Android - News

Google Play store moves to a 'tax inclusive...

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:21:24 +0000

Having previously listed prices on the Google Play Store exclusive of tax, Google have now switched to tax inclusive pricing - the price you see is the price you pay!

Detailed on the Google Play Store support page, the new tax inclusive pricing support applies to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. If you are developer selling apps based in a country other than those listed above, you are responsible for determining the applicable tax rate for the sale of your apps in all jurisdictions where your apps are sold and for remitting the taxes to the appropriate taxing authority (which may be different to the tax authority in your own location).

Google will of course continue to pass the tax collected to the developer for payment to the appropriate authority. If you have applications in the Google Play Store already, then your existing prices will be used for calculations, so you may wish to update those as appropriate.

Google is making this change as some countries require that prices shown to buyers on the search and detail pages equal exactly the amounts paid at checkout.

Dexim's 'Visible G' cable lights up...

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:02:33 +0000

Have you ever looked at your USB cable and thought 'it'd be really cool if that lit up when it was charging and turned off when charging was complete'? Yes? No? Well, that's exactly what Dexim's 'Visible G' cable does!

Available in black with blue illumination or white with blue illumination priced at £11.34 from handtec, the microUSB cable 'adds flair to your technology while helping you save time and energy'.

The 80cm cable features EL technology and glows, telling you that your device is charging. At full battery capacity, the glowing stops to let you know your device is ready for use. I know it seems like a bit of a gimmick, but it actually turns out to be pretty useful in my experience!

Similar cables are also available for the Apple dock connector should you desire.

Carphone Warehouse: Galaxy S III fastest sellin...

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:48:03 +0000

UK sales giant Carphone Warehouse today confirmed that the Galaxy S III is the fastest selling pre-order of 2012, outpacing the earlier launch of HTC's flagship One X device.

CPW Chief Commercial Officer Graham Stapleton said:

Quote

Pre-order demand for the new Galaxy S III has surpassed expectations since the handset was first unveiled two weeks ago. The first 24 hours alone saw thousands placing their pre-order at Carphone Warehouse. The Galaxy S III is without doubt the fastest selling pre-order of 2012 so far. We’re gearing up for an exceptionally busy launch at the end of the month as the handset lands on shelves at our stores across the UK.

If you're hoping to get your hands on a Galaxy S III, I think a pre-order is a must!

Carphone Warehouse's 800 stores will stock the Galaxy S III at launch with deals across all UK operators. Customers who have pre-ordered a device will be able to pick up their purchase from 7pm on May 29 at selected stores (stores TBC) with general sales beginning the following day.

Let us know if you're picking up a Galaxy S III, in which colour and on what network!

[Via: MobileNews]

T-Mobile US offering BOGOF on selected smartphones

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:14:43 +0000

T-Mobile US is currently offering a buy-one-get-one-free on selected smartphones between now and May 28th, including the rather desirable new HTC One S!

As detailed on the T-Mobile website...

Quote

T-Mobile is showing customers how two is better than one. For a limited time, customers who purchase a select 4G T-Mobile smartphone will receive a second smartphone of equal or lesser value for free, after a mail-in rebate card, making it more affordable than ever for families to upgrade and have amazing 4G experiences on America’s Largest 4G Network. The promotion takes place from Friday, May 18 until Monday, May 28.

T-Mobile’s Magenta Deal Days Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) promotion offers customers a mail-in rebate card worth up to $329 toward a new device with the purchase of a select T-Mobile 4G smartphone or mobile broadband device. Customers can choose from T-Mobile’s latest and fastest devices, including the HTC One S 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II 4G, HTC Radar 4G, Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot, and the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, among others, running on America’s Largest 4G Network.

New and existing eligible (meaning 22 months or more on their current contract) customers can take advantage of this promotion and receive their second device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic1 plan or paying a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card on their second device when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value2 plan.

The Magenta Deal Days BOGO promotion is available at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide.

Full details on the deal can be found at the offer page on the T-Mobile site but it does seem like a great deal.

Which device takes your fancy?

Play Theme Hospital on your Android device for...

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:36:18 +0000

Original released in 1997 by Bullfrog, Theme Hospital was one of the best 'Theme' games with such bizarre ailments as 'bloaty head syndrome', 'slack tongue' and 'hairyitis'... and now you can play a port on your Android device, for free!

Built using the assets from the original Windows release using an engine known as 'CorsixTH', the port has recently appeared in the Google Play Store on a chargeable basis and with no sign of the accompanying open source licences required for it's distribution. Shady.

If you'd like to give the game a try from a more reputable source, I recommend heading on over to the 'Armed Pineapple' blog of Alan Woolley where you can download a copy for free. Note that you will need the original game files or at least the demo files to play... the demo can be downloaded from this Wiki page.

[Via: le3ky]

O2 to offer 'Olympic Edition' Galaxy Y...

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:15:52 +0000

O2 are set to offer special 'Olympic Editions' of the Samsung Galaxy Y and Galaxy Note devices to commemorate Samsung's sponsorsorship of the London 2012 games.

Called the Galaxy Y Olympic Edition and the Galaxy Note Olympic Edition, the phones are supplied with a special back cover (or perhaps two judging from the picture tweeted by a lucky buyer?) featuring a union jack or the TeamGB logo. I think it actually looks rather smart!

For each phone sold £1 will be donated towards Team GB athletes of the future and buyers will have a chance to win prizes including tickets for Olympic events, a tour of the Team GB training camp or a 'celebration event'.

More details can be found on the Samsung site.

Boid for Twitter hits pre-Beta

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:58:28 +0000

Boid, the fledgling Twitter app for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich, has now moved from Alpha to pre-Beta stage, gaining a wealth of new features in the process.

The application is the work of a 6 man team including lead developer Aidan Follestad and places an emphasis on beauty and simplicity while staying as true to the ICS design guidelines as possible.

A full changelog is available on the Boid Google Docs site, but key changes in the pre-Beta include:

Quote

Removed accounts tab and added a separate interface with switcher in action bar
Added Nearby and Media Timeline column types
Tweet composer has been redesigned
Columns can now be pinned from around the app
TwitLonger posting for over 140 character Tweets has been added
Muting of phrases and hashtags has been added
Support for following stocks has been added

The app is looking good with many additional features in the pipeline (including push notification support) and enters a market where the existing applications are generally felt to be somewhat lacking. Boid is one of a number of new generation apps arriving soon including the forthcoming Carbon for Android release and a project I myself am involved in, OneSocial.

Boid can be downloaded, for free, from the Google Play Store.

Sony Xperia U now £169.99 (-£12.12 TCB) on Three

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:30:32 +0000

The low end (but still reasonably specced) Sony Xperia U is now for available £169.99 (-£12.12 TopCashBack, making a final price of £157.87) on Three.

The black handset, which packs a 3.5" FWVGA screen, dual core ST-Ericsson processor, 5 Megapixel Camera, 4GB internal storage and customisable colour strips uses Sony's unique new design language with a transparent strip across the bottom of the device that illuminates in different colours to alert the owner to notifications.

The handset ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread initially with an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade to follow later (unfortunately)!

At £169.99 the handset undercuts HTC's budget offering, the One V, which is priced at £219.99 before cashback with Three.

Three handsets are generally SIM locked, so if you are looking to buy the handset and use it on another network, you'll need to factor that into the price.

Head on over to the Sony site to learn more about the device, download the feature sheet for the full specifications then visit the Three store to buy the device. Don't forget to use TopCashBack for that £12.12 discount.

Amazon adds 'Test Drive' functionality...

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:17:39 +0000

Amazon have started to add 'Test Drive' functionality to their mobile Appstore application for Android.

Announced in the changelog for version 2.6.53 of the application released this morning, Test Drive is apparently available 'on select Android phones and for a limited selection of apps'. Unfortunately, i've been unable to find a suitable app on any of my devices yet to try it out!

The mobile functionality follows on from the virtual machine based web test drive that has been available on the Amazon website for some time and could potentially address one of the key complaints with the Google Play Store - the limited time window for trying out applications. Who knows, maybe it will even prompt Google to fix this problem in their own store... *crosses fingers*

You can download the latest Amazon Appstore client directly from Amazon or use the in app update functionality if you already have it installed. Let us know if you find any apps with working test drives!

Manage your device from your browser with AirDroid

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:51:38 +0000

Now and again an app comes along that's so cool you just have to tell everyone about it... and one such example is AirDroid, which lets you manage your device from your web browser.

Getting started with the application is incredibly easy. Simply install it from the Google Play store, run it with WiFi enabled and it'll give you an URL / IP address to connect to. If that's a bit too tricky, you can go to http://web.airdroid.com, scan the produced QR code with your phone and hey presto, you're in!

One you are connected, it's very slick indeed with a ton of features, including...

Apps - Install, uninstall, backup, search apps and do batch processing.
Call logs - Group, search, create contacts, check and delete call logs.
Clipboard - Share clipboard text between desktop and device.
Device Status - Real-time ROM, SD Card, Battery, CPU and RAM status report & monitor with charts to demonstrate available/used/total resources, and one-tap memory boost.
Files - File transfer between your device and your computer with drag and drop support.
Multiple virtual desktops - AirDroid is designed for multitasking. Move apps between desktops to better organize your work.
Video (Quick Time plugin required) - Mobile devices are great for videos shooting, but big screen computer may be better for viewing these clips...?
Music - Play, search, upload, download, delete, or set as phone call, notification and alarm ringtones.
Photos - Preview, delete, upload, download, set as wallpaper and photos slide show from desktop.
Ringtones - Search, preview, upload, download, delete and customize ringtones for phone calls, notifications and alarms.
Screen viewing - Realtime Android screen (experimental feature, root permission required)
Skin - Device photo match for most devices.
SMS - Receive, send, forward or delete SMS messages.
Task Manager - Kill or uninstall running apps, batch operation supported.
Widgets - various widgets (calendar, weather, url transfer, clipboard, etc.), frequent contacts...

AirDroid is free, compatible with all Android devices from Eclair (2.1) onwards and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

Motorola publish updated ICS timetable and expl...

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:49:48 +0000

Motorola have just published an updated ICS upgrade timetable, as well as posting a short explanation as to why not all devices will be getting an ICS upgrade.

Devices set to be upgraded in Q2 include the DROID RAZR (USA), DROID RAZR MAXX (USA), XOOM WiFi Only (Asia Pacific, Canada, China, EMEA, Japan & LATAM), MOTOROLA RAZR (Asia Pacific, Canada, China, EMEA, Japan, Korea & LATAM), MT917 (China), XT928 (China) and XOOM WiFI + 3G MZ600 (USA). Notable by it's absence is the RAZR MAXX for non USA - I assume this is an oversight - and the XOOM WIFI + 3G for non USA which is still strangely listed as 'Evaluation and Planning - Further details to follow'. Most of the other upgradeable devices will land in Q3, with only the PHOTON 4G coming in Q4.

I'm pretty surprised to see that the Droid 3 / Milestone 3 will remain on Gingerbread, as that's a fairly recent device. The same applies to the Defy Mini, which has only just launched. Even more shocking however is that the MotoLuxe will remain on Android 2.3, a device that is barely a month old. What are you playing at Motorola?!?

In an attempt to justify their reasoning behind their update policy, they have stated...

Quote

You may be wondering why all devices aren’t being upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Here’s the deal. We work very closely with Google and cell phone carriers for every software update. And, obviously we want the new release to improve our devices. If we determine that can’t be done—well then, we’re not able to upgrade that particular device.

I'm sorry, but this doesn't really fly with me... ICS has a number of upgrades (not to mention the ability to use a number of new ICS only applications such as Chrome) and I know full well it'll run fine on devices Motorola is excluding.

Someone's telling porkies...

The device upgrade list can be found in the Motorola forums and their excuse post on their blog.

Songify comes to Android

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:10:42 +0000

The wildly-popular-on-iOS (over 8m downloads!) 'Songify' application from Smule, a fun little app that magically 'auto-tunes' your speech into a song, is now available for Android.

The app, which is a free download with optional in app purchases for additional tracks, is apparently the official app of the Gregory Brothers, creators of the “AutoTune The News” series on YouTube, and other viral video hits like “Bed Intruder Song”, “Can’t Hug Every Cat”, “Double Rainbow”, and “Winning!”. This all means nothing to me, but apparently it's a good thing. I think i'm getting old.

In the name of science and just for you, I downloaded the app and had a play... and it's kinda fun. I actually read this whole news post into it with the idea of posting the sound file, but it sounded so awful...

HTC and Motorola devices hit by import ban... u...

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:54:08 +0000

As HTC's new flagship devices the AT&T HTC One X and the HTC Evo 4G LTE slowly start to ship after being stopped by an ITC ordered import ban, it now seems like Motorola handsets are next in line to be blocked.

It's all about patents.

The HTC devices were stopped at the border due to a patent ruling in Apple's favour. Although the handsets in question actually contained software workarounds to ensure that they did not infringe, a delay was caused at US customs while agents confirmed that this was the case and that the devices could be legally imported. This of course impacted the AT&T and Sprint launch plans for the new flagship devices, leaving consumers frustrated at a time that is critical in a new device's life cycle.

Motorola's forthcoming troubles are not about Apple patents, but about Microsoft. In 2010 it was ruled that Motorola were infringing on 9 of Microsoft patents including, amongst other things, their ActiveSync technology. With a patent licencing agreement apparently not agreed, Microsoft have taken their complaint a step further and now Motorola face the prospect of having an import ban placed upon 18 of their devices, a ban that will take effect in 60 days if the situation is not resolved. The reality is that Motorola are likely to come to some sort of agreement before that time, joining the majority of Android manufacturers in cutting a deal with Microsoft... although this is something Motorola's new owners - Google - are probably very reluctant to do!

Legal squabbles aside, I think it's the consumer that is really losing out in the current climate of excessive patent squabbles. Obviously Android fans looking to buy the AT&T HTC One X or the HTC Evo 4G LTE have had trouble finding their devices to buy, but it's also inevitable that the time and energy expended in side-stepping patents that often seem somewhat generic in nature to end users will impact the ability of manufacturers to commit resource to other work.

I want to see everyone get along and drive forward the market through genuine competition and innovation k?

[Via: LATimes]

Would you give up your lockscreen space to ads...

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:53:19 +0000

Would you give up your lockscreen space to ads for a price? Amazon is hoping you would, as they look to expand their popular Kindle subsidy scheme to include their Android based Kindle Fire tablet.

AdAge is reporting that Amazon is currently trying to sell space on the Fire for a price upwards of $600,000. It's not clear whether the deal is likely to apply to the existing tablet or a future Amazon product offering.

Lockscreen based advertising allows Amazon to offer a significant subsidy on their Kindle devices in the US. A base model Kindle will set you back $109 without 'offers' or $79 with, the subsidy rising to $40 on a Kindle Touch or Touch 3G.

Personally, I think if it's done right, I would definitely be cool with this... how about you?

[Via: AdAge]

'Angry Birds Heikki' to launch 18th June

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Think that Rovio can't possibly milk the Angry Birds franchise with yet more iterations? Think again... 'Angry Birds Heikki' is set to launch on 18th June!

Teased on it's own Angry Birds subdomain, the Heikki edition is being launched to tie in with Rovio's sponsorship of fellow Finnish countryman Heikki Kovalainen, F1 driver for the Caterham team.

Hitting the 'share' button on the Angry Birds Heikki site reveals the message 'Where's @H_Kovalainen's racing helmet gone? The @AngryBirds have a hunch! #F1 #RacingPiggies' which might be something of a hint as to what the game is to entail. Or maybe not.

We'll likely see more teasers from Rovio as the launch date nears... so stay tuned for more details!

Track down bargain apps with AppSales

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:33:15 +0000

Everyone loves a bargain, especially if it's a great app that you might have considered buying... but deals in the Google Play store aren't exactly easy to track down. Enter AppSales.

The idea behind AppSales is simple - it shows you all the apps that are currently available at a reduced price with information about the app and a direct link to the Google Play store.

Where AppSales excels is not only in the accuracy of it's data (which is excellent), but also in the polish of it's UI and the configurability of it's notifications. The application makes great use of ActionBarSherlock and HoloAnywhere to provide a very modern, ICS style UI even on older devices. The minimum discount level can be set anywhere from 25% and the app can automatically search for new deals from every hour up to every 24 hours (or not at all).

Best of all, AppSales itself is a free download from the Google Play store. What's not to like? Visit the product page to download your copy!

The 'Because We May' super games sale i...

Sat, 19 May 2012 14:37:17 +0000

The 'Because We May' super games sale is coming! For the last week of May (May 24 through June 1) a number of (really excellent) games will be deeply discounted to celebrate online stores that give us control over pricing: The App Store, Google Play, Steam, and a few others.

Detailed at the Because We May website, the promotion is aimed at spreading a very important message...

Quote

We believe that developers should have the freedom to price their games how they like, without interference from the online stores that sell the games. Why? Because it allows us to promote our games more freely, as we are doing here! We rely on the ability to promote our games for our livelihood and control over pricing is an important tool for this purpose.

Heck, i'm not going to argue with that, and if it means a bunch of awesome games are going to be available at a discounted price then that's even better!

Developers can still apply to be part of the promotion until 22nd May, but at the time of writing the list of games participating on Google Play includes...

Anomaly Warzone Earth HD
Avadon: The Black Fortress
Babylonian Twins Premium
Bean's Quest
Canabalt HD
Cogs
EDGE
EDGE Extended
Fieldrunners HD
Great Little War Game
Gunman Clive
Holiday Bonus
Holiday Bonus HD
Kraut Attack
Little Stars for Little Wars 2
MegaFarkle HD
MegaYatzy
MegaYatzy HD
Mobile Montessori
Osmos
Pancakes!!!
Pro Zombie Soccer
Rebuild
Riptide GP
SHADOWGUN
Skullpogo
Smiles
Smiles HD
Smuggle Truck
Snuggle Truck
Spirited Heart
Star Fighter
Star Sloth
Swords and Soldiers
The Chicken Bandit
These Robotic Hearts of Mine
UPSAT: You Probably Suck At This
World of Goo
Zen Bound 2

Some real classics in there no? So, remember the fun kicks off on 24th May not just on Google Play but on other platforms / stores too. Head on over to http://www.becausewemay.com/ to learn more and, if there's a particular game want to buy that's not on the list... maybe drop the developer an e-mail...?

First full ROM for Samsung Galaxy S III now ava...

Sat, 19 May 2012 14:24:00 +0000

ROM developers start your engines - the first full ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S III, version I9300XXALE8, is now available for download courtesy of SamMobile.

The release, which includes the OJVLE4 CSC package from the Turkish region, is version 'LE8' which means it's the 8th release in May 2012 using Samsung's usual ROM version identification system.

The ROM weighs in at a slightly astonishing 785MB and will open the door to custom ROMs for the Galaxy S III but also the slightly more shady side of the ROM development community... S III features making their way to other devices.

Looking to have a play? Head on over to SamMobile and get downloading!

Motorola RAZR MAXX hits UK stock

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:06:54 +0000

The Motorola RAZR MAXX - the 3300mAh battery equipped variant of the Motorola RAZR - is now shipping in the UK for power hungry Android fans!

Packing the same 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3" Super AMOLED display, Kevlar reinforced body and tweaked Gingerbread OS (ugh) as the original, the RAZR MAXX is available now at eBuyer for £417.87 inc. VAT.

The bigger battery means the device grows in thickness from the super slim 7.1mm profile of the original to a still svelte 8.99mm.

I spent some time with a RAZR and while I liked the device on the whole, the screen quality was something of a let down and the lack of ICS was also disappointing. But... how much importance do you place on battery life, that is the question! If you're snapping up a MAXX, let us know!

Win a Samsung Galaxy S III with MoDaCo and mobi...

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:13:51 +0000

How do you fancy getting your hands on the brand new Samsung Galaxy S III? With over 9 million pre-orders, the launch of Samsung's new flagship really is like no other, and we're giving you a chance to get your hands on the beast worth over £500!

To enter, visit the competition post!

The Euro 2012 official app is surprisingly good...

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:25:04 +0000

So the Premier League season is done and dusted, Chelsea snatched the Champions League crown and now every football fan's mind turns to summer tournaments, this year, Euro 2012. As you'd expect, the tournament has an official app and it's actually surprisingly good!

Sponsored by Orange in markets where they operate with a functionally identical unbranded version available in non Orange territories, the Euro 2012 app brings you everything you'd expect from the official app and more besides.

Highlights (no pun intended!) include PUSH live results and news, free customised alerts, video highlights from midnight after the end of the match (a chargeable feature), news, photos, standings and of course fixtures.

The UEFA Season Pass for mobile video will set you back £6.99 in the UK.

Although the application is sponsored by Orange, the sponsorship seems to be limited to co-branding and is completely non intrusive.

Get ready for the tournament by downloading your copy from the Google Play store!

Chrome Desktop 19 brings tab sync across devices

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:23:32 +0000

Google Chrome Desktop version 19 has been released, which promotes the 'tab sync across devices' feature from the development channel to the release channel.

The feature works exactly as you'd imagine and is particularly useful for Chrome Android users. You simply sign in to Chrome on your desktop, sign in to Chrome on your device and then the tabs you have open on each machine are accessible from the other device as required. Start browsing some sites at home, go out and you can carry on where you left off on your phone. Excellent!

The feature is supported on all Chrome platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS) and adds to the existing bookmarks, history, omnibox (aka address bar) sync support that makes the application so indispensable on Android (as long as you have Ice Cream Sandwich of course)!

Check out the video below to see the feature in action.

LG introduces UI 3.0 for Ice Cream Sandwich

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:18:46 +0000

LG have introduced the third release of their custom UI for Android, which will be shipping on their Ice Cream Sandwich devices.

Showcased on the LG UK blog, the UI features include:

Quote

the ability to unlock the phone by dragging anywhere on the screen;
a new Pattern Lock that allows users to preset the most frequently used function, such as the camera, which automatically opens once the phone is unlocked;
a simpler version of Optimus UI 3.0 for new smartphone users which organizes the main applications so that they are the easiest to access;
a new Voice Shutter that allows users to capture photos using only voice commands;
a special camera feature that enables users to pick up the best shot among multiple images including the moment just before the shutter button is depressed;
an Icon Customizer that provides an additional level of personalization by allowing users to set their own photos as icons and shortcut images;
the addition of a Download category to the menu for easier organization.

LG are pitching their new UI as a key differentiator for their new products - which of course it is - but whether that is a good thing or not is still very much up for debate. I don't mind custom UIs and I appreciate why companies feel they are important, but i'd still like to be able to turn them off!

It's difficult (read: impossible) to get excited about more UI tweaks when ICS updates for existing devices seem to be slipping further and further away... owners of the former-flagship Optimus 2X are not happy!

LG's new Optimus UI 3.0 will debut on the LG Optimus LTE II in Korea, followed by the LG Optimus 4X HD in worldwide markets from June.

More screenshots are available at the LG UK blog.

Goodbye GetJar Gold, hello GetJar Rewards

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:17:32 +0000

GetJar Gold is dead! Sort of. The GetJar scheme whereby paid applications were made available for download for a limited time free of charge has been replaced by GetJar Rewards, where you have to earn your free stuff!

The new GetJar Rewards scheme effectively formalises the way in which GetJar Gold was funded all along - in order to get access to the premium content (which can be both apps and in app content), users now have to earn coins (slightly confusingly called GetJar Gold) by downloading free apps.

In order to support GetJar Rewards currency in their application, developers need to use the GetJar Rewards SDK.

At the time of writing the number of free apps available in the 'rewards' tab of the GetJar Rewards client is limited and lacking any real 'killer apps', but it is slowly growing.

It'll be interesting to see how the concept matures and whether it can become successful. If you want to give it a try, download the GetJar Rewards application from the Google Play Store.

Looking for a good value tablet? How about one...

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:16:06 +0000

It's easy to feel a little hard-done-by in the UK because we don't get the Kindle Fire. The $199 powerhouse (sort of, it's dual core you know) is a great budget tablet for those over the pond but here in the UK Samsung don't want you to feel ENTIRELY left out.

Coming in at £199 (OK, so it's not $199, but it's probably 'our equivalent') is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

The device, which is shipping now from Carphone Warehouse in silver (white is currently out of stock), shares the same form factor as the Fire with its 7" screen. It shares the same internal storage as the Fire, 8GB. Like the Fire, it has a dual core processor that moves things along nicely... but the extra cash does get you some nice additional features.

Unlike the Fire, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 includes - aside from a silly name - Bluetooth, microSD expansion, dual cameras, a power button that's not stupidly placed on the bottom and the 'pièce de résistance'... Android Ice Cream Sandwich rather than Amazon's butchered, erm, er, I mean 'tweaked' Gingerbread. That means you get the Play Store out of the box as well as the other Google experience apps.

Interestingly, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 isn't the only Samsung 7" tablet coming in at under £200. Expansys are also offering its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 16GB for £199. In reality the devices seem to be pretty similar internally (although the Plus has 16GB of internal storage), however the Plus doesn't yet include Ice Cream Sandwich, instead shipping with Honeycomb. My advice? Buy version 2.0.

We have a unit on the way and will have a review online soon... but let us know if you've picked one up!

Buy the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 at Carphone Warehouse
Buy the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus at Expansys

Evernote gets a makeover

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:13:37 +0000

Evernote have released a major update to their Android application! The new version brings a completely new look that adds polish and consistency with modern Android UI design as well as improving navigation throughout the application.

Version 4 of the application brings...

Quote

Completely new look
New home screen lets you create and find your notes easily
Redesigned note list for easier reading and browsing
Updated notebook list unifies user notebooks with shared notebooks
New contextual Action Bars for easy access to functionality
Swipeable navigation
Swipe right from your note and note list to show the home screen
Swipeable navigation to go from Notebook to Tag to Place views

I have to confess to not being a massive Evernote user (I'm more of a Springpad guy), but boy, does the new version look, feel and work great. With each update I get closer and closer to switching.

If you don't use this kind of application already it's well worth trying. The ability to sync notes of various forms (text, image, sound etc.) between all of your different devices, be they desktop or mobile, is incredibly useful. I take notes on the move, snap pictures of meeting materials, draw up shopping lists, write down recipes, save webpages, photograph receipts and much more... and it's one of those situations where i'm always thinking of new ways to make the most out of the app.

Ready to give it a go? Check out Evernote on the Google Play Store.

Firefox for Android updated - it's actually...

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:12:28 +0000

Have you tried Firefox on your phone / tablet? If you have, then chances are that you've found it slow, unwieldy and generally disappointing (I know I have). BUT... don't write it off just yet, a new Beta is out!

Available now on the Google Play store, the new Beta release includes some great new features...

Quote

Redesigned user interface
Significant performance advancements
Flash support (phones and 7" tablets only)
New start page
Updated minimum system requirements to Android 2.2+ for optimized experience
These new features are on smartphones and 7" tablets only, tablet users will see them soon

... with a full changelog available at http://www.mozilla.o...ta/releasenotes.

It sounds great in theory, but what's it like in reality? Actually, pretty good! While there's no debating that Chrome really is making massive strides on Android (albeit without Flash) and Opera is also very good, the latest Firefox update makes it clear that Mozilla are still in the race.

I like to keep a 'secondary browser' on my phone for when the webkit browser go a bit crazy rendering a site and up until now that's been Opera... maybe it's time to switch to Firefox. But not as my main browser. Yet...

Fancy a movie via your HTC device this weekend...

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:11:35 +0000

HTC are offering a bumper list of movies for rental this weekend for the bargain price of 5p! Played via the HTC Watch client on your HTC device either on device, via HDMI or using a Media Link HD, the movies must be started within 30 days and then finished within 48 hours.

There's some great titles on the list - definitely better than we've seen on previous promotional weekends, so i'm going to give it a try using the MHL and Media Link HD methods.

What's your pick of the crop?

Quote

10,000 Bc
2001: Space Odyssey
300
Action Jackson
Adventures Of Pluto Nash
Adventures Of Tintin
Aeon Flux
Alexander
All The Presidents Men
Analyse That
Analyse This
Another Cinderella Story
Ant Bully
Any Which Way You Can
Around The World In 80 Days
Astronaut Farmer
ATL
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Bait
Batman Begins
Batman Beyond: The Return Of The Joker
Batman Forever
Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman
Beetlejuice
Best In Show
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure
Blazing Saddles
Bodyguard
Boogie Nights
Brave One
Breakfast At Tiffanys
Caddyshack
Cats And Dogs
Catwoman
Center Stage
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Cinderella Story
City Of Angels
Clash Of The Titans (1981)
Cloverfield
Clueless
Collateral Damage
Conspiracy Theory
Constantine
Contact
Contagion
Cool Hand Luke
Crazy Stupid Love
Curly Sue
Dark Knight
Dave
Deep Blue Sea
Demolition Man
Dennis The Menace
Dennis The Menace Christmas
Devils Advocate
Dirty Harry
Divine Secrets Of The Ya Ya Sisterhood
Doc Hollywood
Dog Day Afternoon
Dolphin Tale
Dreamcatcher
Drillbit Taylor
Driven
Dukes Of Hazard
Dumb And Dumber
Eight Legged Freaks
Empire Of The Sun
Enter The Dragon
Every Which Way But Loose
Excalibur
Executive Decision
Exit Wounds
Exorcist
Exorcist 2
Eyes Wide Shut
Ferris Buellers Day Off
Firewall
Footloose
Free Willy
Free Willy 2
Free Willy 3
Friday The 13Th
Get Smart
Ghost Ship
Godfather
Godfather Part 3
Grumpier Old Men
Grumpy Old Men
Hairspray
Happy Feet
Happy Feet 2
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone
Home Fries
House Of Wax
Hunt For Red October
Iron Giant
Jackass 2.5
Jackass Number 2
Kangaroo Jack
Lady In The Water
Lake House
Last Boy Scout
Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
License To Wed
Little Princess
Little Shop Of Horrors
Looney Tunes Back In Action
Lost Boys
Lost Boys The Tribe
Mad Max 2
March Of The Penguins
Martin Lawrence Runteldat
Matrix
Maverick
Michael (1996)
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Bad
Miss Congeniality 2
Mission Impossible
Murder By Numbers
Music And Lyrics
Must Love Dogs
My Blue Heaven
Mystic River
Nancy Drew
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
National Lampoons European Vacation
New Jack City
No Country For Old Men
Oceans 11 (1960)
Oceans 11 (2001)
Oceans 12
Outbreak
Outland
Paranormal Activity 3
Pay It Forward
Pelican Brief
Perfect Murder
Perfect Storm
Pleasant Ville
Polar Express
Police Academy
Poseidon
Postman
Puss In Boots
Rebel Without A Cause
Replacements
Richie Rich
Rio Bravo
Risky Business
Romeo Must Die
Rumour Has It
Scooby Doo 2
Scooby Doo The Movie
Selena
Singin In The Rain
Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants
Something To Talk About
Space Cowboys
Specialist
Speed Racer
Spiderwick Chronicles
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek 2 The Wrath Of Khan
Star Trek 3 The Search For Spock
Star Trek Viii First Contact
Star Trex Ix Insurrection
Stardust
Superman 2
Superman Returns
Syirana
Taking Lives
Tango And Cash
The Avengers
The Island
The Twilight Zone
Three Kings
TMNT
Top Gun
Transformers
Truman Show
Two Week Notice
Unaccompanied Minors
V For Vendetta
We Are Marshall
We Need To Talk About Kevin
What A Girl Wants
Where The Wild Things Are
Wild Bunch
Wild Wild West
Witches Of Eastwick
Wizard Of Oz
You've Got Mail
Zoolander

[Via: HotUKDeals]

Is HTC working on a slightly cheaper One S, the...

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:52:59 +0000

When HTC announced their 'One' range, we wondered how they were going to fill out the range without compromising the brand. We've seen the Desire C, now it looks like a 'Ville C' is on the way.

Leaked by BriefMobile, the Ville C's existence is evidenced purely by a Feature Sheet, which historically is a very reliable way of learning about a device.

The HTC Ville is the HTC One S, so it appears the new device is based upon that. Differences include a 1.7GHz Qualcomm S3 processor (compared to the latest generation S4 on the One S), a VGA front camera and, interestingly, Sense 4.5 (compared to Sense 4.0 on devices to date!)

I suspect the Ville C is a One S variant for some lower cost markets, and perhaps a 'contingency plan' as the S4 processor used in the One S is likely to be in constraint (short supply) for a while.

LG's new Google TV in 'ooh, that looks...

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:49:28 +0000

There's no denying that the success of Google TV to date has been, well, non existent. But a new wave of improved, ARM equipped devices is coming... including the LG 'G2' enabled TVs.

Recently demonstrated to VentureBeat, the new LG TVs include a number of features to set them out from last year's failures.

First of all, the hardware. The original Google TV boxes (like the Logitech Revue that I owned) were based on Intel Atom hardware... something that was certainly a mistake, a mistake that Google have effectively acknowledged by re-aligning Google TV with most of the rest of the Android universe on ARM chips. The G2 range feature a dual core CPU, which should elevate performance to more acceptable levels together with the added benefit of eliminating the fan noise from earlier models.

Hopefully the move to ARM will make life easier for Android developers, and help fill out the Google TV Play Store, which was sorely lacking in earlier releases. Many apps were automatically excluded due to reliance on ARM, but of course the biggest problem is the same one that Tablet devices also experience - it's hard to encourage developers to develop for a platform when the potential revenue from that platform is very low due to few sales.

The G2 range use a custom 3D skin on top of the base Google TV build, as demonstrated in the video at VentureBeat, and it looks nice! Of course, we know from the phone world that such customisations are a double edged sword, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out!

Finally, LG have implemented a 'motion remote' for the G2 range. This allows you to control the Google TV system via gestures, while still giving you a conventional remote with a QWERTY keyboard when required. It looks to work great.

I hope that Google TV will start to take off and there's no question great hardware like LG are demonstrating will help and with rumours of Google TV hitting the UK officially during 2012... maybe it's time for me to give it another go!

The LG G2 Series Google TVs will be shipping in the US next week in 47" and 55" models priced at $1,699 and $2,299 respectively.

[Via: VentureBeat]