Android World: Android Authority

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Android Authority

Android and iOS devices adopted faster than any other consumer tech ever
LG Optimus G beast is now official, to hit Korea in September
Buy Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and get free keyboard dock from Sears
Is Lyft a shabby ripoff of Sidecar?
Motorola Droid Razr M 4G LTE pic and spec sheet leaked
Samsung Stratosphere 2 and LG Spectrum 2 heading to Verizon
HTC looking to build new tablet PCs by end-2012 – DigiTimes
Google names paid consultants in Oracle patent case, including prominent Stanford law professor
Google looking to improve privacy, wants to hire experts
Samsung Galaxy Stellar goes up on Best Buy for $449.99

Android and iOS devices adopted faster than any other consumer tech ever

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 02:47 AM PDT

If you need any proof of the popularity and desirability of smartphones and tablets right now then here it is. Across the world we have been buying Android and iOS devices faster than any other consumer technology in history. That's according to research by Flurry, which estimates that there were over 640 million Android and iOS devices in use during July 2012.

To give a comparison, Flurry is claiming that Android and iOS adoption is:

10 times faster than the PC revolution
2 times faster than the Internet boom
3 times faster than social media growth

When we break down the numbers by country it's clear that the U.S. is leading, but China is likely to overtake it in the very near future. That becomes even clearer when we take a look at the growth rate in various countries. China is miles ahead of the pack, followed by Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Iran.

We can clearly see why the growth rate is slowing in countries like the U.S. when we take a look at the overall penetration for 15-64 year-olds and find that saturation points are fast approaching. The top three are Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sweden. As Flurry points out, each country has a strong history in consumer technology and a relatively small population. Australia is in fourth place with 79 percent adoption, followed by the U.S. on 78 percent, and the UK is down at 74 percent.

The final chart shows app usage and it paints a picture of increasing worldwide adoption of Android and iOS devices. The percentage of worldwide usage attributed to the U.S. is falling because the rest of the world is fast adopting smartphones and tablets.

Android tablets and the iPad will account for some of these statistics but the vast majority of the devices in question will be Android smartphones and iPhones. The smartphone appears to be the most desirable consumer technology on the planet at the moment and it is driving phenomenal international growth. China is the market to target right now and the competition is really heating up as the top manufacturers clamor to get a slice of that action.

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This article, Android and iOS devices adopted faster than any other consumer tech ever , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

LG Optimus G beast is now official, to hit Korea in September

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 02:10 AM PDT

Apple's legal wins in the States might not be Samsung's only worry right now, as the South Koreans may also soon lose their Android smartphone supremacy. At least in the high-end niche, where LG is about to launch a quad-core "beast" far snappier than Sammy's Galaxy S3.

The Optimus G hasn't been a mystery for quite some time now, with Qualcomm basically confirming rumors of the handheld's coming last week. We saw the Optimus G's spec sheet, we had a good idea of how the super-phone will look, so it was about time LG made it official.

As usual, the announcement was made via a Korean press release, although a more "sumptuous" unveiling is still expected to happen at the IFA 2012 in Berlin. There aren't that many surprises in the press release, but we are very happy to notice that the Optimus G's final design looks quite far off those leaked pictures from a few days ago.

The Optimus G won't exactly come with "sexy" curves or any design breakthroughs, but sometimes simplicity can bring excellence. That said, the first official pics are exquisite, as far as I'm concerned, showing off a clean industrial-looking phone with personality, charm and elegance.

It's a pretty manly handheld, although it will weigh just 145 grams and measure 8.45mm in thickness. The vertical and horizontal bezels are almost invisible, which is mostly due to LG using "fully integrated touch technology", also helping reduce the air gap between the display and the surface.

The "True HD" IPS LCD display could be one-of-a-kind, with a 4.7-inch diagonal and a 1280 x 768 pixels resolution. In terms of hardware, there isn't much we can say other than to urge you to prepare to see benchmarks massacred.

As Qualcomm themselves confirmed last week, the Optimus G will be powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 CPU, coupled with a stunning new Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. There's only one other phone confirmed as being equipped with the S4 Pro proc, but Xiaomi's Mi2 doesn't yet have an ETA for Europe or the States.

The Optimus G will be coming with a 2,100mAh battery, dual 13MP / 1.3MP cameras, Android 4.0 ICS out of the box, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, DLNA, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE speeds. These are all pretty great specs, but there are two details that might raise some concern.

On one hand, there's the lack of Jelly Bean on board this "beast", which might not be extremely disappointing if an upgrade were to come soon after Optimus G's release. However, we know LG's track record with ICS updates, so our fear is that this big guy will not be treated with JB goodness by the end of the year. The battery is another huge concern, as Qualcomm seemed to be hinting at the using of a separate chip for LTE aside from the quad-core S4 Pro, a combination that might drain a lot more "juice" than usual.

All concerns aside, the LG Optimus G still looks a game changer to us, which is why it was great to hear that it will hit Korea as soon as next month with Japan following soon after and a worldwide launch scheduled “by the end of the year.” And no, we don’t think European and U.S. tech enthusiasts will have to wait until November or December, as we highly suspect the Optimus G to be exactly the same as the Eclipse spotted getting FCC approval not long ago.

Confirmed: LG to out new quad-core S4 Pro-powered beast in September, Android 4.0 rolling out to LG Optimus LTE in Korea, Optimus Vu and LTE Tag to follow, LG Optimus 2X getting ICS upgrade after all … in Korea

This article, LG Optimus G beast is now official, to hit Korea in September , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Buy Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and get free keyboard dock from Sears

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 02:04 AM PDT

If it has just dawned on you that a 10.1-inch tablet is better suited for your needs than a 7-inch one, you definitely want to check out the offer that Sears has on the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T – one of the first quad-core tablets introduced to the market.

For every online Asus Transformer Pad TF300T purchase, not only will Sears waive the standard shipment fee, but it will also add the original Asus docking keyboard for free. All you have to do is make sure that both items appear in cart to get the freebie.

The free shipment offer lasts until September 16, while the free keyboard dock offer ends on September 1. It means there are only a few days left to get the sweet offer.

The Asus Transformer Pad TF300T is one of the better Android tablets out there. With its 10.1-inch WXGA display and 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, $399 for the tablet is not a bad price at all. It'd be an even more attractive proposal if you can score the keyboard dock from Sears. While the slate is shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is already available for the TF300T.

Head to Sears now to try your luck in securing your very own Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and the keyboard dock.

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This article, Buy Asus Transformer Pad TF300T and get free keyboard dock from Sears , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Is Lyft a shabby ripoff of Sidecar?

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 02:00 AM PDT

Let’s not get confused. Lyftis about the same kind of service as Sidecar. The two services both cater to the iOS and Android communities. Both services deal with transportation and propose to do so at a fraction of the average cost. This begs the question, what does Lyft do that Sidecar does not?

Let’s start off with Lyft’s site. It’s minimal. I mean, very minimal. There’s a link for the iOS app (Android app is rumored to be available on the 29th) and a link to sign up as a driver. For those not familiar with social ride sharing, it’s a service that attempts to duplicate a taxi, but also streamline traffic and conserve natural resources (including time) so that all parties involved get to their destination. Less people driving alone equals less traffic equals less consumption of petrol products.

The cost involved is also minimal (it’s donation based!), when compared to the enormous fees of most taxis and limo services. It’s more convenient than public transportation, if you need to be somewhere ASAP. You jump on your app, look through the directory of nearest drivers and endpoint destination, and hail them as a rider. Where minimalism doesn’t occur (I’m quoting Lyft here) is the extensive background checks to have just any Joe or Jill drive you around town to your dropoff spot. The inherent danger in taking someone’s private vehicle should not have to be mentioned.

Enter Sidecar. Sidecar does the same things, connecting ordinary citizens with each other, mostly during commuting hours, for a cheap price. I’m still confused. Where in the fine print is Lyft different?

Lyft, as far as I can tell, is not different at all. In fact, it’s the same service with a different name. But does it matter? I would say it does not, simply because more of these services should exist to get people more connected face-to-face and support “green lifestyles”. The obvious effects on the planet and how we design smarter cities will be impacted by these kinds of services in the near future. Lyft vs. Sidecar doesn’t matter. Try them out, see how they operate, and then let us know. Either way it is a win for both drivers and passengers.

Is either service available in your city and if so, what is your opinion on social ride sharing as a transportation alternative? Is it viable to do this in every city or just large urban areas? Shout at us in the comments below!

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This article, Is Lyft a shabby ripoff of Sidecar? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Motorola Droid Razr M 4G LTE pic and spec sheet leaked

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 02:00 AM PDT

Motorola’s and Verizon's plans for the September 5 special event haven't been a secret for a while, but a couple of details have been kept under wraps until now. We've known basically all there was to know about Moto's future flagship, the Droid Razr HD, for some weeks, but the second device to be unveiled next week was still a mystery.

The XT907 was first spotted in a supposed leaked pic back in July, getting FCC certification a couple of weeks ago. The phone's official name was revealed just a few days back, and, thanks to Engadget, we now have one more leaked image and an (almost) full spec sheet.

The Droid Razr M 4G LTE is just about confirmed now as a more budget-friendly Razr HD, although it will probably sport a somewhat different design than what we saw in the July leak. That's good news though, because Engadget's pic shows off a very sleek, thin and elegant Razr with an industrial overall look, sharp edges and a stylized back.

The horizontal bezel looks a bit on the thick side, but the vertical one is actually pretty thin. As for that "stylized" back, that might still be a bit of a gamble for Moto, as it could be considered tacky by some of you. Then again, the Kevlar backing should at least partially make up for any style objections you might have.

In terms of hardware, the Razr M might narrowly miss out on being called a true high-ender, but it will still come with some decent amount of "oomph". The dual-core 1.5GHz MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor is still the speed standard for many super-phones out there, while the 1GB of RAM will decently complement the CPU.

The M will sport a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED Advanced display with ColorBoost, Gorilla Glass 2 protection and 960 x 540 pixels resolution. Other features include 8GB of internal storage, microSD support, dual 8MP / 3MP cameras, NFC, Android 4.0 ICS, and, of course, 4G LTE speeds.

It's obvious that for the Razr M to be called a true high-end device it would have needed to come with more internal memory and maybe even a better rear-facing camera, but for a mid-ranger the spec sheet is clearly not too shabby. Not to mention that front-facing webcam, which looks pretty exciting, being supposedly capable of recording 1080p clips.

One particular detail has been left out of the mix for now and it might actually be the one to decide Razr M's future commercial success. We still know nothing about the 4.3-incher's battery, which has been one of the main selling points of many Razr phones. We wouldn't expect much from this little guy, as it's only supposed to weigh 4.44 ounces, but maybe Moto will surprise us.

The handheld’s pricing is itself still kept secret, but we’re expecting everything to be revealed on September 5. Get back to our website then and, for now, tell us if you’re at least intrigued about this Razr M.

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This article, Motorola Droid Razr M 4G LTE pic and spec sheet leaked , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Samsung Stratosphere 2 and LG Spectrum 2 heading to Verizon

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 12:44 AM PDT

Droid Life

With the original Samsung Stratosphere reaching the ripe age of 1 year old on Verizon, it's about time for Big Red to release a refreshed model of the slider. Just so happens, the Stratosphere 2 is one of two new phones that are listed on Verizon's equipment guide for the second half of the year.

The Samsung Stratosphere 2 (i415) first came to our attention last week, but save for the name, we had zero information on the device. The new listing of the phone provides a first visual glimpse of the Stratosphere 2, as well as a tiny bit information of specs.

By that, we mean that we only know of the phone's 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5-row QWERTY keyboard, and 4G LTE connectivity. To make an educated guess, it'll probably come with a Snapdragon S4 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The second new offering that Verizon is prepping is the LG Spectrum 2. The original Spectrum was based on Optimus LTE, so it would make sense for the successor to be based on the Optimus LTE 2. Just like the Stratosphere, we may see the phone sporting a Snapdragon S4 chip. We expect the Spectrum 2 to feature an HD display and 8MP rear camera.

Which out of two grab your attention the most, the Samsung Stratosphere 2 or the LG Spectrum 2? Let's not forget that a couple of Droid Razr phones and the phablet LG Intuition will also be introduced soon by Verizon.

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This article, Samsung Stratosphere 2 and LG Spectrum 2 heading to Verizon , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

HTC looking to build new tablet PCs by end-2012 – DigiTimes

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 12:41 AM PDT

Even though HTC’s Flyer and Jetstream tablets weren’t so popular in the market, HTC is rumored to have tablet plans in its future.

The rise in popularity of inexpensive 7-inch tablets by Google and Asus have led HTC to rekindle its interest in tablet PCs.

HTC was one of the early Android tablet manufacturers, but its 7-inch Flyer and 10.1-inch Jetstream did not take off. HTC even rejected an offer from Google to co-develop and produce the Nexus tablet, as the company did not have any interest in targeting the $199 to $249 price range. HTC was also passed over as a production partner by Microsoft for Windows RT tablets.

But even so, HTC is reportedly planning to launch a new line of tablet PCs, possibly powered by Android. DigiTimes reports that HTC is reigniting its efforts in the tablet PC business, and is likely to come up with a model for release late 2012. Sources connected with component makers say HTC is in talks with Taiwan’s Pegatron Technology.

According to DigiTimes’ sources, the popularity of Asus’ profile arising from Nexus 7 sales has led HTC to reassess its tablet PC business. At this point, there may be a need for the company to adjust its pricing policy to better compete with the likes of Asus and Google, Amazon, Apple and even Microsoft. Also, HTC is still evaluating whether to produce a 7- or 10-inch model.

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This article, HTC looking to build new tablet PCs by end-2012 – DigiTimes , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Google names paid consultants in Oracle patent case, including prominent Stanford law professor

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 09:05 PM PDT

In the ongoing appeal to the Oracle vs. Google case, judge William Alsup has asked both parties to disclose the names of any bloggers, journalists or other commentators they may have paid, in order to determine whether any publicity over the case may have been influenced by any financial contributions. Oracle disclosed just one name, patent expert Florian Mueller, while Google had been reprimanded by the judge as it “failed to comply.”

Google claimed it would be impossible to list everyone, given that publishers earn from the company’s AdSense advertising program. The search giant also contributes to charitable organizations and universities. Judge Alsup, however, countered that Google should do a reasonable disclosure, “but the impossible is not required.” As such, Google was given an extension up to last Friday to make their submission.

Google already submitted their list, although the company continues to insist that “neither it nor its counsel has paid an author, journalist, commentator or blogger to report or comment on any issues in this case.” The list includes two categories: current and former Google employees, and individuals who work with organizations that are currently receiving donations from Google.

To illustrate, these include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google’s current copyright lawyer, previous interns, and other fairly trivial names. But one name stands out, writes Nilay Patel from The Verge: Stanford professor Mark Lemley, whom Google has listed as an “outside consultant” who works on “unrelated cases.”

Lemley’s name comes to highlight because he still remains a Google counsel, even in non-related issues, and that he is often quoted in the press as the director of Stanford’s Law, Science & Technology program. As such, even as Lemley is an intellectual property expert who has extensive knowledge of patent law, there might be a question of impartiality whenever he speaks about these issues.

The court admits that disclosure may not necessarily be material to the case, although any publcity or commentary may have “influence on the courts and/or their staff if only in subtle ways.”

Does disclosure play a big part in making sure the case is tried in a fair manner? Perhaps these disclosures should mean that readers take online opinions and commentary with a grain of salt, since even established authors and commentators may have been influenced by any financial gain, even subtly. This, of course, brings to light some questions on editorial integrity. If an advertiser is supporting your publication’s business, will you still be able to provide a fair reportage if there are critical issues?

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This article, Google names paid consultants in Oracle patent case, including prominent Stanford law professor , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Google looking to improve privacy, wants to hire experts

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 08:21 PM PDT

Online privacy at its best (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

Privacy is a big deal, especially concerning social networks and other online services. Recall how Facebook is often under fire because of iffy privacy policies. Google is also an especially favorite target by privacy groups because of how search and mobile technology has been so pervasive in our lives. Remember the location-tracking issue that both iOS and Andriod have been criticized for? How about the controversial Google Street View issue in which Google admitted to collecting private information from unsecured networks?

Google wants to be a better corporate citizen, and is looking to hire experts in the privacy field, evident in a recent job hunt. In particular, the search giant is looking for software engineers who “will help ensure that our products are designed to the highest standards and are operated in a manner that protects the privacy of our users.” These potential employees should also “independently identify, research, and help resolve potential privacy risks across all of our products, services, and business processes in place today.”

The so-called “red team” will basically be tasked to look for any loopholes and potential risks that Google might be criticized — or worse, sued — for. The job posting does not include compensation inforamtion, but BGR posits that no matter how big these salaries will be, these are likely to be less expensive than having to pay fines, settlements and legal fees should privacy-related litigation ensue.

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This article, Google looking to improve privacy, wants to hire experts , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Samsung Galaxy Stellar goes up on Best Buy for $449.99

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:46 PM PDT

What was once a stranger, now it wouldn't be too much to call the Samsung Galaxy Stellar as an old chum, what with the amount of information we've had of the Verizon-bound phone in recent days. After the leak last week that gave away the phone's price (on-contract), new details of the phone can be found on Best Buy’s website.

That's right – the retailer didn't want to wait any longer for Verizon to make the Galaxy Stellar official, as the phone's product page is already up. You can't make the purchase just yet, but at least this gives the chance to see what else the Stellar is hiding under the hood.

We're going to start with what we already knew. For instance, the phone's 4-inch display is no longer a secret. But now we have confirmation that it will sport a 800 x 480 resolution. Instead of the expected dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, the Stellar will have to make do with 1.2GHz. Other features of the phone include 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage, microSD card slot, 3.2MP rear camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 4G connectivity.

While the phone is expected to go on sale for $99 with a Verizon contract, the phone will cost $449.99 without one.

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This article, Samsung Galaxy Stellar goes up on Best Buy for $449.99 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.