Monday, 11 July 2011

Android Community

Android Community

GetJar To Apple: We’re Not Going To Take It! Steve Jobs isn’t our Dad

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Recently it looks as if Apple is going after anyone that might be getting in their way, or even close. Amazon is not the only one being attacked by the bullies over at Apple over the use of the term “App Store” and apparently they are now after GetJar. The list goes on and on from Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Amazon and plenty more I’ve most likely forgot about since they seem to be suing everyone.

If you saw the latest blog posting at GetJar they explain things quite well and put it all into perspective a bit. This is probably the best quote so I figured I’d share it with all our readers.

…GetJar won't be subject to this kind of bullying. We're not going to “Cease & Desist”. We were here long before Steve & Co. We were built by developers, to help developers. Not to help sell handsets or search results. In the words of Twisted Sister: We're not going to take it! Steve Jobs isn't our Dad."

Amazon and their “Free App of the Day” has made them pretty popular as of late, but GetJar has been around a long while and started distributing free apps in like 2005, back when an iPhone or app store was just a crazy thought in Steve Jobs mind. Popular games getting huge attention specifically at GetJar’s “App Store” like Angry Birds and Cut The Rope might have been part of the reason for the recent attack by Apple but we don’t know what goes on inside those walls.

I must admit that I do like the reply from GetJar on the matter, they are standing strong and are throwing some tough words back at Steve & Co over at Apple. They state facts about when they started, and if the term “App Store” can even be owned as well as plenty of other details. It is worth the read so I urge you to check it out if you are interested.

[via GetJar Blog]

)


HTC Status Available for Pre-Order Starting Today

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT

It’s officially time for all of you Facebook fans to get excited. The long awaited and plenty talked about HTC Status aka the Facebook Phone is available starting today, July 11th on AT&T and will be in stores starting July 17th. HTC and AT&T announced the Status back at the end of June and now they have opened pre-orders. I bet you all can’t wait.

In case you’ve somehow missed it just look at the photo above and you will understand. See that pretty little blue F button, yup that is a dedicated Facebook button for the “Status” and wall updaters in the world. Our sister site SlashGear recently reviewed the HTC ChaCha and they are basically twins so you can read that for a better idea on the hardware. Chris Davies does mention the hardware keyboard is excellent and one of the better ones he has used.

The HTC Status is up for pre-order right now for the low low price of $49.99 with a new 2-year contract over on AT&T. It is the first phone to feature the dedicated Facebook button so I’m sure a few are excited to give it a try. Here are a few features of the magical button.

The Facebook share button allows people to:

Post instantly on your wall or a friend's wall by pressing the Facebook share button from your home screen.
Take a picture or shoot a video and share it instantly with a press of the Facebook share button. You can also post multiple pictures at one time and label and tag them before posting. Or even post photos automatically as you're taking them.
Check in to Facebook Places by pressing and holding the Facebook share button from the home screen.
Share something cool on the Web with a quick press of the Facebook share button and be the first with the news.
Let your friends in on the music you love with the push of a button by pressing the Facebook share button to post the song title and other details.

Overall it is a nice mid-range offering with a 800 Mhz CPU, Android 2.3 as well as a 5MP camera for all your Facebook photo needs. Again the HTC Status will be $49.99 on AT&T with a new 2-year contract and pre-orders started today so head over to AT&T for all the information and full press release.

[via AT&T]

)


Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Hits the FCC with AT&T Radios

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:08 AM PDT

We recently saw some renders of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray and it was looking pretty good. It has finally hit the FCC and could be packing some quad-band AT&T radios. Sitting all pretty next to a ruler you can clearly see the Android famous menu and back buttons are on board.

According to latest information the Xperia Ray should be packing a 1 Ghz Qualcomm processor as well as Android 2.3 Gingerbread. From the photos we can also see the HD camera on the rear as well as a front facing camera for video chat.

The Xperia Ray might not be as thin as the popular Xperia Arc that recently went up for sale in the U.S. but it seems pretty thin from the photos shown. We are still waiting for more information on a few of these upcoming Sony Xperia line phones so stay tuned or check out the source for all the FCC info.

[via Engadget]

)


LG Ally and Vortex Getting Discontinued by Verizon

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 09:55 AM PDT

Not all phones are fortunate enough to have a long run at life such as the Nexus One or the original Motorola Droid. Phones get old, get replaced and eventually discontinued by carriers and it appears a few of those entry level LG phones on Verizon will soon be discontinued.

Better known as the LG Optimus One line, the LG Vortex on Verizon Wireless will soon be discontinued as well as a few other mid-range phones from the big red carrier such as the LG Ally. They do mention a few other non android phones like the Blackberry Storm 2 and such but those don’t really concern us all that much.

If you remember back when Gingerbread was coming LG said it had a 1 Ghz CPU spec and they would not update the Optimus One line to Gingerbread, but later changed the story. Latest reports said the Optimus One would get Gingerbread by Spring. The Optimus One line is not discontinued yet on Verizon but is up next so you better hurry and get one if you wanted a nice mid-range Android offering on big red.

[via PhoneArena]

)


Xperia Pro delayed to Q4 according to rumor

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 06:48 AM PDT

If you have a serious hankering for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro smartphone there is a rumor circulating that the smartphone has been delayed. SE has not yet officially confirmed any delay with the smartphone. According to the rumor, the delay isn’t due to SE waiting to launch the smartphone with a newer version of Android. Sony Ericsson is working on a newer version of the OS for some smartphones though according to other rumors.

The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog reports that SE is working on Android 2.3.4 for the Xperia Play, Arc, Neo, and Pro. The X10 seems to be left out of the Android update gristmill for now. A comment left on the Sony Ericsson Product Blog from someone apparently with knowledge of the product claims that the disaster in Japan has forced a shift in the timing of new product launches. This is where the Q4 time frame for the Xperia Pro came from.

The Xperia Pro was originally set for a Q2 launch according to statements by SE from MWC. There is no indication on when the Android update might come to the other Android smartphones mentioned. Do you think the Xperia Pro is worth waiting for?

[via Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog]

)


Maxton Mobile browser hits v2.2 for Android

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:21 AM PDT

It was only last month that I talked about the Maxthon Mobile browser getting an update to support some 3D skins and more. The company has already debuted another new update to the browser that brings it to version 2.2. The new version has a major new feature with add-ons that allow you to do some cool things with the browser. The current add-ons include ones for screen shots, bookmark backup, and task killer utilities.

The bookmark backup and restore feature allows you to import, export, and backup your bookmarks to a SD card installed into the phone. The Screen shots app also allows you to take snapshots of a webpage and save it to the device SD card. Tasks killer will kill processes running in the background to let the phone run faster and the battery last longer.

There is also a version of the new browser for tablet users. Maxthon says that across all platforms it supports it has 130,000,000 users each month. The add-on architecture means that users and developers will be able to add new features to the browser to customize the user experience like many browsers allow.

)


Pantone announces first app for Android

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:06 AM PDT

Graphic designers and others that work with colors know that Pantone has charts that will help you to pick the perfect colors for any project. The problem for some is the fact that it can be hard to carry Pantone cards around with you everywhere. Pantone has announced that it has a new app for Android users called myPANTONE. The app has been on the iPhone only for a while and this is the first time it has come to Android users.

The app allows the user to capture and create Pantone color pallets right on their smartphone and gives access to over 13,000 Pantone colors right from the phone. The app has color calibration tools to improve the appearance of the colors on the screen of your iPhone. The app also supports CMYK Pantone Plus Series colors and offers access to ICC color-managed values.

Other features include a formula guide for coated and uncoated stock. The app will give CMYK values for 1,341 solid pantone colors, and it supports Pantone Plus Pastels and Neons. One cool feature is that the app will automatically show you colors that go with whatever main color you are interested in. The app will also capture a color using the camera on the phone and extract colors from any photo on the phone.

)


Omar Khan is Leaving Samsung Mobile

Posted: 10 Jul 2011 10:53 PM PDT

Some crazy news today in the world of Android. First HTC updates us on their bootloader situation, and now Omar Khan the CTO at Samsung Mobile is quitting Samsung to head mobile initiatives on a global basis at CitiGroup.

Khan has been working hard for Samsung Mobile and we can all agree lately he has done a pretty stellar job. The Galaxy S line was the number one selling smartphone in America and extremely popular around the world, and the Galaxy S II is even better and has caught plenty of peoples attention, us included.

We know a few devices like the Behold II weren’t all that great but the Galaxy S II is a beast and Khan mentions we can expect to see the same type of output and productivity from the rest of the team over at Samsung Mobile. This change will be a big one for Samsung but we all hope things will continue just as he said they will. They are aimed in the right direction so things appear pretty good right about now. This news comes to us from our friends over at TheDroidGuy. To see more details as well as the official email from Omar Khan feel free to hit the source link.

[via TDG]

)


Breaking: HTC Unlocking Bootloaders Come August and September

Posted: 10 Jul 2011 10:38 PM PDT

This evening HTC just came out with some breaking and exciting news we have all been patiently waiting for (well most of us patiently), and that news is some official remarks regarding the timeline for unlocking the bootloader on HTC phones. I can’t wait for some CM7 on my Sensation because that is what’s coming next for mine. HTC plans to unlock their newest phones first, read on past the break for the full details.

Right on the HTC Facebook page they state they will start rolling out updates to unlock bootloaders this August, with the global HTC Sensation first, quickly followed by the T-Mobile Sensation 4G and the EVO 3D. This is great news for many HTC fans and owners around the world.

HTC has been working hard to get these updates out and have continued to update us throughout the process and for that we thank them. They also mention if things go well we can expect to see more and more devices unlocked via updates throughout August and September.

Here are a few more comments right from the Facebook page:

HTC continues its commitment to unlocking bootloaders and supporting the developer community. Because of the importance of this community to us, please expect an update on this about every few weeks as we make progress toward launch. Thank you for your patience and continued support!

More great news from HTC, they plan to update us every few weeks over the next month or so as things get closer for us to remove the handcuffs from our phones. I’m going to officially go on record here and say that I personally believe the update for popular phones like the Sensation and EVO 3D will get leaked to the public and development community, and we will start seeing unlocks before HTC rolls it out for those that don’t want to wait, and you can bet that I’ll be one of them. This news was just broke this wonderful Sunday evening and we will be hearing plenty of news over the coming days and weeks so stay tuned right to Android Community. Head over to the source via the link below for the official comments.

Motorola, it’s your move!

[via HTC Facebook]

)


Google+ APK Available for International Users

Posted: 10 Jul 2011 01:26 PM PDT

The rest of the world may be keeping the Samsung Galaxy S II from us here in the states, but to show we’re not bitter the Google+ app is now available to download internationally. If you have a Google+ account, but don’t live in the United States, the Google+ account hasn’t been available on the Android Market yet. There is always the mobile web site, but this app is great, and makes following, say your favorite Android Community, that much easier.

Google’s given no word on why they haven’t released the Google+ Android app internationally, but testers have confirmed installing the APK has worked just fine. Of course, you do have to have a Google+ account for it to do you much good. If you don’t have one quite yet, hang in there, invites seem to be turning on more frequently the past few days.

The app gives you some pretty cool features, not the least of which is instant notifications and the ability to view posts directly from the app. You also get access to huddles, an awesome multi-user chat tool and the ability to instantly upload pictures and videos you take to Google+. You can grab the app here or at the original thread at XDA. Happy +’ing!

[via XDA]

)


Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)