Android Community |
- Android Community Weekly: February 4, 2012
- Costco offering Verizon Galaxy Nexus for $219, extended battery included
- Verizon releases clip on ‘Unified Communications and Collaboration’
- Angry Birds possibly teams up with KISS frontman Gene Simmons
- Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 3, 2012
- Android Community App of the Week: Nova Launcher Beta
- Pre-order a Samsung Galaxy Note from Best Buy, get a free flip cover
- Fujitsu’s Stylistic M350 tablet makes us laugh derisively
- Chinese OEM Xiaomi publishes MIUI open source code
- Reminder: Watch the Super Bowl live with Verizon’s NFL Mobile app
- Google ends full support for CDMA devices, including Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus
- Google Testing prototype Entertainment Device for your house
- Yahoo unveils new app search option for Android
- Madden NFL 12 for Android $0.99 cents for Super Bowl weekend
- Corning’s A Day Made of Glass 2 video shows us the future
- Refurbished XOOM units from Woot contain old user data
| Android Community Weekly: February 4, 2012 Posted: 04 Feb 2012 08:08 AM PST This week in tech news, we see a number of software updates, preparations by companies for the Super Bowl, and even a few official device reviews. Monday, Motorola began to offer a bootloader-unlocked RAZR XT910 ‘Developer Edition’. It is currently available for €499 ($657), but only in Europe for the time being. ClockworkMod Touch by ‘Koush’ was released in Beta form early on this week as well. It has had steady updates throughout the week, and it’s obvious he wants to implement the new features on as many devices with a strong developmental following as possible.
The Samsung Galaxy Note will officially launch on AT&T coming February 19th, and the LTE variant is heading to Rogers sometime later this month too. Samsung is spending a great deal of cash to advertise the device during the Super Bowl, and they’ve even released a nice teaser video of it. Keep your eyes peeled during the game, you all know commercials during the big game are always the best. Are own Michael Crider put a few devices to the test over the past week and a half, and finally has some in-depth reviews of both the LG Spectrum, and Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx. Both are well worthy to purchase, and the Spectrum proved to be quite the upgrade from LG’s former device on Verizon – the Revolution. However, if it’s battery life you’re looking for – the the RAZR Maxx won’t disappoint. Battery life on it was amazing, and seemed to last forever. Those of you interested in modding your device to make it ‘harder, better, faster, stronger’ should definitely try out Franco’s new kernel for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It has proven great battery life and speed on more than one of our devices, so we highly recommend it. And finally, the last bit of news to rehash is Google’s removal of CDMA devices from their official support documentation in AOSP. However, those of you still interested in one can pick it up from Costco for a mere $219 – with an included extended battery too. That’s a $49.99 value, free. The offer is only available until February 7th, so you’ll have to act within that timeframe.
|
| Costco offering Verizon Galaxy Nexus for $219, extended battery included Posted: 03 Feb 2012 10:50 PM PST It’s not too late to snag a Verizon Galaxy Nexus for a great price! Sure its been out for a while, but it’s still one of the best phones available. Costco is offering it for $219.99 with a new 2-year contract, but also throwing in a free 2100mAh extended battery. Seeing as the battery would normally cost $49.99 from Verizon, this is a great deal!
After using my own Galaxy Nexus, the extended battery is almost an essential upgrade. If you squint at this snapshot of their in-store advertisement, you’ll see this deal is only available until February 7th (Tuesday). If you can’t make it to the store but still want to take advantage of this promotional pricing, it’s also available for order from Costco’s website. Sure, Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus isn’t being supported by Google as an official developer device anymore, but it will still receive updates. The GSM variant will nab them quicker, but having 4G LTE embedded within could definitely be worth the tradeoff. They are limiting 5 orders per member, so don’t try over ordering – as it could result in a cancellation. [via Talk Android]
|
| Verizon releases clip on ‘Unified Communications and Collaboration’ Posted: 03 Feb 2012 10:23 PM PST Dubbed Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) by Verizon Wireless, the company has released a video describing how it simplifies a user’s work experience, and prepares them for a more secure future. It’s tough to tell if we’re seeing anything new through this clip, as most of this could be put together prior to it. It seems they’ve only termed wireless unity ‘UCC’.
Cloud based computing and storage, video conferencing, email, and chat have been simultaneously available on countless platforms prior to Verizon’s UCC. Other carriers and companies may have not coined a name for it, but they offer similar, if not the same, services as UCC. The main strength Verizon has going for them is their 4G LTE. With their LTE network, everything gets done faster and more efficiently. That’s why customers flock there, and that’s why they’re satisfied. Sure, it’s nice to know a single company can offer everything you need to successfully run a business, but if you do a little more research – you’ll find out other carriers are just as capable. [via YouTube]
|
| Angry Birds possibly teams up with KISS frontman Gene Simmons Posted: 03 Feb 2012 08:25 PM PST What sounds better than Angry Birds launching through the air to blow up evil green pigs? Launching Angry Birds with painted KISS faces! Alright, it’s not for sure so don’t get too excited – but Gene Simmons, the frontman for KISS, has supposedly spilled the beans about a KISS-Angry Birds partnership.
What could this look like? I mocked up a photo for kicks, but the idea of a KISS themed Angry Birds could very well be possible. Rovio has added countless themes to their popular game, and seems to have no plans in slowing down. Thus in time, there could be a preferred version for us all. I know plenty of KISS fans that would go crazy over the application, but is it worth noting that the group – though iconic – isn’t the most popular band anymore. Then again, Angry Birds always tends to sell out regardless of what theme it’s centered around. We’ll have to wait and see, but I can’t lie – I’d love to see what a Gene Simmon’s angry bird would look like. [via SlashGear]
|
| Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 3, 2012 Posted: 03 Feb 2012 06:51 PM PST After pulling together today’s top stories, you may have missed a terrible incident where refurbished XOOM units from Woot contained previous user data! Apparently, between March to October of 2011, refurbishing companies were apparently wiping the devices improperly. If you have fallen victim to this, Motorola will help pay for a 2 year subscription to Experian to make sure your credit hadn’t been adversely affected.
It pain’s me to bring this up again, but today Google ended full support for CDMA devices. Yes, this even includes ‘Nexus’ branded devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S 4G. The reason many even purchase devices on the Nexus line, is because they assume they’ll receive updates straight from Google – and in a timely manner. Hopefully, this is some sort of error – but not likely. Fortunately, Google will still support CDMA devices – but just not as quickly as their GSM counterparts. We had suggested the Samsung Galaxy S III could be waterproof soon after seeing the technology demonstrated at CES, but it was pure speculation. That rumor has developed among the community, and hopefully finds its way onto the actual device. Liquipel currently charges between $60-80 for a waterproof treatment, so if Samsung were to treat the GSIII – I couldn’t imagine it costing too much. Lastly, DropBox opened up an Android Beta program today. This offers up to 5GB of extra storage on their cloud, and adds even more features to help managing your files. 5GB is great – they’re going to have to do a bit better if they want to compete with Box.net who offers 50GB of storage for Sony or LG devices.
|
| Android Community App of the Week: Nova Launcher Beta Posted: 03 Feb 2012 06:14 PM PST There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to third-party Android launchers, AKA homescreens. But when making the jump to Ice Cream Sandwich (whether through a new device or an updated ROM) all of them seem to leave something to be desired. I’ve tried out all my favorites on my Galaxy Nexus over the last two months, and the one I keep coming back to is Nova Launcher. It’s not that other launcher’s don’t work – it’s that Nova Launcher works better. This modified version of the open-source stock launcher comes from a familiar face: TeslaCoil Software, maker of the popular lock screen replacement Widget Locker.
Nova Launcher isn’t a fancy, flash home screen replacement, it simply adds in all the features that you wish the stock launcher already had. The most obvious of these include a landscape mode option and the ability to manually remove that annoying and persistent search bar at the top of the screen. Other small but extremely welcome adjustments include a scrolling dock bar, allowing up to three “pages” of up to 7 pinned apps or folder each. That’s a great way to keep your homescreens uncluttered. Old custom launcher standbys include defining the number of active screens (between one and seven), setting all widgets to definable widths and heights, changing the number of rows and columns and (a personal favorite) enabling or disabling the text labels beneath shortcuts. Little touche abound, like dragging shortcuts to the top of the screen to uninstall their apps and a backup/restore function. Nova Launcher is designed for smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and won’t work on earlier versions of Android. It will work on ICS tablets, but not all that well.
Nova Launcher is still in free beta, and isn’t yet available on the Android Market. There are two ways to install it: the basic non-Market method, and the rooted method. To get the full functionality you need to move the APK file to your system/app folder with ADB or a file manager. Don’t sweat it if you aren’t rooted, though: the only real difference is that you have to tap “widgets” in the app drawer instead of swiping. Check out the app’s current home, this XDA thread, to download the latest version. By the way, if there’s a feature you want to see, submit or vote for it on the User Voice page.      
|
| Pre-order a Samsung Galaxy Note from Best Buy, get a free flip cover Posted: 03 Feb 2012 05:43 PM PST Plenty of Americans have been patiently waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Note, and assuming they’re OK with AT&T service, they won’t have to wait much longer. The carrier has set February 19th as zero day for the oversized smartphone – but don’t start camping out at your nearest AT&T store just yet. Pre-order the phone through Best Buy, and they’ll give you a free flip cover for your trouble. Considering how large the phone is anyway, you could consider that a blessing or a curse, but if you want to get into the old-school PDA spirit, you’ve got to have a faux leather book-style cover.
Best Buy didn’t elaborate on exactly what brand would be offering the cover, or even publish a photo with their press release. They might not have even ordered the accessory yet. Even so, they’re claiming it as a $29.99 value, and new Note owners get it free when activating the phone while supplies last. You can begin pre-ordering the Galaxy Note this Sunday, February 5th through Best Buy’s website or any retail store, and the on-contract price is the same $299.99 you’ll get directly from AT&T. If you plan on getting it off contract, you should probably look elsewhere: Best Buy has a nasty habit of raising the full retail price by a hundred dollars or more. When it launches, the Samsung Galaxy note will be both the largest and highest-resolution smartphone in the country, and Samsung’s Super AMOLED display technology is the icing on the cake. It’ll also be the first Android smartphone sold with a stylus or “S-pen”, the better to take advantage of the Wacom digitizer built into the screen. High-end specs like a 1.4Ghz processor, 16GB of storage and an 8MP camera round out the package. Author’s note: the above image may or may not look anything like the case that Best Buy is giving away – as stated above, they’ve shown no pictures and given no brand names. That’s a photo of Samsung’s official cover, courtesy of Unbox.ph. Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
 Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
|
| Fujitsu’s Stylistic M350 tablet makes us laugh derisively Posted: 03 Feb 2012 05:18 PM PST Android tablets are getting better, especially if you do a little research before you buy. That said, consider this post all the research you need for Fujitsu’s new tablet bound for Japan. The Stylistic M350 is overpriced, underpowered and underdone – if it were a loaf of bread, it wouldn’t need a few extra minutes in the over ad a swift chuck into the nearest garbage can. What inspires this complete lack of confidence in the new tablet? Read on, Android enthusiasts, and cringe.
At first glance, the Stylistic M350 looks like your basic low-end Android tablet. A 7-inch screen with 1024×600 resolution is’nt anything great, but it isn’t bad either – that the default resolution for a “reader sized” 7-inch tablet. 1GB of RAM is more than you’ll see on similar devices, but a 1Ghz processor is significantly less. Gingerbread runs on board, which is disappointing, but nothing new. It looks like Fujitsu added almost nothing on top of some basic handwriting recognition – even the default Gingerbread background (which isn’t sized right for the screen) is shown off. Fujitsu didn’t even charge up the device fully or remove Android’s telephony apps: you can see an empty cellular signal icon, even though the tablet is limited to WiFi and Bluetooth connections. Forget about Google apps or the Android Market. But the really laughable thing about the “Stylistic M350 Professional Android tablet” is the price: 38,400 yen. If you haven’t been keeping up on your Japanese-American exchange rate, that’s roughly $455. Yup – $455 for a tablet that’s barely better than a no-name model you might find on a Wallgreens shelf in shrink-wrap packaging. If you’re still interested (hint: you shouldn’t be) you can revel in the exciting six hour battery life, 8GB data capacity and MicroSD card slot. [via Notebook Italia]
|
| Chinese OEM Xiaomi publishes MIUI open source code Posted: 03 Feb 2012 04:10 PM PST A lot of you are familiar with MIUI, a family of community-authored custom ROMs that’s popular with modders due to its heavily altered user interface. The project notably became the very first custom ROM to be features on a retail device, namely Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi’s MI-One. Now the company has published the source code for the latest MIUI ROM, including several applications that were previously closed-source. Developers can download the code from Github and compile or kang to your heart’s content.
MIUI is based on code from the Android Open Source Project and CyanogenMod, which publishes its code regularly. The interface takes elements from Android, iOS, WebOS and other sources to create a unique look with features you won’t find anywhere else. The code released by Xiaomi is the latest Gingerbread 2.3.7 build; they may be releasing it in preparation for the Ice Cream Sandwich version, MIUI 4. While the code released today won’t immediately work for other devices (even those phones and tablets supported by the MIUI developers themselves) it’s a great place to start for devs who want to build a modified ROM or port it to an unsupported phone. A lead developer said that more code will be released in the near future. Speaking of MIUI 4, the work on the modified Ice Cream Sandwich ROM is continuing steadily. The updated ROM will first be release for the MI-One, which has sort of become the “Nexus” phone for the family of software, then expanded to the devices supported through the expanded project. Updated builds for all official MIUI ROMs are released every Friday, and supported phones include popular models like the HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, Nexus One and Motorola Milestone (DROID). [via AndroidGuys]
|
| Reminder: Watch the Super Bowl live with Verizon’s NFL Mobile app Posted: 03 Feb 2012 03:30 PM PST The future is now here. Welcome to 2012 where we can enjoy the Super Bowl live right from our Android smartphone. Yes we’ve been able to watch sports, UFC, and other things on Android thanks to Adobe Flash and other means for some time now, but Verizon will be live streaming the entire Super Bowl right to our devices.
Thanks to Verizon and their NFL Mobile app, All users will be able to watch the game in full right from their favorite Android devices — Awesome! We’ve mentioned this before but figured a reminder was due with the big game being in two days and all. All 4G LTE customers get NFL Mobile’s Premium Red Zone service that usually costs a few bucks a month for free, but for the Super Bowl everyone with the app will be able to enjoy the game. It will be the first time that the Super Bowl will be officially streamed to mobile devices, a miracle of licensing negotiation as much as a technical achievement. The BIG game will also be streamed from many other sources and sites including NBC's Sunday Night Football Extra web service, but that requires a subscription. I’m sure there are many other ways you’ll all be watching the big game and we’d love to hear them. For everyone that isn’t on Verizon and doesn’t have NFL Mobile — sorry about that. I wish it was for all Android devices too. We’d love to hear your plans for the Super Bowl, and how you’ll be watching it. Sound off in the comment section below and don’t forget to get the NFL Mobile app from the Market Link below.
|
| Google ends full support for CDMA devices, including Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus Posted: 03 Feb 2012 02:50 PM PST Disturbing news from the official Android developer website: it appears that nearly all reference to CDMA phones and tablets has disappeared from the official documentation. This includes Android source code and factory ROMs for Verizon’s CDMA version of the Galaxy Nexus and Motorola XOOM, as well as the Nexus S 4G. What this implies (and only implies) is that Google is no longer providing official updates for the removed devices, as is generally expected of “developer” hardware. The GSM Nexus S and WiFi-only Motorola XOOM are still present, as are the two initial images for the Galaxy Nexus CDMA/LTE, though these are marked as “archived, for reference only”.
After a fast and frenzied response from angry Nexus owners, Google clarified its position on the Android Contributors Google Groups page. Basically, the company has decided to remove CDMA devices from its official support documentation because the technology and software required to make them function correctly is closed-source. The radios and other APK files for a CDMA device must be digitally signed by a carrier, something that can’t be open-sourced, and therefore isn’t included in the Android Open Source Project. It boils down to this: Google can’t control every aspect of the software, and based on the principles of “Nexus” and developer devices, CDMA devices don’t really qualify. Here’s the official statement in its entirety:
Google will still support the Galaxy Nexus LTE, Nexus S 4G and XOOM CDMA, at least as long as the hardware is compatible with updated versions of Android. But it won’t be with the same direct support that GSM developer devices enjoy. This probably means that updates to the Galaxy Nexus will come through Verizon… just like all the other Android phones out there. Presumably that gives Verizon or any other CDMA carrier the option to either delay or ignore the update. This isn’t an agreeable position for many Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus and XOOM owners, as it sullies the “pure Google experience” that’s expected (if not explicitly promised) from a developer device. The timing is suspect. The removal of CDMA devices comes just a day after AT&T’s reinstatement of Google Wallet on the Android Market. Since Verizon customers can only access Google Wallet via a work-around, whatever tense relationship between the developers and the carrier seems to have been kept to the status quo. This could have been the last straw for Google, or it might be completely unrelated. Neither party seems willing to speak on the subject. The Verge contacted Google on the subject and got this response:
It’s important to note that the three devices in question still have unlockable bootloaders, and that isn’t likely to change. Ever. The Galaxy Nexus LTE, Nexus S 4G and XOOM CDMA are still valid as developer devices, in the sense that you can download Android code, compile it and run it on them without any barriers. Custom ROMs and other mods will not be affected. Even so, the sudden drop in priority support is certain to ruffle the feathers of serious Android enthusiasts, many of whom bought these phones and tablets based on that support alone. We’ll keep you updated on this story as it progresses. Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
|
| Google Testing prototype Entertainment Device for your house Posted: 03 Feb 2012 02:14 PM PST New details have now confirmed that Google is running tests for an experimental prototype device that will bring entertainment and more to your home. Chances are this is what we’ve seen in the past as Android@Home. Apparently around 252 homes are in a trial run this month with the brand new Google Entertainment Device and we are now seeing details of this from the FCC now that it has been approved for testing.
Apparently the filing was input back in December but due to the hush hush nature of the project the details are just now surfacing. The Android@Home hub we saw at Google I/O 2011 is what could be in question here, but it’s too early to tell. The filing suggests that over 250 devices will enter testing at homes across the US. Locations include Los Angeles, Cambridge Massachusetts, and Mountain View New York. The filing also mentions WiFi and Bluetooth as two key functions which makes sense, and is how this has been spotted.
While we don’t know much the FCC filing did contain a small bit of information and the note below was all it had to say. Not a lot, but enough to peak our interest to say the least.
You could also call this Google Home Control, as that was another name being tossed around at Google I/O 2011. We have the video below for your viewing pleasure. Google showed this off briefly with a technology to control various parts of the house. Including lighting, appliances, devices, and more. Check out the video below at around the 43 minute mark to see more. Most likely we’ll be seeing and hearing more about this soon. Possibly not until Google I/O 2012 which is slated for late June this year. Hopefully Google will show us what they have in store, and maybe even release some devices by the end of the year. Stay tuned! Update: This could also be the Google X wearable Android glasses we’ve mentioned in the past.    [via SlashGear]
|
| Yahoo unveils new app search option for Android Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:22 PM PST Yahoo, that search engine you used sometime back in the 90′s is apparently staying with the times and have just added an entirely new option to their search results. Updating and trying to stay relevant they’ve added an “Apps” tab right to their front page for search results. If you had a hard time finding apps before, this could be your solution.
All you really need to know is it will search and help you discover all things Android applications. Although they do support that other main competitor too — although WP7 seems to be missing. The new Apps portal went live this week giving users access to Android and iOS applications in an easy to use and navigate page. Complete with results, reviews, ratings, and even a gallery of large previews and more. Users can browse Yahoo’s suggested apps or search and filter their results by operating system, price, and category to make things simple. The new portal only directs users to the actual Android Market so we don’t really have anything new here, just basically a page that will forward you to the already available market. However, they do add Yahoo reviews in with market reviews to give users a better selection to read from and help decide. Give it a try from the link below and let us know if it’s useful, or pointless. [via Android Central]
|
| Madden NFL 12 for Android $0.99 cents for Super Bowl weekend Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:04 PM PST Who is ready for some football? With the Super Bowl quickly approaching EA has decided to drop the price on what I’d consider the best football game for Android down to just $0.99 cents for the weekend. Making sure many of us are playing football on our Android devices this weekend while preparing for the big game.
To celebrate the end of the season and Super Bowl Sunday EA has dropped the price down from the usual $4.99 to just $0.99 cents for the weekend. If you’re not sure if you should get this game and have been holding out, now would be a good time. Being officially licensed by the NFL you have full stats, player names, numbers and more. It is as accurate and realistic as it gets. Having all of that on a small mobile game really is quite impressive and it’s one of my favorite games. We aren’t the only ones getting in on the action here in the US either. The UK version has also seen the same price drop for those not in the US and looking to join in on the fun that us Americans call “football”. The deal is for a limited time only and will most likely raise to full price come Monday so I’d get it while you can. While most devices are supported, including the Transformer Prime on Ice Cream Sandwich sadly the Galaxy Nexus is still not compatible. Hopefully an update will resolve that but in the mean time get it while it’s hot.
|
| Corning’s A Day Made of Glass 2 video shows us the future Posted: 03 Feb 2012 12:26 PM PST The company behind the glass displays on many of our current smartphones and tablets, Corning, has just published another video showing us their vision of the future and the possibilities with Gorilla Glass and beyond. While almost everything from the video clip is futuristic it does give you an impressive look on the possibilities in the future with not only Corning’s glass, but devices and tablets as a whole.
For those that don’t know, Corning and their hardened glass technology is what is currently being used in most smartphones and tablets available today, especially in Android devices. Their scratch resistant, anti-glare glass gives us better and stronger displays for all of our favorite devices. I could break down the video but instead I’ll let you enjoy it for yourself. I must admit, they did go a little overboard as not everything can be made of transparent glass — but the learning and educational possibilities alone are quite impressive. The multi-user multi-touch display we see later in the video is something already being used today, just not on that scale. At CES 2012 we saw multiple large screen platforms with Corning themselves hosting a huge 80″ Gorilla Glass 2 strengthened projected display and more. It seems that technology may be advancing a little slower than Corning would like. With handheld devices, 3D projectors, and homes being entirely reliant on glass this shows us a future we can only dream of. Or do we think we’ll have these types of technologies soon? Corning also released an unpacked version of the video with a complete breakdown of the technology and you can see that here.
|
| Refurbished XOOM units from Woot contain old user data Posted: 03 Feb 2012 11:42 AM PST Woot had a Motorola XOOM sale at the tail end of 2011, and as it turns out now, there were a batch of these units that still contained their original users data upon them. For those that give up their units to the refurbishing points across the USA often do not know that they have to reset their devices before they hand them over, believe it or not. For a period between March and October of 2011, refurb groups across the USA did not check the devices correctly.
Motorola is warning users that turned in their units between those months that they should speak with Motorola if they’ve experienced any strange happenings with their personal data. Motorola is also giving a free two-year subscription to an Experian credit monitoring system if they’ve turned their devices in during that period so that they might check their credit and assure themselves that they’re not getting messed with. Stores affected include Best Buy, BJ's Wholesale, eBay, Office Max, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, and Staples. If you feel you’ve been affected on either side of this equation, you should contact Motorola customer support at 1-800-734-5870 or at their website for this situation over at Motorola XOOM Return. This situation is sure to stopper up some Android lovers if the XOOM was their first tablet, but only a tiny fraction of XOOM users have actually been hit thus far. Stay strong on the XOOM front, users! [via SlashGear]
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Community To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment