Android Phone Fans |
- Facebook Messenger receives update with better UI and speed enhancements
- Is Samsung making too many devices?
- Toray Advanced Film: Self-healing screen protectors? You got them!
- Rumor: AT&T Galaxy Nexus with 4G LTE in the works
- LG to release a “thinking smartphone”?
- Deals of the Day: Vizio 8″ and Pandigital 7″ tablets
- Rumored Tegra 4 roadmap leaked
- Pantech Crossover finally finds its invitation, joins the Gingerbread army
- Deal: LG Lucid 4G now going for 1 penny from Amazon
- TELUS giving customers $100 off any device [Deals]
- Sprint Conquer 4G gets security update, boots out CarrierIQ
- Micromax launches $125 ICS tablet in India
- Asus confirms provision of GPS dongles to Transformer Prime users
- Samsung Infuse 4G users, Android 2.3.6 is ready for you
- Introducing Rookie Review, for Newbie Developers
| Facebook Messenger receives update with better UI and speed enhancements Posted: 07 Apr 2012 05:19 PM PDT
Its main improvements include the fact that one can now easily start group conversations, from the button in the top-right corner. After tapping on the button, one can simply select “New Group Conversation” and start the group chat. Other than that, the improvements are all in performance. And I can honestly say that I do notice a slight improvement in speed and performance. Which will further boost the popularity of said app. Now that Facebook has replaced other messaging clients like AIM and MSN messenger, it is good to see Facebook trying to improve its own client. This leaves users wondering when Facebook will update its official app, though. While it received a major overhaul last December. Said update included some major improvements, but many users still complain about it. It simply does not seem as snappy as it should be, and it needs some Android 4.0 optimization. In the meanwhile, though, you can go and enjoy the improved Facebook Messenger. Simply go to the Google Play Store and get your update. [Via: The Verge]
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| Is Samsung making too many devices? Posted: 07 Apr 2012 03:10 PM PDT
Of course, this information may not mean much right now. It is still unknown if Samsung will even use such trademarks, or if they will keep the names. It is also unknown if these are tablets, phones, or anything else. But “Galaxy” is attached to Samsung’s Android products, and it is a bit interesting to see a bit of what could be coming. The company has also filed for other trademarks in the past few months. These include the Galaxy Joy, Fresh, Awaken, Axiom, Heir and Rite. What a list, right? Samsung is known for constantly manufacturing a plethora of devices for all markets. It can become a bit overwhelming at times, which is the reason why manufacturers like HTC and Motorola are deciding to make fewer, better devices. But covering all sides of the spectrum has its benefits, and it seems like Samsung is not stopping. With that said, we might not be seeing most of these devices. If we do, odds are that we will not care much for most of them. But what do you guys think? Should Samsung follow the other guys and stop releasing devices like pancakes? [Via: Electronista]
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| Toray Advanced Film: Self-healing screen protectors? You got them! Posted: 07 Apr 2012 02:51 PM PDT
The company has already manufactured a screen-protecting film that will self-heal. Claims state that minor scratches and dents will disappear in 10 seconds or less. This excludes damage done by knife, or any other similar sharp object, though.
After successfully testing the film about 20,000 times, this looks to be a very promising product. In fact, it is already being used for a limited number of notebook computers, but the company plans to extend its work and manufacture “several hundred thousand square meters per year.” So we might be seeing such film layers coming to all our devices fairly soon.
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| Rumor: AT&T Galaxy Nexus with 4G LTE in the works Posted: 07 Apr 2012 02:16 PM PDT
The news come from Andro Rev, who’s source is claimed to be working “very close to the situation.” It is also mentioned that these are standard SIM cards, unlike Verizon’s micro SIM cards. The source does confirm that these are 4G LTE enabled, and the SKU for the SIM cards is 73057. Whether this is true or not is something that only time will tell. As always, we should take it with a grain of salt. Rumors come and go around the inter webs, many of them proving to be false. But what do you guys say? Would you go for AT&T’s Galaxy Nexus if it does, in fact, get released soon? Is it too late by now? [Source: Andro Rev]
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| LG to release a “thinking smartphone”? Posted: 07 Apr 2012 01:57 PM PDT
Bong-Suk goes on to mention that Apple should not be the only one that can bring the “next great mobile innovation.” A company like LG can identify “universal value” that consumers seek for.
The Korean manufacturer is looking to move away from simply adding cool features and specs to their devices. They want to make a phone that will not only help make your life easier, but it will intelligently aid you in doing so. Kwon’s example revolves around a smartphone that can modify your alarm clock based on traffic. If traffic is not an issue, it will give you some extra sleeping time, while you would have to wake up earlier if the opposite is the case. We have heard of such idea before, and possibilities are endless. There is no doubt that such concept would make things much better; but what would be the cost? LG assures us that they are keeping price in mind. And they want to release a $100 smartphone, but they will not do so if it means sacrificing the product’s quality. For now, lets stick to our smartphones, which arguably can think, as well. We will have to wait and see what the future holds. And let’s hope the machines don’t take over some day.
[Via: The Verge]
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| Deals of the Day: Vizio 8″ and Pandigital 7″ tablets Posted: 07 Apr 2012 01:22 PM PDT
Vizio 8″ Tablet
This bad boy has been around for a while now. It is not the tablet of your dreams, but it will get the job done. It has a 1GHz processor, an 8″ display, 4 GB of internal storage (with microSD port), 512 MB of RAM and even a front-facing camera for those video calls. Normally going for about $280, the guys from Woot have made cut the price down by over $100. You can snatch this tablet today for $159.99. Which is not a bad deal if you are looking for an affordable pad. And you also get the case, an HDMI cable and a cleaning cloth. Pandigital Novel 7″ Tablet
Now, if you really want to keep your bank account almost intact, 1saleaday is offering this one for $50. Of course, you get what you pay for, as this device won’t be impressing anyone. In fact, we would mostly consider it an E-reader with Android. It comes with a 7″ display, 1 GB of internal storage and Android 2.0. Yes, that is not a typo; the tablet comes with one of the oldest Android versions. But if you want a cheap E-reader with some extra functionality, $50 is not too much to lose. Especially since it goes for about $115 on Amazon. Wrap-UpOnce again, these are far from being high-end tablets. But it could be good for reading, some web surfing and social networking. Remember that these deals are only available today (April 7, 2012). So you should hurry up and get it if you can find some use for them. Are any of you still purchasing these affordable tablets? Would you rather just spend those extra bucks to upgrade to a Kindle Fire?
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| Rumored Tegra 4 roadmap leaked Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:52 PM PDT
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has gone on record to state that we can expect a new version of Tegra every year, keeping which in consideration we can expect them in the market towards the end of the year or early next year. As to what Tegra 4 will pack, we will only know for certain when NVIDIA themselves disclose the information, but if the leak found by Chinese site VR-Zone turns out to be true, we could be seeing a few variations of it. One even includes on-board LTE and an A9 architecture, while the rest are all A15 with varied clock frequencies. VR-Zone also believes that Q1 2013 is the targeted release date. [VR-Zone (Chinese) via Engadget]
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| Pantech Crossover finally finds its invitation, joins the Gingerbread army Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:35 PM PDT
After the Samsung Infuse news today, and now the Pantech Crossover getting it’s update to Gingerbread you could have easily mistaken Android 2.3.6 to be the latest version of the platform. Unfortunately, that’s the sad truth of the situation. Anyhoo, here’s what you Crossover users can look forward too, as detailed by Pocketnow.
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| Deal: LG Lucid 4G now going for 1 penny from Amazon Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:27 PM PDT
The Lucid 4G has a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and Android 2.3. We have no word on an Ice Cream Sandwich update, but we would say the odds shouldn’t be too much against your favor. And since it was just released (end of March), this deal is not bad at all. Amazon is also currently offering a few other good devices for a penny. Such include the Motorola DROID 3, the DROID Bionic and the HTC Droid Incredible 2. Some of these might be better options, but it is good to know that the LG Lucid 4G is now part of the penny team. If you have been eyeing it, just head over to Amazon Wireless and sign up! Also, this offer applies to any form of 2-year contract agreement. Whether you are upgrading, adding a line or opening a new account, you are in for the deal. Such is usually not the case, and most times devices cost a bit more when they are purchased as upgrades or new lines.
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| TELUS giving customers $100 off any device [Deals] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:20 PM PDT
As a thank you for being patient during their system upgrades (which was causing most new customers trouble to sign up for a new connection), TELUS is offering their customers $100 off any device of their choice. TELUS made the following announcement earlier, regarding their upgrade:
The offer is valid across Canada, unlike some earlier reports stating that it’s only for the Western location.
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| Sprint Conquer 4G gets security update, boots out CarrierIQ Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:06 PM PDT
Users of the Sprint Conquer 4G should be seeing an OTA notification for a minor security update, and according to IntoMobile, the main purpose of the update is to free the user from CarrierIQ aka Big Brother. If you like your live wallpapers , and don’t give a hoot about being tracked without giving Sprint/Samsung permission, then you might want to avoid this update, since some of them (Magic, Smoke, Many, Maps, Nexus, Spectrum, Water and Waveform) are also going to disappear.
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| Micromax launches $125 ICS tablet in India Posted: 07 Apr 2012 11:39 AM PDT
There are more than a few "cheap" Android tablets available in my country, India, where by and large price is one of the most important factors when it comes to purchasing gadgets. After all, we’re the country of the $35 Aakash tablet, which is revered by quite a lot of people (personally, I’m quite a bit against the Aakash, but that discussion is for another time). As you would expect, the quality of these tablets is pretty awful, but I believe that the Funbook, a $125 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet released by Micromax, will sell like hotcakes here. Despite being barely known abroad, Micromax is one of the most exciting mobile manufacturers over here. The reason is that they have gained significant market share over the past two years, and the biggest loser in their blaze of glory is Nokia, who had up till quite recently been ubiquitous with mobile phones in India and other South Asian countries. Though there were several other cheap handset makes, what set Micromax apart was their build quality. When you buy a Micromax, you aren’t buying something clunky. Yes, the internal hardware is still poor, but that’s expected. And thanks to this, Micromax has built a decent reputation for itself. For this reason, I’m actually excited to see them enter the tablet realm. At Rs 6499, I won’t be surprised if I see a lot more tablets everywhere I go by the end of the summer. People are excited by tablets here, and they’ve finally gotten one priced low enough and from a brand that isn’t synonymous with junk. As expected, the hardware isn’t great. There’s a single core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor coupled with a Dual Mali 400 GPU and 512 MB RAM, only 4 GB of on board memory, and a battery life of (up to 5 hours of browsing), but these specs don’t matter here at all. What are their killer features? A 7 inch capacitive touch screen, accelerometer, and, most importantly, a USB port with the capability to host an internet dongle that comes with it (giving the user 3G data capability). And the personal highlight for me? It’s made in India. I love the sound of that. [Micromax]
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| Asus confirms provision of GPS dongles to Transformer Prime users Posted: 07 Apr 2012 09:49 AM PDT
If your Asus Transformer Prime tablet is one of those affected by the GPS issues, we’ve got some good news for you: Asus has confirmed to AllThingsD that they will be providing users with GPS dongles to alleviate the issue. More details on the program will come in on April 16th, when the manufacturer will open up a sign-up page. Whether or not the dongle will be free is still doubtful, but I’d be surprised if they charge for it considering the poor reception the tablet got because of this issue. Where will it fit? Some xda-developers commenters have mentioned it’ll attach to the proprietary dock connector, and is minimalist in design. [AllThingsD via The Verge]
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| Samsung Infuse 4G users, Android 2.3.6 is ready for you Posted: 07 Apr 2012 09:11 AM PDT
Although it’s disappointing to see that it has taken so long for the Infuse 4G users to get a taste of Gingerbread, virtually half a year after the announcement of Ice Cream Sandwich, some update is better than no update, right? So, if you haven’t put a custom ROM yet, fire up Samsung Kies Mini on your PCs, and move up to software version UCLB3. What’s in it for you? As Android Central lists, the upgrade brings to you:
For some reason AT&T suggests you take a backup of all your data, as the upgrade causes a hard reset (though some claim it didn’t). [via Android Central]
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| Introducing Rookie Review, for Newbie Developers Posted: 07 Apr 2012 08:27 AM PDT
While we as users often revel in the growth of the Android Market/Google Play, proudly stating the 450,000+ apps available as a feature that no other platform, other than iOS, comes close to, the downside to this is the competition developers face to get their apps to the audience they deserve. While there isn’t quite anything that drives downloads as getting featured, in whatever capacity, on the Store, you need to get noticed by the editorial team handling the Store in the first place. This isn’t much of a problem for larger brands, or the ‘Top Developers’, who have interacted with employees at Google, but for indie developers, especially those that have just started out on the platform, it can be quite an infuriating process. However, there are other ways you can bring in a significant user base, and one very obvious one that I’m going to discuss here: pitch your apps to us. I have been extremely fortunate to have had my latest app featured on the XDA-Developers’ Portal. Despite the general lack of interaction on the portal, when compared to the huge user-base on their forums, and the fact that the link to the app is only available inside the forum thread, my moment in the sun proved to be a huge boon. And I really want to share my experience with you to discuss exactly how much I’ve gained.
As a developer, who has struggled more than succeeded, I know the disenchantment that comes when your app fails to gain the kind of traction you expected. You’ve put in the hard work, but haven’t reaped the rewards. You’ve even pitched to blogs, but haven’t gotten the review post you crave (the blogger in me apologises for this). Well, things are about to change a little around here regarding this. You deserve better. From this week onwards, I’m beginning a new series called the Rookie Review. This is to help new developers get their work noticed (it’s difficult to know exactly who is new, so I’m going to define those developers as rookies that have only one app available on Google Play. If someone has a better idea, shoot away in the comments). Provide your pitches in by replying to a comment thread that I’ve started below (regular users, please refrain from participating in that thread). At the end of my shift on Sunday (typically 2 PM EDT), I’ll pick up a few apps to try during the rest of the week. I can’t put a finger on exactly how many, but I promise at least one. These apps will be featured the weekend after. A few more qualifying requirements:
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