May
22
2012
Hot on the heels of Motorola’s revised ICS update timeline announcement, HTC has just released their very own Android 4.0 ICS update list to the masses. Seventeen devices in all have made the cut and owners can now expect to receive some scrumptious ICS goodness by no later than August. Check out the chosen ones below:
Categorized as Android Manufacturers, Android Phones, Android Software | Full Post
May
22
2012
Buzz around the Internet is that Samsung’s Galaxy S III took its design ques as a result of the ever ongoing battle with Apple’s patent infringement case. Samsung design VP, Chang Dong-hoon was asked earlier today to give his feedback on the matter to which he denied it being the case at all. According to reporters, at the 2012 Seoul Digital Forum, Dong-hoon claimed the following to clear the matter up:
“Our change in smartphone design is part of a five-year plan, not a sudden turn-around”
Dong-hoon was persistent in noting that the design of the GSIII’s curved shape was due in part to be the product of hundreds of different iterations and not the pressure of the battle against Apple. Either way, I’m very pleased with the design quality of the device, even though a literal brush metal would have been nice instead of a metal-”ish” material. What do you think?
source: inews24
Categorized as Android Customization, Android Lawsuits, Android Manufacturers, Android Phones | Full Post
May
22
2012
Have you recently picked up a shiny new HTC One S and have noticed that the GPS seems to lock-on rather slow? This isn’t a largely widespread complaint but when something can be improved the Android dev community will never shy from a challenge. Thanks to senior XDA member, MacroHD, we now have a flashable fix for you rooted users and has been proven to speed up the phone’s GPS lock. Simply download the file that pertains to the country you have service in and flash that zip through your custom recovery. One thing should be mentioned, though. MacroHD says that the fix will not be instantaneous because your device needs to redownload new A-GPS data. You can either flash the fix while you have a data connection and be patient for the device to update itself, or you can simply download the new A-GPS data yourself. To do this you will just need to grab the GPS Status app from the Play Store and use that to manually install the A-GPS data yourself. Easy enough!
Hit the source link for your appropriate download and further details. As always, it is safest to make a backup before you flash anything to your device! Good Luck and let us know how it goes!
source: XDA
Categorized as Android Development, Android Hacks, Android News, Android Phones, Android Rooting, Android Software | Full Post
May
22
2012
Reiner Knizia has designed a lot of games over the years and the latest installment is Skyline. It hit the Google Play Store recently and I took it for a test drive. I’m a huge fan of puzzle games so I was intrigued. At first I did have a hard time understanding how it all worked, but as soon as I got the hang of it, I found that I couldn’t put it down.
It’s sort of like a Sudoku game in that there is a grid and you can’t have like objects in the same row. You are given a certain amount of buildings that you have to place on the grid. The buildings range from 1 floor to 4 floors. The object is to place the buildings along the grid so that from certain vantage points you can only see a particular number of buildings. As I mentioned you can’t have more than one building in a particular row, but there are parks which aren’t subject to that rule. It’s really hard to explain, which is why I did a hands on video. I guess the developer had the same problem because there really isn’t much of a a description on the Play Store page.
There is a free version, which includes the 1st level of 14 puzzles. The full unlocked version is .99cents and unlocks 3 more levels or 42 more puzzles. If you’re doing the math, the game consists of 56 puzzles across 4 levels. I found the first level to be fairly easy, but things get pretty tough with the 2nd level.
Hit the break for the hands on and download links
May
22
2012
In a world where patent lawsuits and idea-borrowing are a real issue, it appears that Google wants to lock down a few of the inner workings of their upcoming wearable tech, Project Glass. According to some new, recently granted patents (four to be exact), Google now owns the rights to the business end of their AR glasses. The folks at Engadget did some digging through the patent paperwork and noticed that pretty much everything that makes Project Glass different from regular eye-wear have been patented. This includes that the part that covers the eye and relays information (including the ability to relay different information over each eye), the pressure sensitive nose-pad that tells the device it is being worn, and the ability visually reproduce ambient sounds by displaying its origin information.
Now that we’ve seen Google execs wearing the device in public and have a few more patents out of the way, the big question is when will we be able to get our hands on a pair of these specs! I know I am sure hoping to get a closer look at this years Google I/O in a couple months… Nexus locs anyone?
source: USPTO / 2 / 3 / 4
via: Engadget
Categorized as Android Accessories, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Google News | Full Post
May
22
2012
After quite some time, Google’s acquisition of Motorola was finally final after this morning. The search giant finally closed on the deal after China gave their final approval a couple of days ago. Google was quick to reiterate that Motorola will continue to remain a separate company, while Android will remain “open” as it continues to be licensed out. In fact, a stipulation placed on the deal by China was that the OS remain open and free for at least the next five years. So what does this mean for CEO Sanjay Jha? Well, lets just say his new title from here on out will be “former” CEO of Motorola. Google intends to replace Jha with one of their very own senior VP’s, Dennis Woodside. Woodside will resume command and Jha will assist Woodside in a smooth and easy transition. And if you feel bad for Jha, don’t. Sanjay Jha brought home $47 million as CEO last year and he’ll most likely be given a hefty severance package as well for stepping down as CEO. No other word of change has come forth as of now but there certainly are several thoughts of speculation. And while this is not 100% certain, speculation of restructuring within the company is possible which will include a number of layoffs. The only note worthy change as of now is that Woodside is apparently bringing with him an all-star cast of a team to assist the company from here on out. Presser after the break. » Read the rest
Categorized as Android Leaks & Rumours, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Google News | Full Post
May
22
2012
While Verizon chose to opt out of having its own variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone, it certainly didn’t want to miss out on having what will be the hottest phone of 2012. Even though Verizon has yet to confirm anything, we’ve seen all sorts of signs indicating a Verizon variant of the Galaxy S III smartphone would be on its way. We’d seen everything from a mysterious user profile for a “SCH-i535″ smartphone to an actual Nenamark benchmark score of the device, but now we have the unofficial (official) confirmation highlighting the anticipated device is indeed on its way— through an appearance on the Bluetooth SIG website. That’s right friends, the SCH-i535 smartphone has been all but confirmed and will carry a CDMA radio as well as Ice Cream Sandwich as we already knew.
Try to contain your excitement there Verizon customers. We’re excited too.
source: Bluetooth SIG
via: Android Police
Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones | Full Post
May
22
2012
David Beckham is now Samsung’s Official Ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and it just so happens that the Galaxy Note and Soccer go hand in hand. Samsung, a major sponsor for the Olympic Games, put together a little video featuring David kicking a series of soccer balls against a 15-foot wall of drums to produce the melody of Beethoven’s classic “Ode to Joy.”
What does this have to do with the Galaxy Note? Well he uses the Note’s S Pen to annotate a photo and share it with 17 million fans by posting it to Facebook.
Samsung also took the time to mention that they will be offering the Premium Suite upgrade as part of the Ice Cream Sandwich update to the Galaxy Note. We had a chance to see a demo video of it, and I must say I was impressed and looking forward to it.
Hit the break for the video and full presser
Categorized as Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones | Full Post
May
22
2012
While we don’t normally have an issue getting data connectivity over 3G, 4G, and LTE, there are still bad areas and the concern for limited data plans. Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable joined forces to offer over 50,000 WiFi hotspots. Unfortunately it’s still in the early stages so it’s only available in New York City (and surrounding Tri-State area), Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando, and Philadelphia. Hotspots can be found in both indoor and outdoor areas and include high traffic locations, such as shopping districts, cafes, malls, arenas, restaurants, parks, and beaches. They do plan on expanding into more markets.
You will need to be a subscriber of one of the above cable networks and when traveling outside your area, you will look for the “CableWiFi” network and sign in with your regular sign-in credentials from your regular provider. Eventually they will make it so devices auto-connect when in range of any of the “CableWiFi” hotspots.
Full press release after the break:
Categorized as Android News | Full Post
May
22
2012
UK mobile carrier Three has announce today they are launching the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2. This device is the second coming of their previous Galaxy Ace. The new Galaxy Ace 2 boasts features such as a 3.8-inch screen, 5MP shooter and Front facing VGA camera to compliment, 800MHz dual core processor, and 4GB internal storage. There are a couple ways you can get you hands on this phone. One way is with a couple plans called Essential or Ultimate Internet 500 for £22 ($35) per month. Another option is the pre-paid or Pay As You Go. Purchase the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 for £230 ($363) and choose an All in One plan which offers various options which includes “all-you-can-eat data”. Which could be a great option based on the direction carriers are headed these days with the contract based plans. Hit the jump for all the details from the press release.
Categorized as Android Carriers, Android Phones | Full Post