AT&T announced they will carry the Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 LTE in the next couple of weeks. So far no news on how much it’ll cost but I’m sure one can estimate by looking at other similar tablets prices.
As for specs, we can expect the Note 8.0 to feature a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4410 CPU with 2GB of RAM and will ship with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI implemented of course. Will you be grabbing one?
source: AT&T
Sprint has announced an official release date and pricing for its latest self-branded ZTE Vital smartphone; you’ll be able to snag the 5-inch smartphone for $99 (after a $50 mail-in rebate) starting June 14th. The Vital isn’t going to compete with the flagship phones of 2013, but for customers who want something with a larger screen without breaking the bank, its an excellent phone.
The Vital is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and has a 5-inch 720p screen, 13 megapixel camera, a nice 2,500 mAh battery, and of course support for Sprint’s LTE network. It’s also running a relatively clean version of Android 4.1, so if you have a problem with OEM skins and you’re a Sprint customer, keep an eye out for this device in a few days.
XDA Senior Member frapeti has developed an application called ‘Android Bot Maker’ which is an automation tool for your Android device which essentially turns it into a bot, making repetitive tasks easy. The program features a numerically ordered “Actions” list of all the automated actions that the user has programmed the device to carry out. Sequences can be rearranged, saved, imported, cleared, and shared onto various cloud social networks connected to the service. There is also a toggle feature to prevent the device from sleeping while the application is in use.
The program is still in its beta phase so there may be some bugs, but developer frapeti has encouraged users to offer suggestions and reports in the application thread via the source. Of course your device will have to be rooted and running at least Android 4.1 to run the application— check out the source for the application thread on the XDA Developers site. Hit the break for the app’s Play Store link. » Read the rest
Android’s got a pretty steady grip on the market right now, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going away anytime soon. Canalys, a marketing research firm, has recent reports backing up that statement, and the statistics may even be a little bit scary.
By 2017, Android is expected to hit 1 billion phone shipments— annually. And this is all with Android expected to lose 0.6% of its market share, standing tall at a total of 67.1%. Right now, Android ships 470 million phones annually, so that figure is expected to more than double. Oh, and one more thing— this is only counting phones, and not tablets, or any other type of device Google launches four years from now running Android.
Windows Phone is expected to take a pretty solid chunk of the market too, as it is expected to see 400% growth between now and 2017. Check out the full presser after the break. » Read the rest
ZTE seems to be looking to make a pretty big splash very soon in the U.S. phone market, as information and pictures of the ZTE Vital have leaked. The device will have a 5-inch HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 13MP camera, and will ship with Android 4.1. Other features include 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage (expandable via microSD), NFC capabilities, and a strong 2,500mAh battery. The phone is going to have to compete with the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4, but if Sprint can offer this one at the right price, they may have a hot one on their hands. Check out the video after the break. » Read the rest
It’s been a long ordeal for the Wikipad gaming tablet. They originally unveiled a 10-inch version early last year, which was supposed to launch this past October, but they scrapped it completely in favor of a smaller form factor and and more attractive pricing. This new and improved 7-inch version will finally be available June 11 for $249, which ironically is the first day of E3. What makes the Wikipad very compelling is that not only is it a 7-inch tablet, but the patented gaming controller is detachable. So for those times in which you don’t feel like gaming, you have a sleek 7-inch tablet and you don’t have to worry about the controller getting in the way.
Speaking of the controller, it has all the bells and whistles like you would expect such as dual analog sticks, a d-pad, ABXY buttons, and triggers. It comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and you shouldn’t need to worry if developers support it or not. The latest versions of Android support button mapping, so you should be able to play just about any game. It’s also one of the few non-Sony Mobile devices to be PlayStation Mobile certified.
Sony is continuing its 2013 assault on the mobile world by introducing the Xperia M and Xperia M Dual smartphones. Both handsets are your typical run of the mill mid-range devices and will come with a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 4-inch scratch-resistant display, a 5MP rear camera with HDR and dedicated shutter key, a microSD card out and of course, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running the show. So while both devices will be nearly identical, there is one key difference: the Xperia M Dual will utilize dual-SIM technology, allowing certain customers to operate on two wireless carriers simultaneously. And for those of you that care—the device will arrive in a trio of colors: black, white and purple.
No word yet on how much the device will cost just yet, but expect the device to launch sometime in Q3 of this year for those of you living out in European markets out there.
source: Sony Mobile Blog
The number of phones upgrading from Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean is slowing down, as most high-end Android devices are pretty much all shipping with Jelly Bean at this point, or are stuck with Ice Cream Sandwich with no plan for upgrade. The number will eventually come to a steady halt, and this month, the numbers only decreased by 1.9%.
Jelly Bean is up 4.6%, a pretty decent jump up from 3.4%, which I predicted in last month’s distribution update. The total Jelly Bean number of 33% will keep on increasing as more and more devices ship with the latest version of Android, and will keep moving up when 4.3 launches later this year. This month’s total distribution count can be found after the break. » Read the rest
We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Those that love hardware and vanilla Android will be happy to know that the HTC One Nexus Edition is real. It was announced by Sundar Pachai and will be available on June 26. The big question is if Google plans on releasing anymore Nexus devices, or at least Nexus phones? The Motorola X phone has been confirmed for October release, but you can grab the white Nexus 4 now. Samsung made the Galaxy S 4 mini official, but they have some more stuff to announce on June 20th in London. This coming week we have Computex, so expect some announcements from ASUS and Acer for the tablet segment. It’s time to get caught up and get ready for another exciting week.
Editorials
Updated DROID DNA, not the HTC One, will land on Verizon this summer
Here’s why the Nexus 4 will probably be the last Nexus phone
Guides
How to boot your Android phone or tablet into safe mode for troubleshooting
Best To-Do, Checklist, and Task Applications for Android [May 2013]
Reviews
Earlier today we showed you another leaked photo of LG’s upcoming flagship the Optimus G2, and now we have another LG device to show off. The LG Optimus L9 II is making the rounds and its posed to make waves in the upper midrange tier of Android devices coming out. The L9 II will feature a 4.7″ 720×1280 pixels HD IPS display, a 1.4 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, and will run Android 4.1.2 Jellybean. Other than that, not much is known about the device but as usual, check back with us for updates as we get them.
Via: Phone Arena
Source: Techtastic