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- T-Mobile and Walmart offering $30 no contract unlimited 4G plan
- AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II on sale at Walmart and Amazon as low as $149
- Motorola DROID RAZR caught running benchmarks
- Dell Streak 7 receiving OTA to Android 3.2 Honeycomb
- Amazon Kindle Fire sells an estimated 95,000 units on first day
- Samsung gives $25 of content to AT&T Galaxy S II Media Hub beta testers
- LightSquared partners with Sharp for LTE-satellite phones and tablets
- Samsung Galaxy Note coming to the UK November 17th
- NEC’s MGX prototype is a super-slim Android netbook
- XPERIA ray now available in the US: $380 unlocked
- Google begins work on Chrome browser for Android
- Leaked screens of BBM for Android surface
- ACME Installer demo shows off Android/WebOS dual-boot on HP TouchPad
- XOOM 2 and Media Edition tablets spotted in Verizon database
- “Massive” security/privacy issues found in HTC phones
| T-Mobile and Walmart offering $30 no contract unlimited 4G plan Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:42 AM PDT Today T-Mobile and Walmart have unveiled a new partnership to offer a pretty great deal for those looking for cheap and reliable 4G service. Announced today and starting come October 16th, users will be able to get into their new $30 unlimited web and text monthly 4G prepaid service plan.
Offering unlimited 4G data with no annual contract for just $30. Although “unlimited” really means 5GB here, that should be enough for most users and we even get unlimited texts too. I like the sound of this T-Mobile. The monthly 4G plan will offer unlimited data and texts, and 100 minutes for users. While 100 minutes might not be a lot and we don’t have 4G LTE here, this is one of the best deals I’ve seen in a while. One important note is any phone featuring T-Mobiles HSPA+ (4G) network will be able to take advantage of the new $30 unlimited plan (but not offered). So snag a friends old Nexus One, get a G2x used, or even get the upcoming Amaze 4G and enjoy those fast speeds at an unbelievable price and if you start to run out of those 100 minutes, just start texting people. Isn’t that all we do these days anyways — that and social networking? The offer will start on October 16th and will be available in Walmart stores only. If you were thinking of snagging a no contract 4G plan this is something to consider. )
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| AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II on sale at Walmart and Amazon as low as $149 Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:17 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy S II is finally available over on AT&T for just $199 and as always others are trying to capitalize on the release. Like usual those include Amazon, Walmart and others all offering lower prices than if you were to over to AT&T themselves. We’ve been enjoying the Galaxy S II and here is our full review.
This 4.3″ AMOLED display packing dual-core beast is as thin as a pencil, but as fast as a Ferrari — Not really but close enough. Like linked to above it is available this week and you can get it from AT&T right now for just $199 with a new 2-year contract. With the same contract agreement the Galaxy S II from AT&T is also available from both Walmart and Amazon for lower prices than AT&T. If you don’t want to wait for shipping you can head down to your nearest Walmart Super Center (I call them Wallyworld) and pick up the Galaxy S II for just $164.99
Then Amazon is at it like they always are and have undercut both AT&T and Walmart and are offering the SGSII for just $149. Prices are for new activations or for those eligible for upgrades signing a new 2-year contract like you’d expect so for now you’ll have to make due with that. So head on over to Amazon or Walmart and get yourself one of the best new smartphones on the market — the Galaxy S II. Samsung is also offering $25 free for those participating in the Galaxy S II Media Hub Beta, for more details on that deal feel free to click here. Device Info
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| Motorola DROID RAZR caught running benchmarks Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:50 AM PDT Motorola’s newest Android handset is in the news again this week. First spotted a while back being called the DROID HD new details are claiming this is actually codenamed the “Spyder” and will officially be called the Motorola DROID RAZR. The leaked press images look nice but today we are seeing a potential benchmark result of the rumored handset.
As always, results found from NenaMark are never fully trusted although they’ve been reliable and accurate in the recent past with devices like the Bionic, and the Vigor. Today we have some results thanks to NenaMark being ran on none other than the Motorola RAZR. Everything from the leaked benchmark results seem to line up exactly like the recent leaks we linked to above.
With a TI 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a qHD display at 960 x 540 and more this sure looks good. We’ve heard the display will be a qHD AMOLED screen and not a 720p “HD” display and these results seem to clarify that a bit more. Unless something changes I don’t think we’ll be seeing an HD display in this phone. According to all the recent leaks this dual-core beast should also be rocking Verizon 4G LTE making it one of their main launches coming this holiday season. With benchmarks being ran freely it is only a matter of time until we get more pictures or info of the DROID RAZR out in the wild. [via Droid-Life] )
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| Dell Streak 7 receiving OTA to Android 3.2 Honeycomb Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:15 AM PDT Well folks, we haven’t heard much from Dell lately in regards to their lineup of Android, especially regarding the Streak 7 Android Tablet. Back in July we saw leaks of their new 10″ Honeycomb tablet as well as a glimpse of the Streak 7 enjoying the same tasty Honeycomb. Now sources are stating the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update for the Streak is rolling out now.
Some users are claiming to finally be receiving the update to 3.2 Honeycomb for the Dell Streak 7″ Tablet. Over at the Dell support forums there is some chatter that more than a few have already received the OTA update and are giving it a try as we speak. One mentions all user data was wiped during the update and he lost everything, while another user reports just the opposite and that the update did not wipe the entire device. Either way I’m sure a few Streak users are excited to give the tablet OS a try. With reports that the hardware menu button isn’t working in select situations, and of course that low resolution not looking its best, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon but at least this is a good sign. For now it seems users across the pond and outside of the U.S received the update and we still have no further details for the U.S. market or those running with a T-Mobile Streak 7. As soon as we hear more regarding an official statement from Dell, or confirmation on the OTA update we will be sure to update with more details. Device Info
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| Amazon Kindle Fire sells an estimated 95,000 units on first day Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:56 AM PDT
Amazon’s next-generation Kindle tablet is lighting up the sales charts. After the Kindle Fire shot to the top of Amazon’s internal sales, Fox News is reporting that the retailer has pre-sold a whopping 95,000 units – and that was just the first day of pre-orders. We’re still more than a month away from the November release date, and notably, zero consumers have a had a chance to try out the tablet at retail.
Though Amazon usually doesn’t release sales figures for its own devices, an analysis firm called eDataSource estimates the figure based on email, Facebook and Twitter activity. The 7-inch wifi tablet runs an extremely modified version of Android, which around here we’ve taken to calling BezOS after Amazon’s CEO. While the hardware inside is a bare-bones version of the same OEM model used for the Blackberry Playbook, the combination of accessible media and a rock-bottom price has plenty of consumers interested. Don’t discount that the vibrant Android community will likely get some fully-enabled ROMs onto the Kindle Fire shortly, just as they have with the even less-expensive HP Touchpad. )
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| Samsung gives $25 of content to AT&T Galaxy S II Media Hub beta testers Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:20 AM PDT Did you pick up a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S II when AT&T started selling them this weekend? Then you might want to head on over to Samsung’s Media Hub page. New users can beta test the service to get $25 worth of free content, courtesy of Samsung.
Media Hub is Samsung’s all-in-one entertainment distribution system (think iTunes or Amazon Instant Video) and it’s preloaded onto Galaxy S II phones and newer models of the Galaxy Tab. One of the more compelling use cases is that you can purchase videos once, then watch them on your phone, tablet or television – provided, of course, that you have one of Samsung’s 2011 model Smart TVs. While the service doesn’t have a great selection of video at the moment, you can’t beat free when it comes to pricing. To try out Media Hub, just head click on the link above and enter your customer information. Samsung will send you a confirmation email and then walk you through the steps of redeeming your $25 voucher. When the beta program ends, you’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your experiences. As of now the program is only being offered to AT&T Galaxy S II owners, but expect the qualifications to expand at some point. Device Info
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[via Talk Android] )
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| LightSquared partners with Sharp for LTE-satellite phones and tablets Posted: 03 Oct 2011 08:36 AM PDT LightSquared has been on our radar for a while now. The startup is aiming to “revolutionize” the American wireless industry with a new 4G-LTE network supported by satellite connections. Sharp is the first manufacturer to partner with LightSquared, promising support for the company’s next-generation connection technology in upcoming smartphones and tablets.
Sharp could certainly use the boost. Despite positive buzz for the AQUOS line of Android phones, the Japanese manufacturer has lagged behind others in the smartphone market, and with the tablet market blowing up, a new connection technology could give them a needed edge against Apple, Motorola and Samsung. While no Sharp tablets are currently slated for a US roll-out, the new partnership is a strong indication that they’ll enter the American market soon, perhaps with the new NFC-totting RW-T107. If you’re not familiar with LightSquared, it’s a new American infrastructure company that plans to sell its expanded LTE service wholesale to carriers and other large corporations. LightSquared will not compete directly with existing carriers, so you won’t be able to buy service from them. What makes the company’s technology so interesting is that it combines 4G-LTE radios with satellite data connections, potentially opening up next-generation mobile Internet data to most of North America. )
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| Samsung Galaxy Note coming to the UK November 17th Posted: 03 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT The much-anticipated smartphone/tablet hybrid Samsung Galaxy Note is coming in a lot faster than we expected. In a press release Samsung announced that the Galaxy Note is headed for the white cliffs of Dover on November 17th, just ten weeks after the device’s premiere at IFA in Berlin. The phone will be available at retailers across the UK and Ireland.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a flagship device with a huge 5.3-inch, 1280 x 800 screen using Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology. Naturally the phone has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and the latest 4G radios. One of the most interesting features is a capacitive stylus with its own on-device storage bay. Coupled with Samsung’s drawing/note apps, this is a throwback to the pen input days before capacitive screens became the norm. Both 16Gb and 32Gb versions will be available with MicroSD card expansion slots. A standard 8-megapixel camera adorns the back with a front-facing cam for video conferencing. Samsung has listed in its product sheet that some models will feature NFC chips, but has not specified which markets will get these versions. US Samsung fans got an exciting indication that the Galaxy Note is headed their way on Friday, when the FCC posted its initial rundown of the phone with AT&T radio bands. Though no official announcement has been made, it’s quite likely that the device is headed to America soon. You’ll be happy to know that the Galaxy Note runs the latest smartphone version of Android (as of now), 2.3 Gingerbread. Check out our hands-on look at the Samsung Galaxy Note below: Device Info
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| NEC’s MGX prototype is a super-slim Android netbook Posted: 03 Oct 2011 07:31 AM PDT What do we have here? This isn’t the first netbook we’ve seen running Android, but it is one of the most Interesting. Japanese manufacturer NEC has revealed the MGX, an Android-powered device in the “pocket translator” form factor popular across Asia. The device is in the early stages of development – you can see it’s running Android 1.5 or 1.6 in the photo below.
Details are pretty scarce on the prototype, which is understandable considering that the hardware is far from finished. NEC did say that the MGX uses a 7-inch OLED display panel with a standard 1024 x 600 resolution. The screen can fold back on itself, making the device a convertible tablet of sorts. NEC is claiming a 10-hour battery life. The dimensions are 8.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide, and at a glance it looks like less than half an inch thick when the lid is closed. The prototype is bound for a 2013 release in Japan, and considering NEC’s lack of presence in the US, probably won’t be landing stateside at all. Some may wonder what the point of such a device is when tablets and full-sized netbooks already exist, but this particular form factor is very popular with students and businesspeople in certain markets. The MGX may be the first indication of a shift towards Android on this range of devices. But NEC, bump that sucker up to Ice Cream Sandwich at the very least before 2013, OK?     [via Gizmodo] )
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| XPERIA ray now available in the US: $380 unlocked Posted: 03 Oct 2011 07:07 AM PDT We first heard about Sony Ericsson’s mid-range XPERIA ray way back in June, and it looks like U.S. Android fans with an aversion to contracts can pick one up now. Online electronics megastore NewEgg has the Android smartphone available for $379.99, running on AT&T’s 3G mobile bands. T-Mobile customers can get in on the action as well, but according to the product listing they’ll be limited to 2G data speeds.
The XPERIA ray is a decidedly mid-range phone with a 3.3-inch display running at a respectable 854 x 480 resolution. There’s a speedy 1GHz Scorpion processor crammed into its .4-inch frame, with an impressive 8 megapixel rear camera to boot, including an LED flash and 720p video recording. The ray runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (huzzah!) with some of Sony’s software customizations included. If you’ve had a chance to play around with the XPERIA X10 you know what to expect – the XPERIA ray is basically a smaller cousin. The phone is marked at $449.99 retail, but is currently discounted by NewEgg by $70. No word on any subsidized carrier agreements yet, but it’s certainly possible that AT&T might be readying a version soon, since they’re already selling the XPERIA Play and XPERIA X10. If that happens, expect the XPERIA ray to have a smaller price tag, probably less than $100 on-contract. [via Engadget] )
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| Google begins work on Chrome browser for Android Posted: 03 Oct 2011 06:28 AM PDT We know that Android’s native browser app and Google’s Chrome desktop browser have been slated to merge for some time now, and it appears that some concrete efforts are being made in that direction. A version of Chrome that runs on Android is in the extreme early stages of development at Google, with the updated user interface already completed. With Android’s tablet push in full swing, a more capable native browser app could be a major boon for the platform.
Google’s intentions to integrate its desktop browser, Chrome OS and the relatively feature-light Android browser have been suspected for months. An important clue to the more practical applications of the project came with the Nexus Prime app leak, which included “ChromeBookmarksSyncAdapter.apk”. The inclusion of a bookmark sync (a feature which mobile versions of Opera and Firefox already have in place) indicates that while a Chrome browser almost certainly isn’t ready for Ice Cream Sandwich, the beginnings of the integration are already well underway. It’ll be interesting to see how Google positions Chrome on Android, considering that they’re already marketing netbook-style hardware running Chrome as an operating system. While extensions are certainly possible on a mobile browser a la Dolphin and Firefox, some of the heavier web apps probably wouldn’t be practical. Indeed, in the case of popular apps like Angry Birds and TweetDeck, versions already exist for both Android and Chrome OS. In any case, a more powerful native browser can only make Android, and in particular Android tablets, more compelling. Chrome for Android is still a long way off, and we probably won’t see any major software additions until Android “Jelly Bean” at least. [via Recombu] )
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| Leaked screens of BBM for Android surface Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:53 AM PDT One of the things about Blackberry devices that is most liked by users is the Blackberry Messenger service. If you are an Android user that used to have a Blackberry that may well be the only thing you really miss from the Blackberry. Apparently, that BBM service is heading to Android devices and will let you get back on BBM if you want.
TechRadar has landed what are supposedly the first screenshots of the BBM on Android to surface. The port from Blackberry to Android has been rumored in the past, but this is the first time screen shots have surfaced. BBM for Android is expected to land in 2012. The screen shots show the BBM icon on the Android home page of the device in the photos. The other screen shot shows the contract profile page. The source of the leaked documents also claims that the BBM will work with push notifications on Android. The legitimacy of these screens can’t be verified so we have to be a little suspicious. What do you think? Are these shots real and are you excited to see BBM come to Android?   [via TechRadar] )
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| ACME Installer demo shows off Android/WebOS dual-boot on HP TouchPad Posted: 03 Oct 2011 02:34 AM PDT There are geeks working hard out there to get Android onto the HP TouchPad that failed so brilliantly. The future of WebOS might be murky and the future of updates is something that many that own the TouchPad may be worrying about. With a port that allows Android to run on the TouchPad the little HP tablet would get a second life and more usability for the average geek. A video has landed on YouTube that shows a demo of ACME Installer with dual boot for the TouchPad.
The demo shows a geek with the ACME Installer mounting the TouchPad to a Mac and then moving some needed files over to the tablet. Once the files are over on the TouchPad, the files can be executed. To do this they create a folder called cminstall, copy a zip file over, and use the novacom program to start the ACME installer. It doesn’t take that long to get Cyanogen 7 running on the tablet and you can swap back to WebOS whenever you want. The addition of the new OS needs only three files including the ACME installer, novacom, and cm-update payload file. The video points out that the demo doesn’t mean the ACME installer is close to release though. The Cyanogenmod was benchmarked not long ago. Thanks for the tip Tony.
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| XOOM 2 and Media Edition tablets spotted in Verizon database Posted: 02 Oct 2011 09:54 PM PDT Just last week we brought you news of the next version of Motrola’s XOOM tablet and its smaller 8-inch brother nicknamed “Media Edition”. Now it appears that these two tablets, code-named “Pasteur” and “Fleming” respectively, have appeared in Verizon’s Cellebrite database. Both devices are expected to debut later this year.
Both versions of the XOOM 2 feature up-to-date 4G radios and a modified tapering corner design (the better to ward off Apple’s attack lawyers). Initially it was speculated that the tablets would be running Android Honeycomb 3.2, but with Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility in its early stages, they might be fast-tracked to Ice Cream Sandwich before their release. Each uses a 5MP rear and 2MP front camera. No screen information is currently known, but based on some tipped hands-on experience, a standard 1280 x 800 resolution panel seems likely in both. These tablets are not to be confused with the 7-inch Motorola tablet spotted earlier. That device is speculated for a November release, with the new 10-inch XOOM following in December. Of course, the presence of these XOOMs in Verizon’s database merely means that someone, somewhere is testing out new hardware. As always with tipsters, these estimates are subject to change. )
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| “Massive” security/privacy issues found in HTC phones Posted: 02 Oct 2011 09:19 PM PDT The Android world had a major shock earlier today when several members of Android Police (appropriate, no?) published a “massive” security flaw found on several high-profile devices from HTC. The problem comes from a customization that HTC has implemented on the core Android system, allowing any app that asks for the right permission access to a staggering amount of users’ private and technical data. Even more disturbing, it seems to be the case that some of this information can be retrieved remotely by HTC or anyone else due to an HTC app opening up a network port on any affected phone.
The primary issue stems from the “android.permission.INTERNET” permission. Once an app calls this permission into effect, it has access to all sorts of disturbing information on both rooted and non-rooted phones. The private information which any app can access includes email addresses, GPS locations and at least some former locations, call logs, SMS logs, and information from running apps. The HTC app “HtcLoggers.apk” is capable of collecting much of this data and then supplying it to anyone who opens up a network port on the phone. Theoretically, it’s possible to duplicate a user’s entire phone using these vulnerabilities. Trevor Eckhart originally discovered these vulnerabilities, and the flaws have been verified and cataloged by Artem Russakovskii and Justin Case of Android Police. According to these three, the problems effect a wide range of HTC Android devices across all major carriers. The EVO 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Shift 4G, MyTouch 4G Slide and Thunderbolt were mentioned specifically, so it’s a fair bet that anything running similar hardware and software is likewise affected. The whistle-blowers have created a proof-of-concept app which allows any user (no root required) to examine the data being collected in real-time. You can find their exhaustive research and the proof of concept app at the source link. Though Eckhart said that he alerted HTC of these security issues more than a week ago, no official response has been made. Update: HTC has made the following statement: “HTC takes our customers’ security very seriously, and we are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible. We will provide an update as soon as we’re able to determine the accuracy of the claim and what steps, if any, need to be taken” )
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