Temple Run 2 available now for Android [Hands-on]

It’s finally here! Just a week after our iOS cousins received the sequel to the hit game Temple Run, the game has officially landed in the Google Play Store and is available for nearly all newer devices. When the original launched in March it was a smashing success on Android, but had been available for iOS for months already. Today we get the awesome and much improved sequel so lets check it out.Nyko 80693 Playpad for Android White (Google Affiliate Ad)

Nyko 80691 Playpad for Android Black (Google Affiliate Ad)

Yup, after waiting a few days and dealing with a few fakes hitting the Play Store. Imangi Studios hit game Temple Run 2 is finally and officially available for Android. To get the game you’ll want to [click here] and head to the Google Play Store. The original has been downloaded over 170 million times total, and broke the 100 million mark just months after being available for free on Android. It’s safe to say this is one of the most popular mobile games to date.Diamond Multimedia AMP1000 HD Android Media Player (Google Affiliate Ad)

So lets talk about the brand new and improved game shall we? Temple Run 2 brings everything the millions and millions of fans love about the original, only in a whole new yet familiar light. You’ll still be running from monsters and monkeys in a Temple, only this time we’re high up in the air while enjoying the sunset. The developers have improved the graphics on all levels — so it might not work on some older devices. Here’s what’s new with Temple Run 2:Coby MID8042-4 Kyros- Tm Android- Tm Os 4.0 Capacitive Touchscreen Tab (Google Affiliate Ad)

FEATURES
- Beautiful new graphics
- Gorgeous new organic environments
- New obstacles
- More powerups
- More achievements
- Special powers for each character
- Bigger monkeys!!!

This time around you won’t just be running through the jungles, instead they’ve added tons of effects and different looks to keep things interesting. At the same time the gameplay and enjoyment remains the same for the millions of fans. In Temple Run 2 you’ll navigate perilous cliffs, glide down zip lines, mines and forests, and even ride a cart just like Indiana Jones. Who’s ready? Check out our hands-on video coming up shortly:



As you can see with Temple Run 2 the gameplay is fundamentally the same. They’ve seriously increased the graphics and made the entire game just look beautiful and polished. Then the developers tweaked the general idea behind the game to keep things fun and fresh, while still holding true to the original. It plays just like the original with swipes up, down, left, right, and moving the device controls your buddy running for his life. In the end the graphics are better, the gameplay is smoother and a bit more fun, and the scenery will change from time to time and keep things interesting. Viewsonic E100-US1 9.7 in. Tablet Android 4.0 4GB (Google Affiliate Ad)
We’ve played it on a few of those iDevices, so knew what to expect. One thing I do know. I need to save enough coins to get the Scarlett Fox character. We’ll be enjoying the all new Temple Run 2 for Android probably for far too long tonight, and we suggest you do the same if you like what you see. Have fun and enjoy this awesome game!

One million infected by MKD Trojan, and counting

By Phil Muncaster • Get more from this author Posted in Security, 15th January 2013 06:07 GMT

Security researchers in China are warning Android users to be on their guard after claiming to have discovered a million-strong botnet lurking on the platform.
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The Android.Troj.mdk Trojan, first spotted by security firm Kingsoft Duba back in early 2011, is thought to be hidden in over 7,000 apps today, including many popular games such as Fishing Joy and Temple Run.
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Once installed it allows the attacker to remotely control the victim’s smartphone for a variety of nefarious ends including harvesting contact and messaging details, generating nuisance adware, committing click fraud and downloading additional apps, Xinhua reported.Viper 5904 Responder HD Color SuperCode SST 2 Way Security And Remote Start - 5904V (Google Affiliate Ad)

The million-node-plus botnet represents a small proportion of the 150 million users of Android phones in China today, but its relative success thus far points to a worrying lack of user awareness around the dangers of downloading apps from unofficial third party stores.Viper 5904 Responder HD Color SuperCode SST 2 Way Security And Remote Start - 5904V (Google Affiliate Ad)

Aside from installing mobile security software, China is urging users to keep an eye on their call history and data traffic and to beware of any gaming apps seeking unusual permissions, such as access to SMS or other content, according to Xinhua.Viper 5601 1 Way SuperCode Security And Remote Start System - 5104V (Google Affiliate Ad)

China has been a hotbed of Android malware for several years. Last year the government was even forced to publicly reprimand operators China Mobile and China Telecom for persistently allowing security vulnerabilities in their application stores

Google Android Baked Into Rice Cookers in Move Past Phones: Tech

By Cliff Edwards & Ian King - Jan 8, 2013 10:46 AM GMT+0545
via http://www.bloomberg.com

Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android software, the most widely used smartphone operating system, is making the leap to rice cookers and refrigerators as manufacturers vie to dominate the market for gadgets controlled via the Internet.Sea To Summit TPU Guide Waterproof Pouch for iPad (Google Affiliate Ad)
Android-based products ranging from Royal Philips Electronics NV’s PicoPix pocket projector and LG Electronics Inc. (066570)’ Smart Thinq refrigerators to Parrot SA (PARRO)’s Asteroid car stereo systems and Samsung Electronics Co. (005930)’s Galaxy Camera will be on display this week at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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Extending its free operating system to new devices could let Google collect more data to build its lucrative search business and one-up software rivals Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Apple Inc. Android also is an easy to-use-platform that helps appliance makers like Samsung and Philips add product features and benefit from demand for Internet-connected devices -- a market IDC predicts will reach more than $2 trillion in 2015.
“Android is sitting pretty in this space to take more share from the incumbents,” said IDC analyst Al Hilwa. “The fundamental advantage with Android is that the vendor can take a bigger chunk of the software and own it.”
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Since the first Android-based phones went on sale in 2008, devices based on the mobile operating system have surged in popularity. Smartphones running the software held 72 percent of the market in the third quarter, while Apple had 14 percent, according to Gartner Inc.
Intelligent Systems
Building Android directly into devices can make it easier for electronic equipment and appliances to exchange information with less human intervention. A television, for example, might show a pop-up message from a clothes dryer in the basement, indicating that the homeowner’s jeans are not yet dry. The user could press a button on the TV remote to automatically add 15 minutes to the dryer cycle. A connected rice cooker could determine what type of rice is being used and set cooking instructions accordingly.
Making more intelligent, connected appliances and electronics has been a goal of manufacturers for years. And recent efforts to broaden Android beyond phones and computers haven’t all panned out. Google tried to push into the living room via its Google TV product. The set-top boxes and software for televisions made by Sony Corp. and Logitech International SA didn’t meet sales goals after their introduction in 2010. LG, Hisense Electric Co. and Vizio Inc. plan to demonstrate models that boast an updated version of Android for TVs in Las Vegas.
Fragmented Market
This time will be different, manufacturers say. Companies are competing to develop operating systems that can span a variety of devices and attract a loyal base of developers and consumers.
The market for so-called intelligent systems, or devices capable of receiving and transmitting over the Internet, will double to almost 4 billion units in 2015 from more than 1.8 billion units and more than $1 trillion in revenue in 2011, according to IDC. The market now is fragmented among more than 30 software makers, including QNX Software Systems Ltd. and companies’ home-grown development efforts.
“The Android circle is getting bigger,” Android founder Andy Rubin said in May at a press conference. “Everything should be Androidified -- is that the word?”
Smartphone-Controlled
Android’s proliferation offers broader access to hundreds of downloadable applications developed specifically for Web- connected gear, letting electronics makers create a family of products that can exchange information, said Frederic Albinet, marketing manager at Parrot, which began selling its $600 Asteroid Smart car system in October.
“There are many apps in the Android Marketplace we get access to, and our Asteroid developers have an operating system that everyone’s becoming familiar with,” he said.
Last year in Japan, Panasonic Corp. began selling a range of home appliances, from microwaves to air conditioners, that can be controlled by smartphones while providing information to users. Its $600 Android-controlled SR-SX2 rice cooker lets users search for recipes on their Android phones and then transmit them to the cooker. It also provides information such as how much electricity it has used.
The company’s NR series refrigerator counts the number of times that the door has been open and closed in order to make it run more efficiently, and it displays instructions on how to fix problems when they occur.
Samsung and LG, two of the earliest adopters of Android in smartphones, have begun integrating the software into cameras and appliances to stimulate sales in markets that haven’t been growing rapidly.
Support Needed
While Android’s free software allows for easy adoption, device makers may have to do more work than they would with software bought from a company like Microsoft, which supports development, testing and troubleshooting of such systems as Ford Motor Corp.’s Sync information and entertainment-system software, said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group.Cocoon Gramercy iPad Messenger Sling GB150POS (Google Affiliate Ad)
“The open part isn’t as important as the reliability,” Howe said. “It requires support and courting of customers. If Google has no interest, it’s not going to go anywhere.”
While Google only counts devices delivered by its network of 58 manufacturing partners, the company said in an e-mailed statement that the free Android operating system is available to any developers that wish to use it. Google declined to comment further on Android’s expansion into electronics.
Intel’s Customers
Intel Corp. (INTC), the world’s largest computer-chip maker, said it has no shortage of interest in Android-based systems. Intel’s Wind River Systems software division is receiving an increasing number of customer requests, said Jim Douglas, vice president of products and global marketing.
Electronics and appliance makers are taking advantage of falling prices for LCD screens and wireless technologies to consider connecting all manner of devices. Powerful processors that are becoming more affordable also are adding to the trend, Douglas said. He said the operating system could also be used in big-ticket industrial machines, though he declined to identify specific customers.

Asus crams Windows 8 and Android 4.1 into one gargantuan tablet

Asus Transformer AiO
Melissa J. Perenson @mperenson
 Jan 7, 2013 8:30 PM via http://www.pcworld.com

At first blush, the Transformer All-in-One P1801 looks like a relatively ordinary all-in-one PC, except for one clear distinction: The 18.4-inch display is mounted in a docking shelf.
Using two hands to hold the Asus Transformer AiO.Samsung 8GB Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi Tablet - GT-P3113TSYXAR (Google Affiliate Ad)

When you turn it on, this all-in-one's unique approach becomes more evident. The unit runs both Windows 8 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an unusual dual-operating system combination; you can switch between the two OSes by tapping a button along the right edge of the tablet. The switch is seamless, and makes hopping between Windows and Android viable. Previously, the largest Android tablet we've seen was Toshiba's Excite 13, at 13 inches.Samsung 8GB Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi Tablet - GT-P3113TSYXAR (Google Affiliate Ad)

The Transformer All-in-One's split personality extends beyond its dual-OSes. It also has two processors, another unique find: The docking station contains an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, while the tablet itself also contains Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor.Toshiba Excite 10 Tablet, 32 GB AT305T32 (Google Affiliate Ad)

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Pricing starts at $1299 for the Core i5 version with a 1TB hard drive in the base station and 32GB of EMMC solid-state storage in the tablet. Asus plans to start shipping its PC-tablet combo sometime in the first quarter of 2013.
Press the blue button and this Windows 8 PC becomes a big Android tablet.
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When disconnected from the base, the tablet portion weighs 5.73 pounds—certainly not something you're going to carry about nonchalantly. But somehow, when I held it, the well-balanced unit felt neither unwieldy nor bulky. That might have been due in part to the fact that the display has a convenient pull-out handle that makes it easy to remove. It also has its own built-in stand if you prefer to prop it up directly on a table surface for giving a presentation or watching movies. The tablet portion could come in handy for playing tabletop games and other tabletop-style group apps yet to come.

The 18.4-inch LED-backlit, IPS display supports 10-point multitouch and 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution. My one gripe with it is that it has one of the largest air gaps between the glass and the LCD beneath I've seen in a while. (A large air gap between the screen and its glass covering can increase glare and reduce the display's perceived clarity.)Acer A200 Iconia Tablet, 16 GB, Titanium Gray XE.H8QPN.001 (Google Affiliate Ad)

You can use the tablet on Windows 8 while it's connected wirelessly to a PC base station; however, when you exceed the Wi-Fi range (the range has yet to be finalized) it will switch to being an Android tablet. The base station packs a ton of connectivity, including four USB 3.0 ports. Samsung Galaxy Note WiFi 16GB, Gray GT-N8013EAYXAR (Google Affiliate Ad)

Ubuntu for phones

The Ubuntu phone's time, if ever, is now - not in 2014
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And any number of hurdles still stand in Canonical's way, no matter how cool things look now

Canonical has been buzzing in our ears about Ubuntu as a mobile device operating system for a while now. We've seen them tout integrating a solution into Android for a year, and before that they had plans for their own mobile version of Ubuntu that more than a few Linux geeks were following. Today they came full circle and showed off a native OS on an Android phone, getting some of us pumped for the "next big thing."

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But with yet another announcement without a single flashable image, will Ubuntu OS even have a chance?

Canonical, the company that makes Linux-based operating system Ubuntu, announced  new software coming to Android phones that will turn smartphones into computers.

Ubuntu is free software that is an alternative to computer operating systems like Microsoft's Windows or Apple's OS X.

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Ubuntu for phones is a mobile operating system that can be compared to Google's Android or Apple's iOS.

Ubuntu for Android is software that runs alongside Google's mobile operating system. Users will have the option to plug the device into a monitor and keyboard, which will turn the phone into a computer.

There may be new possibilities for quality, affordable computing by turning people's smartphones into computers by using Ubuntu for Android.