Among all the great new features introduced in Android 4.2, is a lesser known hero: Bouncer. Bouncer is the automated malware scanning system that Google introduced back in February. Its mains function is to analyze any app or new developer account uploaded to the Google Play store for known malware, spyware, or just plain bad behavior. In Android 4.2, Google has expanded the role of Bouncer, allowing him to keep tabs on apps you just insist on side-loading.
For those of you who enjoy some light reading on your Android tablet, Google is having a 50% off sale on select magazine subscriptions. Not a bad deal, especially for those of you thinking about picking up the Galaxy Nexus 10. Reading magazines on that amazingly crisp 2560 x 1600 high-resolution display (300 ppi) should be candy to your eyes. Of course, they’ll be just as enjoyable for those of you sporting a Nexus 7 or any other Android tablet.
It appears Google may have finally figured out a way to win at the virtual Wallet game. When Google debuted its mobile contactless payment system for devices equipped with NFC, proponents cheered. However, that applause quickly turned to woeful boos as no carrier other than Sprint (whom ironically has been shut out from the new Nexus) showed support for this wondrous mobile payment system.
The Galaxy Note II has been on shelves just over a month now and has already recorded over 3 million units sold. This productivity Yeti is on pace to easily outsell its older brother as it hasn’t fully launched yet here in the U.S. We’re still waiting on AT&T and Verizon to start pushing this bad boy, and once that happens, you can expect these sales figures to double.
The latest Android Distribution numbers are out and not much has changed. Timely updates, or updates at all for that matter, continue to be a thorn in Android’s side. No matter who we point fingers at, the fact remains, not enough devices are running the most current version of Android. In fact, more than 50% of Android devices accessing the Google Play store are still running Gingerbread — an almost 2-year old version of Android.
