AndroidGuys |
- Powerskin Battery Case review (Galaxy S II)
- You can now hack your Galaxy S III to run Google Wallet
- Behind the Curtain: An interview with Rdio
- Samsung brings Music Hub to U.S. with Galaxy S III
- Verizon debuts $50 Pantech Marauder with Dual-Interface option
- Archos 9.7 Carbon launched in US and UK, cheap Android tablet with Android 4.0
- Bevy of details emerge for upcoming Sony Xperia tablet
- POLL: What’s your favorite music streaming app?
- Sony “actively investigating” Android 4.1 for all devices
- Spotify goes free on Android!
- Multiple user accounts coming soon to Android?
| Powerskin Battery Case review (Galaxy S II) Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:34 PM PDT
Looking to extend the life of your Android handset? Consider PowerSkin and their ever-expanding line of battery cases. Designed as equal parts phone case and extra battery, these guys are uniquely created for select Android smartphones. Forget carrying around a power bank or portable charger, this does the trick without any additional hardware. We tested a PowerSkin on our T-Mobile Galaxy S II however there are a number of models to choose from on the company's website. Who doesn't love having double the battery life for their Android handset? Even if you have a Droid Razr Maxx, chances are good that you'd appreciate extra time with your phone before charging it back up. The 1500mAh battery inside the case does just about that, double the life of your Galaxy S II and its stock battery. The rubber gel skin that wraps around your phone feels good in your hand even if it is a little squishier than we expected. Considering you have to put this on over top of your existing handset setup we can understand and appreciate the need to go soft. That said, it does feel a loose around the edges at first however extended use told us that it was not going anywhere.
We liked having a visual representation of the remaining battery life and the 4 LED buttons on the rear proved to be helpful. What's more, we enjoyed the peace of mind in knowing we did not have to use the extra juice if we didn't want to. A simple push of a button toggled the power to the device and lets us reserve the reserves. As is the case with other PowerSkin units, the form factor was unique to this handset and featured cut-out for charging, headphones, microphone, and camera. Along those lines, however, we ran into issues with charging once or twice because the microUSB cable we used had a goofy or large connection point. Generally speaking, this was not a problem, but we felt compelled to share. As something that doubles the life of your phone's daily battery we expected this to be a bulky unit. Yes, it practically doubled the thickness of our Galaxy S II but we grew comfortable with it in under a week. If you've just received a new smartphone and are considering a gel case or extended battery, this is probably one of the smarter ways to go. Those of you who have had a slim and sleek phone for a while now will certainly notice the size and heft but new buyers will adapt quickly. PowerSkin is selling the (T-Mobile) Galaxy S II model for $69.99 right now however Amazon has it for nearly half ($35.84) the price. If you can find one for your phone for around $35-$50 then I would say hop on it. Much more than that and you'll want to test things out in the real world first.
Powerskin Battery Case review (Galaxy S II) originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| You can now hack your Galaxy S III to run Google Wallet Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:27 PM PDT Google Wallet is one of the services Google is offering to people with Android phones, but if you are on Verizon, then you are probably not lucky enough, even if you are using the Galaxy Nexus. Anyway, I once read somewhere that if there's something that's hard for a hacker, that's nothing. Yes, when it comes with such things, hackers can make anything possible and they just did it again by running Google Wallet on Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III, which is right now one of the best devices available at Verizon for purchase. Here's some help on how to run it on XDAForum. Check out the video below: Click here to view the embedded video. If your SGS-III is rooted, are you planning to try out this new mod? Tell us about it in the comment box below. Source: Engadget You can now hack your Galaxy S III to run Google Wallet originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Behind the Curtain: An interview with Rdio Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT
Welcome to the first of our reborn and re-branded Developer Spotlight Series column where we showcase Android app developers and their efforts. When we launched AndroidGuys back in November 2007, it was nearly impossible to get a grasp on what was ahead of us. Given the first SDK had just become available, many developers were taking the "wait and see" approach to Google's fledgling OS. There were, however, a number of brave souls ready to dive head-first into Android app development. Since this was in the days prior to the G1 and a 1.0 release of Android, we felt obligated to highlight these developers. Thus began our Developer Spotlight Series which was our way of providing an early look at the promises of Android. We've toyed with various iterations of this series over the last 4.5 years but we think we've settled on something you'll enjoy. We've expanded our coverage to more than just Android apps, into a broader scope of mobile development and services. Why? Because we understand that mobile app development is not Android-only and that some have already started shifting to HTML 5. Also, because many of the services offered on your Android devices can be extended or enhanced with a desktop companion. Such is the case with our first re-branded Behind the Curtain, an interview with Todd Berman, Rdio's VP of Engineering. We're willing to bet that some of you don't even know what Rdio is, let alone how it works for Android users. Going forward, it's our hope that these types of interviews help you discover new apps and services for your mobile devices. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us and share some insight into Rdio. Please, tell us a bit about yourself and your experience with the company. Rdio is a digital music service started by the creators of Skype that offers access to millions of songs for people to discover, play and share, anywhere they are. Rdio has been around for almost four years, and publicly available for nearly two. As VP of Engineering at Rdio, I lead our engineering team. Before this, I was VP of Technology at imeem.
What is it that you want Android users to know about Rdio? We're focused on bringing the same great experience we have on the Web and desktop to Android and the platform is an important one for us. For us, it's all about offering the best on-demand music discovery experience on the Android platform. How do you differentiate from other music options on Android? Rdio for Android is the most visual, social and interactive music experience out there. Not only do you get access to more than 15 million songs with the ability to listen offline, you can also tap into all of the music discovery features right from your device. The streaming music space is a crowded one. How does Rdio reply when someone says, "Yeah, I like Spotify..."? There are plenty of options out there for consumers to take their pick according to what best suits their needs. We think the subscription model provides the best value for the consumer, and we are excited for every new customer using Rdio or any other subscription service. For every company in this space, the largest issue we face are people accepting YouTube or BitTorrent as a good enough experience for music consumption. It really isn't, and every person who realizes that is a huge win for the model. Personally, I prefer Rdio for a couple main reasons. First, I like being able to segment the social graph that is used for music recommendations. Being forced to view recommendations full of whatever my family members are currently listening to is not how I want to discover music. Second, I enjoy having a web product. It is great to be able to go to anywhere and easily pull Rdio up without installing software on another computer. Looking through the website I see "On Demand. No Ads." How do you monetize your service? Is it through paid users only? We want to build a business around music and fans. It's really about creating the best product – one that honors the music content that makes our business possible and the needs of the people that both create it and want to access it. At the end of the day, "free" and "ad-supported" tiers are loss-leaders that are designed to convert users to paid subscribers. Can you tell us a little about your pricing options? The family package seems like a great way to go. Anyone can sign up for Rdio free on the web atwww.rdio.com, set up a profile, and gain access to ad-free full song streams while discovering and sharing music and following other users for recommendations. At any time, users can upgrade to one of Rdio's flexible subscription plans for unlimited music. Rdio's web plan allows you unlimited music access on the web or via our desktop apps for Mac and Windows. If you like portability and access to music anywhere at anytime, Rdio Unlimited includes web access and mobile streaming across all devices, even offline. The Unlimited Family plan is a fun, social and cost-effective way for multiple people in the same household to share and discover music. We are the only digital music service with a family plan, because we realize that families and couples all want to listen to different music across multiple devices at the same time. And as your family grows, the good part is there is no limit to the number of profiles you can manage under the master account. Heavy Rotation, New Releases, Charts, etc... tell us how this adds to your overall value. Our goal is to provide access to the most music possible, whether that is a brand new release or a recommended album from a trusted friend. Person-to-person sharing and discovery is at the heart of Rdio, so it's about much more than just accessing a library of music.
New Releases, which we offer as soon as they are available, make up another big part of discovery. Other features like artist radio and recommendations add to the overall experience of music discovery and make the Rdio user experience more valuable. And all of these features are available across all devices, including mobile. As much as we'd like to say it, Android is not a perfect mobile OS. What challenges have you faced in working with Android? The fragmentation of the media frameworks can be very frustrating. A lot of engineering time is spent on making sure that audio playback works properly on specific phones. That is time that takes away from adding features and functionality that our users are asking for. Fragmentation in general is a huge issue for everyone on Android, but we get "bit" especially bad on the media framework side of things. ...access to more than 15 million songs with the ability to listen offline, you can also tap into all of the music discovery features right from your device.Is there something in the platform that keeps you from realizing a particular feature or service? No, not really. The platform itself hasn't restricted us from building anything specifically, which is great. It's the only mobile platform we can say that about. Are you finding more new users coming from mobile or desktop? We see new users coming from both, all over the world. The stats are different for every territory where Rdio is currently live. For example, we know that 73% of Australians use smartphones, so mobile is our fastest area of new user generation there. Every country is different but we are finding mobile is a significant contributor to our growth globally. Has the mobile vs. desktop usage changed much over time? The value in a service like Rdio is that you can have it all - you can have your collection on your desktop or take your music everywhere you go. And users are responding to that by using both options. And our mobile apps are continually being updated and enhanced, making the experience of music discovery an even better experience on the go. Mobile has been, and will continue to be, a priority for us on both the product and user acquisition side. The growth of Rdio's mobile apps as a complement to our desktop and web experience continues to grow every day. Rdio is already a robust service, but we assume you're not stopping with the latest build. Are there any features you can tease for future releases? We are doing a lot of work on unifying the playback experience you get between the web and the mobile apps. Right now, if you run the website on two computers, one computer will remote control the other. There is no reason to not get that same remote control experience between the web and the mobile, or even two mobile phones. How does a user get in touch with your team if they'd like to provide feedback? You can get in touch through Facebook, Twitter or email. You can also visit our help site. Thanks again, Todd, we certainly appreciate your time and answers. Be sure to download Rdio on your Android device today. Behind the Curtain: An interview with Rdio originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Samsung brings Music Hub to U.S. with Galaxy S III Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:47 AM PDT
Samsung has announced that they are launching their all-in-one Music Hub service in the United States in both free and paid versions. Initially offered on select Galaxy S III models, Music Hub provides access to millions of songs , allows for streaming and/or downloading, and even offers some cloud storage as well! To get things going, Samsung is giving everyone a 30-day trial of the Premium service which will then switch over to $9.99/month. Hit the press release below to see the differences between the free and paid clients. See also: Samsung blog Samsung Mobile Launches Music Hub in U.S. on the Galaxy S III with a Free 30-Day Trial 3-in-1 mobile music solution lets you upload your music collection to the cloud, stream and purchase songs from an extensive catalog, and listen to personal radio DALLAS (July 31, 2012) — Samsung Music Hub – the first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service – is now available in the U.S. on the Galaxy S® III. Music Hub simplifies and enhances the everyday experience of listening to music. The mobile music service provides a rich music experience for everyone whether users are an avid collectors wanting easy access to their own music collection, someone with ever-changing music tastes, who likes to sample a broad selection of music and genres or individuals who prefer radio. A free 30-day trial of the service will be extended to new Music Hub users in the U.S. New subscribers also will be able to choose a free album that will be instantly available on their Galaxy S III and can also be uploaded to their personal music collections on the internet. "We're redefining mobile music by offering a more integrated experience on the handset and lifting the barriers to your music. Our service encompasses all music including your own collection in the cloud, a robust streaming catalog that is seamlessly integrated with a music store, and a personal radio service that caters to all of your music moods and genres," said TJ Kang, senior vice president of the media services team for Samsung. "By providing a free album and trial, we hope Galaxy S III owners will experience for themselves a new, intuitive and easy way to discover music." Based on the technology services of mSpot, a leading mobile content service provider recently acquired by Samsung, the new Music Hub service will initially be available on Samsung Galaxy S III devices sold through leading U.S. carriers. Galaxy S III users can access the application directly on select handsets and via the Samsung App Store or Google Play. More information on accessing Music Hub on select handsets can be found at: http://www.samsung.com/us/ The Music Hub service will be offered as both a free and premium version. Music Hub Store (free) allows users to:
Music Hub Premium ($9.99 per month, with a free 30-day trial offered) offers access to all of the free version features, as well as:
Samsung, Music Hub, Galaxy and Galaxy S are all trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung brings Music Hub to U.S. with Galaxy S III originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Verizon debuts $50 Pantech Marauder with Dual-Interface option Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:22 AM PDT
Verizon today announced their next smartphone, the Pantech Marauder, which is aimed squarely at first-time Android adopters. Arriving in but a few days time (August 2), the 4G LTE handset will cost $49.99 with a two-year service agreement and after $50 mail-in rebate. Hardware details are not all that crazy, but that's to be expected for something designed for folks just graduating from a feature phone. Nevertheless, there's still a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, a 4-inch display, and 5-megapixel camera. Toss in your standard fare of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, microSD expansion, DLNA, and 4G LTE connectivity and you could do much worse for your money.
Where Verizon really speaks to new Android users comes in the software, namely the Dual-Interface option. On one hand you have your typical Android interface, replete with apps, widgets, shortcuts, settings, and more. On the other, the Starter Mode is more simplified and intuitive designed to ease users into Android. Features include a quick dialer icon on home screen, preset widgets, and a clutter-free lock screen. Of course, you can always customize things a bit more to your liking and settings are maintained across modes.
Verizon debuts $50 Pantech Marauder with Dual-Interface option originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Archos 9.7 Carbon launched in US and UK, cheap Android tablet with Android 4.0 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:31 AM PDT
The tablet features a 9.7 inch IPS display with 1024 x 768 pixels, 1GHz single-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 2MP camera with VGA front-facing camera for video chatting, 16GB of internal memory with a MicroSD card support. Its featuring aluminium case which means that it's a light yet strong tablet. The only thing to talk about here is that the tablet is slightly overpriced than the Google Nexus 7, which features a quad-core processor with a very decent display, though the display is small but still it's weak performance wise. In the end, it depends on the user what he/she wants, so tell us what do you think about this tablet in the comment box below. Is it worth buying? Via: UV Archos 9.7 Carbon launched in US and UK, cheap Android tablet with Android 4.0 originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Bevy of details emerge for upcoming Sony Xperia tablet Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:55 AM PDT
A handful of newly leaked slides have landed online, revealing plenty of details about an upcoming Sony Xperia tablet. Likely the successor to the Tablet S, this model will feature a 9.4-inch (1280x800) display, an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 8.0-megapixel rear-facing camera, 1.0-megapixel front-facing camera, and 6000 mAh battery. Running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, additional details tell us the tablet will come with a trio of storage capacity options: 16GB ($449), 32GB ($549), or 64GB ($649). The design is reminiscent of the "folded back magazine" look of the Tablet S with the aluminum splash-proof device weighing only 570g. Also worth pointing out, the new model is 42% thinner than its predecessor. The slides show a number of accessories are being prepped for the Xperia tablet, including a charging cradle, docking stand, cover with keyboard, and carrying case.
One of the slides indicate that Sony has designed some sort of "Guest Mode" for multiple users which would work well for those of us with kids. We've been waiting for tablets to feature this option as they tend to get passed around from user to user. This would provide peace of mind to folks who like to keep apps/pictures/videos/emails private. Considering just how much information is already known about the Xperia Tablet, it would make sense that an announcement is in short order. Perhaps we'll get something in time for back-to-school season? Additional information and slides can be found on Xperia blog. Bevy of details emerge for upcoming Sony Xperia tablet originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| POLL: What’s your favorite music streaming app? Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:15 AM PDT
Let's face it, there's a ton of options out there when it comes to streaming music to your Android device. And, truth be told, we all have our favorites. Whether it's a free client, a paid service, or something that's evolved over time, we typically return to certain apps again and again. We want to know which apps and services you are using on your Android smartphone or tablet. Hit the poll below to tell us which app(s) you love the most. Since there are so many to choose from and seeing as how they vary a bit in features, we'll let you pick up to three selections. Once you've done that, head down below to the comments and defend your selections. We wanna see you go to bat for your preferred clients. Keep it clean!
POLL: What’s your favorite music streaming app? originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Sony “actively investigating” Android 4.1 for all devices Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:35 AM PDT
Sony, doing a bit of damage control, has taken to their blog to clear the air as it pertains to an Android 4.1 update for their 2011 Xperia lineup. The last we had heard, Sony was not expecting to put Jelly Bean on their smartphones from last year and that the door had closed for future updates. Not so fast. ...During a Q&A session last week on our Sony Mobile GB Facebook page, a local spokesperson gave information out in error on our Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software development and rollout for 2011 Xperia smartphones. We are actively investigating Android OS upgrades for all devices, but in the meantime, our Ice Cream Sandwich rollout for Xperia S and 2011 Xperia smartphones continues as planned... Sony advises that we'll hear more when the time is right and that we can expect news on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates currently hitting models. Considering we're hitting that point where some of the 2011 models are a year and a half old, consumers may start to look to a new smartphone. Would you hold onto your Xperia PLAY or Xperia arc in hopes of Android 4.1? Sony “actively investigating” Android 4.1 for all devices originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:58 AM PDT
Spotify today announced that they've set their music streaming service free on Android smartphones and tablets. According to a post on the company blog, Spotify still offers the Premium version however all others can still enjoy the same great features, but with occasional ads. In other words, it's similar to what you'll find on the desktop client.
Read more on the company blog and/or download Spotify for your Android smartphone or tablet. Spotify goes free on Android! originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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| Multiple user accounts coming soon to Android? Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT
Our friends over at AndroidPolice made quite the discovery recently, and it has to do with multiple user accounts within Android. Not only would it be a great feature to have, it appears that Google might be preparing for it, as AP has found several instances within AOSP that could lead to multiple user accounts. You can check out their full post on it here, but we want to know your thoughts on this. I can think of a few scenarios in which multiple user accounts would be very useful, one being that family tablet that we all seem to share. Of course, another is the business addict that likes to separate work and home, while still using one device. And how about the little brother you have that always wants your phone? The possibilities are nearly endless. So, would you like to see multiple user access come to Android? Why would you use it? Sound off in the comments below! Multiple user accounts coming soon to Android? originally appeared on AndroidGuys. Get more AndroidGuys on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Listen to our newest podcast and download the official app. Shop for Android accessories, apps, and more!
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Earlier in July, Archos launched the 
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