Episode 70 – I Now Pronounce You Man and Droid

By | November 22, 2011
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Androids

Image by etnyk via Flickr

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, this episode is not sponsored by anyone. Guru plays with a Kindle Fire and we announce a special extra live show next week on Tuesday at 9:30AM Eastern.

Why not tune in live? More and more people are doing so each week. Participate in the live chatroom and get your questions in.

Show Notes

android

Image by Saad Irfan via Flickr

  • Throw an Android Themed Wedding?
  • Judge Rules Law Enforcement Must Have a Warrant to Access your Location Data. The government’s argument for warrantless access to cellular data records claims that the Stored Communication Act eliminates the need for a warrant or probable cause on the idea that users give up a certain amount of privacy rights (all of them) when they sign up for service from a 3rd part company like as carrier.
  • New Lithium Ion Technology Could Allow for 10x Boost in Battery Life
  • App News
    • Adobe Flash doesn’t support Android 4.0, but will despite Adobe advising it will discontinue mobile support
    • Occupy Flash campaign urges users to uninstall Adobe Flash plugin 
    • The Game of Life now available for Android. ($4.99 Market Link)
    • Amazon Instant Video app ripped from Kindle Fire
    • A Charlie Brown Christmas now available for Android phone or tablet. (Market Link)
    • Flash arrives in native version of Firefox for Android 
    • Evernote for Android updated, adds notebook sharing, further Skitch integration, and widget app (Market Link)
    • Swiftkey X keyboard updated with new language support, multitouch typing.
    • Lock Down Important Apps with Ultimate App Guard. Some concerns you can kill the app long enough to uninstall it. (Market Link) 
    • Google Music out of beta. New Google Music app in Market, Market supports Music sales. (Market Link)
    • Youtube App updated, adds annotations, a +1 button, video editing, and a Watch Later queue. 
    • Adobe releases six Touch apps for Android. 
    • Eventbrite releases app to help organizers admit people to Eventbrite events. (Market Link)
    • Price Check by Amazon, offers Amazon price check by barcode, picture, speaking the product name, type, and buy from the app. Unsure of why you need this separately from the Amazon.com app.
    • CNNMoney App now available. (Market Link)
    • Google Voice updated, now supports multiple text recipients, prefetching voicemail for offline access, notification improvements. 
    • Delta Air Lines Android app updated with baggage tracking and fleet info. (Market Link)
    • Update on OpenSchedule 2.0 – focus on User Account Management, allowing users to create an account independently, or with their Facebook, Twitter, or Google credentials. 
      • Connect these credentials plus LinkedIn and Tripit. 
      • HTML5 interface
      • Increased Security
  • Platform News
    • Motorola Stockholders Approve Merger with Google 
    • Tablet Buyers Look to Amazon over Samsung and others
    • Android Malware instances Spike, up 472% since July
    • Ice Cream Sandwich has a visual voicemail API, but no built-in app. It will be up to carriers/developers to plug into the API.
    • Google gives Steve Wozniak a Galaxy Nexus and a t-shirt
    • Dan Morrill answers some questions on file storage
      • Galaxy Nexus does not support USB Mass Storage. ICS supports it for removable storage.  
      • Onboard storage is unified between apps and media data to give more space for apps as needed, and thus only supports MTP and PTP.
      • ICS designates a directory to act as the sdcard, and implements a FUSE filesystem to mount it as if it was an external card
      • Android should never need a file manager. Internal storage is going to become more common, and likely external storage will be for import/export only. 
    • Task Killers Tested – Do they Really Increase Battery Life…No. A negligible increase on HTC Based Phones due Sense.
    • Apple adds Kindle Fire to App Store trademark lawsuit against Amazon
    • Google gets patent on Pattern Unlock Screen 
    • Chris DiBona lashes out against Mobile Antivirus Developers. 
    • Another way to turn your phone into a portable gaming device – Gametel bluetooth joystick pad with clamp to hold phone in place. 
    • Google Checkout merged into Google Wallet. 
    • FXI Introduces Cotton Candy – Dual Core Android Device inside a USB stick
  • Sprint becomes first U.S. carrier to launch Wireless Emergency Alert. Sprint customers will be able to accept SMS alerts from the president of the United States, the National Weather Service and state and local emergency operations centers based on their location. Service is opt-in. People seem concerned that it will be coopted for non-emergency purposes.
  • Guru chooses Cerberus as anti-theft measure. (Market Link). Cerberus allows remote control through webapp and text messages, incorporates the option of alerting if someone changes the SIM card in your phone. Offers tracking, alarm, remote wipe, ability to hide the app, lock the device, record audio, get a list of calls received, take a picture, etc. Can be built into custom ROM. Secondary app that can control a lost Android device by text message.
  • Announcing our End of Year Roundup. Due to Guru’s vacation, we will be prerecording a special episode. News on when the live broadcast will be forthcoming, but the episode will be released December 5th. Get your app thoughts in now, for your must-use apps.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:21 — 29.8MB)