Android Community |
- Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept now available
- Android Gaining Usage Share, Still far behind iOS
- HTC Legend looking stylish in new all black paint job
- Napster now Available in Android Market
- Qualcomm Augmented Reality SDK Available Now
- Samsung Galaxy Tab retailing at £599.99 say insiders
- Epic 4G update started to be pushed, for real this time
- G2 “Temporary Root” Available now
- Study finds many Android apps transmit data to third parties
- Fring coming to Android with support for all carriers
- Altek Leo 3.5G Android camera phone gets official
- HTC “phantom black” Legend & “brilliant white” Desire get official
- KDDI Sharp IS03 gets 960 x 640 display, 9.6MP camera
- Modu T-Phone reveal confirmed for Oct 10
- Froyo not good enough for LG’s Android tablet
- New T-Mobile 4G myTouch with HD video recording coming by years end
- Verizon’s Droid Incredible Originally Planned for Sprint
- Android Community Week In Review – Week 39 2010
| Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept now available Posted: 04 Oct 2010 10:55 AM PDT The Samsung Intercept, Virgin Mobile's first Android powered device, will be coming to Target stores starting today and online later this month and announced by Virgin Mobile. It is priced at $249.99 with no contract and monthly plans starting at $25 a month. 
Some of the offered plans by the pre-paid carrier include an unlimited text, e-mail, with data and voice starting at just $25 a month. Pricing goes up from there depending on the amount of minutes with 1200 at $40 a month and unlimited at $60 a month. It will be available from Virgin Online later this month, and other retailers throughout the month. Press Release: WARREN, N.J. – Oct. 4, 2010 – The line between prepaid and postpaid mobile offerings has become even more blurred as Virgin Mobile USA enters the Android™ smartphone market. Beginning today at Target stores nationwide, Virgin Mobile adds the Samsung Intercept™, running on the Android mobile operating system, to its affordable, no-contract lineup of handset and service offerings. The Intercept will roll out to other major retailers throughout the month and will be available for purchase at virginmobileusa.com by mid-October for $249.99. |
| Android Gaining Usage Share, Still far behind iOS Posted: 04 Oct 2010 10:46 AM PDT Last week we saw a report from market research firm ChangeWave that Android's overall customer appeal was growing significantly. This week a new report, this time from Net Applications measured usage share of Android and placed it up against the usage share of iOS devices. 
The results were as expected, Android is definitely growing in usage share. However, as seen from the graph it still is far behind Apple's iOS platform. The percent-usage for Android has risen from .03-percent this time last year to .24-percent last month, in a steady growth. But Apple's growth was far more impressive, starting at .43-percent last year to a now 1.18-percent, it's growing 4.9x that of Android. We can expect Android's usage to continue to grow, it's even expected that it will begin growing at a quicker rate in the coming months/years. Only time will tell, but with the openness of the Android platform as a whole, things can only get better! [Via SlashGear] ) |
| HTC Legend looking stylish in new all black paint job Posted: 04 Oct 2010 09:18 AM PDT The HTC Legend, one of the most stunning phones as it is, has just gotten a new coat of paint. This time, in Phantom Black. The previously only silver handset, with this new black finish makes it arguably one of the most stunning phones on the market.
The Legend is a really solid phone as is, with impressive initial reviews earlier this year, it's still a great Android phone. The Phantom Black Legend will be on sale in October and only available in Europe joining the HTC Desire in white. [via SlashGear] ) |
| Napster now Available in Android Market Posted: 04 Oct 2010 09:02 AM PDT Napster, the online music streaming service has hit the Android Market. Now although Napster isn't as popular as it once was, it's still a great streaming service on your computer or your mobile device. 
Napster is a paid month service with plans starting at just $4.17 a month (billed $50 yearly) for the Napster basic package. If you want to utilize the mobile features as well as offline listening, the service will cost you $8 a month (billed $96 yearly). However, monthly plans are only $5 for basic and $10 for Napster + Mobile Access. With the release you can receive a 7 day trial and check out the catalog of over 11 million songs, after the 7 days are up you will be required to pay for future access. QR Code:  |
| Qualcomm Augmented Reality SDK Available Now Posted: 04 Oct 2010 07:36 AM PDT Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the immediate availability of it's Augmented Reality SDK for use with Android smartphones. Available through QDevNet, Qualcomm's online developer network, the SDK will allow such experiences as 3D gaming experiences on tabletops and interactive media experiences on product packaging and promotional items to be developed. 
This technology has spawned interest from many companies who you would not have immediately thought of being interested. Mattel, Inc. was among the first companies to utilize this AR platform, and with it, Mattel's classic Rock 'Em Sock 'Em application was born.
 The Qualcomm AR SDK is available immediately as a beta release and can be downloaded at developer.qualcomm.com/ar. With this being publicly available, we can fully expect to see new -innovative – app ideas coming to the Android Market within the next few months. And on top of new ideas, we can see AR becoming more and more common and utilized in more applications. Press Release: SAN DIEGO, October 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced the immediate availability of its Augmented Reality (AR) Software Development Kit (SDK) for Android smartphones. Offered through Qualcomm's online developer network, QDevNet, Qualcomm's SDK will enable a new breed of applications that delivers interactive 3D experiences on everyday objects, such as 3D gaming experiences on tabletops and interactive media experiences on product packaging and promotional items. "Qualcomm is making it easy for developers to create interactive 3D content for the real world," said Jay Wright, director of business development at Qualcomm. "By making the Qualcomm AR SDK available at no charge, we are encouraging all developers to start building innovative applications and services today." Qualcomm's AR platform, which includes the AR SDK, uses computer vision technology to align graphics tightly with underlying objects. The approach is an evolution from current AR techniques that use a phone's GPS and compass for mapping applications. Vision-based AR enables a fundamentally different user experience in which graphics appear as if they are anchored to real world objects. Qualcomm's SDK provides developers with an advanced feature set, allowing for augmentation of everyday images on printed media, as well as simple 3D objects such as boxes used for product packaging. Additionally, it supports the ability for users to interact with AR applications by simply touching real world surfaces. First announced at Qualcomm's Uplinq developer conference, Qualcomm's AR platform has drawn interest from companies spanning a variety of industries, from traditional mobile developers to consumer product manufacturers and marketers. Mattel, Inc., a worldwide leader of toys and family products, was among the first consumer products companies to embrace Qualcomm's AR platform and developed a concept application to bring Mattel's classic Rock 'Em Sock 'Em® game to life. "We received a very positive response to the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em project and as a result, we are moving forward with plans to commercialize the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em game and are now exploring the use of AR in other Mattel brands," said Andrew Cheesman, director of emerging digital technologies at Mattel. Ogmento, Inc., another early leader and innovator in AR game development, also plans to use Qualcomm's platform to develop commercial titles. "Qualcomm's AR platform and SDK provides features and performance that are critical to the game experiences we need to deliver," said Ori Inbar, founder and CEO of Ogmento. "We see Qualcomm's technology as a key enabler for high-fidelity gaming that will allow us to bring compelling games to market." The Qualcomm AR SDK is available immediately as a beta release and can be downloaded at developer.qualcomm.com/ar ) |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab retailing at £599.99 say insiders Posted: 04 Oct 2010 07:13 AM PDT We know it's coming, we know what it features and we are very excited about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab. However, the one thing we have yet to find out is a price for the 7-inch tablet. The company behind the UK retailers Currys, Dixons, and PC World has stated that the SIM-free, off-contract price at £599.99 ($950)  Interestingly, this is more than the 16GB iPad 3G in the UK. No word yet on which carriers will be launching the device in the UK or a price point but we do know that it will be arriving in the UK starting the first of November. Expect further word on this from Samsung, or any of the carriers in the US, or overseas in the coming weeks as we get closer to the devices official launch. But it seems for now, a Tab without a contract will not be a cheap alternative to the iPad. Android Community Hands-on: [Via SlashGear] ) |
| Epic 4G update started to be pushed, for real this time Posted: 04 Oct 2010 06:55 AM PDT A few people have been pushed the DI18 update that we covered last week fixing an array of things before it was hit with an "administrative issue," which prevented the update from reaching owners. Well, the wait is over, more and more people are receiving the update right now, and we can expect a 4 day timeframe until all the updates have been pushed. 
This firmware is said to fix: the much needed 3G upload speed problem, the devices WiFi battery drain, an issue with sending large emails, and also problems downloading MP3's over Amazon's store via 4G connection. [Via Android Central] ) |
| G2 “Temporary Root” Available now Posted: 04 Oct 2010 06:41 AM PDT Just as the device started hitting door steps, the T-Mobile G2 has been rooted. With a phone that was shipped with a stock version of Android 2.2, it comes as no surprise that the device wasn't too hard to root. But, at least for now, there is only one issue – it's not permanent. 
For now it's just a temporary root meaning that once you reboot, root access vanishes. This is only a small problem that will likely be fixed today – or soon after, but until then if you follow the process over at the XDA-Developers forums, just make sure you do not restart your phone. [via XDA-Developers] ) |
| Study finds many Android apps transmit data to third parties Posted: 04 Oct 2010 05:57 AM PDT A study conducted and unveiled last week has found that Android apps transmit data that is private to third parties. The data is typically transferred to advertising services and include ten shared unique identifiers. The study was performed by researchers from Penn State and Duke Universities along with Intel Labs using a tool called TaintDroid.
The study looked at 30 popular apps from the Android Market chosen randomly. The conclusion was that the some of the apps transmitted location and unique identifier info to ad servers. The rub for users is that many of the apps might ask to use and access personal info, but they never say how they are using that data. Android devices aren't the only ones to do this; the study also found that the iPhone shares similar information with ad servers. How big of a deal this is really depends on how serious you are about your privacy. ) |
| Fring coming to Android with support for all carriers Posted: 04 Oct 2010 05:49 AM PDT
Fring is interesting for many Android users because in addition to making phone calls it also supports IM on most services. Supported services include MSN, Yahoo, AIM and others like Jabber. Fring also supports video conferencing. That video conferencing solution doesn’t require the person on the other end to be running Android, unlike other video conferencing solutions. The app lets the Android user video chat with any front facing camera device like Nokia smartphones and the iPhone. I would assume those devices need the Fring app installed as well for video chats. ) |
| Altek Leo 3.5G Android camera phone gets official Posted: 04 Oct 2010 04:09 AM PDT We have talked about the Altek Leo 3.5G Android phone with the whopping 14MP digital camera on a few occasions. The last time was back in June when the price and some details of the device surfaced. The phone has now gone official with a PR direct from the maker.
The phone will ship in Q1 2011 according to Altek and will be the world’s first Android 3.5G smartphone to have a HD capable 14MP camera. The company also states that it is seeking partners to bring it to market. The phone will run Android 2.1 and will feature WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3.5G HSPA/WCDMA networks. The best feature is certainly that high-resolution camera that can shoot 720p video as well. The screen of the phone is a 3.2-inch WVGA unit and it has integrated GPS for navigation and has storage that can be expanded with up to 32GB microSD cards. The camera also has a 3x optical zoom lens. The only hard detail still missing from the official PR is the price, said to be $499. ) |
| HTC “phantom black” Legend & “brilliant white” Desire get official Posted: 04 Oct 2010 03:25 AM PDT HTC has officially outed a pair of new color options for their much-loved Desire and Legend smartphones. We’ve already played with the brilliant white HTC Desire, but now there’s a rather nice phantom black HTC Legend to go with it.
Both handsets are functionality identical to the previous versions, so you get Android 2.2 and HTC Sense on both, while the Legend has a 3.2-inch display and the Desire a 3.7-inch display. Both will be available across Europe this month.
Press Release: ) |
| KDDI Sharp IS03 gets 960 x 640 display, 9.6MP camera Posted: 04 Oct 2010 02:58 AM PDT Japanese carrier KDDI has announced its latest Android smartphone, the Sharp IS03, a 2.1 Eclair based handset with a 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8650 processor and 9.6-megapixel camera. The KDDI IS03 has a 3.5-inch iPhone 4 matching 960 x 640 touchscreen with a low-power mode that can show status, missed calls and other information without the backlight being active.
As for connectivity, there’s EVDO Rev.A, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and even infrared, together with GPS and an FM transmitter. Japan’s 1-Seg mobile digital TV is also supported, with a pull-out antenna on the top of the phone. The KDDI Sharp IS03 will arrive in Japan at the end of November; no word on if Sharp is planning to release a version for the US or Europe.
[via PC Watch] ) |
| Modu T-Phone reveal confirmed for Oct 10 Posted: 04 Oct 2010 02:08 AM PDT Modu looks like to announce their new, Android-powered modular smartphone, the Modu T-Phone, within the next week or so, with news of invites for a press event in Israel being issued. According to Gadgety, Modu has confirmed a press conference on October 10 2010.
Details on the T-Phone itself are scant; like its non-Android Modu predecessors it’s expected to consist of a core phone unit with a range of interchangeable “jackets” that can add new functionality. Those jackets might include a physical keyboard (to augment the standard touchscreen), stereo speakers or even more unusual designs such as for gaming, while the core unit itself should have WiFi and either GSM or CDMA 3G. ) |
| Froyo not good enough for LG’s Android tablet Posted: 04 Oct 2010 01:33 AM PDT LG has supposedly axed its plans for an Android 2.2 tablet, suggesting that the company’s prime concern was picking a version of the open-source OS “most suitable” for a large-screen slate. It seems that version isn’t Froyo, anyway; “We plan to introduce a tablet that runs on the most reliable Android version … We are in talks with Google to decide on the most suitable version for our tablet and that is not Froyo 2.2″ an LG executive told Reuters.
Specifications of the work-in-progress LG tablet were unknown, but the company had said it intended to launch its iPad rival in Q4 2010. No official word on what’s happening to the release schedule now LG has changed its OS plans, but we’re guessing the LG slate will be pushed back at least to a CES 2011 debut. [via Engadget] ) |
| New T-Mobile 4G myTouch with HD video recording coming by years end Posted: 03 Oct 2010 10:36 PM PDT T-Mobile is expanding their super-fast HSPA+ network allowing for it's users, with a compatible handset, to access the web at 4G speeds. They have also gone to release a new myTouch device complete with HD camcorder that will utilize this developing network. 
The phone, being said to have been "build with families in mind" brings an HD Camcorder into the mix for sharing favorite videos and photos, as well as Video Chat for a more personal face-to-face conversation on the go. Coming in four colors: white, black, plum and red, the new myTouch is expected to be available in stores this coming holiday season alongside the continued rollout of their 4G network. T-Mobile expects to reach 100 major metropolitan areas covering around 200 million people by years end, and currently offers up 4G in 54 major metropolitan areas with many more to come next year.  Press Release: New myTouch to Take Advantage of T-Mobile's New Super-Fast HSPA+ Network Now Reaching More Than 65 Markets BELLEVUE, Wash. — October 4, 2010 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced a new addition to its exclusive line of Android™-powered T-Mobile® myTouch® smartphones and the continued expansion of its new super-fast HSPA+ mobile broadband network. Built with families in mind, the newest T-Mobile myTouch helps solve the challenges of staying physically and emotionally connected by sharing photos and video with the HD Camcorder, spontaneous face-to-face conversations through Video Chat and the ability to reach 4G speeds on T-Mobile's new network, which is now available in more cities across the country.1 Unlike other video-calling solutions on the market that only work through Wi-Fi, Video Chat on the new myTouch enables customers to connect with loved ones spontaneously from practically anywhere through T-Mobile's network or Wi-Fi. With the myTouch's front-facing camera paired with Video Chat through Yahoo! Messenger or QIK, customers can hold video conversations with friends and family who have a new T-Mobile myTouch, other compatible mobile device or PC. Customers can even see who is available to chat through presence information integrated into the myTouch's address book, and have the option to leave Video Mail using Qik when someone is unavailable. "Taking advantage of the 4G speeds on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, the new myTouch delivers a faster and more compelling experience than most competing smartphones on the market," said Andrew Sherrard, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. "Our continued focus to build innovative new features and personalized services truly makes myTouch unique." Designed specifically to deliver 4G speeds on T-Mobile's rapidly expanding HSPA+ network, the new myTouch will offer customers blazing fast access to websites, applications, videos, downloads and more. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is the most pervasive mobile broadband network in the country, offering 4G speeds in more than 65 major metropolitan areas. With its latest expansion, T-Mobile's HSPA+ footprint now includes Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.; Denver, Colo.; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento, Calif.; and West Palm Beach, Fla. T-Mobile expects to reach 100 major metropolitan areas and 200 million people in 2010. Families also can share moments in high-definition (HD) with the myTouch's high-quality HD Camcorder with Screen Share, which allows customers to share or broadcast HD video and pictures they've captured. With a few touches of the screen, customers can share their photo albums, videos and movies wirelessly with a compatible HDTV or other DLNA device. The new phone also includes three exclusive myTouch features: Genius Button™, powered by Dragon Dictation from Nuance, which lets customers call, text, e-mail or access the internet with a simple voice command; Faves Gallery™, which offers shortcuts to one's most-contacted family and friends; and myModes, which creates customized home screens for work and home. Designed by HTC exclusively for T-Mobile, the new myTouch features a brilliant 3.8-inch WVGA touch-screen display with virtual keyboard and Swype® for easy text input. The thin and sleek device also comes with a blazing fast second-generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 1GHz MSM8255 processor optimized for speed and graphic performance, a 5-megapixel camera, a preinstalled 8 GB microSD memory card, and an integrated media player that brings together favorite music, video and internet radio under one set of controls. Powered by Android 2.2, the myTouch offers a rich mobile Web experience and access to more than 80,000 applications on Android Market™ from games to location-based social networks to on-the-go shopping and more. The new device also features preloaded HD games, including "Rock Band," "Asphalt 5" and "Monopoly." The new T-Mobile myTouch is expected to be available in time for the holidays, exclusively from T-Mobile USA in four colors — white, black, plum or red. Customers can visit http://mytouch.t-mobile.com for more information. T-Mobile now offers 4G speeds on the new myTouch and the T-Mobile G2™, as well as the webConnect Rocket™ 2.0 and Rocket laptop sticks. In addition, customers located in new HSPA+ locations can benefit from faster speeds on their existing 3G smartphones — including popular devices, such as the myTouch 3G Slide. ) |
| Verizon’s Droid Incredible Originally Planned for Sprint Posted: 03 Oct 2010 07:57 PM PDT Verizon's popular device, the Droid Incredible, was originally planned for Sprint as seen by the found shots of the Sprint legal notice in the phones software. Hidden along with the 4G screens that we found last week, our tipster found much more than just the basic 4G menu.
While browsing through the features of LauncherPro using the Activities option that allows you to create a shortcut to just about anything within the phone, he discovered some interesting software menus. Along with the 4G menu, a Sprint legal notice and SIM card settings menu were found. This means that HTC's plans were definitely to offer the Incredible on Sprint which, in turn, would explain why the 4G settings menu was there in the first place. This also explains why when we first heard of the device it was known as the HTC Incredible and not the Droid Incredible which it launched as. Of course there has been no word from HTC or Sprint regarding this, but we can sure expect to see an array of future 4G HTC devices hitting Sprint's network in the coming years. For further screen shots of the find, check out the gallery below! |
| Android Community Week In Review – Week 39 2010 Posted: 03 Oct 2010 12:12 PM PDT It has been another busy week for Android Community, and it's fans. This week marked the launch of the official R2-D2 Droid, Android's appeal was measured via a market survey, the much anticipated T-Mobile G2 being launched, and some issues with the G2.
The much Also this week, we got word via market research firm ChangeWave that One of the most covered devices this week was, of course, the |
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