Posted: 25 Feb 2012 12:50 PM PST  And we’re back with another look at the HTC One X. It’s been less than an hour since our last post about the phone, but we now have more images and what looks to be the real spec sheet from HTC. We’ll let your eyes wander down the page to take a peek at the pictures in a second, but we wanted to dive into the detailed specs sheet first. The size of the HTC One X will be 134.36 x 69.9 x 9.29 and it will weigh 130 grams (4.58 ounces). As we suspected, the One X will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display. HTC has chosen to go with a Super LCD2 display with Gorilla Glass 2.5D. Naturally, the phone will be powered by a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS1- quad-core Tegra 3 processor from NVIDIA which will be paired with 32GB of internal strage (26GB usable storage), 1GB of RAM and access to 25GB of cloud storage for two years from DropBox. The One X comes with a built-in 1800 mAh battery, NFC (Google Wallet Compatible), microUSB with MHL support and a 5 pin Pogo Pin connection for audio and charging. The latest phones from HTC have featured some incredible specs, but the HTC One X will take things to a whole new level. The handset will feature an 8 megaixel camera paired with an LED “Smart Flash” which features five auto adjustable power levels to make sure your shots have just the right amount of lighting. HTC has also included a dedicated HTC Image Chip to capture clearer, sharper images, a 28mm wide angle lens with an f2.0 aperture and BSI sensor for improved image quality when taking pictures in low light environments. And to top things off, the HTC One X will be the first phone from HTC to allow users to record HD video and take pictures simultaneously. The HTC One X will sport dual microphones for stereo audio recording during video and noise cancellation during phone calls, Beats Audio, Bluetooth 3.0 with FTP/OPP, A2DP, and PBASP for phone book access from external devices, GPS, and the typical gyroscope, g-sensor, digital compass, proximity and ambient light sensors. The last thing on the list which we were not expecting is a dedicated EA Games Store which will give users direct access to EA’s Android games library. Is there anything else that’s missing? I guess the only thing we’re looking forward to at HTC’s press event tomorrow is some hands-on time with the HTC One X along with high-resolution images and videos. Is the HTC One X everything you expected it to be?  |
Posted: 25 Feb 2012 11:43 AM PST  With less than 24 hours to go before the HTC one X and HTC One S are announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, an Italian retailer has released images, specs and pricing for the two Android 4.0 devices. Since we’ve seen so many leaks over the past few months, there are really no surprises, but we do believe that the retailer’s web guy did a poor job of posting the correct specs for the two phones. The main mistakes we can spot is that both devices are listed with 4.7-inch displays along with 1GHz clock speeds for the dual-core processor in the Ville and quad-core processor in the Endeavor. We’ve made our fair share of mistakes over the years, so we’re willing to let this one slide. Based on what we know, the HTC Ville will feature a 4.3-inch display and both the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor in the Endeavor (One X) and the Qualcomm S4 processor in the Ville (One S) are expected to be clocked at 1.5 GHz. The price of the HTC One X and HTC One S are listed at €699 and €599. A direct conversion to US dollars gives us a $940 price tag for the HTC One X and a $805 price tag for the HTC One S, but lets not forget that Italy has a 21% VAT already included in the price. Removing VAT, we’re left with slightly more reasonable price tags of $780 and $672 for the two devices. How much are you willing to pay for one of HTC’s new Android 4.0 handsets? HTC One S (Ville) specifications
HTC One X (Endeavor) specifications
 |
Posted: 25 Feb 2012 11:02 AM PST  After their plans to take over T-Mobile USA were thwarted in the 11th hour by a $39 Billion bid from AT&T, Sprint was scratching its head as to what to do next. It announced a partnership with Lightsquared, though that deal is now doomed as Lightsquared has failed to gain FCC support of its next-generation mobile LTE network. Further, Sprint’s other network partner Clearwire is having financial troubles that put the company’s ability to provide the kind of coverage Sprint needs into serious doubt. When it was announced that AT&T was not going to be allowed to acquire T-Mobile, rumors once again began to swirl about another possible takeover attempt. Yesterday, a takeover announcement came out of left field, with CNBC reporting that Sprint was a mere hours away from announcing an $8 Billion takeover of regional carrier MetroPCS when Sprint’s Board of Directors voted to reject the takeover, even after Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse signed off on the arrangement. Sprint and MetroPCS had apparently been negotiating the deal for quite some time, perhaps dating as far back as when Deutsche Telekom announced it was going with AT&T as T-Mobile’s suitor. While the MetroPCS deal would have presented Sprint the same issues it faced with a T-Mobile merger, namely, integration of MetroPCS’ AWS spectrum, the Board rejection of the takeover leaves us scratching our heads as to how Sprint will viably build out their LTE network. Engadget is reporting that the board stated that the timing of the merger just “didn’t feel right,” which is hardly a sufficient enough explanation for us. Sprint has its work cut out for it as it hopes to build an LTE network to compete with juggernauts Verizon and AT&T, and with Plans A (LightSquared), B (Clearwire), C (T-Mobile), and D (MetroPCS) largely off the table, it appears Sprint is going to need to get creative if it is to remain competitive. In an interesting piece on PandoDaily, Trevor Gilbert speculates that a board rejection of this magnitude could indicate that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is on the way out. Generally, the Board of Directors appoints a CEO who they trust to make decisions about key business developments, who likely would have kept the Board updated on the status of the potential merger at their quarterly board meetings. Knowing the details as they progressed, you would assume the Board would have spoken up if they weren’t on board with the merger. Doing so loudly at the eleventh hour suggests that they either don’t like the way the deal ended up (the terms, etc.), or they don’t trust Dan Hesse to lead the way. We’ll learn more in coming weeks. In the meantime, what do you guys think of all this? Personally, I love Dan Hesse and think it could be a mistake to let him go, though admittedly I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. |
Posted: 25 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST  When we first heard that Samsung would not be announcing the Galaxy S III in Barcelona, we knew the rumor mill would start flying. On the eve of the biggest show in mobile, BGR, who has been known to indulge in a rumor or two, claims to have information from a solid source about Samsung’s upcoming flagship 2012 device. First up, the display. The Galaxy S III will reportedly take a more is more stance, with a super-sized 4.8″ Super AMOLED HD Plus display (likely a 1280 x 720 resolution similar to the Galaxy Nexus). The S III is also rumored to be touting a quad-core processor, likely its own quad-core Exynos 4412 chipset we were drooling over yesterday, which clocks in between 1.5-1.8 GHz on an ARM Cortex-A9 chipset. We could see something come out of left field, like the inclusion of the 5250 or 5450 Exynos chips, which are Samsun’s dual and quad-core (respectively) chips running on the greatly improved ARM Cortex-A15. A rumor of the stranger variety is that BGR’s source claims the Galaxy S III will feature a ceramic backing instead of the plasticky textured backings we’ve grown accustomed to in Samsung’s smartphones. This rumor should be taken with a grain gallon of salt, as using a ceramic backing to the device would be an interesting design choice on Samsung’s part, to say the least. Regardless, we likely won’t be hearing official details about the Galaxy S III until it’s officially unveiled closer to its launch date, which is rumored to be in the March/April timeframe. If BGR‘s final claim is accurate, the Galaxy S III will reportedly launch in 50 major markets simultaneously, which hopefully means that us folks over in the U.S. won’t have to wait a long time to get our hands on the next great Android smartphone. Who else is excited to pick up a Galaxy S III later this year? I know my Galaxy S II is looking a little bit sadder this morning. |
Posted: 24 Feb 2012 09:51 PM PST  If you’ve always wanted a way to download an application from the Android Market directly to your PC, boy do we have the right thing for you. An Android developer by the name of redphx sent us an email today, introducing us to APK Downloader. It’s a Chrome extension which allows users to download application APK files directly from the Android Market to their desktop. In order to use the APK Downloader extension, you’ll need the latest version of Chrome on your computer. Then you will need to disable the browser’s SSL error warnings, enter your device ID number, email and password. Your email and password are stored locally on your computer and are only used when the Chrome extension tries to grab the Android Market cookie to download the APK file from the Android Market. Once your setup is complete, simply browse the Android Market with your Chrome browser on your PC, find an app you would like to download, and click the APK Downloader icon which appears in the address bar when you are on the application page. At first, we couldn’t think of any real reason to use APK Downloader, but then we realized that there are plenty of Kindle Fire users who do not have access to many of the applications that are only available on the Android Market, plus there are many apps which are made available only for specific devices. Come on, do developers really think that all those Tegra games can not be played on devices with Qualcomm chips? I don’t think the APK Downloader extension for Chrome is going to change anybody’s life, but it will be handy tool for those of you who have devices with limited access to the Android Market and simply want to enjoy their applications on as many device as possible. Give APK Downloader extension a try and let us know what you think. |
Posted: 24 Feb 2012 09:34 PM PST Welcome to a new weekly column where we break down each carrier to let you know the best devices and current promotions. We have already posted our Verizon Buyer's Guide and T-Mobile Buyer’s Guide, and now it’s time for Sprint. Each week we will rotate between the big four US carriers, so that each buyer's guide gets refreshed every month. Read on for Sprint's best devices and deals. Current Promotions and NewsSprint board rejects bid to buy MetroPCS: Details are still coming in, but it appears that Sprint was hours away from a deal to acquire MetroPCS. Apparently CEO Dan Hesse signed off on the deal, but then Sprint’s executive board rejected it. Either Hesse is on the way out or Sprint is going to make some major changes in the coming months. Head over to The Verge for more details.New 4G LTE Markets: This month Sprint announced that 4G LTE was coming to Baltimore and Kansas City by mid-2012. More deals and offers: Sprint doesn’t have many current promotions, but follow them on Facebook and Twitter for future deals.  Samsung Epic 4G Touch Best Android Phone: Galaxy S II Epic 4G TouchI said it back in October when I first reviewed the phone and the same thing still holds true; The Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch is easily the best Android phone on Sprint. For the third carrier in a row, Samsung takes home the top pick. See a pattern here?Sprint still sells the Epic 4G Touch for $199 with 2-year contract, but Amazon has it on sale for only $49 for new customers  , $119 for adding a line, or $149 for upgrades.There is a reason Samsung has already sold 20 million of their Galaxy S II series. The Super AMOLED Plus display is unmatched among Android phones and the dual-core 1.2 GHz Exynos processor is still one of the fastest around. Samsung has already said the Galaxy S II will receive Android 4.0 in the coming months, so this device will continue to improve with new software updates. I’ve already recommended this device to several close friends and they have all been very pleased with their purchase. If you want to know more about the device, just check out our full review. Best Android Phone with Keyboard: NoneSprint currently lists nine Android phones on their website with physical keyboards, but I can’t in good faith recommend any of them. Their only high-end phone with a keyboard is the Samsung Epic 4G, which came out almost two years ago. That device will never seen another Android update and you want to avoid it.We only like to suggest smartphones with the latest versions of Android, or those that we believe will be updated soon. I’d suggest giving the Epic 4G Touch a try to see if you like it or just wait till Sprint announces their new spring lineup.
Let me repeat what I said in our previous buyer's guide. Because of the current data plans, I'm not a huge fan of carrier branded Android tablets. However, if you need an Android tablet with wireless connectivity, then the ZTE Optik should be your pick. |
Posted: 24 Feb 2012 07:21 PM PST  With nearly 400,000 apps available in the Android Market, it is often difficult to discover cool new releases. We started our weekly column Top 10 Android App Updates to help our audience discover apps that others were actively using, but it only identifies the well established apps that have already have a bunch of installs. So how do you discover the coolest apps that just hit the Android Market? Like the ones that have less than 5,000 installs. I’m sure that someone could write an algorithm to help with that problem, but for now we are going to hand pick them. Introducing GlanceeSpeaking of discovery, wouldn’t it be neat to have an app that helped you meet interesting people that had similar likes and networks? Glancee is that app that lets you discover hidden connections and meet with people important to you. The app works by connecting to your Facebook account and analyzing your likes and friends. It then uses your location to suggest people around you that have similar interest and connections. I travel a lot and I often find myself in new places where I don’t know many people. At trade shows and media events there are always the other bloggers that I talk with, but it’s fun to meet new people. The problem I have with meeting new people always seems to be time. I can walk around a huge room with hundreds of people, but how do I know which are the most interesting people that I should be introducing myself to? Glancee provides that digital sixth sense that can intelligently alert you about interesting people you might want to meet. Here are some success stories taken from Glancee users:
As for the other features of Glancee, I don’t want to share too much. The point of this post is to persuade you to go install the app and play around with it. Final WordsThis site only averages about one million visitors a month and there are over 250 million Android devices out there, but our community still has the ability to accelerate apps to stardom. We are the taste-makers and the ones that our friends and family go to when they have questions about their Android devices. This app might not be for everyone, but if you see the potential in Glancee please share it with your friends.Have a suggestion for the next Android app in the rough? Message Taylor if you find an interesting app with less than 10k downloads that you think has a lot of potential and others would enjoy. |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Update - 65
, and $49 for upgrades.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment