Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 173



Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PST
HTC’s One X, One S and One V Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones are easily their most-anticipated in months. While it’ll still be a month or more before they start showing up at retail locations in the UK and US, And UK electronics giant Clove is already taking pre-orders. Happily they’ll also accept pre-orders for a series of accessories, which Cove has been kind enough to show off for us. The add-ons should arrive with the phones in April.
There’s a mind-boggling assortmant of cases, docks and screen protectors already – take a gander below.
For the flagship HTC One X, you get a choice of no less than three cases: a hard shell, an ultra-thin hard shell, and a hard shell with a bonus cover and stand. The color choices are a little strange, since the stand combination comes in white, the basic hard shell is translucent and the ultra-thin version is… purple. YOu can also get a first-party car dock or a desktop dock, and based on my experience with HTC’s previous docks, these are expensive but worth it. There’s also the standard first-party screen protector.

The HTC One S gets the same combination of hard and thin cases, though the thin case is clear and the rest are black. A car dock is available but not a desktop dock, which is a downright shame. The cheaper One V has a far dock, a single black hard case and a “gel skin”, which unfortunately lacks a picture, so we don’t know what color it is. Both have screen protectors available for them as well. All the cases seem pretty reasonably priced, with the car docks as the most expensive pieces for a total of £44.99 ($70) – not great, but pretty typical of HTC, and as noted above, probably worth it for those who want a solid dock. There’s no word of whether or not these accessories will make it across the pond, but given HTC’s focus on the One series, they’ll probably get here eventually.
3725E24B-218F-42B8-8083-907D036599A2 FB2A2539-138A-47DD-98E3-CB7B08DE84F4 D4515191-445D-46ED-BD66-E69291B61465 AC1FE26B-F9E4-45B4-99CF-C0B3719D6DB0 128C2678-3A7C-487A-BC9B-6CB8E6FC7E8A 10A5F3AD-ACFF-49E6-B9EC-3ADDB48B5E71

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PST
Patents have become the bane of the mobile industry as of late, but they’re also one of the best ways to gauge where a company’s going, or at least what they’re investigating. The latest patent application to come out of Google centers on a series of finger motions above a smartphone, using the front-facing camera to interpret the user’s intent. So, yeah, it’s basically just like Microsoft’s Kinect technology on a tiny scale. The patent is oh-so-creatively titled “Use camera to augment input for portable electronic device”.

What could you use this for? Well, Google’s outlined a series of gestures that could advance photos in a gallery, which is a pretty short leap to any app that requires linear progression through a list. Again, if you think of the gesture itself (which isn’t actually defined in the patent application) as a swiping motion, it’s almost identical to going through menu items on the Xbox 360 Kinect. Other functions include double and single taps, hovering and holding patterns.

Google isn’t the first to try and use physical gestures with a phone, but it hasn’t really caught on. There’s no guarantee that the patents applied for here will be granted (though it’s pretty like) and there’s also no real indication that they’ll be used – large corporations have gotten in the habit of patenting every possible process available to them as a matter of course. obviously some one at Google is working with them, probably with Android in mind. Who knows when or if we’ll see this spring up… though I can’t help but think of the applications for a possible desktop mode or Google Glasses.
[via SlashGear]

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 09:06 AM PST
Do you like Android handsets and tablets? Got a thing for non-standard form factors? Want to sign a new contract with AT&T? Then you’re a member of an extremely small niche, one that’s coincidentally served by AT&T’s latest Android phone/tablet bundle. Sony’s brand-new Tablet P and the somewhat less than new Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play get the treatment this time: you can pick up both on a pair of new contracts for just $299.99. That’s a savings of about a hundred dollars, were you to buy them separately: the Tablet P is $399 and the XPERIA Play is just 99 cents.

It’s got to be said that both devices are somewhat behind the times as far as hardware goes: the XPERIA Play uses a 1Ghz single-core Snapdragon processor, while the Tablet P is still using the Tegra 2 dual-core system-on-a-chip. That said, both offer form factors and potential use cases that just aren’t possible with any device in their class. The XPERIA Play bundles in a sliding PlayStation-style game pad, and the Tablet P has a unique clamshell design that crams a 10-inch split screen interface into a device that can fold down and fit into a large pocket. Both of them get access to Sony’s proprietary media (including the PlayStation Store) as well as the standard Gingerbread/Honeycomb Google apps. Both of them have access to AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network, but not LTE.
Signing up for two new data plans is a hard pill to swallow, and there’s no way to share them. But if you’re an avid gamer who wants both a smartphone and a tablet, and who doesn’t mind playing with the best hardware from mid 2011, it could be a tempting offer. If you’re on the fence, be sure to check out our review of the XPERIA Play, and our hands-on of the recently released Tablet P. The review should be coming along shortly.

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:54 AM PST
It’s a happy day for children and dentists the world over. Google and Coca-Cola have partnered for a new advertising campaign that recalls the 1971 “hilltop” ad and literally buys the world a Coke. Users on Android and iOS with AdMob-served browser or app ads can click on Coca-Cola ads and send a free Coke to specially-made vending machines around the world, saving a random stranger a buck or two and making their lunchbreak. Of course ,none of this would be worth it without a little feel-good validation, so you can send a “Here’s your Coke!” message to the vending machine, and receive an email or video response from your thankful recipient.

The campaign is part of a series of ads made by Google and its marketing partners, re-creating classic advertising with modern technology. The Coca-Cola ad takes things very literally, in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without some serious technical work on Google’s part (not to mention millions of dollars in disposable income).  Google brought together the original creators of the Coke “hilltop” commercial, Avis’ “We Try Harder” campaign, Vovlo’s “Drive it like you hate it” ads and the Alka-Seltzer “Ralph” commercial to bring them into the 21st century. (No word on a certain 1984 ad, sorry.)
You can see the Coca-Cola effort here -more will follow in the next few weeks:


And here’s an overview of the Project Re:Brief program itself:


Unfortunately, there’s no way to give yourself a free soda with your phone – that would bankrupt even Google pretty much instantly. But there is some pretty neat stuff happening here, starting with a live video feed of the vending machine where your generosity is appreciated. If you should happen to send a Coca-Cola to a country where you don’t speak the language, Google Translate will help out with some textual conversation.
[via 9to5Google]

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:09 AM PST
It looks like we’ve got a bona-fide goose chase on our hands. On the subject of the often-rumored Nexus Tablet, we’d already heard tell that it’d be made by Asus, manufactured in April, use the popular 7-inch form factor/$200 price tag, and that it would be dubbed the “Google Play”. The last one might just be flat-out wrong, considering Google’s latest content moves, but supply-side informant DigiTimes corroborates the rest, and says that the Google-Asus tablet will go on sale in May for a price between $200 and $250 USD.

If we may return to the ground for a moment: there’s still no concrete evidence that Google plans to commission a Nexus tablet. If you’ll recall, the rumors got started from a statement by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, who vaguely alluded to “a tablet of the highest quality” some time in 2012. Add to that the fact that DigiTimes sends out a lot of info from the supplier side of the hardware world, and their tunnel vision is wrong about half the time. In other words, consider all of this so much baloney until we see some more concrete evidence.
All that being said, there’s a lot of sense in this latest report. For one, Google IO is in June, just a month after the rumor places the “Nexus Tablet” on sale. One could easily believe that Google would build up stock for a launch at the developer conference, with their usual practice of giving away a device to attendees. Two, a low-price tablet is where the majority of Android tablet sales are going – to companies who don’t use Google’s services. A $200-250 tablet makes sense to combat the Kindle Fire and similar models.
And last but not least, choosing Asus makes a lot of sense. While Google has favored Samsung for their official devices as of late, they’ve used Motorola and HTC in the past. And if you were to pick one company that was leading the Android tablet charge right now, it would be Asus. Heck, their upcoming MeMO 370t is basically what all these Nexus tablet rumors are describing: a cheap, high-quality tablet with little or no software additions from a manufacturer. We eagerly await some news with a little more substance.
[via PocketNow]

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:33 AM PST
So, international readers, how excited are you for the Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade that Samsung Korea posted yesterday? Get used to disappointment: Samsung has updated their statement, saying that the March 10th date was in error and offering no news on when the real update might come. The company said that when the update software is finalized, they’ll let customers know their plans for sending out the Android 4.0 upgrade over the air. You’ll have to find something else to do with your Saturday.

We know that progress is humming along on the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. No less than three beta ROMs of the official update have leaked out of Samsung, the last of which is pretty much feature-complete and ready for “daily driver” status. That said, bug testing can take a long time, and Samsung has until the end of the month to reach their 1st quarter release promise. Even then, there’s sadly no real way to hold them to it – along with almost all other Android manufacturers, Samsung has a rather poor track record of updating devices to current versions of Android.
US users, keep in mid that an update to the international version of the Galaxy S II does not mean an update for the various American flavors. Thanks to our carrier middle man system, it would likely be at least six weeks, possibly more until a new version of Android started popping up on the localized versions of the phone. There’s always rooting and flashing, if you’ve got disdain for either your warranty or Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.
[via Engadget]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:54 PM PST
An Alpha release of Boid for Android has just hit the Google Play store and is available for download. If you haven’t heard, Boid is a Twitter client with an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) styled interface. There are quite a few updates in this release, but there are many standard Twitter features they are planning on for the next couple releases. There still isn’t full tablet support, and user lists are currently not functional. If you purchase the donate version from Team Boid, they plan on offering a home screen widget as well.


As for features to see in this update, they’ve included a new dark theme, many bug fixes, interface improvements, and the ability to quote, retweet, or reply by tap/holding over a tweet list. Boid looks very promising, and once it’s polished up it’s simplistic ICS interface is going to be appealing to anyone with Android 4.0.

This is currently the only Twitter client that was built with Android 4.0 in mind, but more will surely be on the way. Team Boid certainly has the jump over any others at the moment, so hopefully they can keep the updates coming in a timely manner. Tablet support would be a huge step as well – especially since Android 3.2 looks much like ICS.
boid boid2 boid3 boid4 boid5
[via XDA Developers]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:03 PM PST
Do you have Near Field Communication (NFC) built into your device? Probably not. But that doesn’t really matter, because the future of smartphones has NFC well under its wing. At the moment, you’ll find that very few devices (such as the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus) are NFC compatible, thus making Google Wallet still relatively new to the public. Despite its unpopularity, Juniper research predicts NFC payments will hit $74 billion by the time 2015 rolls around.


First there were cash/checks as the ideal form of payment, then that moved to debit/credit cards – so it’s almost natural to understand something new is already on the horizon. Google Wallet already works very well, despite a few previously patched security flaws. Currently, only those with Citi credit cards can use the application, but more will be confirmed by Google in time.
But the only thing that’s hold back NFC are the manufacturers and carriers alike. It’s easy to implement, economically manageable, and take a rocket scientist to know how to use it. As soon as more carriers push for credit card companies to take advantage of the system, and manufacturers include NFC capabilities into every new device, its use is going to catch on very quickly.
[via SlashGear]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:34 PM PST
We saw the entire new LG Optimus L-series at this year’s Mobile World Congress, and even had some hands-on time with each of the three. Rogers has confirmed that the Optimus L7 will be part of its ‘Smartphone Lite’ category. In case you aren’t familiar with their Smartphone Lite package, it’s tuned for people that use the data features on their phone sparingly. There still isn’t any information regarding when it will launch or its price, but at least we know it’s coming.


Of the three L-series devices, the L7 had the best specifications. It sports a 4.3″ display, 1GHz single-core processor, and Android 2.3. However, we will see Android 4.0 on each of the three devices in Q2 of this year. Devices in Rogers Smartphone Lite are accustomed to sub-par specs, so the L7 will offer a decent option for those shopping in that category.
It’s much to early to tell if the device will offer decent battery life, but it’s slated to ship with a 1500 mAh battery. For a 4.3″ display and single core processor, it seems like it won’t come close to other phones just hitting the market. Nevertheless, it does look stylish, so hopefully we’ll get one of these in for a review in the near future for further testing.
[via MobileSyrup]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:55 PM PST
To start off the day, the HTC One X received root and superboot before release, courtesy of Modaco. He had done the same thing with the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus. We later heard that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6 is to be announced tomorrow. It was thought the the Note 10.1 would headline the event, but the unveiling of an 11.6″ Tab would be a great surprise indeed.


Motorola has recently added a spill-proof coating to XYBOARD [WiFi] tablets, and these water resistant devices will remain the same price as their predecessors. They’ve also started giving away a free case and HD dock if purchased directly from Motorola’s online store.
‘Tough’ Android devices that can withstand virtually any environment are becoming more popular as of late. Caterpillar, the construction company, has launched the CAT B10 smartphone. It may only have an 800MHz single core processor and run Android 2.3, but it will stand up to anything that comes its way. We’ve also got an in-depth review of the Samsung Rugby Smart. It can handle up to 30 minutes submerged in a meter of water!
The most popular smartphone of 2011 was unquestionably the Samsung Galaxy S II. On March 10th, it will see an update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). We had thought the Epic Touch 4G would receive it before the other GSII’s, but the international version has gotten the jump.

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:14 PM PST
Apple unveiled its latest iPad in San Francisco yesterday, and as usual, the tech world and more established media swooned at the shiny new piece of engineered obsolescence. As a die-hard Android fan, I wasn’t moved – sure, the screen is nice (even if it’s still the wrong ratio) and the processor is impressive, but my distaste for Apple as a manufacturer, developer and corporation is more than enough to overcome any fleeting feeling of hardware lust. But there’s one feature that remains exclusive to the iPad that I want, badly, and it isn’t coming to Android any time soon: wireless data without a contract.


With the new iPad
3
as with the previous two incarnations, you’ll be able to buy a new tablet from a carrier (AT&T or Verizon) and sign up for a recurring data plan. But unlike almost every single smartphone, including the iPhone, you won’t be forced to sign a new two-year contract to do so. Even with the new LTE radio (welcome to 2011, Apple!) you can drop the data at any time, and start it up again later without any sort of penalty. You know, the way wireless data payments should work.
In the United States, there’s not a single Android mobile broadband tablet that you can buy at its retail price without a contract. All of them – even the ones that cost as much as an iPad – require a two-year contract or extension, even for users who already have phone service with the same company. Oh sure, you can opt for the “contract free” price, usually for a solid $200 or more on top of the advertised price. This forced application of mobile data is what’s keeping Android tablet adoption down the most, at least for mobile broadband versions.
Why is this? To put it bluntly, Apple’s got the clout. They’re still selling more than two iPads for every Android tablet, mobile broadband connection or not. Android is winning the smartphone race by a healthy margin, perhaps due in no small part to the fact that it competes evenly with iOS on almost every carrier in every market. But for tablets, the average user wants the iPad, and is willing to pay hundreds of dollars more for it. Carriers know this, and more significantly, Apple knows that carriers know it, and forces some pretty enviable terms out of both AT&T and Verizon. Terms that no Android manufacturer can seem to match.

The vast, vast majority of Android sales are for WiFi-only tablets. That’s not because everyone out there is as savvy as the average Android Community reader and roots their smartphone for a free WiFi access point. No, it’s the simple fact that people don’t want to be saddled with yet another recurring bill that they’re stuck with for years at a time. Carriers aren’t going to change this arrangement because they’re more than happy with things the way they are, and would probably force Apple to do the same if they could.
What’s the solution? Listen up, Android tablet makers: include HSPA+ and LTE radios in the WiFi tablets you’re making already, and sell them directly at retail. Plenty of manufacturers do this, just not in the United States – our dug-in wireless industry has them by the short hairs. Sell us the tablets we want with the connections we crave, and let us buy the data from carriers separately. I myself would be willing to pay an extra $100 to do so, though you’d be well-advised to add the radios and SIM card slots for the current prices. The iPad 2 just dropped to $399, giving you a new limbo price bar to slide under.
High-res screen? Not impressed. LTE? Been there, done that. An always-on connection that I don’t always have to pay for? Now that’s magic. Samsung, Asus, Acer, Motorola: this is what we want.

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 05:19 PM PST
Disturbing news out of Reuters’ business division: reports are coming in that Google is telling major Android Market/Google Play developers to adopt Google Wallet for in-app purchases, or be removed from Android’s official app distribution platform. Major developer Papaya Mobile told Reuters that Google sent them an email in August that they had to switch from their current payment system or be booted off the Android Market. Google declined to comment on the story.

If true, the restriction of payment options from PayPal and other competing services would severely limit developers’ ability to choose their own method of charging players and customers. An integrated system would mirror Apple’s policy, which only allows for in-app purchases through iTunes. It’s not just games that are affected: popular media delivery apps like ComiXology use non-Google systems for purchasing. Larger marketplaces like Kindle and Amazon MP3 jump out to the mobile browser to complete purchases, perhaps for this very reason.
While Papaya said that they’d comply with anything that Google asked, other developers may not be so accommodating - and the Google Play Store isn’t the only game in town. While the addition of tens of thousands of games and media apps to Google Wallet would certainly be a boon (especially considering the bad press they’ve gotten lately) I’ve got to say that this is a discouraging way to do it. We’ll be eagerly waiting a response from Google on this issue.
[via The Verge]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:42 PM PST
Can I just say: finally. Finally. This isn’t stricly an Android story, but NBC’s decision to dump Microsoft’s proprietary steaming technology, Silverlight, is a win for every single Android user who wants to watch the Olympics. Why? Because they’re switching to YouTube, Google’s very own video playground that’s deeply integrated into (almost) every Android phone and tablet. In addition to making Android sports fans the world over happy, it’s going to save millions of Internet citizens the hassle of installing the Silverlight plugin… which they haven’t needed since two years ago, when the last Olympics made use of it.

Every single event of the 2012 London Olympics will be covered by NBC, but not all of it will be available live online. It’s likely that most of the high-profile events will be on NBC’s broadcast and cable networks, with the overflow events (think table tennis and archery) going online when necessary. The events won’t necessarily be on the main YouTube website, either -while Google will be providing the back-end for the streaming video, most or all of it will be on NBC’s own site.
Even so, that’s a major win for mobile users (other than Windows Phone 7, of course) as any Android phone can handle the HTML5 that YouTube defaults to. If it comes to it, almost every Android phone and tablet can also use a Flash (though not forever, and not ideally). Due to the complicated agrements between the Olympic Games and international broadcast partners, the above is probably only for the United States and possibly Canada – check with your local Olympics affiliate for more precise information outside the US.
Also, Netflix: please follow suit. I’m tired of having to update Silverlight on my desktop.
[via 9to5Google]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:15 PM PST
News has just hit the wires from Samsung themselves that they’ll officially be updating the Galaxy S II to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Saturday. This will be for the international version most know as the GT-i9100 and not the US versions on T-Mobile AT&T and others. In just two days you international Galaxy S II owners will be enjoying some Android 4.0 ICS.


We are unsure if the update will be rolled out over the air for all International carrier versions but the details direct from Samsung confirm that it will be here on the 10th, and will be available on KIES to download should you choose. Obviously this is the latest and greatest from Google and ICS is awesome so we’d strongly recommend it.
Sadly those with the T-Mobile or AT&T carrier branded Galaxy S II’s you’ll have to wait a little longer. Most likely these updates are also coming very shortly considering they all run similar versions of Gingerbread with TouchWiz and aren’t too carrier specific. We should be hearing more about the US versions shortly. Also we can expect the official release to be ported to US models immediately after hitting download wires thanks to those awesome Android Community developers.
Users can enjoy plenty of Samsung’s own improvements plus the awesome features in Ice Cream Sandwich to make a great overall experience. Check the FAQ if you have questions. Hit the links below for more details on the Galaxy S II or Ice Cream Sandwich. Let us know how the update goes come Saturday you lucky buggers!

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy S II
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T
    Announced Date : February 13, 2011
    Release Date : April 28, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.27 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED Plus
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.93 Inch
  • Width : 2.6 Inch
  • Depth : .33 Inch
  • Weight : 116 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1650 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 710 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : Exynos
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via SlashGear]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:58 PM PST
We in the tech media industry tend to focus on the ultra-high end, because honestly, it’s what people want to read about. But considering Android’s more democratic applications, at Android Community we also like to focus on a wider range of phones for those who either don’t want, don’t need or can’t afford flagship devices. If you find yourself among this company and AT&T is your carrier of choice, you’d do well to investigate the Samsung Rugby Smart, a 3.7-inch Gingerbread phone with basic features and a ruggedized exterior.

Hardware
If you’re looking for a phone that will wow onlookers with grace and style, the Rugby Smart isn’t it.  The outer casing makes it look like the illegitimate offspring of an LCD monitor and a hand grenade. But that’s kind of the point: the Rugby Smart is intended to be a phone that can take a beating without complaint. And on that point, it scores. Between impact-absorbing sides, a waterproof casing (it can handle up to 30 minutes submerged in a meter of water) and a completely enclosed design including protective tabs, a locking battery cover and sealed physical navigation buttons, this phone might very well survive in the middle of a rugby match.

All that being the case, it still hats all the checkpoints of a modern Android phone. The back case and battery are removable by means of a recessed lock, the charge and headphone ports are accessible (if not easily so) under plastic protectors. An empty MicroSD card slot is found directly under the battery, making it a bit of a pain to swap cards, but no more so than on many earlier Android phones. Even the ergonomics are preserved with Samsung’s standard power on left, volume on right button layout. As an added not to utility (and perhaps my favorite feature) holding down the Volume Up button when the phone is off turns on a the LED light for a quick flashlight. This is a popular modification, but Samsung includes it by default  - awesome!

Underneath the plastic and rubber, the Rugby Smart is a typical low-to-mid range Android phone. A 1.4ghz processor is quite speedy for a single-core machine, and 512MB is enough to run Android 2.3 and TouchWiz comfortably.  Just 4GB of storage combined with an empty and tough-to-reach MicroSD card means that this isn’t a media phone, unless you’ve already transitioned your music to the cloud. The rear camera is 5 megapixels (720p video recording) while the front-facing camera is 1.3 megapixels – impressive, since on a rugged phone it might not even be there. Samsung’s typically excellent Super AMOLED technology is in fine form, and if the resolution is low at 800×480, it’s only because the screen is relatively small – this is the same size and density of the original Nexus One and HTC Incredible.
Software
If you’ve used Samsung’s TouchWiz over Gingerbread, you know what to expect here. There’s nothing more or less than Samsung and HTC’s standard Android compliment. That said, the extra processor speed seems to handle is all with commendable speed for a mid-range device. TouchWiz is as it ever was, a mix of high-gloss additions that are either slightly hands or ignorable. I’m a big fan of the built-in screenshot feature, which isn’t a standard on Android phones, and the power menu embedded into the drop-down bar, which is so common among skins and ROMs that I’m amazed Google hasn’t already adapted it.

The rest, like the lockscreen and launcher, I could do without. At least in this version it doesn’t give an iPhone-style box to every icon. The abundance of widgets activated by default makes the launcher sluggish even the first time you turn it on. There’s a hearty amount of bloatware present, but anything that’s not made by Samsung or AT&T (about half of the included, non-stock Android apps) can be uninstalled. The rest, like the baffling AT&T Navigator and Featured Apps, will remain unless you root.
Oh, and the Rugby uses MTP instead of the standard USB mass storage, for some reason. Boo.
Battery & Phone
The Rugby Smart has a 1650mAh battery, a generous capacity perhaps made possible by a body that isn’t trying to be the thinnest around. AT&T claims 8 hours of talk time and a little over two weeks of standby time, and I wouldn’t dispute that. The little phone got through a full day’s use with 30% remaining, which is nice, but it doesn’t have a huge screen or an LTE radio bogging it down, either. The bottom line is that you won’t be searching for a charger unless you download gigabytes of files or talk for hours on end.

And speaking of talking: the reception on the Rugby Smart isn’t great. My house is in a 1-2 bar AT&T area, so it makes a perfect testbed for poor signal. The Rugby Smart would drop calls on a regular basis. However, once it found a stable connection the clarity wasn’t too far below the standard level of AT&T phones. If you live in a well-covered area, it should be fine. That said, if you’re prone to long, extended calls, there’s probably better options out there.
Media 
A 5MP camera isn’t the greatest out there today, but for a $100 phone, the Rugby’s sensor is pretty good. Even in indoor light it manages to be relatively clear. It won’t beat out the Galaxy S II any time soon, but then it doesn’t really have to. Snapshots and video are both above-average, even if it’s not as high res as some might like. The speaker on the back is surprisingly loud considering that it’s as waterproof as the rest of the phone, as is the earpiece. Those who use their phone as a speaker will be pleased. The hard-to-reach SD card is still a bit of a downer for those who constantly swap in different audio or video files.
Wrap-Up

For $99.99 on an AT&T contract, you’ve got a few options. If you want 4G LTE, the HTC Vivid is an excellent choice. Those who need more power can opt for the Motorola Atrix 2, and those who want a big, beautiful screen can choose Samsung’s own Galaxy S II. But for someone who wants a small and relatively cheap phone without dipping into the tiny and low-power sections of the market, the Rugby Smart is a good fit. Its compact size should suite plenty who want a middle ground, and the tough construction (while keeping a reasonable thickness and usability) make it an attractive choice for anyone who works or plays in an active environment.
There are a few downsides to this, most notably the technically accessible but hard-to-reach battery bay and SD card slot. And if you frequent low-signal areas, odds are you’d be better served by something else. But for those who want a small phone with decent power that’ll take a beating and still look good, this is it.
IMG_5608 IMG_5618 IMG_5621 IMG_5622 IMG_5633 IMG_5637 IMG_5644 IMG_5651 IMG_5652 IMG_5656 IMG_5666 IMG_5837 SC20120308-162626 SC20120308-175106

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:43 PM PST
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to see the Samsung Galaxy S III. We’ve still been waiting for something official and have only heard rumors as of late but a recent trademark filing by Samsung might of just gave us all hope. Three trademark filings were just submitted for smartphone names Samsung to the United States Patent and Trademark Office — I’m already wondering what these are.


Now these could really end up being anything but with big names such as Stellar, Emerge, and Halo we have a feeling these might be more than just some mid-range Samsung filler phones. The possibility of Samsung and carriers all naming the Galaxy S III their own names like the original Galaxy S line is possible instead of sticking to the same title for all and adding to them. The Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch name was just a little too long if you ask me.
This is all just purely speculation at the moment as we’ve seen other trademark filings from Samsung with names such as Galaxy Axiom, Galaxy Awaken, Galaxy Heir and Galaxy Rite. Although these latest three sound a bit more exciting if you ask me. No details on devices, specs, or anything was available and this is only a trademark filing. Hopefully one or two of these end up being the new Galaxy S III that we can’t wait to get an official look at.
[via PocketDroid]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:35 PM PST
Another HTC smartphone passed through the FCC today rocking those Verizon bands. Most likely this is the recently rumored and leaked HTC DROID Incredible 4G that we’ve seen a few pictures of floating around. HTC recently announced the One series and this doesn’t appear to be a part of it, or Verizon didn’t want to join — we can’t know for sure. According to the FCC something is on the way.


Previous reports claimed the Incredible 4G was the HTC Fireball and a global device, similar to the global capabilities on the Incredible 2, so that would make sense. An unknown HTC phone was spotted a late last month and even captured on camera looking strikingly similar to the original so this is all starting to come together.
Earlier this week reports surfaced that the DROID Incredible 4G would be hitting Verizon in April. With it hitting the FCC right now things are lining up right on time for an April release date. Obviously things are always open to change but there’s a good change the Incredible 4G will be here soon enough. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
[via PocketNow]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:58 PM PST
The Android Market will from here on out be known as the Google Play Store, or in your application tray and on Android Devices the Play Store. After the news a few days ago Google quickly pushed the new version of the Android Market to most devices, but today they’ve released another. Version 3.4.7 of the Google Play Store is hitting devices.


We have just received the latest update of the new market again from Google, although aren’t seeing any changed yet. According to a few reports that have just hit our inbox, along with Droid-Life, the new Google Play Store version 3.4.7 appears to be fixing those problems Motorola devices had with the new market breaking their shortcut. We discussed this yesterday but it appears a quick fix was possible because tips are claiming all is fine now.

For now this doesn’t appear to actually change anything on the market other than bring us to a different version number. This could be just aimed at fixing the problem on Motorola phones or there is the possibility of a few improvements too. I’m not noticing any speed increases but either way I’ll take it.
The new Play Store (market) should hit your device in the next 24 hours or so, but you can manually install it with the download link below thanks to our friends over at XDA. For all the details on the new Google Play Store hit the links below.
Play Store v3.4.7 [mirror]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:19 PM PST
The Motorola DROID 2 hasn’t been completely forgotten about, although it is starting to show its age. The DROID 2 Global is getting an update that was first detailed a few weeks ago but is finally rolling out to handsets starting today. If you’re a proud D2 owner you’ll want to check for updates on that slider of yours.


The update will bring the DROID 2 to version is 4.5.629 although we still have Android 2.3 Gingerbread. ICS isn’t expected to hit this device and if it does, it wont be for a while officially. The update does however solve some major issues the D2 was having. Fixing performance issues, random power on and offs, low memory errors, camera settings being wiped after restarts and a few other pesky problems.
As usual the update is rolling out to new handsets as we speak and you can manually pull the update on your device by going to settings > about phone > check for updates and give this latest build of Gingerbread packed full of bug fixes a try. A few tips that came in mentioned pretty great performance after the update so let us know what you think, or if you have any issues after updating.
droid2update d2

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Droid 2
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : August 10, 2010
    Release Date : August 11, 2010
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 3.70 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x854
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.58 Inch
  • Width : 2.38 Inch
  • Depth : 0.54 Inch
  • Weight : 169 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1400 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 315 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.2.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : TI OMAP
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 512 MB
    Internal Storage : 8.192 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Droid-Life]

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:18 PM PST
For all those fans of Valve’s extremely popular and mind stimulating game Portal, we have some bad news. After tons of excitement of the possibility of Portal being ported to Android, and tons of progress not to mention playable levels from the developers it has apparently been canceled. This was being ported by a few genius developers out of Russia but after some legal threats all bets are off.


Using the popular mobile gaming platform, the Unity 3D engine and some of Valve’s goods they were able to recreate the game and had a successful working port for Android. Things were moving along quite rapidly and only getting better and better. After the news spread like wildfire it appears the developers have been contacted by Valve’s legal team to shut it down.
And just like that the dream of playing portal on our Android devices is over. So for those that love the game, the cake is a lie! With the huge success of all of Valve’s game on PC, and the amount of interest this project received on Android, maybe Valve should wake up and smell the coffee (or Android) and start making their awesome games for the mobile markets. Android is only getting bigger and bigger and we suggest they hurry.
Sorry folks, looks like we wont be playing Portal on our tablets any time soon.


[via Android Police]

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