Posted: 02 Mar 2012 01:52 PM PST    Last time we told you guys about these amazing “Androidified” TPU cases from Cruzer Lite but unfortunately back then, they were only available for the Galaxy Nexus. Well, we just learned that Cruzer Lite is looking to add more devices to their lineup, starting with the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx. These high quality cases will add a touch of style to your device while still letting you showing the world you rock the best mobile OS in the world — Android. Same story applies here. These are cases are made of a high-quality flexible plastic (stronger and not as flimsy as silicone) called thermoplastic polyurethane or “TPU” for short. The only colors currently available are the black and white versions and both sell for a very reasonable $10. You can even use the code “BUY2GONE” at checkout when buying 3 to get one free. I spoke with Cruzer Lite and they let us know that they have some Samsung Galaxy Note cases in the works and we’ll let you know as soon as those become available. [Amazon Link: Black Case | White Case] |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 12:23 PM PST   With Mobile World Congress behind us and the HTC One series of devices stealing the show, many HTC customers were left drooling over the new version of Sense and Android 4.0 that came along with it. Well, if you’re currently still holding onto your aging HTC Thunderbolt, we may have some good news that will breathe new life into the device.It appears that HTC has begun the testing phase for getting Ice Cream Sandwich onto the device, sending out emails looking for testers of the software as leaked by VZBuzz. Keeping true to their word, HTC has not forgotten the Thunderbolt and even though the device might not have the latest dual-core specs, it’s nice to see the device hasn’t been abandoned by it’s parent.  It’s still unclear if the Thunderbolt will be receiving the all new Sense 4.0 as found on the HTC One X and One S — or the slightly toned down Sense 3.6 as found on the HTC One V. We’re guessing the latter. Has anyone else received one of these emails? |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 11:37 AM PST   In case you wondering what kind of picture quality the HTC One X and One S were capable of spitting out, we have a few images here that show off exactly what their new ImageSense technology is all about. In our hands-on video, we were able to demonstrate their speed, and now we can finally take a look at the quality of those images taken with the HTC One. HTC, who has long been known for providing one of the lesser quality cameras on the market, made a pretty big deal about their new camera tech equipping their flagships with with f/2.o aperture/28mm lenses and they even going as far as giving their devices their own dedicated processor for snapping pics, dubbed “ImageChip.” In theory, ImageChip increases image quality while providing super quick autofocus and taking equally fast snapshots on the fly. The LED even features 5 levels of brightness which should eliminate those creepy washed out photos you take in dimly lit areas.          What did you guys think? Impressed? A good quality camera on my phone is definitely a huge plus for me but one that takes a backseat to display. How do you guys feel about smart phone cameras? Simply an afterthought? Or is a great camera on your smartphone high up on your list of demanded features? [AndroidandMe] |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 10:45 AM PST   Huawei had a pretty impressive showing at this week’s MWC and now, they’re announcing the July availability of their Ascend D LTE smartphone for Europe and Asia. The Huawei Ascend D LTE S is packing a nicely sized 4.5-inch HD display but, unlike the Ascend D Quad with a quad-core processor that we got our hands on earlier this week, the Ascend D LTE will feature a dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor while running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. LTE is funny like that. Let’s hope with the availability of the Ascend D LTE, the rest of their product lineup will follow close behind. Huawei LTE Mobile Products Available in Europe and Asia by July |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 09:17 AM PST   There’s a storm a brewin’… A Data Storm. And Sprint wants to give you one of 30 Galaxy Nexuses for entering into their newest sweepstakes. They’re actually giving you a few ways to win. You can either enter your email onto their sign up page, or gain additional chances by simply playing their web-based game on your smartphone’s browser. The game cleverly pokes fun at tiered data plans where you — as a Sprint customer with truly unlimited data — must help your friends by collecting data droplets after the “data storm” hits your city. Wouldn’t want them to get throttled now, would we? The sweepstakes last between now and April 5th, which makes us wonder if the device will launch shortly after (or possibly sooner?). It’s anyone’s guess really. So, hop to it and start snatching that data! Protip: When playing the game in your browser, don’t tap the data drops, rub them by keeping your finger pressed on the screen the entire time. Occasionally, you’ll hit a secret drop for an additional chance at winning a G-Nex. [Sprint | Data Storm Game] |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 08:28 AM PST   A pair of new Huawei devices are headed to T-Mobile under Magenta’s “myTouch” branding. Previously we’ve seen Mytouches from HTC and LG and now it looks like Huawei will take the reins with their U8680 and U8730 devices to launch sometime this Spring. Don’t expect too much in terms of specs with both devices rocking Gingerbread and 800×480 resolution displays. The only differences between the two are — just like LG’s MyTouches — one featuring a keyboard and the other all slate.Huawei stated in the past that they wanted their devices to become a household name in the US, and it looks like with T-Mobile (who recently released their 7-inch tablet) they’re on the right track. Here’s to hoping we see more of Huawei in the future and by that, I mean their quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich device Huawei D Quad device. [Pocketnow] |
Posted: 02 Mar 2012 07:25 AM PST   Another day, another Android rumor. This time, ZDNet Korea is reporting that the Samsung Galaxy S III, after being unveiled sometime this month, will be launching in April — as in, of this year — in an attempt to gain a foothold against the iPhone 5′s release. These sources come from Samsung’s marketing and advertising agency, Cheil Worldwide, who is planning for a marketing blitz in the UK to coincide with this year’s summer Olympics, in London, England. We’ll have to wait to see how this pans out but it seems like rather short notice to us. The UK will be one of the first markets to receive the GSIII, so it all makes sense in some sort of weird way. Earlier reports said Samsung was planning for a simultaneous global release of the phone but not sure how accurate that could be given the vigorous testing phase US carriers like to put devices through on their networks. What do you guys think? Too soon? Or will you start saving up your pennies now? [BGR] |
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 09:43 PM PST   As you know, not everything out there makes it to our main page. And this is where we put it all together to make sure you do not miss a thing. Today, we have a significant flurry of news, so make sure you check them out and see what appeals to you. I would recommend that you take a look at Eric Shmidt’s MWC presentation, T-Mobile’s plans on LTE and Thunderbolt becoming part of HTC’s testing program for ICS.
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Posted: 01 Mar 2012 09:19 PM PST   After many years of being completely happy with featured phones, the smartphone industry has taken a huge leap the past years. Such devices are becoming an essential part of our everyday lives, and according to a recent study conducted by pewinternet.org, smartphones now rest happily in 53% of Anerica’s adult cellphone owners. Out of all surveyed Americans, 49% claimed to own a smartphone and 45% said they have a good ol’ feature phone. The 53% number is concluded after taking those who don’t own a cellphone at all out of the equation, which amounts to 6%. I must say, I do not know a single person that does not own a cellphone. But surely, they are out there. The study also divides the smartphone increase by demographic groups and income, as well as education. All of this in comparison with an equal study conducted from April to May of 2011. Let’s take a look at them.  As expected, most smartphone adopters are young (between 18 and 24) and have some college education. There are some odd results, though. Apparently, people with less than a $30,000 income have been adopting smartphones more, as well as people that live in rural areas. This is probably due to the fact that smartphones have been becoming much more accessible in the past year or two. And most of the more successful, wealthy, urban users probably adopted the technology before. This can be seen when we see the total percentages, below.  Take a look at the tables and see where you fall. And remember, there is still a large percentage of the population that needs to be introduced to the awesome world of smartphones. Let’s go and make sure they go with Android! [Source: pewinternet Via: gigaom] |
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 08:43 PM PST   Google’s acquisition of Motorola has raised major concerns. Will Moto get dibs? Will Google close down the Android OS? Will Motorola stop making devices with its custom UI? Google has gone ahead and told us multiple times that it will not have anything to do with Motorola’s manufacturing plans, and the acquisition is solely meant to expand its patent portfolio. We have not heard much about this from Motorola, though. But when asked about the matter, Senior VP of Portfolio and Product Management Alain Mutricy reassured us that Google is not lying. The plan is that Motorola Mobility and Google will continue to be separate entities. We never know what could happen, though. Google has already decided to switch CEOs, and put its very own Dennis Woodside at the head of the company. We will simply have to wait and see what happens. Surely, it would be great to see Motorola’s devices being influenced by Google. This could make for a better software/hardware design, within the manufacturer’s line-up, as Charles West mentions. We should also consider other factors, though. There is a very thin line to consider here, and it is hard to decide what is too much, or too little. Google’s success is majorly influenced by the competition and adoption from many manufacturers. This is something we would hate to see going away. Other companies might feel like they have a disadvantage over Motorola. This could lead them to do better, or in the worst case scenario, to slowly leave the Android ecosystem. But what do you guys think? Do you believe there is a good balance Google and Motorola could find, in order to maek some great devices? Or should they jsut stay out of each other’s business? [Source: Fierce Wireless Via: intomobile] |
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 08:18 PM PST   Sprint customers were the first to take advantage of Google’s new NFC payment service, Google Wallet. Some good time has passed, but sadly, Sprint is mainly still holding the lead on this one. And it looks like said carrier will continue to dominate Google Wallet, as Google Wallet and Payments VP Osama Bedier has just announced that 10 more Google Wallet supported devices are to come this year. The first in line seems to be the LG Viper. Or at least it is the only one mentioned. As for the other 9, we still have no idea. But Sprint is taking a leap with Google Wallet, also announcing that it is still in the talks with many operators, manufacturers, banks, financial services and point-of-sale technology vendors. Currently, only a few devices can support this tap-and-pay feature, both available from Sprint and AT&T. There has been no good news regarding the matter, coming from Verizon or T-Mobile. And this is something that Sprint can use to its advantage, being the major Google Wallet-offering carrier in the US. There is a reason why carriers are not putting much effort into Google Wallet, though. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T are working together on bringing a competing service to the US market – Isis. This payment service will also be supported by NFC. On a related note, the Google Wallet app has just been updated to support PO Boxes for prepaid card refills. So if you have been looking to fill up those cards without using your home address, go and get your update. We will have to wait and see how Sprint and Google Wallet can compete against Isis. But as Android fans, we surely wish we could have the option to integrate this service, just like we do with all other Google services, on our Android smartphones. But let us know what you think. Would you guys switch to Sprint just to be able to use Google Wallet? Or would you rather just stick with Isis? [Source: Fierce Mobile Content Via: Engadget] |
Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:31 PM PST   Android devices are smart and powerful, but we still haven’t seen voice commands reaching their fullest potential. Dolphin has taken such functionality to the next level with its latest update. This iteration of the popular third-party browser includes a feature called Sonar, which allows you to browse the web via voice commands. After installing the update, a new button will appear in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Pressing and holding it opens a portal that allows you to use Dolphin’s drawing navigation gestures, as well Sonar. What is enticing about this service is its ability to interpret more than just simple commands. One can do Ebay and Facebook searches with a single voice command. For example: “Facebook name” would send you straight to a friend’s profile. As it goes with any new service, though, there are a few downfalls. The first being that not too many websites support such specified commands. According to Ryan Krems, the team was focusing on getting everything working properly before implementing all the specified commands. Another issue that some users might find is the fact that this service requires an internet connection to work. But it is not like you will ever be browsing the web without internet. Sonar uses Google’s Voice Actions API to convert voice into text, which Dolphin’s server then puts into action. That is not the main concern, though. The issue people may find with this is that it could make the service a bit slower, depending on your data speeds. And of course, those precious megabytes will be eaten off your tiered data plans. Regardless, it looks like a great beginning for a fuller-integrated voice-operated ecosystem. We will only have to wait and see how it plays out for you, the consumer. Would any of you want to order your browser around? Maybe while driving, for a bit of a safer trip? |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Update - 119
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