Thursday, July 26, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

New Odin-less root method for Verizon’s Galaxy S III

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 04:09 PM PDT

Over at the XDA Developers' forum, member Noxious Ninja has come up with a new method to root a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III.  This new method was based on a desire to get around some issues users were having after using a previously developed root method. He also hoped to be able to produce something that didn't require flashing ROMs. In the end, Noxious Ninja was able to modify a root method for an Asus TF300T to work on the Galaxy S III. Going a step further, he has even created a tool for users that don't want to follow the manual steps. Users are warned that the tool is considered beta. The usual disclaimers about rooting devices apply, so proceed at your own risk if you are interested in giving it a try. Just follow the source link for the files and instructions. Let us know how it goes if you attempt this root.

source: XDA Developers

HTC One X Variant Headed to T-Mobile as HTC One X+, Will Include Quad-Core Processor

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 04:06 PM PDT

Looks like it’s time for T-Mobile customers to rejoice once again. T-Mobile usually tends to make a splash for their late summer to fall device line-up. Last year they introduced the HTC Amaze 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S II, this year it seems as if something very big is due for the Magenta carrier. Confirmed through various sources, a beefed-up version of the HTC One X will be coming to T-Mobile later this fall and the specs will be nothing short of amazing. The rumors of this phone have certainly come a long way when we initially covered this device earlier in the year. It was first assumed the device would be dubbed as the “G4x” to further accompany T-Mobile’s “G” brand line of stock Android phones such as the HTC G2 and LG G2x.

That was the proposed rumor that stood for many months… Until the HTC Era 42 came into the picture. This device was referenced in a leaked T-Mobile inventory system that you see above and rumored to be named as the HTC One X+ upon release. If you recall, both AT&T’s One X and Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE (also a One X variant) include the dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, as opposed to the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 version that comes in the original international One X. Surprisingly, this won’t be the case with T-Mobile’s One X+ as it is rumored to include a quad-core processor.

The question is, which quad core processor is actually going to be included? The HTC One X+ could be the first device to be powered by Qualcomm's new quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor. Considering Qualcomm is already starting to sell the dev kit for the APQ8064 processor, it isn’t inconceivable that it could be paired with a device as early as this fall. The other possibility is NVIDIA’s upcoming Tegra 3+ processor which is part of NVIDIA’s processor road map. Both of these processors are rumored to support both an LTE modem and HSPA+ 42, hence the HTC Era “42.”

Sadly, there’s no other news on the hardware or software of this device. While I expect it to run HTC’s Sense UI, I wouldn’t be surprised if it came with stock Android as T-Mobile seems to be the only major carrier that has an affection for the stock UI interface and tends to release one each year. A stock Android overlay was also part of the original rumor earlier in the year, thus it shouldn’t be much of a surprise if T-Mobile does head in that direction.

There you have it, looks like T-Mobile isn’t planning on missing out in having their own One X. Although in their case, they’re entering the scene with quite a bang. This should be a great fall for current or potential T-Mobile customers looking for a powerhouse HTC device. What do you guys think about this, would you prefer the quad-core S4 or the Tegra 3+? Stock Android or HTC Sense UI? Sound off in the comments!

source: TmoNews
via: Android and Me 

LG Spectrum 2 (VS930) shows up in Verizon CelleBrite system.

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 12:28 PM PDT

With its recent FCC certification and leaked renders, it’s only a matter of time till we see the second edition of the Spectrum on Verizon Wireless. It’s now in the Verizon CelleBrite system (VS-930) so it’s just that much closer. The Spectrum 2 will sport a 4.7-inch True IPS 720p (1280 x 720) display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 1GB of RAM, and 8MP rear camera. We still don’t have a release date, but we will let you know as soon as more details are leaked.

 

Watch Google I/O 2012 in a little less than 4 minutes [Video]

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 10:16 AM PDT

Google I/O 2012 was definitely one to remember as all Google I/O events were. Google put together a highlights video showcasing the entire 3 day event, and it’s only 3 minutes and 41 seconds long. Everything is covered like Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7, the Nexus Q, Chrome, Google Glass, and I think there was some skydiving if I remember correctly. Of course if you missed any news, you can always hit up our Google I/O coverage. Hit the break to watch.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

 

Samsung says Apple would not have sold a single iPhone without the benefit of their patented technology

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 09:15 AM PDT

Next week Samsung and Apple go at it in the courts again. I know, what else is new? Anyways, the Wall Street Journal posted some excerpts from Samsung’s trial brief. Of course Samsung’s argument is that they didn’t copy Apple’s iPhone one bit and that they were working on the next generation of mobile phones in the Summer of 2006, months before the iPhone was announced. These designs were based on market trends for increased screen sizes. They certainly weren’t going to scrap everything and change just because of the iPhone.

As to patents, Samsung said, “Indeed, Apple, which sold its first iPhone nearly twenty years after Samsung started developing mobile phone technology, could not have sold a single iPhone without the benefit of Samsung's patented technology.” Hit the break for some of the highlights.

Samsung has been researching and developing mobile telecommunications technology since at least as early as 1991 and invented much of the technology for today's smartphones. Indeed, Apple, which sold its first iPhone nearly twenty years after Samsung started developing mobile phone technology, could not have sold a single iPhone without the benefit of Samsung's patented technology.

For good measure, Apple seeks to exclude Samsung from the market, based on its complaints that Samsung has used the very same public domain design concepts that Apple borrowed from other competitors, including Sony, to develop the iPhone. Apple's own internal documents show this. In February 2006, before the claimed iPhone design was conceived of, Apple executive Tony Fadell circulated a news article that contained an interview of a Sony designer to Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive and others. In the article, the Sony designer discussed Sony portable electronic device designs that lacked "excessive ornamentation" such as buttons, fit in the hand, were "square with a screen" and had "corners [which] have been rounded out."

Contrary to the image it has cultivated in the popular press, Apple has admitted in internal documents that its strength is not in developing new technologies first, but in successfully commercializing them. . . . Also contrary to Apple's accusations, Samsung does not need or want to copy; rather, it strives to best the competition by developing multiple, unique products. Samsung internal documents from 2006, well before the iPhone was announced, show rectangular phones with rounded corners, large displays, flat front faces, and graphic interfaces with icons with grid layouts.

Prior to the iPhone's announcement in January 2007, Samsung was already developing numerous products and models with the same design features that Apple now claims were copied from the iPhone. In the summer of 2006, Samsung began designing its next generation of mobile phones, based on the market trend of ever-increasing screen size. At that time, Samsung's designers envisioned a basic design: a simple, rounded rectangular body dominated by a display screen with a single physical button on the face.

As . . . documents confirm, Samsung independently developed the allegedly copied  design features months before Apple had even announced the iPhone. It did not switch its design direction because of the iPhone.

Apple's utility patents relate to ancillary features that allow users to perform trivial touch screen functions, even though these technologies were developed and in widespread use well before Apple entered the mobile device market in 2007. Samsung does not infringe any of Apple's patents and has located dead-on prior art that invalidates them.

Apple relied heavily on Samsung's technology to enter the telecommunications space, and it continues to use Samsung's technology to this day in its iPhone and iPad products. For example, Samsung supplies the flash memory, main memory, and application processor for the iPhone. . . .  But Apple also uses patented Samsung technology that it has not paid for. This includes standards-essential technology required for Apple's products to interact with products from other manufacturers, and several device features that Samsung developed for use in its products.

Long before Apple even announced any of its 3G products that use Samsung's standards-essential technology, Samsung had offered licenses for these patents (along with other patents) to virtually every major player in the mobile phone industry, successfully striking cross-licensing deals with all of them. After Apple released products that use the technology patented in the [two standards-essential patents at issue in the trial], Samsung similarly offered a cross-licensing deal to Apple, asking for a fair and reasonable royalty in return for Apple's use of Samsung's technology. Unlike all the major players in the mobile phone industry, however, Apple refused to enter a cross-licensing deal with Samsung.

Instead, despite the fact that virtually every other major industry participant was willing to take a license from Samsung for use of the standards-essential patents in this suit, Apple claimed that Samsung's patents are unenforceable.

source: WSJ

 

Pebble smartwatch to miss September release date but does add new color choice

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 08:55 AM PDT

If you were intrigued by the thought of getting your hands on the Pebble smart watch that we previously reported on, a mix of good news and bad news came out of the project yesterday. The good news is that a new color option is now available – orange. Selected based on voter's choice, orange joins black, white and red options.

The bad news is that the availability of the Pebble devices has been delayed. The Pebble team indicates that due to popular demand, they have had to transition from ramping up for production of 1,000 devices total to 15,000 devices on a weekly basis. This additional demand means they will not meet their target of shipping in September. Even worse, they do not provide a new estimated availability date, so the delay is indefinite.

As consolation, the Pebble team did provide some information on their work to ensure the device moves from R&D to manufacturing and assembly. They indicate they are in the Engineering Verification stage with samples produced of the entire product before moving on to Tooling, when everything is finalized in the production facility.

source: Kickstarter

How to install Adobe Flash Player on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:33 AM PDT

Adobe Flash Android

As many of you know by now, Adobe Flash isn’t supporting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but there is a solution and it’s very easy. There are actually two solutions depending on which device you have. For anyone running Jelly Bean on anything other than the Nexus 7, you can simply side load the APK and enable some plugins. For those of you with the Nexus 7, you will also need to install the stock Browser since the default Browser, Chrome, doesn’t support plugins. Hit the break for all the instructions and download links.

For all NON Nexus 7 devices (as posted by XDA member stempox)

  1. Download Flash Player APK (version 11.1.115.12)
  2. Copy your files to the SD card of your Android device. (Be it tablet or smartphone, it makes no difference)
  3. Install it using any File Manager.
  4. Start the Browser
  5. Go into the Browser settings and uncheck the option of Flash Player (on demand or always on at your discretion)
  6. Finally you have the latest version of Flash also Android!
For the Nexus 7 ONLY (as posted by XDA member Censura_Umbra) – You must be rooted
  1. Download this Browser from AOSP Jelly Bean Nexus S ROM
  2. Place the app in your /system/app folder, change the permissions from rw——- to rw-r–r–
  3. Important: If you see a browser provider.apk and browser provider.odex You need to rename them. You can simply throw in a 1 after the file extensions.
  4. Follow all the steps from the above instructions for non Nexus 7 devices to install Adobe Flash Player.
  5. Enjoy Flash on your Nexus 7
sources: xda – non Nexus 7 / xda – Nexus 7

Samsung Galaxy S III Acts As All-In-One Device At Holiday Inn For London Olympics

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:03 AM PDT

 

In case you didn’t know the future is now, Samsung is out to remind you of just that. In addition to having major influence for the Olympics, the Galaxy S III is now an official keycard at London’s Stratford Holiday Inn hotel during the Games. Samsung spearheaded a collaboration with the hotel to equip 40 rooms with a technology that allows the smartphone to do just about everything: check in and out, order room service, unlock doors and control the TV without moving. Quite impressive indeed.

Before you all try to hurry up and scramble to grab a room at that hotel’s location, keep in mind that the service will not be available to all– only VIPs for now. Of course you can try and convince one of those lucky individuals to allow to shack up with them so you can utilize the cool feature and technology— though we wouldn’t recommend it.

source: Samsung Tomorrow

Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite Unveiled, Comes Stocked with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 06:52 AM PDT

Huawei officially announced the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite which will be stocked with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Whether we can expect an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update or not in the future, we don’t know. When it comes to tablets, Huawei isn’t a company that really comes to mind. The tablet does look interesting and with the features that’s been released so far, I’m a little bit curious.

The Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite will be rocking a 7″ display set at 1280 x 800 pixels. This isn’t much different from the Huawei MediaPad that came out last year stocked with Android 3.2 Honeycomb. It will be coming with “3G cellular voice, SMS and MMS”, Wi-Fi connectivity, 1080p video, a metal unibody and a rear camera of an unknown resolution. I think 7″ tablets are almost perfect in size and the Nexus 7 reaffirmed that opinion. Whether the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite will live up to my expectations or not, I don’t know. I hope to hear more about it soon as it does look like a really well designed device.

What do you think about 7″ tablets or a company like Huawei even trying to break into the market? Let us know in the comments!

source: HuaweiDevice

Carphone Warehouse will have the Nexus 7 starting this Friday

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 06:45 AM PDT

Starting this Friday, July 27th, Carphone Warehouse will carry the Nexus 7 tablet. Like many retailers, they will only offer the 16GB version, which happens to be sold out in the Google Play Store. You can purchase it outright for £199, but for those of you that need a constant connection, you can take the Nexus 7 for free along with a MiFi for a monthly charge of £20.50. As far as how much data they are offering, they didn’t disclose it in the presser.

Full press release after the break:

Google Nexus 7 available from Carphone Warehouse from 27th July

Available in stores, online at www.carphonewarehouse.com or by calling 0870 870 0870

London, 25th July 2012, Carphone Warehouse today announced that the eagerly awaited Nexus 7 will be available to buy from Friday 27th July.  The Nexus 7 is the first tablet in Google's Nexus line of devices and the lead device for Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. The Tablet, made by Asus, will be available from Carphone Warehouse priced at £199 standalone or for free on a tethered contact from £20.50 per month.

Boasting a 7in HD display, and an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, gyroscope and accelerometer, the Nexus 7 is ideally suited to gaming. With over a million pixels in your hand, text is sharper, high-definition movies are more vivid, and the responsive touchscreen makes switching between apps, flicking through ebooks or surfing the web buttery-smooth.

The Nexus 7 has all the portability of a paperback book, but is connected to the entire digital world of entertainment. Nexus 7 was made for Google Play, putting all the entertainment you love right at your fingertips — choose from more than 600,000 apps and games, thousands of ebooks and movies, and everything the web has to offer.

Commenting on the release, Graham Stapleton, Chief Commercial Officer at Carphone Warehouse, says, "It's interesting to see that despite larger 10 inch tablets dominating the market, Google is forging ahead with its own 7 inch model. A smaller tablet has yet to prove itself in a category dominated by bigger screens, but if anyone can make it happen, Google can. I'm sure the other leading tablet manufacturers will be watching closely and be ready to follow suit in the coming months."

The Google Nexus 7 will be available from Carphone Warehouse stores, online at www.carphonewarehouse.com or by calling 0800 925 925 priced at £199.99 standalone or for free on a tethered contact.

 
Posted by at 6:08 AM

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