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- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Review
- Even Windows Mobile users want a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich
- LG may show off Google TV hardware at CES
- Nexus Twitter contest begins: 10 Galaxy Nexus phone giveaways in 10 days
- HTC Rezound Hands-on
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus training starts at Verizon
- Report: most free anti-malware apps are almost useless
- Logitech abandons Google TV after 100 million dollar loss
- Google set to start the next Google Nexus giveaway
- ASUS Transformer Prime caught in the wild [Gallery]
- DROID RAZR Battery is removable, If you dare
- ASUS Transformer for $249, Toshiba Thrive for $279 and more from Best Buy Black Friday
- LG Optimus LTE headed to AT&T as the Nitro HD
- Google Music “These Go to Eleven” Announcement coming November 16th
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Review Posted: 12 Nov 2011 10:12 AM PST Say hello to the newest member of the Samsung Galaxy Tab family, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. It’s here to replace its little brother the original Galaxy Tab with a few upgrades and improvements, not to mention a dual-core processor and Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Today we have the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus on the AC review bench and will be giving its features and apps a quick look, not to mention the usual benchmarks and tons of beautiful pictures. All that and more is below so don’t go anywhere just yet.
First off we have some background information. It was announced back in September, then started shipping before the launch date over at Amazon and is now available to all. T-Mobile has a 4G version in the works but today we’ll be looking over the 16GB Wi-Fi model.
Before I mention the hardware feel free to enjoy our hands-on article and photos followed by our quick hands-on video below. Then we’ll get down to the details. Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus hands-on Hardware With the new Tab 7.0 Plus we have a bright and vivid 7″ 1024 x 600 resolution display (no 1280 x 800 here) but the display looks great like anything from Samsung always does. Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor, 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage and a pair of cameras. We have 3 megapixels on the rear (with flash) and 1.3 up front for the occasional chatting. The entire tab is enclosed in a lightweight durable plastic weighing in under 345 grams (.76 lbs) while staying very sleek at 9.6mm thin (.38″). Running along with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and the latest Touch Wiz UX its an overall great experience, but first enjoy a few more photos.
Unlike recent tablets from Samsung we have a micro-USB port for expanded storage here, something I wish all tablets came with. For a tour around the plastic uni-body design we have the 3.5mm headphone jack up top by its lonesome, with the power button and volume up/down rocker on the right side. Top if your holding the device in landscape mode.
A quick note, on the same side just under the volume we also have an Infrared eye for the bundled free app called Peel (paperwork in box we saw in unboxing). This feature is truly awesome and more details on that will follow shortly.
On the left side we have a clean bezel with nothing but that micro-SD slot we mentioned above. Then on to the bottom is the 30-pin dock connector for the much too short cable included in the box, stereo speaker, and a microphone.    Audio was surprisingly loud for such a small device and seems on par with most larger tablets like the Galaxy Tab 10 and more. Only issue is the occasional moment where my hand was covering the holes, but that is to be expected and not really a con. Overall I love the hardware. The lightweight design feels great and comfortable in the hand although the plastic scratches a bit easy. Definitely lighter and more comfortable than the T-Mobile Springboard we just reviewed. Software & Performance Benchmarks
Vellamo went surprisingly well here too and passed every other device and tablet on the market. It appears to love Honeycomb and the faster dual-core beat all the other 1.0 GHz devices listed. We also tested AnTutu since that’s been popular with the Galaxy Nexus and Transformer Prime and it actually performs right in the middle here — in case you were wondering.    Infrared with Peel     Battery Life & Camera
The camera is only 3 megapixels on the rear so testing any sort of video capture just didn’t seem warranted. For those moments you want to capture a picture the 3 MP sensor worked fine although auto-focus was a bit slow. Some samples are in the gallery below. Wrap Up
My only concern here is the pricing. For a 7″ device with a smaller size and lower resolution than competing 10″ tablets the price should also be a bit cheaper but it isn’t. I almost feel as if we are paying a small premium for it being Samsung. Priced at $399 for the 16GB model and $499 for the 32GB model we could get an ASUS Transformer for the same price, but then we do have a faster processor and more portability here. In the end this is a great overall tablet. The size and performance are just right, especially for those needing a portable tablet solution. For anyone searching for an awesome Android tablet that is small and lightweight but runs great, this is totally for you. Compared to other 7″ offerings currently available (not counting the Kindle Fire) this is hands down the best available overall package if you ask me. Enjoy the full sized gallery of photos below.                       Device Info
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| Even Windows Mobile users want a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich Posted: 11 Nov 2011 05:56 PM PST You there, with your Samsung Galaxy S II or HTC Sensation! The one wearing a hole in the floor waiting for the Galaxy Nexus to arrive for your country/carrier! Have a little perspective, why don’t ya – there are geeks out there that don’t even have Android to play with. Of course, being geeks, they’re not going to sit there and take it: an enterprising Windows Mobile user over at XDA has created an Ice Cream Sandwich theme (not a ROM) for those poor souls still stuck on WM6.5.
Check out the video below: At a little less than three weeks old, the ICS theme is still pretty shaky. There’s some very noticeable slowdown, and it only works with one resolution so far. Lesspro says he’ll be updating the mod continuously. Still, for a hobby project it’s awfully impressive, and I’m sure it’ll Check out our hands-on look at the real Ice Cream Sandwich below: Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on [via XDA blog] )
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| LG may show off Google TV hardware at CES Posted: 11 Nov 2011 05:21 PM PST It’s been a bad day for Google TV, with Logitech essentially ending their support for the platform after a massive $100 million loss. But there’s a silver lining for fans of Google’s red-headed stepchild of an IPTV venture: LG may begin selling televisions with Google TV next year. Bloomberg says that the company may be planning on showing off a new model with Google TV integrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
That would make LG the third major manufacturer to support Google TV, and after Logitech has abandoned ship, only the second of two in active development. Currently only Sony’s Internet TV line of televisions has Google TV built in. Otherwise, you have to buy the separate Sony Blu-ray player or Logitech Revue. LG is a pretty big player in the worldwide TV market, and their support could only help Google TV’s future chances. And at this point it could certainly use it. Even Google admitted that the initial version of the service wasn’t all it should be when they announced the long-awaited Honeycomb update. With the possibility of two big manufacturers supplying TVs with Google TV built in, not to mention a growing collection of Android apps, it’s not quite time to sound the death knell yet. That said, Google really needs to expand its cable and satellite deals to make sure the service works for as many people as possible. )
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| Nexus Twitter contest begins: 10 Galaxy Nexus phone giveaways in 10 days Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:42 PM PST If you want to get yourself a free Galaxy Nexus via Google, here’s your chance. The Twitter contest mentioned earlier has now been detailed by the official @GoogleNexus Twitter account, and they’ll be giving away one phone every day for ten days. You must be following the Twitter account, reply with “@googlenexus,” and live in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, or South Korea to be eligible.
As in previous Nexus competitions, entrants will have to answer either a puzzle, a photo challenge or an essay question. Puzzles should be answered as soon as possible if you want to win, since they’re first-come, first-served, but other winners will be chosen by Google judges. You may only enter once for each day, and multiple entries may disqualify you. The first question will be posted tomorrow at 9:00 AM Pacific Standard Time, with the following days at these times, also PST: November 12, 2011 9:00 AM Google didn’t mention whether they’d be sending out Verizon phones only in the US, or whether international unlocked or HSPA+ versions would be available. OF course, since we still don’t know when Verizon is planning the Galaxy Nexus launch, winners might get their phones well before anyone else in the US. Puzzle answers should be awarded fairly quickly, but essay and photo challenges may take some time – a full list of winners will be announced on December 5th. You can read the full rules here. Check out our hands-on looks at the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich below: Galaxy Nexus Hands-on Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on Device Info
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| Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:32 PM PST Verizon and HTC join forces once again to bring the HTC Rezound, a 4G LTE-carrying smartphone that’s also the first in the United States to have Beats by Dr Dre from Monster. This device has a 4.3-inch S-LCD display at 720 x 1280 (otherwise known as 720p) pixel resolution, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor under the hood, Sense 3.5, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, and 2 megapixel camera on the front plus an 8 megapixel camera on the back capable of 1080p video recording. This device is set to go directly up against the other Verizon smartphone released recently, (just today, as it were,) the ultra-thin dual-core LTE Motorola DROID RAZR, another device we’ve got a full review of here on Android Community up already!
What we’re looking at here is a device that’s a whopping 13.65 mm thick right down the center, but with edges that taper off on all sides, it doesn’t seem nearly so monstrous as other devices with comparable thicknesses. In fact it does feel rather comfortable to hold due to its lovely ribbed soft-plastic back and will appease those of you wishing for more substantial feeling devices on the whole – you know where your money went instantly, basically. The chassis are black plastic on the front and the back, the front all shiny and hard, the back all soft and matte, with red accents in several places to keep your eyes alive while you flip the handset over in your hands.
Have a peek at our first hands-on and the unboxing of this device here: You’ll find the Beats “b” logo on the back of the device, this indicating that you’ve got a device that’ll certainly weigh in on the question of whether audio quality really does matter through your headphones on a smartphone, and inside the box you’ve got not only some iBeats earbuds, but a lovely pleather holder for both your earbuds and the collection of different sized earbud covers so you’ll be sure to have the right size no matter your ear size.
The device’s display may well be the biggest hinderance from your humble narrator saying this device has an edge over the RAZR, but because I’m certainly no opponent of HTC’s Sense interface and the Rezound is certainly full of it, we’ll just have to see. Have a peek at a couple of comparison photos in the gallery below, check the full specifications of the Rezound at the bottom of the post or over at the Device.AC listing, and above all else: ask questions! I’ll be reviewing the device here on Android Community shortly, so if you’ve got anything you want to know about it, leave a comment!                          Device Info
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| Samsung Galaxy Nexus training starts at Verizon Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:17 PM PST Verizon still hasn’t announced an official release date for the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, much to the chagrin of lots of Android fans wanting their Ice Cream Sandwich fix. But some leaked internal shots show that Verizon’s retail employees are beginning to receive training on the Galaxy Nexus, as well as a crash course on Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus release can’t be too far away.
Previously, Verizon’s training for its high-end phones has predated the retail release by at least a couple of months – see the HTC Thunderbolt and Droid Pro for comparison. Since the Galaxy Nexus was only officially revealed last month, that would make a November release a very fast turnaround indeed – if, in fact, it is slated for November. The DROID RAZR and HTC Rezound are also mentioned in the training, which is a good sign as far as timeframe is concerned. The latest leaks out of Verizon indicate either a November 17th, November 21st or after Thanksgiving. At this point we’ve seen so much back and forth and hearsay that your guess is as good as ours, but Google did promise that the international release would follow the European debut on the 17th. The consensus is that Verizon isn’t exactly bending over backwards to promote the Nexus, with the DROID RAZR and the HTC Rezound both launching within a week. Get the lead out, Verizon – we’re screaming for Ice Cream. Check out our hands-on looks at the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich below: Galaxy Nexus Hands-on Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on Device Info
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| Report: most free anti-malware apps are almost useless Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:33 PM PST Malware is a growing problem for Android, both within the Android Market and without. But when it comes to free applications, it looks like users aren’t getting a lot of help. According to a security report from AVTest in Germany, nearly all the free anti-malware apps are almost completely useless, with many failing to detect even a single threat in a test environment. Their results after testing seven popular free apps are below – it looks like users are getting exactly what they pay for.
The most worthless apps (relatively speaking, anyway) were Creative Apps’ Antivirus Free, GuardX Antivirus, and LabMSF Antivirus beta, all of which failed to detect a single threat on the tested smartphone. BluePoint Antivirus Free, Privateer Lite and Kinetoo Malware scan all fell in at less than 10% detection rates. Only Zoner AntiVirus Free scored even vaguely respectable numbers, detecting just 32% of threats after a manual scan. To reiterate: the best free ant-malware app detected less than a third of the threats after testing. The most popular app, Antivirus Free (one of the 0% results) has been downloaded more than a million times. The state of anti-malware and anti-virus on Android may be pretty sad, but it’s not that surprising. After all, Android just passed its third birthday, and with almost 200 million users worldwide, it’s a prime target for hackers and thieves. Security will get better as Google and others learn how to plug up the current vulnerabilities. That said, an experienced Android user is far more likely to have personal information stolen via a security vulnerability (like HTC’s Sense issues a while back) than an app download – so long as he or she remembers never to install an apps from an untrustworthy developer or publisher, especially if it’s a non-Market download. For a more in-depth look at the security report, you can download the PDF here. [via ZDNet] )
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| Logitech abandons Google TV after 100 million dollar loss Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:03 PM PST Ouch. No one could claim that Google TV’s been a smashing success, but Logitech called a spade a spade at its Analyst and Investor Day. CEO Guerrino De Luca said that the company had lost over $100 million in operating profits between the Revue and the EMEA region. De Luca did not mention the total loss breakdown between the hardware and the region. Currently, the company has no immediate plans to create a replacement for the Revue, but left the possibility open for new hardware some time in the future.
So what were the biggest made with Google TV? According to De Luca, the pricing is the biggest issue, with $300 being an unrealistic price point for large sales. (Ya think?) He went on to call the whole endeavor “a mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature,” and the company does not intend to manufacture more Revue units after the current hardware is sold.
The pricing issue seems obvious enough; after all, Apple TV isn’t exactly a barn-burner either, and it’s only $100. Roku only gained mainstream attention when its prices hit rock-bottom, and that product has a lot more focus that Google TV. Still, Google’s got plenty of money and manpower to devote to Google TV if they wish, a fact attested to by the recent update to Honeycomb with Android apps in tow. With only one major manufacturer supporting it, the future of Google TV is looking pretty bleak – maybe a Nexus-style device (at a more appropriate price) could bring Google TV into sharper focus? [via AndroidGuys] )
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| Google set to start the next Google Nexus giveaway Posted: 11 Nov 2011 01:49 PM PST In case you’ve missed it or aren’t following along, today is a great day for Android fans to start following @GoogleNexus and @Android on Twitter. It appears Google is about to start the next giveaway for the Galaxy Nexus. While you’re at it you might as well follow @Androids too. They have just tweeted that we should all stay tuned to learn how we can win our own tasty treat.
If you’ve ever followed @GoogleNexus you’ll know they’ve done this for every Nexus device released starting with the Nexus One. With puzzles and all sorts of different tasks the world of Twitter (and now Google+) can win their very own Samsung Galaxy Nexus. No details just yet, but I must warn you guys that Google makes us work and work hard for their giveaways. Like I mentioned above we can expect to see some riddles, math equations and a few different puzzles that surely wont be easy. At least we have a chance to win though right? Again, make sure you’re following @GoogleNexus for the latest tweets. )
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| ASUS Transformer Prime caught in the wild [Gallery] Posted: 11 Nov 2011 01:36 PM PST Whoa, if you’ve been wanting to see more pictures of the just announced ASUS Transformer Prime quad-core tablet then you are in for a treat. It was just made official rocking the new NVIDIA quad-core Tegra 3 processor and we had plenty of press photos, but now we have real live pictures of this beastly tablet in the wild so enjoy the full gallery below.
First off, these are no average blurry photos. Instead we have some awesome pictures showing us plenty of details regarding this awesome new quad-core tablet.This first photo shows how beautifully thin this thing really is. Compared to the iPhone 4 and the DROID RAZR it’s looking pretty sleek. All that power packed into that small package just screams “Buy me now”, as if the specs didn’t have us all thinking that already.
We have a full gallery of awesomeness here. with pictures comparing it to the original Transformer and even showing off the new keyboard dock too. I wont say much more and instead will just remind you all of the specs on this slate, then let you enjoy the gallery of photos. The Transformer Prime rocks the new NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, with 1GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, front and rear cameras, aluminum body design, micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports and more all packed into a beautifully thin frame at just 8.3mm (0.33″) and weighs less than any other 10″ tablet currently on the market. Full details can be seen right here.          Device Info
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[via ZTOP] )
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| DROID RAZR Battery is removable, If you dare Posted: 11 Nov 2011 01:19 PM PST When the new Motorola DROID RAZR was first announced we all quickly learned that the battery was not removable. The back of the device was attached for good, making users unable to remove or swap the battery should they choose. This isn’t a huge issue but many weren’t happy to hear the news. Not to mention the modding and dev community relies on battery pulls somewhat often — I’ve had a few of those moments myself. Lucky for us a loyal reader has just received his shiny new DROID RAZR and tore it down himself to find that the back actually does come off, it just takes a little effort.
We have plenty of photos in the gallery below but in case you missed it the RAZR also received the iFixIt teardown treatment this morning. Sort of revealing what we now have pictures of ourselves. Only they imply you need a machete (or a Dozuki) to open the smartphone while our tipster only used his fingernail and a little bit of arm strength. Have a look at some notes on how our tipster was able to pop the back off of his/her RAZR with just a bit of effort:
In other words, it appears Motorola really doesn’t want us inside this RAZR thin phone. Our source here notes that they’ve glued the back on quite well and it took more than a few tries to get the Kevlar coated device apart. Once inside, you’ll notice the battery cover actually has rivets or snaps and will nicely click back into place just as any other battery cover. Only they’d rather users not try, apparently, as they’ve been clear in more ways than one that getting into this device will result in a warranty break by you. We didn’t see any VOID if removed stickers on the inside, but the manual had a few. We aren’t going to encourage our readers to try this but sometimes you must do what needs to be done, right?          )
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| ASUS Transformer for $249, Toshiba Thrive for $279 and more from Best Buy Black Friday Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:51 PM PST Who’s ready for some Black Friday deals? If you are the type to wake up at 4:00 AM and stand in the cold while fighting off hoards of shopping Mom and Dads during Black Friday, or just really want a new Android tablet then you’ll want to pay attention to Best Buy. They’ve already released a few ads showing off a couple deals for Black Friday coming up in a few weeks and they’ve now appeared on every BF website you can think of. We have the pictures below.
The deal I’m most interested in is posted in the photo above. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet for only $249. They’ll also have tons of other Android goodies on sale and I’m sure we’ll see even more deals as the day grows closer. You’ll also notice the Toshiba Thrive for $279, the Iconia A100 Tab coming in around $189 and tons and tons of phones for FREE.
Be sure to look over the photos in the gallery below because Best Buy Mobile will also be offering tons of popular Android phones like the DROID Incredible 2, the Samsung Stratosphere and a few more for free with new 2-year contracts of course. We expect to see plenty of deals from Best Buy and many other big box retailers so be sure and check back often as we’ll be posting anything good regarding Android. This is perfect timing for Best Buy to clear some stock and make way for the new ASUS Transformer Prime quad-core Tegra 3 tablet. I’ll be eying that come this holiday season. Will you?    [via The Black Friday] )
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| LG Optimus LTE headed to AT&T as the Nitro HD Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:30 PM PST We’ve seen a few leaks and videos of the LG Optimus LTE but today we have a little treat, and that is this 4G LTE 720p packing smartphone is headed to AT&T as the LG Nitro HD. It was spotted in the wild back in September and was just recently launched on Bell Canada. With Bell sharing the same frequencies as AT&T we had a feeling it was coming soon, but this gives us even more confirmation.
We’ve heard rumors of a LG phone rocking a 1280 x 720p HD display since way back in May when we first saw the codename for the Optimus LTE (P930) but now that its officially here I’m sure you’ll want a refresh on the specs. The LG Optimus LTE rocks a 4.5″ 1280 x 720p HD display, a powerful 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage and a fat 1830 mAh battery to keep things running. Here’s a quick video showing off the Optimus LTE (aka Nitro HD for AT&T). LG Optimus LTE We also have an 8 megapixel camera on the rear and a 1.3 MP front camera for video chat like we’ve just seen in the video above. Clearly he makes a mistake as the screen is 720p and not 760 but we’ll cut him a break, technology moves fast. One important thing to note is the 1280 x 720p panel is what LG calls their “NOVA” technology and its said to be much brighter, sharper, and clearer than the Pentile Matrix used in the upcoming Galaxy Nexus. Once this hits the market here in the US we’ll be sure to get one in for review as soon as possible and will definitely be checking out that HD display. [via Pocket Now] )
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| Google Music “These Go to Eleven” Announcement coming November 16th Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:05 PM PST Well folks, we just received word right from Google of an upcoming event that will clearly be about Google Music. It looks like the time has finally come and Google will be announcing and showing the world what they have in store for Google Music. If the “These Go to Eleven” didn’t ring a bell for anyone, think Spinal Tap. If you don’t know what that is I suggest you Google that, and enjoy it. Recent Google Music pages pointed to a music store coming to the Android Market, but we’ll all know the details come next week.
We’ve been patiently waiting for some sort of Music options in Android for a long time. We do have things like Amazon MP3 or Spotify but a full on solution to iTunes could be lurking here, or maybe not. Recent rumors suggest Google has been planning and preparing its very own MP3 store will all sorts of new options that will change the way we use and consume music on mobile devices. Most likely we can expect some sort of music purchasing solution, maybe even some sharing included. We have a feeling Google+ integration will be there too. With new features coming in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich such as Android Beam we might even get a few different ways to find and share music with our friends and family. This has just hit the wires and as soon as we hear more details we’ll be sure to update everyone. Stay tuned as we’ll be covering the “These Go to Eleven” news event by Google right here, live at 2:00 PM PT. You can also follow along at YouTube.com/Android for live video in case Nigel himself shows up. )
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“Lesscro” is an established modder who’s put an impressive amount of work into an ICS Windows Mobile theme, including a lock screen, launcher, and a power control feature that mimics Android’s notification bar. Even the widgets and 
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