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The Guardian launch their own Google TV application in beta Posted: 25 Mar 2012 03:32 PM PDT Despite not being available yet in the UK, British newspaper The Guardian have gone ahead and developed a Google TV application currently in beta. Naturally it will only be available in the US on Google TV, but as it is accessed through the browser at gtv.guardiannews.com, desktop users can also take a peek.  Seems that The Guardian chose Google TV first because Chrome allows them to build an app quickly, and release new versions frequently. It seems the aim is to use the platform to develop a stable build, then port it to other Smart TV platforms, with an emphasis then on the UK platforms. The UI looks pretty good, and there is a good range of content on offer in both written and video format. The Guardian are keen for people to test this out, and are listening to feedback to aid them in further development. Source: The Guardian

Android Central weekly photo contest winners: Self-portrait Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:58 PM PDT As usual, you guys floored us with all the submissions for last week's photo contest. It's solid proof that Android lovers also enjoy taking pictures and sharing them with the world, so manufacturers and app developers better step it up and give us even more love. All the pictures were awesome, and we wish we could say every single was was the winner, but that's not how contests work. We picked out the top five, and you'll find them after the break. Didn't win this week? No worries. A new contest starts tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it. For the winners, a big congrats and keep an eye on your inbox for information about your Android Central t-shirts! read more

AT&T HTC One X with Snapdragon S4 Krait benchmarked Posted: 25 Mar 2012 12:45 PM PDT Thanks to forum member ​Phonegeek ​we're getting a pretty decent idea of what the AT&T One X with the Snapdragon S4 is capable of.  he usual caveats apply, though, this is early hardware and software that is close to final, but not exactly final. With that out of the way we can see that Qualcomm has something good on their hands with the S4 Krait processor. The One X handily outperforms the competition in Vellamo -- a browser benchmark developed by Qualcomm. Hopefully these numbers help quell any unrest about the AT&T version of the One X not getting the highly touted Tegra 3 processor in favor of something that plays nice with AT&T's LTE network. There's still a long way to go before anyone crowns anyone with anything, though. Hit the link below for the full discussion. Source: HTC One X Forums

HTC One X: Will Having Different Processors Matter? Posted: 25 Mar 2012 12:14 PM PDT There's been a lot of talk about which processor is better, the nvidia Tegra 3 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4.  The Tegra 3 is a 4-PLUS-1 architecture that promises to give you the best experience possible on a phone or tablet.  The Snapdragon S4 is Qualcomm's latest dual-core processor, introducing a new architecture and GPU. Both represent a big step forward for each company, but is one really better than the other?  Will you notice a difference in real world use?  Read on for more. read more

Samsung doing... something... at Phones4U in London on March 30 Posted: 25 Mar 2012 11:11 AM PDT Everyone start the rumor mill rolling. The photograph seen here was snapped by a reader over at ​Eurodroid, and shows the current window dressing at Phones4U, on Oxford Street in London. It appears that something Samsung related will coming to them on March 30. That'll be this coming Friday, then. The first thing to note is that this is the flagship Phones4U store. The same store that had an initial exclusivity to sell the Galaxy Nexus at launch (at an extortionate £100 mark-up over the RRP, we might add). Being a store as well, it's pretty unlikely (though not impossible) that they're advertising some kind of launch event. It's more likely that they're preparing to sell a new Samsung device. There's also a good chance that it's something we've already seen, and that this is just a marketing exercise on the part of both companies.  At this point, we know that a whole lot of you would hope and pray that we're going to see the Galaxy S III. But we aren't. Really. Let's not forget that this is a phone store in London. Samsung's last major London event was at the slightly more impressive Battersea Power Station, where the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus were both on show. Taking all this into account, we're going to take a punt on this and say that it's likely to be something mid or low range.  In an effort to stifle the speculation, we reached out to Phones4U to see if they could shed any light on what's going on. The official comment, is that at this time there is no official comment, but that we should watch this space. We only have to wait 5 days, and then we'll know. We'll contain our excitement for the moment -- chances are it's probably just the Galaxy Beam, or one of Samsung's many other mid-range devices. Source: Eurodroid

From the Editor's Desk: Quick hits Posted: 25 Mar 2012 10:05 AM PDT It's a working weekend, so here are a few quick thoughts to keep things moving: Picked up the Kindle Fire again this week. Google should be praising it publicly as being a shining example of what Android can do. And we should be, too. What Amazon has done with the Kindle Fire will do more for Android as a whole than 37 versions of a Samsung tablet will. You might not see it this year, but it's no doubt lighting some fires under folks. Speaking of Samsung. How many devices do they have? How many do they have coming? Not every leak or every rumored event has to be the mythical Galaxy S III. (Nor can they be.) Same goes for random Motorola phones coming out of China. I don't think those of us in the states have any sort of real appreciation for just how many models are manufacturered for Asian markets. If you care at all about the AT&T version of the HTC One X, I'd keep an eye on this thread. Testers dropping deets. Kinda sorta actually getting excited to try Instagram for Android. At least to see what the fuss is all about. Be sure to sign up for their mailing list so you'll know when it's released. Or, you know, read Android Central. (Or probably just stick your head out a window that day.) Or I could just go try it on my wife's iPhone 4S, I guess. Nahhhh. If you're interested in design, the latest Iterate podcast is pretty killer. And the more I think about it, the more we need to stop talking about "skins." They're really not a second UI on top of another UI. Don't forget, general sales for Google IO tickets start Tuesday morning. Shouldn't last long. I think I might have been a little hard on the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, at least when it comes to the hardware. (And an early typo in the specs didn't help matters any.) It definitely deserves a look if someone's in search of a mid-level Android smartphone. (I also think I might not have been hard enough on the ridiculous name.)

Iterate Podcast Episode 17: de With Posted: 25 Mar 2012 05:40 AM PDT Marc, Rene, and Seth iterate about the new iPad Retina display, Photoshop touch, Jonathan Ive, the Android UI template, Android Niceties, and the Google Play rebranding, and interrogate Sebastiaan de With. This is Iterate! Our podcast feed Download Directly Subscribe via iTunes read more

OMGPOP detail forthcoming update to Draw Something Posted: 24 Mar 2012 05:42 PM PDT The latest "must-have" app on the block, is without question OMGPOP's insanely addictive Draw Something. Currently it occupies the top spot in the free, and paid app sections of the Android Market Google Play Store. It's even got the AC staff hooked in -- that's a bonfire I've drawn in case you were wondering. Not resting on their laurels though, the developers have outlined a few pieces that will be arriving soon in a forthcoming update.  An email that landed in our inbox today details what we can expect. First out of the gate is a whole bunch of bug fixes. Seems there are a variety of bugs affecting players, including crashes, problems completing turns and coins, colors and bombs not displaying -- and sometimes you really need one of those bombs. The good news though, these will all be fixed when the update lands.  But what about new features? Well, we're due a few of those as well. On the list are: Sharing drawings on Twitter and Facebook Save drawings to your devices' photo library Notifications for Android devices Increase of the max streak from 99 to 999 Pull down to refresh game status Undo button for your last brush stroke Even better performance More Words A slew of other fixes and tweaks The extra dose of social integration definitely shouldn't come as a surprise. Certainly looks like we're about to see a whole lot of 'masterpieces' up and down our timelines. Notifications should be pretty good though. One can only assume that we'll get a handy little notification that our opposing players have sent us something to guess at.   If you haven't yet succombed to the world of Draw Something, we've a handy download link to the free version after the break. Don't forget to check out our review of it as well, just in case you're still not convinced. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to try and draw the Amazon.  read more