Android and Me

Nest Mobile

| FREE | Nest

What Android gift did you get for Christmas? - Android and Me

Christmas is here! We’re sure most of you got some pretty amazing gifts this year, but since we’re all about Android, we’re really curious about all those Android gifts you gave or received this year. The only Android related gift under the tree for me this year was a new SanDisk 32GB microSD card for my T-Mobile G2. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do with all the extra storage (I’m currently using an 8GB card), but I’m sure I’ll have it all used up in just a few weeks. My brother was the lucky recipient of an HTC EVO 3D and my mother in-law is one of the millions of new Kindle Fire users (her very first Android device). A few of our team member were kind enough to share their Android Christmas stories with us as well. Clark: I got my parents a Nest learning thermostat, which recently released an Android app. My dirty secret is that I really wanted the Nest for myself, but I knew for a fact that parents tinker with the thermostat more than I ever would. My dad was pretty intrigued; my mom doesn’t even have a smartphone. Maybe this will finally push her over the edge. Dustin: My family doesn’t buy me anything for my phone because I change it so often. And they can never keep up with what accessories I have and don’t have. Last year I did get a Google Chrome and Team Android shirt though. My entire extended family got a Kindle Fire one way or another. I got my girlfriend an EVO View 4G because it was the same price as a Kindle Fire, but comes with two cameras, GPS, access to the real Android Market and it was just updated to Honeycomb. So, what Android gift did Read More

Facebook for Android

| FREE | Facebook

Android 4.0.3 becomes base version of ICS; not all apps ready to roll | Android and Me - Android and Me

Google has just announced an “incremental” update to Ice Cream Sandwich that will now serve as the base version of the OS. From this point forward, manufacturers looking to update their handsets to ICS will be doing so with Android 4.0.3. According to the Android Developers blog, 4.0.3 will be rolling out to production phones and tablets “in the weeks ahead.” While this is a good sign that manufacturers are just about ready to start rolling out updates, not all developers are ready for the jump. The update to 4.0.3 isn’t exactly earth shattering compared to any other version of Android 4.0.x. There’s plenty of optimizations packed inside, as well as some big fixes, Bluetooth enhancements and graphic improvements. There’s also some new APIs for developers to play with that pertain to the camera, calendar and more. As badly as I’d like to see these changes brought to a device near me, there’s something else that needs to happen first. Developers need to make sure they update their apps to work with Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4 may have a relatively small user-base compared to previous builds, but that doesn’t mean app developers should postpone updating their apps until more people are using Ice Cream Sandwich. Of course some developers are ready for the update, but support issues for popular apps are more rampant then you think. We reached out to the followers of the Android and Me Twitter account to see what kinds of apps you’ve been having with trouble with, and which ones are working fine, on your shiny, new Galaxy Nexus. This is just a short list of the apps that do and don’t work with Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus, so feel free to share any issues you’re having in the comments below. And developers, Read More

Dolphin Browser® HD

| FREE | Dolphin Browser

Android 4.0.3 becomes base version of ICS; not all apps ready to roll | Android and Me - Android and Me

Google has just announced an “incremental” update to Ice Cream Sandwich that will now serve as the base version of the OS. From this point forward, manufacturers looking to update their handsets to ICS will be doing so with Android 4.0.3. According to the Android Developers blog, 4.0.3 will be rolling out to production phones and tablets “in the weeks ahead.” While this is a good sign that manufacturers are just about ready to start rolling out updates, not all developers are ready for the jump. The update to 4.0.3 isn’t exactly earth shattering compared to any other version of Android 4.0.x. There’s plenty of optimizations packed inside, as well as some big fixes, Bluetooth enhancements and graphic improvements. There’s also some new APIs for developers to play with that pertain to the camera, calendar and more. As badly as I’d like to see these changes brought to a device near me, there’s something else that needs to happen first. Developers need to make sure they update their apps to work with Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4 may have a relatively small user-base compared to previous builds, but that doesn’t mean app developers should postpone updating their apps until more people are using Ice Cream Sandwich. Of course some developers are ready for the update, but support issues for popular apps are more rampant then you think. We reached out to the followers of the Android and Me Twitter account to see what kinds of apps you’ve been having with trouble with, and which ones are working fine, on your shiny, new Galaxy Nexus. This is just a short list of the apps that do and don’t work with Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus, so feel free to share any issues you’re having in the comments below. And developers, Read More

Words With Friends Free

| FREE | Zynga

Nielsen report shows Facebook is most popular Android app, Angry Birds popular with elderly | Android and Me - Android and Me

You would think that the most popular Android app would be one of Google’s own, but a recent report from Nielsen shows that Facebook was the most used app in the U.S. during the last 30 days. Facebook was found to be the most active app among users 18-24 and 25-34, where it rack up an amazing 80% usage. When it comes to app stores, Google’s Android Market topped the charts with usage rates of 89-95%. This should come as no surprise since it comes pre-installed on most Android devices. Amazon’s Appstore, which debuted this year and must be manually installed, made a strong showing with usage rates of 14-24%. The most popular game was Angry Birds, which ranked highest among the older age group. Usage rates by age were 22% for 18-24, 29% for 25-34, and 35% for 35-44. Zynga’s Words With Friends also ranked highly with usage rates of 21-25%. Check out the chart below for the full break down. Which results are most surprising to you? Read More

Baseball Superstars® 2011

| 0.99 | GAMEVIL Inc.

Google’s 10 cent deals – Day 4 | Android and Me - Android and Me

Today marks the fourth day in Google’s 10 days of 10 premium apps for 10 cents promotion. Once again, the community has found all of the applications before Google has managed to update their page on the Android Market. Here’s what will be offered for a dime today: There are a few gems in there, including a few we haven’t really heard of. One thing’s for sure; if any of these titles interest you, you should go ahead and hit the Android Market by clicking any of the links above and download them for yourself. Read More

Paper Zombie

| FREE | WildBit Studios

Free Friday Android game, Paper Zombie from Wildbit | Android and Me - Android and Me

Today the guys from Wildbit Studios released their popular iOS game Paper Zombie for free to the Android Market. We get dozens of these types of press releases every day, but I went ahead and downloaded Paper Zombie to my phone and found it was a lot more fun than I expected. The easiest way I can describe the game is sort of like Fruit Ninja, but with zombies. Fernando Rada, CEO of WildBit Studios, shared his thoughts on the release by saying, “The game captures the imagination and conjures up images of spooky zombies, yet without the gore and flesh that is inappropriate for children. Ultimately, it delivers strategic and humorous gameplay that is suitable for the entire family.  We are excited to finally deliver Paper Zombie to the Android Market, which represents the most enthusiastic gamers in the world.” If you want to kill some time this weekend then go download Paper Zombie now and once within the game, enter the code word ‘GOLD’ in the zCode section to get free in-game cash (so you can unlock the chainsaw right away). Found a free Android game you want to share? Contact Taylor and let him know. Read More

Beautiful Widgets

| FREE | LevelUp Studio

Google’s ten-cent specials for Day 2 | Android and Me - Android and Me

Yesterday, Google kicked off their ten-day long celebration of hitting the 10 billion mark for total apps downloaded by giving away 10 premium applications for 10 cents a piece. Over the next 9 days, Google will be offering a total of 90 more applications (10 per day) for the same 10 cent price. Though Google hasn’t yet updated their list for toady’s deals, several developers from today’s sale have already reduced their prices. We’ll update the list as we learn of all the apps (brownie points if you discover the other two). Today’s list, so far: If any of these titles interest you, and you haven’t purchased them already, you may want to head over to the market using the links above. If you haven’t yet managed to score yesterday’s applications, they can still be had for a limited time, but we expect they’ll increase in price later on today. Read More

Desert Bus

| 0.99 | Amateur Pixels

Action packed Desert Bus for Android available now; all proceeds go to charity | Android and Me - Android and Me

Android has some killer games on the way with the arrival of NVIDIA’s Tegra 3. Bladeslinger, Shadowgun and Riptide GP are just a few, but have you ever heard of Desert Bus? You don’t have to wait for a Tegra 3 device to enjoy the complete Desert Bus experience, it’s officially available now in the Android Market for just $0.99. In case you aren’t familiar with Desert Bus, here’s how it works: you drive a bus, from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, in real time, going a 45 miles per hour. And that’s all there is to it. If you complete the trip, which takes roughly 8 hours, then you get one point. You can also turn around and complete the trip again for another point. Eventually you may notice a rock, a sign or a bug hit the windshield, but for the most part it’s a long, straight road from Tucson to Vegas. And if you were hoping for some gorgeous scenery, well, the graphics are pretty bad. Like something similar to Rad Racer. But of course as you’ve probably guessed by now, the gameplay, plot and graphics are not the big story here. The big story is why Desert Bus has become famous in recent years, and why its release for Android is worth paying some attention to. Every year, a group known as Desert Bus for Hope hosts a Desert Bus marathon where people place donations to see just how long the Desert Bus team can go for. All donations go to the charity Child’s Play, a foundation who uses video games to help kids in hospitals get through their rough time. The Desert Bus for Hope marathon is going on right now, where they’ve already cracked the $125,000 mark. If you want to participate, you can Read More

HOMERUN BATTLE 3D FREE

| FREE | Com2uS

Epic ball smashing returns to Android with Homerun Battle 2 | Android and Me - Android and Me

Are you ready for the most addictive baseball game on Android? It’s been nearly two years since the release of the original Homerun Battle 3D, but Com2uS is finally ready to refresh one of their most popular titles. This week Homerun Battle 2 debuted on the Apple App Store. The Android version should be available soon. The sequel features the same homerun derby theme, but it has been expanded with 3 character types, 5 stadiums and 6 different game modes. Players will still choose a character and customize their gender, body structure, skin tone, clothing, bats and accessories. Gameplay modes now include duel, survival, mission, burning, arcade and training. Com2uS is selling the iOS version for $2.99, but expect the Android version to follow the freemium model. Homerun Battle 2 should be available for free, and in-app purchases will allow players to buy stars they can use for better equipment and items. Check out the trailer below for a quick preview and then go download the free Homerun Battle 3D if you never got to enjoy the original. Read More

Google Voice

| FREE | Google Inc.

Google Voice app update; text to multiple recipients, pre-fetch voicemails | Android and Me - Android and Me

At last! Google listened to us and just updated the Google Voice app (version 0.4.2.38) with two of the best features we’ve seen in a while. One of them we’ve been requesting for a long time. Yes, my friends. We can finally send a text message to multiple recipients, simultaneously. Just keep adding those contacts to the recipient box, write your message, hit “send,” and you’re good to go. It’s that simple. To make things even better, Google has also added another feature with this update. Until now, it hasn’t been possible to listen to voicemails without an internet connection. It’s hard to find yourself without internet, but it happens. We can now ease our minds, since we’ll be able to get our voicemails even without a data connection. Google Voice can now pre-fetch voicemails, allowing you to listen to them later on while on the road (without internet). This is nifty, but we’re most excited about multiple recipient texting. Sure, this has been something Google took a long time with, but better late than never. Right? Go ahead and update/download Google Voice if you haven’t yet. And be sure to let us know what you think. How many of you guys have been waiting for this feature to show up? Read More