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Raise your hand if you panicked about Google’s deauthorization policy!
For those of you who weren’t aware, Google freaked out a bunch of people the other day. If you didn’t know, whenever you flash a new ROM on your phone, it looks to Google like you’re authorizing a brand new device to use Google Music.
... Read More |
| 2012-05-17 02:44:33 |
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Google Chrome for Android got some neat integration today. If you haven’t enabled it yet, it allows you to see what tabs you have open on your desktop version of Chrome. You can view these tabs right from your phone just by clicking one little button on your Chrome for Android browser.
To enable this, you’ll n... Read More |
| 2012-05-16 09:05:48 |
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The Wall Street Journal has released an article today about Google's plans for the Nexus program.
If you are like me (and you probably are..) you like a specific Android maker more than others, so you get a bit annoyed when Google chooses an OEM that you don't like to do the Nexus device. According to WSJ this problem may be a ... Read More |
| 2012-05-16 00:00:46 |
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Verizon customers in the United States have something to be happy about this week. It looks like Verizon WILL be getting the Samsung Galaxy S 3. A benchmark test was leaked to the interweb the other day saying that the Samsung Galaxy S 3- or the SCH-1535- will be available on Verizon’s network.
Now, with every good p... Read More |
| 2012-05-15 03:23:01 |
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Every once in awhile a company surprises us and does something nice, by doing something out of the ordinary and highly charitable which stands out from the crowd. This time it is the turn of Samsung. Already the mobile market leaders and the principal sponsors of the London 2012 Olympic Games, they are now using this influence to rai... Read More |
| 2012-05-13 22:04:32 |
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A new APK ended up in a drive folder that had been shared with me, so I decided to download it. What was this APK, you ask? Why, it was Flipboard!
Flipboard is this cool app that allows you to flip through news, technology, and just about anything else you want to be kept up to date on. This app has all kinds of cool ... Read More |
| 2012-05-11 01:02:51 |
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It seems that Google’s theme for this month is integration. Some of you may have noticed that you can now comment directly to posts and +1 things through your Gmail. This change began to roll out a few days ago. You can now reply to comments through your email notification, instead of having to click the link to go to the... Read More |
| 2012-05-11 00:40:03 |
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Early Tuesday morning, I engaged in a Hangout On Air. Overall, it was an awesome experience, and the video is up on YouTube. As far as I could tell, Hangouts on Air does not work on mobile. I attempted to join the Hangout on my Galaxy Nexus, and the notification that I got said that “my device wasn’t compatible.&rdq... Read More |
| 2012-05-09 00:32:47 |
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As the release date for the Galaxy S 3 grows ever closer more and more sites are starting to put up pre-order pages. Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u in the UK have had it up from the announcement on May 3rd and now Amazon UK have finally got there page up too.
As you can see from the picture above Amazon have the 16gb version in w... Read More |
| 2012-05-08 13:14:34 |
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For those of you who have been dying to get a piece of Hangouts on Air, now is your chance. Google is finally letting you get in on the fun! Now it is said that the roll-out will take a couple weeks, so keep an eye out for notifications or updates.
If you aren't sure what Hangouts on Air is, I will tell you now.
Hangouts ... Read More |
| 2012-05-08 02:10:25 |
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Rumors about carriers for the Samsung Galaxy S 3 have been flying all around the internet today. Apparently, Samsung has opened up a sign up page where you can sign up for information about the SGS3 when it comes out. Along with this sign up page came a rumor: on the page, Samsung asks you what carrier you would like the information ... Read More |
| 2012-05-05 06:37:38 |
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Guess what Game of Thrones fans? If you're rocking an Ice Cream Sandwich phone, you can now watch all of your favorite HBO shows on the HBO Go app. I don't know about you, but I was extremely sad when I learned that HBO Go was unsupported on Android 4.0 devices. Now, though, you can watch all the Game of Thrones or Boar... Read More |
| 2012-05-05 06:28:22 |
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As we all know something pretty special has just happened. That's right, I turned 32. I know it's hard to believe with me looking so young and all but I rea... What? that's not the big news? oh... ok then...
The Samsung Galaxy S 3 was announced yesterday as well and I wanted to write a short piece on my views on it. &... Read More |
| 2012-05-04 12:54:03 |
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My mother just switched from AT&T to Verizon, and from iOS to Android. As a 47 year old, technologically challenged business owner, student and mother, she always has her hands full, and she’s always busy. We went into the Verizon store check out a few phones and see which ones she might like by the time her AT&T contra... Read More |
| 2012-05-02 01:31:24 |
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Early this morning, Android sites began asking Galaxy Nexus users who were running stock ICS if they had received an update to 4.0.4. As it turns out, a few people had received the update. This leads me to believe that either something crazy happened and the update was pushed out on accident, or 4.0.4 is finally beginning to roll out... Read More |
| 2012-05-01 22:01:06 |
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Google Glasses makes another appearance?
With the news about Project Glass starting to die down again, Google thought that they would stir things up again by sending one of their employees out into the world with an early prototype. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Google X’s own Sebastian Thrun briefly shows off Project G... Read More |
| 2012-04-27 01:28:50 |
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A few months ago, Google released its privacy policy in simple, easy to understand terms. People didn't like these terms at all because they believed that Google was trying to sneak peeks at their life and personal information. Most of that noise died down as people continued to use popular Google products such as Google+, Google... Read More |
| 2012-04-26 01:18:33 |
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It seems as though Google has had a big day. As most of us know, Google finally released their long awaited cloud based storage by the name of Google Drive this morning (or afternoon, depending on where you live). That wasn’t all Google did today, though. When I woke up, people were talking about something new that G... Read More |
| 2012-04-25 02:19:16 |
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Sometime this morning, Google Drive was released to the public. Drive took over Google Docs, like many suspected. My initial impressions were that Drive looks fluid, and it’s nice to see a brand new Google icon out there. Now, onto the good stuff. What’s included in Google Drive?
When you first open u... Read More |
| 2012-04-25 00:27:07 |
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So the day has finally arrived!! Google Drive is here!.. oh wait.. it's just Google Docs.... Oh wait... It's not available in the UK yet... Well this isn't good so far.
From what I can see the premise is that Drive will, in the future, allow you to do more than just spreadsheets and docs. It will allow you to share st... Read More |
| 2012-04-24 20:23:07 |
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So, I've begun to realize that Samsung is the biggest tease out there. This morning, I woke up to a few of my friends talking about something: Samsung had released a website by the name of TheNextGalaxy.com. A quick visit to this site will give you a short teaser about the Samsung Galaxy S 3. Of course, you don't ever s... Read More |
| 2012-04-23 21:02:43 |
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What It's About
As browsers become more advanced they are able to save websites locally in case you're in a situation without internet connection you could still browse those sites. However there was little else you could do.
This is where Pocket comes in – it is a rebranded and refreshed version ... Read More |
| 2012-04-23 16:11:13 |
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Here at FYA we don't want to spam you guys with tiny little news stories that are only a few paragraphs long so we have started a new feature.
Each Monday we will give you a re-cap of the news from the week before that didn't quite warrant a huge story but that we thought you guys might want to know.
So here goes:
HTC One ser... Read More |
| 2012-04-23 14:25:44 |
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There's no denying it, everyday life is getting more expensive. What with the UK Government creating mass hysteria about a non existent petrol shortage, and prices generally rising, I personally have been trying to keep a better eye on my expenses. I don't particularly want to rely on having to use ebanking for this as I have... Read More |
| 2012-04-22 15:22:58 |
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There are a lot of clock widgets on the play store. You know that, I know that.
If I reviewed them all we would be sat here until armegeddon. This one, however is worth the review.
Ultimate Custom Clock Widget (henceforth called UCCW) is a little bit different than the rest. The level of customisation availab... Read More |
| 2012-04-22 15:08:30 |
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One of the ROMs that I have been dying to try out since I rooted my CDMA Galaxy Nexus nearly a month ago is Patient Zero. Patient Zero is a stable ROM with some nice customization ingrained in it.
The ROM is super easy to flash over. All you need to do is download the file and flash it, no wipes or mounts necessary. T... Read More |
| 2012-04-18 19:36:06 |
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Good news for those of you that have been awaiting the release of the Transformer Pad 300. You can pre-order it online for $449.00 with an $11.00 shipping fee. The $449.00 price is for just the 32 GB tablet. I’m not exactly sure when the keyboard dock will be released, but at least you’ll get to play arou... Read More |
| 2012-04-18 18:57:54 |
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It has been a little over a year since Nokia announced it would be adopting Windows Phone 7 on its smartphones, and a little under six months since their first Windows Phone 7 device, the Lumia 800 has been released. Has it boosted Nokia's fortunes or would they have been better off going with Android?
A lot of peopl... Read More |
| 2012-04-17 21:18:04 |
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You will pleased to know that the Chrome for Android team has released another new update for the browser today. Here is a list of changes from the teams website:
Allow for download of files to the device
Complex Text Layout (CTL) and Right to Left (RTL) text support in rendered pages
Enable old-style YouTube e... Read More |
| 2012-04-17 20:04:56 |
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Google Drive: Coming to a computer near you
We all knew this was coming sooner or later- Google is joining in on the online cloud storage fun. Google’s cloud storage, to be called Google Drive, should be showing its face soon. Some say “soon” could mean this week, only time will tell. There have already been pic... Read More |
| 2012-04-17 16:10:29 |
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All you Sprint customers out there, the Galaxy Nexus is coming your way! Available since Sunday for $199, come join in the fun of owning this lovely device.
If you don’t have Sprint, and you’re interested in other phones, I have some more news. The Galaxy S3 will be coming soon. Before it seems as though &l... Read More |
| 2012-04-17 15:54:52 |
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As many know, Google+ updated its look last week. Instead of everything being cooped up together, Google+ is now spread out into different sections. All the links to get to home, profile and hangouts (along with a few other handy links) are located along the left side. Your feed is located in the middle, and all of your GTalk contact... Read More |
| 2012-04-17 15:38:12 |
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Do you want to listen to some metal? Maybe you’re not in the mood for any specific genre but you want something to play while having a little romantic time with your significant other. Songza has the music you want for just about any time of the day and every activity you can think of all ad free.
Songza, from New York dev... Read More |
| 2012-04-16 21:37:04 |
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A quick search for alarm clocks in the Google Play Store would result in an array of applications which probably would not meet your expectations. Double Twist seized this opportunity and released their take on alarm clock applications to create a detailed yet simple graphical user interface with intuitive features which no other alarm cloc... Read More |
| 2012-04-16 14:27:07 |
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Recently it was announced (unless you’re like millions of other Android fans and have been hearing the rumors for a while) that Google is testing out the newly renamed Project Glass. This announcement came with a two and a half minute video giving us an idea of what Project Glass will look like.
Project Glass is a way for you to ... Read More |
| 2012-04-14 01:19:29 |
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InstaWho?
Are you getting tired of all the Instagram for Android talk, well you're not alone. If you've had time to play with Instagram for Android I'm sure you've found it just as lack luster as I have now that it's lost half its drawing power which was the fun of collecting and selecting diff... Read More |
| 2012-04-13 17:47:39 |
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Hide your wallets, hide your credit cards, Verizon’s snatchin’ up your money.
Google+ has been abuzz with news that Verizon Wireless has introduced a new charge for upgrading your device. What Verizon says is that they will be charging a $30 fee for upgrading your phone at the end of your two year agreement. Let... Read More |
| 2012-04-13 17:00:28 |
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Welcome to my first application review. This is the Wild West shooter called Six Guns.
What it’s about
Gameloft are renowned to create complex games such as N.O.V.A., Brothers in Arms, Assassin's Creed etc. and Six Guns is no exception. The game is set in a fictional wild western style environmen... Read More |
| 2012-04-13 00:21:09 |
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You may remember a user interface for home computers called bumptop. It essentially replicated the use of a real desk in a digital form, and was very much geared at use on touch devices. It was sold until 2010 when the company was purchased by Google. Up to now however not many, if any, of its features have made it into Andro... Read More |
| 2012-04-10 22:03:48 |
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RIM shoots itself in the foot
RIM, the faltering device manufacturer that makes Blackberry and the Playbook, has called the Android market a ‘chaotic cesspool’. This is after announcing plans to remove the ability to sideload android apps onto the playbook in an attempt to curb ‘piracy’. This will mean that the only a... Read More |
| 2012-04-10 16:07:37 |
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It's been an undeniably quiet couple of months for FYA. We're far from down and out, though. Since the start of 2012, we've had writers disappear, and I've had to deal with a plethora of personal issues which are literally just coming to an end.
The good news is, we have some great plans for FreeYourAndroid, and are co-hostin... Read More |
| 2012-04-09 13:44:56 |
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Introduction
Since the launch of the Galaxy SII, Samsung has firmly placed itself at the forefront of the Android smartphone market, offering above and beyond anything the other OEMs could put together. It's almost hard to believe that it was released an entire year ago, and in that time, barely anything has threatened to knock it from i... Read More |
| 2012-04-09 10:48:05 |
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So unless you have been living under a rock, in a safe that was in a cave, on a desert island, with ear plugs in you have probably heard of Instagram. The photo editing software has been a huge hit on the Fruit Based Phone for over a year now and it has finally reached Android! Rejoice readers, all your dreams have come true! E... Read More |
| 2012-04-03 23:02:40 |
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Now as you are no doubt aware by now, I'm a big fan of the Android ecosystem. However I am man enough to admit its shortcomings and where El Goog could have done a better job.
I'm going to use a dirty word now, Fragmentation. I know it makes me feel dirty too but it is there and needs to be addressed. The new HTC One X ha... Read More |
| 2012-04-02 17:51:25 |
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Phones are like buttered toast. Not exactly an articulate start to this article, I know, but bear with me. You see whenever I drop my Galaxy S2 it lands straight on its front, the screen bearing the full brunt of the fall (just like buttered toast yeah? No? Oh whatever…). The Gorilla glass digitiser on the GS2 seems to take this abuse in ... Read More |
| 2012-04-02 10:25:23 |
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One of the biggest features of Android 4.0 ICS was its Face Unlock feature, that gives users the ability to unlock their Android phones using their face. After Ice Cream Sandwich was launched, Google quickly admitted that face unlock was more of a gimmick than true biometric security, and one of the biggest complaints about this function is that... Read More |
| 2012-03-30 13:08:48 |
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I am always amazed by how fast the community works here in Android world to get us the most up to date software they can.
The guys over at Rootzwiki, specifically user Birdman has managed to get a full AOSP 4.0.4 build for the cdma Galaxy Nexus out before anyone else. Everything seems to be running fine and Birdman has said nothing i... Read More |
| 2012-03-29 02:24:29 |
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Here at FYA we love the Android community. You guys are passionate but always welcoming. And so in the spirit of friendship Free Your Android and Land of Droid are joining up under the direction of our friend Gary Weldon (@ubuntubhoy) to bring you the Glasgow Android Meet-up
The plans are still in the works and we are just s... Read More |
| 2012-03-29 00:59:56 |
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As you all probably know Temple Run for Android was released yesterday. Now, I will admit I have never played it before today but thought I should give it a go as everyone seems to have gone potty over it.
The first thing you notice is Temple Run is graphically very pretty.
The walls of the temple you run over are l... Read More |
| 2012-03-28 15:11:12 |
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Orange UK... Where do I start? I've been with Orange for 5 or 6 years now, and my wife around 9 years. Yet, Orange still manage to make me laugh. Unfortunately, Not in a good way.
I've spent the last few days sorting out an upgrade for my wifes contract, with Orange being very rigid in their upgrade policies. Unwilling to redu... Read More |
| 2012-03-28 14:28:51 |
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Mobile World Congress was an eye opener for me. I never seen so many cool gadgets and gizmos in one place before and all of them exactly what I love about the of technology. So as you can imagine I was giddy when the lovely people at Sony gave me one of their new Smart Watches. I had owned their previous attempt at a smart watc... Read More |
| 2012-03-26 22:37:34 |
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Does 10 million angry birds fill you with fear? Alfred Hitchcock would have loved to see that many birds take on the world..
In just a few day Rovio have proved that the angry birds franchise in not dead by recieving 10 million downloads of their latest feathered throwing game. I know there are people out there who have become bo... Read More |
| 2012-03-26 18:37:02 |
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The title is probably a little unfair on Toshiba, who're the company behind the recently announced AT330; and Android tablet boasting a tremendously huge 13.3" screen. Disregarding the 12.7 million Chinese Android tablets on the market, the AT330 is the largest consumer Android tablet to date... but is that a good thing?
For years n... Read More |
| 2012-03-22 21:56:10 |
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We've not long since talked about the range of electronic goods which may run on the Android OS and how crazy some of them might be. What we neglected to talk about, however, is devices which may be controlled by your Android smartphone.
Japan loves rice.
There... now that the stereotype is out of the way, I can ... Read More |
| 2012-03-21 13:26:03 |
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CM9 chart shows Google made the right choice
Recently, a flowchart was published by the Cyanogenmod team helping to give you an indication of whether your device will feature a version of Cyanogenmod 9, bringing it Ice Cream Sandwich goodness. What it indicates is that a good chunk of currently supported devices will be ... Read More |
| 2012-03-21 13:05:34 |
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J.D. Powers and Associates have released the results from their six monthly smartphone satisfaction survey and the results may suprise you.
Unfortunatly the fruit that must not be named has topped the poll for the seventh quarter running, which proves that some people just wont learn...
But what we all really want to know... Read More |
| 2012-03-20 23:45:56 |
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I am going to start this review in a roundabout way but stick with me it will make sense.
Innovation is not the same as invention.
Sir James Dyson started his fortune with one premise. How can we make that vacuum cleaner better. He then went out and invented the bagless vacuum. But what he really did was innovate an idea... Read More |
| 2012-03-17 13:46:17 |
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I'm going to say two words now that I know will annoy almost everyone. Data Limits. I can hear the groans already. If you live in the Americas you are probably aware of your carriers introducing data caps and throttling and if you live in the Europes then you know our data limits are tiny. In the UK the average data limit i... Read More |
| 2012-03-16 15:40:47 |
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The first phone I managed to get my hands on at mobile world congress was this little ditty from Samsung. The Samsung Beam is a 4" WVGA mid range device with the tagline "Sharing big fun and big ideas"
Specs:
As you can imagine in a mid range device the specs don’t blow you awa... Read More |
| 2012-03-16 15:22:29 |
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Speaking to the Head of Developer Relations and XDA member Kalle D, AKA Karl-Johan Dahlstrom, a very nice man with lots of nice things to say about the developer community, we got to have a good rundown of the new Xperia phones the P and the U.
The very first thing to say is these are classy looking devices.
... Read More |
| 2012-03-16 14:43:45 |
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It’s been almost 6 months since the Galaxy Nexus and ICS were released for the world to enjoy. Since then, the update process for other devices has been a slow one, to put it lightly. Despite this, some devices have received the update, or are close to receiving it. Some have even received leaked betas, giving them a good idea of what&rsqu... Read More |
| 2012-03-13 12:53:28 |
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The rumours that Google are soon to release news off a Nexus Tablet (or something vaguely similar), has been doing the rounds for a number of months now. Yesterday, however, something looking a little more believable popped up.
With the iPad making all the tech headlines this week, it makes sense that Google's new line of defens... Read More |
| 2012-03-10 11:42:51 |
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Occasionally, whether it be browsing the internet or playing MW3, the need arises for a quick calculation or two. When it does, I very rarely have a calculator to hand. Then I found AirCalc. This free app from the Play Store (as we're calling it now) allows you to bring up a small calculator and place it over whatever you’re doing on t... Read More |
| 2012-03-10 11:23:36 |
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Over the past year or so, the Android Market has been going through colossal changes. What started out as a simple app store at the beginning of 2011 turned into a media hub by the end, with music, apps, games, books and movies all available. It seems Google wants to continue this massive overhaul, with the ousting of the name itself, replacing ... Read More |
| 2012-03-06 21:42:41 |
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It is no secret that I am a huge fan of technology, maybe too big a fan if you were to listen to what my girlfriend has to say. I generally operate on getting a new phone every 9 to 12 months, with every second one being a contract phone. It’s not as expensive as it sounds because phones of that age still have a high sell on value which si... Read More |
| 2012-03-06 17:09:15 |
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I am a student, and therefore by the time I have paid off all my debts and am able to afford luxuries again HTC will have released the 'HTC One X S XE 4 (Beats Edition)'. This, however, doesn’t mean that I can’t drool over the Samsung Galaxy S3… a boy can only dream. Anyway, enough of the sentimental bullshit, I’... Read More |
| 2012-03-03 21:10:41 |
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I've just recieved an E-mail from Jason Dunn at HTC Elevate regarding the Sensation/XE Ice Cream Sandwich beta program. I wanted to share it with you for a few reasons which I will get into in just a moment. First let me share the email with you.
"First let me start off by saying that when you do something for the first time, it... Read More |
| 2012-03-03 01:00:49 |
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It’s past the half way point now, and after a hectic start to the event on Sunday and Monday, things have calmed down a bit. Despite this, there have still been some quality products announced and showcased for the world to see.
To kick things off we're going to look at Asus, who have recently announced their ne... Read More |
| 2012-03-02 12:50:59 |
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EDITOR'S NOTE : In this article, Gary Weldon and his wife put the HTC Rhyme through its paces, giving their own, individual perspectives on the device. Thanks Gary for coming up with such an interesting concept for a review article!
Review of the HTC Rhyme from a non-techie wife of 4 kids with a tec... Read More |
| 2012-03-02 11:55:17 |
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Some of the more memory-enabled amongst you will remember that I first promised this article back in early January, before my trip to CES. I'll be totally honest with you; I massively underestimated the gargantuan task ahead of me. The problem, of course, is that most reviews of this nature go into only brief detail about each of the applica... Read More |
| 2012-03-01 12:45:44 |
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So, here we are. After what has seemed like weeks of waiting, Mobile World Congress finally arrived, and it hasn’t disappointe;, with big name OEM’s such as HTC, Samsung and Sony all releasing new devices.
Htc were first up, announcing the HTC One, a new line of 3 Ice Cream Sandwich running Smartph... Read More |
| 2012-02-28 11:51:16 |
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Well, here we are all trying to recover from our Android hangovers this Monday morning after the MWC 2012 weekend. And of course for myself and other HTC fans I'm sure the most anticipated of storylines comes under the tag "One X", or interestingly enough as HTC has it on their own website... "One XL".
... Read More |
| 2012-02-28 11:24:42 |
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Welcome to my follow up article on my ORD experiment, the original is found HERE if you haven’t read it!
Forty days and forty nights… No Roms, no root apps, no fun; It was rather boring to say the least. I ended up desperately trying to feed my flashing addiction by modding my GSII using market apps and the like, to... Read More |
| 2012-02-27 11:24:28 |
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You may have read Will's interesting article on Fujitsu a few days ago, with the manufacturer rumoured to be releasing a number of exciting phones at MWC. Well, it seems ZTE have taken note of this, and decided to up the game by quite a large margin. with not one, two or three devices being released at MWC, but eight devices across both the ... Read More |
| 2012-02-26 12:11:20 |
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Just a brief one for you... For those of you whom are familiar to Dropbox on your Android devices, you may have also heard of Box.net.
Box.net offer a similar service to other online storage facilities such as Dropbox or SkyDrive, and like Dropbox, they too have an Android app available for access to your files on the move.
If you logi... Read More |
| 2012-02-25 08:59:59 |
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One of the most appealing aspects of Android to many of us, is the fact that it is open source. The group behind the open source desktop OS, Ubuntu, very recently released a video showing of the upcoming 'Ubuntu for Android'.
Very quickly, the video was taken down, but thanks to YouTube user 'TheProgrammingWorld'... Read More |
| 2012-02-24 10:03:19 |
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So I suppose we've all heard by now about Googles latest implementation of the Android OS into a futuristic looking pair of glasses. In short, the Glasses are said to have a 3G/4G data connection that will allow users to make and receive calls as well as over lay information in real time in the glasses viewing lenses. Apps like Google Maps w... Read More |
| 2012-02-24 09:46:19 |
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Some good news! Everything Everywhere, the operator of Orange and T-mobile in the UK, has announced that they hope to roll out 4g LTE networks by Q4 of this year. They are already testing 4G networks Cornwall on the 800Mhz spectrum and are planning another LTE trial on the 1800Mhz spectrum in Bristol this year. However, this announcement is subj... Read More |
| 2012-02-23 17:53:30 |
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When it comes to smartphones, there are only two manufacturers I would choose from: Samsung and HTC. Samsung because the Galaxy series of phones is amazing and HTC because of the developer support (mainly). However this could change soon due to the promised influx of Fujitsu phones into Europe and the USA. One of Fujitsu's new Android device... Read More |
| 2012-02-21 10:07:33 |
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Ice Cream Sandwich; undeniably the strongest and most polished version of Android to date; responsible for merging the 'fragmented' operation systems which were Honeycomb and Gingerbread.
It's been a bit dissapointing though, hasn't it? It's been three months now since Ice Cream Sandwich was made availabl... Read More |
| 2012-02-19 12:59:31 |
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Since the launch of IOS 5, many Android fans and enthusiast have been somewhat puzzled as to why Google didn’t take action when Apple featured their “new” and ”innovative” notification bar; complete with a handy slide down section. Well, it turns out they did in January of 2009.
The below pictures and... Read More |
| 2012-02-19 12:26:27 |
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As some of you may already know, my current Android phone of choice is the Samsung Galaxy S II, and what a good phone it is. I have been using ICS on my SGS2 since mid-December 2011; as soon as it became stable enough for me to use on a daily basis. In this time I have spent a large amount of time on CM9 and an equally large amount of time ... Read More |
| 2012-02-18 20:10:46 |
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Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, and as to be expected, the internet is beginning to light up with rumours of what companies will release in Barcelona. While phones are to be the main product on show, tablets could also make an appearance, which is why I have scoured the web trying to find the latest tablet rumours surrounding MW... Read More |
| 2012-02-17 10:19:42 |
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Permissions. As anyone who owns an Android device knows, this word has been floated around quite a bit in the Android community during past weeks. But does the average user know what the term means? Or how important it is that permissions are understood? I think that unfortunately many don't.
When writing for FYA I often f... Read More |
| 2012-02-17 10:01:17 |
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It's been a busy week for us all behind the scenes at FreeYourAndroid, discussing new content and features for the site, which has left us a little bit light on the content. Still, we've had an excellent turn out for our competition, with close to 1000 total entries (739 unique/genuine).
A huge thanks goes out to all of you ... Read More |
| 2012-02-16 11:52:35 |
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I've personally never fully understood the fascination many Android users had with the lockscreen. I mean, all you’re really doing is unlocking the phone. It's there to stop us from accidentally calling someone, or randomly browsing the internet from our pockets, right? Well as it turns out, I was wrong. I found that the lockscreen... Read More |
| 2012-02-16 10:13:39 |
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Everything has gone terribly wrong over the past couple of days. Firstly, the internet has decided it doesn’t really like me anymore and as a consequence I am living on a download limit of roughly 20kb/s. Secondly, my throat has swollen to the size of a golf ball which means I am not able to smoke; which has in turn reduced me to desperate... Read More |
| 2012-02-13 20:13:05 |
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With the recent leak of the RUU for the HTC Endeavor, I have decided to rummage around and gather all the new features I could find in Sense 4.0.
To start, The HTC Endeavor will have an NFC chip, FM Radio, NVidia Tegra 3 processor, antenna from Texas Instruments and a massive 4.7” 720p display.
In Sense 4.0:
-... Read More |
| 2012-02-13 19:17:53 |
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I still very much remember the first time I played with an Android Smartphone. It was the HTC Magic, in a Vodafone store in Wimbledon. At the time, I recall being baffled by the strange icons and text that graced the 3.2 inch screen. I was amazed by the concept of an “Android Market”, and wondered for a while how I might access the &... Read More |
| 2012-02-12 01:00:04 |
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We all know that mobile phone companies are there to make money; that is their only function and everything else is just a means to continue making money. We do, however, expect a certain level of customer service. How high a level of service will depend on each of us individually, and possibly how much we are paying for that service. For me, th... Read More |
| 2012-02-10 13:50:18 |
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The chances are that if you're reading this article you are an Android enthusiast. You have most likely carefully chosen a device/devices from your favorite OEM; you know what you want from said devices and you know how to get it. You have a list of "can't do without" apps that you have carried with you from device to device, a... Read More |
| 2012-02-09 22:01:52 |
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It's been over a month since we gave away a phone or tablet, and we'd like to keep this sort of competion as regular as possible. This time, as the title suggests, we're giving away an Amazon Kindle Fire (dual core Android tablet), with a nice leather case.
Entering is simple, and you have three possible ways in... Read More |
| 2012-02-08 11:44:43 |
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Ever since the launch of Android, its web browser has been a no-name stand in the shadows kind of affair, but this is about to change as Google has just released their Chrome browser on Android. For those of you who don’t know, Google Chrome is Google’s own desktop browser, and is, in the view of many, the fastest browser available t... Read More |
| 2012-02-07 20:46:42 |
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My Dad won an iPod Touch at work recently, and has since been parading it lovingly in front of every one of my family members as if he had just given birth to it. Mind you, my dad still thinks his ancient Archos jukebox studio is an impressive piece of tech (it’s not, look here for proof), so I let him have his moment of joy. Onc... Read More |
| 2012-02-07 14:44:28 |
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The Android Market is undeniably popular, and it appears that iOS developers are quickly realising that there's money and exposure to be gained from making the leap over to the droid-side. There are, however, a few popular iPhone applications that haven't yet made it over to Android; one of which is Instagram - a highly sought after appl... Read More |
| 2012-02-07 09:57:10 |
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Apparently Limp Bizkit, but that’s not the point.
Radio is alive and well, or at least it lives on with the TuneIn radio app. Like most other radio apps, TuneIn is underrated when compared to iheartradio. However, TuneIn is a better app than iheartradio in every respect. Hell, I would argue with anyone that thought TuneIn wasn&rsquo... Read More |
| 2012-02-04 10:52:02 |
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Motorola has been a long standing supporter for Android. As well as being a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, it has made numerous Android powered phones since 2009. Android has in turn been good to Motorola, bringing the company back from a very precarious financial situation. Despite all this, however, Motorola ... Read More |
| 2012-02-03 11:30:12 |
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Every once in a while we are treated to some bizarre android news; you know what I mean:
‘Korean military develop life-size android for front line use!’
‘The American government proclaims that Google had WMDs and invades the Googleplex!’
‘Japanese make new android phone… out of brie... Read More |
| 2012-02-02 20:18:50 |
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The Android market is growing very quickly; we all know this. It will continue to grow this year, and it's even likely that by the end of 2012 it will have surpassed Apple's app store. Still, the lack of gift cards for use on the market frustrates me, and I imagine many of you, too.
There are of course lots of great ... Read More |
| 2012-02-01 21:14:34 |
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It seems like only yesterday I was unboxing my new Galaxy Nexus and drooling all over its curved screen, sexy packaging and ICS. That being said, it was only eight weeks ago. For anyone that didn't read my review of the GNexus, feel free to check it out here.
Today, I was woken earlier than usual by UPS, delivering my new... Read More |
| 2012-02-01 13:12:43 |
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You may be aware of the Humble Bundles, a series of promotions over the last eighteen months or so. They give you a collection of games and you can pay whatever you wish for them. Want to pay a penny? A thousand pounds? Both are equally acceptable. But I'm sure you already know this (And hopefully have supported the good ... Read More |
| 2012-02-01 10:48:14 |
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You may remember my review of the Sony Ericsson Liveview (available here) and you may also remember that I wasn't keen on the device. The potential was certainly there, but a litany of issues meant I simply could not recommend it.
That said, over at XDA, members archivator, boombuler and pedrodh are currently... Read More |
| 2012-01-30 11:14:46 |
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While I may not use Facebook as much as I use Twitter, it does allows me to stay in contact with my friends and family. I personally don’t like the official Android Facebook app, so I decided to look for an alternative to it, expecting there to be hundreds of options for third party Facebook apps just like there are for Twitter. To my surp... Read More |
| 2012-01-30 11:10:40 |
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Possibly more heavily guarded than the Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe, Google X is the ‘Area 51’ of technology. It’s the stuff of legends and is possibly the most ambitious project Google has up to date. However, the project is so shrouded in secrecy that even most Google employees don’t know about it. It was only until th... Read More |
| 2012-01-30 10:38:02 |
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Third place: Laptops
Besides the fact that Android is designed to run on touch operated devices, and is optimised for that very purpose, this knowledge clearly wasn’t apparent for the folks over at Toshiba. The AC-100 netbook is the only serious attempt at a laptop-like implementation of the Android operating system I can fi... Read More |
| 2012-01-28 22:02:41 |
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As anyone who's been reading anything I've put together knows by now, I'm a dyed in the wool HTC fanboy. My loyalty has been with HTC from the very beginning. I've argued back and forth with iPhoners and Samsung lovers as well as Motorola loyalists for years now, and I've always had a high quality, cutting edge HTC device, wi... Read More |
| 2012-01-28 11:29:43 |
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I won't lie to you, I'm a gamer. That's right, I'm 28 years old, and gaming is a habit/hobby I simply haven't grown out of. In fact, other than cigarettes and petrol (that's GAS to those of you on the West of the Atlantic), there's not much I spend more of my money on than PC games. For this reason alone, I am both de... Read More |
| 2012-01-27 22:42:36 |
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A few days ago, Nathan Russell published an article titled “2012 : The year of the battery”. The article highlighted the fact that smartphones lacked a long lasting battery, which is a problem we’re all too familiar with. For most users, the smartphone would not last a day if it wasn’t for an extended battery. ... Read More |
| 2012-01-26 12:23:29 |
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Android has long been treated as the red headed step-child of the mobile device world. Those of us who have been using Android from the very beginning are used to having to wait for some new app that was just released for iOS, sometimes waiting months only to receive a half-baked, sometimes half-assed attempt at an ... Read More |
| 2012-01-25 15:13:02 |
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You would think with android being as popular as it is, the world's largest phone manufacturer would take notice. After abandoning Meego in late 2010 nokia partnered with Microsoft to make exclusive Windows phone 7 handsets. There was a frenzy about this because the new Nokia CEO was previously an executive at Microsoft.
&... Read More |
| 2012-01-24 17:01:30 |
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The research firm Ovum has predicted that Android will overtake iOS as the main platform for app development in the next 12 months. The report also states that there is growing interest in Windows Phone and Blackberry OS (huh?). By ‘main platform’, Ovum means the operating system the app will debut on. This is undoubtedly good news f... Read More |
| 2012-01-24 16:38:27 |
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I remember way back in the day when I first embarked on my personal smartphone adventure. She was an HTC touch from Sprint running the old Windows OS. You never forget your first! And she was cutting edge at the time. Of course, my fickle nature had me moved on to the Diamond and my first experience rooting in what now seems like no time at all.... Read More |
| 2012-01-23 17:52:17 |
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In America, the major providers have for the last few years been tripping over themselves trying to cash in on 4G, the next generation of cellular communication which promises insane speed increases over current 3G technology. However, what most networks have been peddling as "4G" since around 2009 isn't actually 4G. What they'... Read More |
| 2012-01-23 12:26:24 |
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In this day and age, there is perhaps nothing more personal than the smartphone. Since its arrival to the technology scene, the smartphone has become more personal than the personal computer. Every day you send text messages, watch videos, browse the web, and update your status on Facebook. You do all these things and more, right on your smartph... Read More |
| 2012-01-22 22:59:28 |
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I've been ranting about this within my own Android circles for over a year now, and it's getting to the point where it's pissing me off. We all know that smartphones in general can't boast 'long lasting battery' as a unique selling point, yet we all buy them and love them regardless.
If there's one thing ... Read More |
| 2012-01-21 20:23:02 |
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Big question, what is the most important factor to look out for in a mobile phone? Is it:
a) Screen
b) Size
c) Price
Wrong. It’s obviously power, everyone knows the more cores you have in your phone the more women will find you attractive (right?). So to help you find that lucky lady I am going to round up the t... Read More |
| 2012-01-21 17:53:55 |
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Leading up to the release of Android 4 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) there was a lot of talk about fragmentation and how ICS would unify the platform.
Personally I've never developed a strictly native Android app so I don't know what kind of hurdles a developer might face, but there have not been many apps that I could only ru... Read More |
| 2012-01-20 16:25:59 |
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Ever since I bought my HTC Inspire, I have treated it like it was my own child. I would sleep with it, care for it, and every time it would cry… I mean ring, I would answer it.
The thing is, my smart-phone has become a part of my life, I don’t go anywhere without it and I’m sure that is the case with many of you. It just ... Read More |
| 2012-01-19 17:48:10 |
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Yesterday, the eighteenth of January, a large portion of the internet "went dark" in protest of SOPA, a bill currently going through the American Senate which would effectively allow copyright holders to censor websites without due process. We participated, but so did sites from as broad a spectrum as Wikipedia through to pornography s... Read More |
| 2012-01-19 14:10:14 |
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Before I start, if you don’t play Skyrim or don’t flash ROM’s often then this isn’t the article for you. Instead, here is an Amazon link for a copy of Skyrim on the PC.
So anyway, I was playing Skyrim the other day and got attacked by an ancient dragon. It was the first time this had happened and ... Read More |
| 2012-01-17 15:47:08 |
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This Christmas season I was the happy recipient of my very first Android tablet (the Evo View) and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far. I've set up all my email accounts and installed and used my cloud-type online storage apps (Dropbox, Sugarsync, Box, ect...) to sync my music, pictures and other media and files to both devices. ... Read More |
| 2012-01-16 22:11:04 |
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I wasn’t one of the privileged few who got the opportunity to go to CES. But, thanks to the beauty of the “internet” I still managed to keep on top of the news, and despite the sheer amount of products announced, some special ones did happen to catch my eye. But before I start rambling on, just a quick reminder to check out Nat... Read More |
| 2012-01-16 21:57:12 |
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Nobody likes seeing their favorite show get cancelled, their favorite band break up, or favorite Taco Bell menu item disappear. It is equally disappointing to fantastic Android apps that at one time show so much promise go the way of the Santa Fe Gordita. Here are some of my favorites.
In Memoriam.
Zombie Run
L... Read More |
| 2012-01-15 20:04:31 |
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No, not quite. However, there is talk of development over a cydia-like app store by the Cyanogen team.
If the team actually goes forward with this project, we may see an app store that unites all root apps in one place. The possible development of this project was announced two days before CyanogenMod reached its 1 million tot... Read More |
| 2012-01-15 02:46:34 |
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As I hope all of you will know by now, this week has been all about the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was lucky enough to attend the event this year; my first time at CES, and my first time in Vegas. What a crazy place it really is. I've spent the week spending money like it was going out of fashion, walking u... Read More |
| 2012-01-14 20:31:32 |
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The U.S International Trade Commission has ruled that Motorola has not infringed on three apple patents. Apple had originally lodged it complaints about three Motorola devices, the Milestone. Milestone 2 and Droid X back in October 2010, after being sued themselves by Motorola for allegedly infringing on 18 patents. The ruling is only preliminar... Read More |
| 2012-01-14 17:01:53 |
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Its a cold hard fact; all my friends have iPhones. My 83 year old grandma has an iPhone. My 95 year old Grandma has an iPad! That’s the one thing that iOS has that Android doesn't. My Grandmothers.This may be my fault, after all. Somewhere in my constant ROM flashing and listing off OS versions in alphabetical order out loud, at partie... Read More |
| 2012-01-14 16:54:53 |
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Launchers are without a doubt one of the most popular and tweakable features of Android. But, despite their being a large variety of launchers made specifically for Gingerbread, we're sadly lacking in launchers made for Ice Cream Sandwich. This is where Nova launcher comes in. Developed by the people behind Widget Locker, this launcher allow... Read More |
| 2012-01-14 16:37:08 |
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The people of Rozap recently released an app called “Boycott SOPA”. For those that aren’t familiar with SOPA, SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill that if passed, will significantly change the internet as we know it. It will allow companies to block any website that they feel is breaking copyright infringement laws. It will... Read More |
| 2012-01-12 17:45:59 |
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Put this one in the category of something I didn't realize was broken until they fixed it. Google’s most recent Mobile Blog post touts a laundry list of changes and additions to Android’s Google Search app. Most of them, like the ability to add suggested search items to your search term by clicking an arrow, see... Read More |
| 2012-01-12 16:50:26 |
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I'm addicted to twitter. There. I said it. And, if I’m totally honest, I don’t know how and why. I signed up just over a month ago, and now I can’t help but check my tweets every second of the day. Perhaps the most ironic part of my obsession is that I never check twitter from my laptop. Instead, I always check from either ... Read More |
| 2012-01-12 01:17:08 |
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I will start with some quotes from Mike Bell; General Manager of Intel’s Ultra Mobility Group, talking to the BBC about the new Intel Medfield Processor:
‘Battery life on this platform is not the best in the mobile market, but it is by far not the worst.’
‘We are very effective and good at some t... Read More |
| 2012-01-11 19:41:48 |
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Today at CES, Huawei appears to have finally realised why they've failed in Western markets until now, and has announced a sensible handset, with good specifications. I'll spare you the PR nonsense (this is a BS free site), but it's got a 1.5 GHz OMAP chip, a 4.3" Gorilla Glass screen, and 1GB of RAM, according to the reports co... Read More |
| 2012-01-11 15:27:05 |
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The UK network operator Orange has launched its own tablet, the Orange Tahiti. Based on the Huawei Mediapad, it serves as a budget offering for anyone looking for a fully functioning android tablet. Packing a dual-core snapdragon processor, a 7” screen and 5MP camera into a 10.5mm thick chassis, it certainly looks tempting. It is priced ra... Read More |
| 2012-01-10 23:32:16 |
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After what has seemed like an eternity of waiting, Netflix has finally launched its service in the UK and Ireland. But what is Netflix, I hear you cry.
Netflix is a streaming service that allows you to watch movies and TV shows on practically any device for £5.99 a month. Supported devices include all major consoles (xbox,ps3 etc... Read More |
| 2012-01-10 17:14:59 |
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It's confirmed, Ma bell can welcome in a new Samsung phone. One with great specs and a nice fan base behind it. Maybe you are't excited for a 5.3 inch AT&T version of touchwiz, but I am!.
As some of you will know, the note has a 1.4ghz dual core exynos processor with 2.3 gingerbread onboard soon to be 4.0 (If samsung g... Read More |
| 2012-01-10 17:10:25 |
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Far too frequently, when a friend is about to get a smartphone and they end up getting an iPhone over an Android, their stated reason is that the iPhone has a lot more games available than Android. I also know a fair few Android phone users who have an iPod Touch at hand for the games.
It is a well-known concept that as a gaming platform, A... Read More |
| 2012-01-10 16:59:30 |
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Anyone that has used ICS in any form, be it on a tablet or smartphone will agree that Android is currently at its peak of brilliance. In my opinion, Google took all the good in Android and made it that little better for ICS, and took all the bad and made it... well... not so bad. It is for this exact reason that I feel somewhat frustrated by Sam... Read More |
| 2012-01-09 16:40:27 |
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The Galaxy tab 10.1, one of the most popular tablets of 2011, has just received a new ice cream sandwich preview thanks to the folks from Cyanogenmod. While the ROM isn’t the final build, beta or alpha, it does give Galaxy tab owners an early insight into what goodies they will be receiving when the full CM9 experience is released, or when... Read More |
| 2012-01-09 02:37:06 |
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To accomodate the recent mass- influx of new visitors, FreeYourAndroid is looking for talented and enthusiastic writers to join our news/guides teams. We're looking for those of you out there with creative flair and a true love for Android, to help us deliver regular, interesting content to our readers through the website and our app.
... Read More |
| 2012-01-07 22:22:39 |
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As most of you know, we're a relatively new site that's still finding its footing. That being said, we've had some great coverage from both SassiBob and egzthunder over at XDA in the form of a video and an article, have accumulated over 2200 Twitter followers (and counting) and had over 2200 downloads of our app. It's been a grea... Read More |
| 2012-01-06 20:15:48 |
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Well no one saw this coming. Seems like the guys at Tely Labs and Skype couldn't wait until CES, they're letting the dogs out .
Yes guys and girls that's right, it's Tely! Powered by a 1Ghz dual core tegra 2 chip, it's not your average video conferencing set. It connects to any HD Tv via HDMI and allows you to socia... Read More |
| 2012-01-06 15:38:27 |
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I'm currently writing up a review of the Kindle Fire from a non-US resident's perspective, and whilst browsing for ROM options, I had to consider that flashing or building my own custom ROM would result in me losing what I consider to be the Fire's strongest native feature; its browser.
Well, the good news is (for all of us; w... Read More |
| 2012-01-05 17:28:46 |
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Today I got hold of a Kindle Fire, which I'll be writing a comprehensive hands-on for later on/tomorrow, and I'm also trying to get hold of a B&N Nook Tablet with which to compare it. It's a good time for the 7" tablet market, which seem to be selling like hotcakes in the US in particular.
I've never been a huge f... Read More |
| 2012-01-04 15:14:48 |
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I recently stumbled upon the video over at LandofDroid, and although many of you will have already seen it through LoD, I thought it was certainly worthy of posting here!
TSF Shell Pro is currently under development by a small Chinese development team known as TSF (The Special Forces) - C3D. The team are totally re-inventing the Android U... Read More |
| 2012-01-02 14:41:15 |
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The January sales have started early on the Android market, and it's Gameloft ahead of the pack! From today until January 5th, (almost) all paid Gameloft games on the Android market have been discounted to 69p (99 cents).
I'll keep this brief, as there's not a great deal more to say, but if you'd like to check out all o... Read More |
| 2011-12-29 19:15:16 |
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T-Mobile are giving away 7 free games as a belated Christmas gift to anyone on the network! Of course, you have to be a T-Mobile UK customer, but getting your hands on the free games couldn't be simpler. Simply text THANKS to 480008 to get your hands on the games.
Alternatively, visit this link from your Android phone!
Th... Read More |
| 2011-12-29 16:28:51 |
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With the new year looming, I thought it was about time we recapped on what has probably been Android's best year yet. This year, instead of putting it to the public vote (as we're still a new site), I've taken a look at the year passed and selected my personal picks of all the latest and greatest releases of 2011.
The categ... Read More |
| 2011-12-28 13:45:24 |
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JXD, a Hong Kong based electronics firm has announced the release of their S7100 android gaming tablet, featuring a seven inch capacative screen, a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, 512Mb RAM and up to 16Gb internal storage as well as games console controls surrounding the screen.
According to JXD's website, it also features the extra feature of... Read More |
| 2011-12-27 12:57:47 |
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Earlier this month, we gave you some early info about an upcoming sub $100 USD ICS-wielding Android tablet, the Ainol (lol) Novo7. At the time we wrote about it, the tablet was limited to China, but it seems it has now has made it over to the US!
The tablet is now available for pre-order from PandaWill and Merimobiles, fo... Read More |
| 2011-12-27 12:44:19 |
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For anyone who (for whatever reason) was interested in the Sony Ericsson LiveView (see Bruce's review of it here), you may be interested to know that it is available again on Play.com for the princely sum of £17.99.
You can find it available here if you are interested, but in our usual, no-nonsense approach, I'd stron... Read More |
| 2011-12-26 22:17:49 |
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As most of you will know, we're pretty much a newborn baby in comparison to many of the other Android sites out there. Despite our infancy, we're achieving an outstanding amount of traffic each day, and we've been looking into how we can improve both the site and its content for the new year.
When we began planning and d... Read More |
| 2011-12-23 16:06:31 |
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Well well, Christmas appears to have come early for owners of the HTC Sensation. As we have waited patiently for a decent Ice Cream Sandwich port, we finally have one, albeit skinned with HTC's sense skin.
Thanks to Robocik over at XDA devs, we have a nice rooted ROM available, which despite being the first rel... Read More |
| 2011-12-22 09:03:18 |
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No doubt you've read it a dozen times by now; 'Company X sues Company Y for patent infringement', but if you're anything like me, you're unlikely to have delved any deeper into the subject. It is for this exact reason that I began doing a bit of light reading on the subject, in an attempt to break it down and give my views to... Read More |
| 2011-12-20 14:37:02 |
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Love them or hate them, it looks like they're here to stay. From Touchwiz to Timescape, Sense to Motoblur, we see a range of custom user interfaces which are meant to 'enhance the user experience'; but do they? Or, do the merely hinder the true Android experience and slow everything down in the process? It's fair to say that cust... Read More |
| 2011-12-18 18:31:32 |
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Note: The opinions in this post are my own. They are not necessarily shared by this site or anyone who works for it.
The main reason I love android is the dev community. The devs work for free to ensure our devices have high quality, cutting edge software. For example, I was running a stable 2.1 based sense ROM on my hero months before HTC ... Read More |
| 2011-12-17 16:19:38 |
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Just two days ago, I was in here mocking the Chinese for their PS Vita clone which looked vaguely like a shoe with a touchscreen. Today, however, I'm pretty much going to be singing their praises for bringing us what looks to be the first ICS wielding Android tablet, for the incredibly low price of $100, which equates to about £62 or j... Read More |
| 2011-12-15 14:03:49 |
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One of the most frustrating things in the world is trying to ring someone, and constantly having it ring out to voicemail, only to find out that the person in question either had their phone on silent or in their bag. It would seem, however, that Sony Ericsson agree, and attempted to try and prevent this issue with the liveview. Unfortunately, i... Read More |
| 2011-12-13 22:56:59 |
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The Chinese just love to clone, don't they? It was the Chinese that first cloned human embryos in what is considered an extremely controversial science in many parts of the world. Still, at the time, it was considered a breakthrough worthy of recognition. It is for that reason that I am sorry to say that the clone in question today is worthy... Read More |
| 2011-12-13 13:36:35 |
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If you're even borderline sane, you've probably looked at the names of some of the Android phones on the market and sniggered to yourself, shortly before wondering; a) why they're so long, and b) wtf the OEMs/carriers were thinking.
Don't get me wrong, there are some great names out there - names which OEM marketing ... Read More |
| 2011-12-12 17:16:29 |
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With the recent release of Google Currents, we are proud to announce the release of FreeYourAndroid's Currents Page, which was developed using Google's amazing Producer WebUI.
The Currents app has a really nice user interface, and is extremely easy to read from. Its layout alters itself to fit your Android phone or tablet!
... Read More |
| 2011-12-12 14:37:24 |
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To celebrate the festive season, our one month anniversary, and our new relationship with Sony Ericsson, we're giving away a Sony Ericsson Mini Pro, which will be delivered to your door in time for Christmas!
As most of you know, the site has only been live for ONE month. In that time, we've given away more than most Android... Read More |
| 2011-12-12 13:51:08 |
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I know you're thinking it, so as per the usual, I'll be open and transparent. I'm very aware that this is by no means a new phone. We are, however, a reasonably new site, and our relationship with Sony Ericsson couldn't be any more in its infancy. As such, they've been kind enough to send us through a couple of phones for rev... Read More |
| 2011-12-11 16:32:15 |
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I’ve been a fan of action games all of my life. The fast pace and intensity really appeals to me, but every once in a while I want to settle down and relax; maybe use my brain a little, and what better way to make use of my brain than to do something creative. These six games may not feature explosions, high speed chases, or give you much ... Read More |
| 2011-12-09 11:52:11 |
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Less than thirty minutes ago, Google released its new, magazine like app, Currents; but only for those in the US. Not to worry though, thanks to Shen from our team, we have the application available to download from the below link.
Download Google Currents - Multiupload
As I haven't yet had the opportunity to test and rev... Read More |
| 2011-12-08 21:56:42 |
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Why can't we agree to disagree? While I'm sure there are detractors in both corners, I've always found that Apple fan boys are far more eager to tout how the i [ Fill in the blank ] already has/had/does something that Android doesn't.
It reminds me of something I once heard regarding tattooed people vs... Read More |
| 2011-12-08 14:57:29 |
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Personally, I stopped using Facebook at some point in 2010, after constant reminders of the existence of certain people I had 'befriended' in error. Yes, I know I can remove them from my friends, but this has, in the past, resulted in a number of 'pokes' and messages.
So... I thought it best to leave my account relativ... Read More |
| 2011-12-08 12:29:54 |
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As you may recall, a serious bug emerged on the GSM Galaxy Nexus causing the volume level to reduce to zero when a 2G signal was received too close to the device. Google have since patched that bug, but could an even bigger bug now be cropping up?
Phandroid have posted a youtube video showing a Galaxy Nexus registering touch... Read More |
| 2011-12-07 15:28:18 |
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They say "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Google must really be feeling the pinch from the Amazon App-Store, as it has started a "sale" of apps on the official Google Android Market today. For ten days, there will be ten apps priced at 10 pence (10 cents) or a suitable local equivalent.
In this case, I'm... Read More |
| 2011-12-06 18:13:37 |
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If you've ever been in hospital, whether as a visitor or patient, a common sight around the beds are the wall mounted TV/Phone combos. Let me tell you, it's a lot easier to tolerate having an IV inserted into your hand if you can watch Homes Under the Hammer at the same time.
These are being dragged i... Read More |
| 2011-12-05 14:00:16 |
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No, I'm not talking about your kids. After all, they grow up in roughly 18 years, give or take a few; it's hardly a hasty process. No... I'm talking about gadgets; more specifically, Android smartphones and tablets.
It's almost mind-boggling that only two and a half years ago, the first Android smartphone was released i... Read More |
| 2011-12-05 12:31:32 |
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I always try to be open and honest in my writing, so I'll continue that trend here, too. If you're not interested in Skyrim, then this article is probably nothing more than an utter waste of the next 4 minutes of your life. If you're one of these people that doesn't play games; isn't interested in Skyrim whatsoever, or is of ... Read More |
| 2011-12-03 14:39:11 |
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We've all heard the CarrierIQ stories. What started out as an initial investigation by TrevE (Trevor Eckhart) over at XDA-Developers, rapidly spiraled into a whirlwind of headlines covered by major news sites/papers/TV shows all over the world. We know that the general consensus is that CarrierIQ is bad news, and it's clear to me that th... Read More |
| 2011-12-03 14:05:59 |
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Like my title? I did. Moving swiftly on to the purpose of this article; we recently posted a 'How to Root the Amazon Kindle Fire' guide, which we obtained from RootzWiki, who obtained it from Geek.com.
Well, Amazon seemingly didn't appreciate the fact that the Android community had hacked, rooted and given full market... Read More |
| 2011-11-30 21:13:44 |
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Where would we be without Google? We'd still be asking Jeeves, who let's face it, never really had a clue what he was doing. We'd certainly not have Android.... we'd be stuck with either the iPhone or WinMo. Oh dear God.
Luckily for us, Google does indeed exist, and what's more, they just keep getting better and better an... Read More |
| 2011-11-30 14:13:30 |
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It's time again for another giveaway! This time, winning it will take just a little creativity and hopefully some humour, too.
First, let's talk about what we're giving away. There was a bit of a buzz yesterday about the Sony Ericsson LiveView, which Play.com had advertised on a one day only offer for £17.99 (back up ... Read More |
| 2011-11-29 11:00:15 |
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I use Photoshop a lot on my home computer. I don't use it in a professional capacity, but I find it a very useful tool, whether touching up images or doctoring photos of friends into compromising situations. Therefore when adobe announced a version designed for use on android tablets which would feature a decent subset of tools from the comp... Read More |
| 2011-11-28 18:27:38 |
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It's that time again, folks. Not long ago, I posted an article and tweeted regarding FYA looking for news writers. Out of an incredible 51 applications, we took on five on the spot, and are still considering/in discussions with another three. This time, we're looking for talented and enthusiastic volunteers to help us out with the backbo... Read More |
| 2011-11-28 14:16:17 |
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As a child of the early eighties (that's right folks, I'm touching thirty), my earliest memories of PC (and Amiga) gaming differ somewhat substantially to those of the youth of today. Recently, in fact, I was having a chat with my (much younger, yet adult) cousin of nineteen, whose earliest PC game memories came in the form of Diablo II ... Read More |
| 2011-11-28 11:41:20 |
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With the recent release of Google's latest Android version, Ice Cream Sandwich, to the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) repositories there have been a whole slew of devices getting ports of ICS. The latest to the fold are the HTC Evo 4G and the Motorola Defy courtesy of a few of the developers at XDA.
The HTC Evo 4G port, fr... Read More |
| 2011-11-27 17:02:20 |
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Hello everyone, it's that time again, where we all salivate more than a St Bernard with rabies at the prospect of a new Android release; this year in the shape of the brand new Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich. That said, not everyone will have it straight away, certainly not people who need their phones stable on a daily basis, thus... Read More |
| 2011-11-25 14:51:06 |
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The T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) and with it, android, has recently celebrated its third birthday. As a belated gift, the G1 has received its very own port of Ice Cream Sandwich. Based on the performance, however, it seems that this is a gift the old bird doesn't much want.
The port, by XDA member jcarrz1, has both working gr... Read More |
| 2011-11-24 17:01:42 |
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By now, you've probably read the news that LG and Prada have once again 'tied the knot' in a harmonious agreement to produce yet another 'designer' phone.
According to LG, the Prada phones have had moderate success in the past for those of us that seek out designer labels on everything we own. The Prada (KE850) was ... Read More |
| 2011-11-24 15:54:20 |
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We've all seen the countless Apple adverts on TV, in magazines, across numerous websites, in our nightmares....... you name it. Let's face it, that bloody Apple is everywhere. Apple's marketing is strong; nobody in their right mind can deny that. It is so strong, in fact, that they are able to offer very little in terms of innovation... Read More |
| 2011-11-23 15:57:02 |
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Yesterday, HTC released the kernel source code for eight of their devices onto the htcdev portal. Some devices have multiple kernel sources based on their differing internal hardware with sixteen files released overall. The devices which saw their kernel code drop are:
HTC Sensation
HTC Amaze 4G
HTC Jetstre... Read More |
| 2011-11-23 14:00:32 |
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If Mark Twain was alive today, he would probably say "The reports of Android malware have been greatly exaggerated."
There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about a surge of malware targeting Android, but you have to consider the source.
I always take security warnings from firms such as McAfee with a grain of salt... Read More |
| 2011-11-22 22:53:58 |
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Minecraft. Love it, or hate it; we have to respect it and the creative work of Notch. Since the release of Minecraft Pocket Edition on the Xperia Play back in September (followed by other devices in October), many have wondered if this offspring of the game will be updated to include the game mode which made it as popular as it is today; surviva... Read More |
| 2011-11-22 12:29:49 |
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You asked, and we delivered. The RSS icon at the bottom of the site was added in the design, but we never got around to implementing the feature. Due to incredibly high demand via our contact form for two RSS feeds (one for guides and one for news), we've set them up as requested.
Setting up the feeds is easy. Open up your favouri... Read More |
| 2011-11-21 11:13:44 |
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After a few requests, I have decided to do a quick camera comparison between the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus with the HTC Sensation XE.
I haven't had the time to do a video preview yet, but I will add it later on.
The Galaxy Nexus has a 5MP zero shutter-lag camera with 1080p recording, and the HTC Sensation XL has a 8MP camera with 720p... Read More |
| 2011-11-20 16:19:45 |
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Numerous people have been wondering how good the Galaxy Nexus’ camera is, most of whom wanted it compared to the Samsung Galaxy S II, so here it is.
To start off, the SGS2 has a 8 megapixel camera with 1080p recording, and the Galaxy Nexus comes with a 5 megapixel zero shutterlag camera also with 1080p recording. This means the Nexus t... Read More |
| 2011-11-20 00:25:44 |
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With this week's UK release of the Galaxy Nexus (and an eventual American release when its exclusive US carrier Verizon pull their fingers out of their backsides), excitement in the rooting community has been running high, due both to the opportunity of tinkering with ICS and the excellent hardware specifications.
But £520 is... Read More |
| 2011-11-19 16:06:20 |
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It has been a topic of much debate since the Galaxy Nexus was officially announced last month. Those of us lucky enough to own the phenomenal Samsung Galaxy SII have at least considered an 'upgrade', or more accurately, a 'sidegrade' to Google's latest flagship phone.
My Galaxy Nexus arrived bright and e... Read More |
| 2011-11-19 11:27:10 |
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It's been a fantastic week. We launched our site last week and had almost 20,000 unique views in the first 48 hours alone. Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit, and we hope you liked it. We're not daft though; we know we have TONNES of content yet to add (much of it in the works), and we're in discussions with 'Device... Read More |
| 2011-11-17 20:53:56 |
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Last week, we told you about our upcoming Android market application, and gave you all a preview of how the app would look. Well, we're delighted to tell you that the application has just launched in the Android Market!
So, let's get straight to the point. Here are some key features of the application:
* Scrollable 4x4 widg... Read More |
| 2011-11-17 17:12:35 |
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Yesterday, it was announced that the long awaited, Ice Cream Sandwich wielding Samsung Galaxy Nexus, was to be sold in-store for the first time in the world, right here, in London, England. This morning, at 8am GMT, the Oxford Street (London) Phones4U started selling the device, and giving away a £250 media voucher to the first 100 buyers!... Read More |
| 2011-11-17 10:15:02 |
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Despite the rumours flying around that the source code for the long awaited, mouth-watering Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) would land on or after the 17th November, Google have shocked us all again by releasing it TONIGHT!
That's right ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls and Shen. The Android 4.0 source code will be (fully) available in a m... Read More |
| 2011-11-14 23:53:03 |
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As has come to be the norm in the Android world (and in fairness, the internet as a whole), the rumours began to fly again this week. What started as one site speculating that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 'could be' delayed in the UK by as much as two weeks, has quickly spiralled into the common belief that the Galaxy Nexus will now be ... Read More |
| 2011-11-13 15:24:21 |
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Unless you've had your head buried under a rock... or worse; in an iPhone, you'll be very aware that Ice Cream Sandwich is less than one week away. I've had the pleasure of using it for the past couple of weeks, and I can honestly say that I haven't been this blown away by a new Android version since I first used the HTC Dream ba... Read More |
| 2011-11-13 14:20:02 |
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After Jabe and I had finished the site design and build, the team got to work on putting together the guide content, and HomerSp (can baksmali a bear) got to work on the FreeYourAndroid application, which will be available VERY SOON in two formats.
After much deliberation between Homer and I, it was finally Homer's idea not to go ... Read More |
| 2011-11-10 12:31:39 |
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Remember when Google released a new Android phone and people couldn't wait to get their hands on it? Remember when Google made a habit of releasing a new Android phone that upon release had fantastic hardware that set the pace for handsets to come after it? Remember when Google released a flagship phone that was easily identifiabl... Read More |
| 2011-11-10 22:33:04 |
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The last competition went really well, but a number of people didn't enter due to them thinking they had no chance of winning it. As such, we listened to the feedback, and it's time to start another competition RIGHT NOW!
This time, you have the chance of winning ONE of a choice of two Android smartphones, simply by entering! ... Read More |
| 2011-11-15 00:02:12 |
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The launch countdown competition had a great turn out, with well over a thousand unique entries in the seven days it was running! We've had entries from all over the world, and we're incredibly impressed with the number of entries considering how new a site we are.
A huge thanks to all who entered; and we're pleased to anno... Read More |
| 2011-11-09 16:27:12 |
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It's been a long road for us, there's no doubt about that. It was around January this year when the FYA plans began. Back then though, it was either going to be a simple Wiki, or a template making use of a pre-made CMS. What we didn't quite plan for, is the amount of interest we'd get in the site. As such, we scrapped the initial... Read More |
| 2011-11-08 22:53:42 |
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Samsung need to know when it's alright to be like Apple if they really want to crack the USA.
Samsung are in the midst of a second offensive on the US mobile market; a market a bit more sewn up by the Apple iPhone than over in Europe, where while the iPhone remains popular the Samsung Galaxy S and now the Galaxy S2 are showing remarkable... Read More |
| 2011-11-08 20:25:33 |
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