Android Community |
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 AT&T 4G LTE hands-on
- Samsung email blunder spills Galaxy Nexus buyer details
- Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) port for HTC Hero may be a reality
- 5 things Android Community is thankful for this year
- Verizon Wireless Trademarks “Hologram”
- Google shows the Galaxy Nexus LTE’s bigger, darker profile
- Carrier IQ backs off, apologizes to Android security whistleblower
- Motorola DROID 4 may release December 8th
- Galaxy Nexus available in the US, shipping unlocked now from Expansys
- Galaxy Nexus receives MoDaCo custom kernel, courtesy of Paul O’Brien
- Samsung DROID Charge ready to power up with Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- ASUS Transformer Prime shipping November 28th according to Gamestop
- Google offering Android Market movie rentals for 99 cents during the holidays
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 AT&T 4G LTE hands-on Posted: 24 Nov 2011 09:11 AM PST The past few days I’ve been lucky enough to be enjoying the latest and greatest from the Galaxy Tab series, the mid-sized Galaxy Tab 8.9 with AT&T 4G LTE. This slate is the latest edition in Samsung’s attempts to cover almost every size imaginable and now all that seems left is that Tab 7.7 we saw at IFA and possible some sort of 8.2″ like the upcoming Xoom 2. Today we’ll be giving you a brief look at the tablet while we get our hands on it for an unboxing. Then as usual you can expect a full review coming soon.
Being slightly smaller than the Tab 10.1 and offering a bit more screen real estate than the Tab 7.0 Plus this 8.9″ LTE slate might just be the perfect size. Being powerful, portable and connected this could very well do the trick for me. For now I’ll break down a few specs, let you enjoy my video while I compare it to those other two just mentioned, then look for a review to shortly follow.
Similar to the original 8.9 WiFi tab in most regards but it does have a few differences. This AT&T version of course comes connected with 4G LTE and a SIM slot. The other difference is we have a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor on board here, no Samsung 1.2 GHz. It also comes equipped with the standard for tablets 1GB of RAM, 16 and 32GB storage options, 3 megapixel shooter around back with flash, 2MP up front for video and the usual 30 pin dock connector down below. One thing worth noting is the SIM slot is present but sadly we don’t get a micro-SD for expanded storage with this slate, something the smaller sibling was fortunate enough to get. Although it does come rocking a 8.9″ 1280 x 800 resolution display that looks stunning. For now enjoy the hands-on and unboxing below: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 AT&T 4G LTE hands-on Of course we have Android 3.2 Honeycomb on board with a few UI changes thanks to Samsung’s TouchWiz UX. I can’t stress enough how much I love the built-in screen capture function too. This here is just one of the few available 4G LTE devices that run on AT&T’s new and improved network and while it is still growing and expanding I’ve got a pretty solid connection here in Las Vegas and my surrounding city. I’ve experienced no outages during these past few days around my city but will be sure to test more for my review. I’ve included a quick speedtest result below to be nice and also took a screenshot showing I’m indeed on 4G LTE. So far my initial impressions are quite favorable. I’ve been really enjoying the 7.0 Plus screen size and almost feel as if the Tab 10.1 could be too large for portable users. This might just be absolutely perfect but until I’ve ran it through the paces I wont comment further. I hope you enjoy the video and a few pictures below. Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section and I’ll try to address them in my review that you can expect shortly.           Device Info
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| Samsung email blunder spills Galaxy Nexus buyer details Posted: 24 Nov 2011 07:06 AM PST The UK Galaxy Nexus launch hasn’t gone quite to Google’s plan. Not only did exclusive retail partner Phones 4U accidentally sell a developer prototype in place of a consumer handset to the very first buyer, but now it seems Samsung has managed to share the contact details of the first 100 early-adopters with each other.
The manufacturer ran a £250 media giveaway for the first 100 Galaxy Nexus buyers, and followed up today via email. Unfortunately, whoever is manning Samsung’s email made the rookie mistake of using the “CC” rather than “BCC” box, thus sharing all 100 email addresses with the group as a whole. Of course, we imagine Google is too busy working on a volume bug fix to spend time scolding Samsung, so hopefully the early owners will treat the email blunder as a way to make new friends rather than as a great source of spam targets. As our tipster – who wanted to remain anonymous – said, “it’s a good thing we 100 Nexus buyers are good people…” [Thanks anonymous tipster!] )
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| Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) port for HTC Hero may be a reality Posted: 23 Nov 2011 09:33 PM PST One of the first Android phones available in the US may see an upgrade, unofficially of course, to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The HTC Hero has always had a great community of developers that stick around to make sure the device isn’t just up to date, but has the latest and greatest despite its crucial hardware limitations. I personally had the HTC Hero for quite a while thanks to an amazing port of CyanogenMod; HTC Sense just wasn’t cutting it with such a slow processor and limited RAM.
I’ve still got the thing in storage, so I may have to whip it out and follow the development thread XDA developer jaybob413 started on November 14th. They seem to be coming along rather smoothly on the port, with one user even reporting working radios; which is of course important if you plan on using the ROM daily. It definitely boots, and touchscreen function is a go. Audio, Google Apps, WiFi, and the Camera are all still under construction. Even better, it seems both the GSM and CDMA communities of the Hero within XDA are collaborating towards making this a reality. Expect me to show off a quick clip of ICS on it as soon as it’s available to test! It will certainly feel weird rolling back to the rather small screen, but getting a taste of Android 4.0 will be well worth it. [via XDA Developers] )
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| 5 things Android Community is thankful for this year Posted: 23 Nov 2011 08:04 PM PST Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States, which means a day full of hearty food, football and
5. Android Tablets have finally made it This time last year, if you wanted a Tablet that wasn’t an iPad, you choices were limited to the first-generation Galaxy Tab, the Nook Color, a handful of cheap-o Chinese no-name devices and uber-expensive Windows slates. Not to knock the Nook or the original G-Tab – they’re fine devices, for what they are. But just a year later you’ve got an incredible variety of choices as far as Android tablets go, from the slim upgrades to the Galaxy Tab series, to utilitarian do machines like the Asus Transformer and Lenovo’s Thinkpad Tablet, to wallet-friendly options like the Acer Iconia Tab A500. There are options to suit every form factor and budget, most of them running a real and surprisingly powerful tablet OS in Honeycomb. Soon enough we’ll be able to get our hands on quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich machines like the Transformer Prime. And if Android is behind in the tablet game, it’s only so it can get a running start, to the tune of 27% of sales last quarter – despite Apple’s best legal efforts. 4. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
You knew this one was going to make the list. Google’s Nexus line of phones stand apart from the madding crowd, but the Nexus S left many feeling somewhat empty, since it was largely a retread of the original Galaxy S. That’s not to say it was bad, but at less than twelve months after the Nexus One many felt it didn’t really justify a new purchase. Along comes the Galaxy Nexus, a dual-core monster running a brand new operating system with a ginormous 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED screen. Now that’s what I’m talking about. The Galaxy Nuxes is the new phone to beat, and while that shouldn’t take too long with phones like the Galaxy S III, Optimus LTE and HTC Edge lurking around the corner, the fact that Google and Samsung have raised the standard instead of merely reinforcing it is very promising. The only reason that the Galaxy Nexus isn’t higher on this list is that Google, Samsung and their international partners have made a mess of availability – see below. 3. Console-quality gaming
Now that Android is beating the brushed aluminum pants out of Apple in pretty much every major market, developers are beginning to sit up and take notice of the gaming possibilities of high-end mobile hardware. Shadowgun is the current posterboy for Android games, but there are a lot of equally polished experiences that simply wouldn’t be possible even a few months ago. Check out Nvidia’s demonstration of Riptide on the Transformer Prime, running Ice Cream Sandwich no less. The possibilities of the Tegra 3 are amazing, and it’s not the only quad-core system-on-a-chip in the market, either. The graphics that the next generation of tablets are pumping out is somewhere between the Wii and the Xbox 360 at the moment, and with no upper limit in sight. Who knows what will be possible in the next few months, and with more mainstream gaming companies like Sega and Namco taking an interest, we might just see some simultaneous PC, console and Android tablet releases in the near future. Even the pesky reality of touch input’s limitations isn’t really an issue any more, now that game controllers are getting native support. For something of a work-around for current-generation hardware, take a gander at OnLive. 2. Custom ROMs
This one isn’t really new, but there’s been so much exciting development in the world of Android custom ROMs that it would be a crime not to include it. The Android community supports most phones and tablets far longer than their manufacturers and carriers seem to want to, and often the software created by enthusiasts is more stable, useful and efficient than the “real” thing. CyanogenMod is still going strong with version 7, and an ICS update is on the horizon. Custom ROMs can breathe new life into limited or abandoned devices like the Nook Color and HP TouchPad, for those with the inclination and know-how to do so. Android literally wouldn’t be the same without a legion of dedicated hobbyists cranking out kernels, recoveries and ROMs for all our devices, and for that, we tip our buckled Pilgrim hats to all the hard-working devs out there. 1. Ice Cream Sandwich
As if there was any doubt. ICS gets the top spot in this rundown, because while the Galaxy Nexus is amazing, it’s just hardware. Ice Cream Sandwich represents an even brighter future for Android, integrating the smartphone and tablet user interfaces into one cohesive package. Even more important, it’s already open-sourced, a feature that was lamentably left out of Honeycomb until now. Literally anyone can put Ice Cream Sandwich to use for anything they want, and many already have, with dozens of custom ROMs appearing for existing hardware. Most high-end devices and some mid-range ones should receive official updates next year, and in the meantime you can try your hand with community-authored versions for your device. ICS’ open-source nature also means that all the non-Google sanctioned uses of Android have an amazing piece of software to start on – you can expect to see some interesting hardware at a variety of price points from vendors we don’t normally associate with Android. The idea of a free, ubiquitous platform that takes the mainstream by storm has been painfully out of reach to FOSS advocates for decades, but it seems to finally be fulfilled in Android, albeit with some important caveats. If Ice Cream Sandwich is a sign of things to come for Android and the mobile world as a whole, things are only looking up. Early Grinch: Verizon’s bumbled Galaxy Nexus release There’s really no two ways about it: Verizon has made a bigger mess of the U.S. Galaxy Nexus release than a toddler tearing into a bowl of cranberry sauce. When Google finally unveiled the phone over a month ago, a Verizon LTE version was promised for Google’s home country. The U.K. and other markets have the phone in their hands, while we sit staring forlornly at our deviled eggs, wondering when we’ll be able to – or even when an announcement of a date will come. So far Verizon hasn’t even shown a photo of the phone, with just a pathetically Spartan sign-up page to let customers know it’s coming some time in the nebulous future. Android enthusiasts have gone from frustrated to angry to furious, and still Verizon seems content to let rumor and speculation run wild. It’s a slap in the face from the company whose original DROID campaign helped put Android on the map.
It’s hard to imagine a good reason for Verizon to dawdle, unless you take the view that they just don’t want your money or your business. We don’t even have a concrete reason for the delay, if you can call it that – the popular wisdom is that Verizon would rather sell DROID RAZRs and HTC Rezounds filled to the brim with carrier branding, leaving the unbranded Nexus alone despite its superior software. Given Verizon’s poor handling of its very first Nexus device, and an exclusive at that, we can’t help but wonder if it’s worth the wait for the HSPA+ version for AT&T and T-Mobile customers who were considering a switch. Perhaps Verizon’s competitors will know how to treat their customers right. Please drive safely when visiting your family on those icy winter roads. If you’re planning on going out to score some Black Friday bargains, remember to have fun and be civil. Happy Thanksgivings to our United States readers, and happy, uh, Thursday to everyone else. )
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| Verizon Wireless Trademarks “Hologram” Posted: 23 Nov 2011 08:03 PM PST Verizon went ahead and registered the name “Hologram” for a future potential device, but what will it shape up to be? Given the futuristic name, it could represent a device with some new technologies we haven’t seen yet – or simply another stereoscopic phone with dual cameras. I don’t know about you, but when I think of hologram, I visualize the streamed holographic recordings R2D2 presented in Star Wars.
If it were another smartphone sporting a 3D camera, it wouldn’t surprising in the least. It seems every other major carrier has theirs, so why shouldn’t Verizon have one too? I am not much of a fan for the stereoscopic experience, but I know some people that are. It is important for a major carrier like Verizon to have something that appeals to just about everyone, and having a 3D capable multimedia experience could be just want a person is looking for when signing up for that 2-year contract. But how cool would it be to possibly project media from your highly portable smartphone to a crowd of people inside or out. It would certainly be worth jumping carriers for! We will wait for that day to finally get here, but hopefully it will be sooner than later. [via Talk Android] )
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| Google shows the Galaxy Nexus LTE’s bigger, darker profile Posted: 23 Nov 2011 05:41 PM PST We’ve known for a while that the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus, the model that Verizon will be launching in the U.S. (eventually), would be a little chunkier than its HSPA+ brother. Fed up with waiting on Verizon to release some official information, Google went ahead and put a 360-degree view of the LTE model up on the official Nexus web page. You can see the relevant comparison below.
The LTE model is 9.47 millimeters thick, just a hair more than the HSPA+ version at 8.9mm. The extra space is to accommodate an LTE radio and a battery that’s 100 mAh larger – 1850 to the standard model’s 1750. You can also see that the LTE version dispenses with the silver-painted plastic ringing the outside of the phone, going for a matte grey/black look. The battery cover may be a different shade as well, but since they’re both press shots and appear to differ somewhat, that may be a trick of the light. Seeing the models side by side dispels worries that the LTE Galaxy Nexus would be a thick brick, not unlike certain Verizon LTE phones we could mention (cough, Thunderbolt, cough, BIONIC). Sure, it’s not going to give the DROID RAZR a run for its money any time soon, but it isn’t really meant to, and a dual-core phone with a gigantic screen and an LTE radio is still doing well to make it in under the centimeter mark. Now if we could only buy the phone. Device Info
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| Carrier IQ backs off, apologizes to Android security whistleblower Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:48 PM PST That was fast. Just one day after threatening an XDA-Developers member with legal action over exposing embarrassing privacy violations in their network management software, Carrier IQ has retracted its demands and issued a public apology. The retraction came after the EFF came to TrevE’s legal aid and blogs and news sites around the Internet slammed the company’s actions. Recognizing a public relations nightmare when they saw one, the company said it was “deeply sorry for any concern or trouble that our letter may have caused Mr. Eckhart.” The press release went on to say that Carrier IQ’s software doesn’t record keystrokes, location or usage information, in direct opposition to TrevE’s findings.
While it’s great that the company has ceased its heavy-handed bullying of a well-intentioned community member, their retraction leaves a lot to be desired. Carrier IQ said that the software does not:
It’s true that the software may not be reporting any of this information to carriers or other parties, but the simple fact that has been revealed by Trevor Eckhart’s research is that it has the capability to do so. That still represents a huge violation of the privacy of end-users on the part of Carrier IQ, and any manufacturer (like HTC, Samsung, Nokia and RIM) or carrier (Verizon and others) who uses it. It would be the digital equivalent of your cell phone provider mandating as a condition of service that you keep your home’s doors unlocked, while promising never to actually go in. There’s likely to be a lot of independent research that goes into Carrier IQ’s capabilities very soon, and how to identify and stop it. TrevE has already found some rudimentary ways to disable the software on some phones. We’ll be on the lookout for a permanent and wide-reaching solution, or even better, an opt-out program from carriers and/or manufacturers. [via Android Central] )
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| Motorola DROID 4 may release December 8th Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:28 PM PST Are you QWERTY lovers feeling left out of the superphone game as of late? Well if you’re on Verizon or intend to go there soon, you may have reason to to celebrate in a couple of weeks. According to yet another internal Verizon leak, the fourth generation of the original Motorola Droid is due Thursday, December 8th online and in retail stores. The device keeps the slider functionality of the primary DROID line, but throws in some more recent Motorola styling and Verizon LTE.
So far, the rumored and absolutely unconfirmed DROID 4 specs include a 4-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display that’s essentially a slightly smaller version of the one found on the DROID RAZR. The phone clearly shares the tapered lines found on its skinny sibling, as well as the ones spotted on the XOOM 2/XYBOARD. The keyboard remains at five rows with backlighting. ICS will have to wait, as the DROID 4 will release with Gingerbread. Processor, RAM and on-board storage are question marks at this point. Those waiting for that other Verizon phone will no doubt note that December 8th is the latest in a long line of rumored release dates for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus’ Verizon LTE version. There’s still no official word on either phone, so we’ll simply have to wait to see if these rumors pan out. The track record so far has not been promising. [via Droid-Life] )
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| Galaxy Nexus available in the US, shipping unlocked now from Expansys Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:57 PM PST Forget pre-orders and waiting for Verizon to get their ducks in order, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (GSM) unlocked right now from a US online retailer. Yup, no shipping overseas or any of that fancy stuff. If you have the penny change ($750) you can pick up this Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich flagship device right now from Expansys in the US. Who’s getting their credit card out?
This bad boy is fully GSM unlocked and will work with any GSM carrier including 4G from both AT&T and T-Mobile here in the states. It’s either this or some crazy Black Friday deal right? You may not have heard of Expansys before but I’ve used them in the past and while processing might not be immediate they are fast to ship, safe, and worked great for me. So what are you waiting for? The 4G LTE version from Verizon that we still haven’t heard a word about? I’m pretty tempted to pull out my plastic and get to ordering right this minute, but I’m attempting to have a little self control. We’ve seen many online retailers in the UK carry the Galaxy Nexus but this is a US based online retailer and it should be much faster. If for some crazy reason you need help deciding this is the phone for you here is our Galaxy Nexus hands-on, then the full review via our friends at SlashGear of this same GSM version. I’m sure I don’t need to say anything else but when I first looked they had over 90+ in stock and that number has quickly dropped to 72. You’d better hurry and convince your wife or significant other that you need this device and order it right now. Let us know how things go in the comment section below. Device Info
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[via Expansys] — Thanks John )
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| Galaxy Nexus receives MoDaCo custom kernel, courtesy of Paul O’Brien Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:47 PM PST Paul O’Brien has whipped up a custom kernel for some of our international Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners that will now support keyboard, USB drive, and mouse bluetooth peripheral devices. The kernel is modded, but still very much based on the stock kernel source with a few of the dev’s “touches” here and there.
Be sure to only install this if your Galaxy Nexus is running the I9250XXKK1 / ITL41D ROM. And for now, the installation is not quite as easy as a .zip flash, so read up within the thread for specific instructions – they’re all there. Don’t expect overclocking or anything extraordinary this early in the game, as the device is still just hitting store shelves (and hasn’t even made it to the U.S. yet). Whether this will work when the LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus appears on Verizon I do not know, but by then I’m sure we’ll have an updated kernel and even a few ROM’s floating around. For the access to the download, click here. And as always – read through the thread if you have any questions. It would be terrible to brick a precious Galaxy Nexus! [via XDA Developers] Device Info
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| Samsung DROID Charge ready to power up with Android 2.3 Gingerbread Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:49 PM PST Good news folks, the Samsung DROID Charge with Verizon 4G LTE will finally be getting the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The bad news being it’s one of the last Samsung devices to finally receive an official update for Gingerbread. We have a feeling 4G LTE and Verizon might of had a little to do with that but either way it’s finally here and should hit devices soon.
Verizon has stated today that the update is “coming soon” and they’ve nicely published all the details and information available for all at the Charge support page. We’ve seen plenty of leaks for the DROID Charge Gingerbread update like build EP1H in October but it had a few issues with the market. This official update should be smooth as butter and brings the usual improvements and visual changes present with Gingerbread. The build is being listed as i510.EP4 and only states 2.3 Gingerbread so we currently aren’t sure exactly what version of Gingerbread this will be. Hopefully it has Google Talk video chat support because that’s been a complaint for many Charge owners. The update documents don’t mention it so that is a bad sign. However, we do have the usual security, stability, and overall performance improvements from 2.3 along with the new download manager, color scheme, keyboard, and copy/paste improvements. They also state they’ve improved many other things hardware and software wise other than just updating to Gingerbread. Some of those include: more intense notification vibrate, camera, browser, audio output enhancements, bluetooth support, 3G/4G data connectivity and even HDMI output. It appears they’ve taken their time and brought some much needed updates at the same time. Hopefully those 3G/4G improvements will also help with battery life. All the details can be seen in full from the documents in the gallery below.    Device Info
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| ASUS Transformer Prime shipping November 28th according to Gamestop Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:27 PM PST Who wants an uber sleek and lightweight tablet that also packs a punch with that quad-core mobile processor from NVIDIA? I know I do! Apparently Gamestop either knows something we don’t or they’ve made a minor (big) mistake because they’ve just changed their release date information for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet from December 9th to November 28th. Yup, as in next Monday — I’m getting excited already.
Right about now you might also be asking yourself wait a minute, Gamestop sells Android tablets? Why yes they do and they started doing so late last month. Now most likely this is an error as it was previously listed as 12/9 but you never know these days. Along with the pre-order (available now) you get a free Bluetooth game controller and some bundled games making this worth a deal to order right now, even if it doesn’t ship until December as we originally thought. While we wait for more official details and an actual release date from ASUS here is a quick Transformer Prime hands-on video from YouTube, as well as a video from NVIDIA showing the Prime running Android 4.0 ICS. I don’t know about you guys but I’m pretty excited about this next step for Android tablets. Being quad-core and still having exceptional battery life mixed in with some Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich this will be one hard tablet for that other fruity brand to compete with. Stay tuned for more details. Device Info
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[via androidforums] )
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| Google offering Android Market movie rentals for 99 cents during the holidays Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST If you are enjoying the holidays with family or traveling and would like to watch a new movie then Google has you covered for the holiday season. Starting today Google will be offering the top 12 movies from the Android Market for just $0.99 cents — It’s the $0.99 cents holiday movies deal.
Now I know the first thing that might come to a few readers mind is Redbox — but those aren’t on your Android phone or tablet now are they? Most movies are $2.99 or $3.99 from the Android Market, especially new releases like what they are offering in this deal. Making this a good time to try out and rent a few movies on your favorite Android device(s). I’d like to recommend the Change-Up as it was hilarious and Olivia Wilde is gorgeous! I’ll be traveling for Thanksgiving and plan to watch a movie or two on my Galaxy Tab 8.9 while enjoying the drive and this will definitely come in handy. It appears to only be for the US and hopefully they’ll change or add a few more after the first week but no details other than what was stated above were given. Now if you are rooted you wont be able to stream movies normally. So we’ll remind you of the streaming movies on rooted devices fix in case anyone is interested. Head down to the market and check out all the holiday special movies for just $0.99 cents. [via @Android] )
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