Android Central |
- Galaxy series ICS updates arriving from today, say Samsung Canada
- Android Central weekly photo contest: The great outdoors
- Sony Xperia PLAY (Verizon) getting updated -- still not ICS
- Verizon announces new prepaid wireless plans
- How I do it: Covering live events with the Samsung Galaxy Note
- AT&T One X benchmarks pit Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 against NVIDIA Tegra 3
- The Google Play store Galaxy Nexus winner
- The greatest battery widget ever
- ZTE Optik review (Sprint)
- ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #61: SGP Leather Case for Kindle Fire, LG Spectrum Icon Case & more
- BSkyB preps 'Sky Go' app for ICS and more handsets, HDMI still no-go
- Motorola brings the MOTOLUXE to Canada
- Deal of the Day: Trident Aegis Series for Motorola Droid RAZR
- LG opts to focus on Android devices, leaves Windows Phone in the rearview
- Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!
- Monday Brief: WWDC Sells Out, Waiting for BlackBerry World, the Galaxy S 3, and more!
- LG enters the cloud storage arena, connecting your Android device to your LG Smart TV
| Galaxy series ICS updates arriving from today, say Samsung Canada Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:49 PM PDT
After a five-month long wait, Samsung phone and tablet owners in Canada can finally look forward to an update to the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. The manufacturer has today announced that nine devices, including members of the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab families, as well as the Galaxy Note, will be getting ICS from today, "on select devices in Canada." There's no information on exactly which devices will be first, and as is always the case, when you get your update will probably be heavily dependent on your carrier of choice. Regardless, the fact that these updates seem to have been rubber-stamped by Samsung is a good indication. Here's the manufacturer's list of ICS-upgradable devices --
We'll be keeping an eye on our Samsung devices in the days ahead, as many of these haven't yet received Android 4.0 outside of Canada. We'll update you soon as there's any word on when exactly ICS is rolling out. In the meantime there's more specifics in Samsung Canada's press release, which you'll find after the break. 
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| Android Central weekly photo contest: The great outdoors Posted: 30 Apr 2012 02:32 PM PDT
We're back for another weekly photo contest, and this go 'round the subject is something near and dear to my heart -- the great outdoors. It means different things to different folks, but I think inside all of us there's a part that loves seeing the beauty in the world around us. Yours won't look like mine or anyone else's, and that's what makes it great. Take a minute and share what you see with us all, and get a chance to win a cool little prize -- the Andru USB charger. It's shaped like bugdroid, has light up eyes, and will keep your phone charged up and ready to go. The rules are simple:
Enter this weeks contest
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| Sony Xperia PLAY (Verizon) getting updated -- still not ICS Posted: 30 Apr 2012 01:44 PM PDT
Sony and Verizon are pushing out an update for the Xperia PLAY, bringing it to version 4.0.2.E.0.57. Relax, 4.0.2 is the version number from Sony and not Android 4.0.2 -- but don't feel bad, I thought the same thing. While the update may not be the one everyone is waiting for, it does bring a couple nice things to the table -- new versions of Verizon Navigator and Verizon Video on Demand! I'll stop. There is something cool in this update though -- use the right trigger button to take a picture while running the camera app. The rest you ask? Certainly.
Start mashing on the system update button, and holler out in the forums when you see it! Source: Verizon. Thanks everyone who sent this in! 
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| Verizon announces new prepaid wireless plans Posted: 30 Apr 2012 01:20 PM PDT
Starting tomorrow (May 1), Verizon will begin offering up a new prepaid wireless plan, with unlimited talk and text plus 1GB of data for $80 monthly. You'll have to buy a new phone of course, and for now the only phone being offered is the less-than-stellar Samsung Illusion. You will be able to grab one in stores or online for $170, and it should be coming soon to Target, Best Buy, Radio Shack and WalMart. If you're looking for something with a bit more oompf, the prepaid Verizon Jetpack LTE hotspot could be what you're needing. Pricing starts at 250MB for $15 per week, 3GB for $60 per month or 10GB for $90 per month. The Jetpack itself will be available for $129.99 at Verizon stores and online, and it's also coming soon to Best Buy, Radio Shack and WalMart. You'll find the press release after the break. 
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| How I do it: Covering live events with the Samsung Galaxy Note Posted: 30 Apr 2012 11:28 AM PDT
One of the perks of this job is getting to travel to (mostly) interesting places and play with shiny new toys as (and sometimes before) they’re announced. But while live events can be a lot of fun, there’s also a huge amount of work involved. There’re press conferences to be liveblogged, videos to be shot, photos to be taken and words to be written, all the while dealing with crowds of sweaty tech journalists and spotty data connections. As we said in our review, the Samsung Galaxy Note isn’t the phone for everyone -- its size alone makes sure of that. But the device has found a place at the heart of my workflow whenever I’m covering a live event, be it a simple phone launch in London, or the back-to-back mobile armageddon that is MWC in Barcelona, Spain. The Note’s size makes it a capable content creation device, in addition to its media consumption prowess. Head past the break to find learn how I use the Note to keep on top of live events for Android Central. 
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| AT&T One X benchmarks pit Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 against NVIDIA Tegra 3 Posted: 30 Apr 2012 11:10 AM PDT Don't tell Jerry or Phil -- you know how they feel about benchmarks -- but superscientific in our HTC One X forums managed to sneak some head-to-head benchmarks between an AT&T HTC One X that was on display, and his own Tegra 3-powered international HTC One X. Dude runs Quadrant, Nenamark 2 and Linpack, and there's a little back and forth over which one fares better in specific tests. Now, you never know with demo units in stores -- we've seen them get all sorts of fouled up. But this video might well show you what to expect when the AT&T One X finally is available next week. This changing anyone's mind over whether dual core isn't as good as quad core? More: HTC One X forums 
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| The Google Play store Galaxy Nexus winner Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:10 AM PDT
You may recall that last week we ordered an unlocked GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play store to give away. There was this gigantic forum thread and everything. Well, we fired up ye olde random number generator last night and picked a winner, and now we're gonna announce it. Scmurphy13, enjoy your Galaxy Nexus! Keep an eye peeled for more contests and giveaways -- we like having them as much as you like winning them. Congrats, scmurphy13, from everyone here at AC! 
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| The greatest battery widget ever Posted: 30 Apr 2012 08:53 AM PDT
I'm not sure why nobody showed me this Metroid-style battery widget before, but I'm holding each and every single one of you personally responsible for this oversight. Download: Super Android Battery; via Dovahkiin in the Android Forums 
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| Posted: 30 Apr 2012 08:22 AM PDT
The ZTE Optik is a nice little surprise from Sprint. It's an unassuming but well-built and well-running 7-inch Honeycomb tablet that runs on Sprint's 3G network, and it is probably one of the better devices nobody has heard much about. With no gimmicks like a digital stylus or a foldable keyboard dock, it's easy to forget about the Optik. Hit the break to see why you shouldn't.
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| ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #61: SGP Leather Case for Kindle Fire, LG Spectrum Icon Case & more Posted: 30 Apr 2012 08:15 AM PDT Welcome back to another week of giveaway's from ShopAndroid.com! Today we're featuring the SGP Leather Case for Kindle Fire, Body Glove Icon Case for LG Spectrum, Seidio Horizontal Slim Fit Leather Case, and the Mobi Hard Shell Case for Droid RAZR MAXX. To become eligible to win one of these featured accessories, just leave your comment below stating which item you'd like for your Android device. One lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced next week. SGP Leather Case for Kindle FireThe SGP Leather Case is a foldable stand case designed to harmonize with the simple and slim form of the Amazon Kindle Fire. This case is made with leather that would provide an excellent protection against shocks and impacts. The portion of the case on which the Kindle Fire rests is made from polycarbonate plastic. The matte surface of the polycarbonate makes it smooth to the touch. 
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| BSkyB preps 'Sky Go' app for ICS and more handsets, HDMI still no-go Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:50 AM PDT
Since its launch last year' the Sky Go application for Android has been available only for a handful of approved phones. And on top of this limitation, the app doesn't support Android 4.0, meaning even supported devices are out of luck once they're updated to the latest version of the OS. However, it seems Sky's preparing to open its on-demand TV service up a little more, with reports emerging today that ICS support is inbound, along with support for a couple of new Samsung devices. UK tech blog TechRadar reports that support for the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus, as well as ICS updates for other phones already on the list (HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II) is "coming soon". Interestingly the site also reports that Sky's unable to offer the app on phones with HDMI output in order to avoid breaching its broadcasting contract. That's somewhat odd, as many officially supported phones, including the Sensation and Galaxy S II, include MHL capability, which does exactly the same thing over a different connector. In any case, it's good to see Sky (slowly) opening things up to more popular, and recent handsets. However, with new, high-end Android phones appearing all the time, we have to question whether the broadcaster will be able to keep pace with its certification process -- the Sensation is already old news with the launch of the HTC One series, and the Galaxy S II is set to be succeeded in days by the Galaxy S3. Source: TechRadar 
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| Motorola brings the MOTOLUXE to Canada Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:07 AM PDT
Motorola is still all about bringing its devices to as many countries as possible, and that is something that we have grown to love. Next up on their list is a Canadian release of the MOTOLUXE, the 4-inch widget heavy device that we first got our hands-on back at CES.
The device should hit carriers around Canada in Q2 of 2012, so be sure to be on the lookout for it! Press release after the break. 
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| Deal of the Day: Trident Aegis Series for Motorola Droid RAZR Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:51 AM PDT
The Trident Aegis Series for Droid RAZR are available for just $22.95 today only, 23% off the regular price. Get yours while supplies last! 
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| LG opts to focus on Android devices, leaves Windows Phone in the rearview Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:31 AM PDT
This should really come as no surprise to many, but LG apparently has decided to put aside hardware for Windows Phone in favor of continuing to bring new Android headsets to the market. Back at Mobile World Congress LG brought nothing to the table except for Android devices, so the writing was on the wall for the Windows Phone folks, but that doesn't soften the blow. LG has only recently been able to turn a profit after seven straight quarters of posting losses, and that could be partially due to their new Android assortment, like the LG Lucid, LG Thrill 4G and the others that have recently hit the market. We know LG has made the right decision here, and we can hope that their dedicated focus on Android devices will lead to even better quality devices, and more. Source: Korea Herald; via: WPCentral 
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| Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World! Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:51 AM PDT
Where the heck were you on Thursday night? If you weren't with us for the live recording of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, you definitely missed a good one. We've got our bags packed for Thursday's Samsung event in London. Plus we break down the all-new (sort of) Google Drive, talk even more about the HTC One line (you know we couldn't resist), plus we answer your e-mails and voicemails! The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that really matters, and explain what's just a bunch of hype. Plus, we answer your e-mails and voicemails. You don't want to miss it. Check out the Android Central Podcast. 
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| Monday Brief: WWDC Sells Out, Waiting for BlackBerry World, the Galaxy S 3, and more! Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT Edit: Really, folks? These are the kinds of comments you want to leave? I'm gonna wipe the slate clean and hope you all can conduct yourselves a little more appropriately next week. - Phil 
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| LG enters the cloud storage arena, connecting your Android device to your LG Smart TV Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:03 AM PDT
LG clearly doesn't think we have too much choice in cloud storage, as the company has launched the imaginatively titled LG Cloud. The stand out feature on this one though, is that the service integrates with your LG Smart TV. Out of the box, free storage is a pretty standard 5GB, although naturally LG owners are favorably advantaged. LG Android phone and LG Smart TV owners get 50GB for free, albeit only for the first six months. By now though, cloud storage is becoming a little -- read a lot -- boring, and plentiful. We're waiting for Google Drive to become the something special we all expect a Google product to become, and Dropbox has long been the standard. LG Cloud stands apart with its integration between devices, be it a smartphone or tablet, desktop Windows PC -- Mac OS X isn't yet supported -- or LG Smart TV. The service supports real time transcoding technology which will optimize video content for the different sized screens you could be watching it on. You can also watch a movie on your TV, stop mid-way through, and pick it up where you left off on your Android smartphone. Or, the other way round if you prefer. As with Dropbox, LG Cloud has its own auto-upload feature. Photos and videos taken on your phone can be automatically synced to your LG Cloud account. Then you can go look at them on your TV, figures. All in, it sounds like a pretty decent service. The drawback is the LG-exclusive nature of it all if you want to get the absolute best from the service. It isn't uncommon of course, Apple has their iCloud for example, but LG isn't Apple. Samsung are of course rumored to be heading down a similar path, should the mythical S-Cloud be announced this week in London. But LG aren't Samsung either. It's a bold move, and only time will tell how it pays off. But, personally, I have an HTC phone, a Samsung TV and probably an ASUS tablet in the not too distant future. I want something that will work on all of them, I don't want to have to go all in on one OEM's ecosystem of products to use services like this. I would guess a lot of you feel the same. We can all dream I guess. In any case, you don't need an LG device to take advantage of the free 5GB cloud locker. If you're keen, you'll find the download links after the break. One final word though, at the moment you have to be in the US or South Korea. Other markets will be coming soon though apparently. Source: LG 
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