Saturday 23 June 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Mozilla teases something BIG coming to Firefox next week

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 04:43 PM PDT

The team behind Firefox has taken to Twitter this evening to tease us that something “BIG” is coming to Android next week and that we should stay tuned. Obviously this is probably some new update or improvement to the Firefox web browser for Android. They didn’t reveal anything in their teaser so it looks like we’ll just have to wait and see.

I have a pretty good idea of what is coming next week regarding Android and browsers. Google will be unveiling Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at Google I/O, and it will be coming standard with their Chrome browser. That is what will be the big news. Firefox is probably preparing for the news and hoping to build hype. That’s just my guess, but what do I know?

Firefox has had a bit of a rocky road so far with Android. Their beta was pretty slow, and their updates have been too. I prefer the stock Android 4.0 ICS browser, and Chrome for Android both over Firefox for Android — but hopefully they have something next week that will change my mind. Most likely it will be the official release of their tablet version and flash integration, as that is only available in their beta. It’s odd they chose to announce this during the same week of Google I/O when Google themselves will clearly be heading the news. Stay tuned as we’ll update once we know more other than the teaser today of “fast, smart, and safe.” We’ll see.

[via @Firefox] – Thanks Jon!


Flipboard for Android officially released to Play Store

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 03:57 PM PDT

After being an exclusive for the Samsung Galaxy S III for a few weeks and being in beta stages for other Android devices, the folks from Flipboard have finally released their app to the masses today. The extremely popular and visually impressive news and RSS reader is available now for all.

What makes Flipboard special is it’s more than just an RSS reader — it’s social too. Pulling news and coverage from Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and soon Google+. The magazine-style layout and neat graphics makes it one of the most popular news apps around on iOS, and as of today can be downloaded for all Android devices as it has just left beta.

For more about Flipboard be sure to check out our Flipboard beta hands-on. It was supposed to be exclusive to the Galaxy S III but was quickly pulled for the Android world to enjoy. The app is completely free so get it now. Sadly it’s optimized for smartphones and isn’t the optimal experience on tablets. Hit all the links below for more info on Flipboard and then get it from the link and enjoy.

Flipboard Play Store Link


HTC teases upcoming S-Voice and Siri rival

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 03:22 PM PDT

It looks like HTC has been having some fun this afternoon at the expense of blogs and HTC Android fans everywhere. Tossing up a picture on their official Twitter teasing an upcoming S-Voice and Siri rival voice assistant program — only for dogs. Everyone quickly jumped on it thinking the dog part was just a cover but yes, this was indeed fake.

Between Apple’s Siri and Samsung’s new S-Voice the voice helpers on mobile devices has been a hotly discussed topic as of late. Google is preparing their own codenamed Project Majel that we’ve heard will be shown off at Google I/O next week as Google Assistant, so this was pretty good timing HTC.

HTC’s “Top Secret” new voice assistant was looking very similar to Siri and other options, being able to take appointments, share weather alerts and all that jazz but we have a feeling they’ll just wait for Google’s Assistant to arrive with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. After posting the photo there was a wave of comments, speculation, and posts popping up everywhere but it appears this was indeed a fake for “pet week” — confirmed by Jeff Gordon at HTC.

Whether HTC is working on their own Siri voice assistant rival or not is still unknown. This could technically go both ways and they are just calming the waters for now. What do you guys think? Something that got out of hand or did the internet and Android world just get Rick Roll’d by HTC?


Motorola shows RAZR owners what’s new with Android 4.0 ICS [Video]

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 02:42 PM PDT

Now that the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX is finally official. Rolling out to all users as of this morning, Motorola has used to opportunity to drop a quick video showing off the new OS. This is essentially a welcome video that will help outline what is new, and what users can expect after the update.

If you want to see a quick video highlight many of the new features your RAZR will be getting after the update you’ll want to check out the video below. None of this is new, and is all things we’ve seen from the Galaxy Nexus and any other ICS device, but it’s nice to see Motorola highlighting important features and showing users how to enjoy the update.

My favorite feature is probably the new and improved lockscreen. Not only do you have the option for Face Unlock (which I don’t really use) but they’ve integrated what many 3rd party ROM’s and other manufacturers have. Custom unlock options. Unlock directly into camera, messages, Facebook or more with their new lockscreen. For more details on the update head to Motorola.com/icecreamsandwich or click on any of the links below for more coverage.

Screen Shot 2012-06-22 at 9.52.59 AM Screen Shot 2012-06-22 at 9.51.17 AM topperwtmk-540x2731


Nike+ Running app finally released for Android

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 01:57 PM PDT

We have good news for all you Android gym buffs or users that love a good workout. Today Nike has finally released their somewhat popular Nike+ app for Android called Nike+ Running. This exercise and workout monitoring and tracking app has finally been expanded to the world of Android and is loaded full of features — it’s about time.

From tracking workouts and running with GPS, mid-run audio feedback like friends cheering you on (or teasing you about the cold Gatorade waiting at home) and tons of other features and options. Nike+ uses the handset's GPS and accelerometer to record distance, pace and time, then breaks it all down post-run mile by mile and will compare to previous events.

Nike+ does have Facebook integration, but sadly doesn’t work with their Nike FuelBand (that should be getting an Android app this summer) but they did manage to integrate Google Music. The app pulls from Android users Google Music list and will playback all your favorites songs. You can sync and check out Nikeplus.com for maps of runs, details, and more. Start racking up those miles and get ready for summer with some GTL! Get Nike+ Running now from the Play Store.

[via SlashGear]


Google I/O 2012: We’ll Be There Live!

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 01:43 PM PDT

The big and always exciting Google I/O Developer conference kicks off next week in San Francisco starting on Wednesday, June 27th, and we are sure to see tons of excellent things from the folks at Mountain View. From Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a Nexus Tablet, and multiple other things this is a quick shout out to inform you all that Android Community as well as our sister site SlashGear will be there live! Capturing all the news as it happens.

Now Google I/O isn’t just about what is new for Android, or Google. It’s about fans, developers, and everyone else in-between coming together to learn and share ideas. It is more a developer conference than anything, but we surely will be learning plenty about what Google has planned for the future as well. As we mentioned above, we’ll be there live covering anything that happens in the world of Android, but also be searching out, interviewing, and finding developers. That is mainly why we’ll be on-site (and to see this Nexus Tablet) so things might be a bit slow around here except for the breaking news.

In more exciting news our Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, Vincent Nguyen was kindly invited by Google to write about Google I/O, what it means to him, and what he expects to see so you’ll want to check that out at their Developer Blog.

"We'll be covering I/O wearing two different hats, which is fitting considering Android has broken through into the mainstream as well as remaining a developer's playground. For SlashGear, we'll take a more consumer-centric approach: looking at the technologies and developments that will make a day-to-day difference in users' lives. It's really easy to put together a slick demo and presentation, but we'll be trying to make sure the SlashGear audience sees the context too, where they'll actually benefit once that technology reaches the market.

On the flipside there's the Android Community readership, which tends to be more advanced in its understanding of hardware, code and apps, as well as eager and willing to dig into the minutiae of what makes Google I/O special. There, we'll spend less time on context – though that's still important – and more on specifics, keeping readers up to speed on the cutting edge."

He’s never missed a Google I/O event and has followed Google every step of the way. Going along with him will be fun, and a learning experience as this will be my first Google I/O. Don’t get me wrong, CES is fun, but I’m all about Android. Google I/O 2012 officially kicks off June 27th to June 29th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, and we'll be there right from the start to enjoy it all! Follow along right here or at SlashGear. Look through the I/O 2012 schedule and let us know what you’d like to see in the comment section below.


Acer Iconia Tab A700 hands-on and unboxing

Posted: 22 Jun 2012 12:57 PM PDT

What do we have here? This my friends is the Acer Iconia Tab A700. This new tablet will be Acer’s flagship device for the summer and has all the specs one should want in a tablet. Coming complete with a 1920 x 1200 Full 1080p HD display, Ice Cream Sandwich, and a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor this should be a beast. Check out our initial impressions and hands-on below.

Acer’s first few tablets weren’t all that great, although were priced pretty awesome and had lots of fans. Earlier this year they released the A200 with ICS but this new slate is here to stay and reign king of their offerings. They’ve added all the specs you’d like into one powerful and somewhat sleek slate, and will be offering it for an impressive $449. You’ll want to start off by enjoying my unboxing video below and then check out the rest of the photos in the gallery near the end.

Acer Iconia Tab A700 unboxing

Acer has outfitted this tablet with some pretty impressive specifications that should keep it near the top. Being the first Android tablet to actually be available with a 1920 x 1200 HD screen we’ll focus heavily on that in our full review. As mentioned above this tablet has a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 full 1080p HD screen, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, micro-SD slot, micro-HDMI out, and a pair of cameras.

P1090592 P1090601 Screen Shot 2012-06-22 at 12.01.25 PM

Around back is the 5 megapixel camera capable of 720p video, and they’ve added a measly 1 MP camera to the front for video chat and self portraits. Another exciting aspect of the slate aside from the specs is it comes out of the box running on the absolute latest Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich build, so it’s as up to date as it can be — for now.

My initial impressions are more favorable than I thought they’d be. The build quality is steadily improved over the A500, and the soft coated matte back and rubber feel is extremely comfortable in the hands. The rounded edges make it more ergonomic than other tablets too. Acer has done a few of their usual changes to the Android OS, as well as added new and cool features like their lockscreen. Just like others with custom lockscreen options, theirs are colorful, inviting, and even have a little animation. Right away I see a few quirks, as well as some awesome ideas and changes so you’ll want to stay tuned for the full review coming up soon. Can this quad-core tablet compete with the best? For the price I think it can. Buy one today from Acer.com

P1090606 P1090594 P1090592 P1090599 P1090598 P1090601 P1090597 P1090605 P1090603 Screen Shot 2012-06-22 at 12.01.25 PM Screen Shot 2012-06-22 at 11.59.57 AM Screenshot_2012-06-22-11-33-29 Screenshot_2012-06-22-11-33-01 Screenshot_2012-06-22-11-32-43 Screenshot_2012-06-22-11-31-30
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : ICONIA Tab A700
    Manufactuer : Acer
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : January 25, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
  • Resolution : 1920x1200
  • Screen Type : IPS
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : NA
  • Width : NA
  • Depth : NA
  • Weight : 650 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : 9800 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1300 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : NA
    Internal Storage : NA
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
    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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