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Posts Tagged ‘android’

What does it take to make an addictive game? Not much -- just throw in some super simple controls, cute graphics, and basic physics. Rovio Mobile's Angry Birds is one such game that includes all these elements, and today the studio's just released a public Android beta to cater those without an iOS, webOS or Ovi-enabled device. In case you're not already familiar with the popular title, the backstory is that a gang of hungry pigs snatched away some eggs from the birds, forcing the feathered creatures to embark on a rescue mission for the sake of their survival. The gameplay on the Android version is just as simple as before: in each level you use a fixed slingshot to fling the birds -- one at a time -- into the forts, in order to kill all the pigs inside. As a secondary challenge, you must also attempt to get a three-star rating depending on the amount of structural material you destroy, so the key is to perfect your shooting angle.

At the beginning you're only given one type of bird that does nothing more than just headbutting, but throughout the game you'll come across six more birds, each possessing one special power: multiply, explode, accelerate, dropping egg bombs, boomerang, and extra strength. Don't worry, the instructions are pretty clear when you first meet these enhanced kamikaze birds -- most involve just a single tap anywhere to trigger their special abilities mid-flight. Once you get the hang of it, you'll soon be wanting to try out all sorts of trajectories to take vengeance on those cheeky green hogs. Seriously, the pigs really do laugh at you when your birds miss them.

While we're not familiar with the Ovi Store and webOS versions of Angry Birds, we've definitely spent a fair amount of time on the iOS flavor. Sadly, since the latter's still running on a low 480 x 320 resolution, the blurred graphics on the notoriously sharp retina display does no justice to the game. On the other hand, the Android version looks a lot prettier on our Nexus One, Dell Streak and HTC Desire, as it runs on their native resolution of 800 x 480. That said, overall the Android beta didn't feel as well-oiled as its iOS counterpart -- we've noticed the occasional light hiccups while panning across the scene, so here's hoping that this will be fixed in the final release. Regardless of this minor flaw, we'd still highly recommend Android users to check out this free Angry Birds beta in the market -- go grab it while it's hot!

Continue reading App Review: Angry Birds (Android)

App Review: Angry Birds (Android) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's teaser site for the Droid 2 R2-D2 edition has been teasing a series of locked spokes, accessible by all as soon as anyone in the community solves the "puzzle." We don't know exactly what the magic code was, but regardless, thanks to David H. yesterday, we've got a new gallery of devices pics and -- oh, lookie -- a special edition Droid R2-D2 dock. We don't see room for a hyperdrive anywhere, nor wings, proton torpedos, or a cockpit for future Jedi to blast orbital space stations. So, let's just call it a vacation home for astromechs needing a respite.

Update: As a number of you have pointed out, it's "proton" torpedo in Star Wars canon, and "Jedi" is already plural. We're left with two options here: total retcon the scope of which would put midi-chlorians to further shame, or just fixing the copy. We'll let ya know what we decide.

Droid R2-D2 gets docked -- not in a X-Wing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may never have heard of auto electronics provider Rydeen Mobile, but it certainly knows of you -- or more specifically, your desire to obtain a slick new tablet PC -- and has thus created an 7-inch Android tablet that integrates the dedicated map functionality of its GPS machines. The "gPad" GCOM701 won't be a terribly high-end device, mind you, with an 800MHz ARMADA 166 SOC, 256MB of RAM, bring-your-own-microSD-storage and what we're led to believe is a resistive touchscreen, but it sounds like at least Rydeen isn't being stingy on the software front. You'll find a full suite of Google Apps, Adobe Flash Lite 4 and AVI support, not to mention 4 million points of interest thanks to the integrated Navteq client. Connectivity include GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, both mini and full-sized USB ports, plus a front-facing camera for video chat, and there's a 2400mAh battery the company claims will provide six hours of solid use. Find it this November at an unspecified price, no doubt alongside the pictured (but not mentioned) car dock.

Continue reading Rydeen hopes to cash in on tablet fever with Android-based, Armada-powered PND

Rydeen hopes to cash in on tablet fever with Android-based, Armada-powered PND originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to the latest numbers from Net Applications, iOS is the third most popular platform on the Internet, surpassing Linux and Android combined.In August 2010, AndroidAndroid had a 0.20% market share, LinuxLinux was at 0.85%, while iOS devices - the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad - had a 1.13% market share. Net Applications' figures do not include device sales - they merely show which devices are being used to access the web.“It’s something to take note of when a mobile operating system passes something that’s been around forever. Mobile’s growth curve is strong and mobile is becoming quite a phenomenon on the InternetInternet.” said Net Applications' vice president Vince Vizzaccaro."As always, take these numbers with a grain of salt; Linux users are more tech-savvy than most users and are thus more likely to block Net Applications from tracking their web usage. One could also argue in favor of Android devices being counted as Linux, since Android is based on the Linux kernel.Regardless, one number stands out: put all the different mobile devices together, and they account for 2.6 percent of all devices accessing the web. And that's just the beginning: the smartphone market has been growing fast in the last year, the iPad is still relatively new to the market, and first serious competitors are yet to make an impact.

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Remember how Samsung downsized the Wave to make the Wave 723 and killed off the pricey, fancy Super AMOLED display in the process? Yeah, well, the same rule applies to the Android-powered Galaxy line -- so if you were hoping to see some mind-blowing contrast ratios on Sammy's new PMP... well, you can just keep on hoping (and besides, even the mighty Tab has gone the TFT route for now). The Galaxy Player 50 is pretty cute in the flesh, featuring a 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD with multitouch capability, Android 2.1, and your choice of 8GB or 16GB worth of internal storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB. It's also packing a 2 megapixel cam on back and support for 802.11n -- and heck, like the Philips GoGear Connect it's even got a mic, basically putting it just one spec sheet line item shy of being an actual smartphone.

For all intents and purposes, the PMP feels like a midrange Android smartphone when you're holding and using it; it's reasonably responsive, and we were happy to see that it has Google Maps Navigation on board (along with the Android Market and all the other standard "Google Experience" Android apps). We found the keyboard a bit cramped, but there's only so much you can do with a portrait virtual QWERTY keyboard on a 3.2-inch display, and we imagine we could get used to it with time. Needless to say, the total package feels more put-together than the GoGear, and if we were rocking a dumbphone, wanted to keep our music compartmentalized, and couldn't stand the thought of adding an iPod touch into our lives, we imagine the 50 would be on our short list. Follow the break for Samsung's press release -- and don't forget to have a gander at the gallery!

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on

Samsung Galaxy Player 50 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who says the Streak is the only game in town if you want a 5-inch Android device? Well, no one, actually -- there are lots of generic options if you just want something with a 5-inch display running on Google juice -- but regardless, we had a chance to check out just such a device introduced at IFA this week, the so-called MX10 with Android 2.1 from South Korea's For You Digital. Our first impression on seeing the MX10 is that it's pretty stylish and doesn't give off the air of jankiness that you occasionally get with these off-brand MIDs; it's available in both black and white, and we especially liked the white which gets a matte silver ring around the edge (the black is paired with chrome, which obviously suffers from more fingerprint issues). There's no internal cellular connectivity (the "E" on the screen above seems to be a bug), but the device supports USB host mode, which means you can connect a USB modem from your carrier of choice when the 802.11b / g just doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, the MX10's Achilles' heel is its display, which we found to be exceptionally low-contrast -- putting it up against a Super AMOLED would be almost comical -- and resistive, which just isn't a good option for a platform as finger-friendly as Android is. If anything, this might make for a good media tank that you can use to carry around a bunch of movies, since it's available in internal capacities from 2GB up to 16GB and offers microSD expansion paired with HDMI-out (real HDMI, not micro) and 1080p capability. Check out some more shots (including more of the white) in the gallery.

For You Digital MX10 5-inch Android MID hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese telecom giant Huawei -- which has been playing the Android game with major carriers around the world for some time now -- has selected IFA to debut the Ideos, a new entry-level model running Froyo in a variety of colors. Huawei's press release calls the Ideos "the world's first affordable smartphone" -- which seems like a bit of an overstatement (okay, a huge overstatement) to us -- but really underscores the fact that this thing is going to be launching for somewhere between $100 and $200 unsubsidized in Europe, Asia, and both North and Latin America. It's got 3G, WiFi, mobile hotspot capability for up to eight devices, and was apparently developed in direct partnership with Google, a sign that Mountain View is serious about taking Android 2.2 across the entire price spectrum.

We checked out the Ideos today and were pretty impressed; clearly, you're not going to mistake it for an EVO, a Droid X, or a Defy, but Huawei has definitely put some effort into engineering this thing so that they were able to make it cheaply without making it feel like it would come apart in your hands. The company is quick to note that 2.8-inch capacitive displays aren't very common -- and though we could've definitely used HVGA instead of the Ideos' QVGA, we were pleased with the responsiveness, both from a processor performance perspective and a touch sensitivity one. Add in the support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA and the stylish colors (black, yellow, blue, and purple) and Huawei might just have a winner here. More on this one when launch carriers start to come out of the woodwork. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Huawei Ideos hands-on

Huawei Ideos hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perhaps the worst, and least repairable, shortcoming of touchscreens is their failure to act as viable game controllers. Keyboard-equipped smartphones alleviate that pain a tiny (particularly if you pair them with a Game Gripper), but ultimately we had all like real controllers for our real games. Such was clearly the thinking behind the homebrewed setup here, which combines an HTC EVO 4G -- with Android and an NES emulator inside -- with an Arduino board, a BlueSMiRF Bluetooth module, and a classic NES control pad. The result might look like a mess of wires, but who cares when you can rock Super Mario 3 the way Nintendo surely intended?

Continue reading NES controller pressed into service to Android overlord (video)

NES controller pressed into service to Android overlord (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you’ve got an emulator installed on your Android device, along with a few ROM, and you think you’re pretty cool. Well, I can pretty much bet you that [Sk3tch]‘s geek-fu is better then yours. He took an NES controller, connected it to a Bluetooth module, and plays his NES on a controller, while you fumble around with your SEND and Home buttons.

[Sk3tch] took an Arduino, added a Bluetooth module, and wired an old NES controller in. He then programmed the Arduino to send the input from the controller through the bluetooth to his Android phone. [Sk3tch] calls this a work in progress, and I look forward to seeing it once it’s done and all in one neat case.

[via Hackaday]

Back in the early 90's whilst playing our Atari Lynx -- friendless and alone, of course -- we couldn't have imagined that a second-rate spinoff of the popular Gauntlet franchise would unlock the secrets behind the birth of Google's Android OS. But, lo and behold, what has one of our faithful tipsters found down here, amongst the ruins of Gauntlet: The Third Encounter? That's right, nearly irrefutable proof that the Android team (or at least its graphic designers) have plumbed the depths of Epyx's not-quite-masterpiece for the iconic droid logo we've come to know and love. Sure, the top-down scroller provided all kinds of new character classes like the "Nerd," "Punkrocker," and "Pirate," but only one of these fresh faces would provide the blueprint for Android's public face. It's hard to argue that there isn't some level of appropriation here, given the multiple similarities between the two pieces of art, right down to the antennae, dotted eyes, general size and shape, and even the strip which cuts across the midsection of the bot. Oh yeah, and the character is named Android. We personally would like to hear what Google has to say for themselves in regards to this blatant theft of intellectual property, and as for the Epyx artists who slaved over a hot Amiga to bring this image to life -- the taste of sweet justice is yours.


[Thanks, Davey]

Continue reading Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter'

Shocker! Google's Android logo boosted from Atari Lynx title 'Gauntlet: The Third Encounter' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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