Tiny and inexpensive micro-PCs have made their way into the market this year, and gained a lot of attention for their small yet intriguing designs and capabilities. The cheap Raspberry Pi started shipping in mid-April for just $35, and the FXI Cotton Candy is on its way. The latter, a $200 Android PC-on-a-stick, will face a new rival: the Chinese-made AllWinner A10-based system that costs only $74, and has already gone on sale online on Chinese Web sites.

Just like the FXI Cotton Candy, the AllWinner A10 mini-PC, also known as the MK802, is powered by ARM processors and supports Android 4.0 or other ARM-compatible Linux operating systems. Due to a Mali 400 GPU – the same as the Cotton Candy – the mini-PC can also output 1080p videos through HDMI.

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The MK802, however, has a less powerful, single-core 1.5GHz AllWinner A10 processor, compared to the Cotton Candy’s more powerful dual-core 1.2GHz Exynos chip. Also, while the Cotton Candy micro-PC offers 1GB of memory, the MK802 only has 512MB. The AllWinner PC does, however, offer two USB ports – one full-sized port with host support for input devices, and one micro-USB port. The gadget also includes a microSD slot for additional memory, and an internal 802.11 b/g WiFi antenna.

Another difference found between the two gadgets is that the MK802 features an HDMI port, not an HDMI plug, which means that it requires a cable or a male-to-male plug to connect to a HDTV or monitor. On the other hand, a single Cotton Candy micro-PC costs almost as much as three MK802 – a cable is quite a small price to pay.

Another thing worth mentioning is that if you purchase an MK802, as Geek.com points out, you will have to manage with your own APKs or a third-party marketplace such as the Amazon Appstore, at least for a while. The good news is that with such an appealing price tag, Android developers will likely get on board soon enough and hack the tiny stick PC in support for Google Play. In addition, cheap ARM processors, combined with the wide popularity of Google’s Android operating system have made such gadgets very appealing, and hobbyists can now benefit from more embedded computing solutions.

Article source: http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/2246/20120518/74-mk802-versus-200-fxi-cotton-candy.htm

From May 24th to June 1st, a boatload of your favorite Android games will be going on sale in celebration of pricing freedom. Because We May, a coalition of game developers that is “preparing for launch,” announced the sale recently, explaining that the purpose of the sale is to “celebrate online stores that give us control over pricing.”

The stores involved include the iOS App Store, Mac App Store, Steam, Google Play, and a few others (including a “Direct from Developer” option).

Games in the Google Play category (so far) include favorites like World of Goo, Osmos, Smuggle (and Snuggle) Truck, Canabalt HD, and 26 other great games.

Until May 22nd, Because We May will have open registration for developers looking to promote their games with the sale while celebrating the freedom to price games as they see fit. Interested developers can register here.

For a full list of games, or more information about the project, just visit Because We May’s website, linked below.

Source: Because We May

Article source: http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/18/because-we-may-coalition-of-game-developers-set-to-offer-deep-discounts-in-celebration-of-pricing-freedom/

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Imangi Studios, the developer behind the popular game Temple Run, has released an update for Temple Run for Android that promises to solve compatibility issues that users on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich have been having.

The update, in addition to shoring up the problems that ICS users have been having, comes with some other fixes that should make the game run smoother for the millions of users that have downloaded that game since launch.

The game hit the 10 million download mark in the middle of April.

This latest update is a big one and includes the following fixes:

We made all sorts of improvements and bug fixes for this release:
1) Fixed many compatibility issues with Android 4.x ICS devices
2) Fixed bug that caused low resolution textures to be used on high DPI devices
3) General bug fixes and improvement

Per usual, the developers encourage users to send in bugs so that they can tackle them in future updates.

Like the Android version another popular application, Instagram, Temple Run for Android launched plagued with bugs and compatibility issues.

Imangi Studios has done a great job of patching up the problems, much like Instagram has done for its Android application.

Right now, the game is only available for iOS and Android but a Windows Phone version may just be over the horizon. No confirmation yet but the signs are there.

Currently, the Android version of Temple Run has been downloaded almost 450,000 times and it garners a rating of four and a half stars.

In other words, it’s a great game, and worthy of checking out on the Google Play Store. After all, it’s free to play.

About the Author (Author Profile)

Adam is an editor based in San Francisco, California who loves his iPhone 3GS, iPad third-generation and Samsung Galaxy Nexus. He’s also becoming intrigued with Windows Phone. You can follow him on Twitter or reach him by email at adam@notebooks.com.

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Article source: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/05/17/temple-run-for-android-fixes-issues-with-ice-cream-sandwich/

Are you one of the over 9 million people eagerly awaiting your Samsung Galaxy S III to arrive? Even if you aren’t one of the lucky ones just yet, you might like to know that the next Galaxy already has root achieved. Are you even surprised? Samsung and the Galaxy line of devices have always been fairly easily rooted and ready to rock before launch, or darn near close to it. Boy do we love Samsung. Unfortunately the “insecure” kernel needed to gain root isn’t available just yet. Fears of it being traceable to the leaker are preventing it from hitting the masses. While this is sad news, we fully understand and don’t want anyone to get into trouble or lose their jobs. Root was achieved by Chainfire, whom many of you should know by now. He provides a lot to the Android community and has his hands in many things you probably use everyday. Check out exactly what he has to say about the whole thing.

Unfortunately, I am not able to share the “insecure” kernel with you at the moment, because of fears it is traceable to the leaker (this is said to be the last traceable firmware revision).

This root is, as expected, trivial. It was a simple matter of repacking the stock kernel, with a modified adbd binary that thinks ro.secure=0 (even if ro.secure=1). This gives access to all adb root commands (see screenshots). Then SuperSU was installed manually.

Kernel

The modification was trivial, because this time around, Samsung is using the standard boot.img format, instead of the zImage format used for SGS1, SGS2, SGNote, etc, that is much harder to repackage.

This is also why I don’t feel particularly bad about not giving you the insecure kernel – any serious dev on this board can do the same thing in 10 minutes.

Recovery

The recovery partition is also being used this time around. And thus we can flash recoveries separately from the kernel.

Bootloaders

There was no warning triangle at boot-up after flashing the modified kernel, but download mode did show a custom kernel flash counter which increased. Whether or not flashing a custom recovery also triggers this counter is as of yet unknown.

Final note

This was all tested on a current (release candidate) SGS3 firmware. There may be a newer firmware on true retail/production devices. Though some things may change, it is unlikely to change much. Let’s hope nothing 

Also, Triangle Away did not work. They have hidden the boot partitions again as on the latest SGNote firmwares.

(No, I don’t have an SGS3 yet, everything was done remotely)

Now, everybody say thanks to Samsung! I don’t always agree with them, but so far they have been the first and IMHO still are the only high-end Android OEM who aren’t complete douchebags in the unlock department!

I don’t know about you guys, but I personally love Samsung. Even if they are slow to update their devices. This news pretty much locks down the SGSIII as my next device. Anyone else even more excited now that we know root is a cake walk?

Source: XDA

Article source: http://androidspin.com/2012/05/18/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-gets-rooted-let-the-games-begin/

Article source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Temple-Run-for-Android-Update-Fixes-Android-4-0-ICS-Compatibility-Issues-270379.shtml

Amazon’s Successor Tablet Needs To Light A Fire As Shipments Slide

Trefis Team
Contributor

First quarter numbers from IDC showed that Android tablet shipments declined in Q1-12 from Q4-11, while Apple cruised ahead, reasserting dominance of the tablet market. Looking a bit deeper, we see that Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, a deviation from Google Android, is becoming dominant, and all the tablets from Samsung, Moto/Google, and other mainstream CE and PC manufacturers are losing share. This looks like a disaster for Android.

Android Tablet Market Share: Dec-11 to Feb-12; Data via Comscore.

It is a disaster for Google’s Android tablet strategy, which seems to boil down to producing a better product with much the same value proposition as Apple’s iPad. The high-end Android tablets that are positioned right against the iPad (Moto Xoom, Samsung GalaxyTablet) are losing ground. Asus, Acer, and Toshiba, which have more of a value strategy, are hanging on. The others have failed to make a mark.

However, Amazon has created a whole new market with the Kindle: defined by simpler hardware and software, $200 price point, and linkage to the Amazon content platform and brand.

There’s more to this market than the Comscore numbers show, because Comscore does not consider Barnes Noble’s Nook to be a tablet, although it’s functionality is similar to the Kindle. Other sources indicate that Nook sales are a large fraction of Kindle sales.

And, the lower-priced market is seasonal (more of a gift market) than the iPad. Analysts expected a Q1 dip in sales; it does not indicate that the category is going away.

Most important, there is a wave of competing tablets coming at the sub-$200 price point. Amazon has shown that there is demand for this class of product. The open source code for Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich) was released in late 2011. OEMs are working hard to launch new sub-$200 products based on the new OS. This produced a pause in Q1 and Q2 but will bring forth a surge of new offerings in the summer. A new wave of Chinese ODMs and CPU chip companies are entering the market with cost structures that are lower than the Taiwanese and Korean OEMs and ODMs who produce the bulk of products in the market today. They will offer products that retailers can sell well below $200 with a normal margin.

And, Amazon has created an app store and content services that many of these products will use. Amazon is, after all, primarily a content company; the Kindle is a platform for selling content. Google/Android has limited access to its content platform (“GMS” = Google Mobile Services) to a select few OEMs, the ones losing share in the chart above, in its attempt to raise the quality of Android products and directly attack Apple. This held the second tier Android OEMs back, until now.

I’m disappointed that Android tablets are not having more success in the enterprise. I expected that the highly functional and open Android OS would attract developers to build enterprise applications. This has not happened yet, and Apple has done a great job in this segment.

But, don’t count Android tablets out. A wave of new, lower-priced products are coming for the fall selling season, and the game in the enterprise is far from over.

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddhixon/2012/05/18/are-android-tablets-dead/?feed=rss_home

London, United Kingdom, May 18, 2012 –(PR.com)– Mafia Mob is multiplayer RPG in which the player starts as an ordinary gangster and then using his various skills like social networking and tactically inviting other gangsters to increase his mob size and strength and sinister moves of acquiring wealth and deadly equipment by strategically performing missions and winning fights and respects to become the Don of the Mafia world.

“We at Play Ink Studio are very hopeful on the release of Mafia Mob and believe that users would have a thrilling, real world collective gaming experience. The game is very interesting and addictive as we have put a hidden ‘Luck Factor’ in the game and the player himself does not know what might go wrong while performing some mission, just like in the real world. This also makes the game stand out of other war games of this genre,” Said Asad Mahmood CEO of the company.

“The basic purpose of the game is that players may enhance their skills of social interaction, strategic progress and teamwork and quench their dark secret desires of being powerful and dominant in this game scenario instead of the real world,” he further said philosophically.

About the Game

Main Features
· Textual based social MMORPG
· Perform Missions
· Purchase Real Estates
· Purchase Equipment
· Fight online with others
· Make your Hit lists
· Add other Gangsters to increase your mob size
· Poke other mobs
· Shout Out
· In-App CHAT or post your status on Facebook
· Game is adventurous and addictive and realistic due to Unknown RISK factor in performing missions
· Earn respects and become the Don of the Under world

More details about the game are available at company’s official website.

The Mafia Mob app is available for free from the Google App Store for android 1.6 and up smartphones, tablets and mobiles or at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playink.mafiamob

About the Company

Play Ink Studio is a social gaming brand of OziTechnology, a rising star on the vast blue skies of Android and iOS based mobile devices for different platforms. The company has established itself as one of the leading developer and publisher of apps and games for smartphones and tablet devices world-wide as it released some highly appreciated games e.g. Cup Cake Mania, Chef Cook Mania, Veggie Kung Fu and Word Search Feud etc.

For latest news, updates and more don’t hesitate to visit http://twitter.com/playinkstudio

OziTechnology was founded in 2007. It’s headquarter is situated at Hong Kong with major offices in China, Dubai and Pakistan, UK and USA. OziTechnology is focused on developing high quality, multi-platform, entertaining, thrilling and educational games exclusively for digital platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, tablets (including Apple® iOS and Android® devices), connected TVs and Consoles and Android Internet TV Box etc.

The company is concentrating to enhance its development efforts further and to provide a high quality, cross-platform mobile gaming experience to a broad range of audience all over the globe. It aims to build its own, user friendly content delivery platform, where consumers can easily find world-class, fine quality utility apps and fun games for their specific mobile device. “The logo “OziTechnolgy” is synonym for best quality fun and entertainment apps for all the digital platforms and devices,” says Usman Sheikh its CEO and founder.

To learn more, you are more than welcome on the official website of the company http://www.OziTechnology.com/

Or follow OziTechnology on twitter http://twitter.com/OziTech to know the latest updates about its activities, releases and news.

For PR inquiries:
Asad Mahmood,
info@playinkstudio.com

Contact Information:
PlayInkStudio
Asad Mahmood
779 324 2476
Contact via Email
www.PlayInkStudio.com

Click here to read the full story: Play Ink Studio – Announces Its Exciting Android-Based Action Game; Mafia Mob

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Article source: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2012/05/18/play-ink-studio-%E2%80%93-announces-its-exciting-android-based-action-game-mafia-mob

Some experienced issues logging in, and then it happened again the other night on Europe and American servers. We would like to bring your attention to a couple of Diablo 3 server status Android apps, Blizzard already has a dedicated website that delivers server status.

These apps are very good because you can now see if the server is up and running or down, at the moment the servers are up and running with no problems at all, but every now and then you will see some downtime.

The first Android app is called “Diablo 3 Server Status” by pbojinov; this is a simple app that shows you the server status in your area. The application also states that a new Auction House status coming very soon, this was released on May 16, 2012 and is ready for you to install via Google Play, comments seem promising so please let us know if you like it.

The second Google Play app is called “Diablo 3 Server Checker” by Eluamous; this one includes a home screen widget and allows users to also check the status of European, Asian Diablo 3 servers, and US. If you already have this app installed on your Android device please do use the commenting area provided below and let us know what you think.

If you have Diablo 3 and have experienced any issues with the game or server downtime, please do let us know. You may also like our previous article that covers all the best Diablo 3 apps for Android and iOS devices here.

Article source: http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/05/18/diablo-3-server-status-via-android-apps/

Kimberly Huff (MamaDroid)
Co-Founder/Editor

Reddragon72
Contributor/Gameloft Nut

Shamus Locke
News Hound/Hardware

Chris Summerfield
Game Reviewer

Jason Stengren
Game Reviewer

William Smith
Interviewer/Game Reviewer

Tom Grace
Game Reviewer

Josh Andrews
Columnist/Game Reviewer

Charan Singh
Columnist/Rom Dev

Article source: http://www.droidgamers.com/index.php/game-news/android-game-news/3760