Android Central |
- LG says the Optimus Vu will hit the US this quarter
- Acer Cloudmobile goes up for pre-order in the UK for £285
- Sony Xperia S to get a new color, dark silver added to the lineup
- Android 4.0 now available to LG Optimus 4G LTE owners on Bell
- HTC Rezound getting another update
- Disney Junior Sprint ID pack now available, keep kids entertained on the go
- Motorola Droid 4 ICS update pushing out, brings global roaming and remote diagnostics
- Barnes & Noble lowers NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color pricing to its lowest ever
- ZTE Grand X launches on Virgin Media UK
- Editorial: Custom ROMs are awesome, and sometimes they break stuff
- Neuroshima Hex review - not your robo-mama's board game
- Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for Galaxy S3 review
- Google buying Frommers, should fit nicely with Zagat
- Jot review - the simplest note-taking widget ever
- Sprint Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE coming Aug. 19 priced $199.99
- Carphone Warehouse announces Motorola RAZR MAXX launch
- Deal of the Day: Seidio ACTIVE Case (with kickstand) for HTC EVO 4G LTE
- Samsung: Galaxy Note 10.1 coming to UK on Aug. 16
- Monday Brief: Ouya Kickstarter, PlayBook 4G LTE, Smaller iOS Dock Connector, and more!
- LG Viper 4G LTE lets you share your world in new ways using QuickMemo
- Android 4.0 coming to Optimus 2X after all - at least in Korea
- UK retailer confirms black Galaxy S3, new color due 'in 4-6 weeks'
- Motorola to lay off employees, close offices and focus on fewer handsets
| LG says the Optimus Vu will hit the US this quarter Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:40 PM PDT
While none of the carriers in the U.S. have stepped forward, LG has said that the Optimus Vu (check out our review) will be destined for the United States market this quarter. This aligns rather well with the reports of a Verizon branded version, sporting Big Red's LTE radio bands and it's unique 4:3 aspect ratio. With the limited release (primarily confined to Asian markets) the Vu hasn't made a significant splash in the Android pool. Dropping the Ice Cream Sandwich running 5-incher with digitized pen input on the Verizon network could change all that. Of course just because it's been seen and mentioned doesn't make it so (hello there, Verizon Nexus One!) so until we see it on some store shelves we still have to call it a bit of a rumor. Hopefully, LG can push the Vu into the U.S. market, as more choices is always better than not having them. Source: LG (Korean); via UnwiredView 
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| Acer Cloudmobile goes up for pre-order in the UK for £285 Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:18 PM PDT
The Acer Cloudmobile was first brought to the worlds attention back at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Fast forward six months, and the device has finally become available to pre-order in the UK. Despite having a strange name, the Cloudmobile potentially offers good value for money at this price point. Online retailer, Expansys, is offering the Cloudmobile SIM-free and unlocked for £284.99. For that you get a really good looking smartphone, with Android 4.0 on board -- complete with on-screen buttons -- 720p 4.3-inch display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB on board storage. Camera wise we're looking at an 8MP rear shooter with LED flash. Compared to the high-end devices we've seen launched at, and since MWC, the Cloudmobile might seem like a bit of a non-starter. At this price point though, it sits nicely into the mid-range. Let's not also forget that Acer won a prestigious design award for this device. At present, Expansys expects to begin shipping the Cloudmobile to pre-order customers from September 5. Source: Expansys 
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| Sony Xperia S to get a new color, dark silver added to the lineup Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:02 PM PDT
Another day, another batch of Sony related news. For once however, this latest piece of news concerns an existing device -- the current flagship to the 2012 Xperia line, the Sony Xperia S. Until now, the Xperia S has only been available in two different colors -- black and white. Sony has announced today a third color choice, imaginatively titled "Dark Silver." OK, so the name might not be that inspiring, and for many the device itself may provoke a similar reaction. It's a good looking thing though, and this latest color choice just might be the best yet. After all, who doesn't want their phone to look good? No word on availability yet though, we're just told to "keep your eyes peeled." At this point in time we're finding it difficult to get excited for any current Sony devices. We're a lot more excited to see -- for real at least -- the excessively leaked new Xperia devices, which we expect to see unveiled in a couple of weeks at IFA 2012 in Berlin. Source: Sony 
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| Android 4.0 now available to LG Optimus 4G LTE owners on Bell Posted: 13 Aug 2012 03:37 PM PDT
With its American relative the LG Nitro HD already having received its update, LG Optimus 4G LTE owners on Bell in Canada have had to wait a little bit longer. But no more, according to a tweet sent out by from the official Bell Twitter account. LG Optimus 4G LTE owners can go ahead and grab Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich through system updates. Source: Bell 
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| HTC Rezound getting another update Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT
There's another OTA package for the HTC Rezound out in the wilds of the Internet, and quite frankly nobody knows what's going on with it. We (and likely everyone else) have reached out to Verizon, who hasn't yet responded with news of anything new, so we have to roll with Internet wisdom on this one. Scary, I know. We do know that the update has a new radio, new recovery, new kernel, and updates in the firmware itself. What we don't know is what the update brings new to the table, or what it might have fixed. Some users are less-than-happy with the ICS update from earlier in the month, so there very well could be some bug and stability fixes. There's also the global roaming capability that Verizon has promised for this summer, so maybe it's there along with the new radios -- there is a setting in the options for Preferred Network to be Global now. We won't know for sure until Verizon posts the changes, or enough people get the update to verify the suspicions. That's where you come in -- if you've received the OTA (or flashed it manually via directions at XDA), sing out in the Rezound forums. Help get this one figured out! Source: XDA-Developers; via Android Central forums 
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| Disney Junior Sprint ID pack now available, keep kids entertained on the go Posted: 13 Aug 2012 01:47 PM PDT
If you've ever been a road trip with a child, then you know it's sometimes not always easy keeping them entertained, especially if it's a really long trip. To help parents deal with that, Sprint has now made available the Disney Junior Sprint ID pack. It's loaded up with content that kids are sure to love and well, maybe even some parents as well:
If you're a parent on the go and need something to keep the younguns calm, you can find the Disney Junior Sprint ID pack available for free on eligible plans and devices from Sprint. Full details are listed below in the press release for you all. Source: Sprint 
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| Motorola Droid 4 ICS update pushing out, brings global roaming and remote diagnostics Posted: 13 Aug 2012 01:11 PM PDT
A couple weeks back we saw the Motorola Droid 4 in the midst of it's soak test procedure for Ice Cream Sandwich, and today it appears that the update is pushing, at least for a few. Officially, the support page lists the update as "coming soon", but we've gotten a report or two that it's already inbound. We'll go over the changes in a bit, but it's worth mentioning that the build of Blur (or not Blur) has been updated to the same version we saw in the RAZR's Ice Cream Sandwich update. We like it when things get refined, so we're not complaining, but if you get a bit lost with the new look and feel hit the forums for some help. Moving on to the details --
The version number is now 6.16.217.XT894.Verizon.en.US, and the update checks in at about in at 360MB. We're not sure how widespread the rollout is just yet, but to check if you have it ready and waiting hit the settings and look in About phone > system update. When you see it, be sure to sound off and let folks know how it went for you. Hit the source link below for the full details as well as detailed update instructions. Source: Verizon Support. Thanks, TimR! 
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| Barnes & Noble lowers NOOK Tablet and NOOK Color pricing to its lowest ever Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:11 PM PDT
For all you deal hunters out there who like nice things but aren't really looking to buy in when prices are high, you're holding out for a NOOK Tablet or NOOK Color may have paid off. Barnes & Noble has announced a price drop on both the NOOK Tablet or NOOK Color, just in time for back to school.
The pricing is in effect across all of Barnes & Noble 700 locations. Barnes & Noble hasn't noted if the price drop is permanent or just a sale so, if you're looking to pick one best to go ahead and do so as soon as possible. You'll find the full press release below. 
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| ZTE Grand X launches on Virgin Media UK Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:06 PM PDT
ZTE sends word that its new mid-range Android handset, the Grand X, is now available from Virgin Media in the UK. The Virgin Media launch follows the Tegra 2-powered device's earlier launch on Phones4U. The Grand X, which sports near-vanilla Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a 4.3-inch qHD display, is available for £199.99 up-front, or for free on any of the network's 12 and 24-month contracts. The PAYG deal includes £10 of credit and 1GB of mobile data. The Grand X is part of ZTE's effort to enter the premium handset market in the UK. The phone's powered by a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU and a mostly unskilled Android 4.0 software experience. The phone also rocks a 4.3-inch qHD LCD display, 512MB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera and a microSD card slot. You'll find more info on the Virgin Media deals at the link below. Also be sure to check out our hands-on preview of the Grand X. Source: Virgin Media 
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| Editorial: Custom ROMs are awesome, and sometimes they break stuff Posted: 13 Aug 2012 11:28 AM PDT
For many of us, part of the fun of having an Android phone is yanking off the intended software and putting a community-built custom build into the ROM. Sometimes, it's almost necessary to fix a few "broken" things the OEM is dragging their feet on (hello, T-Mobile G2X!), but more often than not it's done either to add features, take away features, or because it's a whole bucket of awesome inside of big box of coolness -- in other words, fun as hell. Of course, the first thing we all look at when cruising for the next custom ROM we're going to flash is the "not working" list. It often takes time to get all the features of a device working with custom software, and usually the first few releases of a ROM will have at least a couple things not working. It's not necessarily a ding on the devs building the software, OEMs aren't very keen on sharing their secrets and code -- even when required to under the license they agreed to before using it. That's why we see things like camera issues, Bluetooth wonkyness, and various sensors not playing nicely until they are tickled into submission. We all have a cut-off point where we say "I don't need any of that stuff right now, and I wanna try this" and we flash it. Don't deny it, you have that line just like the rest of us do. But that's not the sort of broken stuff we're talking about. There will always be some weird app issues that the developer didn't see. Maybe he (or she) doesn't use a particular app or just hasn't tried it yet. Those broken things aren't listed in the "what's not working" list. But they're still there, will always be there, and eventually you will run into one of them. I'm mentioning this because of the recent boom of Jelly Bean ROMs being built for almost every device. Without pointing out anyone in particular, I saw a thread on an Internet forum about Google Now not working on the Galaxy Nexus. The person with the issue asked for help, and quite a few people were working with him, trying things and doing the usual voodoo ritual that often fixes broken stuff. About 20 posts (and a day) later it turns out that the fellow had a custom built 4.1.1 ROM running on his Sprint Galaxy Nexus. Everyone with that particular ROM had a busted Google Now app, and nothing short of editing the ROM was ever going to fix it. Rather than realizing this, the fellow with the issue quickly proclaimed that Android sucks and he hated this f&*@$!ing phone. Now, to you, Android might suck. To over a million of folks a day buying Android phones, the phones are just fine. In either case, Google and the Android team had little to do with it this time around. We like to flash our phones. We need to realize that we often break things when we do it. Enjoy your phone, hack the living crap out of it, but don't be surprised (or act indignant) when random things are broken. 
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| Neuroshima Hex review - not your robo-mama's board game Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:10 AM PDT
Neuroshima Hex is a board game with a particularly unique sci-fi setting full of story, cyborgs, and strategy. It’s been on Android for a few months, but just recently enjoyed a much-needed stability update. The far future war game pits the scrappy armies of mankind against several factions, ranging from marauding mutants, well-equipped gangs, and the very mechanical menace that plunged the human race into anarchy hundreds of years ago. The turn-based gameplay is a simple back-and-forth that’s punctuated by sparse (but dramatic combat), and a wide variety of units with special rules. 
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| Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for Galaxy S3 review Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:01 AM PDT
Protecting your Galaxy S3 should be a no brainer. Choosing what kind of case in which to put your new, shiny phone can be confusing.The Incipio SILICRYLIC case gets its name from providing two separate layers of protection for your Samsung Galaxy S III (S3.) The inner layer is made of silicone and the outer layer is a shell made of acrylic. 
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| Google buying Frommers, should fit nicely with Zagat Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:51 AM PDT
Google's already helping you find out where to go -- now it's going to help you get there. Publisher Wiley & Sons has agreed to sell the travel publication to Google for an undisclosed sum, the Wall Street Journal reported today. It isn't clear what el Goog will do with Frommers -- it could be folded into the Zagat end of things, the WSJ opines, and that's certainly a possibility. Google has made some pretty big strides in the travel sector, with the Zagat purchase as well buying flight scheduler ITA and integrating it into search results, which has been bolstered even further in Google Now. Source: WSJ 
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| Jot review - the simplest note-taking widget ever Posted: 13 Aug 2012 07:50 AM PDT
Jot is a simple, lightweight note-taking widget for Android that recently had a user interface overhaul. It is an absolutely pared-down set of widgets that very simply provide fast, clear access to a notepad from the home screen. You aren’t going to find a ton of fancy features here, but you will get fast, easy access to plain text. 
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| Sprint Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE coming Aug. 19 priced $199.99 Posted: 13 Aug 2012 07:26 AM PDT
Pre-orders for the new QWERTY slider begin today.Just as was rumored, Motorola and Sprint's new Photon Q 4G LTE is confirmed to arrive this Sunday, Aug. 19. The phone will cost $199.99 with the usual two-year service agreement, and boasts some of the highest-end specs you'll find on a QWERTY slider. In anticipation of the launch, Sprint will start taking pre-orders today, and pre-order customers will begin receiving their handsets as early as this Friday, Aug. 17. In addition to a full physical keyboard, a dual-core CPU and support for Sprint's shiny new LTE network, the Photon Q offers Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with on-screen buttons, an 8MP rear camera and a qHD "ColorBoost" display. In addition, there's NFC and Android Beam support and HDMI mirroring capabilities. If you're a fan of press releases, we've got Sprint's after the break, along with the full spec list. Hit the link below for the official Motorola Photon Q pre-order page. More: Motorola Photon Q 
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| Carphone Warehouse announces Motorola RAZR MAXX launch Posted: 13 Aug 2012 06:59 AM PDT
The Motorola RAZR MAXX isn't the newest or fastest Android handset out there, but if you want ridiculous, multi-day battery life out of your phone, it's still a decent option. Today UK retailer the Carphone Warehouse sends word that it's launching the (GSM) RAZR MAXX on British networks O2, Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile. As ever, a wide selection of tarrifs are available, but if you want a free MAXX, you'll be paying at least £20.50 per month. Like its Verizon cousin, the GSM RAZR MAXX packs a whopping 3300mAh battery, which on 3G/HSPA networks should get you more than a day of use on a single charge. The phone's still running Android 2.3 Gingerbread for the moment, but an ICS update is due within the next couple of weeks. Look for a full review of ICS on the international RAZR MAXX on AC in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, we've got Carphone's press release after the jump. More: Carphone Warehouse 
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| Deal of the Day: Seidio ACTIVE Case (with kickstand) for HTC EVO 4G LTE Posted: 13 Aug 2012 06:28 AM PDT
The Seidio ACTIVE Case is available for just $16.95, 52% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping. Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts!
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| Samsung: Galaxy Note 10.1 coming to UK on Aug. 16 Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:53 AM PDT
Flagship Samsung store in Stratford, London will be first to get the tabletLooks like Samsung wasn't kidding when it said the Galaxy Note 10.1 would be getting a global release later this month. The stylus-toting tablet is expected to be officially unveiled at an event in the U.S. this Wednesday, but already Sammy's taken to Twitter to confirm its international launch plans. Samsung Mobile UK tweeted -- 'Be one of the first to buy the New Note 10.1, only at at the Westfield Brand Store in Stratford from Thursday 16 August. “Note the New way.”' The "Westfield brand store" refers to the flagship Samsung store at the Westfield Shopping Center in Stratford, East London. That's the same store where the Galaxy S III (S3) made its international debut on the evening of May 29, so it's a fitting venue for a product like the Note 10.1. Pricing information has yet to be confirmed, but pre-order listings at other retailers indicate the 3G/HSPA version may sell for around £435 inc. VAT in the UK, closely matching the price of Apple's third-generation iPad. Anyone in the UK eager to pick up a Note 10.1? Let us know if you'll be heading down to Stratford on Aug. 16. Source: Samsung Mobile UK Twitter 
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| Monday Brief: Ouya Kickstarter, PlayBook 4G LTE, Smaller iOS Dock Connector, and more! Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:53 AM PDT | ||
| LG Viper 4G LTE lets you share your world in new ways using QuickMemo Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:52 AM PDT Available from Sprint, the LG Viper 4G LTE is a powerful, yet affordable, Android handset. Great for students, parents and people on the go, the LG Viper 4G LTE comes preloaded with an app called QuickMemo that makes sharing your world fun and easy. You can snap a photo, personalize it and share it in just a few taps. Putting QuickMemo to use is easy. To activate, simply hold down the volume up and down keys, and QuickMemo will open - no matter where you are on the device. From there, you can then doodle, scribble and write on top of the screen shot using nothing but your finger. No stylus necessary! Once you've made your memo, you can easily share them with friends and family via email, MMS or through your favorite social networks. There are endless ways to share your world and make your life easier than ever before using QuickMemo. Check out the video above to see it in action! [ This post was sponsored by our friends at LG. To learn more about the LG Viper 4G LTE on Sprint, visit LG.com/Viper for more info ] 
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| Android 4.0 coming to Optimus 2X after all - at least in Korea Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:56 AM PDT
If you picked up an LG Optimus 2X last year, you'll already be acquainted with the frustrating experience of waiting for much-needed OS updates. The world's first dual-core smartphone shipped with Android 2.2 Froyo in early 2011, and it's been behind the curve ever since. Optimus 2X owners had been waiting patiently for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to arrive, only to be told (after months of delays) that the update had been canned, leaving the phone stuck on Gingerbread. However, it now seems that statement may have been made prematurely, as LG Mobile Korean today took to its official Twitter feed to inform one 2X owner that the update had merely been held up in testing, rather than canceled. Of course, this statement only applies to Korean phones, and the fate of ICS on the Optimus 2X elsewhere remains unknown. Nevertheless, the fact at least one version of the phone is getting ICS surely bodes well for 2X owners elsewhere. That said, owners of the U.S. variant, the T-Mobile G2X, probably shouldn't hold their breath. Source: LG Mobile Twitter, via: GSMArena 
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| UK retailer confirms black Galaxy S3, new color due 'in 4-6 weeks' Posted: 13 Aug 2012 03:46 AM PDT
The retailer is taking pre-orders now, and expects the phones to ship in 4-6 weeks. Pricing for the 16GB model is in line with other Galaxy S3 phones, at £500 inc. VAT. Rumors of a black Galaxy S3 started to emerge late last week, when Samsung published images of what seemed to be the new color option on its official Facebook page. This was later backed up by a leaked inventory shot from the Carphone Warehouse, showing the black S3 alongside the white and blue variants. So if that pebble blue S3 isn't doing it for you, you should only have a few more weeks to wait before the black version arrives. Of course, it's worth remembering we're talking about the international model here -- any U.S. availability has yet to be confirmed. Source: MobileFun blog 
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| Motorola to lay off employees, close offices and focus on fewer handsets Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:50 AM PDT
The Google-owned Motorola Mobility will undergo a major restructuring in the months ahead, according to reports from The New York Times. The paper reports that the Motorola mobile device business, acquired by Google in May, will lay off some 20 percent of its workforce -- including 40 percent of its vice presidents -- and close up shop at one third of its offices. The loss-making manufacturer will also refocus its efforts n creating fewer handsets in general, and fewer low-end devices specifically. As such, Moto told the paper it planned to buy half as many components as a result. The NYT reports that around one third of the 4,000 of the job losses will be in the U.S., while the company will leave unspecified "unprofitable" markets. Similarly, Moto will cut back its presence in India and Asia, and base its research and development efforts in Chicago, IL, Sunnyvale, CA and Beijing, China. Compared to 2011, the past eight months have been relatively quiet at Motorola, as the company transitions to being a fully-owned Google subsidiary. We certainly welcome the idea of more hero devices and less low-end stuff. However, the mobile device business remains fiercely competitive, and the strategy won't guarantee to lift Moto out of its current slump. Taiwanese phone maker HTC has embarked upon a similar plan this year, with limited success thus far. Source: The New York Times 
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