Portable Electronics Ltd // Technology you can carry.

The last time we covered Team Kang‘s Android Open Kang Project, it was back on Milestone 1. Milestone 3 is available now for both the GSM and CDMA versions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. AOKP has been through quite a few nighties since then, so here are some of the main features you could be missing!

One of the main additions in Milestone 1 was the incorporation of Roman’s power menu and ICS-like toggles. Another welcomed improvement since then includes the ability to unlink ringtone and notification volumes. The stock setting was quite irritating on my Galaxy Nexus, and hopefully this will be pushed into other ROMs as well. Using the ‘Phone’ app in landscape mode now works too! It’s great when trying to dial a number when your phone is docked in the car.

A tiny SMS icon has also been added into the lockscreen for easy access. This currently doesn’t help you Google Voice users, but eventually the team plans on making it configurable. Countless other fixes were also baked in, and head here if you want to take a look at them all. This is essentially a ‘nightly’, but Milestone builds are more focused on stability rather than the introduction of new features. Tell us how you like it! AOKP has been butter smooth on all our devices so far, so this one should be no different!

[via RootzWiki]

Motorola has just now started rolling out a major software update improving both performance, as well as security. Update v55.13.25 will completely remove Carrier IQ from the device, and if you don’t exactly know what that is – navigate here. You’ll see about 9 fixes, and of them improved picture clarity delivered from the camera will be most noticeable.

Other than improving overall performance, the Mobile Hotspot application has been updated to help retain a better connection to devices. The AT&T messages app has been revamped as well, offering easier methods for accessing texts stored in your cloud. They’ve gone ahead and renamed a few applications, but it shouldn’t effect anything. They’ve been shortened for easy access in the app tray.

If you’re not too anxious about having the update as soon as possible, then it should be pushed to your device. But those of you looking to get it sooner should navigate through Settings > About Phone > and tap System Updates. During an update, it’s smart to be plugged into an outlet, and also connected to your home wireless network to avoid climbing over your data cap. Hopefully it’s easy and painless, but let us know if any problems occur.

[via Phandroid]

As you know, the tech world never sleeps. But before we see what tonight has to offer, lets take a look at a few of recent headlines to keep you up to speed. This morning, we saw Corning team up with Samsung to possibly provide curved OLED glass in their future devices. I myself am a huge fan of the beveled displays both the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus have been manufactured with – and always wondered when it would finally make it to their other devices.

Next up, there was a bit of confusion as to who currently tops the US in customer service. We first gathered from JD Power and Associates that Verizon was the victor, but later on – AT&T was said to top the charts by another survey. Who plans on watching the upcoming Super Bowl? If you’re a big fan of either the Giants or Patriots, an NFL Super Bowl 3D live wallpaper is now available in the market.

Possibly the most interesting news we’ll get to see today is a leaked image of the ASUS TF300T. It could be their next ‘Transformer’ tablet, but that’s the only speculation we can actually make at the moment. There’s no telling what could be packed inside, but it’s not like ASUS to regress in terms of hardware – so it’s safe to say their will be another NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core chip incorporated.

Finally, we have another update to add to the Motorola DROID 4 saga: As of now, expect to see it February 10th in stores. This was gathered from the latest leak, and is hopefully the last time this device will get pushed back. It would be a shame to receive it with a few glitches here and there, so it’s worth waiting for them to iron out anything before launching and risk making a mess of things.

After much hoopla Google Wallet finally launched on the Nexus S last September, but it was only available on Sprint’s version of the phone and not T-Mobile’s. Then when Verizon announced their Galaxy Nexus, it was soon discovered that they would not support Google Wallet. Verizon claimed that Google Wallet “needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones” and they were continuing their commercial discussions with Google on the issue.

Thanks to a recent app update, Nexus users on AT&T and Verizon can now install Google Wallet directly from the Android Market. Many users previously obtained a hacked copy or side-loaded it onto their device, but now they can have the comfort of getting the latest official version from Google.

AT&T users with the Nexus S or GSM Galaxy Nexus just need to search for Galaxy Nexus and install it. Those devices are recognized as supported in the Market and it’s a 1-click isntall.

Google Wallet Google Inc. MARKET QR POWERED BY APPAWARE

For Verizon owners of the Galaxy Nexus, the process takes a few extra steps. They need to visit the Android Market website from their browser and then trick their device into installing the official app. It might sound like a little much, but it only takes around one minute to complete.

1. From your phone open the browser and head to http://market.android.com. (Tip:  You may want to clear data and defaults on browser and Market before doing this.)
2. Search for “Google Wallet.” (If your browser prompts you to open the Market, don’t. Just stay in the browser.)
3. When the results come back, tap on the Google Wallet icon.
4. Tap the “Install” button from within the browser and then sign into your Google account. (Again, this is all from the browser, not the Market app.)
5. Once you have signed in, you should be redirected back to the Market page in the browser.
6. Obviously, you will not have the option to install there since the VZW Nexus is not supported.
7. Tap the back button until you are prompted for the Market or Browser again, this time choosing the Market.
8. The Android Market should open to the Google Wallet page with an option to install.

If it doesn’t work right away, just sign out of the Android Market website from your browser and try the steps again. I tried this on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus and it worked on the 2nd try. Previously I had side-loaded an older version of Google Wallet, and the install updated it to the latest version with no problems.

We don’t have a Nexus S or GSM Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile to test this trick out, but hopefully it works on that device as well. If you happen to have one on hand, let us know if you were able to install Google Wallet from the Market.

At least AT&T is now allowing Google Wallet on some Android phones with NFC, and hopefully Verizon is close to reaching an agreement with Google.

Asus is on top of the Android tablet heap at the moment thanks to the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, but they’ve had a hard time keeping it there lately. A number of controversies have sprouted up around the quad-core Android slate. Apparently those quality issues have led UK online gadget seller Clove to suspend sales of the Transformer Prime indefinitely. “Because of complaints of faults with the model we took the decision to thoroughly test stock before fulfilling any orders,” said Clove on their official blog. [ed. note: blog appears to be down at the moment] 

To be fair, the Transformer Prime has had more than its share of problems. Early adopters have reported signal issues with both WiFi and GPS reception, probably due to the Prime’s all-metal case construction. There’s not a lot that can be done about the physics of radio waves, but on top of that, power users were upset that the hardware comes with a locked bootloader. Asus changes a lot of opinions by promising an unlocker option in February - announcing an Ice Cream Sandwich update didn’t hurt. Of course, bricked devices and other errors in the update process put them back at square one.

Asus replied to Clove’s posting with skepticism, saying that they weren’t aware of any quality issues, and that they “refute any and all claims from third parties regarding the quality of our products.” Since Clove didn’t elaborate on what customers were complaining about, we don’t have a lot to go on as far as estimating when UK buyers can expect a return. With the Transformer Prime in short supply almost everywhere, this is sure to irritate at least a few across the pond. We’ll keep you updated on any changes in Clove’s policy.

Story Timeline

• Transformer Prime GPS issues arise, activate WiFi to fix on Dec 30th 2011
• Transformer Prime users upset over 128-bit locked bootloader on Jan 2nd 2012
• Asus US: Transformer Prime getting ICS January 12th, unlocked bootloader later on Jan 3rd 2012
• Asus Transformer Prime ICS update failing on some tablets on Jan 17th 2012
• ASUS UK extends warranty on Transformer Prime, new 700 series coming this June on Jan 17th 2012
• ASUS Transformer Prime GPS update coming now on Jan 18th 2012
• ASUS Transformer Prime 'lock-up' problem to be fixed in February on Jan 27th 2012

Device Specifications and Information Device Info

Device Name : Transformer Prime

Manufactuer : Asus

Carrier :

Announced Date : November 09, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As : Transformer 2

Display

• Screen Size : 10.10 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x800
• Screen Type : IPS+

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 10.35 Inch
• Width : 7.12 Inch
• Depth : .33 Inch
• Weight : 586 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Polymer

• Battery Capacity : 6579 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 3

CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 64 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution :8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light

QWERTY :

Cellular Network Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Pocket Gamer]

We know that LG has at least one new Android phone slated for release soon, namely the X3, likely to be shown off at Mobile World Congress later this month. That device and one more are probably the source of a pair of certification filings in the Universal Plug and Play database, a set of standards for wired and wireless networking. The phones in question are the “LG-P880” and the “LG-P700“. The former is of the most interest to spec hounds, and it probably the model number for the X3.

There’s not a lot of information on either phone available, but a few nuggets can be found. Digging around in the GSM filing for the P880 reveals a resolution of 1280x720p (the current standard for Lg’s flagship phones like the Optimus LTE, Nitro HD and Spectrum) and the P700 has a 640×480 resolution found mostly in second-generation Android phones. Oddly, the P700 is listed as an “ICS SmartPhone”, not the P880. This is a long way from confirmation of anything, but since most of LG’s smartphones run Android at the moment, it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll see these two eventually.

Previous leaks of the LG X3 indicate a quad-core Tegra 3 phone with a 4.7-inch 720p display, more or less going head-to-head with the (also rumored) HTC Edge. The visual design evokes LG’s latest Prada phone – a very good thing. Keep in mind that all of this is so much speculation before the big show in Barcelona. Just about everybody – with the notable exception of Samsung - will be bringing their A game.

[via Pocket Droid]

If there’s one thing the Android development community can’t resist, it’s a cheap mod platform. The Nook Color and (eventually) the HP TouchPad both owe their legacies to budget-conscious Android users looking for something to mod. The latest platform for cheap hacking might just be the Peek, a single-function device built for SMS on the cheap. The company is going out of business, but The Verge reports that CEO Amol Sarva wants to give the thousands of unsold units to hackers, hoping that “maybe somebody can build something great”. At least one member of the Reddit Android section has the idea of porting Android to the device – a familiar rallying cry.

For those who are unfamiliar with Peek: it’s a small BlackBerry-style gadget that’s built for text messaging and email, and nothing else. The single-purpose Peek was sold for less than $100 and used cheap service without contracts as a hook for those who needed to stay connected without the use of a phone. The hardware is pretty bare-bones, but includes a full QWERTY keyboard, GSM connection, side-mounted scroll wheel and 2.5-inch 320×240 display – not that much smaller than a lot of cheap Android phones, though it’s unfortunately not touch-enabled. Peek worked with a variety of email services, including POP3, IMAP and Exchange.

Can any of the Peek devices run Android? It’s hard to say. Getting the hardware itself to boot a different operating system wouldn’t be that difficult, but according to the Wikipedia page, the Peek’s processor is a mere 100mHz and the storage space is a measly 8 megabytes. It would be a challenge for even the most talented Android ROM developer to get Android to fit on the device, to say nothing of it running properly. The Peek has no expandable storage, so getting it to hold more data would require some hardware modifications. Still, if anyone can do it, Android modders can. If you’re up to the challenge, contact CEO Amol Sarva at amol@peek.ly to get in touch with one of the company’s developers.

With Samsung’s Galaxy S III no longer expected to make a showing at MWC2012 later this month, we’ll have to settle for the new Galaxy S Advance instead. While not yet available the new Galaxy S Advance and its curved screen glass is already being spotted in the wild as a replacement to the Galaxy S Plus.

The naming scheme is starting to get a bit out of control over there in the Galaxy S factories but at least they keep churning out awesome phones like the Galaxy S II and this new Advance. The folks from TechPinas have already received some hands-on photos and video of the new Samsung device before it’s even been released.

The phone is no Galaxy S II but it’s no slouch either. Complete with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 4? WVGA Super AMOLED display with curved glass (just like the Galaxy Nexus), and a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. It also comes equipped with a 1.3 front camera, 8GB of internal storage and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

We wont be seeing the device in the US anytime soon but UK retailer Clove already has outlined pre-orders starting at £295 ($467) plus tax. If the Galaxy S Advance looks like something you’re interested in it should be shipping late February, right around the 27th so stay tuned and get your own reserved today.

[via SlashGear]

In yet another entry in Android Community’s “why didn’t I think of that” series, accessory maker Dexim has a new product that should help you stay green and keep a watchful eye on your phone’s battery. The Visible Green USB charge and sync cable is a standard MicroUSB cable with a trick up its sleeve: it actively monitors your Android phone’s battery level. As the battery reaches its full capacity, the cord glows in a series of running lights, getting slower the longer it charges .When the battery id full, the lights switch off, letting you know that your phone’s ready.

This little trick is achieved by a string of LED lights built into the clear plastic section of the cable itself. As your phone charges, the alternating pattern simulates running lights, giving a colorful visual indication of the level of charge in your Android phone. Since LED lights use a tiny amount of electricity, the loss to the charge itself is negligible. Not only do the lights shut off once your battery is fully charged, the cable keeps an eye on the battery itself, periodically shutting down and starting up to preserve up to 85% of energy from a wall socket or computer.

The cable costs $15.90 on Dexim’s web store – not bad at all, considering that you’ll often spend $10-20 on a cheapo charger at a department store, and I once paid $40 for an emergency USB cable in the Las Vegas airport. The cable should work with any MicroUSB device and data transfers as well, though sadly the myriad charging ports on Android tablets will leave most of them out in the dust. For an example of the light action, observe the video below, running on inferior hardware from some obscure brand.

[via Lifehacker]

Huawei announced today that their 7? Android 3.2 Honeycomb MediaPad tablet is headed for AT&T complete with 4G speeds. It wont be powered by their LTE network but instead will have 3G/4G HSPA+ connectivity. We’ve seen this tablet plenty in the recent past as the award winning MediaPad and it was launched back in November on T-Mobile as the Springboard tablet. Apparently it will be available starting tomorrow for AT&T customers for a friendly price.

The Huawei MediaPad is a pretty impressive budget tablet and features a 7? 1280 x 720p IPS HD display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM, front and rear facing cameras with the rear being 5 megapixels and capable of 1080p video capture. Unlike most tablets the MediaPad also features not only micro-USB, but also micro-HDMI and micro-SD for expanded storage.

Recent news has detailed that Huawei has upgraded this tablet to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and are selling them with ICS onboard in some markets, but the AT&T mode will be released with Honeycomb and users can expect an over the update at some point. The AT&T 4G powered MediaPad will be available starting tomorrow, February 3rd on AT&T albeit for some reason only to enterprise and business accounts — not the general public. It’s not clear if AT&T has any plans to release a consumer-friendly version at this time.

Story Timeline

• Huawei MediaPad official: 7-inch dual-core Android 3.2 tablet on Jun 20th 2011
• SpringBoard and Galaxy Tab 10.1 get official release dates on T-Mobile on Oct 25th 2011
• T-Mobile Springboard Review on Nov 7th 2011
• Huawei MediaPad clears the FCC en route to AT&T on Dec 15th 2011
• Huawei MediaPad (Springboard) images leak showing Ice Cream Sandwich on Dec 27th 2011
• Huawei MediaPad up next for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on Jan 11th 2012

[via SlashGear]

Man, somebody at Samsung is just giving it away to modders and custom ROM enthusiasts. For the third time since the open-source code for Ice Cream Sandwich was released back in November, an official beta version of the Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich update has found its way into the hands of some eager fans, this time over at SamMobile. The cheeky guys there say that the newest build, dated January 29th, is ready for regular daily use after a collection of improvements. The build number for the latest leak is I9100XXLPB.

Among the observed changes in the firmware are better battery, faster animations and other general speed, and a 3D effect when changing home screens, not unlike the stock Ice Cream Sandwich launcher. Samsung’s TouchWiz is still very much present. Between the speed and battery improvements, this build will be good enough for most modders to use as their daily driver ROM. You can install it via the standard Odin or custom recovery methods; SamMobile required an account on their site to access their files, but you can probably find them elsewhere if you look hard enough.

A little editorializing: three leaks for the same software in less than two months is surprising, even for the rabid Android crowd. So, either someone inside Samsung is consistently leaking firmware under the table (in which case I’d expect that person to be found rather quickly) or these software leaks are intentional, at least on some level. Samsung knows that there’s a gigantic community of advanced users, so why not take advantage of it? I think Samsung lets these builds leak out discretely, observes the community reaction and adjust accordingly. Rinse, repeat, and you’ve got a team of free, excited beta testers thousands strong, who have all joyfully voided their warranties. If true, I think it’s a great idea. Just a little speculation.

Story Timeline

• Samsung Galaxy S II test ROM leaks with Ice Cream Sandwich [UPDATE] on Dec 14th 2011
• Samsung confirms ICS update for Galaxy S II, Note in Q1 on Dec 20th 2011
• More official Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs leaked for the Galaxy S II on Jan 2nd 2012
• Samsung 'Galaxy S II Plus' could premier before Galaxy S III on Feb 1st 2012

When last we saw Google’s official numbers for the distribution of Android versions among the 250,000,000 devices out there, Android 4.0 made its debut with just .6% of measured devices. One month later the number of Ice Cream Sandwich phones and tablets has almost doubled! …which is a nicer thing to say than “it’s got a whole percent of devices.” Between the handful of official releases of ICS, one in every hundred Android devices is running the latest software version. Not great, but not unexpected just ten weeks after its open-source debut.

So far there’s only three devices that officially run Ice Cream Sandwich: the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (in both its international GSM and US CDMA flavors) the Huawei Honor and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Of course Android is a haven for modders and ROM flashers, so tens of thousands of savvy users (at the very least) are running ICS built from Android’s source code or based on leaked software updates. Elsewhere in the Android universe, Gingerbread holds steadily onto the leads with 58.6% of devices, Froyo comes in second with27.8% (more than a year after Gingerbread was released) and Honeycomb has an embarrassingly small 3.4% of total devices.

If what we saw at CES 2012 is any indication, the number of available ICS devices is set to greatly expand in the next 3-6 months. Huawei seems to be leading the charge, showing off ICS running on various Ascend models, and both HTC and Samsung have leaked phones running Ice Cream Sandwich set to debut at Mobile World Congress later this month. Pretty much every major manufacturer has committed to upgrading current phones to Ice Cream Sandwich, and Sony Ericsson notably did so for every phone they released in 2011.

Story Timeline

• Froyo on 57.6% of Androids in latest Google distribution stats on Feb 4th 2011
• Android distribution numbers hold steady, Honeycomb still under 2% on Nov 4th 2011
• Gingerbread surpasses 50% distribution on Android devices on Dec 1st 2011
• Android distribution: Gingerbread at 55%, Ice Cream Sandwich appears for the first time on Jan 4th 2012

[via Android Developers]

Motorola is all set to roll out another update to the DROID RAZR starting today. Not only that but the same exact update will also be landing on the new DROID RAZR MAXX since they are essentially the same phone — only one has a bigger battery. They both run the same software and will both be receiving an update today as detailed by Verizon. More information and change log available after the break.

While this is not Ice Cream Sandwich it will bring the devices up to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. The build number will be 6.12.173 and the update is around 151MB in size, so it might take more than a minute or two to complete. It is nice to see Verizon and Motorola confirming these devices run on the exact same software, this should make development easier for the new MAXX. Provided in the gallery below are both of the change logs for those interested.

From the details below we can see Motorola has introduced tons of stability, performance, and bug fixes. As with most updates that always makes the list so we won’t continue on that. Some of the important bits are the fact that WiFi hotspot issues have been resolved and all users should be able to use the connection now. Verizon has updated a few widgets, VCast, Visual Voicemail and other bloatware items.

Our tipster mentions there are a few improvements to the overall user interface although we see no reports on that here from Verizon. They’ve also resolved some low-signal 4G issues and mention near the bottom that 4G LTE performance should be increased, as well as better batter life. The update should be rolling out any time now so feel free to start checking for updates by going to menu > about phone > check for updates. Shout in the comment section below should you have any issues or notice anything major. Enjoy!

Story Timeline

• DROID RAZR Review on Nov 7th 2011
• DROID RAZR Accessories Review on Nov 7th 2011
• Motorola DROID RAZR update slicing onto handsets today on Dec 22nd 2011
• Motorola DROID RAZR gets ClockworkMod, opens doors for fun on Dec 27th 2011
• DROID 4 and DROID RAZR MAXX Official: Hands-on on Jan 11th 2012
• Verizon drops DROID RAZR price to $199 sans SD card on Jan 17th 2012
• Motorola DROID RAZR update leaks, available now on Jan 23rd 2012
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX Review on Feb 1st 2012

Device Specifications and Information Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : November 03, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.27 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 8.9 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution :8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Verizon]

Are you an Android developer? Do you collect obsolete and failed pieces of technology in a museum of electronic sadness? Looking for something to fill the space in between your HP TouchPad, Palm Folio and Nintendo Virtual Boy? Then Research in Motion has a deal for you. The Canadian BlackBerry manufacturer wants to build buzz around the OS 2.0 update for its PlayBook tablet, which includes an easy method to port Android apps over to its native software. Tweak an app for the PlayBook and submit it to their app store, and RIM will send you a PlayBook free, gratis and for nothing.

Alec Saunders, RIM’s Vice President of Developer relations, broke the plan on his personal Twitter account. It works like this: Take an existing Android application, run it through RIM’s supplied tools, submit it to BlackBerry App World (their version of the Android Market/iOS App Store) and do all of this before February 13th. In addition to the coding requirements, apps on BlackBerry App World need to be devoid of mentions of Android and the Android Market, and list “Blackberry PlayBook” under requirements.  Saunders didn’t elaborate on any giveaways or contests, but directs converted developers to email “developeroutreachprogram@rim.com ” with the name of your app to collect your prize. Subsequent Twitter conversations with excited developers seem to indicate that he’s very serious. And why not – there’s got to be thousands of PlayBooks gathering dust in RIM storage.

All joking aside, it’s a pretty smart way to get developers excited about your platform. And RIM needs to do so quickly if they hope to keep the PlayBook, and by extension BlackBerry itself, alive in the mobile market. Early developer reports indicate that the porting process is indeed easy. So, Android devs, why not give it a try? If free hardware and the thrill of a new platform don’t sway you, consider that BlackBerry App World is metaphorical small pond at the moment – getting in now before the influx of 2.0 apps could make you the big fish. And not to be disloyal or anything, but BlackBerry does have some exciting things on the horizon…

New year, new set of best Android apps & games our experts review assassins thoroughly reviewed in the month of January 2012! Did you catch our awesome big list of 300+ Best Apps Reviewed 2011? Either way we make it easy to download or buy these top apps with convenient one-click tools below to easily download these top app [...]

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This content was originally posted at AndroidTapp.com. Shop the Best Android Apps with AndroidTapp Store!

Antonio Wells

In case you haven’t been following the latest Facebook news they’ve just gone public. Recently signing their Initial Public Offering, authorized by Ernst & Young LLP as having shares of its common stock available to the world. While this is big news it doesn’t really matter for us here in the world of Android. We do have some good news though — Facebook for Android just received an update although only a minor one.

The update to Facebook for Android has just hit the Android Market but judging by the screenshot above they haven’t released a change-log. According to their site and comments on the Facebook for Android page they’ve brought a load of bug fixes with the latest version — although they wont detail what exactly they’ve fixed.

Are you seeing any improvements to the latest version? We are also hearing a few memory management and efficiency issues have been resolved and should keep the application running quick and smoothly for Android users. I don’t know about you guys but ever since the latest huge UI update and overhaul the app just keeps getting worse. We’ll probably see an update tonight or tomorrow to fix whatever they’ve broke today. With all the money Facebook makes, and even more now they’ve gone public you think they could create a better app. Just saying. Hit the link below and grab the shiny new update.

Market Link

Story Timeline

• Facebook Messenger App Contains Hints of Video Chat on Aug 10th 2011
• Facebook for Android update available, Seems to add tablet support on Sep 13th 2011
• Facebook App overhaul brings faster performance, better UI, ICS support and more on Dec 7th 2011
• Facebook for Android now looks amazing: Hands-On on Dec 8th 2011
• Modaco custom ROM fixes Facebook's Ice Cream Sandwich issues on Dec 13th 2011

In the recent months the amount of malware in the Android Market has continued to climb, or the reports have at least. When something gets as big and popular as Android you will always have those people looking to cheat, steal, and attack anything they can. Today Google has announced their plans and system to curb all of that. They are calling it the Android Market Bouncer — like that guy in a suit standing by the door.

This isn’t all either. Google already has multiple systems in place, from features and sandboxes built in to prevent these types of problems or information theft, to a system where they can quickly pull the ban hammer out and delete malicious apps from the market — even right off your device is severe enough. I’ve never had a malware problem myself, but some claim it is still an issue for Android.

The new Market Bouncer will work in a few ways. For one it will scan every Android Market application on Google’s cloud services and simulate it running on a device. Then check for malware or suspicious activity. And secondly, the new system will scan each app as they are introduced into the Market upon the approval process. So this will watch and protect us from new apps, and current apps that might get updated or introduce malware or suspicious activity.

Google says this will not effect the submission and approval process and works in just a few seconds — as long as your code and application are clean. What about wrongly flagged apps being removed from the market? That wont happen either as once an application is flagged Google’s team will manually investigate the application to make sure before wrongly pulling an app or game.

I am really liking this forward thinking and positive approach to malware. What do you guys think? Google ends the security post on a good note and had this to say:

No security approach is foolproof, and added scrutiny can often lead to important improvements. Our systems are getting better at detecting and eliminating malware every day, and we continue to invite the community to work with us to keep Android safe.

Story Timeline

• Android Malware issue pops up again on Jun 7th 2011
• Android has the most Malware according to McAfee on Aug 23rd 2011
• Google engineer and security vendors spar over Android malware threat on Nov 21st 2011
• Fake Rovio apps show up in the Android Market, already removed on Nov 28th 2011
• Google removes 22 SMS Trojans from the Android Market on Dec 13th 2011
• Pirated books show up in Android Market, Google quickly removes them on Jan 16th 2012
• Lookout Mobile claims Android.Counterclank is adware, not malware on Jan 31st 2012
• Symantec backs off of Android malware claims after researchers cry foul on Feb 1st 2012

Spacetime Studios has begun teasing the next release in their popular Legends series of MMO games for Android.  Expected to arrive in March at the annual Game Developers Summit, Dark Legends opens with the player recently raised and under the direction of the vampire that sired them.  If you've ever played Pocket Legends or Star Legends then you know full well what your in for - a time killer of the highest order.

Dark Legends puts players up against undead, werewolves, demons and humans in both single and multilpayer modes. The combat system includes new mechanics (charge attacks, drain enemies),  but the deeper narrative is what really has our attention.  There's nothing quite like a rich, immerse story (with vampires and undead) that has us burying our face in our phones.

Spacetime Studios

Dark Legends on Facebook

 

Spacetime Studios begins teasing Vampire MMO ‘Dark Legends’ originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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ASUS recently launched their Transformer Prime TF201 Android tablet, and are set to release a budget 7? slate later in Q2. New leaks today however have us wondering if we’ll be seeing a third slate from them this year. New images of what is being called the ASUS TF300T have leaked. Is ASUS preparing a new Eee Pad Transformer to replace the original, and be priced under the Prime? More details below.

This new TF300T is shown next to a certification document with a time stamp of January 19th 2012, which might mean this tablet could be revealed in the coming weeks or months — possible at Mobile World Congress in Spain. The image below you can clearly see it has been labeled the TF300T but we are still searching for more details on this slate. Most likely it will feature a quad-core processor like the NVIDIA Tegra 3 but we have no details and can’t confirm at this time.

What’s interesting here is the design. The radial spun rounded design is similar to the new Prime, yet the weird textured back closely resembles the original Transformer. Making us wonder if this will sit nicely between the two to complete the ASUS tablet lineup. One important note is the rear does seem to possibly be ABS plastic like the original, and not aluminum like the Prime — although I’m not digging that goofy reddish color myself.

There is the possibility this plastic coated back is a sign that the TF300T could be their first 3G/4G equipped tablet that will sit under the Prime in terms of specs, yet offer wireless connectivity for those needing more than WiFi. Stay tuned as I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon.

[via Blogeee.net]

Google Maps is the best at what it does. Navigation is usually spot-on, maps tend to be so accurate it can be creepy (especially when they include pictures of your house) and best of all, it’s free to use. Sure, you could nitpick the minor details, but who can really complain about a free-to-use service of such a high caliber? One competing company who charges for mapping services did, and took those complaints to a French court where Google may be facing some serious problems.

A French court has ruled that by giving away Google Maps, Google is stifling competition and creating an unfair advantage in the topographical market. The plaintiff’s (Bottin Cartographes) legal counsel touted their victory over Google, saying the ruling finally “proved the illegality of Google’s strategy.” For giving away Google Maps for free, Google must now pay a fine of 500,000 euros. This is the first time Google has ever been prosecuted for Google Maps, and they plan on appealing the decision as soon as possible.

It’s understandable that companies with a similar service to Google Maps would be infuriated when faced with a massive loss of profits because they can’t sell their product. It’s understandable that they would take Google to court over it. It’s not understandable that Google would actually be charged with doing something wrong by giving away a great service for free.

If Google’s appeal falls through, this may be just the beginning. Could you imagine a world where Google Maps requires a subscription fee? We’ll be keeping a close eye on this as the situation continues to play out.