Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 235



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 02:08 PM PDT
TweetDeck
Remember back before Christmas when Twitter redesigned their interface with new "discovery" oriented pages? Remember how it made finding DM's and mentions harder by burying them a level deeper? Well if you're one of the many that hated the changes (Twitter refers to us as "power users") you'll like this news. TweetDeck, which was purchased by Twitter proper in May 2011, is in the process of being redesigned with you in mind. Details are sparse, but they all seem centered around a job listing by Twitter, Inc. which reads, in part:
About This Job
The TweetDeck team, working from London, is looking for new team members to work on our cutting edge Android app. We’re building the next generation of a suite of clients that millions of people love and use everyday. You’ll work on our small team, own the projects that you work on, and have a great time shipping products which change the way people communicate.
After the recent updates to the native Android app, and the lack of recent updates to TweetDeck, we're ready for a "cutting edge" app from the folks at Twitter. Don't forget the tablet interface, please.
Source: Twitter; via TechCrunch



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 01:34 PM PDT
DropBox
If applications are the best part of your mobile device, you probably love when we bring you some of our favorites. We are back this week with a few more, so let's hit the break and check them out!
read more



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 11:45 AM PDT
Android CentralDespite the obvious hype surrounding a certain Apple tablet, it's been another busy week of international Android news. Sony finally gave its "Pepper" smartphone an official name, the Xperia Sola, and we saw some interesting new touchscreen tech introduced in this mid-range device.
It's also been a big week for rumors and release date info. We spotted not one, but two unconfirmed Galaxy S III renders out on the web, though we're still uncertain as to how genuine they are. And finally, there was some good news for those waiting on Android updates, as the international Galaxy S II got its ICS update, as did the HTC Velocity in Australia. Meanwhile the HTC One X got a tentative UK release date of April 5.
Check some highlights from past week's Android developments in Europe, Asia and beyond in the list below. And if you've got international news, be sure to tip us at the usual address.



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 07:45 AM PDT
LG Revolution
Verizon just gave us a heads up to a new update for the LG Revolution that, among other things, will add "Verizon Remote Diagnostics" to the smartphone.
Before anybody freaks out, Verizon describes this as a "new customer care solution to improve device issue diagnosis during customer support calls." You'll have to give a customer service rep permissions, and they they'll be able to "remotely view the user's device for troubleshooting and application demonstrations."
In other words, they'll be able to see and take over your phone -- again, with your permission -- to show and fix stuff. Different from a Carrier IQ-type analytics tool hanging out in the background (though we're willing to bet it's got full access to that same sort of information if need be). Should be interesting to see what folks pull out of this.
Other fixes coming down the pike in version VS910ZV8 include:

Device Enhancements

  • Resolved reboot issue found during operating system upgrade from Froyo
  • to Gingerbread.
  • Playing AVI video files through HDMI no longer causes display to flicker.
  • Placing an alarm on snooze while on a voice call will set snooze to 5 minutes.
  • Dolby presets have been updated to use loudness, bass and spaciousness
  • to improve the user’s experience.
  • When placing the device into Airplane Mode, the 4G icon no longer appears.
  • Email, Messaging & Web
  • Sending a text message to a 7 digit number will display as sent and received.
  • Improved device messaging to fix delays or incomplete sends.
  • Pressing the back key while browsing will take the user back to the previous page.

Applications & Widgets

  • Verizon Video is now preloaded.
  • Calendar widget now displays correct month for November.
It'll be interesting to see if this is just the first Verizon phone to have Verizon Remote Diagnostics added. Either way, props to Verizon for being up front about the addition.



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 06:23 AM PDT
ZOMG!! Is this the Samsung Galaxy S III???
Who knows. But at the very least it looks a bit more legitimate than the past few alleged images to have emerged online. The screen capture above appeared on Reddit this morning with little in the way of supporting information. However based on the dates and locations shown in the render, there's already rampant speculation that the Galaxy S III will be unveiled in London on May 22, tying into the build-up to the Summer Olympics (of which Sammy is a big sponsor). No doubt it's possible, but it's still a bit of a stretch based on one image of questionable veracity.
If it is accurate, though, we could be looking at a phone with the usual physical/capacitive button setup, a 16:9 display, ICS, TouchWiz and a physical camera button -- none of which is particularly surprising. The presence of a metallic trim similar to that of the Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1 is interesting to note, too. If nothing else, there's way less wrong with this image than other purported Galaxy S III pics. Though that doesn't necessarily mean it's legit.
The logo you see in the bottom right belongs to Weber Shandwick Worldwide, a large global PR firm. Samsung uses a whole bunch of PR agencies around the world, so it's entirely possible these guys are involved with promoting a future Samsung device. It's also entirely unconfirmed.
We're sure to hear more about Samsung's next big thing as the Summer approaches, so keep it locked to AC for all the latest.
Source: Reddit; thanks to everyone who sent this in!



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 06:03 AM PDT
ASUS Transformer Prime
So we're already giving away two ASUS Transformer Prime's with their keyboard docks -- one via Google+, the other in our forums. Only, as some of you have noticed, the Google+ link is mostly dead. Pesky rules or something. No matter. Here's what we're going to do:
We're going to give away a third Transformer Prime and keyboard dock. To enter, just leave a comment in this post. That simple.
So now you've got three ways to win -- in the now-dead Google+ thread (don't you worry, we can still see it, so we can still pick a winner), this thread in our forums, and now here on this post. We'll shut it down at the same time -- 8 a.m. PDT Monday morning.
​Who do ya love?



Posted: 17 Mar 2012 12:00 AM PDT

Goggle logo
There's a lot of speculation about a Google branded tablet in the news recently, and we're all paying close attention to the rumors. A 7-inch tablet with decent internals, running ICS at the right price strikes home for some of us. But there's another thing to think about -- it's still a plain vanilla 7-inch tablet. We've seen ASUS and ACER can push out updates to their tablets, so being on the latest version isn't a question any longer.You're likely to get better customer service from a consumer-oriented company that you would from Google as well.
We love Android tablets. Most of you guys and gals reading this will as well. We're Android enthusiasts. But let's face it, Android on a tablet has been a bit slow to take off. Even as enthusiasts, we have to admit that. Is Google putting their name on the box the trick to make them sell?
That is the question, you have the answers. Would you buy an Android tablet solely because it was backed by Google? Tell us in tonight's poll.




Posted: 16 Mar 2012 05:24 PM PDT
CM9 root
As you might've heard, popular custom ROM CyanogenMod 9 is introducing some changes in the way it handles root access. The gist of it is that root is now an option, not the default setting. It's still available if you need it, but you'll need to go into "developer options" and select whether you want apps, ADB or both to have root when you're done flashing your ROM.
As you'll see in our new video, if you try to run a root app without this setting enabled, you'll get a message directing you to the root setting. It's a bit like the "unknown sources" option that blocks non-Google Play apps by default -- enabled as standard for added security, but easy to bypass if you want.
We've got a quick video walkthrough after the jump.
read more



Posted: 16 Mar 2012 05:08 PM PDT
From the Forums
With the end of the week now here, we're all ready to roll on into the weekend. Today itself, was pretty bust for Android news with Cyanogen Mod dropping some news on us all and a new ICS leak for the Rezound -- exciting times. Get yourself caught up, and come hang out with us in the Android Central forums:
If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.


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