ESPN ScoreCenter updated with refreshed and improved UI

ESPN has just made a pretty substantial update to its ScoreCenter app for Android, bringing in a completely refreshed UI experience. The app now follows most of the general Google design guidelines — aka "holo" — throughout the app, from removing the legacy menu button to using sliding panels and tabbed navigation. This is a big step forward in design for the app, and it really makes a difference in terms of usability and overall aesthetics.

When the big companies like ESPN start getting on board with the latest design guidelines, it's a good sign that people are starting to take notice of the large numbers of devices running Android 4.0 and higher. This is what we like to see. YOu can grab a download of the new and improved ScoreCenter app from the Google Play link at the top of this post.

Starbucks updates app to follow holo design guidelines

They just keep coming. More and more developers have been publishing updates to their apps recently that apply the latest Android design guidelines. Starbucks joins the list today with an update to their app that brings a pretty noticeable UI redesign.

The new design follows the "holo" design language — destroying the legacy menu button (which makes Galaxy Nexus uers happy) and replacing it with an overflow settings button. Tabs across the top of the app offer a cleaner look to navigation, and Starbucks simply changed the color scheme from default blue to a dark shade of green. The map of nearby stores is cleaner, and the entire UI seems to have received little bits of polish.

If you haven't given the Starbucks app a try yet, it's really worth a look. The app is free at the Google Play Store link above. If you're just curious about the new UI, we've got a few screenshots comparing the old (left) and (new) designs after the break.

read more

PayPal updated with refreshed UI

Although the previous version of the PayPal app was functional, it wasn't going to win any design awards. It was clearly something from a previous era — one where phones had menu buttons to be specific. Luckily the latest version has undergone quite a bit of a makeover, following a few of the latest Android design guidelines for 4.x devices. Gone is the legacy menu button, replaced by an overflow settings button in the top action bar. The app now looks like it follows more of a "holo" UI, with separate tabs at the top of the app, but unfortunately looks can be deceiving and the only way to switch between tabs is to select them directly. It's understandable that each app will tailor the guidelines to their own needs though.

Overall, it's great to see another app developer putting in the time to update and follow the latest guidelines. The apps look and perform better, especially as a higher percentage of users move up to Android 4.0 and above. Hit the Google Play link above to download or update the app on your device.

Pantech Marauder

The Pantech Marauder is my first Pantech phone, and its first Ice Cream Sandwich phone for Verizon. While handling the phone for the first time, I knew it was a mid to low tier smartphone, however, the software from Pantech disguises any blemishes and preconceptions you may have about the word “budget.” Maybe it’s ICS, maybe it’s the fact that Pantech basically left ICS alone, or maybe it’s a result of significant hardware/software growth in the past two years, but I can barely distinguish the microseconds between scrolling and opening an app.

Hardware

The Marauder is as simple as it comes. The power button (at the top of the phone instead of the side), volume rocker, headphone jack, and USB charging port are all that surrounds the outside of the phone. A front and back camera are standard and unobtrusive. Pantech decided to go with capacitive buttons (Back, Home, Tasks, Menu) instead of on-screen keys which I personally dislike, but I know a lot of people still like having the menu button around.

The Marauder is very much a hardware vs software phone. While the phone lacks things like a camera flash, an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness, and a large screen, ICS runs very smoothly. Without a quad core processor it doesn’t handle apps like a Galaxy S 3, but its keyboard appeals to business consumers otherwise turned off completely from Android.

The keyboard is completely foreign to me. It has convenient shortcuts for the SMS app and browser, but it lacks shortcuts to the regular Android keys (home, back, tasks, and menu). The buttons have a decent tactile feel to them, however, my fingers were too big for the spacing between keys, and I found myself mashing multiple keys at once. All in all, I can type much quicker and much more conveniently with Swiftkey or Swype than I ever could with physical buttons that I have to physically press down with no auto-correction.

Screen/Camera

Even compared with other devices in its price range, the Marauder is still on the small side it terms of screen size. With a 400×800 resolution, the quality of the screen isn’t something that will blow you away, and it has no fancy name like SuperAmoled Plus to make it stand out. The contrast and clarity of the colors are strong, but not on par with the upper echelon of devices (i.e. Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X, etc). The glare from windows or being outside in the sun noticeably washes away the screen, and with no light sensor for an automatic brightness setting, it’s a chore to change the brightness from blinding in the dark to a dim nothingness in the sun. Unlike newer devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S 3 that have a black, seamlessly integrated screen and body, the Marauder’s screen is a grey color when turned off which doesn’t blend in well with the black body.

The Marauder comes with a 5MP back camera and a VGA front camera. Nothing spectacular, but if you’re just pointing and shooting, the Marauder will take decent shots. Pictures don’t have sharpness and are darker than I would expect, even from a $50 phone. Without a flash, the Marauder isn’t a phone that will replace even a budget digital camera. The Marauder’s camera takes a long time to focus and take the picture, and I don’t really understand how Pantech devolved the stock ICS camera into something this slow.

Software Performance

Finally, the Marauder shines with the Ice Cream Sandwich OS and very few UI changes. If nothing else, the Marauder is proof that ICS is Google’s big leap in perfecting their OS. The Marauder is fast with a sleek color scheme and design. A noticeable deviation from ICS, but extremely helpful, was Pantech’s option to change to a starter or standard interface. Pantech clearly understands its target demographics, and the starter mode, for very basic and new Android users, is almost feature phone simple. The homescreens contain only a big dial pad, weather, favorites, bookmarks, and contacts. Users can add and edit some of these, but most standard functionality is removed in favor of simplicity. This is a great, necessary feature.

The standard mode is very similar to AOSP. You can edit the dock, there are quick toggles, and the lock screen has multiple shortcuts to apps. While it’s still on the basic side compared to Sense or Touchwiz, I enjoyed having a similar setup to AOSP with a couple extra features. I also enjoyed the slate/turquoise color scheme throughout the phone even if it’s missing in a few places. There are tons of personalization settings in the settings menu, and probably the most convenient is the default programs which lets you choose what programs are the defaults.

Unfortunately, the 4G LTE radio was extremely spotty before I completely reset the device. Since then, it has been better, but once a day, I will completely lose a signal for a few minutes where my Nexus is fine. I also found the speaker to be tinny instead of clear, but the call quality was good through the ear piece. Another positive was the GPS. Every time I used Google Maps I had instant lock-on within seconds. The Marauder is easily one of the best GPS devices I’ve used.

App Performance

I’m really starting to question my GNexus after the Marauder beat it opening apps handily. Too handily for a “budget” device. The scrolling was a little laggy on the home screens and in the app drawer, but apps ran remarkably well. Even the recent tasks was quick and could switch between apps just as quick as my Nexus running Jelly Bean with Project Butter. It’s honestly amazing how fast this device is with no extra help from replacement launchers or ROMS.

Battery life was mediocre for me. I’ve seen a few different reviews for the battery life, but it lasted about 15 hours with moderate usage for me. Nothing to gush about, but it can certainly last a day if you’re on the semi-cautious side. As I mentioned, I like the theme and overall look of the device. There are some nice animations when moving around screens and adding widgets.

From the Android Forums: Multiple Google accounts on one device for Google Play

Super Turtleman asks in the Android forums,

My kids are getting to the age where they're about to start having Android devices. I'd like to create a master account I can have on my phone (separate from my current google account) that I can use to download apps onto my kid's devices. Is there a simple way to do this? Can I have two different google accounts on one device and have them not interfere with each other?

Lucky kids! We think it's great that you're exposing your children to Android, and even better that you're exploring options to provide them with awesome games and apps. The good news is, what you want to do is easy!

Open Google Play on your device, and tap the action bar (or menu button, as the case may be), and select "Accounts" from the list. A new window will open, listing the current active Google accounts in use on your phone or tablet. If the account you want to use is not listed, tap the "Add account" button and follow the prompts to add a new or existing Google account. Make sure this account is selected when purchasing an app, and the app will be available on any Android device using the account in question.

Add this account to your child's Android devices, select in in Google Play, then download and install all the apps you have purchased. It's worth noting that you can tell the Google Play app that you only want to purchase apps or media, or make in-app purchases, by using a PIN. This keeps the kids from being able to charge up your account, and allows you to monitor applications being bought.

It's not quite device profiles, but it's a good way to do what you're looking for. 

Have a question you need answered? (Preferably about Android, but we're flexible.) Hit up our Contact Page to get in touch!

HTC’s fix for the ‘menu button issue’ is welcome, but not very elegant

HTC and AT&T have pushed out an OTA update for the One X today, and while it provides the standard bug fixes and security enhancements, it brings a new feature to address the menu button "issue." Previously, if you were running an application that wasn't updated to support the latest Android style guidelines, you'd have a full-width black bar about 48 pixels high that held an on-screen menu button. It was horrible to look at, and we hoped that Android application developers would soon update their apps to get rid of it. We can't knock HTC, they used the correct layout for their capacitive buttons (we do question why they went with capacitive buttons in the first place, though) and did what they were supposed to do. But it was still pretty darn ugly.

Then along comes Samsung, with a menu button on what will probably turn out to be the most popular Android phone ever in the Galaxy S 3. They shouldn't have done it (according to the Android developer team's way of doing things), but they did. A quick look at the HTC One X tells us why — that big, ugly, black bar. 

Of course, application developers don't have to update to make their app look good on the phone that is selling the most, so very few did. Love it or hate it, time saved is money saved, so the folks at Twitter or Facebook (as well as smaller development teams) just let it ride. It became an HTC problem instead of an application problem.

HTC had to fix it themselves. Never mind the fact that they were only following guidelines, their phones look bad running an app that needs a menu button and Samsung's don't. We saw a bit of it in the Desire C, and we're pretty sure we heard Android hacker/developer/guru Paul O'Brien mention that it was coming. 

It's here now, at least on the AT&T One X. Filed under Settings > Display, gestures and buttons is an entry where users can choose how they want the multi-tasking button to work. It can work as normal, or have a second function if you long-press. Phil's been playing around with it, and he says the best and most natural way it to have a single tap bring up the menu, and a long-press open the multi-tasking view — just like Samsung's Galaxy S 3. 

We would prefer that developers just use the action bar on their apps as instructed. Hopefully, new apps will be written that way and eventually this whole mess goes away. Until then, at least we have a way to get rid of the black menu bar. We expect to see a similar fix roll out for the rest of the HTC One series of phones, and for hackers to grab some code and do the same in custom ROMs until then. For now, enjoy your 48 pixels of freedom.

HTC’s fix for the ‘menu button issue’ is welcome, but not very elegant

HTC and AT&T have pushed out an OTA update for the One X today, and while it provides the standard bug fixes and security enhancements, it brings a new feature to address the menu button "issue." Previously, if you were running an application that wasn't updated to support the latest Android style guidelines, you'd have a full-width black bar about 48 pixels high that held an on-screen menu button. It was horrible to look at, and we hoped that Android application developers would soon update their apps to get rid of it. We can't knock HTC, they used the correct layout for their capacitive buttons (we do question why they went with capacitive buttons in the first place, though) and did what they were supposed to do. But it was still pretty darn ugly.

Then along comes Samsung, with a menu button on what will probably turn out to be the most popular Android phone ever in the Galaxy S 3. They shouldn't have done it (according to the Android developer team's way of doing things), but they did. A quick look at the HTC One X tells us why — that big, ugly, black bar. 

Of course, application developers don't have to update to make their app look good on the phone that is selling the most, so very few did. Love it or hate it, time saved is money saved, so the folks at Twitter or Facebook (as well as smaller development teams) just let it ride. It became an HTC problem instead of an application problem.

HTC had to fix it themselves. Never mind the fact that they were only following guidelines, their phones look bad running an app that needs a menu button and Samsung's don't. We saw a bit of it in the Desire C, and we're pretty sure we heard Android hacker/developer/guru Paul O'Brien mention that it was coming. 

It's here now, at least on the AT&T One X. Filed under Settings > Display, gestures and buttons is an entry where users can choose how they want the multi-tasking button to work. It can work as normal, or have a second function if you long-press. Phil's been playing around with it, and he says the best and most natural way it to have a single tap bring up the menu, and a long-press open the multi-tasking view — just like Samsung's Galaxy S 3. 

We would prefer that developers just use the action bar on their apps as instructed. Hopefully, new apps will be written that way and eventually this whole mess goes away. Until then, at least we have a way to get rid of the black menu bar. We expect to see a similar fix roll out for the rest of the HTC One series of phones, and for hackers to grab some code and do the same in custom ROMs until then. For now, enjoy your 48 pixels of freedom.

Ice Cream Sandwich now available for everyone with a Droid RAZR/RAZR MAXX

Who needs push when you've got pull? The Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX has been trickling out for a week or so now. But today it's available to anyone with those devices. Just hit the menu button, choose Settings>About and get your ICS on.

And while you're at it, be sure to check out our preview of what you'll be getting in the update.

More: Droid RAZR forums; RAZR MAXX forums

The Samsung Galaxy S III press image for T-Mobile leaks, shows off different style

As the Samsung Galaxy S III continues to launch and be announced in countries around the world, Americans are anxiously waiting for the high-end, Android 4.0 smartphone to launch.

The Samsung Galaxy S III press image for T-Mobile leaks, shows off different style

As the Samsung Galaxy S III continues to launch and be announced in countries around the world, Americans are anxiously waiting for the high-end, Android 4.0 smartphone to launch.