Android Central |
- TouchWiz Nature UX: The definitive guide
- Galaxy S III release partially delayed on Sprint; T-Mobile reportedly splits launch to two dates
- Reminder: Win one of four Samsung Galaxy S IIIs!
- MiHome Launcher [Android App Review]
- Orange primed to advertise the San Diego
- Case-Mate Tough Case for HTC EVO 4G LTE
- Huawei Honour now available in the UK through independent retailers
- 'With great power, comes great responsibility' - The Amazing Spider-Man launching June 28
- Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Samsung Infuse 4G
- Google+ opening its API to Flipboard, integration coming soon
- 'You are on day 629 of your 30-day trial' - Winzip makes its debut on Android
- Google Wallet not playing nice with the HTC EVO 4G LTE
- Google 'accelerating' development of its own voice assistant, WSJ reports
- Late-night poll: Did the Microsoft Surface get you interested?
- ZTE announce the Grand X LTE (T82) bound for Asia Pacific and Europe
- Microsoft announces the Surface tablet [the competition]
| TouchWiz Nature UX: The definitive guide Posted: 19 Jun 2012 03:39 PM PDT
Want to get to grips with the new version of Samsung's TouchWiz software on the Galaxy S III? We’ve got all the info you could ever want...Samsung’s Galaxy S III introduces a new version of the manufacturer’s UI layer, known as TouchWiz. TouchWiz has its roots in Samsung’s Symbian featurephones and Windows Mobile smartphones, but most Android fans will recognize it as the software that Samsung used on its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II devices. TouchWiz has typically been brighter and more feature-packed than vanilla Android, if a little scattershot in terms of overall design. Nevertheless, millions of consumers have used the software on Samsung devices over the past few years, making it one of the most popular Android “skins” out there. And for its latest flagship phone, Samsung has unveiled a brand new version -- the “TouchWiz Nature UX.” Drawing design cues from Samsung’s “inspired by nature” slogan, the new TouchWiz has undergone a visual overhaul, and introduced a truckload of new features. At the same time, the manufacturer’s stripped out some of the extraneous apps and widgets found in TouchWiz 4 in an effort to make things more streamlined (though many of these extras are still available for download under “more services”). So there’s a lot to learn, and plenty of new functionality to discover. Fortunately, we’re here to help with our definitive guide to Samsung’s TouchWiz Nature UX. Getting started with TouchWiz | Notification bar | Home screens | Personalization | Lock screen | 
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| Galaxy S III release partially delayed on Sprint; T-Mobile reportedly splits launch to two dates Posted: 19 Jun 2012 02:28 PM PDT
Sprint has announced that it is "running a little behind on deliveries" of the Samsung Galaxy S III. The 16GB versions will be available from Telesales and online on June 21 as advertised, and pre-orders will ship this week. They also say that the 32GB versions will be shipped out for customers who pre-ordered next week, but again with no word about in-store sales.
This comes shortly after word leaked out to TMo News that the T-Mobile version release was being split into two parts, with a June 21 date for the top markets and a June 27 date for everyone else. We're not sure why the Sprint release was delayed, and they're not saying, but according to T-Mobile the release date was split to try and meet demand. We've reached out to all major US carriers to get any updates to their release schedules. As we mentioned when reporting that Canadian GSIIIs were being held back, we're not sure that we're getting the full story when told the delays are to help meet demand. Surely it's not some vast conspiracy, but we'd like nothing more than knowing the full story behind this date juggling. We'll keep asking, and when we can ferret out an answer you'll be the first to know. 
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| Reminder: Win one of four Samsung Galaxy S IIIs! Posted: 19 Jun 2012 01:04 PM PDT
The Samsung Galaxy S III is the new hotness, and you wouldn't want to miss a chance to win one, right? RIGHT? Heck no you wouldn't! And we're just about a week away from the day when we give not one, not two, but four shiny new GSIIIs to four lucky winners. Entering is easy and fun -- print out Lloyd, take him somewhere cool, and pose with him for a photo. Then there's some e-mailing involved, and you've entered. Click here to read all the rules and what-nots. Go out and have a good time with Lloyd (careful, he's a party animal). Capture the evidence and win an awesome new phone from your pals here at AC. It's as simple as it sounds, a lot of fun, and has a bad-ass prize at the end. 
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| MiHome Launcher [Android App Review] Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:18 PM PDT
The MIUI ROM's by Xiaomi are an interesting take on Android, offering up something pretty different to everyone else. It isn't to everyone's tastes, but it's bright and colorful, simple, and very well designed. But, not everyone is into flashing ROM's and all that hack-foolery. We've already seen the MiLocker application hit the Play Store, and now the launcher has been separated off and released too as MiHome. There's a ton of launchers out there these days, but MiHome is pretty individual. We'll take you through it after the break. 
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| Orange primed to advertise the San Diego Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:28 AM PDT It looks like Orange are all set to start a new TV advertising campaign soon featuring the San Diego. The above video was released earlier today on their YouTube channel and it would appear that they have put in quite an effort into making the commercial. Orange are clearly very proud of their Intel powered own-branded Android device and rightly so as offers great value for money. Available for only £199 on pay-as-you-go plus a £10 top up, the San Diego may not be one to outshine the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S III or the HTC One X, but for consumers on a budget looking for a pretty powerful and fast Android device it could be the perfect device for them. If you missed our video walkthrough with the Orange San Diego you catch up with it here. 
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| Case-Mate Tough Case for HTC EVO 4G LTE Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:11 AM PDT
The HTC EVO 4G LTE just set you back anywhere from $199 to $549; spending a small portion of that to protect it makes lots of “sense.”The HTC EVO 4G LTE feels great in the hand. While it certainly seems well built and sturdy, I would not be very happy if I dropped this – either on the face of the device or on the back with the protruding camera lens. A good case makes me feel better about the investment in the phone and it is good insurance against the unforeseen. 
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| Huawei Honour now available in the UK through independent retailers Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:45 AM PDT
Huawei today announced that the Honour, its 4-inch, Gingerbread-powered smartphone, is now available in the UK through independent retailers. Don't let the British spelling fool you-- the Honour is the same device we reviewed back in January, complete with 1.4 Ghz Snapdragon processor, and 8 MP camera. Huawei says that the Honour will bring honorable (sorry, couldn't resist) battery life to the UK, though we had less-than-stellar results during our time with the device. Regardless, we thought the Honour was a respectable device, and with a £250 unlocked pricetag, it just got a bit more attractive. You can grab your Honour today at Expansys, Clove Technology and Play.com, with more retailers "coming soon." Source: CoolSmartPhone.com
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| 'With great power, comes great responsibility' - The Amazing Spider-Man launching June 28 Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:10 AM PDT This summer is shaping up to be a feast for comic book geeks and general action film lovers alike, with titles like The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man. Both are set to get official mobile games from Gameloft, and both will be coming to Android around the time of the movie launches. Today on their official YouTube channel, Gameloft has posted the "prologue" to the Amazing Spider-Man. It gives us the background -- although we all know that already, right? -- and some more gameplay action. The gameplay looks pretty good, a large, open, 3D world to web-sling through to your hearts content. There's also some bad guys to fight should you feel the urge. Also from the video, we get the release date for the title. The Amazing Spider-Man will be launching on Android on June 28. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer. Source: Gameloft (YouTube) 
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| Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Samsung Infuse 4G Posted: 19 Jun 2012 06:33 AM PDT
The Mobi Crystal Case is available for just $2.95, 85% off today only. Supplies are limited so get yours today! 
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| Google+ opening its API to Flipboard, integration coming soon Posted: 19 Jun 2012 06:28 AM PDT
Bradley Horowitz, the man pulling the strings behind Google+, has been speaking today at the LeWeb 12 conference in London. Several partners were announced for the social platform, including Buddy Media, Hootsuite, Context Optional, Hearsay Social, Involver and Vitrue, who are all now "trusted partners." Perhaps more interesting though, is the addition of Flipboard to that list. Opening up the Google+ API to Flipboard will mean a proper integration of the two platforms. Users of Flipboard will soon be able to comment on, and +1 Flipboard articles, as well as sending Flipboard content to their Google+ circles. It's pretty big news, especially considering that it somewhat steps on the toes of Google's own news application, Google Currents -- in which Android Central has over 380,000 subscribers, so thank you! Obviously, being a Google application, Currents already has a leg up in this area, todays news just means that Flipboard will be on a more level playing field when it comes to Google+. It's a smart move though, Flipboard is going to be huge, and why would we want to share on Facebook and not Google+? The other question this raises, is whether or not Google are getting closer to releasing the Google+ API publicly. This has to be a step in the right direction, and who knows, maybe something will be announced at Google IO next week? via Techcrunch 
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| 'You are on day 629 of your 30-day trial' - Winzip makes its debut on Android Posted: 19 Jun 2012 06:06 AM PDT
No free trial period will be 'required' on this one folks. That old, old PC application, Winzip, has finally made its debut on Android. It's been around on iOS for a while now, but in its absence on Android there have been other, and some would say better, file zip solutions released on Android. In any case, Winzip is one of those long standing names, and for many people it is zip files, so it's nice that it finally showed up. That is, if it was a particularly polished application. Which, sorry to say, it isn't. The back key for example, instead of going up a layer, seems to solely want to exit the application. Frustrating to say the least. The top features of Winzip for Android reads as:
In theory it sounds great, but the niggles such as the back button are sure to infuriate potential heavy users. But, it is only the first version, so hopefully it will get fixed. In any case, it's out now, it's free -- no trial period required -- and is available for Android 2.1 and above. If you're into zipping and unzipping, head on over to the Google Play Store and try it out for yourselves. Download: Winzip for Android 
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| Google Wallet not playing nice with the HTC EVO 4G LTE Posted: 19 Jun 2012 05:14 AM PDT
Google Wallet is acting up again, and this time it seems like everyone with an EVO 4G LTE is either locked out of the app or unable to install it because they have an unsupported device in an equally unsupported country. Never mind the fact that the device was support previously, and the EVO 4G LTE is sold only in the lone supported country. Unfortunately, those are the only two things anyone outside of Google and Sprint are sure of. Could the app be blocked purposely for an imminent roll-out of Sprint's own Touch Wallet service? While that's possible, it's just as likely that there's an error and this is a bug -- Google Wallet has been pretty temperamental. If you ask Wallet support, they will respond thusly:
Since that's all we really have to go with, we're gonna call it growing pains. Sure wish Wallet would finish growing ... Discuss in the EVO 4G LTE forums 
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| Google 'accelerating' development of its own voice assistant, WSJ reports Posted: 19 Jun 2012 02:32 AM PDT
There's no denying that iOS's Siri has been a huge success for Apple, usability issues aside. And it's no real secret that Google's been working on its own voice assistant tech at its top-secret Google X Lab for some time. So today's report that Google is reportedly speeding up work on its own interactive assistant will make for interesting, if unsurprising reading. Near the end of a The Wall Street Journal article examining the state of the smartphone ecosystem is the news that Google is "accelerating plans to launch its own Siri competitor" for Android devices. The WSJ reports that, naturally, Google's assistant would work on Android devices, citing "people familiar with the matter." While major mobile platforms borrowing each others' features is to be expected (hey there, S Voice), rumors surrounding Google's "Assistant" project have hinted at more than a mere aping of Siri's functionality. Google's ultimate goal, it's been reported, is more akin to the Star Trek computer than an app for looking up weather forecasts and setting reminders. As with all developing Google technologies, there's a chance we may see something of Google's Assistant tech at Google IO next week, however we think this one's probably going to be a slower burn, even if the pace of development has quickened. Perhaps something for Android 5.0 or beyond? Let us know what you think in the comments. Source: The Wall Street Journal 
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| Late-night poll: Did the Microsoft Surface get you interested? Posted: 18 Jun 2012 10:28 PM PDT
Microsoft came back to life this evening, at least for a little bit. They showed off their latest idea, namely the Microsoft Surface, and have made a pretty big splash on the Interwebz. It's not quite what we expected from a Windows 8 tablet, but for the most part Microsoft delivered (or will be delivering) what a lot of people were asking for -- some parity between the desktop and mobile. Be sure to read the front page of WPCentral to see all there is to see about the Microsoft Surface. But is it too little, too late? Let's be honest, Windows Phone 7 looks pretty damn nice. It's still behind the curve in some features, but there's nothing there that we can look at and say, "I understand why it's not selling -- XXX is horrible." People just don't seem to be interested on the same level they are with Android and iOS. Believe it or not, that makes us sad -- a strong third player means the top two have to try harder, and we benefit when they try harder. But today's news was different it seems. People were excited about a Microsoft product again. So what say you, loyal readers and late-night poll respondents? Did you see anything to get excited about? Tell us in tonight's poll. 
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| ZTE announce the Grand X LTE (T82) bound for Asia Pacific and Europe Posted: 18 Jun 2012 07:46 PM PDT
Since making the decision to sell its own brand smartphone as opposed to unbranded ones for carriers, ZTE has been making huge headway. This latest offering, the Grand X LTE (T82) is the companies first single chip LTE smartphone and could well go down a storm in certain markets. Specs wise the Grand X LTE is pretty impressive, sporting a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, an 8 megapixel rear camera, capable of shooting and playing back video in full 1080p HD and a front camera with 720p powers. It's 1900 mAp battery is said to be 'large capacity' by ZTE, however I come from the UK and unfortunately we are still lacking LTE technology here so whether this will get you through the day I have no idea. ZTE smartphones tend to be very reasonably priced here in the UK. I wonder if things will be so keen in Asia and the rest of Europe? You can see the full press release below: Source: ZTE 
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| Microsoft announces the Surface tablet [the competition] Posted: 18 Jun 2012 05:03 PM PDT
Steve Ballmer and company announced the Microsoft Surface, a 10.6-inch 1.5 pound Windows 8 tablet, this evening in Los Angeles. Complete with a kickstand, and a Transformer-esque "cover" with a magnetic docking system and a tactile keyboard. We'll have to admit -- it's intriguing. It's also coming at a time when Microsoft is floundering in the mobile space with their smartphone offerings, and needs to hit one out of the park. The hardware comes from Microsoft themselves, who made a big to-do about controlling both the hardware and the software of the Surface, and that's going to compete with their long-time partners like Samsung and HP, and more directly ASUS -- who has a knack for building great convergent tablet/laptop devices.. We're pretty certain we'll see similar models from other OEM's in the near future, but tonight was all about Microsoft. What's probably most interesting is the fact that you'll be able to use the same full-featured programs you use today on a Windows computer on the Surface. That's a big deal, and gives this one some potential that more mobile-oriented tablets from Apple and Android OEM's simply lack. The Surface is more of a laptop competitor than a tablet competitor, and may force others to up the specs to keep in the running. Give me a tablet I can use to draw diagrams and schematics (or other "heavy" work) and I'm going to look twice. How about you? See anything here that grabs your eye? Hit the source links for more information, and there's a video after the break. Of course you'll find out everything you need to know about Microsoft's new gear at WPCentral. Source: Microsoft 
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