Android Community |
- Samsung drops two new TV ad spots, shows how awesome the Galaxy S III is
- Google I/O 2012 app hits the Play Store, hints at Jelly Bean release date
- Galaxy S III demand is high, AT&T ship date delayed a week too
- MightyText is like iMessage mixed with Google Voice
- Samsung Galaxy S III AT&T and T-Mobile Review
- Mugen Power releases Galaxy S III HDMI desk dock
- EA’s Mass Effect and NBA Jams both go on sale for $0.99
- T-Mobile Galaxy S III launch date delayed to 27th for most markets
- Google’s Nexus 7-inch tablet ready to ship according to rumors
- Google+ integration heads to Flipboard
- Google Project Glass patents reveal more about the trackpad
- Samsung posts Galaxy S III source code for US variants
| Samsung drops two new TV ad spots, shows how awesome the Galaxy S III is Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:34 PM PDT Samsung is about to unleash their new and improved Galaxy S III flagship smartphone to the US. It will be available starting tomorrow on AT&T, T-Mobile and more (although demand is causing delays) and now they are starting their big TV commercial push. We can expect to see plenty of advertising for the new phone, and the past two days we’ve seen two awesome ones appear so lets take a look.
I like Samsung’s new direction as of late too, they are showing actual features and reasons you should buy their phone in commercials. Instead of just showing it real quick and having a 15 second ad. If you’d like to see all the features shown below in real life check out our thorough Galaxy S III Review, then enjoy the two new videos from Samsung. Pretty neat right? They are showing off all of the share features, S Beam, watching video while texting and more all with the Galaxy S III. Just like the commercial we saw last week, these show what users would actually do with their phone in real life, something more phone commercials should do. No one will be playing their HTC EVO 4G LTE as a piano with 40 other people in the street — just saying. Who ordered the Samsung Galaxy S III here from a US carrier? Let us know what feature you’re most excited about.
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| Google I/O 2012 app hits the Play Store, hints at Jelly Bean release date Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:38 AM PDT Google’s large developer event, IO 2012 is quickly approaching and will be starting early next week. We are super excited and so should all of our readers. As usual Google has released their conference companion app in the Google Play Store. This year however it’s been updated to Android 4.0 ICS design standards, and even shows us a possible glance at Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
With the new Google IO 2012 app you can personalize your agenda and schedule, get detailed sessions and speaker information, and even +1 things right from the app and share with your Google+ friends. Any Android 3.0 Honeycomb device or above can even playback the live video streams from I/O sessions too — that is neat.    Then since everyone seems to be talking about it, the screenshot above shows a possibly redesigned Android 4.0 ICS launcher. The Google search bar is built into the ICS launcher, so we could be seeing a slightly redesigned UI with Android 4.1 or Jelly Bean, or maybe they’ve allowed the search bar to be a widget again, as it was before Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. That could be our first look at Jelly Bean, but we seriously doubt it. One interesting fact is every screenshot for the new IO 2012 app shows the time of 25:10, which obviously isn’t a real time of day. Could this be a teaser that October 25th is when they plan to officially launch the next version of Android — codenamed Jelly Bean? That seems a bit far off for a teaser but anything is possible. Get the all new Google IO 2012 companion app today to get ready for their developer event, or stay tuned right here because we’ll be live on site! – Thanks JJ and Paul!
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| Galaxy S III demand is high, AT&T ship date delayed a week too Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:08 AM PDT It looks like all of the US carriers are selling the hot new Galaxy S III faster than Samsung can make them. The fact that they had to trash over a half a million blue models back covers could be part of this issue. Along with Verizon, T-Mobile, and the Now Network today AT&T has also delayed their launch from the 21st to the 28th when they get more product.
The folks from Verizon only pushed back the date one day, but yesterday T-Mobile announced they’ll push the initial pre-order group out on time, but the rest of the nation will have to wait until June 28th to get the highly anticipated phone. Today AT&T is basically saying the exact same thing, without really saying it. According to multiple tips that have just hit our inbox, AT&T’s “expected ship date” for those ordering online has now changed to the 28th. This most likely means many of the original pre-orders will ship on time for delivery tomorrow or this week, and everyone from here on out will be waiting an additional 6-7 days and can get the phone next week. We’ll update as soon as we hear more, or if AT&T makes an official statement on the matter. For now it appears Samsung can’t make em fast enough, and are throwing them off the production floor as fast as possible to keep up with demand. We have a feeling this will soon be the best selling Android phone of all times, just like the Galaxy S II was. Trust us, the phone is great and you can see the AT&T and T-Mobile version in our review here. Drop us a comment if you are seeing similar shipping dates or notifications from AT&T, or if yours shows up on the doorstep today or tomorrow. – Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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| MightyText is like iMessage mixed with Google Voice Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:54 AM PDT
The app reminds me a lot of Google Voice in that you can send and receive text messages from any device just as you would with your Android smartphone in hand. One key difference though is that MightyText doesn’t require you to get a new phone number as Google Voice does, rather MightyText syncs with your current phone number. One seemed that allows you to track SMS and MMS messages as well as voice calls you make. Users can also make voice calls, presumably using VoIP. The app also organizes all of your calls and messages making them easier to search. It also allows you to store your received messages securely for as long as you desire. The people that you text from your computer or even your iPad using MightyText don’t have to install the app and won’t know that you are not using your Android smartphone to send the messages. [via SlashGear]
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| Samsung Galaxy S III AT&T and T-Mobile Review Posted: 19 Jun 2012 09:09 PM PDT In the Samsung Galaxy S III we’ve got the best-selling smartphone line returning with a surprisingly reserved attack on our senses. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It appears as if Samsung has taken what they’ve sewn in the Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II (and every Galaxy in-between) and has created a device that’s not taking a whole lot of risks, but instead is precision tuned beyond any of the manufacturer’s past devices. What we’ll be doing today in this review of the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S III is looking at how the two different versions compare and at what it will mean to have two friends or associates using the devices together – in other words, we’re going to see how well they share with one another.
Hardware Just like our review of the Samsung Galaxy S III international edition, this device has a plastic back in either white or blue, with the blue version having a bit more of a pattern to it while the white is just that – flat and white. Both versions have what Samsung calls a HyperGlaze along the back as well, this essentially making the whole business seem a bit more shiny in the end. The back panel has a bit of bend to it when you pop it off to switch out your battery, your SIM card, or your microSD card, and isn’t prone to breaking in the least.
Fitting on the back in a bit of a wave (or a blade of grass design, if Samsung can convince you of the device’s nature inspiration), the back cover can be replaced by the flip case we’ve also been sent. This case gets annoying rather quickly, to tell the truth. It takes the place of your back cover and flips up along the side to cover the front of your phone – which is already protected from harm with the next-generation Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The case protects the phone against your keys, and that’s about it. After that it’s just something to get in the way of your camera while folded back, and there’s nothing to hold it forward either.
The glass on the front of the GSIII is a beautiful slab which curves downward ever so slightly around the edges on all sides. Its interrupted only by the phone speaker – which is above the glass, as it should be, to avoid getting filled with dust. Also the home button interrupts the glass in the front, Samsung finally committing to the feature after several iterations of Galaxy devices with four capacitive buttons in the USA with the physical button abroad.
The button can be pressed once to go home, twice to access S-Voice, and held for a moment or two to get to your recent apps for switching between the lot of them. On the right and left of the home key are two capacitive LED light buttons which disappear when not in use – these are a bit confusing at first for someone who is used to being able to see the buttons at all times, but the feature does end up being fabulous after a few days and from there on forward – aesthetically, that is.
Next you’ll find that the notification light is alive and well on the GSIII, while the volume up/down sits on the left and the power button sits on the right, all of them as high quality and perfectly tuned as they can be for a bit of smartphone hardware. Above and below the device you’ll find mic holes identified by their tiny pin-prick appearance, and at the bottom of the device you’ll find Samsung’s new USB/MHL HDMI combo port.
This port works perfectly fine with whatever microUSB cord you want to use for power, but working with HDMI will require you to use the special new HDMI MHL converter we’ve also got our hands on. The good news about this new cord is that it holds in much tighter to the port than the Galaxy S II’s solution did, and the quality here out to full-sized HDMI is impeccable. We checked out several movies using the Samsung Media Hub as well as some full-1080p HD quality videos transferred to the device from the PC and the results were excellent in all ways.
The Galaxy S III is the same model in all ways but software and data connections no matter what carrier you work with – as far as sound quality, picture quality, and call quality, you’ll need to have no worries as they’re all rather great on this device. This smartphone is light, it’s relatively thin, and the screen will never fail to satisfy even your highest-level demands for brightness and sharpness. The only drawback here is for a person looking for a screen that’s not exactly this size – personally a prefer a 4.3-inch display as it’s perfect for my hand and thumb to work with: but that’s up to you entirely.
There’s also a headphone jack at the top of the device, exactly where it should be, as far away from the microUSB power port as it can be. For a person who routinely plugs his device into 3rd party headphone jack-having devices at the same time as charging this device up, I can say that this is the most ideal situation for the GSIII. On that note, you should know that this device works with the Wolfson Micro WM1811 DAC onboard for fabulous audio output and is also able to work apt-X Bluetooth device – that’s quality sound! Software Much like the software we saw on the international edition of the device, here the Galaxy S III on AT&T as well as T-Mobile brings on TouchWiz in a nature-themed iteration. You’ve got a new set of icons in all areas of the device, with changes making the device appear just a bit different from the Galaxy S II in its made-for-adults nature. Samsung has come a LONG way in a couple of years from what we saw on the original Galaxy S device for that version of TouchWiz, that being back when the icons were referred to as “candy coated.” The difference between the international edition and the USA versions of this device in the software world then is in the apps. Samsung has provided their entire suite of apps once again with only a couple of differences depending on which device you’ve got. Have a peek at the three screens of icons here first on the AT&T edition:
Then have a peek at the T-Mobile version of the device’s collection of apps as well:
You’ll notice a few differences first in the amount of T-Mobile or AT&T-branded apps that come along for the ride, with few surprises, but then you’ll find some oddities as well. The AT&T version does not have Dropbox (nor does it have the free Dropbox space deal that several of the other units do), while it does have Amazon as well as Game Hub. The T-Mobile version does not have the Google “Local” app, the Samsung More Services app, the Samsung Music Hub app, the Google “Places” app, or the “Samsung Apps” app. The AT&T version DOES have a Yellow Pages app where the T-Mobile version does not.
Widgets are the same and your access to your notifications screen are the same as well. From here on out, the two devices are so similar that it’s only the carrier name on the back of the device and the data speed that will have you telling them apart. And of course whatever network you’re most likely to pick because of your family and friends dedication and/or your locked-in love for T-Mobile or AT&T. S-Beam The Galaxy S III has the ability to work with NFC in a way that’s both simple and magical. You turn on S-Beam on your Galaxy S III, you turn on S-Beam on the other Galaxy S III, you open up an app like your gallery, and you put the two devices together, back to back. One device then pushes a photo (or a document, or a video) through to the other device, and the file is transferred. Have a peek at our hands-on with this feature here: AllShare Play One of the most awesome sharing and connectivity apps on the Samsung Galaxy S III is AllShare Play – and every version of the device has this app/ecosystem embedded in it right out of the box. When you connect to AllShare Play, you get 5GB of cloud space from SygarSync. There you can add whatever you want, be it photos, documents, movies, or files of odd types. This folder is separated into several categories and your device can access it via the web whenever you like – AllShare Play can also be set up to upload your photos and video the instant you capture these gems so that anyone who has access to your SugarSync account can see them quickly.
One of the abilities you’ll certainly want to try out if you do happen to have two or more Galaxy S III devices in the same Wi-fi area is to connect them with Wi-fi Direct and AllShare Play’s “Group Cast.” This system allows you to have the same presentation showing up mirrored on each device that you’ve got connected – and more than that, each display has the same control that the other does over the content being shown. Have a peek at our hands-on with AllShare Play and Group Cast here: Share Shot with Face Detection and Buddy Photo Share The Galaxy S III has such fabulous face detection skills that it’s almost creepy. When you take a photo of a friend, your GSIII will detect that they’ve got a face and will try to identify it. If it cannot be identified, you’ll be asked if you’d like to tag it. You can either make up a name or you can connect this person’s face with one of your contacts. If you do either, the information the GSIII has gathered about that face will be stored in its system for later detection of that same face.
The nice thing about this is that not only does it save time for you if you’re the type of person that likes to go rapid-fire on every photo you own with the tagging, but you can use such abilities in your camera as Share Shot and Buddy Photo Share. With Buddy Photo Share you’ll be prompted to share each photo after you take it with the buddies that have been identified in each shot. Then with Share Shot you’ve got the ability once again to connect with everyone using a Galaxy S III inside the same Wi-fi network. This time you’ll be sharing the photos you’re taking as you take them, and you’ll be doing it automatically. Each time you take a photo when you’re in Share Shot mode, it’s automatically copied to the other devices you’re connected with, this creating one big party gallery at once! Camera Quality Samsung has not had a disappointing camera on a Galaxy smartphone for some time, and the Galaxy S III is certainly not one to break that record. The camera quality on both the T-Mobile and AT&T version of the device has turned out to be the same as the International Edition of the GSII, so without further ado, here are a few examples:
Software Benchmarks The USA version of the Galaxy S III, be it the T-Mobile version, the AT&T version, or otherwise, is always going to have the same processor, that being the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core. This processor has appeared in several smartphones this year already, and this Samsung device has certainly made good use of it. First have a peek at some T-Mobile Galaxy S III benchmarks here:    Then have a look at the AT&T benchmarks for the Galaxy S III here:    Data Speed and Battery Both the AT&T and T-Mobile Galaxy S III units have “4G” speeds, but you’ll find that this branding of the speed at which these devices function is relative. The T-Mobile GSIII had some rather low spots while we were standing in a house in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but move a mile away and it started to speed up pretty quick:
The AT&T LTE device had fair coverage even in the Twin Cities here in Minnesota, while we have seen up to 13.8 Mbps in LTE areas in other states. Upload speeds have reached 6+Mpbs in LTE-laden areas as well.
The battery life on both devices has been extremely similar, regardless of radio, the following result showing a fairly average result, regardless of usage. We’ve not seen a day where we needed to charge either Galaxy S III model more than overnight, and a day and a half seems to be the maximum usage we’ve got out of one with emails, games, and evens streaming video being played regularly.
Wrap-Up Like our review of the international edition of the Galaxy S III, we’ve got to say that these phones are rather top-notch. It’s no small task to take what great success Samsung has had with the Galaxy line and continue to wow the public with a device that, at first glance, doesn’t seem to be a giant blast forward in the specifications realm. Instead it is Samsung’s great task here indeed to have created a solid device, top to bottom, and sell it not on just one carrier in the USA, but a whopping five at once, and all of them right out of the gate.
We’re certainly onboard with this device, and with the sharing abilities Samsung has shown here between two Galaxy S III units, its going to be difficult not wanting to get one for each member of the family just to have photo sharing fun with them. It’s time for Samsung to continue down the road of greatness with what this time should be seen as a humble winner.                               
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| Mugen Power releases Galaxy S III HDMI desk dock Posted: 19 Jun 2012 04:19 PM PDT The folks behind all those extended battery cases we’ve seen in the past — Mugen Power — have just released some new accessories and desktop docks for the popular Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone. Today they’ve posted up details on a few new options that include HDMI-Out, or a spare battery. More details can be found below.
All the details can be found over at MugenPower.com but I wanted to show a few good options available in the desktop cradle. The model shown in the pictures offers a sturdy desktop cradle that holds the device in portrait mode and offers HDMI-Out. It will run you about $49 and is a good option for those that want to charge and dock at the same time instead of taking the MHL route. Then the same design and option comes without the HDMI-Out option and instead features a port to charge a second spare battery. It doesn’t come with an additional battery but this option only costs $29 for those interested. You can learn more by clicking here. Mugen doesn’t appear to be offering any extended battery options for the Galaxy S III yet but you can expect some 3,000 mAh and bigger coming soon with integrated kickstands and more if they follow their usual trend. More details are available from the timeline and source link below. Who’s getting the Galaxy S III this week, and if so what accessories do you want?     [via Mugen]
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| EA’s Mass Effect and NBA Jams both go on sale for $0.99 Posted: 19 Jun 2012 02:59 PM PDT In what appears to be almost completely random we have a pretty awesome deal for you guys today. The folks from EA have decided to put two of their popular Android games on sale for an extremely low price of just $0.99 cents. The best part about this news is their new Mass Effect: INFILTRATOR is a whopping 80% off coming in for under a dollar.
Mass Effect is one of the most visually impressive games for Android, and they’ve made the controls quite good for a 3rd person shooter on a mobile device. Being released just about a month ago for $6.99, and now being dropped to only a dollar is surprising, but for that we thank them. They had their Games for Guys sale for Father’s Day, but this seems completely random and they’ve yet to announce why. Pretty awesome deal for one of the best games available. Then EA has also dropped their pretty fun arcade style NBA Jams from $4.99 to the same $0.99 cents price point. This could be in part to it currently being NBA Finals week (Go Durant and Harden) but we won’t question a good deal and instead just provide the links below so you can enjoy both of these awesome Android games. The compatibility is quite decent so make sure your device is supported, non US users can find these games from Electronic Arts Nederland BV in the Play Store. Mass Effect: INFILTRATOR Link Update: As an added bonus search for “longest day deals” in the Play Store (or click here) for tons of games and apps all on sale for under a dollar. That includes the fun Sonic Episode 1. [via Android Police]
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| T-Mobile Galaxy S III launch date delayed to 27th for most markets Posted: 19 Jun 2012 01:58 PM PDT We have some somewhat bad news to share with our T-Mobile users this afternoon. Apparently the Galaxy S III is a hugely popular device (duh!) and they are selling more than they expected over at T-Mobile, and as a result have adjusted the release date into two phases. Only select popular markets will see the Galaxy S III available in-stores on June 21st, and the rest will have to wait until next week on the 27th.
Instead of going in and picking up that phone you pre-ordered, or have been dying to get your hands on this Thursday, most of you will be waiting until next week. It isn’t a huge deal but Verizon only delayed theirs a day, not an entire week. According to TmoNews T-Mobile will only be offering the Galaxy S III in their 29 most popular markets on the 21st, then will release it nationwide for complete availability on the 27th. Here’s a list of the 29 markets that made the cut:
We do have some good news though, and that is that T-Mobile.com will also be accepting orders although will only be a very limited number. This means if your city isn’t listed above, you won’t be able to buy a T-Mobile Galaxy S II until the 27th unless you snag one online. The SGSIII on T-Mobile will be $229 for those on value plans, and as usual a new 2-year contract will be required. Stay tuned as we look for additional details. Are you upset to hear the news? Or will you just try and buy it online instead? Device Info
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Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
 Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
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| Google’s Nexus 7-inch tablet ready to ship according to rumors Posted: 19 Jun 2012 01:24 PM PDT Google’s big developer event is starting next week and we are all giddy with excitement here at Android Community about what all they’ll announce. One that will surely be a big part of the news is the rumored Nexus Tablet. Today the folks from DigiTimes have released more details (rumors) claiming the device is actually shipping now, is ready to rock, and Google will in fact start selling it early next month.
When they say “shipping now” they man currently en route to facilities and prepared to be distributed to multiple retailers. I was originally thinking Google would only offer it on the Play Store, but having it available in the flesh at Best Buy’s and stores is a good move. DigiTimes reports the Google tablet will indeed launch at the $199 price point that’s been rumored for months. They go as far as to say it will be available in early July after the worldwide announcement and debut at Google I/O next week. To meet the low price point Google removed the rear facing camera (something I don’t mind) and it will feature a 720p front camera instead. This could be what took the image that we reported on yesterday. So how does that sound to you guys? I personally love the idea of a 7-inch quad-core Tegra 3 tablet with a front facing camera, Android 4.1, and pre-loaded with Google Chrome browser all for just $199. Again, we’ll be live at Google I/O reporting any and all news from the Nexus Tablet, Jelly Bean, Project Majel, Google Glass and anything else that might be there. Stay tuned! [via DigiTimes]
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| Google+ integration heads to Flipboard Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:45 PM PDT Interesting but expected news has just arrived this afternoon that Google has inked a deal with the developers of the new popular Flipboard news app for Android. At a conference in London Google+ VP of product management Bradley Horowitz confirmed the move and said we can expect Google+ sharing integrated into Flipboard soon.
Essentially what this means is Flipboard will soon be even more social. Currently you can share news and stories with friends on Facebook and Twitter but soon you’ll have Google’s +1 button and more. Not only that but the new API will allow Flipboard to both read and write from Google’s social network. You’ll be able to sign in and get your G+ fix all in-app with Flip, similar to Google’s own Google Currents app. We are also hearing the new special API’s allowing read/write access to Google+ will be closed off initially until Google can get it how they’d like. It looks like the folks from Flipboard will be among the first to enjoy access to the social site though. Many Android fans love Google+ but when asked about current users Horowitz declined to comment on how many active Google+ users there are currently. We’ll update once Flipboard shares more details or updates their app. [via SlashGear]
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| Google Project Glass patents reveal more about the trackpad Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:10 PM PDT We have very slowly been getting bits and pieces of Google’s new Project Glass augmented reality glasses. Remember when Larry Page snapped a photo and used a trackpad on the right side of the device to do some gestures, well today we’ve learned more on how this all could work. This week the US Patent and Trademark Office released details on some new patent they’ve granted regarding the trackpad.
The trackpad is located on the side of the device, as shown in the image above but you’d never tell from looking at it. We’ve seen a few videos where users have relied on that to clear notifications and such but the image below should shed new light on a few of the operations and UI options we’ll have at our disposal with Google Glass.
Obviously everything won’t be completely voice controlled, nor do you always want to be talking to yourself. With the patent details we can see scanning through emails and scrolling features, enabling and disabling options such as flash (we didn’t even know it would have a camera flash) and more. It looks like this was all filed a while back, but today the USPTO gave it the go ahead and approved the patents. Good news for Google. I can’t wait to see more and hopefully Google will give us a tease or demonstration at Google I/O next week. [via Engadget]
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| Samsung posts Galaxy S III source code for US variants Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:44 AM PDT Samsung has been surprisingly good about posting the source code for their smartphones. They quickly posted the details for the international Galaxy S III model once it was released, and now have made available the code for the US models over on AT&T and T-Mobile — just days before the official release.
Samsung did the same thing with multiple versions of their Galaxy S II as well, making it available before the device even hit the streets. We wish all manufactures would do the same. Mainly HTC and Motorola but that probably won’t be happening any time soon. We are glad someone helps out the developer community around here.
AT&T’s model goes by SGH-I747M, while T-Mobile’s Galaxy S III flavor is the SGH-T999V as shown above. In the usual fashion the open source files are available to download from Samsung’s open source site. The links below can direct you to each model. Now developers can start diving in and preparing ROM’s for the phones. Hopefully this helps out that CyanogenMod 9 progress too. T-Mobile SGH-T999V [via Android Police]
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A pair of former Googlers has launched a new app called MightyText specifically for Android smartphone users. The developers of the app are Maneesh Arora and Amit Sangani and their app originally launched as a Chrome extension and gained popularity quickly. The success of that Chrome extension helped the duo raise $650,000 to build their new mobile app that has just recently launched.
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