Thursday 10 May 2012

Android Community

Android Community


ASUS updates Eee Pad Slider to Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted: 10 May 2012 10:13 AM PDT

Here’s a pleasant surprise: ASUS just sent out a tweet saying that US owners of the Eee Pad Slider SL101 would be getting an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich today. So if you’re reading this on a QWERTY-packing ASUS tablet, check your Settings menu for an update and enjoy a tasty software treat, compliments of the manufacturer. The build version is v9.2.1.21.

The Eee Pad Slider hasn’t received the same acclaim or popularity as its Transformer brothers, which is probably why no one’s waiting for a Slider Prime. It shares most of its specs with the Transformer 101, but instead of a keyboard dock it gets a slide-out QWERTY tray built into the case. The moving parts and somewhat awkward form factor haven’t won it the same popularity as ASUS’ slates, but there are still a few who find it useful.

The update for the least popular of ASUS’ high-end tablets does the company credit. We can only hope that more manufacturers will take their lead and resolve for (mostly) timely updates for all their Android devices, not just the ones which sell well. After all, a customer in a purchasing minority is still a customer. Good on ya, ASUS.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Eee Pad Slider
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : SIM-free
    Announced Date : January 12, 2011
    Release Date : September 20, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 10.75 Inch
  • Width : 7.09 Inch
  • Depth : 0.70 Inch
  • Weight : 886 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : 2260 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.0.x
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 2
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 32 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


AT&T Galaxy Note gets newer and more stable ICS leak

Posted: 10 May 2012 08:35 AM PDT

If you’re an AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note owner jealous of the international model’s shiny new official  Ice Cream Sandwich update, you can take solace in yet another Android 4.0 leak for the American version. BriefMobile got their hands on the official software and posted it for download. If you’re running the older version, you may want to upgrade: the newer ROM brings significant bug fixes, though it’s far from perfect.

The leaked AT&T ROM from April was build UCLD3, while this build is UCLC5. There’s no additional features and it’s still Android 4.0.3, but the performance and stability of the newer software is testified by plenty of users already. The annoyingly constant force closes of the previous build seem to be fixed. Apparently it still needs a little more time in the oven, because for some reason Instagram doesn’t work. Flashing it will require a Windows PC, and unfortunately you’ll lose all the data stored on the phone so far (not to mention root privileges if you’ve obtained them).

Naturally, the upgrade is offered with no guarantees and plenty of caution – flash at your own risk. Those of you who are custom ROM junkies may want to skip the official updates entirely and try out some of the latest CyanogenMod 9 nightlies. On the Galaxy Note in particular they’ve added support for the S-Pen stylus and generally tidied things up. As always, remember to make a Nandroid backup.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : GALAXY Note LTE
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T
    Announced Date : January 09, 2012
    Release Date : February 19, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 5.3 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.78 Inch
  • Width : 3.27 Inch
  • Depth : 0.38 Inch
  • Weight : 183 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2500 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 250 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : MSM8660
    CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    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 :


DROID RAZR comes in blue in some stores now, everywhere May 17th

Posted: 10 May 2012 07:49 AM PDT

We’d previously heard that Motorola was adding a pleasant blue to its sober black, flashy white and baffling purple color options for the DROID RAZR, and Verizon has just confirmed it for us. You can find the blue DROID RAZR in select stores now (so select that we have no idea where they are) or wait until May 17th for nationwide availability and online sales.

The multiple colors for the DROID RAZR mirror Motorola’s efforts on the original RAZR flip phone back in the mid 2000s. The RAZR and its descendants became massively popular for a few years, helped in no small part by the fact that they were offered in a huge variety of colors (with hot pink proving strangely resilient even as the RAZR fell out of fashion). We won’t be satisfied until Motorola and Verizon make the DROID RAZR available in fuchsia, goldenrod and puce.

Verizon didn’t say anything about pricing, is the same as the current models at $99 for a two-year contract. The insides are the same as they ever were: a 1.2Ghz dual-core TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage space (no free MicroSD card on the $99 version) and an 8MP camera. The screen is still a 4.3-inch AMOLED QHD display, and it still (frustratingly) shows Android Gingerbread. A couple of Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs have leaked out, so we can hope that the update is coming soon.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : DROID RAZR
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : October 18, 2011
    Release Date : November 03, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
  • Resolution :
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.15 Inch
  • Width : 2.71 Inch
  • Depth : 0.27 Inch
  • Weight : 127 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 8.9 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP 4430
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16.384 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1700
  • 1900
  • 2100
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 :


Galaxy Note 5400mAh extended battery makes it even more massive

Posted: 10 May 2012 07:29 AM PDT

So you’ve got your gigantic Samsung Galaxy Note all gussied up with the official build of Ice Cream Sandwich, playing around with the S-Pen and generally making other smartphone owners feel like the guy who brought a Kia to a monster truck rally. What could you do to make the Galaxy Note even more audacious? Why, add a massive extended battery complete with replacement cover of course! Enter Mugen Power, which is now offering a 5400mAh replacement battery for the popular phablet.

The Galaxy Note’s standard battery is no slouch: that huge 5.3-inch screen allows the battery bay to extend for an impressive 2500mAh battery, giving the phone a good bit of longevity despite a lot of power draw. The Mugen battery is somewhat less restrained, bumping up the size and the life by a factor of about 2.1. Mugen isn’t saying exactly how much the extended battery cover bulges the phone’s dimensions, but it looks like it’s just under double the thickness of the original.

Since the battery doesn’t actually take up all of the space of the flush cover, they decided to add an extra feature: a kickstand. As I’ve said often and loudly, I love kickstands. It almost makes the $98.95 price tag worth it (almost). THe battery on the site is market for AT&T’s LTE version of the Galaxy Note (SGH-i717), but given our experience with Samsung’s batteries it might work on the international model as well – no promises. Any takers, Galaxy Note owners?

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : GALAXY Note LTE
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T
    Announced Date : January 09, 2012
    Release Date : February 19, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 5.3 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.78 Inch
  • Width : 3.27 Inch
  • Depth : 0.38 Inch
  • Weight : 183 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2500 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 250 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : MSM8660
    CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    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 :

[via AndroidSpin]


Project Glass shows impressive hands-free photo

Posted: 10 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Charlie Rose has many sterling qualities, but the ability to hurl him around oneself like a sack of potatoes is not one of them. That’s why this Project Glass sample photo from Google Fellow Sebastian Thrun is more interesting than the one he took live on the news show, because it illustrates the utility behind a camera that’s truly hands-free. You couldn’t snap this one with your smartphone unless you were okay with your son flying off in a literal example of a mathematical tangent.

Thrun is a former professor at Stanford and Carnegie Melon, and currently the head of Google X, the top-secret team behind such efforts as Street View, Google’s self-driving car program and now Project Glass. Google’s nowhere near a public release of Project Glass, but they’re confident enough in its concept that they’re letting senior employees test it outside the office. Google co-founder Sergey Brin showed off a pair at a conference last month.

Google’s augmented reality push is still very much in the design phase, though it’s been in the works for at least a year. The company has not made any statements about when or even how it intends to bring its heads-up display glasses to market, or what it intends to do with them when and if it does. Their high-profile reveal last month has inspired speculation, parody and no small amount of conceptualizing, but all we really want to do is try them out for ourselves.

[via Droid Matters]


AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD gets canned

Posted: 10 May 2012 06:30 AM PDT

We’re big fans of the Galaxy S II Skyrocket here at Android Community, and have been ever since it launched on AT&T’s LTE network back in November. It even accompanied us to CES as a backup to our personal phones – I can think of no greater compliment. But the successor to the Skyrocket, the even bigger and sharper Skyrocket HD, seems to have been given its walking papers even before release.

Samsung marketing director Ryan Bidan told reporters at CTIA yesterday that the device had been cancelled, because the upcoming Galaxy S III beat it in every aspect of specification. When asked if that meant that the Galaxy S III was coming to AT&T, Bidan couldn’t comment further. But the implication is certainly that the Galaxy S III is headed for the carrier, and around the same time or shortly after the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD was planned to be released this summer.

The Skyrocket HD was to be an American version of Samsung’s Galaxy S II LTE HD, packing all the specs of the original Skyrocket plus a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with a 720p resolution. The Galaxy S III has it beat in screen size (4.8 inches) processor (either a quad-core Exynos or a Snapdragon S4) and software (Android 4.0) among many other things. The Galaxy S III hits Europe and the UK at the end of this month, and is expected to arrive on American carriers later this summer.

[via SlashGear]


Huawei Y 100 Android smartphone is O2 exclusive

Posted: 10 May 2012 04:57 AM PDT

Huawei and O2 have announced the launch of a new Android smartphone exclusively available with O2 in the UK. The smartphones are the Ascend Y 100. The new G7105 will be available starting on May 11 in white for £39.99. A pink version of the smartphone will be offered through some channels. The Ascend Y 100 will be available starting June 1 for £79.99.

The smartphone will be offered at no charge on a monthly service plans of £10 and up. The Ascend will also come with a free customizable back cover worth £19.99. The Ascend runs Android Gingerbread 2.3 for the operating system and his 10.9 mm thick. It has a two-megapixel camera with four times digital zoom. It also supports mobile Internet speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

The display for the Ascend smartphone is 2.8-inches. Huawei says that the Y 100′s 30 frame per second video recording capability is twice the speed of other entry-level smartphones. The phone also supports 802.11n Wi-Fi. The free customize backplate offering will run through August 31 and buyers would get about your when they purchased the smartphone. The back to me customize with the users own picture or a library of artwork.


CoPilot GPS navigation app goes free for Android

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:20 AM PDT

If you had, your eye out for a quality, GPS navigation app for your Android smartphone, a new free app is now available on Google Play. The app is CoPilot GPS, a free version of ALK’s navigation software. ALK also has CoPilot Live for Android offering turn-by-turn navigation and off-line mapping selling for £20.

The new free version from the company is aimed to go directly against Google Maps Navigation. The big issue for many with the free CoPilot GPS app is that it doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation. To enable turn-by-turn navigation and other features such as live traffic updates you have to shell out money to the tune of £19.99 for a lifetime license and £9.99 for traffic updates.

The free app lets you get maps for one country in the deal. The download is 20 MB and available right now. We have to wonder when other GPS companies such as TomTom will follow suit with free navigation apps. Does anyone else think the days of paid GPS apps are coming to a close?

[via ElectricPig]


Galaxy Note Ice Cream Sandwich OTA goes live

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:43 AM PDT

Samsung has begun the OTA roll-out of Android 4.0 for the Galaxy Note, finally delivering Ice Cream Sandwich to the company’s eager phablet fans. The near-320mb upgrade, spotted first Note owner Devin Balentina, brings with it not only the performance improvements of ICS, but Samsung’s Premium Suite of new apps for the handset.

There’s an upgraded version of S Note, with improved digital note-taking tools, as well as a new S Memo widget for the homescreen. There are more details in Samsung’s overview video, below.

Samsung Premium Suite overview:

Ice Cream Sandwich’s most obvious changes – to the UI – have been masked, however, with the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. That should help preserve some consistency of experience for users, but we can’t help but wish Samsung had pared TouchWiz back somewhat and revealed the cool, crisp Roboto loveliness of native 4.0.

According to SammyHub, German Note owners can also access the new firmware by plugging their handset into the desktop Kies app. Let us know if you’re seeing the OTA notification in the comments!

[via SlashGear]


New Orleans tour through the lens of the HTC EVO 4G LTE

Posted: 09 May 2012 08:21 PM PDT

Here at CTIA 2012 we were able to get our first hands-on with the new HTC EVO 4G LTE device to replace the iconic original HTC EVO. This time around it will be running on their new 4G LTE spectrum too. The new HTC One series is highly impressive and the EVO 4G LTE picks right up where the HTC One X left off. With a huge and vivid 4.7-inch screen, and the same awesome 8 megapixel camera. Read on for our first impressions and a full photo tour of New Orleans thanks to HTC and the EVO 4G LTE.

The details or specs should already be known by many but just in case here is another rundown. HTC’s equipped it with a 4.7-inch 720×1280 SLCD2 HD display, a powerful 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a micro-SD slot for expanded storage (unlike some others), their impressive 8 megapixel camera and HTC Imagechip processor for enhanced photos and more. The phone comes in slightly thinner than the HTC One X on AT&T, gets micro-SD access, and even has that awesome kickstand those EVO users require.

Thanks to the folks from HTC while attending CTIA in New Orleans they took us on a 2 hour tour of the city. This was to enjoy the scenery, the smells, as well as show off the impressive 8 megapixel camera and HTC’s proprietary Imagechip processor and ImageSense technology inside the new HTC One and EVO 4G LTE. Below are tons of sample photos snapped with the new EVO 4G LTE, including 1080p video, panoramic shots, and a few HDR’s.

The EVO 4G LTE is the third device to launch with 4G LTE for the carrier, and this is isn’t Verizon or AT&T. The Now Network is a little late to the LTE party, just like T-Mobile, but hope to catch up with AT&T and possibly Verizon in 2013. While we can’t test those capabilities just yet, we’ll be sure to rundown everything else in our full review as we enjoy the new EVO 4G LTE over the next week or so. For now just know that the phone is awesome, the screen is vivid and beautiful, the camera freakin rocks, and the kickstand is pretty nice too. Check out all the photos from the gallery below.

Disregard the tour guide audio in the background :)

Note: Some photos were taken from a moving tour bus traveling at high speeds and the shutter speeds worked wonders. Also the two night trolley photos were snapped regular, and one with HTC’s low-light settings to enhance brightness. Enjoy my quick and small tour of New Orleans through the lens of the HTC EVO 4G LTE.

P1090419 P1090422 P1090420 P1090425 P1090428 P1090429 P1090435 P1090433 P1090423 P1090424 IMAG0063 IMAG0041 IMAG0021 IMAG0060 IMAG0001 IMAG0061 Screen Shot 2012-05-09 at 6.59.42 PM IMAG0045 IMAG0047 IMAG0025 IMAG0040 IMAG0043 IMAG0009 IMAG0017 IMAG0069 IMAG0070 IMAG0079 IMAG0078
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : EVO 4G LTE
    Manufactuer : HTC
    Carrier : Unknown
    Announced Date : April 04, 2012
    Release Date : May 18, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.7 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : SLCD 2
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.31 Inch
  • Width : 2.72 Inch
  • Depth : .35 Inch
  • Weight : 134 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2000 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : S4
    CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16GB GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


Facebook shows off App Center: its own social app gallery

Posted: 09 May 2012 03:45 PM PDT

Facebook apps. Android apps. Web apps. Apparently there just aren’t enough apps to go around, so Facebook decided to cram as many as it could into its own app. (Que Xzibit meme photos now.) The social networking giant is planning a major update both its web platform and its Android and iOS apps to put other apps that feature Facebook integration on display.

The idea is to promote Facebook’s various development features, and highlight apps that use them well. For example, Draw Something lets you log in with Facebook (even without the Facebook app installed on your phone or tablet) and connect with friends who play the Pictionary-style mobile game. Spotify also lets you log in with Facebook, and share what you’re listening to or browse your friends’ playlists.

Developers can create pages for their apps on Facebook now, and Facebook will feature well-reviewed and popular apps on the App Center front page. Android apps will link directly to either the Google Play Store on the web or its individual app on Android. For any developer who wants more exposure it’ll be a boon. Paying for apps through Facebook will only be supported for web apps (the ones that integrate with the main site) initially.

Strangely, there’s no mention of a way to share the apps that you’ve downloaded with your friends. The App Center won’t be rolled out for a few weeks yet, so we’ll be sure have a thorough hands-on ready when it does.

attachment (1) attachment (2) attachment


Google+ app update teased – still no tablet app in sight

Posted: 09 May 2012 03:13 PM PDT

The Google+ app for Android is a pretty solid little piece of software, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved upon. And according to Google’s official blog in the UK, that’s just what they intend to do. The screenshots posted show a truly massive visual update, which is strangely hitting the iOS version first, with the Android updated slated for sometime in the next few weeks.

The entire app is much more focused on photos than it was before, removing much of the sterile white space and highlighting the visual element whenever possible. Even the color scheme has changed: it’ll take on a darker tone that more closely resembles Ice Cream Sandwich’s overall visual UI. Keep in mind that the fonts and icons shown in the screenshots may be modified when the Android app gets the update.

Disappointingly, there’s still no word on an Android tablet app for Google+. Sure, you can use the app on tablets, but it just blows the interface up – we’ve been hoping for something a little more solid for Google’s own social network for months. Then again, the blog post teases “a few extra surprises” for when Android gets the update in question. Cross your fingers, folks.

ios2 ios3 ios7 ios6 ios5 ios4 ios1 plus ios


SwiftKey CMO and Community Manager speaks at CTIA

Posted: 09 May 2012 03:06 PM PDT

We’ve talked about keyboards plenty in the past and one that always comes up in discussion is SwiftKey. Their popular keyboard for Android has multiple impressive features like their predictive text engine and more. Today we had a chance to sit down and talk with Joe Braidwood, CMO of SwiftKey about the product, their vision, and why the VIP Forum Community is so important to them.

SwiftKey is something we’ve covered extensively here at AC, and you can read more about their impressive new SwiftKey 3 beta in our initial hands-on. Their current offering SwiftKey X is great, but the new version 3 makes it even better with a refreshed and impressive new UI, better predictive text, and the Smart Space is awesome and a selling point for me in itself. Here at CTIA along with the CMO of SwiftKey we also had a few minutes to talk to Evan Tapper, the community manager over at the VIP forums. He’s been the one reading all your comments (giving back the comma button) and adding all the changes that the VIP beta members have requested.

SwiftKey has a strong beta and VIP following with well over 60,000 members, and your valuable feedback has helped SwiftKey grow into the third iteration we see today, and one of Google Play’s editor picks for best apps. The newest beta released last week introduced tons of user feedback improvements, tweaks, and changes — and they promise us they’ll continue to add as much as possible from the feedback they’ve received.

The new smart punctuation button next to the spacebar for example, is an awesome way to quickly toggle different punctuation as needed but many are complaining about needing to long press for the options. If you have the new SwiftKey 3 beta you’ll be glad to know that just sliding your finger will enable the smart punctuation feature for your selection. SwiftKey also plans to add a quick gesture left or right to pick the most often selected punctuation based on the user in a future release.

All these awesome features, new features in development and more are all what make SwiftKey X and the new SwiftKey 3 one of the best and most popular 3rd party keyboards available for Android phones and tablets. With tons of money from investors, a community of over 60,000 users, and a dedicated team that is working to make the best product possible for their users.

We can expect to see SwiftKey 3 for phones and tablets leave beta and arrive in the Google Play Store soon. IF you’d rather not wait feel free to hit the VIP forum link above and sign up for your own free copy of the keyboard, and enjoy the VIP community yourself.


Google Maps adds Offers and indoor features

Posted: 09 May 2012 02:52 PM PDT

For the second time in as many weeks, Google has added features to the Android client for Google Maps. The update brings integration with the Google Offers deal program, as well as navigation for those sparse areas where Google has mapped out the interior of buildings. The latter is only available for the US and Japan at the moment. Lastly, they’ve modified the Street View function to provide 360-degree panoramic views of the inside of stores and other venues.

Offers tends to receive a fraction of the limelight of Google’s more robust services, but integration with Google Maps might get it some much-needed attention. After all, the reviews on Google Maps are some of the most read on the web, even if they don’t have the clout of dedicated services like Yelp. Naturally, the app uses you GPS sensor to determine the nearest offers in a variety of fields, and you can use some offers immediately or save them to your account.

Indoor navigation isn’t an entirely new feature, since maps of indoor locales have been available for some time. But adapting the walking navigation for various venues should make it easier to find the good Starbucks (not the other Starbucks, that one’s terrible) in your local mall. Indoor walking directions are currently in beta, and in order to use the indoor panorama feature you’ll also need to download the updated Street View for Google Maps app.


No comments:

Post a Comment