Words With Friends for Android updated, promises "smoother game experience"

wordswithfriends
As several of you noted in the comments to our post asking for cross-platform iOS/Android games, Words With Friends for Android does not provide the smoothest gaming experience... and that's being rather charitable.

You might be happy to hear that a couple of days ago Zynga released an update which promises to solve many of the Android-specific issues, such as notifications not popping up.

Sadly, installing the update is not a smooth experience; you have to manually uninstall the previous version, and then go to the Android Market and install it. What's nice is that it doesn't lose your saved games - this screenshot shows a game I've started before the update and continued after updating.

How's the new update working out for you? Let us know in the comments!

Words With Friends for Android updated, promises "smoother game experience" originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/04/words-with-friends-for-android-updated-promises-smoother-game/

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ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs

ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobsIt's not every day that ST-Ericsson crosses our radar twice, but in addition to reportedly signing a deal with HTC for developing low-end handset chips, the company just announced its plans for a turnaround. The message? A heavier focus on SoCs for smartphones and tablets, along with a push for even more partnerships to develop those products. While that all sounds rosy, ST-Ericsson is also ceding its application processor business -- employees, R&D and all -- to STMicroelectronics. All told, between the loss of its application processor business and other reshuffling, the company expects to shed around 1,700 jobs -- and save about $320 million annually. Those bittersweet details and more await you in the press release after the break.

Continue reading ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs

ST-Ericsson to pass off application processor business to STM, cut 1,700 jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/st-ericsson-stmelectronics-job-cuts/

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iPhones smuggled back into China hidden inside beer bottles

An elderly Chinese lady was stopped at customs trying to import more than 200 iPhones hidden inside used beer bottles. The iPhones which are available for a lot less in Hong Kong were being imported into Shenzhen China.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/myM-vuqbSU8/story01.htm

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GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X

GNOME 3 desktop manager
GNOME 3, after more than two years of development, has been released into the wild. GNOME 3 is not merely the logical successor of GNOME 2: it is an entirely new project, started from scratch, to create a "completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies."

The best way to check out GNOME 3's new features -- and it has lots of new features -- is to run a live version of openSUSE or Fedora, or simply head over to the GNOME 3 website and watch the (rather pretty) introductory videos. If you want a synopsis, though, here it is: GNOME 3 looks a lot like Mac OS X, with a healthy dollop of iOSesqueness for good measure, but yet it still somehow retains an underlying feel of Linux.

The overall aesthetic is very simple, very elegant, and despite being slightly out of fashion, there are plenty of rounded corners, too. The main addition, workflow-wise, is the addition of an app-launcher-cum-alt-tab screen, where you can launch apps, or flip through your open windows. For a complete list of the new features and changes, check the GNOME 3 release notes.

Despite GNOME 3 being officially launched, there aren't actually any releases for existing, stable Linux distros -- it's the live CD/USB images, or Ubuntu users will have to wait for the launch of 11.04 for a GNOME 3 PPA, but it will break Unity in the process. Fedora users will have to wait for for the May 24 release of Fedora 15. Of course, if you're feeling crazy, you can always build GNOME 3 from source.

GNOME 3 released, ushers in an interesting amalgam of iOS and OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/gnome-3-released-ushers-in-an-interesting-amalgam-of-ios-and-os/

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Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Android Honeycomb
Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.

Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/google-holds-back-on-open-sourcing-honeycomb-heralds-shift-android/

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Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication

Mozilla Messaging, citing Mozilla's increased focus on Web-borne communications, will be reintegrating with Mozilla Labs.

The Messaging subsidiary was formed in 2008 to focus on Thunderbird, but given Mozilla Labs' current focus on identity and contact management, it now makes sense for the groups to be merged. Thunderbird will be unaffected by the change -- some URLs might change, but that's it -- and presumably Messaging's F1 and Raindrop will thrive in the Labs playground.

What this means for the end user -- for the hundreds of millions of Firefox users -- is that the next big additions will be communication- and messaging-oriented. Contacts and F1 will be almost certainly be baked into Firefox 5 or 6, both of which will be released this year -- and, who knows, there might be something else even more exciting up Mozilla Labs' sleeve!

Mozilla Messaging reintegrates with Labs, unifies focus on Web-based communication originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/mozilla-messaging-reintegrates-with-labs-unifies-focus-on-web-b/

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ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #56: Kindle Fire ACTIVE Case, EcoLife HYDRO Case & more!

Welcome back to another week of giveaway's from ShopAndroid.com! Today we're featuring the Seidio ACTIVE Case for Kindle Fire, EcoLife HYDRO Side Case, Mobi Crystal Case for Motorola Photon 4G, and the Dooney & Bourke Leather Pouch.

Take a moment to check out our brief hands-on videos of each accessory, then be sure to leave your comment below letting us know which item you'd like to win for your Android device.  Check back next week when we announce the lucky winner!

Seidio ACTIVE Case with Multi-Purpose Cover for Kindle Fire

The Seidio ACTIVE Case is a dual-layer cover for Kindle Fire  that features a compact and lightweight polymer with a precisely positioned hard skeleton for added protection on the corners and sides. Included in the ACTIVE Case is a built-in kickstand that allows for up to 10 different viewing angles in landscape mode and portrait orientation. 

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/yz-tBAxZFhs/story01.htm

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Gavin Kim's on the move again, joins NQ Mobile after leaving Windows Phone

Gavin Kim's on the move again, joins NQ Mobile after leaving Windows PhoneThat was quick. A mere five days after saying goodbye to his cohorts at Microsoft, former Windows Phone GM Gavin Kim has landed at Mobile NQ as its Chief Product Officer. By joining the mobile privacy and security firm, Kim will be working with a couple of former Samsung colleagues at Mobile NQ -- co-CEO Omar Khan and PR maven Kim Titus. The real question is, with this being Gavin's third career stop in a year, how long will the reunion last?

Continue reading Gavin Kim's on the move again, joins NQ Mobile after leaving Windows Phone

Gavin Kim's on the move again, joins NQ Mobile after leaving Windows Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/l1f-PJuF6aM/

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Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Android Honeycomb
Google, in an interesting but not entirely unexpected twist, will not be open-sourcing Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the foreseeable future.

Historically, Android is usually open-sourced via the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) a few days or weeks after the code is finalized. While this departure from the norm won't affect OEMs like HTC and Motorola that have access to internal builds of Android, small-time developers will likely have to wait months before rolling their own distributions.

As to why Google is holding back Honeycomb, its reasons are actually rather rational. Honeycomb, while originally intended to run on all mobile form factors, is only ready for deployment on tablets. "To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group. "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."

In other words, Google wants to prevent OEMs and homebrew developers like Cyanogen from rolling their own smartphone versions of Honeycomb -- it doesn't want to see the same bitter-tasting tabletified bastardization that occurred with Android 2.1 and 2.2 last year.

Continue reading Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android

Google holds back on open-sourcing Honeycomb, heralds massive shift for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/google-holds-back-on-open-sourcing-honeycomb-heralds-shift-android/

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T-Mobile CEO argues to FCC against Verizon's AWS license acquisition

T-Mobile CEO argues to FCC officials against Verizon's AWS license acquisition

Well, wouldn't you know it, but T-Mobile -- the only nationwide AWS service provider in the US -- objects to Verizon's purchase of additional AWS spectrum. The company's CEO, Philipp Humm, recently took his concerns to the chief of the FCC's wireless bureau, Rick Kaplan, where he argued that Verizon's proposal to shed Blocks A and B of the 700MHz spectrum simply wouldn't be fair shake. According to Humm, Verizon is merely looking to offload its less desirable assets (as Blocks A and B are more prone to interference). While T-Mobile's leader presents a valid point in that Verizon has merely squatted on its current AWS licenses, we can't help but think that Humm would relish in the opportunity for T-Mobile to bid on these licenses. Further, if Verizon were effectively prevented from establishing a nationwide AWS network, it'd certainly reduce competition in the auction house, and therefore bring cheaper licenses to T-Mobile's doorstep. Given that everything in question here is not corporate property, but rather a public resource, what do you think is the best way forward?

[Tower photo via Shutterstock]

T-Mobile CEO argues to FCC against Verizon's AWS license acquisition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5z4Yn4HLKhU/

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