Android Community |
- Samsung Captivate Glide and Doubletime hit AT&T November 20th
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 update to Android 3.2 rolling out now
- YouTube updated to v2.3.4 with Watch later queue and +1 button
- Google Music Store Market screenshots leak, Free song of the Day and more
- Galaxy Nexus comes to O2 on Nov. 17th, Virgin Mobile & Bell
- PogoPlug Cloud gives Android access to free cloud storage
- Barnes & Noble reveals Microsoft’s Android patents in detail
- Google butts heads with the RIAA over MP3 Music Download Pro
- Apple beats Australian retailers into submission over Galaxy Tab sales
- Google Music set to launch without Sony or Warner songs
- Lenovo set to trot out 10.1-inch ICS tablet
- Acer Iconia Tab A510/A511 tipped in source code
- Ice Cream Sandwich source release Nov 17 tips manufacturer
- HTC tablet packing Tegra 3 rumored for February 2012
- Android Community Weekly: November 13, 2011
| Samsung Captivate Glide and Doubletime hit AT&T November 20th Posted: 14 Nov 2011 12:24 PM PST Back in October AT&T unloaded a list of five new Android smartphones coming soon for a part of their fall lineup and while the Atrix 2 has already launched, we are still waiting on the others. If you’ve been following @ATT you’d have seen that today they announced many of those phones will be available starting November 20th. Most importantly that will be when the Captivate Glide hits the streets.
Along with the Tegra 2 powered Samsung Captivate Glide we’ll also be seeing the Samsung Doubletime, Pantech Pocket and the AT&T Avail all hit the shelves on November 20th. Nothing extremely new or groundbreaking here, but it’s a wide array of options, and styles for those using AT&T.
The Captivate Glide is a blend of the Captivate and a newer Galaxy S II. Rocking a 4″ AMOLED display with a 800 x 480 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 2 1.0 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8MP camera and even a 1.3 front shooter for video chat. Obviously given the name we have a 4 row slide (or glide) out QWERTY keyboard for those that text often. This is the most impressive phone from the list and will be available November 20th along with the others. The Pantech Pocket is an odd 4″ phone with a 600 x 800 wide-screen resolution and the Samsung Doubletime features two 3.2″ displays as well as a QWERTY keyboard of its own. We still don’t have full pricing on these smarpthones but they’ll be available this Sunday should you choose to snatch one up. [via @ATT] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 update to Android 3.2 rolling out now Posted: 14 Nov 2011 11:22 AM PST The popular Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is currently receiving the OTA update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb as we speak and users should be seeing it any time now on their devices. This is for the Wi-Fi only 10.1 and we are hearing a few users are experiencing issues during the update, as well as after but only a few reports have been seen thus far.
According to a few reports from XDA the update is hitting now and for some it has been breaking Wi-Fi, something that could be a major issue especially for a tablet that can only access data with Wi-Fi. We still don’t have many details but this is just a little PSA warning for those that might have received the update this morning. Here is a screenshot of the update:
Looking at the screenshot above the update is around 63MB in size and shouldn’t take but a minute to download, and around 5 to complete the update. We don’t have a changelog or many other details at the moment but users might want to hold off until we hear more details although only a few have experienced issues. As always you can manually check for updates if you don’t want to wait and can go to about tablet > check for updates to begin pulling the Android 3.2 OTA for the Tab 10.1 now. Let us know in the comment section below if you received the update, and if things went smoothly. Device Info
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 [via XDA] )
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| YouTube updated to v2.3.4 with Watch later queue and +1 button Posted: 14 Nov 2011 10:55 AM PST Google is running wild this morning and this is a friendly reminder to check YouTube on the Android Market as it was just updated to version 2.3.4 and along with it came a few neat little changes. Nothing extremely huge here but the more the better right. Google has added the +1 button for their ever growing Google+ social network as well as a few other changes.
Looking over the “What’s New” area you’ll see the +1 addition, the Watch Later queue and apparently you can now edit info and upload the video at the same time. Maybe I’m just thinking of the desktop version but I don’t think the edit info while uploading is new but I could be wrong. I’m actually not seeing the +1 button myself on the new YouTube but according to the screenshots from the Android Market it’s there. We’ll see.
While I was hoping for some sort of design or UI change, an update with a few new awesome features is always plenty welcome. I’m excited about the watch later queue myself because I’m always trying to remember what I have or haven’t watched. In case you didn’t notice in my screenshots you should check out sxephil because his show is simply awesome. Head to the market and download the new YouTube, available right now.     )
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| Google Music Store Market screenshots leak, Free song of the Day and more Posted: 14 Nov 2011 10:28 AM PST Users in the world of Android have been waiting for a full on music solution for what seems like ages, but come this Wednesday that might be exactly what we all finally get. We’ve just received some leaked screenshots showing a Google Music store in the Android Market, just like Movies and Books. The screenshots appear to be an early build or at least similar to what we can expect Google to announce at the “These Go to Eleven” press event this Wednesday.
Looking at the provided screenshots the store might not be fully functional yet but most likely it will be soon, or even launch on Wednesday to go along with the Google event. A few things worth nothing is the Free Song of the Day screenshots. It appears they’ll be taking a similar approach as Amazon has done with Apps for Music in hopes to boost action. This could also be an amazing way for new artists to be seen by the millions and millions of Android phone users. We are also seeing a recommended artist list as well as similar artists. So far I really like what we’ve just seen. Earlier we heard a few reports that Google was struggling to get all record labels on board, just as iTunes did during the early stages and that it will launch without all four major record labels. Sony and Warner being two big ones missing. Glancing over the screenshots Google might have actually secured deals with all four. Giving the Google Music store an even better position to succeed. Looking at the screenshots we see plenty of Shakira who is signed to Sony (among others), and even Green Day who is signed with Reprise, a subsidiary of Warner Music. Maybe these deals are still being worked out, and the possibility of those song not being available from Sony or Warner is still possible until a deal is made. We won’t know until Google Music is officially launched. Stay tuned on Wednesday for full details.     [via Androinica] )
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| Galaxy Nexus comes to O2 on Nov. 17th, Virgin Mobile & Bell Posted: 14 Nov 2011 09:26 AM PST We already know that the unlocked version of the Galaxy Nexus is coming to the UK on November 17th, but it looks like O2 is interested in getting in on the Ice Cream Sandwich action. They’ve announced that the phone will be available online and at retail on the same day. In Canada, both Bell and Virgin Mobile have announced general December availability, with a vague signup page to tide eager Android fans over.
O2 still hasn’t announced its pricing for the Galaxy Nexus, but it will probably be in line with other UK carriers that are offering it. Virgin and Bell don’t even have dates, so naturally they aren’t letting the price slip, either. The unlocked UK price is £429, or about $680 USD. All this news of international versions, and still bupkiss, nada and nothing from Verizon Wireless in the U.S. Though they too have a sign-up page for the LTE version of the phone, th4ere’s been no official word on availability – the page doesn’t even have a photo of the phone. Thanks to some internal leaks, we’re almost certain that the Galaxy Nexus will cost $299 on a new two-year contract. Current guesses for the release date range from November 17th (Thursday) to after Thanksgiving. Android enthusiasts are becoming increasingly agitated at Verizon’s lackluster promotion, as they seem far more interested in the branded versions of the DROID RAZR and HTC Rezound. 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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[via Phandroid] )
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| PogoPlug Cloud gives Android access to free cloud storage Posted: 14 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PST
The PogoPlug app has been available for some time, but previously it could only access drives, files and folders physically connected to your home network. Now the app is capable of retrieving up to 5 gigabytes of data, and instantly uploads photos and videos to its sharing service, a la Picasa. Video and music can be streamed from the storage space, and files or folders can be shared with your Google+ contacts. Free users get “only” five gigabytes, but you can expand your data storage for a monthly fee. The cloud move puts PogoPlug in direct competition with DropBox, which is currently offering only 2GB of data storage to its free members. HTC customers get an expanded 5GB. At the present PogoPlug hasn’t revealed any integration software like Dropbox has, but then, committed users of PogoPlug’s hardware will tell you that its Network-attached storage devices fill that niche perfectly. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the cloud storage space, especially as Google itself pushes its users more and more towards on-demand file access. You can download the updated app now. )
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| Barnes & Noble reveals Microsoft’s Android patents in detail Posted: 14 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PST Last week Barnes & Noble lobbied United States regulators to investigate Microsoft, on the basis that its lawsuits and licensing agreements with Android OEMs constituted monopolistic behavior. The first fruit of this effort is a detailed look at the patents that Microsoft has been using to pressure manufacturers into licensing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Barnes & Noble seems determined to keep from paying Microsoft for its Nook line of e-readers and tablets.
Barnes & Noble contends that the patents are frivolous and trivial, most of them containing considerable prior art that existed long before the patents were awarded. There’s nothing to say that the six patents outlined in the case against Barnes & Noble are the same ones that have been used on the likes of Samsung and HTC, but it’s a fair bet that some or all of them are the crux of Microsoft’s arguments across the Android spectrum. In a letter to the Department of Justice, B&N said that the patents “cover only arbitrary, outmoded and non-essential design features,” but that Microsoft is charging extremely high licensing fees, essentially bumping up the price of “free” Android and giving Microsoft the power to stop individual features from being implemented. Here’s all the patents Microsoft is using, and Barnes & Noble’s rebuttal:
Barnes & Noble also outlined several other patents and points. For a full look at all the legalese (which is far beyond the analytical powers of this humble Android blogger) check out Groklaw’s post on the subject. Barnes & Noble seems completely committed to breaking the cycle of Microsoft’s patent trolling legal action and licensing. I’d wager that Google couldn’t be happier, since none of the various companies going after Android OEMs have directly threatened the parent company with legal action. If Barnes & Noble succeeds in fighting off Microsoft’s suit and securing and investigation, it might (and this is a long shot here) means that the licensing deals already in place elsewhere are renegotiated or dropped. )
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| Google butts heads with the RIAA over MP3 Music Download Pro Posted: 14 Nov 2011 07:50 AM PST
MP3 Music Download Pro, currently sitting pretty at #4 in the US Android Market’s Free Apps sales list. This is a bit of a thorn on the side of the
The defense is often used for controversial technologies, most notably BitTorrent listings and clients. The app does a modified Google search for an artist, song or album, then downloads MP3 files it finds sitting in mostly abandoned or unpublished directories across the web. The app itself is free, but developer Yu Liu makes money off of the ads served therein. And considering that MP3 Music Download Pro has amassed over ten million downloads so far, there’s a considerable amount of profit being made on what is technically, for the most part at least, illegal activity. Google’s position on the matter is interesting. Google tends to be in favor of users’ rights, and from a legal standpoint, MP3 Download Pro is only providing tools, not actually instigating theft. But on the other hand, Google has been steadfast in booting classic video game emulators and ROM search apps off of the Android Market – software that would seem to fall under the same legal loophole. Considering Google’s musical aspirations at the Spinal Tap event later this week, not to mention rumors of a seriously deficient music store launch, they may want to reconsider their position. )
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| Apple beats Australian retailers into submission over Galaxy Tab sales Posted: 14 Nov 2011 07:27 AM PST A while back we told you about independent Australian retailers refusing to honor the ruling from Apple’s civil case against Samsung. A small number of independent shops and websites skirted the sales ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by importing them directly from China without buying them from Samsung first. Well it looks like Apple’s legal reach (not to mention gall) knows no bounds: the company has halted sales at all but one of the “rogue” retailers, in some cases using threatening letters to convince them of their position.
The Australian news site was only able to find one website that’s still selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 down under, Dmavo.com.au. The sales injunction bans Samsung from selling its tablets to retailers and directly to consumers, but retailers are free to find alternates sources of inventory, in this case, electronics shops in China and Taiwan. The rest of the independent stores that were selling the tablets have all decided to stop, likely to keep from risking a civil suit from Apple’s Australian arm. Samsung is currently appealing the sales ban, but since the preliminary and primary injunctions made it through, that seems unlikely. Apple previously refused a settlement of undisclosed terms in the case, and after the details of the late Steve Jobs’ vitriolic rants against Android, it’s unlikely that they ever will. Samsung has retaliated by seeking a ban on iPhone 4S sales, and that particular case goes before a judge today. )
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| Google Music set to launch without Sony or Warner songs Posted: 14 Nov 2011 06:55 AM PST The long-awaited Google Music service should arrive later this week at Google’s Spinal Tap-inspired event, but if Cnet is to be believed, it’ll launch without two of the biggest players in the US music industry. Sony and Warner will not be posting any of their artists on the new MP3 store, putting it at a major disadvantage to iTunes and other digital music vendors. The other two major labels, EMI and Universal, will be selling music through Google.
According to anonymous insiders, the music labels want Google’s store to be an open experience available to anyone, whereas Google wants to make it an Android-only experience, likely rolling it into their existing Google Music app and selling songs through the Android Market. There are obviously some conflicting agendas here – music companies want as many customers on as many devices as possible, while Google is looking for a competitive advantage, or at least an alternative. Apparently the difference was too much for Warner and Sony. Music contracts, particularly when it comes to digital sales, are known to be a long and drawn-out affair. Even Apple didn’t have all the major labels available when it launched iTunes, though they joined up eventually. If Google Music or whatever the name ends up being takes off, expect large and small distributors to jump on board. But without a comprehensive library, it’s hard to see why music shoppers wouldn’t simply go somewhere else and buy MP3s from all the major labels, then load them up on an SD card. Google will have to show some impressive features, like a well-thought-out cloud strategy, to put their best foot forward. [via SlashGear] )
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| Lenovo set to trot out 10.1-inch ICS tablet Posted: 14 Nov 2011 05:30 AM PST With Android ICS on the horizon, you can bet that we are going to see everyone in the tablet market that has used Android or thinks they might want to hop on the Android 4.0 wagon. One of the tablet makers that will be offering up Android 4.0 tablets will be Lenovo according to a rumor. Engadget claims that a source has told it a new ICS tablet from Lenovo is inbound.
The tablet is said to packing Tegra 3 from NVIDIA and have 2GB of DDR3 RAM. The tablet is also said to have a USB host port with a little flap covering it. Other tidbits from the rumor source include the fact that the camera will have a rear camera and a fingerprint scanner. The camera resolution is unknown but the source says that the fingerprint scanner will also work as an optical joystick. The is in indication on the weight and size of the tablet, but it appears to be very svelte indeed. There is no indication of when the tablet will land. Other makers are aiming for Q1 so perhaps we will see this Lenovo tablet then as well. We will be watching for more details. [via SlashGear] )
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| Acer Iconia Tab A510/A511 tipped in source code Posted: 14 Nov 2011 03:56 AM PST If you are a big fan of Acer tablets and are patiently waiting for a new tablet that packs Tegra 3 from Acer you are in luck. A new tablet has been tipped that is called the Acer A511 via source code. The tablet is pegged to have the Tegra 3 chipset and a few more details are in that code as well. We also know that tablet will have a 1280 x 800 resolution screen with 32-bit color.
The A511 is supposed to be packing in both WiFi and 3G connectivity. There is a model called the A510 tipped as well sharing the same hardware, but having WiFi only. There is no indication of what OS the tablets will use. It would make sense that they will get Android 4.0, but that isn’t noted in the source code. Another thing we don't know about the tablets is when they will hit stores. Many of the markers of Android tablets are rushing to get the Android 4.0 offerings on the market early so they are available well ahead of Windows 8 tablets expected in Q3 2012. We may see these tablets for the first time at CES in January. [via SlashGear] )
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| Ice Cream Sandwich source release Nov 17 tips manufacturer Posted: 14 Nov 2011 03:03 AM PST Most of us are a familiar with Notion Ink and its line of Android tablets called Adam. The company has been around for a while now and so far, the tablets haven’t proven to be super successful. Notion Ink is working on the next generation of its tablets and back in July, the tip surfaced that the Adam Two would be landing in December of this year.
We aren’t sure yet if that will happen, but Notion Ink has seemingly confirmed the launch of Ice Cream Sandwich. The company posted up a support note for its migration to a new support system. We weren’t interested in that at all, but the tidbit at the bottom of that support note really caught our attention. Notion Ink has tipped when ICS will be released. According to the sentence November 17 is when Notion Ink is expecting ICS to be out in source form. The company also says that there will be a bunch of TabletROMs floating around at that point. We only have a few more days to wait to find out if this tip is accurate or not, stay tuned. )
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| HTC tablet packing Tegra 3 rumored for February 2012 Posted: 14 Nov 2011 02:23 AM PST We all know that the Tegra 3 quad-core chip for tablets is coming and will be the chipset that most high-end Android tablets use. A new rumor is swirling around that says HTC is getting a tablet ready for launch in February 2012 that uses the Tegra 3 hardware. The rumors also claim that HTC has two new smartphones coming in the same time period.
The launch of the tablet is pegged for MWC 2012. The tip comes from Chinese paper Commercial Times and the paper claims that this will be the only Android tablet we see from HTC in 2012. The goal is said to be getting the new Tegra 3 chipset onto the market ahead of the widely expected Q3 launch of Windows 8 tablets. HTC will offer up its own Windows tablets said to be using the ARM build of the Win 8 OS. I think that a bunch of smartphone fans out there will be much more interested in the smartphone that is tipped to be coming using the Tegra 3 chipset. The little beast is said to have a 4.7-inch screen with a super high pixel density greater than that of the iPhone 4S. [via SlashGear] )
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| Android Community Weekly: November 13, 2011 Posted: 13 Nov 2011 05:50 PM PST We hope everyone had a great Veteran’s Day and made a giant wish during 11:11AM/PM 11/11/11! I’m sure some of you were wishing for an exact release date for Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus – because we sure were. This week in tech news HTC’s entire upcoming device codename list dropped, the DROID RAZR launched, Adobe announced that it will no longer support Flash for mobile devices, and much more.
The Motorola DROID 4 was spotted in Verizon’s internal database Monday. This updated QWERTY will be the first to take advantage of Verizon’s ever growing 4G LTE network. A roadmap also suggests Verizon may release the Galaxy Nexus November 21. Same sources clan the XOOM 2 will appear near November’s end, yet nothing is set in stone. The DROID RAZR finally launched, and is available now with free overnight shipping straight from Verizon. Those of you signing new contracts should definitely take advantage of Verizon’s “Double Data” promotion, as data seems to go very quick on their lightning fast network. Verizon had been surprising old RAZR owners with the new DROID RAZR even before the official launch – and I’m sure the customers deserved it! Google finally added dedicated business pages for company brands and websites to Google+. Business owners can now create a business page and moderate it (similar to that of Facebook) to help with all their social networking needs. The new feature works great, but a few issues still need to be resolved. As we all know, the Galaxy Nexus will have Google+ built into the device. The new Nexus has shown off its accessories early at Verizon Wireless and Google has even started their official Google Nexus giveaway – so we should see it very soon! We took a look a a few devices this week, including complete reviews of the T-Mobile Springboard and Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, and a hands-on with the HTC Rezound. The Springboard proved to be a very well-build device, and certainly worth the money. And as always, Samsung’s latest tablet sets another benchmark for the 7″ class with its superb display and functionality. An additional hands-on with the Tab 7.0 Plus can be found here. As for the Rezound, HTC really outdid themselves; it may be their best work yet. Expect a more in-depth review very soon. The HTC Edge quad-core phone has had both images and specs leaked. This powerhouse is projected to land in April 2012, but by then I’m sure quad-core devices will be old news! Finally, Adobe has decided to discontinue support for Flash in all mobile devices. What will this mean for the future of Android? The public obviously disagrees with this decision, as afterwards their stock prices instantly dropped. )
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Niche hardware maker PogoPlug have made a name for themselves delivering reliable and easy access to network attached storage, both on home and local business networks and across the Internet. Their latest creation is in line with a lot of their more web-centric competitors: PogoPlug Cloud. The free service will give anyone 5 gigabytes of free data storage – no PogoPlug hardware purchase needed – and the current Android app will be updated to access the storage natively.
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