Android and Me

SAMSUNG mobile UNPACKED 2012

| FREE | SAMSUNG MOBILE UNPACKED

Reminder: Samsung unpacks the Galaxy S III in a few hours - Android and Me

Today is the big day. In less than 5 hours, Samsung will unpack the next Galaxy device (or maybe two). If you want to join the fun and tune in live, Samsung will be broadcasting the entire event online. Read on for the full details. Don’t forget you can also watch the event live from your Android device. Just be sure to grab the official Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012 app from the download link below. If you were having trouble with the app you might want to try it again, as Samsung just updated it within the last 24 hours. Like many of you, we will be watching the event live. We also have a man on the ground who will be sharing his hands on report later today. Check out the teaser trailer one last time as you wait for the event to kick off. Will Samsung live up to the hype? Read More

NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™

| $4.99 | Electronic Arts Inc

EA Mobile is on fire, brings NBA Jam and FIFA 12 to Android - Android and Me

If you grew up playing sports videogames during the 90′s you probably remember the phrases “Boomshakalaka”, “He’s heating up”, and “He’s on fire!” NBA Jam was one of my favorite games as a kid, so I was thrilled to see that EA Mobile ported the iOS version to Android this week. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that NBA Jam supports Android 4.0 devices, so I can’t play it on my Galaxy Nexus or Transformer Prime. From the early reviews coming in, it looks like this port lives up the the classic. NBA Jam features an average review score of 4.5, which is rare for EA Mobile games. Highlights of NBA Jam include: If your device is supported, you can pick up NBA Jam right now on the Google Play Store for $4.99. It’s nice to see multiplayer mode over local WiFi, but I’d love to see EA add online play. This week EA also released FIFA 12. I’ve never been a fan of soccer games, but I know the sport is huge in about every country but the United States. So far the early reviews are what we have come to expect from EA’s Android ports, as the game averages a mediocre 3.7. If you are looking for a good soccer game, keep in mind Gameloft has Real Soccer 2012 available for free. Highlights of FIFA 12 include: Read More

Six-Guns

| FREE | Gameloft

Gameloft’s Six-Guns now free to play in Google Play Store - Android and Me

Today Gameloft released their popular iOS hit Six-Guns to the Google Play Store. I haven’t played the game and you probably won’t read what I write anyways, so just check out the video below. It looks like a pretty good number of devices are supported, but unfortunately the Transformer Prime is not. As some of you know I love Gameloft, so I’ll be off for the rest of the afternoon playing this on my Galaxy Nexus. Check out the game and then come back to let us know what you think. Read More

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

| $2.79 | 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