Thursday, May 24, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Verizon Galay Nexus Update (IMM76K) Back In Action – Available for Download and Rolling Out Soon-ish

Posted: 23 May 2012 06:12 PM PDT

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The update process has been sort of a roller coaster ride for Galaxy Nexus owners on Verizon. Earlier this month, Google ‘n friends made available the Android 4.0.4 update (IMM76K), but was later pulled without explanation. Well, the link is back and the update is now available for the downloading (and applying, providing you know what you’re doing).

Just keep in mind this is an update, and not a stock factory image. That means unless you were running a stock previous version, don’t mess with it. If you don’t feel like downloading and waiting this out, the update should officially start rolling out from Big Red very, very soon. In fact, just jump into your settings and see if it’s available.

[Download from Google]

GameFly To Launch Specialty “GameStore” For Android Devices – Will Also Begin Publishing Android Titles

Posted: 23 May 2012 05:19 PM PDT

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Not content with simply offering up console titles for rent via their online webstore, GameFly — the Netflix of video games — is diving headfirst into the mobile world this fall. GF announced today an all new publishing arm similar to Gameloft that will not only publish Android apps, but will also help aid struggling developers in need of extra funding to get their games up and running on Android devices.

Also on menu is the GameFly GameStore, a stand-alone app store similar to the Amazon Appstore, but with games specifically curated by the GF team. This provides not only another way for the company to highlight their own published titles, but will also provide social features and highlight deals specific to the GameStore. Amazon and Gameloft better watch out. Gamefly’s coming in hot this year. You can read all the details in the press release below.

GameFly To Publish Mobile Games For iOS And Android Platforms And Launch GameFly GameStore For Android

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — GameFly, Inc., the leading video game service, announced today its plans to begin publishing mobile games for the iOS and Android platforms, as well as launching the independent GameFly GameStore for Android later this fall. Continuing its foray into digital initiatives, the company has set aside a game development fund to work with mobile developers that are in the process of making a great game, but need the extra resources to publish and promote their titles. GameFly will also expand its mission to be the top resource for all gaming needs, offering expertly curated Android games in the GameFly GameStore with thousands of the best games and daily deals. With its large social network for gamers, game discovery will also be made easier via friend recommendations, and ratings and reviews from fellow gamers.

“GameFly is dedicated to giving consumers the best user experience possible, and to be their single destination for console, PC and mobile gaming needs,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “We plan to be a leading player in mobile games by launching our retail GameStore for Android and helping to fund mobile developers of all sizes to publish, promote and sell their smartphone and tablet games.”

GameFly is currently accepting submissions from mobile game developers at GameDev@GameFly.com, and expects to publish its first title this summer. The GameFly GameStore will be available for Android phones and tablets by this holiday season. GameFly’s Game of the Day feature was launched on the popular GameFly mobile App in April, enabling iOS users to discover high quality games or find great deals on titles they may have missed.

Sprint’s LG Cayenne (LS860) With 5-Row QWERTY Keyboard Leaked

Posted: 23 May 2012 04:03 PM PDT

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Those boys at Brief Mobile got their hands on another exclusive leak, this time with images of the LG LS860 slider headed to Sprint. As you can see from the blurry pic, the LS860 (codenamed Cayenne) is packing a full 5-row QWERTY keyboard that should make any hard-kb lovers heart skip a beat. Other specs include a 4-ich 800×480 IPS display, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm S3 processor and 4G LTE support. Just think LG Viper with keyboard and you’re on the right track. But, unlike the Viper, this device will launch with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. With more Android OEM’s moving away from the keyboard form factor, it’s nice to see it hasn’t yet been forgotten. Does this device look enticing to anyone?

 

Gameloft’s Men In Black 3 Now Available In The Play Store – Time To Kick Some Extraterrestrial Butt

Posted: 23 May 2012 03:16 PM PDT

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The official Men In Black 3 game has made its way into the Google Play Store today, courtesy of Gameloft. The game puts you in shoes of an sharply dressed Agent, and it’s up to you to manage the entire agency, while stopping the greatest outer-worldly danger the world has ever seen… again.

The game will require a fairly sizable 69MB secondary download, so, for those of you who like to keep a close eye on your data, wait until you get to a WiFi hotspot before jumping in. Here’s some of the features you can look forward to:

CREATE AND MANAGE YOUR OWN MIB AGENCY

• Train your agents and assign them to missions
• Access a wide range of MIB weapons and gadgets like the Neuralyzer, the Deatomizer and the infamous Noisy Cricket.
• Build dozens of different rooms to upgrade your weapons and develop your agency.

TAKE DOWN ENEMIES IN 1969 & 2012 NEW YORK
• Travel in time to fight aliens in different areas of New York including Brooklyn, Times Square, and Central Park
• Utilize your agent’s futuristic weapons and equipment
• Meet dozens of aliens faithfully inspired by the Men in Black universe

ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN THE AGENCY
• Invite your friends from Gameloft LIVE! & Facebook to play
• Ask for your friends’ help during fights to defeat powerful aliens
• Visit your friends’ headquarters and get rewarded for lending a hand

Aside from loading it up, I haven’t had much time to play with it. But I do say, good sir, it looks absolutely stunning on my Galaxy Nexus’ HD display. Have read a few reports from users not being able to get things loaded up on specific devices (but we’re used to that by now). If you’re one of the lucky ones to get it up and running, make sure to let me know how it plays (looks like a turn-based RPG?). I’m sure Gameloft will patch things up in the future but for now, enjoy the free download using the provided Play link below.

[Play Store Link]

Google Maps Car Involved In Serious Accident

Posted: 23 May 2012 02:56 PM PDT

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Nothing to see here, just a Google Maps car smashed in like a Coke can. Really, this was no fender bender either. Take a look at the pics and you’ll wonder, like us, if the Googler made it out safe. Not much is known as far as the story behind these images, but it does answer a question that’s been in the back of my mind for quite sometime: “Has anyone ever crashed the Google Mapsmobile?”

[Gizmodo]

AT&T Begins Refarming 2G Network Into 3G In New York

Posted: 23 May 2012 01:58 PM PDT

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In an effort to help alleviate some strain on their 3G/4G networks, AT&T has announced plans today to begin refarming their old 2G 1900MHz spectrum in the Big Apple, upgrading it to the wonderful world of 3G. Rather than just pull the rug out from underneath New Yorkers still using 2G-only capable devices, AT&T will make sure to offer them free upgrades to 3G capable devices. It’s 2012, people. Get with the program. No word on how long the whole process will take, but you can find AT&T’s full press release below.

AT&T Continues To Focus On New York City Wireless Experience

Re-allocation of Network Resources Helps Improve Customers’ Wireless Experience

NEW YORK, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — AT&T* has set the pace, delivering the mobile Internet to more smartphone customers than any other U.S. provider. In addition to voice calling, AT&T customers are connecting to the mobile Internet more every day, using smartphones, tablets and other networked devices to access apps and the web to manage their personal and business affairs.

To meet that exploding demand and enhance call quality and data speed, AT&T is re-allocating some radio frequency, or bandwidth, from its 2G to its more advanced 3G and 4G networks in New York City.

“Dedicating more capacity to our advanced wireless networks will help more of our customers in New York City have a better experience overall,” said Tom DeVito, vice president and general manager for AT&T in New York and New Jersey. “By re-allocating network resources from our 2G network to support our newer, advanced networks, we’re moving capacity to support the voice and mobile internet services our customers want.”

This will help customers have an even better overall experience with both voice and the mobile Internet. AT&T has been proactively reaching out to affected customers who use 2G devices in New York City to provide them with more details and a variety of options for upgrading their devices, including discounts on new ones while keeping their mobile numbers. AT&T is encouraging customers to make the move to a better overall experience.

[FierceMobile]

HTC EVO 4G LTE Now Shipping – Hitting Some Doorsteps on May 24th

Posted: 23 May 2012 01:27 PM PDT

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We’ve been receiving Phantips all morning that more than a few lucky Sprint customers have been receiving shipping confirmations for the HTC EVO 4G LTE, complete with UPS tracking numbers. The phones are set to arrive on porches and doorsteps May 24th.

It was only a day ago that Sprint confirmed the 24th date, but mentioned that the device could ship on or around the 24th, meaning it could arrive a few days later. This is great news for those who ordered the Evolte online, and wanted the device in their hands on day 1. You guys excited?

Google To Release 5 Nexus Devices On November 5th to Celebrate 5 Years of Android? [Rumor]

Posted: 23 May 2012 12:28 PM PDT

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I have to admit, I was more than a bit skeptical after reading the latest rumor to come out of net. Only because it sounds more like a BGR “Breaksclusive” than anything but after reading it over… it actually makes a bit of sense.

TalkAndroid is reporting from an anonymous source that Google is preparing to release 5 Nexus devices directly from the Play Store, with news that they will launch on November 5th. In some ways, it kinda makes sense. On November 5th, 2012, Android will officially turn 5 years old. It seems only fitting that Google would want to celebrate the whole shindig by turning the mobile world upside down.

Of course, take all of this as nothing more than the finest grain of salt. The rumor mill has definitely been churning with whisperings that Google will be releasing multiple Nexus devices, partnering with multiple manufacturers so this could be nothing more than an educated guess. We expect Google to reveal more details at this year’s Google I/O, in which we’ll be on hand at the event, bringing you the very latest (and giving away some cool stuff) as it happens.

Oracle vs Google Trial Over – Android Did Not Infringe On Oracle Patents

Posted: 23 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT

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After a little over a week of deliberation, the jury in the Oracle vs Google trial has reached their verdict: Android did not infringe on any of Oracle’s patents. It was long and drawn out but the jury has officially been dismissed, with no need to enter into the 3rd phase of the trials (dealing with damages). For awhile there, it wasn’t looking so good for Google. The same jury ruled back on May 7th that Google had, in fact, infringed on Oracle’s copyrights, but were only able to agree on just one that warranted damages of around $200,000. Pocket change, folks.

Of course, being stuck in a room, forced to look over Java code for hours on end, would push anyone to their limits. I’m sure those men and women just wanted to get out of there. We saw this whole debacle start back in 2010, but today we can finally say justice has been served. Now we just have to see if Oracle appeals.

US District Court | TheVerge

Research team cataloging security threats to fight future Android malware

Posted: 23 May 2012 09:35 AM PDT

The Android Malware Genome Project’s goal is pretty straight forward: create a detailed database of Android malware and study the underlying code the better understand current security threats and better detect future trojans. Led by Xuxian Jiang, a group of researchers at North Carolina State University have identified and cataloged over 1,200 instances of malware, organizing the threats based on how they exploit a user’s device.

Jiang told Dark Reading, “previous experiences indicate that the study of how malware evolves is helpful to even predict what kind of malware we may expect in the future,” continuing, “such insights should be needed to proactively develop mobile security apps and protect users.” And according to research from last November, any sort of help in this area is much needed. According to the findings of Jiang’s team, current malware detection and security software typically is only able to identify between 20.2 and 79.6 percent of malware-infect applications.

[via The Verge]

HTC One XL announced for Europe with dual-core CPU and LTE

Posted: 23 May 2012 08:41 AM PDT

The HTC One XL will be making its way to Europe next month after the phone debuted on AT&T under the HTC One X name. Despite the slight confusion in branding, the handsets will be more or less identical. The One XL was originally announced alongside the currently available international version of the One X at Mobile World Congress as the LTE-enabled version of HTC’s flagship device. The major difference between the two (aside from 4G connectivity) is the dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor found in the XL, a necessity for LTE compatibility. Did I mention that this could get a bit confusing?

The One XL will be available through several carrier partners, including Vodafone Germany, Deutsche Telekom and O2 Germany as well as other LTE-ready network providers. Unlocked the handset can be purchased direct from HTC for  €659.

[via UnwiredView]

 

 

Microsoft Office coming to Android tablets in November [Rumor]

Posted: 23 May 2012 08:23 AM PDT

BGR has an interesting little scoop for us this morning. Microsoft Office, which has been rumored for sometime now to be headed to Apple’s iOS (or at least the iPad), should also be making a debut on Android later this year. The full suite of Office apps is said to look pretty similar to an early leak (pictured above), which Microsoft quickly denied having any involvement in creating. Sounds like they aren’t very good at keeping secrets.

Office for Android is said to be on track to launch concurrently with the iOS version in November.

[via BGR, image via The Daily]

AT&T announces pre-paid Samsung Galaxy Appeal for June 5 release

Posted: 23 May 2012 08:13 AM PDT

 

AT&T is entering new territory with the announcement of the carrier’s first pre-paid side slider smartphone. The Sasmung Galaxy Appeal is an Android 2.3 handset with a 3.2-inch display, 3MP camera, and 800MHz processor. While the pricing of the handset hasn’t been revealed, the use of 80 percent recycled materials should help to further drive down the cost of the low-end smartphone offering.

The Galaxy Appeal will be available June 5th on AT&T’s GoPhone service, which offers month-by-month data plans starting at $5 for 50MB, which can be coupled with unlimited messaging plans starting at $25.

[via AT&T]

LG Nitro HD gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich in latest leak

Posted: 23 May 2012 07:53 AM PDT

A new software build has leaked for AT&T’s LG Nitro HD, and the more adventurous users willing to try it out are raving about the results. The firmware transforms the phone otherwise known as the Optimus LTE from a Gingerbread clunker into an Ice Cream Sandwich dream machine. Early reports are that all major features are fully functional despite a few minor bugs here and there. Much love is being given to the revamped user interface featured on top of Android 4.0.

It looks like we are dealing with the Optimus UI 3.0 that LG touted last week, and it looks like a nice improvement over previous attempts at a custom interface.

For owners of the Optimus LTE in Canada, it sounds like the new software is compatible with your devices, as well (some additional tweaking may be involved). Head on over to the source link below for more info. Download and install with care, if you decide to do so.

[via XDA | Thanks, Nightgold!]

NVIDIA’s Kai platform aims to bring low cost quad-core Android 4.0 tablets to market

Posted: 23 May 2012 07:27 AM PDT

NVIDIA wants to give all Android tablet users a way to experience the power of quad-core processing at a price almost anyone could stomach. Cost is one of the biggest hurdles makers of Android tablets have had to overcome, but devices like the Kindle Fire prove that a $199 price point is plenty accessible. While the Kindle Fire benefits from an economy of scale only a retail giant like Amazon could enjoy, NVIDIA is looking to do their part to drive down prices through the introduction of their Kai platform. Here is how NVIDIA describes it:

“Our strategy on Android is simply to enable quad-core tablets running Android Ice Cream Sandwich to be developed and brought out to market at the $199 price point, and the way we do that is a platform we’ve developed called Kai. So this uses a lot of the secret sauce that’s inside Tegra 3 to allow you to develop a tablet at a much lower cost, by using a lot of innovation that we’ve developed to reduce the power that’s used by the display and use lower cost components within the tablet.”

We’ve heard rumors of a low-cost Tegra 3 tablet being developed by ASUS and Google, we’ve seen a $250 quad-core tablet unveiled at CES as part of a partnership with NVIDIA, but the dream of low-cost quad-core processing in tablets hasn’t quite yet been realized. Driving down the cost of hardware is a surefire way to get more folks on board, and the added competition at the $199 price point could only yield good results.

[via DroidDog]
Posted by at 7:35 AM

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