Android Community |
- Samsung Facebook campaign backfires
- ASUS updates TF700 and TF300 with bug fixes, improved performance
- Twentieth Century Fox bringing more movies to Google Play and YouTube
- Samsung says Galaxy S4 rumors are “not true”
- Motorola RAZR i: Hands-on with the 2GHz Intel Android phone
- LG Optimus G vs HTC One X vs Samsung Galaxy S III
- LG Optimus G hands-on
- LG Optimus G gets official with S4 Pro quad-core, hits Korea next week
- “Bad Piggies” Angry Birds sequel will be the MacGyver of mobile games
- New Kindle Fire devices are locked up tight, root methods may be difficult
- Google acquires Instagram-competitor Snapseed
- AT&T to launch push-to-talk service nationwide in November
- HTC One X5 phablet leaks in press render
- Motorola DROID RAZR HD launching in October
- Shazam hits 250 million users, adds TV-tagging capabilities
- ASUS Padfone 2 benchmark leaks with quad-core in tow
- Samsung Galaxy S4 rumored to arrive in March 2013
| Samsung Facebook campaign backfires Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:28 AM PDT A lot of companies try their hardest to engage their fans on social media to try to bolster up their public image. The best way to engage people is to pose a fun and interesting question for them to answer. However, Samsung‘s question to its followers a couple weeks ago backfired on them pretty badly.
Samsung asked, “If you could only take one electronic device on to a deserted island, what would it be?” The company cleverly posted a photo along with the question of a Galaxy S III with a deserted island in the background in hopes to ween fans in a certain direction. Inevitably, many responders answered with the iPhone 5, iPad, and even things like “not a Samsung”. Then again, you could see that was coming from a mile away. Samsung simply set themselves up for that one. They ask a fun question and in return they get a number of responses that they probably weren’t quite hoping for. Of course, just yesterday the company released their latest ad, which takes a jab at the iPhone 5. Obviously, that wasn’t well received by the fanboy community either. Kate Upton didn’t help Samsung’s cause either, since she was seen with an iPhone at Samsung’s Galaxy Note event. Should Samsung keep on churning with their iPhone 5 attack ads, or should they maybe cool it a bit and let the sales figures do the talking? [via BGR]
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| ASUS updates TF700 and TF300 with bug fixes, improved performance Posted: 18 Sep 2012 10:57 AM PDT ASUS has ended up playing a cruel joke on Transformer Infinity TF700 users today with an update to both the TF700 and Transformer Pad TF300 tablets. Many TF700 users initially thought the update was Jelly Bean, but it turned out to be just a maintenance update that fixes some bugs and improves performance a little. The TF700 update includes updated firmware for the camera, as well as a simplified boot animation. The TF300 received mostly minor bug fixes, since it’s already on Jelly Bean.
ASUS released its Transformer Infinity TF700 tablet back in July, and users have been waiting on a Jelly Bean update ever since, but there’s no word from the company as to when they will be bringing Google’s latest version of Android to the TF700. Hopefully its users will be able to take advantage of Jelly Bean soon, especially since the TF700 is more than capable of running such a sophisticated operating system. The TF700 runs off of an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor at 1.6GHz with 1GB of RAM. It’s 10.1-inch LED display with a 1920×1200 resolution definitely impresses, and it doesn’t hurt that it has all the necessary amenities like an 8MP camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and 4G LTE. It also sports a microSD card slot and a port for mini-HDMI. TF700 and TF300 users are seeing their update arrive at different times, so if you haven’t seen an update notification yet, be patient while ASUS rolls it out to you. In the meantime, don’t get your hopes up for Jelly Bean this time. However, hopefully ASUS gets the message that its users seriously want it. [via Droid Life]
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| Twentieth Century Fox bringing more movies to Google Play and YouTube Posted: 18 Sep 2012 10:21 AM PDT Google Play already has a wide selection of movies and TV shows to watch on your Android devices, but get ready for even more. Over 600 new titles from Twentieth Century Fox are coming to both Google Play and YouTube. All of the new content will be available to either rent or buy.
FOX TV shows such as Glee, Modern Family, New Girl and Family Guy will now be up for grabs, as well as movies like X-Men, Ice Age, Black Swan and Prometheus. You can actually buy Prometheus in HD right now for $15, three weeks ahead of its Blu-ray, DVD and video-on-demand release. Twentieth Century Fox plans to do this with more movies in the future, so if Prometheus isn’t your cup of tea, be sure to keep an eye out for more early releases of Twentieth Century Fox films. Google is working on getting all six major movie studios on board to provide users with the ability to buy or rent content on Google’s services. Paramount is already on board with over 500 movies available. Google is also working with several independent studios to bring even more content to Google Play and YouTube. The service is only available to U.S. and Australian users currently, but Google is working on rolling it out to more countries. Most movies in the Google Play store are price anywhere from $4 to $7. TV shows cost around $2 per episode, with complete seasons priced at around $15-$25, depending on the show.
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| Samsung says Galaxy S4 rumors are “not true” Posted: 18 Sep 2012 09:46 AM PDT The rumors about Samsung announcing the Galaxy S4 in February 2013 with a global launch the next month have turn out to be false. Samsung confirmed through Twitter that the rumor “is not true.” They even want as far as questioning the motives of these rumormongers asking, “why spread these rumors?”.
Even though the company quickly stomped down any rumors of a Galaxy S4, we will most likely still see a successor to the Galaxy S III sometime in the spring. This would make a lot more sense for Samsung’s desire to keep a one-year product release cycle, and it still wouldn’t impede on Apple’s own release cycle for the iPhone. Plus, the Galaxy S III is selling extremely well anyway, and the holiday season has still yet to come. Samsung sold 20 million S IIIs within three months, and we’re guessing that more are yet to be sold as we approach December. The next-generation Galaxy S device may still contain a 5-inch phablet-style display using OLED or even Samsung’s own Super AMOLED technology. The company might even drop Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor altogether and go with their own in-house Exynos chipsets instead. And while it may have a larger screen than the Galaxy S III, leaks have mentioned that the Galaxy S4 won’t see any other major exterior design changes. While our hopes for a Galaxy S4 appearance at Mobile World Congress 2013 are now dashed, we will certainly see a 4th-generation Galaxy S phone from Samsung at some point in 2013. In the meantime, we’ll be watching the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III battling it out going into the holiday season. Which phone has your vote? [via SlashGear]
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| Motorola RAZR i: Hands-on with the 2GHz Intel Android phone Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:41 AM PDT Motorola has outed its latest Android smartphone, and while the RAZR i may have a slick edge-to-edge Super AMOLED display, it’s the Intel Atom processor inside that’s most interesting. Running a 2GHz single-core CPU with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM (5GB user-available, plus a microSD slot), the RAZR i will launch with 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but is, Motorola insists, Jelly Bean upgradeable eventually.
When, exactly, that will happen is unclear. For now, it’s Motorola’s mildly tweaked version of ICS, with a custom camera app that pushes HDR photography, and the “circles” UI seen on other recent Moto Android handsets.
The display is a crisp, bright, and colorful qHD Super AMOLED, with minimal bezels helping Motorola hit a compact 60.9 x 122.5 x 8.33 mm size and 126g weight. The outside uses lashings of Kevlar for extra ruggedness, while inside there’s quadband UMTS, NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and aGPS/GPS/eCompass. On the back is an 8-megapixel camera good for Full HD video recording, and there’s a sub-1s start-up time and the ability to burst-shoot ten frames in a second. A 0.3-megapixel camera faces the front for video calls. Motorola says the RAZR i’s 2,000 mAh battery is good for “20hrs of mixed usage.” Motorola RAZR i hands-on: Intel has struggled to make its mark in the smartphone chip market, though some brand-name support from Motorola might be sufficient to give it a shove in retail. Motorola says the RAZR i will launch in early October, arriving in the UK on Orange, T-Mobile, Phones 4U, Virgin Media, and Tesco, along with in several countries in Europe and South America. Retailer Clove has already listed the SIM-free version for £285 (exc. VAT). More info over at SlashGear.                  
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| LG Optimus G vs HTC One X vs Samsung Galaxy S III Posted: 17 Sep 2012 08:10 PM PDT LG’s new Optimus G has taken its position as the company’s new flagship device for 2012. That alone is probably enough to turn some heads, but the title of “flagship” doesn’t mean too much if the Optimus G can’t deliver the goods when it comes to what’s under the hood. We’ve compared the LG Optimus G to the Samsung Galaxy S III (and threw in the HTC One X just for kicks) to give you a better idea of the kind of bang you’re getting for your buck, so read on if the Optimus G has piqued your interest.
First, let’s start with the screen. The LG Optimus G comes with a 4.7-inch “TrueHD IPS+” LCD display running at 1280×768 resolution, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S III sports a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen at 1280×720. When weighed against each other, the screens on the S III and the Optimus G both have pros and cons, and the differences between the two aren’t exactly tremendous. The HTC One X, on the other hand, has a 4.7-inch S-LCD screen, and even though it boasts 720p resolution, the Optimus G’s screen will be the better performer. Next up are the processors, which are definitely the most important part of the phone. The Optimus G comes equipped with a Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHZ, which will definitely be capable of going faster than either the Galaxy S III’s or One X’s S4 dual-core processors. The international version of the Galaxy S III does come equipped with a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz, so even though that’s better, you’ll still be able to squeeze more power out of the Snapdragon S4 Pro that’s found in the Optimus G.
The Optimus G also comes packing 2GB of RAM under the hood, which is clearly better than the 1GB the S III and the One X can boast. With the front-facing camera, the S III’s 1.8-megapixel shooter comes out on top, as compared to the 1.3-megapixel camera found on the Optimus G and One X. As far as rear-facing cameras go, however, the Optimus G is the winner hands down as it comes with an awesome 13-megapixel camera installed. By comparison, the S III and the One X only have 8-megapixels to take advantage of. All three phones have incredibly similar measurements and weights (though the Optimus G is slightly thinner than the S III), and all three are capable of recording video in 1080p. You’ll be able to get a bit more life out of the Optimus G’s 2,210 mAh battery than you will with the Galaxy S III’s 2,100 mAh pack, and that’s especially true with the One X, which only has a 1,800 mAh battery to work with. At the end of it all, the HTC One X isn’t even in the competition – the LG Optimus G blows it out of the water easily. The same can’t be said for the match up between the Galaxy S III and the Optimus G. While the Optimus G comes out on top in a lot of places, the Galaxy S III puts up a good fight. Still, the processor, RAM, and rear-facing camera of the Optimus G allow the new flagship device to be crowned the winner of this particular face-off – at least as far as the specs are concerned.    Device Info
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| Posted: 17 Sep 2012 07:18 PM PDT LG’s newest smartphone, the Optimus G is finally official and we’ve got our hands all over it. LG’s been teasing us with videos and talking up this new “next-gen” superphone so we’re happy to check it out. They’ve been in the shadow of their South Korean friends at Samsung as of late but have pulled out all the stops with this latest smartphone so lets take a peek.
LG’s odd hardware and bizarre UI changes have been a bit of a hit or miss lately with Android, but with the Optimus G they look to change all that. The hardware certainly is at the top of their game — and the Android world as a whole — but the software sadly is still just Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. While we would love to see Jelly Bean out of the gate here everything else is simply awesome. Here’s the rundown on the specs.
With the LG Optimus G, just as we stated in their announcement post, you get a combination of the absolute latest and greatest from LG and Qualcomm packaged neatly into one uber-powerful yet sleek smartphone. We’re working with a 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS+ display and it is beautiful and extremely crisp to say the least. The in-cell touchscreen technology leaves graphics floating right beneath your fingertip with less glass between you and the display.
Brightness and colors are spot on — and being IPS the viewing angles are exceptional. This is certainly giving Samsung’s AMOLEDs a run for their money. The display is running with a 1280 x 768 resolution, and comes in a 15:9 aspect ratio. This makes it slightly narrower than similarly sized devices. The same can be said about the thickness, coming in at 8.45mm versus the Samsung's Galaxy S III being 8.6mm. Surprisingly the star of the show here isn’t the awesome 4.7-inch IPS+ display, the 2GB of RAM, or the 32GB of internal storage. The stars here are the 13 megapixel camera around back, and the quad-core processor under the hood. Qualcomm and LG teamed up to release this as the first Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core powered smartphone. Double the power from the Galaxy S III’s S4 processor and that is what you get — and it truly flies. Sadly we don’t have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean here, and instead are working with Ice Cream Sandwich. We won’t get Google’s project butter UI speed improvements, or Google Now voice search but ICS is extremely fast here. The Qualcomm 1.5 GHz quad-core certainly doesn’t have any issues chugging along with ease. It’s safe to say the processor will be able to handle anything and everything tossed its way here. As far as in the hands, the Optimus G doesn’t disappoint. It looks great, feels nice, and is very durable and flex-free. Being quite narrow given the size it feels surprisingly compact and easy to pocket. LG’s new Crystal Reflection process covering the rear of the device gives it almost a glassy 3D illusion look that is quite odd and shifts when light hits it. It’s unique and might not be everyone’s favorite. At least we don’t have the same usual black or white cheap plastic with the Optimus G. Then quickly the video below is a demonstration of “QSlide” which is true picture-in-picture mode simultaneously. This isn’t a second window or a hovering app, this is two apps both slightly translucent running concurrently on one display. Neat right? Overall we’re far more impressed with this phone than we initially thought we’d be. LG’s looking to step up their game in all areas and has a lot to prove. It’ll take more than just a powerhouse smartphone to compete with the best though. We’ll need timely updates and consistently awesome hardware. So far LG’s certainly delivered on this phone in terms of specs — we’ll have to wait for a full review to decide the rest so stay tuned!        Device Info
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| LG Optimus G gets official with S4 Pro quad-core, hits Korea next week Posted: 17 Sep 2012 06:31 PM PDT If you’ve been waiting through all the rumors of LG’s newest flagship smartphone, today you’re in luck. LG has officially announced and detailed their impressive new Optimus G smartphone complete with “groundbreaking features” and tons of improvements to their user interface. They’re inviting users to live without boundaries thanks to the phones brilliant display and enhanced features. Lets take a look.
After all the leaks and Qualcomm confirming the device, today in Korea LG has finally taken the sheets off this awesome new smartphone and confirmed it will be arriving in stores starting next week in Korea, but first lets talk specs. LG is aiming for the top spot with this device and you’ll be working with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, 2GB of DDR RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a 13 megapixel rear facing camera. All of this is running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich too.
One of the other most important specs here is the display. You’ll be enjoying all the Android apps and games you can handle on LG’s new 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS+ display. Using LG’s Zerogap Touch technology the display will be closer to the protective glass than ever. Making for a better, more vivid, and accurate viewing experience. That massive screen rocks a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution with a 15:9 aspect ratio and should look stunning. Everything is powered by a 2,100 mAh battery and is 131.9 x 68.9 x 8.45mm in size, 145g in weight. Then we have WiFi Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC, 4G LTEand the usual goodies for sensors. Sadly it does not feature a micro-SD slot. Then back alongside that massive 13 megapixel camera is a brand new design from LG. On the back is a cover made with LG's own patented Crystal Reflection process, which offers a unique polarized pattern under its surface. This makes the device durable, easy to hold, and gives off a 3D illusion that LG calls "exquisitely reminiscent of a jewel."
Along with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich LG’s added tons of impressive new user interface and UX changes that make this what they’re calling a groundbreaking smartphone. Things like voice actions in the camera, and tons of new cross-tasking features. Below is what you can expect to see:
Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG notes, "The Optimus G is a groundbreaking premium device not only in the history of LG but also in the smartphone industry – With the Optimus G, users will be able to experience unsurpassed UX features that will allow them to perform tasks that really enhance their daily lives." The all new Optimus G kicks off next week in Korea and should be available in other global markets next month. We’ve been hearing the 13 megapixel model might not make it to all markets though, sadly. Rumors have AT&T first up with the LG Eclipse 4G LTE but we’ll have to wait and see. Expect some hands-on time with this awesome new smartphone coming soon.         Device Info
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| “Bad Piggies” Angry Birds sequel will be the MacGyver of mobile games Posted: 17 Sep 2012 04:21 PM PDT Rovio‘s latest creation and the sequel to Angry Birds will be called Bad Piggies. The game will focus on the viewpoint of the evil pigs that we all loathed in previous Angry Bird installments. However, it seems the infamous Angry Birds won’t be anywhere to be found. Instead, Bad Piggies will be all about building vehicles and trying to get them from point A to point B with the pigs on board. It’s a trial-and-error puzzle game that looks to be on par with Rovio’s Amazing Alex.
Slingshots are nowhere to be found in Big Piggies and it takes a completely different approach than what the Angry Birds series takes. The player creates land and air vehicles using all sorts of different parts, and you assemble them using a two-dimensional grid. You can create anything from regular cars to planes, and even assemble helicopters and rocket ships. Bad Piggies looks to be a lot more feature-filled than the Angry Birds series. Instead of using a simple slingshot to knock down an arrangement of blocks, Bad Piggies gives you a plethora of different parts and machines to work with — the combinations look endless. This type of game is nothing new, but Rovio seems to be adding their own twist to the genre and is hoping to get hours and hours of play time out of its fans. Check out the gameplay trailer below to see the game in action. Bad Piggies officially releases on September 27th and will be available on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac. [via SlashGear]
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| New Kindle Fire devices are locked up tight, root methods may be difficult Posted: 17 Sep 2012 03:20 PM PDT Last week, Amazon announced a slew of new Kindle devices, including the all new Ice Cream Sandwich-equipped Kindle Fire HD. A lot of folks are really excited to get their hands on one, but developers and rooters alike may not be too happy when they set their eyes on the new device. It turns out that Amazon locked up the bootloaders of their 2nd-generation Kindle Fires using the same techniques that are used on most “high-security” devices.
The locking technique used is said to be similar to that of the Nook Tablet. However, a slight workaround for that was found when an SD card was used as an alternate bootloader of sorts. However, the Kindle Fire’s lack of an SD card slot could pose as a challenge for developers who want to find workaround. Community discussions are ongoing as we speak about possible ways to circumvent the heavily-locked bootloader. Let’s hope that these guys eventually do find a workaround, since the new Kindle Fire HDs have the potential of being a wonderful Android tablet once rooting can be set in. The Kindle Fire HD comes in both 7-inch and 8.9-inch flavors. If the high-res displays don’t appeal to you, maybe the $199 price tag will. The Kindle Fire HD 7-inch is already on store shelves, with the 8.9-inch version coming later in November. Testers and developers are undoubtedly working around the clock to find a workaround for the Kindle Fire HD’s stubborn bootloader, and since the devices will be plagued with advertisements and other nonsense, rooting will only be that much more desired. Then again, the Nexus 7 looks pretty good too. Device Info
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| Google acquires Instagram-competitor Snapseed Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:35 PM PDT Nik Software, the company behind the popular photography app Snapseed, has been bought by Google today. The search giant plans to bolster its Google+ photo features with the Snapseed acquisition and compete with Facebook and Instagram head on. The app, which is available on iOS, Mac and Windows (with an Android version coming soon), has gained over nine million users within its first year.
To compete with the likes of Facebook and Instagram, Google has added some great image-editing features to Google+ over the past year or so. Features like facial recognition for improved photo tagging and higher-resolution photos are just some of the updates that Google has focused on. Snapseed-like photo editing in the Google+ would certainly put it on par with Facebook and Instagram’s photo capabilities. Nik Software has been around for almost 17 years creating all sorts of photography software. Snapseed has been one of their more successful projects and it’s easy to see why. The company has made “photography first” their motto and is certain that they will be able to spread their message to millions more with this Google acquisition. It’s not known exactly what new photo features will come to Google+ with the Snapseed buyout, but Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google+ Vic Gundotra says that they “want to help our users create photos they absolutely love, and in our experience Nik does this better than anyone.” It’ll be interesting to see what Google+ comes up with to further challenge Facebook and Instagram. [via SlashGear]
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| AT&T to launch push-to-talk service nationwide in November Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:36 PM PDT AT&T plans to launch its Enhanced Push-to-Talk service to all of its customers in the U.S. starting in November, according to FierceWireless. AT&T’s PPT service has been available for some time now as a testing platform for a few businesses, but the carrier is now looking to spread it to all of its customers around the country.
AT&T confirmed that the PPT service would work on six smartphones, including multiple Android devices that run on Android 2.3 or higher, as well as devices running Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 7. It’s also said that the service will work on feature phones running Java, but will lack some of the more advanced features that smartphones will have. More devices will be supported in the future, including a handful of tablets and laptops. It’s said that the service will cost around $30 per month and will use voice over IP technology. It also can be used simultaneously with data and will work internationally. Wi-Fi support will be added in the future once the service has been up and running for a while. AT&T expanded its testing of the service in June and says that it will offer “great performance, advanced features, integration with mobile apps and interoperability with radio systems.” Only time will tell to see if that proves true for its rumored launch in November when more people start using it. However, if you’re like most users, Push-to-Talk might not be your first choice when you need to hit up a friend. [via BGR]
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| HTC One X5 phablet leaks in press render Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:42 PM PDT The folks from HTC have been busy brewing up their own 5-inch phablet to hopefully take on the Galaxy Note II, LG’s Intuition, and dare I even say the iPhone 5. We’ve seen a few blurry leaks in the past but today a press render could have spilled the beans just days before the official announcement.
HTC has a press event scheduled for later this week where we’ll be seeing what’s next from the company, and this could be exactly that. We’ve been hearing rumors of their own 1920 x 1080p resolution packing 5-inch smartphone tablet hybrid for a few weeks. This leak seems to not only confirm the device, but is calling it the HTC One X5.
Previous rumors have hinted at a Verizon release, and with those red accents accompanying that large display things are lining up quite nicely. We’ve been hearing other rumors including an HTC One X+ with an improved and faster 1.6 GHz Tegra 3 quad-core and 4G LTE for AT&T, but this looks to be all Verizon. Big Red passed on the One series initially and this could be why. We have a feeling this will have that rumored 1080p display and also be packing Qualcomm’s new 1.5 GHz S4 Pro quad-core processor as well as Verizon 4G LTE. Add all of that into a sleek 5-inch smartphone phablet and the Galaxy Note II might actually have some stiff competition. We’re expecting Sense UI 4.5 along with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to be powering the new One X5. Stay tuned for full details as they get announced during HTC’s event on Wednesday. [via Engadget]
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| Motorola DROID RAZR HD launching in October Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:19 PM PDT Motorola and Verizon’s new DROID RAZR HD was announced earlier this month, but sadly we didn’t get any sort of release date. Motorola simply stated it would arrive “before the holidays.” Today however we might have a better idea of what to expect regarding when Motorola’s new flagship smartphone will arrive for the US.
Previous rumors pegged an early October release date and now we are hearing the same thing today. An official Motorola press release is making the rounds for the international Motorola RAZR HD stating availability will be “from October.” We aren’t sure if that means starting October 1st the RAZR HD will be available, or if we can just expect the smartphone to arrive in the month of October. For now Verizon and Motorola haven’t said a word but most likely we’ll also see the Verizon DROID RAZR HD launch around the same time frame. Usually Motorola has favored Verizon with their release dates and launches and we are expecting the same this time around with their new RAZR HD. We got some hands-on with the smartphones during their announcement earlier this month and you can check those out below. Stay tuned as we’ll be hearing from Motorola and or Verizon soon enough. [via Droid-Life]
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| Shazam hits 250 million users, adds TV-tagging capabilities Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:13 PM PDT Shazam, the popular music-tagging app for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, announced today that its hit 250 million users with around two million new users joining every week. To celebrate, the app has been updated to include TV tagging for U.S. users, which allows you to find out what music is playing on your favorite shows, as well as other useful info.
The app now allows you to get IMDB cast details, music in the show, celebrity gossip, photos, fun facts, and celebrity tweets. You also have the ability to share and comment on a TV show straight to Facebook and Twitter. Shazam also gives you custom results for sporting events as well, providing you with stats, scores and schedules. The company constantly scans over 160 channels in the U.S. for new and updated information. However, local-only channels are left out, since the app only focuses on national content. Shazam did this with the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as Super Bowl XLVI back in February, but it’s the first time that the company is doing it at full scale. Chief Revenue Officer of Shazam, Doug Garland, mentions that “54 percent of users were using Shazam at least once a week to tag things on TV.” With that in mind, it’s no wonder that the company decided to add this feature for its users. Shazam plans on incorporating more features into its app in the coming weeks, including the ability to do more with social media, like interacting with their Facebook friends through the app and “Liking” certain TV tags. [via The Verge]
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| ASUS Padfone 2 benchmark leaks with quad-core in tow Posted: 17 Sep 2012 11:40 AM PDT We’ve heard reports that ASUS is gearing up to release a follow up to the original PadFone, and today it might have leaked in some AnTuTu benchmarks. We’re seeing what is listed as the ASUS PadFone 2 and it comes complete with some impressive specs that will surely make it a powerful smartphone tablet combo.
According to the leaked benchmark result found by Tablet News the PadFone 2 will have some top tier specs — which is expected with 2013 approaching. Some of those include a powerful quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. You can bet that stylus/headset will be present this time again too. The image below doesn’t reveal too much but has certainly caught our attention. If the leaked benchmark is accurate we’ll be seeing the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor under the hood, 2GB of RAM, and possibly more although we don’t have too many details at this point.
The leak also appears to show Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, but surely it will launch with at least Jelly Bean given ASUS has been quick with updates in the past. We can expect a sleeker design, possibly a 1080p HD screen and more but until actual hardware leaks or a release date appears we’ll just have to wait and see. The idea was great the first time around, and hopefully ASUS will improve this neat tablet even more for round 2.
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| Samsung Galaxy S4 rumored to arrive in March 2013 Posted: 17 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT Samsung is rumored to announce the Galaxy S4 at Mobile World Congress 2013 later this coming February. The S4 will most likely replace Samsung’s current flashship phone, the Galaxy S III. Our friends at SlashGear have word that the rumored phone will see a global launch in March 2013.
It’s said that the new S4 will have a larger 5-inch OLED display, as well as a better camera than the S III. Under the hood, it’s rumored to have one of Samsung’s Exynos quad-core processers and 4G LTE. However, no major cosmetic changes are planned for the new device. The rumor comes right after the announcement of Apple’s iPhone 5, a phone that has garnered a lot of attention recently. Samsung has said it wants to continue its one-year product cycle, but the S4 will be just a tad quicker on that, since it’s rumored to release just nine months after the S III. This will be roughly in the middle of Apple’s update cycle, so it makes sense that Samsung wants to let the hype of the iPhone 5 die a down a little before playing its cards. Overall, it’ll be interesting to see how well the Galaxy S4 does in the midst of the iPhone 5. Samsung has already sold 20 million Galaxy S III units in a matter of three months, and the holiday season is yet upon us. We’ll have to wait and see what fun stuff Samsung pulls out of its hat come February at Mobile World Congress.
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