Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 202



Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:42 AM PDT
Google has just officially announced the details for those interested in the Google I/O 2012 developer conference. Along with the time, date, pricing, and new rules to name a few. Google I/O 2012 tickets will go on sale March 27th at 7 AM PDT, and you better be ready because last year they sold out in a matter of minutes. More details and links available below.


Although the picture above is neat, most likely this year they’ll mention plenty about Android@Home, maybe those special Google project X glasses, and of course Android 5.0 (or 4.1) Jelly Bean, not Ice Cream Sandwich although I’m sure Google will have a few surprises up their sleeves. They are cool like that.
Anyways it looks like you’ll need a Google+ and a Google Wallet account to register, and the pricing has increased over last year.
–General attendee – $900 (Wow)
–Academia (student, faculty) – $300
–Questions Email – googleio2012@google.com
Last year Google gave everyone in attendance a brand new shiny Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Google I/O Edition with their latest Honeycomb user interface and most likely we can expect something similar to come this year — it’s like a tradition. All the latest news, details, and goodies from Google are only half the reason to go. The other half is simply the experience and all the Google and Android paraphernalia laying around.
In case you missed the news. Google has changed the date and extended this year’s Google I/O to three days since past years have been sooo successful. The new dates are June 27-29 and will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco, California. Be sure to hit all the links below for past coverage, details, dates, and everything else we’ve mentioned above. Head to the Google Developers blog for full details.
Android Community will be there live for all the details. So be sure to drop by during the event for full coverage.
[via Google Developer Blog]

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 09:47 AM PDT
Android gets around to a lot of different device classes, but this one may be unique. A company called Miselu unveiled a new MIDI controller/musical keyboard today, with the standard set of features and connections. There’s a couple of interesting new additions to the Neiro though: one, it’s got a built-in Internet connection, though the precise nature of this (wired, WiFi, mobile broadband) isn’t currently spelled out. And two, it runs Android on a laptop-style screen above the main console. You knew that was coming, right?

While most MIDI controllers plug into a computer or other audio equipment, the Neiro is potentially a completely self-contained music machine, using Android to manage its audio functions and presumably complete files for presentation. Included in the package is the Yamaha AudioEngine Series Sound Chip NSX-1, which we assume is a good thing for audiophiles. Other than that, specifications are pretty scarce. The touchscreen interface includes a series of pre-loaded apps specifically tailored for audio creation – and no, we wouldn’t hold out for Google Play. There’s always root, though!
Miselu isn’t saying when or where the Neiro will be available, or for how much. Given the fact that pros and serious hobbyists already have thousands of dollars invested in their setups, it probably needs to present a use case scenario with serious benefits or, failing that, a great price. The company is showing off the hardware at SXSW in Austin, so a release can’t be that far away.
[via Geeky Gadgets]

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 08:53 AM PDT
In what seems to be a massive oversight on Google’s part, developers from all over Europe are reporting that their expected Android Market/Google Play Store payments for early March have not been delivered. Though the payments are marked as delivered in the internal developer systems, the money simply isn’t appearing in developers’ accounts. Those who have reached out to Google directly via developer support channels have thus far been met with silence. After almost a week of reports in the Google Checkout help section, the primary complaint thread has hundreds of replies.

That’s not all: developers who opt for ad-based apps are seeing significantly fewer returns from AdMob, Google’s in-house mobile advertising service. Many are reporting roughly 70% fewer returns, despite a steady or climbing number of clicks. While the number of replies in the Google Groups thread doesn’t necessarily guarantee that every European Android Market/Google Play developer is experiencing this, the widespread nature would seem to suggest that it’s affecting users in every country in western Europe.
Many developers mote that they rely on the income that the Android Market provides in either a full-time or supplementary capacity, and Google’s continuing silence on the matter is unacceptable considering that they take 30% of revenue on paid apps. We have to agree – for all of Google’s considerably charitable freebies, when it comes time to get someone on the phone (even for paying customers) it’s nearly impossible to do so. Depending upon Google’s terms of service for Google Play, Google Checkout/Wallet and Adsense, they may not actually be doing anything wrong, but they’re sure earning a lot of bad will across the pond.
[via Reddit]

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:53 AM PDT
Here’s an interesting one for your morning Android news digest: a high-end Pantech phone has leaked out in a series of pre-release sordid details. The IM-A830S doesn’t have a proper name just yet, but it does have a series of impressive specifications, starting with Android 4.0.3 loaded at launch – whenever that is. Blog of Mobile spotted the phone sitting in a benchmark pool along with a series of impressive hardware specifications. While this shouldn’t be considered any sort of confirmation, it’s a definite indication of exciting things coming out of Pantech.

First and foremost is a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, which according to the model number (MSM8960) runs 1.5Ghz on dual cores. Other features include a 720p screen of unknown size, though it includes Ice Cream Sandwich’s virtual navigation buttons, and an LTE radio that seems tuned for LTE on SK Telecom in South Korea, Pantech’s home territory. There’s no word on a release date, proper name or even a glimpse of what this one looks like, though that’ll probably come along sooner rather than later.
Pantech is known for low-end phones in most markets, but it’s released some respectably powerful hardware in South Korea before, like the Vega LTE. Between its expansion into the tablet market and aspirations towards North America, it’s not impossible that we could start seeing more varied devices crossing over into other markets. That said, the company seems hesitant to get its flagship phones out of the home territory at the moment. We’ll just have to wait and see.
[via Androinica]

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:25 AM PDT
It’s just raining Ice Cream for Android this week. Telstra customers in Australia are reporting that the HTC Velocity (known as the Vivid in the US and Raider in some other territories) is receiving an over the air update to Android 4.0. This comes at almost the exact same time that Samsung Galaxy S II owners in continental Europe and South Korea are getting their updates. The update includes HTC Sense 4.0 that’s found on the new HTC One series, though it’s reportedly significantly faster than the previous 3.5 build on the Velocity.

The Velocity is one of the last HTC high-end phones of the Gingerbread era, with a 4.5-inch QHD screen and a dual-core 1.2Ghz processor, a full gigabyte of RAM and 16GB of storage space. The phone ran Gingerbread admirably in our review of AT&T’s Vivid variant, and should handle Ice Cream Sandwich fairly easily – as far as internals go, it’s on par with the new HTC One S. OF course the LTE radio is one of the phone’s biggest draws, though that doesn’t really affect the software update in any meaningful way.
YouTube user “demomanca” was kind enough to post a wlakthrough of the Velocity’s new software update. Check it out below:


It isn’t clear why Australia is getting the first rollout of HTC’s software update, but it shouldn’t be too long before variants in South Korea, Hong Kong and Germany start seeing a similar update. Customers on Rogers in Canada (where the phone is known as the Raider) and users of AT&T’s Vivid may have to wait for some time, given carrier practices in the Americas. Even so, a relatively early update for other territories indicates that it should be coming stateside within a few months at the very latest.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Vivid
    Manufactuer : HTC
    Carrier : AT&T
    Announced Date : October 31, 2011
    Release Date : November 06, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.5 Inch
  • Resolution : 540x960
  • Screen Type : S-LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.07 Inch
  • Width : 2.64 Inch
  • Depth : 0.44 Inch
  • Weight : NA
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1620 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
    Video Playback:
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : APQ8060
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • 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 Reddit]

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 06:53 AM PDT
That “Pepper” handset we saw yesterday didn’t stay obscure for very long. Sony has just announced the Xperia sola (keeping its maddening trend of strange capitalization going strong) for launch in the second quarter of 2012 in Europe. Other territories will follow, presumably including Japan and (eventually) the US. The Sola fits in between the Xperia U and Xperia P announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this month, adding in premium features including camera gestures and NFC tags.

The specs on the sola are decidedly mid-range, starting with a 3.7-inch 854×480 LCD screen with Sony’s proprietary Reality Display technology. The processor is a NovaThor U8500 1Ghz dual-core – not the fastest around, but certainly respectable, even when paired with only 512MB of RAM. a 5MP rear camera is capable of 720p recording, though 8GB of internal memory will fill up fast if you’re a would-be filmmaker. Disappointingly, the Xperia sola uses Gingerbread, though Sony has promised an Ice Cream Sandwich update sometime in the summer. Three capacitive buttons should make that an interesting proposition from a UI standpoint.
Sony is highlighting two features on the Xperia sola that distinguish it from other smartphones, if not other Sony models. The first is “floating touch”, a UI enhancement that uses the front-facing camera to allow you to make taps and selections without touching the phone’s screen. Presumably this is done with close-range spatial awareness and some on-board software, in a sort of shrunken-down Kinect interface. The feature is only being used for basic cursor-style navigation at launch, but Sony says that it’ll add third party support (probably with a public API) at some point. NFC smart tags, as on the Xperia S, also make an appearance.
Sony claims up to 6 hours of talk time, 6 hours of video or 40 hours of music playback on the sola, which is currently being marketed to HSPA+ areas only. We look forward to a wider release with anticipation.
1_Xperiasola_black_front 2_Xperiasola_black_sidehoriz 3_Xperiasola_black_left 4_Xperiasola_black_back 5_Xperiasola_black_group 6_Xperiasola_PIU_1 7_SmartTags_Front 8_SmartTags_Group 9_SmartTags_Bedroom_PIU 10_SmartTags_Car_PIU 11_SmartTags_Office_PIU 12_SmartTags_Pair

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 06:23 AM PDT
Looks like those previous rumors of an official Ice Cream Sandwich update were right in general, if not altogether precise. Reports from both European and South Korean owners of the ubiquitous Samsung Galaxy S II indicate that stock versions of the smartphone are receiving over-the-air updates to Ice Cream Sandwich right now. This fulfills Samsung’s promise to upgrade the flagship phone to the latest version of Android in the first quarter of 2012, if only just. If you live in either territory and haven’t seen an update yet, you can initiate a manual update in the Settings menu.

The update is currently going out to the international version of the Galaxy S II, known by the model number i9100  in most territories. In a press release, Samsung said that updates for the Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 (WiFi), and the Galaxy Note would follow shortly. Expect a more wide rollout of the GSII’s upgrade, with the other smartphone and tablet models coming in the next few weeks. At the same time, Samsung verified that the Galaxy S, Galaxy S Plus, and Galaxy Tab 7 would be receiving incremental updates to their Gingerbread software (something like the rumored “value pack”) but not Ice Cream Sandwich. All updates will keep Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, though new features may be added.
Note that the Americas are not mentioned in Samsung’s statement or our breakdown above. That’s because in the US and often in Canada as well, wireless carriers add considerable apps and other software tweaks to their subsidized phones, and must modify and approve almost all updates before they’re sent out over the air. Depending upon the proclivities of the handful of national and regional carriers that offer the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, it could be a few weeks to several months before American customers see their devices updated. In some cases, they may not be.

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 :


Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:53 PM PDT
Motorola has become something of a whipping boy when it comes to Android updates, though not undeservedly so. When they revealed a release schedule for Ice Cream Sandwich that put most current models at a post-summer release, owners were less than thrilled. Moto has updated its outlook, but unless you have the international Motorola RAZR (not Verizon’s DROID RAZR) things still aren’t looking that great. As a developer device, the XOOM tablet’s WiFi version already has Ice Cream Sandwich, but everyone else is waiting for an OTA update – and they’ll be doing so for quite a while.

RAZR owners in Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Japan, South Korea, and the Asia Pacific region can expect an Ice Cream Sandwich update in the second quarter, i.e. between April and June. US Owners of the XOOM Family Edition and Chinese owners of the esoteric MT917 and XT928 can expect an upgrade in the same time period. US owners of the ATRIX, ATRIX 2 and Photon 4G will get ICS in the third quarter of 2012, between July and September. Both versions of the XOOM 2 and the XYBOARD, as well as Verizon’s DROID XYBOARDs, will also be upgraded in the third quarter.
Everyone else is either denied an official upgrade or up in the air. Notable phones that are still in the “wait and see” stage are the DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX and DROID 4, all of which will probably see an upgrade eventually. Older phone like the DROID X2, Motorola Electrify and the Milestone 3/DROID 3 are less likely. Anything older than about summer 2011 is pretty much out of luck, including the DROID 2/Milestone 2 and DROID 2 Global. You can see the full list, including a country-by-country breakdown, at Motorola’s website.
[via PocketNow]

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 05:27 PM PDT
Ready for some classic role-playing? Then break out your pocket translator (insert “there’s an app for that” joke here). Gaming giant Square Enix has released Final Fantasy III, widely considered to be one of the all-time greats of console RPGs, for Android. The bad news is that it’s limited to Square’s in-house market at the moment, and region-locked to Japan. You can’t even pull some build.prop mods to get around it in Android Market/Google Play, since there’s no app to be had in there.

Final Fantasy III was originally released way back in 1990 for the FamiCom, the Japanese version of the NES. While its innovative class-switching system and expansive story were widely praised, the game never saw a release outside of Japan until more than a decade later, when a reworked and remastered version of the original made its way to the Nintendo DS in 2006. This version was localized for North America and Europe, and added gameplay tweaks and fancy 3D graphics while retaining its original story. This updated version has been available on iOS for over a year, and according to the Square Enix website, it’s now been ported to Android.
There’s no word on when or if the game will make its way outside of Japan, but it seems pretty likely that we’ll get it eventually – all that’s really necessary is to adapt the localized dialogue and interface from the iOS version. A better question is whether or not Square will see fit to release it on Google Play. Though the Japanese version of the iPhone game is published via iTunes, the Android version is only available directly from Square, netting them a tidy 30% profit on Android. They wouldn’t be the first company to do so with a major release, but it would be a big hassle for Android gamers everywhere.
[via DroidGamers]

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 04:57 PM PDT
One of the best features of the CyanogenMod family of ROMs is its integrated power menu that hangs out in the status bar. It’s so handy that it’s downright difficult to adjust to a ROM that doesn’t have it after you’ve used it, which is probably why all the other ROMs that didn’t have a similar feature already are adding it in. If you want even more options when it comes to your Ice Cream Sandwich experience (And if you’re reading this, then yes you do) try out ReloadedICS, from a team of developers over at XDA.

ReloadedICS brings a lot of the functionality from the up-and-coming AOKP ROMs and adds a bunch of new variables that you can adjust in the settings. These include menu bar transparency, date format, a brightness slider, changing the clock location, a tabbed layout for alerts, and a WebOS-style horizontal layout for the recent apps function. Just about any custom Ice Cream Sandwich ROM can use it: it isn’t limited to CyanogenMod. So as long as you roll deodexed, you’re golden.
The modifications to Android require a little more than your standard app, so you have to apply Reloaded ICS via a recovery ZIP. Unfortunately these modifications are geared towards smartphones only, as the SystemUI for Ice Cream Sandwich varies pretty drastically between smartphones and tablets. There’s some pretty extensive changes here, so as always, make sure to create a Nandroid backup before you get your tweak on.

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 03:56 PM PDT
HTC made a commitment to a “hero” strategy for phones in 2012, culminating in the One X, One S and One V models. But it would appear that these aren’t the only ones they’ve got up their sleeve: PocketNow spotted a test photo from something called the “HTC Golf” in the EXIF data. The three-megapixel photo isn’t much t ogo one, just showing a teal background of some kind, but they’ve also got some alleged specifications to go along with it. There’s still room for the very bottom of the low-end in HTC’s new lineup (the sort of niche formerly filled by the Wildfire S) though we’re still a little surprised to see yet another entry so soon.

The rumored specs include a 3.5-inch 480×320 display, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of ROM and a processor somewhere below the gigahertz mark. These numbers put it at just below the HTC One V in terms of power, flexibility and screen size, though considerably higher than HTC’s current entry-level offerings, especially if it includes Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0. Note that “Golf” is almost certainly a code name – a new phone will probably get another letter designation in the One family. Though the appeal of having a phone and a VW with the same name is somewhat appealing…
While it may seem like the HTC One V is as low as you can get in the phone market without seeing diminishing returns, that’s likely only true for North America, where gigantic subsidies push the prices on phones down in exchange for the yoke of multi-year contracts. A cheap phone like the Golf is especially useful for teens or others who can’s afford to put down the local equivalent of $500 or more just to stay connected. Expect to see more revealing information on the Golf, including a more up-to-date moniker, within a few weeks.

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 03:21 PM PDT
Death of Ceaser? Check. Abdication of Tsar Nicholas the Second? Birth of Eva Longoria? Check. Now you can add yet another auspicious event to the Ides of March, when the ZTE Venture lands on Virgin Mobile this Thursday. While the Venture may not have the history-defining characteristics of, say, the third battle of Kharkov, it’s still a pretty big deal for anybody who wants a Treo-style QWERTY candybar phone and doesn’t particularly like mobile contracts. The Venture will be available starting on March 15th for $99.

The Venture is pretty low on the hardware scale, with a 600Mhz processor, 512MB of RAM and 512MB of storage space (that’s right, just half a gigabyte of room for on-board apps and media). It augments this with a MicroSD card slot, 2 megapixel rear camera (no front-facing cam) and the standard compliment of WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unlike some cheap models, the Venture has full access to Google apps and the Android Market, which will probably be updated to the Google Play Store as soon as you turn it on. Gingerbread is the operating system, and no, I wouldn’t hold out for an Ice Cream Sandwich update.
The QWERTY market is a sadly under-serviced one these days, with just a handful of keyboard phones being offered across all US carriers. The Venture isn’t about to start a revolution (like Syrian rebels did on March 15th last year) but for a C-note and with no contract, you could certainly do worse. What it lacks in 4G speed or dual-core processors it makes up for in spunk and high hopes.
[via AndroidGuys]

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 02:32 PM PDT
What have we here? A previously undiscovered Lenovo tablet, if the Federal Communications Commission can be believed. The Chinese manufacturer submitted the drawings below for the “IdeaTab S2109″ for the standard set of wireless tests, certifying its WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radios. There’s very little else in the way of empirical information, though the wire frame of the tablet’s backside would seem to indicate either an unusual bezel style or (morel likely) a non-widescreen aspect ratio, probably of the 4:3 variety.

That would be a first for Lenovo, though it’s certainly not unique. Archos, Pantech and various other low-cost Android tablet makers have employed the form factor, usually going for an iPad-matching 1024×768 LCD screen. Notably, the HP TouchPad uses a similar size and resolution. The FCC isn’t interested in specifics that extend beyond a gadget’s wireless capabilities, so there’s no way to be sure of the screen size, or for that matter any of the other components. Technically an FCC filing doesn’t guarantee a US release, either, though it’s certainly a strong indication.
Currently the only Lenovo tablets on our horizon are the IdeaPad K2 (a 10-inch Tegra 3 beast with a 1920×1200 10-inch screen) and three members of the LePad family, the S2005, S2007 and S2010. The name of this tablet indicates that it’s either a new generation of these LePad devices or a 9-inch variant of the three that have been unveiled already. No LeGadget has thus far made it to the American market thus far, so the IdeaTab name is probably going to stick. Expect to see this one on retail shelves in the next few months.
[via Engadget]

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 01:12 PM PDT
This isn’t the first luxury smartphone we’ve seen, and it wont be the last. With TAG Heuer announcing the LINK last year that retailed for around $6700, we have a feeling this will be a similar situation. This luxury smartphone crafted with elegance and performance in mind looks pretty awesome. Complete with carbon fiber for strength, Android, and a 3D user interface. Check out the impressive video below for more information.


Swiss engineered this smartphone will be ultra strong, while remaining extremely lightweight. Crafted out of the finest materials available. Using TAG Heuer’s heritage in GT cars and Formula 1 for inspiration this smartphone has a shockproof rubber chassis. It is supported and strengthened by the screwed-in titanium and carbon fiber bridges. This makes it strong, lightweight, and truly a luxury item.


We are still looking for more details but with TAG saying it has not only the best crafted materials, but also a high speed processor and the latest Android software — we are hoping for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as that would only make sense. Right? The video obviously show a rear camera, plenty of carbon fiber, and has a certain Transformers feel to it if you ask me.
The all new TAG Heuer Racer Android Smartphone will be available this July for the low low price of 2800€ – approximately $3,700 USD. Apparently the “collection” only starts at that price and we are assuming higher models will be even more. The TAG Racer collection can be found in watch and jewelry stores, TAG Heuer boutiques, and luxury mobile boutiques. I doubt they’ll give us a model to review but it can’t hurt to ask right? Sign up for more details after the video intro by clicking here.
tag-phone Screen Shot 2012-03-12 at 12.47.51 PM Screen Shot 2012-03-12 at 12.47.36 PM Screen Shot 2012-03-12 at 12.49.12 PM Screen Shot 2012-03-12 at 12.46.26 PM

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 12:40 PM PDT
More changes for Google and their Android Market have been detailed this weekend. Early last week Google rebranded the Market as the Google Play Store and now we’ve learned that Eric Chu, Android Team and Market Manager of the past 4 years has stepped away from the Market, and will no longer be in charge of the new Play Store.


According to TechCrunch, Jamie Rosenberg who was the head of Google Music, and responsible for bringing it to Android will now be taking over the Google Play Store. Rosenberg originally came to Google after leaving Microsoft and has made huge improvements to Google Music — made it what we now know and love today, and hopefully we can expect some awesome changes to the Play Store coming soon. You might not like the new name but those “Play of the Day” $0.25 apps are pretty awesome. Right?
Eric Chu will still be working inside of Google, and probably the Android team but for now his plans and new role are unknown. Apparently the internal management structuring for the Android Market wasn’t ideal, and was causing some issues that are expected to clear up now that Jamie Rosenberg will be heading up all operations.
While Rosenberg’s title will remain unchanged, he’ll now be in charge of music, games, and apps inside the Google Play Store. It appears that Google has some big plans for Google Play and the Play Store, and will be giving it plenty of resources to grow and get better from here on out. I expect big things, and you should too.

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