Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

New “Angry Birds Heikki” Sequel Coming In June – Get Ready For More High Flying Flapping Fun

Posted: 21 May 2012 06:36 PM PDT

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The boys from Rovio are revving up their engines, firing up yet another Angry Birds sequel due on June 18th. This time, the Finnish developers are taking their feathered friends to the race track in Angry Birds Heikki.

For those of you unawares, Heikki Kovalainen is a Formula 1 race car driver from Rovio’s homeland of Finland, and if those checkered flags are any indication, we’ll be seeing some sort of race themed environments to fling our favorite angry critters across. Well, either that or we’re looking at kart racing game starting the Angry Birds (not likely). Actually, we’re not even so sure this will hit mobile devices with MSN mentioning it could be a browser-only title (also not likely).

In other Rovio news, the company is celebrating 20+ million downloads with the plans to open up more Angry Birds theme parks, this time in China. Rovio’s first theme park just opened up in Finland a few short weeks ago, and these new Chinese parks are said to offer a completely different experience from traditional theme parks, by putting park-goers inside the game — not just waiting around in lines for hours on end.

It’s always been a dream of mine to be shot from a giant slingshot into an enormous pile of bacon… Looks like I’ll be buying a plane ticket ticket to China.

[AndroidPIT | DroidGamers | MSN | Kotaku]

 

Amazon Appstore Updated to 2.6.53 – Brings New “Test Drive” Feature To Select Devices

Posted: 21 May 2012 05:13 PM PDT

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The Amazon Appstore was updated today to version 2.6.53 today adding a rather amazing new feature that allows for users to “test drive” apps before shelling out their hard earned money. No downloading. No installing. No purchasing. Just click, and immediately begin playing.

This feature was originally introduced almost a year ago on Amazon’s desktop site, and gave users the ability to try out potential Appstore purchases directly from their web browsers. Today, over 5,000 apps in the Appstore have been given this new functionality, and if you’ve updated and don’t see it appearing in your Appstore just yet, be patient, as only a handful of devices support the Test Drive feature as of right now.

Of course, the usual stability improvements and the previous download bug that was preventing some users from downloading large apps on a 3G/4G connection have all been patched up. With this new ability to try out apps before you buy and bookmarking apps for later, I have to say, I like where Amazon is going with their Play Store alternative. Your move, Google.

Thanks, Mark!

[Amazon Appstore Download]

HTC EVO 4G LTE officially cleared to ship May 24th

Posted: 21 May 2012 03:40 PM PDT

After a brief hold-up at US Customs, Sprint has officially announced that the HTC EVO 4G LTE will be on its way to customers and are scheduled to ship or arrive on May 24th. That’s not the Mat 23rd rumor that’s been going around, but one day never hurt anyone.

If you don’t remember, some HTC devices were held up at customs for inspection. The devices were being checked for implementation of an Apple patent, but HTC was a step ahead of the game as they’d altered the firmware to remove the infringing code.

We’re not sure of Apple’s motive to enforce these inspections, but we have a pretty good idea and it looks like they won’t be putting a dent into HTC’s plans. As for you EVO 4G LTE pre-sale customers, you’ll have your device before the weekend is over. Go ahead and pour yourself that glass of scotch and wine to celebrate. [Sprint, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Verizon confirms updates to add global capabilities to DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, Rezound, and DROID 4

Posted: 21 May 2012 02:40 PM PDT

Late last week, Verizon was rumored to be bringing updates for the Motorola DROID 4, the HTC Rezound, Motorla DROID RAZR, and the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX to add global capabilities for calling and data. This functionality was locked at launch, but users of the community have since been able to take advantage of the device’s global radios.

We’re not sure why Verizon waited so long to enable them. Some suggest more testing needed to be done compared to older Verizon phones due to their LTE radios. That testing seems to be wrapped up, though, so everyone will soon be able to enjoy the freedom of having GSM radios for use around the entire world. Expect the updates to arrive sometime this summer.

This summer, Verizon Wireless will be updating the following 4G LTE smartphones for global use.

HTC Rezound
DROID RAZR by Motorola
DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola
DROID 4 by Motorola

Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device. After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries.

Verizon Galaxy Nexus getting 4.0.4 tomorrow?

Posted: 21 May 2012 01:44 PM PDT

After months and months of waiting, could Galaxy Nexus users finally be getting the sweet taste of Android 4.0.4 tomorrow? A new rumor suggests it could happen. Droid-Life received a series of independent reports, however, that Verizon personnel are pointing users to May 22nd for the elusive update.

It’ll be a much needed update, if true, as the device currently suffers a healthy helping of bugs. While none have completely broken the experience for those I know with the device, they’re no less annoying. 4.0.4 should clear most of these bugs right up, if true. It’s disheartening that it has been six months since Verizon launched the device and haven’t delivered an update since.

4.0.3 passed us by, and we thought they skipped it to wait on 4.0.4, but the wait for that is a bit long, too. We can’t be too vexed, though: it’s better late than never and hopefully we hear reports of an update rolling in within the next 24 hours.


HTC Bluetooth music accessory now available

Posted: 21 May 2012 12:59 PM PDT

If you have a car that doesn’t have a Bluetooth-enabled audio system, HTC wants to do you one better. They’ve released their Bluetooth music accessory that will allow you to wirelessly play audio to any speaker that is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack (often referred to as an auxiliary port).

For $60 you can get that Bluetooth audio system in your car, and it’s even better considering you can use this with more than just your car. It won’t match up to car-specific units in battery life with 5 hours of playback and 120 hours of standby time, but a car charger will take care of that just fine. Sprint’s selling the accessory, and it doesn’t discriminate — any Bluetooth phone on any carrier can take advantage. Head here to get started.

Samsung open to cross-licensing with Apple, says JK Shin

Posted: 21 May 2012 12:10 PM PDT

The general consensus is that Samsung, and a lot of other OEMS, really, are a lot more reasonable than the folks in the land of the bitten fruit. While I can neither agree or disagree, I think it’s safe to say that Samsung is more interested in getting these lawsuits out of the way quick (though Apple would probably want them in the books even quicker for completely opposite reasons).

It appears the two are making slow, but steady process at coming to terms as Samsung’s head of mobile JK Shin says negotiations for several agreements, namely cross-licensing agreements, are ongoing. We wouldn’t expect a hug and a smile overnight, of course, but the mediation session between Apple and Samsung will hopefully give us a better idea of where both parties are on things. [via Engadget]

T-Mobile preparing maintenance upgrade for the Samsung Galaxy S II

Posted: 21 May 2012 11:21 AM PDT

It appears T-Mobile is getting ready to push a maintenance upgrade out to owners of the Samsung Galaxy S II. Ice Cream Sandwich it is not, but there’s not much to complain about when a device is receiving attention for bug fixes and minor enhancements. And who knows? Perhaps this could be a preparatory update. (Don’t get your hopes up, though.)

The update, which will bring users up to firmware T989UVLDE is said to fix random reboots and power-offs, improve device stability, Googles security fixes, and a Qualcomm chip patch (whatever that means). The update was approved December 14th, 2011 so this one’s been in the pipeline for quite some time. It still hasn’t rolled out yet, though, and it will roll out until June 22nd whenever T-Mobile decides to pull the trigger. Keep a lookout for the notification that should hopefully make its way to your phone between now and then. [via TmoNews]

Ice Cream Sandwich now available for T-Mobile’s HTC Amaze 4G

Posted: 21 May 2012 07:32 AM PDT

Attention HTC Amaze 4G owners, T-Mobile has an update ready for you. And, yes, it’s Android 4.0. The upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich can be pulled from the HTC Software Updates dialog under Settings and brings about all the enhancements you might expect from a move to the latest Android OS> The new software is pretty similar to that released for the HTC Sensation 4G last week and features Sense 3.6 as opposed to Sense 4, which features on HTC’s recent ICS models such as the HTC One X.

Despite keeping an older version of HTC’s custom interface, the Amaze 4G is expected to take advantage of the performance increases inherent in Android 4.0.  You’ll need at least 50 percent battery to initiate the update and a WiFi connection is recommended due to the large download size.

[via Android and Me]

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity Series garners FCC approval

Posted: 21 May 2012 06:54 AM PDT

ASUS hi-def Transformer Pad Infinity Series has made a pit stop at the FCC en route to its release. The WiFi version of the TF700T was put through the paces flashing its Tegra 3 speed. The same can’t be said for the LTE-equipped model, which hasn’t shown face in an FCC report just yet. We’d imagine the time for that will be soon enough. Head over to the link below to peruse the documentation.

[FCC via Engadget]

Motorola: If ICS doesn’t improve a device, we won’t upgrade it

Posted: 21 May 2012 06:25 AM PDT

After updating their Android 4.0 upgrade timeline, many users were left wondering why Motorola had no plans to release the new software version for select handsets that haven’t even reach the one year anniversary of their release. Motorola seemed committed to providing updates for as many handsets as possible, but now has issued a statement explaining some of their rationale behind withholding Ice Cream Sandwich from some.

Simply put, if the new version of Android doesn’t offer an improved device experience, Motorola has no plans to issue an update. Though it may not please all users, the move is probably for the best. A smartphone with hardware that can’t adequately handle new software will offer a poor user experience. It isn’t what most users want to hear, but with only so many resources available to dedicate to developing device upgrades it works out better for everyone.

Some will argue that independent developers often produce builds of new Android software that will run on older phones, but the level of performance and stability simply doesn’t meet what Motorola, the carriers, and even Google would consider a retail-ready experience. It may sound like a cop out on Motorola’s part (and their bloated custom UI isn’t helping anyone’s cause), but it should help avoid some headaches all around.

[via PocketNow]

Samsung blocks access to S Voice on non-Galaxy S III devices after APK is pulled from official firmware

Posted: 21 May 2012 05:44 AM PDT

Over the weekend the Samsung Galaxy S III’s official firmware was ripped from the device and made available to all, bringing along goodies such as an installable APK for the handset’s S Voice features. S Voice is Samsung’s take on voice interactions in the style of the iPhone’s Siri, so many users were excited to check out the software. Hopefully you had a chance, because Samsung has blocked access to its S Voice servers for devices other than the GS3.

The ripped APK was apparently running fine on most Ice Cream Sandwich phones (such as the Galaxy Nexus) without any need for modification, but there is no way to mask device information being sent to S Voice’s Vlingo-hosted servers. Rooted users have been able to alter their build.prop files to spoof the server into thinking the device in questions is a Galaxy S III , but expect Samsung to continue to do its best to hold S Voice exclusive to the phone for the time being.

[via PocketNow]

Samsung now shipping Galaxy Note with Olympics-inspired back covers

Posted: 21 May 2012 05:34 AM PDT

Last week we saw Samsung’s latest tie-in ad for the Olympics featuring soccer star David Beckham and the Galaxy Note, and today we are learning of a new special offer for the same handset. Samsung has launched an “Olympics pack” featuring an exclusive Olympics-inspired back cover for the Galaxy Note. The exclusive deco seems to be available in the UK only and features one of several Team Great Britain designs. In this case we see a stylishly faded Union Jack, but judging by the packaging other options are available. The Note is also said to feature a special Olympics software skin and pre-installed apps for the summer games.

We don’t know much about the availability of this particular version of the Note, but it is suggested that all in the UK purchasing the handset in the near future will be receiving the Olympics edition. It is also the version of the phone that will be given to Olympic athletes.

[via @sicknology, Overclockers UK Forums]

HTC smartphones clearing US customs hurdle quicker than expected

Posted: 21 May 2012 05:17 AM PDT

HTC has released a statement saying “some” of their smartphones held up at US customs have “passed the review” and are already in the hands of their telecom partners. Devices known to be waiting at customs due to concerns of patent infringement include the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE, but the company did not specify which devices were allowed to pass. It was initially believed that a review would take up to three weeks, putting any approved handsets ahead of schedule. Reports over the weekend said the ban on importation had spread to even more devices.

HTC says it is “closely working with the US customs to speed up the review” and “is confident the problem will be resolved soon.” The customs snafu has already caused the EVO 4G LTE to miss its expected launch date and has delayed backorders of the One X. With HTC hoping to recoup from another down quarter, delays like this are the last thing the Taiwan-based smartphone maker needs.

[via Taipei Times | Thanks to all who sent this in!]
Posted by at 7:53 AM

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