Android Phone Fans |
- Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE and AT&T HTC One X Delayed – Apple To Blame
- Evernote for Android Receives Overhauled Ice Cream Sandwich UI and All New Features
- OpenSignalMaps Gives Us A Look At Android’s Fragmentation Through Their Eyes
- Report: Google to offer multiple Android 5.0 Nexus devices, will sell direct to consumer through Google Play
- Sony Xperia S to receive update to Ice Cream Sandwich in late May/early June
- Nova Launcher 1.1.3 now available from Google Play, WidgetLocker updated to version 2.2.5
- Verizon launching 28 new 4G LTE markets, brings total to 258 nationwide
- Tab sync ready for primetime in latest Chrome desktop release
- Firefox beta with native Android UI now available from Google Play
- Google’s self driving car spotted on the streets of Washington D.C.
- Report: Project Glass won’t be as robust as promo video shows
- New T-Mobile devices added to Samsung’s Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade list
- LG Optimus Elite now available on Virgin Mobile $150
- Baton Rouge, LA seeing AT&T 4G LTE?
- Twitter for Android updated to address key bugs
| Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE and AT&T HTC One X Delayed – Apple To Blame Posted: 15 May 2012 06:41 PM PDT
Two of HTC’s heavy hitters — the HTC EVO 4G LTE and HTC One X — are facing shipping delays here in the states due to U.S. Customs. Apparently, both devices are being examined to ensure they aren’t in violation of an International Trade Commission exclusion order. In a statement to All Things D, HTC said:
Jumping onto AT&T’s website, you’ll notice both grey and white version of the One X are currently “out of stock,” and now it seems the EVO 4G LTE wont make its intended May 18th debut on Sprint. HTC has been faced with ongoing legal troubles from Apple over patents on a few specific HTC devices. The end of 2011 wasn’t the best year for the Taiwanese manufacturer and HTC was hoping hoping to get a good head start on Samsung in order to beat the Galaxy S3 out of the gate in an attempt to gain some of that lost market share. Let’s hope we wont have to wait too long, but will this delay affect anyone’s decision to get their hands on the EVO LTE before the Galaxy S3 arrived? Hypothetically, if this pushed the EVO LTE to launch only a few short days before the S3, which would you choose?
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| Evernote for Android Receives Overhauled Ice Cream Sandwich UI and All New Features Posted: 15 May 2012 06:06 PM PDT
It’s rare you see a cross platform developer implement Android 4.0 design practices into their application but Evernote is showing they’re one of the few that can make it happen. With their latest 4.0 update, they’ve introduced a completely redesigned app that is easily their greatest update — ever.
Everything from their homescreen to their note and notebook lists have been completely redesigned to take advantage of new swipe gestures and more intuitive controls that make finding, and getting to your notes quicker, and easier than ever before. You’ll also notice new Android 4.0 designed “action bars” running along the bottom of the app that are context sensitive based on where you are in the app. When reading a note, the action bar will disappear giving you a full screen to view your note without any distractions. Places is Evernote’s new area for viewing notes according to where they were created. You can even view them on a map, if that tickles your fancy.
Because of their app to desktop (and back again) syncing functionality, Evernote has long been my one and only note taking application on both my desktop and Android device. The best part about it? It’s completely free. You can grab the all new Evernote 4.0 from the Google Play Store right now.
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| OpenSignalMaps Gives Us A Look At Android’s Fragmentation Through Their Eyes Posted: 15 May 2012 05:46 PM PDT
We hear it talked about a lot in the tech circles, but if you were hoping to get a glimpse of what Android’s “fragmentation” looks like, the boys at Staircase 3 have a nice graphic for you. These guys have been tracking 681,900 Android devices over the past 6 months that have downloaded their OpenSignalMaps (a network monitoring app) and this is what they’ve found: 599 distinct brands, 3,997 different Android devices, spanning across 195 countries. And that, folks, is why they call it the Android army.
Taking a look at the graphic, you can easily see which Android devices have the majority market share, with Samsung devices dominating the chart and their Galaxy S2, specifically, taking top honors among the distinct models surveyed. Keep in mind, this data — while nice to look at — isn’t exactly a complete and exhaustive study. The data is only taken from those that have used the OpenSignalMaps application and even then, custom ROMs can muddy up the data with unique “android.build.MODELs.”
While fragmentation gives users the option of choosing just about any device with the specs to fill their need, you can see that it poses a challenge on developers looking to make a single app tailored to fit them all. Would love to see more official statistics like these from the boys over at Google HQ. Would make it much easier to recommend Android devices more likely to receive updates based purely on market share.
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| Posted: 15 May 2012 02:41 PM PDT
If the appearance of the Galaxy Nexus for sale through the Google Play store signaled the company’s renewed interest in direct smartphone sales, a new report out of the Wall Street Journal could hint at plans to change the entire Android landscape. According to the report, Google will open up its Nexus program to multiple OEM partners and offer up to five launch devices for Android 5.0, which will be on sale by Thanksgiving of this year if all goes according to plan. The move would aim to satisfy manufacturers wary of favoritism in light of Google’s Motorola buyout while providing a selection of carrier unlocked devices running the latest version of Android to customers in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Rumor has it more details could be unveiled at the upcoming Google I/O conference. We will likely get our first tease of Jelly Bean, the next version of Android, at the show as well. It isn’t confirmed but we might expect both tablets and phones to be included among the stable of Android 5.0 devices. The move would be sure to cause a bit of tension with major mobile providers, but offering multiple devices with a unified build of Android could be a move in the right direction if Google plans to tackle the fragmentation problem head on. [via Engadget]
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| Sony Xperia S to receive update to Ice Cream Sandwich in late May/early June Posted: 15 May 2012 02:03 PM PDT
Sony’s latest Xperia offerings aren’t lacking in style, and they are serviceable in the hardware department as well. If there is one area that easily falls under the “needs improvement” column it’s that devices like the Xperia S shipped with Android 2.3 and no quick plans to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich. Now a representative posting at the official Sony forums is shedding some light on when the flagship model will receive its share of Android 4.0. The Xperia S can expect to see ICS sometime between late May and early June, which fits within the original Q2 2012 timeframe given by Sony. The company has been fairly transparent about the update process for other devices, and will hopefully be more forthcoming with details as the time draws near for the Xperia S to see its upgrade. It shouldn’t be much longer now. We’re halfway through May and time isn’t showing any signs of stopping. [via The Verge]
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| Nova Launcher 1.1.3 now available from Google Play, WidgetLocker updated to version 2.2.5 Posted: 15 May 2012 12:53 PM PDT
Nova Launcher has a new update headed our way, bringing several new features and enhancements to the homescreen replacement software. The update to version 1.1.3 brings even more customization and a few new gesture controls, including rotate clockwise, rotate counterclockwise, and double-tap for Prime users. Here’s the full list of changes:
Also receiving an update is WidgetLocker, which gets a bump up to version 2.2.5. Some changes stem from the update to NovaLauncher such as Go Launcher icon packs, but there are some other tweaks as well. The full list:
Both can be found in the Google Play Store today. Hit up the links below to download. Google Play Link: Nova Launcher Google Play Link: WidgetLocker
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| Verizon launching 28 new 4G LTE markets, brings total to 258 nationwide Posted: 15 May 2012 12:18 PM PDT
Verizon is adding even more cities to its 4G LTE coverage map, bringing the next-gen network to a total of 258 markets nationwide. As expansions continue, Verizon is lighting up LTE in 28 new cities and expanding coverage in 11 additional markets. The network additions cover a wide range of states across the union including new coverage in Virginia, Texas, Oregon, South Dakota, and Louisiana. Expanded coverage areas include cities and towns in Colorado, Maryland, and Florida. Here’s the full list of new markets:
And the expanded markets:
The new coverage isn’t set to officially roll out until the 17th of this month, but some are already reporting the presence of 4G LTE signals in these regions. Check out the source link below for all the details. [via Verizon]
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| Tab sync ready for primetime in latest Chrome desktop release Posted: 15 May 2012 11:41 AM PDT One of the coolest features of Chrome for Android is the ability to call up tabs already open on your desktop installation of the browser and display them on your mobile device. Pretty convenient when you need to run out the door but find some downtime to finish reading a few articles you had started on your home PC. Or maybe you had an e-vite open but forgot to jot down the details. No problem, Chrome for Android has you covered.
The same functionality was introduced in beta form to the desktop version of Chrome last month, allowing users to conversely open tabs on their PC that were originally launched in the mobile version of the browser. The functionality is exiting beta and is available in the latest stable build of Chrome, which will be rolling out to users over the next few days. The actual tab sync feature will migrate to users over the next few weeks, so if you don’t see it at first it should be headed your way soon. To sync, just launch a new tab and select “Other devices” from the lower right hand corner. Pretty simple, but totally useful. [via ChromeSpot]
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| Firefox beta with native Android UI now available from Google Play Posted: 15 May 2012 11:07 AM PDT
Mozilla has released a new version of their Firefox beta into the Google Play Store, but this latest release is unlike those that came before. Instead of using XUL, Mozilla has transitioned to a native Android user interface. Nightly builds of this version have been available for some time now, but a Google Play release signifies that a stable working version has been achieved. Not only does the browser look more visually appealing and feel more at home on an Android device, but performance and load times get a boost as well. The bulkiness of previous Firefox builds have been a major thorn in the side of the browser, making lightweight options like Chrome, Dolphin, or even the native Android browser more enticing. You can grab the latest version of Firefox for Android over at Google Play and give it a spin for yourself. Let us know what you think. Google Play Link: Firefox [via AndroidCentral]
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| Google’s self driving car spotted on the streets of Washington D.C. Posted: 15 May 2012 10:12 AM PDT
Driverless cars might seem like a thing of the distant future, but thanks to Google auto-piloted vehicles are no longer science fiction. The search giant was recently awarded a license to begin testing the vehicle on public streets in Nevada, a first for such a car, and the Google-outfitted Toyota Prius has now been spotted as far east as the nation’s capital. The project still has a way to go before the general public will be able to purchase cars outfitted with Google’s self-driving system, but when the day comes it isn’t a stretch to imagine your smartphone will be heavily integrated into the controls. You could use an Android device to program routes, check vehicle diagnostics or set preferences, and do basic things like control the radio. Pretty sweet.
[Thanks, Josh!]
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| Report: Project Glass won’t be as robust as promo video shows Posted: 15 May 2012 08:02 AM PDT All of the cool things Google showed in its initial Project Glass promo video may not be what we get in final product form. The “terminator style overlay,” as CNet puts it, won’t be present in the first batches of the product. They report that bits of information will only be displayed just above your level field of view on the right side. That would solve the “walking into a deathtrap” scenario that people initially feared, but it makes it sound as if Google Goggles will be a lot less cool than initially imagined. Of course, the project is still in prototype stages so we can’t be for sure that this will end up being the case once it hits store shelves. We saw that gestures worked at a basic level, however, as engineer Sebastion Thrun demonstrated an ability to take a picture and upload it to Google+ with nothing but head movement. It’s not appropriate to pass anything off with 100% certainty at this point, but CNet indicated that whatever they saw would appear to be whatever we’ll get once it’s all said and done. We won’t know until it’s out, though, so don’t fret too much if you grew attached to that initial vision. Watch that initial vision in the YouTube embed above.
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| New T-Mobile devices added to Samsung’s Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade list Posted: 15 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT
Samsung’s finally added the initial list of devices that will receive the upgrade to Android 4.0 on T-Mobile. The Samsung Galaxy S II was an obvious shoe-in, and the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G makes a surprise appearance on this list. We’ve also got a couple of tablets in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Of course, neither parties are ready to disclose a rollout date but knowing that it’s coming is half the battle. Unless something drastic changes, users of these devices can rest easy. [Samsung, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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| LG Optimus Elite now available on Virgin Mobile $150 Posted: 15 May 2012 06:17 AM PDT
Virgin Mobile has today released the LG Optimus Elite. A phone originally launched for Sprint, it was only natural that a variant of it made its way to its pre-paid underling carrier. The $150 off-contract device will provide you with a 3.5 inch display, NFC and Google Wallet, Android 2.3, an 800MHz processor and a 5 megapixel rear camera with flash. Plans for the device start at just $35 for 300 minutes of voice and unlimited data + text messaging. Head to your local mobile retail store today or go online to order one. Read on for full press details.
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| Baton Rouge, LA seeing AT&T 4G LTE? Posted: 15 May 2012 05:54 AM PDT
AT&T confirmed this past weekend that Baton Rouge would be getting 4G LTE, but didn’t bother to offer a time frame other than “soon.” We’ve gotten a couple of independent reports that the network is live today, though we haven’t been able to find much more than that. It’s strange that AT&T would launch the network in that market without an announcement so we assume they’re just testing the network and allowing anyone who notices to hop on. It’s not unlike what usually happens with Verizon’s rollouts as users sometimes report coverage up to a week in advance of Verizon’s official launch date. There are quite a few of you with AT&T LTE phones now so if you’re in the Baton Rouge area and you have a phone that can take advantage of LTE, be sure to check to see if you can connect. Let us know in the comments section below if you can or can’t. [Thanks Spoosh!]
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| Twitter for Android updated to address key bugs Posted: 15 May 2012 05:40 AM PDT
Those who haven’t completely abandoned the official Twitter client for greener pastures will be happy to know a new bug-fixing update has hit the Google Play Store. Alongside the usual round of bug fixes and under-the-hood enhancements that seem to be obligatory in every update, we know that they have fixed a bug causing profile images not to load on Eclair devices, a fix for top tweets appearing out of order in the Search and Discovery views, and a fix for sync settings. Grab the small (but relatively big) update in the Google Play Store.
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