Mario live wallpaper for Android: better than a Tanooki Suit in the summer
Seriously, words cannot describe how incredibly entertained we are by this Mario Live wallpaper for Android 2.1 and above devices. All across the home and locked screen, our favorite Italian faux-plumber protagonist runs through randomly-generated levels across various themes like outside, underground, and castle. It's very customizable, allowing you to change the level's difficulty, see the alternate paths Mario's AI has plotted, and rendering the background (all at a cost to CPUs and battery life, of course).
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: 2.1, alternate-paths, battery, entry, italian, live-wallpaper, mario, mario-live, result, super-mario, tanooki, underground, video
Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for any Nexus One build? (update)
We've been receiving numerous tips over the last hour that Nexus One owners on AT&T bands are receiving an over-the-air update for Android 2.2 FRF85, otherwise known as the "bulletproofed" Froyo build . No confirmation at this point, and since you're asking, no word yet either on an update for the larger T-Mobile N1 install base (though we've had at least one report of a user on FRF50 getting the OTA today). We've pinged Google for answers, will let ya know what we hear
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone, nexus one, Other Tags: 2.2, atandt, frf85, froyo, nexus, nexusone, otherwise-known, result, rollout-begun
Sprint lines up Epic 4G against the competition, likes its chances
In case you needed any more evidence that Samsung's Epic 4G for Sprint is probably going to be awesome, you might take a gander at the competitive analysis they've prepared against the iPhone 4 , Droid Incredible , and Droid X as an ego-boosting checklist for reps prepping to sell the phone in the coming weeks. The DLNA support trumpeted, but HDMI's notably missing -- something its EVO 4G sibling has -- and it'll be up to customers to decide whether 4-inch Super AMOLED is better than 4.3-inch LCD. Unsurprisingly, the Epic will "feature" the same $10 data surcharge that the EVO has, something that we're guessing is going to end up being phased in over Sprint's entire smartphone lineup over time -- you know, kind of like those delivery service "fuel surcharges" that end up becoming permanent after a while.
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: analysis, competitive, data-surcharge, droidincredible, epic4g, fuel, fuel-surcharges, notably-missing, qwerty, samsung, sell-the-phone, sibling, slider, the-competitive
Keeping it real fake: Decca N88 borrows the timeless elegance of Sharp’s AQUOS line
We don't see a ton of Sharp cellphones 'round these parts, and fewer KIRF Sharps still. But we did get a kick out of the Decca N88 that popped up on M8 Cool recently. Featuring a 3-inch, 260k color display, dual SIMs, and support for all the usual media formats, this is pretty standard shanzhai fare.
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Verizon’s BlackBerry Bold 9650 is actually in stores now
You could order the Bold 9650 from Verizon all the way back in the early days of June -- but in case you you needed to see the phone before buying it, you've now got an opportunity (spoiler: it's exactly what you think it is in real life). As of late last week, the phone is now available in Verizon retail stores for the same $150 on contract after rebate that you'll pay online, so pick your poison -- or, you know, hold out for a Droid X , Droid Incredible , or the like if you're ready for a clean break out of the last decade. Verizon's BlackBerry Bold 9650 is actually in stores now originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:03:00 EST
Categories: BlackBerry, Mobile Phone Tags: BlackBerry, bold 9650, bold9650, decade, phone, retail, retail-stores, spoiler, stores, verizon, verizonwireless
HTC Wildfire review
If phones could make babies, then this HTC Wildfire would indubitably be the love child of the Desire and Nexus One . But of course, the humdrum reality is that 'tis just an Android 2.1 replacement for the entry-level Tattoo -- same 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor, 3.2-inch 320 x 240 capacitive LCD touchscreen instead of 2.8-inch resistive, 384MB RAM instead of 256MB, and a 5-megapixel camera instead of 3.2 (although quality matters more, obviously).
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone, nexus one Tags: affordable, after-the-break, desire, features, handset, htc wildfire, htcsenseui, mobilephone, nexus, qualcomm, result, wildfire
Kindle for Android now available
Move over, Kobo -- following the promise of a Summer launch, Amazon's Kindle app for Android is now live, bringing the usual array of features that existing Kindle users will hold near and dear: access to the Kindle store right from the app, adjustable font sizes, free book samples, and most importantly, wireless bookmark synchronization with your entire stable of Kindle-equipped devices (because we know you've all got an iPad, iPhone, and physical Kindle lying around somewhere). The app requires Android 1.6 to operate, which is going to leave a few people in the lurch -- but it's always good to have a compelling reason to upgrade hardware, is it not?
Categories: Android, Mobile Phone Tags: breaking-news, e books, e reader, entire-stable, entry, iphone, kindle, kobo, sizes, summer
Palm Pre breaks the 1GHz barrier with insane custom kernel
If you own a Pre , you like to tempt fate, and you don't faint at the mere thought of your phone melting into a nondescript heap of plastic and silicon, have we got some exciting news for you: some crazy dude with a death wish has somehow eked an honest gigahertz out of the Pre's OMAP3430 processor that normally plods along at 600MHz. Of course, this isn't the first time the phone's been overclocked, but traditionally, those overclocks have topped out around 800MHz -- so if you need serious speed and don't mind nuking your battery at a record pace, this so-called "F105 Thunderchief" kernel project is one that you're going to want to keep an eye on.
Categories: Mobile Phone Tags: crazy, custom, death, engadget, extreme, insane-custom, kernel, palm-pre, result
Unlocked HTC Hero gets Android 2.1 update — no, for real this time
False starts aside, that promised late June Android 2.1 upgrade for the GSM version of the HTC Hero is finally here -- for unlocked models, anyhow. It seems that users are being greeted with an update clocking in at nearly 80MB, and despite HTC's own warning to the contrary, apps aren't being wiped, so you should be able to undertake the endeavor pretty safely. Orange and T-Mobile versions of the phone apparently haven't yet begun to see the rollout, but the wait shouldn't be terribly long now -- meanwhile, let us know how your upgrade experience goes in comments, folks
Categories: Android, htc, Mobile Phone Tags: being-greeted, contrary, endeavor, endeavor-pretty, experience-goes, htc-hero, mobile, models, terribly-long, time, Versions
Kin One drops to $29, Two drops to $49, data plans remain silly expensive
Best Buy's already taken to offering Microsoft's Kin One for free and the Two for $49 on sale , but it looks like Verizon's officially lowering the price tag on its socialphones: the Kin One will henceforth be $29 while the Two drops to $49 for good. The ever-reliable Ina Fried at CNET says the move is a direct response to lagging sales; workers at one Verizon store told her that Kin devices are being outsold by the Palm Pre. (Ouch -- for both the Kin and the Pre.) Unfortunately, both devices will still require a $29/month or higher data plan, making their total cost of ownership about the same as Verizon's other, far more capable smartphones in the Droid line
Categories: Mobile Phone, Other Tags: direct-response, engadget, kin two, kintwo, microsoft, microsoft kin one, microsoftkinone, ownership, phone, tweens, until-verizon, will-henceforth, wises