Google Voice update integrates voicemail with phone app

If you’re like most heavy Google Voice users, you keep your GV voicemail and standard carrier voicemail separate. This is great for managing different numbers, but it’s a bit of a pain to wrangle all on the same phone. Android and Google Voice get a little closer today, as GV’s voicemail service is available from the native Android phone/dialer app. The update treats voicemails like calls, so you’ll see them in the same place that you usually see Google Voice incoming and outgoing calls in the dialer. Download the updated Google Voice app to apply the changes.

Unfortunately, this feature is limited to Android 4.0 at the moment. Google may back-port the voicemail integration into an earlier version, but that seems unlikely – if I had to guess, I’d say that this is something Google’s been planning for a while and had to code for specifically in Ice Cream Sandwich. On top of that, early reports indicate that phones without a mostly stock Android system can’t use the feature; skins like Samsung’s TouchWiz and HTC’s Sense UI usually completely replace the dialer and contact system. HTC Vivid users with their brand new Android 4.0 update are reporting that the feature doesn’t work for them. Another new feature that’s exclusive to ICS (but probably works for all Android 4.0 builds) is access to Google Voice folders from the app itself.

The addition is a handy one for the admittedly small intersection of Google Voice users and stock Ice Cream Sandwich (or a suitably close ROM) users. While this isn’t the VOIP addition to Google Voice that many have been hoping for, it’s one more way that your Google Voice number and identity can easily move between Android devices. There’s just no way to match this kind of integration on another platform – something that Google’s surely proud of.

Motorola Xoom WiFi update coming soon, could be 4.0.5

Motorola’s not so popular Motorola Xoom tablet received Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich back in January so we can rule that out for this impending update. Like usual, Motorola is sending out emails for their soak test update that is coming soon for the Xoom. We don’t have any details yet but its possible the Xoom will receive Android 4.0.5 in the coming weeks.

Now most likely this is a small bug fix type of update coming from Motorola and going out privately to their feedback networks. Something major like Android 4.0.5 like we’ve seen rumored lately would probably be pushed directly from Google in a more controlled manner.

This update is slated for the WiFi Xoom only at this time and will be available to a few lucky members of the Motorola Feedback network. If you’ve received updates from them in the past you’ll probably get this too. As usual feel free to shout off in the comments below once you see the update as we’d love to see or hear what all it includes. Maybe this will prep the Xoom for the 4.0.5 update that is rumored to be here in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more info.

Archos G9 update rolling out – fixes HDMI and WiFi issues on ICS

Archos recently released Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich for the G9 series of their Android tablets. It has only been available for a short time but it looks like they are on top of things and have already started fixing some minor bugs. If you own an Archos G9 and recently updated to Android 4.0 ICS this latest firmware update today should solve some of those WiFi issues some have been reporting. More details and change-log after the break.

Their naming scheme is a bit confusing but the Archos G9′s are currently running on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, but the build from Archos rolling out today is 4.0.5 — not Ice Cream Sandwich, but that is the version of Archos’ own firmware. Apparently with ICS they’ve had a few issues with WiFi going extremely slow after being on for more than a few minutes. Some users have also reported no audio or audio issues with HDMI-out and streaming video or games. Archos has quickly fixed the problems and the update is available now for those interested.

As always the update should arrive over the air for the devices, but you can manually go to Archos.com and download the update yourself should you chose to take that route. For more information and the full change log head here to get started. We wish all manufacturers issued updates this fast, because Ice Cream Sandwich for the Archos tablets has only been available for a few weeks. If you’ve been having any of the above mentioned problems get the latest firmware and let us know in the comment section below how things go.

Sony Tablet P Review

Variety is the spice of life, and in the mobile world this tenet is demonstrated best with Android hardware. When it comes to variety, Android phones and tablets beat all comers. So it was with some anticipation that I received Sony’s Tablet P, a singular device that sets out to put an impressively-sized screen in a small body that’s made possible by a folding hinged design, achieving more portability than anything in its class. But a novel idea doesn’t necessarily make a good product, so I put it through Android Community’s regular review regimen. Does the Tablet P stack up to the competition? Read on to find out.

Hardware

The Tablet P is entirely unique among current mobile products – not just Android tablets, but the entire mobile space. The closest mainstream device that it could be compared to is Microsoft’s cancelled Courier project, though various other folding designs have been tried (and usually failed) by smaller companies. In its primary design goal, the Tablet P succeeds: it’s a full-sized Honeycomb tablet that can fit into a large pocket or small purse easily. Folded up, it’s about the size of a big television remote or a fat checkbook. Completely expanded, it’s the size of a thick 7-inch tablet with an odd aspect ratio.

Closed, the Tablet P presents its Sony, PlayStation and AT&T emblems plus a hole for the 5 megapixel camera. The silver plastic encompasses most of the top and bottom, and both lids slide off to allow access to the SIM card and MicroSD card (2GB) respectively. On the bottom half of the right side sit all the connections and controls: power button an jack, MicroUSB cable (which unfortunately doesn’t charge the unit) and a tiny volume rocker. The rest of the exterior is bare, save a microphone/headphone jack on the bottom.

Unfold the tablet’s impressively strong hinge, and you’re greeted with dual 5.5-inch touschscreens on the top and bottom. That hinge is an important detail, by the way: you’ll be using this moving part every time you pick up the device, so it’s good to know that the part is stiff enough to hold the screens apart at any angle from 1-180 degrees. The screens (1024×480 each, for a combined resolution and size of 1024×960 and just over seven inches) are bright and clear, with plenty of response in their capacitive surfaces.

A note on ergonomics: they’re surprisingly good. Owing mostly to the cunning and natural curve of the outer case, the Tablet P feel extremely comfortable when held in two hands. Holding it with the upper screen angled towards you feels something like a Nintendo DS – or rather, what the Nintendo DS would feel like if it weren’t shaped like a box. Even holding the tablet fully open in a more traditional position is comfy, thanks to a good, solid grip at nearly every point.

Software

Regrettably the Tablet P comes loaded with Android 3.2, despite the fact that Ice Cream Sandwich was available months ago. Sony promises to rectify this, though there’s no hard information on when we’ll get the update except “after April” (allowing AT&T time to distribute it). That said, this non-standard form factor needs a considerable bit of software engineering, going far beyond the standard Android Manufacturer skin – which is nonetheless present.

The tablet runs on NVIDIA’s tried and tested Tegra 2 platform, with a gigabyte of memory to help it along. This makes it admirably responsive and much quicker than I was expecting. And that’s a good thing, since Sony’s custom skin pervades the interface everywhere. You’ll find Sony apps for music, photos, video, RSS, even for connecting to WiFi networks. Other extras include Evernote, Foursquare, and a pre-installed Flash player. Crash Bandicoot, one of many games available on the included PlayStation Store, is free.

The curious form factor that defines the tablet actually effects the software very little. Most apps adjust to the odd aspect ratio in one of two ways: they either fill out across both screens (most of the time) or use up all of the top screen (some of the time). Honeycomb’s built-in resize function for older Android apps is able to adjust the view to one or both screens. Sony’s apps in particular make good use of the split, with play or display functions up top and menu or keyboard functions on the bottom.

The problem comes with the apps that don’t quite work. The Android Market (which, interestingly, will not update to the Google Play Store) is chief among these, since it only ever uses the top screen and won’t work at all in portrait mode. Since I’ve found no way to correct this, I have to assume that the problem will persist with at least some apps, though there’s no way to know which. Benchmarks don’t inspire much confidence: Quadrant scored the Tablet P in the 1800 range, well below the norm for Tegra 2 devices.

Media

The split-screen design makes the Tablet P an interesting proposition for media. Movies and music, are artificially stinted since videos can only play on one screen or be bifurcated. Photo viewing is a problem for the same reason. (Regular web browsing isn’t really affected by the split.) Sound is a problem too, thanks to tiny speakers obscured by the plastic lids on either side of the case. To be blunt, video and audio just aren’t a good experience on the device. If you plan on listening to much music you’ll need both a bigger MicroSD card and a decent pair of headphones.

Oddly, the same things that cause problems for movies and music make the Tablet P nearly perfect for gaming, if you stick to Sony’s PlayStation Store. The form factor creates a natural controller grip with the huge bezel acting as a buffer for your fingertips. Gameplay above and controls below mirror the old Game & Watch toys, and it’s a surprisingly fun experience. The cameras are best ignored. Sure, you could take snapshots with the 5 megapixel rear, and you can video chat with the VGA camera, but the quality isn’t anything to write home about.

Battery

The 3,080mAh  battery on the Tablet P is well below average for Android tablets, probably due to the necessity of getting it all in one side of the device. Used normally it’ll last all day on WiFi, but you’ll need to keep a close eye on the bar for journeys out on AT&T’s HSPA+ network. Do a lot of gaming or streaming video, and you’ll need to keep the rather bulky laptop-style charger close at hand. Running straight through with basic web browsing and apps, you should get 6-7 hours of battery life.

Wrap-Up

The Tablet P is a novelty, and at certain tasks it excels. Those tasks are playing emulated PlayStation games, fitting into small spaces and making your friends go “oooh”. Unfortunately, there aren’t many use cases where its unique design comes in handy, and quite a few where it’s a considerable drawback. As much as Sony should be applauded for trying out new ideas, even executing them as well as could probably be expected, there’s not much to recommend here beyond some great ergonomic design and a compact size.

The Tablet P is, almost literally, less than the sum of its parts. Two 5.5-inch displays don’t make an 11-inch tablet, a clamshell design doesn’t make a a thick device thinner, and the addition of lots of Sony software and tweaks doesn’t make Honeycomb an easier pill to swallow. Combine that with a  $399.99 on-contract price at AT&T (and nowhere else, for the moment) and you’ve got an interesting experience that doesn’t justify a large cost and commitment. The one exception is if you absolutely love PlayStation games, and can live with the relatively small library in Sony’s PlayStation Store.

Gameloft plans bigger 2012, going for in-app purchases and social features for all 2012 games

Gameloft is one of few companies that qualifies as a top-tier game publisher in the Android realm, and it looks like they’ve got big plans for all of their upcoming games. Plans of a very specific nature: PocketGamer reports that Gameloft will be placing in-app purchases in every game it releases for the remainder of the year, on every platform, for both smartphones and tablets. The company made the announcement during its financial report, adding that all its upcoming games will also have social elements.

In-app purchases are basically the downloadable content (DLC) of the mobile world, and they’re a polarizing subject to be sure. Essentially operating on a “freemium” model, most games with in-app purchases are free, but require small payments to add new levels or get otherwise unobtainable items. Many games allow you to advance at an accelerated pace with purchases, such as exchanging small amounts of real money for in-game currency. Some of the most popular games on Android, iOS and Facebook operate in this manner and are extremely profitable. A good example from Gameloft’s stable is The Oregon Trail: Settler, now #36 in the list of the most popular free games on the Google Play Store.

Social additions are a mixed bag as well. Many games will connect to users’ Twitter or Facebook account to send out automatic updates on the players; progress and achievements are delivered to friends and followers (often with maddening frequency). Search Twitter for “achievement” and you’ll find millions of nearly identical auto-tweets from whatever games are trending at the moment.

For better or worse, Gameloft seems to be adopting the driving strategy of one of its biggest rivals, Zynga. Plenty of players and pundits don’t appreciate this move towards microtransactions, but there’s no arguing with the money it’s bringing in. Just a few of Gameloft’s upcoming titles are The Dark Knight Rises, Ice Age, The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop and Men in Black III. 

Sony Xperia S heading to Canada [unlocked]

Sony’s Xperia S made a splash a CES in January, but as with most high-profile phones, it took a while for Canadian carriers to get on the trolley. That trends may or may not continue, but it looks like either way Canadians will get a crack at the company’s new flagship. Earlier today MobileSyrup reported that Sony’s official Facebook page posted the new that the Xperia S was headed to Canadian carrier Rogers. Hours later the Facebook update had vanished, and Rogers contacted the blog to deny the news.

It looks like Sony will instead be selling the phone unlocked, as it does with most of its smartphones. “I can confirm that while this device will work on the Rogers network, we will not be selling it directly,” A Rogers representative told MobileSyrup. Sounds like an unlocked phone to me. That’s a shame for Canadians who want the high-end phone with a subsidy, since the unlocked version will surely be in the $500-600 range. On the plus side, it’ll mean that Canadians (and maybe even Americans!) will have easy access to a carrier-agnostic version of the Xperia S. There was no mention of a price or date on Sony’s Facebook page.

The S is the largest and most advanced phone that Sony’s produced to date, with a 4.3-inch 720p screen (an impressive 341 PPI) a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, NFC capability with an included set of tags, and a jaw-dropping 12.1 megapixel camera. Unfortunately it’s running Android 2.3, but Sony has (say it with me, kids) promised an Ice Cream Sandwich update some time in the future. The phone has already made its way to the UK and greater Europe, and will be making it here to the US at AT&T’s Xperia Ion, minus the swanky transparent menu buttons. For a review of the British version, check out SlashGear for more info.

Google Play Store gets another update: more tabs and better review sorting

Google’s shift from the Android Market to the Play Store wasn’t merely a brand change; they have been making a lot of changes under the hood as well. On the back end it looks like the Play Store is gearing up for a significant expansion into media distribution, but even the Android app has seen several updates.

The latest on was leaked last night, and you impatient types can download it from the source link. It brings two sets of new features; when looking at the “My Apps” page you now get a tabbed experience, much like you have in other parts of the market. By swiping left or right you can switch between a My Apps page that breaks apps up into Update and Installed, or the new “All” page, which seems to show not only purchased apps, but also free apps that you installed at one time (or on a previous phone) but may not have installed presently.

This is a surprisingly helpful feature, if you’re anything like us and have hundreds of apps that you have used and/or tested. Trying to remember that one calendar widget you tried out last year that would look great on your new phablet? No problem, it’s listed in the All page.

The new Play Store app also improves the way you can sort reviews. It lets you sort reviews by either the most helpful or the most recent. It also lets you apply a filter so you see only the reviews for the latest version of an app, or only the reviews done by people with the same phone (or tablet) as you are using. Given that apps can behave quite differently between updates, or across the different hardware and software combinations used in the Android ecosystem, we find this to be a welcome set of improvements to the app discovery process.

A Googly for Google as Google sued over Play Store’s 15 minute return policy

When the Android Market changed its return policy from a generous 24 hours to a paltry 15 minutes way back in 2010, there was no shortage of complaints. But it appears that two users went a step beyond and actually sued Google for the policy, in addition to generally misleading claims about the quality and working order of apps. The suit comes from Dodd J. Harris and Stephen Sabatin of California, who were unsatisfied with a Mandarin instruction app and Bit Torrent client, respectively.

The pair aren’t the only ones to be dissatisfied with the 15-minute grace period. Complex games in particular (which are often the most expensive) often require downloads of 100 megabytes or more, which are nearly impossible to download and install in the allotted time when using a 3G connection. Some developers have responded by marking their games WiFi-only in the Google Play Store (formerly the Android Market) but even then a less than optimal connection can create the same problem.

Google has a hard time balancing the needs of app developers and users. For example, most Android games can be played and completed in far less than a day, making the full 24-hour period something of an honor system. Google claims that changed the policy because “most users return an app within 15 minutes”. Recent changes to the Play Store have allowed developers to host apps up to 4GB, which should at least ease the burden on servers, bu that doesn’t really solve the time problem.

Harris and Sabatin are seeking class-action damages as well as attorney’s fees. Google has yet to comment on the suit.

Rumor: Galaxy S III coming in April with NFC

Another day, another fleeting rumor of the ever-elusive Galaxy S III. After skipping out on Mobile World Congress tro throw its own party Apple-style, Samsung still hasn’t mentioned when it intends to bring the Galaxy S III to market. The CHEIL Worldwide Marketing company thinks they know, according to ZD Net Korea: they say that Samsung is planning a huge promotion for April, when they expect the phone to launch in multiple markets worldwide. The 2012 Summer Olympics will reportedly play a large part in the initial promotion.

The reasoning for the Olympic tie-in is a deal between Samsung, credit card company Visa and the IOC, launching a new NFC-based payment system with the Galaxy S III as the flagship device. NFC certainly makes sense – Samsung has been including it with most of the high-end phones it’s announced in the last few months. The April release seems a little dubious, to be honest: there’s already a Samsung event scheduled for later this month in France, so they’d need to get the product finalized, announced and delivered in a span of just a few weeks.

There’s very little information about the Galaxy S III that can be verified. A large screen, fast processor and Samsung’s TouchWiz version of Ice Cream Sandwich seem like a given, but every analyst and insider between here and South Korea seems intent on getting a word in edgewise. At the moment about the only thing we can say for sure is that a successor to the incredibly popular Galaxy S III is on its way – some time, somewhere.

Dude Perfect game!!! is it The Angry Birds playing Basketball

Remember the Youtube group called Dude Perfect that made all those awesome videos shooting some of the worlds most impossible basketball shots? We’ll they’ve scored again only this time for Android. Instead of watching their videos on the go, how about play the game. Just recently released is Dude Perfect, an Android game based on the real-life dudes and you can get in on the Basketball action for only $0.99 today.

 

This is essentially a fun and challenging game where users are set up against some near impossible basketball shots with hoops in weird spots, covered by boxes, clouds and planes in the way, and anything else you can think of. It reminds me of a mix between Angry Birds and Paper Toss only you are playing Basketball, and it’s loads of fun. Make your own trick shots today and check out the video preview.

 

 

 

What better way to get into the March Madness spirit than with a fun, challenging, and addicting basketball game for Android. With a physics based puzzle style, sports action, and awesome graphics this game looks very promising and is only $0.99 in the Google Play Store. Users can also choose an in-app purchase and get the level editor to create their own trick shots once they’ve managed to master all of them from the game. Sadly we already pay for the game, and shouldn’t have to pay for the editor too but why not support these guys — the game is sweet.

Good luck making some of the hardest trick shots on a mobile device with Dude Perfect. Hit the download link below and give it a try today. The game is compatible with almost every decently powered device including every tablet I’ve ever owned, so enjoy it and let us know what you think once you give it a try.

Dude Perfect Google Play Link