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January, 2011 Articles

Port Your Number To Google Voice For $20

by Rob Jackson on January 19th, 2011

If having to choose a brand new phone number and notify your 10 billion Facebook friends about the switch has been keeping you from using Google Voice, it might be time to reconsider. While I haven’t spotted it in my own account, numerous sources are reporting that a Port Your Number option now exists in [...]

HTC Flyer To Be March-Arriving Tablet?

by Rob Jackson on January 19th, 2011

We’ve heard a whole lot about the HTC Scribe, destined to be the company’s first Android tablet set to launch at Mobile World Congress in February. In late December, HTC trademarked the term Scribe, but apparently nothing is written in stone. According Digitimes, the same folks who fueled the initial Scribe rumors, the HTC Flyer [...]

Motorola Apologizes For PR Gaffe, Promises Better Bootloader Policy

by Rob Jackson on January 19th, 2011

Despite Motorola continually making some of the hottest Android handsets – and the pattern continues with the Atrix – some of the most passionate Android fans refuse to become customers because of a “locked bootloader”. Manufacturers locking their bootloader essentially prevents rooting, and when one YouTuber expressed their displeasure, a MOTO employee uncharacteristically shot back, [...]

LG Optimus Black to Be Offered Alongside Different Colored Back Covers

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

LG wants you to take their phone – named the Optimus Black – and change its back cover color to something else. Make sense? Yea, didn’t to me either. Still, if you were planning on buying this phone but would prefer something to match your favorite purse or shoes or what have you, LG’s going [...]

Acer: Wait, No, We’re Not Phasing Out Netbooks

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

Looks like one of Acer’s sales managers got ahead of himself when stating they were attempting to phase out netbooks in favor of powerful tablets. Acer had to quickly step in and issue an official statement saying that’s not their goal at all. If anything, it sounds like they want the two computing paradigms to [...]

Android Destroys Apple

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

Oh, you thought this was going to be a rave for Android up against Apple in recent months in true fanboy fashion? No, it’s simply me describing a video that landed in our tip box earlier: our beloved Android has his head attached, then, by some act of awesomeness, uses his eyes to destroy a [...]

Notion Ink Adams are Shipping, Check to See if Yours Is

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

One step closer to “we’ll see it when we believe it” in this Notion Ink circus. Yesterday, we caught wind of the first line of the tablets for shipping after it’d finally gotten FCC approval, and it appeared they’d be ready in time to ship on Wednesday. Welp, it’s Wednesday and we’re hearing that orders [...]

Verizon Marketing Plans Show Thunderbolt, XOOM Materials to be Sent Side by Side

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

We expect both of these devices to launch in February – the Motorola XOOM and HTC Thunderbolt, that is. The problem is we don’t know when exactly: we’ve heard rumors of dates ranging from the beginning, the exact middle, and near the end of that month. None of that has been confirmed nor denied except [...]

Stolen Beta Apps: How Google And Developers Should Prevent Them

by Rob Jackson on January 19th, 2011

One thing that separates good developers from great developers is communication with their community. One great way to reward loyal users and simultaneously improve your product is by offering beta APKs for download and feedback. Unfortunately, some well-being developers are being ripped off as a result. Earlier this month we saw the developer of Iron [...]

Motorola: Locked Bootloaders Stay, You Can Go Elsewhere

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

Whoa. In what I’m sure is a very uncharacteristic PR blunder by someone sitting behind the YouTube account at Motorola, a question regarding Motorola’s newest phones and the possibility of a locked bootloader was fielded. The answer – while appreciated – was rather blunt and almost, well, rude. Here’s what they had to say on [...]

ShootMe Updated to Get Face Lift, Adds Video ScreenCasts

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

If this isn’t the most significant upgrade to a screen grabbing application, then I don’t know what is. ShootMe – the popular screen capturer which somehow doesn’t require root to function – has been recently upgraded to not only pretty up the interface, but to add some killer functionality: video screencasts. It’s not the smoothest [...]

El Vendór – the Story of an Android User Pinned Beneath a Vending Machine [Humorous Video Series]

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

We can talk about numbers, growth, projections, and all that other industry mumbo-jumbo, but more than numbers, we’ve been enjoying a healthy (over?)dose of humorous videos, songs, and photos about Android. The latest is a series of videos called El Vendór by director Greg Bell. It’s the story of a sales manager who – despite [...]

Rumor: NVIDIA to Announce Tegra 3 Soon, Possibly at MWC 2011

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

And the rumor mill keeps on spinning. This time, a report from Hexus suggests NVIDIA will soon be announcing Tegra 2 – the company’s Michael Rayfield predicts they’ll have Tegra 3 ready for OEMs at the same time their competitors catch up to Tegra 2. Based on what we expect Samsung and Qualcomm to announce [...]

Nationwide Truly On Your Side With an Android App

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

Nationwide announced Wednesday that their Android app is now available for those who use them for insurance. The app is fully featured allowing you to file an insurance claim and get the process going from the palm of your hand – quite the handy tool if you’re in a nasty wreck on the side of [...]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to Get Grand Unveiling at Mobile World Congress?

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

We’ve been hammering away at rumors regarding a “PlayStation Phone” since the beginning of Q3 2010. Since then, we’ve gone from baseless predictions and connecting the dots to undeniable, irrefutable video evidence of its existence. It may all come to an end next month at Mobile World Congress, according to reports by Bloomberg. They say Sony will [...]

PopCap Says Bejeweled 2 Coming This Week, Others in Q2

by Quentyn Kennemer on January 19th, 2011

Just yesterday, PopCap teased us with shots of Plants vs Zombies and Peggle running on a Nexus One, but didn’t offer anything in the way of a release date. They weren’t being stingy on information, though: turns out someone just had to ask nicely. They revealed that Bejeweled 2 would be released sometime this week, [...]

Kongregate Pulled from the Market One Day after Release For Violation of Developer Distribution Agreement

by Kevin Krause on January 19th, 2011

We hear almost regularly of Google pulling certain Android apps from the Market. Though they generally are pirated wares and malicious programs, every once in a blue moon a big name app will get the axe, as was the case with Kongregate. Kongregate, if you recall, just reached the Market yesterday along with 300+ Flash-based [...]

PSA: Froyo for the LG Ally is Going Out Now

by Kevin Krause on January 19th, 2011

Just a friendly reminder that the rollout of Android 2.2 for the LG Ally has begun. The update not only includes the move to a new version of the Android OS, but also enhancements for screen rotation for app compatibility and more security options. The update is pushing over the air, so if you don’t [...]

Texting While Driving? T-Mobile and Location Labs Launch DriveSmart to Help you Say ‘No’

by Kevin Krause on January 19th, 2011

Today T-Mobile and Locations Labs are doing their part to help cut back on texting while driving with the launch of DriveSmart Plus, what they are calling the “industry’s first carrier-grade service” to help prevent distracted driving. DriveSmart Plus works by detecting when you are driving and then disabling most of your phones messaging and [...]

Motorola Cliq 2 Now Available through T-Mobile

by Kevin Krause on January 19th, 2011

Right on time the Motorola CLIQ 2 is available for the taking via T-Mobile. The Cliq 2 was shown off at CES and is the first of Motorola’s handsets unveiled at said event to go up for grabs. The MotoBlur device will set you back $99.99 with a $100 gift card rebate. The Cliq 2 [...]