Thursday, July 12, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Will we soon see smart covers for the Nexus 7?

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 04:38 PM PDT

Did you think that Google’s first ever Nexus tablet couldn’t possibly be any more awesome? Think again! With a quad-core processor, HD display, Android Jelly Bean and numerous other goodies on-board, many analysts have questioned just how did Asus and Google manage to package it all together at such a low price. Well, believe it or not, the Nexus 7 does have at least one more trick hidden up its sleeve. A curious and brave owner of a shiny new Nexus 7 decided to take a magnet to his new toy, with surprising results. It turns out that if you press the magnet against the bottom left hand side of the device that toggles the screen on and off as you connect and disconnect it. A sure-fire sign that smart covers are on the way.

With Apple adding this exact feature to the iPad 2 over a year ago and swiftly applying for a patent shortly thereafter, it looks likely that all those overpaid lawyers will be kept in a job for just a little longer.

Are you planning on picking up a Nexus 7? Will the addition of a smart cover option influence your decision? Check out the video below and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.

 

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Android Police

Featured Play Store Review: Night Ride [Arcade & Action]

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:36 AM PDT

I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to gaming on my Android device, I just don’t have a lot of time, so I like games that are fairly quick and not too complicated. Night Ride is one of those games as it’s simple to play and the controls are easy. It actually reminds be a lot of Atari’s classic Night Driver, but only in the sense that it takes place at night. Trust me, this game has a lot more excitement. It’s a sci-fi racing game created by Black Bunny Studios and it’s also very similar to Jetpack Joyride, Doodle Jump, and Tiny Wings.

The premise is simple; try to last as long as you can while racing your motorcycle through the futuristic city. Along the way you will try to collect power ups and points, but once you crash, the game is over. You get 10 points for every Proton collected, 200 points for each atom, and 100 points for going through accelerator lanes. For power-ups, they offer a Jet, which gives you a temporary speed boost while all obstacles are deactivated. You can also grab a cannon, which gives you 5 shots that will deactivate electric walls. Last but not least is the magnet, which absorbs protons from neighboring lanes. Speaking of lanes, there are 5 lanes and you simply steer by tapping either the left or right on screen buttons at the bottom of the display. Along the way, you move up levels by unlocking achievements. For example, one achievement might be to collect 20 atoms in one session, but it gets a lot harder trust me. Night Ride is also compatible with OpenFeint so you can share these achievements.

I found the controls to be very responsive and easy. The graphics are nice to look at and the gameplay is so simple that you can quickly start a game anytime. At first I wasn’t sure of what all the power ups did and how the obstacles worked, but after a few very short races, it was easy to pick up. The race track is completely straight, which might seem boring, but trust me it isn’t. Races start out slow, but quickly speed up as you grab the jet power ups or go through the accelerator lanes. You simply can’t take your eyes off the road for even a second or you will be done. For those that like speed-type games, this is one game you need to try. Night Ride is Free so you don’t have any excuses, just hit one of the download links below to get started.

Night_Ride_02 Night_Ride_03 Night_Ride_04 Night_Ride_05

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

QR Code generator

Play Store Download Link

 

 

 

 

CM9 now supported on three U.S. Samsung Galaxy S III devices, Can you guess which one is missing?

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:24 AM PDT

Today the CynaogenMod team announced CM9 support for three U.S. Galaxy S III devices. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Verizon’s version didn’t make the cut. For now they are supporting the AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint versions. They did mention the Verizon version and their original intent, but nothing was said about the U.S. Cellular version. Hit the break for their statement.

Last night we welcomed the ‘d2′ family of devices (not to be confused with the Droid 2) into our cabal of supported devices and nightlies

This brings our support of the principal Galaxy S 3 variants to most major carriers around the world (the parent device – i9300 was already supported). 

The breakdown is fairly simple: 

d2att = AT&T Variant 
d2tmo = T-Mobile Variant
d2spr = Sprint Variant

We had/have plans on working on the d2vzw, but with the news of the locked bootloader and pending “Developer Version”, we will hold off on that variant. For info on that, follow +Austen Dicken.

source: Google+

 

SugarSync to ship with the Galaxy S III and other AllShare Play-Enabled mobile devices

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:58 AM PDT

Samsung just announced the expansion of their partnership with SugarSync. If you aren’t familiar with SugarSync, it’s a free service that lets you access, sync, and share all of your files and folders across all your computers and mobile devices. SugarSync has already been available on all Samsung AllShare Play-enabled Smart TV’s, but now it will be on the Galaxy S III and all Samsung mobile devices that feature the AllShare Play service.

From within AllShare Play, users can easily create a SugarSync account and they will get 5GB of free storage.  From there, users will be able to access files, photos, music, and movies from their compatible Samsung devices. They can save files such as photos and videos from their Samsung mobile devices to the SugarSync Cloud and they will be able to view them at any time from other Samsung phones, tablets, and Smart TV’s.

Full press release after the break:

SugarSync Expands Partnership with Samsung, Now Shipping on AllShare Play-Enabled Mobile Devices

SugarSync Now Shipping on the Samsung GALAXY S III

SAN MATEO, CALIF., July 11, 2012 – SugarSync, a free service that lets you access, sync and share all of your files and folders across all your computers and mobile devices, today announced that it has expanded its existing partnership with Samsung and is now shipping on the new Samsung GALAXY S III. SugarSync has been shipping on Samsung’s AllShare Play-enabled Smart TVs since January of 2012, giving users the ability to access the SugarSync Cloud from their Samsung Internet-connected Smart TVs. Beginning with the release of the new Samsung GALAXY S III, SugarSync will now ship on all Samsung mobile devices that feature the AllShare Play service.

Samsung’s AllShare Play service allows you to search for and play video, photo, and music files freely across AllShare Play-enabled devices such as PCs, TVs, and mobile devices. Samsung has incorporated the SugarSync Cloud into its AllShare Play service, so any AllShare Play user who does not yet have any cloud storage can easily create a cloud account by signing up for a SugarSync account – which provides 5GB of storage for free – from within AllShare Play. This integration also enables existing SugarSync users to access their files, photos, music and movies from their new Samsung devices. Users can now save photos and video from their Samsung phones and tablets to the SugarSync Cloud so they can access, view and play them at any time from other Samsung phones, tablets and Smart TVs.

“At SugarSync, we think the mobile experience is very important for users, which is why we have been the leader in mobile innovation for personal cloud and support more mobile devices and platforms than any other Cloud provider,” said Laura Yecies, CEO of SugarSync. “Expanding our relationship with Samsung to be integrated into their mobile devices is a natural progression, as this will give Samsung mobile users a way of sharing content via the SugarSync Cloud across multiple devices from within AllShare Play.”

The Samsung GALAXY S III is the first Samsung mobile device to ship with the AllShare Play service pre-loaded on the devices.

“We continue to be selected by large global partners including Samsung, Lenovo, Fujitsu, France Telecom-Orange and more to provide the benefits of the Cloud to their users,” said Yecies. “This integration into Samsung’s mobile devices will help drive the continued adoption of SugarSync worldwide.”

Marvell and OnLive partner to bring cloud gaming to Google TV platform

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:02 AM PDT

Marvell announced today that their ARMADA 1500 HD Media SoC is being used by OnLive  in their app to provide high-end video games to Google TVs and Google TV devices. By using the app, users can avoid the use of a game console. The ARMADA 1500 chip is a dual-core CPU able to run at more than 6000 Dhrystone MIPS with integrated Qdeo video processing technology, support for 3DTV, and full HD video running on a fan-less, small form factor.

According to Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO, "OnLive's focus is to make the highest quality gaming accessible to everyone,anywhere, and anytime they want it." OnLive is able to deliver video games on-demand to PCs, Macs, TVs and tablets.  With this latest move, their games will now be available on Google TVs.

OnLive and Marvell do not indicate specific Google TV devices that will include the ARMADA 1500 chip. Full press release after the break.

A Winning Play: Marvell and OnLive Team Up to Deliver Next Generation Cloud Gaming
Marvell ARMADA 1500 HD Media SoC powers cloud gaming and digital entertainment for today’s connected lifestyle

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (July 11, 2012) – Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced that OnLive is using the ARMADA 1500 HD Media SoC to power on-demand gaming in Google TVs and Google TV devices. OnLive delivers hundreds of high-end video games directly from the cloud to PCs, Macs, TVs, tablets and now, leveraging the ARMADA 1500 chipset, to Google TV, with no game console necessary.

“I believe this is a major breakthrough that demonstrates Google TV’s progress in addressing the interactive big screen for any type of live content. We are thrilled to collaborate with OnLive in transforming any TV with gaming capabilities,” said Weili Dai, Co-Founder of Marvell. “Together with our customers and partners across the ecosystem, Marvell is leading and driving a new era of the digital lifestyle by seamlessly connecting all screens and devices with better performance, affordability and versatility for the mass markets.”

“OnLive’s focus is to make the highest quality gaming accessible to everyone, anywhere and anytime they want it. With Marvell under the hood, we are able to deliver the highest-quality, on-demand gaming experience on groundbreaking devices and systems like Google TV,” said Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO. “The ARMADA 1500 is an impressively high-performance, low-power SoC that accommodates OnLive’s highly advanced technology and delivers a mind-blowing gaming experience.”

Both Marvell and OnLive are aligned in their vision of supporting best-in-class smart devices and providing the ultimate user experience. To that end, the OnLive® Game Service is now integrated with next-generation Google TVs and stream players that offer video games on demand with just a few clicks of the OnLive Wireless Controller or any Google TV-compatible controller, eliminating the need for users to own an independent game console.

Featuring a superscalar dual-core CPU, with more than 6000 Dhrystone MIPS of computing horsepower, the ARMADA 1500 delivers the full spectrum of rich multimedia entertainment on a single-chip architecture, making it the ideal processor to power tomorrow’s “smart” entertainment center. The ARMADA 1500 also integrates award-winning Qdeo® video processing technology with support for 3DTV that provides consistently high-quality, full HD video despite the source and enables compelling, interactive user interfaces.

Additionally, the ARMADA 1500′s small form factor and fan-less chip design, coupled with Marvell’s family of Avastar® wireless products support a broad scope of smart, slim, power-efficient devices-including networked DTV platforms, Blu-ray players, digital media adapters (DMA), and HD set-top boxes-and delivers best-in-class features at highly competitive price points.

About OnLive
OnLive is the pioneer of on-demand, instant-action cloud computing and instant-play video game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. With groundbreaking video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver full-featured, media-rich applications and the latest, premium game titles to tablets, smartphones, PCs, Macs and HDTVs via the OnLive® Game System or connected TVs. OnLive is available in North America and the UK and will continue expanding into Europe and Asia. OnLive’s technology is backed by hundreds of patents and patents pending worldwide. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk, Maverick Capital, AT&T, British Telecommunications (BT), The Belgacom Group, HTC and Juniper Networks. More information is available at www.onlive.com and www.onlive.co.uk.

About Marvell
Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) is a world leader in the development of storage, communications and consumer silicon solutions. Marvell’s diverse product portfolio includes switching, transceiver, communications controller, wireless and storage solutions that power the entire communications infrastructure, including enterprise, metro, home and storage networking. As used in this release, the term “Marvell” refers to Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. For more information, visit Marvell.com.
###

Marvell, ARMADA, Qdeo, Avastar, and the M logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

OnLive and Brag Clip are trademarks or registered trademarks of OnLive, Inc., in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Nexus 7 tablet set Google back $152 per unit in production

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:57 AM PDT

The techs over at IHS iSuppli decided to tear down Google’s latest Nexus 7 tablet to see exactly what was used to produce it and, more importantly, how much did it cost to manufacture. In a nutshell, Google spent $151.75 per 8 GB model and $159.25 for the 16 GB model. As you can see, Google is barely breaking even with the 8 GB selling at $199 and making a small profit of $42.50 per 16 GB model sold at $249, after other various small business costs of course.

What’s also interesting is that the Nexus 7 only cost $18 more to make than the Kindle Fire yet has smoking hot specs in comparison. So a big thanks to Google for working hard to bring a high quality tablet at a consumer conscious price.

source: allthingsd

Acer Iconia Tab A700 review: Gorgeous display and power at an affordable price

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:51 AM PDT

 

Acer is one of those companies that’s slowly making a lot of noise in the Android tablet world. With the release of the Iconia Tab A700, it marks the first Android tablet available with a 1080p display. Now it’s not all about the display as there’s plenty of power under the hood and it’s priced very competitively at $449. The real question is if it’s enough to fight off the upcoming ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 with similar specs? Hit the break to find out and you can also check out my initial hands on review.

Design

The A700 won’t win any prizes for lightness or thickness. It comes in at 667 grams and is 10.92mm thick, whereas the Transformer Pad Infinity comes in at 598 grams and is 8.5mm thick. The backing has an aluminum feel, but it’s textured plastic much like the A510. It does feel a tad slippery, which is a constant problem for many smartphones and tablets, but overall it’s not too bad and I can live with it.

The power button resides on the left side at the top along with the headphone jack below that. At the top left is the volume rocker and screen lock. Moving on to the right side, we have the microHDMI along with the microSD slot and SIM slot (only utilized on the A710), which are under a twist out cover. Last but not least, the bottom has stereo speakers along with the microUSB port for charging or connecting to a desktop. I originally thought that the microUSB port would work with any microUSB cable, but apparently it will only charge with the Acer branded one that comes in the box. That is a disappointment because I despise the proprietary cables that come with the likes of ASUS, Samsung, and Toshiba tablets.

Hardware

The A700 features a 10.1-inch (1920 x 1080) Full HD LCD display at 224ppi, a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, 12 core NVIDIA GeForce GPU, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, microSD slot for an additional 32GB of storage, 5MP rear camera, 1MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, GPS, micro USB, and microHDMI.

Performance

I found the A700 to run very smooth whether playing video, playing games or just web browsing, but I did find that the touch display was a little lacking at times as I had to tap things more than once. Overall it wasn’t too bad. I ran the obligatory AnTuTu benchmark and it came in at 10,499, which is well below the Transformer Pad Infinity. I guess this isn’t surprising as ASUS has a little more experience fine tuning the software and hardware with the Tegra 3, but I don’t think the average consumer will be able to tell.

The display is gorgeous, but to fully appreciate it, you need to be playing some 1080p video. Unfortunately it lacks the IPS display that the Transformer Pad Infinity sports, so it won’t perform as well in direct sunlight. Indoors the display is amazing with very good viewing angles so my feeling is that other than the Transformer Pad Infinity, you won’t find a better display on an Android tablet.

The sound quality was excellent and had little to no distortion even at higher levels.

Battery

The battery was a little disappointing as I was only able to get about 8 hours and 45 minutes, which is probably a result of the better display. I ran my test the same way I do with all devices. I ran continuous video with the display turned up to about 2/3′s brightness. Again the Transformer Infinity was better, as well as the Iconia Tab A510, which was a lot better.

Software

The A700 sports Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and kudos to Acer for leaving it pretty much stock, but they did include some really nice enhancements. The lock screen is customizable with up to 4 different applications that you can unlock to (see it in my initial hands on video) and there’s also a ring launcher, which is circular and provides shortcuts to apps like the camera and browser. It even gives you a short cut to screenshots and volume controls. As to the browser, you can quickly jump to one of your bookmarks as they are all accessible as “cards.” It really looks and works nicely, and I wouldn’t mind seeing something like this available as a standalone app for all devices.

Acer also included their own video and music players that will play media from your internal (or microSD) storage, but will also stream from any DLNA servers connected to the same network. I was able to stream videos and music from my home server within minutes from turning on the device. It works very well and movies looked stunning without any hiccups. You can see how this works in my initial hands on video.

Acer Print is also included that will take care of all your wireless printing needs. You can manage all network printers as well as print jobs.

As far as bloatwares goes, you get Acer Print, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Amazon Appstore, AUPEO!, Barcode Scanner, EquiView, Evernote, Facebook, HW Solitare, Monopoly, Netflix, Photo (Acer’s gallery viewer other than the stock gallery app), Polaris Office, Real Racing 2, Recorder, Registration (for registering your A700), TegraZone, VirusScan, WildTangent, and Zinio.

Camera

Acer threw in a 5MP rear camera that does the job, and that’s about it. I stopped including pictures from tablets because I can’t imagine anyone buying a tablet with the expectation that the camera is important. If there is a camera that’s important on a tablet, it’s the front-facing one for video chatting. Acer only gave us a 1MP lens. I would liked to have seen a 2MP, but these are the little things that keep the costs down. I would imagine that it still isn’t on the top of the list of too many consumers right now so I can live with it.

Closing

The A700 is a beauty indeed for the money, but one has to wonder if spending $50 more on the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 would make the better choice. ASUS has a better history in updating their devices, but then again many of their minor updates have been to fix constant bugs. To me, both of these devices have really nice screens, but I think it’s overkill for now. Unless you plan on watching a lot of 1080p video, you really aren’t going to get a lot out of it. Although the A700 is priced competitively ($449), it doesn’t seem so great when you look at tablet prices starting to drop thanks to the Nexus 7.  You might be better off grabbing something for less. The ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 is priced just under $400 right now and packs a Tegra 3 as well. I think within the next month, it may drop to $349 or even $299. I guess you have to ask yourself it the nice screen and shorter battery life is worth it. For me, the answer is no.

Amazon quietly working on a smartphone according to WSJ

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT

The Wall Street Journal has recently stated that anonymous Amazon parts suppliers have come forward with the news of a  smartphone tablet hybrid in the works. The Kindle Fone, as I like to call it, would look to bridge the gaps between smartphone, tablet and e-reader while no doubt offering Amazon’s awesome services right out of the box.

It would be safe to say that the Kindle Fone would certainly have Android software at heart with a customized UI similar to that of the Kindle Fire. All in all, I feel that there would be a lot of customers very interested in a Kindle Fone if and when it sees the light of day. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

source: wsj

International Galaxy Note receives minor update with some major changes

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:16 AM PDT

Samsung has just released a so-called minor update for the Galaxy Note for our international Android family members. The update takes G Note owners from ICS 4.0.3 to 4.0.4. Along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements are two pretty wicked additions to the software.

First up is the POPup Play feature that was seen at the GS III announcement which enables users to have a video playing while being able to have access to other apps and such at the same time. It’s a really awesome feature for those of us that want to check that email or text that just arrived but don’t want to stop the cinematic action.

The second feature is the Signature Unlock function where one can just simply sign their name using Sammy’s S Pen to gain access to their phone content, taking the place of the traditional PIN or Pattern Lock security features.

So there you have it folks. Not a bad update, indeed. The update is now available OTA or can be downloaded via Samsung Kies desktop software. Let us know what you think when you get the goods!

source: samsungmobile

Amazon introduces GameCircle for the Kindle Fire bringing Cloud Syncing, Leaderboards, and Achievements [Video]

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 06:42 AM PDT

Amazon just unveiled GameCircle for the Kindle Fire, which should add to the overall gaming experience. By far the biggest feature is Cloud Syncing, which is something Android desperately needs. What it does is save in-game progress to the cloud so that players can continue where they left off even if they deleted the game or switch devices. Other features include Achievements and Leaderboards. With Achievements, players can track all earned trophies, treasures, and other awards. They can even do it while playing a game by simply pausing it, checking out what they still need to earn, then returning to gameplay. With Leaderboards, players can easily see how they rank against other players.

With this announcement, Amazon released a series of GameCircle APIs so developers can easily add it to their games. They can be found at the source link below and hit the break for a short introduction video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: amazon

 
Posted by at 5:47 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)