Thursday 11 October 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Samsung Galaxy Premier struts its stuff in leaked press shot

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 10:41 AM PDT

The Samsung Galaxy S III Mini may be soaking up most of the attention at the moment, but there’s been a leak for another Samsung device and despite previous rumors, it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the new Nexus phone. The leak is of the Samsung GT-i9260, which was rumored to be the next Nexus device at one point in time, but looking at the leaked image below, we can see that the phone is running TouchWiz over Jelly Bean. So, since we know it won’t be a Nexus phone, it’s time to say hello to the Samsung Galaxy Premier.


Originally spotted by German site MobileGeeks, this appears to be a new mid-range Galaxy Phone. We can see some clear similarities to the Galaxy S III in the image, at least as far as looks go, but other than that, the leaked image doesn’t give too much away. Thankfully, the report on MobileGeeks is also accompanied by a list of specs, so we have a good idea of what’s going on under the hood.

Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Premier comes packing a 1.5GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor along with a suspected 1GB of RAM, so Premier should be at least resonably quick. The phone has a 4.65-inch 720p Super AMOLED display with multi touch capabilities, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. It will also come equipped with either 8 or 16GB of internal storage, but you can bump that up to 64GB thanks to the handy microSD slot.

MobileGeek’s source claims that the handset will cost around €480, which is right around $621, and has a target launch window of quarter 4 2012. We’re actually in quarter 4 right this moment, so it may not be long before we see this phone launch in at least one area of the world. Keep it tuned here to Android Community for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Premier!


Motorola DROID RAZR HD hits Verizon October 18th

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 10:09 AM PDT

Today Verizon and Motorola have officially announced when we’ll be seeing their new DROID RAZR HD smartphone arrive on Big Red. With the international RAZR HD already available in Canada, it was only a matter of time before Verizon released a statement. Both the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, and RAZR MAXX HD will be available online and in stores starting October 18th.

Just a few days ago we reported the 18th would be the date they arrive in the US, but now it’s official right from Verizon themselves. Just moments ago they confirmed the date, and we’ll be seeing the RAZR HD arrive for $199, while the long lasting DROID RAZR MAXX HD will be $299 for that massive battery under the hood.

Interestingly enough, the DROID RAZR HD will come with 16GB of storage only and be offered in black or white for the $199 price. Then Motorola and Verizon will be offering the MAXX HD with 32GB of storage and it will only be available in black. So the increase in price gets you additional storage, and longer battery life. I’m sure a few would love to have the option, but I’d rather just get the MAXX myself.

In case you’ve forgotten what that will get you the DROID RAZR HD has some great specs. a 4.7-inch AMOLED display, 1GB of RAM, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 megapixel camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and of course that Kevlar coating for durability. Will you be picking up the DROID RAZR HD or MAXX HD on the 18th, or will you wait it out for the Galaxy Note II?

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : DROID RAZR HD
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : September 05, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.7 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.19 Inch
  • Width : 2.67 Inch
  • Depth : 0.33 Inch
  • Weight : 146 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2530 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : MSM8960
    CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11a
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


Samsung Galaxy S III Mini gets official

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 09:43 AM PDT

The folks from Samsung have officially revealed their new Galaxy S III Mini as well as all those specs that were leaked earlier this week. Sadly, they were accurate. For those hoping for an impressive Galaxy S III Mini with similar specs in a smaller chassis — you’ll be disappointed. Samsung’s still put together a great little phone, it just isn’t quite what we were expecting or hoping for.

They’ve officially announced the smartphone, and consider us officially disappointed. All the specs that were leaked yesterday turned out to be completely accurate. We’ll be greeted with a 4-inch WVGA display, yes that’s the aging 480 x 800 resolution (won’t be competing with the iPhone 5 now) however, we do get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, and Google Now all on board.

The device has lost some of its size, as well as the powerful charm we love about the Galaxy S III. The whole Mini measures in at 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm and tips the scales at 111.5g. So overall a pretty sleek and lightweight device — but we were hoping for more. Still, this will be a budget friendly device being available at an awesomely low price.

The other specs that Samsung’s confirmed is the 1.0 GHz dual-core STE U8420 processor under the hood, so no Samsung Exynos or Snapdragon power here. You’ll get 1GB of RAM, 8 and 16GB storage options, and a measly 1,500 mAh battery. They’ve also lowered both cameras here, and you’ll get a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and only VGA on the front.

Personally, I think Samsung missed a major opportunity here to offer nearly their same flagship smartphone in that “popular” 4-inch iPhone range to even better compete with the competition — but maybe they didn’t want this chipping at their Galaxy S III sales. No official release date or pricing has been detailed, but we’re guessing it’ll be quite cheap when it hits the streets.

GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image4 GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image1 GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image2 GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image3 GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image5 GALAXY-SIII-mini-Product-Image6


Galaxy Nexus sales ban reversed by appeals court

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 09:26 AM PDT

If you thought Apple had the last laugh, or that these lawsuit court battles were over you were wrong. Today the US Court of Appeals has overturned the preliminary injunction that banned the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone. This is just one small step for Samsung, but good news indeed for both them and Android as a whole.

An important thing worth noting in this reversal is the fact that the Galaxy Nexus runs stock Android from Google, not the skinned version the rest of Samsung’s phones do. Most of those injunctions were based on changes made and implemented by Samsung, so this looks promising for Android as a whole. This all started back in January when Apple attacked the Galaxy Nexus for slide-to-unlock, and has only escalated from there.

The appeals court has reversed the ban, or temporary injunction against the device, and even had a few words to say about the situation as a whole. The appeals court claimed Judge Lucy Koh and the entire court distrct (who awarded Apple 1 billion settlement) "abused its discretion in entering an injunction" regarding the Galaxy Nexus.

This is all just appearing thanks to the folks at Reuters, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of additional comments, appeals, and more coming very soon. In the end Samsung still lost (for now) and Apple was awarded a $1 billion settlement fee. Samsung is still looking to get that thrown out so we’ll have to wait and see. More details of everything related to this ongoing battle can be found below.

[via SlashGear]


Google’s Eric Schmidt predicts 1 billion Android activations within a year

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 08:51 AM PDT

It’s no secret that Android is massive. It’s growing at a staggering rate, and according to Google’s Eric Schmidt, the number of activated Android devices in the wild is going to reach a billion within the next year. That’s a billion, you know, with a B. That is an absolutely obscene amount of devices.

Schmidt did not just pull this number out of the air. According to him, there are 1.3 million new Android devices activated every single day, and if they keeps up or grows slightly, reaching a billion devices should not prove to be a problem. He of course mentioned that they already have four-times more phones than Apple, which creates a much stronger platform than its largest competitor.

Android is already sitting at 500 million activated devices, which puts it halfway to its lofty billion device goal. The growth of the Android platform has been something to behold. It was only two years ago that Android was only seeing 200,000 devices activated each day. I say only, but 200,000 is still a ton of devices, it is just nothing when compared to the 1.3 million Schmidt talks about now. If that growth pattern continues, they could hit a billion devices even faster than Schmidt is predicting.

Schmidt also talks about how smartphones, specifically Android devices, are taking over for the PC. While they have not quite surpassed PC usage yet, they are growing incredibly close, according to Schmidt. His claim is backed up by the fact that PC sales actually declined for the first time in 11 years. Could smartphones take over? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, Android is in a great position to be the leading smartphone platform if they do overtake PCs as the main way to consume information and entertainment.

[via SlashGear]


CyanogenMod 10 launches second monthly build with support for 25 devices

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 08:14 AM PDT

It was only a month ago that CyanogenMod released its first monthly build, and now, one month later to the day, they have delivered M2. The M-series monthly build is meant for users who want to forgo some of buggier builds that come with the nightlies. It still lets them get the latest features, but the builds tend to be much more stable.

The device list supported in M2 is pretty extensive, with 25 devices on the list. Devices not on the list can still get access to the nightly builds as they always have. If your device is on the list, you can use the new CM Updater, as well as ROM Manager. Or, you can download manually from Get.CM. The list is as follows:

Galaxy Nexus GSM (maguro)
Galaxy Nexus VZW (toro)
Galaxy Nexus Sprint (toroplus)
Galaxy S2 GT-I9100G (i9100g)
Galaxy S2 AT&T LTE (skyrocket)
Galaxy S2 T-Mobile (hercules)
Galaxy S (galaxysmtd)
Galaxy S B (galaxysbmtd)
Captivate (captivatemtd)
Galaxy S3 Sprint (d2spr)
Galaxy S3 VZW (d2vzw)
Galaxy S3 AT&T (d2att)
Galaxy S3 TMO (d2tmo)
Galaxy S3 US Cellular (d2usc)
Motorola Xoom (wingray/stingray)
Nexus S (crespo)
Nexus S 4G (crespo4g)
Galaxy Note AT&T (quincyatt)
Galaxy Note T-Mobile (quincytmo)
Google Nexus 7 (grouper)
LG Nitro HD (p930)
LG Optimus Black (p970)
LG Optimus LTE SKT (su640)
Sony Xperia Acro S (hikari)
Sony Xperia S (nozomi)

They plan on adding other devices to support monthly builds. Devices not listed simply do not have a build that is ready for primetime yet, so there may still be a couple of glitches or bugs hiding in there. According to CyanogenMod, devices in M2 are “ready to be your daily driver.”

Because they want these builds to be stable and almost perfect, CyanogenMod is requesting that users report and glitches or bugs they come across in these builds. You can use their bug forum to report anything you encounter, which will help them make the next months release even better. For fans of the nightlies, these releases have no effect on you, and you can continue to download your releases as you always would.

[via Cyanogenmod]


Google reportedly hiring for Nexus call center

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 06:54 AM PDT

Could Google be looking to hire Android experts to get ready for the launch of their next Nexus device? If this ad discovered by Geek is to be believed, it looks like they are using Randstand Staffing to bring in a team of Android experts to staff a new call center. If this happens, this should help make the customer experience of purchasing Google’s next Nexus device much more enjoyable.

This ad calls for Android “afficianados [sic]” who are friendly and outgoing for a helpdesk level 1 position. It never mentions Google by name, but it does call out a “confidential client” that "recently unveil [sic] a new Android tablet." The job is described as being a full-time on a six month contract with the option to extend later.

One thing you may notice in that last paragraph is that I had to use [sic] twice because of typos in the ad. That makes me question the validity of the ad a bit. That being said, sources close to the situation are reporting that call center could open by the end of October, so it sounds like they may just have an ad writer with less than perfect spelling skills.

The Nexus 7 tablet certainly annoyed some buyers with Google only offering two weeks of phone service. After that problems were sent to the ASUS, the device manufacture. We shall keep our eyes on this potential call center and let you know when hear something official.

[via SlashGear]


DoCoMo SH-02E ZETA is the first phone to use Sharp’s IGZO screen

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 06:23 AM PDT

DoCoMo has launched a brand new phone that is the first to feature Sharp’s new IGZO screen. This new phone, called the AQUOS PHONE SH-02E ZETA, brings economic benefits as well as a brighter screen for outdoor use. Besides being the first to feature this brand new screen, this phone looks like a monster overall in terms of specs, but we will get to that later.

What makes this new screen so special? It uses indium gallium zinc oxide instead of amorphous silicon in the LCD. This is about 40x more efficient for electron mobility. This allows pixels to be smaller, which in turn means that they do not need as much backlighting. In fact, they require about a third less than most other screens. This means the phone is capable of using less energy or having an overall brighter display, depending on the situation.

So what else does this phone offer? To start with, it has an impressive 16.3-megapixel camera on the back and 1.2-megapixel camera on the front. It also has a 1.5GHz quadcore APQ8064 processor. For connectivity, the device has Wi-Fi, NFC, and LTE. It has a 2,320 mAh battery to keep every alive and kicking.

It looks like this device is going to hit the market in Japan in November or December of this year. No word has been given if there is any plan to release the device outside of the Japan at this point. I hope it does, because this phone looks like an absolute monster, and I want to see this new screen first-hand.

[via SlashGear]


Google releases new version of its Google+ app

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 05:45 AM PDT

Google has just launched a new version of its Google+ application. This new version is primarily focused on Google+ pages, which are aimed towards business owners. With this new version, page owners can use their Android devices to manage every aspect of their page. This means they can comment, create new posts, and interact with other users.

This update also comes with a new tool called “Find People.” This feature is designed for users to find other people and topics in a streamlined, easy to use way. This new feature should help make Google+ on Android a much more useful application for getting social with others.

The tablet version of the app has received a new magazine-style layout that looks quite stylish and functional. It is designed to take advantage of the extra screen area on a tablet, and it seems to be doing a good job of it. Besides the tablet view, Google also added a new widget for all Android devices.

So far, the app has received mixed reviews from users. One problem that keeps coming up is that users are forced to log out of their regular profile and log back in as their page. This is obviously not a very smooth way to do it, and it forces users to put in a lot of extra effort. Still, it is good to see Pages implemented in the app at all, even if it is not done as smoothly as it could be.

[via SlashGear]


LG’s new Nexus E960 viewed in the wild

Posted: 11 Oct 2012 05:29 AM PDT

It seems like every day there is a new rumor of sighting of LG’s Nexus phone, and today is no exception. This time we have the LG E960 "Mako" surfacing in Belarus. The photos come from a Russian-language site called Onliner, and they offer the clearest views we’ve seen of the device so far.

The Russian site also provides some specs for the device. It says that it features a 4.7-inch screen with a 1280 X 768 resolution. It also sports a quadcore, 1.5gHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. As most of the other reports on the phone have claimed, it sports 2GB of RAM.

This report also says that the phone only has 8GB of memory with no expansion possible, which is something we’ve heard about the device before. This has some potential buyers upset, but it seems as if Google wants to see people move towards storing stuff in the cloud rather than locally on their device. The E960 also has an eight megapixel camera, which makes sense because there is no bulge that would be required for a 13 megapixel camera to fit.

The phone has Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 installed. It also is reported to have a fixed battery, which could be a point of contention for users who like swapping batteries. Rumor has it that this device will be officially announced on October 29, and we will keep you posted as anything develops between now and then.

lg_e960_mako_nexus_phone_leak_1 lg_e960_mako_nexus_phone_leak_3 lg_e960_mako_nexus_phone_vs_iphone_4s 83fded76c95b28dc8dd7994f3fe6603f_1349955404

[via SlashGear]


Google’s homepage gets a new design for mobile devices

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 04:57 PM PDT

That awesome black menu bar that Google users have enjoyed when using the search engine via their computer browser? It’s just been ported to the mobile version of Google’s homepage, as you can see in the screenshots below. The various links nestled in the normal Google homepage are available in a hidden menu on the left side of the screen called the “Options” tab.

To see a menu with links to the most commonly used Google services (visible in the screenshot below), tap the “Options” tab. If the service you want isn’t listed on the left-side menu, you can find it by selecting “All Products” located on the bottom of the menu. Tapping the Options tab again closes the menu.

The next tab in the series is the Search tab, which is the default tab that will be opened when you use Google via your mobile. The third and last tab is the image search tab, and it functions the same as the Options tab. Tap the Image tab to open Google Image search, then tap it again to close it.

For those with a Google+ account, your G+ profile picture will appear to the right of the Image Search tab. If you’re not logged into your Google+ account, you’ll see a sign in button instead. New Google+ notifications will be listed over the picture, and, obviously, tapping them will pull up your account. The new homepage seems to show up on all mobile devices, not just mobiles running Android. We’ve found, however, that while Chrome shows the new homepage, the standard WebKit browser currently doesn’t.

[via The Android Soul]


SuperTooth Disco 2 Bluetooth speaker review

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 03:45 PM PDT

Today we have our hands on the next generation of both wireless and wired sound from the folks at SuperTooth. This is their new and improved Disco 2 Bluetooth speaker we first saw at CES earlier this year. If you’re a fan of the original SuperTooth Disco you’ll surely want to check out this new version. It’s smaller, more portable, has a variety of colors, and sounds great. Lets take a look.

Now this device is going to be mostly used with Bluetooth for wireless playback and it supports a wide array of devices. Android smartphones and tablets, iOS devices, PCs and more will all work great with the Disco 2. Today we’ll obviously be testing it with a few Android devices, but you can always use the provided audio cable for a direct music experience.

Hardware
Compared to the original Disco (see our sister sites review) the Disco 2 is smaller, more portable, and comes at a slightly lower price point. It’s only 7 inches tall and weighs barely over a pound. Full scale is 180x108x70mm in size. The Disco 2 offers 10 hours of built-in battery life, or about 3-4 if you’re blasting tunes at full volume. Connection is made via Bluetooth 4.0 support, as well as 3.5mm audio cables for non-Bluetooth devices.

P1100660 P1100671 Screen Shot 2012-10-10 at 3.35.51 PM

The hardware is quite excellent. For being lightweight it sits very sturdy on tables or surfaces, doesn’t slide around, and has a durable well-made feel. The design is improved over the original with actual buttons instead of volume knobs. Everything is simple and intuitive so even a beginner can get started with ease thanks to the button layout. The Disco 2 offers 16 Watt RMS of power, which is less than the original (28) but they’ve also dropped the price down to just $99. For a quick peek at everything this has to offer enjoy our hands-on and audio sample below:

Audio
Who likes Sublime? You have the aptX protocol compatibility so you can keep the sound levels of your original audio files each time you hook up with the speaker. Sound quality remains powerful regardless of if you're using the basic 3.5mm stereo analog audio input or a wireless Bluetooth connection. The video might not do it justice but the sound output was rather impressive. While we’ve obviously heard better from more expensive units, this being just $99 and extremely portable we were impressed. Sound is clear, crisp, and vibrant, and bass (while not extremely strong) was certainly enough to keep most happy. It can look pretty, but it needs to sound good too — which it does. We cranked it up on video a bit and the device will actually stop increasing before allowing for any severe levels of distortion. As you saw it will beep once you’ve reached that point.

Offering dual front-facing speakers and a "high efficiency bass reflex system" on the back you won’t be limited with audio levels unless you’re hard on hearing. This will be plenty for the kids game room, poolside, or while out camping — like I’ve done twice with mine.

As you can see above, SuperTooth is offering a wide array of color options to fit most users preference. It might not be the loudest or the prettiest around but you’ll get an all around awesome package here. Audio levels were certainly respectable for the price, as was the build quality, and you’ll be able to easily take this anywhere you go as long as you have a little room in that luggage bag. The only con would maybe be the lack of any docking area, but you’ll mostly be using this with a smartphone or tablet and won’t need to dock a device. We’d certainly recommend this in all areas over the more expensive HiddenRadio Bluetooth speaker. This high-output portable Bluetooth wireless speaker can be yours for just $99 from the SuperTooth online store. Check out other options from our timeline below.

Screen Shot 2012-10-10 at 3.28.48 PM P1100659 P1100660 P1100665 P1100662 P1100671 P1100668 Screen Shot 2012-10-10 at 3.35.51 PM P1100673 image0057


Samsung Galaxy Note II event set for October 24 in NYC

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 03:11 PM PDT

We’ve already heard plenty about the Samsung Galaxy Note II‘s features, and our friends over at SlashGear have given it a full review telling us what they think (spoiler: they’re quite fond of it), but it appears that Samsung has a few more details up its sleeve. The company will be holding a press event in New York City on October 24 for the Galaxy Note II, which is an event we’ve known about for a little while. However, today we’re receiving the formal invitation to the event, and you can see it in all of its glory below.


We’re not expecting any new details about the device itself at this event, but rather some information about the Galaxy Note II’s US launch. Rest assured, very few things – if any – will be changing as the Galaxy Note II makes its way to the US. We’ll still get that massive 5.5-inch screen and the redesigned S Pen, along with all of the nifty functionality the Galaxy Note II can boast.

That includes plenty of multitasking features, along with things like handwriting recognition, S voice, multi view, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. We have to say, it’s especially nice seeing the Note II running Jelly Bean out of the box, so if you want a device that’s up to date as far as the Android OS is concerned, the Galaxy Note II is an excellent option. The only downside for some people will be the larger-than-normal size of the device, but for others, that will be a big bonus.

After all, the Note II’s 5.5-inch screen looks great running at 1280×720 resolution, and its increased size allows for more functionality over other, smaller devices. Samsung‘s event is just two short weeks away, and you can bet we’ll have all of the information you need to know straight from the show. Keep it tuned to Android Community folks, because even if we aren’t finding out many new details about the Note II, it’ll still be an event you don’t want to miss!

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy Note II
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : August 29, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As : GT-N7100
Display
  • Screen Size : 5.5 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : HD Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.95 Inch
  • Width : 3.17 Inch
  • Depth : 0.37 Inch
  • Weight : 180 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 3100 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.1.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Exynos 4412
    CPU Clock Speed : 1600 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 2000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11a
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via SlashGear]


Angry Birds gets Bad Piggies-inspired update

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:34 PM PDT

There are plenty of Angry Birds players out there who haven’t yet moved onto Bad Piggies, Rovio’s latest game, but the studio is trying its hardest to get those fans to pick up the new game. The latest Angry Birds update adds 15 new levels inspired by Bad Piggies, tasking the players with destroying various contraptions like the ones the pigs build in their own game. If you’re not familiar with Bad Piggies yet, you will be by the time you’re finished playing through the update.


If Bad Piggies isn’t quite your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that 15 Surf and Turf levels have also been added in this update. There are also a handful of new power ups to take advantage of with this new update, but be forewarned: you’re going to have to plop down some cash if you want to add these power ups to your game. Not everything can be free when it comes to Angry Birds, we suppose.

Bad Piggies, like every Rovio game before it, has become incredibly popular with the mobile gaming masses. Rovio said earlier this year that the Angry Birds franchise as a whole has enjoyed 1 billion downloads, and today, it’s saying that it has 20 to 30 million users playing an Angry Birds game each and every day, with around 200 million active players each month. That certainly isn’t bad, and you can bet that it equates to a lot of ad revenue for the company.

Rovio is showing no signs of slowing down on the Angry Birds assault either. Bad Piggies is only a couple weeks old, but already our attention is on an all new Angry Birds title: Angry Birds Star Wars, which is scheduled to launch in November. Given that Angry Birds is already incredibly popular, it will be interesting to see what a Star Wars tie-in does to increase Rovio’s player base. If you’d like to download the latest update for Angry Birds, it’s live right now on the Google Play Store [download link].


Google Play Magazines update adds support in Australia

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Google has just issued another quick update for one of their many content options available to Android users, and that is Google Play Magazines. Today Google’s updated their Magazines app with tons of performance fixes, and support for Australia. Google’s Play Store services and content is slowly but surely being released to the world.

While the roll-out is slow and many countries still don’t get to enjoy the many features of Google Play Store. Including books, magazines, music, and movies, today Australia is getting a little bit of love. We’ve slowly seen Google Play Books get added to multiple countries, and now it’s time Magazines gets the same.

The update also appears to be fixing multiple performance issues too. Google states that the update will bring “significant” performance increases for all Android devices — both smartphones and tablets. Mainly referring to page flipping, and the rendering of high content pages throughout the magazine experience.

Google has recently promised to continue their attempts to bring their wide array of services and content to more users worldwide, but the progress is slow. Things like Books and Magazines should be too difficult. It’s Music and Movies that will take the longest due to several legal and piracy issues. If you’re a reader down under you’ll want to check for the Magazines app in the Google Play Store.


HTC and NASA confirm Nexus One is headed to space in 2013

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:25 PM PDT

HTC and NASA have teamed up to launch a few of their powerful smartphones into the outer depths of space. This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve talked about this. Back in 2010 NASA sent the Nexus One to the outer edges of the atmosphere and recorded it all, and we’ve even seen the Nexus S do similar tasks. Today however HTC is confirming a few details on their aging smartphone making its way to space.

The official name for the Project is PhoneSat and we heard tons of details on this back in August. PhoneSat 1.0 will be launching the Nexus One running Android into space via a 10x10x10 box and using the wide array of power, radios, gyroscopes and more inside today’s modern smartphones.

PhoneSat 2.0 uses the slightly more powerful Nexus S, and Samsung/HTC were both quick to mention just how impressive this is. NASA has been undergoing years of testing to make sure the devices can even handle the elements. From thermal-vacuum chambers, extreme vibration tests, to high-altitude balloon flights, and more. And now it looks like 2013 will be the first time the Nexus One actually goes into the deep depths of Space — not just the outer atmosphere of Earth.

While we saw the initial tests and news break back in 2010 about this program, today HTC is confirming that we have the green light for takeoff and they’ll officially be launching the program in 2013 — although they don’t state when. HTC was also quick to mention we could see their new flagship quad-core HTC One X+ head even further — possibly Jupiter in the future. Now that would be interesting.

[via HTC Blog]


LG Nexus 4 launching October 29th according to new reports

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:29 AM PDT

If you’re one of the many who’s excited to see the next Nexus then you’ll want to mark October 29th down in your calender, and read on below for additional details. According to a French national newspaper Le Figaro, Google and LG will be announcing the new “LG Nexus 4″ on October 29th, and it will be available the same day.

Now obviously you’ll want to take this with a grain of salt, for two reasons. One being that we’ve never heard of this newspaper having breaking tech news before, and why are they suddenly releasing breaking news about a Nexus. Secondly, Google (or any Android manufacturers) has never released a product on the exact same day they make an announcement — that’s just a hard sell. Even Apple and their fan-base has to wait a few weeks before getting their new products.

According to the report, Google and LG will jointly announce and unveil the all new LG Nexus 4 — and that’s what they’re calling it — on the 29th and make it immediately available internationally. This also means we could see it arrive on the Google Play Store for the US on the same day.

One interesting point here is October 29th is the same date rumored for the Dive Into Mobile conference later this month in NYC where we’ve also heard Google will first unveil the smartphone. Between the matching dates and now the name LG Nexus 4 appearing twice things are looking as concrete as ever for this rumor. Here’s to hoping Google releases a 32GB version of this smartphone, because yesterdays leak has many worried about only having 8GB of internal storage. Stay tuned folks!

– Thanks to everyone who sent this in!


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