Android Authority |
- AT&T CEO: In 2 years we could have data-only plans
- XDA releases Android Hacker’s Toolkit book, get it now for $21
- First custom ROM for international HTC One X released, based on CM9
- Samsung: Galaxy S3 coming to 5 US carriers in the following weeks – Snapdragon S4, 2GB RAM, starting from $199
- LIVE from COMPUTEX 2012: We’ll be in Taipei to bring you the hottest news in tech
- Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S Drop Test!
| AT&T CEO: In 2 years we could have data-only plans Posted: 04 Jun 2012 02:26 AM PDT
The data-only future has been predicted for many years, with the rise of Skype and other similar VOIP applications. But in most cases, carriers tried to hold these apps from gaining popularity, because they were still making a lot of money from Voice and SMS, services that are priced at something like 1000x the cost of sending data through the network. Carriers can maintain such prices because there isn’t any real competition from disruptive players, all carriers being perfectly content with overcharging their customers at blistering rates. But now we’re seeing more people move to data-based applications and away from SMS and Voice, and the carriers are starting to see the writing on the wall: eventually, they won’t be able to make that much money from Voice and SMS. Randall Stephenson, the CEO of AT&T, can already see it:
Why two years? Because of the competition from data-based applications, and because that should give carriers enough time to deploy LTE in most areas in the country. LTE is still in its early days, and we’re already seeing super-fast connections. We’re going to see it evolve even more over the next few years, which should make it easier and cheaper for carriers to turn a profit, while providing customers a good service. Of course, that still depends on how willing they are to invest into that future. If they’re going to drag their feet, their services will not be so good, and they will lose revenues in the future. In a future where LTE is the main network technology for all carriers, we should see higher interoperability between their networks, thanks in part to integrated modems that feature all frequencies, like Qualcomm’s chips and Nvidia’s Icera. We should also see higher quality voice with VoLTE, and, of course, all around better Internet connections for everything. I just hope that, in the process carriers will respect the principles of net neutrality (although wireless carriers are not really bound to them, only regular ISPs are) and they don’t try to play favorites with certain applications, especially their own. Have you ever considered going data-only? No related posts. This article, AT&T CEO: In 2 years we could have data-only plans , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| XDA releases Android Hacker’s Toolkit book, get it now for $21 Posted: 04 Jun 2012 02:09 AM PDT
With over 4.5 million registered users, the XDA-Developers community has established itself as one of the strongest and most connected Android hacking online "groups". And what better way to grow and expand than by helping other, more inexperienced users gain access to this wonderful developing world? That's probably exactly what Jason Tyler and Will Verduzco asked themselves when they started working on the "XDA Developers' Android Hacker's Toolkit" book, released yesterday, and available for purchase both in "physical" and e-book forms. The book intends to be a "complete guide to rooting, ROMs and theming" and is a "simple, one-stop resource on hacking techniques for beginners", according to contributor Will Verduzco's statements. Available for $21 to $24, the hacking guide can be found on Amazon in its more traditional, paper-printed version, but it can also be downloaded from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Google Play. While its main target is to help newbies get the grasp of ROMing and theming Android, the book should not be avoided by more experienced developers. After all, you should never stop learning and this guide seems like it can help you widen your area of expertise. There are step-by-step instructions provided for developing your own custom ROMs for several popular Android-based devices, including Motorola's Droid and Xoom, Samsung's Galaxy Tab series, and LG's Optimus line of smartphones, but also general information about what Android hacking entails in a wider sense. And if you're still not sold by the idea of spending around 20 bucks for the book, you should know that all funds raised by selling the hacking guide will be donated by the XDA team to EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), a nonprofit organization established to defend "people's rights in the digital world". If that’s not an honorable reason to buy a book these days, I honestly don’t know what is… No related posts. This article, XDA releases Android Hacker’s Toolkit book, get it now for $21 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| First custom ROM for international HTC One X released, based on CM9 Posted: 04 Jun 2012 01:38 AM PDT
It might not be "designed for humans" and it doesn't come from the most popular and successful Android manufacturer of the moment, but the HTC One X is one heck of a phone and some even consider it the greatest out there. There was, however, one thing missing to make the One X truly amazing, and that was a custom ROM to tickle the imagination of amateur (and professional) rooters. Less than a week ago, we found out that the phone's bootloader was finally unlocked, so it was only a matter of time until we could flash some tweaked software goodness on HTC's flagship. Modaco forum's "TripNRaVer" user is officially the first dev to crack the One X' software and build a custom ROM designed especially for the phone. He only needed five days to get the job done. That's truly impressive, if you ask me, especially considering the fact that, based on initial user feedback, TripNRaVer's firmware works pretty smooth. The custom ROM is based on CyanogenMod 9, so there'll be absolutely no trace of HTC's Sense UI on your phone once you flash it. That's very good news for anyone who loves the "pure" Google experience, but, unfortunately there are some things that are not that great about this build.
First of all, the ROM only works on the international version of the One X, the one powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The 4G LTE model, sold by AT&T in the US and Rogers in Canada, and featuring a Snapdragon S4 chipset, is not supported by this software build, so don't even bother trying to install it! As far as bugs and glitches go, WiFi tethering is the only major feature reported as not working right now, but that could change with a future update. Other than that, you shouldn't experience unexpected issues with the software, but then again, you might want to browse through the entire thread on the Modaco forum and make sure. You should also know that, while the ROM is based on CyanogenMod 9, this is not an official release from the CM team. Full installation instructions are available at the same thread and the flashing process is described as easy by most users who've dipped into it. Then again, you should keep in mind that, once you flash a custom ROM on the HTC One X, you can bid adieu to your warranty, so handle with care and think things through before doing something that you might end up regretting! That being said, have fun and don't forget to drop us a line in the comments section below and tell us how the ROM feels and looks! Is it better, more functional, and smoother than the out of the box experience provided by ICS and HTC Sense 4.0? This article, First custom ROM for international HTC One X released, based on CM9 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| Posted: 04 Jun 2012 01:04 AM PDT
The much awaited Galaxy S3 will not disappoint Americans, like it happened last year with the delays that marred the release of the Galaxy S2. According to a Samsung official statement, the Galaxy S3 will arrive in the US in a few weeks, with details to be revealed in the coming days. As we suspected, the device will launch on five carriers: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. This is a big improvement over last year, when US customers had to wait not only for the Galaxy S2 to arrive in US, but also had to wait many weeks for the device to hit their carrier. Samsung has clearly learned from the past, and now that they’ve become the world’s phone king and smartphone king, they’re taking their position very seriously. The Koreans seem to be strengthening their relationships with carriers all around the world and, this time, they have more negotiation power against the powerful US carriers. I believe there will be several versions of the Galaxy S3 in the US (that is, if carriers decide to have their own design and such, like with the One X). However, all the carriers will get a Galaxy S3 with the Qualcomm S4 processor, with its integrated LTE radio. Although it would have been possible for them to adopt the Exynos 4 Quad SoC and combine it with a separate baseband chip, that would have taken a lot of time to implement. That is why we’re seeing everyone adopting Qualcomm’s S4 chip. Using Qualcomm’s solution dramatically reduces time to market, thanks to the integration of LTE in the SoC. Samsung official press release only mentions the Snapdragon chip, which contradicts some pundits that speculated that T-Mobile and other non-LTE carriers might get the quad-core Exynos chip found in the international version. The American Galaxy S3 will come with 2GB of RAM, just like the Canadian and the Japanese version, which should appease some of the worries of spec geeks. Besides the proc and the RAM amount, the other specs and, at least in TMo’s case, the appearance of the Galaxy S3 will remain the same as those of the international version. Samsung revealed that the Galaxy S3 will go from $199, although it did not provide more details on specs and availability - “Exact pricing and retail availability will be announced by each of the five carriers in the coming weeks.” The press release does reveal that Samsung device will hit the markets “almost simultaneously”, so a synced launch across all carriers is excluded. As far as we can tell, the presumptive launch date of June 20 still stands, and fits nicely with Samsung’s statements. Even though the Galaxy S3 is a highly controversial device (not unlike the iPhone 4S), because of its “non-iconic” design, plastic build materials, and Pentile screen, I still think it will easily break the sales records of the Galaxy S2. The smartphone should sell up to 20 million units by the end of the year, and from 30 to 40 million by the time the next Galaxy flagship arrives. What do you guys make of Samsung’s announcement? Full press release is below. DALLAS — June 4, 2012 — U.S. consumers on five major service providers will now be able to own the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S® III. Galaxy S III, optimized for peak performance on the nation's fastest 4G LTE and HSPA+ 42 networks, will be launching with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular starting in June. Exact pricing and retail availability will be announced by each of the five carriers in the coming weeks. "The U.S. launch of the Galaxy S III is the most anticipated launch of the year. As promised, we are delivering the 'next big thing' for U.S. customers and across all major carriers," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. "Galaxy S III introduces new technological innovation and takes sharing to the next level." With the Galaxy S III, Samsung is setting a new standard for smartphones. This device was designed to be lightweight, durable and powerful. The Galaxy S III weighs 4.7 ounces and is 8.6 millimeters thin, making it lighter and sleeker than other leading smartphones, including several competitor models with smaller displays. The brilliant 4.8 inch display extends to an ultra-thin bezel to maximize the viewing area. The Galaxy S III delivers impressive processing power to allow more applications to be accessible simultaneously. The Galaxy S III goes far beyond content consumption to content sharing. Continuing its history of innovation, Samsung has simplified how consumers share content and control the device with a single touch, through enhanced gesture technology or the simple movement of the eyes. Sharing Made Simple The content sharing experience on the Galaxy S III addresses the sharing needs of consumers, whether it's sharing and editing a presentation with a large group in real-time, sending digital images to several other smartphones at the same time or transferring large files within seconds from one phone to another. Further, these sharing experiences are simple and require little, if any, set-up. Sharing With Multiple Devices
The Galaxy S III introduces the next evolution of Samsung's content sharing service with AllShare® Play. This service automatically notifies the Galaxy S III to Samsung HDTVs, mobile tablets, laptops and other consumer electronic devices on the same network that are ready to receive video files. Users can also remotely access files from devices on other networks. Sharing with Groups
With AllShare Group Cast on the Galaxy S III and a Wi-Fi network, users can share and collaborate on documents, presentations or images in real-time with multiple friends or co-workers' without loading the file separately.
With Share Shot, become the official photographer for a group of friends. There's no need to send photos and video via email, MMS or a USB drive. Users can quickly and seamlessly share pictures taken with the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera to other phones from up to 200 feet away. Once the Galaxy S III is synched with chosen devices, the pictures are automatically shared. Sharing Smartphone to Smartphone
S-Beam is an industry first, providing fast, easy transfer of large files, such as videos and documents, with a single touch of the Galaxy S III without needing a Wi-Fi connection or cell signal. A 1GB movie file can be shared as quickly as three minutes and a 10MB music file can be transferred in seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone. Smartphone Simplicity - The S-Voice™ feature on the Galaxy S III offers much more than just asking and answering questions. S-Voice allows users to control the applications and services used most with words instead of touch. Use S-Voice to turn the volume up or down on the music player, answer or reject incoming calls, shut off or choose to snooze the alarm clock, or take a picture by saying "smile" or "cheese." - Smart Stay puts the "smart" in smartphones. With Smart Stay, the Galaxy S III tracks the user's eye to ensure the device screen is always on while you're looking at it. By knowing when you are looking at the screen, it doesn't dim the backlight or timeout to an idle screen. - Motion simplifies and short cuts many common functions including converting a text message to a call by simply raising the phone to the ear, tapping the top of the phone to go to the top of an email and list of emails or contacts, and alerting to missed call or text message. - The capabilities of the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera are far beyond point and shoot. Burst Shotcaptures still pictures at a rapid-fire pace at three images per second with zero shutter lag; and Best Shotrecommends the best picture to keep based on colors, lighting and clarity. The Galaxy S III shoots and plays back 1080p HD quality video with a backside illuminated sensor that improves performance in low light environments, and provides the ability to capture a photo during videoing - Watching video while downloading a large file or service is seamless with Pop Up Play. Pop Up Play allows you to watch any side-loaded video content while operating any application in full-screen, background view at the same time. Video running on Pop Up Play can be moved anywhere on top of the full screen, much like picture-in-picture capabilities on large screen TVs.Powerful Performance The Galaxy S III includes Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with TouchWiz enhancements, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual core CPU and 2GB of internal RAM to provide high-speed performance enabling efficient and seamless multi-tasking. The dual-core processor offers competitive speeds and performance as leading quad-core processors without sacrificing valuable battery life. The brilliant 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED™ touchscreen display brings content to life, without compromising the device's true pocketability. The expansive display is protected by Gorilla Glass 2.0 to guard against cracks and scratches and provide enhanced touchscreen responsiveness. The Galaxy S III, which comes in Marble White and Pebble Blue, is powered by a removable 2100 mAh battery for extended use on a single charge. Users can store large libraries of photos, videos and music onboard the Galaxy S III with expandable memory to compliment the standard 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. "The Galaxy S III is the most innovative smartphone on the market today. It is an industry first to see five major carriers align behind the launch of a single device virtually simultaneously," said Todd Pendleton, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America. "To support the immense excitement for the Galaxy S III we will execute our biggest marketing campaign ever. Consumers won't be able to miss why this device is the must-have smartphone." For more information:
This article, Samsung: Galaxy S3 coming to 5 US carriers in the following weeks – Snapdragon S4, 2GB RAM, starting from $199 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| LIVE from COMPUTEX 2012: We’ll be in Taipei to bring you the hottest news in tech Posted: 03 Jun 2012 02:15 PM PDT
Each year in the early summer, the tech world converges to Taipei, the bustling capital of Taiwan, for COMPUTEX, the largest tech fair in Asia. Thousands of companies, from local specialty manufacturers to the largest international corporations, bring their hottest offerings in front of hordes of avid tech lovers, industry professionals, and of course, tech bloggers. But COMPUTEX is more than a tech fair. Taiwan is a global manufacturing center, and chances are that, whatever device you are rocking, at least some components in it are made in Taiwan. So it's no wonder that each edition of COMPUTEX brings product launches, precious insight into technology developments, and even exclusive leaks. Just like last year, Android Authority will be represented at COMPUTEX by our Editor-in-Chief, Darcy LaCouvee. Darcy will trawl the huge halls of the Taipei World Trade Center, leaving no booth unchecked, no device un-tested, and no industry representative not harassed for info (just kidding, he will only harass some of them). All next week, we'll bring you comprehensive live coverage of all major developments at COMPUTEX 2012. Expect some awesome hands-on videos with devices from HTC, ASUS, Acer and other Taiwanese manufactures, but also from international players. ViewSonic is promising a humongous 22-inch Android tablet that we can't wait to take from a spin. ASUS has teased a dual-boot Android/Windows 8 Transformer, that it will probably unveil at COMPUTEX. Nvidia might spill some beans on its plans for Tegra 3+ and Tegra 4. We'll be there. Whatever happens at COMPUTEX, you can bet that you'll get the best live coverage from Android Authority. The show starts on Tuesday, but Darcy has a full Monday all planned out, so make sure to check back with us tomorrow. To get a birds-eye view of the show, make sure to check our COMPUTEX 2012 tag page. While we wait for COMPUTEX to officially begin, tell us, do you have a specific manufacturer, product, or topic that you would like us to cover in detail? Let us know in the comment section below! This article, LIVE from COMPUTEX 2012: We'll be in Taipei to bring you the hottest news in tech , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S Drop Test! Posted: 03 Jun 2012 11:38 AM PDT
Yesterday we did a terrible thing. We took a brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 and purposefully dropped it multiple times for you. It was awful to watch, but we know that our viewers get a strange enjoyment from cell phone obliteration. We also dropped a brand new iPhone 4S and filmed that too! This video is mostly for your amusement but it does have a slight undertone of consumer advice. Some people – no matter how much they love their smartphones – can be very clumsy. We have all had the horrific experience of watching our device slip out of our grasp, only to see it descend towards the unforgiving floor. It’s these sorts of accidents that show which device comes out on top. Each phone was dropped in three different orientations and in this order: rear, side, and front. After each drop we filmed a brief evaluation of the damage, and we also tried to asses the amount of damage after all three drops. Once we were done with both phones, we did a side by side comparison. You may be a little surprised by the results! We hope you enjoy! And, now that you’ve seen the results, maybe it’s safe to say that Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 didn’t stand up to the true test of durability after all. What do you think? Is the Galaxy S3 still more durable? Let us know! This article, Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S Drop Test! , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Authority To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment