Posted: 06 Feb 2012 04:40 PM PST  If you're the proud owner of a Motorola Droid RAZR, or it's brother with a bit bigger gas tank the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX, (read the review of the MAXX right here) there's an OTA update ready and waiting for you. Version 6.12.173.XT912.Verizon.en.US (there's no way we could make that one up) started slowly rolling out over the weekend and is now pushing hard and heavy, and chances are you can grab it yourself by simply going to Settings>About Phone>System Updates. The update itself is about 150MB in size, and updates the software to Android 2.3.6. I know many were wanting Ice Cream Sandwich, but this update brings some welcome bug fixes and security patches, so we'll gladly take it. The full change list, line by line:
That's a hell of a list, and seeing improvements with 4G data connectivity is certainly something everyone likes to see. Things should go smoothly after this one, but if you hit any snags or just want to discuss it all, be sure to hit the forums! More: Verizon 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 02:59 PM PST  It's Monday, one day after the Super Bowl and we're all still kinda groggy from the refreshments and things we should never have eaten but that doesn't mean the news has stopped in any way -- just a little slower. Missed out on a few things? Get yourself caught up here on the blogs and in the forums:
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 02:33 PM PST  This is the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX on Verizon. Looks a lot like the Motorola Droid RAZR on Verizon, doesn't it? Because it is. You can sum up the MAXX in a single sentence: It's a Motorola DROID RAZR, with a bigger battery. Period, end of story. The software's the same. The hardware's nearly identical. It just has a larger-capacity battery, making the phone slightly thicker. That can't be the whole review, can it? Well, it most certainly can. Or it could be. But it's not.
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 01:56 PM PST  read more 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 01:27 PM PST  What is USB? USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and is a standard for connectors, cables and protocols used for data transfer and power between a computer and another electronic device. It was developed in 1995 to allow a single connection method for things like computer keyboards, mice, and printers as well as connected devices like mp3 players and cameras. A standard USB interface has four wires (USB 3.0 has eight for double the data transfer), with two acting as power leads and two for data transfer. Commercial applications have up to eight wires and connection points, and can also provide 12- or 24-volt power in addition to the normal 5 volts. You'll see these sort of systems in cash registers and commercial barcode scanners. What we're most interested in is the implementation in mobile devices. Most mobile devices in the world use USB 2.0 for data transfer and/or power supply. In China, laws have been passed making manufacturers keep to the USB standard for data transfer and power, and in December 2011 a law was written that all mobile phones will be able to use the same charger, with micro-USB as the standard, by the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation. This only affects phones -- tablets and laptops are exempt because they have different power requirements. Most new Android phones you'll buy have a microUSB (like the picture above) connector. The data cable will have a small plug to insert into the phone on one end, and a standard USB connector to plug into your computer. This cable will allow for data transfer -- to copy pictures or music or do a little hacking, as well as 5 volts to charge the device. Some older models have a miniUSB connector, which does the same thing but with a different, slightly larger, port. MicroUSB is a more robust connector, being rated at 10,000 "insertion cycles" so both the port on the phone as well as the cable should last longer. Some devices need a non-standard USB connector, like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (or nearly every other Android tablet). Internal design doesn't permit a standard microUSB connector to fit on the board, so a wider, thinner plug and port combo was used. Also, some tablets can't get power fast enough to charge via a USB connector and use a separate DC socket and adapter for charging. For devices like the iPhone that have a non-standard connection port, an adapter can be made to allow them to comply with European mandates of a single charger solution. Lastly, some phones use the microUSB interface for other things besides data transfer and power. Seeing HDMI output provided through a MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) is becoming pretty common, and allows a special adapter to be used to provide high definition video to stream out to televisions or computer monitors. These adapters can be purchased for about 15 dollars (US) and allow a standard HDMI cable to connect to your phone. We've seen other connection methods come and go, and new ones are always being worked on, but USB offers relatively high-speed data transfer, is adaptable for various power needs, and is likely to stick around for a long time. Previously on Android A to Z: What is tethering?; Find more in the Android Dictionary read more
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 12:14 PM PST  We want to make this contest interesting, so we want you to declare your love for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. And it might not hurt if you threw in some Android Central and Mobilicity affection as well. In the forum linked below, write a poem, a love letter, a limerick -- whatever suits your fancy -- showing us just how much love you have. Heck, you can even sing a song or make a video and upload it for all to see! It's all fair game. Unfortunately, there are rules, but they are short. The contest is only open to those living in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa (Mobilicity’s unlimited zones). Keep your entries family friendly, as normal forum rules apply. The contest begins right now, and ends Sunday night at midnight PST so get those entries in! read more 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 11:20 AM PST  Videotron covers most of Québec's largest metro areas, including Montréal and Québec City. It is just the latest in a long list of Canadian carriers to snag the device, which includes TELUS, Rogers, and Fido to name a few. Hit the source link for the Videotron's product page, where you'll be able to snag the device once hump day rolls around. Source: Videotron 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 10:51 AM PST   Judging by the icon placement, location, date, time and background, it looks like these images come from the same original source as last week's leaked video. However, unlike the video, these are of (reasonably) decent quality, showing off the chassis of the phone and HTC Sense 4.0's redesigned, geometric stylings. Today's photos seem to confirm that version 4.0 will give HTC Sense it's biggest visual overhaul yet. The classic Sense dock is gone, replaced with ICS-style icons. And the iconic clock widget had undergone a few changes too, with more clean lines and less translucency. The lockscreen, however, seems to be more or less unchanged from Sense 3.x -- you've still got the familiar metal ring and four shortcuts. And in terms of industrial design, it's clear we're looking at a pretty thin device, with what seems to be slightly raised areas at the top and bottom of the back panel. As with any unofficial leak, things can, and likely will change as the unveiling and eventual release approaches. We've got our fingers crossed for more HTC Ville goodness at MWC later this month. You'll find two more photos after the jump. read more 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 10:05 AM PST  Here's one of those good news/bad news things, which we're going to tell in reverse. The bad news is that Swype, the uber-popular third-party keyboard that lets you trace your finger from letter to letter instead of pecking, still isn't ready for Ice Cream Sandwich devices, never mind that they've been available for a few months now. The good news is that ICS is still only on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S. (Officially, anyway.) The gooder news is that Swype's got an update waiting in the wings that will finally enable it on the latest version of the Android operating system. It's "only days away," Swype says on Twitter. And along with the Ice Cream Sandwich support, Swype's promising "more goodies" as well. Here's to hoping one of those goodies is a release in the Android Market. While we understand Swype's decision to stick with a business model where it's preloaded onto devices by the carriers and not available in the Android Market, it's getting a little old. Having to run to the Swype website to get our "beta" copy (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean?) hasn't gotten any more fun. We're not going to bet that we'll see a shift in that sometime soon, but we can certainly hope. Anyhoo, stay tuned. Swype for Ice Cream Sandwich is on the way. 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 09:07 AM PST  So, ya know, you could say something nice about your sweetie, something about along romantic dinner, maybe a walk through the park. Or we could well see sordid tales from the Red Light District. Because this is, after all, the Internet. Find out next week, we suppose. More: @vdayconfessions 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 08:30 AM PST  Today's free Android Wallpaper comes to us from reader jcarley0830, who snapped this sunset on Jan. 31 in Altoona, Iowa, with a Canon T2i and an 18-55mm lens.
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 07:36 AM PST  According to these sources, the phone includes such previously-rumored specs as Android 4.0, a quad-core CPU and LTE support -- none of which is particularly unsurprising for a Samsung flagship product in 2012. However, the most interesting rumor concerns the device's dimensions -- it's said to measure just 7mm thick, thanks to the introduction of thinner internal components. At 7mm, the Galaxy S III would still be a hair thicker than Huawei's P1S, but considering its souped-up internals, it's still incredibly impressive. That figure would see Samsung shave almost a millimeter and a half off the girth of the Galaxy S II, which measured 8.49mm. Other rumored specs for the Galaxy S III include a 2MP front-facing camera and 8MP rear-facing shooter, which apparently protrudes slightly from the back of the device. Looking further ahead, ETNews suggests that Samsung, apparently undeterred by lukewarm uptake of other 3D phones, may be planning to launch its own 3D smartphone later in the year. Today's rumors indicate a possible May 2012 launch for the Galaxy S III, which certainly wouldn't surprise us, and would fit within the Samsung's previously-announced timeframe. In any case, we're expecting to hear more about the Galaxy S III sometime after Mobile World Congress. Source: ETNews; Thanks, Erich! 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 06:52 AM PST  "If you're thinking of switching to an iPhone, Googlerola phone, other Android device, Windows Phone 7 device, or a Nokia device, we will continue to innovate and maintain our free apps for you," Kayak's billo wrote on the company's news section. "Googlerola phone." Heh. Looks like we're not the only ones chomping at the bit to see what what comes out of the proposed merger (acquisition, really -- Motorola's getting about $12.5 billion out of it) between Google and Motorola. And Kayak, like many of you, is of the mind that soon enough in the future you'll have two classes of Android -- Googlerola, and everything else. Google's Andy Rubin, of course, has said otherwise -- that Motorola continue to operate as a separate company, and that it doesn't have a lock on future Nexus phones. (Of the major smartphone manufacturers, HTC and Samsung have been tapped for the three Nexus devices.) "We don't expect that to change at all," Rubin said back in August 2011. "The acquisition is going to be run as a separate business. They will be part of that bidding process, and part of that lead development process. And obviously Android remains open to other partners to use as they are today." The two companies expect the merger to be finalized "in early 2012," meaning any time now, once regulatory approval is received. 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 06:50 AM PST  The Feb. 6 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Case-Mate POP! Case w/ Stand for the Motorola Droid RAZR. The case features co-molded materials of plastic and soft rubber unite to create a hard case with a soft touch. The lightweight plastic body of the Pop! protects from unforeseeable impacts, while keeping the screen lifted away from surfaces. It's available in black/cool gray, pink/cool gray or white/cool gray today only for just $18.95. Get yours while supplies last! 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 06:17 AM PST  As always, Rdio for Android lets you build up a personal collection of music out of a 12 million-track library, stream individual songs and playlists, sync up some songs to your phone for offline access, and discover new music through friends that are also using the service. Up here in Canada, we don't have access to Spotify and Pandora, so Rdio and Slacker are our only options for sharing mobile music to the Facebook stream. Slacker has some solid tailor-made stations, but I tend to side with Rdio for being more personal. Interested? You can find a download link and video demo of the update after the jump. Just keep in mind that you have to shell out $10/month for mobile access. read more 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 05:53 AM PST  HTC has published its final Q4 2011 financial results, confirming the 2.49% year-on-year slip in earnings revealed in last month's unaudited numbers. In the fourth quarter of last year, HTC brought in NT$101.42 billion, down from NT$104 during the same period in 2010. There was also a gloomy outlook for the first quarter of 2012, with projected revenues of NT$65-70 billion (down from NT$104.16 billion in Q1 2011), and a much lower operating margin of around 7.5%. The manufacturer said the Q4 slump, and expected weakness in Q1 2012, were a "temporary phenomenon" due to its current "product cycle transition", as it looks to unveil new handsets at Mobile World Congress later this month. HTC faced strong competition in late 2011, with a resurgent Apple launching the iPhone 4S, as well as growing dominance of the Android space by Korean rival Samsung. The company has recently indicated its plans to do more with fewer models in 2012, focusing on stronger "hero" devices. New models unveiled in Barcelona in a few weeks are expected to include the "HTC Ville", which leaked last week, and the quad-core "HTC Edge." Source: HTC 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 05:29 AM PST 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 05:19 AM PST We're kicking off this week's ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway with a closer look at the Qmadix Galaxy Nexus Snap-on Cover, a Rezound Hard Shell, the Seidio Galaxy SII Extended Battery, and the Droid RAZER Case-Mate Tough Case. Leave a comment stating which one of the featured accessories you'd like to have. We will pick a winner from each daily post Sunday at midnight. Pretty simple, right? Let's get this thing started. Qmadix Snap-On Cover for Samsung/Verizon Galaxy NexusThe Qmadix Snap-On Cover is form-fitted to your Samsung or Verizon Galaxy Nexus and features a textured rubberized exterior to allow a firm grip on your device. The case is lightweight, and fairly thin-- keeping your Galaxy Nexus' slim profile as close as possible. The Snap-on cover features cutouts for all of the Galaxy Nexus features, and leaves the screen exposed for full functionality.read more 
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Posted: 06 Feb 2012 04:11 AM PST   Like last year's white Nexus S, the white Galaxy Nexus switches up the color of the chassis, rather than the bezel surrounding the screen. That means you'll get a classy white finish on the back and sides of the device, while the front is furnished in the same black glass as the original. Internally, it's the same Galaxy Nexus we all know and love. So far we've heard nothing about any possible North American release for the white Galaxy Nexus, however our fingers are crossed for the launch of the Sprint LTE version later in the year. We've got Samsung's press release after the break. read more 
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Posted: 05 Feb 2012 05:49 PM PST  General News
Hardware News
Tablet News
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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