Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Ice Cream Sandwich Build (6.16.211) for DROID RAZR Leaks

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 04:37 PM PDT

Two days ago we reported that Verizon was sending out texts to the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX owners that an update to Ice Cream Sandwich was looming and just around the corner. And today, an ICS build running on the RAZR has leaked with the build number of 6.16.211. Reports state that this is the latest and newest build Motorola has built for the RAZR and RAZR MAXX, thus this could very well be the final build that will be sent out to the public. The Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX are two fine pieces of hardware and the upgrade to ICS will only make it even better. Any RAZR and RAZR MAXX users out there excited about this?

source: DroidLife

Featured Play Store Newbie: Samo Coloring for Kids [Education]

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 01:46 PM PDT

This one is for those of you that have a toddler(s) in the house. It’s called Samo Coloring for Kids and it’s an interactive finger painting coloring book. I don’t have to tell you how hard it is to find simple easy to understand apps for kids. Kudos to the developer, Martin Adamek, for understanding this need. It’s simple and to the point, and children can start creating works of art with little to no instruction.

There are two different coloring modes, and the FILL mode is what I really like. It allows your child to tap within lines and the color automatically fills the area. This actually teaches them to color “between the lines,” and gets them more prepared for the DRAW mode. In DRAW mode, your child paints with their finger and is more freestyle.

With 30 different colors, there’s no shortage of choices for your child. If your child makes a mistake, they can easily undo it, and if you want to save his or her masterpieces, it’s as simple as a tap.

There are 3 sets of illustrations included with the free version. The first set includes six animals, the second set includes 9 shapes, and the 3rd set includes 10 numbers (0-9). For an in app purchase of $2.49 you can unlock 2 more sets for an additional 27 illustrations. For those of you that are wondering if your child could make the in app purchase on their own, it’s unlikely since you need to tap the “BUY ALL IN ONE” option three times consecutively. The developer promises to add more free and paid sets so you don’t have to worry about your child getting bored.

Why not give it a try. It’s free so you’ve got nothing to lose. Hit one of the links below to download and check out the video below of it in action.

Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_01 Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_02 Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_03 Samo_Coloring_for_Kids_04 Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_05 Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_06 Samo_Coloring_For_Kids_07

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Play Store Download Link

Gameloft Releases “The Amazing Spider-Man” Prologue Trailer for Upcoming Android and iOS Game

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Earlier this month, we reported that Gameloft would release another movie/video game tie-in with their latest creation, “The Amazing Spider-Man”.  Nothing here should be new as most of us are already quite familiar with the story of Spider-Man and Peter Parker. With Gameloft behind it, you can also expect some amazing game play all while using your web to scale New York City to tie up some bad guys.

The video below will show you a short preview of the action-packed game play and the graphics look incredible nonetheless. For a second there, I even thought it was for a console, not a mobile device. You should expect this to hit both Android and iOS on June 28th, just days before the blockbuster movie will be released.

Click here to view the embedded video.

CyanogenMOD 7.2 Released to Dozens of Devices

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:36 PM PDT

The CyanogenMOD team has released a statement regarding their latest Gingerbread builds being released to the masses. The build number is 7.2 and should be ready to download through their website if your phone is supported. This new build should include numerous ICS features being back-ported to your GB device, as well as numerous fixes and enhancements. Also, this could very well be the last CM7 build for certain devices as the team will start moving some devices to CM9 (ICS) in the near future, which is certainly not a bad thing.

We’ve all enjoyed the quality and feature filled ROM that is CyanogenMOD, thus I expect nothing but wonderful things with this new update. Hit up their site to see if your device is supported with this new build! Also, keep note that they are still updating the device compatibility list. So if you don’t see your device in the supported list as of now, that could very well change in the next couple of days as the team is rolling out the update.

CyanogenMOD 7.2

Sharp Teams Up With Frog To Create “Feel UX”

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:22 PM PDT

Sharp has announced that they have teamed up with the company Frog to help them create their new Android UI overlay. They have dubbed it “Feel UX” and they claim it to be “highly personalized” and “visually stunning”. Of course, anything should be an upgrade from their previous efforts in their AQUOS line. This whole new UI should land in their new line of AQUOS smartphone’s by this summer starting in Japan. No word yet if it will ever reach the America side as their previous smartphone’s have never made it to the US for that matter. Sharp claims that Feel UX will include photo browsing and widget functionality without unlocking devices and “real-time weather display motion experience and animation.” This already sounds familiar to Sense, but I commend Sharp for giving it a shot and creating something new. Head over to the video below to see a preview of their new UI. Personally, it looks a little too clustered for my taste, but I can definitely see it hitting a certain fan base. What do you guys think about it?

Full press release after the break:

frog Redefines Android Experience

The new Sharp AQUOS smartphones with Feel UX, designed by frog, will be available in Japan summer of 2012.

TOKYO, June 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Leading design and innovation firm frog today announced that it has partnered with Sharp Corporation (Sharp) to create “Feel UX”, a new Android smartphone experience that is easy to use, highly personalized, and visually stunning. The collaboration brings together a global interdisciplinary team of strategists, designers, and engineers across both companies to design a distinctive and meaningful connected experience for the next generation of Sharp’s AQUOS smartphones.

According to global business analytics firm comScore, four out of five mobile phone users in Japan currently own a feature phone. However, in February 2012, the number of purchased smartphones surpassed the number of feature phones over the same period. This signals an ever-increasing importance for handset manufacturers to design and develop compelling and differentiated smartphone experiences for consumers.

“To capture the expanding market of smartphone users, we wanted the new Sharp AQUOS handsets to be a unique kind of Android experience, to look and feel different and standout from competitors,” said Paul Pugh, Vice President, Creative, Software Innovation at frog. “By simplifying the interaction model and reducing clutter through a more curated experience, it will be immediately apparent to customers how to use the phones and make them more personal. In addition, the design caters to current Android users by giving them new tools to organize and optimize their handsets, while personalizing the phone in ways not previously possible.”

The newly designed “Feel UX” for Sharp’s AQUOS smartphones will be available in Japan during the summer of 2012 and include the following features:

Personalized and innovative lock-screen experience, allowing users to browse photos and widgets without unlocking the devices
Real-time weather display motion experience and animation
Desirable, gender-neutral palette and visuals
Streamlined, curated home space to smoothly manage applications, widgets, and shortcuts

“frog was chosen as Sharp’s innovation partner because of the company’s unique combination of consumer insights, strategy, design, and software engineering capabilities,” said Itsuki Kouchi, Division Deputy General Manager, Global Product Development Center at Sharp. “Through our collaboration with frog, we have adopted an advanced approach to Android’s concept, features, and philosophy, creating a distinctive device that will ultimately increase the life of the product and enhance customer satisfaction.”

<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/43224490?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;color=00c6e9″ width=”400″ height=”300″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Oppo Finder, The World’s Thinnest Smartphone Now Available For Preorder In China

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:21 PM PDT

Those of you waiting to grab the world’s thinnest smartphone will finally have the chance to do so… well in China at least. No I’m not talking about the ZTE “Athena” or that Huawei Ascend P1 silly– I’m talking about the Oppo Finder smartphone. Starting today, those of you living in the Chinese markets will be able to preorder the device for 2,498 yuan or $393 USD. Sounds like an attractive price, but I’m sure many of you are itching to know what you get exactly for that price, right? Well the smartphone features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, an 8MP camera (with 1080P video recording) plus 1.3MP front-facing camera and a heaping scoop of Ice Cream Sandwich— all squeezed into a 6.65mm frame that happens to be the world’s thinnest (for now).

Interested parties will want to head on out to www.oppo.com ASAP— the preorder window will close at 11:59pm on June 24th.

source: Oppo Finder
via: Unwired View

Purdue Researchers Aim to Exterminate “No-Sleep Energy Bugs”

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:12 PM PDT

We all understand there are things we do on our phones that will drain the battery faster. Streaming video, playing games, and using the GPS all cause the juice to flow out faster than we’d like.  When we put our phone to sleep though, we expect the battery to drain very slowly. Software glitches can ruin that dream, sometimes emptying the battery in as little as a few hours. Researchers at Purdue have decided enough is enough, and set out to try to identify and mitigate the problems the bugs cause.

Read about what they found, and how they plan to fix it, after the break.

When smartphones enter sleep mode, they essentially shut down everything like the GPU, processor and the touchscreen.  Some things need to be done occasionally while asleep though, like checking for new Words With Friends updates, so the system has built in APIs that developers can use to perform functions that won’t be affected if the phone is asleep.  In Android, these APIs are called “wakelocks”, and this is where the problem starts for users. When well-meaning developers make an error in the programming, the phone cannot go back to sleep after performing a function and experiences massive battery drain.

The researchers studied 187 Android apps and found that 42 contained errors in the wakelock programming.  Their method detected all known wakelocks, and discovered 30 more that were unknown.  This is the first automatic check that has been developed, and could prevent all developers no matter how skilled from killing your battery while it sits in your pocket.

The researchers have created a modified compiler that can identify these bugs as it is being compiled, but there is no word yet on when (or if) it may become available to developers.

source: Purdue
via: Engadget 

HTC Europe Gives First Official Statement On One X WiFi Issues; Also Casually Mentions That Tegra 3 Versions Are The Only Affected Models

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:39 AM PDT

It’s no secret that HTC One X smartphone has a well-known issue with keeping a WiFi signal. While many of the One X owners out here have complained and subsequently gotten a seemingly reliable fix, owners elsewhere in the world are still having to deal with this nagging and rather irritating glitch. HTC Europe has (finally) taken notice and given out an official statement for owners of the HTC One X smartphone:

“After investigating isolated reports of WiFi connectivity issues in the HTC One X, we have identified a fix that strengthens the area of the phone around the WiFi antennae connection points. While many customers have not experienced any problems with signal strength, we have taken immediate steps to implement a solution in our production process to prevent this issue from happening in the future. HTC is committed to making sure every customer has a great experience and we apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused while we conducted a thorough investigation.”

Looks like HTC is now fully aware and is taking the necessary steps to help the minority of owners who seem to be the most affected by the glitch, except there’s a teeny catch. According to Android Central, an HTC spokesman has mentioned that only the Tegra 3 variants of the smartphone are affected by the WiFi defect. That means if you own the AT&T HTC One X or the HTC One XL versions, you should not be affected by any sort of WiFi issue. On the other hand— another thing to mention is that it seems that many of the Tegra 3 versions of the smartphone out there seem to be working fine, so it’s not quite certain as to how many phones out there are truly affected. One thing’s for sure though— if you have either version of the smartphone and you suspect you might be affected by this WiFi bug, contact HTC customer service immediately and hopefully everything will be resolved for you. In the meantime, we’ll continue to keep you all posted with any further developments regarding this developing saga.

source: Android Central 1 | 2



New Samsung CEO Doesn’t Waste Any Time And Calls For Software Improvements

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:05 AM PDT

There’s no doubt that Samsung has established its position as one of the top smartphone manufacturers, but being on top means it can’t be stagnant. In keeping up with ever-evolving technology and advancements, new Sammy CEO Kwon Oh-hyun took some time to address his new company and it’s ummm… potential software-related shortcomings. Oh-hyun states:

 

“a particular focus must be given to serving new customer experience and value by strengthening soft capabilities in software, user experience, design and solutions.”

 

To dumb everything down: he’s basically saying that he wants to improve the overall look, feel and capabilities of its software. This should come as no surprise as users can point out the latest TouchWiz software which looks rather bland to say the least— despite the fact it’s skinned over Android 4.0. In fact, he probably believes the software on Sammy devices in general are behind, despite the fact Sammy has cutting-edge technology on its devices. Oh and don’t forget… Sammy does have some aces in the hole too such implementing software for its NFC tags, it’s own IM client and of course that possible social networking service we seem to keep hearing about.

Whatever it is the new CEO is envisioning, let’s all hope we see the fruits of his labor sooner than later. After all, Sammy needs to do whatever it takes in order to keep its position on top.

source: Wall Street Journal

Piper Jaffray finds developers prefer Apple over Android in recent flawed survey

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:11 AM PDT

In the ongoing battle of Android vs Apple, it’s clear who the winner is in terms of market share. Nothing is slowing Android down, but analysts are always trying to find something that points towards Android in a negative way. The latest comes from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster who surveyed 100 developers about their thoughts on the different mobile platforms and Apple won hands down.

Out of 100 Apple developers, 55 of them built apps for Android as well. Of those 55 developers building for Android, 84% of them said iOS was best for ease of development. Only 5% of the them preferred Android with 2% favoring Windows, and 9% unsure. As to potential revenue, 64% of those also building for Android said iOS was the preferred OS and again only 5% preferred Android. The rest were unsure or were “uncomfortable” answering the question.

What is most concerning about this survey is that it was taken at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last week. Are you kidding me? I would imagine that most developers at WWDC prefer Apple and that’s why they attended. I wonder if Munster will conduct the same survey at next week’s Google I/O? Most likely not, but would love to hear the results if anyone does.

source: forbes

 
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