Sunday, July 8, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Sony Xperia Ion coming to Canada exclusively through Rogers?

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 05:51 PM PDT


US residents may already be blessed with the option to purchase the Sony Xperia Ion straight from AT&T. Our Canadian neighbors are still waiting, though. And while they are used to a much more diverse and free mobile system it seems Roger may be pulling an American move on them. The Sony Xperia Ion could be coming exclusively, via Rogers.

At least that is what Mobile Syrup’s leaked document claims with the following sentence:

“We are pleased to announce the device will be coming soon exclusively to Rogers.”

We still do not know any other details for our Canadian friends, and we must consider this is still a rumor. The document does seem to have a bit of a discrepancy, as the first sentence states that an announcement would be coming on July 3rd. July 7th is almost over and still no news.

Grain of salt, friends. Don’t forget the grain of salt.

[Via: Mobile Syrup]

Did Google fail to impress Google TV fans at IO 2012?

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 04:49 PM PDT


Android fans were short of breath at this Google IO’s keynotes. What is not to love? We got some Android 4.1 Jelly Bean goodness, the $200 Nexus 7 and the Nexus Q were announced and the Google Glass announcements were one hell of a show (with skydivers, bikers and all). But Google forgot about one very important thing at Google IO, and apparently, so did we (surrounded by so much hype). There was no mention of anything related to Google TV.

The Search Giant’s smart TV platform saw its birth during 2010 and its fall seems to be coming much sooner than we expected. We have been hoping for Google’s epic return in this department, but that seems rather unlikely as Google did not even speak about where Google TV stands, and its future, during any of the keynotes. This makes many of us feel like Google is slowly, but surely, abandoning Google TV.

We know the platform is not dead yet. Manufacturers are releasing better and more affordable products. Like Sony’s and Vizio’s newest, affordable options. Plus Google has announced that the Play Store for Google TV will receive a significant update this year.

With that in mind, we know this platform isn’t being let out to die. But why did Google not at least say something, or even acknowledge its existence? A simple “we have some great plans, so stay tuned” would have been enough to let us know that the company still cares.

Instead, all the advertising and hype is mostly being carried out by the manufacturers. This may be a huge reason why some partners are feeling wary of investing too much in it. Not to mention developers, and of course customers.

Google had the opportunity to try to boost Google TV during one of its keynotes, and the sad fact is they did not. Why not give away a $99 Vizio Google TV box to attendees? Or a Sony one? We are sure many attendees would have preferred it over the Samsung Chromebox. Maybe talk a little bit about that Play Store update?

As Google/Android fans, we have high hopes for Google TV. It is a fun platform with much potential, while it has its flaws. It definitely deserves much more than a few developer sessions and some apps being featured at the sandbox.

But instead of complaining too much, we would like to see what you think. After all, you (the customer) is the most important factor here. Do you believe Google should have squeezed in at least a few minutes to give some love to Google TV fans? What else could Google do to bring the platform up? Do you think they are simply giving up on it?

[GTV Source]

Rovio planning next game, turns things around by playing on the pigs’ side – Angry Pigs? [Rumor]

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 04:02 PM PDT


Rovio must have broken some kind of record by now. The developer has created what is easily the most popular mobile game of history and has managed to stay relevant for about 2.5 years now. But there is only so much Rovio can do with its birdies, right? Well it seems like it, as the latest rumors indicate the next game will have you playing the pigs’ side.

According to Pocket-Lint’s sources, Rovio is planning to release a game in which those pesky green pigs are the stars. Of course, there are some of us that always wonder why everyone hates the pigs so much. After all, we make bacon out of them – does that make us worst?

Either way, it seems this upcoming game will have you protecting those precious stolen eggs from the birds we have all grown to love. The game will feature a variety of pigs with different abilities, as well as wooden, stone and ice blocks. All for the sake of keeping those little eggs.

The same sources state that the game will be ready before Christmas. Until then, let’s just be happy flinging good ol’ birds.

[Via: Pocket-Lint]

Weekend Poll: To Overclock Or Not To Overclock?

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 03:21 PM PDT


Rooting a device can bring many advantages to a device. Smartphones are powerful devices, and taking full control of one can highly improve its performance. A very popular way of improving a user’s experience is by overclocking, which means clocking a processor’s speed higher than the manufacturer normally allows and recommends.

Overclocking used to be much more popular with older-generation devices, as their hardware and software were not enough to provide a solid and fluid Android experience. As smartphone technology advances, this technique has become much less popular. Smartphones are now powerful enough to give a smooth performance, even with stock software and settings.

But there is no doubt overclocking still has its advantages. It usually gets rid of whatever lag there may be, and it makes games and other apps much faster and more responsive.

Overclocking definitely comes with its caveats, though. For one, it can damage your phone in the long run. There are reasons why manufacturers and SoC makers recommend that processors be clocked at certain speeds. It is the best they can perform without harming the product’s security.

In fact, not only can it damage your hardware, but also your experience. If a processor is clocked too high, the device might have many issues; such as glitches and bugs. Overheating is also a known problem, as well as random reboots. One can usually find the sweet spot, though. That clock speed that makes the device faster while stable.

We must remind you that rooting, ROMing and overclocking is not for everyone. You must be willing to do your research and take full responsibility of your actions. Tampering with a device’s guts may void your warranty and/or harm your device.

For those that are now Android-literate, though, it is a very fun way to take your device to its fullest potential. So let’s see where our readers stand! Please participate in our poll and let us know what you think in the comment section.

I have been known to root and overclock a few of my devices. This is something I have not done in a while, though. I simply no longer find the need to, as my latest devices have been polished and smooth enough.

Take Our Poll

Galaxy Nexus back on sale from the Google Play Store

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:52 PM PDT


Taking deep breaths and counting to 10 were not good enough to calm the anger and anxiety after this week’s news. After being found to infringe on Apple’s search-related patent, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was banned in the US until further notice. Google has been working on a fix and planned to put the device back on sale next week, but it seems the moment of glory has come a bit sooner than expected.

The Pure Google device is back in the Play Store and ready to be shipped in 2-3 weeks. All quirks should be fixed by then, so let’s hope everything goes smoothly this time around. For now, those that have been planning to take advantage of the new $349 price-drop should rush to the Google Play Store and get their Galaxy Nexus.

It will soon have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so get it while you have a chance! And for all those Verizon users: you might be getting an update soon, so stay tuned.

[Google Play Store]

[Poll] Would you help crowdfund an app?

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:22 PM PDT

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Crowdfunding has grown significantly over the last year or two, and given the degree of competition on Google Play currently, I’m certain a few developers have looked at it as a potential revenue model. We’ve already seen Kickstarter pledges help Teknision raise $66,804 for their Chameleon launcher for tablets.

I’m still a bit skeptical about crowdfunding, since I’ve had a couple of bad experiences. However, I’d love to know the general perception about it. Would you take part in crowdfunding an Android app? Put in your votes, and give us your more detailed responses in the comments.

 
Take Our Poll

Official app for the Olympics Games now available on Google Play

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 12:03 PM PDT

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The greatest sporting spectacle is just a few weeks away from us, and the organizers have released an Android app to help you keep track of all the events. The app is pretty comprehensive (though some data still needs to be fed in) and what I am most happy about is tablet-support. The features, as detailed on Google Play, are:

Results: Covering all events for the 36 sports for the Olympics and 21 sports for the Paralympics.

Live Schedule: Follow the latest sporting Olympic events that are currently in progress. View results in real-time and share with your friends. View live updates: news, photos and social commentary from the Games.

Calendar Schedule: View day-by-day which sporting events are taking place in the Olympic schedule. Set favourites or reminders to create a personalised selection tailored for you.

Sports: View details of each of the sports; all the latest results, latest news, latest pictures and background information including football, swimming and track.

Medals: View the overall Olympic medal count as they are awarded throughout the Games – by country, by individual and by sport. Learn more about the medals.

Athletes: View all the participating athletes and review their details and current Olympic standings for London 2012. Use the sophisticated search tool to personalise your experience and follow the performance of your favourite athletes.

My Games: Follow any participating country and receive news and updates tailored to your needs. Manage your favourites, reminders and settings. Stay informed: set up notifications and alerts to keep you posted throughout the Games.

The “Presented by Samsung” indicator on the splash screen, and a Galaxy S III ad I spotted makes me believe they might have developed the app themselves as part of their sponsorship, though I can’t be certain of it. What I would love to know, though, is whether similar Samsung ads would be shown on the iOS version, too.

Remember that S III that exploded? Yeah, the owner’s friend kinda put it in a microwave before

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT

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You might have heard of the Samsung Galaxy S III that quite randomly (or so we thought) exploded in Ireland. The damage was quite extensive, and did worry at least a person or two about the phone. Let’s face it, nobody likes stuff exploding on a whim.

However, Samsung hired a team to investigate into the claims of the user, and it turns out that the phone actually cause was a little more… human (I was going for stupid there, but opted for the synonym). The phone apparently suffered some water damage, and the owner’s friend put it in a microwave. The heat generated caused the issue, and the owner has retracted his earlier statement.

If anyone happens to be a member on boards.ie, where the owner made the claim, then I urge you make a suggestion to him to follow Phandroid (and request him to forward the message to his friends). If he had, he might have come across my experience with water damage which, even if not successful, would at least not have led to what happened with him.

[Samsung Tomorrow via The Verge]

ASUS tweets upcoming covers to protect your Nexus 7

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 09:10 AM PDT

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With the shipments of the Nexus 7 tablet almost upon us, I’m certain quite a few of you who pre-ordered the device have been looking around at how to protect your new toy. ASUS tweeted the image above, showcasing their offerings. There’s no information regarding pricing or availability.

Have any preference from the above? If I do end up buying the tablet, I’ll probably get the orange one.

[via Twitter]

Google claims $4 million legal fees from Oracle

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 08:42 AM PDT

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If you’ve been following the Oracle vs Google case, you might remember that at the time of coming to a $0 damages agreement, the Judge provided Google’s representatives 14 days to file their claim for recouping legal fees from Oracle. We now know the sum they want, and it’s a biggy: $4 million. The entire sum has been broken down by at Electronista.

$2.9 million for organization of copied court-necessary documents, $143,341 for transcript services, and $986,978 for compensation of the court-appointed experts.

Oracle had stated earlier that they would contest any claims, and this is in no way the last we’ve heard of this case anyway. Oracle will be appealing certain parts of the final ruling, and they seem confident to win partially at least. However, considering they initially believed that they could claim as much as $6.1 billion, I wouldn’t take that too seriously.

Since I’ve got next to zero understanding of the legal scene, I cannot comment on whether or not Google’s demands are likely to be met. However, I can’t deny that I hope Oracle is made to pay up. The case has already set a precedent when it comes to the determining that APIs cannot be copyrighted. If Oracle is forced to part with that large a sum, it could deter similar frivolous lawsuits in the future, and we’ve seen far too many of them.

[via Electronista]

Verizon Galaxy S III comes with a locked bootloader, Rootzwiki has you covered

Posted: 07 Jul 2012 08:06 AM PDT

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Verizon might have thrilled several of their customers who pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S III by delivering the devices almost a week early, but unfortunately for those looking to root the device, the phone carries with it a dark secret: a locked bootloader. Considering all other carrier versions are easy-to-root, and historically Samsung doesn’t tend to do so, it’s quite clear that the decision came from Verizon.

However, if a developer’s claims on Rootzwiki were to be true, it might turn out that Verizon’s efforts to close down the device have already gone down the drain. Personally, I would just head to another network if it were an option. If you can’t, and want to root your new S III, then as always: do so at your own risk. And thank the original developer.

Thanks, Jason.

[via Engadget]

Must Watch: Retro 16-Bit Inspired Android Cartoons From Google IO Session [Video]

Posted: 06 Jul 2012 08:09 PM PDT

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Yesterday, I came across an interesting Google I/O session from the GoogleDevelopers’ YouTube channel. You’re right, I haven’t even the slightest clue when it comes to Android development, but I do find it weirdly peaceful to listen to sessions while I work. One of the more interesting ones I came across was the “Making Good Apps Great: More Advanced Topics for Expert Android Developers.” While eaves dropping on the video, I noticed a few familiar “bleeps and bloops” from my childhood and almost lost my sh*t at what I stumbled onto.

While introducing the 3 main techniques developers can use to build better Android apps — Invisibility, Efficiency and Reliability — each topic was introduced with a quick, 16-bit-esque Android cartoon, that was equal parts nostalgic and “epic win.” The kids still say that, right? Either way, I just wanted to share with you the old-school bitmapped cartoons that warmed my heart. Hopefully they’ll bring a smile to your face like they did mine. (Protip: pause and take a screen shot for a totally awesome/retro wallpaper for your desktop). Enjoy!

Oh, and for our developer friends out there who might have missed the session, you can watch the entire presentation here. For more on Android app development, check out Reto Meier’s blog here. The guy responsible for the amazing animations posted a blog entry along with a ton of background info, going into depth on all the easter eggs found in the clips. [IGN Pandamusk]
Posted by at 7:33 AM

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