Friday, February 17, 2012

Google News



Posted: 15 Feb 2012 04:23 PM PST
Well that name was short lived. The HTC Edge turned Endeavor looks to be going through yet another name change along with it’s cousin the HTC Ville before they are even officially debuted. The Endeavor is now rumored to be coming to us at MWC this year as the HTC One X. The X in the name is going to be superscripted above the One for branding. Information that adds weight to this name change is the recently reserved Danish URL htc-one-x.dk that was registered by an HTC subcontractor.
The news doesn’t stop there folks. The HTC Ville looks to be following suit and its name will be changed to the One S. Again the S will be superscripted above the One for branding purposes. There’s no word on if the budget-friendly Primo will be branded under the One-Superscript name though. Neither is there word on if the tablet that’s being unveiled will see a similar branding.
We will have to wait for MWC this year for confirmation but it appears that HTC will continue one name with variations tradition; much like their Sensation, Sensation XE, and Sensation XL line.  We’ll also have to look forward to MWC for the debut of the awesomely specced HTC One X and the mid-range One S if those names stick. Hopefully this branding is apart of HTC’s hero strategy. What about you guys out there, what do you think about owning a One X or One S? Let us know in the comment section below.
sources: pocketnow & Slashgear
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 04:21 PM PST
Today, Motorola provided more information on devices that will receive an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola had promised to release an upgrade timeline for ICS last October. The WiFi Xoom tablet was updated in January. Motorola states that the US Family Edition Xoom will be upgraded sometime in the second quarter of 2012, as well as the MOTOROLA RAZR, which is available in Asia, Europe and Canada. In the third quarter, the ATRIX 2, the MOTOROLA ATRIX 4G (AT&T), and the PHOTON 4G will be next in line. Motorola also has slated the DROID BIONIC, DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID 4 and ELECTRIFY to have further details released. It looks like 2012 will bring ICS to many more devices.
source: Motorola
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 02:18 PM PST

Samsung could be planning to launch a 10.1″ Galaxy Note if details on the companies MWC Developer Day invitations are anything to go by. Under the heading ‘EXHIBITION FOR DEVELOPERS’ the Galaxy Note 10.1  is clearly listed alongside the Galaxy Note, Wave 3 and Wave Y.
Debates are now spreading throughout the tech world like wildfire as to whether this is a new product or an unfortunate typo for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Further investigation has unearthed a Samsung casting call looking for teen students to audition for the role of a Galaxy Note 10.1 user. Samsung then stirred up an even bigger frenzy by promptly removing the blog page from its website.
Samsung’s naming and sizing procedure could all become very confusing if the Galaxy Note 10.1 does turn out to be genuine. We could find ourselves faced with a 7.0″ Galaxy Tab which is actually smaller than than 10.1″ Galaxy Note. Could it be that the Unique Selling Point and differentiator for the Galaxy Note series is the inclusion of the S Pen? The only other USP that immediately springs to mind in the Galaxy Note series is the inclusion of cellular radios, maybe Samsung are looking to bring that 80′s look back into fashion!

Check out the invitation and let us know your thoughts.

source : theverge
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:03 AM PST
Fans of Pocket Legends and Star Legends have to be excited for Spacetime Studios upcoming MMORPG game, Dark Legends. This one brings you into the world of vampires as you fight off hordes of the undead, werewolves, demons, and humans. It should be out next month for Android, iOS, and Chrome, but for now check out their teaser trailer.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 10:49 AM PST
If you’re like me, when it’s time to upgrade to the latest and greatest that Verizon has to offer you head on down to the local carrier store. While you may not buy from that store but rather order the device online, you still go down there to try the device out to get a feel on if it’s the right phone for you. However when you get down to the store you find that the place is littered with dummy units that do nothing more than look pretty while collecting dust. Then when it’s time to make a purchase you wait in line for the next rep to become available in hopes that they can answer questions regarding your purchasing decision. This can take a decent amount of time depending on what number in line you are and the kind of questions being asked by those ahead of you. 
Well Verizon is testing a new store concept that looks to make this scenario a thing of the past. They are attempting to redo their retail experience by going back to square one and rebuilding from the ground up. Known as “Evolution 2.0″ this concept store is located in Toms River, NJ. The store will feature a large, brightly lit 3,100 square foot sales area with hardwood floors, tan walls and numerous island tables with barstools. This will allow folks to sit comfortably while they demo the latest phones, tablets and wireless data products. The store will be “green” by featuring a paperless experience that include both digital receipts and product brochures. For those of you that want to use your brand new device to the fullest, there will be workshops that will help you learn everything there is to know about it.
Given that Verizon has dubbed this a concept store it might be that Toms River will play host to the only store of this caliber but if it proves to be successful we may see Verizon push Evolution 2.0 into both current and future stores alike. Check out the images below to get a before and after view of what Evolution 2.0 entails. I certainly hope to see this implemented everywhere. Enjoy!
Before
After
source: pocketnow
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 10:42 AM PST
For those of you who still refuse to use Google Music as your one stop place for streaming/purchasing/storing of your tunes, I guess Amazon MP3 would be your next best choice. The Amazon MP3 app has just received an needed update that brings a revamped, better looking UI, tablet optimization and a couple other minor adjustments. While I still feel that Google Music is much more appealing, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
The MP3 app and MP3 Store were updated to look more similar to that of the newly updated Amazon Appstore and the kindle application. The new look is now adorned with white text on a grey backdrop with orange highlights as to better match the other Amazon apps. It appears this was an attempt to appeal new Kindle Fire owners, and a way to tidy up shop. Although I am still a Google fan through and through, I must admit it looks seemingly better after the update. To check it out for yourself, hit up the market link below.
qrcode
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 10:00 AM PST
Last month we told you about the upcoming LG X3 (P880), which is rumored to be a Tegra 3 quad-core beast. MoDaCo was able to get some inside info and screen shots of a recent benchmark. As you can see it’s running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and the kernel of 2.6.39 is the latest release from NVIDIA, which confirms the Tegra 3. The insider they spoke to also confirmed the following specs:
  • 4.7″ HD 720×1280 screen
  • Tegra 3 Quad core processor (1.5GHz on single core, 1.4GHz when on 2-4 cores) + SMP Core (core companion) for IDLE task operations which will save battery life
  • 2000mAh battery
  • 16GB internal memory + microSD slot
  • 8MP camera with ultra fast shutter
  • 1.3MP Front Facing camera
  • Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3
I would assume it will be called the Optimus X3 when it’s unveiled, but who’s excited for this one? We should see it officially unveiled in 2 weeks along the HTC Endeavor at Mobile World Congress.
source: MoDaCo
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 09:23 AM PST
It appears that HTC is planning on pushing Beats Audio anyway they can. While also planning a streaming music service to take on companies like Spotify it appears that the Taiwanese company is in the process of building a wireless boombox that could connect to your HTC phone over bluetooth to stream music. Currently the company sells a wireless boombox made by Monster however due to the recent break up of Monster and Beats Audio, HTC and Beats Audio may have to press forward on their own. 
Apparently the companies split over a souring related to financialterms due to diverging views on which party deserves the most credit for the line’s success. Monster takes credit for the idea of the line has they manufacture and helped design the headphones. Beats is balking at its share of the revenue because of this. However Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman, part owner of the Beats Company, and probably one of the most powerful men in the Music industry, sees the push into smart phones as a necessary move. He had this to say:
"We have very big ambitions for Beats beyond headphones. Music has got to succeed on the phone or else the record industry will never thrive."
Since initial HTC’s investment into the Beats name we’ve already seen a few phones, such as the Rezound and the upcoming phones like Endeavor, Ville, and budget-friendly Primo sport Beats Audio. As HTC has seen its business in recent months dwindle a bit, the move into wireless accessories such as this boombox should help bolster sales in the future. There is no telling when we will see the Beats (I assume) boombox but maybe it will make a showing at MWC at the end of the month.

source: gigaom
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 08:26 AM PST
The great Apple vs. Android debate continues to press on. In the latest chapter of the competition, Apple strutted its stuff as the world’s top smartphone vendor by marketshare in 2011 at 19 percent, according to Gartner. This is due to a big charge during Q4 in which Apple grabbed 23.8 percent of the overall market. In the quarter alone, Apple sold 35.5 million handsets, a 121.4 percent increase from Q4 2010. Amidst all of Apple’s success, it also helped the company take over as the third largest seller of smartphones, behind Nokia and Samsung. This seems to fall in line with Kantar’s recent findings.
While Apple continues to make a big push in the smartphone battle, Android continues to win the software war. The Android OS was the top OS, having 50.9 percent of the overall smartphone market. While Android had a major advantage in the quarter, Gartner reports it is down compared to the previous quarter—where the Android OS had 53 percent of the overall smartphone market. Remember folks, independent researchers such as Nielsen continue to highlight the Android OS as having the most overall influence and advantage over all other software platforms. I’m sure you’re all dying to see more findings about Gartner’s report, so why don’t you hit the break to see the full press release.

Full press release:
Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Soared in Fourth Quarter of 2011
Apple Became Top Smartphone Vendor in Fourth Quarter of 2011 and in 2011 as a Whole
Egham, UK, February 15, 2012-
Worldwide smartphone sales to end users soared to 149 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 47.3 per cent increase from the fourth quarter of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc. Total smartphone sales in 2011 reached 472 million units and accounted for 31 percent of all mobile devices sales, up 58 percent from 2010.
Smartphone volumes during the quarter rose due to record sales of Apple iPhones. As a result, Apple became the third-largest mobile phone vendor in the world, overtaking LG. Apple also became the world’s top smartphone vendor, with a market share of 23.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and the top smartphone vendor for 2011 as a whole, with a 19 percent market share. “Western Europe and North America led most of the smartphone growth for Apple during the fourth quarter of 2011,” said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. “In Western Europe the spike in iPhone sales in the fourth quarter saved the overall smartphone market after two consecutive quarters of slow sales.”
The quarter saw Samsung and Apple cement their positions further at the top of the market as their brands and new products clearly stood out. LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Research In Motion (RIM) again recorded disappointing results as they struggled to improve volumes and profits significantly. These vendors were also exposed to a much stronger threat from the midrange and low end of the smartphone market as ZTE and Huawei continued to gain share during the quarter.
Worldwide mobile device sales to end users totaled 476.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 5.4 percent increase from the same period in 2010 (see Table 1). In 2011 as a whole, end users bought 1.8 billion units, an 11.1 percent increase from 2010 (see Table 2). “Expectations for 2012 are for the overall market to grow by about 7 percent, while smartphone growth is expected to slow to around 39 percent,” said Annette Zimmermann, principal research analyst at Gartner.
In the fourth quarter of 2011, Nokia’s mobile phone sales numbered 111.7 million units, an 8.7 percent decrease from last year. “Samsung closed the gap with Nokia in overall market share,” said Ms. Cozza. “Samsung profited from strong smartphone sales of 34 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. The troubled economic environment in Europe and Nokia’s weakened brand status posed challenges that were hard to overcome in just one quarter. However, Nokia proved its ability to execute and deliver on time with its new Lumia 710 and 800 handsets. Nokia will have to continue to offer aggressive prices to encourage communications service providers (CSPs) to add its products to portfolios currently dominated by Android-based devices.”
Apple had an exceptional fourth quarter, selling 35.5 million smartphones to end users, a 121.4 percent increase year on year. Apple’s continued attention to channel management helped it take full advantage of the strong quarter to further close the gap with Samsung, which saw some inventory build up for its smartphone range. Apple’s strong performance will continue into the first quarter of 2012 as availability of the iPhone 4S widens. However, since Apple will not benefit from delayed purchases as it did in the fourth quarter of 2011, Gartner analysts expect its sales to decline quarter-on-quarter.
After Apple, ZTE and Huawei were the fastest-growing vendors in the fourth quarter of 2011. “These vendors expanded their market reach and kept on improving the user experience of their Android devices,” said Ms. Cozza.
In the fourth quarter of 2011, ZTE moved into fourth place in the global handset market. ZTE posted a strong smartphone sales increase of 71 percent sequentially. The company was able to extend its portfolio to three CSPs in its home market and benefited from consumers’ interest in low-cost smartphones. Huawei moved ahead of LG in the Android marketplace to become a top-four Android manufacturer, thanks to strong smartphone growth in the quarter. Huawei has made significant progress in moving to its own-branded devices, and it has continued to expand its portfolio into higher tiers as its tries to build more iconic products.
RIM dropped to the No. 7 spot in the fourth quarter of 2011, with a 10.7 percent decline. RIM’s delay with its BlackBerry 10 platform will further impair its ability to retain users. However, RIM’s biggest challenge is still to expand the developer base around its ecosystem and convince developers to work and innovate with BlackBerry 10.
In the smartphone OS market (see Table 3), competition between Google and Apple intensified. Android’s share declined slightly sequentially. This was due to strong iPhone sales, driven in particular by the iPhone 4S in mature markets and the weakness of key Android vendors as they struggled to create unique and differentiated devices. Samsung remained the main contributor to Android share gains in the second half of 2011. iOS’s market share grew 8 percentage points year-on-year, but Gartner analysts expect Apple’s share to drop in the next couple of quarters as the upgrade cycle to the iPhone 4S slows. Nokia’s first Windows Phone smartphones, the Lumia 710 and 800, made their debut, but, as expected, sales were not enough to prevent a fall in Microsoft’s smartphone market share.
Posted: 15 Feb 2012 06:33 AM PST
Last week we told you about the brute-force issue for rooted users with Google Wallet, which then followed by an issue for non-rooted users that left the prepaid card vulnerable. Google just announced the non-rooted prepaid issue has been resolved. Since this issue could be vulnerable to anyone, they felt a fix was necessary. If you remember, Google made a statement regarding the brut-force issue of which they said you shouldn’t root your phone or simply don’t use Google Wallet if you’re rooted. Unfortunately, if you like to root your phone, that isn’t going to make you happy. Plus, if your phone isn’t rooted, couldn’t a potential thief root your phone?
Either way, regardless if you’re rooted or not, you need to lock your phone. I know it makes it slower to to unlock your phone, but the only sure way to protect anything and everything (Google Wallet or otherwise) on your devices is to either use a lock code or pattern. Sure, there are remote wipes, but you may not even realize your phone is out of your possession until damage has been done.
Hit the break for the statement from Osama Bedier, Vice President, Google Wallet and Payments

Yesterday afternoon, we restored the ability to issue new prepaid cards to the Wallet. In addition, we issued a fix that prevents an existing prepaid card from being re-provisioned to another user. While we're not aware of any abuse of prepaid cards or the Wallet PIN resulting from these recent reports, we took this step as a precaution to ensure the security of our Wallet customers. If you are unable to access your previous prepaid card balance for any reason, please contact our toll-free support for assistance.

source: googlecommerce
Posted by at 8:10 AM

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