Google is sending out emails to many of those who ordered Nexus 4's during the first day of availability, and were subsequently told they'd be waiting up to three weeks to get their phones. We're now hearing from numerous tipsters that Google is sending out an email indicating those orders will ship this week. Members of our team have received the email, as well. Here it is:
Your Nexus 4 order is scheduled to ship this week. Well send you a notification, including tracking information, when its on the way.
Please note that your order will be charged in full when it ships. As a courtesy and to thank you for your patience, youll then receive a credit for the shipping charge within 7 business days.
Thanks again,
The Google Play Team
2012 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043
You've received this mandatory service announcement email to provide you with important information related to your purchase from Google Play.
Sounds like a new shipment came in. Now, how long until we see it show back up on the Play Store? We'll definitely keep you updated as this unfolds, because if Google's able to fill those delayed orders, it seems reasonable to guess that sales will resume some time in the relatively-near-future. Our eyes will be 100% peeled this evening. And tomorrow. And the next day. Well, all the time, basically. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
There are only so many permutations of the scrolling arcade shooter, but that didn't stop developer CatfishBlues from taking a swing at it with Hyperwave. This is a top-down game that could pass for the spiritual successor to Space Invaders. You have to pilot your lone craft against all the glowing horrors of space to defend humanity. At least that's what the backstory is supposed to be. It's really just an excuse to shoot stuff, but that's okay.
Controls
Your ship in Hyperwave is restricted to moving left and right at the bottom of the screen. Auto-fire is always on, so you don't have to stress about that. Before you go thinking this sounds too simple, there's another wrinkle. In addition to controlling where your ship is, you can also control the direction your weapons are firing independent of that. So if there's a power up on the far side of the screen, but a cloud of enemies is right in front of you, it's a fairly simple task to move your ship over while adjusting your cannon to stay on target. This was confusing at first, but I really enjoyed it after some practice.
You control these two aspects of movement with dual sliders at the bottom of the screen directly beneath your ship. The slider on the left moves your ship back and forth, and the right side slider tilts your weapons. These controls are appropriately sensitive and accurate, but I feel like they're too small - it's too easy to place your thumb down and lose track of the control.
Hyperwave is a fast game, and there were a few instances where missing the control strip got me in a lot of trouble. I eventually alleviated this concern by just leaving my thumbs on the screen, even if I wasn't maneuvering. As long as you're still in contact, your input will be picked up if you venture out the borders of the control area. Other than this one issue, the controls in Hyperwave work well and I like the approach.
Gameplay
The game is split up into 5 stages, each with 10 waves. As you progress through the stages, the waves get more and more challenging. Your goal is to take out the enemies before they reach the bottom of the screen and damage the energy barrier. The big percent indicator down there will tell you how you're doing. If the barrier reaches 0%, it's game over. You only have one continue per stage, but you can make an additional in-app purchase to boost that to 3 continues (I'm not crazy about this in a paid game).
Amidst all the swarms of enemies, there will also be a lot of power ups dropping into play. Some will do boring stuff like upgrade your cannons, refill the energy barrier, or give you some bonus points. What really makes this game fun to play is that just as many of the power ups unlock crazy special attacks. Floating automated drones, energy shockwaves that clear the screen, an electric filed that kills anything that comes too close, and more. You will succeed by grabbing all the power ups you can.
I would say that Hyperwave is moderately difficult overall. Toward the end of the stages there get to be so many targets on the screen that it can be nearly impossible to keep up. It seemed totally out of balance until I realized how important the shield recharge power ups were. If you work to keep your energy barrier in good shape, you can make it though the boss battle at the end of the stage. If you complete the arcade levels, there is also an unlockable infinite mode.
Graphics And Sound
Hyperwave has simple graphics, but it's still impressive in its own way. The game looks like a laser light show everything is a glowing neon wireframe. Luminous creatures pour in from the top of the screen and spin around in an effort tot confuse you. Your weapons shift and glow as they strike out across the screen. The variety of enemies is good too. Some look like proper space ships, but others look like neon birds or snakes in space.
I haven't had any performance issues with Hyperwave on the Nexus 7, even with a lot of enemies on the screen. The only graphical issue is that some of the lighting effects don't quite reach the edge of the screen. You can probably see the borders on the left and right of the screenshots.
As for the audio, it fits well with the Hyperwave's look. You get a number of pounding techno tracks that are fairly good, at least at first. I'm already finding myself a little sick of hearing the soundtrack, and there's nothing special about the sound of your weapons firing or enemies exploding. I wouldn't blame you for muting this one.
Buy it?
Hyperwave is on sale for $0.99 (50% off). At that price I think it's a good deal, but you shouldn't pay more. Even though I have a few issues with this title, I can't deny that it's pretty fun. You'll definitely get a few hours of enjoyment out of it if you like a good shooter. The upsell to more continues is a little bothersome because Hyperwave is quite hard as it is. That purchase is only a dollar, but I don't think you should go beyond the introductory price. It's not very deep, but Hyperwave is a good game.
Back in January of this year, Qualcomm released its "Snapdragon GameCommand" app in order to highlight games specifically designed with enhancements for Snapdragon processors. Basically, it was Qualcomm's answer to NVIDIA's TegraZone. The only thing is... we didn't really hear much about it past the initial release. And now, Qualcomm has pulled the app from the Store altogether. You can go look - we'll wait.
Once we realized the app was missing, we reached out to Qualcomm for comment. Sure enough - they pulled the app because "[they] feel that GameCommand satisfied its goal of generating consumer awareness of Snapdragon gaming." Moving forward, developers interested in building games for Snapdragon devices are directed to Qualcomm's gaming site, Snapdragon Gaming.
We launched the GameCommand app in November 2011 to educate and excite players on what Snapdragon can do for game graphics and performance. We are pleased with how it encouraged game publishers and developers to optimize their games for Snapdragon-based devices. Currently there are over 120 games that we have worked directly with publishers and developers to optimize for Snapdragon. As we continue to add more games to our showcase of Snapdragon optimized titles, we feel confident that these games will provide great experiences to consumers on the wide variety of Snapdragon-based devices in the marketplace.
We also feel that GameCommand satisfied its goal of generating consumer awareness of Snapdragon gaming. Games continue to be an excellent way for Qualcomm to showcase the Snapdragon processors for gaming and our CPU and GPU technology leadership. Qualcomm is the 1 mobile GPU supplier, so this was a great first step for us to establish our presence in the mobile gaming space. Moving forward we will be encouraging discovery and showcasing Snapdragon optimized games via a gallery on our web site (snapdragongaming.com).
And there you have it - GameCommand is dead, but from its ashes rises Snapdragon Gaming, the new web front that encourages developers and enthusiasts alike to build for and buy Snapdragon-powered devices. Hoo-rah.
It seems to be a growing trend among manufacturers to show off the process behind creating their products. Today, Samsung joined the ranks, bringing us an inside look of the stress test process that the company's moneymaker undergoes. To ensure that every Galaxy S III can stand up to all the punishment you can throw at it, there are a number of machines that attempt to scratch, crack, or soak the handset to see how well it can hold up. Oh, yeah, and there's an automated ass that sits on the phone over and over again.
If you've ever seen a stress test video, there won't be much here that's entirely shocking, though this clip is in Korean. Just switch on Closed Captioning and enable English translations for some happiness malfunction speech if to translations. Though, no matter how bad the subtitles may be, the robo-butt is understandable across all language derrires barriers.
In unrelated news, I am twelve years old. Source: YouTube
Do you have 13 minutes to kill? Is the Galaxy Camera something that might interest you? Then you may as well watch this 13-minute long video Samsung posted about it. It'll tell you stuff. Stuff about the Galaxy Camera. Personally, I like it with a glass of warm milk before bed, but we thought we'd share it, as the Galaxy Camera's features are laid out quite completely and thoroughly. If you can survive the narration.
As a reminder, the 3G-enabled Galaxy Camera is currently available on AT&T in the US, for $500. YouTube
This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Will/Do You Use The Multi-User Support In Android 4.2?
There's an absolute plethora of keyboard options available for Android devices - in today's poll, phones in particular. You can use the Android (AOSP) keyboard, the stock manufacturer keyboard that ships on your phone, or one of the hundreds of third-party options available in the Play Store. And if you go third-party, there are all different styles, from quirky options like 8Pen, to trace-based keyboards like Swype, and traditional predictive tap-based choices such as SwiftKey.
So, what do you use on your phone? Manufacturer, Android, or third-party keyboard? (A few notes, since I know these questions will crop up: if you're running a Nexus device, you're using Android. If you're running an AOSP-based ROM, you're using Android. If you're running a custom ROM based on a manufacturer skin, you're probably using manufacturer. If you're not sure what you're using, it's probably manufacturer. If you're using a themed keyboard, choose the option it's based on. In other words, use common sense when choosing.)
Update: The price of the LG Intuition on Amazon has been dropped to a penny, a full $150 less than you'd pay at Verizon. We doubt this deal will last long, so if you're in the market for one (why?), now's the time to buy.
Maybe you like the whole phablet idea. Maybe the thought of a handset with an aspect ratio which rivals that of your old CRT monitor sounds like a good thing to you. Really, it sounds like you actually want the Intuition from LG.
If that's the case, why spend full price? Verizon's asking $150 with a two-year agreement for this oversized behemoth. You can now get the same phone, with the same plan, for just $99 from Amazon Wireless. That's a much better deal.
Specs
Screen: 5.0" 1024x768 (4:3 aspect ratio) display with Gorilla Glass
CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 32GB (no microSD slot)
Cameras: 8MP rear, 1.3MP front, both with voice-activated picture taking
Battery: 2080mAh (non-removable)
Rubberdium pen
Connectivity: MicroUSB, CDMA, LTE, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n, NFC
OS: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Sound like your dream phone-tablet thing? Hit the link below to make it yours. Amazon Wireless
If you're like many would-be customers still searching high and low for a Nexus 4, you're likely ready to pounce on any source that's got the device at a price lower than the astronomical offerings over on eBay.
Daily Steals Mobile, looking to end your Nexus 4 woes, is selling the 16GB version, unlocked, for $499 with free shipping. That's higher than the Play Store's price for the same device, but on par with T-Mobile's off-contract price.
Before you scroll down and click through to the "Get it now!" page though, it should be noted that besides charging more than the Play Store Daily Steals often takes six days to ship orders, with products sometimes arriving weeks later. To read some first-hand customer accounts, just check out DS' Reseller Ratings profile here.
If you're willing to pay a premium and would rather wait a little longer for your Nexus 4 than sit idly while the Play Store inventory remains "sold out," just head over to Daily Steals Mobile, linked below. If, on the other hand, you prefer faster shipping and direct support from Google, we'd advise you to keep your browser on the N4's Play Store listing and your finger on the F5 key. Source: Daily Steals
After a long time in development, Marvel (and their parent company Disney) have released Avengers Initiative to the Android masses. Coming with a $6.99 price tag on a limited number of devices, it adds to the growing list of Avengers-themed mobile games, even if only one of those heroes is available in this particular title.
The Premise
Avengers Initiative puts you in the role of the Hulk, who has been tasked in bringing in a number of super-villains who have escaped from a high-tech prison in the Marvel Universe. The game plays almost exactly like the popular Ininity Blade series on iOs, where you'll dodge, parry, and perform attacks in 1-on-1 duels.
Along the way you'll be coached by Nick Fury, who will advance the story and banter with Hulk. You gain experience from your fights, which allow you to level up and unlock new abilities; you can also purchase new enhancements and costumes from the in-game store.
Ultimately, this game feels extremely similar to Infinity Blade in more than just the gameplay: the "fight stuff to get money and level up, then fight them again to get more!" gameplay makes no attempt at being fresh or original. Magic has been replaced by Hulk's powers, which need their own gestures to perform, and battles play out in the same "learn the patterns, perform counters" formula.
Attention to Detail
For comics fans, this game actually pays a great amount of attention to details ripped from the Marvel Universe. The Hulk has a great reserve of costumes up for purchase, including calls back to previous storylines and alternate universes. Fans of the series should be pleased. Avengers Initiative's cutscenes also look amazingly like a real S.H.I.E.L.D computer, as the animations are slick and the flow smooth. This could be because there isn't anything interactive about them, so they can be loaded all at once: you're not looking at real menus as much as just watching a high-res video.
The Flaws
Despite some parts that will make fans happy, there are a number of things that will frustrate them. The flaws in this game are readily apparent, even on a relatively high-end device like a Nexus 7.
For starters, the game takes up a ghastly 1.5GB of space, something that can cause its own problems. It also leads to an extremely long download upon purchase, which some are reporting often fails to complete.
Get used to seeing this. A lot.
Long load times do well to break up any semblance of momentum you have while progressing through the levels. After beating a boss, I was treated to a couple minutes of "black screen with swirling logo." This would be less of a problem if the transition wasn't so dull. At least give us a nice spinning Avengers logo to look at instead of empty space!
Despite all the loading, Avengers Initiative also has a number of graphical issues that can reduce a play session to a jagged, stuttering mess. While most of the choppiness between-fight scenes can be resolved by just powering through the roughness until the environment loads, it seems that no amount of patience fixed the action sequences themselves. Stuttering can be forgiven in cutscenes, but having us fight against the game itself to play it in the first place remains a glaring problem. A game that requires quick reflexes to dodge, deflect, and attack should not have graphical issues that impede the player's ability to react.
The last issue involves a lack of progression. Despite a $6.99 price tag, Avengers Initiative contains a hearty in-app payment system and high prices on nearly everything beside the most basic of basic equipment. Costumes, which can cost thousands in in-game currency, are wholly out of reach of the player who refuses to spend money, as pickups and fight rewards can range from 30 to 200.
The Wrap-Up
At the end of the day, Avengers Initiative was frustrating to play. This was not just because of the graphical errors, but because it felt like it had so much potential, and a string of bad decisions kept that potential from being realized.
Having players only play as the Hulk seems like a major flaw, as the whole point of playing an Avengers game is to, well, play as members of the team. The graphics, while impressive, actively kept the game from being played as it should, and in-app payments and high price points can make players feel like their time isn't worth it.
Maybe with a couple patches the game can at least call itself a decent Android Infinity Blade clone; but for now I think I'd call it a pass.
I'll be the first to admit that I find most live wallpapers pretty pointless. It's not that I don't appreciate the time and effort that goes into making them - it's just that I like to keep things clean, and all the background movement just seems so unpractical. However, every once in a while a LWP shows up that makes me second guess my stock wallpaper. This is one of those times.
With what may possibly be the most cut-and-dry app name in the Play Store, this wall is simply called 3D Image Live Wallpaper. And that's exactly what it does: brings the third dimension alive for basically any image you can currently set as your wallpaper. The thing I like most about it is that it's a subtle change - you won't find any crazy floating objects and constant movement with this one. Just a simple wallpaper that gives your background image some pretty incredible depth.
3D Image Live Wallpaper will set you back $1.60 in the Play Store, and you can find it by hitting the Play icon below.
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