Saturday 7 July 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Verizon Galaxy S III stock firmware image released

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 04:12 PM PDT

Verizon’s version of the new flagship Galaxy S III smartphone is starting to slowly reach the hands of consumers this past week, with pre-order shipments finally arriving for a lucky few. Today we have some good news in the form of a stock firmware image of Verizon’s model. This means all you hackers can go to town and feel safe knowing you can easily get back to stock.

Verizon announced their device will officially be in stores and available for nationwide purchase on the 10th but many buyers have already received theirs. The official stock firmware image has been released by the folks over at Samsung Updates and is available by clicking here. All those adventurous modders and hackers can now get to work on the Galaxy S III.

Speaking of modding and hacking. It appears the bootloader on the Verizon Galaxy S III might be an issue. Verizon has been known for locking down basically everything they’ve released (except the Galaxy Nexus) and aren’t fans of keeping things open. While users of AT&T and T-Mobile’s Galaxy S III’s have been able to root and tweak with ease, those with the Verizon model are having zero luck. Hopefully Verizon hasn’t locked it down, but it wouldn’t surprise me. More details on that can be found at this XDA thread. Start enjoying that shiny new Galaxy S III and let the fun times begin. Expect plenty of hands-on and a full Verizon SGSIII review coming soon from yours truly.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy S III (LTE)
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T Verizon
    Announced Date : June 04, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : SGH-I535 (Verizon), SGH-I747 (AT&T)
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.8 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED HD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.37 Inch
  • Width : 2.77 Inch
  • Depth : 0.33 Inch
  • Weight : 133 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2100 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : MSM8960 Snapdragon
    CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 2000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
  • CDMA
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Droid-Life]


Samsung Galaxy Beam available now in the UK

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 03:53 PM PDT

Remember the Samsung Galaxy Beam? If you’re one of the select few wanting a built-in pico projector with your smartphone then Samsung has you covered. Last we heard about this little projector smartphone it was headed for the UK in July, and now it’s finally available for pre-order for all 10 of you interested.

After initially missing the April launch date, it is now currently available in Europe and Singapore for pre-order and will be officially available tomorrow. In case you forgot, Samsung released a Galaxy Beam once before that is stuck on Android 2.1 and is quite old, so for those who enjoyed it this will be a decent upgrade.

We got our first hands-on with this phone back at MWC this year, and hopefully will get more time with it soon. The phone rocks a 15-lumen projector and bulb that shoots a 640×480 image up to 50 inches diagonally. It should last for well over 20,000 hours so you can expect years of usage from the pico up top. The rest of the specs are quite generic and you’ll get a 4.0-inch AMOLED screen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 5 megapixel camera and a decent little phone. I keep imagining streaming Netflix on my ceiling while in bed, or watching YouTube videos and I’m sold. You can buy it outright for $541 from Exansys too.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : i8530 Galaxy Beam
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : February 26, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.0 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.88 Inch
  • Width : 2.53 Inch
  • Depth : 0.49 Inch
  • Weight : 145.3 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2000 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : NovaThor U8500
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 768 MB
    Internal Storage : 8 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p 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
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via SlashGear]


Samsung Galaxy Note II rumored with 12 MP camera coming in September

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 02:06 PM PDT

Samsung unveiled their surprisingly popular Galaxy Note last year at IFA 2011, and now we are hearing new reports suggesting the follow-up Galaxy Note II will be shown off this year. IFA 2012 is set to take place August 31st – September 5th in Berlin, Germany, and some new details have leaked on what the Galaxy Note 2 might behold.

The image above is a mock-up by GSMArena, but today’s new details are from a completely different source. According to MK News, who spoke to someone close to development, the Galaxy Note II will have some impressive specs and launch in September or early October just in time to beat the next iPhone to market.

Reports claim the Galaxy Note II will rock a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Samsung’s Exynos 4 Quad quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a huge 12 or 13 megapixel camera. Just like the Galaxy S III getting a bigger screen but not increasing device size too much, the Galaxy Note II should be similarly sized yet thinner than the previous generation. We’ll be live from IFA 2012 so you’ll want to stick around when the time comes.

[via SlashGear]


Google teases Candy Cane in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT

Just like Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and Ice Cream Sandwich before it Google has another “Easter Egg” hidden inside of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Most people know the trick already and if not we’ll share the details below. We saw this last week and after some thought have finally realized what Google could be hinting at — and that is a Christmas full of Nexus gifts.

On your Android phone or tablet simply go to settings > about phone (or tablet) > and on android version tap four times fast and you’ll be greeted with a treat. Hold down the big red Jelly Bean and you’ll get a page of floating beans. The same works on ICS. After tossing a few beans around with my finger we noticed the candy cane — or should I say Kandy Cane? I’ve seen this on both my Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7. We know the next version of Android will start with a K. Previous reports suggested Key Lime Pie and I really can’t see Google calling it Kandy Kane or Kandy Cane.

As a little hint don’t Google “Kandy Cane” as you might find some NFSW content (gotta love those porn star names.) Okay where was I? Now this could very well just be Google teasing us and having a little fun like a kid on an Ant hill, or they are hinting towards the future. After pondering this the past few days I’ve decided that this is a little hint that we can expect to see the next “Nexus” this holiday season. Could Google be teasing that with this Easter Egg inside of an Easter Egg? Possibly the next Nexus smartphone, or even a Nexus 10 in a few months? Just a few things to think about.

What do you guys think this Candy Cane represents?

Screen Shot 2012-07-06 at 12.38.24 PM Screenshot_2012-07-06-12-06-54 Screenshot_2012-07-06-12-14-14


Motorola DEFY PRO is another Blackberry style Android phone

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:01 PM PDT

Yesterday we shared the news that Samsung was preparing their own Blackberry type QWERTY keyboard candy bar phone in the Galaxy Chat, and now Motorola has detailed one too. This isn’t the first Blackberry style phone from Motorola to run Android and they’ve released a few in the past like the DROID PRO, but this ones received a few upgrades that might have a few interested.

Clearly this one resembled a Blackberry more than the others, and I’m not sure why anyone would take that route in 2012 — but what do I know. Motorola’s DEFY PRO is targeting the business user that might want to jump ship to Android, and shows a few good reasons to do so.

The DEFY PRO comes with a 2.7-inch QVGA screen, a 5 megapixel rear camera and a front for video chat, WiFi, GPS, 2GB internal storage, micro-SD slot, and appears to be running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It sure is interesting, and not really all that inspiring but should appeal to a select few. Motorola claims it will hit Brazil first later this month, but gave no further details on pricing or other regions. Are you interested in a candybar hardware keyboard device like the DEFY PRO or Galaxy Chat?

[via SlashGear]


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