Monday, 15 August 2011

Android Community

Android Community

HTC Pico Pictures Leak, Looks like a Wildfire S

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:45 AM PDT

New pictures have leaked of a device being called the HTC Pico. When I first heard that I was hoping for a phone with a built-in Pico projector as that would be awesome but I quickly learned this was a much smaller, goofier device that is aimed for the mid-range crowd. It looks slightly like a re-badged Wildfire S and has similar specs to match.

After looking a bit closer it does seem to have a striking resemblance to the fashionable and female oriented HTC Glamor recently revealed too so that is another thing to consider. I did mention the Wildfire S because the specifications of the Pico are almost the exact same. The HTC Pico should come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a single-core 600MHz CPU CPU, and 384MB of RAM, rocking a 3.2″ HVGA 480×320 touchscreen. We can clearly see a pretty large lens of the rear for the camera and most likely it will be 5 MP.

The HTC Pico was spotted by XDA.cn and initial reports are suggesting the radios inside are slating this for a European release but we could be hearing more shortly and eventually see it hit the US. What do you guys think about this? Is it just a cute little mid-range phone, or will it be geared for the female crowd and come with tons of accessories and color options?

[via PocketNow]

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Motorola Defy+ Announced, Looking to Defy Water

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:19 AM PDT

Just like that the Motorola Defy gets replaced. Today Motorola has announced the New Defy+ with a few beefed up specifications to handle every type of situation. From mud and water, to browsing and gaming. Just like the first model the Defy + keeps its same rugged water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof design while getting a boost in the hardware department.

This time around the hardware is a little more impressive and will feature a 1 Ghz processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3.7″ 480×854 resolution screen, a 5 MP camera and 2GB of internal storage with optional micro SD support. Quite an impressive device for also being able to get submerged in water or mud and keep on pushing out that data or make phone calls.

I guess the original was popular enough to release a second device, this announcement comes right after Samsung recently unveiled a similar device. Samsung just announced the XCover Rugged Smartphone to compete with the Defy but now with the Defy+ it has a little bit of competition. The Defy+ may not be a Droid Bionic but it is plenty fast, powerful, and safe and would make the perfect companion for Mike Rowe with Dirty Jobs right? More details are available via the full press release.

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HTC Vigor Details and Picture Appear on Dutch Website

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:02 AM PDT

We might have seen our first look at the upcoming HTC Vigor late last night thanks to a Dutch Phone site that posted it up, but it was quickly removed. Seen in the picture below this could very easily be a fake photo but it does look very similar to the Sensation or the popular HTC Thunderbolt that the Vigor is said to be replacing over at Verizon Wireless.

Along with the photo we also saw the impressive spec sheet to go along with it. According to the site the HTC Vigor will feature all those specs we saw leaked back in July. Those include a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor, a 1280×720 HD Display, Android 2.3.4 as well as an updated HTC Sense UI as version 3.5 and more. They also list a few unconfirmed specs that would line up nicely with recent events, such as coming to market with Beats Audio included.

Either they know something we don’t or they are just going along with recent rumors that the Vigor will launch with Beats Audio now that HTC has acquired the brand, although it would make perfect sense and HTC did say they’ve been working together since February.

So what do you all think? Is the picture and specs real, or was this just an attempt to troll all the Android fans? The page is no longer active and was quickly pulled after being seen and reported by many. If all of this ends up being accurate the HTC Vigor will be one amazing phone having both a 1.5 Ghz dual-core CPU and 4G LTE on board. I can’t wait to hear more.

[via HTC Inside]

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Samsung Celox 4G LTE Galaxy S II Spotted in the Wild

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:39 AM PDT

In case you missed it last week we saw a glimpse of a Samsung Galaxy S II with 4G LTE codenamed the Samsung Celox over in Korea. Today we are getting an actual real world look at the device because apparently it’s out in the wild running on those 4G LTE speeds. This is what many think will be what we will see land on Verizon shortly, just like what we saw recently for T-Mobile.

The dedicated home button has been replaced with the popular capacitive soft-touch Android buttons but otherwise it remains the same. With that 8MP camera on the rear and 2MP on the front. This is a 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S II in case anyone was wondering. If the leaked specs are to be believed we have a 4.5″ Super AMOLED Plus screen, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM and those lovely 4G LTE radios of course.

The details are very light and we don’t know much other than a few other bits of leaked information and rumors for now. If this is anything like the first Galaxy S it also came to the U.S with capacitive buttons and not the home button like we saw in the leaked render so this 4G LTE powered beast just might be headed to the U.S. soon after all. I’m just wondering what all this Snapdragon talk is about when Samsung has that highly popular and very well performing dual-core Exynos processor of their own they’ve been using lately. Either way hopefully we hear more soon.

[via Droid-Life]

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ViewSonic Announces New Dual-boot Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Windows 7 Tablet

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:22 AM PDT

Today ViewSonic has just announced the new ViewPad 10 Pro. We recently saw this back in May running Android 2.2 so it’s nice to see they’ve updated to Gingerbread. A dual-boot Win 7 and Honeycomb tablet would be amazing if you ask me, it’s a shame we aren’t seeing that but I’m sure its next on the list.

The ViewPad 10 Pro is powered by an 1.5GHz Intel Atom processor Z670 (single core), 2GB of RAM, 16GB and 32GB flavors will be available (SSD Hard Drive) all on a 10.1″ 1024×600 resolution display. It will also feature a 1.3 MP front facing camera and a micro SD slot for expanded storage options. While the specs do look quite impressive the slightly lower screen resolution and single core CPU might be the weakest links here in a market flooded with top performing dual-core NVIDIA Android Honeycomb tablets.

The ViewPad 10 Pro will be available with both Windows 7 Professional, and Home Premium. The 32GB ViewPad will be offered with Windows 7 Professional and run an EST $699 while the 16GB flavor will operate under Win 7 Home Premium and will cost slightly less at $599. As a reminder android runs in a virtual environment over Windows 7 on the tablet and will be launched via a single click of the Android OS App but performance should still be plenty fast and stable.

This isn’t the first dual-boot tablet from ViewSonic but it’s nice to see a more updated Android build running here instead of 1.6 like before. More details are available at the full Press Release.

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Fusion Garage Grid 4 Revealed

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Alongside today’s reveal of the Grid 10, a tablet device from Fusion Garage running a “new” OS called Grid, the folks at what’s been called TabCo for the past few months have revealed the Grid 4, a smartphone device running the same OS. This new OS was built on the basic Android kernel and is capable of running Android apps AND is able to sync up perfectly, or so they say, with the tablet that’ll be released on the 15th of September. This smartphone device will have a 4-inch WVGA display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor paired with 512MB of RAM.

On the back of this device is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, 720p HD video recording, and a front-facing 0.3-megapixel camera. This handset will be 122.4 x 63.9 x 9.6 mm, weigh 137g, and will have 16GB of onboard storage, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and triband HSPA. Also inside is GPS/A-GPS, an accelerometer, ambient light sensor and a digital compass, along with a microUSB port and a microSD. An optional USB Host adapter will be available at launch as well.

This device will be sold as a completely unlocked device for $399 unlocked and SIM-free as well as for a hopefully cheaper price on what we must assume is AT&T as the Grid 10 has already attempted to clear the FCC with AT&T 3G connectivity. This device will ship in Q4 of 2011.

What do you think? A smartphone for the next generation, or dead on arrival?

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HTC Bootloader Unlocking Now LIVE, For Euro Sensation Only

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:58 AM PDT

HTC promised everyone that come August we would be able to unlock our bootloaders and so far they have stayed true to their promise. Word on the street is HTCDev.com is now allowing users to unlock the European HTC Sensation. The last thing we heard is they would offer this via an online web-based tool and it appears that has gone live this morning.

If you head over the HTCDev.com you’ll find all the details as well as that “Unlock Bootloader” option near the bottom right to get started. While we can’t test this out on our T-Mobile Sensation 4G I’m sure there is hundreds of users over at XDA doing it this exact moment so be sure to check that out. Many of us have already unlocked and rooted our devices with the recent Revolutionary tool released by some popular developers.

When you get to the bootloader page over at HTCDev you’ll see the above image showing only the European HTC Sensation is available for unlock currently. We should be seeing more devices receive the green light soon. I have a feeling we will see the T-Mobile Sensation 4G and the EVO 3D before the end of the month, but that is only if this initial start goes well. HTC has had plenty of time to test the procedure so it should be pretty solid.

Remember you’ll have to sign up, agree to their terms and even give them your full contact information and email address but its worth it in my opinion. I’m sure the site will remind you but this will void your warranty of course. Get started at HTCDev.com/bootloader/ and enjoy that unlocked HTC Sensation.

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TabCO Revealed as Grid 10 Tablet Running Grid OS

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:32 AM PDT

TabCo’s CEO “IQ” Ian Quincy started his speech with a recap of the many viral ads that’d been revealed over the past few months. “TabCo is a parody company, and I’m not a real CEO.” Fusion Garage is revealed to be the “true” company behind the tablets “I’m confident I’m sure, but I’m not insane,” he says, noting that had they revealed the tablet was from Fusion Garage in the past, this proposed new tablet would not have been given a fair chance. In the same vein, all users who had previously purchased a JooJoo tablet before will receive this new tablet for free.

Chandra Rathakrishnan, CEO of Fusion Garage, continued by saying they were taking the Android kernel and building from this to create a new OS called “Grid”. Search they said will be integrated via Bing, while apps will be available through the Amazon Appstore and the Grid Shop, a place where you can submit apps specific to the tablet and/or Android apps that are universally available. This tablet will be known as the “Grid 10″.

To unlock the device itself, you’ve got to sign your signature (or whatever else you want, whatever you set up), and you’ll be brought out to a grid. This grid is made up of squares, each of them with one single shortcut which can do several things – open an app, add an app, change background, edit the look of the Grid, and more. This is all organized in Clusters, this being collections of shortcuts in any configuration, very similar to folders in Android except here they’re all on the grid – expanding and collapsing Clusters is one tap of a square.

Email looked quite basic save for its ability to view it on the grid, many different sizes, colors, and abilities to view. Browsing in a web browser appeared to be “new” looking as it uses a wheel in the lower left of the screen, this able to disappear at a tap bringing you what they’re calling full screen browsing all the time. Galleries for images appear very similar to Android but does appear to have some integrated editing software working instantly.

This device will cost 499 USD 599 for 3G and Wifi, “advanced” headphones included, all available on fusiongarage.com now, shipping on the 15th of September.

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VoX to launch new Android VoIP app for Android devices

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 08:48 AM PDT

VoX has announced that it is offering a new VoIP app for all Android smartphones that allows the user to place VoIP calls. This is the first time the company has gone direct with their VoIP service. Previously they only offered VoIP via other apps from providers like Nimbuzz and fring. This is the first direct app to allow the Android user to directly access the VoX service.

The VoX app will download and install on smartphones and tablets and the company is working to automate the download to allow it to be purchased anywhere. The VoX user can get signed up for the services completely on the smartphone with no computer needed. The user can also choose a US number for the app.

The plans for making calls using the app start at $4.95 for VoIP service. 500 minutes of talk time will sell for $9.95 and for $29.95 you get unlimited minutes to the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The app will launch on the Android Market in the next month.

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Google grabs Motorola Mobility for $12.5B

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:51 AM PDT

Google has tried its hand at making first party smartphones in the past with mixed results. The problem was in part that Google was more a software company than a hardware firm meaning that it had to farm the design and making of the phones out to other firms. The days of Google not having the smartphone design prowess it needs and wants are over with Google announcing that it has agreed to purchase Motorola Mobility.

Motorola is one of the biggest names in the Android realm when it comes to handsets. The deal is a whopper too. Google is buying Motorola Mobility for $40 per share working out to $12.5 billion. That is a premium of 63% over the closing price of the stock on Friday. The deal already has the approval of the boards from both companies. Motorola Mobility will be run as a separate business.

Google notes that the purchase of Motorola Mobility will not change its commitment to run Android as an open platform. The transaction is subject to the normal closing conditions that go with massive purchases like this. The deal has to get regulatory approval in the US, EU, and in other countries. The deal also needs the approval of Motorola Mobility stockholders. Google hopes to finish the deal by the end of 2011 or early in 2012.

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Asus Eee Pad Slider official page breaks cover

Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:45 AM PDT

We have talked several times about the cool Asus Eee Pad Slider. This cool little tablet has the sliding screen that pops up and tilts to let you type on an integrated keyboard. The little keys of the keyboard are the chiclet style that Asus uses on the Eee netbooks. The cool tablet is expected to land in most countries this September, which isn't too far away at all now. The official page for the tablet has now been added to the Asus website.

With the tablet having crossed the FCC not long ago the official page is one of the last steps before you can go and buy the cool tablet. There are expected to be two versions of the tablet with all the same features and the only difference being the amount of storage. The 32GB tablet will sell for $550 in the US with the 16GB versions going for $400. The official page offers all the hardware specs too, though most of the details are known.

The tablet will use a 10.1-inch LED backlit screen with 1280 x 800 resolution and support for ten touch contacts at once. The processor is the NVIDIA Tegra 2 and the tablet has 1GB of memory. It will have WiFi and Bluetooth inside along with a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera. A microSD card slot allows storage expansion. The machine also has a G-sensor, light sensor, gyro, and digital compass. The tablet runs the Android 3.1 OS.

[via Notebookitalia]

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HTC Holiday Prototype Unit Leaked

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 08:46 PM PDT

What we’re looking at here is very possibly an early tester version of the HTC Holiday, a device with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, a 4.5-inch qHD display at 960 x 540 pixel resolution and a very possible AT&T release sometime inside 2011. This device has a giant “CALIFORNIA” sitting at the bottom on the back, this pointing toward a possible regional-case situation OR just a rather ugly sticker on this copy of the device. Last time we heard about this device, it was back this past May and several specs were released then – this new set of photos confirming several of the specs leaked then.

This device, if we can believe what we’ve heard leaked thus far, will have the same 1.2GHz MSM8660 processor that we’re currently seeing in the HTC Sensation. Also we can expect the HTC Holiday to have 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front. The unit we’re seeing here was supposedly purchased from Craigslist by an XDA Developer and photos were taken immediately after shipment. Unfortunately the display was busted up, but we can expect a fully in-tact screen when we get an official release.

What’s most interesting about this device is what appears to be a conductive set of hardware bits on the back, this leading us to believe that we’ll be getting a unique charger with the device. We’re imagining something like a stand that’ll plug into the wall where we can simply set the Holiday and let it charge without having to take the extra step in actually plugging it in. All smartphones should do such a thing, wouldn’t you agree?

This will only be the second 4.5-inch smartphone on the market, sitting right alongside the Samsung Infuse 4G in the AT&T store soon. Thusly AT&T will continue to hold the entire 4.5-inch smartphone market and will destroy all newcomers into the future!

[via XDA Developers]

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HTC EVO 4G Gingerbread gets Rooted along with many other new HTC phones

Posted: 14 Aug 2011 04:18 PM PDT

If you were one of the many people that accepted the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for your HTC EVO 4G and have been waiting for a easy way to root your phone then I have good news. Thanks to AlpharevX and @Unrevoked you can now easily and quickly root your EVO 4G, EVO 3D, Sensation, the new myTouch 4G Slide, and a slew of other HTC devices thanks to their new tool Revolutionary.

These are the developers behind the S-OFF and root tool used on the HTC Sensation 4G and EVO 3D for those that didn’t want to wait for HTC to allow us the same privilege. Today they just released the latest version of the tool they call “Revolutionary” that we all can use to easily root our favorite phones.

While they are still calling Revolutionary a “developer preview” it is highly functional and I was able to root the deeply locked down HTC Sensation 4G is like 3 minutes using their awesome system and it really couldn’t be easier. As always this will void your warranty and if you are unsure of what you are about to do, you should probably ask a few questions on Twitter or over at XDA just to be safe.

Here is a list of compatible devices and the list just keeps getting longer so don’t worry if your device isn’t supported yet. The Latest version of Revolution is called 0.4pre3 and you’ll be glad to know you can root your EVO 4G that has the latest 2.3 Gingerbread OTA and more. Head over to the official page via the source link below for all the details and instructions you need.

Revolutionary Wiki Info Page

[via Revolutionary.io]

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