Latest Android news, applications and forum discussion

Send Us Tips!

Jan

20

2012

Get Android Game Recommendations From Over 250,000 Games With the Hooked App

0

by Stacy Bruce
tagged , , ,

With Android gaming popularity on the rise, it’s becoming harder and harder to find games that you are interested in with the flood of new daily releases. That’s where the Hooked app comes in. Hooked is an Android app that searches a database of over 250,000 games and provides “personalized game recommendations based on each users’ game preferences and ratings”.

Hooked runs off of a proprietary algorithm based on your previous game rankings and the more rankings you create, the better the recommendations. Hooked CEO Prita Uppal, explains the app like this:

“As the number of games in the Android Marketplace continues to rapidly increase, it is getting harder and harder for consumers to find the games that best fit their interest. The Hooked app is an easy-to-use resource that will help gamers find the ‘hidden gems’ in the Android Marketplace and deliver compelling content that until now was not receiving the attention it may have deserved.”

Also equipped with social integration, Hooked allows users to recommend games to friends on Facebook and Twitter. I haven’t yet had the chance to try out this app so if you end up giving it a whirl, be a pal and let us know what you think! If you want to read the whole press release that contains all of the apps additional features, jump past the break.

Android Market

qrcode

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Applications, Android Gaming | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Namco: “Freemium” Games Hurt Quality, Do Gamers Really Need Them?

2

by Roy Alugbue
tagged , , , ,

 

There’s no doubt about the impact of gaming in our society today. Much of pop culture and our social lives are impacted by gaming to a certain extent. Angry Birds went from being a small app to a pop culture reference in the form of mentions from celebrities and clothes with Angry Bird characters being sold in designer stores now as noteworthy examples. We see celebrities and famous figures discuss how they play Modern Warfare or Grand Theft Auto and the impact it’s had on their lives’, which in turn affects our lives. Let’s face it, we play games on our Android devices. What once was an afterthought because of our Sony PSPs, Nintendo DS systems, Xboxes— is now very much status quo and the norm to even the average and simplistic Android user.

The continuous advancements from the development of games allows for users to have respectable Android gaming experience at the very least. One significant thing about the Android platform is the significance of the choice of apps that users want to use: paid apps or free apps. This is especially relevant with gaming on Android. The Android platform caters to two main categories of Android gamers: the recreational gamer and the hardcore gamer. The recreational gamer (and even Hardcore gamers to a certain extent) can enjoy popular gaming series such as Angry Birds, Words With Friends and Shoot The Apple, at no cost to them generally speaking. The hardcore gamer can enjoy such games as Modern Combat 3, Grand Theft Auto III, Madden ’12 and Need For Speed just to name a few, for a premium price that is more than reasonable especially with the vast amount of content included in the various games. There’s a consensus that both gamer types love seeing games that are free, especially when they are free games that look and play at a high level. Knowing that, there’s a troubling trend growing among developers of Android games found in the Market— the “Freemium” model. Read on to find out why this is not only a bad practice among developers, but why it turns me as a gamer off to certain games, even if they look and feel great.

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Gaming, Android Rants, Unique | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Deal: Verizon Now Offering Free HTC Thunderbolt Until January 26th

0

by Stacy Bruce
tagged , , , ,

With all the bad juju surrounding Verizon’s very first 4G phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, I am pretty sure no one is looking to pick one up anytime soon, especially with so many great options these days. Well what if I told you it was now being offered for free, would that make a difference?

Big Red has just lowered the cost of the Thunderbolt to nada, as long as you’re willing to sign a new 2-year contract. I know this isn’t considered a top-tier phone anymore, but for those people who just want an affordable option that will get them into the world of LTE, this may be a reasonable option. Too see the device in action, and to freshen up on its specs, check out our full review. If this sounds interesting to you, you better act quick as the deal ends on Jan. 26.

[via Verizon / UnwiredView]

 

 

 

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Phones | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Take the guesswork out of gift giving with Gift Wizard for Android [Hands On Video]

0

by Robert Nazarian

When Sock Monkey Solutions asked me to try Gift Wizard, I didn’t think much of it, but then my wife asked me for ideas on a gift she wanted to buy a friend. So I figured I would give it a shot. It basically asked me a series of questions like the person’s sex, age, what the occasion is and their interests. This didn’t take more than a minute or two. After that was done, it gave us about 10 or so gift ideas. I have to admit we actually used one of them.

My initial thoughts before I used the app were what could this tell me that I don’t already know? Well to be honest, the gift ideas weren’t necessarily ground-breaking, but sometimes we don’t always think of the obvious. I might have eventually came up with the idea that we eventually used, which was a gift basket of wine, but Gift Wizard made things easier to focus on the obvious. The initial questions could have been little more broad, but they are simple and quick. Gift Wizard costs .99 cents and I would say after one gift idea, it’s already paid for itself.

Hands on video and download links after the break

» Read the rest

Jan

20

2012

Could OLED Displays With Solar Panels Lead to Self-Sustained Smartphones?

3

by Jack Holt
tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Now that the push into HD displays, quad-core processors and 4G LTE radios is in full swing a lot of manufacturers are looking into ways of making their device’s battery life last more than a couple of hours. We told you about how Samsung was going to look at tweaking radios for better battery life, Motorola is releasing phones with giant 3300mAh batteries and so on. Well others are looking into more efficient smartphones in a completely different direction.  » Read the rest

Categorized as Android Development, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones, Android Tablets, Hardware Mods | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Samsung – The Next Big Thing is Already Here Part 4: “We Just Got Samsunged”

0

by Stacy Bruce
tagged , ,

Ready for another good laugh courtesy of Samsung? Good because Samsung just released their latest Galaxy S II commercial, and boy it’s a hoot!

This is the fourth installment in their line of “The next big thing” commercials and they just keep getting better. Not that you had to ask, but it takes place in line at an Apple store and makes a playful jab at iPhone fans. The commercial promotes the Galaxy S II and its built in turn-by-turn navigation features. Not too much to brag about but the video is great nonetheless. Check it out and let us know what you think. If you missed the first three or simply want to revisit them in an effort to make a series out of the experience, check out part 1, 2, and 3. Hurry, before you get Samsunged!!

YouTube Preview Image

[via Google+]

Categorized as Android Manufacturers, Android Phones | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Samsung suffers a setback in German court, Legal costs now at $60 million

0

by Robert Nazarian
tagged , ,

Samsung received some bad news this week from a Germany court. The Mannheim court ruled against one patent out of three mobile technologies Samsung claims Apple infringed. The other other two will be decided on January 27 and March 2. Samsung hasn’t decided if they will appeal the decision.

“We are disappointed that the court did not share our views regarding the infringement by Apple of this specific patent in Germany,” Samsung said in a statement.

We reported last month that Samsung was setting aside $200 million for these Apple-related legal battles which are in 10 countries, including the U.S., France, Australia, and Japan. So far Samsung has already spent $60 million since April 2011 for just Apple-related legal battles.

Clearly there’s no end in site to these legal battles. Money will continue to be burned up which could go towards innovation or better prices. It’s sad, but unfortunately this is the current state of mobile, and it’s here to stay for now.

[via reuters]

 

Categorized as Android Lawsuits, Android Manufacturers, Android News | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

TELUS HTC Desire HD update to Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread now live

5

by Robert Nazarian
tagged , , ,

We’ve gotten a number of emails from our friends up north telling us they received the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread update for the Telus HTC Desire HD, The enhancements include:

  • HTC Sense 3.0 (improved Calendar, Messages, Camera, Gallery, Music, Weather, Lock Screen, Reader, and more)
  • HTC Watch – Rent or buy the latest movies and/or shows
  • Google Video Chat
  • Improved stability

If you haven’t received the update yet, you can check to see if you can manually pull it by going to Settings/About Phone/System Updates. Please let us know in the comments if you received the update and how things are working.

Thanks Eric

[via telus]

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones, Android Updates | Full Post

Jan

20

2012

Rovio Rings In The Chinese New Year By Releasing Angry Birds Seasons: Year Of The Dragon

0

by Roy Alugbue
tagged , , , ,

Rovio wants to ring in the Chinese New Year in style by bringing in the latest installment of the popular Angry Birds series. They’ve released the new Angry Bird Seasons: Year of the Dragon to the Android Market and it awaits your skills to defeat the newly transformed Mighty Dragon. You’ll need to postpone your planned festivities by going through the various levels and earning special achievements in order to save those precious eggs. As an added incentive, developer Rovio wants everyone to partake in the joyous moment as well by making this latest installment of the game completely free.

If you don’t have the game, grab it today. Be sure to hit the Android Market link or scan that QR code listed below.

Android Market

 

 

Categorized as Android Applications, Android Gaming, Android News | Full Post

Jan

19

2012

Samsung Releases Update For The Galaxy Note

1

by Spencer McClendon
tagged , ,

Samsung is pushing out OTA updates to the Galaxy Note. With this update, brings changes to the lock screen and the keyboard, as well as a few other goodies. All are much welcomed changes for owners of the Galaxy Note. People that are new to Samsung and even Android for that matter, have been having a hard time trying to figure how to unlock the phone. Before the update, the screen was blank and it was a guessing game for some. Now Samsung has added a “swipe to unlock” message at the bottom of the screen.  They have also shrunk the distance you have to swipe to unlock your device, adding a smaller inner circle that only requires the slightest swipe.

Keyboard improvements include a new row of keys for numbers as well as the ability to customize your keyboard for one handed use, and which hand you wish to use. The later feature applies to both the texting keyboard as well as the numeric keyboard for phone calls.

These are solid improvements on an already solid device. Other updates are improved brightness controls while in the browser, and an added widget for the torch app. Making things a little brighter with ease, when needed. Now we here in the U.S. still have to wait to get our taste of the Note, so we must rely on our European readers to let us know what you think of these updates, unless of course you are one of those people that bought the international version, then we want to hear from you too. Give us your feedback in the comments section below.

Source The Unwired

 

Categorized as Android News, Android Phones, Android Updates | Full Post

« First...1020...3031323334...4050...Last »