Technology Today ( Apple,iPhone,iPad,Mac – Google,Tables,Android )
Because We May – Coalition Of Game Developers Set To Offer Deep Discounts In Celebration Of Pricing Freedom
May 18th
From May 24th to June 1st, a boatload of your favorite Android games will be going on sale in celebration of pricing freedom. Because We May, a coalition of game developers that is “preparing for launch,” announced the sale recently, explaining that the purpose of the sale is to “celebrate online stores that give us control over pricing.”
The stores involved include the iOS App Store, Mac App Store, Steam, Google Play, and a few others (including a “Direct from Developer” option).
Games in the Google Play category (so far) include favorites like World of Goo, Osmos, Smuggle (and Snuggle) Truck, Canabalt HD, and 26 other great games.
Until May 22nd, Because We May will have open registration for developers looking to promote their games with the sale while celebrating the freedom to price games as they see fit. Interested developers can register here.
For a full list of games, or more information about the project, just visit Because We May’s website, linked below.
Source: Because We May
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndroidPolice/~3/vghsOdg775I/story01.htm
ITC orders import ban on Motorola Android phones over Microsoft patent issues
May 18th
Update: More of the story is coming out, and we learn that Motorola was found not to infringe on eight other patents in the case. This verdict is currently under Presidential review, and will be subject to appeal. In a statement to ArsTechnica Motorola has said the following:
Although we are disappointed by the Commission’s ruling that certain Motorola Mobility products violated one patent, we look forward to reading the full opinion to understand its reasoning. Motorola Mobility will not experience any impact in the near term, as the Commission’s ruling is subject to a $0.33/per unit bond during the 60 day Presidential review period. We will explore all options including appeal.
The original story follows.
HTC’s One X and EVO 4G LTE may soon have a few friends to keep them company while they wait for customs to allow them into the US, as the ITC has decided to ban the import of Motorola Android phones for infringing on a Microsoft patent for “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device”. According to FOSS Patents, this order will likely go into effect in 60 days, as the ITC has rejected Google’s claims that an exclusion order was not in the public’s best interests. Because of FOSS Patents owner Florian Mueller’s close ties to Microsoft and his track record on proceedings of this type, we’re awaiting on an official word from both sides to see just how damaging this decision may be before we make any predictions. It’s very likely that Motorola can just tweak a setting and comply with the ITC’s rulings while they await a full judgment.
If you recall, Motorola has been embroiled
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/hQW3ZdE9KrY/story01.htm
Customers don’t want shared data plans says T-Mobile
May 18th
With all the recent news about forcing customers to use shared data plans we saw this week, T-Mobile wanted to let everyone know their stance on the situation. Posting on the company’s Issues and Insights blog, Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing, says “T-Mobile believes that consumers today do not want a ‘one size fits all’ approach to shared family data plans, nor would they benefit from that model”. Reading through the sentiment in the comments on the recent Verizon news, and one would have to assume he is right.
Reading and watching David poke at Goliath is fun (in some twisted kind of blogger way) but there’s one big variable still not defined — how much shared data, and how much will it cost. With a reasonably high cap, at a reasonably low price, I can see the benefit in a shared data poll across multiple devices. Saying goodbye to a 5GB plan for your phone, your tablet, and your data card or hotspot, and hello to a shared 10 GB plan at half the cost is an offer many would jump on, even if the cost per kilobyte increases.
One thing Sherrard is saying that I think most would agree with is that ”Customers who pay more, should get more“. There are many ways for Verizon (and ATT, who surely won’t be far behind) to make this a change for the good. Until we see the plans and pricing, I’m not ready to crucify anyone just yet. If everything holds true, we’ll know more in about a month.
Source: T-Mobile
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YoCnd1-z7cs/story01.htm
Straight Talk, Unified eMail, Signal drops [From the Forums]
May 18th
We’ve blown through a bunch of content for you all this week so be sure to get yourself caught up if, for whatever reason you missed out on anything. In addition to the news and editorials, we also managed to do up a Android Central podcast for you all and if that isn’t enough — be sure to check out the Android Central Forums:
- HTC One X Forums - Anyone having signal drop issues?
- HTC EVO 4G LTE - Should HTC/Sprint give good will gesture?
- Samsung Galaxy S III Forums - No Android Experience, Tempted by the S3
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus Forums - Straight Talk MMS problems
- Droid RAZR Maxx Forums - Non-Unified eMail inbox possible?
If you’re not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/e_o84FRk8zc/story01.htm
Top Handset Maker Confirms Backdoor in One of Its Models
May 18th
Photo: Pierre Lecourt/Flickr
One of the world’s top handset makers has acknowledged the existence of a backdoor in one of its models.
ZTE, which is based in China and produces the ScoreM, which sells as a Google Android phone, admitted that it had placed a backdoor account with a hardcoded password, which is easily found online. The backdoor was used by the company to remotely update its firmware, according to Reuters. But its existence would also allow anyone else with knowledge of the password to access a Score phone and gain root access.
“It could very well be that they’re not very good developers or they could be doing this for nefarious purposes,” Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told the news service.
ZTE has vowed to fix the security hole.
“ZTE is actively working on a security patch and expects to send the update over-the-air to affected users in the very near future,” ZTE told Reuters. “We strongly urge affected users to download and install the patch as soon as it is rolled out to their devices.”
Article source: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/05/zte-backdoor/
Motorola updates its Android 4.0 upgrade plans — and it isn’t all good news
May 18th
By JR Raphael (@jr_raphael) 
When it comes to Android 4.0 upgrades, Motorola hasn’t exactly been leading the pack.
The manufacturer scored a big fat “D” in my Android 4.0 report card for the first quarter of 2012, and from the looks of it, its second-quarter score may not be much better.
After months of silence and inactivity, Motorola is finally speaking up about its Android 4.0 upgrade plans and what’s going on with its devices. Here’s what’s new from the company’s latest software update page refresh:
• Motorola’s Droid Razr is now scheduled to get Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the second quarter. Previously, the phone had been down for an “early 2012″ upgrade — a time frame I think we can all agree has long since passed. The same second-quarter schedule now applies for the international Motorola Razr model as well as the Droid Razr Maxx.
• The Motorola Xoom international Wi-Fi model and U.S. 4G model may actually get ICS one of these days; both tablets are now slated for second-quarter upgrades.
• The Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 and 10.1 models finally have ETAs for their Ice Cream Sandwich arrivals as well: Both Xyboard models are set to get ICS in the third quarter of the year. The same applies to the international Motorola Xyboard tablets.
• Owners of the once-heavily-hyped Motorola Droid Bionic can expect to get Ice Cream Sandwich “early” in the third quarter of 2012. Moto had stayed mum about the Bionic for months up till now: The company last talked about the Bionic in late 2011, when it promised to release more specific
Article source: http://blogs.computerworld.com/20195/motorola_android_40_upgrade?source=rss_blogs
Are Android Tablets Dead?
May 18th
First quarter numbers from IDC showed that Android tablet shipments declined in Q1-12 from Q4-11, while Apple cruised ahead, reasserting dominance of the tablet market. Looking a bit deeper, we see that Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, a deviation from Google Android, is becoming dominant, and all the tablets from Samsung, Moto/Google, and other mainstream CE and PC manufacturers are losing share. This looks like a disaster for Android.
Android Tablet Market Share: Dec-11 to Feb-12; Data via Comscore.
It is a disaster for Google’s Android tablet strategy, which seems to boil down to producing a better product with much the same value proposition as Apple’s iPad. The high-end Android tablets that are positioned right against the iPad (Moto Xoom, Samsung GalaxyTablet) are losing ground. Asus, Acer, and Toshiba, which have more of a value strategy, are hanging on. The others have failed to make a mark.
However, Amazon has created a whole new market with the Kindle: defined by simpler hardware and software, $200 price point, and linkage to the Amazon content platform and brand.
There’s more to this market than the Comscore numbers show, because Comscore does not consider Barnes Noble’s Nook
Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddhixon/2012/05/18/are-android-tablets-dead/
[Lightning Review] Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard For Android 3.0+ Devices
May 18th
Earlier this week, I took a look at the new Bluetooth keyboard for mobile devices from ZAGG, the ZAGGkeys Flex. Since one can never have enough gadgets for their gadgets, today we’re going to look at Logitech’s offering to the Android tablet realm. While this keyboard isn’t brand-spanking new (it has been out for a year or so), it’s still just as relevant as it was on release day; given the increase in popularity of Android tablets, perhaps even more so.
Before we get into the the good and bad aspects of this keyboard, though, let’s first take a look at the details.
The Good
- It’s a full-size keyboard, so it brings a desktop-like experience to your tablet.
- Typing on the keyboard is pretty fantastic – not cramped in the slightest and the keys have a good amount of travel. It’s definitely comparable to a full computer experience.
- Very, very solid. There’s nothing flimsy about this keyboard – it feels incredibly well made.
- Hotkeys for Calendar, Music + controls, volume, home, and back, as well as normal shift+arrow, ctrl+arrow, and alt+arrow line navigation.
- Classy black and blue color scheme with matching case. It looks quite nice.
- The case easily converts into a stand for your tablet.
- Speaking of, the stand offers more than one angle, which is very useful.
- Very simple pairing/reconnecting process.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that the Logitech keyboard for Android
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndroidPolice/~3/qAf9BZ6Zing/story01.htm
[Deal Alert] Unlocked International GSM Galaxy Note Available On eBay Daily Deals For $459
May 18th
It’s only been a few months since the Galaxy Note started making waves, but we’re seeing prices steadily drop on unlocked models. Not that long ago, we spotted the device for $519. Now we’ve spotted it even lower, available on eBay Daily Deals or $459 off-contract. This device is the international variant, so sorry ATT T-Mobile users, you’ll have to sit this one out if you want 3G.
As the price drops lower and lower, it reaches downright affordable territory. With the Galaxy Nexus available on the Play Store for a mere $400, and the Note here for $459 off-contract just a few months after its initial launch, one can almost start to feel something resembling hope for cheap, contract free phones. Who knows? Maybe dreams can come true. If you’re one of the millions of people who want a Galaxy Note, and you want to score one off contract for relatively cheap, hit the source link below.
Source: eBay
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndroidPolice/~3/ENAZEe_CbEI/story01.htm
Total Commander For Android Graduates From Release Candidates To Final v1.0, Will No Longer Expire When You Need It Most
May 18th
Total Commander, my favorite go-to app for powerful dual-pane file management on both Windows and Android (see our overview for features and screenshots), reached v1.0 final today, dropping the incredibly annoying mandatory expiration which was present in the release candidates. One such expiration caught me on a plane with no Internet access and forced me to literally turn back time on my tablet just to get it to work again. Needless to say, I welcome the first version that will no longer refuse all functions after an arbitrary period of time.
While discussing Total Commander with its founder Christian Ghisler back in the day, I asked him whether we’d ever see an Android Market (now Play Store) release. At the time, he was quick to categorically say no, but the situation changed recently. TC is not in the Play Store just yet, but I’m fully expecting to see it there soon. In the meantime, I’ve fired off an email to Christian once again and will update this post if he responds.
Changelog
The full history of changes is available here.
Download
Grab the final version of Total Commander here or see this forum post for more details.
Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AndroidPolice/~3/coHV6XTECqE/story01.htm