App Downloads From The Play Store Are Failing With Error 403 For Some, Best To Wait It Out [Updated]

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img alt="2014 - 1_thumb[11]" border="0" height="206" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-1_thumb11_thumb.png" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2014 - 1_thumb[11]" width="372" /></div> <br /> <strong>Update [2/12]</strong>: It looks like the glitch is over with. Several people are reporting that downloads are working again and everything has returned to normal.<br /> If you've been having trouble with 403 errors while attempting to download new or updated versions of apps from the Play Store, welcome to the club. Reports have been <a class="external" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/s/play%20403" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">popping</a> up <a class="external" href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=android%20403" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">all over</a> the Internet from people experiencing the same issue. Unlike the infamous Package File Invalid Error, the glitch appears to be persistent, preventing any and all downloads from starting. The problem is almost certainly tied to the Play Store servers, so it's best to just wait until Google gets it sorted out.<br /> <div align="center"> </div> The HTTP specification defines the <a class="external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_403" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">403 error</a> is a response for a 'Forbidden Request,' which means the server understands the request but chose to deny it. This is a good indicator that the issue might be tied to a configuration malfunction, not unlike the one that caused some Google services to go down a couple of weeks ago.<br /> The 403 errors appear to be hitting a relatively small percentage of users. There aren't any specific patterns emerging, but a lot of <a class="external" href="https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=65826" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">brand new and factory reset devices</a> appear to have a higher than average failure rate. Perhaps they are being directed to newly provisioned servers that have been misconfigured.<br /> Several people have offered different - fairly hacky - solutions that mostly center around clearing data from the Play Store and Google Play Services. It's possible that these methods will work, but they may cause other issues. Staring at a bunch of pending updates might be annoying, but it's best to wait it out, at least for now.<br /> <em>Thanks, Marc.</em><br /> <span class="pvc_count_me228501"></span> <div class="multi_page_links"> </div> <div class="post_tags"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">403 error</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">download</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">failure</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">play store</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">PSA</a> </div> </div> </div>

App Downloads From The Play Store Are Failing With Error 403 For Some, Best To Wait It Out [Updated]

Update [2/12] : It looks like the glitch is over with. Several people are reporting that downloads are working again and everything h...

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The Dash Completely Wireless In-Ear Headphones Blow Past Kickstarter Goal In 3 Days

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a class="fancybox" href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-02-11-16_22_36-The-Dash-Wireless-Smart-In-Ear-Headphones-by-BRAGI-LLC.-Kickstarter1.png" rel="fancybox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="2014-02-11 16_22_36-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter"><img alt="2014-02-11 16_22_36-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" height="163" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-02-11-16_22_36-The-Dash-Wireless-Smart-In-Ear-Headphones-by-BRAGI-LLC.-Kickstarter_thumb1.png" style="display: inline;" title="2014-02-11 16_22_36-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" width="339" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Kickstarter campaigns are sometimes guilty of overpromising, but if the just funded Dash in-ear headphones can get even close to what the creators claim, this is going to be amazing. These tiny earphones are completely wireless – just two individual buds that you plug into your head holes to listen to music, track your activity, and even take calls. It still has 47 days to go and is already past its $260,000 goal. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Rather than just make some wireless earbuds, the people behind Dash want to do it all. In addition to piping music into your ears over Bluetooth 4.0, the Dash has 4GB of flash storage to store tunes internally. Music playback can be controlled from an app, or by tapping and swiping the exposed ends of the Dash (the left ear is tracking and the right one is sound). There will also be an integrated thermometer, accelerometer, and optical sensor. This gives you all your vitals and steps as you're out and about. As for calls, the Dash will also have a built-in bone conduction mic (is this starting to sound fanciful yet?). There is also a 100mAh battery in each bud.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="2014-02-11 16_21_14-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" height="185" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-02-11-16_21_14-The-Dash-Wireless-Smart-In-Ear-Headphones-by-BRAGI-LLC.-Kickstarter_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2014-02-11 16_21_14-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" width="400" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;">  <img alt="2014-02-11 16_23_08-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" height="163" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-02-11-16_23_08-The-Dash-Wireless-Smart-In-Ear-Headphones-by-BRAGI-LLC.-Kickstarter_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2014-02-11 16_23_08-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" width="319" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The buds are supposed to be ergonomic and stay jammed in your ears. If not, these things aren't going to last long. If one tumbles out, there's nothing to keep it from hitting the ground. The Dash will support Android at launch, which is supposedly in October or November of 2014. If you want to take a chance that these headphones are going to live up to the promise, the $199 deal is still open. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="2014-02-11 16_21_41-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" height="274" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_2014-02-11-16_21_41-The-Dash-Wireless-Smart-In-Ear-Headphones-by-BRAGI-LLC.-Kickstarter_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2014-02-11 16_21_41-The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones by BRAGI LLC. — Kickstarter" width="640" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>[<a class="external" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hellobragi/the-dash-wireless-smart-in-ear-headphones" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>]</em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me228492"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: center;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">dash</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">earphones</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">headphones</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">kickstarter</a> </div> </div>

The Dash Completely Wireless In-Ear Headphones Blow Past Kickstarter Goal In 3 Days

Kickstarter campaigns are sometimes guilty of overpromising, but if the just funded Dash in-ear headphones can get even close to wha...

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Google Voice Search Now Allows You To Make Calls Or Send Texts Based On Relationships With Contacts (Eg, "Call Mom")

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_unnamed-1_thumb5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="unnamed (1)" border="0" height="150" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_unnamed-1_thumb5.png" style="display: inline;" title="unnamed (1)" width="150" /></a></div> <div class="post_thumb"> <div class="post_thumb_clean"> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> On the official Google... <a class="external" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+google/posts/BJpMZupwE1d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google+ page</a>, Google announced today that the newest version of Search for Android will now allow you to call or text contacts merely by uttering their relationship to you.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> For example, saying "call Mom" will now begin a telephone call to whichever contact you've marked as having that relationship to you. If you've merely put in "Mom" as a contact, Google will just call that. However, if you don't yet have a contact marked, an interface allowing you to select the person you want to associate with that relationship will then appear. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem there's any kind of interface for managing these relationships just yet. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Call Mom" height="400" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/nexusae0_Call-Mom_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="Call Mom" width="299" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> So far, the feature supports the standard extended family designations (at least in English, it seems the feature is limited in geographic scope at launch) and relationships  - father / dad, mother / mom, brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, grandmother / grandma, grandfather / grandpa, wife, husband, girlfriend, and boyfriend. There may be more, of course. For those relationships with more than one possible designation, saying either form will complete the action. In-laws and step-relatives don't yet appear to be supported, or cousins three-times removed. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The feature shouldn't require any update to the version of Search on your phone - this has been enabled on the backend by Google. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em><a class="external" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+google/posts/BJpMZupwE1d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google+</a></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me228470"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/google-now-call-relatives/" rel="tag">google now call relatives</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/google-search-call-mom/" rel="tag" title="">google search call mom</a> </div> </div>

Google Voice Search Now Allows You To Make Calls Or Send Texts Based On Relationships With Contacts (Eg, "Call Mom")

On the official Google... Google+ page , Google announced today that the newest version of Search ...

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Google Releases New Tools For Game Developers: 2D Physics Library And Play Games Plugin For Unity

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="post_thumb"> <div class="post_thumb_clean"> </div> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Google-Play-Games-logo_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google-Play-Games-logo" border="0" height="134" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Google-Play-Games-logo_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="Google-Play-Games-logo" width="150" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Today, in a <a class="external" href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2013/12/new-tools-to-take-your-games-to-next.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">post</a> on the Android Developers Blog, Google announced two new tools that might be of interest to quite a few of the game developers out there. Among the releases is a new open-source 2D physics library called LiquidFun and a Unity plugin for adding Google Play Games support. These releases coincide with the news of additional game categories coming to the Play Store in February, which <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/12/10/the-google-play-store-will-add-expanded-game-categories-in-february-2014/">we covered</a> earlier today.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a class="external" href="http://google.github.io/liquidfun/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LiquidFun</a> is a rigid-body physics library that does particularly well with fluid mechanics. It's based on <a class="external" href="http://box2d.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Box2D</a>, a popular open-source 2D physics engine written in C++ that has found its way onto <a class="external" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box2D" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">quite a few platforms</a> and spawned a few similar engines over the years. Like Box2D, LiquidFun is highly portable and already has support and sample code for Android, Linux, OS X, and Windows.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> For the Unity developers in the audience, you can be pretty excited for the new Google Play Games plugin. In this first release, the plugin adds access to the Google Play Games API for sign-in, achievements, leaderboards, and cloud saves. Both Android and iOS are already supported, and this code is also <a class="external" href="https://github.com/playgameservices/play-games-plugin-for-unity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">open-source</a>. Given the popularity of Unity, this should lead to a significant uptake in the number of games sporting the Play Games badge.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> If you're interested in using either of these tools, start up your IDEs and check out either projects' github repositories for more details!</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: </em><a class="external" href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2013/12/new-tools-to-take-your-games-to-next.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Android Developers Blog</em></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217298"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Box2D</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">c#</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">development</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Games</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">LiquidFun</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">open source</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">sdk</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">source code</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">unity</a> </div> </div>

Google Releases New Tools For Game Developers: 2D Physics Library And Play Games Plugin For Unity

Today, in a post on the Android Developers Blog, Google announced two new tools that might be of...

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Black 32 GB Nexus 5 Back In Stock At US Google Play Store, Shipping In 1-2 Days [Updated]

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="image" height="322" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_image_thumb24.png" title="image" width="640" />Following on the heels of the white 32 GB Nexus 5, the black 32 GB version is now in stock on the US Google Play Store, leaving the warehouse in 1-2 days. If you weren't able to get your hands on a black 32 GB Nexus 5 originally, now's your chance. If you're in the market for a new phone, the Nexus 5 is certainly an attractive option with its hefty hardware specs and comparatively low price. In case you need a refresher, here's what $399 buys for you: </div> <ul style="text-align: center;"> <li>Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.26 GHz </li> <li>2 GB of RAM </li> <li>32 GB of storage </li> <li>8 megapixel rear camera / 1.3 megapixel front camera </li> <li>4.95" 1920x1080 display (445 ppi) full HD display </li> <li>Unlockable bootloader </li> <li>Android 4.4/KitKat with updates direct from Google </li> <li>Carrier-unlocked and compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, and <a class="external" href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/bg81efolfn26C3849B243ABA6A6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Sprint">Sprint</a>. </li> </ul> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Since the darling of Android power users is yours for the picking, this would probably be a good time to read our Nexus 5 review, as well. Get them while they're hot!</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Update 12/11/13 7:54pm PT</strong>: The Play Store already shows "Leaves warehouse by December 13, 2013." You guys are quick.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: <a class="external" href="https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_5_black_32gb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217302"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/4g-lte/" rel="tag" title="">4g LTE</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/android-4-4/" rel="tag">android 4.4</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/att/" rel="tag">AT&T</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/cdma/" rel="tag">CDMA</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/gsm/" rel="tag">gsm</a> nexus 5 <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/sprint/" rel="tag">Sprint</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/t-mobile/" rel="tag" title="">T-Mobile</a> </div> </div>

Black 32 GB Nexus 5 Back In Stock At US Google Play Store, Shipping In 1-2 Days [Updated]

Following on the heels of the white 32 GB Nexus 5, the black 32 GB version is now in stock on the US Google Play Store, leaving the ware...

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Plants Vs. Zombies 2 Gets A Massive Update With Turbo Mode, A New World, Gigantic Zombies, And No More Stars Or Gates

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-10-23-22.57.31_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2013-10-23 22.57.31" border="0" height="199" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-10-23-22.57.31_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-10-23 22.57.31" width="332" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Plants vs. Zombies 2 came out a few weeks ago with a lot of new gameplay mechanics and some in-app purchases. I didn't have a serious issue with most of the monetization in the game, but Pop Cap has just pushed an update that adds a ton of features and does away with a big chunk of the in-app purchase features. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span id="more-217353"></span> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> For whatever reason, Pop Cap included a somewhat vague changelog that doesn't fully explain how huge the changes are. Here's what it has to say: </div> <div class="note" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="notetip"> <ul> <li>We've upgraded the map to make game progression quicker and easier.</li> <li>It's simpler to know how much you've done, where you're going, and what loot you'll get along the way.</li> <li>You can invite your friends and send ‘em gifts.</li> <li>Use the Turbo button to speed up your planting – and speed up the zombies.</li> <li>Be warned: when we were upgrading the map, somebody let in the Gargantuars.</li> </ul> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Let's start with that map – when they said "upgraded" they meant "completely scrapped the old one." All the gates in the original maps are gone and there are no more keys. The new maps are completely linear and you can access everything without farming keys or paying money. If you had unused keys saved up, the game will automatically award you coins for them. The stars that control access to new worlds are also gone – when you finish all the stages, you move on to the next world. </div> <div style="text-align: center;">  <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="2013-12-12 03.56.26"><img alt="2013-12-12 03.56.26" height="199" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-12-12-03.56.26_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-12-12 03.56.26" width="318" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> ^{Left: Old map, Right: New map}</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> While the new maps are much simpler, you will have gaps in the levels if you've played through any of the game. This is because the designers had to integrate all the gated off sections of the maps into a single path. That means some things you unlocked before might need to be earned again, and it might be harder this time. See, some of those side tracks were really difficult, and now you have to go through each stage to advance. The jury's still out on whether or not this was a good idea. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> There's also some legitimately new stuff, like the turbo button. Press this to speed up time and get through the boring opening minute of gameplay. Then there are the Gargantuars. These behemoths show up in each world via special levels. As you might be able to gather, they're giant zombies. They look like this:</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="2013-12-12 03.49.48" height="250" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-12-12-03.49.48_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-12-12 03.49.48" width="400" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> There is also a fourth world now, which comes after the wild west one. It's silhouetted in the map selector with a bunch of question marks, but it's pretty obviously a futuristic scifi thing. Neat. Still want more? Okay, it has a winter-themed icon now too. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="2013-12-12 04.14.07" height="250" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-12-12-04.14.07_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-12-12 04.14.07" width="400" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="2013-12-12 03.43.10" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-12-12-03.43.10_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-12-12 03.43.10" width="320" /> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="2013-12-12 03.44.46"><img alt="2013-12-12 03.44.46" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2013-12-12-03.44.46_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="2013-12-12 03.44.46" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Just to be clear, this is still a free-to-play game – there is a store with extra coins, power ups, and plants. While it's more straightforward to unlock things, the addition of the Gargantuars and single path might be rough at times. </div> <div class="pb-app-box" data-lang="en" data-theme="discover" data-title="Plants vs. Zombies 2" id="pb_app_box_0" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="pb-app-widget-discover "> <div class="pb-wd-controls"> <div class="pb-wd-icon"> <img alt="Plants vs. Zombies™ 2" src="http://d2lh3rxs7crswz.cloudfront.net/com.ea.game.pvz2_na.png" /></div> <div class="pb-wd-controls"> <div class="pb-wd-data-title "> Plants vs. Zombies™ 2</div> <div class="pb-wd-data-ratings"> <span class="pb-wd-rating-4">87,838 ratings</span></div> <div class="pb-wd-data-sup-info"> by <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Electronic+Arts+Inc" target="blank">Electronic Arts Inc</a><br />1,000,000 - 5,000,000 downloads</div>  <div class="pb-wd-controls-inst "> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.game.pvz2_na&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3DPlayboard%26utm_medium%3DWidgetWeb%26utm_campaign%3DPlayboard" target="_blank">Install (FREE)</a></div> </div>  <div class="pb-wd-controls-inst "> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.game.pvz2_row&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3DPlayboard%26utm_medium%3DWidgetWeb%26utm_campaign%3DPlayboard" target="_blank">Install (FREE)</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="pb-app-box" data-lang="en" data-theme="discover" data-title="Plants vs. Zombies 2" id="pb_app_box_1" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="pb-app-widget-discover "> <div class="pb-app-widget-table"> <div class="pb-wd-footer">  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217353"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: center;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">Games</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">in-app purchases</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">plants vs zombies 2</a> </div> </div>

Plants Vs. Zombies 2 Gets A Massive Update With Turbo Mode, A New World, Gigantic Zombies, And No More Stars Or Gates

Plants vs. Zombies 2 came out a few weeks ago with a lot of new gameplay mechanics and some in-app purchases. I didn't have a seriou...

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CyanogenMod 11 Nightlies Now Available For The LG G Pad 8.3, But Don't Try Flashing It On The Google Play Edition Yet

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="post_thumb"> <div class="post_thumb_clean"> </div> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_cmthumb_thumb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cmthumb" border="0" height="150" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_cmthumb_thumb1.png" style="display: inline;" title="cmthumb" width="150" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Would you look at that. Just one day after the Google Play Edition of LG's G Pad 8.3 went on sale, the CyanogenMod team gets an Android 4.4 build out for the standard retail version. A new CyanogenMod 11 nightly is available for the "<a class="external" href="http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=v500" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">L</a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> G V500." </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a class="fancybox" href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_g-pad-83.png" rel="fancybox" title="g pad 83"><img alt="g pad 83" height="104" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_g-pad-83_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="g pad 83" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> But if you're planning on flashing this to your shiny new Google Play Edition tablet, you should hold off. <a class="external" href="https://plus.google.com/+CyanogenMod/posts/7ua2uNs4zSJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CyanogenMod team member Ricardo Cerqueira</a> says that the retail V500 build won't work on the G Pad 8.3 GPE, model number V510. The team will need to modify the installation procedure in order to get everything squared away, though I doubt it will take them long. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> CM 11, based on the AOSP Android 4.4 code, is only a couple of weeks old itself. It hasn't made it to the full list of devices officially supported by the custom ROM, though all the Nexus devices currently being updated in AOSP have been given more stable M builds. Buyers of the new Google Play Edition of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra will be happy to know that CyanogenMod already supports the retail version of that phone, though it's still on CyanogenMod 10.2 (Android 4.3). The GPE Z Ultra will probably need the same modifications. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> You can download the one G Pad 8.3 build on CyanogenMod's download page, though of course you'll need a custom recovery like ClockworkMod or TWRP to flash it. Remember that if you want access to the Google Play Store and other Google services, you'll also need to flash the <a class="external" href="http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Gapps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">separate Gapps package</a>. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: <a class="external" href="http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=v500" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get.CM</a></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217339"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">android 4.4</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">custom ROM</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">CyanogenMod 11</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">G Pad 8.3</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">LG</a> </div> </div>

CyanogenMod 11 Nightlies Now Available For The LG G Pad 8.3, But Don't Try Flashing It On The Google Play Edition Yet

Would you look at that. Just one day after the Google Play Edition of LG's G Pad 8.3 went on sal...

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Google Search App Update (v3.1.24) Fixes Overlapping Icons On Tablets And Changes The Settings Icon [APK Download]

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-21-58_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-21-58" border="0" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-21-58_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-21-58" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Heads up, Android users: there's a Google Search update that just landed in the Play Store. Google's tendency for staged rollouts means that some of you might not get an automatic update for a few days, but as usual, we've got the APK download below. There are a few noticeable visible changes in the integrated Google Experience Launcher, but that's about it as far as new features go. This is an incremental update after the massive 3.1.8 update from last month. <a class="toc-anchor" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="whats-new"></a></div> <h3 style="text-align: center;"> What's New? </h3> <div style="text-align: center;"> The tricky thing about combining your search and homescreen apps is that now you've got two new things to maintain. A few Nexus tablet users discovered this after updating to Android 4.4 and finding that the fancy new homescreen had a few issues, notably that the icons and integrated search bar will overlap. The latest update to Search in the Play Store moves the search function to a more subtle icon on the left edge.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-17-48" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-17-48_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-17-48" width="320" /> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Old on the left, new on the right.</em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Other changes include slightly larger icons on the homescreen, at least for some devices, and the "Settings" icon that appears after a long-press on an empty region of the homescreen has been modified to one gear instead of two. It's more in line with the adjusted aesthetic in KitKat.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Screenshot_2013-12-11-17-10-22" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Screenshot_2013-12-11-17-10-22_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="Screenshot_2013-12-11-17-10-22" width="320" /> <img alt="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-56-55" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-56-55_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="Screenshot_2013-12-11-16-56-55" width="320" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Our indefatigable teardown team has noticed a few changes in the strings.xml file, most of which look like they're associated with the contact recognition feature. This allows Google Now to more easily associate voice commands with contact names for calls, texts, and the like.</div> <div class="fancy_blockquote" style="text-align: center;"> <blockquote> <string name="contact_opt_in_learn_more_url">https://support.google.com/mobile/?p=gqsb_contact_recognition</string>;<br /> <string name="contact_upload_for_communication_actions_title">Contact recognition</string><br /> <string name="contact_upload_for_communication_actions_desc">"Let Google use your device contacts to understand who you're trying to reach"</string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_header_opted_in">"Contact recognition enabled Touch the mic to get started"</string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_up_arrow">↑</string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_header_not_opted_in">Improve contact recognition</string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_prompt">To complete this voice action, Google needs to use your device contacts. &lt;font color=#4285f4>Learn more&lt;/font></string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_no">No, maybe later</string><br /> <string name="contact_opt_in_yes">"YES, I'M IN"</string><br /> </blockquote> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> This feature has been around for a while, so there aren't any new technical capabilities on display. Contact recognition is on by default in the US, so we're guessing that these additions describe a pop-up menu that's only enabled in certain regions where local privacy law requires it. See <a class="external" href="https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/4367425?p=gqsb_contact_recognition&rd=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this page in Google Now support</a> for details (those settings aren't visible to US users). The opt-in features may not even be enabled yet, but there are many more mentions throughout the underpinnings of the updated app.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Update: </strong>commenter <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/12/11/google-search-app-update-v3-1-24-fixes-overlapping-icons-on-tablets-and-changes-the-settings-icon-apk-download/#comment-1159539708">Jooyoung Hong</a> has seen the info above in the form of a new Google Now card. He's in the United States, so I guess that dashes our regional theory. Thanks, Jooyoung! </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="original" height="320" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_original_thumb2.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="original" width="179" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> These seem to be the only major changes in the app, but we're combing through the rest of the code. We'll let you know if we find anything juicy.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a class="toc-anchor" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="download"></a></div> <h3 style="text-align: center;"> Download</h3> <div style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; text-align: center;"> <ins style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: inline-table; height: 280px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"><ins id="aswift_0_anchor" style="background-color: transparent; border: none; display: block; height: 280px; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 336px;"></ins></ins></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>File name</strong>: com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox-3.1.24.941712.arm.apk</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Version</strong>: Android 4.1+</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>MD5</strong>: 33f99ddd60a112ee5be0337d02d64927</div> <ul style="text-align: center;"> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23252070760975186" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Android Police mirror #1</a> </li> <li><a class="external" href="http://d-h.st/WRC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Android Police mirror #2</a> </li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/u3ir1ce1oi7fq9m/com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox-3.1.24.941712.arm.apk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Android Police mirror #3</a> </li> </ul> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Thanks, <a class="external" href="https://twitter.com/TheNewsHQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@TheNewsHQ</a> and Steven Zeck! </em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217319"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">apk</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">app update</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">download</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">GEL</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Google experience launcher</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">google now</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">google search</a> </div> </div>

Google Search App Update (v3.1.24) Fixes Overlapping Icons On Tablets And Changes The Settings Icon [APK Download]

Heads up, Android users: there's a Google Search update that just landed in the Play Store. Google's tendency for staged rol...

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Google+ Expands Sign-In Options And Adds Support For Requesting Permissions As Needed

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_incr_auth_blog1_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="incr_auth_blog1" border="0" height="217" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_incr_auth_blog1_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="incr_auth_blog1" width="640" /></a>The presence of Google+ is definitely growing as it continues to become a significant part of how we interact with many of Google's services. Early this year, the social network <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/02/26/google-intros-google-sign-in-simple-and-secure-minus-the-social-spam/" title="">branched out</a> to become a sign-in solution for virtually any kind of app or website. With an <a class="external" href="http://googleplusplatform.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/google-sign-in-improvements11.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">announcement</a> yesterday, Google+ is now set up to accept sign-ins from Google Apps users and accounts without an actual Google+ profile. If that weren't good enough, the permission system has been greatly improved to support "incremental auth," which allows apps and websites to request only vital permissions to begin using them, and then ask for new permissions once the user is logged in.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The <a class="external" href="https://developers.google.com/+/api/oauth#incremental" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incremental auth</a> feature is particularly great because it reduces the number of permissions a user has to hand over before getting started with an app. This means you might be initially asked for as little as an email address or basic profile information, but once inside, the app can prompt you for greater access when it's needed. If used correctly, this should help to give users more context about how a permission would be used, like a music service asking to check your YouTube history to determine what you listen to.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Of course, developers will have to choose to implement incremental auth, so we may be waiting a while for it to become common place. However, It's likely users will learn to be wary of apps that ask for too much up front, which should help to motivate lazy or opportunistic developers to adjust. Additionally, competitors like Facebook will probably feel some pressure to offer similar capabilities to reduce up-front requirements and generally appease privacy concerns. Now if we could just add this to the Android permission system...<em><hint> <hint></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="incr_auth_blog2" height="168" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_incr_auth_blog2_thumb.png" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px;" title="incr_auth_blog2" width="320" /><img alt="4.auth2" height="194" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_4.auth2_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="4.auth2" width="284" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> In a move that should also make some users happy, Google+ Sign-in can now accept almost any Google account. Those with Google Apps accounts or anybody who has resisted creating a Google+ profile are now able to use those accounts to access apps and sites through the standard sign-in mechanism. Naturally, if there is no attached Google+ profile or if it's a Google Apps for Business account with disabled social features, a number of apps and sites will probably still turn you away. Regardless, this can be useful for anything that simply needs the login token and basic info.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> To ease the adoption of Google+ Sign-in, the <a class="external" href="https://developers.google.com/+/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">developer portal</a> includes simple <a class="external" href="https://developers.google.com/+/api/auth-migration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">migration instructions</a> to help transition from OpenID v2 or OAuth 2.0. With the latest update, Google+ can also be configured to enable compliance with the <a class="external" href="http://openid.net/connect/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OpenID Connect</a> protocol, which allows users without a Google account to sign in with other compatible providers.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> This announcement brings a more flexible set of sign-in options for Google+ and should lead to a more trustworthy experience for anybody concerned with privacy. Overall, it sounds like pretty good news for everybody.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Thanks, <a class="external" href="https://plus.google.com/+DavidJonesBosh/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Jones</a>!</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: </em><a class="external" href="http://googleplusplatform.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/google-sign-in-improvements11.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Google+ Developers Blog</em></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217374"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: center;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">development</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">google apps</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">google apps for business</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Google Plus</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">google+ sign in</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">incremental auth</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">incremental permissions</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">oauth</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">OpenID</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">OpenID Connect</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">permissions</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">sign in</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">social</a> </div> </div>

Google+ Expands Sign-In Options And Adds Support For Requesting Permissions As Needed

The presence of Google+ is definitely growing as it continues to become a significant part of how we interact with many of Google's ...

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Watch Maker Android USA's Smartwatch Now Available On Touch Of Modern For $199, 'Half Off'

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_androidsite_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="androidsite" border="0" height="259" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_androidsite_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="androidsite" width="400" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Last month we told you about Android USA (that's an American company that makes wristwatches, and has nothing to do with the Android OS or Google) preparing their own branded smartwatch, which may or may not also run Android. Well Android's smartwatch is <a class="external" href="https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales/sophisticated-smartwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">now available on the designer deal site Touch Of Modern</a>, and it's already 50% off. Sort of. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="androidwatch" height="225" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_androidwatch_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="androidwatch" width="400" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> See, Android USA still isn't technically selling the smartwatch on its own yet - all five colors of the watch are still in the pre-order stage on Android's web store, so Touch Of Modern is technically the exclusive retailer at the moment. I say technically because the deal site doesn't use a conventional shipping model, and it'll be 3-4 weeks before the watches actually go out to customers. (All watches will ship when the initial "sale" ends on December 16th.) If you want to order one, you'll also need a Touch Of Modern account - the site is one of those newfangled invite-only stores, but they seem to let just about everyone in via <a class="external" href="http://www.touchofmodern.com/i/ZL0LHG1M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the standard signup page</a>. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Then there's the price. If you look on <a class="external" href="http://www.android-usa.com/product-p/ad721bw.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.android-usa.com/product-p/ad721brg.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">USA's</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.android-usa.com/product-p/ad721bbu.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pre</a>-<a class="external" href="http://www.android-usa.com/product-p/ad721bpu.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">order</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.android-usa.com/product-p/ad721br.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pages</a>, the "Smart Watch GTS" has a retail price of $400 - higher even than Samsung's Galaxy Gear, double the price of Sony's Smart Watch 2, and not quite three times the price of the Pebble. Touch Of Modern is selling the "SmartWatch™" (really?) for $199, technically half off the MSRP, though the store lists that figure at $375. It's currently available in red, purple, or orange with a matching leather strap. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> And we still know very little about the watch and its capabilities. The Touch Of Modern listings mention a pedometer, voice memos, calculator, standard watchy stuff like a clock and calendar, and four-day battery while in "sleep mode," and the promotional videos show multiple watch faces, music control, call accept/reject and speakerphone capabilities. But we still don't know what operating system it's running, any of its internal hardware aside from a TFT screen, or if it needs any special smartphone hardware like Bluetooth 4.0. It seems like Android USA is hoping to sell this thing on its merits as a watch and not as an electronic device. The description says that the watch is 1.3cm thick, which is chunky even by the rather expansive standards of smartwatches. There is an app available - it's on Android USA's site as <a class="external" href="http://bit.ly/18blIsd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a direct APK download</a>, with a side-load necessary to get it working. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> All told, Android is asking its potential customers to take a lot on faith for $199, and a lot <em>more </em>for $400, if the phone is ever actually sold at that price. I'd say that Sony's color watch or Pebble's e-paper alternative are better picks, if only because you know what you're getting. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: <a class="external" href="https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales/sophisticated-smartwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Touch Of Modern</a></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217386"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: center;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">on sale</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">smartwatch</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">touch of modern</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">watch</a> </div> </div>

Watch Maker Android USA's Smartwatch Now Available On Touch Of Modern For $199, 'Half Off'

Last month we told you about Android USA (that's an American company that makes wristwatches, and has nothing to do with the Andro...

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Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Lands On Android With A New Level, Playable Knuckles, Online Multiplayer, And More

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_unnamed-39_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="unnamed (39)" border="0" height="185" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_unnamed-39_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="unnamed (39)" width="329" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> December 25th, 1993. A fresh-faced and (mostly) innocent little boy wakes up and rushes through his breakfast to make sure he beats his little sister to the Christmas tree. Underneath he finds four gifts: a Sega Genesis game console, RBI Baseball, Disney's Aladdin, and Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Twenty years later, that boy, no longer little and considerably less innocent, can relive countless wasted hours on a 5-inch phone screen. Sonic 2 is now in the Play Store. </div> <div style="text-align: center;">  <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="unnamed (40)"><img alt="unnamed (40)" height="185" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_unnamed-40_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="unnamed (40)" width="329" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Sonic 2 was a big deal when it launched back in the early nineties - aside from being the first sequel to the smash hit original, it introduced bigger platforming levels with more unique elements, the now-ubiquitous Spin Dash attack, and a playable second character. Miles "Tails" Prower (it took me more than a decade to see the pun) could be played separately, but if the player chose to play as Sonic he would follow along as a limited AI character, trailing Sonic and usually dying in hilarious ways. The basic structure of the original game is preserved, including challenging bosses, fantastic music, and of course, levels tuned for speed. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="unnamed (37)" height="206" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_unnamed-37_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="unnamed (37)" width="329" /> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="unnamed (38)"><img alt="unnamed (38)" height="206" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_unnamed-38_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="unnamed (38)" width="329" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The Android version of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 comes from Christian Whitehead, whose excellent work on the Sonic CD and original Sonic Android ports did not go unnoticed. This remastered version of the game includes improved graphics and audio for modern hardware, a new Boss Attack mode, two-player versus mode, achievements, and leaderboards via Google Play Games, and a playable Knuckles (from Sonic 3 and onward). Players will also have access to the Hidden Palace Zone stage, a new level that was shelved during Sonic 2's original development. Best of all, you can now find a save option in the spanking new menu, which should alleviate lingering fears of a power outage erasing your paused game. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is $2.99 in the Play Store, and it's compatible with devices running Android 2.3 and up. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Via <a class="external" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joystiq</a></em></div> <div class="pb-app-box" data-lang="en" data-theme="discover" data-title="Sonic The Hedgehog 2" id="pb_app_box_0" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="pb-app-widget-discover "> <div class="pb-app-widget-table"> <div class="pb-wd-icon"> <img alt="Sonic The Hedgehog 2" src="http://d2lh3rxs7crswz.cloudfront.net/com.sega.sonic2.png" /></div> <div class="pb-wd-controls"> <div class="pb-wd-data-title "> Sonic The Hedgehog 2</div> <div class="pb-wd-data-ratings"> <span class="pb-wd-rating-45">6,441 ratings</span></div> <div class="pb-wd-data-sup-info"> by <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=SEGA+of+America" target="blank">SEGA of America</a><br />100,000 - 500,000 downloads</div>  <div class="pb-wd-controls-inst "> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sega.sonic2&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3DPlayboard%26utm_medium%3DWidgetWeb%26utm_campaign%3DPlayboard" target="_blank">Install ($2.99)</a></div> </div> <div class="pb-wd-footer">  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217399"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/classic-games/" rel="tag" title="">classic games</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/games/" rel="tag">Games</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/genesis/" rel="tag">genesis</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/port/" rel="tag">port</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/sega/" rel="tag">sega</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/sonic/" rel="tag">sonic</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/sonic-2/" rel="tag">sonic 2</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/sonic-the-hedgehog/" rel="tag" title="">sonic the Hedgehog</a> </div> </div>

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Lands On Android With A New Level, Playable Knuckles, Online Multiplayer, And More

December 25th, 1993. A fresh-faced and (mostly) innocent little boy wakes up and rushes through his breakfast to make sure he beats hi...

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Google Updates Zagat With A New Tablet UI, More Locations, Street View Integration, And More

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="2"><img alt="2" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_2_thumb3.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="2" width="217" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> People didn't always hate Zagat, but Google's new vision for the iconic restaurant review guide has not been widely accepted. The service became free, but Google also revamped it and limited the number of cities it tracked. The new update makes some tweaks to the app and expands the supported cities, but it's probably not going to do much to improve the app's 2.4 star rating. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="1" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_1_thumb3.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="1" width="217" />  <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="3"><img alt="3" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_3_thumb5.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="3" width="217" /></a><a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="4"><img alt="4" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_4_thumb3.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="4" width="320" /></a> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="5"><img alt="5" height="200" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_5_thumb3.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="5" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span id="more-217427"></span> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Here's the changelog for the new update:</div> <div class="note" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="notetip"> <ul> <li>Great new layout for tablets</li> <li>Many more locations, including New Jersey, Miami, Houston, Long Island</li> <li>Easy access to Zagat ratings and reviews, right from the home screen</li> <li>Shopping and Hotel ratings and reviews</li> <li>Google Street View panoramas</li> <li>Numerous bug fixes and improvements</li> </ul> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="6" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_6_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="6" width="217" /> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="7"><img alt="7" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_7_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="7" width="217" /></a> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="8"><img alt="8" height="136" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_8_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="8" width="217" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="9" height="320" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_9_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="9" width="179" /> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="10"><img alt="10" height="320" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_10_thumb.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="10" width="179" /></a> <a class="fancybox" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="fancybox" title="11"><img alt="11" height="320" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_11_thumb1.jpg" style="display: inline;" title="11" width="179" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> The update reportedly makes much better use of Google Maps on tablets, but there are some tweaks for phones too. The Street View integration includes panoramas of the inside of the establishment, if available. There are still some gaps in the data provided by the new Zagat, but it's getting better with each update. </div> <div class="pb-app-box" data-lang="en" data-theme="discover" data-title="Zagat" id="pb_app_box_0" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="pb-app-widget-discover "> <div class="pb-app-widget-table"> <div class="pb-wd-icon"> <img alt="Zagat" src="http://d2lh3rxs7crswz.cloudfront.net/com.google.zagat.png" /></div> <div class="pb-wd-controls"> <div class="pb-wd-data-title "> Zagat</div> <div class="pb-wd-data-ratings"> <span class="pb-wd-rating-25">1,209 ratings</span></div> <div class="pb-wd-data-sup-info"> by <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Google+Inc." target="blank">Google Inc.</a><br />100,000 - 500,000 downloads</div>  <div class="pb-wd-controls-inst "> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zagat&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3DPlayboard%26utm_medium%3DWidgetWeb%26utm_campaign%3DPlayboard" target="_blank">Install (FREE)</a></div> </div> <div class="pb-wd-footer">  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217427"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/app-updates/" rel="tag" title="">app updates</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/apps/" rel="tag">apps</a> <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/tags/zagat/" rel="tag" title="">zagat</a> </div> </div>

Google Updates Zagat With A New Tablet UI, More Locations, Street View Integration, And More

People didn't always hate Zagat, but Google's new vision for the iconic restaurant review guide has not been widely accepted. ...

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C Spire's Galaxy S III Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Support Via OTA Update To Software Version L710WWAMK4

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_GalaxySIII-Thumb_thumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="GalaxySIII-Thumb" border="0" height="150" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_GalaxySIII-Thumb_thumb.png" style="display: inline;" title="GalaxySIII-Thumb" width="150" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="post_thumb"> <div class="post_thumb_clean"> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Galaxy S4s running on the C Spire Wireless network started receiving OTA updates to Android 4.3 a week ago, bringing the devices up to the latest version of Jelly Bean. Now Samsung's older flagship is having its day in the sun. C Spire customers with Galaxy S IIIs are now getting the Galaxy Gear compatibility that has been rolling out to Samsung's high-end devices since the launch of the Galaxy Note 3. </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="CSpire" height="315" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nexusae0_CSpire_thumb1.png" style="display: inline;" title="CSpire" width="640" /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> Aside from Android 4.3 and Galaxy Gear Compatibility, users are looking at speed improvements and general enhancements distributed across Samsung's assortment of pre-installed apps.</div> <div class="note" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="notetip"> What's new:<br /> <ul> <li>Galaxy Gear Compatibility </li> <li>Premium Suite Features </li> <li>PEN. UP </li> <li>Group Play 2.5 </li> <li>Multi-Window (Note 3 Version) </li> <li>Camera - Sound & Shot </li> <li>Group Messaging </li> <li>Samsung Link Preload </li> <li>New Easy Mode </li> <li>Samsung Apps</li> </ul> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> These features are rolling out under build number<strong> </strong>L710WWAMK4. If it hasn't yet hit your device, just give it a bit. It's on its way.</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>Source: <a class="external" href="http://www.samsung.com/us/support/SupportOwnersFAQPopup.do?faq_id=FAQ00050073&fm_seq=55045" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Samsung</a></em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="pvc_count_me217434"></span></div> <div class="multi_page_links" style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="post_tags" style="text-align: left;"> Tags:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag" title="">Android 4.3</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Galaxy Gear</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">galaxy s iii</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">ota update</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">Samsung</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">update</a> </div> </div>

C Spire's Galaxy S III Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Support Via OTA Update To Software Version L710WWAMK4

Galaxy S4s running on the C Spire Wireless network started receiving OTA updates to Android 4.3 a w...

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