Android World: Android Central

Monday, May 14, 2012

Android Central

Android Central weekly photo contest winner: Composition
Apple to drop Google Maps with the next iPhone?
From the Editor's Desk: A slow CTIA, whose app is it anyway, the EVO 4G LTE isn't as bad as you thought, eh?
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Review

Android Central weekly photo contest winner: Composition

Posted: 13 May 2012 02:44 PM PDT

The winner of this week's photo contest is templon, with his picture of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, taken with his Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The picture follows the rule of thirds, holds a nice level line, and above all else -- is a great picture. Congrats templon, and thanks for the great photo! Check your inbox for information about your Beats Tour headphones, we'll need to know where to have them sent.

As usual, there were plenty of great pictures this week. It really is difficult sorting out the best few, but as someone who enjoys looking at photographs, I'm not complaining. Hit the break to see the honorable mention list. And be ready to do it all over again next week.

Apple to drop Google Maps with the next iPhone?

Posted: 13 May 2012 01:02 PM PDT

Rumor has it that the next iPhone will eschew Google's Maps backend in favor of Apple's own. Rene over at iMore, who has a good handle on how the minds in Cupertino operate, has a great overview of Apple's supposed current strategy that you really should read to try to make sense out of this one. The short version -- Apple wants to shed Google's services. Not because users have a problem using them, but because they don't want Google to profit. Instead of offering an additional choice with their own version of a maps app, they are just going to replace what users know and love with something that generates less profit for Google. Smart business move, but a pretty foul dump on the users.

They're going to need some real magic to pull this one off. In the current version, Apple builds the UI and Google provides the mapping data. Google is really good at mapping stuff. The rumored version-in-waiting is supposed to add a 3D view, becoming the new killer feature for the next version of iOS. The problem is, users don't care about 3D map view (or anything 3D on their mobile devices) -- they care about features, ease-of-use, and integration. Apple can certainly take care of the integration part, and even give it some of that good old fashioned Apple magic in the UI department. But that still isn't going to cut it. Google has the one big thing™ when it comes to maps and navigation -- search data.

When you tap the button and tell your phone to find 1313 Mockingbird Lane, there's this unfathomably huge pool of data Google has at it's disposal to populate that map. Need to know where the closest Starbucks is? Ask Siri, or just look at the Google Maps app. Apple can't replicate this without years of its own data. Users will be left with an app with a pretty front-end, that's actually a step backwards in functionality. Apple will either have to offer a sub-par maps experience, or use Google anyway. And the first person who says Bing has to stay late and clean the chalkboard. That's two steps backwards.

Google creates the web services people want and use -- even people with iPhones. This is a space where Apple is going to find it's difficult to compete, and fickle users may just look elsewhere. Of course, you'll find just as many bloggers telling tales of how great this is, and that Apple invented Maps. It's going to be interesting to watch this one play out.

Source: iMore

From the Editor's Desk: A slow CTIA, whose app is it anyway, the EVO 4G LTE isn't as bad as you thought, eh?

Posted: 13 May 2012 10:54 AM PDT

From the Editor's Desk
Two thirds of these guys busted their butts at CTIA in New Orleans. One of them was not me.

Another CTIA has come and gone. I'm not usually one to gripe about the pace of a show, given that at these things we're essentially on a working vacation in cool city. But this spring's CTIA was pretty meh. The biggest announcement was, what, Verizon's Droid Incredible 4G LTE? Not an unimportant phone, I suppose, and it should sell just fine. But while Sprint and AT&T and T-Mobile are rocking phones from the new-and-improved HTC One line, with much-improved cameras, Verizon's missing out.

Samsung missed a pretty big opportunity in New Orleans, too. Not even a week after it unveiled the Galaxy S III to a worldwide (or at least European) audience in London, Sammy squandered a great chance to get the U.S. even more excited about it, and to get CTIA attendees (mostly of the American variety, we wager) proper looks at the new flagship phone. Strike while the iron is hot, they say.

Of course, the U.S. carriers will put their own spin on the Galaxy S III. And it's pretty likely that we'll see some sort of event to show them off, just like what we had with the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. But it was pretty surprising to see a minimal showing from Samsung here in New Orleans. No both. Just a brief appearance at the Mobile Focus event, where journos and companies cram into a ballroom for food, drink and a slightly more intimate look at products than on the show proper. The Galaxy S III is an important phone that was mostly kept off the floor, and that's a shame. Good thing we went to London to get a proper introduction. (By the way, if you haven't read Alex Dobie's piece -- "Hype, expectation an the Galaxy S III" -- you've missed out.)

The roundtable keynote featuring the CEOs of Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, moderated by CNBC's Jim Cramer, was entertaining if not overly substantive. (It also went a bit long, with each of the four's intro remarks taking more time than many of us would have preferred.) But Sprint CEO Dan Hesse hit home a little bit with a renewed push for mobile privacy, security and safety. Those are three things that will only become more important in the coming years. The Sprint Guardian program, which covers all applicable lines on an account for a relatively small fee, should be an interesting way of going about it.

Otherwise, no real showstopping announcements. No real major releases. Will CTIA in the fall (back in San Diego) make up for it? Or is the usefulness of trade shows starting to run its course for manufacturers?

Oh, by the way. Those two guys in the picture above -- Jared "The Body" DiPane and Anndrew "Yes that's how it's spelled" Vacca kicked some serious ass last week. Cheers, boys.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Review

Posted: 13 May 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the tablet of all tablets, or just another tablet swimming in the sea? Read the review to find out!

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

While we aim to find the perfect Android handset to accompany our daily lives, the struggle continues far beyond that. With Android tablets ranging from low end to high end with various price points and feature sets, figuring out which tablet is right for you is no simple task. Last year we saw Samsung introduce the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, at the time it was a flagship device and people could not get enough. A year later we are introduced to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the new dog in town.

Could Samsung out do what they brought to the table last year, and have a knock out device to put in our hands? Let's hit the break and check out how the Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 tablet compares in the world of Android tablets, and see if this may just end up being your very next tablet.

While packing a 10.1 inch display, the overall device is very lightweight and extremely thin. The layout allows for easy access to buttons, and it can be charged while still in use without affecting your grip.	Samsung has chosen to lay their TouchWiz over top of a mostly stock ICS, The cameras are far from ideal, and while the speakers are well placed, they could use some improvement as well.

For the price point and features you will receive, the Samsung Tab 2 10.1 brings the best of a middle range pricing to high end specs. The 10.1 inch display is a beauty, and Ice Cream Sandwich performs very well on the device.