Sunday, May 20, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

S-Voice Pulled from the Galaxy S III, Download the App Now!

Posted: 19 May 2012 04:32 PM PDT

After the big Galaxy S  III announcement we knew it would only be a short amount of time before the cool software features were pulled from the phone for use across other Android devices. One of the more noteworthy GSIII features is the S-Voice app, basically Samsung's version of Siri. Thanks to XDA member Ascarface23, we now have a working S-Voice apk that has been tested to work on various Android 4.0.4 roms across various devices. I was able to successfully install the app on my Galaxy Nexus running the latest AOKP rom and it has also been reported to work on CM9 as well. If you want to check out this great GSIII feature for yourself, grab the download below.

Download: voicetalk.apk

How to install: You can either install it through the Android package installer like any other 3rd party app but reports suggest it is better to install it as a system app. T install as a system app do the following:

  1. Make a nandroid backup! (just to be safe)
  2. Download the apk on your SD card
  3. Using a file manager, copy/paste into system/app
  4. Longpress the apk file from Within system/app, select “permissions” and change to r-w, r, r

Side note: I should mention one thing from my brief experience with the app. Don't try to change the wake up command because that will usually result in a force close situation and you will have to reinstall and start over. I would just leave it at "hi Galaxy" and just be happy that it works. :-)

source: XDA

T-Mobile: ‘One Size Fits All’ Data Plan is Not the Way to Go

Posted: 19 May 2012 03:30 PM PDT

After hearing all the hubbub surrounding Verizon's plan to cut off unlimited data, T-Mobile's VP of marketing Andrew Sherrard decided it was the right time to announce that they are on the side of the consumer and agree that shared data is not the way to go. Talking to T-Mobile's Issues & Insights Blog, Sherrard acknowledged that consumers do not want to share a lump sum of data, nor would it beneficial in a family data plan model.  Not only does he disagree with Verizon’s recent announcement, Sherrard brings up a really good point. “Do families really want to keep track of each others' data consumption? We don't think so. Just imagine mom's email is suddenly unavailable because her teenage son watched an HD movie on his phone, consuming the family's data allotment.” Sherrard also said that T-Mobile has no plans to go the way of AT&T and Verizon. They will be sticking with individual data packages and have no desire to implement huge overage charges for those who exceed their data limit. Instead, they choose to use the equally controversial method of "throttling.”

Without knowing what Verizon's exact plans are for shared data it is hard for me to pass judgement as of yet. What if us Verizon customers are given an option to get a higher amount of data that we can share across our tablets and smartphones at a lesser cost than what we are paying for multiple data plans? On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a one-device data user and want to maintain your unlimited data, I don't think buying your next Android device at full retail price is a reasonable trade-off either. Maybe it's time to start looking into a T-Mobile account or the other option that keeps becoming more and more appealing – a pre-paid plan

Does knowing the carriers full stance toward data limits have you looking for a new plan or carrier?  Let us know what you think, or plan to do, in the comments below.

source: T-Mobile

Motorola Android Phones Banned From Import Into The U.S. Over Microsoft Patent Issues

Posted: 19 May 2012 02:53 PM PDT

Boy, this legal stuff can get confusing. Let’s take it from the beginning and walk through it. First, we know that the HTC One X and the Evo 4G LTE are currently held up in customs while they check whether the devices violate an ITC exclusion order Apple was granted last December.

Then we heard the ITC has decided to ban the import of Motorola Android phones for infringing on patents by Microsoft, joining HTC in the “import ban” club. FOSS Patents said this order could likely go into effect in 60 days. It’s also possible Motorola could tweak the software to comply with the ITC’s rulings during those 60 days.

As more details were revealed, we now learn that Motorola was found NOT to infringe on 8 patents in the Microsoft case, and only infringed on one specific patent for “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device“. This verdict is now under Presidential review, and is subject to appeal. Motorola said in a statement to ArsTechnica:

Although we are disappointed by the Commission's ruling that certain Motorola Mobility products violated one patent, we look forward to reading the full opinion to understand its reasoning. Motorola Mobility will not experience any impact in the near term, as the Commission’s ruling is subject to a $0.33/per unit bond during the 60 day Presidential review period. We will explore all options including appeal.

In other words, there are still viable choices left for Motorola, including modifying software, or appeal. The fight’s not over yet. Unfortunately, the ones who are already losing are us…the customers.

source: foss patents

 

Who’s hungry and wants a free Android device?

Posted: 19 May 2012 10:21 AM PDT

Chili’s just released their new Android App and to celebrate they are willing to give you a free Android phone just by ordering $25 worth of food from chilistogo.com. There are a few catches to the offer though; the activation fee, taxes, and you must sign a new two-year contract with either of the participating carriers.

Chili’s has made a deal with Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile so you are covered by the three major carriers in the U.S. The phones they are offering don’t look too bad either. They are definitely not high end phones, but they aren’t crap either (maybe a couple). This would be perfect for the family that wants to get their kid a phone but doesn’t want to drop a few bills on a phone that they could, and most likely will, break.

Check out the source link below for further details and hit up the Play Store links to grab the free Chilli’s app.

 

qrcode

Google Play Store

source: Chili’s

Google Wallet Wants Root Access Suddenly, Why If It’s Not Needed?

Posted: 19 May 2012 07:29 AM PDT

We all know the benefits of rooting your smartphone. By rooting your device, you can unlock a world of potential benefits such as operating on custom ROMs as good or better than stock Android OSes and improved overall performance of your device for starters. While the Android community needs rooting, there are certain entities that have said no to rooting because of major security issues. You may recall that there was a certain Google Wallet saga that went like this: a clever mind sees a flaw in Google Wallet’s design and cracks it. Google responded and made it seem like everything is ok. Another set of clever minds hijacked Google Wallet— this time not needing any sort of root. Google responded again and issued a temporary fix. While the issue has since quieted down, a major development has surfaced— apparently Google Wallet is now requesting root access. Yes— you read that right: Google Wallet is now requesting root access. What gives?

There is an idea of why this may be. The app/service may be requesting root access to have an idea of if you’re actually rooted or not. That’s great and all except you know… Google Wallet was already warning users on rooted devices before the change. To top things off, the app/service seems to function without issue— whether you have root or not. Definitely unusual to say the least.

Google has yet to come out with a formal explanation of why this change has been done— but it can definitely bet it has more than a few people wondering why this is happening.

source: pocketnow

 

Mini-PC-On-A-Stick For $74 With AllWinner A10 1.5GHz CPU And Android 4.0 (Sold Out Until June 10)

Posted: 18 May 2012 09:35 PM PDT

The concept of a mini-PC stick that runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was first seen at Mobile World Congress this year with the FXI Cotton Candy. That device is available for pre-order for $199 overseas. Now, we are seeing a new mini-PC-on-a-stick for a much more reasonable $74 making the rounds on some Chinese web sites. The unnamed Model #MK802 sports the following specs:

  • AllWinner A10 CPU @ 1.5GHz + Mali 400 GPU
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4GB Internal Storage
  • microSD slot (Up to 32GB)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • micro USB 2.0/OTG port
  • USB 2.0 Host port
  • Android virtual keyboard or 2.4G wireless keyboard + fly mouse
  • HDMI (1080p) Video output
  • Video Codecs: WMV/ASF/MP4/3GP/3G2M4V/AVI/MJPEG/RV10/DivX/VC-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/H.263/H.264/1280*720P HD 30 fps, 1080P/720*480 D1 30fps
  • Audio Codecs: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A
  • Android 4.0 (ICS)
  • Size: 8.8*3.5*1.2cm
  • Weight: 200g

There are some reasons it’s cheaper than the Cotton Candy.

First, it runs a single-core 1.5GHz CPU while FXI’s stick has a dual-core 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos processor. Also, it has an HDMI port rather than a connector built in, meaning you’ll need a cable to connect it to a monitor rather than connecting it directly. And lastly, there is no mention of having Ubuntu installed, though it should theoretically be able to run it.

Right now, it seems to be out of stock with more coming in June 10th. The web site selling it has this message:

Dear all:
Thanks for your support,our stock has been sold out these days.
If you like our goods,pls pre-order first and don’t pay,new batch will be released around June 10th.
All orders which has paid will be shipped next Friday.From now on,we just get pre-order,pls understand.
Thanks,everybody~

source: aliexpress
via: liliputing
Posted by at 5:42 AM

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