Holo theme means Android 4.0 apps could look the same on all devices

Android 4.0 Holo theme

One of the things that sets Google Android apart from other mobile operating systems is the fact that dozens of phone and tablet makers can load the open source OS on their devices. And Google doesn’t stop them from customizing the look and feel of the operating system, which is why phones with Samsung TouchWiz, Motorola Motoblur, and HTC Sense can look so different from… Read more »

Android developers can submit multiple app installers to the Android Market

guerilla bob

Google has rolled out an update to the Android Market which allows developers to upload multiple APK files for a single app listing. That means instead of creating separate listings for multiple versions of an app designed to run on different devices, developers can create a single listing. In other words, when you go to download the latest version of Dungeon Defenders, Fruit Ninja, or… Read more »

Google to make it easier to force smartphone apps to fill Android tablet screens

zoom

There are currently only a few hundred Android apps designed specifically for tablets running Google Android 3.0 or higher. But there are hundreds of thousands of apps for Android smartphones and most of them actually look halfway decent on tablets with higher resolution screens. Some don’t though. I’ve run across a few apps that simply refuse to stretch to fit the 1280 x 800 pixel… Read more »

Android Market will let let you know if you can run an app before you install it

compatibility check

Google appears to be rolling out a new Android Market feature which lets you know whether an app is compatible with your hardware. This feature kind of seems like a no-brainer, since there are so many different Android devices on the market with different hardware and different versions of the Android operating system. But up until now the quickest way to find out for certain… Read more »

Is Google using strong-arm tactics to battle Android fragmentation?

Google’s Android operating system has long been portrayed as the “open” alternative to Apple iOS and most other mobile operating systems. While Google typically works on new versions of Android behind closed doors, the company also typically releases the source code to device makers and the public at some point, allowing anyone to customize the operating system and use it how they see fit, free… Read more »

Google’s answer to Android fragmentation: Fragmenting the apps

Google Android is the fastest growing operating system for smartphones. Dozens of phones are available with the free and open source operating system preloaded, and Google says more than 60,000 Android handsets are shipping each day. But there’s a bit of a problem for some consumers: There are four different versions of Android, and while some are obviously newer than others, you can buy a… Read more »


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