Android and Me |
- Does my Android smartphone really need 2 GB RAM?
- Best Buy email claims HTC EVO 4G LTE launch now set for May 23rd
- TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards week 2, win another Transformer Pad prize pack
- Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3 up for pre-order on Amazon
- 7 reasons to shred your wireless contract and switch to pre-paid
| Does my Android smartphone really need 2 GB RAM? Posted: 17 May 2012 07:05 PM PDT  Last week LG revealed the Optimus LTE2 for Korea, the first phone with 2 GB RAM (random-access memory). Now this week we learned that the Samsung Galaxy S III headed to Japan will also feature 2 GB RAM. We don’t know when either of these models will make their way to the US, but it’s a clear signal that most high-end smartphones in the second half of 2012 will feature twice the memory of today’s flagship devices. We still don’t know the specs of our carrier versions of the Galaxy S III, so that could end up being the first phone to see 2 GB RAM in the US. The Wall St. Journal also says the Optimus LTE2 is coming to LTE networks in America, but no partners have been announced. So why exactly does your Android smartphone need 2 GB RAM? We have never seen an Android device with 2 GB RAM so we don’t know exactly how it will affect the user experience, but we can take a few guesses based on what we know of PCs. Generally speaking, more RAM does not always make your computer faster, but it does allow it do more things at once. Hopefully we will see increased multi-tasking performance when using multiple Android apps. Opening multiple tabs in the Chrome browser should also be improved. Maybe web pages with Flash will not suck (yeah right). And hopefully Google can lock the home screen in memory so we don’t experience that lag as we wait for our launcher to load. The underlying Linux kernel that Google uses for Android can surely address 2 GB RAM, but we really won’t know what to expect until we spend some quality time with one of these new devices. My hope is that the extra memory will bring Android even closer to the true desktop experience that we have been waiting for. Android 4.0 can almost replace a PC right now and Motorola is pushing the limits with Webtop 3.0, but it’s not quite “good enough” just yet. Most users spend the majority of their desktop time in the browser, and that can still be sluggish on today’s hardware. Google IO is just a month away and we should see new software (Jelly Bean) and hardware, so maybe more details will be revealed soon. In the mean time, let us know how you would like Google and their partners to take advantage of the increased memory.
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| Best Buy email claims HTC EVO 4G LTE launch now set for May 23rd Posted: 17 May 2012 02:43 PM PDT  The delayed launch of the HTC EVO 4G LTE has pissed more than a few people off. Earlier this week, we learned that the ITC has blocked imports of Sprint’s new flagship HTC device at U.S. Customs to inspect the software loaded on the devices to make sure HTC is no longer infringing upon Apple's patent #5,946,647. Sprint’s official notice of the delayed launch went out on its community forums while HTC issued an official comment to the media. We can confirm that the product will not be in stores this Friday. Products for pre-order are on hold. We'll provide a ship date as soon as we're able. HTC will work with Sprint to maintain the promise for pre-order customers so they will be among the first to receive their HTC EVO 4G LTE units when available.HTC While all of this is bad new for consumers, the delay of the HTC EVO 4G LTE may be short lived. A glimmer of hope appeared this afternoon when Best Buy customers who had pre-ordered the HTC EVO 4G LTE restarted receiving emails which state that the new release date for the phone has been pushed back from May 18th to May 23rd. Best Buy could have some information which has not yet been made available to the public, but HTC has not released any new information on the issue. We are waiting to hear back from them regarding this new development. For all we know, the ITC has already lifted the U.S. Customs hold on the HTC EVO 4G LTE and HTC One X and HTC is waiting to release an official statement until the devices start moving through their supply chain again.
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| TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards week 2, win another Transformer Pad prize pack Posted: 17 May 2012 01:57 PM PDT  Welcome back to the first ever TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards promotion. Last week we gave away a Transformer Pad prize pack to the lucky winner Golcarcol and this week we are back with another one. Don’t forget that NVIDIA is also giving away 7 ASUS Transformer Pads with docks, Logitech Controllers and a Jambox Speaker, so make sure you go vote. NVIDIA is celebrating the first year of TegraZone, the best place to find the hottest Android games for your Tegra-powered device. ASUS, NVIDIA, and Android and Me are partnering on a sweepstakes in which readers can vote on their favorite Tegra games for the chance to win the new ASUS Transformer Pad. Read on for the full details. About TegraZone
NVIDIA debuted TegraZone one year ago and it now boasts over 3.5 million installs. Over 1.5 million unique visitors have used the app during the past quarter and the average user visits every 3 days. NVIDIA has also helped developers gain exposure for their games with an average conversion rate of 19%, compared to the 5% average conversion rate of Google Play. There are now close to 40 games optimized for Tegra devices and we are seeing the quantity and quality increase every month. First TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards Scan to vote. Starting today and running through May 31st, users can vote for their favorite Tegra games in three categories. Every user that votes in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards will be automatically entered to win a free ASUS Transformer Pad from NVIDIA. Award Categories include:
Once the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced on June 6th at E3. Vote now in the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards TegraZone game I’m looking forward to the most: Renaissance Blood THDRenaissance Blood, formerly DaVinci, has been in development for a long time, but it should finally arrive on Tegra 3 devices in June. Korean developer Bridea is using the Unreal Engine 3 for this first person shooter and promises the highest graphics quality of any mobile game. Kijong Kang, Executive Producer, described how they planned to take advantage of NVIDIA’s 4-PLUS-1 architecture by saying, “Renaissance Blood THD will leverage Tegra 3 for its multi-threading capabilities, so we can scale across all four CPU cores and deliver the ultimate console-quality performance.” We haven’t seen a lot of info about the game released in recent months, so keep an eye on the TegraZone listing for updates. It’s possible the release date could be pushed back to the second half of 2012, but this looks like a game worth waiting on. The Giveaway: ASUS Transformer Pad Prize Pack
Running latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the ASUS Transformer Pad is a value packed tablet that with multi-color style, and productivity with expandability when connected to the mobile dock. With a 1.2MP front and 8MP rear auto-focus camera with large F/2.2 aperture and exclusive office software, staying connected and productive has never been easier. Gaming to go prize pack includes:
How to enter the weekly contest
Join Android and Me and start a discussion about any gaming-related or Tegra-related topic in our Threads. All Thread creators in the next week will be automatically entered to win. (Learn more about Threads) Suggested thread topics include:
Entries will be judged on number of comments they receive, use of images and videos, and overall quality. We will announce the winner next week when we start Week 3 of the TegraZone Player’s Choice Awards promotion. Multiple chances to win: Users can win a tablet from Android and Me or NVIDIA. The Player’s Choice Awards will be running for several weeks, so be on the lookout for more chances to win an ASUS Transformer Pad. Don’t forget we are also running a Sonic 4 promotion that has another chance to win a Transformer Prime. Contest RulesThis contest is open to residents of the United States, Canada, UK and Germany. Entries will be accepted for one week after the contest goes live. We'll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw. Contest Winner(coming soon)
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| Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3 up for pre-order on Amazon Posted: 17 May 2012 12:50 PM PDT  So now that you’re ready to move to a pre-paid plan, you’re going to need a shiny new device to bring along for the ride. As timing would have it, the Samsung Galaxy S III, the newest shining jewel in the Samsung crown, has just gone up for pre-order on Amazon from a few different vendors. Now this is the unlocked GSM version, so ease up on that trigger finger if you’re a Verizon or Sprint customer. And no LTE for you, AT&T customers. Both the Pebble Blue and Marble White are available and start at $789, but I would go ahead and pay the $20 or so more and stick with one of the sellers who has a thousand or more positive ratings under their belt. Virtually all the sellers are sticking with a June 1 ship date, although they warn that it is subject to change. I know we have some die hard Samsung fans out there so I’d love to know if any of you are going to take the plunge on this or if you’re content to wait for the carrier versions to come a bit later this summer. Update: ericl5112 pointed out in comments that you can also pick up an SGS3 of your very own from Expansys-USA for $694.99.
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| 7 reasons to shred your wireless contract and switch to pre-paid Posted: 17 May 2012 10:01 AM PDT  Are you fed up with your wireless carrier? Wish you could lower the cost of your monthly bill? Tired of waiting on slow Android updates? Upset that Verizon won’t be carrying the current HTC One series? Want to purchase an unlocked Galaxy S III Pre-paid wireless service has existed in North America for several years, but it wasn’t a real viable option for smartphone owners until recently. There are now tons of affordable unlocked devices to choose from and plenty of options for pre-paid data at 4G HSPA+ speeds. Read on to see why you might want to shred your current wireless contract and think about joining the pre-paid club. 1. Freedom to choose your own device
Wouldn’t it suck if your internet service provider dictated what kind of computer you had to buy? What if your cable provider only allowed you to watch programming on selected TVs? That’s exactly the situation we have with some wireless carriers and the phones they allow on their networks. If you switch to pre-paid, you can buy any unlocked GSM phone of your choice and then choose your wireless service with no contract and no commitments. Google recently started selling their Galaxy Nexus for $399 and reports say that up to five OEMs will be selling unlocked devices through the Google Play Store by Thanksgiving. Amazon also has hundreds of unlocked phones The market for used devices is also rapidly growing. You can buy and sell used Android phones on Glyde, Gazelle, Swappa, and many more online retailers. If there is a smartphone you really desire, chances are you can buy it unlocked and prices continue to drop. An unlocked phone will cost you more in the beginning, but the long term savings will pay off big time… 2. Save money by cutting your monthly bill in half
Why put up with a $100 bill each month when you could be getting the same services for $30-45? Most post-paid monthly bills are high because the wireless companies subsidize the cost of your handset and spread it out over your 2-yr contract, but there are all other kinds of hidden fees and taxes tossed in. Many pre-paid carriers offer flat rate pricing, so you pay exactly the monthly rate that is advertised. It’s not like a post-paid carrier that advertises a monthly plan for $59, but then your final bill comes in close to $80 after all the fees, surcharges, and taxes. Best of all, pre-paid carriers have no contracts or commitments so there are no early termination fees if you want to switch networks. Gone are the days of paying Verizon $300 if you are unhappy with their service and want to leave 6 months into your 24 month contract. If you do the math, going pre-paid can easily save you over $1,000+ for the span of a typical 2-yr contract. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but pre-paid smartphone service is always cheaper than post-paid. 3. Android updates from carriers are broken
The process in which North American carriers update the software on Android phones is completely broken. First a handset maker must build and test an update, then Google needs to approve it, and finally the carrier has to put their stamp of approval on it. If one little bug is discovered, then the whole process must start over. And often times, it’s some stupid crap like carrier bloatware that is incompatible with the latest update. I’ve heard stories of certain updates being pushed back months just because they didn’t work with the carrier installed navigation app (that no one uses). Just look at Google’s flagship Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. That device launched on December 15th with a handful of known bugs, and five months have passed without a single update. The HTC One X is another good example. I have the AT&T version and the international version. The AT&T model has received no updates since I have had it, while the international model has been updated 5 times already by HTC. These updates has helped to improve performance, extend battery life, and squash annoying bugs. It’s a breath of fresh air to see regular updates instead of going nearly half a year with no new software from your carrier. When carriers get out of the way, software updates flow much more frequently. A Google employee confirmed this when the Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the Play Store. He said they were "very glad that Google is back in the business of selling phones directly without any middlemen to interfere." 4. LTE is overkill for the average user
One of the major downfalls to going pre-paid is going to be the lack of LTE service, but I have found that it’s mostly overkill for the average user. Having your smartphone connected to a 4G LTE network is really good for two things – eating up your data allowance 5x faster and draining your battery life. Unless you are downloading large files on a daily basis or tethering your device to share the internet connection, I have not seen many other use cases that take advantage of LTE speeds yet. Both AT&T and T-Mobile offer 4G HSPA+ networks that offer a similar experience for the majority of tasks performed with a smartphone. A certain number of mobile workers require LTE speeds so they will be stuck with their carrier, but I have found that I can live without LTE since I’m surrounded by WiFi at home and work. 5. Straight Talk SIM
There are many options for pre-paid, SIM only service, but I decided to go with Straight Talk after doing my homework. Straight Talk is a brand of Tracfone and they offer unlimited GSM service on AT&T or T-Mobile’s network. For only $45.95 per month (taxes included and no hidden fees), you can get unlimited talk, text, and HSPA+ data. Straight Talk lets you choose between AT&T or T-Mobile compatible SIM cards and they also offer micro SIMs for newer smartphones. Of course the data is not truly unlimited like Sprint and the terms of service prevent tethering, but you can still get access to a HSPA+ network and get download speeds of 5-10 Mbps depending on your device and location. For most people this is “good enough”, and it’s the same exact service they are paying double for with AT&T or T-Mobile. I encourage you to visit Straight Talk SIM for the full details.
6. Simple Mobile
Simple Mobile is another pre-paid SIM only service that operates on T-Mobile’s network. They were recently acquired by Tracfone, but we expect them to keep the brand going. Like Straight Talk, Simple mobile will sell you a regular SIM card or a micro SIM. Phones that were designed to operate on AT&T will still work with Simple Mobile, but they will only have access to 2G Edge data speeds. They offer a cheaper plan for $40 per month that includes unlimited talk, text, and web, but data speeds are limited to 3G HSPA. If you want the full 4G HSPA+ speeds, then you will have to pay $60 per month. Once again, tethering is not supported and your data speeds may be throttled if you abuse the service. I think Straight Talk SIM is a better deal all around, but check out the Simple Mobile site for more details. 7. T-Mobile Monthly 4G and SIM-only Value Plan
If you don’t need a lot of talk time and really want to save some money, you can also go with T-Mobile’s Monthly 4G pre-paid plans. T-Mobile sells the SIM card activation kit for only $1.99 online. As you can see above, for $30 per month customers get 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 5 GB 4G HSPA+ data (after that it's throttled). There is a $60 per month plan that offers unlimited minutes, but it only includes 2 GB of 4G HSPA+ data. And for $70 per month you can get unlimited talk, text, and 5 GB of 4G HSPA+ data. Just like Simple Mobile, phones that were designed to operate on AT&T will still work with Monthly 4G plans, but they will only have access to 2G Edge data speeds. I believe all the SIM cards are full size, but you can pick up a SIM card cutter for under $5 Head over to the Monthly 4G Prepaid Plans page for the full details.
T-Mobile is one of the only nationwide carriers to sell a SIM-only service. It’s more expensive than the options listed above, but we still wanted to share it. For $59.99 per month customers get unlimited talk, text, and data (up to 2 GB of high speed). A two-line family plan is also offered at $49.99 per line, per month. In order to get a SIM-only Value Plan, customer will have to pay a $35 activation fee and agree to a two-year service agreement. This kind of defeats the purpose of pre-paid, and there are much better options out there. Visit T-Mobile’s SIM-only service page for the full details. Conclusions
If you have already made the jump to pre-paid, let us know how your experience has been. Would you recommend it to your friends and family? And if you are thinking about leaving your carrier, please share your concerns below.
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and start using it in the US months before the nerfed carrier versions arrive?
that will work on any GSM network.
if you have a newer device.
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