Android News, Android Reviews, and Everything Android
SimCity for Android: Is it the same game we know and love? Well, pretty much. SimCity brings back the same feel of SimCity 3000 that you either loved… Or hated with a passion to your nearest Android phone or tablet. Obviously the game does better visually (both the UI and textures in my opinion) on the tablet and really becomes a great time consumer whether you want to start from the beginning, or just use a template city that’s provided by EA. [Read more...]
When you purchase an Android device typically you purchase it A: Because it’s cheap, B: because of the amount and types of apps, or C: because the level of customization. In this case the it’s B. If you’re in the age group of 16-21 there’s a good chance you’ve played an N64 and have a lot of fond memories with it as I have. (You can’t tell me the song “Superman” by Goldfinger doesn’t remind you of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater for the N64!) If you have, then here’s your chance to download an emulator, some ROMs ( digital rips of the game) , and play your favorite N64 games on any higher-end Android device; I’d recommend having a Galaxy S equivalent, or higher (1+Ghz Processor, 512+mb RAM). [Read more...]
Motorola announced via their Twitter that the Wifi- only Xoom tablet’s price has been brought down to $499. The Honeycomb 3.1 Tablet has 10.1 display and has a front-facing 2MP camera and rear 5MP camera and a 1GHz processor.
You can order the Xoom at the discounted price off Motorola’s page here.
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It looks like the Toshiba Thrive is already hitting Best Buy stores in the form of 16 and 32GB versions.
No one’s been able to get an 8GB model, and for some reason, the smallest and cheapest tablet option has been removed from Best Buy’s inventory.
The Thrive has the following:
-Honeycomb 3.1
-Tegra 2 processor
-USB and HDMI ports
-2 MP front-facing camera w/ 5 MP rear camera
-Swype, Resolution+ software, removable battery
-Wifi Connectivity
The price is starting at $479.99 for the 16, but if you’re not interested in so much storage and don’t absolutely need the tab in your hand this very moment, you can still grab the 8GB Thrive online, starting at $429.99.
Image via ThriveForums
Yet another tablet has been announced, but this time it’s got a mildly refreshing change. Huawei’s new 7-inch ‘MediaPad’ Android tablet has been announced, and its running the most updated Honeycomb 3.2.
So, what’s the deal with the newest version of Android 3.x? According to Engadget, its essentially 3.1 but for smaller tablets, like the 7-inch MediaPad. And…that’s it.
It’ll include a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, full 1080p playback, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, a dual-core Qualcomm 1.2 GHz chip, HDMI output, Adobe Flash 10.3, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot. It weighs 390g (0.86 pounds) and has 10.5mm shell.
There’s not even a hint at the cost, but it is projected to be released this year.
For those of you that don’t have Swype installed on your system, You’re lucky. What do I mean by that? I mean that if your phone didn’t come with Swype installed stock you can download the Swype Beta which has been updated to version 3.0 and brings a lot of new features to us Android users.
(Swype 3.0 on the Honeycomb tablet, with the “moveable” keyboard pulled to the right)
The update brings a revamped word choice system which resembles the Android Gingerbread keyboard instead of the previous Swype “pop-up.” The old method was slow, glitchy, and was just not efficient to use. The new “Horizontal Word Choice List” brings the word correction from the Android Keyboard with the mixture of being able to “Swype” making the overall typing experience so much easier. Along with the word choice being upgraded, many new devices have been supported including Honeycomb devices. The keyboard is not only supported for Honeycomb, but optimized for it: It’s very quick, perfect for swyping, and even includes a small “moveable” keyboard (not so much for typing, but there are plenty of other keyboards for that). The moveable keyboard that is made for Honeycomb puts a mini-keyboard on the screen and allows you to drag it from left, to the middle, or to the right so you can put your custom preference for left-handed, right-handed, or just in the middle to support both.
(The Swype Keyboard with the Horizonal Word Choice List)
You can visit our older post to read up on how to download and register the Swype Beta for your Android phone. Remember: If you already have Swype installed on your phone the installation will not work (You might be able to uninstall it via Titanium Backup Pro and install the beta, but that is only an idea). It’s completely free and a great alternative to paying for other keyboards which only emulate swype.
It looks like Lenovo will finally be releasing a tablet in the US, or tablets I should say. There will be two 10” Android tablets coming out this summer.
The two tabs will have two separate target audiences: business and consumers. The average consumer’s tablet, named ‘Ideapad’ will most likely arrive this July, and be followed by the business-minded ‘Thinkpad.’
Both tablets will have 10 inch displays and run Android Honeycomb. Price can range between $450 to $900.
Premium passengers aboard American Airline flights will be in for some new in-fight entertainment: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be replacing the previously offered personal media players on select transcontinental and international flights.
Some 6,000 tablets with expanded memory will be hitting the skies by the end of this year.
Here’s a refresher on the specs:
-10.1 inch display (1280×800 pixels)
-Android Honeycomb 3.1
-1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
-3MP back camera, 2MP front-facing camera for video chat
-Adobe Flash support
-1 GB of RAM
-Battery that lasts up to 9 hours of video or 72 hours of music
-Samsung Media Hub
-Samsung Touchwiz UX
In the future the tablets will be offered for more flights in Europe and South America.
Searching for good games on Android is tiring and disappointing; on the off chances you find one that does look relatively interesting you just end up uninstalling it right after (due to ads, graphics, or incompatibility). That’s been my experience anyway. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some good games on the Android Market and HexDefense is one of those. You can click on any of the screenshots to see a full-sized one.
(Here i’m upgrading my rocket turret, waiting for it to complete)
HexDefense gives me some hope for the development community of Android. I had originally seen a game very close to it on the App Store called GeoDefense. And it’s that similarity, graphics, and simplicity of the game that brought me to testing it out on the Android Market, and let me say: It’s well worth it.
(Here’s a snapshot of all the levels included with Hex Defense)
The graphics included with the game are awesome and ran great on the more modern devices like the Galaxy S Series, and the Motorola Xoom. However, on a “dated” device such as the Droid Eris we were experiencing a good bit of lag right off the bat. So as a heads up if your device is running with a 500Mhz processor you’re going to want to try the free version before purchasing to ensure compatibility.
(In game at wave 19, the second to last wave)
The game includes 20 levels with 20 waves and two difficulties for each. Like the developer Gotow.net said “The game is fast and intense – easy to play but very tough to master!” And he’s right. Each level starts out easy and becomes VERY difficult. The placement of towers becomes crucial as the end of the level draws near.
The Good:
• Great Graphics playable on most modern devices with Android 2.1 and up
• Low cost ($1.50) with free demo to test before purchase
• 20 Levels with multiple difficulties and enemies
• Upgradeable towers to give more depth to gameplay
• Auto-saved game if you switch to another app or take a call (proposing you don’t kill the task)
• Good audio
• “Low” Graphics and “Intense” Graphics options
• Works great on Tablets
Suggestions:
• Could use some more levels, but for the price, you really cannot complain
• Not a complaint, but I wouldn’t mind an optimization for Tegra 2 Devices
• A little touchup on the In-game interface to make it completely “HD”
Overall: Worth the Purchase?
Heck yeah, it’s well worth the purchase. I’ve spent more than a few hours just playing with it on the Xoom while I wait for some more Honeycomb compatible games are released on the market. I don’t think I can stress it enough when I say “The graphics are great” because they really are. It’s fun, It’s addicting, and it’s cheap. Don’t believe me? Try the free version out on the Android Market here to make sure it has full compatibility with your device, and purchase the full application here for $1.50 to support the awesome developer.
Specifications for the Dell Streak Pro are believed to be that it has a 10.1 inch high resolution touchscreen (1280 x 800 LCD) with NVIDIA’s 1 GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor chip, dual cameras with 1080p Full HD video playback, built in SD card reader, its own docking system (which gives you Ethernet, HDMI and dual USB ports, will be available for the tablet as well).
Although the tablet is launching in China first, the outcome may be to our advantage. The Dell Streak Pro will be moving its way toward the US sometime next year with updated software and better understanding. Lets just hope China’s “beta” test will be more than satisfactory.
