjoy all that high speed action right in the water. Here’s a quick look:
Dead Trigger
Next up we’ll have to choose Dead Trigger simply for the fact that this is one of the best shooter games for Android. Aside from Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, and a few others, this takes the cake. The game is enhanced for Tegra 3 devices, but plays great on everything and it never gets old shooting zombies. Does it? Again, check out some hands-on of this awesome shooter game below:
Swiftkey 3
Next up we had to feature a keyboard, since Android allows for awesome 3rd party keyboard options. While typing is a breeze with Android 4.2 for those that have it, any other tablet will greatly benefit from the #1 3rd party keyboard available. That being SwiftKey 3. Their unmatched next-word prediction along with regular predictive text makes them one of the best around, not to mention Swiftkey Flow is coming soon and will be a free update. Get it now while it’s on sale for X-mas!
ShadowGun and DeadZone
Since Android tablets have awesome 7 and 10-inch HD displays and powerful quad-core processors we’re getting more than a few games in this list. This technically counts as two but we’ll let it slide. Shadowgun is still the most popular shooter for Android devices, and we’ve been fans from the beginning. For those that love the Gears of War type gameplay — this is for you. They’ve also released an epic multiplayer 3rd person shooter in ShadowGun: Deadzone and we’d highly suggest you check that out too. Here’s a quick look:
ShadowGun link – THD version
ShadowGun: Deadzone link
HD Widgets
As I’m sure many of you know, the best part of Android is customization. Being able to add highly customizable widgets to your homescreen for anything and everything. For those with the Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean you can even add widgets (like weather) right to your lockscreen. HD Widgets is one of the most popular widget packs in the Play Store — as they have widgets for just about everything. We’ll give Beautiful Widgets a shout out here too, but we love our HD Widgets.
Now this is just an extremely small window into the ever growing and massive Google Play Store selection of apps and games. You’ll surely want to check out The Amazing SpiderMan for tablets, the new Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for Android, automation apps like Tasker, new browsers like Google Chrome for Android, QuickOffice Pro, Falcon Pro for Twitter, or even the always useful Evernote App.
We’ll keep this post short and sweet so you can get back to enjoying your family, as well as these fun new games and apps for your Android tablet. We hope you all enjoy your friends, families, toys, gifts, or anything else this wonderful day. Merry Christmas!
Phandroid Holiday Party: celebrate & win a Nexus 7! [CONTEST]
The holidays are here! While the subject of our adoration is robot oriented, our staff is composed of humans, and the site’s content will be a bit slow as Phandroid and Android Forums staff celebrate with friends and family alike. But we’re hoping you’ll join our Holiday Party on Google+ and share your holiday cheer in the form of pictures, video, and text.
Here’s the kicker: we’re giving away a Nexus 7 tablet to five random participants of our online holiday party!
Here’s how you can win:
- Add Phandroid to your circles on Google+
- Join our Phandroid Holiday Party event
- From now through 11:30PM Eastern on December 25th, share some holiday cheer with other party attendees in the form of text, pictures, and video.
- On December 26th, Phandroid Staff will randomly select from amongst our favorite party posts, and each of the winners will receive a brand new Nexus 7 tablet.
Some additional rules:
- Must be 18+ to win
- Must have a shipping address in the continental United States, but if we randomly select a winner outside of the USA, we’ll hook you up with a consolation prize (so don’t let that stop you from partying!)
- Winners will be selected at the sole discretion of Phandroid.com
- Winners will be contacted through Google+ and if winners do not respond with 48 hours, new winners may be selected in their place.
- Each post counts as an additional entry, but please be selective: excessive posting is frowned upon and staff may disqualify users who simply post to maximize their entries. Don’t make SantaDroid put you on the naughty list!
So carry your Android Phone or Tablet around with you, capture whatever holiday cheer you can, and share it will all your friends at Phandroid and Android Forums.
MightyText Release Tablet Companion App, Lets You Send SMS Messages From Your Slate
While text messaging may be one of the easiest ways to get messages across the wire, having lengthy conversations with only a tiny keyboard to type your messages can be tedious and annoying. As a result, apps like TabletSMS, DeskSMS, and MightyText were born. The latter has always made it easy to send SMS from your PC, but thanks to a new app in the MightyText family, you can now do the same directly from your tablet.
Basically, If you’re already a MightyText user, the setup should be pretty seamless. If not, you need only install the phone app and get it set up.
- [New App] TabletSMS, From The Creator Of DeskSMS, Lets You Send SMS And MMS Messages From Your Tablet
- DeskSMS Is Now A Full-Featured SMS Forwarding App, With Direct Web Access And Chrome/Firefox Extensions
- [New App] ‘SendIt’ Makes It Easy To Share Files With Any Platform Over SMS
- [Hands-On] Android Remote Notifier For Your Win/Linux/Mac Desktop: For When Your Phone Isn’t Notify-y Enough
MightyText Release Tablet Companion App, Lets You Send SMS Messages From Your Slate was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Make your screens jolly with Google’s Happy Holiday Cards!
Christmas is almost here! The family is getting together and all the kiddos are screaming over their gifts, but what about us Android fans? We deserve a little joy too, right? This is why Google has put together a few Nexus-themed Happy Holiday Cards.
They feature our very favorite little green robot, along with all of his holiday friends – including polar bears, penguins and… Big Foot? Either way, you can print them, share them, give them away, use them as wallpapers or do as you please with them. Download them straight from here if you want them. Merry Christmas, guys!
Instagram update adds new filter and deeper Facebook integration
Today Instagram is in the news again, only this time regarding updates to their popular mobile apps instead of privacy and terms of service changes. Today the folks from Instagram updated their app with multiple changes, as well as deeper Facebook integration. Which makes sense given that Facebook now owns the artsy app. More details after the break.
Instagram version 3.4.0 was released today and now supports 25 languages according to the what’s new page. They’ve also added another filter to their app called Mayfair, which is the second filter added in the last week. More options to be artsy and creative are always welcomed additions. Then they’ve integrated more Facebook features.
Instagram makes it easier to find friends and family that use Instagram, who are also your friends on Facebook. Then today’s update also integrated the sharing features a little deeper. Users can now share photos to Facebook Groups directly in the app, instead of just to their own page.
Instagram has been under a lot of flack lately over policy changes, where many believed they’ll have the right to share and sell your photos at will. They’ve reverted to their old terms and policies after a media backlash, so we’ll see where it goes from here. For now get the latest and greatest Instagram update from the Google Play Store and enjoy that new filter. Oh, they also state improved performance and a few bug fixes, as usual.
Story Timeline
- Facebook buys Instagram for a cool billion, service to remain intact
- Instagram for Android gets 5 million downloads in one week
- Five alternatives to Instagram on Android
- Instagram update adds deeper Facebook integration and search options
- Instagram v3.0 brings share photos to Map, improved scrolling and more
- Twitter for Android updated with Instagram-like filters and cropping
Google’s ‘Send a call from Santa’ is back for 2012
With the biggest day of the year for Santa quickly approaching we might as well help him out a little. Let Santa make a few phone calls to our friends and family instead of flying everywhere. Just like last year Google’s launched their Send a call from Santa site for your enjoyment. We can send phone calls, emails, and even share the funny results right to Google+. More details below.
In the usual fashion Google is showing how awesome they are by adding to their holiday goods. Earlier this week we reported on their Santa Tracker app, and now they’ll let you make calls to friends and family with a unique yet personalized message right from Jolly St. Nick himself. At the end they’ll even let you call Santa personally and leave him a message. Fun!
It’s extremely simple and everything is neatly done with a few quick drop-down menus and commands. You can be as funny as you want, and Google handles everything. Simply go to www.sendacallfromsanta.com to get started. You’ll have to answer a few questions, agree to Santa’s terms since he has his own legal team, then in seconds you’ll be making a personalized message or custom tailored phone call from Santa himself.
Google’s integrated their growing social network Google+ this year, and just like years past we’re able to send a personalized call (US only it appears) to friends and family, send it as an email, or share the results to Google+. If you’d like to hear a sample, here’s what to expect. Google’s always doing fun and creative things and we’d recommend you give this a try. Enjoy!
[via Google]
Google shows off a new way of taking a family portrait with Photo Sphere on the Nexus 4 [Video]
To help promote their already sold out Nexus 4, Google shows off Photo Sphere in this short video. Photo Sphere is definitely an intuitive way to take new pictures, if only we can access those pictures anywhere else and not just Google+! Either way, check out the video!
Click here to view the embedded video.
Twist for Android uses GPS to tell your friends you’ll be late
There’s a brand new app that was just released today for Android called Twist. We all have that friend or sibling that is just late for everything right? I’ll be there in 10. Then they leave 8 minutes later are are 20 minutes late. Twist for Android looks to curb that by using GPS to give you a real-time alert on progress, as well as the estimated time of arrival. Read on for more details.
Without revealing exactly where you are to friends and family (who would want to be tracked, this isn’t Mission Impossible). Instead it uses GPS and cell tower signals and location to estimate, and for the most part accurately report when you’ll arrive at a destination. You can fire up the app and then quickly share details, and that ETA information with friends and family, Facebook, or whatever you’d like.
The app obviously knows if you’re walking, driving, or taking public transit as well as letting you chose the options that best fits the situation. I like the fact that once you send out the notification it adds you to their site. While it won’t tell anyone your exact location, the people you’ve sent a notification to can then track the progress, or check for status updates if they are getting impatient.
The app actually uses Microsoft’s Bing apps, even though Google’s recently opened up their maps API for developers. While we probably don’t expect them to switch over, the experience has been rather impressive with Bing. Instead of always having to send a quick “be there soon” text message, especially while driving (who does that) you’ll now just fire Twist up as you head out the door — and commute in peace. Get it now absolutely free from the link below and give this neat new app a try.
[via SlashGear]
FCC and Lookout launch the Smartphone Security Checker
The FCC, along with some contributor partners have recently launched a tool aimed at smartphone users. Or more specifically, new smartphone users. The tool can be found on the FCC website and is called Smartphone Security Checker. This tool is available for Android users (as well as other mobile operating systems) and offers advise and suggestions on how to secure your smartphone.
That being said, we suspect that many of the regular Android Community readers will already be familiar with some of these topics. But on that note, this could be something good to pass off to a friend or family member that is not quite as tech-friendly. The FCC website offers the option to get the 10 customized steps based on your operating system and also as a general smartphone security checklist.
Looking at the list and you will find topics telling you that you should set PINs and passwords, should not modify your smartphones security settings, should backup and secure your data, should only install apps from trusted sources, understand app permissions before accepting them, install security apps that enable remote location and wiping and more.
Like we said, many of the Android Community readers will likely already be familiar. Of course, the problem here, while we suggested passing this list off to friends and family members that may be new smartphone users — we also realize that we may be setting you up. After all, while this list is pretty good, it will probably only result in a ton of questions from those who actually read it.
[via FCC]
Android Community Nightly: December 17th, 2012
It was another exciting Monday here at Android Community and we had plenty of Android news to share with the world. Hopefully you all enjoyed the weekend, and we have just one more to go before we can all celebrate Christmas and spend times with friends and family. Starting off with news, Amazon is offering the Galaxy Note II for dirt cheap these holidays, and Google has started a new promotion offering daily deals throughout the rest of the year.
Yup, Google was in the news a bunch again today. As mentioned above they’ll be offering deals each day until 2013 starts — so you’ll want to keep an eye on the Play Store daily until 2012 comes to a close. Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt was in the news again today, only being funny while interviewing Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central. Then Google UK head had some negative words towards LG regarding Nexus 4 supply — or lack thereof.
Samsung made the rounds again this afternoon with the US Cellular Galaxy S III getting Jelly Bean next week. Their Galaxy Tab 2 is set to come in the same AT&T Garnet Red color soon, then the T-Mobile Galaxy Note II is getting an update this week bringing bug fixes and multi-window view features. Last but certainly not least the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon finally got Android 4.2.1 — just not officially. CyanogenMod 10.1 now supports the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, so check out Android 4.2.1 with the Verizon Gnex in our hands-on video.
Now for some random news from today. Sony detailed their Jelly Bean update plans for next year, and their 5-inch 1080p Xperia YUGA leaked into the wild. Talking about 1080p HD displays HTC’s flagship M7 leaked again, this time confirming it’ll have an amazing 4.7-inch 1080p HD display. That’s a lot of pixels! Last but not least Verizon LTE is headed to more places in Arizona and Iowa, and the visually stunning and fun shooter for Android Dead Trigger received a Christmas update. Shoot some zombiefied Santa’s and enjoy yourself.
Have a great night!
[Update: Nexus 7 (Grouper) And GSM Galaxy Nexus (Maguro), Too] Official CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Now Rolling Out For The Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700)
Update: It looks like the TF700 isn’t the only device new to the CM10.1 world; nightly builds are also available for the Nexus 7 (grouper) and GSM variant of the Galaxy Nexus (maguro).
The CyanogenMod team has been steadily working on getting Android 4.2 ready for nightly status, with builds already available for the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10. The newest member of the CM 10.1 family is ASUS’ flagship 10″ tablet: the Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700).
- [Updated] Download: CyanogenMod 9 Nightlies Come To Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi, I/O Edition, T-Mo), Galaxy S II, ASUS Transformers (Original TF101 & Prime TF201)
- The Original Samsung Galaxy S (I9000) Gets Official CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies [Updated]
- CyanogenMod 6 Continues Its Rampage, Launches Nightlies For HTC Aria and CDMA HTC Hero
- CyanogenMod 10 Nightlies For The Acer Iconia Tab A700 Are Go
[Update: Nexus 7 (Grouper) And GSM Galaxy Nexus (Maguro), Too] Official CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Now Rolling Out For The Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.
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Review: VideoKits Gives You Tools for Great Film Making on the iPhone
Have you ever wanted to be a film maker, but didn’t know where to start? Yes, me too and luckily we amateur directors have an app for our iPhone called VideoKits. Think of it as a tool to help you put all of those awesome videos you have saved on your device together in one sweet film. Or if you don’t have any videos because maybe you just got your iPhone then you can use it to take video, put the film together and export as your first feature film … or fun holiday family video rather.
VideoKits, at its core, is an app that helps you make better moments by giving you tips and a storyboard to follow. This guidance comes in the form of a video kit, hence the name. These packaged goodies include Thanksgiving, basketball, soccer, football, holiday and many more themes, which are free. Of course, there are additional themes available such as cooking show, restaurant review, birth announcement and more for in-app purchase around $0.99.
I think what makes this app extremely useful is that you don’t have to edit your videos. This, by itself, makes VideoKits one of the best shoot and share video apps on the market. (more…)
Finish reading “VideoKits Gives You Tools for Great Film Making on the iPhone” and see screenshots for the app on AppCraver.com.
Samsung Tries to Relive Sex Tape Sharing Galaxy S3 Magic With New Santa Spot
Remember the Galaxy S3 personal sex tape sharing video of Samsung’s that went viral? They are trying to recreate that magic by swapping out the normal family with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and some creepy little elves. This version doesn’t quite pull it off like the original, but still, worth a giggle.
Click through to continue reading…
Australian Police Claim Apple Maps Could Be Deadly
We all know how Apple Maps fairs against most of its competition, and it’s not news to us that Apple even acknowledged that in an apology letter to its users. However, the problems still haven’t been fixed, it seems. According to a report by the police in Victoria (Australia), Apple Maps is causing life threatening errors with inaccurate directions and navigations. The problem in this case is with the app’s handling of a location named Mildura. What Apple Maps shows to be Mildura, is actually Sunset National Park. Now you might be wondering why all of this would be life threatening, right? Well, Sunset National Park isn’t exactly what you think it is. It is a vast desert, filled with all sorts of venomous beings and with an approximate temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit. And you would hardly find any cellular reception in an area like this, which could potentially be life threatening if the traveler has no supplies. Astonishingly, Mildura is located about 43 miles away from the location mentioned on Apple Maps. The police apparently have received six calls for help after being misguided by Apple Maps in the same area, so this issue has already affected a whole bunch of users. Not sure how Apple will react to this, but the Victorian Police Dept has apparently requested Apple to fix this navigation error, but there still doesn’t seem to be a fix to this.
Inspector Simon Clemmence from Victoria Police said in a statement – “Say you got a whole family up there, little kids, at 112 degrees, you didn’t bring any water because you thought you were just going to pull into a town and have a coke and pie, but instead you’re stuck in a desert and your car is stuck, not going anywhere“. He further added – “These are just family cars that are being directed up these roads. They turn into sandy tracks and they get stuck… Some people just trust the technology. Any sat-nav is going to give you errors, but this one in particular is giving us a big one that may end up in a loss of life“.
It seems like Apple has more things to worry about than it thought. This news could potentially harm the iPhone 5′s sale which is concerning news for Apple especially with the holiday season approaching. Apple initially recommended users to rely on third party Map apps for accurate navigation, which was shameful for a company like Apple. And as if that weren’t enough, the company had to fire Scott Forstall who was instrumental in the development of iOS in general and Apple Maps. So unless Apple gets its act together quick, we don’t see this issue being resolved. It won’t be wrong to call this the “Maps-gate” much like Antennagate with the iPhone 4.
When the app cannot accurately show some areas of New York, how good would you expect it to do anywhere else? Apple’s brave decision to ditch Google Maps is already proving to be very costly for the company. And as this unfolds, we can almost sense Google smirking over Apple’s misfortunes. Let’s hope Apple fixes this sooner rather than later.
Source: Victoria Police News
Via: Phone Arena
Puffer Train Games bring Old West to Japan
iPhone puzzle games “Puffer’s Train Challenge” and “Puffer’s Train Challenge Lite” are now available for play in Japanese. Version 1.6 brings both improved game play and reduced memory usage to these family friendly games. As players enjoy the games, they will be treated to authentic images of historic trains and locations from throughout the Old West. Those with a sharp eye, might even recognize scenes or locations from some of their favorite Western movies along the way!
Version 1.6 of “Puffer’s Train Challenge” and “Puffer’s Train Challenge Lite” are the latest updates to the Puffer Train series of family friendly games for the iPhone and iPod touch platform. Available in English, French, German, Spanish and now Japanese, these games provide train puzzles to be solved using either “Zen mode” – a kids friendly format with unlimited moves per puzzle or “Star mode” – an online competitive format where player’s scores allow them to earn points, collect bonuses, and open new levels for play. Both games start off simply, but soon grow increasingly complex. As puzzles are solved players will find themselves:
Finish reading “Puffer Train Games bring Old West to Japan” and see screenshots for the app on AppCraver.com.
Amazon Appstore downloads up 500% from last year
It’s no surprise to anyone that Amazon’s Kindle Fire has had some pretty good success in the tablet market. To add to that success, Amazon announced Thursday that downloads in their own Appstore have increased by over 500% over the past year alone. That’s a big jump. With the recent release of more tablets in the Kindle Fire family, there’s no doubt that Amazon is trying as hard as they can to get their own unique services and stores in the hands of consumers, and judging by that 500% increase, they’re doing a pretty good job. If Amazon decides to throw a Kindle Fire phone into the mix, I’m sure that number will increase dramatically, too.
Amazon does also attribute some of that growth to their helpful development tools, citing things like A/B testing for helping developers get their applications ported over and set up on the Amazon Appstore. A/B testing is just one of many development features Amazon boasts in their ecosystem, and it’s obvious that it’s having positive effects for them.
source: Amazon
Amazon Appstore downloads up 500% from last year
It’s no surprise to anyone that Amazon’s Kindle Fire has had some pretty good success in the tablet market. To add to that success, Amazon announced Thursday that downloads in their own Appstore have increased by over 500% over the past year alone. That’s a big jump. With the recent release of more tablets in the Kindle Fire family, there’s no doubt that Amazon is trying as hard as they can to get their own unique services and stores in the hands of consumers, and judging by that 500% increase, they’re doing a pretty good job. If Amazon decides to throw a Kindle Fire phone into the mix, I’m sure that number will increase dramatically, too.
Amazon does also attribute some of that growth to their helpful development tools, citing things like A/B testing for helping developers get their applications ported over and set up on the Amazon Appstore. A/B testing is just one of many development features Amazon boasts in their ecosystem, and it’s obvious that it’s having positive effects for them.
source: Amazon
Amazon Appstore downloads up 500% from last year
It’s no surprise to anyone that Amazon’s Kindle Fire has had some pretty good success in the tablet market. To add to that success, Amazon announced Thursday that downloads in their own Appstore have increased by over 500% over the past year alone. That’s a big jump. With the recent release of more tablets in the Kindle Fire family, there’s no doubt that Amazon is trying as hard as they can to get their own unique services and stores in the hands of consumers, and judging by that 500% increase, they’re doing a pretty good job. If Amazon decides to throw a Kindle Fire phone into the mix, I’m sure that number will increase dramatically, too.
Amazon does also attribute some of that growth to their helpful development tools, citing things like A/B testing for helping developers get their applications ported over and set up on the Amazon Appstore. A/B testing is just one of many development features Amazon boasts in their ecosystem, and it’s obvious that it’s having positive effects for them.
source: Amazon
Motorola updates its Jelly Bean timetables, puts key upgrades in Q1 2013
Now that Verizon’s most recent Droid RAZR family has had its taste of Jelly Bean, it’s time for Motorola to shift focus to the rest of the devices that have made the cut for the upgrade — and it’s doing just that with an updated timetable for the rollout. Among those phones and tablets that aren’t already on Android 4.1, only the Atrix HD and Asia-Pacific RAZR HD models should get the refresh before 2012 bows out. A larger contingent that includes the Electrify M, the LTE-equipped Xoom and some international models like the European RAZR i will have to wait until the first quarter of 2013 for their turn. Other devices like the Droid Bionic, original RAZR and Photon Q are still on deck, but don’t yet have a schedule. That’s not a comforting sign when we could see a version of Android beyond 4.2 in the spring, so we’re hoping that Motorola is trying to underpromise now and overdeliver later.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Central
Source: Motorola
Amazon Appstore downloads up 500% from last year
It’s no surprise to anyone that Amazon’s Kindle Fire has had some pretty good success in the tablet market. To add to that success, Amazon announced Thursday that downloads in their own Appstore have increased by over 500% over the past year alone. That’s a big jump. With the recent release of more tablets in the Kindle Fire family, there’s no doubt that Amazon is trying as hard as they can to get their own unique services and stores in the hands of consumers, and judging by that 500% increase, they’re doing a pretty good job. If Amazon decides to throw a Kindle Fire phone into the mix, I’m sure that number will increase dramatically, too.
Amazon does also attribute some of that growth to their helpful development tools, citing things like A/B testing for helping developers get their applications ported over and set up on the Amazon Appstore. A/B testing is just one of many development features Amazon boasts in their ecosystem, and it’s obvious that it’s having positive effects for them.
source: Amazon
WordTag Launches on Android, Use 120 Characters to Stump Your Friends
If you’re into playing word games with your friends and family, then check out WordTag. The objective is to use up to 120 characters to describe a single word that your friends must guess. It may seem easy at first, but I’m sure you can come up with some words that can stump your opponents. [...]
Click through to continue reading…
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droid razr m HD
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MikeC: I finally rooted my DROID RAZR HD! I did it in order to use titanium backup - I'm not interested in custom ROMs. http://t.co/F3UxMiycDD
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Bryan Hough: Switching to Verizon Wireless for work, so I'm going with the Droid Razr Maxx HD. Should be here today....finally....WANT PHONE NOW
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Wizard: @IcedVentiMocha I bought a droid RAZR maxx HD. Promised the wife I wouldn't keep both. But now I'm really wanting a s4.
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Smart Actions Custom: Motorola DROID RAZR HD, M, Atrix and more bootloaders finally unlocked
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