Android Community |
- LG Vortex Announced by Verizon, Available November 18
- US Cellular Announces Nov 19 Release of Their Version of Samsung Galaxy Tab
- Mint Digital Presents 4 New Android Apps: Visual Feeder, Hold that Sound, Baseball Matchup, and PaperClip
- AT&T Unrolls Release Date of November 21 and Pay As You Go Data Plans for Samsung Galaxy Tab
- Samsung Galaxy S for Vodafone Officially Gets Android 2.2 Update
- HTC EVO 4G for Sprint Available in White Outside Best Buy
- Samsung Galaxy Tab for Verizon Reviewed by SlashGear
- Motorola MOTOPAD to be 7-inch Android 3.0 debut?
- 20+ custom Adam apps claim Notion Ink
- Black Flyday helps you find shopping deals for holiday season
- HTC files for “HTC EVO Shift 4G” trademark for new device
- PC World yank Toshiba’s Folio 100 over poor buyer feedback?
- SlashGear Reviews T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Tab
- Another Dual-Core Samsung Phone Confirmation (Plus More Anzu)
- Android Community Week in Review – Week 43 2010
- Gingerbread Comes Out Tomorrow(?) at Web 2.0 Summit
- Dell Streak to get Froyo at end of November
- Samsung Galaxy Tab Looks (and now works) Like Giant Cellphone
- iPhone 4 vs. G2 vs. Windows Phone 7: Grill Test!
- Netflix Coming to Select Android devices next year, delay in service explained
| LG Vortex Announced by Verizon, Available November 18 Posted: 15 Nov 2010 11:24 AM PST It’s what they call “An Accessible Smartphone with Simple Solutions.” Verizon, that is, announcing today the LG Vortex. It’s a phone for first-time smartphone users looking to join and explore the Android world. It connects with 3G, it’s sleek, and it comes in black or violet. It’ll cost you $79.99 after a $100 rebate and a 2-year agreement. The cash, interestingly, will return to you in the form of a debit card, useable anywhere debit cards are useable. Plans on this phone begin at $39.99 monthly for talk, $15 monthly for 150MB data.
Inside you’ll find Android 2.2, the screen is a 3.2″ touchscreen with tactile feedback, there’s Wifi, 3G connectivity, Virtual QWERTY keyboard and Swype, Bluetooth 2.1, and a microSD card slot with expandable memory up to 32 GB. It has a customizable home screen with up to 5 to 7 available, proximity sensor that locks the touchscreen while you talk, Skype mobile capable, Android Market, VZ Navagation capable, and a 3.2 megapixel camera and camcorder on the back. Read the whole press release below. )
|
| US Cellular Announces Nov 19 Release of Their Version of Samsung Galaxy Tab Posted: 15 Nov 2010 11:09 AM PST Ruh roh! US Cellular has just announced their release of the popular Samsung Galaxy Tab device, releasing it just two days before AT&T has their shot. But while AT&T’s version will cost around $650, US Cellular plans on releasing the Tab for a mere $399 after $100 mail-in rebate with 2/yr contract and, as they say, “never have to sign another one” or $599 with no contract. Two plans are available and “tailored to match how often customers will use Wi-Fi for their data needs.”
So the most interesting part of this cellular situation is the no-obligation plan after 2 years. You’ll be able to continue service, of course, but you don’t need to if you don’t want to. You can connect to the web, download apps with the integrated Wifi, or use US Cellular’s network. From there, it’s a 7inch display, 1Ghz processor, Android 2.2, Samsung’s Media Hub, and more. The Data Plants include a $14.99 for 200MB a month or $54.99 for 5GB per month. Check out the full press release below.
[Via SlashGear] )
|
| Posted: 15 Nov 2010 10:43 AM PST Waaay back in October (just a month ago) Mint Digital gave a sort of challenge / request to each of their designers, each one of them would have to come up with their own unique Android App concept – the best one would be made into an actual, working release. The four concepts they came up with are named thus: Visual Feeder, Hold that Sound, Baseball Matchup, and PaperClip. Below we’ll take a brief look at each of these. Which one would you choose?
First is Visual Stream (pictured above): It works as a feed reader, specializing in visual feeds, with a directory of feeds that you can add to at any time individually, or add to by syncing with your Google Reader. Endlessly scroll through images, favorite, and share with social networks. Save feeds for offline browsing, categorize, and move items back to your desktop by syncing with DropBox.
Next there’s Hold That Sound for moving and saving audio files from the web to your phone in one step. This app seems to be be for 100% legal audio downloads, downloads that are saved to your phone and organized and played in a rather beautiful environment. Erasing the step between downloading a mixtape, speech, or podcast and having it on your phone.
After that, there’s Baseball Matchup – definitely made for the baseball fan, especially one who’s going to be hanging out at the actual game. Just select your game (from the MLB), download matchup info, calibrate your view by taking photos with your phone with crosshairs on home plate and both foul poles, and bam! You’ve got the entire roster and a field full of yellow and red, yellow being hits, red being outs. This info is reflective of previous pitcher and batter matchups and displays them in augmented reality. “Notice gaps the fielders haven’t spotted. Understand why certain batters struggle against particular pitchers.” Get a deeper insight into the game than you’ve ever had before.
Finally, PaperClip is an audio reader, converting your Instapaper articles into listenable audio, allowing you to choose then from many different narrators (lets hope for Darth Vader) and adjustments to the audio as you go. This app will be synced to your Instapaper account and you can organize and archive from your phone. Turn your browsing and reading into listening while you’re jogging or driving in the car. Mint Digital will announce very soon which one of these apps will make it past the chopping block into reality. Which one would you choose? Can you tell which one I’d choose? Hint: I wouldn’t actually use it more than a few times a year, but those few times would be AWESOME. [Via MintDigital] )
|
| AT&T Unrolls Release Date of November 21 and Pay As You Go Data Plans for Samsung Galaxy Tab Posted: 15 Nov 2010 10:30 AM PST Samsung Mobile and AT&T announce today that their team up for release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab to be released on Sunday, November 21. It’ll cost $649.99 at more than 2,200 AT&T owned stores and online at their www.att.com/galaxytab site. With it, there’s several plans you can choose: $14.99 pay-as-you-go plan for 30 days with up to 250 MB of usage and a $25 pay-as-you-go plan for 30 days with up to 2 GB of usage. Overage costs for each 30 days are handled by an additional pay-as-you go plan which can be automatically renewed each 30 days with a credit card or debit card.
International passes are also going to be available including coverage in more than 100 countries including Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia, starting at $24.99. Super Exciting. Inside you’ll find a very similar product to the rest of the Tabs that are already on their way out the door, including the Verizon version we reviewed on SlashGear today. Take a look at the whole press release below.
[Via SlashGear] )
|
| Samsung Galaxy S for Vodafone Officially Gets Android 2.2 Update Posted: 15 Nov 2010 09:44 AM PST If you picked up a Samsung Galaxy S, despite the fact that the device didn’t launch with Android 2.2 under the hood, it looks like all of your waiting is officially over. Samsung is managing to keep right on track with their “end of November” time frame, where they said that all Galaxy S owners (at least internationally) would have their update to Android 2.2 available to them. Vodafone customers are now part of the FroYo community.
The update is available now for Vodafone Samsung Galaxy S owners. If you want the best performance, make sure to factory reset your device. And, if you want to find the update at all, you’ll need to have the latest version of Samsung’s KIES software. If you’ve got all that figured out, the update will be easy enough, and you can finally start enjoying that Android 2.2 goodness. Of course, if you do it, let us know what you think of it. [via Vodafone] )
|
| HTC EVO 4G for Sprint Available in White Outside Best Buy Posted: 15 Nov 2010 09:39 AM PST We know it’s Monday, so hopefully you’ve been looking forward to some really good news. That is, if you’ve been eagerly anticipating the full retail release of the white variation of the HTC EVO 4G for Sprint. The device has been available for a little while now, but it’s been only available as an exclusive release from Best Buy Mobile, and some people just don’t like to get their phones there. So, Sprint has officially announced that the device will be made available in other locations, just in time for the holidays.
The white EVO 4G is just like the other device, with the exception of the color scheme. You’ll still get Android 2.2, a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, and HTC’s Sense User Interface. So, basically a great package, now wrapped in a white case. What’s better, though, is that the device is available for purchase right now on Sprint’s website, and it will be made available to other national retail partners soon enough. It will still cost you $199 after the $100 mail-in rebate, though. Who’s getting it? [via Sprint] )
|
| Samsung Galaxy Tab for Verizon Reviewed by SlashGear Posted: 15 Nov 2010 09:31 AM PST So, you’re interested in the Galaxy Tab tablet device for Verizon. You saw our review of the device for T-Mobile, and now, since you’re choosing Verizon as your carrier of choice for your tablet needs, you want to see how the Verizon model stacks up. Good thing SlashGear has you covered, as they’ve just posted their review for the Verizon-branded Galaxy Tab.
As always, you can head on through the source link below, and you’ll find all the answers to the questions you’ve been asking about the tablet device. Does it run Android well? How great is that screen? Is 7-inches too small, or just right? And how do those Verizon applications, like VCAST Videos, stack up against one another? Find out if it’s all just bloatware, in the full review. In the mean time, check out the pictures we snagged for your viewing pleasure, just below in the gallery. [via SlashGear]       )
|
| Motorola MOTOPAD to be 7-inch Android 3.0 debut? Posted: 15 Nov 2010 05:39 AM PST Sodium at the ready, but according to Mobile-Review – the site of perpetual insider Eldar Murtazin – Google has opted to work with Motorola on the first Android 3.0 tablet. Supposedly the unannounced Motorola MOTOPAD will be the first 3.0 slate, specifically a 7-inch model.
That seemingly implies that Motorola will eventually have more than one MOTOPAD in their line-up, with a 10-inch iPad rival seeming the most likely alternative. There have been plenty of Motorola tablet rumors so far, but we have heard specific tidbits about Google and Motorola working together on larger-screen Android devices. )
|
| 20+ custom Adam apps claim Notion Ink Posted: 15 Nov 2010 03:17 AM PST Notion Ink has been sharing a little more detail on their fast-approaching Adam slate, including new photos of the company’s latest manufacturing samples, and word that their software engineers have come up with more than 20 customized apps. As we’ve seen on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, apps that are suited – not just scaled – to a tablet’s display make a world of difference in usability, so we’re excited to see Adam’s custom Email, Calendar, Office, Paint, Gallery, Settings and File Browser software.
Meanwhile there’s confirmation of a second round of the company’s early-access program for developers, simply to accommodate demand for those wanting to create apps for the Adam slate. Pre-orders for Adam will be taken in December.          )
|
| Black Flyday helps you find shopping deals for holiday season Posted: 15 Nov 2010 02:24 AM PST If you like shopping and have an Android phone we have one of the coolest apps for the holiday shopping season and it is called Black Flyday. The app is really cool and can provide shoppers with the best deals that can be found on products within a certain radius of the user. The app is offered for Android OS devices only and is available in English and Spanish versions.
The app is GPS enabled and users can post Black Friday deals for other shoppers nearby to find using the app and GPS location info. Black Flyday also integrated the users Facebook friends list and it features a real-time bulletin board for sharing deals as well. Other features include a deal scrolling app that offers all of the deals nearby or those that are posted by friends using the app. The app is on the Android Market right now. It’s free for users on Black Friday, and if you want to keep using the app after that it costs $9.99. )
|
| HTC files for “HTC EVO Shift 4G” trademark for new device Posted: 15 Nov 2010 02:24 AM PST A new HTC trademark application has seemingly tipped the company’s hand over the name of their next-gen 4G smartphone. A filing for “HTC EVO Shift 4G” has been spotted (as well as a prior one, for “HTC EVO 4G Shift“), though of course there’s no indication of what might differentiate it from the current HTC EVO 4G on Sprint.
Already there’s talk, however, of it being some sort of HTC tablet or MID, or at least a large-screen device with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [via Engadget] )
|
| PC World yank Toshiba’s Folio 100 over poor buyer feedback? Posted: 15 Nov 2010 01:37 AM PST Toshiba’s Folio 100 Android tablet has supposedly been pulled from the shelves of retailer PC World, after high return rates from disappointed buyers. Engadget found an overpriced demo unit at their local store – the £999.99 figure is apparently meant to deter the stores from putting out stock and demo units, as some sort of internal shorthand, though it obviously didn’t work this time – and had a play with what’s described as “a letdown” of a tablet.
Low pixel density, poor screen viewing angles and cheap plastics don’t help, and that’s before you get to the missing Android Market and bugs in pinch-zooming and other aspects. All things we put down to pre-production status in the Folio 100 we tried back at IFA 2010, but it seems Toshiba hasn’t ironed out those bugs. We’re waiting to hear back from all involved with the official word. )
|
| SlashGear Reviews T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Tab Posted: 14 Nov 2010 04:40 PM PST As you might already know, SlashGear has already reviewed a Samsung Galaxy Tab, only that one was the the European Tab, the white one that in the USA is available at Sprint. The one we’re looking at here is a USA T-Mobile version, reviewed by Vincent Nguyen, and it’s looking like it’s very similar on the outside, but a slightly different flavor on the in. It’s 4.7 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches and 13.4 oz light thanks to the mainly plastic construction.
This tablet has a 7-inch 1024 x 600 resolution display, LCD TFT, Samsung's 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 640MB of RAM and 16GB of storage space. The front is made of the awesome Gorilla Glass, there’s a front-facing webcam and a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash on the back. Inside there’s a quadband GSM and dualband (1700/2100) UMTS. Then it gets super fancy. Watch the video here, and head over to SlashGear for the full review. [Via SlashGear]                                )
|
| Another Dual-Core Samsung Phone Confirmation (Plus More Anzu) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 02:01 PM PST This time from a trusted source in Russia, @eldarmutazin of Mobile Review, tweeted “Playing with se anzo [Anzu?] and galaxy 2 aka i9100. Se is nice but sams is so technically advanced. Dual core etc.” The original Samsung Galaxy S had model number GT-i9000. There’s a rumor about the Nexus S being scrapped in hopes of releasing a Dual-Core version, possibly this year. Lots of speculation, lots of rumor, but very possibly lots of news.
Eldar Murtazin tweets that he’s got his hands on a galaxy 2, aka Samsung GT-i9100, with a dual processor. Obviously Best Buy didn’t release the Nexus S on the 11th of this month. The numbers that correlate with this phantom Nexus S have been GT-i9010 and GT-i9020 -noticeably closer in digit to the original Samsung Galaxy S than this “Galaxy 2,” which therefor may be the true next big deal instead of these smaller numbered phones which very possibly are/were “tweaks of the older design.” So is dual-core on the horizon? The question of course is if they’ve kept it under wraps for this long, how would they have been able to produce enough for the holiday season here in 2010? Perhaps they belong to the future. Murtazin goes on to comment more on the Anzu, noting that “From hardware point of view Anzu is almost the same as HTC Desire HD. But HD on sale now, Anzu in march 2011 for the same price tag… ” Does this point toward a Q1 release for the Galaxy 2 as well? We’ll see. [Via Android and Me] )
|
| Android Community Week in Review – Week 43 2010 Posted: 14 Nov 2010 01:16 PM PST Welcome to Android Community’s week in review for the days in November between the 8th and the 12th. This week felt some lovely rumblings in the information leaks department, especially having to do with what’s being called the Nexus S, a new unnamed “flagship” phone coming out at the beginning of next year, and secret whisperings about the release date for Android 2.3 Gingerbread! Then, if you’ve been completely out of the loop because of games on your cell, stay out of the loop with some rockin new levels in the Angry Birds update – but be sure to get the right one – one of them’s basically a virus (sort of!)
November 8 November 9 November 10 November 11 aka NEXUS S day November 12 Novebmer 13-14 Weekend Stuff To see more Week in Review posts on Android Community, simply click: [here]. )
|
| Gingerbread Comes Out Tomorrow(?) at Web 2.0 Summit Posted: 14 Nov 2010 12:41 PM PST So it’s what the people at the Web 2.0 Summit 2010 call “fifteen years and two recessions into the commercial Internet.” And you know what that means, of all things? Gingerbread’s coming out. Or at least, that’s the word around these internets. The Web 2.0 Summit is an event that happens once a year, leaders of the Internet Economy get together and have a big party where they talk about all kinds of great stuff they’re doing and pat eachother on the back and make big announcements.
Sounds like a great place for a tasty treat to us. Just two days ago (on Friday) Google Mobile made a tweet promising that their “cafes are baking something sweet.” This is how things line up, really really it is. )
|
| Dell Streak to get Froyo at end of November Posted: 13 Nov 2010 07:26 PM PST While we frantically wait for an official announcement of Android OS. 2.3(Gingerbread), Dell Home UK has announced via a statement on Facebook that Android OS 2.2(Froyo) will be making its debut on the Dell Streak.
The update will be OTA(Over the Air) as well and users will receive a notification directly on your tablet that an update(Android 2.2) is available for download. When you receive your update will depend on your region. There is no specific date yet, but they hope to have it available before the end of November. If for some reason you don’t receive the update before the end of November, there is no need to worry and you will eventually get your scoop of Froyo. If you happen to own a Dell Streak let us know your opinion on running Android OS 2.2 on your Streak tablet in the comments section below. Via [Android OS] )
|
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Looks (and now works) Like Giant Cellphone Posted: 13 Nov 2010 04:31 PM PST Hooray! The dream is coming true. One day we’ll all have to only buy one device that works forever for free. Sounds good? XDA Developers seem to think so. This bit of a hack only works on the T-Mobile version, and you’ve got to do some bigtime surgery and enable some wireless settings manually. Then you’ve got to hold this gigantic piece of tab up to your head and make silly looking telephone calls.
This hack enables you to both make and receive phone calls and again, this only works so far on the T-Mobile version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Take a look at threads by the name of [US Tmobile Galaxy Tab flashed to make phone calls] by Jyveafk, [Adventures in trying to get Phone calls] by Jyveafk, and [this post] by calin75 revealing what appears to be working pics. Good luck, and if you do try, use all caution and know, as always with these sorts of hacks, you can destroy your device. Have fun!    [Via Android Central] )
|
| iPhone 4 vs. G2 vs. Windows Phone 7: Grill Test! Posted: 13 Nov 2010 03:42 PM PST The smartphone battle continues. As you know there has been a lot of argument lately about which smartphone is the best? With the recent make over of the windows phone operating system, everyone is wondering whether or not it competes with the iPhone, while the increasingly popular Android operating system is looking to take over the mobile phone industry.
No this article isn’t about comparing phone specs, it’s about which phone lasts longest while being grilled. You have probably seen the can it blend videos thats destroy phones in a blender, well this is stunt was done by a grill company and a social media company that wished to pit the phones up against each other in a test of endurance against the heat. It wouldn’t surprise me if these results started showing up on spec sheets. Check out the full video below and don’t try this at home. Click here to view the embedded video. Via [techflash] )
|
| Netflix Coming to Select Android devices next year, delay in service explained Posted: 13 Nov 2010 09:44 AM PST There is no doubt about it, Netflix is the most popular movie distribution company in the United States. Offering up streaming of thousands of TV shows and movies and discs by mail it’s the ultimate choice for anyone who has even the smallest interest in movies. However, for some time now us Android users have been wondering where our streaming application is. It seems that wait may be over for some devices.  Netflix is available for Windows Phone 7 and iPhone/iPad but why not for Android? Greg Peters of Netflix product development took some time to explain why we haven’t seen Netflix on Android. The reasoning comes down to Android’s “lack of a generic and complete platform security and content protection mechanism.” He further explains:
Here comes the interesting bit: “we’ll launch select Android devices that will instantly stream from Netflix early next year,” and they plan on continuing to work with carriers and manufacturers to develop a better solution for the platform as a whole. Going to his statement regarding “select devices” and “early next year,” we are lead to believe that they may be waiting for a revised version of Android. [Via AndroidCentral] )
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Community To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment