Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Toshiba Thrive 10-inch Officially Updated To Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 07:09 PM PDT

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Users of the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive (Toshiba’s hunky slab with full sized USB and HDMI ports) are getting an early visit from the ice cream man today. Toshiba revealed the good news on their forums, although the device wasn’t originally scheduled to receive the update to Android 4.0.4 until the later half of this year. The update adds improvements to video, camera and connectivity strength, which are no doubt welcomed changes. Updating is as simple as jumping into the tab’s special “Service Station” application and checking for updates.

Owners of the 7-inch, thicker-than-a-snicker Thrive will have to wait a little longer. Given that T0shiba is barely rolling out ICS for their tabs now means an update to Jelly Bean is next to nil.

Thanks, Greg!

[THRiVE Forums]

HTC’s Sales For July Are Down 45% From Previous Year, But Why? [Discussion]

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 06:02 PM PDT

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Today, HTC finally announced their profits for the month of July, and they’re not looking so hot. As expected (recently they announced they were pulling out of South Korean and Brazilian markets) HTC’s revenue fell 45% when compared to this same time last year, no doubt due to weakening consumer demand for their flagship One series devices. Last year, HTC hit NT$45.11 billion for the month of July, while this year, they managed to only take in NT$25 billion.

Again, these numbers were expected after the launch of rival Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and is only expected to worsen once the rumored next iPhone drops in September. Remember, even though HTC announced they would be focusing their efforts on releasing as few device variants as possible, they still managed to spread themselves thin with 3 flagship devices. Samsung on the other hand managed to focus on 1 flagship — the Galaxy S3 — and essentially launched the exact same phone across all carriers here in the US (and abroad).

Even though HTC dealt with criticisms from their older devices head-on when launching the One series to critical acclaim, it was only AT&T customers who were given dibs on their flagship One X. I can’t help but wonder if HTC worked on getting the One X out to as many carriers as possible, if their numbers would look a little more like Samsung’s. What do you guys think? Hypothetically if the One X was available on your carrier, would you opt for the Galaxy S3 or the One X?

[Reuters]

Sprint’s 4G LTE Network Begins Lighting Up San Francisco Bay Area Ahead Of Official Launch

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 05:11 PM PDT

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According to S4GRU — a forums dedicated to following Sprint’s Network Vision rollout — Sprint’s 4G LTE has already begun showing a pulse in the San Francisco Bay area, ahead of its official launch. Sites aren’t expected to go live until November, but some Sprint customers have reported seeing LTE on their devices, in the San Jose, Cupertino area, hitting speeds of 17Mbps down/9Mbps up. The map pictured above shows green dots where LTE was connected, and blue dots for 3G. What’s more is users are also reporting of improved 3G speeds of 1.5Mbps down (where they previously had 400kbps).

Of course, the LTE connection wasn’t anywhere near consistent but it’s nice to see Sprint making progress with their Network Vision rollout. Any Phan readers in the Bay area noticing their LTE icons lighting up?

[Via S4GRU | Android Police]

Custom Nexus 7 in-dash installation makes me wish I had cutting skills [VIDEO]

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 03:57 PM PDT

While the Nexus 7 is most likely going to be used primarily as a tablet there’s no reason it can’t serve more than one purpose. SonicElectronixTV published a video of an in-dash installation of the device inside a 2008 Dodge Ram. Its size makes it possible to easily detach for when you want to take the tablet out of the car making it one of the more flexible setups out there. And if you split the costs between being a tablet and an in-dash unit you’re paying $100 for each, at least. Not bad at all. Get a look at this tempting setup in the YouTube video above.

[Update]: if you were wondering about the method and material used to make this particular set up, Seth from SonicElectronix offered us the following explanation:

The dash modification was created by using ABS plastic, fiberglass, bondo, and suede.
Once the previous stereo was removed (a Kenwood DNX9960), we cut some ABS to size to make the sides and mixed in some fiberglass along the back. Fiberglass was needed because it has a little more “give” and made pulling the tablet out easier. Bondo was used to soften the edges (after a bunch of sanding) and OEM paint was used to provide a seamless factory look. Suede was put on the back for a classy look when the Nexus is removed and a soft cushion for when the Nexus was installed.

HTC EVO 4G LTE and Sprint Galaxy Nexus are one penny on Amazon Wireless

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 02:53 PM PDT

Amazon’s hosting more great deals for those who are looking for a new smartphone for the summer. They’re offering a couple of Sprint smartphones for a penny. You can’t even bye candy with a penny at the penny candy store anymore, so I’d say this is about as good a deal as you’ll see on these smartphones.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE was launched earlier this summer following a brief delay at customs due to a patent check. It has since been lauded as one of the best smartphones available today, let alone available on Sprint’s 4G LTE network.

The Galaxy Nexus launched on Sprint after having to see Verizon Wireless carry the device exclusively for quite some time in America, but it’s better late than never and even several weeks later it’s still a viable option for those who want the purest Android experience they can find.

As an added bonus you can also get Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S3, arguably their best phone available, for $99. You won’t find a deal that good anywhere else so I suggest you jump on that as soon as you can. [Galaxy S3, EVO 4G LTE, Samsung Galaxy Nexus]

Vote for the Bugdroid to be recreated in official LEGO style

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 02:25 PM PDT

LEGO creations are fun to witness because they often display the creative fortitude of whoever made them. This Android related creation is no different. User GLHTurbo ordered $30 worth of LEGO pieces and paint to create a sculpture of the Bugdroid.

This isn’t just some static statue, either: you can move its arms and legs. This makes the feat that much more great. But GLHTurbo isn’t satisfied with him being the only to have this design: he wants LEGO to officially produce this model for all to enjoy.

LEGO has an official site to facilitate the need for GLHTurbo to gauge support. If we get enough supporters LEGO will produce the project. Simple, right? The process of registration only takes a minute. Go ahead and help the home team out even if you’re not a big fan of LEGO at the source link ahead. [LEGO CUUSOO via Droid-Life]

Latest iOS 6 beta missing YouTube, but it has nothing to do with the smartphone wars

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 01:52 PM PDT

By now you’ve probably heard news that Apple has removed the YouTube from the iOS 6 beta. This is important considering there’s no other YouTube app to be had on iOS. I’m willing to bet many of you initially took this as a shot to Google.

Apple, as you know, is in a “thermonuclear” war, of sorts, against Android. While they haven’t been attacking Google and Android directly Apple has been going at some of Google’s biggest OEM partners, Samsung being the absolute biggest.

But the move to  remove YouTube from iOS 6 likely has very little to do with any of that. In fact, it probably has nothing to do with that. Apple did something they didn’t usually do and explained to us why they what they did. The answer?

Simple: their YouTube license ran out and they weren’t going to renew it. It still sounds shady in that regard, no? Well Apple went on to explain that Google was in the process of making its own YouTube app and that it would eventually be available in the App Store.

This just became a lot less interesting (and relevant) for us Android folks. Not only does it not have anything to do with Apple’s animosity toward Android, it’s actually the better route for them to take considering how crappy iOS’s current YouTube app is.

Google can create the experience they envisioned this way, and users can enjoy timely updates instead of Apple just letting it sit there like the piece of trash it is. And since iOS 6 is still in beta form practically no one is affected yet.

If you decided to install the beta build then that’s on you, not Apple. Consumer releases have been untouched and will probably remain so until Google releases its own app. Now let’s get back to your regularly scheduled programming, folks, because there’s pretty much nothing to see here. [The Verge]

Some XOOM 4G LTE customers seeing Jelly Bean?

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 01:38 PM PDT

And the Motorola XOOM is STILL kicking. It looks like a Jelly Bean update could be brewing for Verizon’s 4G enabled version as reports are suggesting the update is headed to at least one device.

Whether or not this was a test build accidentally leaked to a consumer or a stable build being pushed out inadvertently the story seems pretty legit.

The build number, JRO03H, falls in line with the build number for the WiFi version (whose update seems to have been delayed). Whatever the case is we’re just happy Motorola and Verizon are working on it. The only thing left to speculate is whether or not we’ll see the update arrive in a timely manner. [via Droid-Life]

GasBuddy delivers crowd-sourced updates on fuel prices [APP REVIEW]

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 11:52 AM PDT

The economy is in bad shape.  I don’t need to tell anyone here that saving even a few cents is something that should be in your everyday thought prices when purchasing goods. I think we can agree the thing we’re most conscious about saving money on is fuel.

Long gone are the days where a $20 bill could get you through the week, and while prices have been higher than they are now they’re still ridiculously high. That’s why apps like GasBuddy are a best friend for many who own smartphones. GasBuddy is a crowd-sourced app that delivers updates on gas prices in your area.

The app lets users report prices for all fuel types, and it’ll tell you how long ago that price was spotted. That last bit is important because it seems like gas prices are getting changed more than once a day these days. The interface for viewing and reporting prices is straightforward and easy to view in a glance.

It all starts with a search — you can either specify the city or zip code or let the app fine tune your location through the use of GPS. The latter option is the most desirable as it will sort prices based on location by default. This is good if you don’t have time to drive to the station with the lowest price and you just need to find the cheapest in that particular area.

If you’re not concerned with distance you can sort by price to get the absolute best price in that range. Map View is another option provided and gives you a quick look at the stations in your area on a Google Maps grid. Prices are displayed below the logo of the station for easy identification (I’d much rather go to Speedway and get a frozen drink while my gas is pumping instead of the run down Citgo that I wouldn’t even by chewing gum from).

Jumping to the station’s page will give you more info on its gas prices. Regular, mid, premium, or diesel fuel prices are all provided just in case you happen to need something other than the norm. You can update either one or all of the fuel types by tapping buttons to the right of each price. It’s a quick and painless process that shouldn’t take you more than the amount of time it takes to pay for the gas.

On the individual station view is a list of features that gas station has. For instance, if you need to go to a gas station with an ATM or one that also doubles as a convenience store you can get that info at a glance.

Finally, there’s a feature which lets you upload images so that people can see the gas station they’re headed to. I guess it’s worth checking it out ahead of time to see if it’s too congested, in a bad neighborhood, or anything of the sort.

There are some notable annoyances I need to point out. For starters, the app has no widget, and it just doesn’t look that great overall. It was made in the Android 2.x area so I wasn’t expecting some decked out Ice Cream Sandwich/Jelly Bean style, but it just isn’t too appealing to me. Perhaps I’m picky (it probably isn’t as bad as I make it out to be) since I’ve been spoiled with an influx of Android 4.x style apps lately, but it was worth pointing out anyway.

Another issue is the app’s tendency to take you back to the search results from a station view if you let the device power off. It’s fine if you were looking at a station that was at the top of the list but if you have to scroll to get to the station you were looking for it will easily turn you off. Again, this is something I can deal with as I would just need to keep the display active for as long as I need the app open, and that’s no big feat at all.

But this app isn’t supposed to be some mind-blowing experience made by AAA developers. It feeds on people’s desire to help save money not only for themselves, but for others, too.

It does it in a way that makes sense, and it doesn’t throw you into a loop of nonsense before getting the information that you need. That, my friends, is all I could ask for. Find the app for free in the Google Play Store.

Motorola DROID 4 soak test to begin soon (Ice Cream Sandwich?)

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 10:39 AM PDT

Motorola DROID 4 owners will soon get to participate in an upcoming soak test. These tests are sent to a group of  users who’ve signed up to Motorola’s feedback program, and the build getting tested usually heads out to the rest of the user-base a short time after (barring any unforeseen bugs, of course).

While a majority of these tend to be bug fixing updates there’s reason to believe this one could bring Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola promised a landing date of Q3 2012 for the frozen treat, and a Motorola forum manager reminded people in an “ICS waiting room” thread to opt-in to the feedback program.

We won’t know until the update is actually headed out to testers, though, so let’s save the “hoorahs” until then. Hopefully things go off without an issue and everyone can take part in no time. [via Droid-Life]

AT&T Mobile Share plans launch August 23

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 08:57 AM PDT


Customers now have an availability date for the shared data plans AT&T announced last month. Starting August 23rd, AT&T will launch their Mobile Share plans, which allow subscribers to pair up to 10 devices with a single service plan featuring unlimited talk and text and data options starting at $40  per month for 1GB of access. The options largely mirrors Verizon’s Share Everything plan introduced earlier in the summer. To help customers determine the proper data allowance, AT&T has introduced a Mobile Share planner tool to their site. You can check out more info at AT&T’s blog post announcing the availability.

[AT&T]

Samsung posts official kernel source for Galaxy Note 10.1

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 08:40 AM PDT

Shortly after announcing the coming availability of their latest tablet, Samsung has posted the kernel source code for the Galaxy Note 10.1. Two different versions of the source are available via Samsung’s Open Source Release Center, each for a different carrier-branded version of the tab. The code covers the SHW-M480K and SHW-M80S, which appear headed to Korea Telecom and Southern Korean Telecom respectively. Availability of a kernel for the WiFi-only version of the slate is not available at this time.

Those interested in taking a look at the code can do so by following the link below. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is scheduled for release globally later this month.

[Samsung via AndroidPolice]

Ice Cream Sandwich headed to Sony Xperia P this month

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 07:59 AM PDT

While Sony hasn’t finalized its plans for the rollout of Jelly Bean to their Xperia lineup, the upgrades to Ice Cream Sandwich continue to hit devices around the globe. The next in line is the Sony Xperia P, which, according to the Facebook page of the company’s Indian branch, will see Android 4.0.4 later this month. Owners of the mid-range Xperia smartphone can expect to see the update between the 19th and 25th of August, but it is unclear if the dates apply only to the release of the update in India or if other parts of the world will also see the update to ICS during the same time period.

[via XperiaBlog]

Samsung Galaxy S3 getting Jelly Bean in Q3, Galaxy S2 and Note in Q4 [Rumors]

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 07:14 AM PDT

According to a new report from SamMobile Samsung Galaxy S3 owners shouldn’t have to wait too long for the arrival of Android 4.1 on their devices. According to intel coming from within Samsung, the update has already made it through the early rounds of testing as “public” builds are being assembled for further evaluation. A rollout of Jelly Bean for the S3 seems likely for late Q3/early Q4.

Jelly Bean should follow for a few other devices by the end of the year, including the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Samsung Galaxy Note, but initial testing is still taking place. There is a chance that Samsung will opt to deliver a “value pack” update rather than the full Android 4.1 software, but Q4 is the optimistic delivery estimate either way.  Finally, rumors put a Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy Note 2 towards the end of the year, which suggests that the handset will launch with Ice Cream Sandwich.

Samsung has yet to confirm dates and devices for the upgrade to Jelly Bean, so don’t go writing it down on the calendar just yet. If you do, be sure to use a pencil with a good eraser, because things are likely to change.

[via DroidDog]

HTC working on their own 5-inch phone?

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 06:31 AM PDT

New rumors suggest HTC could be the next major smartphone manufacturer to cross the 5-inch screen threshold, possibly adding a bit of competition for the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note. Not much is known about the handset, but a report from DigiTimes says the handset will sport a screen resolution of 1794 x 1080 pixels, a hi-res display that would best the current crop of 720p offerings. While not confirmed, there exists a GLBenchmark score for an HTC device with a matching resolution that puts a Snapdragon S4 chipset with Adreno 320 GPU into play.

The HTC phone would join the likes of the LG Optimus Vu and Galaxy Note in an attempt to capitalize on the market for those seeking a device that has the portability of a phone but the functionality of a tablet. With the 4.7-inch screen of the One X, the company is no stranger to large display sizes. But just how successful a phablet offering from the manufacturer might be has us intrigued.

[via DigiTimes]
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