Android Community

Dolphin Browser HD updated with improved address bar and more
iHeartRadio bringing its streaming service to OUYA
Perfectly Clear Image Correction app makes every photo a keeper
Chameleon Launcher hits Play Store for pre-order customers
HTC One X+ for T-Mobile leaked with quad-core and Jelly Bean
New details on Phosphor Games’ Horn surface
Samsung Store confirmed for Australia, just a few doors down from Apple’s
Samsung invite for August 15th event hints at Galaxy Note 10.1

Dolphin Browser HD updated with improved address bar and more

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:32 PM PDT

The extremely popular 3rd party browser for Android, Dolphin Browser HD, has received a quick update today in the Google Play Store bringing lots of new changes. For one, they changed the name and simply removed the “HD” tag for some reason, then they’ve improved tons of visuals and performance of the app. More details below.

With Google’s Chrome Browser now being available on Android I’m not sure how long 3rd party browsers will continue to be popular, but for now Dolphin has a huge following. Being one of the best options for Android for a long time we know why. Today’s update has improved the interface for tablets, the address bar got a visual makeover that also has better results, and they’ve improved performance across the board.

They optimized the address bar in landscape mode to work better with the keyboard on multiple devices, which should help with those small screens — or large tablets. Dolphin has improved the bookmark management and made the entire experience more visual. Then they improved and stabilized the sync options, and even added a shortcut to Dolphin Sonar.

As usual, the last update to the changelog simply reads, “Various stability and performance improvement.” So users can expect to see some sort of stability with daily web browsing, as well as performance throughout the application. Get the new and improved Dolphin Browser from the Play Store link below, then enjoy all those add-on options available.

Play Store link

iHeartRadio bringing its streaming service to OUYA

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 02:49 PM PDT

With just five days left to go before the Kickstarter campaign for OUYA comes to a close, OUYA has announced a new partnership with radio streaming service iHeartRadio. Previously, the OUYA team revealed that the console will offer streaming games through OnLive, and now it sounds the multimedia onslaught is nearly complete thanks to this new deal with iHeartRadio. Now we just need OUYA to announce partnerships with the likes of Hulu Plus and Netflix and we’ll be set.

Writing in an update on OUYA’s Kickstarter page, iHeartRadio discussed what this partnership means for OUYA users. iHeartRadio will allow users to tune into over 1,000 different radio stations across the country through their OUYA, ranging from rock to college stations. Users also have the ability to create their own commercial-free custom radio stations, and iHeartRadio claims that it has over 14,000 songs to pick from while making your perfect playlist. Essentially, it’ll be the same service you can already get on mobile devices and Xbox 360, except with OUYA the iHeartRadio team is promising an HTML 5 app made especially for large screen formats.

Not too bad, OUYA. Between these streaming announcements, the reveal that Rodomodo’s Human Element prequel will be an OUYA exclusive, and Square Enix’s announcement that Final Fantasy III will be a launch day title, OUYA has some pretty serious names backing it up. Things are definitely beginning to take shape as the Kickstarter winds down, and it looks like the OUYA team will have more than enough money by the time everything is said and done.

To be a little more precise, OUYA’s Kickstarter page shows an incredible $6,548,055 raised at the time of this writing, and with the better part of a week left to go, there’s a chance that number may cross the $7 million mark. After the Kickstarter closes, OUYA will have to prove that it can make it in the highly competitive gaming market, and some don’t think it can. Here’s hoping that everything works out for the best with OUYA, because even though we have our reservations, the Android-based console does sound like a great idea.

[via SlashGear]

Perfectly Clear Image Correction app makes every photo a keeper

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 02:35 PM PDT

Ever snapped a photo with your smartphone and it wasn’t quite good enough? While our cameras have been improving the overall image quality sometimes still isn’t up to par. Today we have a brand new app called Perfectly Clear that has just launched for Android — that aims to solve this problem. Perfectly Clear automatically applies 10 patented intelligent corrections in a few seconds to make almost every photo worth keeping.

No this isn’t Instagram. You won’t be applying filters that makes your images look all wonky. Instead the app offers 10 preset or custom filters that will correct all sorts of mistakes and image quality issues in photos. From poor lighting, over exposed shots, loss of detail and tons of other things. These patented correction filters work wonders. Check out the sample shots below.

Perfectly Clear’s industry leading auto image correction software has been available on PC’s for years, but now is finally available on mobile. Hopefully this will help all those terrible Facebook photos earn a little quality. With Perfectly Clear you’ll have access to 10 patented filters and you can fix an image in an instant. Use their auto settings, or select the slider to tweak and improve images to your own liking. Sadly they don’t offer pinch-to-zoom, but otherwise the app is great.

They’ve designed a very simple and easy to navigate user interface. Everything is extremely easy and the sliders really makes those little adjustments to photos a breeze. For those “mobile photographers” this is a must have app. Check out the impressive samples below, then head to the Google Play Store link to get Perfectly Clear today for the introductory sale price of just $0.99 for a limited time.

Play Store Link

Chameleon Launcher hits Play Store for pre-order customers

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 01:28 PM PDT

Chameleon Launcher for Android, which got its start as a kickstarter project back in May has finally landed on the Google Play Store. This home replacement launcher for tablets is very pretty, polished, and looks fantastic. While it’s in the Play Store right now, only those who pre-ordered from Kickstarter can actually use it.

Yes you can download it, but it won’t work unless you are one of the early beta testers that pre-ordered it by helping fund the project a few months back. So for now it isn’t available for everyone but we still have a neat video below to give you an idea of how powerful and customizable it can be.

Android is all about options, and with the Chameleon Launcher you can completely change the entire look and feel of your device, just like with most home replacement launchers. Not only are their widgets big, pretty, minimal, and resizable, but the can be based off of location too.

Based on location you can have your homescreen, wallpaper, and widgets all change. When you get to work it can switch to have all your email clients, stocks, and notepad widgets, then at home you can tailor it to show Google Play Books, Movies, YouTube and more. The idea is a neat one, but I’m not sure how many will actually use that. They call this quick homescreen switching.

The new app is available right now on the Google Play Store but remember, it won’t work unless you’re a backer and have valid sign in credentials. We can’t wait to see how this progresses and will update once it’s live for the masses.

[via MobileSyrup]

HTC One X+ for T-Mobile leaked with quad-core and Jelly Bean

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:59 PM PDT

HTC and T-Mobile appear to be teaming up to offer that impressive 4.7-inch HTC One X to their customers. After launching internationally with a quad-core Tegra 3, then on AT&T with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 4G LTE, T-Mobile will now be getting their own quad-core flavor according to some newly leaked details and benchmarks.

First rumored as the HTC Era 42+, it now looks like this will indeed be called the HTC One X+ and arrive for T-Mobile sometime this fall. Today the folks from TmoNews have uncovered a new benchmark test that confirms the fact that it is running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, as well as a boosted and improved quad core processor.

Running the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor at 1.7 GHz, sporting Jelly Bean, and then that 1280 x 720p screen size. We can’t technically confirm this is headed to T-Mobile but all the previous leaks lead to that conclusion.

According to a few other reports (linked to below) the possibility of a beefed up 1.7 GHz HTC One X+ could also be making its way to AT&T too, but that would just be weird. I can’t see them releasing a competing device to their current flagship on the carrier already, but we’ve seen stranger things. We are hopeful to see this phone arrive sometime in September and will update when we hear more.

New details on Phosphor Games’ Horn surface

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:26 PM PDT

Here are some things you need to know: Phosphor Games Studio has a new game coming to mobile devices, it’s called Horn, and it looks awesome. Part Infinity Blade and part Zelda, Horn is built using the Unreal engine, and from the look of the trailer we have posted after the break, it seems that it will be pushing the limits of mobile devices. In other words, get excited.

PocketGamer plays host to a slew of new information about the game, which was announced by Zynga back in June. Yes, that Zynga. Apparently the social games company sees something good in Horn, as it has signed on as publisher for the title. Really, it’s hard not to be impressed with Horn, especially from a visual standpoint.

You’ll be playing as Horn, whose village has been overrun by those giant stone monsters you can see in the trailer. Before long, Horn realizes that those stone giants are actually the other residents of his village, so naturally, it’s up to him to save them all from their towering fate. The stone giants make us immediately think of Shadow of the Colossus, and a mashup of that game, Infinity Blade, and Zelda is definitely something that gets our attention.

When you engage in combat, the camera zooms in nice and close, just like in Infinity Blade. There’s also a world to explore in the third-person perspective when you aren’t fighting, which is where the comparisons to Zelda come in. At the end of everything, Horn is definitely a game to get excited about, but unfortunately, we don’t have a solid release date, price, or platform list for the title yet. It’s arriving sometime later this month, however, so those missing details will undoubtedly be coming soon. Keep an ear to Android Community for more information!

Samsung Store confirmed for Australia, just a few doors down from Apple’s

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:09 PM PDT

Today Samsung has confirmed they’ll be opening up their first “Samsung Experience Store” in Sydney, Australia, and it will probably look just like their new Canada shop. After confirming a few details to AusDroid it looks like Sammy’s on a role. They’ll be opening up shop just a few doors down from Apple’s main Australia retail store.

This is the same Apple store that RIM recently played a terrible “wake up” flash-mob campaign that only earned them negative press. The fact that Samsung is opening up their doors just down the street from Apple’s largest Australia retail store is quite smart. I’m sure it won’t make Apple very pleased either.

Samsung opened their first retail store in Canada this summer, and it was instantly titled as an “Apple knock off,” but we’d have to disagree as it also looks just like those one stores you might have heard of — Best Buy. Here’s an official statement on the Australia retail store from Samsung:

Samsung Electronics Australia is delighted to confirm that we will be opening the first Samsung Experience Store at 450 George Street in Sydney in coming months. The store will be a premium space designed to allow Australian consumers an opportunity to experience the latest, cutting-edge Samsung products. We will be making an announcement with more details including the official opening date very soon.

It looks like Samsung will be opening up shop and offering another “premium space” for potential buyers to test, use, and enjoy all that Samsung has to offer. Their Galaxy S III has already sold more than 10 million units, so we expect to see plenty of them plastered around the new Sydney store. Go Samsung!

[via The Verge]

Samsung invite for August 15th event hints at Galaxy Note 10.1

Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:45 AM PDT

Samsung has been busy this week preparing for their next set of announcements. We know they have both the Galaxy Note 10.1, as well as the Galaxy Note 2 coming up. After sending out invites for their Samsung Unpacked mobile event in Germany at the end of the month, today they’ve done the same for that “major announcement” set for August 15th.

Earlier reports confirms the Galaxy Note 2 will be announced on August 29th at IFA in Berlin, Germany, but now the invitations being sent out hint calmly but firmly at the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. The subtle hints of “meet the new way” goes right in line with their “time to tab” comments and the lines across the invite leads us to believe it’s the Galaxy Note 10.1 with the S-Pen stylus.

A few weeks ago when Samsung sent out the “save the date” email they called this a “major announcement” but the Galaxy Note 10.1 isn’t anything new at this point. We’ve received hands-on with it a few times, but it has since seen a slight design change and the inclusion of a quad-core processor.

Either way the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be Samsung’s new flagship top end tablet. Coming with a stylus, Wacom digitizer, a quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor, 2GB of RAM, and hopefully some impressive storage options. We know they’ll have a 3G/4G and WiFi model but until they unveil it all on the 15th we’ll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned for full details.