Saturday 3 March 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Mobile World Congress 2012 Wrap-Up

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 10:10 PM PST

Our team has finally made the long trip back from Mobile World Congress that took place in Barcelona, Spain. And now that it has come to a close, it’s time to pull together anything and everything that went on since it kicked off. For 2012, CES proved to lack the innovation shown from its prior years, but we can’t say the same for MWC. This is your guide to every eyes-on, hands-on, review that went down in Barcelona!


There were many events during the week, but one of the first took place at the LG booth. There, we took a look at every one of their new devices . We saw the entire LG Optimus L-Style series, which included the L3, L5, and L7; these are all categorized as mid-range devices, but each has a vivid screen and slim, easy-to-hold profile. Next up we were able to get some hands-on time with the rather impressive LG Optimus 4X. It sports an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and a 4.7″ true IPS HD display. Just last year they released the worlds first dual-core device, and hopefully this one can live up to its name as well. The last two devices LG had to offer were the LG Optimus 3D Max and the LG Optimus Vu. The Optimus Vu is undoubtedly LG’s answer to Samsung’s Note, and offers a massive 5″ display.

As for Sony, they unveiled a few new Xperia devices; we had confirmed their rumored specs a few days before launch, so there wasn’t much we didn’t already know. The Sony Xperia U and Xperia P both retained the transparent strip found on the Xperia S months ago at CES. In the hands-on you’ll notice the P’s strip doesn’t illuminate like the others.

As much as any other manufacturer brought to the table, HTC’s event was most memorable. They unveiled their entire hero line of devices, each impressive when compared with other devices in its class. The entire line will take advantage of Beats Audio, HTC ImageSense, and a sleek aluminum unibody chassis. Their first device, the HTC One V, falls right under the mid-range tier. It featured the iconic “chin” many grew to know and love in the international version of the HTC Hero and the HTC Legend. And next we were presented with the HTC One S. There were actually two versions of this at the show; one was an international version and the other is headed to T-Mobile. This trended over to the HTC One X as well, as it had both an international version and an AT&T variant. Unlike the One S, the specifications of the One X was not identical to its international counterpart. It will instead sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor rather than the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core. This is entirely due to the Tegra 3′s lack of compatibility with 4G LTE. Be sure to check out our hands-on for the HTC One V, the HTC One S, and HTC One X.

ViewSonic had their ViewPhone 4s at the show, and it was one of three devices that sported dual-sim inputs. It had an ultra high-resolution display, and came with ViewSonic’s ViewScene 3D. If you’re familiar with the SPB Shell 3D interface available in the Android Market, then you’ll notice its extremely similar. Then, at the Toshiba booth they had a no-name 7.7″ prototype tablet sporting an NVIDIA Tegra 3. We’ll likely here more about it later, and hopefully they’ll have a name for it soon too. Over at Panasonic, they were showing off the ELUGA Power, a completely waterproof smartphone. Many devices before this had been deemed water resistant, but this one proved itself in an actual test when we submerged it in water.

ZTE had multiple Android devices at the show this year, but most impressive was the ZTE Era. It was running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and had an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. This is ZTE’s best work so far, so if you’ve been a fan of the company, this would definitely suffice as an upgrade. ASUS also presented a great selection at MWC this year. They showed off their Transformer Pad 300, and the more powerful Transformer Pad Infinity 700 LTE. The 300 is much like the Prime, but for those of you on a budget. The price was dropped by $100 and the device sported plastic instead of aluminum. We also had another look at the ASUS Padfone; a device that just looks better at each encounter.

Over at Samsung, they were showing off their new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Galaxy Beam, and Galaxy S Blaze. The Galaxy Note looked very much like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 2, but comes equipped with an enhanced pressure-sensitive digitizer. And as for the Galaxy Beam, you’ll find the first smartphone to sport a built-in pico projector. Though the lamp only beams out at 15 lumens, it can still be seen – even in daylight.

And finally, we were there live at Google’s keynote to see Eric Schmidt speak about the future of Android. He greatly stressed how Google Chrome offers the safest, most secure web-browsing experience. Schmidt also suggested Android should soon penetrate into the $70 or less category to offer devices to those on a budget.

We’ve still got some more content on the way, so stay tuned to our MWC 2012 portal for instant access to our latest!


HTC One X photos show off new ImageSense camera technology

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 05:20 PM PST

One of the first things many smartphone buyers look for when deciding on their next phone is the camera. HTC is looking to capitalize on that and have made huge strides in their camera technology. The myTouch 4G Slide had an impressive camera but their new HTC One X and One S look to take things to an entirely new level. Some leaked photos show just how impressive their new ImageSense tech really is.

We were able to get our own first hand look at the HTC One series at Mobile World Congress and all the coverage is linked to below. HTC was proud to announce that not only are the phones awesome, built extremely well, trimmed down and run fast with HTC Sense, but they’ve also developed a new technology called ImageSense. HTC has actually added a separate processing core for the camera alone. So a dual-core phone will actually have three cores.

The ImageSense chip will not only offload the duties from the regular processor to keep the phone and operating system fast and stable. It will leave the camera completely uninterrupted to take quality, impressive photos. This also allows super-fast shooting possible with a 0.7-second shot time and a 0.2-second autofocus.

Combine that with the 8 megapixel camera with a f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens, BSI Sensors, and smart LED flash with five levels of brightness. The f/2.0 aperture allows for 40% more brightness and light capture than their previous f/2.4 lenses that others are still trying to complete with today. HTC is aiming high this time around and from the gallery below things are looking extremely impressive. I loved the phones and the HTC One X in person felt like a mix between the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus — two of my favorite phones.

Check out the gallery and all of our HTC One information and hands-on below.

IMAG0367-2-220 IMAG0121 IMAG0149 IMAG0323-3-220 IMAG1549-220 IMAG0184-4-220 0257-220-1 IMAG0405-220 IMAG1090-1-220 Screen-Shot-2012-03-02-at-1.04.17-PM-580x348

[via SlashGear]


HTC Thunderbolt “test builds” of ICS could be coming next week

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 03:36 PM PST

Well folks, we have some tasty good news for those that still might be rocking the original 4G LTE-powered HTC Thunderbolt. It looks like HTC is about to start taking the same update approach as Motorola and a few others, and will be supplying “test” or beta builds to select few lucky customers of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense UI 4.0 like we saw at MWC. More details after the break regarding this possibly real news.

Now that Mobile World Congress is over and we all saw an awesome first hand look at the new HTC One series and their latest Sense UI 4.0 everyone is probably wondering about the current crop of phones. While the Thunderbolt was one of the last HTC phones to get Android 2.3 Gingerbread it looks like HTC wont let the same happen with Ice Cream Sandwich. According to Vzbuzz HTC will start sending test devices to a select few users starting as soon as next week.

Now this could obviously be a fake. Emailing people that own the Thunderbolt yet offering “test devices” and not an over the air update seems odd — although could also be a security measure so the build doesn’t get leaked early. The other reason this feels completely fake to me is why HTC would be linking to addictivetipsdotcom to explain Android 4.0 ICS and not their own site, or Google themselves. For now I’m going to chalk this up as a fake but the chance HTC is preparing beta tests could still be quite possible.

Stay tuned for more details as I’ll be digging for more information.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : ThunderBolt
    Manufactuer : HTC
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : January 06, 2011
    Release Date : March 17, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.30 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.75 Inch
  • Width : 2.44 Inch
  • Depth : 0.56 Inch
  • Weight : 177 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1400 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 330 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 768 MB
    Internal Storage : 8.192 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Phandroid]


ASUS says they’ll be first to “Android 5.0 Jelly Bean”

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 03:03 PM PST

As the updates to Android come out some manufacturers are fast to adopt the latest and greatest, while others tend to take way too long — especially on phones. ASUS is one of those on the “fast” list and have prided themselves on being the fastest to update their devices. Just like the original Transformer was the first to update to new versions of Honeycomb, the Prime was the first to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Now ASUS has mentioned Android 5.0 and Jelly Bean, and we sure are excited.

While some tablets had early versions, ASUS was the first to officially update to Ice Cream Sandwich. According to the folks over at TechRadar ASUS and their close relationship to Google especially over the past couple of months has them in a good position for the next version of Android. We already knew it would be called Jelly Bean, but no one was sure if this would be 4.1 or something else.

Here is what Benson Lin, Asus’ Corporate Vice President told TechRadar:

Asus is very close to Google, so once they have Android 5.0 I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave to offer the Jelly Bean update.”

Not only was the Transformer one of the best selling tablets, but the Transformer Prime has been extremely hot as of late. Pair those with the new ASUS Padfone officially unveiled at MWC and coming this April — ASUS has a good shot at being first again unless Google launches another Nexus device. With Lin calling it both Jelly Bean and Android 5.0 this could potential confirm that Google will only be making minor changes until 5.0 and we won’t see a 4.1 Jelly Bean.

With the Padfone being an awesome showing of what Ice Cream Sandwich can do combining both recent operating systems from Google, Jelly Bean should combine them even more and be awesome. The Prime has received tons of updates the past few months for bug fixes since getting ICS, but I’d rather have that then wait 4-6 months for others to eventually update to the latest and greatest.

I can’t wait for the next few months to unfold as we start hearing and seeing more about Android 5.0 Jelly Bean before Google I/O. Who’s getting excited?

[via TechRadar]


Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE hands-on and unboxing [Verizon]

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 02:21 PM PST

Samsung has just released yet another Android tablet to their ever growing list. With almost every size under the sun I’m sure many are wondering what separates their latest 7.7″ model from the pack. We have all the details in our hands-on and first impressions with the new Verizon 4G LTE-powered Galaxy Tab 7.7 so read on below for our thoughts and video.

Is this just another size that Samsung has thrown against the wall to see what sticks? Or can this compete with the iPad 3 that is surely coming soon? The only downside to the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the fact that they still managed to launch with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and NOT 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. If they had the latest and greatest this tablet would probably be at the top of my list for portable tablets — under the quad-core Prime for top spot of course.

Now for the specs, Samsung has equipped this with slate with a 7.7″ display. What makes this important is although many Samsung tablets had impressive AMOLED panels, this is the first tab with a Super AMOLED Plus HD display — just like the Galaxy Note. What does this mean? It means the screen looks freaking awesome! With a 7.7″ Super AMOLED Plus HD panel with a full 1280 x 800 resolution it is powered by the Samsung Exynos 1.4 GHz dual-core processor (not a Qualcomm) 1 GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. It also has a micro-SD slot for extra storage, micro-SIM for the Verizon 4G LTE, and a pair of cameras. Front being 2 and rear being 3.2 megapixels.

I’ll save my detailed thoughts for the full review coming early next week but my initial impressions are extremely favorable. The bezel is smaller than previous Samsung tablets making for a small device, while still having 7.7″ of screen real estate. Performance is swift, build quality is top-notch and the slight redesigns to the buttons and rear body are welcomed changes.

Samsung and Verizon are calling this the thinnest 4G LTE tablet available being just 7.8mm thin (0.31″) and weighing only 12 ounces. Hopefully they plan to update this to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich within the next 2-3 months — and if they can do that they’ll have a real winner. Released yesterday it can be yours for just $499 and a new 2 -year contract at Verizonwireless.com or $699 outright (for the LTE). Enjoy the video and pictures below and stay tuned for a full review shortly.

P1080868 P1080867 P1080870 P1080864 P1080861 P1080856 P1080854 capture_02 capture_04-1 capture_01
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy Tab 7.7
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : September 01, 2011
    Release Date : March 01, 2012
    Also Known As : Verizon Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE
Display
  • Screen Size : 7.70 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED Plus
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.74 Inch
  • Width : 5.24 Inch
  • Depth : 0.31 Inch
  • Weight : 335 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : 5100 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.2.x
Hardware
    CPU : Exynos
    CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16GB GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 3.2 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


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