Latest Android news, applications and forum discussion

Send Us Tips!

Feb

7

2012

Motorola and Verizon officially announce the DROID 4

1

by Robert Nazarian
tagged , ,

It’s hard to believe the 4th version of the original DROID is here. I remember buying the original the day it launched, November 6, 2009, which was the beginning of my love for Android. A little over 2 years later – Motorola and Verizon just made it official that the DROID 4 will indeed launch this Friday, February 10.

The keyboard was the biggest complaint with the original DROID, but it has improved with each version. The DROID 4 is no exception with its laser-cut 5-row QWERTY slider keyboard. I played with it at CES, and trust me it’s beautiful yet functional. As far as the specs go, the DROID 4 comes with a 4-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera (with 1080p video recording), 1.3MP front camera, 16GB internal storage, microSD for additional 32GB, 1785mAh battery, and Android 2.3.5.  Because of the QWERTY slider, this won’t be the thinnest phone as it comes in at 12.7mm, but feels solid.

Full press release after the break

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones | Full Post

Feb

7

2012

Rogers Shakes Up 4G Pricing, Launches LTE Rocket USB Dongle and Mobile Hotspots

0

by Jack Holt
tagged , ,

For those of you in Canada that are on Rogers networks get ready for a shake up as the Canadian company is looking to add its Flex Rate pricing schemes to its LTE network. They are also bringing out some brand new LTE devices that include: the AirCard 330U LTE Rocket and AirCard 763S LTE mobile hotspots. Developed by Sierra Wireless, these 4G cards support 1700MHz, 2100MHz and even 2600MHz bands. While real-world speeds will be around 40Mbps we could theoretically see peak downloads of around 100Mbps.

The dongle and hot spot are the first devices that work on all three bands and boast the claim that they are the fastest devices on the network. As for the shake up in pricing, Rogers is looking to extend its HSPA+ pricing scheme to its LTE network. The Flex Rate plan will for the Rocket USB dongle and hotspot will start at $22.93 per month. Tablets will be able to join in on the fun for only $7.93. If you’re interested in reading more check out the press release below the break. Enjoy!

 

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android News | Full Post

Feb

7

2012

Verizon Set To Bring Promotion Party Starting February 10th, Includes BOGO Deal For DROID RAZR

1

by Roy Alugbue
tagged , , , ,

Verizon is set to make February a month of promotions galore beginning Friday, February 10th. The first major story involves the formal availability of Verizon’s most popular unreleased slider phone. Verizon will finally unleash the phone and will sell the phone for $199.99 on a 2-year contract. More big news follows with the MOTO DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX phones. Verizon will be offering both the DROID RAZR/RAZR MAXX as well as the different color combinations at as a BOGO deal. Yup, you read that correctly— two of the hottest phones out there are now available as a Buy One, Get One Free deal starting this Friday.

Verizon isn’t stopping there either. They are set to bring back their popular double data promotion. In case you’ve forgotten, this promotion involves Verizon offering a double amount of monthly data for the price of a standard amount of monthly data for its 4G LTE customers. In this case, Verizon is offering a 4GB data for a mere $30 per month– normally it is 2GB of data for $30 per month. Another promotion involves Verizon giving customers $100 off any 4G LTE tablet with the purchase of any phone and 2-year contract of course. Finally, Verizon is offering a trade-in deal where they will give you a $30 Verizon gift card for your old basic model “dumbphone”.

If you’re in the market for a new phone and/or tablet today, this Friday might be as good a time as any to finally pickup a new device especially with Verizon’s great offerings.

source: BGR

 

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Phones, Android Retailers | Full Post

Feb

7

2012

Top 5 Free Apps for Android Beginners

3

by Jesse Bauer
tagged ,

So you got yourself a new Android smartphone on the recommendations of fellow work nerds, your nerdy brother, or the resident Best Buy sales clerk who just loves Android! You take it out of the box, give it a nice wipe with your hand, turn it on….and now what? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

There’s so many different things about an Android device that sets it apart from the iPhones and BlackBerrys out there, and you’ll soon find out just how versatile it can be. We’ll tell it like it is here, it can be a challenge for Android beginners to figure their way around the operating system. So what we’ll do is look at the best apps to get you rolling the fastest with anything you’re likely going to want to do, like say…tell all your friends and followers on facebook and twitter that you just got the latest Android! They will be jealous.

See the Top 5 apps below.

Feb

7

2012

Google Glasses On The Way

1

by Roy Alugbue
tagged , , , ,

Google is looking to bring cool to heads-up display glasses. 9to5Google reports an anonymous individual has seen a prototype which looks similar to a pair of Oakley Thumps sunglasses. While it features a HUD display… keep in mind the HUD will be for one eye, not both. However, don’t let it stop you from drooling as it has some innovative features. Can you imagine being able to scroll and click in a UI just by moving your head around and nodding? It will be a reality as Google is implementing the feature into the cool pair of glasses. Moreover 9to5Google reports it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.

The HUD unit also features some impressive specs as well rivaling that of some smartphones. Speculation has it the glasses will feature a possible 1GHz ARM A8, 256MB RAM and 8GB of storage. Moreover, the I/O includes voice input and output, meaning you’ll likely be able to connect a mic or bluetooth-type device in order to give commands. Oh and there’s a front-facing camera too to put the cherry on top.

Google is tight-lipped about the uber-interesting project. Stay tuned with Talk Android for any further developments or news regarding this potentially breakthrough device.

source: 9to5Google

Categorized as Android Leaks & Rumours, Google News | Full Post

Feb

7

2012

AT&T Throttles on a Curve, Punishing Low Data Usage

4

by Ed Caggiani
tagged , , ,

What can a carrier do to keep their data networks running smoothly when the appetite for bits keeps growing? One method is called “throttling”. This simply means slowing down a user’s access to the network when that user passes a certain threshold of data used. The theory behind this is that heavy data users, once throttled, cannot continue to consume massive amounts of data when the pipe is made narrower, leaving more bandwidth for everyone else.

Last summer, AT&T announced new restrictions for users on their unlimited plan. The restrictions look at the top 5% of the heaviest data users who are grandfathered in to the plan, and throttle them for the rest of the billing month. The problem is that the amount of data used by the top 5% changes every month. So, for example, if the top 5% all used around 2GB of data, that’s where they set the threshold. Any user approaching that threshold would be warned, then throttled once they pass it.

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android News, Android Phones, Android Rants | Full Post

Feb

7

2012

Prepare for Facebook Ads on Your Smartphone and Tablet

4

by Ed Caggiani
tagged , , , ,

After filing for an initial public offering (IPO) earlier this month, Facebook is looking to generate more revenue from its mobile audience, which comprises nearly half of their traffic. According to the Financial Times, Facebook plans to start displaying ads in their mobile app and the mobile version of their web site by early March. The Facebook IPO filing states that the company isn’t making any “meaningful revenue” from mobile, but it seems that this is about to change.

The First Round of Mobile Ads
Facebook’s IPO filing hinted that it is considering rolling out mobile Sponsored Stories, which launched in 2011 on the desktop version of the site. These are ads that use your friends’ likes, check-ins,  and comments to determine what ads to display for you. From the IPO filing (emphasis mine):

Mobile Advertising. The global mobile advertising market was $1.5 billion in 2010 and is expected to grow at a 64% compound annual rate to $17.6 billion in 2015 according to an industry source. According to a third-party report published in September 2010, the Facebook app is the most frequently downloaded app across all major smartphone platforms in the United States. We had more than 425 million MAUs who used Facebook mobile products in December 2011. We currently do not show ads or directly generate any meaningful revenue from users accessing Facebook through our mobile products, but we believe that we may have potential future monetization opportunities such as the inclusion of sponsored stories in users’ mobile News Feeds.

» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Applications, Android News | Full Post

Feb

6

2012

Get Your Wallpaper Into The Season With KF Hearts Live Wallpaper For Android (Video)

0

by Joe Sirianni
tagged , , ,

Like getting all lovey-dovey around this time of year?  Want to make a statement on your smartphone?  Well, this Valentine’s Day we have just what you’re looking for.  KF Hearts Live Wallpaper for Android offers all the gushy and gooey one can swallow as you configure drifting hearts across your desktop that are interactive to the touch.  The developer, Kittehface Software, is offering a donation version of the application which gives you the ability to change quite a number of features.  You can alter the appearance of the hearts, camera speed, background images, add hearts that allow you to input a photo of someone and more.  Ready to give it a go?  Head on over to the Android Market or check out the QR code below as well.  Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the app in the comments below.  Pics and video after the break.  Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.
» Read the rest

Categorized as Android Applications, Android Customization, Live Wallpaper, Unique | Full Post

Feb

6

2012

Swype Update for Ice Cream Sandwich on the Horizon

by Emily Aquin
tagged , , ,

 

On February 1st, a couple of tweets from the developers of Swype confirmed that we will have an update to their popular keyboard within the next few days.  Responding to another Tweet, the Swype team promised that the update would be for devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, plus some mysterious “goodies”.  There has been an unofficial hacked version of Swype for more than a month, so we’re looking forward to having the real deal updated.  If you’d like to be a beta tester, be sure to register for the update at forum.swype.com.  Otherwise, wait for the OTA update.

source: Twitter 1,2

Categorized as Android Applications, Android News, Android Phones, Android Software | Full Post

Feb

6

2012

Have Your Heart Set On A New Phone? Win A Droid RAZR With Verizon’s Twitter Contest

0

by Josh O'Donnell
tagged , , , , ,

Verizon is kicking off the Valentine’s “season” with a lovely (pun intended) Twitter contest! Tweet off a poem, a romantic(ally hilarious) moment, or tweet a picture with a Valentine’s Day confession. Close it off with a #tweetheart (nice one, Verizon) and you’re on your way to quite possibly owning a nice piece of Android hardware, a Droid Razr compliments of Verizon. Remember to be creative! This is a contest after all. The contest starts beating Feb. 13 and runs until the 14th.

Source: Twitter

Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Phones, Android Retailers, Contests | Full Post

12345...1020...Last »