Saturday, April 14, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Nexus S 4G and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich: A 10-day Journey

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:33 AM PDT

Back on April 2, we reported about the leak of the official Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich build for the Nexus S 4G on Sprint along with step-by-step instructions to manually install it (available now as an OTA update). Sitting at work while reading the article, I immediately cancelled my plans to eat lunch that day and reactivated my Nexus S that had been patiently lying on my kitchen table waiting for this day. I have always waited for the OTA updates in the past, never wanting to take a chance messing up my phone or computer, but this update was too important for old habits. The instructions were as clear as they come. I had to register for a free Jumbo Files account before the site would let me download the software, but after a 15 minute download, the rest was a piece of cake. The whole process took about 35 minutes, total, including the registration. Find out if it was worth the wait after the break.

I cannot remember a time when I was more excited about a software update than this one. For many Android users as of late, firmware updates have been the source of bitter sweet sentiments, even causing a lot of people to refrain from updating at all in fear of the unknown. Again, I was always the one who waited and let the early birds take the chance. No more playing it safe. When the new ICS boot-up animation started up, I was practically jumping up and down in place telling all my workmates to gather 'round. You'll have to forgive my excitement in that moment.  I have never rooted my phone nor done anything like this before. The only phone-to-computer action you saw in my house was for file transfers only. My successful attempt at modification had given me a new found sense of empowerment and pride.

As I went through the initial setup steps, because my phone had been fully wiped in the process, I immediately noticed the smooth response when swiping between screens and opening apps. I realize this is not a big deal for a lot of users, but for me, this is something that I do everyday to get to my important apps and widgets, so homescreen lag is a major turn off. Luckily for me, ICS on the Nexus S 4G didn’t suffer from this issue.

It has now been 10 days since I have been using ICS on my Nexus S 4G and here is the good, bad and ugly of my experience.

The Good

ICS is super smooth! This was a major concern of mine as the Nexus S 4G only has a single-core processor and 512 MB of RAM, yet Google has done a fantastic job in modifying their latest software to work smoothly on last year's hardware. Google decided to keep the symbols below the screen active, as opposed to being incorporated onto the screen like the Galaxy Nexus. I feel this was a good move because the screen size on the Nexus S is only 4 inches and it would indeed be too cramped to have 100% stock ICS crammed into the display.

The software enhancements that come with ICS are the real treat in my opinion. For instance, the new Gmail app is so much more clean, elegant and a joy to work with. ICS finally added the ability to natively assign different text message notification tones to specific contacts. Lacking this feature out of the box and being forced to find an app to perform this function really annoyed me back in the day.

I am proud to state that we now have a built-in 4G toggle widget! You would think that you could have found a widget in the Play Store for this but there weren't any that worked. What was then a 4-step process has now been reduced to a simple tap on the homescreen. Lastly, ICS is just so gosh darn beautiful to look at. I was a major nerd and visited my neighborhood Verizon store just to compare my Nexus S to their Galaxy Nexus and I couldn’t see a difference in color or screen response between the two.

The Bad

ICS may not have altered the overall smoothness and response on the Nexus S 4G but I have seen some noticeable effect on battery life. I can safely say that my battery now lasts roughly 25% less that it used to. Luckily I’m never far from a charger, but this will be a drastic adjustment for many users who have been used to getting through most of the day if not the entire day with Gingerbread Android 2.3. Perhaps this can be addressed in a future software update, but it’s important to be prepared for it now.

Another issue is that the phone will get hot when doing simple tasks like writing emails, reading news and checking my calendar. It’s mostly when the phone has been doing things for about 10-15 minutes or longer, but my phone never used to get hot at all in the past. It is not uncommon for phones to get heated when they are active, but again, this is a noticeable change since the update.

Lastly and sadly, the phone volume has become even softer than before. The Nexus S, like the Galaxy Nexus, has never been a phone that you could count on being able to hear while at the bar or club. However, I am unhappy to report that you will almost certainly need to find some naturally loud ringtones from the Play Store or online to help compensate for this change. It can be remedied for sure but admittedly, it's a bummer to see the sound quality suffer more, rather than receive a much needed improvement.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. After my experience, I can say that overall, I love what ICS does for Android, and I am very happy that the big "G" didn't forget about last year's Google experience device supporters. In my opinion, the ICS improvements for the Nexus S 4G greatly outweigh its shortcomings. So was it worth it for you? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

Boeing scheduled to make a landing in the Android mobile arena in late 2012

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:01 AM PDT

American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, Boeing, has just recently announced plans for the manufacture of a high security Android device for their military and government personnel. This will be the company’s first time to offer a communications device that will function from the use of cellular networks. Boeing has stated that the company recognizes that mobile technology is the future and they want to provide more secure options for their employees rather than restrict them with limited mobile capabilities.

Vice President of Boeing’s secure infrastructure group, Brian Palma, told reporters that “this is why an Android-based system was chosen. The users of these high-end phones want the same ability to use popular applications while knowing that their business communications are secure. The phone will give them what they are used to seeing (on consumer market smartphones) and give them the functionality from the security perspective“.

The price of similar encrypted phones from competitor manufacturers are astronomical, however Boeing aims to keep their price much lower and more affordable in hopes of becoming the more financially wise choice. Feel free to click on the source link below for more details on Boeing’s future smartphone agenda.

source: National Defense Magazine
via: theverge

Try Not To Hold Your Breath: Another Leaked Image Of The “Samsung Galaxy S III” Smartphone Surfaces

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 09:25 AM PDT

It’s been a little while since we heard some Samsung Galaxy S III rumors, so let’s jump right in with the latest gossip, shall we? An anonomyous user claims to have taken a picture of an actual Galaxy S III used for testing purposes. As you can see here, the device pictured has a 5-row icon display (which is frustratingly censored) and a home button complimenting the bigger screen size. Oh and if you look carefully— it looks like there’s pure Android 4.0 as seen in the program tray, no view of TouchWiz in sight.

Of course this device could end up being the actual Galaxy S III design, but it’s more likely that this pictured device is not the upcoming smartphone, but rather the product of a badly done Photoshop job. For example, the display isn’t parallel with the screen and there’s a broken blue line in the screen. But no worries though gang, we’ll continue to keep our eyes and ears on the lookout for any upcoming updates and/or sightings of the Galaxy S III.

source: pocketnow

 

Save 20% In The New TalkAndroid Merchandise Store!

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 08:48 AM PDT

 

Yes, folks, now you can get TalkAndroid logo gear and other cool Android related products from our very own merch store! We’ve opened up a Zazzle store with everything from t-shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers, to hats, pillows, speakers, and water bottles! And we will keep adding new designs as we can (if you have any good Android design ideas, let us know!)

Check out some example products after the break, and be sure to hit our store link to see everything! And also, to save 20% on your entire order, enter coupon code TLKANDROID20 at checkout!

 

TalkAndroid Liberty Water Bottle libertybottle_bottleEat, Sleep, Android Shirt zazzle_shirtTalkAndroid Rickshaw Messenger Bag rickshaw_messengerbag#TeamAndroid Mug zazzle_mugGot Patents? TalkAndroid Shirt zazzle_shirtTalkAndroid Pillow mojo_throwpillow

 

TalkAndroid Merch Store

Sprint posts a features video for their upcoming Galaxy Nexus [Update - Video Pulled]

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 08:36 AM PDT

Recent rumors of the Sprint Galaxy Nexus release date certainly have many prospective and upgrade-ready Sprint customers stewing with anticipation. To appease the anxious and clamoring mob, Sprint has released a new video highlighting the hardware features of their soon to be released Galaxy Nexus along with suggested apps and a quick reminder of Sprint’s soon to be launched LTE network. It’s apparent that Sprint will be releasing this phone really soon, so let’s hope that really soon means the rumored April 22. Who among you are planning on picking up one of these bad boys?

Update:

Apparently they didn’t want the video to be public so fast so they quickly removed. Sorry about that.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

Daily Show Headlines app now available in the Play Store

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 07:03 AM PDT

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has been the late-night television program of choice for roughly 1.5 million viewers nightly for the last 13 years. It’s currently the longest running program on Comedy Central and has won 16 Emmy Awards.  Many of you will be interested to know that the Play Store has now released the official Daily Show Headlines app for all the fans that want to relive some hilarious moments 0r keep up to date on what’s coming up on the show in the near future. Keep in mind that you can only view clips and not full episodes at this time, but there’s a lot of cool stuff jam packed into the app. Check out the official list of features after the break. 

Users will be able to do the following:

  • Watch The Daily Show headlines from the past two weeks
  • Sort new clips by popularity, or use the random quotes module to relive some of The Daily Show’s classic bits
  • Search the archive for clips you missed or want to watch again
  • Never miss an episode on-air–set personalized tune-in reminders
  • Get inside info about The Daily Show’s guests
  • Share it all via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail

For more info or to download it now, hit up the Play Store link below.

 

  qrcode

Play Store Download Link

LogMeIn Gets In On Cloud Storage Action By Unleashing Cubby

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:51 AM PDT

The vast number of online storage apps and services seems like it’s growing by the day, which isn’t a bad thing. Each new service may offer something better than its competition, so it’s ultimately a win-win for consumers who use the services. Enter: LogMeIn. While its acclaimed for its remote desktop services, the company has decided to dabble in online cloud storage by creating Cubby— which looks to improve cloud storage better than its competition such as DropBox. For starters, users will get a free 5GB, compared to just 2GB with DropBox. Plus– what separates this service from others is the ability to have unlimited sharing of files across devices and with your friends— P2P-style. Very nice indeed.

Cubby is currently in beta, so it’s not available for everyone. That means you’ll have to sign up and wait for an invite in order to try out the service. However— those of you who do have the service already can get in on the action by grabbing the app which is now available in the Play Store now for all Android 2.1+ devices.

 

Play Store

 

New Countries now open to Sell Apps in Google Play

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:40 AM PDT

Great news for developers that were previously unable to sell their apps in Google Play. The following countries now have the ability to create an Android Developer account, giving the opportunity to price and sell their mobile applications:

  • Czech Republic
  • Israel
  • Poland
  • Mexico

All they need to do to get started is visit the Android Developer Console and fill out the form to set up a new account. One note that the Android developer blog mentions goes out to all developers sort of as a reminder:

Additionally, we encourage developers everywhere to visit the Developer Console as soon as possible to set prices for their products in the currencies of these new countries. Stay tuned for more announcements soon as we continue to roll out our new billing infrastructure to buyers and sellers throughout the world.

We all love to see updates, and improvements to all things related to our beloved Android system. This latest change in Android developer access is quite welcome by the developers coming out of the above countries. Congrats!

source: android developers blog

Deal Of The Day: Sony Xperia SmartWatch Available For Only $118

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:13 AM PDT

Well what do we have here folks? The newly released and uber-cool Sony Xperia SmartWatch has just become even more appealing thanks to online retailer Expansys. The online retailer is offering the productivity watch for only $117.99, which is $32 less than Sony’s listed price. In addition, Expansys highlights the watch usually ships in 6 days— allowing you to own the watch before all of your friends.

Exciting, isn’t it? The price reduction of the SmartWatch means there’s an even better reason to buy the device which connects to your smartphone in order to receive text messages, emails, Facebook and Twitter feeds, manage phone calls, and control music. If interested, make sure you hit the source link below. You may want to hurry too because there’s no telling how long this deal will last for.

source: Expansys

Vodafone Samsung Galaxy S II to finally receive Ice Cream Sandwich today

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

There’s nothing worse than a cancelled update, right? That’s what happened yesterday when owners of Vodafone Samsung Galaxy S II’s were supposed to get a big taste of Ice Cream Sandwich. Thankfully it was only a one day delay so your great weekend is still intact. As mentioned yesterday, the ICS update will be available via KIES and then over-the-air starting April 17. As of right now it’s still not available, but from the latest Tweet only a few minutes ago it appears to still be on schedule and should available be soon. Let us know when you get your update and what you’re thinking.

source: vodafone
Posted by at 5:54 AM

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