Thursday 12 July 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Nexus 7 orders could be shipping in the UK already

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT

This is some interesting news. Sadly Google isn’t known for selling hardware, so their support and communication seems to be a bit lacking. Everyone who pre-ordered the brand new impressive Nexus 7 quad-core Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet still doesn’t know when it will actually arrive. Today however it appears some pre-orders are “prepared for shipment” or have actually shipped — just not from Google.

Several retailers in the UK will only be carrying the 16GB $249 flavor of the Nexus 7, and according to SlashGear might be ready, or have already shipped some. UK retailer Ebuyer received their stock quite early based on reports from some anonymous tips, and one Google+ user reported his pre-order had been updated to “being prepared for shipment.”

Earlier this morning Ebuyer’s site listed the device in stock, but it was quickly sold out and now is back to pre-order status only. We aren’t sure if this is all a misunderstanding or Google still holding the reigns on retailers — but they better tell everyone who pre-ordered something here shortly. The 8GB version will only be available via the Google Play Store, and the multiple etailers and retailers in the UK will all have 16GB stock. We are hearing reports of July 19th being the shipping date too, but until Google confirms anything it’s still up in the air. Be sure to stay tuned and let us know in the comments or the TIP US line if your order ships or changes.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Nexus 7
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : June 27, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : Google Nexus 7
Display
  • Screen Size : 7 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.81 Inch
  • Width : 4.72 Inch
  • Depth : 0.41 Inch
  • Weight : 340 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 4325 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.1.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1300 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 8 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : NA
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


Verizon Motorola XT907 image surfaces – budget friendly RAZR

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT

Some new images have surfaced this afternoon of what appears to be another Motorola DROID RAZR variant for Verizon Wireless. Being called the Motorola XT907 we are light on details other than the image below showing the rear of the device. It looks very similar to the recently announced Motorola Atrix HD for AT&T, and doesn’t appears to be the RAZR HD. Lets start up the rumor mill.

The unknown phone sports the same Kevlar coating on back as previous RAZR devices, comes with an HD VIDEO capable camera like most devices from Motorola say on the back, and of course Verizon 4G LTE. The RAZR HD model number is XT926 so this clearly isn’t the RAZR, but possibly a little brother. Looking at the dimensions it looks to sport a 4.3-inch display but we can’t speculate on the resolution at this time.

According to Droid-Life the device could also come in white and sport a 540 x 960 qHD resolution and the Qualcomm S4 processor (like the Galaxy S III.) The original and extremely popular DROID RAZR had a model number of XT912 so this new variant comes in below that on the list. It looks like Motorola and Verizon are preparing a nice budget friendly 4G LTE DROID just in time for a possible back to school sale. Stay tuned for more details.


Samsung Galaxy S III now available from Verizon

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT

The road has seen a few ups and downs or bumps along the way but it’s finally here. The Samsung Galaxy S III rocking Verizon 4G LTE is available now in stores nationwide, and you could be enjoying one right this minute. They are the last main US carrier to offer the device, and today sales kick off full steam starting at $199.

After initial launch dates were listed as the 9th, then delayed to the 10th they announced late last week that today the 12th would be the official day. Pre-order customers have been receiving their Galaxy S III’s since the first week this month, but everyone else had to wait until today. As a reminder the Galaxy S III features an impressive 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display with an amazing 1280 x 720p HD resolution, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage and a zero-shutter lag 8 megapixel camera.

You should know plenty about this phone by now but if not you’ll want to check out this full review. Sadly Verizon locked the bootloader so users can’t tweak and hack it in the Android world at the moment — but I’m sure a workaround is coming. We’ve reviewed it more than once so check out all the details and additional pictures from the links below. If you order online it might not ship til the 16th or 19th so I recommend heading down to your nearest store to pick one up today.

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 Verizon]


Nexus 7 not available for sale at Office Depot tomorrow

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 04:05 PM PDT

Sad news to report if you were planning on picking a Google Nexus 7 tomorrow, as Office Depot stores have been instructed to hold on to any stock they has received. We originally thought that the Nexus 7 might be going on sale in some places as early as tomorrow, but since this memo to Office Depot employees has been made public, it seems that the rumored July 12 launch is no longer in the cards. Even worse is the fact that the memo says the sale of the Nexus 7 has been delayed “until further notice.”


As scary as that might sound, we have a feeling that the launch of the Nexus 7 might still be coming up pretty quickly. Office Depot has obviously received stock (that is, assuming the memo posted above is real), and according to Droid Life, Staples and GameStop may have already received some stock as well. So, it’s possible that Google is simply asking retailers to hold back on selling the stock have for a few more days so more retailers have time to receive stock of their own. Alternatively, Google may be telling retailers to wait so those who pre-ordered can get their tablets first.

Really though, with no official information to go on in this case, anything is a possibility. Of course, if all of this turns out to be true and retailers do have stock that they’re being asked to hold back, the chances are pretty high that some Nexus 7s will be sold tomorrow anyway. As we said, with so many rumors floating around it’s hard to know what’s going on, but don’t be surprised to hear of an official Nexus 7 launch sooner rather than later.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Nexus 7
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : June 27, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : Google Nexus 7
Display
  • Screen Size : 7 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.81 Inch
  • Width : 4.72 Inch
  • Depth : 0.41 Inch
  • Weight : 340 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 4325 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.1.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1300 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 8 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : NA
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


NYC payphones being switched into free WiFi Hotspots

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT

Today while browsing the interwebs I stumbled across a neat story from New York City. Since everyone these days walks around with a smartphone attached to their faces or hands, the need for a payphone is steadily declining. With payphone booths set up all across cities in the US we might as well make use out of them. In New York City they are doing exactly that — making them WiFi hotspots for all.

Now don’t mind the guy with his shirt off (photo-bombing) and instead focus on the payphone booths “Free WiFi.” Those phone kiosks all over the city still won’t get used much, but now they’ll actually serve a purpose again by providing all the Android smartphone and tablet users in the world some free speedy WiFi.

In a new pilot program NYC has turned 10 kiosks into free wireless access points. So far, only 10 payphones have been converted to 24/7 hotspots across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. The city however plans to fire up plenty more across town and eventually all 5 boroughs in the city. If you’re located in NYC here’s the short list:

Brooklyn

• 545 Albee Square
• 2 Smith Street

Queens

• 30-94 Steinway Street

Manhattan

• 402 West Broadway
• 458 Seventh Avenue
• 28 West 48th Street
• 410 Madison Avenue
• 1609 Broadway
• 1790 Broadway
• 230 West 95th Street

The WiFi signal range is estimated to work around 100-200 ft, and you’ll know they offer free WiFi with the huge logo plastered on them as seen in the slightly disturbing image above. Reports suggest there are over 12,000 payphones throughout NYC and obviously many will remain the same, but we could see tons of free WiFi all over town soon. I’m hoping other cities across the U.S. follow suite. Get out those Android tablets and start enjoying them more in the city folks.

[via SlashGear]


Google Nexus 7 features smart cover magnetic sensor

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:48 PM PDT

I guess there are a few features we didn’t know of when it came to Google’s brand new Nexus 7 tablet. It appears that there are still a few mysteries surrounding the device. No we aren’t talking about the release date either, this is about smart covers. It seems that Google’s added a magnetic sensor on the bottom left side of the tablet that smart covers can take advantage of. Check out the video after the break.

The folks from Android Police received an anonymous tip and the video below showing just what we mean. With a magnetic smart cover you’ll be able to simply open the tablet cover and the display will start up, then you’re ready to rock. We’ve seen this before, just not with an Android tablet.

For some reason or another this lucky owner decided to take a magnet to his and found this little secret. Tap a magnet near the bottom left on front or back while the screen is on and this is what you get. A quick and easy way to turn on and off a tablet while in a case. Apple knows this all to well and apparently has a patent on the sensor, but not cases in general. The Nexus 7 cases we’ve seen all open from right to left, so don’t appear to be positioned correctly to use this feature. We’ll just have to wait and see what Google has planned, and if Apple will have anything to say about this.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Nexus 7
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : June 27, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : Google Nexus 7
Display
  • Screen Size : 7 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.81 Inch
  • Width : 4.72 Inch
  • Depth : 0.41 Inch
  • Weight : 340 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 4325 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.1.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1300 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 8 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : NA
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


CyanogenMod 9 arrives for Galaxy S III – on all but Verizon

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Between Android 4.1 hitting open source, and the Galaxy Nexus getting updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean things are rocking along here in the world of Android. Now we have some great news to go with it regarding the Samsung Galaxy S III. Those CyanogenMod builds we mentioned a few weeks ago are now full on official nightly builds.

The team behind CyanogenMod have opened up and released their official builds of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (known as CyanogenMod 9) for the Galaxy S III. These aren’t fully “stable” builds yet in the sense of the word, but will work perfect for a daily driver for most. For those rocking an AT&T, T-Mobile, or Now Network Galaxy S III you can get CM9 right this minute. Sadly those on Verizon can’t enjoy the same treat as Verizon chose to lock their phone down.

The CM open source code has been released for all versions too. That means developers or do-it-yourself fans can access CM’s code to build and tweak versions for their own liking. Kang away folks, kang away — but don’t forget the bacon. For more details on CyanogenMod and Samsung click here. Don’t forget to stop by our Galaxy S III reviews linked to below, then let us know how CM9 runs on your SGSIII.

[via Android Police]


LG VS930 spotted in the wild with Verizon branding

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:55 PM PDT

With the LG Spectrum officially in its final days, the way has been paved for the LG VS930 to make an appearance at Verizon. Not only has the company confirmed the existence of the VS930, but the new handset also has a lot in common with another LG phone, the Optimus LTE2. There are a few slight changes, however, and its possible release date might be a bit closer than you think.


The picture you see above was snapped by an anonymous Engadget reader, and shows the VS930 with Verizon branding for the first time. It wasn’t long after that picture hit the internet that the LG VS930′s service manual (PDF) popped up as well. Inside, we’re told that the 9.2mm-thick phone features a 4.7-inch IPS HD screen, an 8-megapixel autofocus camera, 16GB of internal memory, and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. One of the few differences between the VS930 and the Optimus LTE2 is that the VS930 only features 1GB of RAM, whereas the Optimus LTE2 utilizes 2GB.

Still, the similarities are enough that our hands-on with the Optimus LTE2 should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect with the VS930. At the moment, it sounds like the VS930 may be headed for a July 13 release date, but Verizon and LG have yet to confirm that rumor. Keep an ear to Android Community for the latest developments on the LG VS930!


Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean AOSP on Transformer Pad TF300T

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Google recently released Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean to AOSP. Meaning developers can dive in and start hacking, tweaking, and building ROM’s direct from Google’s source. We’ll be seeing plenty and plenty of ROM’s over the next few days (and there is tons already available) but we’ve just spotted a decently stable experimental AOSP build of Jelly Bean for the Transformer Pad TF300T.

If you’re still waiting for the Nexus 7 to be released, and have been enjoying another ASUS quad-core Tegra 3 tablet like the Transformer Pad TF300T you’ll be happy to know you can try Jelly Bean right now. This is built and tweaked right from the AOSP, and not the SDK, so it runs pretty great considering not everything works and it’s in the early stages.

According to XDA Developer XpLoDWilD this is extremely experimental but they’ve been making great progress porting over everything for the TF300T. He also mentions this is a preview and will build from CM10 once that is up and running, but will continue to work on this in the meantime. For now the camera doesn’t work, volume is stuck at 50%, and HW video playback seems to have some issues. WiFi, Bluetooth, sensors and many other things work just fine though, and users seem to be enjoying this early “preview” of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Transformer Pad TF300T. Obviously you should be somewhat experienced before trying something like this, and make sure to proceed with caution. All the details, download links, and information are available at the via source link below.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Transformer Pad 300
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : February 27, 2012
    Release Date : April 22, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 10.35 Inch
  • Width : 7.12 Inch
  • Depth : 0.39 Inch
  • Weight : 635 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 3
    CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • 1080p Video Recording
    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:
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via XDA Developers] – Thanks android.indian!


Motorola promises unlocked bootloaders coming soon

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Motorola has recently announced a few new Android smartphones headed to market soon. One in particular is their new Motorola Atrix HD. Which will be a 4G LTE device for AT&T. Just like every other Motorola phone as of late, it will feature a signed and locked bootloader where users and developers can’t control a thing. Motorola confirmed this on Twitter, as well as something else we’ve heard before.

According to Android Police Motorola confirmed they’ll be locking the bootloader in this tweet. Then they quickly follow up that message by posting what is shown in my image above. Stating that Motorola plans to “provide a way to unlock the bootloaders on our devices to those who wish to do so,” followed by “more details to come.”

What’s new Motorola? You’ve been saying that for well over a year now yet still haven’t offered anything near a solution. Overpriced developer version phones don’t count. HTC came up with an unlock tool within a matter of a few months, and ASUS did the same. Motorola started talking about this as far back as January of 2011. Do you think we’ll ever see an unlock tool from Motorola? Hopefully now that Google owns Motorola Mobility we’ll see some progress, but I won’t be holding my breath.


No comments:

Post a Comment