Android Community |
- HTC One X+ goes up for pre-order from Expansys
- ANDRU collectible charger now comes in ANDRU Dark
- Android 4.2 Rumors: Project Roadrunner, new Google Now and Play Store
- Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G Review
- Global RAZR HD and RAZR i now supported in Motorola’s bootloader unlock program
- Alcatel One Touch T10 takes on the Nexus 7
- Verizon Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE gets Ice Cream Sandwich
| HTC One X+ goes up for pre-order from Expansys Posted: 05 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT For those HTC fans that loved the HTC One X and are dying to check out the new and improved HTC One X+ we have good news. Expansys USA has just opened up pre-orders for the smartphone, even though it hasn’t been set in stone when it will hit the US. AT&T has confirmed they’ll be the exclusive carrier of the phone, but you might be able to snag one early.
For those that didn’t hear, the HTC One X+ features a new and improved 1.7 GHZ Tegra 3 quad-core processor, as well as 4G LTE under the hood for blazing fast speeds. The original One X didn’t have LTE, and the model that did was a dual-core instead. For all the details you’ll want to check out our HTC One X+ hands-on. What else makes this special. It will be coming out of the box with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC’s new Sense 4+ user interface. Not only that but we get additional storage and a larger battery for all day battery life. Between a bigger battery and a more efficient quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor this phone should be blazing fast, and last all day long. If you want to get ahead of the curb the folks from Expansys are offering the new handset up for pre-order right this minute. Sadly they don’t mention a release date, or that other important thing — the price. You’ll be putting forward cash without knowing the total price. Oh and this is the European model so it won’t be working with AT&T’s 4G LTE here in the US. If you can’t wait for AT&T — Expansys should have you covered a bit early. Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
 Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
|
| ANDRU collectible charger now comes in ANDRU Dark Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:36 PM PDT In case you’re like us and really love buying all sorts of Android things. Whether it be multiple phones, Nexus 7 tablets, Dead Zebra Android collectibles and more, today we have a neat little charger for you. If you’d like to show your pride for Android with a unique wall charger you’ll have to meet the ANDRU.
We’ve talked about these neat little collectible USB chargers before, but today we have an all new Droid ANDRU Dark version to show you guys. For a better idea of what to expect you’ll want to check out our ANDRU wall charger hands-on. Essentially what you get is a little extra from your wall charger. ANDRU combines the popular Android logo into a nicely made collectible design that integrates a removable stand that doubles as the wall socket. From there you simply pull this collector item off your desk, take off the stand and plug it in. From here you can charge your phone or tablet with ease — all with Android style and flair. The eyes will conveniently light up red when charger starts, so you’ll always know when ANDRU is charging up your phone or tablet. Just like the green version before it you have the removable stand, moving arms, soft touch matte finish, and glowing eyes. It’s a neat little accessory that I’m sure a few of you Android fanatics will surely want. They are listed as available now for $25 from ANDRU but their main page states they won’t be available until October 11th. Get em while they’re hot!    
|
| Android 4.2 Rumors: Project Roadrunner, new Google Now and Play Store Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:18 PM PDT Over the past few days the rumors regarding Google‘s next version of Android, and their next Nexus device have really been coming on strong. We’ve heard tons of talk, from multiple sources, all about the LG Optimus G Nexus running Android 4.2 and more. Today many of those same reports are now dropping additional details on what we could see in Android 4.2, although we don’t know if it will be called Jelly Bean.
The name doesn’t really matter. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Key Lime Pie, Kandy Cane as some have suggested, whatever. It’s fun though. Yesterday an anonymous tipster mentioned a few things we could be seeing in Android 4.2 as it accompanies the next Nexus. Some of those included a new customization center — almost for manufacture skins or “themes” as well as a new Google Play Store. Today we have even more to report and most of it is about this “Nexus certification program.” First off these are rumors, nothing but rumors. While we can’t confirm these reports from AndroidandMe, they’ve had good sources in the past so we’ll just report what’s being talked about. The next version of Android will have a customization center. This will be the same place we know now for settings, wallpapers, ringtones and more. But it’ll also have templates or themes so you don’t have to use stock Android as Google intents it. This is where manufacturers can put their HTC Sense UI, Samsung TouchWiz UX, Moto Blur and everything else. The same will also hopefully work for the developer community who builds themes for Android — only we won’t need to root our phones to enjoy this. This same customization center is said to be a place where stock Android will always be updated to the latest from Google. Sources claim you’ll be able to choose stock and updated Android, or wait for the manufacturers updated skin to appear with the next version of Android. This would be a dream come true for those who hate waiting for updates because the OEM’s custom skin. I don’t see this happening, but would absolutely love it. Project Roadrunner is like Android 4.1 Jelly Bean’s project butter. Roadrunner is a massive project at the hands of Google to enhance and improve battery life. While battery technology isn’t evolving very fast — software and hardware is. Google intends to make significant increases to battery life with project roadrunner all through software. Google Play being changed is something I’m sort of against. It’s been tweaked and completely changed its look and feel way too many times already. They need to keep it simple so people aren’t always confused. We are fine, but the mass public might struggle. However, the rumors claim the Play Store will have personalized search options, but along with that comes personalized ads for apps you might want — in your notification bar. Obviously you can opt out of this if you’d like, but hopefully they aren’t aiming for Amazon’s approach with ads everywhere. There will also be more billing options and easier in-app purchases. Lastly is Google’s extremely impressive Google Now. The voice search companion that blows Siri away will be getting even better. Google will be adding system level functions. This will allow new users to simply ask “How do I turn down the brightness” or other simple system level tasks and Google Now will do all the work. Same goes for current features like setting the alarm or making a calendar entry. There’s also talk of a new video or media player that adds to the secure 64MB of cache for media streaming we reported on yesterday. This could be an attempt at securing media from piracy. Now obviously this is a lot of information. Some very well could be true based on how specific it is, but at the same time this could all just be nothing but pure speculation and rumors. Yesterday we reported Google staff received the LG Optimus G Nexus — so we should be hearing more about Android 4.2 and some Google Nexus devices all month long. Who’s getting excited?
|
| Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G Review Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:32 PM PDT If you’re in the market for low priced budget smartphone that has some quality specs and a hardware keyboard, we might have one for you. Samsung‘s added another device to their ever expanding lineup on T-Mobile with the new Galaxy S Relay 4G — complete with a slide-out QWERTY hardware keyboard. This mid-range 4-inch smartphone rocks Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich so lets see how it stacks up to the competition.
This phone had all sorts of names like the Blaze Q and more before officially getting released with the lengthy title it has now. It has most of the makings for a top-end smartphone, but the screen and slightly outdated camera are what bring this to you for a low price. Here’s some more details. Hardware
Overall the hardware is pretty decent. It feels great, it’s durable, and build quality is a fine blend of plastic and soft touch matte backing for the rear so it feels like a quality smartphone. As far as a spec sheet we have a 4-inch WVGA (800×480) display — so no HD here — Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 (says S3 on box) dual-core processor at 1.5 GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. As usual we get a micro-SD port for expanded storage, and the usual bells and whistles. Then you’ll be working with a 5 megapixel rear, 1.3 front camera setup, 720p video capabilities, and a decently sized 1,800 mAh battery.       As you can see the setup is extremely familiar. Power button around the right edge, micro-USB for charging on bottom, volume up/down to the left, and the lone 3.5mm headphone jack up top. The soft touch matte rubber on back feels great and makes the device slip resistant — something I can’t say for their new flagship Galaxy S III. The images above should give you an idea on the hardware, as well as the video below. Keyboard
The Relay 4G is one of the best smartphones to date that comes with a QWERTY hardware keyboard so that should make plenty of users happy. If you need a keyboard, are on T-Mobile, and don’t want those massive screens this is a great package and a powerful phone. Certainly about 10 steps better than T-Mobile’s Huawei made myTouch Q we recently reviewed. Software Thanks to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich the device is basically buttery smooth and performs great. From browsing the web, playing a few games, snapping pictures and more everything flows with ease. The dual-core Snapdragon processor keeps things chugging along great, and multi-tasking by long pressing the home button is a breeze. As usual the software is riddled with T-Mobiles bloatware, which is only getting worse as the year continues. Out of the box we have 8 apps just from T-Mobile themselves — 8! That doesn’t count Amazon, TeleNav GPS, and Samsung’s additional music and video players. You’ll have three full pages out of the box, none which can be uninstalled. Thankfully you have 4GB of internal storage so you’ll never need to worry about having too many apps.
Benchmarks and 4G Speeds
T-Mobile doesn’t rock 4G LTE like Verizon or AT&T but you’d hardly notice it missing. Here in Vegas their HSPA+ “faux 4G” speeds are excellent. I achieved around 14-16 Mbps downloads and 1-4 uploads daily this entire week. Safe to say you’ll be uploading those 5 megapixel photos to Facebook with ease.
Browsing the web, uploading a stack of photos after a night out, or just updating apps you shouldn’t have too many problems as long as you have T-Mobile’s 4G speeds in town. Camera and Battery     Then battery life is always a concern. Being that we don’t have actual 4G LTE sucking down the battery, nor is there a massive 4.8-inch screen that will drain the life from your phone you’ll have no problems here. The battery is a decent size coming in at 1,800 mAh — which isn’t as big as recent Sammy phones — but it lasts well over an entire day. As you see below I’ve used the phone for almost 24 hours and I’m at about 56%. It’s safe to say medium usage will last almost two days on a full charge.
Phone Wrap-Up
Overall we were mildly pleased with the Relay 4G. For a mid-range smartphone costing just $149 the package is decent, but we’d still rather spring an extra $50 for the Galaxy S III — then you’ll get all the stars instead of just most in the “Galaxy”. In the end this device is aiming at the keyboard crowd, and in that regard the hardware was certainly not my favorite. We’d recommend something along the lines of the Galaxy S II or Galaxy S III over this, but if you must have the keyboard this is surely the best bet from T-Mobile. Enjoy the rest of the pictures in the gallery below. Head to your nearest T-Mobile store to pick up the Galaxy S Relay 4G today!                 Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
|
| Global RAZR HD and RAZR i now supported in Motorola’s bootloader unlock program Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:02 PM PDT Motorola announced today that it has added the international versions of the DROID RAZR HD and the RAZR i to its list of devices that are supported in its bootloader unlock program. Of course, the list wasn’t really much a list to begin with, featuring only the PHOTON Q 4G LTE and the developer editions of the RAZR HD and the RAZR M. We’re seeing Motorola take a step in the right direction with these additions to the program though, and that can’t be understated.
For those who aren’t familiar with Moto’s bootloader unlock program, it’s essentially a service users can take advantage of to unlock the bootloader on their phone through official means, giving them a level of access to the hardware that they can’t normally get with a locked phone. Motorola provides the tools to unlock the bootloader, but doing so will void the warranty on the phone. Most people who want to unlock their phone’s bootloader don’t care much about voiding their warranty, but it’s still a caveat that Motorola goes to great lengths to stress. Droid Life points out that most people in the US won’t be able to take advantage of Motorola’s bootloader unlock program unless they’re willing to shell out full price for a carrier-unlocked version of the RAZR HD or the RAZR i. The European, Latin American, Australian, and Rogers versions of the RAZR HD are eligible for the bootloader unlock program, while the RAZR i is eligible worldwide, but if you’re living in the US, don’t expect your phone to be eligible if it’s carrier-subsidized. As stated above, it’s good to see Motorola doing this, and we’re hoping that the company begins adding more of its phones to this list soon. If you want to see more, a good way of letting Motorola know would be to purchase the developer editions of the RAZR HD or the RAZR M here in the United States – it’ll be a little on the expensive side, but by purchasing one of those handsets, you’ll be showing Moto that you support its decision to offer a bootloader unlock program.
|
| Alcatel One Touch T10 takes on the Nexus 7 Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:05 PM PDT Looking for a 7-inch tablet on the cheap? We’re talking cheaper than the Google Nexus 7, which is already pretty inexpensive as far as tablets go. If you are, then Alcatel might just have the tablet for you. The company recently pulled the veil off the Alcatel One Touch T10, which is expected to sell for around €120 when it launches in Europe – that translates to about 156 US dollars.
The folks at Liliputing are thinking that it will launch with an even lower price tag in the US, but that’s assuming it comes to the US in the first place. Of course, low-priced devices don’t typically have the best specs, and the One Touch T10 is no different. On the inside, we’ve got a Rockchip RK2918 ARM Cortex-A8 single core processor clocked at 1GHZ, along with 1GB of RAM. In other words, we won’t see this tablet burning up the benchmarks. Aside from the rather underwhelming processor, there’s also 4GB of flash storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB with the use of microSD cards. The One Touch T10 will come running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich out of the box, sports a paltry 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and runs at 800×480 resolution. So yeah, nothing to really write home about as far as specs go. Still, that price will probably do a lot to get consumers’ attention. There isn’t any word yet on when this bad boy will launch, but more details will probably follow this announcement soon. Would you like to pick up the One Touch T10, or would you rather shell out the extra cash and bring home a Nexus 7 instead?
|
| Verizon Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE gets Ice Cream Sandwich Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:34 AM PDT If you’re the proud owner of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 with Verizon 4G LTE we have some good news this afternoon. Verizon’s just posted up the details and changelog for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This means Verizon and Samsung are finally ready to update the slim tablet to Ice Cream Sandwich which should improve the tablet across the board.
Back in June Samsung stated they’d be updating the entire Galaxy Tab family to ICS, and for the most part have finished that plan. As usual carrier branded devices have to wait a bit longer, especially if they’re on Verizon, but today the Tab 7.7 can be checked off that list as the update is on the way. While we’ve not received reports yet that the update is actually hitting tablets, usually when Verizon posts the details (seen here) that means the update is only a matter of days if not hours away from being available. The update will run you about 283MB in size and might take a few minutes to download and another 10 or so to install — but you’ll be enjoying Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich once completed. This brings an enhanced user interface, improved performance, Face unlock features, and a re-designed homepage layout. Samsung’s Touch Wiz UX is present but works great so users should be plenty happy after the update. Stay tuned as this should be arriving any day now. I’d be hitting that settings > about tablet > check for updates button starting this evening. Let us know once you get the update folks!   Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
[via Droid-Life]
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Community To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment