TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for May 6 – May 12, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on May 12th 2013, 5:19pm
tagged Weekly Recaps

We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Google I/O is next week and we have the full scoop on the new and improved Nexus 7. Rumors say the Motorola X phone is scrapped for the time being, but a recent FCC filing seems to indicate it might actually be sooner rather than later. We weren’t expecting to see it announced next week, but could we get a surprise? Google Babel is expected to be unveiled under the “Hangouts” name, and recent developments support that Google will unveil an updated Nexus 4 with LTE. Lastly, Google will unveil cloud sync gaming with Play Games. There were a lot of new apps, including a couple of reviews as well. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.

Guides

How to remove apps from the Google Play Store ‘My Apps’ list

How to make a Drama Shot or Sequence Shot on the HTC One

Reviews

Boulder Dash XL [Brain & Puzzle]

» Read the rest

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 8, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on May 8th 2013, 11:04pm
tagged Daily Doses

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Reviews

Boulder Dash XL [Brain & Puzzle]

Apps

Rovio updates Bad Piggies with 15 new levels, 2 new items

WeatherBug gets a new update that brings redesigned user interface, hourly forecasts, and more

Google Earth for Android receives update, adds Street View

Google I/O Android app updated with new features for 2013

Carriers

AT&T adds more LTE markets, on pace to reach 250 million Americans by end of year

T-Mobile revenues dip, but customer base growing

Verizon offering “Red Hot Deal Days” until May 12 on select devices for Mother’s Day

Google Glass

Google Glass sensors revealed, expect a lot of augmented reality apps soon

Phones

AT&T offers the HTC First smartphone for under a buck

ImaGination Begins on May 30 at LG event

New color of the DROID RAZR M and DROID RAZR HD on the way to Verizon stores

Release dates for Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S 4 Mini, Galaxy S 4 Zoom, and Galaxy S 4 Activ Leaked

Sharp unveils AQUOS Phone Xx SoftBank 206SH with 5-inch 1080p CG-Silicon display and two-days of battery life

5-inch Sony Xperia A drops by the FCC with a removable battery

Vivo announces high-end, pricey phablet coming in late May

ROMs

Release candidates for CyanogenMod 10.1.0 start making their way to select devices

Updates

New build of Sense 5.1 surfaces for HTC Butterfly smartphone, tries to give a little taste of Android 4.2.2 in the process

Miscellaneous

Ouya console gets high ratings from iFixit, easily disassembled and repaired

Apple wants source code records in Samsung trial and looks in Google’s direction in the process

Samsung sitting on over $28 billion in cash at the end of March

Vivo announces high-end, pricey phablet coming in late May

by Harrison Kaminsky on May 8th 2013, 11:33am
tagged chinese, phablet, play, vivo

As the size of smartphones continues to increase, so does the demand for phablets. Vivo, a Chinese manufacturer, announced yesterday that it plans to release the Vivo Play, a phablet with a 5.7-inch screen and a 1080p display. It’ll also be fully loaded with a quad-core Snapdragon 600 chipset; but unlike many of Vivo’s competitors, the asking price for one of these phones is likely to be 2,998 yuan— that’s $490 USD.

It’s pretty expensive, but it just might be worth it considering what you’re getting for your money. The Vivo Play’s Snapdragon 600 chipset is the same one that’s in the HTC One, clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM. It’ll also feature “Fun-touch” UI rather than leave the job to stock Android. This UI has been said to be similar to the flat-structure of iOS. The 13MP back-facing camera has an F/2.2 aperture lens, and the 5MP front-facing camera has an 88° FoV. At 7.99mm thick, the Vivo Play weights 187g and is packed with a 3,400mAh battery. According to rumors, the phone will also feature some sensing capabilities similar to the Galaxy S 4.

The phablet will go on sale later this month in two colors: black and white, along with two options for built-in memory: 16GB or 32GB. It’ll only be available in China, but you should be able to grab one on eBay if you’re willing to pay the price.

Source: VR-Zone

Sony i1 (Honami) coming to the U.S. this fall as unlocked only

by Robert Nazarian on May 7th 2013, 10:12am
tagged Honami, i1, sony

It looks like the Sony Honami is going to be called the i1 and it will be available this fall in the U.S. as the first One Sony phone. This one (no pun intended) is all about the camera, which could possibly be the best ever in a smartphone. It will supposedly feature a 20MP CyberShot G lens and an Exmor RS Sensor. Rumors point to a body of both glass and metal with some carbon fiber. At 10mm thick, it certainly won’t be the thinnest phone in the world, but it might be one of the best looking.

The rest of the rumored specs include a 5-inch 1080p Reality display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a battery ranging from 2,700 to 3,000mAh battery. The i1 sounds like an incredible phone, but if you’re in the U.S., don’t expect it to be available on any carriers come fall. Word is that it will only be offered unlocked, which means expensive.

source: PhoneArena

Hands on with the AT&T Optimus G Pro smartphone

by Roy Alugbue on May 1st 2013, 8:23pm
tagged AT&T, hands on, LG, Optimus G Pro

Earlier today, AT&T and LG announced the Optimus G Pro smartphone, the next great flagship device to battle for true supremacy. So it’s only fitting that LG showcases its newest toy at its Share The Genius event here in New York City, where it is giving an opportunity for a handful of folks to test drive the newest device before it arrives in stores next week. With an incredibly thin profile, stunning 5.5-inch HD display, Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at a whopping 1.7GHz and a customized version of Android 4.1.2— the Optimus G Pro certainly looks the part of a topnotch device. But alas, as we all know— it’s not about how the device looks— it’s all about how the device operates and feels during real-time usage. So hit the break to check out or hands-on and get a feel of the Optimus G Pro in action.

» Read the rest

Samsung Galaxy Note III rumored to have octa-core processor, octa-core GPU, and 3GB of RAM

by Roy Alugbue on May 1st 2013, 11:36am
tagged Android 4.3, Galaxy Note III, leaks, octa-core, rumors, Samsung

There’s some new information that has surfaced regarding Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note III smartphone, courtesy of our friends at SamMobile. According to an insider, the upcoming phablet will come with all sorts of bells and whistles including a 5.99-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with diamond pixel structure, a 13MP camera, Exynos 5 octa-core chip with Mali 450 GPU (also featuring 8 cores), a whopping 3GB of RAM and the latest version of Android (presumably Android 4.3?). In other words— the device will roughly be a larger variation of the existing Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone. Design-wise, it is expected the G-Note III will follow a similar look to the Galaxy Mega 5.8, though the bezel will probably be reduced in order to accommodate the larger display— though no one knows yet if the device will feature the oh-so-mouthwatering flexible display technology we’ve been hearing more about lately.

While there’s no concrete date of the device’s release, it’s looking like we will see the device by late summer (August or September), so we’ll just have to sit tight and play the waiting game for now.

source: SamMobile

More details emerge for Sony’s ‘Honami’ handset, includes Snapdragon 800 and 20MP Cybershot G lens

by James Gray on May 1st 2013, 10:49am
tagged Exmor, Nokia, sony, xperia

As we at Talk Android have reported before, Sony has two flagship devices set for release in 2013 including a new phone and a 6.44″ phablet. The phone, codenamed “Honami”, is rumored to be a proper follow-up to the popular Xperia Z that was released in February, and today we have an almost complete rundown of what to expect in the Honami.

With a focus on photographs, the Honami’s 20-megapixel camera with feature a Sony Cybershot G Lens along with an Exmor RS 1/1.6″ sensor that is larger than most available smartphones, promising excellent photos even in low-light situations (a rumored dual-LED flash won’t hurt matters either). Sony apparently plans to improve their camera’s software algorithms and interface, hinting at a photo-taking experience previously only dreamed about in smartphones. Hit the break for even more details on this exciting device.

» Read the rest

Sony to release two flagship devices later this year, Honami and Togari

by Jared Peters on Apr 29th 2013, 2:07pm
tagged Honami, sony, Togari, xperia

Sony has two flagship models slated for release later in 2013, and we’re finally hearing some details about the pair of devices. According to a device tester, the Togari device will sport a 6.44 inch, 1080p screen with a similar body style to the glass Xperia Z, as well as a white option, similar to the Z. The phablet could possibly be released in July in Japan, although there’s no word on when or if it would make it’s way to other markets. » Read the rest

TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for April 22 – April 28, 2013

by Robert Nazarian on Apr 28th 2013, 10:42am
tagged Weekly Recaps

We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. We finally published our review of the HTC One and the Galaxy S 4 review is coming very soon. Meanwhile we published a slew of GS4 guides to help you with all those new features that Samsung introduced with their latest and greatest phone. We had tons of Google Glass news, and it appears Google might not introduce Key Lime Pie at Google I/O afterwall. Finally, we posted a couple of app reviews. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.

Contests

Contest: Win 1 of 10 tickets to Lookout’s Annual Kickoff party at Google I/O

Guides

How to set up and use HTC TV and the IR blaster on the HTC One

Samsung Galaxy S 4 initial setup and changes to TouchWiz

How to set up and use Air View and Air Gestures on the Samsung Galaxy S 4

How to set up and use Smart Pause and Smart Scroll on the Samsung Galaxy S 4

For the beginner: How to set the Galaxy S 4 to Easy Mode

Samsung Galaxy 4 camera overview and how to use the Dual Camera function

How to take a Drama Shot and Erase unwanted objects with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 camera

How to make Animated GIFs and add sound to pictures on the Galaxy S 4

How to set up and use WatchON along with the IR blaster on the Samsung Galaxy S 4