Moving on

Hi guys!

Maybe you noticed the lower amount of articles since May at MobileBoard. That's because I was involved in new project, which I managed to finalise. I just became an editor of the biggest Android site & forum in Poland - android.com.pl.
What does it mean to MobileBoard? I guess even lower number of new posts, because it's hard for me to keep updating two different sites - it's not my primary job.

Thank you for taking your time and reading my posts, I appreciate that!
I hope that you will have one more occasion to read my thoughts in English language media in future.

Regards

Piotr Andrzejewski, a.k.a. piter1225

NVidia Tegra2 optimised games overview

NVidia Tegra2 is one of the most advanced SoC on the market and it introduces extended processing power, which allows developers to build more advanced applications for it.

The place, where you can easily find those dedicated apps is Tegra Zone. At the time of writing there are more than 10 games available for download - in this article I'll present you a few of them.

Fruit Ninja THD

Fruit Ninja is a very popular game among Android and iOS users. The goal is to slice as many fruits as you can while avoiding touching bombs. As a fan of Fruit Ninja, I was curious to check out the Tegra HD version.

Like in the standard version, there are 3 game modes: classic, zen and arcade mode. There is also multiplayer mode, which allows to play with opponent in split screen mode.

The differences appear, when we start playing. The textures are reacher, fruits are looking much better and there are shades behind all objects.

The price which is paid for all these eye-candy details, is that fruits fly a little bit slower than they do in standard version, but it's nothing disturbing, you can only see that when you compare the games very closely.

Overall the gaming quality is really good, graphics quality is stunning and gameplay is just as involving as in classic version.

My rate: 4,5 / 6

Guerilla Bob THD

Guerilla Bob is one of the best looking shooter game available for Android. The plot is simple - you are a mercenary, who is looking for a revange, and is killing everything which is preventing him from reaching the goal. While this might sound like nothing special, I am sure that you will be impressed after first contact with thit title.

Catchy, cartoon-stlye graphics are keeping us company in every part of the game. Texture quality is really good and watching them is a real pleasure. Animations are very fluid and the game doesn't get choppy in any moment.

There are various weapons you are able to use - they differ in terms of fire range, speed and power. You must fight against few types of enemies, each level finishes with special boss.

I really recommend this game to all shooter-lovers, the rest of you may find it cool, but not so involving in long time usage.

My rate: 4 / 6

Pinball HD for Tegra

There is no doubt that this is one of my favourite Tegra2 games. The idea is really simple - it's just a pinball. But it's the overall excellence which makes it better than any other Android game of this type.

You can choose from 3 different table styles: Wild West, The Deep and Jungle Style. You can say that this amount isn't really big, but I found it just enough - none of these styles is same. Every one of them gives you different look and experience - you can't get bored easily.

The tables are nicely designed, delivered soundtrack is matching very good to the chosen style. During the game we are able watch top-notch animations which are displayed smoothly.

The gameplay is not complicated, but very relaxing. For me Pinball HD is quite addictive game and I choose to play it whenever I have some spare time. It's definetely worth trying - I'm sure you'll love it!

My rate: 5 / 6

Riptide GP 

I'm definetely not a big fan of racing games, but this one I play quite often. Why? First of all it's really good made, with care about every detail. The point is to finish the race first, using water scooter. You can select one of few tracks, vehicles and difficulty levels.

Shame is, that the amount of tracks is not as big as it should be. You can get bored after some time and that is the only drawback of Riptide GP.

Gameplay itself is not boring at all and can bring you a few hours of fun. I'm sure that if you like this kind of games, Riptide GP will be perfect for you.

My rate: 3,5 / 6

Samurai II: Vengeance

Ever wanted to become samurai warior? Now you have that opportunity :)

Samurai II: Vengeance is a sequel of Samurai: Way of the Warrior (which is iOS only) and tells a story of Japanese warior who is trying to fulfill his quest.

The plot is not bad, but it's definetely not the strongest part of this game. For me the main advantage are stunning fights with various opponents. They are very fast, and special combo moves make them even faster.

The graphics are very characteristic, manga stylized. Everything is very detailed and looks beautiful.

But for me that isn't kind of game, which I can play for hours. I don't mean it's not fun, but there are some better titles in the Market.

My rate: 4 / 6

These are the games which I tested the longest, but it doesn't mean that there are no better games for Tegra2. Hit Tegra Zone to check them all - I'm sure you will find something cool!

Which Tegra2 game you like the most? Share in comment section!

My LG Optimus 2X review

Hi guys

I just made a review of O2X for the biggest Android site in Poland, make sure you check it out :)


http://android.com.pl/testy/testy/2256-lg-optimus-2x-recenzja.html?showall=1

5 things you should do after getting LG Optimus 2X

LG Optimus 2X is fairly the best smartphone I've used. Although some users are facing issues, and are not satisfied with their device. Here are few tips, which can help you increase user experience of your brand new dual-core monster.


1. Check if your software is up-to-date

Some units of O2X were delivered with early builds of software and were not always stable. If you are facing random reboots, one of possible reasons for that may be old firmware.
The baseband version is also important - users who reported bad audio quality during phone call confirmed, that update solved their problems.

Be sure that you are using the latest version of software (current is v10D).
You can always check for updates with LG Mobile Support Tool.


2. Replace the stock launcher

Your O2X is not enough smooth? You can't stand that switching between homescreens is not fluid?
Repleace crappy LG Launcher with other app! Just visit Android Market and download one of the few popular 3rd party launchers, like LauncherPro or ADW Launcher. You can also try stock Froyo/Gingerbread launcher.


3. Remove bloatware

O2X comes preloaded with several additions from LG. While some of them are really handy, few others are not at all, and are only wasting resources.To remove them, you will have to root your device, which is a piece of cake, and this operation can be reverted with ease.
After you gained Superuser (root) access, download for free TitaniumBackup from Market.
Than click on the app which you are sure is not important (for example: F-Secure, CarHome, widgets), and select "freeze" (or "uninstall" if you are 100% sure).


4. Stop using task killers

There were several articles about why using task killers in Android is pointless, I won't talk about it.
Just believe me that you don't need it, and it only makes you feel that the device is unresponsive.
Instead, try AutoKiller from Market (root needed) and select "Optimum" preset - it will help system with managing background apps and leave you with more RAM free.


5. Install MoDaCo Custom ROM

If you are enough advanced user, go and take a look at MCR by Paul. It's the best custom ROM at the moment of writing, and comes with set of customisations and tweaks which will increase performance of your Optimus 2X.
If you will donate MoDaCo, you will be able to use online kitchen and easily bake ROM which will suit your needs. But you don't need to do that to use MCR, there is always prebake available - the downside is that it comes preloaded with apps you may find not useful, so you will have to take a look at part 3. of this tutorial.

You can download the latest version of MCR here.


If you have any questions, leave them in comments, I'll take my time and try to help you :)

Samsung Galaxy S 2 release date & prices for Germany

It looks like Smaung's new dual-core flagship for 2011 has been delayed once again.
First rumors pointed that the mid-April will be the launch date for this smartphone, but latest news prove that it won't be that optimistic.


According to expansys.de, they will start delivery at 13.05, and the initial price will be 604 Euro:

Amazon Germany is expecting the device in next 4-5 weeks, which is about 15.05, so the dates in both shops are similar, the difference shows when it comes to price, at Amazon.de you will have to pay around 50 Euro less for Samsung Galaxy S2:

I think that the price is pretty high, but is still reasonable for very good smartphone, the initial reviews will show us, if the SGS2 is worth it's price.

Known devs who have / will get LG O2X

One of the biggest advantages of LG Optimus 2X is it's great hackability. The device is easy to root and doesn't come with encrypted bootloader, what makes developement for it a piece of cake.
This smartphone is so attractive, that a few known devs decided to buy it, or get in a near future.


1. Paul O'Brien - already has the O2X, chef of MoDaCo, author of MCR, MCK,, prepared CWM for O2X and many fixes/tweaks.

2. AmonRA - author of RA Recovery, already has the device

3. Anderwebs - author of ADW Launcher, already has the device

4. Chris Soyars - CyanogenMod developer, he is thinking about getting the G2X

5. Kmobs - CyanogenMod developer, he is thinking about getting the G2X

6. Steve Kondik (aka Cyanogen) - author of CyanogenMod, tweeted that he is getting the G2X

Touch LED notification app for the LG Optimus 2X

Today user named hikari from swedroid.se published an app, which uses the button LED of O2X as notifications LED.

This is something what Optimus 2X users were asking for some time, since the device has no dedicated notification LED.

The app is currently in beta state, but you can download and try it:

DOWNLOAD

Make sure you check the original thread for future updates!
[App] Touch LED Notifications (BETA)