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- Kyocera Hydro heads to Boost Mobile in August
- LG Optimus Vu 5-inch phablet headed to Verizon
- Samsung buys chipmaker CSR’s technology and patents
- Nexus 7 stock running out, 16GB model shipping delayed 3 weeks
- OnLive promises support for Universal Controller on Nexus 7
- CA-Fi 621000 Universal in-car Android infotainment system unveiled
- T-Mobile Galaxy Note confirmed with 4.0 ICS and S3 dual-core processor
- Motorola XOOM WiFi update incoming, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean expected
- Motorola Atrix HD Review
- Samsung hints at new Galaxy S III color options coming soon
- Original ASUS Transformer might not receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- Samsung expected to be ‘smartphone hero’ in Q2, poll claims
- T-Mobile confirms Samsung Galaxy Note is coming soon
- Nexus 7 Play Store orders now shipping in the UK too
| Kyocera Hydro heads to Boost Mobile in August Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:30 AM PDT Kyocera‘s latest waterproof Android handset, the Kyocera Hydro, finally has a carrier. Kyocera announced today that the Hydro will be available at Boost Mobile starting August 3 and will run you $129.99. With that price, the phone itself isn’t too terrible a choice if you’re in the market for a budget handset, especially if you find yourself getting completely soaked on a consistent basis.
The Hydro, which runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and comes 3G-enabled, features a 3.5-inch touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera, and weighs in at a mere 4.6 ounces. As with most budget handsets, the specs leave something to be desired, but if your interest in the Kyocera Hydro remains steadfast, check out our hands-on video below to get a better idea of what you’ll be purchasing. When the Hydro becomes available on August 3, you’ll be able to purchase one by stopping in at any Boost Mobile store or ordering it from Boost’s website. Other select stores will be carrying it as well, but Kyocera didn’t clarify which stores those actually are. For more information on the Hydro and Kyocera in general, have a look at our story timeline below! Device Info
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 [via CNET]
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| LG Optimus Vu 5-inch phablet headed to Verizon Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:02 AM PDT Samsung isn’t the only carrier on the block with a 5-inch or bigger “phablet” on Android. LG and their Optimus Vu is apparently headed for Verizon with 4G LTE after some leaked pictures of the device seemingly confirmed its fate. There was rumors of the Galaxy Note for Verizon as the Journal, but it looks like LG will get the go ahead instead.
The folks from AndroidPolice received a set of leaked pictures showing the full Verizon and 4G LTE branding on the Optimus Vu, as well as a comparison next to the Galaxy S III as shown above. The LG Optimus Vu comes with a 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio display, so it’s pretty wide for a smartphone. The device is rather large and will certainly be a niche product if you ask me, but we’ve received some hands-on already and you’ll want to check that out below. The phablet rocks a 5-inch screen, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1.5 GHz dual-core S3 processor, 8 megapixel camera and a decent 2,080 mAh battery. The device is quite thin but also very wide and not to easy to hold. Are you interested in the Optimus Vu on Verizon, or are you hoping the Galaxy Note 2 makes its way to Big Red instead?
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| Samsung buys chipmaker CSR’s technology and patents Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:26 AM PDT Today Samsung has acquired the chipmaker company CSR‘s wireless handset technology and patents for the tune of around $310 million. CSR is a UK technology company that mainly deals in single-chip Bluetooth solutions for smartphones and other mobile devices. Along with buying out their technology they’ve also acquired a large set of patents. Cheers for playing a little defense Samsung!
This isn’t just about defending against lawsuits though. Along with Bluetooth CSR owns plenty of connectivity and location technology and patents too. This will strengthen both Samsung’s patent portfolio as well as their smartphone and MP3 player products as well. Apparently 310 was the lucky number because we are hearing Samsung paid $310 million for the deal, and will also be receiving 310 employees from CSR at the same time. That should help things out a bit. Since they’re already spending millions and millions, and additional payment of $34.4 million will net Samsung 4.9% stake is CSR moving forward. According to CSR, "This transaction will accelerate our transformation into a higher gross margin platform company operating in attractive growth markets where we have a leading market position." Along with 21 patents being fully transferred to Samsung, CSR is also granting them access to all their patents worldwide under a non-exclusive license. [via SlashGear]
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| Nexus 7 stock running out, 16GB model shipping delayed 3 weeks Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:35 AM PDT At the tail end of last week Google finally started shipping orders of their new and impressive Nexus 7 tablet to those who ordered from the Play Store. Along with several retailers like Gamestop, Staples, and Sam’s Club. Today however Google’s own Play Store has now changed their shipping status for the 16GB version from 1 week, to 3-4 weeks.
Does this mean you can’t get one? Not at all. It means that they are selling like hot cakes, just like we reported, and they are having to expand their estimated shipping times to balance out the flow of orders. Users that ordered recently should all be receiving their tablets soon, and hopefully if you order today it’ll still ship before 3-4 weeks go by. I know many of my Android friends and family have all purchased the tablet, but is the Nexus 7 really selling in huge numbers, or is the supply just not very large? We all know the ASUS Transformer Prime was hard to find for weeks and weeks, hopefully the same doesn’t hold true for the Nexus 7. ASUS hasn’t been the best with supply and demand in the past, but hopefully Google had them prepare for the onslaught of orders this awesome budget tablet was sure to receive. If you’ve still not ordered one, the cheaper 8GB model is still stating 1-2 weeks for shipping as it probably isn’t selling as fast due to the low storage amount. Most orders appear to be arriving today or already did yesterday, so let us know if you enjoy the tablet. Device Info
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[via Play Store] – Thanks Tim!
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| OnLive promises support for Universal Controller on Nexus 7 Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:07 AM PDT Mobile gamers planning to purchase a new Google Nexus 7 tablet that also enjoy OnLive cloud-based gaming will soon have support for the Universal Controller on Google’s new tablet. OnLive support has confirmed that it is working on bringing support for the OnLive Universal Controller to Nexus 7 users. The company said, “We don't have support out for it yet, but we hope to shortly.”
There is no specific timeframe given for support come to the Nexus 7, but at least we know the company is working on it. The Universal Controller is a console-style video game controller that will work with computers, tablets, smartphones, and more. It brings console style gaming controls to any device capable of streaming OnLive games. The controller sells for $50. One of the coolest things about the streaming OnLive gaming service is that you can sign up for one account and play on multiple devices, including your smartphone, tablet, computer, and some set-top boxes. The service also offers PC versions of available games rather than the often watered-down mobile versions. [via SlashGear]
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| CA-Fi 621000 Universal in-car Android infotainment system unveiled Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:56 AM PDT Over the last few years, there have been several in-car infotainment systems that have hit the market running the Android operating system. CA-Fi offered a system in the fall of 2011 called the Ca-Fi 620800 Universal. The system had a few caveats, namely it used a resistive touchscreen that required hard presses or stylus to operate.
CA-Fi is now back with a follow-up to last year’s Android in-car system with a new product called the CA-Fi 621000. This new product has upgraded hardware specifications and an upgraded touchscreen. The screen is now a capacitive touchscreen using tech similar to that found in smartphones and tablets on the market. The new device also runs Android 2.3, rather than Android 2.2 the previous version ran. The new 621000 also gets a 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM. The upgraded device also supports a new user interface and has OBD2 connectivity. The infotainment system can connect to the car’s OBD2 port, which is available most cars made after the year 2000. Those ports are used to connect to the car to read engine codes and gather more information from the vehicle. The 621000 ships with a pre-installed copy of the Android app Torque for reading OBD2 data. The 621000 Universal is a double Din unit that also features DVD/CD support, GPS, hands-free calling, music streaming capability, Internet connectivity, support for rearview camera, steering wheel controls, and more. It will go up for pre-order at the end of July with shipments beginning in late August for $999. [via SlashGear]
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| T-Mobile Galaxy Note confirmed with 4.0 ICS and S3 dual-core processor Posted: 16 Jul 2012 10:51 PM PDT Today the folks from T-Mobile have confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3-inch phone tablet hybrid will be gracing their networks in the coming weeks. T-Mobile actually confirmed this earlier today with a post on Twitter, but now have officially released the full statement and press release. We didn’t learn much, but you can rule out an upgraded processor.
Being so late to the game many thought T-Mobile might release the Galaxy Note with an upgraded 1.5 GHz Qualcomm S4 processor that powers the Galaxy S III and the HTC One X, but that isn’t the case. We can confirm the same older 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm S3 dual-core processor as the AT&T model is under the hood. There is good news however. T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Note will indeed launch with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at launch, and it will also include the brand new and impressive S-pen features provided in the premium suite that accompanied the recent update to Android 4.0 ICS. That isn’t all either. Since T-Mobile is late to the game with this device, they’ll also be offering what they are calling the “T-Mobile 4G Pro App Pack” that contains Dropbox, Evernote, Square, TripIt, and LinkedIn for all those business users. Here’s a quick comparison to T-Mobile’s flagship Galaxy S III. Sadly T-Mobile still hasn’t stated an official release date and their press release only reads “available in the coming weeks.” We’ve been hearing August 8th from tips so for now we’ll stick to that date. Who’s looking forward to the Galaxy Note on T-Mobile, or will you wait it out for the rumored Galaxy Note 2?
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| Motorola XOOM WiFi update incoming, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean expected Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:08 PM PDT In the usual Motorola fashion, we started seeing emails this weekend going out to members of their “feedback network” to test some new software for the tablet. What this means is the next update, presumably Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, is ready to roll out to the masses and Moto would like to give it a test run or “soak test” first. Here’s what we know:
When Google officially announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at Google IO, they stated the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and Moto XOOM would all see the update sometime in mid July. That appears to be almost right on time because these emails going out today are hinting towards exactly that.
We’ve seen this with most of their updates in the past and is nothing new, but this is a pretty sure sign that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be arriving for the Motorola XOOM in the next few days — as long as all goes well. Surprisingly the Verizon model only got Ice Cream Sandwich less than two months ago, so it’s safe to assume the 3G/4G LTE model will still be waiting a few additional months. Google made it sound as if the XOOM was last on their list after the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, but it just might be getting it here shortly. Stay tuned for more details. Device Info
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[via PhoneArena]
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| Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:59 PM PDT When the original Motorola Atrix made a scene at CES 2011 with it’s dual-core processor and Android 2.2 FroYo it was a big deal — and a game changer for Motorola and AT&T. Today however things have clearly changed and we’re now on the third iteration of the smartphone, with the new Motorola Atrix HD. With top of the line specs, a vivid and crisp screen, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich can this win over the crowds? Read on to find out.
The evolution of the Atrix brand might have taken longer than some had hoped, but now that it’s here and readily available (as of yesterday) lets take a look. If you’ve been craving the Motorola DROID RAZR over on Verizon but were locked into AT&T, this is very similar only better in multiple ways. It’s been improved in all areas yet still offers the same awesome build quality and Razr-esque design. Hardware
Under the hood is even more important and here it doesn’t disappoint either. Motorola’s outfitted this phone with the same 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor as the Galaxy S III, and the AT&T HTC One X. It rocks 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, an impressive 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 front shooter with 720p video, and a decent 1,780 mAh battery for all day use. Oh and did we mention this is the first Atrix to finally rock 4G LTE, not HSPA+. Motorola has always had great build quality with their phones and this is no exception. It feels premium in the hand — a feat considering it’s only $99. On the rear is that familiar Kevlar coating for durability and “splash guard” for accidental spills. Then the large f/2.4 8 megapixel rear facing camera, LED flash, and 3 slits for a rather loud and crisp speakerphone option. Then off to the right edge we have the power button (that is a little loose for my liking) as well as the volume up/down rocker and that’s all. On the left side is the door for the micro-SD slot for extra storage, as well as the 4G LTE micro-SIM card. Sadly the door doesn’t snap on too tight and is the only part of the build quality I’d dock points for (see image.) Then lastly up top is Motorola’s new signature micro-USB for charging and micro-HDMI for mirror mode, as well as use with their universal lap-docks. I’m a big fan of the design and it’s not as wide as the DROID RAZR, making it much easier to hold and use throughout the day.       Motorola wasn’t too vocal about the 1.5 GHz dual-core processor under the hood but we can confirm it indeed is the same Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 as the SGSIII, HTC One X, and One S — which is a good thing. Regarding the screen we do have some bad news however. While it is 4.5-inches and has a huge resolution with 326 PPI it’s only a TFT display. No SLCD or Super AMOLED and the colors are slightly over-saturated, but I’d still consider it quite gorgeous. Software
Motorola’s slight changes to Ice Cream Sandwich are simple, easy to understand, and not overbearing. Don’t get me wrong I’d rather have stock Android 4.0 ICS, but this will do. (That’ll do pig, that’ll do.) Their lockscreen has shortcuts to messages, camera and more just like all devices as of late, but I’m seeing no way to change these. Performance has been rather impressive but we can also chalk that up to the speedy dual-core processor. Right away you’ll notice the neat new Motorola “circle clock” widget that shows time, weather, and battery stats all in one easy to find and read place. Something I’m a big fan of. Then when swiping to additional screens they don’t actually exist until you create them. You can start with a blank page, or a set of custom options from Motorola. It’s a little bit of a pain, but convenient for those that might be new to Android.
Out of the box you’ll have the usual AT&T bloatware, which is slowly becoming worse than most carriers. Instead of listing them all the image below should give you an idea of what to expect. Other than a few games, apps, benchmark programs and speedtest — the rest was installed at the start.
Overall the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and general UI is impressive, smooth, stable, and simple to use. This is one of the best versions of Android from Motorola I’ve seen yet — we just wish they’d unlock that darn bootloader. Performance and 4G LTE   These tests are only that — tests. In real world usage just like we mentioned above the Motorola Atrix HD was rather impressive. From benchmarks, browsing the web, watching YouTube videos in HD with AT&T’s fast 4G LTE network and more, everything was speedy and enjoyable. 4G LTE Speedtest
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The above image was snapped on a rather rainy day here in Las Vegas, and I’ve added a few more in the full gallery below for those wanting to see camera samples with the 8 megapixel shooter. One awesome feature is Motorola’s added the option in camera settings to use the volume buttons for zoom, or to capture the photo for those who don’t like to use the on-screen button. The Atrix HD is capable of full 1080p HD video capture (and 720p on front camera) and here’s a quick sample: As you can see the video capture could use some stabilization to both general capture and lighting, but wasn’t bad for indoors while on the move. Battery Life   Wrap-Up
Locked bootloader aside — the all new Atrix HD is a top tier, high end smartphone that anyone would be happy with. It puts the Bionic to shame, and is essentially a RAZR for AT&T only better in almost every way. I’d still recommend the Samsung Galaxy S III over the Atrix HD, but this is Motorola’s best device on AT&T and a great option for those on a budget. If you’re interested in those others you’ll want to see their reviews too. Get the AT&T 4G LTE Motorola Atrix HD today for $99 by clicking here. AT&T Galaxy S III Review                       Device Info
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| Samsung hints at new Galaxy S III color options coming soon Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:01 PM PDT If you are like the many who are starting to get sick of the usual black or white colored bricks we call smartphones these days, Samsung has you covered. With their new flagship Galaxy S III they released an impressive pebble blue color option, and AT&T has even started accepting pre-orders for a garnet red color variant. We are now hearing Samsung has multiple other flavors coming soon.
According to the folks from Pocket-Lint, who spoke with a Samsung rep, they have a few other colors in the pipelines. Here’s what the Samsung rep had to say: "We will be announcing potential colour variants in due course." While that isn’t a confirmation, it’s a pretty good hint that we’ll see other options soon. Thanks to PhoneArena we have a few mock-ups of what we can expect to see from Samsung, although I’m kind of hoping for that Nokia Lumia Cyan Blue color option. It looks like they’ve tossed together a few potential colors, but I can’t see myself ever carrying around a rotten banana (ok gold) colored phone. For now we don’t have any additional details from Samsung, so hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll see what they have planned. Would you buy an odd colored Galaxy S III? If so, what color?    Device Info
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[via PhoneArena]
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| Original ASUS Transformer might not receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT Some interesting news arrived this weekend regarding the original ASUS Transformer tablet. Multiple reports surfaced claiming the Transformer TF101 would not be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and instead only new models like the TF300, Transformer Prime, and new Infinity 700 would receive the update. Today however we are seeing mixed reports.
Android 4.1 and the ASUS-made Nexus 7 was released as the first tablet with Jelly Bean, so it only makes sense that ASUS has been working hard on Jelly Bean for all their devices — and they’ll probably be among the first tablets to see an upgrade. According to PocketDroid there is now conflicting reports on their upgrade plans for a few tablets. One source stated the original Transformer as well as the ASUS Eee Pad Slider would not be on the list. Now ASUS is stating that users of the Transformer and Slider “should enjoy Android 4.1 Jelly Bean too.” The main comment only mentioned their latest 3 tablets — so that is where the speculation or confusion is stemming from. For now with two different ASUS reps saying two things, we aren’t fully sure what is going on. Most likely ASUS will release a formal statement on all their devices, but for now we’ll have to wait and see. Even if they decide not to upgrade the Transformer, the developer community will take care of those who want Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. We see no reason not to update the Transformer, especially considering it runs Ice Cream Sandwich with ease. We’ll be sure to follow up regarding these updates, and will report back when we hear more. Device Info
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| Samsung expected to be ‘smartphone hero’ in Q2, poll claims Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:58 PM PDT It’s no secret that Samsung has become one of the most popular phone manufacturers out there thanks to its Galaxy line of smartphones, but a new Reuters poll for Q2 pegs the company as going above and beyond what it has accomplished in the past. Reuters’ poll – which picked the brains of 41 industry analysts – says that Samsung is expected to have sold 50 million smartphones in quarter 2. When compared to Apple’s expected 30.5 million sales, it’s pretty easy to see who the winner of this contest is.
The praise for Samsung doesn’t stop at just sales predictions, however, as IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said that the company is “expected to be the smartphone hero in the second quarter.” Jeronimo also says that they are expecting to see Samsung take the record for the most smartphones shipped by a single manufacturer in one quarter, thanks in no small part to the Galaxy S II, the immensely popular Galaxy S III, and the massive marketing campaigns for both. When it comes to sales figures, Samsung’s strength is in its diverse range of devices on offer. Smartphone sales tend to spike when a brand new model is released, which for Apple happens only once a year. Samsung, on the other hand, introduces multiple devices to the market throughout the year, so it has any easier time getting a large number of smartphones out the door on a consistent basis. Indeed, it seems that Samsung’s popularity will continue to rise in the coming quarters, and with Nielsen recently saying that Android phones make up nearly 52% of the market, the Android platform as a whole is definitely sitting pretty. Device Info
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| T-Mobile confirms Samsung Galaxy Note is coming soon Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:48 AM PDT We’ve known the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3-inch “phablet” was headed to T-Mobiles stores and customers sometime soon, but they never formally announced anything. Today however T-Mobile outed the news on Twitter, stating it was coming soon but providing no further details. After countless leaks it’s about time they announce a release date.
We’ve seen marketing materials, cases appearing in stores, and even heard July 11th release date rumors for a few weeks. Sadly last week it apparently got delayed until sometime in August (a little bird told us August 8th.) None of this is confirmed or even official — by the way. Today T-Mobile has finally confirmed its existence, but that is all the details they released.
As you can see from the Tweet, the Galaxy Note is indeed headed to T-Mobile but we’ll have to wait for more information. We can expect T-Mobile and Samsung to make a formal announcement sometime in the coming weeks, for now this will have to do. Hopefully it will be upgraded to the Qualcomm S4 processor like the Galaxy S III, and we know it will come out of the box with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. After countless leaks and rumors are suggesting a Galaxy Note 2 sequel coming in October, maybe they should just wait. We’ll update once we hear more. [via Engadget]
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| Nexus 7 Play Store orders now shipping in the UK too Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:32 AM PDT Last week was all about Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet, and it appears this week might sing a similar tune. The tablet started shipping from a few UK retailers early last week, then hit the U.S. in a flood from Staples, Gamestop, and then Google. They confirmed all pre-orders would ship within 3 business days. Today however the same could be starting for the UK.
The Android developer community friend and familiar name Paul O’Brien has confirmed this over on Twitter. Stating that his UK Google Play Store pre-order for the Nexus 7 has finally been charged, and shipping is imminent. While this technically is news, when Google stated all pre-orders would ship within 3 business days they could have meant for all — not just the US. We know the U.S. news had a few UK readers asking questions, so this should confirm for those who’ve ordered from Google themselves. We originally heard July 20th for the UK. If you’re in that region and pre-ordered with Google on their Play Store have you received a shipping confirmation yet? Feel free to drop us a line in the comment section below. Oh and in case you missed it, the Nexus 7 received another small OTA update last night. Users will be greeted with a few updates out of the box. Device Info
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[via Twitter]
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