Looking for the new hotness without all that extra price?  Amazon Wireless has your back as usual here, giving you the opportunity to get either a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Sprint service, or an HTC One with AT&T service for $129.99.  You’ll of course have to sign a 2-year contract to get this price, but that’s nothing new in the world of US wireless carriers.  Still, these phones are as new and as hot as you can get, so keeping them for the next 2 years isn’t a bad plan at all.  Check out the links below for your particular flavor of phone and color.

AT&T: HTC One (Silver), HTC One (Black)

Sprint: Galaxy S4 (White), Galaxy S4 (Black)

Via Android Police

Now on a slight side note here, since this is a Verizon phone, the bootloader is likely to be locked upon release.  AT&T’s version was locked, which was a surprise given that AT&T doesn’t have a history of doing such things, however it was quickly cracked after release.  The same is expected here of the Verizon Galaxy S4, and in fact there’s no reason to think that this won’t happen immediately given that Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the same hardware across all carriers in the US.

Verizon’s Galaxy S4 page

Giant developer and publishing house EA has announced that their in-house gaming development engine, Frostbite, will be coming to Android as Frostbite Go.  This marks a big step for Android gaming development as EA has traditionally favored iOS over every other mobile OS out there.  While it doesn’t appear that EA will be licensing the Frostbite Go engine out, they have stated that the engine will be used for in-house development, which means it’s likely that EA will be pushing more games to Android than ever before.

Those not familiar with the gaming development world should know that the Frostbite engine, now in its 3rd iteration, powers the popular Battlefield series of games.  Frostbite 3 powers Battlefield 4′s next-generation visuals, and while we definitely won’t be seeing the kind of visual fidelity on our phones and tablets that you’ll get with Battlefield 4 on a PC or next-gen console, having a powerful engine available on a platform means the quality of visuals will certainly increase.  Anyone who has downloaded the amazing looking Epic Citadel can tell you that, given that Epic Citadel is powered by none other than the Unreal Engine.  EA is always extremely choosy when it comes to platforms to develop for, and it’s quite refreshing to see them increasing their internal development for Android.

 Via Redmond Pie

Android is well known for it’s customization. Android users know this because you can switch out nearly every aspect of the operating system for whichever one you like best. Don’t like the dialer or the launcher? All you’ve got to do is type either of those terms in the Play Store and the search will return dozens, or even hundreds of results, giving you choices when it comes to making the phone look the way you want. This makes Android a modular OS, meaning an OS that can be piecemeal made up of whatever you want it to be.

Google has taken this concept one step further this year at Google I/O 2013 with the announcement of things like Google Play Games, Cloud Messaging, app data syncing and just about everything else that showed up this year. Many were expecting Android 4.3, but we got something way better; because it’s an experience we can all participate in no matter what device or version of Android we are running. Google’s move to updating OS features through back end services like Google Play Services means that they can deliver new content and new ways of doing things without having to deal with carrier approval of updates. It’s the perfect way to troll the likes of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and just about every US carrier and manufacturer out there that releases phones and never updates them again. If Google stays on this path, we may very well see Jelly Bean as the lead version of Android for some time to come. Given the rate at which phones are actually being updated to Jelly Bean, this is actually a really fantastic prospect.

Those who are disappointed that either Android 4.3 or even Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie weren’t announced at this year’s I/O should remember that most phones won’t ever get the newest version of Android, and as such feature parity between phones has become increasingly important. It’s one of the reasons manufacturers like HTC and Samsung stick with their custom UI overlays like Sense and TouchWiz. Bringing feature parity and user experience via the UI is something that keeps things familiar, and as much as many of us love change and new things, many people just want to be comfortable and familiar with their devices. New features are always welcomed though, and that’s where Google’s strategy is going to pay off. If Google can keep this type of updating going, we will see great strides in OS approval ratings with Android, specifically for those people that don’t get the latest OS revision right away.

Google Maps also got a massive overhaul, with the map itself becoming the new UI, and many personalization options as well as new and intuitive features. Google Play got a minor update, as did Google Now and Google TV. Google Chrome was a key point for Google throughout the event, and they announced Google Now cards for Chrome, and it also got Hangouts. Overall, a pretty good showing at I/O for this year. Meanwhile, AndroidAndMe are reporting the white Nexus 4 will launch on June the 10th with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Genuine leak, or false rumour? Stick with us for the latest news, announcements, leaks, rumours and reviews on all things Android.

Check out all our stories on Google I/O by clicking the banner on the top of this site. All our reports of the announcements and new services are there, so be sure to check it out.

Classic gaming fans rejoice, as the original Sonic the Hedgehog has made its way to Android!  Now I know what you’re thinking, “oh great, another crappy classic port with touch screen controls,” right?  Well you’re mostly wrong thankfully, and in fact you’re likely to be in for quite a treat here.  Sega didn’t just slap the ROM into an emulator and pop it on the Play Store for $2.99, rather they’ve completely remastered the game, making it play not only in widescreen, but at 60FPS as well!  The amazing thing is, that’s not even scratching the surface of what Sega has added here.  Let’s look at everything:

Yeah this is the real deal, and it also includes all the classic Sonic music as well.  If you’re looking for a game to pick up and have $2.99 to spend, this is what you need to be getting right now!  check out the launch trailer below, followed by some screens, and click the Play Store button below for the Play Store page.

Sometimes things move very quickly in the tech world, and the newest, hottest device is usually right on board.  In this case Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is the new hotness, and it’s moving record numbers of phones.  We just reported to you that Samsung had shipped over 4 million Galaxy S4′s in the first 4 days of being on the market, and now we’re here to tell you that Samsung expects to hit the 10 million sold mark by next week.  That’s an astounding number of Galaxy S4′s sold, and it doubles the number of Galaxy S III’s sold in the same timeframe.  Samsung has projected that they will sell 100 million Galaxy S4′s by this time next year, and this definitely shows they might actually be able to achieve that number.

Keeping this in some kind of perspective, the Galaxy S III didn’t actually launch worldwide like the Galaxy S4 did, so that at least accounts for some of the massive difference in sales here.  Still this is quicker than the Galaxy S III would have likely even done had it launched worldwide all at once, so we expect the Galaxy S4 to continue to break sales numbers as we reach summer time.

Via Engadget

The only downside I can see with this update is the removal of Adobe Flash support, but since Google TV only ran an outdated version of it anyway, it’s not too much of a loss. If you have a Google TV, you will likely receive the update in the next few months. LG have already confirmed that they’ll be updating their Google TVs by summer, so be sure to get it. If you haven’t got a Google TV, then what better time is there to jump aboard the bandwagon and buy one?

FitBit is working hard to bring wireless sync using Bluetooth 4.0 to more and more devices and today has announced that wireless sync is working with the Samsung Galaxy S4. There is a bit of work that needs to be done with Android devices to get them to work with the FitBit app. Simply having the necessary hardware isn’t quite enough to get the Fitbit to sync with the new Fitbit Flex, Android simply doesn’t have the hooks to allow third party apps to access the hardware. Bummer. While that might change in the future, what that means is for now every model has to be tested and code written on a device by device basis. However, the Galaxy S4 joins the Galaxy S III, the Note 2 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with wireless sync (along with the iPhone 4S and up.)

Source: Fitbit Blog

Via:http://www.androidcentral.com/fitbit-app-updated-bluetooth-40-sync-support-galaxy-s4

I love Google TV. The amazing folks over at GTV Hacker do too, and they have worked out an Asus Cube root method. It’s as easy as installing an .apk and running it.

The app is called Cuberoot. It’s GTV Hacker’s first foray into the world of Android development. Their previous root methods have all been hardware or software hacks. None have used an app to get the job done, until now. Here’s some info directly from them:

“So, what will Cuberoot do?

• Root your Asus Cube.
• Install SuperSu.
• Modify the Flash Player to bypass website blocks on streaming media sites.
• Disable automatic updates.
• Collect anonymous statistical information about your device.
• Allow you to patch this vulnerability, which prevents malicious applications from using this bug.”

There’s a video too, if you want to see Cuberoot in action.

Hit the download link to grab the .apk, sideload it onto your Asus Cube, and go!

[Download]

[GTV Hacker]

Nvidia’s Project Shield is no longer a project, and will henceforth be known as the Nvidia Shield.  The namesake makes plenty of sense too, given that the screen folds down over the top of the controller to protect the whole unit.  While the overall design of the Shield is definitely something fantastic to behold, the function of it is the real lion’s share of the news here.  The Nvidia Shield is the most powerful mobile gaming platform out there right now, powered by none other than the Nvidia Tegra 4.  Nvidia has shown its dedication to the gaming industry with the Tegra lineup of processors, so it makes plenty of sense for them to be launching a dedicated gaming system powered by Android.

With the final name Nvidia has also announced that you can pre-order the unit right now by heading over to the Nvidia Shield pre-order page.  The Nvidia Shield will set you back $349, and it is expected to launch by the end of June this year.  The package is a pretty good value given what you receive, as the Nvidia Shield also doubles as a media streaming device and a controller for your PC, a la WiiU style.  Included in the package is the following accessories and games:

Nvidia is also selling a carrying case for $39.99 to protect your investment.  The case is simple and seems a little over priced, but it’s there nonetheless if you so choose to buy it from Nvidia’s store.  Nvidia is serious about this release, and for good reason; they have an amazing product that does more than any other handheld on the market right now.  The question is whether or not they can gain more traction than Sony’s PSVita, which has sold abysmally compared to Nintendo’s 3DS.  The price of the Nvidia Shield is certainly a deterring factor that will have to be gotten over, and then of course there’s the issue of advertising.  Here’s to hoping Nvidia’s little project takes off, and makes some serious impact on the mobile gaming industry.

Nvidia Shield via Android Central

Pebble, the Kickstarter-backed smartwatch, has quickly become popular both because of its form and functionality.  Today that functionality gets even better, as the creators of Pebble have released a new Software Developer Kit (SDK) that enables Pebble to talk back with apps.  This will allow Pebble to report data back to your phone and whatever app it’s linked to.  The Pebble developers have created a list of possible apps that could easily use this 2-way communication right now:

This has now opened a whole new world of interactivity with your Pebble.  There were already quite a number of things you could do before, but now the possibilities are seemingly limitless.  I think one of the biggest ones people still want are pre-canned text message responses much like what we have on the Android dialer when you reject a call.  Pebble recently announced the ability to sync with Run Keeper, the popular running app that, as the name implies, keeps track of your running data such as speed and distance.  More partnerships like these will continue to increase the popularity of Pebble and bring it in to the mainstream.

Smartwatches are all the rage now, and it seems that every major player in the cell phone industry supposedly has their hand in making one, including Samsung and Google.  Sony’s Smartwatches were sort of the preemptive strike that wasn’t heard anywhere, as they launched earlier last year to what seems no fanfare at all.  Many of us here at Android Does are excited about the prospects of wearable computing, whether it be a Smartwatch or something like Google Glass, so the more players there are on the market the better!

Kickstarter Pebble Blog via Droid Life

Are you seeing this error?  Depending on the game you’re launching, it might be just a little bit different, but here’s what I was running in to.  For the games that have been updated with the Google Play Games service, I was unable to use the “log in with Google+” button; every game returned some sort of “unknown error”.  I tried clearing Google+ data, flashing a new ROM, etc.  Nothing seemed to work until I went in to the Google Settings app and made sure the games were set properly.  Follow the steps below to get your games working with the Google Play Games service and Google+ sign in:

Step 1) Find the Google Settings app in your app drawer (and subsequently click it)

Step 2) Click “Apps with Google+ Sign-in” at the top of the Google Settings app screen

Step 3) Find the game that isn’t logging in properly

Step 4) Click both sections here, particularly the second one that says “Activities visible via Google to”

Step 5) Choose who you want to share game activity with (circles or individual people) and hit OK

Step 6) Profit.

If this worked for you, let us know!  If not we’d love to help you get it working so that you can enjoy Google Play Games in all its glory.