Android Authority |
- Metal Sniffer: Leveraging your Android’s magnetic sensors to search for metal
- Adaptxt Keyboard for Android smartphones review and hands-on video
- Best Android apps for freehand drawing or doodling
- LG’s quad core giant: Optimus 4X HD review and hands-on video
- iLockit Lock Screen: Intuitive and personalized security for your Android
- Best Buy drops HTC One S price to $99.99, T-Mobile goes even lower with $49.99
- ICS wins the Gold Prize for “best platform experience”
- ICS brings iPv6 compatibility to the TMobile Samsung Galaxy S2
- The beauty of corrosion: check out how your gadgets get their beautiful and resistant finish
- AT&T’s Toggle service upgraded, aims to teach you how to (not) mix business with pleasure
| Metal Sniffer: Leveraging your Android’s magnetic sensors to search for metal Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:00 AM PDT
With the surge of various applications developed for Android, almost anything and everything can be done using a smartphone. Smartphones today are not just utilized for calling, mailing, and other basic functions but are also capable of a few more uses that most of us haven't even thought possible. There are apps that showcase utility and entertainment at the same time, some are purely for fun, and some are mainly focused on function. Users download and purchase apps, thinking that these apps could come in handy in one or a number of occasions, or these apps could occupy their free time from work or school. Whatever the purpose is, apps are must-haves for Android users. Amid the potpourri of apps on the Google Play Store, there are some that come off awkward to users because of how they were named and probably how they are intended to be used. Although some Android users may think these apps are just all talk and nothing more than gimmicks, some apps really live up to their name, just like Metal Sniffer. The Metal Sniffer has a user-friendly interface and does not have complex menus that would need a whole year to learn to navigate. Aside from its straight-to-the-point interface, it sports a Holo theme that blends well with the Ice Cream Sandwich UI. While some previously developed metal detection apps did not work with the newer versions of Android, Metal Sniffer’s developer, icechen1 who is an XDA Developers member, developed Metal Sniffer to be compatible with the newer versions of Android like Honeycomb and Gingerbread and is optimized for Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Metal Sniffer uses the device’s magnetometer to detect nearby electromagnetic fields. If you are a newbie when it comes to metal detection and magnetic fields, a help button is readily available to provide you with the much-needed information about magnetic fields and also about using the app. The app displays the X, Y, Z components of the field and plots a live graph in the form of a history chart. An option to force the screen on is also available, preventing your screen from turning off. You can opt to have the field strength to be read and displayed in these three units: microtesla (µT), milligauss (mG), and gamma (Y). The readings range from high to low and are coupled with color changes as the values increase. A vibration alarm goes off when it goes through a critical reading, notifying you of metal detection. You can set the alarm trigger to go off at a certain reading, but this would only apply if you set your reading to microtesla (µT). Do keep in mind that TVs, sound systems and the like can and will affect the results of your metal-finding adventure.
An impressive feature of Metal Sniffer is that aside from the fact that it actually works, it stores and logs all the information gathered and you can export the data in a CSV file for later use. You can open the CSV file on your computer, giving you the option to view the data from your metal detecting episodes. What’s more, the app can detect metals even up to 15 cm away, but this would also depend on your phone’s sensor. The app works through walls, given that it is a wooden wall. So, when you are in the mood to do some household repairs, Metal Sniffer can detect electrical wiring within wooden walls, aiding you in your chore.
On top of its usability, Metal Sniffer is absolutely free from any ad support. No irritating ads, just the app itself. Download Metal Sniffer from the Google Play Store for free and go try it out for yourself. This article, Metal Sniffer: Leveraging your Android’s magnetic sensors to search for metal , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Adaptxt Keyboard for Android smartphones review and hands-on video Posted: 14 Jun 2012 02:22 AM PDT
There are many replacement keyboard apps floating around the Play Store, but some simply don’t stand up to the acid test of daily use. While some of these keyboard apps are “smart” enough, they disappoint in the usability department. Others are intuitive and easy to use, but don’t add enough functionality to warrant a change from the stock keyboard on your device. For app developers, it’s not easy to come up with an app that satisfies the needs of power users, without pushing away the more casual user base. It takes a lot of tweaking, usability testing, and listening to feedback, and as a result, many Android keyboard apps simply don’t have what it takes to stand out in the crowd. Having said that, we have found, after weeks of use, that the Adaptxt smart keyboard app for Android makes for an extremely usable daily keyboard. Developed by KeyPoint Technologies, Adaptxt has an impressive list of features that can assist any user with their text input needs, every single day. The app was recently updated to version 0.9, which brings a host of new features, including automatic text replacement and better word suggestion. You can read about this latest update here. We’ve took Adaptxt for Android for a spin, and made a video review to show you why we think it’s a keyboard app that is worthy of your attention. Before you watch the video, let us walk you through the most important features of Adaptxt for Android. Adaptxt for Android main features
What we love about AdaptxtSome of the features that we really enjoyed about the new Adaptxt for Android smartphones keyboard app include the ATR feature, which lets you define shorthand for phrases that you use a a lot. For example, if you often type in “Android Authority rocks!” you can define the “aar” shorthand. The next time you feel like praising us, just type “aar” and Adaptxt will suggest you the full phrase. It’s quick and easy, and really something that we find useful. Another cool feature of Adaptxt are the industry-specific language add-ons. Here, the developers capitalized on their linguistics prowess by creating industry-specific dictionaries, like Business, Medical, or IT. So, for example, if you choose IT, the prediction engine will suggest you more tech-related terms. When starting to type “pro”, you will be served with “processor” instead of “prostate”. I don’t have to tell you that typing technical, business, or medical terms can be a real hassle, so this feature should really improve both the speed and the accuracy of your text input. Adaptxt offers a sprawling collections of languages and industry-specific add-ons (that you have to download separately), with over 50 packs at the last count. Other Android keyboard are Western-centric or support only major languages, making the international-friendly Adaptxt shine out in this department. Switching between languages/add-ons is easy, which is a boon for multilingual users.
What we don’t like about AdaptxtNo app is perfect, and Adaptxt for Android has a few shortcomings, but fortunately, they are not deal-breakers by any means. We’ve noticed that word prediction is a little slow, meaning that, sometimes, you have to type in many letters before the app comes up with the word you wanted. However, since Adaptxt learns as you type, this improves substantially over time. Another minor gripe would be the UI, which some might find a little crowded. But, this is because the keys have double functions (long-pressing “Z” will enter “@”), which is a great time saver. So, something’s got to give. Again, this is something you get used to, and totally worth the inconvenience. Wrap upAdaptxt Keyboard Beta for Android smartphones (available on Google Play and GetJar) is a really nice keyboard app, that we find very useful. Its innovative features and vast language support overcome its shortcomings by a long margin, and we have no problems recommending it. We suggest that you give Adaptxt a try, but before that, check out our Adaptxt video review below to see the app in action. Video ReviewThis article, Adaptxt Keyboard for Android smartphones review and hands-on video , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Best Android apps for freehand drawing or doodling Posted: 13 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT
If you’re like most people (and I bet you are), you instantly turn to your smartphone or tablet when you’re (1) bored while waiting for the bus, (2) trying to look busy to avoid small talk, or (3) pretending to be looking for something on your phone to avoid an awkward situation. Whipping out your device and scribbling doodles on a sketchbook app may prove to be a great escape. Or, maybe you just really want to practice some brushstrokes and painting styles, intent on making a masterpiece that will give Michaelangelo a run for his money. Whether it’s just curbing your boredom or actually trying to refine your artistic skills, you’ll find these doodling and freehand drawing apps worth checking out. Paint Joy – Movie Your Drawing Have you ever finished a masterpiece and wanted to relive how your precious work of art came to be? Then you're going to love Paint Joy – Movie Your Drawing. The app's main selling point is the gallery record feature, which records every step of your drawing process so you can retrace your steps later and see your masterpiece unfold right before your eyes. It's perfect for when you want to show off or demonstrate to friends or to refine your drawing techniques by taking a closer look at your methods. Paint Joy also lets you paint on photos you've taken. This is helpful when you'd like to add annotations and comments or to draw attention to a specific part of the photo, such as adding a label or pointy arrows. The app's intuitive brush and color selector has won fans. Another perk the app offers is easy uploading to Facebook or Twitter for sharing with your friends. Kids Paint Free Finally, a drawing app that's perfect for your little one's hands. Kids Paint Free is your ally in bringing out your child's artistic side. Gather round the table and have some fun! Kids and parents alike are going to love the app's simple, interesting, and interactive interface. The controls are child-friendly. A shake or tap on the call button easily clears the screen. Pressing the back button undoes your last step, while the search button can be used to import photos for editing or tracing. The trackball can be used to toggle between different gradient background colors to go with your mood or artistic style. The Kids Paint Free app can be downloaded for free on the Google Play Store. You can also upgrade to the full version at a minimal cost so you can get rid of those ads. Upgrading will also afford you a bigger drawing canvass, multitouch support, tablet support, and picture sharing. How to Draw – Easy Art Lessons If you've always wanted to learn how to draw but just never got around to it, you'll find that the How to Draw – Easy Art Lessons app is the answer out of your drawing rut. What could be easier than an app showing you each step of an intricate drawing for you to replicate on your own? Don't let anything stop you–not even the lack of pen and paper–with the How to Draw app. Choose from a selection of 70 images that will fit a wide variety of artist preferences–whether you're a child who's just beginning to learn or an adult who's quite seasoned. The drawings are organized under 4 broad categories for convenience: Animals, Fairy Tale Characters, Cartoon Characters, Cars, and many more. The drawing guides are laid out on a graph paper-looking screen, making it easy to check drawing proportions and proving to be really handy for tracing. You can start off with easier drawings, such as a starfish, and then progress to more complicated designs. Scratch Draw Art Game If you're looking for something a little different from the usual method of drawing figures and then filling them with color, the Scratch Draw Art Game app is a must-try. You start off with a black background, all with varying thickness and different colors. Then you work your way through your artwork by scratching lines, shapes, forms, and figures onto the background—pretty much similar to etching words in stone or on a tree bark. Kids are sure to love the vibrant colored backgrounds and the ease of use of this app. You can choose from different brush sizes to suit your palette. What makes this app even more enjoyable is that it lets users share their art via email, text, Twitter, and Facebook, among other sharing and networking services. That's two times the fun! Let your imagination run wild with the Scratch Draw Art Game app. The free ad-supported version is available. Color & Draw for kids phone ed Kids will gobble up just about anything that will capture their attention or pique their interest. But, it's another thing to hold that attention and keep your child interested in an activity long enough for him or her to accomplish something. If you've got a hyperactive kid on the loose, you will find rescue in the Color & Draw for kids phone ed app. It's actually 3 apps for the price of one: a drawing and sketching app, a coloring book app, and a photo decorator app. The drawing app is perfect for helping your child unleash his inner artist, allowing him to doodle as he pleases. The coloring book app allows your child to practice those brushstrokes and develop those fine motor skills, as the drawings as colored the same way you would an old-school coloring book. The photo decorator feature affords children the ability to draw over existing images in your gallery or camera app. Another unique feature is the app's voice prompt, which offers instructions to kids on how to add to the artwork. Picasso – Draw, Paint, Doodle! Ever wanted to test out a specific brush or eraser size before you use it on your canvass? Picasso – Draw, Paint, Doodle! is the only Android painting app that lets you do that and more. A simple tap on the preview panel in the middle lets you test out your brush or eraser before you select it for use. In addition, if you're a nitpicky artist and just want to get everything right, Picasso allows you up to 5 undos so you can quickly redo your work if you're not happy with your last stroke. The app also allows you to paint on any photo you have stored on your device. Changing the background will clear your current drawings but a simple undo will restore it. So, you can have fun with the various background choices available for your use. Picasso also features nifty Super Fun Random Mode and Glow Mode for when you're in the mood to experiment. Use these with a black background for best results. Kaleidoscope Drawing Pad If you're my age, you've probably reveled in the simple joys of kaleidoscopes back when you were a kid. Now that the years have come and gone, the Kaleidoscope Drawing Pad app provides you with an avenue to get all nostalgic and relive those fun moments and allows younger kids to share in those joys, as well. Boasting more than 10 brushes to help let your imagination run wild, the app comes with 6 types of kaleidoscope canvass for more variety. Sketch your favorite patterns or discover new ones with this neat app. Save your paintings to your SD card or share via Facebook, Message, Picasa, and other networking services. What is undoubtedly the app's best feature is that it has a built-in gallery that records the steps you took in drawing your kaleidoscope pattern. A "Movie" mode lets you replay those steps and watch as your kaleidoscope pattern unfolds like a movie right in front of your eyes. Sketcher Lite Here's a procedural drawing tool that's sure to please your inner artist. The Sketcher Lite app features 11 choice brushes and 1 eraser for a cool drawing experience, helping you come up with a masterpiece through using various brush strokes of different thicknesses and styles. The color picker lets you select the hue of your choice, making sure you have just the color you need on your palette. You can then easily share your artwork for the world to see through channels such as email, multimedia messaging, and social networking sites. Right now the app does not support importing images for editing and brush sizes are not easily modifiable. The app developer has made user satisfaction a priority by including a report tool which sends crash reports so that software fixes may be performed. The Sketch Lite app is also available in the pro version which is ads-free and has more features. Create a Comic So, you've got a funny story. Or a killer joke. And, you'd love it if you could draw characters that would go with it. Problem is you're no artist. Or you just don't want to waste the time crafting the characters when it's all about the story. Well then, the Create a Comic app will give you some easy solutions. Select from a collection of different pre-drawn characters or create a custom character based on your preferences. Assemble a character by choosing a body type, hair color, facial features, and outfit, among others. Whether you'd like a wacky character or a more formal-looking one, this app has it. Figures come with actions, poses, and gestures which should all go well with whatever storyline you have in mind. Once you've decided on your characters, select a background for your comic and position your elements and objects (props for your characters, if you may). Tap on the speech balloon to input text for quotes and narratives. And when you're ready, move between strips of your comic to view the finished output and save it or share your creations with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Draw! A tiny app that packs a lot in its punch–that's what the Draw! app is all about. Don't let the app's simplicity fool you–many users find themselves going back to this app even after they've tried more elaborate drawing apps. Utility is what makes this app memorable. With the Draw! app, users can draw and flash on the go. Camera draw, which means drawing while you walk, is also supported. Other modes available include Full Screen Mode and Flip n Shake. Insert text with ease and pick specific colors accurately using this app. It's perfect for when you want to write quick notes or flash handmade signs. Gallery storage is enabled and image importing is an option users will certainly enjoy. The duo pens is a feature users just love! Who wouldn't when you can switch between two pens for added drawing flexibility? Get more options with customizing your art with the Draw! app. Artists of all ages and skills levels will surely find something for themselves with the variety of drawing apps that the Google Play Store has to offer. Which app suits your needs? Tell us. This article, Best Android apps for freehand drawing or doodling , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| LG’s quad core giant: Optimus 4X HD review and hands-on video Posted: 13 Jun 2012 03:27 PM PDT
LG may not be the world's best-known smartphone maker or the largest maker of smartphones in the world, like their co-nationals Samsung, but the Koreans are, nevertheless, a force to be reckoned with. First off, the phone maker has passed through a long period of lackluster evolution, marked by mediocre products and a dwindling mindshare. But now, all signs indicate that LG is back with a vengeance. And for those in the know – LG has been making major waves in their display division, and is producing what many consider to be some of the finest displays available to date.
Over the past several months, LG has scored a number of important wins. It stole the limelight at MWC with its new phones, including the Optimus 4X HD that we are reviewing today. Then, some technically impressive devices were leaked, suggesting that LG is keen to push the technological envelope, more than any other Android OEM has thus far. Very importantly, the Koreans achieved a rare performance – they managed to pull themselves back to profitability, after many consecutive quarters of losses.
LG's renewed focus on technical excellence is slowly bringing the company back to the ultra competitive top tier smartphone battle royale. And this focus is visible in the LG Optimus 4X HD, a device that bears an arsenal of specs that will impress even the savviest of tech buyers. It's clear that LG is ready to play ball with Samsung, HTC, and even Apple. But will consumers agree? Read on. LG Optimus 4X HD Specs
Design and DisplayFirst off, the body of the LG Optimus 4X HD is very sleek. It feels like most of the phone's weight is actually in the screen, making for a somewhat lightweight design. This does not mean the 4X lacks strength, as it feels extremely solid in the palm of my hand. The rear backing also sits firm on the 4X, which cannot be said about some other modern phone’s back plates.
In front, the Optimus 4X HD is packing a beautiful 4.7″ true HD-IPS display. In Plane Switching (IPS) screens provide a different liquid crystal arrangement, for optimal side viewing. As you'd expect, the IPS arrangement makes for a beautiful viewing experience even at narrow angles.
The display has a 720×1280 pixels resolution with an impressive 312 ppi density, and the pixels are pretty much invisible in normal viewing conditions. The LCD delivers beautiful colors, that lack the saturation of AMOLEDs, but display purists swear by the natural colors of LCD. On top of that LCD IPS display, LG uses the now customary Corning Gorilla Glass for protection. The Optimus 4X HD comes with three capacitive buttons, the Back, Home, and Menu buttons; a long press on the Home button brings up the recent apps. The backlit capacitive buttons can be customized to stay on as long as the display does. The absence of physical buttons makes for a really smooth, minimalist appearance, although some might miss the tactile feedback provided by physical buttons. Overall, while the LG Optimus 4X HD doesn't get many points for originality, its design is refined and sleek, and, in my opinion, the phone really looks great! PerformanceThe Optimus 4X HD houses a blazing fast Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5GHz processor. In addition to the Tegra’s four main cores, there's the fifth "companion" core, clocked at just 500MHZ, which kicks in when the phone doesn't need a lot of processing power, in order to save battery. Benchmark scores reveal that the LG Optimus 4X HD is a bit faster than the HTC One X, which is no easy task to accomplish. To complement the Tegra 3's speedy circuitry, the Optimus packs 1GB of RAM (pretty much standard fare these days), as well as 16GB of internal storage, and an additional micro-SD card slot. The battery is a whopping 2150mAh, which exceeds both the Galaxy S3′s and the HTC One X’s battery capacity. Even with relatively heavy usage, I was still able to get through a full 24 hour usage cycle. The Optimus 4X HD is a 3G phone, so no blazing-fast network speeds to be seen here.
Camera & GalleryThe phone features an 8 megapixel rear facing camera that captures 1080p HD video. It also has a front facing, 1.3 megapixel camera with facial recognition and smile detection. The gallery comes with a pack of intuitive features that I enjoyed playing with. I spent a good amount of time playing with the "Silly Faces" effects, as well as the in-gallery green-screen utility. LG has also included a function that allows you to speed up or slow down videos as you are watching them. The settings are intuitive and useful, so you'll have no trouble to, say, switch from an action shot to a close up in a jiffy. All software functions aside, the camera is very functional. I was able to take many great shots with the Optimus 4X HD, in a variety of lighting conditions. Check out below a couple of samples shot with the LG Optimus 4X HD, and stay tuned for a full camera test that we will publish soon.
SoftwareLG's superphone runs on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, with LG’s Optimus 3.0 skin applied on top. I found the Optimus UI to be considerably better than Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense. Adding folders, apps, and widgets to the homescreen is a breeze, and navigating the interface is aesthetically pleasing. The system toggles and menus are not too gaudy or overdone. There are also many nice screen transitions, as well as four different themes and three systems fonts to choose from. Overall, it's very easy to customize the Optimus 4X HD. LG didn't bloat the phone as much as you would expect, as most of the preloaded apps are quite useful. LG has included many widgets for the 4X, including SmartWorld, Social+, and Today+, all useful for keeping up to date at a glance. LG has also included an NFC tag writing application, so no need to install one from the Play Store. Near Field Communication allows users to interact with pre-programmed tags, and set the phone to execute certain actions when the tag is in range. Also coming by default on the Optimus 4X HD is a very intuitive Quick Memo application, that lets the user doodle or draw on any part of the screen at any time. This feature just begs to be used with a stylus, so watch out Galaxy Note! The phone also comes preloaded with ShadowGun, Samurai II, and NVI, titles that make use of the gaming prowess of the Tegra 3 System on a Chip. Another potentially useful inclusion is the LG SmartWorld app, which is a tool that suggests apps based on your preferences.
OverviewSo how does the LG Optimus 4X HD stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X, the main contenders to the title of king of Android? Well, it’s safe to say that the LG will most likely outperform the dual core variants of the GS3 and HTC One series. From a technical point of view, the Optimus 4X HD leaves little to be desired. The screen is beautiful, and generous in dimensions and resolution, and the IPS makes using it a pleasure. Beneath the screen, Nvidia's Tegra 3 hums away, delivering buttery smooth performance across UI navigation, web browsing, and app utilization. The software side is quite enjoyable as well, and, as I said, you might find that Optimus UI is a breath of fresh air, especially if you are growing tired of TouchWiz and Sense. On the downside, some might find that the industrial design is a bit boring, but that's really a matter of preference. There were some crashes and inconsistencies that marred a bit of the user experience, but no real deal-breakers fortunately. Now for the big question – is the LG Optimus 4X HD better than the HTC One X or the local rivals' Galaxy S3? I say that LG's flagship is definitely a worthy competitor in the high-end smartphone competition, but the race is so close that it all comes down to personal preference. You can watch our in-depth video review of the Optimus 4X HD below. Video ReviewLet us know your opinions in the comments section below. If you have any questions, fire them out, and I'll do my best to answer. Also, check out the full image gallery below.                     This article, LG’s quad core giant: Optimus 4X HD review and hands-on video , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| iLockit Lock Screen: Intuitive and personalized security for your Android Posted: 13 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT
Always make sure to protect your privacy. In this digital age, this means setting powerful passwords and carefully picking codes that should be impossible for other people to figure out. Unless you’ve memorized them by heart or you’ve written them down somewhere, we might have the tendency of forgetting complicated passwords. Unfortunately, your phone wasn’t built to tolerate multiple failures to input the correct code and you might find yourself locked out. Today we’re introducing you to an alternative to unlocking your phone without having to memorize a series of letters or numbers. Introducing iLockit Lock Screen. Developed by Appsolute Security LLC, iLockit Lock Screen is an app that doesn’t ask for your password. Instead, the app replaces your lock screen with an image of your choosing and requests for a pattern to unlock your device. Do away with memorizing numbers and passwords because the app lets you pick an image you can graphically relate to. Users can select an image from their gallery and can create any pattern by placing iLockit’s 4 pattern tools on the image. iLockit Lock Screen was built specifically to be intuitive to use and to give you an added layer of protection. To begin, pick an image; it can be of your pet, or of a book you’ve got lying around–whatever you like. If your image needs rotating, iLockit Lock Screen lets you do just that before you set your pattern of choice. You’ll then be brought to the next screen with a row of tools at the bottom. This is where you can define your pattern. You have the choice of using Tap to unlock your phone by tapping on any part of the image, to Hold any point on the image for a predetermined amount of time, cutting across the Trip line on the image or pressing two different parts of the image using the Multi tool. Your unlock pattern can be a combination of the tools you’ve got at your disposal. Patterns can be very simple, with only one step, or you could make your patterns difficult so you can be assured that no one else can unlock your phone. Tap a certain point and hold down on another point for a certain number of seconds. If you want to make things even more complicated, put a trip line somewhere for you to cut. Once you’ve decided on the unlock tool of your choice, the tools disappear and all you’re left with is your picture and the secret of how to unlock your phone when you’re in a pinch. Now, whenever you want to unlock your screen, you’ll be shown the image you’ve chosen and you can unlock your phone using your pattern. Some Android device users might be disappointed to know that iLockit Lock Screen is not yet compatible with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. There have also been some users who’ve noted that when they first downloaded iLockit Lock Screen, there were no specific instructions on how to set the patterns. The developer has not mentioned when users can expect the app to be available for Ice Cream Sandwich but the video below should help new users on how to set their own patterns on their chosen lock screen image. If you want to give yourself an intuitive and easy way to unlock your phone that only you know, get iLockit Lock Screen for your Android device today. It costs US$0.99 and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. This article, iLockit Lock Screen: Intuitive and personalized security for your Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Best Buy drops HTC One S price to $99.99, T-Mobile goes even lower with $49.99 Posted: 13 Jun 2012 01:56 PM PDT
Another change of month, another price drop for T-Mobile's HTC One S. Not that we're complaining. Online retailer Best Buy now has the HTC One S listed for the sweet price of $99.99. Got your attention, now? The $99.99 price of HTC One S isn't only valid for T-Mobile subscribers who are looking to upgrade their phones, but also for new customers who are looking to find a home in T-Mo for the next two years. But wait, that's not the only good deal to be had on HTC One S on the web. T-Mobile has also slashed the price of the phone when you purchase it from their website. The limited-time offer, which will end on June 14, will see the One S being offered for a mere $49.99 after instant discount, web-only discount, and mail rebate. To qualify, you will have to activate a new line of service with a Classic rate plan with T-Mobile on a two-year contract.
So you now have two choices to get your HTC One S at a fraction of the original price when it was launched a couple of months ago. You'll be getting an awesome phone that comes with a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4, 1650mAh battery, and an ultra-thin 7.8mm waistline. Interested in snatching the HTC One S? June 14 is but a day away, so better make that decision soon. No related posts. This article, Best Buy drops HTC One S price to $99.99, T-Mobile goes even lower with $49.99 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| ICS wins the Gold Prize for “best platform experience” Posted: 13 Jun 2012 01:41 PM PDT
I wish the Android team had good designers from day one, but Google as a company has never really focused on beautiful design that goes along with smart engineering. This is why even the first version of Android had to have its UI designed by TAT, the design company that RIM bought 2 years ago for BB10. Android 2.0 looked significantly better, and Android 2.3 seemed to get ever closer to iOS with more polished icons. But it wasn’t until they got Matias Duarte, the Chief Designer for webOS, which most reviewers agreed was the most beautiful mobile OS when it was launched, that Android really started to shine as a well-designed mobile operating system, with some saying it now even surpasses iOS. It seems the Parsons School of Design agrees with this, and they have awarded Google the Gold Prize for “best platform experience”. It’s a prize that gets handed out every 2 years. This is a welcome endorsement for the direction Matias is taking with the Android UI, and I’m sure we’ll see further refinements of the Android UI with each major release. It’s possible that even JellyBean will get a bit of a refresh for Google’s tablet, and we can probably expect more with Android 5.0 this fall. I wouldn’t expect another “overhaul” of the UI until Android 6.0, though. Google seems to want to do that every 2 years.
However, I would like to see more dramatic improvements for the tablet UI, because I think it could be a lot better. The Chameleon UI has made me realize that, even if it isn’t the best possible UI Android tablets could get (maybe a bit too cluttered). But I would like to see Matias Duarte explore an UI that is similar to that – one that takes greater advantage of Android’s advanced widgets, and one that allows for much better multi-tasking than what we have right now on any tablet. In the meantime, I hope developers will take full advantage of the Holo theme for their apps, by following the ICS style guidelines and making them as beautiful as these apps at HoloEverywhere.com. This article, ICS wins the Gold Prize for “best platform experience” , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| ICS brings iPv6 compatibility to the TMobile Samsung Galaxy S2 Posted: 13 Jun 2012 01:17 PM PDT
While iPv6 does not bring any new features, the transition from iPv4 to the new standard will be made by all Internet operators, since the 4.3 billion addresses allowed by the iPv4 standard are almost depleted. The new standard, iPv6 allows for 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses. Obviously, this huge number of addresses is deemed enough for the foreseeable future. Here's a Google video in which the Grandfather of the Internet explains why the shift towards iPv6 is imminent: No related posts. This article, ICS brings iPv6 compatibility to the TMobile Samsung Galaxy S2 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| The beauty of corrosion: check out how your gadgets get their beautiful and resistant finish Posted: 13 Jun 2012 01:09 PM PDT
Though Apple were amongst the first manufacturers to use this process on a large scale to create the bodies of their products (e.g the iPod Nano and newer Macbook line). The method has been uptaken by other companies such as HTC who use it on the One S. Many other manufacturers are expected to use similar processes on phones being released later this year. Check out Bill Hammock’s video (The Engineer Guy) to get a terrific in-depth demonstration and example of how the Anodizing process works, plus how devices get their colours. Some really interesting stuff. This article, The beauty of corrosion: check out how your gadgets get their beautiful and resistant finish , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| AT&T’s Toggle service upgraded, aims to teach you how to (not) mix business with pleasure Posted: 13 Jun 2012 12:42 PM PDT
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a trend that has really taken off during the past few years, with more and more companies encouraging their employees to use the same mobile devices for personal and business purposes. However, you can't just keep your work presentations, e-mails and documents next to your personal ones on a smartphone due to security issues, first and foremost. This means you probably have been on the lookout for a service helping you organize personal and business tools and apps on a device. That service might well be AT&T's Toggle, unveiled for the first time last year and set to be significantly updated and expanded in the near future. Toggle helps you keep all your personal and corporate documents, apps and contacts on a single device while separating them enough to ensure safety and discretion. With Toggle, you can divide your smartphone or tablet into two portions, a personal one where only you have access, and a business one, where your employers can give you secure access to work e-mail and corporate applications. You can easily and safely navigate between the two components of your device and you can therefore save your employer money. Simultaneously, you also save yourself from the hassle of always carrying around two mobile phones or tablets and constantly switching between the two, risking of getting confused and mixing business with pleasure. The work portion of a Toggle-powered phone or tablet can be deleted by the employer when the employee leaves his job, so AT&T's service ensures security and safety for both parties involved in the use of the device.
Toggle has supported Android phones and tablets from the get-go, but with the most recent update it will also work on iOS. BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone support is also on its way, being planned to be introduced by the end of 2012. AT&T is also prepping several other improvements and updates to the service, including antivirus capabilities, to be introduced “soon”. That doesn't mean Toggle is not functional right now; on the contrary, it has a friendly and accessible user interface, as well as a recently added feature allowing businesses to push their own catalog of applications to employees' devices. You should also know that, while the service is designed by AT&T, Toggle has been made to work with any Android or iOS-powered device, be it from Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile or any other carrier around. As far as pricing goes, the new version of the service will come with a $6.50 monthly subscription for each device using Toggle. According to AllThingsD, AT&T will be introducing the updated Toggle service today at an analyst conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, so keep in touch, because we might have some updates on the topic for you soon enough. Also, you can check out this link on AT&T's official website, detailing the service's features and functions, both in writing and in video. This article, AT&T’s Toggle service upgraded, aims to teach you how to (not) mix business with pleasure , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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