Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 139



Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:12 PM PST
The idea of using your phone as your wallet is a great one, but Google Wallet is proving to be a bit of a security nightmare. It looks as though Google has thrown up their hands on rooted devices, at least for now, and put a warning in the Google Wallet app of unsupported devices. The problem is the ability to perform a brute force hack on rooted phones, where a thief could crack the pin code on Google Wallet and proceed to use your phone to make purchases with your credit cards.
Google had issued a statement encouraging rooted users to seriously reconsider using Google Wallet. To make sure everyone received the message, Google has also decided to make this information into a warning message at the top of the app. If you tap the link, you’ll see an explanation of the unsupported device policy, which basically comes down to: “Don’t use this if your phone is rooted”.
While the capability to root your phone is one of the great things about Android, it does take away the control and therefore the responsibility from the carrier, the manufacturer, and Google. We hope that Google is still working on a way to secure Google Wallet on rooted phones, although that is a huge task given that they have no control over a ROM they did not produce.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve received this warning message, and if it has changed your ability to use Google Wallet.
source: Droid Life
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:55 PM PST
We were waiting for this  and it’s finally here. It’s a surprise,  but not in a good way. The previously unpriced Samsung Galaxy S Advance is, to Samsung, seemingly priceless. The device is set to go on sale for a whopping 494 EUR ($650).
To put it into perspective, take a look at what you get for that price as listed by the FCC documents.
  • 1GHz dual-core CPU
  • 4-inch Super AMOLED display
  • 768 MB of RAM
  • 5 MP rear facing camera and 1.3 MP front facing camera
  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • 1500 mAh battery
Essentially, you get a smaller screen, a slower processor, and less RAM for a higher price than that of the Galaxy S II or the Galaxy Nexus, and of course it isn’t launching with ICS. I don’t see your reasoning behind this Samsung. Readers, I’m looking forward to your comments on this. Would any of you seriously pass up the S II or Nexus in favor of the Advance and if so, why? How about the price: justified or ridiculous?
source: Samsung Germany
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:47 PM PST
Google Labs was responsible for some of the apps we can’t live without on our devices: Google Search, Google Goggles and my personal favorite, App Inventor. Unfortunately the app was phased out, along with Google Labs, but not before the source code was made open for all. Of course, since App Inventor was a pivotal educational tool, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology picked it up right where Google left it.
I bring some good news today, as the beta version of the application is available to anyone with a Google account! That’s right, anyone can pick up and go create their own apps in a versatile, innovative and naturally intuitive environment. Anyone who’s ever wanted to give app development a shot but didn’t quite understand the jargon involved with software development should head over to the MIT’s App Inventor website (source link below) and give it a go.
source: mit
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:20 PM PST
We know ZTE has a few phones on the way including the beastly Era smartphone. That hasn’t stopped the brand from coming out and highlighing the Optimus Barcelona smartphone. The newly spotted device was seen on the Bluetooth SIG and WiFi Alliance webpages. Details of the European device are scarce
as usual from ZTE
, but we do know the device will feature 3G, 802.11b/g/n and will likely be operated under Android 2.3. While the device is yet another of ZTE’s future offerings, there are a couple of items that should be pointed out. The first is if the device is named Barcelona, it probably would have been a good idea to present the device at MWC since it’s in well you know… Barcelona. The second is the device has Optimus in its name. Last we checked, there’s a South Korean giant which oh yes— has a successful line of smartphones based off the same name. Makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Stay tuned with Talk Android for further news and details on the upcoming Optimus Barcelona smartphone.
source: Bluetooth SIG and WiFi Certifications
via: Unwired View
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:11 PM PST
Based on previous leaks, we already knew Verizon Wireless was going to be carrying the 16GB version of the Galaxy Nexus at some point, in both grey and white variations. The only question is when? According to a tip received by our friends at Droid Life, it looks like the half-pint GNex will arrive on all channels at the beginning of next month, April 5th to be exact. Since the storage size has been reduced by half, one can only assume the price will be similar to that of the recently reduced 16GB Droid Razr, which retails for $199 on contract. Nothing in this leak confirms any color options, though. We will just have to wait to see how that one pans out.
Along with the Galaxy Nexus leak, comes details of a April 26th launch for the Droid Incredible 4G (aka HTC Fireball), and a March 29th launch for the LG Lucid (previously reported, LG Cayman).
source: Droid Life
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PST

Samsung’s Galaxy line of devices have been a monumental success for the Korean giants, the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab range of phones and tablets are critically-acclaimed, household names. Despite this success Samsung is yet to make a huge splash in the Personal Media Player (PMP) market, however it appears that they’re working hard to turn that around. We introduced you to the forthcoming Galaxy S WiFi, announced at the Mobile World Congress last week, well Samsung is set to bolster its PMP range with the release of the Galaxy Player 70 Plus for South Korea.
The Galaxy Player 70 Plus pays more than a passing resemblance to the original Galaxy S (I9000) and the highlights of the device are :
  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz skin
  • Dual-core, 1Ghz processor
  • 5″ LCD, 800 x 480 touch screen
  • 5MP rear camera with  front camera for video calls
  • 2500 mAh battery
  • 16GB or 32GB storage options with micro SD slot
Android has plenty of flagship phones and tablets on the market however we are yet to see an Android PMP challenge the success of Apple’s all-conquering iPod. Could Samsung’s Galaxy Player line swing the momentum? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
source : sammyhub
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:28 PM PST
Last week we told you that Samsung would probably release devices with flexible displays within a year. No we have information about the patent they are seeking.
Samsung’s patent FIGS. 1A and 1B (pictured above) shows an example of a roll-up flexible display. Fig 2 (below) shows an overview of a flexible display apparatus, which includes a flexible display unit 10 which is controlled by a control unit 40. They also show examples of flexible displays taking on a Cylindrical shape and mimicking a book (see source link for more images)

“Additionally, flexible displays will be light, unbreakable and robust. The flexible display unit may include a substrate made of materials such as flexible plastics, metal foil, thin glass or the like. Other attributes may include any of the following: an electroluminescent display ELD, electrophoretic display (EPD –used in electronic paper), electrochromic display (ECD), liquid crystal display (LCD), active matrix LCD (AMLCD), active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) or the like), a driver unit (for example, a-Si thin film transistor (TFT), low temperature poly silicon (LTPS) TFT, organic TFT (OTFT), oxide TFT, nano TFT or the like) which drives the displaying part, and a protection film which protects the displaying part.”
As for what types of devices would have these, Samsung provides the following examples (but not limited to): mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an MP3 player, a PC monitor, a portable PC (such as a net book, a smart book and a laptop computer), a TV and an electronic book.
So what do you think guys? Are you excited about flexible displays? It’s hard to believe we might see the first devices utilizing them by early next year.
source: patentbolt
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 10:12 AM PST
I recently had a chance to get my hands on the new WIMM One from WIMM Labs, which is an Android-powered module that becomes a smart watch when it’s inserted into the accompanied watchstrap. Over the last year, there has been several Android watches released, but the WIMM One just might be the cream of the crop. The WIMM One can work as an extension of your phone, but it’s powerful enough to also run apps. The WIMM Labs Micro App Store Beta opened only about a week ago, but you will already find 30 or so apps ranging from games, lifestyle, and productivity. I expect it to continue to grow exponentially.
The WIMM One measures 1.26 inches by 1.42 inches and is 0.49 inches thick (about 12.5mm). It has a 1.41-inch (160 x 160) TFT capacitive touchscreen display, a Samsung ARM11 processor running at 667 MHz, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of internal storage, WiFI, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a GPS, and is splash resistant. It’s priced at $199, which includes the WIMM One 330 Module, USB charging kit, and a black watchstrap.
It’s running on Android 2.1, which at first was a turnoff for me, but after using the WIMM One for a short time I realized it really doesn’t matter what version of Android it is. It’s a completely forked version and is not meant to have all the capabilities of a phone or a tablet. Nonetheless, the WIMM One has a lot of capabilities which I plan on showing you in a series of videos.
Starting today with part 1, I will show you the initial setup, the core functionality, watchfaces, and the pre-installed apps.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Look for Part 2 soon, which will show you the capabilities of the Companion app, which links your WIMM One to your phone via Bluetooth.
For more information click here, or to order one go here.
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 08:24 AM PST

OK guys, I finally got around to creating this how-to video on getting your ASUS Transformer Prime all ready for modding! In this video you will find directions on how to root, unlock, and flash ClockworkMod Recovery to your tablet. This all-in-one tool, ViperMod PrimeTime v4.5, will do everything I just mentioned and can even unroot your Prime in case you need to send it in for service. This tool works on any version of ICS, and will even work on Honeycomb. For those of you OG Transformer owners, you can even use the root tool as well but do not try to flash recovery. Reports show that trying to flash recovery will bork your original Transformer (TF101).
Once rooted, you will not loose the ability to receive future OTA updates from ASUS, but it is highly reccomended to grab Voodoo OTA RootKeeper from the Android Market to prevent any future updates from breaking root. You can find the download link at the end of this post.
Big thanks to ViperBoy for creating this super easy tool, it’s by far the easiest method available for doing any or all of these steps. You don’t have to complete every step if you dont want (i.e. remain locked), and if you are already rooted or unlocked you can still use the tool’s other features as well. I will include brief instructions below, but for a more detailed walk-through refer to the video. You can also find the necissary download links at the end of this post. Ready? Lets get started! 
Click here to view the embedded video.
How to root:
  1. Download the ViperMod PrimeTime v4.5 .zip file, save it to your desktop, then extract to the desktop as well.
  2. Install new drivers – see video (unless you can already adb into your tablet)
  3. Remove from keyboard dock (if you have one), turn on USB debugging, turn off ASUS Sync and force close Splashtop. These are very important!
  4. Connect your TP to the computer using the factory cable only (be sure no other Android devices are connected).
  5. Open the unzipped ViperMod PrimeTime folder and select ViperMod PrimeTime v4.5exe and run it.
  6. Select an option based on your version of Android, hit any key. Two more confirmation messages will pop up and you will need to hit any key two more times to initiate the process.
  7. Tablet will reboot and the root precess is complete.
  8. To unlock the Prime, leave the tablet plugged in and move to the next phase. If you want to remain bootloader locked then you are done but be sure to get OTA RootKeeper from the link below.
How to unlock:
  1. Plug in your Prime (unless coming from root process), USB debugging enabled.
  2. Select option 5 and wait for the process to complete.
  3. Locate the Unlock Device app in your app drawer and open.
  4. Agree to the ASUS EULA, enter your Gmail password and the tablet will reboot.
  5. You are now bootloader unlocked! If you want to flash CWM recovery, leave tablet connected and move to the next phase, step 1. If you don’t want recovery for some odd reason, X out of the PrimeTime tool now.
How to flash CWM recovery:
(The following paragraph only applies to folks who are flashing recovery only, not those who completed the above steps) If you have already unlocked your device using the standalone ASUS unlock tool, you can use this ViperMod PrimeTime tool to flash recovery. You will need get your Prime connected to your computer and install the tool using the directions above. Select option 5 to unlock device and you will get an error message saying your device is already unlocked. From there you can follow the directions below.
  1. Press any key to complete the recovery flash.
  2. Wait for tablet to reboot.
  3. You now have CWM recovery! To verify, power off your tablet, hold power and volume down until you get to the first ASUS splash screen (you will also see small white text in the top left of the display), let go of power and volume down and then press volume up within 5 seconds. You should now be in recovery mode.
  4. Make a backup!
  5. Flash away!!
See, now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now would be the time, if you haven’t already, to install Voodoo OTA RootKeeper from the Android Market. This will allow you to fall back to a rooted state if and when any future ASUS OTA updates break root. Simply download the app and select “Protect Root”.
Now you are safely rooted, unlocked, and (should!) have a nandroid backup handy in case anything goes wrong in the future. I know there are a few custom ROMs out there right now (CM9) but it is still early in the Prime’s development stage. At least now you are all ready to flash and mod to your hearts content. If you use this guide be sure to let us know in the comments how it went, and be on the lookout for a future tutorial on how to flash custom ROMs.
ViperMod PrimeTime v4.5 .zip
Voodoo OTA RootKeeper
source: XDA
Posted: 05 Mar 2012 08:16 AM PST
We recently told you that the Samsung Galaxy S III was on track for an April launch but then followed up the next day with insider reports that conflict with that theory. When dealing with rumors and speculation in the mobile industry it is always hard to know what can be reliable, and obviously the best thing is to wait for some sort of official word from the respective manufacturer. Well that’s what we have today, an announcement from Samsung denying that an April launch was anything but confirmed. According to @samsungtomorrow’s Twitter account, the highly anticipated Galaxy S III’s launch date isn’t set in stone, causing one to believe the device may see a later announcement. That doesn’t mean to say we need to rule out April all together, but Samsung says they will once again take to Twitter when everything is finalized.
Samsung issued a statement to The Verge reiterating what we already know, that the Galaxy S III “will be unveiled in the first half of the year.” Given that announcement, it could technically be up to 4 months before before we see anything official. If you’re anything like me,  you like the sound of April much better. I guess we will just have to keep our eye on the @sumsungtomorrow Twitter account for official details.
source: Twitter
via: The Verge

Posted by at 11:55 AM

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