The NASA has shot an truly amazing photo of the earth on 4th January 2012 called “Blue Marble” with their new satelite “Suomi NPP“. The satelite is in space to constantly photograph the earth and scan it for changes. We are curious about more pictures, this is already really amazing! You may want to make it a bit smaller for your mobile device, though. The max downloadable resolution is 8000 x 8000 pixels, it should be enough for your handset.

Get it here from flickr. 

The software company “True Knowledge Ltd” has just released its own rival to Apple’s “speak and search”-engine Siri. Its AndroidMarket-description  tells you about Evi’s revolutionary artificial intelligence, which shall provide you with information for your everday needs.Google Search would do,  It also says, Evi doesn’t only look for keywords in your text, like Google Search would do,   it can “understand” your sentences and can even compare facts, which it gets through the internet. However, we couldn’t test it. According to their download chart they experienced a huge boom and probably their servers aren’t able to handle this at the moment. Keep in mind, they aren’t Apple, they might not have the money to afford such server farms.

However, it’s totally for free. I couldn’t see any advertisements too. Great service for a free app, if it works. We actually weren’t able to test it due to “connection problems” (related to their limited server capacities). Stay tuned for a review, when it works! (Hopefully, it will work some time) – To all those disappointed users out there: Please wait with your user reviews until they have fixxed their server capacities.

Has it worked for you? Share your experiences in the comments! 

Most of you may know the Android Debug Bridge or “adb” from one of the millions tutorials for Android devices. Indeed, adb is a very useful tool to handle various situations. May it be a fix, or just pushing data to your device. For “advanced users” of Android devices it’s a must and here’s how to use it (Thanks to XDA-Member biggem001 for the basic structure of this guide):

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To begin with, there are some steps of preperation to be able to use the Android Debuge Bridge:

1. Download the official Android SDK (here, click!)

Mind that you need to choose the correct link, depending on your operationg system (Windows, MacOS or Linux). Furthermore, the installation requires the Java JDK (download here, click!)

2. Start the SDK  (double click “SDK Manager.exe”)

Check the checkboxes next to “Android SDK Platform-tools” (under Tools) and  Google USB Driver package (under Extras). Then, click install. Afterwards, “adb.exe” should be located in something like “C:\<your chosen directory\platform-tools\” . That’s it. You got the adb.

3. To access ADB through any command prompt directory change the System Variables

To do so,  right click on My Computer and go to => Properties => Advanced System Settings => Advanced (Tab) => Environment Variables => Under Stystem Variables scoll and double click on “Path”, at the end of the variable value line add ” ;C:\<your chosen directory>\platform-tools “. Afterwards you should be able to access the adb everywhere through “cmd.exe“.

4. Make sure you have downloaded the latest drivers of your device. 

In order to do so, go to  htc.com and download your device’s drivers. Those are usually included when installing HTC Sync.

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To use the adb 3 simple steps are required:

Firstly, connect your device to your PC via USB. Secondly, ensure that you have the “USB Debugging Mode” activated on your device (through Settings). As a thirst step, open up your console or “cmd.exe” in Windows.

Following commands are available:  Thanks to XDA-Member biggem001 for this list, again.

ADB Devices : This command shows all connected android devices that will respond to an ADB command. It is useful for making sure your device is connected.
ADB Connect [IP:PORT] : This command will connect to your device over personal WIFI connection if your device is setup for ADB over WIFI (Requires root and NOT recommended)
ADB Push [local_file] [remote_file] : This command will push any local file to the device (only if the device is Read/Writable. Stock /system/ folders are only Readable.
ADB Pull [Remote_file or Directory] [Save file or Directory] : This command take files or an entire directory and save it to your desired location. This command only works when directory is read/Writable.
ADB Shell [command] : This command will perform most UNIX commands on the device. Without a command, you can enter several shell commands before you ‘exit’. Most will not work unless SU is applied (# instead of $). Must be rooted for SU. Only play with these commands if they are known by you or exactly copied from instructions.
ADB Logcat [ > file.txt ] : This command will display (or save per > file.txt) a log of what’s happening on the device. If you are receiving errors, turn on logcat, reproduce error, turn off, and send logcat to the developer.
ADB Install [-r][-s] [local_apk] : This command force installs (or reinstalls –r or –s installs on SD-Card) any APK provided.
ADB Uninstall [-k] [APK_Name] : This command uninstalls any APK Name provided (app.apk) and will even keep cache and other data with the –k tag.
ADB start-server : This command will start the server if the server is off or killed. (Normally server will auto-start when ADB command is used)
ADB kill-server : This command will close ADB server. Useful if ADB server is acting up or not connecting to any devices.
ADB remount : This command will mounts the /system/ partition Read/Writable pending the device is allow to. Stock TFP will NOT.
ADB root : This command will restart ADB with root permissions if the build allows for it. Stock TFP will NOT.
ADB usb : This command will restart ADB on device to use USB connection for ADB communication.
ADB tcpip [port] : This command will restart ADB on device to use TCPIP connection for ADB. Standard port is 5555. Again, this connect not recommended for file transfers.
ADB reboot [recovery/bootloader] : This command will restart your device. If either of the two options are given, the device will boot into that mode (sadly TFP does not support the two options.. yet

Something missing? Write me a mail, or comment! 

Nearly everyone knows it. Millions have played it and are probably still playing it. Counter Strike. Valve’s legendary shooter-game changed the genre. Some legendary games have already been ported to mobile devices: Like GTA III or the classic “Doom”. It was kind of time for someone to publish Counter Strike for Android. XDA-Forummembers FrIuNs and TiP@H accepted the challenge. The result is: Counter Strike Portable. With the Unity3D engine they created an ego-shooter game for Android devices, using Counter Strike 1.6 ressources. That’s what it is: An entirely on their own developed shooter game which uses graphics from Valve’s CS1.6. 

The latest version currently is “6p” (however, if you download it it says CS Portable 6y) and can be found & downloaded at their XDA-Thread (click) for free. Furthermore, there is also a Desktop-Browser version available. This kinda ruined the gameplay at some points for me, because they usually have such big advantages with their mouse & keyboard. Still, there are over 6.000 active players online and waiting to compete with you. It’s great fun, although the controlls are something you have to get used to, if you have played it on the PC before. There is a kind of aiming help, which greatly improves the gameplay and tension.

On the “old” HTC Desire (Bravo) the game runs with about 20 fps and is more or less playable. It even worked with ICS on this Desire. For the other Desire devices, there shouldn’t be a problem. If you experience one, share it in the comments and I will try to contact the developer or post it in the  XDA-Thread (click).

Official Gameplay Video on Samsung Galaxy SII:

Surely, developement hasn’t finished yet, but it’s already very playable and we can be curious about its future.

Google is avid as always and publishes a new update for Google Maps. According to the changelog, it fixes several bugs for phones as well as tablets. I can’t tell which Bugs that were, but if you have experienced any improvements, share it in the comments! However, the update is free and you might have already got an update-notification. Don’t wait with downloading it!

We all have been waiting for it: An official Wikipedia application. Officially released by the Wikimedia Foundation, you’ll be prepared for the next blackout of Wikipedia with it. It works, even though the page is blacked out (you remember the protest?).

Nearly all the Wikipedia applications out there were only so called “WebViews”, which just displayed you the official mobile Wikipedia page. This one is faster, has a share function and an option to save articles for offline viewing. “Instant Search” or “Live Search” (like Google’s) is implemented too and provides you with fast suggestions. However, the design could use some refurbishment, but is O.K. Anyways, it’s for free, so you may want to get it as soon as possible. On the app’s page in the Android Market it’s recommended to share ideas and critic on their Twitterpage @WikimediaMobile. Quite userfriendly, isn’t it?

Share your thoughts about the free official Wikipedia app in the comments! 

Today, I am not in the mood for jokes. This news are neither about the HTC Desires nor about Android. However, it’s a monumental day, not only for the U.S., probably for the whole future of the “Internetz”.
The “Stop Online Piracy Act” has shown up for the first time in 2011 and was handed in by the republican delegate Lamar S. Smith.

SOPA is a threat to the freedom of the web. Supported by the “old media’s” corporate groups (e.g. Hollywood), it’s disguised to protect copyrights, but allows the government to make sensitive restrictions to the Internet. Multiple popular webpages like Wikipedia, Reddit and even xda-developers.com have “gone dark” for today in order to raise awareness and to get people involved (According to sopastrike.com there are over 7,000 pages “going dark”!). For further information, Wikipedia has summed up everything, including all recent events concerning the legislation. (here, click!)
Even the White House has released a statement against SOPA after 2 petitions with a total of more than 100,000 votes.

Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation’s most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs. It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders.

Source: WhiteHouse.gov

Due to the central role in terms of  internet-structure these restrictions can and will also effect countries outside the U.S. .

Google released a statement too and calls for action!

(Editor’s note:) Get involved, join the protest! Against censorship and inhibition of innovation! Sign as many petitions as you can. For a free Internet!

To several Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) – users a slowed WiFi connection appeared. This is a bug identified to be related to devices with some special country codes on their SIM-cards (e.g. you are using it in your tablet for an internet connection or in your smartphone for internet/telephony/SMS ). XDA-Forummember fardjad recently released an app which fixxes that bug. However, this only works for rooted devices, just give the application “SuperUser”-rights to enable it. You can download the application, as well as updates for free over at the XDA-Community (click). You might also want to donate a bit to the developer if the application could help you!

Share in the comments if you have experienced such troubles and whether the app helped you or not!

There are tons of root apps for it, and many users believe in t as the only truth: Wiping the battery stats in the recovery to enhance your battery life. Google engineer Diane Hackborn busted this myth yesterday. She states that the file batterystats.bin, which gets resetted when “wiping” the battery stats, only contains data for the “Battery Use UI in settings“.

To sum up: Wiping your battery stats, won’t help your battery life and just make your battery stats more inaccurate. You might want to deinstall the root-app, which wipes your battery stats, NOW.

To all those of you, who still think it helps: Might it not just be some kind of Placebo for you?

Read the original post of Diane Hackborn (click!). 

One goal of Google’s latest Android version 4.0 or “Ice Cream Sandwich” clearly was to give the users a more consistent using experience. A step to do that, was to merge the visual interfaces of Honeycomb with “pre-Honeycomb” to provide the same experience, no matter whether on tablets or handsets. However, that was only the Operating System. Most developers still developed their own interfaces and integrated them into their applications.

With Ice Cream Sandwich Google didn’t only change Android’s User Interface, but also obliged every OEM to include the Holo theme in their customized interfaces, so that developers could use it. (We reported!)

The (pretty obvious ) next step, just happened: Google published Design Guidelines for Android applications. For beginners or senior developers “http://developer.android.com/design/index.html” provides several very useful principles and tipps for designing their application’s interfaces.

Still, there is one thing I am missing: I really like Android 4.0 ICS, but to be realistic: It won’t be widespread very soon. Maybe in one or one and a half year developers are seriously able to develope with the target API 14 (Android 4.0), what to do until then? Build 2 nearly completely different interfaces: one for FroYo/Gingerbread and one for ICS? Downward-compability is mentioned in the guidelines, but not really satisfying in my opinion.

What’s your opinion? How do you solve the issues of Android’s different device-resolutions, sizes, versions? Share them in the comments!