Android Community |
- Google+ photo tagging now features automatic facial recognition
- Sony’s Xperia Play has more than 200 optimized games
- Verizon LTE is back up, Motorola DROID 4 is a no-show
- Costco prices the Galaxy Nexus at $290, no, you still can’t buy one
- Google Images gets a makeover on Android tablets
- Toshiba Excite AT200 gets a February 2012 release in Canada
- 10 Billion Apps promo, day 3: ADW, Tetris, and Homerun Battle for 10¢ [UPDATE]
- Galaxy Nexus on sale in Canada, Americans still out of luck
- Schmidt: Android already beating iPhone, Google TV on most TVs in 2012
- Verizon and Redbox team up for movie streaming
- Instagram is coming to Android
- OnLive now available for Android and iOS tablets and smartphones
- ASUS Transformer Prime Review
- Lenovo commits to Android tablets after Dell abandons the Streak
- Holier than thou: Pope Benedict lights Christmas tree with Android tablet
- Google Goggles updates with continuous tracking and other goodies
- Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus LTE battery appears with 2100mAh of juice
- Verizon Wireless data outages have a bad sense of timing
- Samsung product page for Galaxy Tab 7.7 is live
- Facebook App overhaul brings faster performance, better UI, ICS support and more
| Google+ photo tagging now features automatic facial recognition Posted: 08 Dec 2011 10:57 AM PST Google’s social network site just keeps getting better and better these days. Now I know when you read automatic facial recognition you feel like John Connor from Terminator might hunt you down and recognize your face but this new system is completely opt-in. This feature is being called “Find My Face” and will make photo tagging even easier in Google+ land.
What we essentially have is a semi automatic system that Google has in place similar to how Facebook does it these days and when you add photos the facial recognition software will find matches to a face you’ve already tagged, and give you an easy drop down to make things simple. There is one huge difference with this vs Facebook and that is Google has this disabled and you can opt-in, while Facebook does this on its own without asking. Next time a friend uploads your picture the Find My Face will make it simple for him to tag you — if you have opted-in of course. Being disabled at the start many users probably wont be using this feature but it has launched today and will be prompting users to opt-in so we should be seeing this more and more over the coming weeks. If you’d like to get all set up you can opt-in on the settings page located here. Between this and upcoming features in Android 4.0 ICS like facial recognition to unlock the screen it seems Google is keen on making this type of technology a part of our daily lives. We’ve seen news of various facial recognition software before and most of it gets pushed behind for privacy reasons but with this being totally opt-in users shouldn’t have much concern. Head down to Google+ and give it a try and while you are there don’t forget to Circle +AndroidCommunity. [via SlashGear] )
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| Sony’s Xperia Play has more than 200 optimized games Posted: 08 Dec 2011 10:28 AM PST When Sony Ericsson launched the Xperia Play last year, one of the primary concerns was a dearth of games to take advantage of its PlayStation-style slide-out gamepad. Those concerns appear to have been unfounded: AndroidGuys reports that the company confirmed the availability of more than 200 Xperia Play-optimized Android games. That doesn’t hold a candle to the wide array of games availabe on the Android Market, or for that matter, any major gaming console you’d care to mention, but it’s an impressive feat none the less.
Most of these games are stand-alone, high profile titles from the likes of EA and Gameloft, but there’s a pretty good selection of more indie-style games to choose from as well. The Android version of OCD enabler Minecraft premiered on the device, and months before a standard Android Market release. If you’re rocking the Play, try searching for “Xperia Play optimized” in the Market to get a good look at what’s available. Sony has promised an Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Xperia Play, and all current Xperia phones, sometime in 2012. That’s a good thing, since we haven’t seen hide nor hair of an updated model, and with quad-core processors becoming the new standard for high performance, one would not go amiss. If you happen to have an Xperia Play and an Android tablet, be sure to try the latest version of DroidMote – it’s a great, geeky way to get that console experience on a bigger screen. )
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| Verizon LTE is back up, Motorola DROID 4 is a no-show Posted: 08 Dec 2011 09:56 AM PST Yesterday Verizon had an embarrassing hiccup in its nationwide 3G and 4G LTE service, with no prospective time for repair. Well, reports are coming in that service has been restored around the country, including the Midwest, where the outage was particularly severe. But there may have been at least one casualty: the Motorola DROID 4, which was set to release today in various internal documents.
There’s no official confirmation on the latest entry in the original DROID line, so it’s not as if the phone is delayed. And perhaps the company had already pushed the launch back, as it appears to have done with the Galaxy Nexus. Again. But a major outage of 4G service just before the LTE-equipped DROID 4 appears in stores may have dampened the company’s zeal for a big release – it’s certainly caused no end of frustration to to its customers. The outage came just a day after Consumer Reports ranked Verizon the most reliable wireless provider in the country. If you’re craving LTE speeds with a full QWERTY keyboard and cutting edge specs, the DROID 4 is pretty much your only option on Verizon, unless you’d like to settle for the Samsung Stratosphere. The DROID 4 matches the DROID RAZR almost note for note, with the exceptions being its 4-inch LCD screen, removable battery and an understandably thicker profile. It’s quite likely that Verizon will make the official announcement soon, as they’ve already officially shown two new DROID XYBOARD (AKA XOOM 2) tablets and a white-clad DROID RAZR. )
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| Costco prices the Galaxy Nexus at $290, no, you still can’t buy one Posted: 08 Dec 2011 09:25 AM PST More than a few of you probably have at least $299.99 in your wallet at the moment, saved against the day when the seven trumpets sound, the moon turns blood red and Verizon finally decides to release the Galaxy Nexus in the US. If you live near a Costco you can save a few bucks when it actually arrives; PhoneArena reports that the retail chain is preparing the phone for a debut at $289.99, exactly ten dollars less than the rumored Verizon price. Naturally you’ll still need to sign or renew a two-year contract.
Costco is also including a “Costco Member Bonus Accessory Pack”, but there’s no information on exactly what this entails. Some Samsung accessories would be nice, but a cheap-o case, car charger and perhaps a screen protector is more likely. Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and ten dollars off is ten dollars you wouldn’t have had before – the better to buy a $50 extended battery with. Costco’s internal system is showing a December 9th launch for the Galaxy Nexus, but multiple insiders are saying that it’s the latest in a long line of missed dates. This is the part of the Galaxy Nexus article where I close. I typically describe how Americans have been waiting for the Galaxy Nexus for far too long, and how upset US Android fans are with Verizon for its horrible timing. I mention how the complete lack of communication with its customers is a major disservice, and how it’s probably going to lose potential converts from T-Mobile and AT&T, who may just wait for the Galaxy Nexus to arrive on their carriers instead of switching. But I’ve done that a lot already, so I won’t mention any of Verizon’s poor policies like booting out Google Wallet and saddling the phone with bloatware. Nope, not at all. Device Info
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| Google Images gets a makeover on Android tablets Posted: 08 Dec 2011 08:47 AM PST Google announced via its Mobile Blog that the standard image search on Android and iOS tablets is getting a significant update today, not unlike the previous standard search update. There’s some adjusted UI settings to take advantage of the larger form factor, most notably an infinite scroll feature that will continually load images as you flick the web page down. I gave it a try on my Galaxy Tab 8.9, with a subject that no one could object to.
The gallery view has also been updated, with a bug focus on the image itself and a strip of website information below it. Simply swipe left or right to navigate through the “carousel” one at a time. The updated interface looks like it takes full advantage of HTML5 – since it’s running on Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS, it probably doesn’t have any Android-specific properties. Unfortunately, that means you probably won’t be seeing it any time soon on a Gingerbread tablet, hacked or no. You can see Google’s official video below. After running through the new layout myself, I can report that it’s admirably smooth and intuitive, even on my less than ideal Internet connection. It’s a definite improvement over the old hunt-and-peck layout. Remember that the website is looking at your browser profile, so if you’ve got Dolphin Browser HD or some other third-arty app set to Desktop Mode, you probably won’t see it. One more for the road:
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| Toshiba Excite AT200 gets a February 2012 release in Canada Posted: 08 Dec 2011 08:27 AM PST Many were somewhat underwhelmed with Toshiba’s Android tablet debut, the 10-inch Thrive, even with its fabulous marketing strategy of telling consumers how smart they were through Tony Bennet-style singing. The second revision, now renamed the Excite, is headed for a release up north in February of next year. Mobile Syrup quotes an anonymous source that contradicts its January date on the website. Canadians looking for a super-slim Honeycomb tablet, try to contain your excitement.
All joking aside, the Excite AT200 is a pretty impressive piece of hardware, cramming a 10.1-inch display into a 7.7mm thin body. That’s just barely thicker than the skinny part of the DROID RAZR, and beats out the upcoming Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime by .6 millimeters. It’s a considerable improvement on the Thrive, which got a lot of complaints for its 16mm profile. On the inside you get a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor and either 16GB or 32GB of storage, with 2 and 5 megapixel front and rear cameras. Despite the svelte frame, Toshiba still found room for a MicroSD card slot and a Micro HDMI jack. The tablet will launch with Honeycomb, which is a shame, since at that point Ice Cream Sandwich will have been available for about four months. There’s no word on an upgrade. Technically there’s no confirmation of a United States release either, but it seems like a given considering the FCC filing. If Toshiba had only gotten this attractive hardware out before Christmas, and at a price lower than the Transformer Prime and Galaxy Tab 10.1, it might have made a splash this year instead of next. Be sure to check out our hands-on video of a pre-release Toshiba Excite. )
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| 10 Billion Apps promo, day 3: ADW, Tetris, and Homerun Battle for 10¢ [UPDATE] Posted: 08 Dec 2011 07:50 AM PST Day three of Google’s app extravaganza is upon us, and there’s some premium apps with massive discounts that you’ll definitely want to pick up. As a celebratory promotion for the Android Market hitting the 10 billion download mark, Google is partnering with top developers to price ten apps at ten cents/pence each day for ten days. ADWLauncher EX leads the pack on Friday following an Ice Cream Sandwich-style update.
Also on offer are gaming titles Tetris, Toki Tori, Homerun Battle 3D, Reckless Getaway (a sort of Need For Speed version of Reckless Racing), Can Knockdown 2, and Space Physics. Other apps on offer are the Blue Skies Donation live wallpaper and Kids Learn to Read, following the kid-friendly Berenstain Bears app from yesterday. All are on sale right now, though the banner on the Market home page hasn’t been updated yet. If you’re even mildly interested in any of these paid apps, be sure to pick them up now -they’ll only be at this special price until tomorrow morning in the US. At the time of writing you can still get yesterday’s discounted apps at the $.10 price, but that won’t last for long. In related news, Phandroid reports that bumped sales from the 10 Billion Apps promotion have made Beautiful Widgets the very first paid Android app to hit a million downloads. That’s less than .0001% of all the downloads made in the Market as of today. Update: Here they are. Get after it, bargain hunters. )
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| Galaxy Nexus on sale in Canada, Americans still out of luck Posted: 08 Dec 2011 07:21 AM PST Oh Verizon, why do you vex us so? Just as planned, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is now on sale at Canadian wireless carriers Virgin Mobile and Bell, giving the Great White North a taste of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Subscribers can get the Galaxy Nexus for $159.99 from either carrier, though naturally you’ll have to sign up for a new
The Canadian version is the same HSPA+ model that’s been on sale in the UK and circulated for press reviews – Verizon is still the only carrier confirmed to eventually receive an LTE version. On both Canadian carriers the phone is unbranded, like previous Nexus phones. Notably the Canadian Nexii are more than $140 cheaper than the leaked $299 Verizon price, and the unlocked model comes in at $649, while Verizon is probably pricing their model at $799. To be fair, both Canadian carriers are selling the 16GB version. Unless Virgin or Bell requires an activation with an unlocked model, northern US citizens should be able to make a run across the border and buy one full-price for use on AT&T or T-Mobile. With just one day until the previously rumored launch of December 9th, it looks like Verizon has left its customers out in the cold yet again. The latest rumors indicate that indeed the December 9th date has been scrapped, with no indication of when the phone might actually go on sale. Verizon subscribers and prospective customers are growing increasingly angry at the company’s total lack of communication – aside from the signup page (which still has yet to send any sort of verification) and a short sentence in a PR message, there’s no official word from the company at all. Device Info
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| Schmidt: Android already beating iPhone, Google TV on most TVs in 2012 Posted: 08 Dec 2011 06:53 AM PST Google chairman Eric Schmidt was on-hand at the LeWeb conference in (where else?) Paris, giving a pseudo state of the company report for Google’s various properties. Highlights include the bold statement that Android is already beating iOS in most important metrics, and that Google TV would be on a majority of televisions by next summer. What?
Yes, that’s what he said: “"By the summer of 2012, the majority of the televisions you see in stores will have Google TV embedded in it.” A bold statement, especially considering that Google TV has mostly been seen as a failure. Logitech, one of only two manufacturers to support the Android-based system, abandoned its only Google TV device after a combined loss of $100 million. Sony seems committed enough, and LG may join them early next year, but there’s been no indication that Google TV is anywhere near mass adoption. Even after an upgrade to Honeycomb, there just doesn’t seem to be any measurable level of excitement for Google TV. Is Schmidt just being brash, as he’s been known to, or does he know something he’s not telling? You can watch the entire video for yourself below. It’s a whopping 56 minutes long, so grab a bag of popcorn and get your corporate rhetoric on! Speaking on Android versus iOS, Schmidt said, “Android is ahead of the iPhone now… [there's more] unit volume, price is lower, more vendors, it's free." That claim is at least quantifiable. Most metrics show Android smartphone market penetration at around 42-46%, with Apple trailing behind at around 22-28%. Some markets have even higher Android numbers, like the UK and China. [via SlashGear] )
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| Verizon and Redbox team up for movie streaming Posted: 07 Dec 2011 09:25 PM PST It seems Verizon is planning a joint venture with Redbox to offer movie streaming and TV shows through Android, Google TV, Xbox, and iOS. It's assumed the service will be much like that of Netflix, but with a slight twist on how users will purchase content. If you've ever traveled to your local gas station and picked up a Redbox rental, then you would know they only charge a dollar per rental. The catch is, if you don't return the item before the same time the following day – you're slapped with a late fee.
The way this new service may work, termed "Project Zoetrope" for now, is you'll pay for credits prior to purchase, and then use those credits to attain your desired content. My guess is, you'll spend a credit on a streamable rental, and then have access to it for the next 24 hours. Below is a device compatibility chart that seems to confirm platforms and services offered. The most interesting feature, that Netflix doesn't offer, is Live TV. It doesn't seem like this project will launch with it, but definitely suggests it as a future possiblity.
It's still too early to tell when we may see the actual app, or even if it will be exclusive to Verizon Wireless customers. Hopefully not, because limiting such a service will drastically minimize subscribers. I also don't see the app as a feature worth jumping carriers for, especially when Netflix streams HD video to my devices already. [via Phandroid] )
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| Instagram is coming to Android Posted: 07 Dec 2011 08:05 PM PST Many of us rely on our smartphone as the "go to" camera for anything, so it's important to have the best effects and filters at our fingertips. Instagram does such a thing perfectly, but has solely been available for iOS for quite some time. Chief Executive Kevin Systrom of Instagram has just announced that an Android version of his applicaiton is on the way.
We had heard such a rumor back in 2010, but it never came to be. Hopefully now that they have two dedicated developers working on the port to Android, we'll see it soon. It's extremely popular on the iPhone, and with 50 million users worldwide I'm sure the trend with continue on Android. The application is free on iOS, and will remain free once ported to Android. Since it's such a popular and widely used application, a few advertisements here and there greatly support their development. With as popular and quickly Android has grown, it seems logical to expand and take advantage of an extremely large, new audience. [via SlashGear] )
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| OnLive now available for Android and iOS tablets and smartphones Posted: 07 Dec 2011 07:38 PM PST The way OnLive actually works is it streams gaming content straight from their cloud to your PC – and now that their application is compatible with Android and iOS they're about to completely change gaming expectations. Whenever we think about playing a video game on our smartphone or tablet, there are certain expectations and limitations we are aware of. For instance, installation of the typical Android game takes around 10 minutes or so over a 3G network connection. Though many games out there push our tablet's to their limits, most still can't even compare to many console titles currently out. With OnLive, you can stream any of their popular games straight to your device with no need to download software or a powerful graphics engine. It works just like streaming a YouTube video or a song from Spotify.
Some titles they currently offer include Assassin's Creed Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, and and Lord of the Rings: War of the North. Playing these games over such portable devices almost seems impossible, and OnLive's release will soon make it a normal feat. Of course, you may want to make sure you have a solid Internet connection before buying into their technology – because with spotty reception it's not worth it. The OnLive controller is now compatible with tablets, so it will be easy to play these games practically anywhere – from your couch at home to inside your local Starbucks. Even better, the application offers on-screen controls as well. The real task now is to beef up their gaming library; 25 titles is nice, but growth is essential to their success. Even adding some popular MMO's (Massive Multiplayer Online) like World of Warcraft would really put a spike in their sales. Such games usually require a large amount of disk space and would greatly benefit from OnLive's cloud access and portability. [via OnLive] )
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| Posted: 07 Dec 2011 06:18 PM PST Say hello to the next generation of Android tablets — that would be quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 tablets to be exact. With 2011 dominated by the Tegra 2 we expect 2012 to be similar. Ahead of the pack comes ASUS with the worlds first quad-core slate, the Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Being similar to many other tablets around can the Prime boost ahead of the pack and make a name for itself, or will it just be another in the flood of Android tablets? With good looks, a fancy radial spun aluminum design and that ultra-powerful processor we think it will hold its own just fine. Read on below for all the details, video, and pictures you can handle.
Hardware Now the magic here isn’t just that ultra-powerful processor but also in the optional keyboard dock — making this a full out portable computing solution similar to a laptop. Just like the original Transformer this is not a necessity, but is an awesome addition that would be amazing for anyone — especially students.
The keyboard dock isn’t included or needed to enjoy this slate, but it will give you a wide array of options not to mention extend the battery life from 10-12 all the way to 18 hours of continuous usage. We’ll cover more on the keyboard below and right now will continue with the tablet hardware. We were lucky enough to get the purple model (Amethyst Grey), and the Prime also comes in a Champagne Gold for those not in touch with their feminine side. Right now nothing is faster or hotter than the Prime (the Fire doesn’t hold a candle to this), and we have been giving it a spin for a few days and have thoroughly enjoyed it. With a quad-core processor capable of speeds reaching 1.4 GHz, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage (64GB available) and a decent 8 megapixel camera around back this has everything you’d ever need from a tablet and more. Here is a quick gallery of a few pictures then you can see plenty more in the full gallery below.    The front is dominated by a flat surface of Gorilla glass and the bezel is a bit large but we can live with that. The back is a solid piece of brushed, radial spun aluminum that looks and feels great and is very sturdy. Sadly it does scratch easy, is a fingerprint magnet, and always feels a bit cold to touch but I’m not complaining because I’ll take it over cheap plastic any day of the week. One important thing is we now only have one speaker rather than the two stereo outputs like most tablets. It is also located exactly where almost all users will place their palm while holding the device, especially while gaming. Sound was very muffled and I wish they could have found a better location, but it’s not that bad. I am happy however with the location of the volume rocker and the power button. Most tablets including the original Transformer they are next to each other. I’ve always hit the wrong one on accident and it gets a bit frustrating. The Prime’s power/wake button is nicely placed on the top left of the device away from the rocker. It could be quite a bit bigger if you ask me — I missed it more often than not. Keyboard Dock
The keyboard is the same aluminum design and feels great and very sturdy. It will run you $149 but is definitely worth it, especially for students or anyone wanting to get some serious work done on this beast. The aluminum design comes from their ultrabook line and the keyboard makes it as close to one as you’ll get. the chicklet style keyboard is extremely easy to type on — even if it’s a bit small being only 10″. The touchpad is extremely useful, accurate and sensitive and I’d almost go as far as to say it could use an option to lower sensitivity. With dedicated home and search buttons for Android, music controls, screen capture, and more the keyboard gives you everything you’d need and more right at your fingertips.
Instead of explaining I’ll just let you watch my quick hands-on video with the tablet and keyboard dock. As well as our good friend Chris Burns giving it a glance too. ASUS Transformer Prime and keyboard hands-on For those wondering the dock has a few little rubber bumpers to protect the aluminum finish as well as the tablets glass from injuring each other so that isn’t a worry. The two together might not be the easiest to open but after spending a few days with it I’ve learned to quickly slide a fingernail in and turn it sideways to easily open the slate, but a little notch somewhere would have been nice. The trackpad is easy to disable for those wondering that also. While typing I accidentally slid it around and opened a few things and lost my place during typing but a quick toggle and you’re good to go. To sum things up with the tablet and keyboard in terms of hardware — they are everything you’d expect from a $499 premium tablet device. The additional $149 for the keyboard is an excellent option for those who need it and I’d highly recommend you pick both up. Software
There is absolutely zero bloatware with the Transformer Prime other than a few ASUS apps such as their online backup service. Obviously this being the first NVIDIA Tegra 3 device NVIDIA was nice enough to load up a few awesome games you can expect to hit the market soon. Shadowgun and a few others are already available but we have exclusive Tegra 3 optimized versions and will be showing you them all on video over the next few days. Stay tuned because you’ll want to see the absolutely stunning visuals from Bladeslinger later in this review. Not everyone that buys this tablet will be getting the included keyboard dock, in fact most probably wont so I wont focus all of my attention on that. Using this as a tablet its everything you’d want and then some. The added power of the quad-core makes Honeycomb even faster, games look better and more immersive, and keeps this tablets future bright with Ice Cream Sandwich and whatever else lays ahead. Performance and Benchmarks I wont break all the benchmarks down too much because we have plenty of them. We also did an in-depth comparison of the original Transformer vs Prime vs iPad 2. That link will break everything down completely and is a must read for those benchmark fans. Below is AnTuTu since it seems to be most accurate with showing the real world performance across all the processing power inside this aluminum device so I’ll show that and the rest are available from the full gallery.
    Performance for most games was already exceptionally great with NVIDIA Tegra 2 tablets and we’ve never experience so much as a slowdown or lag with most popular games so there wasn’t an easy way to compare with the Prime. Although seeing the enhancements to Shadowgun and others thanks to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 should be plenty of proof for all you readers. I’ll get into all those games soon but for now we have another video demo showing an incredible upcoming game called Bladeslinger. This is basically Shadowgun meets Infinity Blade meets Half-Life 2. You are a Bladeslinger that has a huge machete attached to a revolver and I wont explain much and instead let you see the video. The graphics are truly incredible and this was just a quick demo of a pre-production version of the game. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for all of us Tegra 3 tablet owners. Bladeslinger on the ASUS Prime and NVIDIA Tegra 3
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ASUS equipped the Prime with an extra special 8 megapixel camera around back with LED flash and f/2.4 shutter capability. While lugging around a 10″ camera never really appealed to me I was able to snap some great photos with the Prime. The auto focus was slow at times and would get a little confused and stutter for a moment but for the most part was very quick and took excellent shots. Below is a picture taken with the ASUS Transformer Prime of its new keyboard dock just for an idea of how good the image quality can actually be, especially in a medium lit room. More photo examples are also in the full gallery below
Battery Life
The short version here being the cores only charge up and consume battery life as they are needed and shut down when they are not. Small tasks such as viewing photos or browsing the web and market are powered by the fifth companion core seen above. So technically this has five cores, not four. This is nothing new though. In our battery tests running the Prime non-stop it achieved a little over 10 hours of continuous use before running out of juice. Using the additional battery inside the keyboard dock the Transformer Prime played back movie continuous for almost 17 hours straight. That is mighty impressive and I was very pleased with my results.
Now most users wont play even 8 hours straight so while that is nice to know, it isn’t an ideal test. Instead I used the device off and on for more than a few days with a single full charge. I played over 2 hours of Shadowgun, browsed the web, updated all my applications, ran a few benchmarks and went to bed. Then enjoyed the tablet plenty throughout the next morning. The image above is about what I’ve achieved using the slate off and on as a normal user would, and that is just the tablet with no keyboard dock. It’s safe to say that most will be able to enjoy well over 30 hours and more off a single charge while using this tablet. That was set to “normal” mode which will use the most power and battery possible. Setting the Prime on power save mode I’m sure it would last far longer. Wrap-Up Pick your poison The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has by far been my absolute favorite tablet for a long time, and the 8.9″ brother has a special place in my gadget bag too — but the ASUS Transformer Prime has stole the top spot, that is for sure. Android tablets have been making a huge surge lately and the winning combination will be the Prime, NVIDIA Tegra 3, and Ice Cream Sandwich. This is the next step in Android’s tablet future and I’m extremely excited to be able to enjoy it. We’ve already seen a glimpse of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Prime and when that officially comes things will only get better. You may or may not want the fancy keyboard dock and that really doesn’t matter. Whether you choose to add that awesome accessory to the Prime or not you’ll still have one of the absolute best, fastest, prettiest, thinnest, and most powerful tablets available on the market. So what are you waiting for? This is not the end of our review either because I’ll be showing you more hands-on with all the amazing Tegra 3 games over the coming days. In the meantime you’ll have to enjoy the videos above and all the images below in the full sized gallery. If you haven’t reserved your Prime yet, you probably should.                                             Device Info
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| Lenovo commits to Android tablets after Dell abandons the Streak Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:58 PM PST OK, Dell Streak fans, this is your chance to speak up. No one? OK. After Dell stopped selling the Streak 7 tablet, essentially giving up on the Android tablet scene in America, many believe that it’s preparing to transition to Windows tablets. A new 10-inch Windows 7 slate is already coming, and Windows 8 tablets should be available in late 2012 or 2013. Dell didn’t confirm any definite plans. But either way, Lenovo appears ready and willing to become the PC manufacturer with the greatest presence in the Android tablet world.
“Our tablet strategy today is an Android operating system,” said a North American Lenovo executive in an interview with CRN, backing up the evidence of recent leaks. Lenovo’s S-series tablets and an upcoming quad-core monster labelled the LePad K2 are poised to launch in the first half of 2012, giving Lenovo one of the widest Android tablet lines this side of Samsung. It will also be one of just two PC manufacturers with a solid Android ARM-based tablet presence, sharing the stage with Acer. Dell isn’t necessarily out of the game – there’s no confirmation that they’re done with Android. But given the vicious competition in the tablet space overall, it could be that the company is just looking to focus on its more traditional strength, a la HP. Dell still has some pretty strong showings for Android smartphones, though they only seem interested in the Chinese market at the moment. Is anyone really broken up about Dell’s probable exit from mobile tablets? Sound off in the comments. )
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| Holier than thou: Pope Benedict lights Christmas tree with Android tablet Posted: 07 Dec 2011 05:15 PM PST The Lord hath spoken: “What iPad?” MSNBC reports that at a tree lighting ceremony in a small Italian town, Pope Benedict XVI used a Sony Android tablet to remotely activate the lights on a huge electronic display. The Pope himself was in his apartments at the Vatican, and a remote trigger was rigged up for the special occasion. He greeted crowds gathered at the event via teleconferencing.
The tablet in question is absolutely the Sony Tablet S, the company’s flagship slate. The lights in question were placed on a mountainside overlooking the town of Gubbio. MSNBC reports shock and surprise at the fact that His Holiness wasn’t using an iPad, but as Android Community readers know, Droid Does what iOS can’t. And after all, when comparing Apple and Google, which one has “don’t be evil” built right into their motto? I rest my case. This opens up all sorts of religious opportunities for Android expansion. American megachurches could probably afford pews full of Nook Tablets loaded up with KJV, NIV and all sorts of alphabetically inclined Bible translations. Sliding the Torah across a Galaxy Tab screen would be a whole lot easier than unrolling those scrolls every time. And when all else fails, there’s the old standby of sitting in the back row and playing with your smartphone until either the service ends or the priest falls asleep. Not that I’d know anything about that. )
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| Google Goggles updates with continuous tracking and other goodies Posted: 07 Dec 2011 04:49 PM PST Google Goggles, the self-referential app for scanning just about anything, sees its latest major release today. The official Google Mobile blog has all the saucy details on version 1.7. The big new feature is continuous scanning, i.e., getting your barcode or QR code results instantly without taking a photo first. It’s essentially extracting the relevant information straight out of a video feed from your smartphone’s camera sensor – neat.
Also included is a richer text recognition feature. You can now instantly search a big clump of text, say a magazine article snippit, and find an online version to easily share a link. I imagine it could be very useful for students, saving just relevant parts of a textbook like a formula or short biography and leaving the heavy dead tree format in the drawer. Nothing groundbreaking, but incremental updates are always welcome. User-supplied results will also be getting more emphasis when searching via Goggles. Combine this with a slightly updated UI (along the lines of the latest Google+ app revision) and you’ve got a nice housecleaning update. Goggles is still one of the most versatile scanning apps in the Market, if not the fastest; well worth your download if you need surprisingly accurate text scanning and barcode reading to boot. Download it in the Android Market now. )
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| Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus LTE battery appears with 2100mAh of juice Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:56 PM PST LTE speeds are fantastic. So is LTE power drain, in a purely technical sense of the word. Verizon’s LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus is already a hair bigger than its HSPA+ brother to accommodate a slightly larger 1850mAh battery, or at least it will be, if the company ever deems the phone fit for release to us mere mortals. But Samsung aims to extends its battery life even further with a plus-sized 2100mAh battery and a slightly larger cover.
Samsung has already shown an extended battery for the HSPA+ version of the Galaxy Nexus, which gets included with the hardware in its home country of South Korea. The two extended batteries aren’t identical, but they’re very similar. The snapshot above was taken by a customer who purchased the extended battery at a Verizon store or reseller. The price is $49.99, which might not justify a couple of hours of extra runtime, but would be a decent upgrade if you were planning to get multiple batteries anyway. Galaxy Nexus to DROID RAZR: “Stick that in your MicroUSB port and smoke it.” The 250mAh boost doesn’t hold a candle to the 2750 mAh extended battery for the HTC Rezound, which appears to be designed with a natural disaster in mind. Once the battery finally runs down, you can use the extra bulk for shelter. And no, there’s still no confirmation from Verizon on any sort of date for the phone itself, because they hate you and don’t want your money. Device Info
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[via Android Central forums] )
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| Verizon Wireless data outages have a bad sense of timing Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:11 PM PST Among the Android audience, Verizon has been something of a punching bag over their mishandling of the Galaxy Nexus launch. Now reports are coming in form all over the US that the wireless carrier’s data is down, centering in the Midwest. The outage is affecting 4G LTE and 3G services. There is no word on when it might be repaired, though Verizon assures its customers that a fix is incoming.
It’s a pretty lousy time for Verizon to have a major outage. Not 24 hours ago, Consumer Reports lauded Verizon as Americans’ choice for the most reliable carrier, notably placing its biggest competitor AT&T at the very bottom of the short list. Now instead of capitalizing on some free publicity from a trusted source, they’re playing damage control and scrambling to get service back to millions of unhappy customers. Verizon’s wireless data isn’t out of service everywhere – this very story is being written from the secret Android Community bunker miles beneath North Texas, using a Verizon 3G connection that seems to be intact. While assurances that people are working on the problem are good, no communication as to the time for a fix isn’t. And given Verizon’s reputation as one of the most expensive options for wireless service, they’d best get all their ducks in a row sooner rather than later. )
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| Samsung product page for Galaxy Tab 7.7 is live Posted: 07 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST We saw the awesome Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 back at IFA and it was first unveiled in September. Details on this pretty tablet being the first of its kind to rock a Super AMOLED HD panel from Samsung have been a bit thin since it was first announced. The device in all its glory can now be seen in full at the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 product page.
While the product page has details, specs, and pictures there isn’t really anything new that we didn’t already know. And, if you’d like to see some hands-on video we have that too. This 7.7″ 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED HD packing tablet sure will be a pretty device to look at. It’s powered by a dual-core 1.4 GHz processor and will double as a phone if you’d really throw something that large up against the side of your face. Shortly after being shown off at IFA it quickly was pulled from all advertisement and display models were removed while the event was still ongoing. Many thought this was over the Apple vs Samsung lawsuits but we’ve never really got a clear reply regarding that. Either way the device has slowly started appearing again and was recently spotted at the FCC, and pre-orders are appearing online. Hopefully Samsung will give us more information soon regarding this tablet, or we may just have to wait and see more of this beauty at CES 2012 coming up here shortly. Either way stay tuned and in the meantime enjoy this Galaxy Tab 7.7 vs Galaxy Note vs Galaxy S II video below — just for fun. Device Info
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[via Samsung, via oled-display] )
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| Facebook App overhaul brings faster performance, better UI, ICS support and more Posted: 07 Dec 2011 12:47 PM PST Today Facebook will be pushing a much needed update for their Android application. It is currently not available yet but should hit the Android Market sometime today according to the official Facebook Blog. They are calling it a faster Facebook for Android and it has tons of new features, improvements to the UI, faster performance, and that all important support for ICS (since the menu button has been missing for Nexi users). Check out these renders on the Galaxy Nexus and the full details below.
Apparently this update is all about speed, something that has been needing some attention for some time in the world of Android and Facebook. The UI has some awesome changes and the screenshots above only show us a small glance. A huge part of Facebook is photos and that part of the application has received a huge overhaul too. Photos and albums are said to be around two times faster than their current app. With photo sharing, comment viewing, and caption editing all seeing major improvements. Messages and notifications have now been moved to the top of the display. Respond to friends and more all without leaving the current page you are on. Having notifications on the top as well as the menu button up there as well should make things easy, simple, visible, and extremely fast for users. A lot of these changes are similar to the desktop version and it’s nice to finally see Facebook making some huge improvements for Android. It is not available yet but should be pushed to the market later tonight for download. I’ll be hanging out at Google+ personally.    [via Facebook Blog] )
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