Posted: 02 Mar 2012 02:39 PM PST  Hey guys, to get the weekend started right, our friends at AndroidWinning.com have given us a 5 pack of their newly released tee to give out to you, the loyal reader. The design is a refreshed version of the older ‘Andy Versus’ tee, but this time around our friend is back with a bit more firepower. If you’re not familiar with the crew behind this line of tees, they’re the same guys we used to print our own custom tees (which no doubt a handful of you are wearing right now). They always do a great job and have been supporting the Android community for years. If you don’t win a tee, you definitely can’t go wrong with a purchase. To win a free shirtTo be eligible to win a free tee, all you’ve got to do is tweet about Android Winning. Tell us why. Tell us how. Predict a future outcome. Make a joke. Just use the hash #winning and include a mention to @androidandme so we can find your tweet (well, RowFeeder will be doing the finding, but you get what I mean). This contest is for US users only.To get you rolling, we’ve included a tweetbox where you can just fill in the blank. I bold it because in our last contest, dozens of you guys tweeted a statement ending in ‘…’, which is pretty damn silly. Now get out of here and go enjoy your weekend and come back Monday morning to see which 5 users scored a free tee! And in case you missed it somehow, you can find this shirt at AndroidWinning.com. |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 01:22 PM PST  Sprint announced they would carry the Galaxy Nexus earlier this year and customers have been eagerly waiting ever since. We know it’s coming in the first-half of 2012 and people can register for updates, but we have yet to hear about the official release date. Today Sprint shared two hints that suggest their Galaxy Nexus could arrive sooner than we think. First Sprint started a new contest called the Data Storm Sweepstakes, where they are giving away 30 free Galaxy Nexus smartphones. Sprint is accepting entries to the contest through April 5, and then they will announce the winners on or about April 16. It doesn’t say when the prizes will be shipped out, but one could assume it might happen as soon as next month. Next Sprint uploaded a new video to YouTube that demonstrates the benefits of the Galaxy Nexus and Google Wallet. Once again no release date is mentioned, but Sprint says they are reading their 4G LTE network and the device is coming soon. Sprint’s 4G LTE network will only be available in a handful of cities when it launches in the coming months. Initial markets include Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and San Antonio and we recently learned that Baltimore and Kansas City would be next on the list to get LTE by mid-2012. Sprint has already rolled out their first LTE cluster in Kankakee, Illinois late last year, so I think they can meet their goal of a small launch by next quarter. The Galaxy Nexus is still expected to become Sprint’s first LTE smartphone, so we anticipate a simultaneous launch of the device and new network at the same time. It’s always possible that Sprint could start selling the Galaxy Nexus before LTE is widely available (similar to the EVO 4G and their early WiMAX network), so be on the lookout for a surprise announcement as early as next month. |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 12:27 PM PST  Archos announcements are not usually very eventful, but they do have some good options for affordability-minded customers. The company has just announced a new tablet aimed at kids and will be upgrading G9 tablets to Android 4.0′s Ice Cream Sandwich. Archos had a bit of a delay with its Android 4.0 upgrade for the G9 tablets. The upgrade was supposed to come during the beginning of February. This time, they’re reassuring us that the update is coming within the next couple weeks. If you purchased one of these dual-core Honeycomb devices, you should stay tuned for that OTA update, as it should be coming sooner than later. On a related note, Archos has just announced another affordable device. The Archos ChildPad is geared for kiddos. It sports a 1 GHz CPU and 1 GB of RAM, but the real incentive is that it is set to launch with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. All this is packed in a 7-inch form-factor. Not only does it run Android 4.0, but its specs are very surprising for the price. The ChildPad will retail for only $129, which should make it much more enticing to purchase a tablet for the kids. It also comes pre-loaded with fun games and educational apps, as well as parental control features. Parental Controls are powered by Editions Profil, which is said to be the “most efficient parental control software in worldwide benchmarks.” So you can be sure your kids won’t be accessing naughty apps and websites. It’s good to see lower-end devices coming with Android’s latest software. Some other manufacturers should take note, as many of us adults are still waiting on updates. Seems our kids just might beat us to it. Show Press Release ARCHOS Announces the Child Pad, a 7" ICS Kid-Friendly Tablet The new Child Pad will provide kid's a safe, fun, full tablet experience at $129 Denver, CO – March 01, 2012 – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, announced today a themed 7" Android™ tablet for children, called the Child Pad. The 7'' Child Pad features a compact light weight design, the latest Android version, 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich", a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. The Child Pad will be available at the end of March for $129 SRP. "As a pioneer in the portable audio and Android™ tablet market we realize the importance of providing a tablet that can offer hours of entertainment for all ages, especially kids", says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO. "ARCHOS strives to offer great tablets with only the best of features at affordable prices and we expect this tablet to bring a smile to the faces of kids and parents' everywhere." Key Features & Benefits Kid friendly features of the Child Pad include access to the Kids App Store powered by AppsLib which is filtered down to 14-friendly categories and 10,000 apps including games, entertainment, communication, multimedia, books, comics, sports and more. In addition, ARCHOS has created a kid-friendly user interface with colored icons, home screen folders with direct access to games, entertainment, learning and puzzles and the top 28 kids' apps pre-loaded including Angry Birds, Pig Rush and Flight Frenzy. ARCHOS has also designed the Child Pad to comply with both CIPA and COPPA regulations, ensuring a safe tablet environment for kids and peace of mind for parents. The parental controls and safe web browsing is powered by Editions Profil, whose "Mobile Parental Filter" is ranked as the most efficient parental control software in worldwide benchmarks. Availability & Price The Child Pad will be available in stores starting the end of March with the recommended retail price of $129. About ARCHOS Archos, pioneer in the portable audio and video player market, and now specializing in Android tablets, has repeatedly revolutionized the market for consumer electronics since 1988. Today, ARCHOS offers Android Tablets, Tablet PCs and MP3/MP4 players. In 2000, ARCHOS launched the Jukebox 6000, the first MP3 player combined with a hard disk. Then in 2003 ARCHOS introduced the first portable multimedia players with TV recording. In 2006 Wi-Fi is implemented and then touch screens in 2007. In 2008, Archos launched the first generation Internet Tablets, and then the first ever Android powered tablets in 2009. ARCHOS has offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. ARCHOS is quoted on Compartment B of Eurolist, Euronext Paris, ISIN Code FR0000182479. Website: www.archos.com. Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARCHOS.EntertainmentYourWay Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ARCHOS_US |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 11:52 AM PST  When I got my first Android phone a little over three years ago, one of my favorite things was to browse the Android Market and watch the apps as they were being pushed live. Developers soon began to exploit the Just In section of the Android Market with fake updates to get their app to the top of the list, so Google eventually removed that feature. Now when I want to see what's new in the Android Market, I turn to AppAware. I've covered the app before and it's been around for a couple years, but they just relaunched a couple months ago with a completely overhauled version that turned the service into a social network for app discovery. I've found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to look at what people are actually updating, and not focus on which apps have the most installs. This shows me which apps have active support from their developers and sometimes reminds me of an old app that I might have removed long ago. The following is a Top 10 list of apps which were updated in the last seven days and received the most updates during that time period on AppAware. I hope you enjoy this weekly feature and discover some apps that you might find useful. QuickPic – Version 2.0 What’s new in this version:
Camera360 Ultimate – Version 3.0.2 What’s new in this version:
Foursquare – Version 2012.02.27 What’s new in this version:
Dolphin Browser HD – Version 7.4.0 What’s new in this version:
Antivirus Free – Version 2.10.1 What’s new in this version:
Amazon MP3 – Version 2.4.1 What’s new in this version:
PicsArt Photo Studio – Version 2.2.5 What’s new in this version:
Opera Mobile – Version 12.0 What’s new in this version:
Any.DO – Version 2.03 What’s new in this version:
GasBuddy What’s new in this version:
Honorable mentionsDid you see any Android apps that received notable updates in the last week? Share your suggestions in the comments below and we will add them to our honorable mentions list. |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 11:47 AM PST  The latest rumors around the interwebs claim that the next myTouch devices are in the works and are being manufactured by Huawei. The manufacturer is currently mostly known for its low- to mid-end affordable smartphones. But this is something Huawei is trying to change, and surely, this will be a great opportunity to clean its name. The company is currently trying to become a player in the high-end Android device market. Without much hype, Huawei is releasing devices like the Huawei Ascend D Quad and the Huawei Ascend P1, among others, which compete with the best smartphones in the market. But the lack of advertising is slowing down the company’s climb. Becoming part of a successful, popular myTouch line will surely give the manufacturer a boost. (These devices include the U8680 and the U8730). It is also rumored that both devices are exactly the same, except one comes with a slide-out physical keyboard. As for specs, we don’t know much, other than that the phones run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and have a WVGA (480×800) resolution. Let’s hope they have some good surprises, though, as the myTouch legacy has included some awesome devices in their time. Surely, the devices will reap the fame and popularity the other manufacturers have sown. At the same time, Huawei will have to live up to certain expectations. We’ll have to wait and see what comes out of this, but based on aesthetics, these phones don’t look exactly like your dream device. While the build quality looks rather solid, the screen looks smaller than 4 inches. Many users would be disappointed to see a WVGA, non-Android 4.0 device released. The devices are rumored to launch in late Spring. By then, the world will be filled with Ice Cream Sandwich goodness. As always, we’re interested in knowing what our readers are getting out of this. What specs and features do you believe Huawei needs to incorporate in order to make these devices successful? Would you get a myTouch device built by Huawei? |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 08:22 AM PST  The Samsung Galaxy S II was arguably the best smartphone of 2011, with its super sized display, beefed up specs, and various model builds including the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon Wireless. While the S II was announced at Mobile World Congress in February 2011 only to launch a few months later, Samsung decided to hold off on announcing the follow-up Galaxy S III until closer to the device’s launch. A report from ZDNet Korea indicates that the wait may soon be over. According to the report, Samsung will be showing off the Galaxy S III sometime this month, with the device set to go on sale in April. If previous rumors hold up, we should see the S III launched simultaneously in 50 major networks, perhaps including the United States. As you might recall, the Galaxy S II launched in the U.S. several months after it launched around the world, so hopefully we’ll be able to get our hands on the S III at the same time as our neighbors across the pond this time around. The rumored Galaxy S III specs include:
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Posted: 02 Mar 2012 08:13 AM PST  While most of us were focused on all the new phones released this week at Mobile World Congress, the HTCdev team took the opportunity to release four new APIs that tie into the OpenSense SDK. Application developers can now tap into new features on HTC phones and take advantage of some of the advanced functionality available in HTC Sense.
We don’t know what the limitations are with the HTC Media Link HD API, but we’re hoping developers will be able to take advantage of the same features HTC was showing off this week. These features allow users to interact with the device while content is being streamed to a second display. If we let our imagination run wild, we could see game developers adding a custom control interface on the device while the game streams on the second screen. Is there anything you’re hoping developers will whip up with these new HTC APIs? |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Update - 118
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