Posted: 05 Mar 2012 03:02 PM PST  Oy vey! According to a report from Reuters (via Phonescoop), U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has called for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate "reports that applications on the Apple Inc and Google Inc mobile systems steal private photos and contacts and post them online without consent." OK, folks. Let's see if we can't explain this again. There was a report in the New York Times that exposed a flaw in iOS that lets applications have full access to an iPhone or iPad's Camera Roll (the equivalent of the Android "Gallery") if said application has access to GPS location. It's not that apps can't have access to images, it's just that the way they're going about it here is in violation of the iOS terms of service, and Apple's fixing it, as it does with other bugs. And as we've previously told you, it has absolutely nothing to do with Android. read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:33 PM PST  Google is continuing to build on its mobile search experience with the launch of a new section for recently-searched places on its mobile homepage. If you've got Web History enabled in your Google Account, you'll now see an additional option -- "Recent" -- when you visit Google.com on your Android or iOS device. This gives you a scrollable list of places you've searched for on Google within the past 24 hours, providing quick access to phone numbers, map directions and other pertinent information. It's a pretty neat new feature that we're sure will save a few people some time and effort. And if you're creeped out by the fact that Google has a list of places you might be going to, you can get rid of it by disabling Web History in your Google Account. Right now it seems the new feature is live in the U.S. only, but international users can get to it by loading up www.google.com/?gl=us in their mobile browsers. Source: Google Mobile Blog 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PST  Anyone doing development for Android (or any software platform) knows that good tools are the most important part of the whole process. We've seen that the Android team has been hard at work to improve development and debugging tools, and they're still at it. The ADT plugin for Eclipse and the SDK tools/platform-tools have a major upgrade underway, and are at the third beta preview. Developers will enjoy the changes, which includes big things like a new version of ProGuard (more info here), as well as minor changes like being able to export a screenshot from the layout editor. We've got the full list of changes after the break, and if you're developing any sort of application for Android with Eclipse, you should give it a look. But there's one big change that is going to be uber-helpful to the average Android hacker/modder -- detailed network usage of any application. The new DDMS tool will give data for network traffic, both in and out, on any device running Android 4.0.3 or higher. The graph updates in real-time, and in addition to being a great way for app developers to see how their app is utilizing network sockets, it will be able to help debug just what apps on your phone are eating up your data. No more guessing which app is stuck and constantly uploading, just plug your phone in and use the new DDMS tool to find out exactly what is going on. Knowing is half the battle. If you want to try the new tools, you won't be able to download them via the SDK manager, but manual installation is easy enough, and you'll find full instructions at the source link below. Source: Android Tools Project read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:48 PM PST  Now, this might not necessarily be much of anything new; RIM bought a whole company, Gist, that did something like this, and we're starting to see a more social-savvy address book emerge on PlayBook 2.0. As far as caller ID specifically goes, HTC did some similarly clever stuff, like pointing out if it was a caller's birthday. It seems to me the biggest thing WhitePages could do with this is provide a ton of information on incoming callers who aren't already in your address book - it could be both creepy and awesome. read more 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 01:42 PM PST  LG is hoping to tempt early adopters with a free case and extra battery for the first 20,000 people to pick up the Optimus Vu on both LG U+ and SK Telecom. No information is available as to when (or even if) the Optimus Vu will see any kind of broader international release, but Koreans can pick it up now for 999,900 won (~$890). We're going to go ahead and assume that's the unsubsidized price. If you want to find out more about the Optimus Vu, check out our hands-on report from MWC. Source: LG Newsroom; via: FoneArena 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:29 PM PST  Adding to its line-up of Galaxy Player personal media players, Samsung has today announced the Galaxy Player 70 Plus for the Korean Market. The Player 70 Plus is a 5-inch device powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Samsung's TouchWiz UI. Other specs include a WVGA (800x480) TFT LCD display, microSD card and Wifi support, a 5-megapixel camera and a hefty 2500mAh battery. It also has the ability to receive Korean terrestrial TV transmissions broadcast over T-DMB. Like just about every PMP released these days, it packs fairly up-to-date smartphone tech without the ability to make calls or use cellular data (and the associated monthly bill). The Galaxy Player 70 Plus will retail for 399,000 won (~$350) with 16GB of storage, or 469,000 won (~$410) with 32GB. Head over to the source link for the full press release (in Korean), along with pictures of people who are cooler than you enjoying the Galaxy Player 70 Plus. Source: Samsung Tomorrow; via: UnwiredView 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 10:59 AM PST  AccuWeather today announced that it has updated its Android application to push severe weather alerts to your phone. That's a big deal, because it means you won't actually have to check the app to get an alert -- it'll be sent to your notification bar, which means you'll see it sooner. And as we've unfortunately seen again in the past week, having a few extra minutes to take cover before a storm hits can be a life-or-death difference. If a severe weather alert is enacted in your area, you'll get a notification, and your phone will vibrate, too. “Proactively alerting our users that severe weather is in their forecast is very important to us,” Pascal Racheneur, AccuWeather Vice President of Interactive Media, said in a press release. “Pushed severe weather alerts are another way that we can give you immediate access to your local and up-to-date weather conditions. In addition to pushed severe weather alerts, we added lifestyle forecasts – special weather forecasts for specific hobbies or activities such as, travel and sports, and forecasts that impact specific health conditions, such as asthma and migraines.” AccuWeather cooked a few other improvements into this update, including detailed hourly forecasts, a new lifestyle section, in-app purchasing for an upgrade to AccuWeather Platinum, UI updated for consistency, and you can now exit the app. We've got download links after the break. read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 10:24 AM PST  The other two phones are on the lower end of the value chain. The Acqua has a 1 GHz processor, and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with an ICS update due in June), sports a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, and a 5 megapixel camera. Finally, there's the Kis, which has a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display, and is powered by an 800 MHz processor and 512 MB of RAM. Unfortunately, the unit I was playing with at the show wasn't booting up, so there wasn't much to say about the software. read more 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 09:38 AM PST  For every HTC EVO 3D owner who years for the best desktop dock, know that the jivest hepcats are sporting the official HTC Desktop Docking Station for the EVO 3D. Designed with the HTC build quality you've come to know and love, the HTC Desktop Dock for the EVO 3D gives you the most attractive, space-friendly, and viewing angle-efficient dock you could ever hope for. The dock itself is pretty no-frills; you've got a video button, a port for your phone to dock into, and a microUSB port on the back. Fortunately, the minimalist approach doesn't detract from the experience of using it. It's shiny, glossy, and black, but best of all, it works. Once you've got the phone plugged into the dock, you can sync between your computer and phone (just like with the standard USB cable), or, if you're using the MHL adapter, you can watch media on your attached HDTV, straight from the phone. Say you just want to use your phone as a desk clock, or perhaps you want to play a game or two while you're docked up. The dock puts your phone at the absolutely perfect angle for anything you could ever hope to do, and the best part, it's all hands-free. (Fruit Ninja has never been easier.) If you're worried about the dock sliding around all willy-nilly, don't! HTC loves you and placed four rubber feet on the bottom, giving you all the grip and security you'll need, so no phones will go flying. (I promise.) As far as desktop docks go, this one is definitely the tops. Sure, there's no extra slot to charge an extra battery at the same time, but when you get this one, you know you're getting quality, and that's something worth investing in. More pictures are after the break. read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 08:44 AM PST Welcome back for another week of Android accessory giveaway's! To kick things off this week, we'll be checking out the OtterBox Defender Case for Motorola Droid Bionic, Seidio SURFACE Case for Motorola Droid X/X2, Mobi Honeycomb TPU Case for EVO 3D, and the Qmadix Snap-on Cover w/ Holster for HTC ThunderBolt. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below letting us know which featured accessory you'd like to win. We'll announce the lucky winner from today's giveaway next Monday. OtterBox Defender Series Case for Motorola Droid BionicRated as one of the most protective cases available for the Motorola Droid Bionic, the OtterBox Defender Series Case features three layers of solid protection for your Android device. A Thermal formed clear membrane protects the Droid Bionic's display against scratching and dust, a hi-impact polycarbonate shell guards against drops and absorbs shock, and a high quality silicon skin wraps around the entire device to ensure complete protection. read more 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 08:26 AM PST Ordering pizza is important. Pizza is the everyman's food, and without it, countless people wouldn't know what to eat at birthday parties, late night gaming sessions, or when they're just hanging out with friends. Giving people the easiest, most seamless way to order said pizza hasn't always been a priority for the Android faithful, but now there is change, thanks to the Domino's Pizza USA app. (There's also a killer promotion for a free Android phone, too!) The Domino's Pizza USA application is the standard by which all pizza ordering apps should be held. It's clean, visually appealing, and incredibly easy to navigate. All the options you could ever dream of are there for you to use, be it extra cheese, more pepperoni, or something else on the menu that isn't pizza at all! With everything just a single tap away, you'll wonder how you ever called in an order in the era before smartphones. Once your order is complete, you're taken to one final confirmation screen to review your options, and if everything looks good, you move to the checkout screen to input your payment information. This is pretty standard stuff, but the fact it all looks so good and works so well keeps me singing its praises. (And you will, too.) Perhaps the coolest part of the app is the pizza tracker, which lets you follow the progress of your pizza all from your phone, as soon as you've placed your order. With each passing second, your excitement will grow, as you watch your order blossom from a few bits of data into a hot, delicious pizza, on its way to your domain. If all of this pizza talk has got you hungry and salivating, we've got download links after the break. read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 08:05 AM PST  read more 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 07:25 AM PST
This slim, transparent case protects the HTC EVO 3D from accidental drops and unwatched scratches. The Mobi Crystal Case allows all the features of your EVO 3D to shine through, and will add very little weight or bulk to the device. There are cutouts for all the EVO 3D's ports, buttons, and screen for full functionality. Take advantage of this limited time deal while supplies last! |
Grab the 
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 06:41 AM PST
Beyond the quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, the ZTE PF100 will support 28 MBps HSPA+, run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and pack a 5 megapixel camera on the rear. The usual ameneties, like Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and HDMI-out are also included. Build-wise, the PF100 was reasonably slim, though heavy, and had a Xoom-style design on the rear. In addition to the PF100, ZTE also announced three dual-core LTE tablets that looked like they would work on North American bands - the V6, V8, and V96. During their press conference, ZTE confirmed that one of them would be landing in the U.S. in Q2, but didn't specify which. Sprint is already offering the suspiciously-cheap ZTE Optik; maybe the PF100 would offer a nice upper-end counterpoint.
read more
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 06:18 AM PST
Update: Everything seems to be up and running now.
A little ahead of schedule, the first beta version of MIT's App Inventor for Android landed on the web today at appinventor.mit.edu. The App Inventor, first launched by Google in mid-2010 before being discontinued and open-sourced last year, allows just about anyone to dive directly into Android app development with a simple web-based interface. To get started with the public beta, all you need is a Google Account and a little creativity.However the launch seems to have been a little bumpy -- earlier this morning the site was working just fine, but now MIT's servers seem to be having trouble dealing with the influx of traffic. Hopefully it'll be back up before too long -- we'll update this post whenever there are any further signs of life from MIT's site.
More: MIT App Inventor; Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 05:28 AM PST
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:42 AM PST
Hate to say we told you so, but ... Samsung, in Korean on its official Twitter account, says recent reports that the Galaxy S III -- which, by the way, hasn't been announced and therefore doesn't officially exist -- will be released in April are not true.
We're shocked.
Samsung also tells The Verge that it'll be announced in the first half of the year (note that it calls it the "successor to the Galaxy S II," because the Galaxy S3 or Galaxy S III doesn't actually exist) and that ... WAIT! In the first half of the year but not March or April? That means May or June! Sixty-one more days for wild-ass guessing! Breaksclusive, yo!
Seriously, folks. It'll be announced when it's announced. And we'll all swoon. Promise.
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Posted: 05 Mar 2012 04:02 AM PST
As we discussed last year, the phone packs a pretty comprehensive feature set, including an excellent EXMOR R camera, in a slim, stylish chassis. It's also due an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the weeks ahead, which should give it a new lease of life. For more on the Arc S, check out our exhaustive review. Or if you're wondering what's next from Sony, you'll want to take a look over our initial review of the Xperia S.
Source: Dialaphone; via: Eurodroid
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Posted: 04 Mar 2012 05:50 PM PST
Don't get me wrong. Mobile World Congress is a blast. That we get to work for a week in Barcelona, Spain, is but one perk of this job, and certainly not one that should be taken for granted. As always, it's great to see old friends and make a few new ones, too. And to top it all off, we had great weather this year. (The past two had been cold, wet and relatively miserable, especially for those of us from Florida.)
Oh, and we got to see the next generation of smartphones. So, yeah, there's that, too.
And with that, a few thoughts on the far side of MWC ...
read more
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