Google, Best Buy, HTC offers Nexus 9 pre-orders

You excited for the Nexus 9 yet? Google’s iPad killer was launched recently but will not be available until the early part of November. The Google Play Store has made the item part of their listings, although it is still noted as “coming soon”. All of us are going to have to wait ‘til November to get our hands on the tablet that has been branded as – “for movers and makers” – but there are pre-order options already.

Firstly, Google has it available at the Play Store, as mentioned already. There are three options when it comes to color for the tablet – “Sand”, “Indigo Black”, and “Lunar White”. You might also want to try pre-ordering via HTC, which is also selling the tablet directly – they are the ones who manufactured the tablet anyways.

Another option for you is Best Buy, which has also made the tablet available for pre-order. The tablet, as mentioned before here in the site, has no expansion storage options – and so you will have to be content with either 16GB or 32GB as internal storage options. Also, there accessories that have come on sale for pre-order via the Google Play Store. There is the Nexus 9 Cover for USD$39 and the Folio Keyboard for USD$129.

We also wrote down in an earlier article that Amazon has also put the product up in its listings for pre-order. The Nexus 9 16GB will be available for USD$399 and the 32GB for USD$479. Are you going to pre-order? Let us know why or why not in the comments section.

VIA: SlashGear

Story Timeline

• Android Lollipop revealed with Nexus 6, 9, and Player


• This is the HTC Nexus 9 for movers and makers


• Nexus 9 shows up in Vietnam, full pics and hands on

Stop Thief! CaughtU Pro brings Photo Based Intruder Identification

As the digital age takes firm root with the passage of time, our smartphones and tablets grow increasingly important to us. What started out as a simple method of communication, has turned into a warehouse of our digital selves, holding everything from photographs, sensitive text messages, important passwords, crucial financial information and more. As such, the need for protection increases too and security has become one of the top priorities in the digital world.

XDA Senior Member thotran7989 has harnessed this need for increased security in the form of CaughtU. This app works on the intruder angle by allowing you to identify who’s attempting to gain unauthorized access to your device, and their location. CaughtU works on a rather simple base, utilizing the front camera of your device to take a picture of the intruder and the GPS to pinpoint his or her location. If the device has a functional internet connection, the app goes on to email you the collected data, and provides the option of uploading it to Google Drive. In the absence of internet, the app has an option to automatically turn on the data connection to carry out its functions. All this, combined with an intuitive Material-ish interface makes CaughtU a memorable experience.

Head over to the CaughtU application thread to get started with catching intruders yourself. May the Force Be With – Er, Elementary, my dear Watson.

The post Stop Thief! CaughtU Pro brings Photo Based Intruder Identification appeared first on xda-developers.

Sony's Smartwatch 3 has popped up in the Google Play store, listed for an about-average $250.

Sony's Smartwatch 3 has popped up in the Google Play store, listed for an about-average $250. For that, you'll get all your normal Android Wear features, plus 4GB of onboard storage to let you stream music without the need for a phone. If that tickles your fancy, you'll have to wait a little — it's listed as 'coming soon' for the time being. [Google Play]

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SlideUP Launcher development takes an unusual Kickstarter turn

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Android will never have a dearth of app launchers and homescreen replacements. There are different kinds of different qualities, appealing to different tastes and different needs. SlideUP is yet another one of those vying for your attention, but admittedly, it is a curious one that, at the very least, deserves a second glance. Not only does it offer useful functionality, it seems to be trying out a slightly new way of development, at least as far as Android launchers go.

The basic interaction point of SlideUP is that strip at the bottom of every Android homescreen, usually devoted to app shortcuts. However, they are only that: app shortcuts. SlideUP literally extends those by providing a hidden panel that reveals itself when you swipe up from the relevant icon. Swiping up from the app launcher icon brings up your favorite set of apps while swiping up from the phone icon shows your chosen contacts. SlideUP calls this strip as "Smart Tape" and those "more than icons" as Tiles. At the moment, there are four tiles already provided, All Apps, Phone, Messages, and Camera but more are said to come, including Weather, Music Player, and Calendar. That, however, is where development takes a slightly unusual, and probably controversial turn.

SlideUP, at least for now, doesn't offer those Tiles for free. Or rather, it doesn't offer the slots for those tiles for free. Like in some games where you have limited inventory slots, you can get more space by paying up. In normal apps, this would be through in-app purchases, but since the launcher is still in Kickstarter mode, those IAPs are transformed into pledges. Not stretch goals mind you. Just plain backer tiers. A basic $5 pledge gives you the launcher with those four basic slots. $10 adds one more and $20 gets you two. For a whooping $500, you can ask for a tile of your own choosing.

This crossover of two different worlds, that of Android app development and Kickstarter, is quite unusual and may be taken both positively and negatively. If proven successful and popular, it could perhaps be used as a precursor for future app developers. On the other hand, it could also rub some in the wrong ways. SlideUP seems to already be quite done and the developer isn't exactly forthcoming with what still needs to be done or to what ends the gathered money will be used to fund development. There also isn't any mention of what will happen once the Kickstarter finishes, in particular if and how SlideUP will make an appearance in Google Play Store. There are, unfortunately, still some open questions and loose ends that SlideUP might need to address if it is to rake in more supporters to meet its $1,000 goal.

SOURCE: Kickstarter

Sony adds Xperia Z1, Z2 to AOSP for Xperia, updates Xperia Z

While Sony might arguably be not the top Android seller in the world, the OEM is popular for trying to do right by its users, especially when it comes to the Android community, especially modders and custom ROM makers. Aside from providing official instructions, and warnings, for unlocking bootloaders, it also provides kernel sources and configurations on the open source GitHub repository to be used by those who want to create their own Android version of its devices. Today, those sources welcome three devices to the fold.

Technically, only two are new devices. Sony has added the Xperia Z2 and the older Xperia Z1 to its AOSP for Xperia project on GitHub, giving modders the official approval to start cooking up ROMs for these two devices. In addition, Sony has updated the Xperia Z's repository to Android 4.4.4. Of course, these devices, along with a truckload of Xperia Z models, will be getting Android 5.0 next year, but for now, it's only KitKat for those who want to make ROMs.

Sony notes that these software are not to be meant for daily regular use and that certain functionality will be missing, like camera and modem, which makes devices useless for photography and phone calls. These, actually the camera, are the most common to be broken when unlocking bootloaders, since they are proprietary technology that rely on DRM to function. That said, Sony does provide binary (a.k.a. closed source) components to make those work, provided ROM makers are willing to have proprietary bits in their projects.

Another gift that Sony is giving Android developers is spring cleaning of its open source repositories. Previously, Sony would have kernel source code for each and every device, which makes it tedious to maintain, both for Sony and for developers. That is why starting today, Sony will be using a single unified kernel for all devices running on the Qualcomm MSM8974 chipset, a.k.a. the ubiquitous Snapdragon 800. This will hopefully not only make it easier for developers to play around with Sony device kernels but also to contribute those changes back to Sony for the benefit of even those running on stock firmware.

SOURCE: Sony

Octagon promises frustrating fun

If you like games that require fast reflexes like Temple Run or Impossible Road a new game has launched that you will want to check out. The game is called Octagon and rather than having people that are running players control, this game has a ball rolling through a world that is constantly changing.

The floor moves beneath the player and you have to spin the world to dodge bumps, holes, and other obstacles. The game has classic and endless modes. In classic mode, each level lasts 60 seconds.

Octagon uses dynamic procedural graphics with a minimalistic look. The soundtrack for the game is original by someone named Sqeepo. There are no shortcuts or cheats, players only get as far as their reflexes take them.

The game landed on Google Play earlier this month and is 18MB in size. It has been installed as many as 50,000 times so far and is on version 1.1.8. Android 4.0 or higher is required to play and while the game is free, in-app purchases are available.

SOURCE: Google Play

Avenge Sevenfold releases Android game Hail to the King: Deathbat

If movie stars write autobiographies and children's books as their "vanity projects", then rock stars have found their own niche by creating video games based on their music, or sometimes, even something as mundane as their logo. Yes, that's what popular metalcore band Avenge Sevenfold have done as they announced the release of their Android game Hail to the King: Deathbat. Yes, the Deathbat is their logo and mascot, but it's not the cuddly and adorable kind, if you know anything about the band's music.

Just in time for Halloween, the 3rd person overhead dungeon crawler type game is definitely not for young children (well, unless they love scary and bloody stuff, that is) nor for the faint of heart. The game's storyline involves Andronikos, the King of the Underworld who has just recently come back from the dead. He is also the embodiment of the Deathbat, the aforementioned logo of the band, and from the name itself, it sounds scary and forbidding (and maybe kinda icky). His mission is to rescue his land, Haides from the current ruler, the Dark Andronikos (which may be their version of Bizarro Superman).

Make no mistake: you will encounter scary creatures, zombies, monsters while traversing through beautifully designed but dark landscapes. And of course, you will be accompanied by original music specifically created for the game by Avenge Sevenfold plus a few of their older songs. You will also be playing the game as members of the band, so if you're a fan, now is your chance to be your idol. This game is perfect to get you in the mood for Halloween yes?

Hail to the King: Deathbat is available to download from the Google Play Store for $4.99, with no in-app purchases. If you think that's too expensive, just think that not only are you buying a game, you're also getting new tracks from Avenge Sevenfold, as well as a "best of" their music.