Android Authority |
- Confirmed: upcoming MetroPCS smartphone lineup to include Galaxy S3
- Nikon intros the Android-powered Coolpix S800c camera, can be yours for $350
- Plants vs. Zombies getting a second installment
- Oppo Find5 X909 leaked, thinnest quad-core phone ever?
- New Yahoo! CEO buying iPhones, Android devices for everyone
- HTC Thunderbolt Android Ice Cream Sandwich Leak
- Apple wants to prevent real competition with such lawsuits, Samsung says in closing argument
- Steve Wozniak: HTC ThunderBolt makes a bad impression
- CyanogenMod 10 Boot Animation Available for Download
- Gamestop’s Spawn service to be released in 2013
| Confirmed: upcoming MetroPCS smartphone lineup to include Galaxy S3 Posted: 22 Aug 2012 01:54 AM PDT
The mobile carrier battle stateside might really get heated up soon enough, based on a couple of fresh new reports. On one hand, we have an absolute newcomer ready to ambitiously hit the market, while on the other there's a little guy who's clearly looking to expand. The little guy is MetroPCS, a telecommunications provider that services around 9 million tech users in the States right now, being way behind Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and even TracFone when talking about the number of subscribers. A certain "beast" you might have heard of quite a bit could however help MetroPCS boost its numbers over the next few months, having now been confirmed as hitting the regional carrier. The Samsung Galaxy S3 won't be the only new phone to be released by MetroPCS this fall, but will certainly capture the spotlight. According to Sascha Segan from PC Magazine, who has managed to get some one-on-one time with the new super-phone, this looks and acts pretty much identical to Sprint's version of the S3. There isn't much pre-installed "crapware" and the LTE speeds are quite impressive, according to the tech journalist.
In terms of hardware, MetroPCS' Galaxy S3 won't have the opportunity to set itself apart from other US versions of the super-phone and will be equipped with the exact same 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. Then again, what more could you ask for? Aside from the star, MetroPCS has teased three more modest phones expected to hit the carrier this fall. There's one more Samsung device, as well as two unnamed Coolpad and ZTE handhelds. The Samsung highly resembles the Galaxy Mini, but is a riddle for me, as it was nowhere to be found in that leaked roadmap from a few weeks ago. There were two Sammy phones there aside from the S3, but the Galaxy S Lightray 4G has already been launched, while the Contour 2 simply doesn't fit the bill. That will most likely be a follow-up to the 2010 Contour, which was a very basic clamshell phone. The mysterious Coolpad and ZTE phones teased by MetroPCS appeared in the July leak, so they aren't that mysterious after all. The Coolpad Quattro 4G is rumored to be coming by the end of August with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, LTE speeds, a 4-inch WVGA display, 1 GHz processor and 5 MP rear-facing camera.
As for ZTE's handheld, it’s supposedly called the "Anthem" and might be released in early September. Aside from sporting 4G LTE speeds, the Anthem doesn't have any more specs revealed, but hopefully we will find out all there is to know about it in a couple of weeks tops. Oddly enough, MetroPCS didn't tease the Huawei Verge, Pinnacle 2 or Samsung Contour 2, three other phones expected to see the light of day by the end of September. This could mean the trio got canceled, never existed in the lineup, or will come later than expected. Who’s excited about the Galaxy S3 for MetroPCS? How about that Galaxy Mini lookalike? Or maybe the Coolpad Quattro 4G has caught your eye. Let us know by dropping a comment below. Related PostsNo related posts. This article, Confirmed: upcoming MetroPCS smartphone lineup to include Galaxy S3 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Nikon intros the Android-powered Coolpix S800c camera, can be yours for $350 Posted: 22 Aug 2012 12:54 AM PDT
Looking at modern day smartphones, it's a wonder how far we've come since the old days of brick phones. Not only have phones become slimmer and more powerful, they now come with a chock-full of features that rival stand-alone GPS or digital camera. With the Nikon Coolpix S800c, the table has been turned, because it's a digital camera first and foremost, but also a media player that does most things your smartphone can do, save for making phone calls over a cellular network. Running the show on the camera is Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The last time we reported about the Nikon Coolpix S800c, details were still light on its release date and price. But Nikon has officially announced the Coolpix S800x today, bringing along said information for those who crave a powerful digital camera with smartphone-like capability. While it does not come with cellular radio, the Coolpix S800c's WiFi capability allows you to connect to the interweb to seamlessly share those pictures and HD videos, download apps from Google Play, and many more. Going online on the S800c simply means finding the nearest hotspot or tethering the camera to your smartphone or tablet. Here's a quick rundown of the internals:
You can get the Nikon Coolpix S800c either in Black or White color. This Nikon camera with an Android OS twist will hit stores in September for $350. GREAT IMAGES ARE NOW TRENDING: WITH WI-FI® CONNECTIVITY AND A POWERFUL ANDROID™ PLATFORM, THE NEW NIKON COOLPIX S800c IS THE EASY WAY TO INSTANTLY CAPTURE, CREATE AND SHARE The New COOLPIX S800c Enhances the User’s Connected Life, Letting Them Instantly Share Great Images From a Device That Includes Features Only a Camera Can Provide with the Ease and Versatility of a Smartphone or Tablet MELVILLE, N.Y. (August 22, 2012) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the innovative COOLPIX S800c, Nikon’s first Wi-Fi compact digital camera to incorporate Nikon’s powerful camera imaging technologies and the boundless capabilities of an Android Operating System (OS). Designed for the always connected individual, the S800c delivers the high picture quality and superior performance expected from a Nikon camera coupled with communication functions and app-based versatility of a smartphone or tablet. The new S800c answers the call for users who need the ability to capture photos and HD video with amazing clarity and color, yet offers a familiar portal to connect to social networks and popular imaging applications through an Android Operating System. With the introduction of the S800c, beautiful images can now be confidently and quickly shared with friends and family. “With the new COOLPIX S800c, Nikon designed a camera for users looking to capture stunning images and videos with a compact digital camera but also want to share their content with their friends and family in a familiar way,” said Bo Kajiwara, Vice President of Marketing, Planning and Customer Experience, Nikon Inc. “Now users can connect easily and instantly with their social networks through the wireless connection, and take advantage of the vast possibilities of the Android Operating System. The new S800c is truly the easiest way to share amazing images on the spot.” Powerful Images Are What Connects Us Easy Settings, Easy Connection, Instant Gratification COOLPIX core technologies also make it easy for users to create share-worthy images. Various camera modes help the user achieve the greatest shot, whether it’s a macro shot of tonight’s cuisine or a scenic HDR shot of downtown, the image is instantly ready to share. For maximum creativity, the S800c has 18 filter effects, including the new Toy Camera effect, Pop and Super Vivid color filters, as well as Cross Process and Peripheral Darkening filters. Price and Availability
Related PostsHere’s how Nikon’s first Android-powered Coolpix camera looks like [Leaked press images], Android to expand to digicams with Nikon Coolpix S800, Polaroid Camera Now Powered by AndroidThis article, Nikon intros the Android-powered Coolpix S800c camera, can be yours for $350 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Plants vs. Zombies getting a second installment Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:50 PM PDT
It’s a thriller night once again for casual game lovers, as Popcap announces a sequel to the popular Plants vs. Zombies game. PopCap has confirmed it will release a sequel to the tower-defense genre that has appeared on various platforms like iOS, Android and PC. Sadly, no details have been shared, other than a tentative timeline, which should be “late spring 2013.” Fans of the game might be excited with PopCap’s promise of “a bevy of new features, settings and situations.” It’s likely that the premise will still be the same, but new treats could come in the form of new plants, new zombies and new bonus levels. If there’s any game that has made its mark on multiple platforms, Plants vs. Zombies is one of them. If you can’t wait until next spring to play Plants vs. Zombies 2, head on to Google Play to get a copy of the original game. Related PostsPlants vs Zombies Finally Coming to the Android Market This Week, Fun-loving Zombies Invading Android Soon!, Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies up on Google Play for Xperia devices, others must wait a monthThis article, Plants vs. Zombies getting a second installment , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Oppo Find5 X909 leaked, thinnest quad-core phone ever? Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:30 PM PDT
Haven't had enough of the meaningless battle for the world's thinnest and slimmest smartphone? Here's another contender for the title with a little twist. This particular little guy doesn't claim to be the absolute thinnest phone around, but "only" the thinnest quad-core Android gadget. Unsurprisingly, the Find5 X909 (terrible, terrible name, I know) comes from Oppo, a Chinese manufacturer known to most of you for releasing another world's thinnest smartphone wannabe, the Finder. Unlike the Finder, the Find5 has something going for it other than the design and should come with one of the most impressive spec sheets ever. With a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 processor and 2 GB of RAM under the hood, the future 4.5-incher clearly looks like a powerhouse. That's not all though, because the X909 is also supposed to run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upon launch and feature a 12 MP rear-facing shooter, a 2 MP front-facing webcam, a 2,500 mAh battery, and 16 or 32 GB of on-board memory. We're unsure if the battery's capacity will be enough to withstand the "pressures" of such a powerful chipset, but other than that I don't think you could have anything to complain about. The 4.5-inch touchscreen is also supposed to come with full HD resolution, so the spec sheet is absolutely dreamy. Before starting to get your hopes up, you should not take all those features for granted, as they have been revealed by IT168.com and haven't been officially confirmed by Oppo. There's also a very slim chance for the phone, if real, to ever make it outside Asia. To be fair though, we said the same thing about Xiaomi's powerhouse only to hear soon after that the "beast" could come to Europe after all. We know nothing about the X909's Chinese release date and pricing just yet, but if it will, in fact, come with Android Jelly Bean on board, we probably have at least one or two months of waiting in store. And I know that everyone hates waiting, but in this particular case I would personally not mind giving Oppo as much time as they need to get the ultra-slim super-phone ready for launch. Do you agree? Will you be adding this Find5 phone to your wishlist of soon to buy gadgets? How much would you be willing to pay for it? Related PostsOppo Finder, the world’s thinnest smartphone, goes up for pre-order on June 6, Oppo teases 6.65 mm thick smartphone, to take the title of world’s thinnest in September, Take that Oppo! At 6.2mm, ZTE Athena is now the world's thinnest smartphoneThis article, Oppo Find5 X909 leaked, thinnest quad-core phone ever? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| New Yahoo! CEO buying iPhones, Android devices for everyone Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:16 PM PDT  Marissa Mayer at a TechCrunch event (TechCrunch5o-2008 / Flickr) Marissa Mayer is turning Yahoo! into Google — at least in terms of employee benefits. After giving free meals to everyone in HQ and other offices, the new Yahoo! chief executive is now considering giving iPhones and Android smartphones to everyone. It’s not that Yahoo! employees don’t enjoy company-sponsored mobility already. They currently use BlackBerry devices, which some attribute to why Yahoo! hasn’t caught on the mobile trend just yet. Sources say this is about to change, as Mayer has declared being open to giving everyone an iPhone or an Android device, reports All Things D. “I have lots of phones,” Mayer told Business Insider in an interview once. Apparently, employees are not limited to their company-issued BlackBerry devices, too, with staff bringing their own smartphones — a mix of iPhones and Android — as a personal device. However, Yahoo!’s sponsoring an Android phone or iPhone would help boost morale among employees. Morale is only a secondary concern, though. A source says that Mayer so believes that being identified with one platform will help “get consistency across the company.” This will help Yahoo! shine, especially if employees get familiarized with that particular platform and get to experience these as an end-user. This will not come without serious coin, though. Yahoo! is expected to spend a couple million dollars to sponsor new employee smartphones, although this would be considered a small investment for a company still worth billions. It’s an opportunity that should Yahoo! should not let pass if it wants to remain relevant in an increasingly mobile world. Related PostsYahoo! Music Launches Play for Android: Combines Last.fm, iTunes, and Shazam, Motorola BACKFLIP on AT&T to use Yahoo!, not Google, Yahoo! AppSpot Can Help Find New AppsThis article, New Yahoo! CEO buying iPhones, Android devices for everyone , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| HTC Thunderbolt Android Ice Cream Sandwich Leak Posted: 21 Aug 2012 07:26 PM PDT
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has been long promised for the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt. HTC told us back in May that we should see something in June or July. Earlier this month HTC updated Thunderbolt owners again, moving their timeline to the end of August. It looks like they may just be on target after all. Team BAMF has managed to get a hold of a leaked ROM for the HTC Mecha aka Thunderbolt. It’s build number 7.00.605.2 and running Android 4.0.3. Everything is fully functional in this ROM including 3g, 4g, phone calls, sms, mms and more. HTC Sense has been updated to version 3.6 which is a substantial update over the original Sense 2.1 that came with Gingerbread. This ROM is near stock. The only modifications that have been done is deodexing, rooting, and an unsecured ramdisk. You can head on over to the official thread for full download details. Download BAMF_MECHA_ICS_08212012.zip    Related PostsHTC Thunderbolt Foretastes Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, How to Install Ice Cream Sandwich ROM on the HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Thunderbolt and Desire S upgraded to ICS soonThis article, HTC Thunderbolt Android Ice Cream Sandwich Leak , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Apple wants to prevent real competition with such lawsuits, Samsung says in closing argument Posted: 21 Aug 2012 07:02 PM PDT
Once Apple made its last stand in front of the jury earlier today, it was time for Samsung's lawyers to step up to the plate and deliver their closing arguments, and it was Charles Verhoeven the attorney chosen for the task at hand. And if you liked what you saw in Apple's closing arguments then you'll find Samsung's grand finale a bit boring, as the company tried to go after certain Apple witnesses and dismantle their testimonies in order to make its case one more time, that it didn't copy Apple, rather than focusing more on its own allegations that it's Apple that infringed Samsung patents. Competition in the market place
One of Samsung's arguments was that Apple is trying to beat a serious competitor in court rather than in the market place, and that competition is something essential for America, an element that shouldn't be changed by the jury. Here are some quotes:
"Form followed function"Samsung argued, yet again, that Apple doesn't own certain designs that are used by a variety of players in the mobile business, such as "black rectangles with touchscreens." Back in the BlackBerry glory days, every OEM out there tried to put a QWERTY keyboard on its handsets, and, similarly, now everyone is using touchscreen-based devices.
And one of Samsung's point is that "form followed function" in the phone business:
Recognizable design and prior artAnother point Samsung's counsel stressed on was the fact that ultimately, customers can't confuse a smartphone or tablet made by Samsung with an iPhone or iPad, respectively. The company argued that no Apple expert was able to prove that customers were mislead into believing they were purchasing iPhones and/or iPads when choosing a Galaxy-branded device and that consumers have already made their choice not to buy an iPhone or iPad when picking up an Android device from Samsung. Samsung showed to the jury the variety of touchscreen-based devices it worked on prior to the iPhone, although it didn't explain why Samsung's touchscreen handsets only became popular after the iPhone was launched, and not before. Verhoeven then pushed through various testimonies from Apple experts on consumer choices or design, showing various Galaxy-branded devices that are allegedly infringing on iPhone patents, but which, in his view, are not in fact violating those patents. Here are some quotes:
Prior art was also a topic in Samsung's closing arguments, with Verhoeven arguing that the Galaxy Tab, a product that Samsung began working on before the iPad was launched according to a Samsung designer's testimony, is not similar to the product described in Apple's '889 patent. Icons and matrixSamsung tried to show the jury that various Apple claims against some of its devices are unfounded, although not all Samsung devices that are part of the trial were showecased:
Google warning and internal iPhone benchmarkingAs you can easily see, Samsung spent most of its time trying to debunk Apple's accusations rather then trying to prove that Apple is also accused of infringing certain patents. Verhoeven was apparently interested to explain Google's design warnings, as well as the iPhone vs Galaxy S document – both arguments were brought into the trial by Apple and could hurt the Android maker in the case, especially the latter, as it offers a complex comparison between the two devices but also ways to improve the Galaxy S to be more like the iPhone. Here are some quotes:
However, this doesn't change the fact that the document, no matter where it came from, contained advice on how to improve the Galaxy S to be more like the iPhone, rather than being solely a "benchmarking" comparison between devices. Samsung patents and damagesAfter almost two hours of defending against Apple's accusations, Verhoeven finally remembered that Samsung owns some patents two which is using against the iPhone maker in this particular lawsuit. The lawyer reminded the jurors that Apple products used "state of the art" Samsung 3G technology in the iPhone, without Apple paying for it.
As for damages and royalties, should they be awarded to Apple, the jury is advised to take into account the discrepancies between Apple's and Samsung's financial findings regarding the allegedly infringing products:
Not the most interesting closing argument for Samsung, but the company managed to make its case once again, repeating pretty much what it said in court these past few weeks. It's now up to the jury to decide who will win this battle, with deliberations set to start tomorrow morning. Related PostsSamsung was iPhone's biggest fan and copied it, says Apple in closing argument, Samsung not allowed to use "2001: A Space Odyssey" prior art argument during Apple trial, Samsung opening statement says Apple did not copy iPhone, iPad, but competed against themThis article, Apple wants to prevent real competition with such lawsuits, Samsung says in closing argument , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Steve Wozniak: HTC ThunderBolt makes a bad impression Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:45 PM PDT
One fine day back in January 2011, HTC and Verizon unveiled Big Red's first ever 4G LTE-enabled smartphone, the ThunderBolt. More than two months later the exciting and much anticipated 4.3-incher finally saw the light of day, but didn't quite get the expected warm welcome. The phone’s bulkiness, frequent network outages, overheating and battery issues were only some of the downsides quoted by many regular tech users when returning the HTC ThunderBolt to retailers. The not very "sensible" pricing surely didn't help the "beast" overcome all these problems, not to mention the ICS update delays. If all those things weren't enough to drive users away from the ThunderBolt (not that anyone would be crazy enough to purchase the phone now that it's also outdated), Steve Wozniak came and pounded the last nail in the phone's coffin. Answering to a Gizmodo "Chatroom" question, The Woz said that the HTC ThunderBolt was one of the worst gadgets he actually paid for. Ever. Ouch! That's got to hurt, especially given the fact that Apple's co-founder had mentioned in an interview a few months ago that he preferred Android over iOS from a couple of points of view and that he wished the iPhone could do all the things his Android did. Also, you can probably imagine how many phones and gadgets someone like Wozniak has owned in his lifetime.
In fact, the only other gadget Wozniak mentioned when answering to Gizmodo’s question was an "early Iridium phone" from the "dark ages" of technology, so the HTC ThunderBolt really seems to have made a terrible impression on the San Jose-born scientist and engineer. You should take The Woz's statement with a small pinch of salt though, being a known fact that Steve Jobs' former partner is a bit on the eccentric side and sometimes tends to exaggerate. After all, he did say back in April that he loves Windows Phone more than Android (ha!), and in June that Siri is disappointing and "poo-poo". Whether you agree with the guy or not, you can’t fault Wozniak for openly voicing his opinions (as he has always done) and not avoiding answering any question out of “diplomatic” reasons. Do you agree with him? Is the ThunderBolt the absolute biggest pile of rubbish you have ever owned? How about those of you who haven’t purchased HTC and Big Red’s 4.3-incher? What would be the gadget you most likely regret spending money on? Related PostsSteve Wozniak loves Windows Phone, thinks it's better than Android, “A lot of people say Siri. I say poo-poo,” says Steve Wozniak (video), Two Galaxy Nexus units and other gadgets you can find inside Steve Wozniak's backpackThis article, Steve Wozniak: HTC ThunderBolt makes a bad impression , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| CyanogenMod 10 Boot Animation Available for Download Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT
Last night the author of the last few CyanogenMod boot animations, 73v1n, graced the world with a completely revamped boot animation for CyanogenMod 10. The CyanogenMod 9 boot animation featured the CyanogenMod mascot, Cid, which seemed to generate a lot of rage from many CM fans. During the bootup process, Cid’s facial expression changed a bit, looking angry, bad, evil (or bad ass) depending whom you ask. Learning a thing or two since last time, the author decided to completely redo the boot boot animation, removing all traces of Cid, version numbers, and making it as clean as possible.
Downloads are available for various tablet and phone resolutions below. Once downloaded, open CM10_bootanimation.zip. Choose your desired vertical or horizontal resolution. Copy the corresponding bootanimation.zip to your devices SDCard. Using Root Explorer or ES File Explorer, place the new bootanimation.zip file in /system/media/. (You may want to backup your previous bootanimation.zip as well.) EDIT: It seems the 720 vertical file included below is a compressed zip and causing booting issues. If you have the Galaxy Nexus or another 720 resolution device, please use this file. Vertical: 240, 320, 360, 480, 540, 600, 720, 768, 800 (Example: Galaxy Nexus Vertical is 720) Horizontal: 240, 480, 600, 720, 768, 800 So what do you think? Do you love it compared to CM9′s boot animation or do you miss Cid? Related PostsVideo: CyanogenMod 9 boot animation now features CID as the new mascot, Android Jelly Bean Goodies: Boot Animation and Wallpapers, Droid Bionic Impresses With Speed Test, Zippy Boot AnimationThis article, CyanogenMod 10 Boot Animation Available for Download , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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| Gamestop’s Spawn service to be released in 2013 Posted: 21 Aug 2012 05:15 PM PDT
Some of you might not be surprised by this: when GameStop acquired Spawn Labs (a company that specializes in streaming technology) back in early 2011, the retailer was not shy of officially announcing its intention to take on the cloud gaming market at some point in 2012. It also casually said it would support both PCs and consoles. But unfortunately, to those that are just dying to try out GameStop's cloud gaming solution this year, it looks like the Spawn network won't be released until next year. In addition, the overly-ambitious company has also announced that the Spawn cloud gaming service will not make it to consoles, probably due to the unfeasible investment costs required to make that happen. Instead, the service will be available only on PCs, tablets and online-connected TVs. While the real reasons might lurk somewhere in the dark side of the corporate universe, here's an official statement from Tony Bartel (GameStop president) explaining the situation:
What do you guys think? Are you annoyed that GameStop Spawn won't make it to consoles, or is it all the same to you? Drop a comment in the section below and share a thought! Related PostsBest Buy’s New Cloud Music Service Accessible to Major Platforms, Android tablets now available from 1600 GameStop stores across the US, Cloud gaming shake up: Sony acquires Gaikai, integrates OnLive on its upcoming Google TVThis article, Gamestop’s Spawn service to be released in 2013 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
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