Android Gaming Weekly: Mass Effect 3, Scramble with Friends, Samurai vs. Zombies

Welcome to our new column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Thursday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week’s best in Android gaming.

Phosphor Game Studios is bringing their iOS thriller The Dark Meadow to Android in the coming months and they gave a quick preview of their work at the Game Developers Conference last week. Our friends at DroidGamers were on site and captured a five minute walk-through of the game. This game looks to creep you out and blow you away with stunning visuals using Epic Game’s Unreal Engine and it is targeted for Tegra 3 devices.

Last week Zynga released their latest game for Android called Scramble with Friends. If you loved Words With Friends and Hanging With Friends, then you should love this game. The only problem is that it’s only available in Canada right now. If your phone is rooted, you can try MarketEnabler to change your country setting to Canada, but the rest of us will just have to wait.

Update: Scramble with Friends is now available in the US.

Yes, I purchased a Nintendo Gamecube on launch day and picked up Super Monkey Ball and played the heck out of it. This month Sega released Super Monkey Ball 2 to the Google Play Store. The title runs $0.99, but it features six unique worlds with over 125 stages. Replay value is extended by four extra mini-games including Monkey Target, Monkey Golf, Monkey Bowl, and Monkey Base. I haven’t played the game yet, but writing this quick blurb brought back a lot of nostalgia so I just purchased it.

Last week at SXSW we got to spend some quality time with Angry Birds Space and I was impressed with what I saw. For me, the Angry Birds franchise has been a little stale, but this actually feels like a new game thanks to the enhanced space physics. The game will launch for free on March 22nd on the Google Play Store, so be sure to check it out.

In case you missed our earlier report this week, Square Enix released Final Fantasy III for Android devices in Japan. We don’t know if the game will come to the United States yet, so RPG fans will have to wait and see what happens.

This week Glu Mobile released their latest game Samurai vs. Zombies Defense. Glu Mobile has become the king of freemium games, and Samurai vs. Zombies doesn’t disappoint. This game lets you fight hordes of evil undead, decapitate your enemies, unlock allies, and take on some epic boss battles. It’s free. Go grab it.

This week NVIDIA released a live wallpaper to promote the console-game Mass Effect 3. It’s free and looks awesome, so that’s why we are sharing it. EA Mobile also recently released Mass Effect Infiltrator for iOS and we believe it’s headed to Android, so this wallpaper is a nice treat to hold us over as we wait for the game.

Scrubs: What happens when a Russian developer makes a quirky game based on a hit TV show from the US? Scrubs is a weird Android game that reminds me of Where’s Waldo, and I’ve been playing through it this week trying to complete it. Fans of the TV show will probably enjoy the cartoon characters, but the average gamer might not find this title all that enjoyable.

Taco Master: I grew up in South Texas, ate a lot of Mexican food, and worked in a fast food joint, so this fast-paced game is oddly amusing. The goal is to fill customers’ orders by making tacos as fast as you can. I haven’t unlocked the bonus modes yet, but they include Mexican Party and Zombie Tacos, which sound awesome. Reviews say the game has a screen issue with the Galaxy Nexus, so buyers beware.

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.

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Android users: dropping deuces and ladies’ panties

Today’s survey statistics involve quite a deal of comic ‘relief.’ Not only are we dominating the smartphone market, but we’re also beating everyone in other fields. According to a couple of surveys, it seems Android users are most likely to use their phone while in the toilet and to have one night stands.

The first numbers come from marketing agency 11mark. This survey relates to the use of smartphones in the lavatory, and it seems Android users are the ones to do it the most. 87% of surveyed Android users admitted to using their smartphones while sitting on the toilet. We don’t happen to be much more prone to do this, compared to BlackBerry and iPhone users.

84% of BlackBerry users admitted to doing the same. iPhone users brought up the rear at 77%. As you can see, we’re all a bunch of smartphone kings, controlling our life from the throne. But it also seems BlackBerry users are most likely to answer calls while in the toilet; a whopping 75% of them say they’ve done so. This is a bit high compared to Android users at 67% and iPhone users at 60%.

It might also be interesting to note that there’s not much of a gender gap with this habit. The survey proves that men and women are almost as likely to fall in this category. 74% of men and 76% of women surveyed said this was something they did.

Now let’s move out of the restroom (unless you guys like to do the following there, too), and on to the bedroom. The next survey was held by Match.com (a popular dating site) and is about relationships and smartphones. (Survey held in Canada). In this survey, we Android users are categorized as “The Seducer.”

It seems Android users are the most likely to get close and personal on the first date. 62% of studs admitted that they’ve had sexual relations during the first night out. iPhone users stand at 57%, while BlackBerry users are lonely at 48%.

But just as we start loving quick, it seems we also stop loving quick ; Android users are also the most likely to have one-night stands. 55% of the participants admitted that this is something they have done before. And we’re also the ones most inclined to visit dating sites (72%).

It also seems iPhone users like having relationships within the workplace and like to call you right back the day after your first date. (Come on guys, some time to breathe can’t hurt!). If you’re the dreamer type, you might want to go with a BlackBerry user. 67% of these guys believe in love at first sight (and they’re more likely to get their drinking on on the first date – 72%).

These percentages make me wonder if Android users are much more likely to be single. The love life survey paints a picture of us as social butterflies looking for affection. I also wonder if we’re flirting with our significant others while in the toilet. Now that would make for a very intimate relationship.

What you guys think of this? Do you feel like you’re more comfortable with intimacy as these surveys suggest?

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AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note’s Kernel Source Code Released

Samsung just pushed out the kernel source code for AT&T’s version of the Samsung Galaxy Note. There are three different versions listed for download at Samsung’s Open Source Release Center. Why three, you ask? Your guess is as good as mine at this point, but according to one developer, they are almost all identical save for one line of code. Any guesses?  Now, lets see what talented dev community brings to the table once the device is actually released.

source: Android Police
via: Samsung Open Source Release Center

» See more articles by Ed Caggiani

Categorized as Android Customization, Android Development, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones, Android SDK, Android Software, Android Tablets

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EU regulators start investigation with Samsung over antitrust concerns

If being in court every day over patent issues in 10 countries isn’t enough, now EU regulators are investigating whether Samsung Electronics breached antitrust rules by accusing rivals such as Apple of infringing its technology patents.

Last year, Samsung filed for injunctions in several EU countries againt competitors for infringing patents. Back in 1998 Samsung pledged to license its patents to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

“The (European) Commission will investigate, in particular, whether in doing so (seeking injunctions on patent infringements in 2011) Samsung has failed to honor its irrevocable commitment given in 1998 to the European Telecommunications Standards,” the EU executive said.

Did Samsung abuse its dominate position with these actions? So far Samsung hasn’t made a comment.

It’s also possible other companies like Motorola could be subject to this same investigation. If the European Commission finds any company in breach of EU competition rules, they could fine them up to 10 percent of their global turnover.

source: routers

» See more articles by Robert Nazarian

Categorized as Android Lawsuits, Android Manufacturers

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Google Maps Navigation found illegal in French courtroom

Google Maps is the best at what it does. Navigation is usually spot-on, maps tend to be so accurate it can be creepy (especially when they include pictures of your house) and best of all, it’s free to use. Sure, you could nitpick the minor details, but who can really complain about a free-to-use service of such a high caliber? One competing company who charges for mapping services did, and took those complaints to a French court where Google may be facing some serious problems.

A French court has ruled that by giving away Google Maps, Google is stifling competition and creating an unfair advantage in the topographical market. The plaintiff’s (Bottin Cartographes) legal counsel touted their victory over Google, saying the ruling finally “proved the illegality of Google’s strategy.” For giving away Google Maps for free, Google must now pay a fine of 500,000 euros. This is the first time Google has ever been prosecuted for Google Maps, and they plan on appealing the decision as soon as possible.

It’s understandable that companies with a similar service to Google Maps would be infuriated when faced with a massive loss of profits because they can’t sell their product. It’s understandable that they would take Google to court over it. It’s not understandable that Google would actually be charged with doing something wrong by giving away a great service for free.

If Google’s appeal falls through, this may be just the beginning. Could you imagine a world where Google Maps requires a subscription fee? We’ll be keeping a close eye on this as the situation continues to play out.

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Google Docs Receives Major Update, Includes Improved Tablet Support & Coveted Offline Access For Files

We can all finally breath a sigh of relief. Google has updated the Google Docs app to include a few major improvements. The first is an improved tablet experience. When you open a Google document on your tablet, you’ll get a high-resolution version of the document. You can also swipe left and right to flip between pages, or use the slider at the bottom to page ahead quickly.

The second improvement is definitely a doozy. Users will now find wait for it— offline access. Google has finally heard your cries and is allowing users to make selected files “available offline”. Regardless of if you’re connected to the internet or not, you’ll always be connected to those files. What’s even better is the fact users now have the option to automatically or manually update the offline files when connected to WiFi or connected to the internet using a data connection.

You’re all yearning to use the new improvements in Google Docs, I get it. Head on over to the Android Market or grab it using the handy QR code below if you have an Android 2.1+ device.

Android Market

» See more articles by Roy Alugbue

Categorized as Android Applications, Android News, Android Software

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ClockworkMod Recovery Touch extends to more devices

Koushik Dutta”s famous ClockworkMod Recovery has gone touch, but the rollout is slow and steady. Initially only supporting the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, a total of 9 phones are now supported. Thus far the list is as follows:

Samsung Nexus SSamsung Nexus S 4GSamsung Galaxy Nexus (CDMA and GSM)HTC DesireHTC Desire HDHTC EvoHTC Evo 3D (GSM and CDMA)HTC ThunderboltMotorola Atrix 4G

» See more articles by Jim Farmer

Categorized as Android Applications, Android ROMS, Android Rooting

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