Android Community |
- Sensics 3D SmartGoggles concept brings Android on board
- OG Motorola DROID gets an Ice Cream Sandwich port
- Samsung’s Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos do the SIM card two-step
- WiFi QR Share lets visitors scan to access your home LAN
- German court tells Apple to cool it, Galaxy Tab 10.1N injunction unlikely
- Dev shows you how to block Nook Tablet OTA updates
- Dell confirms no ICS for Streak 7 while Streak 5 gets Gingerbread
- Motorola DROID 4 launch date pushed until February 2, 2012
- MIUI on Galaxy Nexus LTE currently in the works, almost fully functional
- HTC EVO View Honeycomb update now available
- Hasbro sues Asus over Transformer Prime name
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus (LTE) Review
- Samsung designers reveal the inspiration behind the Galaxy Nexus
- Sony Ericsson LT28at 4G LTE 4.55″ 720p phone leaked with 13 megapixel camera
- Verizon claims Galaxy Nexus LTE signal is fine, update still coming to change meter
- Swype Beta updated with Dragon Dictation for voice and support for 50+ languages
| Sensics 3D SmartGoggles concept brings Android on board Posted: 22 Dec 2011 09:55 AM PST Head-mounted displays haven’t quite caught on yet, but they’re sure to be the breakthough product of
“Goggles” might not be the best name for the device, not when a word like “helmet” is available. The creators are claiming full 3D capability (probably using a lenticular display like the Nintendo 3DS) and 360 degrees of visibility, probably incorporating some kind of motion sensor. While the concept is clearly aimed at gaming, there’s no mention of partners or titles. An indeterminate version of Android opens a lot of possibilities on that front, and the PR claims that the SmartGoggles can be used with outside video sources from phones, tablets, game consoles, computers and other devices. How exactly do you control them? Check out the CG-tastic teaser video below: Sensics isn’t the only one looking to expand Android into the wearable technology field. Rumors of an honest -to-goodness HUD glasses system from deep within the Google X development team broke last week. Though not much is known about the device, we hear that though it runs Android independently – no external device is required. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is said to be working closely on the “Google Goggles”. Sensics will be attending CES, as will Android Community, so we’ll be sure to track them down and see if we can get some hands-on time with a real product. )
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| OG Motorola DROID gets an Ice Cream Sandwich port Posted: 22 Dec 2011 09:21 AM PST
Before you flash, consider the full meaning of the term “pre-alpha”. The build is based on the open source code from CyanogenMod 9, but large portions of the phone’s core functionality still aren’t working. Performance is generally slow, and things like the camera and elements of the UI are not working. But considering how much effort has been put in, this “kang” shows promise – the DROID may never run Ice Cream Sandwich as fast or smooth as the Galaxy Nexus, but it could certainly hold its own eventually. As usual, and especially with experimental ROMs like this, make sure your current system is backed up before flashing. Considering that most of the early buyers of Verizon’s DROID are now eligible for a two-year update, you might just want to save up for the Galaxy Nexus, or wait for an Ice Cream Sandwich phone that emulates the DROID’s sliding QWERTY format. Something similar may be revealed at the upcoming CES or Mobile World Congress shows. [via Talk Android] )
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| Samsung’s Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos do the SIM card two-step Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:34 AM PST Samsung’s expanding universe of Galaxy-branded phones now includes two new satellites: the Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos. The Galaxy Y variants are the first of Samsung’s new “Dous” line. The slate and QWERTY form factors are nothing to write home about, but the insides conceal a surprise: support for dual SIM cards. Otherwise, you get a pair of budget Android phones with GSM radios tuned to international GSM standards.
Both phones run 2.3 Gingerbread with 3-megapixel rear cameras and VGA front-facing cams. The Galaxy Y Duos uses a 3.14-inch LCD screen as its only input aside from Samsung’s standard navigation buttons, while the Galaxy Y Pro Duos shrinks the screen down to 2.6 inches and crams in a full hardware keyboard. Both screens are a disappointing 320 x 240, but at such a small size that’s not a deal-breaker. Samsung’s TouchWiz adorns the interface. The new dual-SIM phones get 4GB of built-in storage each, with a free 2GB MicroSD card thrown in for good measure. The standard model has a 1300 mAh battery while the Pro gets a slightly expanded 1350 version. These aren’t exactly gunning for the superphone crowd, but they should make solid budget phones. If you frequently travel internationally and swap out SIM cards for local use, the flexible hardware could come in handy. The Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos should become available everywhere except the United States starting in January. Prices were not provided. )
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| WiFi QR Share lets visitors scan to access your home LAN Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:06 AM PST
Because the app requires access to some fairly sensitive password data, you must be a rooted user in order to take full effect. Non-rooted users can only send the SSID of the network. On the plus side, the app has access to all the wireless networks that your smartphone or tablet remembers, which in most cases is also all the networks associated with your Google account. You do not actually need to be connected to any WiFi network in order to share it – the app generates the code without using any Internet connection. Once it’s transferred the data, the visitor can simply copy and paste the password when he or she connects. WiFi QR Share is now in its first release, and so far has near universal acclaim in the Reviews section of the Android Market. If you want to disseminate the code even faster, you can email it directly to others, or just email it to yourself, print it out and let visitors scan the paper. Free Internet: it’s a better party favor than fruitcake. )
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| German court tells Apple to cool it, Galaxy Tab 10.1N injunction unlikely Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:37 AM PST When Apple’s patent case against Samsung in Germany led to a total sales injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung released a revised version named the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. The updated hardware altered the design and branding of the tablet in order to avoid violating Apple’s design patents, most notably with a set of front-facing speakers that flanked the screen. Apparently it wasn’t good enough for Apple, and continuing in their worldwide crusade against all things Android they petitioned the court for yet another sales injunction in November. Reuters reports that the judge in the case has indicated that the updated hardware is sufficiency dissimilar to the iPad, and Apple’s design patents are not being infringed.
The ruling isn’t final yet, but it’s hard to imagine what kind of extra evidence Apple could show to change the judge’s opinion. The honorable Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann has scheduled her final ruling for February 9th of next year. This ruling doesn’t change the injunction against the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, which is still in effect in Germany. Apple successfully sued and won a ban on the same model in Australia, but the decision was overturned on appeal, and the tablet is on sale once again. Apple’s attempts to ban Samsung tablets and phones in the US has been unsuccessful so far. The primary changes in the 10.1N model are a reworked edge with visible front speakers and the SAMSUNG logo on the bottom portion of the bezel. That appears to be just enough differentiation for Germany, but not for Apple, who would prefer gigantic bezels, thicker profiles, non-rectangular shapes and a “cluttered” appearance. The company was forced to outline its parameters for a device that would not violate its patents in the US case, and the requirements were just shy of insane. Apple continues its patent war against multiple Android manufacturers – the latest victory is a software patent against HTC at the US International Trade Commission. [via SlashGear] )
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| Dev shows you how to block Nook Tablet OTA updates Posted: 22 Dec 2011 05:07 AM PST If you have, a B&N Nook Tablet that you have some custom stuff on and you don't want to have to worry that an OTA update will come along and ruin your set up, check this out. A developer going by Indirect on the XDA-Developers forums has devised a way to block those OTA updates. The coolest part is that while it blocks the updates, you can still access B&N servers to buy books.
The geek behind the scenes of the hack says that it turns off FOTA by modifying the device manager. To start out you have to download the needed files and then unzip them via the link on the XDA-forum post. Once downloaded they need to be put into a folder called TitaniumBackup on the SD card. Obviously, you will need TitaniumBackup to get this done. Once the files are in the folder, launch TitaniumBackup and restore DeviceManagerService 2.3.4. the OTA updates will then be blocked so you can tweak all you want without worrying your hard work will be lost to an unwanted update. You can verify the update be checking settings-about my nook-version number. That version number should be 9.9.9. )
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| Dell confirms no ICS for Streak 7 while Streak 5 gets Gingerbread Posted: 22 Dec 2011 03:48 AM PST If you are a user of the Dell Streak 5 tablet, you will like that a new update is available for you. Dell released the official update to Gingerbread for the Streak 5 tablet this week. The official Gingerbread ROM is available for the tablet right now and it is a 155MB update. Apparently you need to have stock recovery version 350 installed on the tablet.
The update is available free on the Dell site right now. StreakSmart reports that a change guide should be coming shortly. While the Streak 5 is getting its official update to Gingerbread, owners of the Streak 7 hoping for some ICS love on their tablets will be disappointed. Dell has officially confirmed that there will be no ICS update offered. The question was asked on the DellCares twitter account and along with the answer was a link to the DJ_Steve video showing ICS running unofficially on the Streak 7. Dell discontinued the Streak 7 earlier this month so no official update to ICS isn't much of a surprise for most of us. [via SlashGear] )
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| Motorola DROID 4 launch date pushed until February 2, 2012 Posted: 21 Dec 2011 09:25 PM PST To be honest, this shouldn’t be a surprise. The Galaxy Nexus was postponed for more than a month, and we all figured the Motorola DROID 4 wouldn’t see a pre-holiday release 3 days before Christmas. It was rumored we may see the device tomorrow, but evidence was still thin. Now we have some concrete info from a Verizon document stating a February 2, 2012 launch date.
It’s much better that the device has been pushed a few months, rather than every couple of days like the recent Galaxy Nexus LTE. This way, consumers that need a phone in the very near future should count on the DROID 4 as a possible candidate. I’m sure many OG DROID owners that are now eligible for a 2-year upgrade are furious, and may be forced to wait it out. QWERTY lovers are hard to convert. The DROID 4 will most definitely ship with Android 4.0 by February, and if it doesn’t then remember to call me out on it. Like all information found through leaked documents or emails, they are subject to change. It could see store shelves earlier than predicted, but in the end – Verizon should take all the time they need to iron out all of the bugs. There is nothing worse than hyping up a device, just to find out there’s something wrong with it a few days later. [via Phandroid] )
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| MIUI on Galaxy Nexus LTE currently in the works, almost fully functional Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:59 PM PST Well that was quick. Developer DroidVicious over at RootzWiki has almost ported his ViciousMIUI ROM over from the Thunderbolt to the Galaxy Nexus LTE. Before even a day had passed, he had calls, call audio, and data all working perfectly. The only feature currently broken and acting buggy is WiFI and the softkeys. Though we’ll have to wait for a WiFi fix from him directly, we can mend the softkey problem by downloading Soft Keys from the Android Market.
Over on the thread, there is also a second flashable .ZIP that will temporarily fix the softkey issue – so take your pick. I’ll have some screenshots of the ROM our community Forums as soon as WiFi is fixed later tonight. My Galaxy Nexus has been plagued with some pretty significant signal issues, regardless of what Verizon previously stated. Also, do note that DroidVicious used AOSP 4.0.3 as the base for this port, so it will likely be up to date as soon as those running stock ROMs are pushed 4.0.3 officially. Users are reporting it working great, but with a very noticeable battery drain. To be honest, my Galaxy Nexus drains quickly anyways so I will probably not notice the difference. Using MIUI on my previous devices had been an excellent experience, and paired with the Galaxy Nexus I could’t imagine it getting any better. Who knows, maybe upgrading to the 4.0.3 based AOSP ROM will cure the signal issues too. [via RootzWiki] )
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| HTC EVO View Honeycomb update now available Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:08 PM PST Though Best Buy recently pulled their HTC Flyer from their online store, the “Now” network’s EVO View 4G – essentially the same device – has an Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) update available for download. It will be pushed to devices tomorrow, but can be easily downloaded and updated today. Honeycomb brings some much needed features to the EVO View 4G, and the most noticeable being the new “Notifications” menu.
Honeycomb is really the bridge from Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Features from both combine to make Google’s new OS, and only the strongest survived. My personal favorite is the new “Recent Applications” menu icon; if would have been a shame if it was left out. EVO View 4G owners won’t look back on their previous OS, as Honeycomb is meant to be much more tablet friendly. For those of you wanting this update right now, navigate through “Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Update > Check Now” on your device; it should start right up. Those of you have gone through with the update, let us know if it requires a data wipe – that could really help out the community when preparing to update. [via Phandroid] )
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| Hasbro sues Asus over Transformer Prime name Posted: 21 Dec 2011 05:51 PM PST There’s no question that Asus knew about the association with a certain mega-popular toy line when they christened their follow up to the original Transformer as the “Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime”. Anyone born before 1990 will remember the Transformers action figures and cartoons, and anyone born after 1990 will recognize the Michael Bay films. Hasbro, the original creator of the transforming toys, didn’t take kindly to Asus’ free bit of nostalgic nomenclature. According to MocoNews, the toy manufacturer is suing the electronics manufacturer over the name, claiming that it could be confused with the series protagonist Optimus Prime.
The idea that a 40-foot fictional robot/truck/BAMF could be confused with a 10-inch Honeycomb tablet is pretty ridiculous. But saying that Asus didn’t know about the geek value of a name like “Transformer Prime” is also pretty ridiculous, and Hasbro might just have a legitimate concern that fans might think it’s somehow sponsoring or associating with the product. Verizon’s DROID line falls into the same camp, but they’ve licensed the name from Star Wars production company Lucasfilm, and even created a Star Wars themed version of the Motorola DROID 2. LG’s in hot water as well if they ever decide to release a phone named the “Optimus Megatron”. Hasbro has given Asus 21 days to respond to the complaint, after which it will pursue a (wait for it) sales injunction. While a judge who knows his or her copyright law to the letter might rule that there’s no crossover between the two products, it’s more than likely that Asus will cough up some licensing dollars to make the problem go away. We’ll keep an eye on the case as it unfolds…. it may be more than meets the eye. [via The Verge] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Nexus (LTE) Review Posted: 21 Dec 2011 05:22 PM PST Well, it’s finally here. Google’s official developer phone for Ice Cream Sandwich has reached American shores with Verizon as its official launch partner, for better or worse. Like the two Nexus phones before it, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will set the bar for Android smartphones over the next year. The only question is, how high will that bar be?
Hardware The build quality on the Galaxy Nexus is at or just above the Galaxy S 2 family, and rightly so, as most of the hardware is quite similar. That is to say, it isn’t the best – the DROID RAZR and HTC Rezound feel like more solid phones – but it’s way above average. Samsung's typical combination of light and sturdy is in full effect. Despite its large screen size, it doesn’t feel excessively bulky or hard to handle, at least in my average-sized hands. And the performance is hard to argue with. The Galaxy Nexus is smoother and faster than any Android phone I’ve ever tested, bar none. A large part of that is the software, since Ice Cream Sandwich was built from the ground up on this phone, and there’s (almost) no extras to degrade the experience. The dual-core 1.2Ghz CPU and 1GB RAM combo is par for the course, and well below the Galaxy S 2 Skyrocket, but I believe that the Nexus has a better graphics processor. Even with a huge resolution and a much more complicated and powerful OS, the Galaxy Nexus is now the gold standard for performance – for experience, if not in actual numbers. While the phone isn’t as big a leap forward as the original Nexus One, it’s in a far more competitive position than the Nexus S last year in terms of raw power.
The Galaxy Nexus continues Samsung’s trend of specialty curved phones, though the degree of that curve is just barely detectable from the front. But the gentle bulge on the back makes it rest in your hand naturally, not unlike the neck on old-school landline phones. The phone’s slim but not emaciated profile is eye-catching without being overly ostentatious, though again, it feels a little light for my tastes. There is one downside: the phone’s huge screen, curvy construction and the slick plastic that ring the display make it extremely slippery. I’ve dropped the phone on more than one occasion, simply because I was using the same level of grip on the smaller DROID X with its soft plastic coating. Be mindful of its tendency to escape you grasp until you’ve become familiar with the bendy shape’s quirks. Many are upset that Google/Samsung didn’t include a MicroSD card slot with the Galaxy Nexus. Speaking as someone who has never gotten close to filling up a 16GB MicroSD card, the 32GB of included storage on the Verizon model is more than enough. What bothers me more is the MTP connection standard inherited from Honeycomb tablets, adding extra time for Windows users and some serious headaches for Apple fans. Lack of MTP support is technically OS X’s fault, but that doesn’t excuse Google from failing to take a large group of users into consideration.
The screen is amazing. Samsung continues to reign supreme with its Super AMOLED panels, and the 720p resolution negates any downside to the Pentile display technology. It’s downright impossible to see where one pixel ends and the other begins. The brightness, black levels and saturation are amazing, without sacrificing outdoor performance. I think 720p resolution is overkill at this size and qHD would have been just fine, but that doesn’t negate that I just love using the screen. At this moment, it’s simply the best visual experience on any smartphone. Software Ice Cream Sandwich combines the best of Gingerbread and Honeycomb with a level of polish that’s stunning to use. The subtle enhancements found in Gingerbread are expanded and refined, making for an Android smartphone experience that’s far beyond anything else available at retail. If you love Android, you want Ice Cream Sandwich – it’s just a matter of whether you’re willing (or forced by contract) to wait for it to arrive on your own device, or want to upgrade now.
The core UI is a radical shift for those who haven’t used a Honeycomb tablet, but the design of the tiles, colors and animations make for a more, well, human experience. Even after installing my 30-odd standard apps, it’s fast and smooth, despite a low Quadrant score that we’re chocking up to a ton of new, demanding OS changes. The browser deserves particular recognition: the addition of automatic Chrome book mark syncing, a new tab manager and (finally!) desktop and full-screen modes makes the ICS default browser the first one I’ve used more than Dolphin Browser HD in over two years. Most of the changes to Android are great… but not all. Virtual navigation buttons are a logical addition, but removing the search button entirely has seriously messed with my normal usage pattens. One-tap voice search is no longer possible from anywhere, just the launcher and Search apps – a real negative. Honeycomb-style changes, like the more complicated settings menu, aren’t helping. Not every application has been updated, and it shows the flaws in the shiny new veneer. A setting to re-enable standard search and menu buttons would have gone a long way towards fixing that. An iPhone-using friend of mine who upgraded as well couldn’t figure out how to use some basic apps, because too many of the sub-functions are still in a non-obvious long press menu. But for the most part, ICS is an excellent upgrade. The app disable feature, which lets you remove any system app you don’t want without modding (including any Verizon or even Google apps) is awesome, and something that’s been needed for a long time. Built-in data managing is a great idea and one that's very important, thanks to the carriers' insistence on tiered data plans. The upgraded launcher and camera apps stand out, but I could do without the tile interface for contacts – most of mine don’t have pretty photos set up. The voice input is approaching science fiction levels of performance, and it makes real dictation of longer documents and emails possible. Phone and media Video and music performance is stellar, owing a lot to the Galaxy Nexus’ high-end hardware. The speaker is a little quiet, but I managed to get it to an acceptable level using a 3rd party app. Streaming video is great, and a joy to watch on the screen. Playing a 720p Tekzilla podcast in pixel-perfect resolution was nothing short of joyous. There’s no problems with Bluetooth, like some of Samsung’s original Galaxy S phones. I’m not a fan of the MTP connection standard that Google chose for file transfer (and it’s a real pain if you use a Mac) but on the plus side, you can finally access files on the phone storage from the device and your computer at the same time. There’s also some subtle security enhancements that come with the standard.
The 5MP camera is extremely fast, but unfortunately, just not as clear as the GS2 or HTC Amaze 4G camera. It’s nowhere near the level of fidelity that Google promised in the Hong Kong event. The camera isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as we’ve come to expect from high-end phones. It’s a shame and a puzzle that Samsung couldn’t get an 8 megapixel sensor in the phone, no matter what they say. Phone calls, even in a low signal area, are great – as good as any Verizon phone I’ve ever used. I’ve got absolutely no complaints on the voice end of things. But the data coverage is another matter. Speeds are as good as other 3G and 4G Verizon phones, but the coverage, unfortunately, sucks. All of us at Android Community have experiences extremely poor coverage, much poorer than other Verizon phones in the same location.
Signal is low. Handoffs from 4G LTE to 3G CDMA take forever. I’ve often sat and watched my phone take five to ten minutes to complete a data connection after starting up. Based on over a hundred responses to our story on the subject, this is not an isolated issue. But it looks like it’s restricted to Verizon’s LTE version, and perhaps only those phones that have updated to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.2. If the latest software is indeed the problem, it may be fixed very soon, as Google should be able to isolate the problem easily. Battery The battery is the Achilles heel of the Galaxy Nexus. It’s not just bad, it’s awful. I struggle to get six hours of heavy use and ten hours of mostly dormant use out of the phone. I’m getting roughly half the battery I’ve come to expect from high-powered Android phones. According to ICS’ expanded battery manager, a huge amount of this is coming from the OS process itself. Based on some initial research that’s backed up by forum posts all over the Internet, this is being caused by the OS failing to enter a sleep state. Essentially, the processor and RAM are at full power even when the phone’s screen is turned off.
This is not the way Android is supposed to run, and since it’s also happening on Nexus S phones that have installed the official version of Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s almost certainly a flaw that’s been overlooked. It may be fixed with the next timely update, and in fact it probably will, but in the meantime it makes using the phone for any extended period away from a charger a very frustrating experience. Wrap Up The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android device available, hands-down. For power, comfort and flexibility it’s outstanding, and it will be the standard for performance and UI going forward. Unfortunately, critical flaws keep it from being the best Android phone, at least right now. Poor signal and horrible battery life will keep you chained to a charger far more than you’d like.
Given these critical flaws and Verizon’s crazy build up, it’s hard not to feel disappointed. If and when the battery and signal are addressed, the Galaxy Nexus will be absolutely the best all around Android phone on the market… and in our admittedly biased opinion the best phone, period. For the true Android fan with enough disposable income and available Verizon service, there’s simply no other option, but then you didn’t need to read this review to know that. I hope the fixes come sooner rather than later, and make a complete package that turns out to be worth the wait. If and when you pick up a Galaxy Nexus, you’ll probably want some accessories, and definitely want an extended battery. Check out our hands-on video below: Cory Gunther contributed to this review.                                        Device Info
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| Samsung designers reveal the inspiration behind the Galaxy Nexus Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:58 PM PST There’s at least one thing that hardware manufacturers are inspired by: making so much money that they have to sell more phones to make room in the warehouse for a fleet of Bentleys. But the Galaxy Nexus enjoys a design that’s fairly unique, between its curved construction and its deliberately spartan layout. So what was the inspiration behind the shape? If you said “taking a Galaxy S II and bending it like a Pringles chip,” you’d only be half right: according to the company design blog, the curved shape is meant to recall the outline of a floating magnolia flower petal.
Designers TaeJoong Kim and GiYoung Lee extrapolated on the process that went into the hardware design of the Galaxy Nexus. “All the design projects I'm working on take cues from nature,” says Kim. Previous projects in the Galaxy line were designed to look like sports cars, but the subtle curves and flowing lines of the Nexus is meant to imply a more organic origin. The emphasized curve is meant for comfort both when speaking on the phone and “putting the phone in the back pocket of skintight jeans." Material and color can be at least as indicative of a phone’s purpose as its shape. Metallic varnish around the edge is designed to give the phone a classy feel (but presumably not as classy as, you know, actual metal) with a softer plastic for the back cover allowing it to provide a better grip and flexibility for removal. "The Nexus is the result of great teamwork and cooperation," said Lee. "It was great to see different departments work together for the same goal.” [via Android and Me] )
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| Sony Ericsson LT28at 4G LTE 4.55″ 720p phone leaked with 13 megapixel camera Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:24 PM PST It appears that SONY really is going all in with Android because the details of this latest leaked phone sound extremely nice. This 4.55″ 1280 x 720p reality display packing smartphone is headed for AT&T with an awesome display and an equally impressive camera to snap some high quality beautiful photos. Leaked as the LT28at this phone could very well be their next flagship device and seen at CES 2012 coming up shortly. More details and photo samples below.
The image above is a render of the recently leaked more than a few times known as the Nozomi. Its codename is LT26i so seeing LT28at for this latest leak leaves us to believe this new leak will in fact be their next big flagship device while the Nozomi will be the Arc HD. We don’t have a lot of details other than a few highly impressive specs on screen and camera, as well as a few sample photos snapped with that impressive 13 megapixel camera.
We’ll have a 4.55″ 1280 x 720p HD display, AT&T 4G LTE and a whopping 13 megapixel on the back and a 720p HD camera up front. No other details are really available at this time but we’ll take what we can get. Hopefully some pictures of the actual device will be leaked soon but for now at least we get a few image quality samples. I sure hope whoever is pictured doesn’t work for Sony Ericsson because he might just be in trouble now. Below are the photos snapped using the 13 mexapixel camera and for now this is all we get but we’ll be sure to update once we see or hear more.      [via SlashGear] )
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| Verizon claims Galaxy Nexus LTE signal is fine, update still coming to change meter Posted: 21 Dec 2011 02:03 PM PST This is interesting. Verizon has now released what appears to be official statement to the crew over at The Verge basically saying that their new Samsung Galaxy Nexus with 4G LTE has zero signal or service performance issues like many (us included) have reported. They go on to mention it just reports the signal bars different and will change the meter in a future update.
Earlier this week the made a statement on Twitter mentioning they were looking into the issue and would provide a fix. Today they are now saying there isn’t an issue and instead it’s the way the device displays the info. They will still provide an update and the patch “will adjust the signal strength indicator to more closely match other Verizon Wireless devices.” While the possibility of an issue was extremely exaggerated by many I still feel there is a potential issue at hand. Either way this update will be masking what appears to be a weaker signal than other phones, not just what is being displayed. Not all devices or brands will display signal and “bars” the same so that isn’t an accurate way to determine if you have a solid connection or not. Here is the full official statement from Verizon:
What do you guys think? Is there still a problem with the Galaxy Nexus and LTE. I personally think there is some sort of issue that will still probably be addressed in the update and Verizon just isn’t saying so. Here is a quick video I made showing my Galaxy Nexus stuck on 3G sitting next to my XYBOARD 8.2″ tablet with 4G LTE. It constantly has not only more bars, but a better and faster connection. You tell me? What do you guys think? Device Info
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| Swype Beta updated with Dragon Dictation for voice and support for 50+ languages Posted: 21 Dec 2011 12:39 PM PST Swype has just announced another update for their popular keyboard and users taking part in the BETA can enjoy it right now. The last update was back in November and brought a few awesome new features but this newest update is even better. Swype has now add Dragon Dictation for ultimate voice control and TTS (Text to Speech) since being bought by Nuance. They’ve also added support for over 50 languages and more.
Not only has TTS with Dragon Dictation been integrated but you can now download full support for over 50+ languages all from inside the Swype settings menu right to your device for quick and easy convenience. We have a neat little hands-on video showing you just how awesome those finger ninjas from Swype are now that Dragon is on board so check it out below. Here’s the beta changelog: — Added Dragon Dictation as voice-to-text provider The context prediction and language modeling has been given a complete overhaul making it extremely accurate giving an increase of around 40% for accuracy. Now it will learn as you Swype and even display the correct word based on the context of the sentence and more. The video shows this quite clearly with the whole “mosh pit” thing so we’ll leave it at that. Many 3rd party keyboards already have context prediction and have for a long while so it’s good to see Swype ramping up in that department. The new Swype Beta v3.26.92 is available today over at the Swype Beta Forums and all the details and history of past updates is neatly provided via the links below. Get to swpying and enjoy that Dragon Dictation. [via Swype] )
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The original Motorola DROID might be the single most recognized and influential Android phone of them all, due in no small part of Motorola’s anti-iPhone marketing campaign. Millions of DROIDs (and Motorola Milestones, the international variant) are still running around, and ROM flashers who still use their 2009 models were probably a little peeved when the 
With wireless data caps and throttling now an unfortunate reality on many American wireless carriers, WiFi hotspots are once again a necessity even for “mobile” devices. If you’ve got friends and family coming over for the holidays, odds are pretty good that they’d like to borrow your home network for some no-penalty Internet access. To avoid that unfortunate situation where you spend long minutes reciting the amalgamation of letters, numbers and characters you use to secure your WPA2 connection, use 
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