Hasta La Gadget!

Mandatory content ratings were added to Apple’s App Store back in iPhone OS 3.0, and now it’s Google’s turn on news that they’ll become obligatory for Android developers “in a few weeks” (at least, those that want their content in the Market). The company teases the fact that they’ll be showing the ratings for all apps along with other “Android Market upgrades in the coming weeks” — presumably timed to coincide with the release of Gingerbread — and that any dev that fails to specify a rating level for their existing apps will have their content automatically listed as “Mature” (that is, the most restrictive level) until they take care of the problem. In addition to Mature, available ratings will include Pre-teen, Teen, and naturally, an “All” option for apps guaranteed not to offend even the most sensitive of young minds. Definitely good news for parents whose young’uns are demanding Android phones this holiday season, though it’s still basically on the honor system for devs to correctly tag their content… and an All-rated app is probably going to sell better than a Mature one for the same reason R-rated movies outsell NC-17 ones. At any rate, sounds like Google intends to evolve the Market pretty rapidly with the next release or two, so we’ll have to see how this shakes out.

[Thanks, Paul]

Android Market adding content ratings to all apps, past, present, and future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re pretty sure that Gingerbread is to be Android 2.3, but we’re still missing the official Google confirmation, and beyond that still waiting to hear exactly what the heck this point release will entail. It’s certainly looking like there’s a new Android Market in the works, though, with Google adding new fields to the submission that accept higher resolution icons, a high-res “feature graphic” measuring 1024 x 500, and an optional link to a YouTube-hosted promotional video. Google has also confirmed that up to eight screenshots will be able to be submitted in the near future, with a maximum resolution of 480 x 800. This could all be to make things rather more friendly for higher-res displays, like one would find on a tablet or a TV, or it could simply be the web-based interface that the Market so desperately needs. We’ll surely find out when Google dishes all the details on this next version, which should happen any day now. Any day now…

Google’s spicy new Android Market to display high-res images, videos, be more tablet-friendly? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We weren’t completely in love with Google TV’s YouTube Leanback experience when we gave the platform a run through, but that could change now that the YouTube Remote app has been released to the Android Market. Users pair the devices simply by signing into YouTube Leanback on the TV or PC and the app on the phone with the same account, then select a video on the phone and send it to the bigger screen with a press of a button. At least, that’s how it should work. TechCrunch got a hands on with the new app and a new Topics sorting system for the site during a demo and found some potential, however trying it on one of our devices elicited a slew of crashes before we eventually got everything synced up and working. QR code’s after the break so you can have a go of your own.

Update: Once we got everything rolling, we were able to get a better impression of the app. While it was a bit slow to open on our Galaxy S phone, once it is up, it worked smoothly, scrolling side to side through various queues of types of content and our favorites list. While the task of pulling up Leanback in a browser window or even on a Google TV device makes it ill-suited for viewing just one video at a time, where it excels is building a up a queue of videos and sending them over all at once. It will work on multiple screens at the same time as well, but there’s no Airplay-style syncing to be had, if one of them starts to slow down or buffer it will simply continue lagging behind, and without any volume controls or ability to reach other functions, you’ll still need to keep other remotes handy.

Continue reading YouTube Remote app released, controls Leanback on GTV or PC from your Android phone

YouTube Remote app released, controls Leanback on GTV or PC from your Android phone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might have noticed in our Galaxy Tab review that a number of pretty significant Android apps failed to scale to fully utilize its real estate, leaving an unpleasant black border surrounding their content. Well, you can now take that issue off your list of cons for this otherwise delectable tablet as our buddy JKK has figured out a way to overcome the scaling problemo. Using Spare Parts, a free app available in the Android Market, and a couple of reboots, he was able to convince the Engadget app to run in full screen on the Tab. He’s right in guessing that we’d be happy about that, though we imagine owners of Samsung’s slate will be the ones with the biggest grins on their faces right now. See the how-to video after the break.

[Thanks, Mani]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab can be made to run all apps in full screen, here’s how (video)

Samsung Galaxy Tab can be made to run all apps in full screen, here’s how (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook admitted during its mobile event today that the app for Android devices has been lagging behind other clients and has already made a push to correct that with a new version, 1.4, now available on the Android Market. Not much has changed, but the list of fixes indicates it now supports check-ins with Places, Groups and some much needed improvements to notifications. Check out the gallery for a few screens of the new functions in action or snag the QR code after the break.

Update: It looks like the iPhone app is getting an update as well. Unfortunately, some folks are having trouble downloading it. Let us know how it goes for you.

Continue reading New Facebook app for Android available, adds Places, Groups & improved notifications (update: iPhone, too)

New Facebook app for Android available, adds Places, Groups & improved notifications (update: iPhone, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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