Saturday, 27 August 2011

Android Community

Android Community

Android Community Weekly: August 27, 2011

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 10:19 AM PDT

This week in tech news, we see some long awaited teasers to some amazing devices, the iconic CEO Steve Jobs resigns, and a bundle of Android OS software updates.


Just three days after the HP Touchpad went on sale for $99, we saw evidence of an Android 2.3 port already put into production. Development within the community of this device suggests the port will be available very soon.

Monday, Verizon Wireless announced their expansion of 4G LTE to more cities coming September 15th. US states included with this addition are North Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, and many areas within Illinois. Soon after, Verizon released a rebranded version of their V Cast Video app in the Android Market. Now labeled Verizon Video, this application has had its interface updated and a substantial increase in available content. Two subscription preferences are available; $10 a month or a 24hr $3 option.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 received an update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb this past Tuesday. Previously at Android 3.0, this update will include improved speed performance, application size scaling, and the ability to sync media from the SD card. A maintenance update for the HTC EVO 4G also rolled out this week in hopes to fix some bugs with SMS, voice recognition, and Picasa.

The Samsung Galaxy S II was banned in Europe due to the Apple injunction previously filed. The device is currently banned from sale across the entire European Union. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still banned from sale throughout Germany until September 9th. Samsung released their Galaxy smartphone naming scheme Wednesday. The way devices are named will directly correlate with what tier they belong to. Unilke other manufacturers, Samsung has done this to help public know precisely what type of device they are buying – whether it be flagship or entry level device. Soon after, the Galaxy M Pro, Galaxy W, Galaxy Y, and Galaxy Y Pro were revealed.

A Motorola DROID Bionic teaser video hit the net Wednesday showing off how much better the device claims to be than the ones currently on the market. We’ll just have to wait and see, but it’s hard to dodge Verizon’s exceptional advertising of the device.

Finally, don’t forget to head over to the Tegrazone for their Acer Iconia A500 giveaway! NVIDIA will be randomly giving away a total of 5 devices to those who sign up.

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Sony S2 Clamshell Tablet to be named Sony Tablet P

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:47 PM PDT

Today we have a few new details on the new line up of Android Honeycomb tablets from Sony. Previously known as the S1 and S2 tablets, we are now hearing they’ve decided on a few official names for these tablets. First the S1 is the 10.1″ standard tablet and will be called the Sony Tablet S, then we have that dual-screen clamshell tablet they’ve been calling the S2.

You can see more of the Sony S2 clamshell here, new details are now suggesting that Sony will call this the Sony Tablet P. My first guess is P is for “portable” or something of that sort since it does fold up and become a pretty small and portable device. We’ve seen plenty of both of these tablets and here you can see them in the wild on video. Or here is a review roundup.

Sources are now claiming the Tablet P (aka Sony S2) clamshell will be running Android 3.2 Honeycomb, those dual 5.5″ displays we’ve already seen, as well as the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1 Ghz CPU but we all already knew that. They are saying however, that the Tablet P will only have 512MB of RAM rather than 1GB like almost every other tablet offers. It will feature 4GB of internal storage, be lighter than the iPad 2 and you’ll be able to get it with AT&T 4G LTE. No word on official price or release dates yet but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty more on both of these tablets real soon.

[via Engadget]

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HTC Vigor Pictures Finally Leak

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:33 PM PDT

Say hello to the HTC Vigor. This bad boy pictured below is the new HTC Vigor that will be landing on Verizon sometime early October if leaks are correct. This will be the replacement to the HTC Thunderbolt. Yes the Vigor will be that awesome. Although at first look this looks very similar to the HTC Incredible with the weird backing and red accents, just saying.

First leaks of the Vigor suggested a 1.5 Ghz dual-core CPU, Verizon 4G LTE, a 4.3″ 720p HD display with the qHD branding and more. While details are still very thin with this just leaking it does look pretty and we also have a picture of the front.

The more I look at the pictures this seriously just looks like a Droid Incredible, but then again we have this leaked roadmap clearly stating the HTC Vigor will replace the HTC Thunderbolt so some would assume it would be a bigger brother or something similar. We don’t have a kickstand and the rear does look nothing like the Thunderbolt so this could very well be some sort of follow up to the Incredible to carry along with DROID branding, Maybe the HTC Droid Incredible LTE.

HTC recently acquired Beats Audio and we heard a few sources suggest phones would get some sort of branding in the future but we aren’t seeing that here either. What does everyone think? Incredible LTE or a Thunderbolt replacement?

[via Droid-Life]

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Samsung Galaxy S II Press Event Rescheduled for Tuesday

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:10 PM PDT

I know everyone here in the US has been waiting on what feels like ages for the Galaxy S II to finally arrive, but it appears we all have to wait a few short hours longer. Don’t worry the event is only a day later but today Samsung has confirmed with us that the Galaxy S II US Launch Event that was talking place this Monday, August 29th is being rescheduled because of Hurricane Irene.

While this isn’t a big deal the word has came out a bit late so anyone planning to be there Monday night will have to stay a day longer. The Official Press Event will now be Tuesday, August 30th at the same time and same place at 6:00 PM EST. It appears a mandatory evacuation of well over 250,000 people and more are all being told to head to higher ground while everyone prepared for the hurricane.

Don’t worry though, the Galaxy S II is still coming and we will have all the juicy details and plenty of pictures when we are there LIVE on Tuesday. Be sure to check back right here at Android Community for plenty of photos and all the juicy details. If you are in the path of Hurricane Irene get the official FEMA app if you have time. Stay safe everyone.

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Pantech Breakout 4G LTE phone headed for Verizon

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 02:42 PM PDT

Here we have another Android device headed to Verizon packing some 4G LTE inside. This is the Pantech Breakout 4G LTE Smartphone and it should come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch. We don’t know much about Pantech or the Breakout, but we did recently see a Pantech 4G LTE phone clear the FCC named the Apache. This could be the same phone and now we have clearer details with a full spec sheet that was nicely leaked for our viewing pleasure.

From the leaked flyer shown below we now know the Pantech Breakout will be 4G LTE enabled and will hit Verizon Wireless. It will have a 4.0″ 800×480 standard android display, come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1 Ghz processor (single or dual-core isn’t know) but they are comparing it to a single core phone next to it so most likely it will be a single-core device. We also spot 512MB of RAM and a 8GB MicroSD comes included with the smartphone.

Other details reveal it will sport both a front and rear camera. On the back we have a 5MP shooter and VGA front for video chat, both of those nicely line up with the Apache FCC filing we linked to above. We also see that Pantech has listed they will be sporting their own UI on the phone. Most likely this will just be a user interface overlay similar to Touch Wiz or Moto Blur but we can’t know for sure. When we find out more details we’ll be sure to report them right here so stay tuned.

[via Androidcentral]

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Motorola DROID Bionic Press Shots Revealed, Shows Its Thickness

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 01:38 PM PDT

In other news today the Droid Bionic has been canceled… No not really but I thought it was worth a try. What we are seeing today though is a few new details and photos of the Bionic. These are actually press release images but its nice to finally see something other than a blurrycam shot by someone hiding their name and details. These new pictures also show us a glimpse of what to expect regarding the size, shape, and thickness of the upcoming Bionic.

We are starting to feel the launch date approach, not to mention something has slipped or leaked regarding the Bionic almost daily for a while now. Check out the official Bionic teaser trailer here, or even a full video rundown on the phone in this video. Along with the press shots we also have a Bionic and Droid X2 image to compare thickness.

Seen in the image above the Bionic is a bit chunky compared to the Droid X2 but then that is only a render and we won’t know for sure until we have them both in are hands, and I assure you that will be soon. The Bionic does have a dual-core CPU and 4G LTE inside as well as what we are hearing to be a pretty large battery so that could explain some of the size differences. We did see some battery usage images leak but for now I’m taking those with a grain of salt. Either way I just want this phone to arrive already so I can enjoy it, review it, and possibly move on to bigger and better things. Droid HD or HTC Vigor anyone?

[via Pop Herald]

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HTC Vigor Gets Wi-Fi Certification

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:58 PM PDT

We haven’t seen much regarding the HTC Vigor (ADR6425) lately but now it has jumped back on our sites with a recent Wi-Fi certification filing and Bluetooth filing. While this isn’t anything major, it’s one more step closer to us actually seeing and owning this awesome device. For those that might not remember much about the HTC Vigor, it will be the replacement for the HTC Thunderbolt over on Verizon Wireless. That alone should get you excited.

In case you didn’t see the original details it was first leaked here and later confirmed to be an HTC device headed to Verizon with 4G LTE. It will sport a high resolution 1280x720p HD display that is at least 4.3″ or bigger, will have a 1.5 Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor and come with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread at launch.

That isn’t the last of it though, we’ve recently spotted it on a leaked Verizon roadmap but that didn’t get us many details other than confirming it was coming soon. It was this full roadmap leak that tells us all about what Verizon has planned ahead. If you look closely we see the HTC Vigor is slated for an early October launch, and will be replacing the highly popular HTC Thunderbolt. We are expecting a pretty awesome device to knock off the flagship 4G LTE phone from Verizon, but we’ll have to wait and see.

[via Wi-fi.org]

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Motorola DROID Bionic and Accessory Bundles from Costco at Launch

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:41 PM PDT

As usual Costco will be trying to steal as many Best Buy Mobile and Verizon customers as they possibly can and now they are planning one awesome bundle of accessories for when the Bionic finally goes on sale. We have still been hearing $299 come launch on September 8th but we don’t have any official price at this time.

The image above is just one of many leaked images regarding an awesome deal coming from Costco. When the Droid Bionic launches they are planning to sell the handset, car dock, desk dock, and an extra battery with charging dock all for the same price as Verizon, just $299. Those accessories wont be cheap and are worth around $160 if you bought it all separate. I don’t know about you guys but I’d be headed to Costco instead of Best Buy come launch date, unless they have a deal or two of their own but this is hard to top.

Reports are also claiming that the September 8th launch date is accurate and Costco stores will receive demo models and display units around that time-frame and will start selling said device with awesome accessory bundles shortly after. With how much has surrounded this device, and how popular it’s expected to be, most likely there will be some lines at Costco if this deal is legit. We will report back when we see anything more official but for now more details and pictures are at the via below.

[via DroidForums]

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FEMA Releases Android App, T-Mobile Offers Hurricane Tips

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:14 PM PDT

Just in time for Hurricane Irene, FEMA has released their Android App with all sorts of emergency tips and help guides and more. This is just in time as this sad hurricane Irene appears to be headed right for the East Coast and will most likely cause a few problems. You can read more at FEMA.gov and the Android app is available in the Android Market right now, get it by clicking here.

The new FEMA app is full of useful tips, checklists, meeting places, contact numbers and more. It will even offer the latest news for before, during and after a disaster. while most likely everyone on the East Coast is already hurrying to figure out a plan this could sure help with everything. Go down checklists to make sure you have things you need. Spare batteries, chargers for cell phones, all sorts of stuff. I’m just thinking mobile since after all we are all about Android.

The app will help with more than just hurricanes, same applies for things like the recent earthquake, floods and more. This wont help anyone if Verizon delays the Bionic again, but that sure would be a disaster.

T-Mobile is also prepping for the Hurricane and you can read all about how prepared they are, as well as see tips they are providing at the T-Mobile Blog. Here are a few tips thanks to T-Mobile

– Use text messaging to communicate instead of voice calls. Text messaging has a greater success rate in getting through the network during high-usage periods.
– Keep your calls short in duration.
– Utilize Wi-Fi calling if your device has the feature. This feature takes advantage of your in-home data connection to place calls in case the cellular network is congested or down. (If home has power)
– Make sure your phone is fully charged prior to the storm. Consider obtaining a vehicle charger in the event of power loss.

A few of these may be obvious to some, but not for others. Here are a few tips from us as well.

– Charge your phones, charge back-up batteries and make sure you have a car charger
– Turn off phone during the storm, keep it off so you’ll have full power when things clear
– Bring spare batteries for cell phones, cars, any anything else you’ll need.
– Download one of the many different Flashlight Apps for Android
– Text to communicate as they have a better chance of getting through, just as T-Mobile stated above

We could go on for a while regarding tips and tricks, but for now stay safe and once again feel free to read over the FEMA.gov website and get the official FEMA App for Android by clicking here.

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