January, 2012 - Android Community

Monthly Archive: May 2013

Samsung Galaxy Nexus headed to WIND February 3rd

By Sam Koutroulakis
on 31 Jan, 2012

For our readers in Canada, you'll be happy to know the Galaxy Nexus is coming to mobile carrier WIND February 3rd. That's just 3 days away, and you can finally get your hands on some Android 4.0! Prices for the device vary depending on what program you decide on.

Bolt Sizer instantly sizes your bolts from any coin

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

This is one of those apps that make you exclaim, "why didn't I think of that?" Developer DBT has created a little app that solves a big problem. Bolt Sizer uses your Android phone's camera, a coin and a little mathematical magic to instantly tell you the size of the bolt in the photo. This is the perfect app for anybody working with carpentry or other household tools, and occasionally just about everybody else.

HTC Sensation XE to receive ICS early this year

By Sam Koutroulakis
on 31 Jan, 2012

It seems like Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is headed to the Sensation XE soon, as HTC just responded to a recent fan's tweet. @DEANYBOY70 casually asked, and it's got to feel great receiving a response straight from the source. We already knew ICS would be coming to the device, but a timeframe was still unclear.

Run Android on any laptop with SATA-based PunkThis board

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

We've seen a few Android-based netbooks run through the production mills of confused OEMs, and we're fairly sure that a certain major manufacturer is including Android in a SoC bundled into their latest ultraportable laptop. But if you want a little do-it-yourself Android/laptop action, look further than the CUPP Computing PunkThis board. It's a tiny system-on-a-chip built into a PCB board with SATA and Mini PCIe connections on one side. What does that mean? It means pop this sucker into your laptop's hard drive bay, and you're running Android in seconds.

Counter-Strike Portable pirated, sold, busted

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

God bless those developers who expend hundreds of hours of time and effort on an app or game, only to give it away to their fellow gamers. And the devil take those who would exploit that generosity to gain a quick buck. Such is the case with Counter-Strike Portable, a re-created version of the first person shooter classic made for Android by a team of XDA developers. Yesterday they noted that their free game had been magically posted to the Android Market for all to download. And pay for. To someone else. Naturally, they felt a little betrayed.

Samsung teams up with Jays to offer better audio and bundled headphones

By Cory Gunther
on 31 Jan, 2012

Who needs Beats Audio? Samsung has just announced they've partnered with the Swedish headphone and audio company Jays and are looking to add some audio bliss to smartphones and devices coming in February 2012. You've probably seen their popular v-Jays and t-Jays headphones in the past and starting next month Samsung will be bundling with them and offering great deals to buyers.

BlackBerry Playbook gets Android apps after February 6th

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

Got a BlackBerry Playbook? If the ales figures are anything to go by, probably not - but hey, maybe you've got a friend or a boss who was brought low by a Staples salesman. If that's the case, be sure and tell him or her that the handful of apps huddling together for warmth in RIM's app store will soon have some welcome company. The company's Developer Relations team posted today that the long, long-awaited OS 2.0 update will hit in February, with the BlackBerry Runtime for Android included in the package. It's almost as welcome as a real email client. The service has been in closed beta for some time now.

Rovio, creator of Angry Birds say piracy can be a good thing

By Cory Gunther
on 31 Jan, 2012

Piracy is a touchy subject and has been looked down upon by many many different markets, Android included. Obviously we all know how the music industry feels on the matter, and we've seen the countless attacks and results from their approach. When it comes to Android or apps in general some might feel different. The creators of Angry Birds, Rovio had a thing or two to say regarding the matter -- and don't really think it's of much concern.

Barnes & Noble says new Nook device coming this spring

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

Barnes & Noble is making a new Android-based Nook e-reader! Huzzah! The latter isn't exactly news - there's always a successor to the current model in the pipeline. But according to an in-depth report in The New York Times, the bookseller is preparing a new model of the Nook for release some time this spring. Executives, blissfully anonymous, were noted in the multi-page analysis of the current e-reader market. The new Nook was described as a "fifth device", implying that it's not a refresh or retread of the Nook Color, Nook Tablet or standard e-ink models.

Easy Development Studio makes rolling your own ROM a snap

By Michael Crider
on 31 Jan, 2012

I'd wager there's a lot of you reading this who run custom ROMs on your Android phone or tablet, but only a tiny portion that actually develop your own. (Guilty.) The simple fact is that rooting and flashing a custom recovery/ROM is fairly simple for those of us that know our way around a command line, but cooking up an entire ROM requires some more specialized skills. Enter Easy Development Studio, a Linux tool designed to make compiling your own ROM easy, or at the very lest manageable, for the layman. Check out the thread on XDA to download the beta.