Jerry Hildenbrand's blog

ZeptoLab announces the first new Cut the Rope series game in two years -- Cut the Rope: Time Travel

Cut the Rope is an insanely popular mobile game on both iOS and Android, and it's first sequel Cut the Rope Experiments was just as popular. Today, ZeptoLab has announced a third in the series named Cut the Rope: Time Travel.

We don't have much to go on yet. There's a trailer (find it after the break) but other than showing how adorable the little Om Nom character is, it leaves the rest to our imagination. We expect more of the same physics puzzles that help get candy into the cuddly little fellows mouth, and we're fine with that. Why ruin a good thing?

No word on any date or pricing, other than it will be launching for Android and iOS and that it is "almost here". We'll jump on it as soon as we see it, in the meantime hit the break for that trailer.

New camera features and eye recognition shown in official video

Last month we talked about an upcoming software update for the LG Optimus G Pro, dubbed the "value pack". Corny name aside, it promised to deliver a few new features to the popular Korean handset. Tonight LG has pumped out a video showing off some of them.

In the video (after the break) you'll find a nice walkthrough of LG's Smart Video eye recognition, the dual-camera video and still capture, and seamless pause and resume video recording. These features should go over well in LG's home market, where the Optimus G Pro is currently sold.

LG hasn't giving any time frame for the update yet, We've checked our Optimus G Pro for updates, and nothing is here just yet. We'll have a deeper look at the features when it does arrive.

Source: LGMobileHQ

The Atrix HD was one of my favorite phones last year. It was easy to hold and use, had a great screen, and handled everything I threw at it really well. It's now launching on the Nextel network in Mexico, with Jelly Bean and a new push to talk / direct connect service.

Motorola ATRIX HD combines cutting-edge smartradio technology with PRIP Nextel’s new radio service that offers instantaneous high-performance communication using a software based solution integrated with Nextel’s wireless network. Users can enjoy direct connect with anyone, anywhere across the globe by making direct communication calls via Nextel Evolution Network, Wi-Fi or roaming. In addition, the unique PRIP service keeps users connected through Nextel Evolution, the fastest voice and Internet network in the market. 

This new PRIP service is also fully backwards compatible with previous IDEN PTT services from Nextel and Sprint. We don't yet have a date or price, but Nextel Mexico has an expansive information page about PRIP and it's features right here. Hit the break for the full press release.

If you go back to our Nexus 10 review, you'll see where there's a removable strip along the rear that would make a perfect place to attach a cover of some sort. Today, Google finally put such a cover up for sale in Google Play. Available in scarlet or dark gray, the covers will fold over and protect the screen on your Nexus 10, and puts the device to sleep when closed.

The Play store says these will ship and be delivered in three to five days, and they are a bit pricey at $30. But really, the screen on the Nexus 10 would likely cost so much to replace that this is cheap insurance to help prevent scratches and other mishaps. For more information, and to order, click the link below.

Source: Google Play

Developers (and non-developers) who signed up for the Google Glass Explorer program should have their very own pair right before Google I/O

If you plunked down the $1500.00 to become a Glass Explorer at Google I/O last year, you should have your very own set of Google's next big thing in your hands within a month. This is according to what Google has told the folks over at Tech Crunch during today's "Glass Collective" event with Google Ventures. 

The timing for this just screams Google I/O, and we certainly expect to see Google Glass spend a good bit of time front and center during Google's yearly developer conference. Since the project was first unveiled at Google I/O last year, we've seen quite a bit of push from Mountain View to keep people interested, and get developers on board. We wouldn't be surprised to see things come to a head with special developer sessions for Glass, along with plenty of exposure during the keynotes.

If you're a part of the Glass Explorer group, keep an eye on your inbox for more information.

Source: Tech Crunch

AT&T dumps a bucket full of LTE location news, both currently active cities and coming soon announcements

AT&T just sent out 20 press releases with a bunch of LTE announcements. There's a lot to digest, so allow us to break it all down in one place for easy reading.

New LTE cities that are currently active:

• San Francisco, CA (expansion of current coverage to San Rafael, Pittsburg, Antioch, Livermore, Brentwood, and Novato)
• Kalamazoo, MI
• Greensboro, NC (expansion of current coverage into  parts of Rockingham County and the city of Reidsville)
• Wilson, NC

New LTE cities coming this summer:

• Monroeville / Evergreen, AL
• Tuscaloosa, AL (Roll Tide)
• Chico, CA
• Dover, DE
• Jefferson / Commerce, GA
• Columbus, IN
• Manhattan, KS
• Gulfport / Biloxi, MS
• Asheville, NC
• Batavia, NY
• Seneca Falls, NY
• Athens, TX
• Laredo, TX
• Paris, TX
• Rio Grande Valley, TX
• Laramie, WY

There's no word on when exactly during the summer these will light up, but I'm sure AT&T will remind us again when they go live -- or you fine folks will let us all know the minute it drops. 

3.4.10 kernel source released, time for developers to see how easily it builds

HTC has released a bit of source code this evening, and developers working with the Droid DNA on Verizon, and the HTC One on Vodafone France and Vodafone UK, now have some new toys to play with. When they get it all figured out (and they will) it's step one for serious ROM development.

Being compliant with the GPL is a hot topic among the Android community. It seems like nobody besides Google is capable of it, and when we see partial compliance after the fact we act relieved. Hopefully this is a portent of good things to come and we see what we've been promised, when we're supposed to see it.

If you need the kernel source, grab it at the link below. If you're just excited about what can be done with it, kick back and assist when you can. 

Source: HTC; Via: @htcdev

Playnery is bringing a new game engine and what looks like an awesome game to run it in the summer of 2013

Looking for some way to push that Snapdragon 600 in your new or soon-to-be-bought Android phone or tablet? Playnery has you covered. Mother of Myth will be cross platform with iOS and PC, and if it's half as good as the trailer makes it look, it's one I'll be buying on day one.

Based on what we know now, it's an action / adventure / RPG game with sizzling graphics (optimized for the latest and greatest from Qualcomm), a full back-story, character customization, and all the other bells and whistles that make for a great, immersive game of this nature. 

Maybe the most exciting part is that the Playnery’s Bordeaux game engine was built on and with the Qualcomm platform. Ask anyone with a Tegra device and they will tell you that the optimized games are simply a step above anything else that's out there, and seeing a game of this caliber from developers who work with Qualcomm to make it great means your next phone or tablet can have great games no matter which processor is inside. We're looking forward to seeing what Playnary has to offer, and you should be too. Sign up for more info at the Mother of Myth site, and be sure to shout out at them in the forums to show your interest.

Via: Android Central forums

Australians can now listen to their favorite music both on the web and their Android device with Google Play Music

Update: Google Play announced via their Google+ account that there are six other countries also getting the Play Music service: Austria,  Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Portugal. For those about to rock, we salute you. The original story continues below.

Google has flipped their magic switch and made Google Play Music alive and well in the land down under. Users can buy music from Google Play on either the web or their Android device, and the cloud associated with their Google account will hold up to 20,000 of a users own music. The streaming service is available to 10 devices at a time, and the settings on the web version can be used to authorize and deauthorize devices.

The addition of Music means all Google Play services -- apps, games, books, movies, magazines and music -- are now available in Australia. You can find Google Play Music on the web right here, and download the application to your Android device via the Google Play link above.

Source: Google Australia

The update brings Google Now, Project Butter, and all the Jelly Bean treats -- along with some device specific fixes and enhancements

When we saw the T-Mobile Galaxy S II get it's Jelly Bean update, we knew the Skyrocket couldn't be far behind. They're essentially the exact same phone, and folks are using them interchangeably between T-Mobile and AT&T. We also figured it would be done via Kies, and sure enough, there's an update ready and pushing out to folks who connect to Samsung's desktop utility.

The update to I727UCMC1 (Android 4.1.2) has plenty of Jelly Bean goodies, like expandable notifications, Google Now, and Project Butter. It also has a few fixes specific to the Skyrocket, like the removal of Qik and MSpot, and call quality should be a bit better.

Grab you cables, fire up Kies and plug it in if you're using a Skyrocket. For more details, hit the source link, and to discuss the good and bad of this one, the forums are right here.

Source: Samsung. Thanks, Angela!