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- LG Mobile and Gameloft Challenge NOVA Players to 3D Tournament
- HTC Runnymede and Bliss full specs revealed
- Verizon to launch Verizon Apps store for Android
- Live USA Tutoring app hits the Android Market
- NVIDIA roadmap leaks, Kal-El and more coming soon
- Motorola DROID 3 FM Radio App works for the Bionic too
- DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket App Now available for Android Honeycomb
- Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Benchmarks vs GSII Oriignal vs SGSIIE4GT NYC
- Samsung may also be seeking their own OS alternative to Android
- Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile sporting different dual-core processor
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Hits the FCC with T-Mobile 4G
- HTC Runnymede press shot leaks, looks pretty in white
- Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Unboxing and Hands-on Video
- LG Enlighten still not in Verizon stores, but is coming soon
| LG Mobile and Gameloft Challenge NOVA Players to 3D Tournament Posted: 13 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT Thanks to LG and their Thrill 4G next week in Los Angeles LG Mobile and Gameloft will be hosting a 3D NOVA gaming tournament for those with the skills to play. To help hype the release of the LG Thrill 4G (see our review) this will all get started on Tuesday, September 20th, and the tournament will be going all day long.
Players can enjoy the full glasses-free 3D effects of the new LG Thrill 4G while playing the highly popular game from Gameloft called NOVA that I’m sure everyone knows plenty about by now. Throughout the day, N.O.V.A. fans will battle it out on site and with online tournaments for a chance to win over $10,000 in LG prizes and possibly even your own LG Thrill 4G smartphone. This 3D experience and gaming tournament will be held in Los Angeles, CA at the famous Hollywood and Highland Center in the heart of Hollywood. If you think you’ve got what it takes and can beat my elite skills and headshot precision then come out and give it a try. Device Info
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| HTC Runnymede and Bliss full specs revealed Posted: 13 Sep 2011 10:10 AM PDT It appears the full spec list for both the HTC Runnymede as well as the HTC Bliss have been leaked in full. With all the details and information one would ever need about either device. These leaks are just in time and a week before the upcoming HTC event on September 20th. Could these be what we will be seeing next week?
First I’ll start with the HTC Bliss that we’ve seen more than a few times in the wild. The Bliss is that mid-range Android phone aimed for women according to rumors. It will sport a 3.7″ 480×800 resolution Super LCD display, a 1.0 Ghz Qualcomm single-core processor, 768MB RAM, a 5 MP camera on the rear with VGA front. Then the usual Wi-Fi, bluetooth and 720p video capture. The Bliss features Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the new Sense UI 3.5 seen here. The HTC Bliss has been rumored for a while to be a female-oriented device with a cute design, pale green olive exterior, and a charm notification system. The screenshots and details clearly confirm the “charm indicator” but we wont know more on that until we see it. Up next is the popular HTC Runnymede, which we saw some press shots leaked yesterday, and it has a great spec sheet itself except for the processor. Boasting a massive 4.7″ display but WVGA and not qHD, a single core 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor, 768MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. The Runnymede should also feature the newest camera lens from HTC and is powered by an 8MP lens with dual LED flash, 1080p video capture and a 1.3 MP front facing camera. All of this under 10mm thin so it should be a nice compact phone.
The HTC Runnymede should be one of the first smartphones to offer Beats Audio integration and will also be sold with multiple SKUs and packaged with different models of Beats Audio headphones. We have also heard rumors of a Sensation 2 Special Edition with Beats Audio coming soon so stay tuned.     [via thisismynext] )
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| Verizon to launch Verizon Apps store for Android Posted: 13 Sep 2011 07:45 AM PDT Verizon leaned heavily on Android smartphones for a long time to battle the iPhone. The company eventually landed its own version of the iPhone and still sells a bunch of Android devices too. Verizon tried to offer its Android customers direct sales of apps for their devices a while back and the direct sales didn't go well for Verizon. The store will get a second chance soon with a relaunch coming.
Verizon has announced that the new storefront will be called Verizon Apps and will be given free to customers with Android smartphones. The Verizon Apps storefront will come on handsets along with the Android Market rather than replacing the Android Market. The new Verizon Apps offering will be unveiled today at a conference for developers in Las Vegas. The Verizon Apps store has a search engine that is powered by Chomp and the pair has been offering briefings at the conference on the new store. Verizon’s other application storefront is the V Cast market, which will apparently remain open. Verizon says there is room for additional storefronts. Verizon hopes to attract more software partners for its store by offering them guaranteed promotion. [via CNN] )
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| Live USA Tutoring app hits the Android Market Posted: 13 Sep 2011 06:31 AM PDT If you are a student or the parent of a student that needs some help with homework a new app has hit the Android Market that might be perfect. The app is called Live USA Tutoring and as the name suggests the app is aimed at students in the US. Using the app a student can get live one-on-one assistance from a tutor that is based in America. That should mean the tutors are easy to understand.
From looking at the screen shots, it appears that the student can show handwritten problems in math and other subjects and get help. I would assume that the camera on the smartphone is used to take photos of the students work. There are several plans available for tutoring. An unlimited plan in any subject is $99 monthly. That isn't cheap for sure but at least the app is a free download. The tutors working for the service cover just about any class that you can think of with math, biology, physics, science, English, foreign languages, and many more subjects offered. The app requires an Android device running Android 2.2 or higher. )
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| NVIDIA roadmap leaks, Kal-El and more coming soon Posted: 12 Sep 2011 04:08 PM PDT NVIDIA and their Tegra 2 superchip for phones and tablets has been on a roll lately, with all the recent talk about quad-cores and Kal-El things are about to get even better this holiday season. Over the weekend a leaked roadmap showing a few us NVIDIA’s upcoming plans and chips may have leaked and it shows us plans up to 2013. One interesting thing I noticed is Kal-El+ on the chart for 2012.
Just last week we heard quad-core Kal-El chips were slightly delayed but we would still see tablets this year with the powerhouse CPU inside. Like recent names of NVIDIA desktop CPU’s Kal-El+ will probably be a more refined and efficient version of their first quad-core chips, but more efficient and aimed for android phones sometime in 2012. Next on the list we are already seeing possible successors to Kal-El coming late 2012 and early 2013 with support for not only Android but also Linux, Windows 8, and WP7. Interesting to note if we are reading it right NVIDIA doesn’t plan to support Windows until 2013. That can’t be right can it? According to the roadmap it also appears that Kal-El+ will power both smartphones and tablets and then mid to late 2012 NVIDIA plans to split up into different divisions for their CPU’s. Showing project “Wayne” for tablets and superphones, then project “Grey” will be for mass consumption and a more standard mid-range smartphone market rather than the high end. Grey will take use of NVIDIA’s recent acquisition of the 3G/4G wireless modem company Icera and will be an all in one SOC (system on chip) solution for most smartphones by the end of 2012 and into 2013 to compete with the likes of Qualcomm. Hopefully we will learn more on Kal-El+ in the comings months and what NVIDIA has planned for the future with Wayne and Grey. The map is a bit confusing and lumps those last two together in the middle so it seems they are still a bit unsure as to what the future holds. Then again aren’t we all? [via SlashGear] )
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| Motorola DROID 3 FM Radio App works for the Bionic too Posted: 12 Sep 2011 03:17 PM PDT I’m sure there is still plenty of users around these parts that uses the FM radio feature of their Android phone. When the DROID 3 came out and indeed had FM radio support and a fancy app to go with it many users liked it. The Droid Bionic sadly does not share this same app for some odd reason and according to specs the Droid Bionic doesn’t have an FM radio. Although using the DROID 3 APK we’ve quickly learned it does indeed have a FM radio, and it works great.
Shown clearly in the image above is the Droid Bionic enjoying some classic rock on 95.5 FM and just like most phones before it all you need is a wired headset (acting as your antenna) to listen to all the radio your heart desires. It’s really simple and what’s even better, no root is required for this easy little trick. Download: Droid 3 FM.apk As always make sure the “unknown sources” tab is checked in settings>applications then just download and install the APK. Simple as that and you are all set for some FM radio. Just like the usual Android Community fashion we have received the DROID Bionic to use and enjoy and you can see our full review right here. Oh and just for good measure here is the Motorola DROID 3 review too. Download that FM.apk and enjoy some FM radio on your brand new dual-core DROID Bionic. Device Info
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[via Android Police] )
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| DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket App Now available for Android Honeycomb Posted: 12 Sep 2011 02:59 PM PDT With the NFL finally getting started this week along with plenty of teams seeing the light (or dark), DirecTV has introduced their own NFL Sunday Ticket app specifically for Android Honeycomb tablets. They have long had a Sunday Ticket app, but this is for Android 3.1 and up tablets only and will be taking advantage of the full 10.1″ display similar to the recently released NFL 2011 for Honeycomb by the NFL.
For those like me that just love the NFL and football this app is simply awesome and will give you access to every game no matter where you are, 24/7. With DirecTV for tablets fans can monitor every Sunday game available, get all the details they’d ever need, and even stream them in full HD video using the bright and clear 10.1″ display on their Android Honeycomb tablets.
With highlight video’s and scoring plays, live stats and more there are a few concerns I see right away. First being the small ads on the top left but that doesn’t seem to bad. My main concern is this is only for DirecTV subscribers and you must be a subscriber to the NFL Sunday Ticket — something that isn’t very cheap. This also only covers Sunday games and nothing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night. Even though you must be a Sunday ticket subscriber this is still an awesome application for those that do have access to everything DirecTV has to offer. I might not head out and get the ticket for this app, but if I already have it this is just one more reason to love it. Available now in the Android Market by clicking here. Go Packers! [via Android Police] )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Benchmarks vs GSII Oriignal vs SGSIIE4GT NYC Posted: 12 Sep 2011 02:44 PM PDT If there’s one thing a software developer, a processor manufacturer, and/or a smartphone designer loves (or hates violently) it’s a good benchmark. What we’ve got below is a set of benchmarks run on the brand new Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch right out of the box. These benchmark scores are compared then in brief to both the original Galaxy S II as reviewed by Chris Davies as well as the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch that we saw on the presentation block in NYC not two weeks ago! It’s time for some bonus nitpicking to a degree that only your barber would be able to tell!
Before we continue, I must point you directly at the rest of the times we’ve taken the dual-core processor world to the cleaners. The Samsung Galaxy S II in its original state AND in this Epic 4G Touch version both have the same Exynos 1.2GHz dual-core processor. As you’ll see in the following comparisons to the original, the Epic 4G Touch has some big shoes to fill: First compared to the HTC Sensation, then to the Infuse 4G (which with it’s similar gigantic display yet rolling out with a single core processor, didn’t stand a chance), then finally both the Qualcomm MPD and the LG G2x (aka Optimus 2X). Our exploration of three Galaxy S II’s begins over at our sister site SlashGear – first take a peek at several marks in a snap with Chris Davies original analysis of the Galaxy S II:
Note that SunSpider is included on Vellamo, the first test we’ll be looking at here between the NYC pre-release and the here final release of the device. Vellamo takes mobile web benchmarking to the most intense level its thus far been at here on Android and tests performance and stability, including networking, JavaScript, rendering, and user experience. You can see individual screens for this test in the gallery at the bottom of this post, or you can simply check out the comparison here:
After that, there’s another similar test by the name of CF-Bench, these scores also showing scores in native form, Java, and overall score.
      Then there’s Linpack which specifically tests how fast a computer can solve a set of linear equations, results then showing up in millions of floating point operations per second (MFLOPS). Higher is better, and you’ll notice that we’ve run the tests multiple times to show a range. We’ve run every benchmark multiple times of course too, but with Linpack it seems more appropriate to show all scores, not just the ones that seem most average.
Finally there’s Quadrant standard and Quadrant Advanced. Note that we weren’t able to access Quadrant Advanced at the NYC event, but Davies scores for the original Galaxy S II are listed in his paragraph above.
  Finally here’s a gallery with all the little extra bits if you do so desire to glance upon them. Here I must also remind you to think up any questions or additional tests you might want us to run for the final review of this device. Ask away!             Device Info
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| Samsung may also be seeking their own OS alternative to Android Posted: 12 Sep 2011 02:26 PM PDT Samsung has a lot on their plates. With the recent failings of HP’s WebOS many have speculated the possibilities of Samsung or even HTC buying up the failed OS by HP. We have seen plenty of reports regarding this exact situation and now with the Apple vs Samsung lawsuits and Google buying Motorola the time for Samsung to make a move might be closer than we think.
Over at ft.com they even went as far as to say “Samsung needs to hit the reset button.” With the Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Europe, Netherlands, parts of Australia and possibly more areas things are getting a bit dire for Samsung. Next on Apple’s sights is the U.S. market and they aim to seek injunctions against the entire Galaxy S and Tab arsenal from Samsung. If things were ugly before, they are only going to get worse. Samsung is primarily a hardware manufacturer and they are great at it, but as far as software goes, they are a bit lacking. This is what many consider their weakest link and something that may ultimately cost them down the road. Getting software out isn’t nearly as easy for the company as the hardware aspect of things and small acquisitions like Steve Kondik wont help them in the long run. According to rumors, Google’s recent move into the hardware side of things when they acquired Motorola Mobility seriously raises both the stakes and the concerns for Samsung, and they can no longer expect to reply on Android throughout the future. Recent reports out of South Korea suggest that Samsung had been dismissive of the government's idea or suggestions of building a homegrown operating system – until the Google Motorola acquisition. Is Samsung in a difficult position and need to rethink their strategy and plans for the future, or will Android remain open and fair following the Motorola deal? A potential purchase of their own OS to slim down their dependance on Android could be in Samsung’s future and may even be a top priority for Samsung but none of this has been remotely confirmed. Do you guys think the Google-Motorola acquisition will cause issues in the future for other manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, and LG or is this all just speculation? [via ft.com] )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile sporting different dual-core processor Posted: 12 Sep 2011 01:32 PM PDT While all variants of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S II are running on a 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor made in house by Samsung known as the Exynos SOC. New details have now confirmed what was previously just a rumor that the T-Mobile version will in fact be running with a different processor from the rest of the pack.
The reason is still unknown but along with previous leaks of the Samsung Hercules it’s looking more likely that it will be powered by a 1.2 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead. This goes along with all recent reports as well as the initial leak of the Samsung Hercules way back in May. The Hercules is the codename for the T-Mobile Galaxy S II in case you didn’t know and now things are finally coming together. The Galaxy S II for T-Mobile was just recently officially announced and we were there live to get some hands-on time with the device. Original details on launch date suggest the Samsung Exynos chip but newer reports are claiming what we’ve mentioned above so for now this is just “confirmed” speculation. We have heard reports regarding the processor being Qualcomm's next-generation Snapdragon APQ8060 from the HP TouchPad and not what is in current phones like the Sensation 4G and EVO 3D so stay tuned as we dig for more details regarding this upcoming superphone. [via PocketNow] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Hits the FCC with T-Mobile 4G Posted: 12 Sep 2011 01:02 PM PDT T-Mobile may finally be getting another Android Honeycomb tablet. It appears the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has just hit the FCC tagged with some of T-Mobile’s GSM bands as well as what they call “4G”. Verizon has a 4G LTE version and you can see our review of that here, but now T-Mobile wants to join the party it seems.
Clearing the FCC being identified only as the Samsung SGH-T859, it comes complete with 1700MHz AWS for T-Mobile as well as their usual 3G bands too. This is exciting for those that didn’t want the 8.9″ LG G-Slate with that 3D stuff and have been waiting for an awesome tablet for T-Mobile. With a similar layout to the Wi-Fi version it should most likely be the same but we don’t have any details on internals or hardware. Most likely we will have the same NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core CPU and all that other goodness the original comes with. While this is great news for T-Mobile customers both Samsung and T-Mobile are still up in the air regarding current legal battles and buyouts and their futures are still unknown. We recently spotted T-Mobile prepping stores for a busy day come September 24th, could we be seeing the Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G launch that soon? We will have to wait and see as the date gets closer but one thing is for sure, it looks like T-Mobile is in fact getting their own 4G Galaxy Tab soon. [via Engadget] )
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| HTC Runnymede press shot leaks, looks pretty in white Posted: 12 Sep 2011 12:38 PM PDT Back in August we received our first details regarding the HTC Runnymede that were later confirmed by a spec sheet that also showed the handset coming in white. Now we have our first official press shot of the upcoming 4.7″ Android smartphone packing those music notes from Beats Audio. More details after the break.
Looking a bit like the HTC Titan this Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread phone is packing a much anticipated punch. Dressed in white the HTC Runnymede rumored specs are a 1.5 Ghz single-core processor and a huge 4.7″ qHD 540 x 960 resolution display, 1GB RAM, an 8MP camera with dual LED flash. We are also hearing not only will it have an entirely aluminum design on back but also powered with some Beats Audio. With the rumored single-core processor being the weakest link with everything else sounding amazing we are still hopeful for a dual-core processor. According to the spec sheet we can also expect the 8 MP camera to be one of if not the best smartphone camera with a wide angle lens and a f stop of f/2.2 that should really make for an excellent camera. I’ve been waiting for phone manufacturers to focus on lens specs rather than the megapixel number and it appears HTC is doing just that. We still don’t have much for details but may get more information at the upcoming HTC Event on the 20th of September. Hopefully we get more juicy details on this Beats Audio infused device soon and maybe some actual hands-on photos so stay tuned. [via PocketNow] )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Unboxing and Hands-on Video Posted: 12 Sep 2011 12:27 PM PDT While it’s true that we did get to look at this device less than a couple weeks ago for a brief event set up for the release of all the Galaxy S II devices in the USA, we must also acknowledge the fact that before review units hit our hands, no software is final. Therefor let’s have a look at the WiMAX version of Samsung’s USA GSII effort, the Epic 4G Touch. This device takes the original international version of the Galaxy S II and bumps it up a few notches in several places, most noticeably in both its screen size and its user interface, Samsung’s most user-friendly version of TouchWiz yet.
In the following unboxing video you’ll see what the box holds, you’ll get a better idea of how thick this device really is, and you’ll get another look at TouchWiz as it exists (uniquely at the moment) here on this device. For those of you who haven’t been following along with this device ravenously, you should know that it’s got a 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus 480 x 800 pixel WVGA display, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor which we’ve seen decimate the HTC Sensation, the Infuse 4G (which didn’t stand a chance with it’s single-core processor but as it cosmetically looks rather similar to the GSII we decided to test), and both the Qualcomm MPD and the LG G2x (aka Optimus 2X). Will this new USA version of the Galaxy S II have the same ability to knock down the competition with the same processor we’ve seen on the international edition? We’ll get the full story on that in our full review later this week.
Longest name ever? Or best name ever? Before you get in to the TouchWiz goodness inside, there’s the outside, the size and shape. On the left side of the device you’ve got a tiny volume up/down toggle and a hole. You may recognize this hole from the vast majority of the device you’ve been carrying over the past few years – open up the battery cover and you’ll find a single piece of plastic sticking up like a column behind it. What this is for is dongles, charms, or otherwise utterly odd string-attached doodads. On the right you’ve got your power button, on the top your headphone jack, and at the bottom your MHL-capable microUSB port. On the back you’ll find that the 8-megapixel camera takes on a sort of pill shape with a single LED flash below it. The name Galaxy S II resides below this, most of the back of the device pulling off as battery cover, under which you’ll find plastic hardware set up so simple and clean, you’ll swear you’re using a Nexus S. Smooth!
There’s a microSD card slot under the battery cover that accepts up to 32GB cards, a gigantic 1800 mAh battery so you’ll be rolling on for essentially forever, and the battery cover itself takes on a best-in-class comforting 3D pattern so nice you’ll find it difficult to bring yourself to add a protective case on top of it. It would be a shame! This device is ever so slightly thicker than the original Galaxy S II, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 trumps its thinness as well, but as many manufacturers have said and your humble narrator certainly agrees: there is a sweet spot for everything in regards to smartphone hardware. As our good friend and Samsung representative Philip Berne notes also: this is the thinnest smartphone on each of the USA carriers it’s currently been announced on, and that’s saying something. Need a knife? Grab a Galaxy!
This device is set to come out on the 16th of September, that being less than a week away from when the post you’re reading right this second was originally posted. At the moment it appears that if you pick this device up straight from the carrier you can get it for $199 on a 2-year contract. On the other hand, if you’re not opposed to shopping at the big blue crusher, WalMart has this device on pre-order as well for $99 with a 2-year contract. What a lovely deal! That said, if you want this device off-contract, you’re looking at more like $549.99, aka one big chunk of pocket change.
I also invite you to check out our original announcement post for this device, our hands-on in NYC for this device, and, speaking of Berne, we’ve got a full fledged hands-on look at the Epic 4G Touch features video for you as well. These videos are also included below. Here I must encourage you to think up every single question you’ve ever had about this device and let us know inside the next few days so that I can answer all in the final review. Ask a question, any question! Got a test you’d like performed on the device? Request it! Until then, also check out our sister site SlashGear’s Vincent Nguyen’s full review of this device and see if he’s answered all your questions yet!                                           Device Info
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| LG Enlighten still not in Verizon stores, but is coming soon Posted: 12 Sep 2011 12:20 PM PDT Remember the LG Enlighten? It was that decent little mid-range QWERTY slider headed to Verizon we spotted here. Last we heard it was coming sometime in late August possibly on the 25th but surprisingly no one noticed it missing. With the Bionic and HTC Vigor on the horizon we must have forgot about it.
Only kidding, we didn’t forget about the LG Enlighten and neither has Verizon. It was recently spotted again in an upcoming Verizon Wireless catalog listed as “coming soon” so we should be seeing it here eventually. The Enlighten is like the Optimus One with a keyboard and would be a great starter phone for friends, family, or kids.
In case you forgot, it’s a bit similar to the highly popular LG Optimus One. The LG Enlighten features Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 3.2″ WVGA display, a entry level 800 Mhz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of ram and a 3.2 MP camera on the rear seen in the images above. With what looks like a nice QWERTY hardware keyboard with dedicated navigation buttons this would be great for the teens in the family. No pricing has been detailed nor do we have any sort of official date since they’ve missed the August 25th rumor. We will keep you informed as we hear more on the LG Enlighten.    [via androidcentral] )
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