Android Community |
- LG Nexus 4 leaked prototype gets benchmarked and shown off
- Two new Tegra 3 games hit the Google Play Store
- Google Nexus 10 tablet reportedly launching in first half of 2013
- Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III now available in Black or Amber Brown
- SoftBank aims to purchase Sprint with $23 billion bid
- Best Buy has Samsung Galaxy S III on sale for $99 this Sunday only
- Dropbox introduces new photos tab to show off your pictures
- Google releases video showing off Google TV v3
- Samsung issues a statement regarding lifted ban on Galaxy Nexus
- Gmail update incoming with pinch-to-zoom and swipe to delete features
- Amazon makes zero profit from Kindle
- ASUS releases Jelly Bean ROM for LTE Transformer Pad 300
- Google Street View update adds 250,000 miles of roads and special collection areas
- Motorola releases RAZR i in France
- Play Store update adds new notifications, remove apps from “all apps” list
- Huawei Ascend D Quad XL hands-on and unboxing
- Samsung Galaxy S III Mini UK pricing confirmed
- Shadowgun: DeadZone multiplayer beta hits the Google Play Store – we go hands on
- Nexus 7 32GB advertised on Phone House website
| LG Nexus 4 leaked prototype gets benchmarked and shown off Posted: 12 Oct 2012 11:09 AM PDT The incoming Google Nexus smartphone, rumored to be the LG Nexus 4, or the LG Optimus Nexus has just received its most detailed look yet. The popular overseas tech site Onliner.by has been releasing photo after photo of the leaked smartphone over the past few days, but today we’re getting a detailed look of the hardware, software, and everything else. This is basically an early hands-on.
Obviously we’ll want to state that this is clearly an early production unit, and in no way a final product. It also is running an absolutely bare-bones stock Android 4.1.2 version of Android Jelly Bean — and the benchmarks clearly show this to be prototype and unfinished software. However, this is still the most detailed look we’ve seen yet so lets check it out.
The specs have already been confirmed multiple times but we’ll go through them anyways. You’ll be working with a 4.7-inch TrueHD IPS display with a 1280×768 resolution, Android 4.1.2 here (4.2 when released) for the OS, and will be running on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and what appears to be a rather impressive 8 megapixel camera. At first we were worried they dropped the 13 megapixel unit from the LG Optimus G, but this new lens appears to take amazing photos while keeping the device slim. We get a quick look at the hardware here and they even compare it to both the popular Galaxy Nexus available now, as well as that iPhone 5 device and its puny screen. Obviously this should be taken with a grain of salt — a large one — as this is not a final product and certainly not final software. The do however confirm the 8GB of storage, no micro-SD slot, as well as show some underwhelming benchmark results. Most likely those will be much improved with final hardware, as well as a fine tuned version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean from Google and LG. For now enjoy a few quick pictures below. Then head to Onliner.by (translated) for the detailed first look. Thoughts?      
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| Two new Tegra 3 games hit the Google Play Store Posted: 12 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT For those rocking NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered smartphones or tablets, like the Nexus 7, we have a few new awesome games to share with you. In collaboration with NVIDIA two new games have just arrived on the Google Play Store and NVIDIA TegraZone exclusively for Tegra devices. Both options will cost a few dollars but Razor Salvation sure looks exciting. Check them out below.
First up is an impressive looking game called Razor Salvation where you play a Dropship commander looking to save his world from death and destruction. You’ll be in charge of the Dropship “Salvation” and you’ll be tasked with saving your homeland and then rescuing Earth’s inhabitants. Thanks to the NVIDIA Tegra 3, with Razor Salvation you’ll be able to experience a high polygon count, great graphics, detailed textures and realistic natural lighting effects in-game. They’ve added destructible environments too and you’ll be blasting your way around the cities and through buildings with ease. We were told Razor Salvation would launch at $2.99 for Tegra 3 devices but today it appears to be on sale for the odd price of just $2.03 and you can get it now in the Google Play Store, or NVIDIA TegraZone.
Then the second game available today should make a few PS and PS Vita fans happy because the developers at ACQUIRE have released the popular SUMIONI Demon Arts game for Android. Sadly this will come at a pretty penny and run users $12.83 here on Android — but the THD graphics should make for an excellent playing experience. Sumioni is a side scrolling game where you play the Ink Demon, where swipes of the finger on screen will make various “ink” attacks as you save the world. Interesting concept and you can learn more from the Google Play Store, or NVIDIA TegraZone. Both games look quite decent, but I’m still deeply loving the new ShadowGun: DeadZone multiplayer personally. More Tegra games are detailed below.
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| Google Nexus 10 tablet reportedly launching in first half of 2013 Posted: 12 Oct 2012 10:46 AM PDT By now, you’ve probably already heard the whispers that claim Google and Samsung will be bringing us a new Nexus 10 tablet. In short, this new tablet is said to be one of the most advanced tablets we’ve seen yet (at least as far as display is concerned) and it definitely sounds like something to get excited excited about. If a new report from CNET is anything to go on, it’ll be out sooner than most of us were thinking too.
CNET says that the Google Nexus 10 will be out in the first half of 2013. 2013, in case you haven’t noticed, is just a couple of months away, so it may not be long before we’re enjoying our shiny new Nexus 10s. As exciting as that is, though, it’s important that we take this report with a grain of salt, mostly because CNET doesn’t say where it’s getting this “first half of next year” launch window from. Also, keep in mind that the tablet itself hasn’t been confirmed yet, let alone a launch date. In order for Google and Samsung to meet that first half of 2013 launch window, Samsung is going to have to ramp up production on the displays that will grace the Nexus 10. They’re said to sport a higher resolution than any tablet currently on the market – the expected 2,560×1,600 resolution of the Nexus 10 would put it ahead of the third-gen iPad and the Kindle Fire HD, bringing it neck and neck with the resolution of the rumored 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Producing that kind of display on a mass scale isn’t going to be easy for Samsung, so be don’t be surprised if the Nexus 10 doesn’t make this suspected launch window. Still, if there’s one company that can put up the funds to get these displays mass produced as quickly as possible, it’s probably Google. For now, however, we’ll have to play the waiting game – after all, before Google can begin talking about release dates, it has to announce the Nexus 10 first. We’re still missing that announcement, but if Google wants to have the Nexus 10 on shelves as early as CNET suggests, the big G’s reveal should be coming soon.
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| Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III now available in Black or Amber Brown Posted: 12 Oct 2012 10:08 AM PDT Who loves choices? The folks from Verizon have apparently been working hard with Samsung to offer a variety of choices regarding one of their most popular smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S III initially launched only in White and Blue color options, but now those on Big Red have two additional choices. What will you decide?
We’re hearing the Galaxy S III from Verizon is now available online in four color options. You’ll be able to choose Marble White, Pebble Blue, or the new Amber Brown, and Black options. Personally I wasn’t too excited to see Brown, but looking at the device it almost has a nice Amber wood grain finish — and we quite like it. Sadly, for those wanting the larger 32GB storage option on the Galaxy S III, we are hearing the new colors are only available in the cheaper 16GB version. This shouldn’t be a big cause for concern as you’ll be spending less, and can easily pickup a 32 or 64GB micro SD card for expanding your storage needs. The price of both new color options is the same as before, coming in at $199 and a new 2-year contract as usual. We’ve learned Best Buy will be offering the Galaxy S III this weekend only for just $99, but these colors probably won’t be included — but it’s worth looking into. Personally my favorite Samsung option so far is the new Titanium Grey on the Galaxy Note II. Check out more details in the timeline below. Update: Best Buy will also be offering these colors. They’ll even one-up Verizon and are offering the 32GB Amber Brown for the same $199 price as Verizon’s 16GB. Get it here! Device Info
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 [via Verizon]
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| SoftBank aims to purchase Sprint with $23 billion bid Posted: 12 Oct 2012 09:49 AM PDT After hearing a few initial rumors early this week, it’s becoming clear that the folks from SoftBank are taking a huge interest in one of the United States biggest mobile carriers. The Japanese mobile giant, SoftBank, has issued a bid for Sprint here in the US to the tune of around $23 billion in what appears to be borrowed cash.
Speaking with Reuters, this massive $23 billion loan would do wonders for the folks at SoftBank. Using the acquisition of the Now Network to gain a variety of new hardware partners and manufacturers to add to their growing list. Then in return offer more options and high-end smartphones and tablets here, and in Japan. We’re hearing this is "a must-do deal" for Sprint while for SoftBank it’s just an attempt to grow their offerings and portfolio. With reports from Yasuo Sakuma, portfolio manager at Bayview Asset Management in Tokyo stating "it's going to be very difficult to turn Sprint around." And that is where SoftBank comes into play. With T-Mobile closely behind the Now Network in 4th place as the largest US carrier, and looking to snatch up MetroPCS and become the third largest in the US things are looking pretty dire for Sprint right about now. What exactly SoftBank brings to the table here in the US to make them a better carrier, and a more successful company is unknown at this point with both having about $10 billion net in debt currently. Could we see SoftBank snatch up the number 3 carrier here in the US? Just to see T-Mobile complete their acquisition and steal the spot? We’ll see! [via SlashGear]
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| Best Buy has Samsung Galaxy S III on sale for $99 this Sunday only Posted: 12 Oct 2012 08:45 AM PDT Are you looking to grab a Samsung Galaxy S III on the cheap? This Sunday, Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile has the Galaxy S III on sale for only $99 bucks. This deal applies to all major US carriers such as At&T and Verizon with the exception of T-Mobile.
This deal only applies to customers signing a new contract or those eligible for an upgrade. This means you will have to be willing to sign a new two-year agreement to grab this deal. If you are looking to pick up a device without a contract, you will still be looking at full price. Make sure to check with your carrier for upgrade eligibility before you make the treck down to your local Best Buy. The deal is available on Galaxy S III device in Pebble Blue or Marble White. Unfortunately, AT&T’s exclusive Garnett Red is not included in the deal. Either way, it’s hard to complain about a missing color when you can pick up one of the hottest Android phones on the market for $100 off the normal price. The lack of T-Mobile support seems rather odd, with T-Mobile just announcing that the device is currently its best selling device. Perhaps it was T-Mobile’s choice to sit this one out since they are moving so many units of the device to begin with. Either way, this Sunday, October 14, is the perfect time to grab an S III for a great deal. [via Talk Android]
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| Dropbox introduces new photos tab to show off your pictures Posted: 12 Oct 2012 07:43 AM PDT Dropbox has just rolled out a brand new version of its Android app that is designed to put your photos front and center. Dropbox just announced the new version on its blog. Instead of hiding your photos away with the rest of your files, this new version of Dropbox has a photos tab where photographs are the focal point. It is designed to allow users to view and share their photos in a snap (pun intended).
Dropbox is clearly focusing on photos. Version 4.1 of its Android app added the ability to automatically upload photos over Wi-Fi and cellular data in the background. Dropbox prioritized this new feature so much that it offered users 3GB of additional storage just for enabling this new feature on their devices. Dropbox’s camera uploads feature shows off photos uploaded from any device, so with this new photos tab, you will be able to see all your pics uploaded on this screen, regardless of where you took them. It makes it much easier to find your pictures and share them with the world. Version 4.2, is available now from Google Play. Let us know in the comments how you enjoy this new feature from Dropbox.
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| Google releases video showing off Google TV v3 Posted: 12 Oct 2012 07:12 AM PDT Today, Google put up a video showing the new features of the Google TV v3. Just the other day, Google announced that users could get access to Google Play movies, TV shows, and music on Google TV. Now, this new video lets us see it in action and get a feel for how these new features work on the platform.
Google TV also shows off the new voice search. This new feature pulls in results from all the different services on Google TV such as live tv, the Google Play Store and Netflix. In the video, the host searches for the TV show Mad Men and the phrase “action comedies.” Google TV will recommend movies and shows based on your search. They also show off the voice search for saying things like “Google Maps” and “What’s on HBO.”
The video also demos the ability to see recommendations with the in-program mini-guide. This lets users get personalized ideas of what to watch next during the current program. Overall, it looks like Google is really stepping its game up on Google TV. They have not given any indication as to when v3 will be live, but we will keep you posted as soon as we know.
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| Samsung issues a statement regarding lifted ban on Galaxy Nexus Posted: 12 Oct 2012 06:53 AM PDT Yesterday, the US Court of Appeals overturned a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone. It appeared as though the device was destined to be lost in history and that Apple had this battle won. However, with the ruling overturned, Samsung is now free to sell the device again. In response, Samsung has issued a statement on its official blog on the matter.
In looking at the statement, it appears very generic and politically correct. That being said, Samsung most certainly voiced its opinion on the way patents are handled. Samsung is just as quick to file a patent lawsuit as its competitors. In fact, we only need look at how quickly Samsung filed suit against Apple for the iPhone 5 to see evidence that they are quick to file for patent litigation as well. Bickering and patent wars aside, this ruling is a win for the consumer, who will now be able to purchase a great piece of hardware that was arbitrarily not available to them. These lawsuits and product bans really only hurt the consumer, and that is a problem. Of course, companies need to protect their intelectual property if it comes under legitimate attack, but many of these patent suits are just blatant attempts to create an unfair competitive environment. In the end, this is a victory for Samsung, but probably not the one they are really looking for. That $1 billion judgment in favor of Apple is still hanging around out there. I am quite sure we will see Samsung pull every appeal in books to try and get that decision overturned, and we will keep your posted with the latest on that and other patent lawsuits and battles as they happen.
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| Gmail update incoming with pinch-to-zoom and swipe to delete features Posted: 12 Oct 2012 05:55 AM PDT It looks like version 4.2 of Gmail’s Android application will be coming along with some new features, according to a video from Android Police. Not only are they new, but they are features its users have been clamoring for. Probably the most wanted feature for Gmail, pinch to zoom, will finally be made available in this new version, along with a bunch of other cool stuff.
Another new feature is the ability to swipe away emails from your inbox. This makes deleting emails faster and easier than it ever has been with the Gmail app. If you’re one of those people who does not like deleting their email, fear not, because you will be able to set the app to do nothing if you swipe by mistake. By default, Gmail will archive messages from inbox and delete any message from sent or all mail upon swiping. You can set it so it to always deletes if you prefer. Gmail 4.2 will also add the ability to report an email as phishing. While not as fun as swiping to delete those emails you don’t want anymore, security is important, and features like this certainly help keep you safe. We are assuming that Gmail 4.2 will bring bug fixes, as most app updates tend to do.
Remember, this is a leaked version of the app, so right now, there is no way to download it for yourself. If your phone is rooted, and someone puts this leaked version up, you will be able to install it on your device, provided it is running at least ICS. In the mean time, we will all have to wait patiently. We will keep you posted on this new version of Gmail as it happens. [via SlashGear]
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| Amazon makes zero profit from Kindle Posted: 12 Oct 2012 05:45 AM PDT Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos confirmed that the Kindle nets zero profit for Amazon. Rather, they sell them at cost with the hopes of making up for it with sales of ebooks, videos, and music downloads, according to the BBC. For a while, rumors have circulated that Amazon might actually be selling Kindle and Kindle Fire’s at loss. As it turns out, they are not that discounted, but in business, breaking even is not generally the goal either.
Amazon’s pricing structure, especially with ereaders, has put tremendous pressure on its competitors. Even in Android, we are seeing an influx of affordable 7-inch tablets designed to compete with the popularity of Amazon’s devices. To help facilite lower prices even further, Amazon includes ads on a screen called “special offers” that entice users to buy more content. "We sell the hardware at our cost, so it is break-even on the hardware," the chief executive said. "We want to make money when people use our devices, not when people buy our devices." This approach seems to be working, as the Amazon CEO claims that people who own a Kindle buy lots of media, and that they tend to read four times as much as people without one. He did not specify if this was just for Kindle readers or if it includes Kindle Fire owners, as they seem like a slightly different demographic. Amazon just launched its latest tablet and ereaders recently, and it appears as though they are sticking to pricing guns. They did cave and decided to let users spend an extra $15 to get rid of its special offers. If what CEO Jeff Bezos said is true, that extra charge should see them turning a profit on each Kindle fire sold without special offers, albeit a very small one.
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| ASUS releases Jelly Bean ROM for LTE Transformer Pad 300 Posted: 11 Oct 2012 09:23 PM PDT Back in August, ASUS began rolling out the Android Jelly Bean update for the ASUS Transformer Pad 300 in the US. The first rollout provided the update for the non-LTE version of the Transformer Pad 300, leaving those with the LTE-enabled version stuck on Ice Cream Sandwich. Now, about two months later, ASUS has released the Jelly Bean ROM for the LTE version of the TF300.
Updating your device is simple. Download the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300TL firmware, version 10.4.3.6. Flash your tablet with the latest ROM, then enjoy the increased speed that comes from making the jump from Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean, which reports state as being a noticeable difference. The Transformer Pad 300 is a convertible tablet/laptop that offers 3G and LTE mobile broadband. Very similar to the Transformer Prime, the Transformer Pad 300 has a 10-inch display with a resolution of 1280×800, 32GB of storage space, 1GB of RAM, and 8MP camera, and a quad-core Tegra 3 processor. The 10 hour battery life jumps to around 15 hours when using the included keyboard dock. This update breathes new life into the Transformer Pad 300, giving it noticeable usability and speed improvements over Ice Cream Sandwich, and is a much-welcomed update. As always, be sure to backup your data before updating. The tablet hybrid is available in three different colors: blue, silver, and red, and is priced at $399.99. Device Info
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[via Android Police]
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| Google Street View update adds 250,000 miles of roads and special collection areas Posted: 11 Oct 2012 05:28 PM PDT Google Maps and their Street View was already pretty impressive before today, but the new update Google pushed out to Street View today was more than just bug fixes. Today on the Google Lat-Long Blog we learned that this was actually the “biggest update ever” to Google Maps and Street View. More details are available below.
Today’s update was quickly disregarded from the Play Store after seeing nothing but “bug fixes” listed on the what’s new section, but behind the scenes is where all the impressive updates were happening. Google updated nearly 250,000 miles miles of roadway throughout the world, which is quite a bit. They also doubled their number of “special collections” for those places less traveled. While the update brought improved coverage to the folks here in the US, that wasn’t all. Google Street view has boosted coverage in Macau, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Canada starting today too. Then those special collections mentioned above for canyons and other exciting areas has been expanded to now cover South Africa, Japan, Spain, France, Brazil and Mexico. This is just one update of many Google’s recently added to their popular maps and street view options. With Street View you can visit Las Vegas without leaving your house, and as Google puts it, “view many of the world's picturesque and culturally significant landmarks.” Just last month Google added UnderWater Street View options in the Ocean that are certainly worth a quick look. [via Google Blog]
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| Motorola releases RAZR i in France Posted: 11 Oct 2012 04:59 PM PDT Last week, Motorola launched its first Intel-powered smartphone, the RAZR i, in the UK. As of today, this high-end smartphone is now available in France. The RAZR i is the first smartphone with a processing speed of 2Ghz, and runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which can be upgraded to Jelly Bean.
We reviewed the RAZR i back in September, and much like you’d expect, it has some pretty decent specs, the best of which is its 2GHz Intel Atom processor, which officially makes this smartphone more powerful than many first-generation netbooks. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage space (plus a microSD expansion slot), an 8MP camera, and a 4.3-inch AMOLED display. The display has exceptionally small bevels, maximizing screen real estate while minimizing phone size. According to Motorola, the battery will last for up to 20 hours of mixed usage. Aside from its Intel processor, the RAZR i’s other claim to fame is its instant-launch 8MP camera, which launches in less than one second. The camera can can record video in full HD, and has a 10-shot burst mode that takes ten pictures in less than one second. The RAZR i also boasts “HDR capabilities” and an illuminated sensor. The RAZR i is available from select carriers in France at the contract-free price of 399€, and available with a contract from Formule Carrée. The phone comes with an unlockable bootloader for those who like to customize. All things considered, this could be the phone that fully launches Intel into the smartphone market, something it hasn’t successfully accomplished thus far. Device Info
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[via Motorola]
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| Play Store update adds new notifications, remove apps from “all apps” list Posted: 11 Oct 2012 03:29 PM PDT Today Google has just issued an update to the Google Play Store. For those that have already received it, you’ll quickly notice they’ve added a few awesome and much awaited for features. We haven’t seen an update since August, but today they’ve started rolling out Google Play Store version 3.9.16 to the masses. Read on below for more details and download links.
First off everything works better with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. While we know not everyone is enjoying Jelly Bean yet, the expanded notifications have been completely overhauled. You now have full expandable notifications from the Google Play Store for updates, and upon updating an app you get the actual app or games icon, not just a generic logo. Little things like this makes for a more polished experience.
Then the other major new thing here is the ability to remove apps from your list. If you’re like me, you download tons of apps and games and that “all apps” list in the Play Store is extremely long. Now you can easily go through and delete apps you know you have no interest in. If you’ve ever got a new phone and had to search through that entire “all” list forever you’ll know the feeling. This is an extremely welcomed change. Now I just wish there was a way to filter it to show only purchased apps — as it did before. It looks like Google’s actually trimmed the size down on the Google Play Store, and the actual APK size is smaller than before. So far it seems nice and quick, the remove feature is extremely easy and you can even long press for multi-select and wipe out an entire list with ease. Simply install this right over the previous Google Play Store and you’re good to go. Google Play Store: download [via Android Police]
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| Huawei Ascend D Quad XL hands-on and unboxing Posted: 11 Oct 2012 02:57 PM PDT Earlier this year at Mobile World Congress Huawei made a big splash with their new Ascend D Quad smartphone. This being their own in-house quad-core processor that was set to take on the likes of NVIDIA, Qualcomm and more. Today we have the new and improved Ascend D Quad XL smartphone to quickly unbox and give everyone a good idea of what to expect. Have a peek below.
Huawei’s quad-core aspirations haven’t been going quite as smoothly as they’d hoped, and the device ended up being delayed a little longer than expected. It was originally slated to hit the market back in July, but didn’t make it to store shelves until mid September. For one reason or another the device ended up coming to market with a 1.2 GHz quad-core, not the 1.5 GHz we saw topping the benchmark charts. So what we have today is the new and improved Ascend D Quad XL running at 1.2 GHz.    The full specs include a 4.5-inch IPS+ display with a 1280x720p resolution (that’s 326ppi) Huawei’s 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and a massive 2600 mAh battery in the XL unit. The regular D Quad only rocks an 1,800 mAh battery. They’ve added an 8 megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video capabilities, dual LED flash, and a 1.3 front shooter for video chat. The device is currently running on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich — and is almost completely vanilla other than the lockscreen and a few menu changes. Then you’ll notice in our hands-on video below Huawei’s usual 3D home. This is an alternative home launcher that will quickly make the entire device have a 3D effect. Which works great, is smooth, and looks pretty. Take a look below. Overall the hardware is rather impressive. It reminds us quite a bit of the HTC DROID Incredible 2 in terms of overall feel — which is a good thing. Obviously with a much bigger screen, faster processor, and of course Android 4.0 ICS. Huawei’s hardware hasn’t always been top notch, but they’ve slowly improved to have an awesome overall design on almost everything they release. It’s a fine blend between the heavy materials from HTC, and the plasticy feel of Samsung. As you saw from the video above, software ran quite swift thanks to ICS and their quad-core processor. Running a few quick benchmarks just to give us some sort of idea on comparisons to current devices. The Huawei quad-core beats out the Transformer Prime and HTC One X rocking Tegra 3, but is actually already behind the just released 1.6 GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos in the Galaxy Note II. Here’s a few screenshots.    The screen is extremely vivid and crisp, the IPS technology makes the colors bright and the high resolution makes for an exceptional viewing experience. We’ll need a little longer to enjoy this device and see how well the hardware, software, and quad-core processor compares to the competition so stay tuned for a full review!              Device Info
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| Samsung Galaxy S III Mini UK pricing confirmed Posted: 11 Oct 2012 02:12 PM PDT We’ve only officially known about the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini for a few hours now, but instead of having to wait weeks for pricing information, we’re getting some details on the UK price courtesy of retailer Clove. The Galaxy S III Mini will cost £249 if you’re buying from Clove, but after VAT, that price is bumped up to £298.80. That’s pricing for a SIM-free version too, which isn’t all that bad.
Of course, you’re not getting the fancy specs of the regular Galaxy S III with the S III Mini, but for a mid-range phone, the Mini isn’t too bad. It comes with a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, and while the amount of RAM is standard for most phones, the processor is a little on the underwhelming side. The Galaxy S III Mini features a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display compared to the Galaxy S III’s 4.8-inch screen, but the decreased screen size shouldn’t come as a shock to most, considering the device has “Mini” in its name. The downgrades don’t stop there though, as the Mini features a 5MP camera whereas the regular S III has an 8MP rear shooter. The device is also missing support for 4G/LTE, so that may be a sour point with some consumers. Still, we’re getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in this package, which definitely isn’t anything to stick your nose up at. It seems that the Galaxy S III Mini is priced appropriately considering the hardware you’re getting on the inside, and if you’re interested, you can order the blue or white variants from Clove right now. We’re still lacking any kind of release information, and pricing details for any other regions are being kept under wraps for the moment. We’ll update you when we hear more, so keep it tuned here to Android Community! [via SlashGear]
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| Shadowgun: DeadZone multiplayer beta hits the Google Play Store – we go hands on Posted: 11 Oct 2012 01:01 PM PDT If you’re a fan of the popular 3rd person shooter for Android, Shadowgun, then we have some awesome news for you this afternoon. The folks from Madfinger Games have finally released their highly anticipated DeadZone multiplayer game to the Google Play Store. It’s free for now, and is a limited beta available to NVIDIA Tegra 3 devices only.
The wait is over and you can now enjoy some awesome competitive mobile gaming thanks to Shadowgun. For now this is exclusive to NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core devices, but eventually will roll out to other capable Android devices. So for now the wait is at least over for a few lucky folks. Everything you loved about Shadowgun has been improved on DeadZone, and now you’ll be competing with other gamers from around the interwebs. We’ll update with a video but here’s some screenshots for now.
Looks pretty awesome right. Running on our Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime everything was quite smooth — although server wait times were a little slow. Madfinger Games promises that for now everything might not be extremely 100% perfect, but that is the point of a beta. This is released to the Play Store as a limited BETA so they can iron out a few kinks and improve performance device-wide. They make sure to note the experience might not be perfect, but hope to have an awesome and stable release coming soon. For now Shadowgun: DeadZone offers Four playable characters: Soldier, Mutant, Assassin, and Dancer. Two game modes, two multiplayer levels with extreme action, 7 different weapons and rifles, as well as tons of accessories like grenades, ammo and health kits, and the always helpful flashbang to blind your foes in the heat of battle. Check out a few more screenshots below and get into the gaming action yourself right now by getting ShadowGun: DeadZone free from the Google Play Store.           
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| Nexus 7 32GB advertised on Phone House website Posted: 11 Oct 2012 12:33 PM PDT With all of the rumors and leaks that have been happening lately, we’re pretty sure that the 32GB Nexus 7 is an actual thing. For those who remain unconvinced, however, we have a new bit of evidence to share with you thanks to folks Galaxus (via Android Police). The 32GB Nexus 7 is being advertised on Phone House‘s website today, and though the ad doesn’t give away too many details, there are few key points we should be paying attention to.
First off, this appears to be a page where users can sign up to receive more information on the 32GB Nexus 7 in the future. More or less, that confirms the Nexus 7 32GB exists, because Phone House isn’t going launch a promotional page like this if Google hadn’t confirmed the incoming release of the new model. The page also gives us the price of the new tablet – €279, which is a mere 30 Euros more than the 16GB variant sells for. Hearing that makes it a little easier to believe that Google will replace the 16GB model with the 32GB model. If Google were going to offer both at the same time, we feel like there’d be a bigger discrepancy in the prices of the two tablets. Of course, with no confirmation from Google yet, it’s hard to say what it will do. In any case, this promotion page is just latest piece of evidence we have for a 32GB Nexus 7. It certainly seems like Google is gearing up to announce this oft-rumored Nexus 7 model, but we’re hesitant to say anything is for sure without any word from Google. Perhaps the big G will reveal this 32GB variant when it announces the new Nexus phone? We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for new details, so keep it tuned to Android Community for more information!
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