Android Central |
- Google I/O 2012: Day -1
- Google I/O 2012 Day 2 Keynote Liveblog!
- Google I/O 2012 Day 1 Keynote Liveblog!
- Nook Color and Tablet getting graphic novels from DC Comics
- 32GB Sprint Galaxy S III pre-orders shipping today
- To-Fu: The Trials of Chi now available for free on Google Play
- Keychain app, Disabling screenshot sound [From the Forums]
- How to get a refund on an app from Google Play beyond the 15 minute time window
- CyanogenMod 9 RC1 released
- Jelly Beans spilled at Bldg. 44
- Sony Xperia P review
- Instagram for Android now lets users automatically share photos they like directly to Facebook
- Jabra BT2080 Bluetooth headset review
- Google I/O 2012 conference app updated as opening day nears
- HTC Connect: seemless audio and visual streaming coming to the 'One Series'
- Mozilla takes the covers off a faster, more powerful Firefox for Android
- Verizon discontinues its Android data widget (update: New one coming for shared data plans)
- Non-Sprint HTC EVO 3Ds getting their Ice Cream Sandwich update
- Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX
- Vizio announces its $99 Co-Star Google TV set-top box, with OnLive gaming included
- Qualcomm announces its own SDK to give devs a leg up on Snapdragon
- The best way to get your Google I/O news!
- Everything Everywhere trialing more 4G sites in the UK
- Scope for Android enters beta, gets a major overhaul in the process
- Jelly Bean expectations, Hulu+ on the One X [From the Forums]
| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:45 PM PDT
A giant pin stuck smack in Moscone West can mean only one thing. Google I/O is here! Everybody's favorite search engine/Internet Giant is, of course, having its annual developer conference in San Francisco this week. And, of course, we're here to bring it all to you as it happens, live and in living color. We're at Day -1. Things don't really get going until morning, at which time we'll be back at 9:30 a.m. PDT for the Day 1 keynote. (Go ahead and bookmark that, and our Day 2 keynote liveblog as well.) In the meantime, ease on past the break for a quick photo gallery and an appearance from yours truly. (And be sure to actually watch the video -- there might be a little giveaway involved.) It's gonna be a hell of a week. 
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| Google I/O 2012 Day 2 Keynote Liveblog! Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:37 PM PDT
Here we go again! We're back for the Day 2 keynote address at the Google I/O developer conference. What's in store this time around? Only one way to find out. Ease on past the break for Google's video feed and our liveblog. Things get going at the following times:
Check this space Thursday morning as we get it done once more! 
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| Google I/O 2012 Day 1 Keynote Liveblog! Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:34 PM PDT
Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! We're up and ready and raring to go at Moscone West in San Francisco. We've got the Google I/O Day 1 keynote address coming your way, after the break. This one's going to be a little different, though. Unlike a lot of keynotes, Google's streaming this one live, and you can watch it with us after the break. (Might even be able to see the back of our heads.) That also means we don't have to set our keyboards on fire trying to type every little word, which is nice. That also means we'll have more time free to let you know what's really going on, behind the scenes and between the lines. So break on through to the other side, and let's kick off this crazy ride. The keynote begins June 27 at the following times:
Got it? Good. Let's go! Check back in here Wednesday! 
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| Nook Color and Tablet getting graphic novels from DC Comics Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:28 PM PDT
DC Comics fans will be able to get their fix from Barnes and Noble now, as over 100 graphic novels are to be available for download from Nook Comics. The Nook Android application is also included. To enhance the reading experience, Barnes and Noble is also introducing a new "Zoom View" feature. This allows the readers to zoom to one specific panel at a time, and then read the novel panel by panel in this way. This sounds pretty sweet, reading comic books on a small screen has never been the most enticing prospect. Following on from a similar partnership with Marvel last year, it's clear that Barnes and Noble is making the effort to close the gap to the market leaders -- the Kindle Fire and the iPad -- as a digital comic reading device. Available titles are to include Watchmen, All Star Superman, The Sandman and the first storylines from the New 52. via Techcrunch 
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| 32GB Sprint Galaxy S III pre-orders shipping today Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:54 PM PDT
Good news for anyone who has pre-ordered a 32GB Samsung Galaxy S III on Sprint -- it shall be in your hands very soon! Taking to their Galaxy S III community forum to deliver the good news, the message reads simply: “All 32GB Pre-ordered Samsung Galaxy SIII 32 GB phones are scheduled to ship today. Interested in the status of your order? Go to sprint.com/myorder to check. As more details become available, we will post them on the community as quickly as possible.” Are you waiting on one of these or already received one? Shout out in the comments below and let us know your thoughts. Source: Sprint Community 
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| To-Fu: The Trials of Chi now available for free on Google Play Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:16 PM PDT
To-Fu: The Trials of Chi has had a good run on iOS and the BlackBerry PlayBook and finally, it has arrived on the Google Play Store for free. If you're not familiar with the game, you get to play as To-Fu who has some incredible martial arts skills that you'll need to master in order to get through 150 levels of fun in 5 different settings. The concept of the game is to stretch, ping, stick & rebound To-Fu off different walls and objects as you collect the gems and reach the Fortune Kitty. Overall, it's a pretty fun game once you get the grasp of how to fling To-Fu around accurately, below you'll find the Android gameplay video for you to check out as well as the download link. Download: To-Fu: The Trials Of Chi 
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| Keychain app, Disabling screenshot sound [From the Forums] Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:39 PM PDT
Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.
If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today. 
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| How to get a refund on an app from Google Play beyond the 15 minute time window Posted: 26 Jun 2012 01:42 PM PDT See, sometimes there is method to my madness! After being a Turns out that's not the case though. While the 15 minute refund is a no-hassle, no-questions asked refund policy, you can actually request an app refund beyond the 15 minute time window. As I type this it's almost 30 hours after I bought the Vuvuzela app, and I just requested the refund and was issued it within minutes. I'm sure many of you out there are familiar with this process already, but for those who are not keep reading for the details! 
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| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 12:41 PM PDT
The day has finally arrived, as the CyanogenMod team announced that 37 devices are receiving RC1 of CM9 today. This is a milestone, to be sure, as these builds should be more stable than any nightlies that have come before it. The issue tracker is also open now, so those of you that install this can report bugs and keep up on the progress of the fixes. In the blog post, the team states that it took 225 days to get to this point since the release of Ice Cream Sandwich source code (and since work began), and because of the major changes Google made to Android they took the time to rework a ton of code for behind the scenes stuff. The changes they've made should make it easier to accept code changes and add new devices, because the "core" OS has been stabilized. Be sure to hit up your respective devices forums section to report back on your experience if you decide to flash this. Source: CyanogenMod 
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| Jelly Beans spilled at Bldg. 44 Posted: 26 Jun 2012 10:48 AM PDT | ||
| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 09:25 AM PDT
Can build quality and multimedia chops redeem a phone lacking the latest version of Android? Find out as we take a closer look at the Sony Xperia P.The fact that we’re starting to see dual-core phones at entry-level price points is a testament to the tremendous pace at which smartphone technology is advancing. Last year this kind of multiprocessing horsepower was reserved for only the most expensive handsets, but as we cross over into the second half of 2012, we’re increasingly seeing these chips in mid-range and low-end phones too. One such device is the Sony Xperia P. Sitting between the Xperia S and Xperia U in terms of specs and price, the Xperia P is the middle child in Sony’s Xperia NXT series. It aims to differentiate itself with its own unique take on the Xperia NXT “transparent element” design, using an aluminum chassis. It also offers few extra whistles and bells, including NFC support and an 8MP EXMOR R camera. But there’s a “but” coming, and if you’ve read our Xperia S and Xperia U reviews, you’ll probably have correctly guessed that the Xperia P ships with the 18-month-old Android 2.3 Gingerbread, as opposed to the newer 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So is this a deal-breaker, or does Sony offer enough added value in other areas for this to be overlooked until the update arrives? Find out below, in our full review of the Sony Xperia P. 
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| Instagram for Android now lets users automatically share photos they like directly to Facebook Posted: 26 Jun 2012 09:18 AM PDT
When Facebook acquired Instagram nearly three months ago now, we knew there would be some enhanced Facebook integration coming eventually. As it so happens, eventually is right now as the latest Instagram for Android update allows users to automatically share photos they like directly to Facebook. But as iMore's Leanna Lofte points out, there are more than a few privacy concerns associated with this. Once you've opted into Facebook sharing, there's no way to control how far they can be shared --
So there's that. Other bug fixes are included too. The app now allows for searching of users and tags in the Explore tab but Facebook wants to be front and center with this release. The update is available for download right now so load up the Google Play Store or grab it from the link you'll find below. Download: Instagram for Android 
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| Jabra BT2080 Bluetooth headset review Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:44 AM PDT
Using a Bluetooth headset – especially when you drive – should be standard practice. If you want the safety of hands free without breaking the bank, look at the Jabra BT2080. More and more states are adopting laws that impose heavy fines for those who operate their phones while driving. While not getting caught and not having to pay a fine are certainly good motivators, the biggest one should be safety. A distracted driver is a dangerous driver and a dangerous driver is someone we want to avoid – not someone we strive to become. 
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| Google I/O 2012 conference app updated as opening day nears Posted: 26 Jun 2012 07:21 AM PDT
Right now at this very second there is ton of Android fans from everywhere (Hey! That's us!) are headed to San Francisco's Moscone West to partake in Google I/O 2012 and to help make some of the magic happen, Google has now updated the official I/O 2012 conference app with a slew of new features for attendees and wannabe attendees alike. So what's been updated since it was originally released? Here's the official changelog
Word has it the last addition is Phil's favorite. If you haven't already grabbed the update, go ahead and do so right now. We'll be there bringing you all the best content from Moscone West in San Francisco Be sure to call in sick from work and follow along with us, we've got plenty of expectations that will hopefully be fulfilled. Download: Google I/O 2012 Conference App 
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| HTC Connect: seemless audio and visual streaming coming to the 'One Series' Posted: 26 Jun 2012 07:02 AM PDT
As more and more people switch to using smartphones the need for improved streaming increases. HTC have today announced '"HTC Connect," a new program designed to offer people a seamless visual and audio experience when using a HTC device, whether at home or in their car. Pioneer Electronics are the first company to partner with HTC on the new project and will provide HTC Connect certified devices. The HTC One series of phones will be among the first devices to support the new feature but I sense (no pun intended) that this new program could be around for years to come. You can see the full press release below: 
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| Mozilla takes the covers off a faster, more powerful Firefox for Android Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:40 AM PDT
Just last week Mozilla took to Twitter to announce something big for Android was coming our way. Of course, the Firefox logo being used in the promotional material was a dead give way but that didn't stop the speculation from happening. With it now being "next week", Mozilla has taken the covers off what they had to announce and sure enough (as some guessed and was earlier confirmed) it's a revamping of Firefox for Android. Moving out of beta status, the latest Firefox for Android boasts plenty of improvements over previously available versions. In fact, the Firefox development team has gone ahead and redesigned the whole thing. Faster browsing, better security, better memory management plus, much more. To put it simply -- a completely re-engineered Firefox for Android. Having put previous versions to the test and living the re-engineered version for the past few days, it's easy for me to say this latest release is more in line with what one would have expected from the Firefox team with their Android offerings. Pages render much better now thanks to the code being native and Firefox making use of the GPU directly, while text looks as it should even on smaller screened devices and crazy zoomed in rendering no longer happens even on larger devices, like the Samsung Galaxy Note. If you've given Firefox a go before and ended up ditching it for lack of flash (which by the way, is now included), poor memory management or bad rendering, go ahead and give the latest release a try. The update is available for download right now in the Google Play Store and let us know your thoughts on how the Firefox for Android team did with this version. If you need some video it in action, jump below where you'll a overview video along with the full press release from Mozilla. Download: Firefox For Android 
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| Verizon discontinues its Android data widget (update: New one coming for shared data plans) Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:33 AM PDT
Just a quick heads up to you Verizon peeps -- who by now should have seen this -- that Big Red apparently is discontinuing its "My Verizon Data Widget." That's the handy little tool that would show your data usage right on your homescreen, without having to navigate VZW's website to find the same info. It was a handy little bugger, especially in a day and age when unlimited data's going the way of the dinosaurs. We also can't help but wonder if Thursday's launch of Verizon's "Share Everything" shared data plans has anything to do with this? Hopefully we'll see an update widget soon. Verizon (and all the carriers) needs to make seeing where you're money's going as transparent as possible. Update: And just as we suspected, this widget's being deprecated so that Verizon can roll out a new one for its new shared data plans. Thanks, Brandan! Thanks, Adam and Broken007! 
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| Non-Sprint HTC EVO 3Ds getting their Ice Cream Sandwich update Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:30 AM PDT
If you're rocking an EVO 3D outside the United States, know this: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is heading your way right ... about ... now! But what about Sprint? While the phones are mostly the same on the outside, you have to remember that the internals are different -- and the EVO 3D in the United States is controlled by Sprint, and not the magical GSM fairies from abroad. And that means it's not surprising that they're on different update guidelines. Same as if Sprint got the update before all the GSM rest-of-world models. One doesn't affect the other. But any update is a good one. Hit the link below to see what all the fuss is about. More: EVO 3D forums 
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| Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:21 AM PDT
The Mobi Crystal Case is available for just $4.95, 75% off today only. Get yours while supplies last! 
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| Vizio announces its $99 Co-Star Google TV set-top box, with OnLive gaming included Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:26 AM PDT
Vizio this morning announced its Google TV set-top box. Dubbed Co-Star Stream Player (Vizio really could have stopped at "Co-Star"), the $99 box has all the features we've come to know and love from Google TV. And as an added bonus, Vizio has thrown in OnLive gaming. A universal remote and Bluetooth keyboard around things out nicely. Aside from all the usual services, we're still waiting to hear exactly what's powering this thing. The Co-Star Stream Player will be available for preorder in July at Vizio's website, with free shipping for a limited time. More: Co-Star specs 
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| Qualcomm announces its own SDK to give devs a leg up on Snapdragon Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:10 AM PDT
Qualcomm this morning announced the Snapdragon SDK at its Uplinq conference, "giving developers and device makers the ability to differentiate their applications on devices by exposing a new set of value-added features." Kinda makes you wonder what they were doing with them before, but SDKs, in are opinion, are good things any day of the week. So what kind of things can hardware manufacturers (who really should have access to all this stuff anyway -- Qualcomm's just making it easier) have at their disposal? Here's another handy bullet list.
Some of these features should be plenty familiar, of course. Face-detection is nothing new, but Qualcomm's been giving it a big push in recent months. Same for burst photos, which you can find on just about any new phone. The SDK's in preview right now, with the full release coming later this year. We've got the full presser after the break. 
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| The best way to get your Google I/O news! Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT
It's just about time, folks. One more day and Google's annual developer conference kicks off Wednesday morning at Moscone West in San Francisco. But how to follow all the Google I/O news? (And there's going to be a lot. Let's break it down in handy bullet points.
And for those of you at Moscone West, be sure to say hi! It's gonna be a great week. 
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| Everything Everywhere trialing more 4G sites in the UK Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:30 AM PDT
The future of 4G in the UK gets slightly closer with Everything Everywhere detailing a further trial of the new technology in Cumbria has now gone live. I realize that in many parts of the world having LTE is not a new thing but in good old Blighty we are somewhat lagging behind. Everything Everywhere have already conducted one successful trial of 4G in Cornwall where they not only achieved some impressive speeds but also provided a rural community with mobile broadband in an area which barely had any kind of broadband at all. A faster network can only help improve the Android market share. Now we just have to wait for the government to give Everything Everywhere the go-ahead to roll out the service nationwide and have the LTE chips built into future handsets. I had a meeting with the company last month where they explained that they are already installing the necessary hardware into current cell sites throughout the UK, ready for the 'big switch on' whenever that may be. Fingers crossed for the end of the year. You can see today's press release after the break. 
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| Scope for Android enters beta, gets a major overhaul in the process Posted: 25 Jun 2012 07:06 PM PDT
Socialscope is something of an enigma in the mobile, social networking world. First arriving on BlackBerry, before progressing over to Android, the application has always required an invitation to use. As such, it has gained an air of notoriety. You can't get in, so you want in. Development work on the Android iteration has been ongoing since the initial release of Alphascope back in November. The last update brought a significant visual upgrade, but nothing like the latest efforts. Now rebranded simply as Scope, as the application progresses to beta things are a whole lot different. We've been on the inside for sometime now as various versions have been tested, so we're pleased to be able to finally give you our first impressions. First up is additional service support. Besides the already supported Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, Tumblr is now supported as well. Instagram is still viewing only, although that is to be expected. Scope fits the bill for all though, be they social juggernauts or more casual users. The main homescreen lists all your different services, providing each with a colorful icon with which to identify them. Scope is a joy to navigate, with a swipe-oriented approach to navigation and a gorgeous UI. The way the content is displayed is really well done. Photos are displayed big, and bold, and can almost take over your timeline at times. Think about the new Google+ app, turn the dial a little more, and we're somewhere close. And, that is a big positive for Scope. It breaks down all your social content into various sub-categories, allowing you to simply swipe between them. Besides breaking it down by service, content can be viewed by type. Scope will highlight any posts that are posting photos, or videos, or check-ins, breaking each off into their own category. Additionally to swiping between adjoining pages, tapping the blue button in the bottom right brings up a scrollable dock at the bottom of the screen. This allows quick switching between the various categories, just without the page swiping. There's definitely more than one way of achieving the same objective, but it's all so nicely done. It's pretty fast too, and very smooth. Eventually, Scope will become open to all, and it should take a place on everyones "to try" list. For an all in one social app, Scope is going to be hard to top. And, this is from an application still in beta. If you can snag an invitation, then do. Not just because everyone likes to be in on something closed off from the masses, but because it's a really impressive application. In the meantime, we've got a selection of screenshots for you after the break. And, if you've got an account, or, an invite, head on over to the Play Store now to download a copy. Download: Scope for Android 
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| Jelly Bean expectations, Hulu+ on the One X [From the Forums] Posted: 25 Jun 2012 07:06 PM PDT
Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.
If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today. 
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