Android and Me |
- Why don’t more Android phones have a MAXX battery?
- Android Gaming Weekly: BMX Boy, ZombieSmash, Cafe Nippon, Leisure Suit Larry
- Court documents reveal original Google Phone, unlimited data plan for only $9.99
- Top 20 United States cities for Android nerds
- Have a favorite Android shirt? Show it to us for a chance to win one of ours!
- Android Rumors Report: Photon Q, Samsung Jasper, pre-paid WiMAX, Snapdragon powered Galaxy S III, Galaxy Journal
- Tegra 3+ to bring 1.7 GHz CPU, 1080p displays, 25% faster GPU, and LTE to phones
- Galaxy S III prototype reveals Samsung’s custom on-screen buttons
- HTC and Facebook jointly working on new Facebook Phone?
- Google picks Samsung for 4th generation Nexus phone
| Why don’t more Android phones have a MAXX battery? Posted: 25 Apr 2012 05:34 PM PDT  Talk time up to 21 hours. Watch movies 2.5x longer than you can on Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Browse 93% longer than you can on the HTC Rezound. This week Motorola is releasing a series of videos to show how the RAZR MAXX is besting the competition. They placed the RAZR MAXX against the iPhone 4S and LG Spectrum to show how the devices stacked up when using turn-by-turn navigation. To no surprise, both competing devices died within hours, while the RAZR MAXX still had 40% battery left at the end of the trip. HTC says consumers would rather have thin phones, but Motorola managed to stuff a 3,300 mAh battery inside a phone that measures only 8.99 mm thick. The battery life on the Droid RAZR MAXX is freaking amazing, so why haven’t more handset makers copied Motorola?
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| Android Gaming Weekly: BMX Boy, ZombieSmash, Cafe Nippon, Leisure Suit Larry Posted: 25 Apr 2012 04:44 PM PDT  Welcome back to our regular column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week's best in Android gaming. New Games This WeekZynga releases “survival comedy” ZombieSmash Today Zynga said they would be releasing ZombieSmash! to the Google Play Store later this week, and the game just went live. I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but Zynga normally doesn’t disappoint. The game runs $0.99, but the teaser video makes it look pretty tempting. Zynga even says the game features the proprietary SplatterEngine, which “renders adorable cartoon blood and gore in a convincing and entertaining fashion.” Kairosoft returns with Cafeteria Nipponica
Kairosoft has a winning formula for mobile games, so you can’t blame them for sticking with it. Their latest 8-bit sim Cafe Nippon lets players find ingredients, make menus, and run their own restaurant empire. The game runs $4.99, but it provides endless hours of gameplay without any annoying in-app purchases or ads. Hambo was Born to Bacon From Miniclip, “Hambo the war hero needs help rescuing his best friend Bacon from the enemy’s evil clutches! Make use of your deadly arsenal and destroy those who dare to oppose Hambo on his noble rescue mission.” iSlash reminds me of that old Windows game I can’t think of Watch the video and then tell me the name of the retro game I can’t remember. Help the creatures get their trees back! We missed this game last week, but the visual style is so damn cool I just had to share it. From the developer Mikrotie, “Tap on the screen to cast a rope, second tap makes you fling yourself to the direction of rope! Swipe the screen to swing and gain speed. Pinch to zoom and view the 3d environment.” BMX Boy accelerates onto Android BMX Boy by Runnergames just came out two days ago and it has already racked up over 100,000 installs with an average review score of 4.7. The game looks fairly basic, but it has that twitch action gameplay that makes it addicting. Features include various cool tricks, 75 levels over 3 terrains, and simple two-button controls. BMX Boy is free to play, so give it a ride. Sammy the stickman loves motorsports
If you don’t feel like paying $0.99 for BMX Boy, then just grab StickMan Stunts. The game doesn’t have as high a rating as BMX Boy, but it appears to feature the same twitch action gameplay. Angry Birds Space gains 10 new levels
From Rovio, “A new moon rises and puts pigs in motion! If you thought it was hard to pop pigs in space before, just wait til they’re orbiting around the icy planets in these 10 new levels!” Android Games Coming SoonMax Payne Mobile delayed?
Rockstar Games was supposed to release Max Payne Mobile on April 26th, but we are hearing rumors that it was pushed back a week. I guess we will find out tomorrow. Leisure Suit Larry gets funded on Kickstarter Austin based Replay Games announced this week that they hit their Kickstarter funding goal and will bring Leisure Suit Larry to multiple platforms, including Android. It might be awhile before the game is released, but you can follow the progress over on their Kickstarter page. Activision’s award-winning Rigonauts comes to Android in May Activision’s first Independent Games Competition produced an awesome physics game called Rigonauts that is now coming to Android. Developer Engient describes the game, “The story follows a band of small, hapless yet determined engineering Hobs (as in hobgoblins) as they steal the valiant ship, the Rigo in an attempt to flee the clutches of slavery and their former masters, the Komandants.” Droidgamers reports the game should be available in May. Kairosoft keeps it going with Pocket Academy
If you can’t get enough of Kairosoft, they have a new game called Pocket Academy that’s supposed to hit the Google Play Store tomorrow. Not many details have been released, but it looks like another sim title where you run your own school. Mini Motor Racing DroidGamers reports that developer Binary Mill will be bringing Mini Motor Racing to Android later this year. A hands-on video is embedded above, but head over to their site for the full details. Games I'm currently playingDeer Hunter Reloaded: I grew up in South Texas, but I have never been deer hunting in real life. I absolutely love Glu Mobile’s Deer Hunter series, and the latest Reloaded title has not disappointed. I’m a little annoyed that they made it a freemium title, but you can still progress through the game without having to spend any money. Cafe Nippon: I had to see what all the Kairosoft fuss was about so I purchased Cafe Nippon. As many has previously said, these games are terribly addicting. I’m not sure why I have wasted so many hours on Cafe Nippon, but I’m almost finished with the 11 year phase and I have two restaurants that are ranked #1. I will say that I enjoyed the lengthy replay value without being forced to make in-app purchases. It’s nice to see someone do paid games right. What Android games are you playing?Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.
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| Court documents reveal original Google Phone, unlimited data plan for only $9.99 Posted: 25 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT  Google’s ongoing court battle with Oracle has revealed some interesting details about the early days of Android. Bryan Bishop of The Verge has been reporting from the courtroom and shared a bunch of new documents which Google released today. Among the more interesting tidbits are that Google wanted to subsidize a $9.99 unlimited data plan with T-Mobile, Google wanted to sell 10 million Android tablets and have 33% market share in 2011, and Google thought a touchscreen could not replace physical buttons back in 2007. Hit up the source link for the full coverage of Oracle vs. Google. The mobile world looks much different than it did back in 2006, but damn would I like a $9 unlimited data plan.
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| Top 20 United States cities for Android nerds Posted: 25 Apr 2012 12:55 PM PDT  We already know what the typical Android nerd looks like, but where do they live? To answer that question we turned to Google Analytics and tallied up the Top 20 US cities for Android devices that visited our site in 2012. Check out the full list after the break.
Any surprises?
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| Have a favorite Android shirt? Show it to us for a chance to win one of ours! Posted: 25 Apr 2012 12:41 PM PDT  You know that old saying Show me yours and I’ll show you mine? Well, we’ve shown you ours. Now we want to see your favorite Android t-shirt, and we’re giving you a chance to win a spankin’ new tee just for doing so. To enter to win, simply post a photo of yourself in an Android t-shirt. Any Android shirt. You can post the photo on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Flickr- wherever you stash your pictures online. Just make sure you come back here to post a comment to enter. We’ll have two winners, one that takes the best picture (as judged by staff) and one winner drawn at random (as long as there is a qualifying picture attached). Get creative, be funny, or strike a handsome pose. We just want to see you guys decked out in your Android finest. We’ll leave entries open for 24 hours, at which point we’ll update this post with winners. Make sure to keep an eye on the comments, I’m sure there will be some awesome photos surfacing. Of course, if you don’t have a tee yet, I’d like to suggest either of the following, which are only on sale for one more day at get.androidandme.com:
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| Posted: 25 Apr 2012 10:54 AM PDT  Welcome back to our weekly column where we round up all the Android-related rumors and discuss the validity of each one. Everyone seems to love our original rumor reports, but we thought it would be fun to examine the rumors from around the web and share our thoughts on the possibility of them coming true. Read on for this week's latest Android rumors. Pre-paid customers gain access to 4G WiMAX network
Rumor: Tammy Parker of Fierce Wireless reports that Sprint will offer WiMax service on their pre-paid Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile brands. Our thoughts: This rumor was posted earlier in the week and Sprint just confirmed it in their quarterly earnings call. Device details were not disclosed, but both Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile will gain access to WiMAX sometime in the second quarter. Sprint is already moving on to LTE, but they already paid Clearwire $926 million for unlimited access to its WiMAX network in 2012 and 2013. Probability: 100% confirmed Verizon passed on the Samsung Galaxy S III?
Rumor: Stephen Schenck of PocketNow reports that Verizon will launch a device codenamed Samsung Jasper (SCH-i200), that features a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Our thoughts: It’s really interesting to see that Verizon could be launching a new Samsung phone with a Snapdragon S4 processor. We don’t believe this Jasper device is the Galaxy S III, so it raises the question if Verizon will carry Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Most carriers only have room for two hero products. At Verizion that is the iPhone and their Droid brand. We saw Verizon pass on the Galaxy S II and the HTC One X, so it’s not unbelievable to think they could skip the Galaxy S III. My gut thinks that Verizon wanted to turn the Galaxy S III into one of their Droid phones, and Samsung balked at the request. As a current Verizon customer, I really hope that they carry the Samsung Galaxy S III. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them skip it and launch another Samsung Droid phone (like the Jasper) instead. Probability: 40% Sprint to bring back the Motorola Photon series?
Rumor: Evan Blass of PocketNow reports that Sprint will launch a sequel to the Motorola Photon 4G, codenamed the Photon Q. Our thoughts: I wasn’t sure how successful the original Photon 4G was on Sprint, but it makes sense that Sprint would partner with Motorola again and try to build up the brand. This device should become Motorola’s first LTE device on Sprint, and we believe they will go with the Snapdragon S4 processor. Look for this device to feature very similar specs as the RAZR HD (aka Fighter). Since this rumor comes from king leaker Evan Blass, I believe it to be true. Look for Sprint and Motorola to unveil this device at the upcoming CTIA Wireless show in May. Probability: 90% Galaxy Tab with 2 GHz CPU unveiled next month?
Rumor: Aloysius Low of CNET Asia reports that Samsung could unveil a new Galaxy Tab at their London event on May 3rd. Our thoughts: We have believed for quite some time that Samsung would unveil a Galaxy Tab with their 2 GHz Exynos 5250 processor. I thought it would be unveiled at MWC in March after I saw a prototype device at CES in January, but I was wrong. At this point, we think it’s a matter of when, instead of if. Looking back at past Samsung Unpacked events, there is a strong chance we could see a new Galaxy Tab. At the Unpacked event in 2011, Samsung introduced both the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab 10.1. We haven’t seen many leaks lately about a new Samsung tablet since everyone is focused on the Galaxy S III, but don’t be surprised if Samsung shows one off on May 3rd. Probability: 75% HTC plans to develop its own mobile processors
Rumor: Wu Xiaowen of the China Times reports that HTC has partnered with ST-Ericsson to produce their own application processors for low-end smartphones. Our thoughts: In today’s competitive mobile industry, you need custom silicon to differentiate your products. Apple and Samsung do it, and HTC needs to do more of it if they want to keep up. We already saw HTC take a step in this direction with their ImageSense chip found in the One series, and having a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) is the next logical step for them. Probability: 95% Galaxy Note still coming to Sprint and Verizon
Rumor: The Samsung Galaxy Note will come to T-Mobile in May, and a launch on Sprint and Verizon will follow in the coming months. Our thoughts: Rumors from back in January suggested the Galaxy Note would be coming to Sprint and Verizon, possibly as the Galaxy Journal. Now that we have seen the T-Mobile Galaxy Note in the wild, it appears that AT&T’s exclusive launch period is coming to and end. I have no proof that Sprint or Verizon picked up this device, but it is a truly unique product that has seen higher than expected demand. Verizon has a pretty crowded lineup, but I could picture the Note with LTE coming to Sprint this summer. Probability: 60% for Sprint, 30% for Verizon Snapdragon powered Galaxy S III in the United States
Rumor: Kim Yoo-chul of Korea Times reports the U.S. version of the next Galaxy could feature a Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm. Our thoughts: Qualcomm is facing a shortage of their 28nm Snapdragon S4 chips, but Samsung is a top-tier customer, meaning Qualcomm should supply its chipsets even under a “heavy chip shortage,” according to unnamed Samsung officials. The Korea Times report says, “Samsung plans to release its Galaxy S III smartphone according to different specifications and different markets. For European consumers, it will use 3G and the company's own quad-core mobile APs, while its own solution that combines LTE, 3G and quad-core mobile APs will be used for the Korean version. But only in the United States, will Samsung use Qualcomm chips.” I know that the majority of LTE phones launching in the first half of 2012 are using the Snapdragon S4 chip, but I find it really difficult to believe that Samsung would go this route. Samsung produces their own Exynos application processors and their own LTE modems, so it makes little sense for them to go with the Snapdragon S4 in the next Galaxy. Why would Samsung use the same chip as HTC and LG if they are trying so hard to differentiate the Galaxy S III? I could be wrong, but I just don’t see it happening. Probability: 25% Got any juicy rumors?Find any hot Android-related rumors that we failed to cover? Just contact Taylor or leave a comment below and we will evaluate them next week.
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| Tegra 3+ to bring 1.7 GHz CPU, 1080p displays, 25% faster GPU, and LTE to phones Posted: 25 Apr 2012 09:14 AM PDT  NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 has been one of the fastest mobile processors on the market since it debuted last year, but it is now seeing increased competition form Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 and Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 4412. We already know that NVIDIA is working on their next generation of chips codenamed Wayne (Tegra 4), but those are not expected to appear in devices until the tail end of 2012 or early 2013. Right now NVIDIA still wins 100% of the “marketing benchmarks” with their quad-core processor, but how will they continue to remain competitive and pick up design wins for the remainder of the year? Last week at a HTC event in Seattle, Michael Rayfield, GM of NVIDIA’s mobile business unit, shared some new details on the Tegra roadmap.
Mr. Rayfield confirmed previous leaks that NVIDIA was preparing a Tegra 3+ part for the middle of 2012. He didn’t go into many details on how the chip would differ from Tegra 3, but he did say it would be a significant bump. One thing that was talked about was support for LTE networks. Many sites have incorrectly reported that Tegra 3 was not “LTE ready”, but it’s actually the modem suppliers that are behind. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE used the previous generation Tegra 2 and ZTE already announced a Tegra 3 phone with LTE support, so we know Tegra works with LTE networks The problem is that LTE networks are only widely popular in the United States, so most modem partners have not brought their LTE solutions to the market yet. Qualcomm is currently the leader in LTE modems, but they have no interest in working with their competitor NVIDIA and supplying them modems for Tegra devices. Thankfully, things will change in the second half of the year. NVIDIA says that GCT Semiconductor, Renesas Mobile, and ST-Ericsson are all working on LTE modems that will work with Tegra 3 chips.
Thanks to a document leaked by VR-Zone, we are now learning additional details about Tegra 3+, which has the model number AP37. The new chip should boast CPU speeds up to 1.7 GHz, feature 25% faster graphics, and have support for 1920×1200 display. Keep in mind this is a smartphone chip, so it makes those rumors of 1080p smartphone displays in 2012 sound more believable. We don’t know exactly when Tegra 3+ smartphones will appear in market or which handset maker will produce them, but we could possibly hear announcements as soon as next month at CTIA. If that show comes and goes with no news, we could hear more details at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference on May 17th.
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| Galaxy S III prototype reveals Samsung’s custom on-screen buttons Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:07 AM PDT  In the early days of Android every handset maker had a different configuration for their physical buttons, which made it annoying any time you would switch from one phone to a new one. We thought that the introduction of on-screen buttons might resolve this issue, but that does not appear to be the case. New pics from Chinese blog mobile01 reveal that Samsung has designed their own custom Menu button and reversed the layout from previous on-screen layouts. The on-screen button order for Samsung’s two devices is:
I think that Samsung’s new Menu button is more intuitive than the stock button that features three vertical dots, but I’m not sure why the order of the buttons has been swapped around. It’s not that big of a deal, but I find it kind of funny that Google and Samsung can’t agree on minor details like this. The original source article appears to be down for now, so check out the rest of the leaked shots in the following gallery. Let us know what you think about the new TouchWiz in the comments below.
Gallery
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| HTC and Facebook jointly working on new Facebook Phone? Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:46 AM PDT  Today’s rumor comes from a notably unreliable source, so take it with a pound of salt. Digitimes is reporting this morning that Facebook and HTC are jointly working on a Facebook phone, to be released Q3 2012 at the earliest. While HTC has released the ChaCha and Salsa headsets, “Facebook” phones with a dedicated Facebook button, the current collaboration will likely result in a more deeply integrated product. Digitimes suggests that the device will have a platform exclusive to Facebook, which will grant HTC full access to the suite of Facebook functions. While Android and Me readers tend to groan whenever we mention Facebook, the fact that Facebook has over 900 million worldwide users suggests that there is certainly a potential market for a Facebook-integrated device. While many of us have embraced the social age with our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and other social media accounts, many more out there solely rely on Facebook for their social networking needs. If the rumor pans out, we should learn more details about the HTC Facebook phone in coming months. Any readers out there interested in a Facebook phone? What if it had the specs of the HTC One X? Can a true Facebook phone beat out the next Nexus phone, which has just been tipped for Samsung?
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| Google picks Samsung for 4th generation Nexus phone Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:44 AM PDT  Now that Google has re-opened their online devices store, it appears the Nexus brand is here to stay. Google typically releases a new Nexus device every year, so speculation has already begun about who will produce the 4th generation Nexus phone. According to Digitimes sources, Samsung has won the contract for Google’s next phone. They report, ”Since Samsung has become the top vendor of Android smartphones, Google will continue to have Samsung develop its next-generation Nexus models, leveraging Samsung’s innovation ability with regard to the Android platform, and its ability to control the supply of key components.” We anticipate that Google wants to launch their 4th gen Nexus in Q4 2012, so look for the device to be a spin-off of the Galaxy S III. Samsung is scheduled to unveil the next Galaxy on May 3rd, so we don’t have much longer to wait. As always, I’m curious what you think about Google’s pick. Which handset maker would you choose to produce the next Nexus?
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