Android Central

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• Galaxy Note 10.1 bares all in pre-release unboxing
• Leaked shot shows Verizon Galaxy Nexus getting yet another ICS OTA
• LG's Q Voice expanding to English, coming the first half of next year
• Word Lens review - great translations for single words
• Plex for Android gets updated, adds remote control features for ease of use
• Keeping ideas synced while on the go using my Android device
• UNO & Friends to give classic card game major social overhaul
• How to replace icons on the Home screen dock on the Galaxy S3
• How high is 'unbelievably high' piracy? Dead Trigger dev's not saying
• Minecraft creator sued for patent infringement in Android game
• Samsung Spare Battery Charging System review
• How to use S Memo on the Galaxy S3
• Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!
• Monday Brief: Editors-In-Chief Look Forward
• Staples president alludes to 10-inch Amazon tablet, among other versions
• Deal of the Day: Seidio ACTIVE Extended Case for OEM 2100/2000mAh Extended Battery for Galaxy Nexus
• PSA: Galaxy Nexus GPS problems on Jelly Bean? There's an easy fix
• International Xperia GX (LT29i) sighted in leaked pics
• HTC sells back half of its stake in Beats Audio
• 10 million Galaxy S III phones sold, says Samsung Mobile head
• Google shows off Nexus 7 in new commercial

Galaxy Note 10.1 bares all in pre-release unboxing Posted: 23 Jul 2012 04:25 PM PDT After a hiatus of a few months, during which it's been re-tooled on the inside and outside, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 looks to finally be upon us. As such, we've got the first proper pre-release leak today, in the form of an early unboxing report from South Korean site The Brave Post. Superficially, it's the same Note 10.1 that we first saw at Mobile World Congress back in February -- a Galaxy Tab with Wacom stylus support. But under the hood and around the back, there are a few changes to be found on the final shipping Note 10.1 hardware. First up (and most obvious) is the inclusion of a slot for the S Pen, something lacking on the Note 10.1 prototypes we've previously seen. And the tablet's spec sheet has been freshened up for the third quarter of the year -- it's now sporting a quad-core Exynos chip at 1.4GHz (same as the Galaxy S3), along with 2GB of RAM (up from 1GB). Screen resolution is an unremarkable 1280x800 pixels, but apparently image quality is impressive regardless. The tablet's rear houses a 5MP camera, which is backed up by a single LED flash. If you're concerned about the Note's general heft, then you'll be relieved to hear that it weighs in at 580 grams (compared to the new iPad's 652 grams). Software wise, the Galaxy Note 10.1 looks to be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though that's not specifically confirmed anywhere in the report. We'd be surprised, though, if Samsung had managed to cram Jelly Bean onto there in the couple of weeks since the code dropped. As ever, Android comes liberally decorated with the latest version of TouchWiz for tablets, which seems to have been updated with a few Galaxy S3-style widgets, including AccuWeather. The most interesting inclusion is phone support, allowing you to text from the Note 10.1 or use it as a giant speakerphone. It's unclear how this works at this stage, though -- whether the device connects to other phones over Bluetooth, or if it makes calls using whichever SIM card is directly plugged in, like some earlier Galaxy Tabs. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is expected to make its debut at a special Samsung Electronics U.S. event on Aug. 15, though Samsung's not saying for sure what'll be announced there. We also imagine it'll rear its head at the IFA show in Berlin a couple of weeks later. We'll be at both, naturally. Source: The Brave Post; via: The Verge

Leaked shot shows Verizon Galaxy Nexus getting yet another ICS OTA Posted: 23 Jul 2012 04:13 PM PDT   We've received a screenshot from Verizon's systems, showing an OTA in the works for the Galaxy Nexus. According to our tipster, the IMM76Q build is still Ice Cream Sandwich, but looks to have a newer baseband and software version. Any other changes would be pure speculation, but we expect them to be bug fixes and enhancements.  If the IMM76Q tag looks familiar, that's because it's been rumored for about a month. A lone user at XDA reported seeing the update prompt, and users in the Verizon Galaxy Nexus forums say they've been told by Samsung and Verizon that it will address the signal drop issues that plague some users in certain areas.   We know that everyone is champing at the bit to get Jelly Bean on their Verizon Galaxy Nexus, but we're not too surprised at this news. It makes sense for Big Red to get their ducks in a row and address radio issues before they push out a new platform version, potentially full of newer bugs. We'll all keep our eyes and ears open, and hope the update makes headway against the connection issues. Thanks, Anon!

LG's Q Voice expanding to English, coming the first half of next year Posted: 23 Jul 2012 03:27 PM PDT LG is getting into the natural voice computing game with Q Voice, and they say it will be coming to English speakers in the first half of 2013. Using the Wernicke engine, Q Voice uses "reasoning with a probabilistic model to find the best answer", matching the context of the text in addition to using a standard database of correct replies. This should help the Q Voice app act more naturally, no matter what language the user is speaking. In addition to standard voice to text and searching, Q Voice will be able to control device settings, and basically "perform any function [with] the appropriate procedure". We take that to mean that any intent that can be preformed in software can also be performed by Q Voice, which may lead to a very interesting app indeed. Of course, LG has programmed the ability to have a witty, emotional response when faced with a question it can't answer. The example given asks Q Voice what it had for lunch, and the reply is "I ate 220 volts. It was fresh and exciting".  Is there room for yet another Voice assistant app on the market? Of course there is, as long as it brings something new and different to the table. We'll withhold any judgment until we've had a try with this one. Source: LG  Newsroom (Korean)

Word Lens review - great translations for single words Posted: 23 Jul 2012 02:39 PM PDT How well can an Android device translate text locally and in real-time? Word Lens arrived on Android last month, promising the uncanny ability to translate text from a live camera feed from your device. The demo video would have you believe that simply pointing your phone's camera at a sign would magically recreate that sign on your display with fully translated text.  For $4.99, users get two-way translation between English and one language of choice: Spanish, French, or Italian. Anything beyond the first costs an extra $4.99 After the camera focuses on the text you're aiming to translate, a pause button allows users to capture the translated text with each word linked so that you can tap them and see compare it to the translation. read more

Plex for Android gets updated, adds remote control features for ease of use Posted: 23 Jul 2012 02:09 PM PDT Although I'm sure many folks are waiting to see what XBMC on Android will fully offer, there is some pretty good options that already exist in the Google Play Store for streaming content around. One I like to use is Plex and a few days ago, it got a nice healthy update that brought one of the most requested features to Android as well as quite a few bug fixes: Android devices can now be remote controlled. Network logging for troubleshooting Media Info displayed at top of screen when playback controls are visible. Experimental Transcode method (Quicksilver) FIX an issue where sometimes Plex would get stuck on 'Loading' FIX playback issues on some ICS devices (e.g. HTC One) FIX an issue where hints in setup screens were not appearing on some devices FIX weird seekbar skipping behavior The remote control feature is of course, what I was referring to feature wise as it allows you to control various Android devices running Plex from another Android device. Now, I can sit with a tablet connected to the TV and control it with my phone which, makes for a great experience overall. The other big change in the app comes by way of Quicksilver transcoding. It's a new experimental encoding method that Plex is trying out that is specifically tuned for Kindle Fire users to offer better streaming to those devices. As it stands, it's not enabled by default so if you're a Kindle Fire user, you'll need to enable it in the settings. The update is live now, and available for purchase in the Google Play Store. Source: Plex, Download: Plex for Android

Keeping ideas synced while on the go using my Android device Posted: 23 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT Lately I have been looking for various ways to refine how I work, the goal is to have things synced to be able to access from various places. Since I am not always at the computer, or the same computer for that matter, it can be difficult to keep my ideas with me all the time, and even more difficult to continue on an idea that I may have already started. Dropbox has proven to be a great tool for me, I can upload things that I want to be able to access later, and then download them elsewhere, and I have been looking for a tool to compliment that well on Android. When I was using the iPhone 4 there were many note applications that synced directly to Dropbox, but I haven't found any that worked well for me on Android, as most of them require you to save, then upload and that isn't what I was ultimately looking for. Let's hit the break to see how I was able to solve this issue, and what you can download to do the same. read more

UNO & Friends to give classic card game major social overhaul Posted: 23 Jul 2012 01:56 PM PDT Gameloft has just announced a new version of UNO for Android that will launch simultaneously alongside iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and Facebook iterations. UNO & Friends will be, as you might expect, all about multiplayer; the new game will allow players from all of the above platforms to play against one another. Though Gameloft is being shy about screenshots right now, I don't suspect the gameplay will differ much from the original Android game (pictured above). Odds are you've played the original UNO card game at some point, but if not, it's pretty simple - everybody is trying to discard all of the cards from their hand until there are no more to draw from the deck. Cards that are played have to be the same number or the same color as the previous play, though there are lots of action cards that can change the active color, force opponents to draw more cards, and all sorts of other nasty tricks. It's a lot like Crazy Eights.  Gameloft promises Android and iOS versions to and Facebook to be available "later this year" while the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions will come out in spring 2013.  Any big UNO fans out three? Have any buddies with an iPhone you'd like to trounce?

How to replace icons on the Home screen dock on the Galaxy S3 Posted: 23 Jul 2012 11:43 AM PDT Moving the icons you want into your Galaxy S3 homescreen dock is a great way to configure your device in a way that makes sense for you. The Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) is highly configurable. In many ways, the new TouchWiz interface simplifies using the device. In other ways, TouchWiz can make seemingly simple tasks a bit more complicated. Here's how to swap out the apps that are in the homescreen dock on your Samsung Galaxy S3. read more

How high is 'unbelievably high' piracy? Dead Trigger dev's not saying Posted: 23 Jul 2012 10:31 AM PDT This morning Madfinger Games took to Facebook to explain why it lowered Dead Trigger from 99 cents to free. The reasoning? Rampant piracy. "Unbelievably high" piracy, actually. "The piracy rate is soooo giant," the developer continued. One thing, though: We have absolutely no idea what that means.  There always will be piracy. It's unfortunate, but the fact remains that so long as applications can be stolen, they will be stolen. We wish that wasn't the case. How many people stole the 99-cent Dead Trigger? Raise your hands if you dare. Was it 10 instances? One hundred? One thousand? Dead Trigger is currently in the 100,000 to 500,000 download range on its Google Play listing. We've e-mailed Madfinger Games in hopes of getting some more details on this. If 1,000 instances of piracy were noted, that's just 1 percent of the minimum total downloads. We've got an e-mail in to Madfinger seeking some details.  Here's Madfinger's complete statement on moving Dead Trigger to free: Regarding price drop. HERE is our statement. The main reason: piracy rate on Android devices, that was unbelievably high. At first we intend to make this game available for as many people as possible - that's why it was for as little as buck. - It was much less than 8$ for SHADOWGUN but on the other hand we didn't dare to provide it for free, since we hadn't got XP with free-to-play format so far. - However, even for one buck, the piracy rate is soooo giant, that we finally decided to provide DEAD TRIGGER for free. Anyway - DEAD TRIGGER is not FREEMIUM, it always was and still remains FREE-TO-PLAY, that means, all players are able to play it without IAP! We stand up for this statement, because all members of our team are playing (and enjoying) DEAD TRIGGER without IAP. This is important just as it's important in the television industry, where piracy also is a real issue (though more self-inflicted, we'd argue). The vast majority of Android users out there, we presume, don't download pirated apps.  Anyway. Kudos to Madfinger for making a great game even greater by making it free -- not that 99 cents should have kept anyone away. But let's hope the next time the piracy card is played, we see some numbers to back it up. Source: Facebook

Minecraft creator sued for patent infringement in Android game Posted: 23 Jul 2012 09:23 AM PDT Uniloc, a patent protection company specializing in anti-piracy technologies, is suing Mojang, developer of Minecraft, for infringing on an Android-related patent called "System and Method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data". It's basically a system for authenticating license data. The lawsuit reads: Mojang is directly infringing one or more claims of the ’067 patent in this judicial district and elsewhere in Texas, including at least claim 107, without the consent or authorization of Uniloc, by or through making, using, offering for sale, selling and/or importing Android based applications for use on cellular phones and/or tablet devices that require communication with a server to perform a license check to prevent the unauthorized use of said application, including, but not limited to, Mindcraft. (You'd think they could at least get the game's name right.) You can see the full lawsuit over here. Notch, the beloved creator of Minecraft, is vocally against software patents. After getting handed the lawsuit, he wrote up am astute blog post linked below and tweeted:  Software patents are plain evil. Innovation within software is basically free, and it's growing incredibly rapid. Patents only slow it down. — Markus Persson (@notch) July 21, 2012 Ric Richardson, the founder of Australia-based Uniloc, begs to differ.  It amazes me that people complain about paying a royalty for a technology that stops up to a third of a software companies sales from being lost to piracy. What are you saying? "Its all right to steal from Uniloc as long as it helps stop pirates stealing from me? ... I had to spend $40,000 back in 1992 to protect my idea. It was not frivolous for me... it was the difference between having a deposit for a house and having a patent. Uniloc is requesting a jury trial and that Mojang pay in both previous damages and in future royalties. Hopefully Mojang can get away with simply changing the supposedly infringing lines of code. Let's just hope that these Uniloc guys don't start taking their litigations to other app developers. Do you guys agree with Notch that software patents are obtrusive to innovation, or is there a legitimate use for them? Source: The Word of Notch

Samsung Spare Battery Charging System review Posted: 23 Jul 2012 09:23 AM PDT   Your Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) might get you though a full day of use on one charge – but it might not. When most people get a smartphone with the capabilities and beautiful screen of the Galaxy S3, they tend to use it…a lot.  Even though the Galaxy S3 comes with a rather large 2100mAh battery, the size of the screen and the use of LTE can still drain the device before the day is done. read more

How to use S Memo on the Galaxy S3 Posted: 23 Jul 2012 08:05 AM PDT Samsung has put a bunch of proprietary software on the Galaxy S III (S3) and some apps, like S Memo are particularly useful. There are lots of note-taking apps for Android.  Some of them sync with cloud servers like Google Drive and others sync with desktop note-organizing apps like Evernote. Samsung has attempted to create a proprietary note-taking app that syncs with all these services, uploads to Dropbox and allows you to post your notes to your various social media networks. In short, S Memo tries to be all things to all users, and, surprisingly, it does a pretty good job.  read more

Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World! Posted: 23 Jul 2012 07:33 AM PDT Hey, look at that. Another weekend's come and gone. If you've yet to do so, check out Episode 103 of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, wherein we flash a Nexus S to the official Jelly Bean build, chat up what's going on in the world of Android, and take on some pointed questions. 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.

Monday Brief: Editors-In-Chief Look Forward Posted: 23 Jul 2012 07:14 AM PDT Mobile Nations Podcast Feed Mobile Nations on iTunes Mobile Nations YouTube Google confirms Nexus S Jelly Bean roll-out, lists carriers Restoring your Nexus 7 using Google Factory images -- a guide [from the forums] HTC confirms Jelly Bean updates for One X, XL and S, we feign surprise RIM is rebuilding their fanbase one person at a time RIM scores patent for BlackBerry 10 keyboard BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update now available for developers webOS Community Edition gets card stack management that makes sense Enyo 2 officially out of beta and available to the masses App Review: Atlantis Sky Patrol HD iPad mini: Why Apple will do it, and how they’ll pull it off AT&T vs Verizon: Which shared data plan should you get? Watch iMore today! Our new 3 minute daily video update! Microsoft’s financial health is simply unquestionable Nokia’s price drop of the Lumia 900 was not a sign of weak sales, the media has it wrong Nokia shuts down main store in Helsinki for September re-launch—something big planned

Staples president alludes to 10-inch Amazon tablet, among other versions Posted: 23 Jul 2012 06:37 AM PDT The president of U.S. retail for Staples has thrown more fuel onto the blaze that is the Amazon Kindle Fire -- specifically, the next version (or versions) of the online retailer's Android-based tablet. Reuters reports that Demos Parneros says Amazon "is to introduce up to five or six tablet SKUs," and they we will see different sizes, including a 10-inch model.  It's important to note the use of the words "up to," meaning we may as as many as five or six, or as few as one or two. Also, note that the Reuters report says "five or six tablet SKUs." An SKU is a "stock-keeping unit," so we could be talking two or three versions of a single model. For example, 16-, 32- and 64-gigabyte versions of a single tablet would mean three SKUs. So it's unlikely we're looking at a 5-, 6-, 7-, 8- and 9-inch versions of a Kindle Fire tablet. (Though if we were talking about Samsung here, it wouldn't be out of the question. Regardless, yes, we'll most likely see an improved Kindle Fire this year.  Source: Reuters

Deal of the Day: Seidio ACTIVE Extended Case for OEM 2100/2000mAh Extended Battery for Galaxy Nexus Posted: 23 Jul 2012 06:11 AM PDT The July 23 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio ACTIVE Extended Case w/ Metal Kickstand for use with OEM 2100/2000mAh Extended Battery for Samsung Galaxy Nexus. This dual-layer case combines a silicone sleeve and a durable custom-fit exoskeleton to protect your Samsung Galaxy Nexus with the OEM 2100 or 2000mAh extended battery. The case covers the power and volume buttons while leaving ports, controls, and camera lens accessible. The back of the case also features a retractable metal kickstand. The Seidio ACTIVE Extended Case is available for just $16.95, 52% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy, fast shipping and friendly support. Grab yours while supplies last!

PSA: Galaxy Nexus GPS problems on Jelly Bean? There's an easy fix Posted: 23 Jul 2012 05:32 AM PDT Some Galaxy Nexus users who've recently updated their devices to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean have been experiencing issues with the phone's GPS capabilities. Specifically, some Gnex owners are unable to get a GPS fix, even with several satellites in view. It's a pretty nasty bug that, at worst, can leave you unable to track your location. To check if you're affected, open up an app that constantly tracks where you are, like Google Maps, (and wait a while -- GPS takes time to kick in) then check the notification shade for a GPS message. If the text says "Searching for GPS..." and you're not seeing a flashing icon, that means you're not getting a GPS lock. To confirm that you're affected by the bug, you can download the GPS Test app and see if you have satellites within view. Fortunately, there's an easy fix for anyone experiencing problems -- simply go to Settings > Location services, uncheck and re-check "Google's location service," and you should be good to go. We've confirmed that this remedies the situation on our own phones, and we've heard that it's worked for others, too. It looks like this is just a weird server-side glitch, and clearing and re-enabling Google location services resets things on the phone's side. If you've been experiencing GPS issues on the Galaxy Nexus, let us know how you're getting on down in the comments.

International Xperia GX (LT29i) sighted in leaked pics Posted: 23 Jul 2012 03:52 AM PDT While it's been releasing quirky low-end phones like the Xperia Miro and Xperia Tipo, there's one Sony phone we've been fawning over, the Xperia GX. So far the GX is exclusive to Japan, though we've heard rumors that an international variant, dubbed the LT29i Hayabusa, is headed for Western markets in the third quarter of the year. Now it seems we have confirmation that such a device is in the works, as photos of the purported phone have cropped up over on XperiaBlog. Though we can't confirm the specifications of the device shown in the leaked images, it looks almost identical to the Japanese version, except for the lack of an NTT Docomo logo. That phone has a 4.6-inch 720p display, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU and a 13MP rear camera, along with on-screen buttons and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. The device pictured seems to sport the same slimline, Xperia Arc-style chassis with a slight camera bulge up top. On the "About phone" page, it identifies itself as an LT29i. Nothing's been confirmed just yet, but we're hoping for an announcement at this year's IFA show in Berlin at the end of August. The device recently piqued our interest when it appeared at the FCC sporting a pentaband HSPA+ radio. Source: XperiaBlog; via: Recombu

HTC sells back half of its stake in Beats Audio Posted: 23 Jul 2012 03:31 AM PDT HTC has sold half of its 50.1 percent stake in Beats Audio, less than a year after it acquired its share of the company for $309 million. The move leaves HTC with a 25.57 stake in Beats, with the remaining 24.53 percent being bought back by the company's founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, for $150 million. This comes after a year in which Beats failed to emerge as a major differentiator for HTC's smartphones, and after the company reversed its decision to include premium Beats-branded earphones with its high-end HTC One series phones. In a statement, HTC said it will continue to "work closely" with Beats, and despite the sale, it's expected HTC will continue to include Beats software enhancements in future smartphones. HTC remains in a somewhat uneasy position, following strong competition from Samsung and Apple in the mobile space. The company's second quarter numbers showed a 57.8 percent year-on-year fall in net profits, following lower-than-expected sales of the HTC One series. Despite this, HTC remains a major force in the smartphone world, as recently released Nielsen numbers show the manufacturer with a 14 percent market share in the U.S., behind Samsung's 17 percent. Source: Yahoo Finance

10 million Galaxy S III phones sold, says Samsung Mobile head Posted: 23 Jul 2012 02:16 AM PDT Samsung Mobile head JK Shin has reportedly told the Korean press that the company's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, has sold more than 10 million units worldwide. The news follows earlier reports that Samsung intended to reach the 10 million milestone by the end of July, which it's now achieved with weeks to spare. In the two months since the device made its international debut in London, the Galaxy S III has gone on sale in all major smartphone markets, including the U.S. and Sammy's native South Korea, where it enjoyed record first-day sales. The number puts the Galaxy S III on track to surpass sales of its predecessor, the Galaxy S II, which sold 20 million units worldwide inside of its first year of availability. By contrast, that phone took around five months to reach the 10 million mark. Source: Yonhap; via: BI

Google shows off Nexus 7 in new commercial Posted: 22 Jul 2012 10:34 PM PDT Google has released a new commercial for the Nexus 7, showing off the features of the device with games and media. While it's a bit of a reach in regards to battery life and Wifi range, it's really well done and puts a happy face on the new 7-inch tablet. We'd like to see more like this from Google. Have a look and see. Source: GoogleNexus on Youtube. Thanks for the tip, Ben!

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