Android Community |
- Galaxy S III gets early pre-order page: 12MP and 4.7 Super AMOLED
- Google+ SMS support added in 41 countries
- HTC Media Link HD accessory Hands-on
- Google Drive in the wild, spotted on developer phone
- HTC’s Official One X cases are thin and minimalistic, we go hands-on
- T-Mobile HTC One S hits Costco April 25 for $189 with free gift card
- Unlocked Galaxy S II in the US getting ICS update
- Popular game Jazz: Trump’s Journey available today on Android
| Galaxy S III gets early pre-order page: 12MP and 4.7 Super AMOLED Posted: 21 Apr 2012 12:26 AM PDT A pre-order page for the Samsung Galaxy S III has apparently gone live in advance of the smartphone’s May 3 debut, with Amazon Germany pulling the trigger early. Priced at €599 ($792) unlocked and SIM-free, and sold direct from the retailer rather than a third-party marketplace seller, the phone apparently has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display and a 12-megapixel camera.
It’s also listed as having 16GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot to augment that, along with an LED flash. OS is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. However, there’s no image to confirm Samsung’s much-rumored aesthetic changes. Those specs in partially match up with those of the leaked prototype caught on video in Vietnam yesterday, but with some key differences. The prototype had, it was estimated, a smaller screen than the 4.65-inch Galaxy Nexus, something Amazon says is untrue of the production model, which would be larger. Meanwhile, the Amazon listing apparently sides with early talk of a 12-megapixel camera, whereas the prototype had an 8-megapixel camera. That could well be down to the age of the leaked handset: it dated back to December 2011, according to labeling spotted on the device, and as such Samsung could have upgraded its camera plans since then. Either way, there’s not long to go to find out for sure. Samsung will officially unveil the Galaxy S III in London on May 3, and Android Community will be there to bring back all the details! [via SlashGear and via BestBoyz]
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| Google+ SMS support added in 41 countries Posted: 20 Apr 2012 04:28 PM PDT Who loves Google+ and thinks it’s the best social network? In case you guys didn’t know, you can post updates and respond to comments using SMS just like Facebook and others offer. The only problem here is this feature was limited to the US and parts of India. Today Google has announced this feature is now available in 41 new countries. You can now update your social status no matter where you are with a quick text message.
When Google+ was first announced this was only available in two countries, and this update makes it available for 43. Now almost everyone can enjoy this simple, yet much needed feature. Many of the new countries to get the feature are across the middle east and in Africe, but here’s the full list for those hoping for the service:
Basically not everyone has mobile data everywhere, especially fast enough to update their status or fully use Google+ as it was intended. For those times where only SMS service is available, this makes things quick and simple. The option is easily made available by going into the Google+ settings page and you’ll be good to go in a matter of seconds. Enjoy!    [via GoogleIndia Blog]
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| HTC Media Link HD accessory Hands-on Posted: 20 Apr 2012 03:19 PM PDT Along with their new phones and sleek cases, HTC has another exciting option they are bringing to the table with HTC Media Link HD. This neat accessory is basically a Wifi-Direct device that allows the user to easily connect their HTC phone to their TV. This isn’t a dock your phone must connect and be attached to, and it does more than just mirroring. It works over WiFi and offers dual-screen mode. Check it out after the break.
This essentially makes the HTC One series into a multitasking workhorse. Being WiFi-direct you’ll be able to relax on the couch and check Twitter, update Facebook, send messages and whatever else you do while the HTC Media Link HD streams a movie in the background to your 60″ LED TV. Sounds awesome right? Not only that but this brings full screen browsing to your TV, and you can quickly check a text, or shoot off an email and start right back where you were without missing a beat. It’s like a dock without having to be attached to anything (except the TV of course).
We saw this briefly at Mobile World Congress while HTC announced the One series but weren’t able to truly enjoy it. Hook up an HDMI and set it by your TV, the rest is wireless. Today in Seattle HTC is showing off the Media Link HD using third party apps too. While I’m sure this will be limited, the option to stream something like NFL Mobile to the TV while I still can use my phone would be epic. This third party API is still being developed by HTC Dev and isn’t ready for the masses yet, but we can’t wait to try it out once fully available. Check out the video demo below: HTC Media Link HD will stream video in 720p and will basically enable a dual-screen mode for true multitasking during work, or play. So what do you guys think? Is this a must-have accessory, or something those with the need will want to pickup once available? I love it personally.  
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| Google Drive in the wild, spotted on developer phone Posted: 20 Apr 2012 02:29 PM PDT We are all still awaiting some sort of announcement or official details surrounding Google’s cloud storage option, Google Drive, but today have received an early look of what to expect in some fashion. While various rumors are heavily favoring a release next week, Drive has been spotted in the wild on developer phone. Being streamed on AndroidDevelopers we get the early look presented below.
Sadly it’s a little blurry and wasn’t being streamed in HD, but you can clearly see the standard Android share to option showing Google “Drive”. Obviously we expected something very similar to this, as you’ll be able to share pictures, video, documents and more to your Drive. Sadly this seems to be the only little glance we see, and how exactly it will all work and look still remains to be seen. To check it out yourself head to around 36:30 in the video from the via link below. For those not in the loop. Google Drive should be something similar to Dropbox and other cloud storage options, but hopefully better and more integrated into Google’s services. Latest rumors suggest Google Drive will launch early next week, around Tuesday, and will give users 5GB of free cloud storage. Google should be releasing more information very soon if indeed it launches next week. If this video is any indication the system seems ready to go with multiple developers already using it. [via The Verge]
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| HTC’s Official One X cases are thin and minimalistic, we go hands-on Posted: 20 Apr 2012 02:13 PM PDT HTC has some impressive phones in their new HTC One X and One S, we all know that already. With a beautiful sleek design and awesome materials to make them durable yet slim and strong, why cover them up with an ugly bulky case? HTC’s introduced some brand new One X cases today in Seattle and we were able to get a quick hands-on.
Now the idea and philosophy behind these is to not cover up the beauty and sleek design of the One series — and we’d have to agree with that idea. Why buy an ugly thick case when HTC themselves will be selling these minimalistic cases that lets the phones beauty shine through. The gallery below is just one of a few designs HTC has planned, and they’ll come in Orange, Blue, Black, and White from what we’ve heard.
The term minimalistic comes to mind with these cases, especially after seeing the picture above. It neatly and securely wraps around the phone without being intrusive to the user. While the orange is extremely visible and a pretty drastic change you can still see the beauty peeking out through the holes, which also keep the case extremely lightweight. We have no names, pricing, or availability at this time but we should be hearing more details soon. Hopefully these will be available in the next few weeks as the X gets ready to land on AT&T May 6th. Check out the blue design from the gallery below too. Thoughts on these new cases from HTC?          
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| T-Mobile HTC One S hits Costco April 25 for $189 with free gift card Posted: 20 Apr 2012 01:08 PM PDT The brand new and impressive HTC One S is about to take the T-Mobile network by storm. Being available for pre-order now, it will hit store shelves and be available nationwide starting April 25th for $199. As usual, Costco is looking to get a piece of the pie by offering a lower price and a free $25 dollar gift card too.
According to Droiddog Costco will start selling the One S on the exact same day as T-Mobile, April 25th, in their own warehouses and will be offering a better deal to attract buyers. Instead of $199 Costco will be offering the One S for $189 (no rebate) and they’ll throw in a free $25 dollar Costco gift card too. This can be used for cases or accessories, or throughout the warehouse on food and such. It isn’t the best deal we’ve seen, and personally I think T-Mobile should be selling the phone for $149, instead of $199 with a $50 mail in rebate, but that’s just me. The phone is awesome and we urge you to check out our reviews of both the T-Mobile One S, and the international model review. You’ll want to quickly stop in at your nearest Costco Wednesday to snatch up your own, as they’ll probably sell out fast.   Device Info
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| Unlocked Galaxy S II in the US getting ICS update Posted: 20 Apr 2012 12:09 PM PDT The Samsung Galaxy S II may have seen the popular update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich already in various markets in the world and the international version, but not the unlocked models here in the USA. By unlocked we mean the global (with the home button) international SGSII that some may have here in the US, are finally being updated this morning thanks to Samsung.
The update has already rolled out for many, and most recently for Vodafone UK, but today we are getting the same fate as the folks from Engadget got the update this morning. It appears to be a pretty hefty update coming in at 216MB in size, so might take a few minutes to download but will surely be worth it for the frozen Ice Cream Sandwich.
Almost all of the Galaxy S II phones have now been updated to Android 4.0 ICS, except for those carrier branded and tweaked models here in the US. Those rocking the T-Mobile SGSII, or the Epic 4G Touch will have to wait a little longer for something official. AT&T’s Galaxy S II Skyrocket recently received a second Gingerbread update earlier this month, so ICS for that phone still seems a few weeks off at best. Hopefully the carrier branded SGSII’s get updated soon, but for now all of those with the international version should be enjoying the latest from Google. Device Info
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| Popular game Jazz: Trump’s Journey available today on Android Posted: 20 Apr 2012 11:22 AM PDT This award-winning platformer game from iOS has just made its way to Android, starting today. Available right now in the Google Play Store this will surely consume part of your weekend. If you love games, particular platformer games, you’ll want to check out Jazz: Trump’s Journey. Set in New Orleans they’ve added a daring storyline and a Jazz player to the popular platformer genre.
It’s has that old school feel, with hints of classic New Orleans Jazz and takes you back to where the music all began. If you are also a Jazz fan you’ll want to download this purely for the awesome soundtrack. This isn’t your typical platformer either as they have all kinds of different elements and cut-scenes too. You’ll be able to use your famous and great sounding trumpet playing skills to actually freeze time, which helps you overcome challenging enemies you’ll face throughout your musical journey in New Orleans. You can share results with Facebook and Twitter and the game even follows the real life story of Louis Armstrong, and his journey to becoming a Jazz legend. This game might not be for everyone but it’s still fun if you’re not a Jazz fan, and the graphics are awesome. Available starting today get it from the link below for Android.    [via PocketGamer]
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