Android Community |
- Samsung announces four new colors for the Galaxy S III
- T-Mobile Galaxy S II update brings Isis support to battle Google Wallet
- Firefox for Android gets updated and redesigned for tablets
- Nexus 7 ad graces Google’s homepage
- Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE image and full spec list surface
- Google employee Punit Soni named Motorola VP of Product
- HTC Desire X pictured in the wild – full details leaked
- LG announces Optimus Vu II with Infrared universal remote features
- Apple seeking to ban 8 different Samsung devices
- Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 announced – and it’s massive
- ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 keyboard dock free at Sears
- Google makes a brief statement regarding Apple v Samsung trial
- LG Intuition press photos leak – Reveal September 15 release date
| Samsung announces four new colors for the Galaxy S III Posted: 28 Aug 2012 11:19 AM PDT The folks at Samsung have finally announced four new color options for their impressive flagship Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone. We’ve been hearing rumors about this for months, and even showed a few leaked renders that were completely off base. Today they’ve unveiled four colors including a pretty terrible looking Amber Brown option. Check em out below.
Personally I’m really digging the Titanium Grey color shown above, and would buy that phone in an instant. That or the black version are the only two I’d personally own (or Blue). The rest of us here at Android Community are digging the Garnet Red — which we already received some hands-on time with. Samsung has announced Titanium Grey, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, and of course Sapphire Black version of their handset. The new colors were announced by Samsung themselves and along with them were some pretty unique descriptions matching why those chose those fascinating colors. The descriptions are a bit too exciting if you ask us, but check them out at SamsungTomorrow. Will these new color options be available on your carrier you ask? We have absolutely no idea. Samsung states that availability of colors will vary by country, carrier, and specific retailers. Most likely we’ll see a few US carriers jump on board but have no details yet at this time. Personally the Titanium Grey is amazing and I want it now, and the Amber Brown looks awful — just my opinion. What color do you guys like the most?    
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| T-Mobile Galaxy S II update brings Isis support to battle Google Wallet Posted: 28 Aug 2012 10:52 AM PDT There hasn’t been much talk about Isis lately. The Google Wallet competitor made up of many partners including T-Mobile, Verizon, and other carriers that want to do things their own way. Today T-Mobile and Samsung have issued an update for their Galaxy S II smartphone that makes the device the first Isis-ready smartphone.
The update is a rather small one from T-Mobile and is only available using Samsung Kies software to update, not over the air. Is it just me or are some getting fed up with Samsung not allowing simple over the air wireless updates. In order to accept the new update users will be required to be running the latest official update to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich for the T-Mo Galaxy S II. The update changelog is extremely small and doesn’t bring anything too exciting — except Isis. We have the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements, but that is all. Then you’ll notice Isis/NFC update. This is making the device the first Isis ready smartphone to try the new mobile payment solution to take on Google Wallet. We’re not sure if the update actually brings Isis to the device as a pre-installed app, or just makes it ready for usage. Either way be sure and get the latest Samsung Kies, update the device, and give it a try. Personally I’ve been a fan of Google Wallet since the beginning, but more competition usually works out best for us consumers. Let us know how the update goes in the comments below. More details can be found at the T-Mobile support page. Device Info
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 [via Android Police]
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| Firefox for Android gets updated and redesigned for tablets Posted: 28 Aug 2012 10:33 AM PDT All you Firefox fans out there have an exciting new update waiting today. The folks at Mozilla have just issued a rather large update to their popular 3rd party web browser for Android. Along with tons of changes and improvements you can expect a new beautifully designed interface, and tablet support has left beta.
Tablet support has been sorely missing from the standard builds of Firefox, but has been available in beta for some time already. Today however they’ve officially pushed the fully redesigned tablet support to their actual FireFox for Android app which is now up to version 15. According to the developers at Mozilla they’ve made “dramatic improvements” to the overall design and performance that makes tablet support as delightful as the phone experience. Everything on tablets should be improved from zoom, scrolling, panning, and of course page load times and refresh times. Don’t get me started on Adobe Flash though. Here’s the full changelog:
This update also adds onto the support for the Awesome Screen, as well as full Firefox sync to sync personalized settings and bookmarks from desktop to mobile. Firefox is slowly but steadily becoming an awesome option for Android smartphones and tablets. Hit the download link below to get it today and check out the rest of our Firefox related news.
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| Nexus 7 ad graces Google’s homepage Posted: 28 Aug 2012 09:28 AM PDT Whoa! There’s a lot of different options when it comes to advertising a big product. I’m sure several of you have seen the Nexus 7 camping commercial on your home televisions but this latest move by Google is even bigger. The search giants homepage is the starting point for millions and millions of people daily, and now is being graced with the Nexus 7 front and center.
Google’s never been one for adverts or commercials. Their Super Bowl commercial a few years back showing off Google Instant search results was fun (as was watching the Saints halftime onside kick) but today they’ve upped things a notch. Putting their flagship Nexus 7 tablet right where millions upon millions of people will see it — all day long.
One of the many reasons users love Google Search is their extremely simple and plain Google.com page with nothing going on. What better way to advertise your product then to neatly use some of that blank white space below the most use search engine in the world. Right! For the masses that head to Google.com today, you’ll all be greeted with the above quote and a nice and simple link taking you right to the Nexus 7 purchase page. A place where you’ll get the best tablet money can buy for the low price of just $199. Check out our Nexus 7 Review, then head on over and get yourself one today. Device Info
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| Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE image and full spec list surface Posted: 27 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT We’ve been chasing details on the Motorola XT907 for a couple of months now, but now we have a substantial amount of information on the phone. Engadget has posted a full list of specs and an image of the elusive device, saying that it will be dubbed the Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE when it launches at Verizon. As you can see from the image below, the phone looks pretty sleek, but will it have the power under the hood to deliver the goods? Read on to find out.
The RAZR M will come equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED screen, and will be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. It only comes with room for 8GB of internal storage, but you can expand on that through the use of MicroSD cards – the RAZR M’s MicroSD slot supports up to 32GB. There’s also 1GB of RAM on board, and judging from the pictures, it would seem that the RAZR M lacks any kind of actual face buttons, with Motorola instead opting to go for touch buttons. A dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor will be running the show, with an 8-megapixel camera being placed on the back of the device and a 3-megapixel one on the front. That rear-facing camera is capable of recording in 720p. We’ve got NFC and (obviously) 4G LTE capabilities with this bad boy, and the front is outfitted with Gorilla Glass 2 while the phone sports the same Kevlar backing that is becoming more and more common on Motorola phones. So, while we won’t see it burning up benchmarks, it does seem like a solid handset. It’s pretty sleek looking too, which is always nice. There aren’t any release or pricing details for this phone yet, but we’ve heard in the past that it will be arriving at Verizon for $149 (with a two-year contract) sometime next month. Stay tuned, because we’ll have more information on the RAZR M once Motorola and Verizon dish it out.
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| Google employee Punit Soni named Motorola VP of Product Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:01 PM PDT Google is slowly but surely making some changes and transitions over at Motorola Mobility. After snatching the company and all their patents up last year for about $12.5 billion we’ve been waiting to see some actual results from the purchase. Back in May the deal was finalized and they replaced the CEO with their own Dennis Woodside, and today another Googler is taking on VP of Products.
A Googler by the name of Punit Soni is the new man in charge over at team Moto. He’s been known for playing a huge roll in Android as a whole, as well as the Google Apps ecosystem — so we are extremely excited to see him helping Motorola get back to the top. This is a good sign of things to come. The folks at The Verge spotted a change in his LinkedIn account where he changed his status to the new role of VP. Soni himself briefly explained what we can expect his roles and responsibilities to be — and here’s what he had to say:
The fact that Soni has worked closely with Google and some of their Android apps gives us hope that he can continue to help Motorola with their own unique version of Android. Their user interface changes while improving, are still certainly not my favorite. Hopefully Punit Soni can bring some needed improvements to Motorola Mobility as a whole, as well as all their upcoming products. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a Motorola DROID Nexus.
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| HTC Desire X pictured in the wild – full details leaked Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:30 PM PDT Late last week some rumors started circulating about a device called the HTC Proto, that however is actually a device that has already been released. Today though we’ve got some clarification, as the device in question is actually the all new HTC Desire X and we have all the details. Check out the images and spec sheet below.
The Desire X certainly won’t be HTC’s best device, but this budget friendly phone has some decent qualities that might make it worth your dollar. As you can see below, specs include a 4.0-inch WVGA with a lowly 480 x 800 resolution display, an unknown (likely Qualcomm) 1.0 GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage, and all this in a sleek and lightweight package sitting at 114g. Sized at 118.5 x 62.3 x 9.3 mm. The spec sheet confirms we’ll have Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense UI 4.1, so that is a good sign considering only the “One” devices have officially received the new Sense UI while older phones get 3.6 instead. Sitting next to the HTC One X the device looks quite small, but still manages a decent 4-inch screen. We just wish the resolution wasn’t so low. Given the specs this will surely be a very budget friendly smartphone from HTC. It looks to possibly be replacing the HTC One V, but we won’t know until HTC confirms everything. As you can clearly see HTC is still rocking the Beats Audio branding, and according to PocketNow this device will come in white and blue color options. Hopefully we see more than just this phone at IFA this week from HTC and I’m hoping their “phablet” makes an appearance. Stay tuned!   
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| LG announces Optimus Vu II with Infrared universal remote features Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:43 PM PDT LG’s overly sized 5-inch Optimus Vu phablet still is barely available outside of South Korea, but today they’ve already announced a second model coming soon. It will simply be called the Optimus Vu II and we don’t have much regarding specs although they’ve made certain we know of its universal remote features and new infrared blaster similar to some Samsung tablets.
So far the details are rather light. With the current Optimus Vu finally getting launched internationally last month, and still not available in the US until September (on Verizon) this is a bit of a shocker. Many are expecting this to be a special edition with the same specs as the current model. That being a 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio display with a 1024 x 768 resolution, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and either a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core, or the recently announced Tegra 3 quad-core version we mentioned last week. The main selling point here is a dedicated IR blaster to act as a universal remote paired with a new app from LG. They’ll also offer an instant remote feature right on the Android lockscreen.
Oddly a few of the screenshots leaked today show Gingerbread, while the other shows their new UI over Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. LG will include their new QRemote app for remote capabilities, and it will enable once it recognizes your home WiFi is connected. The new Optimus Vu II should hit Korea in September and will control over 300 brands of TV, set-top boxes, A/V equipment and other technology. We’ll update when we learn more. [via SlashGear]
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| Apple seeking to ban 8 different Samsung devices Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:18 PM PDT Late last week, the jury deciding the patent suit between Apple and Samsung delivered their verdict, and as many of you already know, things didn’t work out so well for ol’ Sammy. Now that the trial is over, Samsung and Apple have the opportunity to file post-trial motions. Obviously, Apple wants a number of Samsung devices banned from sale following the jury’s verdict, and today it delivered a list of 8 devices its looking to secure a ban on.
Apple is trying to ban the Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S II from AT&T, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S II from T-Mobile, Galaxy S II Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail from sale in the United States. After seeing that list, there’s no doubt that Apple wants to hit Samsung hard, as that covers all of the Galaxy S II models available in the United States. Even though the Galaxy S III has been available for a few months now, the Galaxy S II is still a big Samsung seller, so this list isn’t only comprised of smartphones that aren’t pulling in any new sales. Samsung will be fighting this motion to ban its devices in a response it’s required to file by September 12. Will Samsung’s efforts to stop a ban go anywhere? That’s difficult to say, especially after the jury found that all of those devices were infringing on Apple patents. The two technology giants are scheduled to be back in front of Judge Koh on September 20 for a hearing about the proposed ban, but that may change if Koh decides to give Samsung more time to prepare for the hearing. Samsung is going to have its work cut out for it if the company wants to fight these bans. If such bans are ordered, don’t expect Samsung to just sit back and take it, as the company will definitely be appealing the verdict, going up as high as the Supreme Court if it has to. Even though the trial has been decided and Apple declared the winner, the fight between the two companies is still a long way from being finished. [via SlashGear]
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| Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 announced – and it’s massive Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:47 PM PDT Samsung is back today with their latest Galaxy Player announcement. This time around they’ve just unleashed details on their biggest media player yet, and I just feel like calling it a tablet. Samsung’s iPod-rivaling Galaxy Player just got an upgrade to a massive 5.8-inch display so lets take a look.
Hopefully this doesn’t have the bounce-back feature that Apple loves — just kidding. Honestly I love the design and it looks very similar to the popular Galaxy S III, yet has the front facing speakers that we loved on the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. This gigantic 5.8-inch media player is surely running Android and I want one already. The Galaxy Player 5.8 consists of a qHD 540 x 960 (sadly no HD) display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Sammy’s TouchWiz UX interface changes, 16 or 32GB storage options along with the Samsung Music Hub, and a massive 2,500 mAh battery will keep it blasting music for days and days. No mention of the processor under the hood. Then as usual we have WiFi, GPS, and the entire device measures in at 165.8 x 85.9 x 10.8 mm and 221g.
Again, this is another case of hit every size market as humanly possible and see what sticks. They’ve got multiple players in the 3, 4, and now 5-inch size, as well as multiple 7, 7.7, 8.9, and 10-inch tablets. Things are getting a bit crazy in Samsung land but I’m personally really liking the idea of a larger than usual media player that is far more portable than a tablet. No pricing or exact details were released from Samsung but we can expect the media player to go on sale starting in September. We’ll be seeing it at IFA this week so stay tuned if this huge device interests you.     [via SlashGear]
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| ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 keyboard dock free at Sears Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:31 PM PDT The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 tablet is a pretty sweet device. Rocking the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and having an optional keyboard dock. You all should know plenty about the TF300 already, and now today we have some great news. A hot deal just sprung up at Sears and you can get the optional $149 keyboard dock absolutely free.
Obviously they won’t just give em away, but Sears is handing out the keyboard dock completely free along with your purchase of the TF300 tablet. So for $399 you’ll be getting the Transformer Pad TF300 quad-core tablet, and the keyboard together. Sweet deal right?
The Transformer TF300T is a 10-inch tablet with a 1280 x 800 resolution HD display, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and the $399 price gets you the 16GB version. What makes this deal even sweeter is ASUS has already updated this tablet to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. That means you’ll have the newest Android OS, a powerful quad-core processor, and the optional $149 keyboard dock (that gives you plenty more battery life) all for a pretty solid price. If you were looking for a back to school deal this is probably one worth thinking about. Yes there’s better tablets around, but the entire package you’ll get here can’t be beat too easily. We’ve reviewed the Transformer Pad TF300 and loved it. Add in the keyboard and you’re set for the school year. Hit the links below for additional details to help you decide, then head to Sears.com and buy one today. Device Info
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[via TalkAndroid]
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| Google makes a brief statement regarding Apple v Samsung trial Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:10 PM PDT Up until today Google has been rather silent regarding the Apple vs Samsung lawsuit that many are calling AppSung. After the jury ruled completely and utterly in favor of Apple claiming Samsung infringed on multiple patents — and requested over 1 billion in damages Google has finally chimed in with a comment.
Just like the jury’s deliberation, Google’s response is short and sweet — and that is all we get for now. While there will obviously be tons more to this story (sadly) over the next few weeks and months, today Google mentioned that they aren’t too worried about the results. Here’s what the old Goog had to say:
They do briefly mention that many of the “ideas” have been around for decades, and we totally agree but don’t get us started. Based on comments from AllThingsD Google doesn’t sound too concerned, but then they did just pick up a huge patent portfolio with their acquisition of Motorola Mobility. To be honest however, as much as Google gained from the Moto acquisition this has to be somewhat unsettling for Google and their partners. While Samsung does have a chance at many appeals (or more) this mess is still far from over regarding Samsung, and the many other OEMs. AllThingsD seems to think Apple will be headed for Google directly next. All I have to say about that is — notification pull-down bar! Thoughts?
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| LG Intuition press photos leak – Reveal September 15 release date Posted: 27 Aug 2012 11:17 AM PDT An upcoming smartphone for Verizon Wireless, the LG Intuition (formerly known as the Optimus Vu) is still a rather large phablet device, but now we have some official photos. LG released their Optimus Vu earlier this year internationally and we’ve seen countless leaks this month confirming a Verizon launch. Now today we are getting our first press shot.
Previously we heard the Optimus Vu would launch during quarter 3, then we saw some leaked photos confirming it was headed to Verizon. Then last wee we got our biggest set of details with an official screenshot confirming the device will be called the LG Intuition on Verizon with 4G LTE for only $199. Basically it is still the same huge device only with Verizon branding all over it. You’ll still have the same 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and of course that included stylus for pen input. We’ve had our hands on this phone more than once (linked below) and can confirm it’s huge, and feels awkward to hold. This was birthed after seeing the success of Samsung’s Galaxy Note, and now they are set to release the Note 2 this week we have a feeling LG is a little late to the party. Since the Galaxy Note never made it to Verizon this will have to fill the void, unless of course the Note 2 launches for Big Red. As usual we get excited seeing a date on the press photos “date/weather” widget, and here we have September 15th. We could see this launch on Verizon come the 15th for $199. Who’s buying? Device Info
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[via DroidDog]
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