Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 269



Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:17 PM PDT
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We haven’t discussed it much on this site, but Draw Something from OMGPop has quickly become the number one Android app. It was only released six weeks ago and it already claims the Top Free, Top Paid, and Top Grossing app in the Google Play Store. Gaming giant Zynga took notice of the meteoric rise and today they announced they had acquired OMGPop, for a reported price of $210 million.
To get an idea of the popularity of Draw Something, check out these stats from Henry Blodget of Business Insider. Draw something has been downloaded over 35 million times, it averages 12 million daily users, and generates $250,000 of revenue per day. David Ko, CMO of Zynga, shared that every second three thousand people draw something in 84 countries throughout the world.
Our very own Clark and Angie have been playing this game a lot, but I haven’t even installed it yet. Now that OMGPop just sold for over $200 million, I guess it’s time to go see what all the hype is about.



Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:55 AM PDT
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The Android modding community will never cease to amaze me. XDA developer NODO-GT has recently developed a software mod for the HTC Sensation 4G that drastically improves the device’s imaging capabilities with a few simple flashable files.
With NODO-GT’s camera mod, called “HQ Camera for ICS,” Sensation users can get much more out of the 8 megapixel shooter affixed to the device’s backside. By doing away with compression on .jpgs and increasing the allowed data size of images, photos taken with the Sensation come out cleaner and sharper than with stock software.
Video recording has also been improved. HQ Camera for ICS allows for 1080p video recording at 20Mbps, with future updates to the mod bringing improved 720p video capture and 1080p recording at 40Mbps. There’s also an experimental 1250 ISO mode.
So just what do all these numbers mean? Do they really translate to better quality images? Yes. Just take a look at the sample images in the gallery below. Both images are still frames from video taken. You can easily tell which one comes from the modded camera app.
For more info on the mod, head on over to XDA. Let’s hear it for the developers that make this stuff happen.
hq-1080p20mbps55xal stock-1080p10mpslqafo


Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:23 AM PDT
Galaxy S III GSM Helpdesk render
The Samsung Galaxy S III has been the center of attention in the mobile phone blogosphere the past couple weeks. Leaks and rumors have been dropping left and right. Our own Taylor Wimberly just took a moment to go over some of the more recent whispers surrounding the release date, the chips inside and wireless charging, and already we have two new pieces of GSIII news to take a look at.
The first Galaxy S III tidbit concerns a leaked render of the device. While the leak does match up with a previous render, Internet detectives are already crying fake. And with good reason.
David Ruddock of Android Police has put together a post calling out the flaws in the latest Galaxy S III render, leaked by GSM Helpdesk, that makes a pretty convincing case. Not only does GSM Helpdesk’s obtained render reuse the same screen shot from the press render for the Samsung Galaxy S II, it also borrows the capacitive buttons from the HTC One X and takes design cues from Samsung’s own Galaxy Player. It’s totally possible that Samsung could end up utilizing the less-than-traditional design of the Galaxy Player with the Galaxy S III, but all other signs point to this render being bogus.
The other piece of Galaxy S III news this afternoon comes straight from Samsung Greater China President Kim Young-Ha. Speaking on Samsung’s plans to take China by storm, Kim Young-Ha let it slip that the release of the Galaxy S III may be moved from May to April. In Taylor’s Rumors Report, he gave the Galaxy S III’s rumored release date of May a 30% probability rating, saying that of all the rumored release dates so far, May is the most believable. After Young-Ha’s comments on the device’s release being moved up from May to April, it’s starting to look even better. If May isn’t the magic month, we imagine the Galaxy S III will launch in June before April.
Much like many of the most popular Android handsets of the past, the Galaxy S III is guaranteed to get a lot more attention before Sammy finally pulls back the curtain and gives us all the juicy details.


Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:46 AM PDT
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Welcome to our new column Android Gaming Weekly, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Thursday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, but readers have requested a condensed summary that makes it easier to keep up with all the latest news. Read on for this week's best in Android gaming.

Call of Duty Elite coming to tablets


If you play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 online, chances are you have purchased the Elite premium membership that unlocked 20 new maps and offers year-round competitions. Activision recently released a Call of Duty Elite app for smartphones, but this week they revealed a tablet optimized version was coming soon. This app is useless if you don’t play MW3, but it’s an essential companion for the hardcore fans.

Another World 20th Anniversary Edition


DotEmu is developer and publisher that specializes in bringing retro games to new platforms. Last year they brought R-Type to Android and this week they released the cult classic Another World. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game’s release, DotEmu now offers HD graphics, 100% remastered sound, new touch controls, and OpenFeint integration. Alternate controls are also supported at Another World is fully optimized for the Xperia Play gamepad and it also supports the Zeemote Bluetooth joystick.

L.A. Noire Touch comes to OnLive


This week OnLive and Rockstar announced that L.A. Noire had been upgraded with touch controls. The OnLive Android app is free to download and provides on-demand cloud gaming, but you will need to pay to play most games. L.A. Noire can be rented for $5.99 or purchased for $39.99. As far as we know, OnLive is still only available in the US.

Dark Kingdom THD get previewd


Dark Kingdom is a classic role-playing game that has now gone mobile. This version optimized for Tegra devices features higher-polygon models, dynamic shadows, dynamic lighting, and even rag-doll physics. Our friends from DroidGamers recently got a hands-on preview of the upcoming release. We don’t know when the game will be released, but it looks to be almost finished.

Angry Birds Space launches tomorrow


We have been talking about it the last three weeks, but Angry Birds Space finally launches tomorrow. Some of you are tired of the Angry Birds franchise, but it did feel like a new game when I played it earlier this month at SXSW. Look for the game to be available in the Google Play Store within the next 24 hours.

Six Guns annoys with spam notifications


This week Gameloft released Six-Guns, their latest freemium title. The early reviews are positive with an average score of 4.7, but I have been disappointed with the game so far. It sends annoying messages to your notifications bar and tries to nickle and dime you with in-app purchases to buy more ammo. It’s still free to play, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. Check it out if you need a free game to burn up some time.

NBA Jam continues to tease me


Late last week EA Mobile released NBA Jam and it looks awesome. I really want to buy this game, but it’s not supported on Android 4.0 devices yet. Hopefully EA Mobile will release an update soon with expanded device support.

Games I'm currently playing


Samurai vs Zombies: We first talked about this game last week and it was every bit of fun as it looked. I played it non-stop for a couple of days and I just finished it a couple days ago. I wish the game was longer than 50 levels, but it’s still a fun game. The gameplay is a unique mix on tower defense and action RPG. I ended up spending $4.99 on in-game credits to level up my skills, but you can still complete the game without spending a dime.
Scramble with Friends: Zynga has done it again. Scramble with Friends is an addicting word game that’s fun to play with the whole family. It’s turn based like other Zynga games, so you can challenge your friends and play whenever you want. Someone send me a challenge.

What are you playing?

Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.


Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:40 AM PDT
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Last week AllThingsD broke the story that Google was hiring most of the team from Milk, a startup founded by Kevin Rose that was working on iPhone apps. Milk’s first project was an app called Oink that let users rate items, but that service was shut down last week, likely because of the talks with Google.
Kevin Rose was the founder of Digg, and co-founder of Revision3 and Pownce. Some people speculated that Kevin Rose would help improve Google+, but he later revealed he was joining the Android team.
We still don’t know Kevin’s exact role on the Android team, but Matt Lynley of Business Insider thinks he will be helping with design. They learned that Google only hired the product team from Milk, while the engineers on the team were not offered jobs. Former Milk employee Amber Reyngoudt told Business Insider that Google was “looking to add design talent.”
I never had the chance to play with Oink, but some people described it as “easily one of the best-looking apps on the iPhone.” Check out the YouTube trailer below to get a feel of what it looked like.

We have been pretty happy with the latest changes in Android’s look, since Google hired Matias Duarte as Senior Director of Android User Experience. However, it’s still easy to point out some native Google apps that need updating, so maybe the Milk team can help with that.
What parts of Android do you think need design help?
Update: Google employee Dan Morrill confirms that Kevin Rose is working on Google+. It appears Business Insider read too much into their conversations with former Milk employees.


Posted: 21 Mar 2012 07:55 AM PDT
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If you have been saving up for the GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus, internet deals site Daily Steals has it on sale today for only $459.99. That’s one of the lowest prices we have ever seen, but Daily Steals doesn’t exactly have the best reputation.
The unlocked GSM version of the Galaxy Nexus has penta-band support (850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100MHz) and will operate on both AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ networks.
Browsing through the reviews on Reseller Ratings, we can see that Daily Steals has a 6-month rating of 5.9/10. Some of the reviews are positive, but others are scary. One customers recently said, “This is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. They do not even have a phone number for customer service.”
If you don’t feel safe ordering from Daily Steals, we should also note that Amazon has lowered their price for the GSM Galaxy Nexus to $527.99, down $100 from a month ago. Recent rumors also suggest that Google might eventually sell the unlocked Galaxy Nexus on their own web site, but we don’t know how soon that could happen.
I still use the Galaxy Nexus as my daily device and I think it’s the best Android phone available. HTC and Samsung might lure me away with their upcoming devices, but I need to play with their new models before making a decision. I would say the Galaxy Nexus is still a safe bet, but the Samsung Galaxy S III could make it obsolete in just a couple months.


Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:09 PM PDT
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Welcome to another new weekly column where we round up all the Android-related rumors and discuss the validity of each one. Everyone seems to love our original rumor reports, but we thought it would be fun to examine the rumors from around the web and share our thoughts on the possibility of them coming true. Read on for this week’s latest Android rumors.

Galaxy Nexus coming to Sprint on April 15th


Rumor: Robert Herron of S4Gru reports that Sprint has set April 15th as the target launch date for their Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The device will arrive before Sprint’s LTE network goes live, so it will have LTE disabled when it ships.
Our thoughts: Earlier this month I speculated the Sprint Galaxy Nexus could launch around April 16th, based on details from a contest. I don’t know Robert Herron and I’ve never read anything else he wrote, so I’m not sure of his track record. We think it sounds reasonable, but we all know how feeble target launch dates have become.
Probability: 80%

Galaxy Nexus coming to more US carriers


Rumor: Jerry Hildenbrand of Android Central reports the Galaxy Nexus is coming to regional carrier I Wireless on March 21st. Other unsourced rumors have suggested the Galaxy Nexus will be sold unlocked to US customers.
Our thoughts: I have met Jerry Hildenbrand and I think he’s a respectable guy, so I believe him when he says he has proof of the Galaxy Nexus coming to I Wireless. We have thought that Verizon had some kind of limited exclusive on the Galaxy Nexus launch in the US, so this I Wireless phone could signal the end of that deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if Google started selling the unlocked GSM version of Galaxy Nexus on their site soon.
Probability: 99%

Android 4.0.5 to arrive in April


Rumor: Verizon insider @black_man_x tweets that Android 4.0.5 is in testing and coming to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus in early April.
Our thoughts: Last month, Mobile Syrup reported that Android 4.0.5 was coming to the Galaxy Nexus in March, but that has yet to happen. I don’t know the “Mobile Panda”, but many other bloggers seem to trust the guy. He has close ties to Verizon, so I’ll take his word that Android 4.0.5 is currently being tested. However, we are talking about Verizon pushing out a software update on time, and that could change at any moment.
Google has been taking a lot of heat for slow Nexus updates, so hopefully they are making sure this gets done on time. Check out the report on the leaked build of Android 4.0.4 for a list of possible fixes coming with the next update.
Probability: 70%

HTC One V coming to Virgin Mobile US for under $200


Rumor: Evan Blass of PocketNow reports the HTC One V is coming to Virgin Mobile US later this year.
Our thoughts: If you don’t know by now, Evan Blass is the ultimate HTC insider. He even has his own tag on our site. I’ve recently become friends with the guy and I trust everything he reports. Virgin Mobile is one of the leading pre-paid brands and the HTC One V was made to be sold around $200, so I believe this report to be true.
Probability: 100%

HTC One X coming to Sprint on June 10th


Rumor: Andrew J. Shepherd of S4Gru reports that Sprint will launch their version of the HTC One X on June 10th, two years after the original HTC EVO 4G went on sale.
Our thoughts: Again, we don’t know these S4Gru guys, but they seem to have a good inside source to be making such bold claims. We already reported on rumors that the One X was coming to Sprint, and we still believe them to be true. The only question remains the final product name (something with EVO) and the exact launch date. Sprint and HTC are holding a press event on April 4th, so we should learn more details soon. June 10th is still a couple months away and product launches change all the time, so I wouldn’t circle that date on my calendar just yet.
Probability: 60%

Sony chooses Tegra 3 for future tablets


Rumor: Laura Benedetti of Notebook Italia reports that Sony could be working on a direct successor to the Sony Tablet S that is powered by the quad-core Tegra 3 processor.
Our thoughts: There was a leaked NenaMark benchmark score (now removed) that showed a mysterious Sony device with the model number V150. The device featured a 1.4 GHz Tegra 3 processor, display with resolution 1280 x 752, and Android 4.0.3. Sony has released several tablets with Tegra 2 (Sony Tablet S and Tablet P), so it’s logical they could be working on another device. However, there are not enough details present to really make a call on this device. It could be the next PlayStation certified phone for all we know.
Probability: 50%

All the Samsung Galaxy S III rumors


None of these are the final Samsung Galaxy S III design.
Quad-core processor: The Korea Times reports the Galaxy S III will feature a quad-core processor.
Our thoughts: This rumor goes way back and is nothing new. The way we see it, Samsung has two choices for the Galaxy S III. They either go with the Exynos 4412 (quad-core Cortex-A9) or the Exynos 5250 (dual-core Cortex-A15). Previously I wrote that if I were Samsung, I’d push back the product launch and go with the much faster Exynos 5250. Most people thought the new iPad would be quad-core CPU and they were wrong, and I think this CPU choice could also surprise people.
Probability: 50%
Integrated LTE: The Korea Times and other blogs report the Galaxy S III will feature a processor with an integrated LTE modem.
Our thoughts: Samsung does not integrate modems with their system-on-a-chip (SoC) like Qualcomm does. We have no doubt the Galaxy S III will be LTE-capable and use a Samsung LTE modem (just like the Verizon Galaxy Nexus), but it will not be integrated into the SoC. Maybe the Exynos 6 series will have integrated LTE, but you will not find it on Exynos 4 chips or Exynos 5250.
Probability: 2%
March 22nd announcement: South African site phonerpt is reporting that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S III this week.
Our thoughts: Really?
Probability: 0%
Samsung Unpacked on May 22nd: A leaked image from an anonymous source suggested that Samsung is holding an Unpacked event on May 22nd to announce the Galaxy S III.
Our thoughts: Out of all the leaked dates surrounding the Galaxy S III, this one sounds the most believable. It comes from an anonymous source, so it’s hard to put a lot of weight behind it, but it was so random that a small part of me wonders if it could be true.
Some people said the Olympic torch relay starts on May 22nd, and Samsung is a major sponsor of the summer Olympic games in London. However, the relay actually starts on May 19th. At least this rumor makes more sense that most, but it’s still a stretch.
Probability: 30%
June release: Numerous blogs are speculating the Galaxy S III will launch in June.
Our thoughts: Previous reports said the Galaxy S III would launch in April, then May, and now the latest guess is June. Samsung previously said the successor to the Galaxy S II would be unveiled at "separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product." We have no idea when it is coming, but I would go with the later dates. If the above May 22nd rumor is true, then I would start to believe a June release.
Probability: 30%
Wireless charging from 1-2 meters away: Korean site DDaily reports the Galaxy S III will feature wireless charging that works with a dock from 1-2 meters away.
Our thoughts: Several current phones already feature wireless charging, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it inside the Galaxy S III. I find it really hard to believe it would work from 1-2 meters (3-6ft!) away though. The current inductive charging standard Qi only works when the charging receptacle is almost touching the device.
Qualcomm was working on a propriety technology called WiPower that increased the distance between the transmitter and receiver coils by a couple of inches, but the charge had to be transferred though another material like plastic or wood. They previewed this technology at CES 2011, but it never came to market. I heard reports from the Qi group that there were concerns of electro-magnetic radiation when the transmitter and receiver coils are not close together.
I’d be surprised if Samsung solved this radiation problem when Qualcomm couldn’t, and I still don’t know how I feel about a device charging 3-6 feet away from the charging station. It would be awesome if they discovered a safe way to do this, but I don’t see it happening this soon.
Probability: 10%

Got any juicy rumors?

Find any hot rumors that we failed to cover? Just contact Taylor or leave a comment and we will evaluate them next week.


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