Friday, July 13, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

New HTC 1.7GHz Quad-Core Device Shows Up In Benchmarks, Potential New “One” Phone?

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:40 PM PDT

Due to HTC’s success in their current “One” lineup such as their HTC One X and HTC One S, perhaps it was only amount of time before HTC released the next iteration in their “One” lineup. According to benchmark data that was published today over at GLBenchmark, HTC is already working on another phone that sports the model number PM63100, which also goes by the code-name ”Evitareul.” The PM63100 will run a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, although unlike the 1.5GHz One X, this will be clocked up to 1.7GHz. The phone will have a 720p HD display and currently ran Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich during the benchmark test. However once the phone is released, I expect HTC to release it with Jelly Bean.

Not much else is known about this device, although it looks like HTC is prepping this phone for AT&T and pair it with their LTE network. If you passed on the HTC One X and you’re a fan of HTC, this just might be the device for you.

source: GLBenchmark
via: Pocketnow

Two new apps from NBC bring 2012 London Olympics to Android devices

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:18 PM PDT

NBC and Adobe announced two new apps today that will take the Olympic experience to a new level. Their NBC Olympics Live Extra app and NBC Olympics app will enable Olympics fans to access a whole slew of content, including live broadcasts of all – yes, all – Olympic events on mobile devices, including select Android devices.

Between the two apps, users will be able to access the aforementioned live streams as well as highlight videos, medal ceremonies, interviews, news stories, stats, and more. In addition to the live streams provided directly by the app, users will be able to access NBCU network coverage from the NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo.  Access to these latter streams will require an account with a satellite, cable or telco provider. Adobe promises a single login will be sufficient. Adobe and NBC indicate the two apps will work together, so users can switch from one to the other seamlessly.  Other features include social media interaction, reminders for events, and the ability to rewind or pause events.

In their announcement, Adobe touted some of their applications used to build the apps. Key to development was use of Adobe AIR so code could be shared across platforms to produce a consistent experience without having to develop native apps. On the backend, NBC will be using SiteCatalyst to measure traffic and engagement so feeds can be optimized based on viewer behavior.

source: Adobe Digital Media Blog

Boeing 787′s New In Flight Entertainment System Powered by Android

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:11 PM PDT

Qatar Airways latest commercial aircraft, the Boeing-787-800 Dreamliner, accompanies 22 business class seats and another 232 economy class seats. To an airplane enthusiast, there’s many aspects of the Boeing 787 to be excited about such as the all new noise-reducing technology Boeing used in the jet engine, all the way down to the sleek new aerodynamic design it was built upon. For us smartphone enthusiasts, the coolest thing by far about the plane is that its IFEC (In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity) system is actually powered by Google’s Android! 

The TPMU (Touch Passenger Media Units) comes in two versions, a 17.3″ LCD for the Business Class seats and a 10.1″ LCD for the Economy Class seats. The Avant TPMU is a completely integrated unit consisting of STMicro airline grade dual-core processors based on the ARM architecture, with 1GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD. In other words, each Boeing-787 Dreamliner’s entertainment system will feature a whopping 508 ARM Cores, 254GB of memory and 63.5TB of SSD space! If that doesn’t “wow” you enough, the central server comes with a 32-core processor (Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron), 128GB of memory and 4TB storage.

While this whole entertainment system runs on Google’s Android OS, it is also running on a customized application suite. The plane also supports WiFi and 3G/HSPA+ GSM connectivity, thus enabling passengers to freely connect to the internet and interact with their friends and family while flying 38,000 feet in the air. I truly feel that this is a great direction that all commercial airlines should implement in their planes. Alan Pellegrini, the CEO of Thales IFEC said it perfectly, “The Avant system is the future of IFE for us, you can now get on board an aircraft and not just watch the movie in front of you, but perhaps view the moving map, play a game, or order meals or drinks simultaneously while watching what’s on the main screen.”

British Airways also signed on to this new technology and will be equipping its future Boeing-787′s with this same exact IFEC system. With more companies getting on board, I can only hope that this makes its way into the US soon enough with our commercial airlines. Any of our readers out there a frequent flyer? How awesome would it be to ride in an airplane that has an IFEC system powered by our beloved Android OS? It sure would make flying that much easier and more comfortable.

source: VR Zone

Nexus 7 Pre-Orders to be Shipped in Batches Starting Next Week

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 03:58 PM PDT

A user on Reddit by the name of Aria226 recently spoke to a high level Google support tech and was given information regarding the Nexus 7 shipment dates. According to the Google support tech, “Google and UPS are way over-capacity with shipping and can only move an estimated 10,000 units a day initially. They are organizing the shipments by doing it in batches.” Depending on when you pre-ordered your Nexus 7, Aria226 was told the following regarding when the Nexus 7 would be shipped:

  • June 27th-29th pre-orders will get their Nexus 7 first. That means, and I was specifically told, either at the end of this week or most likely at the beginning of next week.
  • June 30th-July2nd pre-orders will get the Nexus 7 mid-week next week.
  • Everything after that, the technician didn’t really know, and didn’t want to guess.

Hopefully the information this Google support tech gave out has at least some validity to it. With this being the first Nexus tablet, I know many of you are anxious to get your hands on it. If we get anymore news pertaining to Nexus 7 shipments, we’ll be sure to let you all know right away!

source: Reddit

White HTC EVO 4G LTE Officially Coming to Sprint on July 15

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:38 PM PDT

We previously reported of Sprint’s plan to release a white HTC EVO 4G LTE on July 15th. Our report was spot on as Sprint has now released an official statement regarding their white EVO 4G LTE that will debut on that exact date. The white version will be available in stores and online for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. The specs of this newer white version is the same as the black version. In case you’ve forgotten the general specifications of the phone, the EVO 4G LTE includes a 4.7-inch HD (720p) Super LCD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8MP rear camera (1.3MP front-facing camera), 16GB ROM, 1GB of RAM, all while touting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. If you’ve been anxiously waiting for Sprint to release a white version of this phone, now is your time to get one! Head over to the official press release after the break for more information.

Sprint Debuts HTC EVO 4G LTE in White on July 15 for $199.99

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 12, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE: S), the only national wireless carrier offering truly unlimited data for all phones while on the Sprint network1, and HTC, a global designer of smartphones, are giving customers another reason to love the smartphone lauded by respected reviewers with the addition of HTC EVO™ 4G LTE in white. The stunning white smartphone is framed by its aluminum unibody and sports a matching silver kickstand and aluminized back plate for a sleek and refined look.

HTC EVO 4G LTE will be available in white beginning Sunday, July 15, exclusively in all Sprint-owned sales channels, including Web Sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1), for $199.99 with a new line of service or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement (excludes taxes). HTC EVO 4G LTE launched in May and is currently available in an anodized black finish in all sales channels.

"HTC EVO 4G LTE sets a new standard for smartphones and boasts Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, HTC Sense® 4, a blazing-fast processor, 4.7-inch HD display for a rich multimedia experience and the ability to have HD Voice capabilities in the future," said Fared Adib, vice president–Product Development, Sprint. "Pairing the HTC EVO innovation with Sprint's Everything Data Plans for a truly unlimited data experience gives customers a powerful combination."

Martin Fichter, vice president-Product Management, HTC America, said, "HTC's amazing camera and authentic sound experience bring the HTC EVO 4G LTE to life as a true successor to the original HTC EVO, one of the most successful Android franchises in the United States."

Cutting-edge function and style

HTC EVO 4G LTE, exclusively from Sprint, is a multimedia powerhouse designed to deliver a high-definition experience at 4G LTE speeds. It focuses on exceptional improvements in camera technology, audio and voice quality on both the network and device.

HTC ImageSense™ brings improvements to the amazing camera experience featuring a superfast autofocus to enable continuous shooting of up to 99 images, the ability to capture still images while taking video, and increasing the quality of photos taken in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. It also contains HTC's authentic sound experience integrating Beats Audio™. The technology is enabled across multiple facets of the phone experience, including playing music stored on the device, streaming from a favorite service, watching a movie or YouTube™ video, or playing the latest hot game.

HTC EVO 4G LTE is loaded with industry-leading features, including the latest version of HTC Sense, a vibrant 4.7-inch HD display, Snapdragon™ S4 Processor by Qualcomm® with Dual-core CPUs and an advanced 8-megapixel camera. It also brings back the fan-favorite kickstand built into the smartphone's refined, slim design. HTC EVO 4G LTE is the first HD voice-capable phone announced by any U.S. wireless carrier, and, when available, will make mobile voice quality crystal clear while nearly eliminating background noise.2

HTC EVO 4G LTE is one of the first devices available with Sprint Professional Grade, a new designation for select smartphones that deliver enhanced security, device management and Exchange Active Sync capabilities to business users. Click here to learn more about Sprint Professional Grade designation.

Respected technology media agree Sprint has done it again with HTC EVO 4G LTE. Here are a few accolades from early reviews:

"Powerful parts, lovely screen, stunning design, and an excellent camera help the EVO 4G LTE re-stoke the fires of the EVO faithful." – CNET
"It’s clear that the EVO 4G LTE camera delivers." – Engadget
"The EVO 4G LTE feels remarkable in the hand and the design stands out from the crowd of me-too full-slate smartphones." – IntoMobile
"The first thing that struck us is how thin the phone is at 0.35″. This is the most svelte EVO yet, and it weighs 4.73 ounces." – MobileTechReview
"All were contenders, but the HTC EVO 4G LTE gets our nod for best phone for its integration of HD Voice, a new technology being rolled out on Sprint’s network that enhances call quality by enriching voice tones and reducing background noise." – Techlicious
HTC EVO 4G LTE customers can enjoy an unlimited data experience with Sprint Everything Data plans. Sprint Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM include unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $79.99 per month for smartphones – a savings of $20 per month versus Verizon's comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web3 (excludes taxes and surcharges).

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers and most improved in customer satisfaction across all industries during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC's portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

Sprint Updating Samsung Epic 4G Touch to Ice Cream Sandwich Starting Today

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 12:11 PM PDT

Earlier this week we reported that a leaked document suggested an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for Sprints Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch was due out sometime this week. Sprint has officially announced the pending update, and Epic 4G Touch users should expect ICS to start rolling out today. According to Sprint, here’s a short list of some of the new features that we should expect with the ICS update:

  • A refined, evolved user interface that is simple, beautiful and useful
  • Face Unlock: use state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to unlock your phone with a smile
  • Redesigned camera which introduces panorama mode, effects like silly faces and background replacement, and a powerful photo editor
  • Android Beam™: quickly share web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with your friends by simply tapping two Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled phones together
  • Web browser now lets you sync Google Chrome™ bookmarks, request full desktop versions of sites, see your open tabs in a new layout and even store web pages for offline reading
  • People: browse friends, family and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution and check their latest status updates from Google+
  • Improved keyboard with incredibly accurate typing, an inline spell checker and improved copy and paste support
  • New Calendar app that lets you add events quickly, sync with Google Calendar™ or Microsoft Exchange and even pinch to adjust your calendar display
  • Redesigned Gmail™ app that now lets you swipe between conversations to catch up quickly, and search for emails even without a data connection
  • Google+ integration that lets you hangout and video chat with up to 10 friends using your front-facing camera

If you haven’t already received the notification for an OTA update, you can manually start the update via settings. Let us know your experience with this update if you have already installed it!

source: Sprint

Featured Play Store Newbie: MacroDroid [Tools]

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 11:53 AM PDT

There are a few automation apps in the Google Play Store, but MacroDroid is a fairly new one that looks to make things a little simpler. In speaking with the developer, he sees it as having the power of Tasker, but it’s simple enough for your Mom to use. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me.

Apps like MacroDroid are useful to every Android user because they can automate tasks. It makes you more productive, and in many cases can prolong your battery. For example, you can easily program your phone to turn off your Bluetooth or Wifi depending on your location or even if you launch a particular app. You can also make things easier like for example, you can set your phone to upload the last photo to Facebook just by shaking your device or even respond to an incoming text message by sending your current location. Not only that, if your phone has NFC, you can utilize NFC tags to trigger certain actions.

The above examples are what we call Macros and to set one up, it couldn’t be easier:

  • Click ‘Add Macro’
  • Select a trigger from a list – (e.g. Battery Level).
  • Configure any trigger specific settings – (e.g. Battery Level < 10%)
  • Select an action from a list – (e.g Enable/Disable Wifi)
  • Configure any action specific setting – (e.g. Disable Wifi)
  • Add more actions as required (up to 10)
  • Optionally select a constraint from a list – (e.g. Day of the Week)
  • Configure constraint as required (e.g. Saturday and Sunday)
  • Add more constraints as required (up to 10).
  • Choose a name for the Macro.
Now if that’s not easy enough, ArloSoft helps you get started with 17 pre-defined macro templates that you can use right away or customize to your heart’s delight. Some examples are turning on/off data when a particular app is open or closed, the shake to upload mentioned above, Car mode, Home mode, and more.

For setting up macros, you have your choice of 20 different triggers:

  • Airplane Mode Enabled/Disabled
  • App Installed/Removed
  • App Opened/Closed
  • Battery Level
  • Bluetooth Event
  • Day/Time
  • Device Boot
  • Device Docked/Undocked
  • Dial Phone Number
  • Headphones Inserted/Removed
  • Location Trigger
  • Media Button Press
  • Mobile Service Status
  • NFC Tag, Power Button Toggle
  • Power Connected/Removed
  • Regular Interval
  • Screen On/Off
  • Shake Device
  • SMS Received
  • SMS Sent
  • Widget Button Press
  • Wifi State Change.

As for actions, you have 20 different ones to choose from:

  • Control Media
  • Display Notification
  • Enable/Disable Bluetooth
  • Enable/Disable Auto Sync
  • Enable/Disable Data
  • Enable/Disable Wifi
  • Launch Application
  • Make Call
  • Open Website
  • Play Sound
  • Popup Message
  • Reboot/Power Off (Root Only)
  • Record Microphone
  • Say Current Time
  • Send SMS, Set Airplane Mode
  • Set Keyguard (lock screen)
  • Set MacroDroid Mode
  • Set Ringtone
  • Set Screen Timeout
  • Set Volume
  • Set Wallpaper
  • Share Location
  • Speak Text
  • Take Picture
  • Upload Last Photo
  • Vibrate

Last but not least, you have 10 different constraints

  • Battery Level
  • Bluetooth State
  • Call State
  • Day of the Week
  • External Power
  • Headphone Connection
  • MacroDroid Mode
  • Running Application
  • Screen On/Off
  • Time of Day
  • Wifi State

Okay, I saved the best for last. It’s FREE to try, which means you can give it a shot and see if it’s something you will like. If it is, you can step up to the paid version for an in app purchase of $2.49. The free version limits you to 3 macros and a single action and constraint per macro. That’s more than enough to find out if it’s for you. Similar apps don’t even offer a free version, so you don’t have an excuse, just hit one of the download links below to get started.

MacroDroid_01 MacroDroid_02 MacroDroid_03 MacroDroid_04 MacroDroid_05 MacroDroid_06 MacroDroid_07

 

QR Code generator

Play Store Download Link

 

Simple root toolkit now available for both international and U.S. versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 10:30 AM PDT

I know there are a lot of you that might want to get into rooting and utilizing custom ROMs, but just don’t know where to start. Although it’s always best to do things the manual way, we can understand why some of you might want something that’s quick, simple, and has everything in one place. That’s exactly what toolkits do. They allow you to unlock and root your device as well as flash custom recoveries and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Well XDA member mskip has a toolkit available for the international Galaxy S III (i9300) as well as 3 of the 4 U.S. Galaxy S III’s (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint). Obviously Verizon isn’t included since the bootloader is locked. The U.S. variants get one universal toolkit, while the international version has its own. Hit the break to see a list of all the features, download links, and forum links.

  • Install drivers automatically
  • Backup/Restore a single package or all apps, user data and Internal Storage
  • Backup your /data/media (virtual SD Card) to your PC for a Full Safe backup of data
  • Perform a FULL NANDROID Backup of your system via adb and save in Custom Recovery format on your PC
  • Pull /data and /system folders, compress to a .tar file and save to your PC
  • Backup/Restore your /efs partition
  • Dump selected Phone Partitions, compress to a .zip file with md5 and save to your PC
  • Install BusyBox binary on phone
  • Root any public build (different options available)
  • Rename Stock Recovery restore files (to stop Stock Recovery flashing on reboot)
  • Flash CWM Recovery v4 from Team Epic
  • Flash Stock Recovery
  • Download, Extract and Flash Stock Rom via Odin (full steps)
  • Install a single apk or multiple apk’s to your phone
  • Push Files from your PC to your phone
  • Pull Files from your phone to your PC
  • Set Files Permissions on your phone
  • Dump selected LogCat buffers to your PC
  • Dump BugReport to your PC (if installed)
  • Help, Information Screen for various tasks
  • Mods Section to Modify your phone
  • Reboot Phone options in adb mode
  • ToolKit options section (Change background + text colour in ToolKit, change Model/Build, set Model Selection Screen On/Off)

Download international (i9300) version toolkit

Download the AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile toolkit

**Make sure you use the proper toolkit for your device

For more instructions hit the appropriate source link below based on your phone. Also, if you own a Nexus device there’s a similar toolkit from WugFresh that we posted about last night. So check it out here.

sources: xda-international / xda-AT&T / xda-T-Mobile / xda-Sprint

Verizon Galaxy S III is finally available online and in stores

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 08:51 AM PDT

It might have a locked bootloader, but Verizon is likely to sell a lot of Galaxy S III’s. After being available at AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile for a few weeks now, it’s finally available at Big Red. You can order it online with free shipping or go to the store and see it for yourself in person. It’s priced at $199 for the 16GB version and $249 for the 32GB version. Let us know if you pick one up.

 

Garnet Red AT&T Samsung Galaxy S III pre-orders begin July 15th, In-store July 29th

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 08:36 AM PDT

When AT&T announced they would be carrying the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, they told us they would offer an exclusive special edition red version this Summer. They just announced that you can pre-order it beginning July 15th and it will be in stores starting July 29th. More importantly, they finally gave us a press shot so we can see what it will look like. We assume the pricing will be the same as the Pebble Blue and Marble White versions as they didn’t mention it. Hit the break for one more image.

source: AT&T
Posted by at 5:40 AM

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