Android Central |
- Linaro shows big improvements to Android 4.0.4 with ARM optimization
- Exclusive: Sprint Touch Wallet slides show carrier is serious about NFC wallet app
- Android A to Z: LG's L-series smartphones
- Max Payne Mobile for Android finally landing June 14
- Euro 2012 Live Wallpaper lets you cheer on your team and play with balls!
- Apple ditches Google Maps for its own solution
- Galaxy S III case review: official clear TPU case
- Ford SYNC and AppLink for Android set to expand globally
- It's stylus week at Android Central!
- Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus [accessory review]
- ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #81: EVO 4G LTE ACTIVE Case, S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones & more
- The LG Optimus S gets one of the coolest custom recoveries around with Cannibal Open Touch
- LG Optimus 4X HD launches today in Germany, UK in 'July'
- Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case for LG Thrill 4G, Optimus 3D
- Sony trades Facebook likes for early Xperia announcement
- Monday Brief: WWDC Kicks Off, SGS3 Review, Project SmartGlass, and More!
- Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!
| Linaro shows big improvements to Android 4.0.4 with ARM optimization Posted: 11 Jun 2012 04:31 PM PDT
If you're a fan of Linux on ARM hardware, you've probably heard of Linaro. If not, the short version is that they're a group of ultra-smart engineers who work on optimizing open-source and Linux software (and the tools to build them) for the ARM architecture. Yes, Linaro comprises the people who build the tools regular nerds use to build apps and software. Why am I rambling on about Linaro, you ask? First, because every embedded Linux nerd (hi there!) has a secret crush on the whole team, and also because they have shown off Ice Cream Sandwich built with their optimization process. It's fast. Very fast. Faster at benchmarks than you ever thought an OMAP 4430 could ever be. So much faster that it's going to translate into real-world benefits, unlike many of the other tweaks and tricks there are for Android. How can this happen? In the video after the break, Bernhard Rosenkränzer, Android toolchain expert at Linaro, puts it in perfect perspective. Google builds Android. Linaro takes it and tweaks it, squeezing out every bit of performance possible. Using the Android 4.0.4 source as a base, the fellows at Linaro have tweaked both the source (string routines in Bionic are mentioned by name) and the tools used to compile it. It's like those guys on TV who tinker with car engines to get performance that GM or Ford could never imagine. Make no mistake -- this is not something you can flash on your phone and make it work. Yet. As Rosenkränzer explains, everything Linaro does is open source. The folks at CM can (and are) working with it, as well as the collective behind AOKP. Linaro is even submitting changes back to the Android Open Source Project so Google can review and use the tweaks that offer performance increase without affecting stability. Linaro working closely with Google would be like chocolate and peanut butter. This Linux and Android nerd hopes it happens. Be sure to watch the video after the break! Source: CNX Software. More: Linaro 
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| Exclusive: Sprint Touch Wallet slides show carrier is serious about NFC wallet app Posted: 11 Jun 2012 03:36 PM PDT
Last week we heard that Sprint was developing their own NFC-based mobile wallet application, and today an insider has passed along to us a couple presentation slides to let us know that it's real. We don't yet have any specifics about participating financial partners, but based on the screens we see McDonald's, Barnes and Noble, Macy's, Target, Best Buy and others look to be on board (or at the very least used as examples) with either loyalty cards, or they'll accept full payments. From what we can tell, it looks very much like Google's own Wallet app -- which for now has Sprint as its lone official carrier partner. Using a passcode, Touch Wallet is unlocked and you'll be presented with a screen of options, or if the phone is tapped to a card reader you'll see your credit cards presented. When it's all done, everything locks back up. Yeah, that sounds pretty familiar to everyone with a Nexus S 4G, doesn't it? The biggest and most important questions are still unanswered. Namely, what bank partners will Sprint have, when will we see it unveiled, and will there be any extra security or lock-down on Touch Wallet enabled phones to keep things like this from happening. Nobody with those answers is talking just yet, but we expect to hear more sometime soon. Could this be the one for everyone to get behind? Maybe. With all the competing "standards" one will have to rise to the top before NFC wallets become more than a novelty in the US. We'll all just have to wait it out. We've got one more pic after the break. Thanks, Anon! 
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| Android A to Z: LG's L-series smartphones Posted: 11 Jun 2012 02:37 PM PDT
This time on Android A to Z we're going to be talking about LG's L-series phones. They made a big splash earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, and a few carriers in Canada jumped at the chance to sell them, but then they seem to have fallen off the map. I'll admit, even I have to look and see what we're talking about when we have potential news about the L3, L5, or L7. Let's have a refresh. Imagine LG's Prada phone, but remade for folks who don't buy Prada. The L-series phones are all stylish (and really resemble LG's iconic Prada phones -- check out our look at them in Barcelona) and have an emphasis on good looks. The entry-level L3 competes with phones like HTC's One V and Samsung's entry-level Galaxy phones. It's running Gingerbread on a 3.2-inch display, but it looks nice doing it. Compared to something like the Motorola Defy Mini, you get good looks along with your dirt-cheap pricing. The L5 takes things up a notch to Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4-inch screen, placing it in the middle of the road where most people look first when buying a new smartphone. They'll see the L5, and notice the build materials and design. Finally, the L7 looks to compete with the big dogs of the Android world, with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a high-end smartphone, in a damn fine looking external shell. All three are eye-grabbing, and getting people to notice is the first hurdle. We're really not sure why we don't hear more and see more about them, but we're guessing a saturated market has something to do with it. Maybe we'll see the L-series phones make their way into the spotlight, maybe we won't. But at least now we all know what we're talking about when we see them mentioned. Check out the complete Android Dictionary 
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| Max Payne Mobile for Android finally landing June 14 Posted: 11 Jun 2012 01:40 PM PDT
The wait is almost over boys and girls, as Max Payne Mobile will finally shoot its way onto Android this coming Thursday, June 24. Fully optimized for Android, promising HD graphics and the full and uncut classic Max Payne experience, it looks like it will be worth the wait when we finally get our hands on it. Pricing is set at $2.99 from the Google Play Store, but as with GTAIII there is a slight catch. Officially at least, there is a compatibility list at launch of the lucky phones and tablets that will be able to play. Notably missing -- the Samsung Galaxy S III. We're sure that won't be for long though. The full list reads as follows: Supported Android Phones: Motorola Razr, Razr Maxx, Motorola Atrix, Motorola Photon, Motorola Droid Bionic, HTC Rezound, HTC One X, HTC One S, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Sensation, HTC Droid Incredible 2, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung S2, Samsung Galaxy R, Sony Xperia Play, Sony Xperia S, Sony Walkman Z Series Media Player Supported Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Medion Lifetab, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 / 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P, Toshiba Thrive, HTC Flyer, HTC Jetstream Source: Rockstar Games 
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| Euro 2012 Live Wallpaper lets you cheer on your team and play with balls! Posted: 11 Jun 2012 01:02 PM PDT If you're a fan of The Beautiful Game (that's soccer for you Americans), you've no doubt been taking in some of the action already coming out of EURO 2012. Poland and Ukraine are hosting this year, and if the first few games are an indicator we're going to see a lot of awesome football games over the next few weeks. And thanks to the new Adidas Euro 2012 live wallpaper you can cheer on your favorite team right from your Android 2.2 or greater device by placing the national flag of one of the 16 qualifying countries onto the homescreen soccer field. You can also customize the halfway lines to reflect the host countries. The best part of this live wallpaper? You get to have fun playing with balls! You can select to have from one to five "Tango 12" Match balls appear on the homescreen, which you can kick, tap and volley around. Check out the video above to see it in action. My words don't do it justice. This Euro 2012 live wallpaper is free so jump on over to the Google Play store to grab it. And while you're waiting for it to download, be sure to leave us a comment and tell us who you're cheering for. I'm Polish/Ukrainian (50/50) by descent, but being engaged to an Italian (and seeing what happens when they lose) I'm cheering for Italy all the way! Get your download on after the break. 
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| Apple ditches Google Maps for its own solution Posted: 11 Jun 2012 11:49 AM PDT
We knew it was going to happen, right? Apple has ditched Google Maps for iOS, rolling its own in-house cartographic solution, including turn-by-turn navigation, which has never been as good on the fruit phone as it has on Android. What's that mean for us? Not a whole hell of a lot, and it's not like Google's been resting on its mapping laurels. It was just last week that El Goog announced some major 3D renovations, which will be coming to Android along with offline access. We'll be just fine, thank you very much. Also: iMore's WWDC coverage 
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| Galaxy S III case review: official clear TPU case Posted: 11 Jun 2012 11:49 AM PDT
If you've just blown £500 or so on a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S III (or committed to a new 24-month contract to get a subsidized model), you'll want to do everything you can to prevent it from knocks and scrapes. One of the first cases to appear for the S III on the European launch day was the official clear TPU case, manufactured by Anymode. This is a basic flexible plastic shell that matches the curved design of the S III, and features raised areas along the sides to allow easy pressing of the power button and volume rocker. And you've also got cut-outs for the LED flash, camera, rear speaker, mics, headphone jack and microUSB port. The case extends around the edge of the device, covering the corners, which are most susceptible to damage from falls or sudden impacts. Texture-wise, the case is typical of most TPU offerings -- it's flexible and a little plasticky, without awkward rubber-like feeling that characterizes some silicone cases. Its flexibility means it's easy enough to put on or remove from the phone, while the patterned area inside the case grips the back of the phone securely to avoid slippage. As it's transparent, you won't be upsetting the aesthetics of the Galaxy S III too much. The extra thickness isn't all that noticeable during regular use, or when the two are pocketed. Our only design concern stems from the slightly rough edges of the case, likely caused by the molding process, though that's true of many cases of this kind. The clear TPU case for the Samsung Galaxy S III is available for around £15 from retailers in the UK. We've got more photos after the break. 
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| Ford SYNC and AppLink for Android set to expand globally Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:57 AM PDT
Back during CES 2012 we got a real good look at all the things Ford was doing with their Sync service including the deep integration with Android and AppLink. Having put it all to the test in the U.S. Ford has now announced they'll be expanding the offerings globally with the introduction of the services to Asia.
To help expand the offerings, Ford will be working with developers locally to create localized content using the SYNC Developer SDK. On hand at Computex 2012, Ford will be hosting a hackathon with Ford engineers to help developers started on integration applications and more. The full press release from Ford is available below. 
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| It's stylus week at Android Central! Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:15 AM PDT
With the popularity of phone-tablet hybrids like the Samsung Galaxy Note -- to say nothing of actual tablets -- it's time to take a look at that long-controversial accessory -- the stylus. Back in the days of resistive touchscreens, these guys were all but necessary for making a smartphone useful. But things change, and the stylus found itself relegated to mostly accessory status. But that doesn't mean it's not still useful. So this week you'll see a series of reviews on our favorite pen-like accessory, and we might even give away a few, with some help from our pals at ShopAndroid.com. Get your writing hand ready, folks. It's stylus time! 
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| Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus [accessory review] Posted: 11 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT If you're looking to protect your Samsung Galaxy Nexus with something flexible and strong, but want to travel in style, the Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case is definitely the case you seek. Made out of that signature orange goo Phil was good enough to coat his hand with (and subsequently get smashed with a rubber mallet), these Cruzerlite cases offer exceptional shock absorption while still keeping the overall size of the phone and case small. Holes are cut and placed appropriately, giving you access to all of your buttons and necessary ports (including the inductive charging port). Despite the thinness of the case, I'm not positive any docks will be able to reach the inductive charging area, but do know that it's not covered. The edges of the case add a small buffer zone, keeping your all-important touch screen lifted up, should you decide to place it with the screen facing down. Better yet, this case fits perfectly on phones using the standard battery or the official Samsung 2100 mAh extended battery, too, so you can get your extra charge on all while keeping your phone nice and secure. If you're looking for a solid case to keep your phone intact and want to show off your love and support of Android, this case should certainly warrant some consideration. To top it off, it comes in 11 colors, too! 
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| ShopAndroid Daily Giveaway #81: EVO 4G LTE ACTIVE Case, S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones & more Posted: 11 Jun 2012 07:44 AM PDT We're back with another week of giveaway's from ShopAndroid.com! Today we'll be featuring the Seidio ACTIVE Case for HTC EVO 4G LTE, Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones, Case-Mate "Mike" Droid Creature Case for Galaxy Nexus, and the Case-Mate POP! Case for HTC One X. To become eligible to win one of these featured accessories, leave a comment below stating which item you'd like for your Android device. One lucky person will be selected at random and announced next week. Seidio ACTIVE Case (with kickstand) for HTC EVO 4G LTEThe Seidio ACTIVE Case provides great shock and impact absorption while adding minimal bulk to your HTC EVO 4G LTE. This two-layer case features a compact and lightweight rubber polymer with a precisely positioned hard skeleton for added protection. The arachnid design of the skeleton extends out to protect vulnerable parts of your device, such as the corners and sides. An added bonus to this case is the built-in kickstand feature which allows you to watch your media at a comfortable viewing angle. 
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| The LG Optimus S gets one of the coolest custom recoveries around with Cannibal Open Touch Posted: 11 Jun 2012 07:17 AM PDT
LG's original Optimus One series of devices turned out to be one of last year's surprises. It ran as well as the big dogs when it first came out, and as long as you were comfortable hacking the living crap out of it you have a little Android phone that did everything. It's the perfect mix of price and performance for more than a few. When a phone gets that much push behind it, third-party development for lives forever. We see that again today, with the release of Cannibal Open Touch recovery for the Optimus S. Everything you like about the others is there, plus support for both Froyo and Gingerbread ROM flashing, touch-screen navigation buttons, even custom themeing is on board. Of course it is fully open source and the code is posted at bitbucket. If you're hankerin' to give Cannibal Open Touch a try on you Optimus S, hit the link below for files and instructions. It's devs like this that let folks keep the same phones long after they have fell out of style and still have the latest and greatest. We tip our hat to all involved! [RECOVERY] Cannibal Open Touch v1.0.2 (It's....ALIVE!) 
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| LG Optimus 4X HD launches today in Germany, UK in 'July' Posted: 11 Jun 2012 07:03 AM PDT
We has broad details of the Optimus 4X HD's European launch from LG Korea a few days back, but today brings confirmation that the device is launching right now in Germany. Other European territories won't be far behind, though, as LG promises the 4X HD will arrive in the Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and Italy soon afterwards. The closest we have to a UK release date comes from online retailer Clove Technology, which says it's been informed of a "mid-to-late July" launch window. UK mobile networks have yet to announce availability for the device. LG's new flagship comes with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display and Android 4.0, topped off with LG's Optimus UI 3.0. For more on the Optimus 4X HD, be sure to check out our hands-on previews from Mobile World Congress and CTIA. We've got today's press release after the break. More: Clove 
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| Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case for LG Thrill 4G, Optimus 3D Posted: 11 Jun 2012 06:22 AM PDT
The Seidio SURFACE Case is available for just $16.95, 43% off the regular price today only. Grab yours while supplies last! 
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| Sony trades Facebook likes for early Xperia announcement Posted: 11 Jun 2012 06:05 AM PDT
Sony's got a new Xperia smartphone on the horizon, and it's willing to bring its announcement date forward in exchange for a few "likes" on Facebook. At present, all will be revealed next Thursday, June 21, but the company's calling on fans to press a "fast forward" button to bring the announcement forward (naturally, liking the promotion or sharing with friends will also speed things up.) There's also the chance to win the mysterious device, if you're up for clicking a few more buttons and entering your email address. Given the level of buzz Sony is looking to create, we see only one likely candidate for the "next Xperia," as it's being called -- an international version of the Xperia GX, perhaps under a different name. A new flagship product, the GX is currently slated to arrive in Japan next month, so an international variant would be expected to follow. It'd also back up reports of a device codenamed "LT29i" or "Hayabusa," which reportedly features a spec list identical to the GX. According to a Sony roadmap which leaked earlier in the year, the Hayabusa was targeted for a July launch, which would fit perfectly with the announcement window. We'll keep you posted whenever Sony announces its next big thing. Hit the source link if you want to press buttons and move forward a giant animated clock. Source: Sony on Facebook 
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| Monday Brief: WWDC Kicks Off, SGS3 Review, Project SmartGlass, and More! Posted: 11 Jun 2012 05:25 AM PDT | ||
| Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World! Posted: 11 Jun 2012 04:37 AM PDT
It's a new day, a new week, and we're all about to get inundated by headlines proclaiming that Apple is still the Master of the Universe and that we should all just go out and buy iPhones. Well, screw that. Instead, pour a big ol' cup of coffee, put your favorite breakfast pastry in the toaster and listen to the sultry sounds of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, now with more Galaxy S III banter than ever before. (That'll taper off at some point, but not yet.) Plus, we learn about the CrackBerry Kevin World Tour, and we take on more of your e-mails and voicemails! The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that really matters, and explain what's just a bunch of hype. Plus, we answer your e-mails and voicemails. You don't want to miss it. Check out the Android Central Podcast. 
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