AT&T has confirmed to Engadget that starting tomorrow, Galaxy Note 2 users on its network will be receiving an update that will bring full multi-window functionality to their devices. AT&T is the last of the big carriers in the U.S. to roll out an update with the feature to Note 2 devices, something that many specifically want the device for. The multi-window feature, if you're not familiar, lets users run two apps side-by-side which can definitely offer increased productivity options if you're trying to get a lot done. With the extra screen real estate of the Note 2, it's something that can actually work for some people.
Luckily for us, AT&T is skipping the hassle of using Kies for the update (unlike the latest for the Galaxy S3) and letting this one go out OTA (Over The Air,) just like it should. We're not sure exactly when the update will begin rolling, but you can bet the folks here in our forums will know as soon as it does.
One popular method of hitting up your favorite vBulletin forums -- including of course, the Android Central Forums -- from your Android device, is Tapatalk. While Tapatalkdoes a great job at hooking you into a pretty wide range of forums, the versions out there on public release don't include a dedicated Tablet app. There was a special version released through Samsung Apps for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, and we've known of a more general version in the works for a while now.
It seems as though the finished product is almost ready for the big time, with the release of a beta version of Tapatalk HD into the Google Play Store for all to download and try out. And, with it being a beta product, it will cease to continue working once version 1.0 hits the Play Store, estimated to be sometime in late January.
There are a few new features along for the ride, such a gallery view on larger forums -- ours included -- and push notifications. The biggest difference to anything we've seen before though, is the UI. As it's been specifically designed for use with tablets, we get a split pane view, adjustable fonts, and viewing posts fits the dimensions of a tablet display much better than Tapatalk 2.0. Grab yourselves a copy at the Play Store link above, and click on past the break for a selection of screenshots.
Happy holidays, everyone! Got some time off and looking to unwind or get away from the Christmas chaos? There a bunch of solid Android games that have steep price cuts, and we've rounded some of them up for you here. Go on, treat yourself to a few - you deserve it. Of course, if you spot anything else that's on sale, don't be shy about dropping a comment!
Plants vs. Zombies - $1.99 $0.99- Download now
The Game of Life-$4.99$0.99-Download now
Tetris-$2.99$0.99-Download now
Contre Jour-$1.99$0.99-Download now
Dead Space-$6.99$0.99-Download now
Need for Speed Most Wanted- $6.99 $0.99 -Download now
Max Payne Mobile - $2.99 $0.99- Download now
Grand Theft Auto III - $4.99$0.99 - Download now
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 -$3.99 $0.99- Download now
Sonic CD -$4.99 $0.99- Download now
Total War Battles -$4.99 $1.99- Download now
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 -$6.99 $0.99 - Download now
Jet Set Radio -$4.99 $1.99 - Download now
Wild Blood - $6.99 $0.99- Download now
Order & Chaos: Online - $6.99 $0.99- Download now
The Amazing Spider Man -$6.99$0.99- Download now
Final Fantasy -$6.99$4.99-Download now
Chaos Rings -$12.99$3.99-Download now
Chaos Rings Omega -$13.99$3.99 -Download now
ChronoTrigger -$9.99$6.99-Download now
Cut the Rope HD - $1.99 $0.99 -Download now
Cut the Rope Experiments HD - $1.99 $0.99 -Download now
Angry Birds Space HD - $2.99 $0.99- Download now
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery- $1.99- Download now
Anomaly Korea - $2.99- Download now
Mini Motor Racing - $1.99 $0.99- Download now
NeuroshimaHex -$2.99$0.99 -Download now
Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies -$6.99$2.99 -Download now
If you use Rom Manager to manage your flashing habit and curate all your CWM backups, you're going to want to take a look at the latest update. Beside the theme fixes for older devices, there is a new feature that plenty of folks are going to find useful -- a backup server built right into the app.
It's not just any backup server though. There are plenty of options out there to browse the files on your phone or tablet via Wifi. What Rom Manager is doing provides an extra handy service -- it transforms the backup files into a flashable zip file that you can flash back to your device (or any device) from ClockWorkMod Recovery.
Granted, it's always been possible to pull and share CWM backups, but the new Rom Manager update takes the confusion away and makes it easy for everyone to pull a backup file that's ready to flash, without worrying about the right folder structure or location. As Koush says, this is the first version so there may be a few quirks in it. Be sure to report any of these you may run into back to him. I just tried it, and what I'm seeing works exceptionally well. Give it a go yourself with today's update.
You might remember that we hooked with Google last week and set up some giveaways for Nexus 7 tablets and Google Play gift cards. That's the kind of awesome stuff we do around these parts, and spreading the Android love around is something we enjoy. Anyhow, back to those giveaways.
We went throughthe forums threads and picked out our winners, and here they be.
Day one (December 17): scottyhifi
Day two (December 18): randyw
Day three (December 19):Culex316
Day four (December 21):Danrarbc
Day five (December 22):lexflo
Congrats all around! Keep an eye on your inboxes, as I'm going to need to know where to send the Nexus 7s. Thanks everyone for entering, and keep an eye out for more big contests.
The first official Xperia Jelly Bean updates aren't expected until late February, but a leaked video has given us an early sneak peek at what to expect from upcoming Android 4.1-based firmwares from Sony. Vietnamese Sony community SonyViet has published a video of pre-release XperiaTL software in action, demonstrating a familiar Sony UI with some brand new features.
Among these is a new home screen launcher with new wallpapers, as well as new "Album" and "Movie" apps for photo and video content. There's also a newClearAudio+ option for improving audio quality, a feature expected to ship in the upcoming Xperia V.Despite these new additions, the overall look and feel of the UI seems mostly unchanged from current ICS-based Xperia ROMs.
Sony is expected to show off a new 5-inch, 1080p-resolution handset at CES in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks, and it's likely that similar software will be running on this new handset. The device, rumored to be called the XperiaZ, is said to pack a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU and 2GB of RAM.
'Twere the app picks before Christmas, and... we didn't pick a bunch of holiday apps. We just want to bring you the best of what we find on Google Play -- holiday or otherwise -- each and every week. We've got a bunch of different tools and a couple of games available for your enjoyment this week, with just two holiday-themed apps thrown in.
Stick around after the break and see how we did this week.
Jerry Hildenbrand - Press
Press is a great new Google Reader client from the folks at TwentyFive Squares. I've just started using it, but I can tell I've found the Google Reader client that I've been looking for. Press finds a happy medium that gives you all the content, yet formats things into a nice, easy to read package with all the right tools for the power-news-hound types.
A big part of what we do here at AC is read. We read press releases, manufacturer sites, general tech blogs, smartphone blogs -- you name it, there's probably someone here who reads it. I use Google Reader to keep track of it all. What I look for in a mobile app for my Google Reader feeds is stability, how easy it is to mark something read or unread (or star it for later), and how well it syncs for offline content. Press does all of that perfectly for me, and more. It has a great internal browser to open a feed link, customizable fonts, and a very nice image browser with pinch zooming. It also does it in a way that looks great -- both on a phone or a tablet.
Press runs on devices sporting Android 4.0 or higher, and will run you two bucks. If you like or need to read your news, it's a great purchase.
Download: Press ($1.99)
Simon Sage - Pudding Monsters
The guys that made Cut the Rope just released their next property called Pudding Monsters, and it stands to be just as mind-bending, adorable, and addictive as its classic predecessor. Players have to slide little cubes of sentient pudding across a table so they can fuse, create an amalgam monstrosity, and devour those that would devour them. In order to do so, you must slide them across a table strategically so they don't fall right off the edge. If you can make sure that three little stars are covered up when all of the pudding cubes are melded together, then you earn bragging rights. There are 75 levels right now, with more coming down the pipe shortly. The art style reminds me a little bit of Jelly Defense, that is absolutely a good thing. Be sure to give Pudding Monsters a shot - it's time well wasted.
Download: Pudding Monsters (Free) HD ($0.99)
Sean Brunett - FlightTrack
I'm sure that, like me, many of you are travelling for the holidays. When it comes to monitoring the status of flights, what gate you're supposed to be at, and everything else involving air travel, you want a reliable app. I've tried a wide variety of apps and can say that my favorite thus far is FlightTrack. It gives you a simple UI which is perfect for tracking your flight. The homepage displays whatever flights you have added for your upcoming trip, with the current status and date of them. You can click on a specific flight for more detailed information, as well as airport and weather forecasts. In addition, the app gives you easy shortcuts for searching for alternate flights, calling your airline, checking airplane seats via SeatGuru and looking at certain airport's flightboard. The app also has a Pro version for $4.99, which allows you to forward emails from sites like Tripit so that FlightTrack can automatically populate your flight details. It is a must have for travelers this holiday season.
Download: FlightTrack (Free)
Andrew Martonik - NYTimes for Android
I, like many of you, use a set of RSS feeds and a news reader to catch up on everything thats happening for most of my daily news. Sometimes you just want to browse through and see what one publication has to offer though, and for that I open up the New York Times for Android app. It has just received a notable update that has improved the overall UI and navigation experience, making it simple to browse and read. The new app does what every news app should, and thats get out of the way and let the content be the main focus.
The app is free if you just want to read the Top Stories section, but you can always sign up for a subscription if youre interested in some of the more in-depth coverage.
Download: NYTimes for Android (Free)
Chris Parsons - Christmas Clock
It's that time of year again where I decide to get a little bit jolly and dress up my device with some holiday cheer. Nothing over the top, just a little something fun and simple. This year, it's Christmas Clock -- a nice little clock that is animated throughout the day. As the sun rises, you'll see it float across your screen until it becomes the moon. That can be disabled through the settings if you wish or it can be left to run automatically.
Download: Christmas Clock ($1.00)
Richard Devine - The Snowman and the Snowdog
As a child growing up in the UK, one thing about Christmas never, ever got old. The Snowman. The animated short-film is iconic in this part of the world. A silent animation, based upon a book containing no words that was first published in 1978. The movie -- all 26 minutes of it -- was made in 1982, which makes it older than me, but yet it never gets old. 30 years on, a sequel has been made, The Snowman and the Snowdog.
And, because this is 2012, why not have an official companion app to go along with it? It's such a simple game, but the kids -- and the big kids -- will adore it. You fly around with The Snowman and his Snowdog, collecting such items as snowflakes and Christmas fairies. These in turn give you more time to fly around and enjoy the beautifully re-created 3D world of The Snowman. Eventually, if you collect enough power up items, you'll find yourself at the North Pole. I'm definitely in the big kid category here, but I love this. And it's filling the time nicely until it hits TV screens across the UK on Christmas Eve.
Download: The Snowman and the Snowdog (Free) (U.K. Only)
Alex Dobie - Action Launcher Pro
If you're after a break from the standard 'home screen-plus-app drawer' Android launchers, then you might want to check out Action Launcher Pro. Created by Chris Lacy, the brains behind Tweet Lanes, Action Launcher arranges your home screens around an action bar, which you can use to perform various tasks. Hit the 'Apps' button, or swipe across from the left, and you'll get a smooth, scrollable list of all your installed applications, and there are also handy shortcuts for voice search, Google Play, and adding shortcuts and widgets. And a new feature called "covers" allows you to use icons as both app shortcuts and folders -- tap once to open the app, or twice to open up the folder view and see other apps behind the cover.
It's still early days, but already Action Launcher is showing signs of promise. It's available on Google Play now for $3.99 in the U.S. and 2.59 in the U.K., for devices running Android 4.0.3 or higher.
