The GOOGLE | ANDROID Thread

[Cid]

Huge sale on top 10 apps for the next 10 days..... 10c each cya go wrong

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[Swisha]

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.



Android Market 10 billion Promo

Engadget

[Swisha]

good deal here...

Samsung Galaxy S II White 3G Unlocked GSM Smartphone w/ 8 MP Camera / Android OS / 16GB Internal Memory (I9100)

$60 off w/ promo code EMCJHKD33, ends 12/12

$499.99

Newegg

[Strauss]

There's also an Android version of the ipod touch.

Galaxy Player 4.0

Galaxy Player 5.0

And unless I had purchased a bunch of apps on iOS already, I wouldn't even consider the itouch.
Only things the itouch have on those players is a higher res screen 960x640 as opposed to 800x480 and they can record 720p video (even though the camera on the itouch is supposedly 0.9MP as opposed to the 3.2 MP on the SGP)
SGP has GPS, built in FM radio and SD card slot.

You forgot Facetime on the iPod Touch.

Of course you need to be in the 'circle' of friends who have either an iOS device or Macintosh to enjoy free video chat. I can tell you that it's REALLY REALLY awesome as a lot of my friends are in the Apple crowd.

[Swisha]

and y restrict yourself to an Apple only feature when u can use Google+ hangouts to video chat with ppl on Android/iOS/Windows/Mac ?

[achillies]

ADW EX Updated In The Android Market – Adds ICS UI But Don’t Download (Yet)


He’s one of the few developers in Android I have a crush on. Maybe it’s his Spanish accent or that beautiful bald head — but I think it has more to do with his launcher. Mr. Anderwebs updated his fan favorite launcher, ADW EX, to version 1.3.3.5 today — now with more Ice Cream! That’s right, he’s spruced up ADW EX with some Ice Cream Sandwich UI elements, adding things like a new dockbar (with reflections), the ability to drag an icon over another to create folders, tablet compatibility and promises even more to come.

ADW EX normally runs about $3.32 and if you were thinking about rushing to the Android Market to download it right now — DON’T. Mr. Webs made mention today that his app will be one of Google’s features “10 cent apps” in the coming days, making ADW EX an even better value than it was before. Until then, you can check out the full list of changes in version 1.3.3.5 below.
New Dockbar:
Unlimited icons with paginated scrolling
Options stretch,scale,reflections,etc…
Double tapp dock icons to edit
Better folders:
Drag icon over another one to auto create a folder
Visual representation of folder contents with theming support
Options to choose how the folder contents scroll and behave like you do with the app drawers
Single/multi row auto fitting support
Easier visualization of desktop and drag operations
New desktop indicator inspired by ICS
More to come!!

Via Phandroid JBThemes

[nemisis]

If you’re a platform-agnostic smartphone enthusiast who has had extensive playtime with the iPhone, Windows Phones and Android smartphones, you’ll probably have noticed how the former two mobile operating systems offer a much more “smoother” user-experience compared to the latter’s general “choppiness”. Well, it appears that Android will never be as smooth as iOS or Windows Phone 7 because of the way its very foundations were laid down back in 2005-2006. Details after the jump!



The news comes straight in the form of two posts over on Google’s struggling social network Google+: one by a Google engineer who talks about how graphics work on Android and the other by a 3rd year software engineering student in reply to the first post. Both are pretty lengthy and can get pretty technical, so we’ll try simplifying it as much as we can.

We’ll start off with Google engineer Dianne Hackborn’s post. She states that hardware acceleration – i.e. using the GPU, instead of CPU alone, to render the user-interface – has existed on Android since version 1.0 for things such as sliding the notification bar, pop-up dialogues etc. Full hardware acceleration only came with Android 3.0 Honeycomb and, unsurprisingly, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich actually has the same kind of hardware acceleration and this won’t necessarily sweeten things up.

Hackborn states that hardware acceleration “is not all full of win” since it takes away a lot of RAM when used for devices like Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus with OpenGL. Each process takes about 8MB of RAM and “isn’t worth it” considering the minimal effect it has on how “smooth” the UI looks after implementing it. So yes, hardware acceleration certainly helps, but it takes far too much processing power for it to be implemented to all parts of the UI.

She ends her post on how full, complete, A-to-Z hardware acceleration that results in 60 frames-per-second graphics is simply not possible, even with powerful chips like the Tegra 2.

Now, the question arises: why is it that even seemingly outdated phones like the iPhone 3GS offer a smoother UI than the latest Android smartphones? iOS uses hardware acceleration and that too on weaker hardware. How does Apple’s engineers manage to pull it off, then? Why can’t Google do the same?

That has been answered by Andrew Munn – software engineering student, ex-intern at Google and future intern with Windows Phone 7 team at Microsoft – who states that UI rendering processes in iOS occur with dedicated threads with real-time priority whereas on Android, UI rendering processes occur along with the main thread with normal priority. Whenever an iOS devices detects touch, it stops other processes and focuses all attention to rendering the UI. Android devices don’t do this, instead general processing and UI rendering occurs concurrently which results in choppy UI.

[fallen18]

Still prefer laucher pro even tho it has not been updated in a while.

[pete]

Strauss - Skype allows free video chat to anyone as well. Facetime is a non-issue for me. e.g. can't use Facetime to talk to the wife on a PC but Skype will work fine.

[Swisha]

exactly. dunno y Apple fanboys feel that their proprietary software is any better than software EVERYBODY can use

[Strauss]

Strauss - Skype allows free video chat to anyone as well. Facetime is a non-issue for me. e.g. can't use Facetime to talk to the wife on a PC but Skype will work fine.

Skype is on everything, and I see your point.
Guess you have to experience Facetime and compare it to Skype to really understand.

I'm not here to knock Android - just adding something you forgot to mention.
Also gaming on iOS.

Just to point out the reason Apple is making so much money from iOS app sales : People are more likely / willing to PURCHASE premium content. That's why there are better quality apps for iOS (paid apps). I guess Apple fanboyism is keeping the entire industry growing as it's being emulated on Android devices.

Guys remember you need Apple — they invest the billions in R&D/marketing and everyone learns from their success/failures. The R&D is what drives up Apple prices. No one invests that money in key areas. They wait for Apple, then copy, make it better and sell for cheaper because these companies don't have to worry about research and development.

[MBC Autotronix]

good deal here...

Samsung Galaxy S II White 3G Unlocked GSM Smartphone w/ 8 MP Camera / Android OS / 16GB Internal Memory (I9100)

$60 off w/ promo code EMCJHKD33, ends 12/12

$499.99

Newegg

not bad !!! but there is a powerseller selling the same thing already here for 3800.
By the time u check all the shipping and taxes, it would come up to around the same thing, if not more.

[Strauss]

exactly. dunno y Apple fanboys feel that their proprietary software is any better than software EVERYBODY can use

[troll]

But it IS !!

[/troll]

[M_2NR]

I am not sure how well tied in google voice/chat with video will be but making a facetime call has got to be the simplest thing ever.
No need to sign in... then wait for a contact list to load, etc. just go by the person name and click facetime. done. no hopping. hell you can even say it with voice control.

[stev]

i got the new ADW EX with the ICS look. moves really smooth but it started lagging a few days ago

[Swisha]

CNC3 jus had a report on bmobile's launch of the Galaxy Note but no mention of price.

anyone knows the cost?

[pete]

Think it's 5800

http://www.bmobile.co.tt/installment-pl ... artphones/

5799

[Swisha]

hmmm

in the report, bmobile was saying the introduction of a 3rd carrier will be a bad thing for the country

[achillies]

Still prefer laucher pro even tho it has not been updated in a while.

I use Launcher Pro myself, but at 10 cents, I can't go wrong

[Swisha]

dont really use facebook much again, but the updated Android app is pretty good...

[fallen18]

CNC3 jus had a report on bmobile's launch of the Galaxy Note but no mention of price.

anyone knows the cost?

saw a bmobile ad on the papers for bout $6500 i think it was.

[stev]

got the new Facebook app. works great but kinda heavy on CPU usage. idk if its jus me.

[M_2NR]

is ADW Launcher EX worth it?

[achillies]

is ADW Launcher EX worth it?

10 cents, yes, if you don't like it, go back to using your previous launcher.

But IMO buy it now because you never know if you might want it because of a future update that may happen, I rather have it now and not have it installed than to want it later and missed out on the opportunity buy it now, for less than 1 TTD

[M_2NR]

im on a tablet... does it matter or no?

[achillies]

im on a tablet... does it matter or no?

If you are asking if it supports tablets, the answer is yes

How it may work as a replacement for the tablet's default launcher, I cannot say, as I don't have one

[Swisha]

Google Currents is hot off the press

We strive to give you beautiful and simple ways to experience all the content the web has to offer, such as sharing photos on Google+, watching YouTube videos and discovering books, movies and music from Android Market. Today we’re expanding our content offering with the introduction of Google Currents, a new application for Android devices, iPads and iPhones that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger.



Ready for consumers
We’ve worked with more than 150 publishing partners to offer full-length articles from more than 180 editions including CNET, AllThingsD, Forbes, Saveur, PBS, Huffington Post, Fast Company and more. Content is optimized for smartphones and tablets, allowing you to intuitively navigate between words, pictures and video on large and small screens alike, even if you’re offline.

To get started, simply download the app and choose the publications you want to subscribe to for free. You can also add RSS, video and photo feeds, public Google+ streams and Google Reader subscriptions you’re already following. In addition to consuming your favorite media, you can also use the trending tab to discover related content that matches your tastes.

Great content needs a great audience, which is why Google Currents is integrated with Google+ so users can share articles or videos they’ve enjoyed with their circles. Publishers can also associate their account with Google Analytics in order to increase their awareness of consumers’ content preferences, device use and geographic distribution.

Google Currents is now available for download in Android Market and the Apple App Store for US users. Whether you’re a reader or a publisher, we hope that Google Currents helps you easily experience the best content on the web. Try it here now and stay tuned for more to come.

http://www.google.com/producer/currents

Google Mobile Blog

[stev]

is ADW Launcher EX worth it?

it is actually...for 10c u cant go wrong. it is really customizable and u also have the option for different skins wen u get tired of lookin at the same thing. nice transition effects.

u can always go back to the old launcher wen u feddup.

[M_2NR]

ended up getting it but i need to spend some time digging up in it which i dont have . i assume i can make the dock be on the longer side etc... i hope. because the dock is on the shorter side. it uses the barrel type transition too which is uck but i do like how my icons look now, much better than the other launcher.
thanks guys

[MadCrix]

i find it mimics the lg optimus launcher.