Android Central |
- Is the third time the charm? OTA package for Verizon Galaxy Nexus now available from Google
- Samsung Australia hosting event next week, official Galaxy S III announcement due?
- Android A to Z: ClockworkMod Recovery
- Google Shopper updated with refreshed UI and tighter Google Offers integration
- Jury finds Android did not infringe Oracle patents
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the LG Nitro HD leaks out
- PhotoBox! [Android App Review]
- Paramount Pictures content coming to Prime Instant Video
- Suit up! New Men In Black III game now available from Gameloft
- HTC One XL coming to Germany on Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile
- HTC Bluetooth Car StereoClip review
- Win a tablet or smartphone with SwiftKey and Mobile Nations
- ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #78: Spring-Clip Holster for One X, Aquapac PRO Sports Case & more
- Samsung Galaxy Appeal coming June 5, brings a prepaid QWERTY slider to AT&T
- Sony Walkman Z Series review
- Wallpaper Wednesday - Lego Darth Vader, Ubuntu, Cherry Blossom Path
- Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Skin Case for Samsung Galaxy Note
- Acer and Carphone Warehouse announce the Iconia A510 Olympic Tab
- Samsung releases Galaxy Note ICS source code
- Late-night poll: Which carrier will offer the best Samsung Galaxy S III?
- eBay updates Android app, brings better notifications, list views, and social network sharing
- Electronic Arts brings Mass Effect Infiltrator to the Google Play Store
- Google Wallet on the One X, Which carrier will do the S3 right? [From the Forums]
- Transformer Pad TF300 boot loader unlock tool now available from ASUS
| Is the third time the charm? OTA package for Verizon Galaxy Nexus now available from Google Posted: 23 May 2012 04:58 PM PDT
Another new month, another new OTA package for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. For those that just want to get it on, here's the link direct from Google. Note that it's not a full ROM, and you'll need to be stock to flash it. Now where were we ... This may play out like the last OTA update that mysteriously appeared, then just as quickly disappeared from Google's servers, but we're hearing that the OTA is pushing, so you might want to check your phone and see if it finds an update itself. Hopefully, this is the real deal and we can go from worrying about when the update will come and get back to complaining about the update like we're supposed to do. I kid, I kid. For instruction on what to do if you're rooted and ROM'd, be sure to hit the Verizon G Nex forums and read a bit -- everything you want or need can be found there. Our fingers are crossed this time! Thanks, JD! 
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| Samsung Australia hosting event next week, official Galaxy S III announcement due? Posted: 23 May 2012 04:20 PM PDT
Despite not being specifically mentioned as a world tour venue, it seems that Sydney, Australia is set for a Galaxy S III event on May 31. When the venue cities were shown off during the keynote presentation in London, the closest to Australia was an unannounced location in South-East Asia. PC World Australia however, are reporting that Samsung Australia have started to send out invites for an event in Sydney next Thursday. The current official line from Samsung sits a little more discreetly: “Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased there is continued interest about our GALAXY range in Australia, but we have no plans to make any announcements at this time.” Australians are expecting to see Sammy's latest flagship launch on all the major carriers, plus potentially Virgin Mobile as well. Telstra are likely to be eying up a 4G LTE version too. via Ausdroid 
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| Android A to Z: ClockworkMod Recovery Posted: 23 May 2012 03:10 PM PDT
We're getting a little hacky in this round of Android A to Z, and we're going to have a look at ClockworkMod recovery -- the de facto standard of custom recoveries for Android. It's open source, based on the stock Android recovery, and brings a ton of options to the table that aren't possible otherwise. First, let's look at why anyone would use a custom recovery. The standard Android recovery can do two things for the user -- flash system files that have been signed and verified as coming from the correct source (either Google or an OEM), and wipe away user data and cached information. Both these operations are pretty important, but there's more many users want and need from the recovery mode of their phone. Things like backing up all user data into image files that can be restored easily, or flashing software that doesn't come from Google or the OEM -- like custom ROMs -- and wiping some residual data to troubleshoot things like file permission errors. It's pretty advanced stuff, but it's very handy to have it for many of us. ClockworkMod recovery (we'll call it CWM from here on out) does all this, and does it very well. It's provided free, and has a pretty handy wrapper around it so it can be used while the phone or tablet is up and running. We're talking about Rom Manager, of course. With CWM you can erase the user data from your system completely -- including that extra data that may cause an issue, selectively erase portions of it (a godsend for troubleshooting), create a restore image of the running system, and flash custom firmware at will. If you're running a custom version of Android on any newer phone or tablet, you're probably using it right now. If you're thinking about trying your luck with a custom ROM or tweak, CWM is where you'll get started. Check out the complete Android Dictionary 
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| Google Shopper updated with refreshed UI and tighter Google Offers integration Posted: 23 May 2012 02:09 PM PDT
Seems as though Google has been making plenty of little updates to their bevy of Google branded apps in the Google Play Store and now the latest to get some love is Google Shopper. Although it doesn't bring massive change, the latest update available for download brings a slightly refreshed UI and tighter integration with Google Offers to the mix. In addition to those changes, history and search suggestions will now appear in the app to help with speeding things up overall. 
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| Jury finds Android did not infringe Oracle patents Posted: 23 May 2012 01:20 PM PDT
The jury in the Oracle v. Google case has found that Android does not infringe on the eight claims concerning two patents (RE38,104 and 6,061,520) Oracle owns. Judge Alsup has dismissed the jury, and after a long trial they are now finished in their part of the proceedings. Now, the real work for Judge Alsup begins. The last verdict, in which the jury found that Android did infringe on the structure, sequence, and organization (SSO) of 37 Java APIs, still needs some attention, as the jury could not agree if these should be covered under fair-use rules, so Judge Alsup will have to determine that. There were also two minor infringements found in the rangeCheck code and the eight Java test files that were inadvertently included in early releases of Android. Should Judge Alsup find that the SSO of the Java APIs is not copyrightable, Oracle will receive damages for the rangeCheck file and test files, to a maximum of $150,000 each. If the SSO portions are found to be copyrightable, all three infringements will go to a new trial to determine damages. Of course, we fully expect Oracle to appeal every decision it can, in front of any court that will listen. In the end, it looks like Oracle won't be getting the billions of dollars they wanted, and more importantly, won't be eligible for any injunctive relief. There will be no "Oracle Tax" like we see from Microsoft after they went after OEMs (and suspiciously won't fight Google), and Oracle will have to find another way to make money in the changing tech world. While it looks like a major victory for Google (though things aren't yet finished), we still have to pay for million dollar trials, and someone has to pay the legal fees on both sides. Google may have won today, but make no mistake -- our wallet lost. Until the software patent situation is revamped, the only real winners are lawyers. More: The Verge 
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| Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the LG Nitro HD leaks out Posted: 23 May 2012 01:14 PM PDT
If you own a LG Nitro HD and fancy loading up a leaked version of Ice Cream Sandwich onto it, you'll have to set aside some time to get it taken care of. A presumably early build of ICS is now available for download and thus far appears to be running quite well for most folks according to the responses to it over at XDA. Several variations of the device have been tested including Bell, AT&T, Fido and a few others. Some have noted their IMEI has gone missing while others report no change in that area. In the end, it's a leak -- use caution if you're going to check it out. 
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| PhotoBox! [Android App Review] Posted: 23 May 2012 12:42 PM PDT
With all the hubbub around photo sharing services on Facebook, it only seems natural that someone would make an app that lets you not only snap pictures and add totally hipster effects to them, but also go through any album you can access, and edit those pictures directly from your phone (even if you didn't take them). That someone (or group of someones) would be Weaver Mobile, and their app, PhotoBox! PhotoBox! is sort of an anomaly to me, simply because I'm not sure I understand the practical application. In short, you can go through anyone's pictures, choose one, and edit it. There's pretty standard options like crop and auto-color and such, and then there's some absolutely off-the-wall ones, like putting goofy borders around things, drawing with your finger (stylus style), and even adding typed text. In my video review (below the break), I went pretty crazy with it, creating something so tacky and hideous, there's nary a chance it'll get a single 'Like' once it was posted, but that's not quite my issue with it, either. In short, I just don't understand why such an app exists. Sure, it lets you edit photos. It does that pretty well, too. Definitely a strike against it for looking like a straight iPhone port, but hey, what can you do? (Well, I guess you could follow Android design guidelines.) But other than that? It feels like it takes all of Instagram's hipsterness, leaves out the social aspect completely, and says, "Ta-da! Behold, now you can sepia tone photos that you took before Instagram existed!" Maybe it's just me. Instagram is lost on me, Pinterest is lost on me, maybe I'm just getting old. For this reviewer, though, while I can certainly say this app is functional, I must also tack on that I don't see a lot of real-world use for it. Oh, and get off my lawn. PhotoBox! is free in the Google Play Store. We've got video and download links after the break. 
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| Paramount Pictures content coming to Prime Instant Video Posted: 23 May 2012 11:45 AM PDT
Amazon has been busy gathering up plenty of content partners for the past little while and now they've come to agreements with the folks from Paramount Pictures. Amazon Prime members will be able to access hundreds of videos from the Paramount Pictures catalog through any Prime Instant Video compatible device, including the Amazon Kindle Fire.
If you don't already have an Amazon Prime membership, you can sign up for a one month free trial right now. Looking for the full press release from Amazon? It's below for you all or you can hit up the Amazon website for the full details as well. Source: Amazon 
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| Suit up! New Men In Black III game now available from Gameloft Posted: 23 May 2012 11:13 AM PDT
Suit up, it's time! Men In Black III is a new game from Gameloft to celebrate the upcoming movie and now, it's available in the Google Play Store available for download. In it, you get to run the MIB Agency with some help from others but a new threat is now plotting against mankind and you must defend it. Are you ready?
Unlike Mass Effect Infiltrator, this release is available for free and will only download an additional 60-70MB to your device. Sadly though, it doesn't seem to work on all devices. My Galaxy Note states it is incompatible though my Galaxy Nexus runs the game just fine. If you're looking for more info, jump below for the latest trailer as well as the download link. 
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| HTC One XL coming to Germany on Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile Posted: 23 May 2012 11:11 AM PDT
The HTC One XL has graced the Far East, Australia and North America (under the name HTC One X), and now it's headed to Europe, with today's news that Vodafone Germany will launch the device next month. The One XL is almost identical to the international One X, except that it sports a 4G LTE radio and dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip instead of the Tegra 3 found in the One X. (That's due to Tegra 3's lack of support for LTE.) Basically, this is an AT&T One X for Europe, with European LTE bands. In addition to dual-band HSPA on 900 and 2100MHz, the Euro One XL supports LTE on 800, 1800 and 2600MHz bands. This means it'll also run on the UK's 4G LTE networks, whenever they're launched. The One XL will launch in Germany on Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2, and there'll also be unlocked SIM-free version available. Prices reportedly start at €659 (~$830). via: TheUnwired 
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| HTC Bluetooth Car StereoClip review Posted: 23 May 2012 10:11 AM PDT
I've always had a love-hate relationship with Bluetooth. I love the idea. Being able to easily and wirelessly connect our devices to other devices just makes sense. Wires and cables are decidedly unsightly and unsophisticated. But in actual use, well, that's where the hate comes in. Sometimes Bluetooth works great. Other times it's the devil, refusing to connect, or to hold or connection, or basically sounding crappy. I've been pleasantly surprised by the HTC Bluetooth Car StereoClip. (Sprint currently is selling it under the "Bluetooth Music Adaptor" name.) Here it is, in a sentence: Pair it with your phone, plug it into a 3.5mm jack, and play audio to your heart's content. Done. It's that easy. (But that doesn't mean you shouldn't read on for our full review. Let's hit it!) 
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| Win a tablet or smartphone with SwiftKey and Mobile Nations Posted: 23 May 2012 10:07 AM PDT
SwiftKey and Mobile Nations (hey, that's us!) are giving you the chance to win a phone or tablet of your choice. SwiftKey is one of the leading aftermarket keyboard for Android, and in return for letting the SwiftKey guys know how you use your phones and tablets, you could bag the device of your choice, up to a value of $800. Head over to swiftkey.com/survey to begin, complete the survey. If you're one of the lucky three (yes, three) winners, you could get your hands on your dream phone or tablet, even if it doesn't run Android. In fact, even if you don't currently own a device that supports their kick-ass keyboard, SwiftKey still wants to hear from you, and you could still be a winner. The survey is open internationally for smartphone and tablet owners aged 18 and over, and it runs until midnight on Wednesday, June 6. Be sure to check SwiftKey's site for the full terms and conditions. Head over to SwiftKey's survey page to get started! 
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| ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #78: Spring-Clip Holster for One X, Aquapac PRO Sports Case & more Posted: 23 May 2012 09:02 AM PDT Today's ShopAndroid.com Daily Giveaway will feature the Seidio Spring-Clip Holster for HTC One X, Aquapac Waterproof PRO Sports Case, Jabra Easy Go Bluetooth Headset, and the Just Mobile Highway Pro Dual Charger. Leave a comment below telling us which featured item you'd like to win for your Android. We'll randomly select one lucky person as the winner of today's giveaway and announce them next week. Seidio Spring-Clip Holster for HTC One XThe Seidio Spring-Clip Holster holds your HTC One X securely in place, then lifts for quick access. Both the felt liner and the face-in design protect your screen from scratches and exposure to outside elements. A soft-touch coating provides a better grip and feel to the holster. The Spring-Clip Holster can be worn in seven different positions, ranging between horizontal and vertical. 
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| Samsung Galaxy Appeal coming June 5, brings a prepaid QWERTY slider to AT&T Posted: 23 May 2012 08:18 AM PDT
AT&T announced the Samsung Galaxy Appeal today, another addition to its prepaid smartphone lineup. The Appeal will be unique because it will be the first prepaid smartphone that offers a QWERTY sliding keyboard. As more smartphones drop physical keyboards, there is still a large contingent that demands them, so it's good to see the option in the prepaid category. The Appeal, like many of the other prepaid options, will feature lower end specs. Here there are:
AT&T prepaid data plans are as follows:
If you're interested in the Galaxy Appeal, it will be released on June 5th to Walmart stores. On July 15th, it can be purchased from other AT&T GoPhone locations. Source: AT&T 
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| Posted: 23 May 2012 06:55 AM PDT
Remember MP3 players? You know, those small electronic devices that old people used to keep their music on? They didn't make phone calls. They didn't play Angry Birds. If they're before your time, you’re not alone: after reaching the height of their popularity with Apple’s iPod, digital music players saw a sharp decline in sales, due in large part to the meteoric rise of smartphones. As phones became more and more capable of becoming your sole device, the need for MP3 players quickly faded away. Why carry around an extra device when you’ve got your entire music collection, Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and even FM Radio right on your Android phone? But don’t call digital music players dead just yet. Enter the Sony Walkman Z, a revitalized Walkman that Sony is calling the “ultimate portable media player.” It’s powered by Android and it’s got a heck of a set of specs, but where does this device fall into your daily life? And is its $249 starting price tag justified? Despite its delightful music experience, it’s hard to recommend dropping so much money on a device that is so limited, especially when tablets start at around the same price. If you’re holding onto your dumbphone, though, and are constantly within wi-fi coverage, the Walkman Z is a nice option for housing your music collection. 
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| Wallpaper Wednesday - Lego Darth Vader, Ubuntu, Cherry Blossom Path Posted: 23 May 2012 06:30 AM PDT
Tired of that boring wallpaper you currently are sporting on your wonderful Android device? Spend hours looking for something new to use only to come up empty? Some great creations have hit our Android Central Wallpaper Gallery lately, and we are back showcasing them for you to see. If you don't see what you want in the gallery, and happen to find it somewhere else, do us a favor will ya? Spread the love to the rest of the Android Central Community and upload it, it's simple and takes only a minute. Be sure to log in before uploading so we know who they came from, and we can give you the proper credit when we show them off!
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| Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Skin Case for Samsung Galaxy Note Posted: 23 May 2012 06:28 AM PDT
The Mobi Skin Case is available for just $4.95 today only, 75% off the standard price. Pick yours up today while supplies last! 
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| Acer and Carphone Warehouse announce the Iconia A510 Olympic Tab Posted: 23 May 2012 05:08 AM PDT
With this summer's London games approaching, it seems it's not just Samsung getting in on the Olympic action. Acer and UK retailer the Carphone Warehouse have announced a new quad-core Android tablet with an Olympic spin -- the Acer Iconia A510 Olympic Tab. The device is a 10.1-inch tablet powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU. Other bundled goodies include a microSD card port, microUSB and microHDMI. And you've also got the famous Olympic rings engraved on the back of the tablet, for whatever that's worth. The Carphone Warehouse says it's expecting to begin selling the Olympic Tab in June, and it has a pre-registration page up right now. In the U.S, both black and silver variants will sell for $449. Source: Acer, Carphone Warehouse 
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| Samsung releases Galaxy Note ICS source code Posted: 23 May 2012 04:35 AM PDT
As required under the open source rules, Samsung has released its Linux kernel source code -- and other open-source bits -- for the recently-released Android 4.0 firmware for the international Galaxy Note. While the source code itself isn't much for regular users (or even power users) to get excited about, ROM developers will undoubtedly be pouring over this code in the weeks ahead with the aim of bringing better, faster custom firmware to the international Note. Not that this code is for the international Galaxy Note (GT-N7000), not the North American version that goes by a different name -- GT-i717. To grab the Ice Cream Sandwich code for the Note, head over to the source link, then enter "N7000" in the search box. Source: Samsung Open Source Release Center 
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| Late-night poll: Which carrier will offer the best Samsung Galaxy S III? Posted: 22 May 2012 11:22 PM PDT
There's a neat discussion going on in the forums about the Samsung Galaxy S III, and how carriers will screw it up -- or not screw it up. To our pals in Europe and elsewhere who may not know, in North America carriers have pretty much had their way with all the previous Galaxy phones. Different shapes and sizes abound, and I don't think any of them have the same software as any of the others. Some changes were welcome (the Epic 4G had a damn nice sliding QWERTY), some not so much (hello there locked down NFC). We're all expecting to hear word from Samsung about more carrier releases soon, and with that will come the big question -- who will get it right? Let us know what you think in tonight's poll.
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| eBay updates Android app, brings better notifications, list views, and social network sharing Posted: 22 May 2012 08:12 PM PDT
The original online auction house and Internet giant eBay has revamped their Android application, improving a number of UI elements and views.
Buying and selling from your smartphone is now easier than ever. The eBay for Android app is available in all countries supported by the Google Play Store. The eBay sites supported are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. The download link is after the break. Source: eBay Mobile 
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| Electronic Arts brings Mass Effect Infiltrator to the Google Play Store Posted: 22 May 2012 07:18 PM PDT
If you're a fan of the Mass Effect series then you'll now have to decide whether or not you want to immerse yourself into more of the experience. You see, Electronic Arts has now taken the covers off of Mass Effect Infiltrator and placed it in the Google Play Store. Didn't like the ending of Mass Effect 3? Maybe you can change it:
Electronic Arts has set the price a little high with this one plus, the size of the download may sway some users from grabbing it. Mass Effect Infiltrator is set at $6.99 with the download and additional content coming in at over 450MB once all is said and done. That said though, if you're a fan of the series it might be worth the buy in cost for and SD Card space to you. Download link is below for you all. 
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| Google Wallet on the One X, Which carrier will do the S3 right? [From the Forums] Posted: 22 May 2012 06:44 PM PDT
It's been a fairly busy day around here for news with everything from bootloader unlocks to ICS updates and even some CEO changes happening at Motorola. If you happened to miss out on any of it, make sure you get yourself caught up ont he blogs and 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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| Transformer Pad TF300 boot loader unlock tool now available from ASUS Posted: 22 May 2012 05:32 PM PDT
ASUS has made the boot loader unlocking utility for the Transformer Pad TF300 available from their website. The tool is an Android apk that you install like any other app, but when ran the boot loader of the device is unlocked -- allowing the installation of custom firmware. This comes at a price though, that being the potential loss of warranty. While I'm a firm believer that any warranty should be void if you want the ability to potentially ruin your hardware, there are many who see differently. But we all agree that you should have access to the hardware you've paid for, especially when it's not tied to a carrier's network. ASUS agrees as well, and that's why we love them. Hit the source link, read and heed the warnings, and get to unlocking! Source: ASUS 
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