Posted: 03 Mar 2012 03:45 PM PST   Android Overload is where we bring you all the news that are interesting, but didn’t manage to make it to our main page. Today we have a flurry of good news that might be of interest to you. So make sure to look through them and see if there may be anything that calls your attention. If you are a fan of tablet launchers, you might want to check out GO Launcher HD Beta, as the launcher is very popular among smartphone launchers. We also have some rumored Galaxy S III benchmarks, as well as some leaked information about upcoming Verizon devices. And let’s not forget our daily dose of patent wars news, this time featuring Apple and Samsung.
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Posted: 03 Mar 2012 03:13 PM PST   Any video enthusiast should know about VLC Player. It is one of the most popular video players for PC, due to its support for an abundant variety of video formats. The Android VLC app is currently in the works, but if you want to enjoy it sooner, XDA Developers has an unofficial version for you. It is currently in Beta, and only supports a select group of processors. Not all media formats are supported and there are some bugs, but the videos play rather smoothly, for being a Beta version. If your device has one of the following processors, you are in for the fun:
Go and check it out! And don’t forget to let us know how the app works for you. [Source: XDA Developers Via: XDA Developers] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 02:25 PM PST   The CyanogenMod team had some issues with their servers a couple of weeks ago. After receiving some great support from the community, the team was able to raise enough money for new hardware, and things are ready to go. The take-off has been quite rewarding, and CyanogenMod has just added some devices to the CM9 nightly builds availability. New Devices with CM9 Nightly Builds:
With that said – who is trying CyanogenMod 9? [Via: Android Police] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 02:04 PM PST   Smartphones are gaining higher-resolution, with some devices in the market reaching up to 720p displays. Not all apps are designed to play such quality, though, especially when streaming videos. If you happen to have a good amount of pixels in your device, it should come as great news that the new YouTube app update is bringing HD videos to the smaller screen. Such feature has been available for Android 3.2 and 4.0 for a while, but Google has decided to add Froyo and Gingerbread devices to the list. Of course, not all devices are compatible, as many don’t even have the display technology to reach HD quality. Depending on your device, the quality of YouTube video streaming should increase. If you don’t happen to fall under the right screen size and resolution, though, be ready to enjoy those HD videos. Just head to the Android Market and get your update to see if your device qualifies for this nifty treat. [Via: Engadget] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 01:48 PM PST   The Android operating system currently controls the smartphone market, but the Search Giant has just broken another special record. According to StatCounter, the Android browser has just become the most used mobile browser, beating Opera at 22.67% (against 21.7%). It is interesting to see how many users are utilizing third-party browsers. Such can offer great features and functionality, but we would assume that the general consumer doesn’t put much attention to that. As expected, Android and Opera are followed by the iPhone, Nokia, and Blackberry browsers. The iPhone, rests at 21.06%, while the rest of the browser are down by at least half of the percentage. There are still many users to convert to Android, and with over 850 thousand activations a day, this number is bound to grow quickly. Especially with Chrome being introduced to Android, which happens to be the most popular browser for PCs, after Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. [Source: StatCounter Via: Tom's Guide] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 01:12 PM PST   If there is anything Google has learnt with the patent wars is to file for everything as soon as an idea starts to be implemented. And the latest patent filing from the Search Giant is looking very promising. The idea behind it is motion-based gestures, in which one can control a device without directly interacting with it. It would be much like Xbox Kinect, in which one can perform certain tasks via gestures. The camera will be able to detect gestures such as taps, hovering and swypes. These would all be programmed to carry out a command, allowing you to take control of your device hands-free.  We have seen similar technology in the past, coming from Pantech. The manufacturer implemented a touch-less gesture system into its Pantech Vega LTE, bringing similar features to its customers. Just imagine being able to answer the phone by hovering your hand over the camera, or making a call straight with the aid of hands-free gestures and voice controls. Sounds like a great concept, and we hope that Google does something with this idea. Who knows, they might even be thinking of integrating it to Google Assistant. That might be taking it a bit far, but it is not completely an impossibility. The Pantech Vega LTE demonstration is posted below, just so you can see how said technology could work. Also, hit the source link for more details, and let us know what you think. Are you ready to see this technology coming to your nearest Android device? [Source: Patent Bolt Via: Droid Life] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 12:22 PM PST   Google has been working on a Siri competitor since last year – Majel. This service has yet to make it to the market, but it seems like there is a reason for that. According to Tech Crunch, the name is now Google Assistant, and the Search Giant has taken things a step further. The project is being conducted by the Android team, which plans to open source Assistant. Hence, allowing developers to use the service to further improve their apps and products. This means that Assistant will be able to be utilized in devices, programs, apps, browsers and whatever else they feel could take advantage of it. Voice technology is nothing new for Android, but surely a more personalized service would improve the experience. People love Siri, and Google is not slowing down the competition. Tech Crunch’s source indicates that the project involves three parts: These sources also state that Assistant is set to be released by Q4 of 2012. We will have to wait a bit before we see anything, but it looks promising and might be worth it. If you like voice commands, that is. I know I rarely use them, even though they have been available for quite some time. But what do you think? Would you be interested in Siri-like voice commands? [Via: Tech Crunch] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 11:35 AM PST   ASUS is taking all the rumor glory lately. We have just reported that the manufacturer is planning to work with Google to bring a Nexus Tablet, with a Tegra 3 processor and a $200 price tag. All of this right after ASUS’ Corporate Vice President Benson Lin mentioned that there is a high chance they will be the first to bring Android 5.0 to the market. “Asus is very close to Google, so once they have Android 5.0 I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave to offer the Jelly Bean update.” -Benson LinEverything is now starting to make sense. If ASUS is, in fact, making the Nexus Tablet we have heard about, this representative probably knows about it. So it is highly possible that Benson Lin is right about this one. As Nexus devices are always the first in line to get updates. Even if the Nexus tablet is not in ASUS’ future line-up, though, the company is very known for being highly efficient with software updates. If things don’t work out as rumored, you can at least be sure that ASUS will be bringing those updates sooner than most manufacturers. As it goes with these rumors, though, let’s not hold our breath on anything. And add those sodium dosages to the equation. Let’s stay tuned to see what news come in the future, about this. Here goes for a great future with ASUS and Google! [Source: Tech Radar Via: Droid-Life] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PST   We have been hearing about a possible Nexus Tablet for quite some time, but the rumors have been getting much more promising lately. The last bit came last January, when supply sources attested to the fact that Google was in the plans of releasing a 7-inch, Android 4.0 “Nexus” tablet for $200. Today, Android and Me is reporting the same rumor, coming from its own sources. But this time, there is a bit more to be noted. According to said sources, the tablet will be manufactured by ASUS, and will also sport a Tegra 3 quad-core processor. ASUS has been building a great relationship with Google, so this would not surprise us very much. Last year, the company proved to be a great asset to the Android ecosystem, with timely updates and great products. Not to mention the fact that ASUS was the first large manufacturer to bring Android 4.0 to its devices. If these rumors happen to be true, there is no doubt that Android tablets will start to skyrocket. Amazon’s Kindle fire is now one of the most popular Android tablets, and it isn’t even close to having the performance and functionality that this tablet would have. And going for $200, as well, there is not a doubt that this device will become popular. As for the price, it sure sounds crazy. High-end tablets are not supposed to be so affordable, right? But we have already seen ASUS announce the $250 MeMo 370T, with a quad-core processor. It would not surprise us to see ASUS taking a bit of a risk, knowing that the Nexus brand and Google would promote much more sales. Let’s start saving our pennies for these awesome affordable, quad-core tablets! I am surely signing up for one. Are you? [Via Android and Me] |
Posted: 03 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PST   As it usually goes, rumors for the Samsung Galaxy S III have been coming and going. The latest was reported yesterday, when ZDNet cited its sources to say that the Galaxy S III would be released in April, after a March announcement. But today, Korean website MT is citing a Samsung Official, assuring us that this is not happening. The source goes on to mention that the company hasn’t yet decided when this highly anticipated device is coming. But it is surely not coming during the “fourth month of the year.” This pretty much leaves us where we have been all along. We have no idea what is going on with this device. As always, though, we can expect it to be quite the superphone. So, let’s continue to sit around and wait for Sammy to get things started on the Galaxy S III. Are any of you starting to save your cash to sign up for this bad boy? [Source MT Via: UnwiredView] |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Update - 127
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