Google’s new movie rental service will not work on Android devices where the user has has gained root file permissions (otherwise known as “rooting”). Instead, users will receive an error message when trying to rent movies. We can the hear the grinding of hacker teeth as we write this.

Blog Android Central heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, with Google passing on the message that it will block such devices “due to requirements related to copyright protection”. This is being interpreted as pressure from the licence owners - the movie studios - who feel that owners of rooted devices pose a greater risk to their intellectual property. It’s also worth noting that the movie rental service is only available in the US for now, and that an Australian release would require new licence negotiations. There’s a slim chance that this could result in a more hacker-friendly result down under.

Many will argue that this move is another dent in Google’s claim of the openness of Android, but blaming Google feels like shooting the messenger. If Google really wanted to stamp out user exploits, it could go a lot further with stronger deterrents, like blocking users from the Market or other core services.

(Credit: CBSi)

• Pocket God

  

  If you’re curious about what the creator has in mind for us during the Rapture, you should try Pocket God. Play as a deity and deliver mishap and tragedy to a tribe of helpless natives. Good, wholesome fun for the whole family.

  Market link

  Price: AU$0.93

• Aftermath XHD

  

  After you’ve tried your hand at dolling out some punishment to those filthy sinners, you could attempt to survive in a simulation of what’s to come. Aftermath is our favourite zombie shooter on Android, with a dark, moody tone and enough action to get your heart racing.

  Market link

  Price: AU$6.20

• End Of Day’s:Survival Guide

  

  OK, so the app’s author may not know how to use an apostrophe, but that shouldn’t stop you from soaking up his unparalleled knowledge of the great unknown event. Published on 17 May, this guide is tailor-made for the upcoming Armageddon, complete with the 12 ways it could happen.

  Market link

  Price: AU$0.93

• Last Days: Hype Or Hope? Movie

  

  Perhaps the complex numerology that has predicted the upcoming Apocalypse hasn’t convinced you to build a bomb shelter. You’re not alone, sceptic Steve Stone (awesome name) investigates what truth, if any, exists in the numerous speculation of how and when the world will end.

  Market link

  Price: AU$4.69

• The Bucket List

  

  Alternatively, if you’ve already finished building your bomb shelter/panic room and have some time on your hands, The Bucket List might help you prioritise the precious moments remaining. Do you go hang-gliding? Do you want to let that high school bully know what you really think about them? So much to do, so little time.

  Market link

  Price: Free

• HowTo: Zombies

  

  It’s so hard to predict how the impending doom will unfold; will it be plagues, floods, lions, tigers or bears (oh my). If it turns out to be the reanimated dead, the How to: Zombies app will come in handy. Obviously, not such a great app for locusts.

  Market link

  Price: AU$1.20

• U.S. Army Survival Guide

  

  For a more general approach to survival, especially after Woolworths has been picked clean by marauding gangs of Wastelanders, this US Army survival guide should help you snare a Bilby or a dingo for supper.

  Market link

  Price: Free

• Emergency First Aid Guide

  

  To be honest, we’re really not sure how much good you’ll get out of a first aid guide during Armageddon. A handy tool for dealing with grazed knees and choking hazards, not so much for those soon to be burning in the fires of hell.

  Market link

  Price: Free

• Pet First Aid

  

  Honestly, if you’re going to download the human First Aid app listed above, don’t be a jerk and download this one for man’s best friend. You’ll thank us later when you’re enjoying camp-fire roasted puppy in an abandoned warehouse or disused school yard.

  Market link

  Price: AU$2.82

(Image credits: ngmoco, TwoHeads Games, Chris Poplawski, EZ Takes, Metosphere, Liam Schnell, milodroid, phoneflips, Jive Media Inc)

(Credit: Optus)

Optus today announced that pre-orders are open for the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone. The telco says it is aiming to deliver pre-orders on 1 June and will reward customers who get in early with 2 months of free access and an official charging dock.

Plans for the Galaxy S II will start from AU$5 per month on an AU$59 plan, or for free on an AU$79 plan. Customers can also choose from two unlimited credit Timeless plans; an AU$99 option with 5GB of data or an AU$129 plan with 6GB of data.

Australia’s number two telco is first out of the gate with its plans to range Samsung’s flagship Android handset, though Telstra and Vodafone are also expected to announce its availability. The Galaxy S II is Samsung’s first dual-core powered Android smartphone, and it runs on the Gingerbread version of the platform. Optus is also advertising a price drop on last year’s Galaxy S handset, which is now available for $0 upfront on an AU$29 cap plan.

The LG's own Optimus Pad is due out mid-year.
(Credit: LG)

LG may be Google's OEM of choice for developing a Nexus branded tablet, and this device could run on the upcoming Ice Cream platform.

Russian blogger Eldan Murtazin is predicting a US summer release for the mystery tablet, a prediction in line with the assumption that Google will announce the product at its annual Google I/O conference in the second week of May. This could also be when Google unveils its Ice Cream Android OS, a system pundits believe will reunite Android's smartphone and tablet platforms.

Interestingly, Murtazin reports that LG might not have been Google's first choice - however, competing OEMs Samsung, HTC and Motorola are not interested in developing a product that would eat into the profits of their own devices. This is a great opportunity to grab some mind-share for LG, which also has its own Optimus Pad Android tablet coming out mid-year.

• LG to join Samsung in launching a tablet at IFA?
• HTC Flyer
• Google Nexus One
• Samsung Nexus S

We haven't had much hands-on time with the Play at the time of taking these photos, but we do like what we've seen so far. The design of this new handset is well thought out and Sony Ericsson has paid special attention to making it as easy as possible to find new games on the Android Market.

While you're at it, check out a full list of compatible games here.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
• Sony Ericsson Satio
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
• First look: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

In a classic case of "yes, no, maybe", HTC went public with news that it will release a variant of the Evo 3D compatible with Australia's networks, only to then announce this was a mistake and withdrew any reference to it from the HTC website. But this might not be the whole story.

As the saying goes, "where there's smoke, there's fire", we believe that could be the case here. Though HTC is maintaining this error when speaking with journalists, its support team are telling eager customers that the phone is real and to be announced again at a later date.

If we could take a guess at what has caused this back and forth we'd say that US launch partner Sprint was unhappy that its "exclusive" handset was soon to be available worldwide and asked HTC to keep quiet about the GSM variant until after it had a chance to launch it. On the surface this seems like bad news for HTC fans, but we're quietly confident of seeing the 3D down under before long.

• HTC Desire
• HTC Tattoo
• HTC 7 Mozart
• HTC Magic

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

There are currently 71 titles in the list below, but this number is set to rise as Android gaming developers are at the keypad mapping code to their existing titles. There will also be exclusive PSOne games available, including Crash Bandicoot, which will be pre-installed on new Plays in Australia, along with Bruce Lee, FIFA 10, The Sims 3 and Star Battalion.

Perhaps the best news of all is that Xperia Play will be coming to all of Australia's major telcos simultaneously when it launches sometime in May/June 2011. Pricing for the handset will be announced by each of the carriers closer to this time.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
• Best Android games
• Top 30 iPad games we'd like to see
• Samsung Wave

• Loads of accessories included
• Good Bluetooth connectivity
• Noise cancellation is great

• Fit can be uncomfortable over long periods of time
• Audio quality is decent, but not outstanding
• Expensive

When a company refreshes a product range and simply puts a lower-case letter at the end of the product title, you know you're in for a minor update. This is the case with the latest high-end stereo Bluetooth headphones from Nokia, the BH-905i. They look identical to the headphones that preceded them, with the few updated features existing below the surface.

In style, design and physical dimensions, the BH 905i is a dead ringer for the former model. Nokia has managed to shave 8g off the unit's weight and slim down its profile when folded flat, but otherwise you'll have great difficulty telling them apart. The sales package remains equally generous, with a huge range of cables and adapters covering all possible use cases for these headphones, including an aeroplane adapter and a dedicated iPhone cable.

The fit of the BH-905i is comfortable to begin with, but we found that over the space of about an hour the heat of the pleather ear-cups, along with the gentle pressure of the headband, build up to produce a slightly unpleasant experience. If you're considering the BH-905i to drown out engine roar on a long-haul flight you'll want a chance to test these for yourself first to see if you find them more comfortable than we did.

Performance

One of the key selling points for these headphones is active noise cancellation, delivered with the help of eight microphones and activated by a switch on the underside of the left-hand side speaker. This feature works impressively well; the almost imperceptible white noise blocks outside noise so well that you'll feel like you're in a sensory deprivation tank even when you're on the bus or train.

The Bluetooth connectivity of this headset works great as well. Pairing is reasonably simple and there isn't as great a loss in audio quality or volume like we sometimes find with stereo audio headphones and speakers. We tested the BH-905i with a range of smartphones including a Nokia E7, an iPhone 4 and an HTC Desire Z, and the experience was consistent.

The only let-down for us was in the most important aspect of our testing: the actual quality of the audio we've heard through the headphones is better than average, but not as great as we'd expect from a set of headphones with a price tag of AU$350. All elements of the sound we heard during our tests were well represented, with audible low, mid and high range frequencies. However, the delivery of these elements is a tad muddy. When compared to a similar pair of headphones from Sennheiser in this price range, the deficiencies in the Nokia cans is all the more apparent.

• Nokia BH-905
• a-Jays One earphones
• Sennheiser MM30i
• Nokia 7230