Android Community |
- Total Commander for Android reaches Version 1.0
- T-Mobile’s Galaxy S III cruises through the FCC
- T-Mobile HTC phones could be next on the ITC’s blocked list
- Verizon may enable global roaming on LTE phones soon
- Samsung Galaxy S III rooted already
- Sony Xperia S getting ICS in June
| Total Commander for Android reaches Version 1.0 Posted: 18 May 2012 06:08 PM PDT If you’re a Windows junkie like me, you’ve probably heard of Total Commander at least in passing. Though it’s been in development for what seems like ages, the popular file manager has finally graduated to version 1.0 in its Android port. You can download the app from the developer’s forum here – unfortunately it’s not yet on the Google Play Store.
For the uninitiated, think of Total Commander as an alternative to that old favorite Root Explorer. There’s three crucial differences between that app and this one: Total Commander is more powerful, admittedly uglier, and it’s absolutely free – it has been since it was introduced on Windows and later WindowsCE and Windows Mobile. I must admit that the interface is pretty awful, but then, power users won’t be too concerned by that. Total Commander supports all the bells and whistles of most advanced file managers, including support for compressed files. It’s also got something that most others don’t: a dual-pane view, perfect for moving lots of files around quickly. To activate it, just tilt your phone into landscape mode. This feature works great on high-end phones with 720p screens. Total Commander can also use root permissions – check the settings menu. [via Android Police]
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| T-Mobile’s Galaxy S III cruises through the FCC Posted: 18 May 2012 05:35 PM PDT We’ve seen pretty good indications that Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S III is coming to all four major US carriers, and the FCC just did us a solid by confirming T-Mobile’s customized model. The SGH-T999 is currently hanging out in the hallowed halls of the Federal Communications Commission, doing its time just like every wireless device in the country. The bands supported are T-Mobile’s, including their new AWS expansion, but do not include LTE.
That last point is surprisingly crucial. T-Mobile’s LTE network won’t be available until 2013 at the earliest, so it’s no surprise that the phone in question doesn’t use the relevant bands. But that also means that it could use the same quad-core Exynos processor as the international version of the Galaxy S III. It’s presumed that the other US versions of the Samsung phone (like Verizon’s SGH-I535) use a dual-core Qualcomm processor due to compatibility issues with current LTE radios. We know that like Eddie Murphy, the Galaxy S III is coming to American, we just don’t know when. The European rollout begins on May 29th, and Samsung has said that North American versions are indeed in the works, but no US carrier has confirmed its plans yet. They might be looking to have an American event, as they did for the Galaxy S II. In any case, we should find out within the next few weeks. Device Info
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 [via TmoNews]
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| T-Mobile HTC phones could be next on the ITC’s blocked list Posted: 18 May 2012 05:03 PM PDT Hey T-Mobile users, don’t get comfortable watch fans of HTC’s One X and EVO 4G LTE wait for the International Trade Commission’s customs embargo to lift. According to TmoNews, customers who ordered an HTC Amaze 4G online are being told that due to “an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer”, their phones are being indefinitely delayed. The delay is serious enough that T-Mobile recommends going with another phone entirely.
There’s no evidence that points directly to an ITC embargo due to Apple’s latest bit of patent trolling, but it would certainly fit the circumstances. Here’s the text of the email in question:
Note that T-Mobile recommends a Samsung phone as a replacement, and not the much newer and only slightly more expensive HTC One S. Notably, both phones still appear on T-Mobile’s website. This mess started back in December, when the International Trade Commission ruled in Apple’s favor on a single patent for contextual linking. Earlier this week shipments of the AT&T HTC One X and the HTC EVO 4G LTE (which would have launched today) were stopped in customs for a purpose that still hasn’t been confirmed, but is widely believed to be compliance checks for the Apple patent case. HTC says that it has modified the software on all its current phones to comply with the ruling. We’ve contacted HTC on the matter, and are waiting an official response.
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| Verizon may enable global roaming on LTE phones soon Posted: 18 May 2012 04:21 PM PDT Verizon’s no stranger to global roaming, but thus far none of its 4G LTE devices have been graced with this feature. This, despite the fact that many users have been able to mod phones like the HTC Rezound for just that, and even enable rudimentary access to domestic GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile. Some candid photos of upcoming in-store materials show that Verizon is indeed planning to activate the latent GSM bands in the HTC Rezound, and probably other LTE phones, for international travel.
It works something like this: Verizon’s LTE network is in fact based on GSM technology, the same cell phone standard that most of the rest of the world (and half of the US Big Four) uses. At preset, the “old” EDGE and 3G portions of the LTE radios in some of Verizon’s phones are dormant, instead defaulting to the older CDMA standard for non-LTE data and voice calls. With me so far? There’s really no reason for Verizon not to enable global roaming on some or all of its LTE phones, aside from the fact that they perhaps haven’t readied the marketing yet.
Phones tipped for the first round of global access are the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID 4, LG Spectrum and HTC Rezound. Though global roaming is certainly a handy feature, as AT&T customers already know, it’s usually quite expensive. Even after signing up for an international plan, it may still be better just to grab a prepaid cell phone when traveling abroad, especially if you plan to do so for any extended period of time. We’ll have to wait and see what the rates are. [via Droid-Life]
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| Samsung Galaxy S III rooted already Posted: 18 May 2012 02:44 PM PDT Well that didn’t take long. The Samsung Galaxy S III, would-be king of smartphones and not due to release in any market for a week and a half, has already been rooted. Noted XDA member Chainfire posted the steps that he took to root a stock Galaxy S III – without saying exactly how he got his hands on it. The process was achieved remotely.
This required modifying the stock kernel, though apparently it’s much easier than on previous Samsung devices because they’re using the standard boot.img format. The superuser app was then installed manually, and bingo bango, root was achieved. There are a few caveats, however: since this is a pre-release version of the Galaxy S III hardware, it’s possible (though unlikely) that the method could change between now and the phone’s European release on May 29th.
Modders have nothing to fear from the Galaxy S III: over the last year or so Samsung has released the kernel source code of pretty much every device it makes, and doesn’t put up any especially difficult barriers for custom developers (HTC and Motorola, are your ears turning red?) With root advanced users will be able to broaden their app horizons, and hopefully custom ROMs will start popping up a week or two after the phone’s release. Now if only we knew when this thing is hitting the States… Device Info
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[via VoolSmartPhone]
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| Sony Xperia S getting ICS in June Posted: 18 May 2012 11:21 AM PDT One of Sony’s recent flagship smartphones, the Xperia S has some pretty impressive specs when it launched earlier this year but sadly still came with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Sony did add a few ICS-like features with folders and such but it isn’t quite the same. We have good news today because over at the Sony forums we’re hearing the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is coming soon.
With a 4.3-inch HD display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and a 12 megapixel camera this is one of Sony’s top tier phones, if not their current flagship. Many bought the phone hoping ICS was coming soon and now you’ll be getting your wish. According to what we’ve heard Sony will be updating the Xperia S to Android 4.0 ICS later this month or in early June. So you can expect to see the update within the next 3-4 weeks. With no Ericsson around and this being purely a Sony branded device they are at least headed in the right direction in terms of specs, hardware, and now software. Sony has some impressive smartphone and hopefully they’ll start to compete better with HTC and Samsung, especially here in the US. For now users of the impressive Xperia S will have to wait just a few more weeks and they’ll be able to enjoy the frozen treat of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Let us know when you receive the update via the tips at the top of the page. [via SlashGear]
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