Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

AT&T Could Begin Charging iPhone Users Extra For Video Chat – Same For Android Users?

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:04 PM PDT

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AT&T has been making headlines today for all the wrong reasons. Apparently, the #2 largest carrier in the US could soon begin charging iPhone users extra to video chat via Apple’s official FaceTime application while on a 3G/4G connection. News spread quick after 9to5Mac was tipped with the above screenshot showing a prompt one iPhone user received after attempting to FaceTime over AT&T’s data connection. AT&T actually spoke out on the discovery saying little more than they will provide more information once it becomes available.

The only reason I bring this up on, you know, an Android blog, is because of the old saying, “What’s good for the gander is good for gease.” or something like that. AT&T’s network is dominate by Android users who currently have (and have had) the ability to video chat using the Google Talk app since back on Android 2.3. If AT&T begins treating video calls the same was as a mobile hotspot feature, expect a separate “video chat add-on” in the near future. Data could soon find itself even more restricted on AT&T.

[iSource]

 

PayPal Buys Credit Card Scanning Startup Card.IO

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 06:14 PM PDT

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PayPal announced via their blog today, that they have scooped up the San Francisco-based company Card.IO. You may remember their app, the one where you didn’t need a dongle (like those other guys) to make simple, hassle-free credit card transactions. Simply take a pic of the issuers credit card and boom — you were up and on your way. PayPal Vice President of Global Product said via the PayPal blog:

I’m excited to announce that PayPal has acquired card.io, a San Francisco-based company that provides technology for developers to capture credit card information by using the camera on a smartphone.

We first met with the team at card.io when we were working on integrating their technology into the PayPal Here mobile app. While working with them, we were simply blown away by the creativity and drive of their employees. They are a passionate and independent team that likes solving large, complex problems and we wanted them to join our team. Great people make great products and great products are what make companies great. The employees at card.io will be joining the PayPal global product team in San Jose to help us create new experiences to make it even easier for consumers and merchants to use the PayPal digital wallet. The current card.io technology will remain available to developers for use in their own applications.

The card.io team is joining PayPal for the same reasons that the Zong team was excited to join PayPal last year -  to get the opportunity to work on projects that will accelerate innovation at a scale that’s just not possible at a startup.

We can’t wait to get them involved in helping us change the future of shopping and payments.

-Hill Ferguson, Vice President of Global Product, PayPal

Safe to say that PayPal will soon add the ability to scan credit cards for easy mobile transactions. This is an absolute lifesaver for those “friends” that never seem to carry any cash on them when it’s time to help out with gas.

[PayPal]

Yesterday’s Nexus 7 Update? Added Google Wallet For Awkward NFC Tablet Transactions

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:38 PM PDT

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Yesterday there was a very small (under 1MB) update rolling out to the Nexus 7. We were a little perplexed to exactly what it was (I’m always worried Google will finally dumb down the search). Today, Google is finally shedding some light on the OTA, revealing that it was little more than the addition of Google Wallet for the tablet. I think this officially makes mobile transactions on the 7-inch tablet much more inconvenient than, you know, whipping out your actual credit card. Still, for those that finally got their hands on the tablet and never let it leave their side’s, purchasing Slurpees on the Nexus 7 is now officially possible.

[Google+]

Google Provides More Details On Nexus 7 Orders/Shipments

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:32 PM PDT

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I think it’s safe to describe the Nexus 7 pre-order/shipping situation as a bona fide fiasco. With a premium product being offered at such rock bottom pricing, it’s no wonder the entire world is clamoring for one. Well, Google is now finally updating us on the entire situation, giving us the full details on when we can expect the 8GB, 16GB and those smart enough to bundle a few accessories with it on our doorsteps. Here’s the deets per their Google Play support page:

We’ve had incredible demand for our new Nexus 7 tablet and are shipping them as quickly as possible. When your device ships you will receive a notification from Google Play with a shipping tracking number. We will have all orders placed through July 13 processed and shipped soon. Orders placed after July 13 will ship according to the quoted timeframe when you purchased and we will update you with a tracking number when we’ve shipped. Thanks for your patience.

Below are more specific details by country for devices ordered through July 13. If the below information is not true for you, and you ordered on or before July 13, please reach out to our support team so we can investigate.

  • In the US: We’ve shipped all standalone Nexus 7 8GB orders (e.g.: those without a case, charger or Nexus Q). By the end of day on July 19 (PDT), we will have shipped all standalone Nexus 7 16GB orders placed through July 11 (PDT), and upgraded these orders to overnight shipping. We will process the remaining standalone Nexus 7 16GB orders by the end of next week with overnight shipping.
    If you ordered your tablet with a case, charger or Nexus Q, your Nexus 7 will ship this week with overnight shipping, in some cases ahead of the rest of your order. But don’t worry, the rest of your order will be on its way soon.
  • In Canada: We’ve shipped all Nexus 7 8GB orders. We are in the process of shipping Nexus 7 16GB orders and will ship them in 1-2 weeks.
  • In the UK: All Nexus 7 8GB orders will ship by July 20 (BST). All Nexus 7 16GB orders placed through June 30 (BST), will ship by July 20 (BST). The remaining Nexus 7 16GB orders will ship next week.
  • In Australia: All Nexus 7 8GB and Nexus 7 16GB orders will be fulfilled by the end of day on July 19 (AEST) and will arrive in 3-5 days.

[Google Play Support]

Watch The Oppo Finder (World’s Thinnest Smartphone) Pound Nails Into A Board Without Breaking A Sweat [Video]

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:15 PM PDT

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The Oppo Finder may not hold the title of the world’s thinnest smartphone for very much longer — the leaked ZTE Athena could beat it by mere .03mm — but for now, it’s enjoying its 15 minutes of fame. The smartphone can be found making appearances around the net as the subject of the face cringing “nail stress test.”

If you were thinking a 6.65mm thin smartphone would snap in half inside your skinny jeans — you’d be wrong. Well, at least when it comes to the Finder. The uber-thin device pounded a handful of nails into a 2×4, without a scratch, nick, or crack. See for yourself below.

I guess if the whole “world’s thinnest smartphone” doesn’t pan out for Oppo, I guess they could always go with “the world’s toughest smartphone under 6.65mm.” The device is currently available in China for $393 straight up. The little fella packs a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, dual-core A15 processor, 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Not too shabby, right?

8GB Nexus 7 shipping from Google in 3-5 days, 16GB backordered for 3-4 weeks

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:14 PM PDT

The availability of the Nexus 7 from the Google Play Store has been in a bit of flux since pre-order shipments started going out late last week, but at least the 8GB model is now listed as “in stock” on the site. New orders for the $199 version of the tablet should ship immediately and arrive within three to five business days. The 16GB model, however, is currently backordered. New shipments of the $249 slate won’t arrive for another three to four weeks.

Heavy demand caused initial stock of Nexus 7 devices to sell out quickly both online and at retailers such as GameStop. Google is working hard to fulfill pre-orders and keep a steady supply of new units flowing out to consumers.

[via DroidLife]

Newly granted Apple user interface patent could cause headaches for Android camp

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:45 PM PDT

Apple’s latest patent should give Google and its stable of Android device manufacturers reason to worry. Granted just today, the latest addition to the Cupertino-based tech giant’s stable of intellectual property could be the mother of all smartphone software patents, granting Apple rights to many aspects of touch-based user interfaces, including the display of documents, a camera roll, messaging, and email on mobile devices. The initial filings date back to as early as 2007.

The bad news for Android and its hardware partners is that this patent will likely become a stable of future patent infringement claims coming from Apple’s court. The effects could be swift and lethal, depending on how descriptions of user interface elements are leveraged. Apple continues to stand by their rights to legally protect and defend the innovations that have arisen alongside their flagship mobile devices, but the granting of such a broad patent could have the negative effect of stifling competition in the marketplace and limiting software advancements.

And the patent could reach its icy fingers into other realms, potentially creating a legal basis to go after the makers of apps and also opening up attacks on other smartphone platforms. We’ll see how quickly Apple acts on these latest rights, but when they do expect the legal battle to be more grueling than ever.

[via Wired | Thanks, Andrey!]

Evernote update brings redesign of tablet interface

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:51 PM PDT

A new update for Evernote for Android introduces some major user interface changes to the tablet representation of the app. A totally redesigned home screen makes it easy to create a new note or browse previous entries in your notebook, tags, and and a places map using swipe navigation to easily flick between views.  A new list view presents a compact view of previous notes and provides plenty of information at a glance to help users quickly locate entered information.

The improvements are aimed at meeting the requests of tablet users while improving the experience overall, but smartphone users can expect a few minor changes as well. The app now allows for the creation of sublists and also sports an improved slideshow view that is said to be “faster and more reliable.” Head over to the Evernote blog entry linked below for more info download the update from Google Play now.

Google Play Link: Evernote for Android

[via Evernote]

Google introduces interactive weather visualizations for tablet search results

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:39 PM PDT

In an effort to ever improve the search experience, Google is introducing interactive weather visualizations as part of search results when using a tablet. The visualizations, which take their aesthetic cues from Google Now’s card system, feature scrollable hourly and ten-day forecasts and toggles for temperature, precipitation, and wind. If you have location services enabled, all you need to do is search “weather” to get access to the new results. The same features were introduced earlier in the year for Android smartphones.

[via G+]

A Palm OS emulator for Android? It will only cost you $49.95

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:03 PM PDT

And yes, we mean Palm OS, not the more recently defunct WebOS that ran on the most recent crop of Palm devices. For $49.95 you can experience the proto-smartphone platform all over again right on your far more capable Android handset. OK, so StyleTap’s Palm OS emulator isn’t designed simply to capitalize on people’s nostalgia for clunky mobile operating systems of days past, it is actually designed for business-class customers that still need access to the platform thanks for its association with various pieces of machinery and database systems.

The emulator has been available for iOS, Windows Mobile, and even Symbian, but availability for Android provides businesses with yet another option when outfitting their workforce. The emulator and embedded OS can take full advantage of compatible hardware within current generation devices. If you do, in fact, fall into the category of people that just want a fun trip down memory lane, StyleTap is offering a 14-day free trial upon installing the app (accomplished via sideloading only).

[StyleTap via TheVerge]

Ice Cream Sandwich update leaks for AT&T’s Motorola Atrix 2

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:45 AM PDT

The last we heard the Motorola ATRIX 2 was scheduled to receive Android 4.0 sometime in Q3 of this year. With the end of the second quarter approaching fast, a new leak of Ice Cream Sandwich has leaked for the AT&T handset. Surfacing on Motorola’s internal servers, the update takes the Atrix 2 to software version 67.21.123. News of the leak first appeared over at the XDA Developers Forums, and several developers are currently testing out the update files before making the software available for download. At the moment one thing that seems to be clear is that the update comes with a locked bootloader.

A dash of fresh software should breathe some life into the Atrix 2, which was recently succeeded by the Motorola Atrix HD.

[via XDA Forums | Thanks, Nick!]

In Germany, court rules Motorola XOOM does not encroach upon iPad design patents

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:11 AM PDT

Germany’s Dusseldorf Regional Court has come to a decision concerning Apple’s complaint that the Motorola XOOM infringes upon design patents granted for their iPad. In a positive turn of events for Android manufacturers, the court has denied Apple’s claims, ruling that the XOOM does not copy elements of the iPad’s design, which covers such aesthetic aspects as the tablet’s bezel and shape. Sticking to such narrowly defined parameters gives other tablet makers a good bit of leeway, as was demonstrated when Samsung was able to skirt an outright ban in Germany on their Galaxy Tab 10.1 after some minor changes were implemented.

As opposed to Samsung’s ill luck with similar matters, Motorola has managed to come out on top in several legal spats with Apple. However, in this case the ruling wasn’t a total victory. Motorola was also pushing to have Apple’s European design rights rendered completely invalid, a request which a judge was not apt to grant. As such, both parties are being ordered to shoulder their share of legal expenses, with Apple paying a two-thirds majority.

[via TheVerge]

Rogers launches the Sony Xperia Ion starting at $50

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:14 AM PDT

The Sony Xperia Ion continues to find a home for itself in North America with Rogers launching the device today for Canadian consumers. The Ion, which is available in the US from AT&T, is priced as low as $49.99 on a three-year contract and can be purchased outright for $549.99. The phone might take a back seat to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X, but for the price you still get a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4.6-inch HD display, 12MP camera, and LTE connectivity. The phone ships with Android 2.3 but an upgrade pathway to Ice Cream Sandwich is already in place.

[via MobileSyrup]

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G gets quick maintenance upgrade

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:34 AM PDT

While the Galaxy S Blaze 4G is far from being T-Mobile’s most attractive phone, people still bought the device and it still has to be supported. T-Mobile issued a software update yesterday that will improve several things. For starters, an issue with e911 calls over WiFi was resolved.

They also made improvements to the device’s proximity sensor and fixed an echo issue while inside a hearing aid compatibility call.You’ll need 20MB of space for the 15MB update, and make sure you have 50% or more for battery capacity. Once you do that, be sure to check for it under the settings menu or use Samsung Kies. [T-Mobile]

Samsung Galaxy S3 on Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T get preview builds of CyanogenMod 10

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:49 AM PDT

Who knew that the first devices to get a taste of CyanogenMod 10 would be devices that didn’t get CyanogenMod 9? Steve Kondik, the famed developer responsible for the CM craze, has published preview builds of the Jelly Bean-infused custom ROM for the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Another developer has posted a preview build for the Sprint version of the device. Of course,Verizon’s version is nowhere to be found: a locked and encrypted bootloader means there will be no official development of CyanogenMod (though the developer edition may get some love once it’s available). As these are preview builds you are responsible for anything that happens to your device.

Not everything’s going to work right. In fact, many things are likely to be broken or wonky. A preview is exactly what it sounds like: a tool to let you see what the future will bring before it arrives. Go ahead and check the three XDA threads in the source link for each respective version. [T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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