Android Central |
- Instagram updated, addresses incompatibility with some cameras
- Why it makes sense for Sprint to launch the Galaxy Nexus with LTE turned off by default
- Android tops 50% market share in Feb 2012 Comscore data
- HTC One X now available to pre-order on Rogers
- Searching for a rational reason to hate a manufacturer's UI
- TELUS launching the Samsung Galaxy Note in white April 4th
- State of the Mobile Nations survey - The point of the stylus
- Motorola XOOM WiFi Android 4.0.4 update now available
- Sprint's LG Viper goes up for preorder April 12 for $99
- RIM launches BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, Android client now available
- Smartphone Coasters now hold your device with even more style, custom engraving now available
- Instagram for Android now live in the Google Play Store
- ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #42: Droid Charge Snap-On Cover, OtterBox Commuter for Atrix 2 & more!
- Google Maps adds service alerts for the London Underground
- AT&T lighting up new LTE markets on April 8
- Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Softshell TPU Case for Galaxy Nexus
- Path update to v2.1.1 brings promised security enhancements to keep personal data secure
- Leaked press shots claim to show HTC EVO One
- Motorola RAZR MAXX launches in Europe and the Middle East from May
- Late-night poll: HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy Nexus?
- Sphero now directly to international countries, unveils two new apps
- Spurt of updates brings ICS to 2.9 percent of Android devices
- Sense hate, Mysterious picture deletions [From the Forums]
| Instagram updated, addresses incompatibility with some cameras Posted: 03 Apr 2012 04:57 PM PDT
Hours after today's launch on Android, the Instagram developers have released a quick patch to address compatibility issues with certain cameras. Instagram for Android version 1.0.1 is now available on the Google Play Store, though if you were experiencing problems taking photos before, this update won't necessarily set everything straight. Our HTC One X is still unable to partake in any hipster-filtered fun, though at least the new version displays a friendly error message rather than crashing out, as it did before. We're going to assume that there are fixes for at least some devices in this updated version, though. So if you were having problems with Instagram for Android earlier today, be sure to try the new version and let us know how you get on. We've got the usual handy Google Play linkage after the break. And if you want to follow the AC team on Instagram, the easiest way is to find and follow us on Twitter and use the built-in contact search feature. 
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| Why it makes sense for Sprint to launch the Galaxy Nexus with LTE turned off by default Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:58 PM PDT
There's something sadly funny about seeing training docs for the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus, nearly half a year after its initial launch in the rest of the world. But that's where we stand today, as Engadget's gotten its hands on some internal Sprint materials showing employees how to sell the thing. There's not much in the way of anything to tell you when it's coming, but obviously training's a pretty big step toward launch. The one interesting thing we see is that LTE won't be turned on by default. On one hand, it suggests that Sprint's LTE network might not actually be up and running when the Sprint GNex launches. But consider this: Even if Sprint were to flip the switch on its LTE network tomorrow, it'd still only be live in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Baltimore and Kansas City. Barring any new announcements, that leaves, oh, every city but those without Sprint LTE -- and there are a lot of Sprint stores in the rest of the country that will be selling the Galaxy Nexus. So while it looks like Sprint will launch the Galaxy Nexus with LTE turned off by default, maybe it's not quite as crazy as it sounds. On the other hand, it doesn't do much to persuade me to to with Sprint's LTE network over more mature networks like Verizon, or even AT&T. Source: Engadget; more: Galaxy Nexus forums
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| Android tops 50% market share in Feb 2012 Comscore data Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:07 PM PDT
The Comscore numbers for the quarter endng in February 2012 are in, and it's no surprise to see that Android is still out ahead of all the other smartphone platforms in the U.S. The latest numbers show Android on over 50 percent of all smartphones in the country, rising 3.2 percent from the last quarter, and a whopping 17 percent gain from a year ago. Apple's iOS also rose from 28.7 percent to 30.2 percent (a 5 percentage point increase for the year). Unfortunately, BlackBerry and Windows Phone still continue to slide, both are down for the past quarter (-3.2 percent and -1.3 percent respectively), while Symbian maintains it's 1.5 percent of the U.S. Market. It's apparent that users leaving RIM and Microsoft, as well as new users, are choosing Android more than the competition. We can understand why -- flexibility and freedom, combined with great phones like the HTC Vivid or Droid RAZR MAXX are a huge draw. These numbers only take phones into consideration, so there's no iPads or BB Playbooks being counted. While we're always happy to see Android growing, we hate to see it come at the expense of BlackBerry and WP7. They're both great smartphone platforms in their own right, and we certainly don't want either to fizzle out. As users replace their feature phones for smartphones, hopefully they will always have the choice to use what suits them the best. To view more of the data, hit the source link. Source: Comscore 
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| HTC One X now available to pre-order on Rogers Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:51 PM PDT
The HTC One X will launch in Europe this Thursday, and it looks like Canada isn't far behind. Canadian network Rogers is offering HTC's new flagship phone for pre-order from today, priced C$169.99 with a three (yes, three) year contract. While Rogers hasn't given any specifics on when it'll launch the One X, the up-front price is part of a promotion which runs until the end of April. Monthly prices range from C$52-62 f Rogers is sweetening the deal by giving One X pre-orderers the chance to win a "HTC prize pack", including a two-person trip to the Universal Music Video Awards in Toronto and C$2500 spending money. In case you've somehow missed all our coverage over the past couple of days, the One X is HTC's leading smartphone for 2012, with a 4.7-inch HD SuperLCD 2 screen, a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU and the brand new Sense 4.0 on top of ICS. Check out our definitive review to find out more. Source: Rogers; via: MobileSyrup 
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| Searching for a rational reason to hate a manufacturer's UI Posted: 03 Apr 2012 12:27 PM PDT
Why do you hate Sense? That's not a particularly inviting question. Hell, it's not even nice. But it's one I kept asking myself over the course of a week or so while writing our HTC One X review, and poring over the new HTC Sense 4. It actually was a single question with two targets. The first was myself. I'd never particularly enjoyed Sense on top of Android. The non-customizable dock made sense, I suppose, for a regular consumer who won't be customizing his or her phone much, if at all. But that's not me. I needed more flexibility. And, so, on went a third-party launcher. And that's fine. Sometime around mid-2010 Android smartphones finally started to have hardware that was unencumbered by a launcher on top of whatever the phone came with. And so it was bye-bye, Sense. (And so-long, TouchWiz, for that matter.) As for the Sense widgets, I could take them or leave them. For the most part, they've always been very nicely done. Some I could use, some I don't need. But using another launcher meant they disappeared, too, and so I never used them. So I knew why didn't want to use Sense as my daily driver. But this is about you as much as it is me. Why do you hate Sense? 
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| TELUS launching the Samsung Galaxy Note in white April 4th Posted: 03 Apr 2012 12:19 PM PDT
For the past little while I've been contemplating picking up a Samsung Galaxy Note from one of the Canadian carriers that have it available. Sadly though, none of them have it available in white so I was going to grab an unlocked AT&T version. The latest news from TELUS though may have me once again changing my plans again because as of April 4th, they'll be releasing their own version in white. If you can hold out until April 4th, a white Galaxy Note can be yours for $200 with a new three-year contract from TELUS or $780 no term. Source: Mobile Syrup 
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| State of the Mobile Nations survey - The point of the stylus Posted: 03 Apr 2012 11:33 AM PDT
Steve Jobs put an end to the Newton project, largely because he hated the concept of using a stylus. The original Palm Pilot was a runaway hit - largely because of the use of the stylus and its handwriting recognition. Now, Palm is dead and Apple is ginormous and Samsung's going all out with the Galaxy Note. So, who was right? Well, maybe they all were. Just as the iPad is reaching the stratosphere in usage, the stylus is making a comeback. So, we want to know what you think. Does the stylus inhibit or amplify your touch screen experience? Let us know by taking the short survey below. 
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| Motorola XOOM WiFi Android 4.0.4 update now available Posted: 03 Apr 2012 11:23 AM PDT
A few days ago, we learned that Motorola and Google would be pushing Android 4.0.4 to the Motorola XOOM WiFi. A few folks got their hands on the update but it never seemed to roll out to most users. If you check for updates on XOOM, you should now find it available for download though and as a reminder, here is what the changes will include:
Sounds good! If you now have the update, drop us some notes in the comments how well it is or isn't running for you plus, you'll find some more discussion in the Android Central forums about it. 
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| Sprint's LG Viper goes up for preorder April 12 for $99 Posted: 03 Apr 2012 10:26 AM PDT
Sprint's just given us the heads up that the LG Viper 4G LTE, with its 4-inch NOVA display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 5MP camera and NFC radio (along with Google Wallet) will be up for pre-order starting April 12. The Viper, which we got a dark look at back at CES in January, admittedly won't set any hardware records. But the price is right -- $99 on contract, with $50 mail-in rebate. Sweetening the deal is 50GB of cloud storage from Box. Sprint says full availability dates will be announced later this month. 
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| RIM launches BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, Android client now available Posted: 03 Apr 2012 10:16 AM PDT
Research In Motion has had a rough go the past little while but they're looking to get things moving in the right direction once again and one of the tools they're deploying to help get them there is something called BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. With BlackBerry Mobile Fusion being a mobile device management suite, those making use of BlackBerry Enterprise Servers will be able to control all devices connected to their network including those running Android and iOS with some of the following features available:
In order to make use of the services, IT Admins will need to deploy the Android client that is currently available in the Google Play Store for download. If you're interested in learning more about RIM's offering for Android, you can jump past the break for the full press release as well as a link to the mobile client needed. Source: CrackBerry 
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| Smartphone Coasters now hold your device with even more style, custom engraving now available Posted: 03 Apr 2012 10:04 AM PDT
Last year we were first introduced to the Smartphone Coasters, a simple and stylish way to hold your Android device while it isn't in your hands. The folks at newPCgadgets.com have received some pretty stellar feedback about the coasters, and they are now pleased to announce that they are offering custom engraving. Whether you want an Android engraved, a custom logo for yourself or a company, or any other design, they can do it. Carrying a price tag of only $4.95 there isn't really much reason not to grab one or five of these for yourself. Get some extras as presents, keep one at home, one at the office, and anywhere else you may think to sit your Android device down. If interested in grabbing one for yourself hit the source link below and grab one today! Source: newPCgadgets.com 
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| Instagram for Android now live in the Google Play Store Posted: 03 Apr 2012 09:03 AM PDT
We've known for quite some time it was coming but the folks from Instagram never said when, exactly. Now, without any pre-warning Instagram for Android has turned up in the Google Play Store and is available for download, though -- we'd remiss if we didn't mention it does have a few things missing. Features :
We'll get up close and personal with it here in a bit but in the meantime, you can jump past the break for the download link. Regarding the missing items, it looks as though tilt shift and circle blur are unavailable. More: Why you want Instagram on Android 
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| ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #42: Droid Charge Snap-On Cover, OtterBox Commuter for Atrix 2 & more! Posted: 03 Apr 2012 08:54 AM PDT Today's ShopAndroid.com Daily Giveaway will feature the Qmadix Snap-On Cover w/ Holster for Droid Charge, OtterBox Commuter Case for Atrix 2, Mobi Crystal Case for Droid 3, and the SPE Skin Case for Droid Incredible. Leave a comment below stating which item from today's giveaway you'd like to win. We'll select one winner by random and announce them next Monday. Good luck! Qmadix Snap-On Cover w/ Holster for Samsung Droid ChargeThe Qmadix Snap-On Cover is form-fitted to your Samsung Droid Charge and features a textured rubberized exterior to allow a firm grip on your device. The case is lightweight, and fairly thin-- keeping your Droid Charge's slim profile as close as possible. The included holster has a felt lining so that your device's screen is always protected while in the holster. The swivel clip on the Qmadix holster allows you to wear your Droid Charge vertically or horizontally. 
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| Google Maps adds service alerts for the London Underground Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:21 AM PDT
The London Underground is chaotic and delay-prone at the best of times, and with thousands descending on London this summer for the Olympics, it's going to be busier than ever. Fortunately Google's stepped in to ease your Tube-related woes, by adding service alerts for the Underground to Google Maps. It's all part of Google Maps' live transit updates feature, which launched last June in a handful of cities, mostly in the U.S. From today, London Underground passengers will be able to get similar notifications showing any problems or delays that may affect their journey -- these can be found by selecting an individual station, or planning a journey on the Underground through Google Maps, as you'll see above. Live transit updates are available on the desktop and mobile version of Google Maps, as well as the Android app. Londoners, be sure to hit the comments and let us know if this helps with the soul-crushing inevitability of Tube delays. Source: Google Lat Long Blog 
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| AT&T lighting up new LTE markets on April 8 Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:08 AM PDT
AT&T this morning announced that Bloomington and Muncie, Ind., and Bryan-College Station, Texas, will see LTE data starting this Sunday, April 8. It's part of a 12-market expansion that also includes Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio; Lafayette, Ind.; Baton Rouge and New Orleans; St. Louis; and Staten Island, N.Y. Current Android AT&T devices that can take advantage of AT&T's LTE data are the Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, LG Nitro HD, HTC Vivid and Pantech Burst. AT&T also has the new HTC One X coming with LTE. No release date has been announced, but Best Buy in a recent e-mail to customers suggested early May. Source: AT&T 
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| Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Softshell TPU Case for Galaxy Nexus Posted: 03 Apr 2012 06:41 AM PDT
The Mobi Softshell TPU Case is available for $4.95 today only, that's 75% the regular price. Grab yours today while supplies last! 
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| Path update to v2.1.1 brings promised security enhancements to keep personal data secure Posted: 03 Apr 2012 06:15 AM PDT
The latest update to Path for Android update has now hit the Google Play Store, and this release will be of interest to those who previously had concerns over Path not properly securing personal data. As noted on the Path blog:
With the privacy matters in the app now cleared up, the change log does also not various other bg fixes as well. That said; there was no mention of the multiple notification issue being fixed that some folks have been experiencing for the past little while now. Give it a go, the download link is beyond the break for you all and if you've had the notification bug before -- let us know in the comments if it is now fixed for ya. Source: Path 
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| Leaked press shots claim to show HTC EVO One Posted: 03 Apr 2012 05:23 AM PDT
Ahead of tomorrow's joint Sprint-HTC event in New York City, the first images of the star of the show may have leaked out online. The shot above has been unearthed by Pocket-Now, which claims it shows the Sprint HTC EVO One, alongside the already-known AT&T One X and T-Mobile One S. All in all, it looks like many of us may have expected -- a HTC One series phone with slightly chunkier, EVO-ish looks. There's still nothing concrete in terms of specs, though last week we were anonymously tipped to expect a 4.7-inch device with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip and a 2560mAh battery. At the very least, the references to the "EVO One" name in today's leak give some weight to the rest of our tipster's info. (Note that the renders here are not to scale. The HTC One S on the right should be smaller than the One X on the left, and presumably will be smaller than the rumored EVO One in the middle.) In any case, we'll be live from New York City on Wednesday night to cover whatever HTC and Sprint show off. Source: Pocket-Now 
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| Motorola RAZR MAXX launches in Europe and the Middle East from May Posted: 03 Apr 2012 04:18 AM PDT
Motorola's RAZR MAXX roll-out continues, following the device's launch on Verizon Wireless in the states and China last month. Motorola Mobility sends news that a GSM version of the RAZR MAXX, 3300mAh battery and all, will be coming to Europe and the Middle East starting next month. We've already been impressed by the battery life of the Verizon Droid RAZR MAXX, and we're eager to see what kind of crazy battery life the MAXX and deliver when paired with a less demanding GSM/HSPA+ radio combo. Giant-ass battery aside, the RAZR MAXX delivers the same hardware as the original RAZR -- a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. Despite the slight contentious qHD SuperAMOLED screen, which doesn't quite match up to the latest 720p offerings, there's still plenty to like about the RAZR MAXX. And recent firmware leaks suggest an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is on the way sooner rather than later. We've got Moto's press release after the break. 
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| Late-night poll: HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy Nexus? Posted: 02 Apr 2012 11:05 PM PDT
As requested by AC reader spagmuff, tonights poll is simple -- if you had the choice, would you pick the HTC One X or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We're not concerned about availability or any real-world issues, we just want to know which phone you think is the best. Makes this post pretty easy to write, but it's not so easy to make the decision. Here's what I think, (but don't let this influence you). The One X is freaking beautiful. Even Sense 4 looks intriguing, and things like the new camera setup and Beats audio are icing on the cake. I pestered Phil with questions about it the whole time he was reviewing it -- it's amazing he got any work done with my constant interruptions. But, if I could only choose one, I'd have to choose the Galaxy Nexus. I have to support the Nexus model of unfettered and unlocked hardware, because I think it's the right thing to do. Add in the fact that the Galaxy Nexus is still one hell of a device, and I have no problem saying it's the best phone for me. Now let's hear from you guys. The poll is below, and sound off in the comments. 
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| Sphero now directly to international countries, unveils two new apps Posted: 02 Apr 2012 06:57 PM PDT It's been a while since we hard from the folks at Orbotix but they've been hard at working coming up with some new apps and working out arrangements so that they may ship the pretty awesome Sphero ball to what is now 95 countries outside of the U.S. The two new apps they've been working on are called MacroLab and Chromo respectively and they are certainly impressive though, they've not quite been released as of yet. Orbotix says they will be arriving this month:
If you're looking to get in on the Sphero action, you can now save yourself 10% percent off the purchase cost when you use the coupon code "GETROLLING" on their website. The full list of countries is available via the source link as well, hit the break for a video of the Chromo app in action it's pretty awesome and makes me want to get a set of balls, no pun intended. Source: Sphero 
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| Spurt of updates brings ICS to 2.9 percent of Android devices Posted: 02 Apr 2012 05:07 PM PDT
Google has just released an updated set of Android platform statistics for the two-week period ending April 2, 2012. These numbers show the proportion of various version of Android to have accessed the Google Play Store over the past fortnight, meaning these are devices that are being used by real people. Here's how things looked for Android in late March and early April 2012 --
For the record, here's our breakdown of last month's numbers. There's definitely a general movement towards Ice Cream Sandwich on both tablets and phones, and we expect that trend to accelerate in the next month. April will see more ICS updates for existing Gingerbread and Honeycomb devices, along with the launch of more ICS phones, including HTC's highly-anticipated One X and One S. Source: Android Developers 
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| Sense hate, Mysterious picture deletions [From the Forums] Posted: 02 Apr 2012 05:05 PM PDT
Now that we've kicked this Monday off with a bang now is a good time to get caught up on anything you may have missed over the weekend. Both the blogs and the forums were busy this weekend so, go ahead -- dive on in:
If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today. 
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