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Logitech Revue Android 3.1 upgrade starts rolling out (Update: It's official)
It appears owners of the Logitech Revue will finally be able to get their taste of Honeycomb starting tonight, as a few lucky users have already received an upgrade to Android 3.1 and support techs have informed them a wider rollout is beginning this evening. That puts it about a month behind Sony's Google TV boxes in receiving the upgrade, but will finally bring owners a whole new UI, and access to the Android Market -- and live up to those stickers on the outside of the box. The usual considerations apply about it being a rolling update so while your $99 box may not see the new software right away, it's definitely coming. Update: Despite doubt by some over the news earlier, both Logitech and Google have just officially announced the Honeycomb upgrade for the Logitech Revue is going out OTA this week. Check the blog links for more details if you're still not convinced. [Thanks, Brian]
Android Market reaches ten billionth download, sells Minecraft, Swiftkey X, others for a dime
Happy milestone, Android Market! It's a busy place, full of hustle and bustle -- so much so, in fact, that the applications plaza for Google's mobile OS just had its ten billionth app downloaded. In honor of hitting this mark, it's passing the savings on to you, placing (at least) ten apps on sale for ten cents. The sale will last for ten days (notice a theme?), so procrastinators will have a little extra time to decide which ones are worth a dime. There's a few classics on the list, such as SwiftKey X, Minecraft, Asphalt 6 and SoundHound. Check the source link (or glance at the screenshot above) to see what else is available, as well as a press release straight from SwiftKey below the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Yahoo Hub offers free messaging to anyone, locks horns with RIM and Google
Yahoo, evidently tired of being passed up by hundreds of free messaging apps floating around the various smartphone application stores, has launched a service of its own to take on the likes of BBM and Google Messenger. The new app, called Hub, is only available for Android devices at the moment, but there's a brightside here: you can send a message to anyone, not just other folks who've downloaded the same app. The recipient -- or multiple recipients, since group chat is allowed -- can easily reply to the thread using their own standard SMS service. Curiously, Hub is only offered if you have a US SIM card and a text plan, even though the messages are transmitted using your data connection or WiFi. If you do a lot of international travel, Hub is supported in nine other countries besides the US, a rather small number we hope will grow as the service graduates from its beta status. While Yahoo can use all the help it can get right now, is this going to endear very many users? [Thanks, Ashish]
Verizon's Galaxy Nexus won't support Google Wallet, reports claim (update: Verizon responds twice)
The Verizon-branded Galaxy Nexus can do a lot of things, but one thing it apparently won't offer is Google Wallet. According to Computer World, Google has confirmed that Samsung's latest flagship handset won't support its mobile payment app, largely because Verizon doesn't want it to. An earlier report from 9to5Google speculates that Big Red may have chosen to block Google Wallet because of Isis -- a competing mobile payment system that Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have already invested in. Despite the absence of Wallet, however, both Computer World and 9to5Google insist that VZW's Galaxy Nexus will still be a "pure Google phone," insofar as it will receive software updates directly from Google, rather than the carrier. We've reached out to both Google and Verizon for comment, and will update this post as soon as we hear back. Update: Verizon responds to the brouhaha with the following statement. We're working to provide expanded services that will provide the best security and user experience in the market around m-commerce. We expect to provide access to an open wallet when those goals are achieved. Update 2: Responding to accusations that the carrier would block the Google Wallet app, Verizon says it's not that simple. Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications. Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones. We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue.
Facebook for Android refresh, dedicated Places app on the way?
Now that the folks in Palo Alto have finally churned out that long-awaited iPad app, they'll be focusing on other things, we'd surmise. Apparently, high on the to-do list is a refresh of Android's Facebook app. Code-named "Katana," the version 1.8 release candidate (see up top, or the gallery below) shows off updated navigation, menu and search functionality. There's a seemingly standalone "Nearby" application icon present as well -- perhaps a Gowalla-esque Places app mirroring its recent Messenger offering? Keep in mind, nothing is final until ol' Zucks gives his seal of approval, so what you see here is only what the app may look like when it hits the Marketplace. Until it drops, go ahead and pull back that curtain. %Gallery-141105%
Google Maps 6.0 hits Android, adds indoor navigation for retail and transit
Google's already put its stamp on the great outdoors, what with its Street View fleet chronicling the well-trodden ways of our world for Maps. Which is precisely why Mountain View's turning its attention inward for that next, great navigation innovation, as it attempts to chart a course through the wilds of indoor spaces. Hitting the Android Market in the U.S. and Japan today, the company's ever-popular app gets a full version bump to 6.0, bringing with it the inclusion of retail and airport floor plans. The newly added indoor maps don't quite offer the turn-by-turn navigation you've come to know and depend upon (that's outside-only for now), but the provided layouts should help usher you along to the nearest bathroom, clothing shop or elevator. There's no fancy equipment at use, either. All of your positioning information is culled from the same set of data (including GPS) used for "My Location," although here it's been optimized to detect movement along the z-axis. What does that mean for you, dear end user? Try a nifty feature called "Automatic Floor Detection" that'll keep track of your progress as you move about from escalator to escalator. Google's also endeavoring to extend its indoor reach, opening up its mapping inventory with a self-service tool (currently in beta) that'll allow business owners to upload floor plans directly to Maps. If you're itching to test the tech out, you'll want to find yourself at one of the dozen-plus airport partners scattered across the country, in addition to transit hubs and major retail outlets both stateside and in Japan. Familiar commercial forces like Macy's and Takashimaya have opted-in to the indoor location service, but your best bet's going to be IKEA -- which has agreed to roll the feature out to all of its stores nationwide. So, whether you're rocking Android 2.1 or the forward-facing 4.0, prepare to let your Googlefied smartphone almost always be your guide. Follow past the break for additional shots and a video demo of the indoor geo-location in action.
Google catalogs brings all of your holiday perusing to your Android tablet
Looking for a way to stay up to date on your favorite retailers this holiday season without amassing a mountain of soon-to-be trash? Google has announced Catalogs, an app that keeps all of your favorite look books current and in one place. The tablet application is now available for Android slates and the iPad, giving you another option when shopping from the couch. You'll be able to curate product collages that can be shared (we'd presume via Google+) with whomever you see fit. Content is pulled from over 125 brands spanning more than 400 digital catalog issues -- so you should be able to find enough to fill out that wish list. If you're looking to give it a spin, hit the source link below to download the app. Update: Well folks, while the Google Catalogs app is new for Android, the iPad verson's been around for a couple months now. [Thanks, TUAW]
Route 66 Maps + Navigation now available for Android users, augmented realists
It's been a long and winding road, but Route 66 Maps + Navigation has finally arrived on the Android Market, no less than eight months after launching for iOS. Available on handsets and tablets running Android 2.0 or above, this app brings Route 66's "Follow Me" augmented reality navigation to your windshield, superimposing upon your surroundings an animated lead car to act as your guide. It's available on a free, 30-day trial at the source link below -- after that, you'll have to shell out $65 for a lifetime worldwide license, or $40 for a US license. Steer past the break for more information, in the full press release.
360 Panorama app now available for Android users, no gyroscope necessary (video)
Looking to capture panoramic photos on an Android handset? Well, you've certainly got plenty of options -- including, as of today, Occipital's 360 Panorama, which just hit the Android Market. Compatible with devices running Android 2.3 or above (with the exception of Honeycomb), the app offers much of the same functionality you'll find on the previously released iOS version. Just tap a button, pan your handset across any given area and watch your photo come to fruition before your very eyes. The tool also allows exposure to fluctuate as a user pans his or her device, thereby creating the potential for HDR panoramic shots during transitions from dark to bright areas. Interestingly enough, this version relies not upon an actual gyroscope, but a "simulated" one, created from motion-tracking algorithms (that's how it works on older 3GS handsets, as well). Users who already have a 360 Panorama account can still use it on their Android handsets, allowing them to upload and store all their photos in one place. Eventually, this storage system will allow for syncing across both iOS and Android hemispheres, though at the moment, it's a strictly web-based affair. Pan past the break for a brief demo video, or check out some sample shots in the gallery, below. %Gallery-140050%
Tiny Tower breaks ground on Android
Android takes another step closer to iOS's arguably superior gaming offering, adopting cult low-fi sim Tiny Tower. Froyo is the minimum requirement for the game run, but given the very dominant status of Android 2.0 and up, most won't find it an issue. This management sim lets you create a mix of businesses and attractions to draw Bitizens (the pixelated chaps you see above) to come live, work and play in your property. There looks to be some kind of smartphone game exchange going on, with this not-so-tiny timesink transfer following the recent appearance of Minecraft on iOS. Those willing to write off the rest of the weekend can download it now at the source below. [Image credit: Box Brown]
Show off your smartphone photog skills with Sony Ericsson's vscreens
Have you been jonesin' to show off those Epic 4G Touch camera skills on a bit bigger screen? Sony Ericsson has you covered with vscreens, a website / app combo that gets your trip to Everest on your flatscreen to secure bragging rights. Once you install the app from the Android Market, point your internet browsing screen -- PC, Google TV and PS3 included -- to the vscreens website. From there, you simply scan the QR code that appears on your display and presto, you're showing off that trip to the Adirondacks like it's your job, sans cables or Bluetooth. If you're looking to give it a spin, you'll find all you need via the links below. And pretty soon, you'll be able to showcase those Galaxy Nexus panoramas at your next dinner party. Pretty sweet, huh?
Google rolling out music purchases to some Android phones, Music app to Google TV
Just as Google promised, the Android Market is now slinging the tunes on select devices. Our OG Incredible's already received the update and we've received multiple reports from folks rocking HTC's EVO 3D. Just to give it a spin, we downloaded Busta Rhymes' Why Stop Now -- one of many exclusive free tracks -- and in seconds it popped up in our Google Music app. We've also received word that the Google Music app is now available for Google TV, allowing you to stream your music from the cloud. If you've been granted the ability to download your favorite tunes from the Android market, hit us up in the comments below and tell us what phone you're hollering into.
Google Checkout merges with Google Wallet, completing the inevitable
In a move that has "common sense" written all over it, the folks over at Mountain View have decided to merge Google Checkout with Google Wallet. The marriage hardly comes as a surprise, considering the fact that both services serve essentially the same purpose -- namely, storing all your payment information in one neat little package. To make things even tidier, Big G has just folded Checkout into Wallet, which will soon be integrated within the Android Market, YouTube and Google+ Games, as well. As a result, the Checkout moniker will vanish from the Earth, but current users will be able to seamlessly switch over to Wallet the next time they log in to their accounts or make an online purchase. For more details, check out the source link below. [Thanks, Samer]
Amazon releases Kindle Fire source code, devs figure out how to install Android Market
The Kindle Fire's nascent hacking community is heating up, now that Amazon has released the source code for its new Android tablet. Homebrewers, of course, will first have to root the device before tweaking with the Fire's Gingerbread-based build, but fortunately for them, there's already a guide for that. Once that's taken care of, you can also load the Android Market and a slate of other Google apps, using a handy how-to guide published on xda Forums. It certainly doesn't seem like the simplest of processes, but several xda users have posted successful reports. Check out the links below for the full guide, along with the source code download.
Google Music drops beta, MP3 store and Google+ integration along for the ride (updated)
Google partners with Universal, EMI, Sony Music, 23 independent labels on Google Music, scores exclusive content Google Music available on T-Mobile devices, track purchases can be direct billed Google Music Artist Hub helps musicians promote, sell music Been dutifully uploading music to Mountain View's cloud since Google I/O? Might want hit pause for just a sec, while you tune to Google's beat here in Los Angeles, as it's just gone and launched its own music store integrated with Android Market. Best part is, the service still free, though you can now purchase millions of songs from the store to expand your collection of tunes. 90-second track previews are available, and all songs are high quality 320kbps MP3s. And for those with an aversion to waiting, which should be all of you, uploads can now be nixed entirely, provided tracks in your possession jive with Google's master copies. The company is now on equal footing with Cupertino and Amazon's music offerings, who both offer direct sales coupled with a cloud component that allows for unlimited redownloads. Yet it more closely resembles the latter, as unlike the former there isn't a $25 yearly free as all tracks can be streamed for free. Naturally, a new version of the Google Music app is already available in the Android Market, and a fresh look for Music Manager will follow in the next few hours. Unsurprisingly, Google Music sans beta brings tight integration with Google +. You can now share songs on your friend stream, and not just samples, either -- your buddies can listen to full tracks or albums one time through without ever leaving your profile. Update: There is no matching function to the new Google Music, so uploads are still a part of the equation, though the service does sync your songs across devices once you've sent them to the cloud.
Google Voice for Android finally gets mass texting capabilities
Sweet jumpin' Jehoshaphat, it finally happened -- Google Voice for Android now supports sending text messages to multiple recipients. Being able to have a single, archived repository of texts is great, but it was always somewhat bewildering that while you could send a mass SMS from the website you were stuck sending out individual missives on the app. Today's update, version 0.4.2.38, finally gives Voice the power to spam your contacts -- a pretty basic feature that even the lowliest of feature phones enjoys. So what are you waiting for, head over to the Market to get the update now. How else are you going to let all 300 of your closest acquaintances know the next time you're DJing during happy hour?
Adobe brings Touch Apps family to Android tablets, Creative Cloud looms on the horizon
Back in October, as you may recall, Adobe unveiled its Touch Apps family -- a collection of six tools designed to make life easier and more tactile for tablet-using creative types. Today, those apps are finally available on the Android Market, for tablets running Android 3.1 or higher. The sextet includes Photoshop Touch, Collage and Proto, among other Adobe products, each of which is priced at $9.99. These applications will also play a central role in Adobe's forthcoming Creative Cloud initiative, which will allow users to share, view and transfer files across multiple devices. That isn't expected to launch until the first half of next year, while the full suite of Touch Apps for iOS users should be released by "early 2012" (Adobe Ideas is the only member currently available on iTunes). Android slate wielders can get their hands on all the Touch Apps now, though Adobe says they'll need at least an 8.9-inch, 1280 x 800 display. Check out the source link below for more details, or head past the break for the full PR treatment.
ZTE Warp hands-on (video)
We're here at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC, where Boost Mobile is showing off its latest prepaid Android smartphone running on Sprint's 3G CDMA network, the ZTE warp. If you'll recall, this 1GHz Gingerbread 2.3.5-equipped device dropped on November 2nd for $250, only to receive a price drop to $200 days later. Boost is citing the Warp's 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display as the largest of its current offerings, along with its 5-megapixel, LED flash-equipped camera (raising the count up from the two on its $229 Samsung Transform Ultra). The phone is Android Market-compatible and comes with 4GB of internal storage and a 2GB microSD card, which can be maxed out to 32GB. So, did the Warp feel worthy of its moniker in the few minutes we spent with it? Join us past the break for our impressions. %Gallery-138713%
Microsoft releases Bing app for Android, iOS, not Windows Phone 7
In a move that can be simultaneously described as puzzling and pragmatic, Microsoft has decided to bring its Bing for Mobile app to Android and iOS before launching it on its very own Windows Phone platform. The company announced the release in a blog post this week, highlighting the app's most noteworthy features, including a revamped maps module, a new deals service and real-time transit feeds. Interestingly enough, Redmond also based its app on HTML5, rather than Silverlight, in the hopes of providing greater continuity across mobile browser and app interfaces. Only at the very end of the post did Microsoft mention Windows Phone 7: "We're working to release the same consistent experience for RIM and Windows Phone 7 devices in the future, and will share more details as they become available." At first glance, this decision may seem somewhat counterintuitive, but it also makes a lot of sense, considering the fact that Android and iOS comprise the bulk of the consumer market (and, of course, the fact that Bing is already integrated within Windows Phone 7). It appears, then, that Microsoft is simply trying to get Bing out to the widest initial audience, which seems pretty logical. Android and iOS users can grab the app now, at the coverage links below.
Android Market v3.3.11 APK now available, adds auto-update by default and other new settings
The latest revision of Google's Android Market app is hitting handsets now, and while it doesn't bring any new tabs for music, Android Police mentions a few changes you might find notable. Among them are the ability to select auto updating for apps as the default option, as well as a setting to auto update only when connected via to the internet via WiFi. One change stolen from Honeycomb is a setting to automatically add homescreen shortcuts for new apps, while the UI has also been tweaked with a smaller font, new app drawer icon, and voice search button. As usual, it will probably automatically appear on your device eventually, but those who can't wait can hit the source link and download the ripped APK of v3.1.11 right now.
