Android Community
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- Android Community WIMM Spring Developers Project Giveaway begins
- Xvision an4 tablet will release in Japan, Android 4.0 on-board
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 OTA update hitting WiFi models now
- Samsung Epic 4G Touch could be the first GSII receiving Android 4.0
- Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 13, 2012
- Desperate measures: BlackBerry Playbook developer giveaway extended by two weeks
- LG G2x and Optimus 2x receive CyanogenMod 9 ICS builds, touch recovery
- ThinkGeek plays to the emulation crowd with 8-Bitty Bluetooth controller
- Motorola DROID 4 rooted already, get it now
- Huawei to announce quad-core Ascend D1 Q and 10-inch MediaPad at MWC
- Motorola Android 4.0 smartphone powered by Intel leaks, coming to MWC
- Google Motorola deal also gets approval from US Department of Justice
- HTC Endeavor RUU leaks with hints of HTC Speak, a Siri rival
- Acer Iconia Tab A200 Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out now
- Quadrant Benchmark update brings ICS and multi-core support
- Google’s Motorola buyout approved by EU, will be vigilant
- Google TV big announcements coming today, could just be YouTube update
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Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:55 AM PST
For those looking to get the Android development and brainstorm train going we have just the device for you. The WIMM Android-powered smartwatch. The WIMM platform brings Android apps and development to wearable technology and we are proud to announce the Android Community and WIMM Labs Spring Developers Project Giveaway! What we've got here is a set of WIMM One developer preview kits ready to distribute to you, but what we need in return is your brainstorm of ideas for what the wearable module can do, and some Micro App ideas to help it do just that. This is all about ideas and creativity, and we want to hear your thoughts then send you a WIMM ONE kit to enjoy and start building your own micro apps.
 Over the next week or so, we’ll be offering a few of these units (10) to our readers and in return ask that you submit your thoughts or micro app ideas to one of our social network sites. For the first round we’ll be using Google+ so hopefully you’ve joined. If not then you probably should, then follow and circle +Android Community. Don’t worry Facebook fans, because our sister site SlashGear is joining us for the fun. You can enter their contest on Facebook here. Don’t forget to check out the WIMM full review. If you’ve been eying the WIMM One platform, or would like to give it a try we are your direct source. For this first week's round, we simply ask that you do the following: 1. Follow and circle our Google+ page at: +Android CommunityIt's just that simple ladies and gentleman! You can submit only ONCE per giveaway so make sure to put your best ONE idea out there. It will then be adding to the random drawing along with the other top ideas or applications we’ve chosen as a team. Put on those thinking caps and give us some ideas!  In addition, the WIMM One App Store will be going live the week of February 20th with a selection of new Micro Applications from their developer community. Development tools (SDK) are available to registered WIMM developers. Sign up here. Here's the full rules as well, if you're wondering about all the legalities and what not: Giveaway begins February 14th, 12:01AM PST, and ends February 24th, 12:01AM PST barring any complications finding winners. A winner will be announced every 24 hours here in the main news feed and at our official Google+ and Facebook pages.Giveaway provided by SlashGear/Android Community. Prizes provided by WIMM. Any questions regarding this giveaway should be directed to Giveaway @ SlashGear.com     
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 10:37 PM PST
Electronics manufacturer WSL Japan will release the Xvision an5 will hit Japan’s market in April. From the press release, you’ll notice it sports a 9.7″ display with 1024×768 pixel resolution. It has a great form factor, and will only be 10mm thick. It’ll also be ready to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) upon release, but then again that is soon to become the norm.
 The Xvision an4 will be powered by a 1GHz Amlogic 8726-M3 processor, and carry 1GB of DDR3 RAM. All models will come with WiFi, but 3G and GPS options can be added separately. It will have 16GB of internal storage, but no sign of an included microSD card port. A 0.3 MP camera for video chat is also included, but no rear shooter. It’s not as speedy as some of the other tablets we’ve reviewed as of late. The hardware isn’t too old, but it definitely doesn’t bring anything new to the table – so it may get lost in the crowd of many others. If priced right, it could do well here in the US, but for now expect this little tablet to reside in Japan alone. [via Androinica] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 09:25 PM PST
A maintenance update should be pushed to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 [WiFi Only] soon, and aims to fix a few common issues. No, this may not be the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update you’ve been praying about, but it still mends some important problems. First off, it should fix rotation issues. Slow rotation on either a tablet or smartphone can get real irritating, so hopefully this speeds things up.
 The fixes tend to email attachment issues, improve WiFi reconnection response, and other system file force closes. It should also improve battery life. This improvement could be directly related to previous WiFi reconnection problems, as constantly reconnecting to a network burns your battery faster than normal. And finally, it installs the latest version of the Android Market. It’s odd Google hasn’t initiated an easier way to upgrade the Android Market; sure you could download the .apk file of the latest and greatest – but many only trust a more “official” approach. I’m sure the Market is one application we wouldn’t mind Android automatically upgrading. [via AndroidCentral] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 09:00 PM PST
Samsung Epic 4G Touch owners are probably on the edges of their seats right now. And sources say, it could be the first Galaxy S II to receive Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The Now Network has been punctual at delivering updates in the past, and over on their official forums resides some eye-squinting information detailing an Android 4.0.3 update is imminent. It unveils both the Touch’s model number and software version. Therefore, we should definitely expect an update – hopefully sooner rather than later.
 The Epic 4G Touch is currently on Android 2.3.6, so hopefully the big jump to 4.0 doesn’t leave it with any bugs. There’s been an absence of complaints about this device from critics so far, and hopefully it stays that way. But realistically, it shouldn’t surprise us if 4.0 doesn’t agree in exactly the manner we had hoped for. After all, it would be the guinea pig amongst many GSII smartphones slated to receive the update.  The device has been rooted for quite some time, so if an official build leaks out to the public we’ll let you know. Of all devices I’d hoped to see ICS run over, the Galaxy Note and Epic 4G Touch were on the top of my list. The 4.5″ screen will look massive, even sitting beside a Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus has a 4.65″ display, but lets not forget some of it is used to operate the menu buttons – whereas the Epic 4G Touch makes use of the entire display. [via Phandroid] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 08:04 PM PST
We hope you all had a great weekend, and now that Monday is coming to a close, we’ll play catch-up on any important news you may have missed. The Motorola DROID 4 was cracked open by iFixit today, so head on over to check out all the bits and pieces that make up your new device. DROID 4 owners will also be thrilled to know its already been rooted! You can get it now, and it works much like the method used for the DROID RAZR and RAZR Maxx.
 Google’s Motorola buyout was approved by the EU today. Way back when we first heard of the search giant’s purchase proposal, it was obvious they needed to score a few patents. And $12.5 billion dollars later, here we are. This may be just the nudge Google’s been waiting for. Quadrant Benchmark has updated their software to include ICS and multi-core support. No more wondering how your new device stacks up to some of the older ones! You’ll be able to test this on the Acer ICONIA Tab A200, as it should be receiving Android 4.0 any moment now (if not already). And finally, more information on upcoming MWC 2012 in Barcelona, Spain! We’ve gotten word that a Motorola smartphone with Intel inside should be unveiled. Android 4.0 should also be on board, yet you probably already knew that – as it should be included in most new devices this year. |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 05:20 PM PST
Remember that stunk that BlackBerry maker RIM pulled to get Android developers to submit their apps to the BlackBerry App World? You know, the one that essentially gives away the company’s one and only tablet to anyone willing to jump ship? After an excited initial response from Android developers, RIM has decided to extend the promotional program by two weeks. Devs, get those fingers in gear and head on over to the BlackBerry FAQ to get the skinny – you’ve got until March 2nd to submit your app, but only until February 15th (Wednesday) to sign up.
 If you’re wondering why RIM is wooing Android devs, it’s because they’ve developed a system for porting Android applications to the PlayBook with relative ease. The company supplies a set of tools and requirements for getting Android apps on the BlackBerry App World, where they can be downloaded and run on the PlayBook’s OS 2.0 software update (not regular Blackberry phones). The PlayBook’s software architecture shares enough DNA with Android that it’s reportedly pretty easy to bring one app to the other, and vice versa. And man, the PlayBook needs all the help it can get. Originally launched at $500 (with a form factor and internals roughly equal to the Nook Color) the BlackBerry PlayBook can now be had for half that at many online retailers, and BlackBerry apparently still has enough to literally give away. RIM’s market share has been steadily declining ever since Android hit the market. Still, if apps make the platform as popular wisdom dictates, then they’ve got a pretty good strategy – so long as developers can actually sell the apps that they port. |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 04:47 PM PST
If you are rocking the T-Mobile LG G2x or the Optimus 2x we have some good news today. The awesome developer Ricardo Cerqueira who brought us CM7 to both devices has been working hard and has just released CyanogenMod 9 Ice Cream Sandwich builds for both dual-core Tegra 2 phones. Hurray! Ricardo has been sharing all the details and progress over on his Google+ page.
 He clearly states that he’s released CyanogenMod 9 builds for both the p990 (LG Optimus 2X) and p999 (T-Mobile G2x) but that they are unofficial, unsupported, and still a work in progress. Knowing my fellow Android fans I’m sure a few are eager to give these a try and will be flashing it tonight, even though they are still in alpha stages. Currently these are running quite stable but not without a few glitches or bugs, so flash at your own risk. A few remaining issues with the camera and video are the main hurdles. He mentions no media acceleration, no video encoding or decoding either. Apps specific to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich requiring media acceleration like the new Google Chrome for Android will most likely struggle, and have a few glitches. However, Face Unlock seems to be coming along and he’s also managed to get ClockWorkMod Touch Recovery working great too. Check out the preview video below then head to the source links for all the downloads. Obviously this is a use at your own risk situation. These are highly beta and not supported so use caution. Enjoy! Download Links  
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 04:27 PM PST
Thus far, Android has proven to be a fantastic platform for classic game emulation, especially if your tastes lead you to prefer games made before 1995 or so. But try as we might with grips and even specialized hardware like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, there’s just nothing like a classic game controller, with buttons you can count on one hand and a non-existent approach to ergonomics. ThinkGeek, long-time nostalgia enabler and supplier of geeky tools to the poor and the gentry, intends to make your gaming sessions authentic with the iCade 8-Bitty Bluetooth controller.
 If the 8-Bitty looks familiar, congratulations: you are not lacking in a proper classic gaming education. It’s a dead ringer for the original Nintendo Entertainment System controller, with the addition of two extra face buttons and shoulder buttons, so it’ll work with Super NES and Genesis games, too. Most popular Android emulators and many games include support for Bluetooth controllers, and even if they don’t, ThinkGeek is creating an open SDK for developers to make sure. If all else fails, Ice Cream Sandwich includes built-in controller support, so modders should be able to get it to work with just about anything on ICS phones, tablets and ROMs. The best part? It costs a mere $24, making your nostalgia trip a decidedly economy-class one. For the record, that’s cheaper than popular hack victim the Wii Remote ($40) and probably the SteelSeries Ion as well, whenever it comes to market. While ThinkGeek has a price for the 8-Bitty, they don’t have a timeframe – more’s the pity. Oh well, that’ll give developers more time to get their games ready… and for ThinkGeek to get some more appropriate photos. [via SlashGear] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 04:15 PM PST
The Motorola DROID 4 QWERTY keyboard slider has only been available for a few days and was just released late last week. Thanks to those awesome developers it appears that we already have a full root method for the device, as well as a script to make the entire process simple for those looking for a little root access.
 We recently reviewed the new DROID 4 from Motorola and our full thoughts and pictures are linked to below. Got Root? Because the method is freely available now and we have all the details. Thanks to Dan Rosenberg and the folks at MyDroidWorld for the below method. Originally Dan was looking for some supporters to donate and get him a Droid 4 but we are hearing he’s now donated the entire bounty to the American Red Cross. Support our developers guys! The exploit is actually quite easy and all it takes is a simple file to be downloaded and a script ran and you’ll be rooted in no time. Most likely we’ll see a 1-click-root method from XDA shortly but for now this will work just fine. All it takes is a Windows PC. Download the file, unzip, and run and you’re good to go. All the details along with the download and donate links are available from the source link below. Enjoy that root access on your shiny new DROID 4. DROID 4 Root Download
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:49 PM PST
We know Huawei’s got big plans for Mobile World Congress, specifically its brand new “Diamond” line of devices. According to a Webo post spotted by Blog of Mobile, the first phone to get this distinction will e the Huawei Ascend D1 Q. That rather extended product name probably includes “D1″ for the first Diamond phone and (wait for it) “Q” for quad-core. If Huawei intends to break out of its bargain OEM shell at MWC, that could be a very expedient way of doing so.
 Also reportedly on the docket is a 10-inch version of the MediaPad. The original 7-inch MediaPad was Huawei’s first and at present only tablet, not counting rebranded variants like T-Mobile’s Springboard. We’ve been impressed by the MediaPad hardware every time we’ve touched – its Honeycomb software, not so much. But with Huawei looking to expand into just about every market, it needs a competitor to Samsung and Asus on the higher end of the tablet spectrum, and they should be able to compete on price as well. Since Huawei seems to have embraced Ice Cream Sandwich whole-hog, expect all of their phones and tablets at MWC to run Android 4.0. We heard earlier about at least two diamond-class unveils for Barcelona, so unless the 10-inch MediaPad will get the D distinction, there’s at least one other major device left to be discovered. Of course, there’s no photos or serious data on any of Huawei’s lineup, so treat everything except the name of the Ascend D1 Q as rumor for now – that phone’s title was leaked by none other than Huawei Chairman Yu Chengdong. (The above photo is the Ascend II.) We won’t have to wait long to find out: Mobile World Congress kicks off in just a couple of weeks. [via UnwiredView] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:42 PM PST
What do we have here? Some juicy new photos of Motorola’s next smartphone that will be two firsts for Motorola. We are hearing this phone will be Intel-powered and run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. With Google’s acquisition of Motorola coming along smoothly this afternoon this news comes at the perfect time. Although I still see some Moto Blur UI included sadly. Check out the unique press image leaked.
 This Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device potential rocking Intel under the hood is just breaking the surface so the details are a bit light. Thanks to PocketNow we have a few details but nothing concrete or remotely confirmed. First off the design seems really industrial with those unique aluminum pins on the side — and obviously it has no buttons running on Ice Cream Sandwich. That is about all we know really — other than sources are claiming this will be powered by Intel’s Medfield mobile processor. Obviously being new to the game Intel probably is still working out the power consumption and it appears this device wont be RAZR thin, but still looks quite impressive. According to the reports we should be seeing this mystery smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Spain later this month — so that is exciting. Why it has a huge bezel on the bottom when it doesn’t require capacitive buttons sure beats me. Looking at the render we suspect something around 4.3″ for screen size but it’s too early to tell. Stay tuned for more details as we start prying for more information. |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:18 PM PST
We knew this news was coming today, and I’m sure most of you did also. Shortly after hearing the EU approved the Google Motorola buyout this morning, we now have confirmation that the US Department of Justice has too. Giving their seal of approval for the buyout of Motorola Mobility and all their patents to Google.
 It looks like Google will be shelling out around $12.5 billion USD to Motorola for the buyout and will take ownership of the company but will let it run on its own as it has been. Just like the European Commission the US DoJ had their own concerns regarding the huge portfolio of patents owned by Motorola — that will now be in Google’s hands. Just like the EU they issued this statement: "In light of the importance of this industry to consumers and the complex issues raised by the intersection of the intellectual property rights and antitrust law at issue here, as well as uncertainty as to the exercise of the acquired rights, the division continues to monitor the use of SEPs in the wireless device industry, particularly in the smartphone and computer tablet markets. The division will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP rights." – USDoJSEP standing for “standard essential patents”, the DOJ will also be sure to watch over how these newly acquired patents will be handled and that no anti-competitive acts are committed by Google. With the huge patent lawsuits and battles currently going on from multiple rivals in Apple and Microsoft we can’t help but think Google will use these to some extend. Google still needs more approvals from others around the world but with these few major steps being taken today most likely the rest will follow suite. We’ll continue to monitor the approvals and update should anything major happen. [via SlashGear] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 02:40 PM PST
Over the weekend a leak for the upcoming HTC Endeavor (HTC Edge) was made available for download and along with it were tons of goodies and surprises. The RUU contained tons of images of HTC Sense UI 4.0 but what is even more interesting is the HTC Speak app that was also included. Possibly hinting that HTC is bringing a speaking and voice-like application to their devices that will rival Apple’s Siri.
 Another interesting note is the image above was also found inside the leak. Looking more like the unknown HTC device that leaked late last week (link below), possibly another Incredible, and not the previously rumored and seen HTC Edge that we all have heard will be called the Endeavor. Either way the HTC Endeavor is expected to be a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered device that we will see at Mobile World Congress in a few short weeks. According to HDBlog there are remnants of an HTC movie editor, and the HTC Speak app mentioned above. Unfortunately other than a few names of said apps we don’t have any other details regarding either of these new applications. If HTC is indeed creating a Siri alternative for Android that will be different from Google’s Majel and Google Voice it would make for some interesting competition. Google has added their own movie editor into Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but it appears HTC will be making their own editor too. Another way to differentiate themselves from the rest I suppose. What do you guys think? Would an HTC Speak app similar to Siri be a reason to buy HTC over the others? Or do the Siri commercials and general idea just bother you? I personally use Google Voice Actions daily although I wouldn’t go as far as talking to my phone all day long. Again the HTC Endeavor (Edge) and the HTC Ville should be making an appearance at Mobile World Congress in Spain later this month. We’ll be there live to get all the details for you, available from our MWC 2012 Portal. [via SlashGear] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 02:26 PM PST
It looks like Acer is up next for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. After initially launching the new Iconia A200 tablet last month and promising a quick update to ICS, we can safely say it is finally rolling out today. It’s nice to see them sticking to their promise. Stating the update would come in February — and here it is. Available for download right now.
 The update should be hitting tablets right this moment and as you can see from the screenshot below Acer has updated the slate from Honeycomb to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. Version 4.0.4 that leaked last week was only for the Galaxy Nexus, making the A200 on the latest version officially from Google.  The update brings your tablet to build number Acer_AV041_A200_1.037.00_PA_CUS1 and should only take a few minutes to download and install. As usual the tablet should notify users of an update but you can manually check and get started now. Just go to settings > about tablet > system update and get it started right now. I’m sure many are wondering where this same update is for the older A500 that surely has more owners. Most likely it is coming soon as Acer also promised a timely update for that tablet too. Give the update a try and sound off in the comment section should you have any problems, or find some special hidden tricks or features.
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 01:13 PM PST
Overclockers and benchmark masters it’s time to update your app and break out the watercooling. The extremely popular benchmark suite for Android has just been issued a much and long awaited update. Quadrant Standard and Advanced has just reached version 2.0 and with it comes some huge changes to the user interface and the benchmark as a whole. We now officially have Android 4.0 ICS and multi-core support.
 We’ve been using Quadrant in our benchmarks for reviews, overclocking, and while testing different ROM’s for what seems like forever. Today they’ve finally updated with multi-core support. This has long been debated whether it had support for dual-core devices when Tegra 2 first appeared on the scene, and now with quad-core tablets I’m really interested to see how things score. The user interface has been improved for Ice Cream Sandwich, not to mention overall user interface tweaks and improvements. There are also the usual bug fixes, support for other languages, and some frame rate changes. Due to it being completely new and supporting multi-core devices the results and comparison chart will need to be rebuilt. So at this time you’ll not get the full list of comparison scores as before. The developers have stated an update will follow shortly with full and past comparisons included. Just for a comparison, running on a completely stock Galaxy Nexus with the new Quadrant Advanced I scored just over 2,000 as you can see above. On the old non ICS and multi-core version the Galaxy Nexus scores around 1,700 for me (stock). Leading me to believe the changes are positive and will also make results more accurate. Obviously testing against different devices can be subjective but on the same device I’m seeing improvements that seem accurate. We’ll be testing more and will be sure to report back. Get it right now from the Android Market. We don’t have watercooling and LN2 for smartphones yet, but that is probably coming soon. Market Link   |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 12:02 PM PST
The acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google has been given the green light and thumbs up from the European Union today. This unconditional regulatory approval will allow Google to purchase the device maker and patent holding company for a grand total of $12.5 billion USD. We knew the day was today, February 13th and now the official OK has just been approved.
 This is good news for Google, coming right from the European Commission. In addition to the EU, Google also needs the approval from the US Justice Department — also expecting to come today. And we can’t forget the Chinese and Taiwan regulators either. So while this is a step in the right direction, it isn’t a done deal just yet but most likely it will be a smooth transition. While the EU did give the ok they have their concerns and were cautious. Here is what Joaquin Almunia from the European Commission had to say: "We have approved the acquisition… because upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues. This merger decision should not and will not mean that we are not concerned by the possibility that, once Google is the owner of this portfolio, Google can abuse these patents, linking some patents with its Android devices. This is our worry. We might be obliged to open some cases in the future. This is not enough to block the merger but we will be vigilant." – AlmuniaMotorola's 17,000 patents and 7,500 pending patent applications will soon be acquired by Google and should help them defend themselves and the Android ecosystem as a whole from lawsuits and more from their rivals at Apple and Microsoft. We aren’t sure what the future holds, or if this was just Google playing defense and offense at the same time. Things are about to get interesting that is for sure. We should be hearing more details from the others and their approvals later so stay tuned. [via SlashGear] |
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Posted: 13 Feb 2012 11:32 AM PST
Over the weekend Google made some noise about an upcoming announcement for Google TV. Over on their official Facebook page they mentioned some “big announcements” coming today. Google told us to get ready for Monday so that is exactly what we’ve done. We’ll be sure to update as soon as anything “big” drops, but we are now seeing an update on the Google TV Blog from late last night simply outlining a new YouTube app.
 We still might be seeing or hearing some exciting news today regarding Google TV — but the chances are getting smaller by the hour. Could the YouTube application for Google TV update be the “big announcement” we were expecting today, or is something else coming? With no other updates to their official blog I’m beginning to have my doubts. I’m still hopeful for more so stay tuned. Either way they’ve updated YouTube for Google TV with some awesome new features, design changes and more so lets check it out. The update looks awesome and they posted a few screenshots and more of what we can expect. The huge changes to YouTube should be available in the Android Market on GTV devices over the next few days.  So what is new with YouTube? It will now be faster and easier to navigate with a new feature called “discover” you can use to browse categories. The entire app will also be much faster and smoother according to Google. They’ve also added specific channel pages for those wanting to easily find Comedy or whatever you’re in the mood to watch. Other updates include a few features we are already used to. Like see related videos, or video by the same uploader and more. You can see a few more screenshots in the gallery and at the source link below. So is this all Google will be announcing for Google TV? It is an impressive update and pretty big news but they said “announcements” so hopefully they have another blog post coming later today with something better.    [via Google TV Blog] |
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