Saturday, March 31, 2012

JRummy’s ROM Toolbox Turns 1 Year Old, Price Cut 50% and Half of Sales Go to Testicular Cancer Research

ROM Toolbox 650x318 JRummy's ROM Toolbox Turns 1 Year Old, Price Cut 50% and Half of Sales Go to Testicular Cancer Research

Our buddy JRummy16, who has been a major player in the Android community since the OG DROID days, is offering his ROM Toolbox application (which turns 1 year old today) for just $2.99 instead of the regular $5.99. ROM Toolbox combines all the major root apps into one app plus adds much more. Users can flash ROMs, have a root file explorer, set cpu profiles, install full themes and more. It's a great app for any root user.

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Google Maps 8-Bit Coming Soon, Cartridge Blowing Allowed

google maps 8bit1 650x358 Google Maps 8 Bit Coming Soon, Cartridge Blowing Allowed

When it comes to April Fools' activities, no one does it up like Google. To get an early start on the festivities, they released their first product in Google Maps 8-bit. Yeah, that 8-bit. Just watch the video and laugh at your years with the original NES. Oh, and this video makes it sound like we may see an Android version in the next couple of days. Cannot wait.

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Ice Cream Sandwich Build 6.14.75 Leaks for the DROID RAZR

ics razr 365x650 Ice Cream Sandwich Build 6.14.75 Leaks for the DROID RAZR

After yesterday's news that Ice Cream Sandwich would be released next week for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX, a soak test invite for Motorola Feedback Network members was quickly sent out which seemingly confirmed that the update was upon us. This morning, a leaked Android 4.0.3 (version 6.14.75) build briefly became available from the crew over at DroidRzr.com, however, it was then pulled as the normal methods for flashing were not working as expected.

From what we know though, thanks to a couple of successful flashes, a new webtop software is included, obviously a new ICS UI, new radios, and version 4.0.3 of Android. What we aren't sure about yet is if this is the official build that could be pushed to devices in the coming days.

If you are interested in potentially flashing, you will want to keep an eye on this DroidRzr thread.

Cheers Patrick, Johnny, and Mal_Eskrito!

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Dungeon Hunter 3 now free in Google Play Store

Dungeon Hunter 3 has been a long time coming, but Gameloft finally delivered the Android version to the Google Play store today. Like recent Gameloft releases, DH3 is a freemium title, which has its ups and downs. You can grab the game for free right now, but be prepared to receive a couple spam alerts in your notification bar to buy more Gameloft coins.

"Hero, you are needed in battle! This is your time to conquer!

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Motorola DROID RAZR and HTC Rezound Android 4.0 update scheduled for next week

Though Verizon was the first U.S. carrier to offer an Android 4.0 device, they will be the second carrier to push out an Android 4.0 updates to a couple phones in their lineup. A leaked picture of Best Buy's computer system shows that Verizon will be releasing the Android 4.0 OTA update for the Motorola DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX on April 4th, while the HTC Rezound will receive the update on April 6th.

In late

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Friday, March 30, 2012

HTC One S handset seized by French authorities as HTC-Hub is sued by HTC France

It's a sad night for HTC fans in France and across the globe as HTC France has taken legal action against HTC-Hub (currently the largest HTC blog on the web) for releasing an unboxing video of the HTC One S. The handset, which Bruno obtained through a confidential source, has also been seized by French authorities.

At this point, we're not sure what legal charges have been brought against HTC-Hub, but it looks like everything has stemmed from a lack of communication from Hopscotch, HTC's PR agency in France. Bruno approached Hopscotch a few weeks after Mobile World Congress to inquire about HTC One demo units. While HTC typically sends out demo units to members of the press several days before the actual launch with an embargo agreement (an agreement to not publish any information about the phone before a specific date or time), Hopscotch informed Bruno that demo units would not be available in France until the launch of the HTC One next week.

Members of HTC-Hub decided to take the matter into their own hands and were able to secure the HTC One S without help from HTC or its PR company, meaning there were no legal restrictions as to when they could share images, videos or information about the device. We know that quite a few bloggers in Europe have been using the HTC One S and HTC One X for a few days already, but no major site has given any hands-on account of the devices due to the embargo which they all agreed to.

We don't know how things will progress with Bruno and the rest of his team at HTC-Hub. From the personal communication we have had with Bruno, it's obvious that this whole situation could have been resolved without legal action. We don't want to point fingers at HTC and say that they are in the wrong since we are not directly involved and may be missing some key details, but we'll be monitoring the situation and let you know if there are any interesting updates.

What are your thoughts on the situation? If HTC-Hub managed to obtain a demo unit of the HTC One S from a different source should they be legally required to abide by an embargo that they never agreed to?

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DROID RAZR and MAXX “New Software” Invites Sent, Time for Ice Cream Sandwich

razr maxx review DROID RAZR and MAXX

Here it is, folks. A soak test or "preview of a new software" is headed to owners of the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX

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HTC One video overload: official commercial, One X stress test and hands-on overviews

The guys who brought up the HTC One X camera shootout have also uploaded a few hands-on videos of HTC's new lineup, the official commercial for the HTC One X, and a stress test demonstration. We could go into detail and talk about the different videos, but it's probably easier to let you sit back and watch them instead.

There's been a little bit of HTC One overload today and we expect things to stay this way until after the launch of the HTC One series next week. As always, leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the videos. I was fascinated by the HTC One X camera shootout video, but it's nice to know that the HTC One X can take a beating and still hold things together.

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This Week In The Life Of DROID: 3/30/2012

droid life nexus back 650x432 This Week In The Life Of DROID: 3/30/2012

This week we had some

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RAZR, RAZR MAXX and HTC Rezound Receiving Ice Cream Sandwich Updates as Early as Next Week?

droid razr official2 307x650 RAZR, RAZR MAXX and HTC Rezound Receiving Ice Cream Sandwich Updates as Early as Next Week?

According to Best Buy systems that were updated this afternoon, Verizon is preparing to launch Ice Cream Sandwich updates for 3 of their top phones, the DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and HTC Rezound. Both Moto and Verizon had caught flack for not giving specific enough time frames for updates to the RAZRs, but we speculated at that time that it was likely because they were going to try to release them as soon as possible. If this screenshot from BBY is correct, that assumption was also on point. The Rezound was in a similar boat – we knew it was getting it, but had no idea when. We may know now.

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Temple Run for Android Updated, Fixes Crash Issues and Adds Support for the DROID RAZR and Bionic

Temple Run Uodate 365x650 Temple Run for Android Updated, Fixes Crash Issues and Adds Support for the DROID RAZR and Bionic

The newest smash hit game on Android named Temple Run, has finally received an update to fix some major issues that have plagued it since release. There was one nasty bug that made the app freeze up and close whenever you went to restart the game, which was quiet annoying. On an even better note, they have also added support for the DROID Bionic and DROID RAZR

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Custom ROM Friday: Gummy AOSP 4.0.4 Test Build for the Galaxy Nexus

Gummy 1 650x380 Custom ROM Friday: Gummy AOSP 4.0.4 Test Build for the Galaxy Nexus

With the Open Source Project receiving Android 4.0.4, we have already started to see an influx in builds based on the source and not so much the leaked code. One of more popular development teams, Team Gummy, has begun releasing test builds based on the 4.0.4 source code.

Along with it being based on 4.0.4, you will find plenty of awesome features such as custom lockscreens (including Honeycomb), ability to change the color of the top navigation bar along with the bottom navigation buttons, and other goodies. If you feel the need to be running some brand new Android and Gummy-goodness, we have listed out the downloads and instructions below.

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Friday Poll: How do You Protect Your Android Phone?

ringke extended7 650x432 Friday Poll: How do You Protect Your Android Phone?

We actually asked this same question a year ago, but the smartphone landscape has changed some. Now that massive screens are the norm – some as much as 5.3″ – and prices are in

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First Update Available for the LG Lucid, Turns Off “Enhanced Caller Name ID” App

lg lucid update 629x650 First Update Available for the LG Lucid, Turns Off

The LG Lucid was released to the world yesterday and it already has an update available. According to the support document, there was an "Enhanced Caller Name ID" application that needed to be disabled for whatever reason. Sounds like bloatware to me. Thanks Verizon!

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Top 10 Android App updates: EyeEm, Hooked, Zaarly, …

Welcome back to our weekly

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Blind man drives to Taco Bell in Google’s self-driving car

"Look, Ma, no hands," said

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HTC One camera wins shootout with the best Android phones

You already watched the unboxing and the new TV ad, so why not see what the HTC One X camera can do? One of the main things I'm looking forward to in HTC's new lineup is ImageSense. With this new technology, HTC thinks they can rival digital point and shoot cameras with

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Google Drive Could Launch Week of April 16, Users to Get 5GB of Storage

google drive Google Drive Could Launch Week of April 16, Users to Get 5GB of Storage

Is Google Drive on the verge of a release? According to leaked screenshots posted this week, it certainly appears that way. Rumors have a launch happening the week of April 16, with users seeing anywhere from 2GB to 5GB out of the gate. There is a chance that they will be able to upgrade that limit by paying or by referring customers, however, referring customers seems highly unlikely. To my knowledge, Google has never offered a reward for referring people to any of their services. After all, this is Google we are talking about here. All they need to do is add a toolbar link to "Drive" and users will flock in. Google users are Google users, meaning they can access all Google products already with a single sign-in, including this new Drive service.

As one would expect, there should be mobile apps and PC software to help you upload docs or files easily and also access them from anywhere.

I for one am looking forward to a Google-based all-in-one storage service. As an Android enthusiast, Google handles almost all of my digital life, so storing my files with them simply makes sense.

Via:

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HTC Wants You to Know that They Listen, Their “One” Series is All About You

0 HTC Wants You to Know that They Listen, Their

So far, it looks like Verizon customers are not going to experience the HTC One series, and that's a damn shame. In 2012, no other line of phones has been introduced that can even compare to what HTC has created. The phones are brilliant to look at, include the best cameras in the mobile world, and are apparently a product of you. That's right, in their latest promo for the One series, HTC wants you to know that they listen and have learned from each and every one

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DoubleTwist Updates Their Player, Also Introduces DoubleTwist Alarm Clock

DoubleTwist Alarm 650x318 DoubleTwist Updates Their Player, Also Introduces DoubleTwist Alarm Clock

Application publisher doubleTwist, has recently updated their well-known application doubleTwist Player and have launched a new application called doubleTwist Alarm Clock. The newest features in their player include support for your Google Music offline library and also fixed AirPlay support for the recent Apple TV update.

Their newest app, Alarm Clock, allows users to wake up either peacefully or chaotically depending on your taste in music. You can set a certain playlist or track to begin playing once your alarm goes off. Nice, right? There is also a feature for selecting different sleep cycles which some people prefer. It's on sale for the first 10,000 people who purchase it for one dollar, so if you're interested, get it while it's cheap.

Music Player Play Link | Alarm Clock Play Link

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Down Goes the Google Play Store, Down Goes the Google Play Store! (Updated)

Screenshot 2012 03 30 10 26 30 365x650 Down Goes the Google Play Store, Down Goes the Google Play Store! (Updated)

Yep, the Google Play Store is hiccuping again. Yesterday, this lasted for all of 10 minutes, so hang in there.

Update:

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HTC Sensation 4G Android 4.0 update delayed

HTC announced a while back that the HTC Sensation 4G would be one of the first phones in their lineup updated to Android 4.0. The update was expected to be released before the end of March. We actually had hope that HTC would follow through on its promise; we saw Android 4.0 updates begin to trickle out to the HTC Sensation in Europe, HTC Velocity in Australia and the HTC Vivid here in the US market. Some of you even got your hopes up when T-Mobile updated its website, indicating that the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the HTC Sensation 4G and HTC Amaze 4G would be coming soon.

We're only one day away from the end of March, and T-Mobile is now speaking up about the update status of the HTC Sensation 4G. According to an unnamed T-Mobile rep, the Android 4.0 update for the HTC Sensation has been delayed. The rep explains how the ROM testing process between HTC and T-Mobile works and indicates that the software update is back in HTC's hands to fix a few reaming issues with the build (most likely T-Mobile specific application compatibility and radio connectivity issues).

We're not sure how much longer T-Mobile customers will have to wait for the HTC Sensation 4G's Android 4.0 update, but we're glad T-Mobile is being somewhat transparent about the issue.

HTC has delivered a ROM to us however it is still having issues the reason that other sensation types have the update without issue and ours did not come out that way is because every ROM must be adapted to the hardware of the device because we use a different radio than other providers and also have applications such as wifi calling it also has to be compatible with those. What the HTC rep told you is most likely correct because once a ROM is delivered we have 2 weeks to test it and then approve it or send it back they then have 4 weeks to fix the bugs and return it back to us, where we are exactly in that process I do not know but that is how a ROM is delivered to the customer.

The original ROM was not delivered to us in November, we started testing it just recently but I think it has been longer than 2 weeks so at this point HTC most likely has the ball.

You bought a phone and it has been announced that you are getting ICS you have every right to know what's going on with it and when you can see these awesome features. I did go into a lot of detail about how a ROM gets to the end user (you guys) but that wasn't to point fingers only so you would have a better understanding of why you don't have it yet, the bottom line is the Sensation has T-Mobile's and HTC's name all over it and both companies want to make you proud to be a Sensation owner so we are working as fast as we can to deliver it but also want to make sure that it stands up to your expectations.T-Mobile Rep

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Amazon Appstore Receives Update to Fix Notification Bugs and Increase Download Limits, Does Anyone Still Use It Though?

Screenshot 2012 03 30 08 24 59 365x650 Amazon Appstore Receives Update to Fix Notification Bugs and Increase Download Limits, Does Anyone Still Use It Though?

Yesterday, the Amazon Appstore received an update that fixes notification bugs and also gives you the option to download 50MB apps over 3G/4G (up from 20MB). Other than that, it's nothing to get all excited over.

What I'm wondering, is if anyone uses this app store anymore? Not one DL reader mentioned it to us. And since I haven't had it installed in months, I had to find out that it had updated through a family member who was prompted. So tell me, are people still using Amazon for apps or has their 1-trick app-of-the-day schtick worn out?

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Developers from Imangi Studios Discuss Future Plans for Temple Run

temple run 650x382 Developers from Imangi Studios Discuss Future Plans for Temple Run

In a recent interview with Pocket Gamer, two lead developers of the cross platform success, Temple Run, discussed future plans for the title and the work it took to port the game from iOS to Android.

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Stop everything, the One video you need to watch today

"Welcome to HTC One, a phone which was designed with the belief that no one person is the same as everyone else.

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Deal: DROID Bionic Lapdock Available for $80

mot droid lapdock Deal: DROID Bionic Lapdock Available for $80

Motorola made a bold move last year by trying to introduce a line of accessories into the game called Lapdocks. They were like mini netbooks in size, however, on the inside they were completely different. In fact, there really was no inside – the dock was a screen, keyboard, mousepad and battery. The rest, meaning the power, all came from your phone after it was "docked" onto it. The idea is actually pretty brilliant, unfortunately for Motorola, the execution was all wrong. The software was buggy, the initial devices were not universal, and the price was beyond unreasonable. At $200 to $300 for again, something with no guts in it, you were better off just buying a netbook and calling it a day.

For those of you that were at least intrigued by the idea though, today is your day. 1saleaday is selling them brand new (not

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Google Drive to feature free 5GB of storage, in-app document editor

The folks over at Talk Android have come across a screenshot which shows some further details on Google's upcoming Google Drive cloud storage platform. Many were expecting Google to go the way of Dropbox and offer users 2GB of free storage with premium tiers for additional storage. While Google will certainly offer premium tiers to customers, all users will be presented with 5GB of free storage. Certainly not a significant amount of storage, but more than most of the competitors are offering, with some notable exceptions like Box which offers 50GB to most users.

According to support documents, Google Drive will also feature a built-in document editor, suggesting that Google Drive may be more of an extension of Google Docs than a standalone cloud storage service, though users will likely be able to upload multiple types of files to Google Drive. Engadget

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HTC One hits store shelves a few days early in Germany

Even though HTC officially announced that the HTC One would be available starting on April 2nd

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Rumor: Best Buy email accidentally reveals AT&T HTC One X launch date

AT&T and HTC has been tight-lipped about the launch of the HTC One X, so Best Buy has taken matters into its own hands – revealing that the phone will be available on May 6. This new information comes from a Best Buy customer who pre-ordered the AT&T HTC One X at his local Best Buy store. The store did not reveal the handset's launch date, but he did receive an email yesterday which claims that his pre-ordered HTC One X for AT&T would launch on May 6th.

The most curious part about the email states that May 6th is a new release date, indicating that AT&T may have had another date in mind. We're not sure why the date has changed, but this isn't

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Video: Around the world in a single charge? Nice try, Qualcomm

Qualcomm has posted a cool video on their YouTube site promoting the impressive battery life that users can experience on Qualcomm's Snapdragon line of processors. The premise of the video? Can a phone go around the world on a single charge?

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Wall Street Journal: Google and Asus to Sell “Google Branded” Tablet Directly to the Public This Year

nexus tablet Wall Street Journal: Google and Asus to Sell

According to new reports from WSJ, there is most definitely a Google-branded tablet coming to market this year. As reported by WSJ's sources who are "close to the matter", Asus and Google will be creating and marketing a tablet that will be sold directly to the public via a website, much like the previous Nexus smartphone devices were.

Not only that, but according to the sources, Google's next iteration of Android named Jelly Bean, will be available during the middle of this year and may be shipped on this very tablet. Could it be just in time for this year's Google I/O?

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Thursday Poll: What would you sacrifice in hardware specs to create a $199 tablet?

htc evo view 4g 650x432 Thursday Poll: What would you sacrifice in hardware specs to create a $199 tablet?

As talk of a $199 Android tablet heats up, details on how manufacturers plan to reach this price point are also starting to surface. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang mentioned this week that they would need to cut out around $150 in premium parts to get the price down so low. He mentioned "expensive memory" particularly, which could mean RAM or storage depending on who you ask, but the point is, that pieces are being cut. In the comments of that story, we noticed many of our readers throwing out other specs that they wish would be downgraded or cut instead, which has led us to today's poll.

What would you rather a manufacturer cut from a tablet in order to drive the price down? Would you like to see a lesser display or the cameras removed? The Kindle Fire has by all accounts been a success, and it doesn't necessarily have any premium parts that a tech geek would brag about.

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This “Google has Only Generated $543 Million from Android!” Story is Hilarious

blue android wall 650x432 This

You may have run this story today. It reads something along the lines of, "iOS makes so much more money from Google ads than Google's own Android operating system!" The various Apple blogs are having a field day with it, calling Android a "farce" or a "two-bit iOS clone" and suggesting that Google should drop it and continue to license their products to Apple or they may stop making money forever. I seriously didn't just make that up, some of these sucker sites actually wrote that today.

So here is the deal. The Guardian took Google's settlement offer to Oracle in their Java licensing dispute which is based off of a percentage of their mobile earnings and then calculated out how much money that they have made from 2008 to 2011 on Android. According to their math, it comes to somewhere around $543 million, however, their total mobile revenue is somewhere in the billions. This is where the flaming starts and Android competitors are getting all sorts of pleasure from. But there is only one problem, the amount of time involved in all of this. Let me explain.

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Hulu Plus gets a brand new style on more Android tablets

Can't get enough of TV? For only $7.99 per month, you could have unlimited instant streaming TV on your Android device with Hulu Plus. Today the company announced a new update to their Android app that introduces a clean design and support for additional tablets.

As many of you already know, the video streaming service offers the

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WSJ: Google to sell their own Android tablets this year

We already reported the "Nexus tablet" was a done deal and now Amir Efrati of The Wall St. Journal is reporting that Google will sell Android tablets directly to consumers, through their own online store.

Google attempted to sell the HTC Nexus One phone to consumers back in 2010 (I bought one), but that didn't go so well as the

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HTC One X gets early unboxing

The highly anticipated HTC One X hits European stores next Monday and we already know everything about the phone, but we haven't seen it unboxed yet. Thanks to the French blog HTC-Hub, we can now check that off the list. Check out the video below and let us know what you think of the HTC One packaging. Is she The One you have been waiting on?

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Blame your carrier for poor battery life on Android phones

Android software updates remind us of the NBA draft lottery system. You think a handful of teams have a good shot at winning the 1st round draft pick, but the results often surprise you.

When you hear that devices being upgraded from Android 2.x to Android 4.0.x are receiving a 66% performance boost and longer battery life, you get excited. "Wow, my phone might last an extra hour!"

chart 4 Blame your carrier for poor battery life on Android phones

Android 4.0 offers longer battery life.

But then you realize you don't own the HTC Vivid, and your device will have to wait.

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Google Play Store Appears to be Down (Updated: It’s Back)

Screenshot 2012 03 29 13 34 30 365x650 Google Play Store Appears to be Down (Updated: It's Back)

No, it's not just your device. The Google Play Store is in fact down at this moment. We'll see what we can find out. In the mean time, I'm sure it is happy hour some where. Drinks on the house!

Update:

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Don’t Be Evil Opinion

Google logo 650x227 Don't Be Evil Opinion

In 1997 two college kids started a company based on a pet project of theirs. Larry Page and Sergey Brin had worked together to create a search engine that bested every other competitor in every conceivable way. Their goal was simple: Help regular humans find things easily on the Internet.

As Google began to make money through its innovative advertising system, it began to acquire companies and develop solutions outside of search. Brin and Page, joined by CEO Eric Schmidt, had a vision of the world becoming a better place. Their naive company motto was "Don't be evil."

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CrApp of the Week: The World’s Hardest Game sucks. Period. So shut up.

So here I sit. Absolutely fuming mad. Because of one stupid game that looks and sounds like garbage. Really? The World's Hardest Game? It's not even hard in a fun way. It's hard because it's impossible to play on a small touchscreen. It makes me want to punch Joustin' Beaver in the face (I suppose I want to do that anyway). I hate it.

The game sounds simple enough ("You are RED square, avoid the BLUE circles and collect Yellow circles. Once you have collected all the yellow circles move to GREEN beacon to complete the level."), but it's meant to be challenging. I get that, I really do, but this game was not meant to be played on a touchscreen. I don't exactly have pencil thin digits, but it's not like I have Shaq hands. I can't even see what I'm supposed to be doing once I put my finger on it. And the graphics suck so bad, and there's such a small area to move around in, and you can't zoom in, and annoying techno is assaulting my eardrums, and my dog has to go outside, and my text message noise won't quit going off, and my girlfriend wants to know what I want for dinner, and I have no freaking idea, and next thing you know, my phone is on the other side of the room. Because I threw it against the wall. And showed it who's boss.

I hated this game when it was in the Flash portal on Newgrounds, and I hate it even more now. You might think at this point that the game isn't actually all that bad, and I just have a personal vendetta against it. Just play it for yourself.

Have a fantastically terrible Android CrApp you'd like to see covered? Let us know in the comments below.

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TurboTax for Android Offers Free Federal+State Filings This Weekend Only

TurboTax 650x318 TurboTax for Android Offers Free Federal+State Filings This Weekend Only

April 17 is the official deadline for everyone to file their taxes this year. Filing may be a real pain, but there are a lot of companies out there that try to make the process a bit more simple. Sometimes, you have to pay some pretty high prices in order to take advantage of these services. But, this weekend only, the folks over at TurboTax are offering free Federal and State tax filings for all new filers.

To take advantage of the FREE filing offer, customers must start a new return using the app between March 30-April 1, 2012

Filing on the app is pretty darn simple: Just snap a photo of your W2, fill out a few questions, review your filing and you're done. Pretty painless for those who only need to fill out a 1040EZ. If your tax situation is a bit more complicated, we suggest doing it another way.

Play Link

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Transformer Prime Update to Build 9.4.2.21 Now Rolling Out, Face Unlock Still Not Available

Prime Update 650x406 Transformer Prime Update to Build 9.4.2.21 Now Rolling Out, Face Unlock Still Not Available

The update to the Transformer Prime that was talked about yesterday is officially rolling out to the device. According to previous reports, build 9.4.2.21 was intended to be a pretty awesome update and would include face unlock, lockscreen notification controls, and Asus Vibe would get a bump up to version 2.0. Everything seems good, except that face unlock is still not there. Might be a problem for some, but I doubt there are too many people who can't live without the face unlock feature.

Go pick up the update and let us know if you see anything else worth noting that wasn't already listed in yesterday's breakdown.

Cheers Brian and everyone else!

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Hulu+ Updated, Select Android Tablets Now Supported

Hulu+ 650x406 Hulu+ Updated, Select Android Tablets Now Supported

May we just say, "It's about time." Finally, Hulu+ has been updated to allow for select Android tablets running Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich to watch their favorite movies and shows. The list is not as long as we would hope and there is no sign of Samsung tablets, but we can cross our fingers that eventually they will receive some love.

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Google Play Store Appears to be Dead

unable to retrieve full-text contentNo, it’s not just your device. The Google Play Store is in fact dead at this moment. We’ll see what we can find out. In the mean time, I’m sure it is happy hour some where. Cheers to everyone who sent this in!



Click through to continue reading…

Google Play Store Appears to be Dead Google Play Store Appears to be Dead Google Play Store Appears to be Dead

Google Play Store Appears to be Dead

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Samsung finally releases Galaxy S “Value Pack” update in Korea; US customers still in limbo

Back towards the tail-end of 2011, and up into the very beginning of 2012, there was a lot of back and forth on whether or not Samsung would update the original line of Galaxy S devices past Android 2.3, Gingerbread.

We first heard that Samsung would be releasing a "Value Pack," or Android 4.0-lite, update for the Galaxy S with performance enhancements and certain features from ICS back-ported to Android 2.3. Just a few short days after the initial Value Pack announcement, a spokesperson with Samsung made it clear that no updates were going to be issued for the original Galaxy S.

Apparently that information wasn't accurate, because Samsung has officially released their Samsung Galaxy S Value Pack update today in Korea.

Available now through Kies 2.0, the Samsung Galaxy S Value Pack update is exactly what it's always been rumored as: a far cry from Android 4.0, but better than nothing. With the Value Pack update, Galaxy S users in Korea can expect performance enhancements and several features ported over from Android 4.0 like automatic font resizing, the ability to take pictures while filming video and face unlock (which Samsung has added blink detection to, making it somewhat more secure than Google's version).

US Galaxy S owners may be out of luck on this one. There's been no word of Samsung's Value Pack reaching the States anytime soon, and there's little reason to believe it will. If that situation changes, we'll be sure to update you.

Any Galaxy S owners out there been waiting for this one? We'd love to know how the Value Pack update is, so be sure to share your experiences in the comments if you have access. We'd also like to know what you think of something like a "Value Pack" update. Is it nice to see Samsung is still working on software for older devices, or is a few back-ported features more like a slap in the face?

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Refurbished Kindle Fire Available Today Directly from Amazon for $139

kindle fire official 468x650 Refurbished Kindle Fire Available Today Directly from Amazon for $139

Today's Gold Box deal over at Amazon features a shiny, refurbished

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Samsung and Best Buy Offering Free Extended Battery with Galaxy Nexus Purchase, There are Better Deals Though

galaxy nexus extended battery1 Samsung and Best Buy Offering Free Extended Battery with Galaxy Nexus Purchase, There are Better Deals Though

Best Buy and Samsung spammed out a set of emails within the last couple days, trying to trick you into buying a Galaxy Nexus by tossing in an extended battery for free. Hate to say this, but only a fool would take this deal. You can grab the G-Nex for $99 as a new customer (new line too) or $229 with an upgrade at retailers like Amazon Wireless and then pick up the extended battery for as little as $25 directly from Verizon. It's a sneaky marketing move by BBY, but since they haven't marked the phone down at all and still want $299, we hope that no one bites on it.

Via:

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NVIDIA CEO Talks $199 Tablets, Could be Here this Summer

NV Tegra3 Chip Earbuds 650x458 NVIDIA CEO Talks $199 Tablets, Could be Here this Summer

After seeing Asus and NVIDIA standing on stand at this year's CES with a 7″ Tegra 3-powered tablet that they said would be available for $249, our collective jaws put a dent in the floor from hitting so hard. But what if the price ends up being even lower than that? Rumors over the last couple of months have suggested that a "Nexus" tablet would launch some time in the first half of the year, potentially at $199. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang essentially confirmed that such a tablet, or at least one at this price point, is on the way and would be powered by their chipsets. At $199, "expensive memory" and other build materials would need to be cut out, but the processor would remain a Tegra 3 to give it exceptional performance. Huang fully expects "Android" tablets to reach such a low price by this summer.

While I'm excited for $199 quad-core tablets, I'm a little concerned that by cutting out other high-end parts, these tablets will be one trick ponies. Does anyone really want cheap memory in a device? Does that mean cheap screens too without high pixel densities and resolutions? Or does that stuff matter? Would you rather have power and a low price than a high price and pimped out specs?

Via:

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Confirmed: Android 4.0 coming soon to T-Mobile Amaze 4G, Sensation 4G

T-Mobile has officially confirmed that Android 4.0 will soon make its way to the HTC Amaze 4G and HTC Sensation 4G smartphones. An expected upgrade date was not provided in T-Mobile's support system, though we expect T-Mobile wouldn't make an announcement before a fairly imminent launch date.

The announcement comes by way of updated support documents on T-Mobile's site, suggesting HTC is putting the finishing touches on the Android 4 updates for these two devices, and is nearly ready to submit the final upgrade files to T-Mobile. As you're likely aware, the update will contain HTC's Sense UI 3.6, which runs atop the core Android 4.0 platform. Sense has been updated to bring multiple performance and stylistic enhancements to the platform.

The wait will soon be over, T-Mobile HTC faithful, and you'll soon be seeing the latest and greatest in Android versions hit your devices very soon. We will, of course, keep you appraised as we learn more from T-Mobile and HTC.

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Galaxy Nexus vs. Lumia 710 in Smartphone Madness Today, You Know What to Do

nexus lumia 710 650x490 Galaxy Nexus vs. Lumia 710 in Smartphone Madness Today, You Know What to Do

The Windows Phone blogs have made it their goal to advance as many of their phones into Laptop Mag's Smartphone Madness as they possibly can. Since most hadn't noticed the contest until the last couple of days when we powered the Galaxy Nexus over their unreleased Titan II, their path has been somewhat easy. Today, we do our part in making that journey as difficult as possible (again) by knocking off another Windows Phone. Up next is he Nokia Lumia 710, a phone that you are less likely to see in the wild than an LG Voyager.

Do work, DL community.

Vote here.

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iGun Zombie – Destroy Hordes of the Undead Straight from Your Android Device

iGunZombie 650x406 iGun Zombie – Destroy Hordes of the Undead Straight from Your Android Device

When it comes to console gaming, I stick exclusively to FPS titles. Games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield and Left 4 Dead are where you will find me the most. When I happen upon an entertaining FPS game in the Play Store, I am always excited because I can finally get some of that

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Google Maps for Android gets a fresh look with latest update

This week Google rolled out a new version of Google Maps for Android that includes a new look for Navigation on devices with Android 4.0+. Google also shared some interesting usage statistics which show

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Refurbished Kindle Fire only sale for $139 for today only

Looking for a great excuse to buy a Kindle Fire? Amazon's

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

How to install Android 4.0.4 on the Samsung Nexus S

Now that Android 4.0.4 for the Nexus S (i9023, i9020-T) is out, you may be wondering how to get your device up and running with the latest version of Android. Allow us to help. If you're running stock 4.0.3 or any ROM with Clockwork Mod Recovery, the process to update your device couldn't be easier.

For those of you with Clockwork Mod Recovery flashed, all you have to do is:

  • Download the flashable ROM from this XDA thread
  • Place on the root of your SDcard (plug your device into your computer, mount as USB storage and drag the flashable ROM onto your Nexus S, not in any folders)
  • Reboot your device into recovery
  • Wipe data/factory reset
  • Install .zip from SDcard
  • Choose .zip from SDcard
  • Flash the ROM you put on your Nexus S
  • Enjoy!

If you're using the stock build of 4.0.3, the steps to flash the update file are just as easy:

  • Grab the update file from Google
  • Place on the root of your SDcard
  • Power off your Nexus S, then once it's off, hold volume up and power to boot into the bootloader
  • Navigate with the volume buttons to recovery, and use the power button to select it
  • You should see a warning triangle shortly after that, from there, hold down the power button and press volume up
  • Select apply update from /sdcard and choose the update file
  • Reboot your Nexus S with the menu option provided
  • Enjoy!

Of course, using either method to update your Nexus S is your decision. Only you are responsible for what happens to your device. For any additional help, or more information on the update process, you can use the comments or visit the XDA threads for either the rooted ROM or update file.

I've been playing around with the rooted but totally stock ROM and so far, and I love it. Everything is very fast and super smooth. No problems yet.

And don't forget, those of you who don't want to get their hands messy, this update will be hitting your device before you know it. So just hold on tight.

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Wednesday Poll: Of Your Closest 10 Friends and Family, How Many Own Android Phones?

android devices1 650x432 Wednesday Poll: Of Your Closest 10 Friends and Family, How Many Own Android Phones?

At Droid Life, we talk a lot about the Android phones that we own in an extremely geeky nature, but I know from a personal stand point that there are times that I wish my friends and family shared a similar passion for this world. Fortunately, most of my friends have at least sipped enough DL Kool-Aid that they rock a variety of Android phones ranging from the original Incredible to the DROID X2 to the Galaxy Nexus. There are a couple of iPhone users strung about, but by and large, my closest friends and family members are all rockin' Android devices. While they may never geek out over things like NFC or displays with 329ppi, they at least have a foot in the door.

What about you? Has your inner circle adopted Android like you have? Do they care about your "rooted" status or need to Beam everything in site? How many iPhone "friends"?

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