Friday, August 31, 2012

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Google Android News Android Forums

Samsung strikes back, vows to sue Apple if next iPhone features 4G LTE

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 05:17 PM PDT

While Samsung may have suffered a massive blow in its lawsuit against Apple, the Korean-based manufacturer isn’t giving in anytime soon. A new report has confirmed that Samsung will immediately sue Apple if its next iPhone utilizes long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

Samsung has been a major player in the development of 4G LTE and holds a vast portfolio of relevant patents, equating to 10% of all LTE patents in existence. Considering Apple has already introduced an iPad with LTE, it’s almost guaranteed that the company’s  upcoming iPhone will feature the same connectivity option.

Unfortunately for Samsung, this task may not be as easy as it sounds. LTE is a market-wide standard, which means Samsung’s patents could (and probably will) be subject to FRAND law. Either way, if Apple chooses to incorporate LTE into the iPhone 4S successor, things are sure to get heated.

Source: Korea Times
Via: Phandroid 

Still time to celebrate National Marshmellow Toasting Day with Android

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 03:34 PM PDT

It is getting late in the day, but there is still time to celebrate National Marshmellow Toasting Day. Yes, this is a real "holiday" celebrating the yummy goodness of marshmellows toasted lightly or heavily over the flames of a campfire. To help commemorate the day, Android Foundry has produced a nice wallpaper in several sizes to adorn your mobile or not-so-mobile devices.

After downloading one of the wallpapers you can find at the source link, go find your wood, matches, skewers, marshmellows, and any goodies you like to dress the melted gooey treats with and start celebrating!

source: Android Foundry

Leaked image of the Kindle Fire 2 surfaces

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT

Amazon is expected to unveil the follow up to the Kindle Fire next week in New York City. It’s also possible they will announce both 7-inch and 10-inch versions. As far as leaked images go, things have been quiet, but The Verge just received one. We can’t be positive that this is a 7-inch or 10-inch version, but it does look like a 7-inch based on the scale of the keyboard.

The Verge also received another image, but was asked to not share it. According to them, it shows a streamlined user interface with less “chrome.”

Unfortunately the picture really doesn’t reveal too much. What really matters is the display, processor, and price. As far as the user experience goes, it was never the highlight anyway. We certainly don’t expect it to be a full Android experience, but it would certainly be a nice surprise.

source: theverge

Featured Play Store Review: Horn [Arcade & Action]

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:17 PM PDT

Phosphor Games Studio just unleashed Horn in the Google Play Store and TegraZone. It’s a Tegra 3 optimized 3rd person console-quality action adventure game. You play a young blacksmith’s apprentice named Horn. The game begins when you suddenly wake up and find your village has been taken over by monsters. They even have a humorous side to them. Apparently a curse has plagued the village and it’s eventually revealed that these monsters are actually the people and animals from your village. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s up to you to free everyone. You won’t be alone as you get to carry the loud-mouthed head of one creature with you. You will also have a sword, crossbow, and a trusty musical horn.

I’m generally not a fan of touch screen controls in high-caliber games such as these, but I found them to be quite simple. I haven’t had a chance to get too deep into the game yet, but from what I’ve seen, the graphics are incredible. Horn is only for Tegra 2 and Tegra 3 devices, but if you have a NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU, you get to enjoy enhanced features that include physically simulated cloth, dynamic water simulation, and enhanced shadows. Here are some images showing the differences (click on the images to enlarge).

Horn is priced at $6.99 and is well worth every penny when you consider the quality of this game. One thing you should know is that since it has console-like quality, it requires more storage than most games. Be prepared to give up 2GB of storage for this bad boy. The initial download from the Play Store is minimal, but when you open the game, it will download the remaining 1.9 or so gigabytes.

For an idea of the game play, check out our hands on video below and if you like what you see, hit one of the download links below to get started.

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Play Store Download Link

 

 

 

 

 

Lenovo Announces Three New Android Tablets

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:05 PM PDT

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The Nexus 7, upcoming Windows 8 tablets, and the mythical iPad Mini seem to be getting all the tablet spotlight these days. That hasn’t stopped Lenovo from competing in a tightly crowded space by announcing three new Android 4.0 powered tablets. The new IdeaTab A2109 and S2110 will be joining the frey this fall while the release date of the S2107 is unknown.

The A2107 is a 7″ model, the smallest of the new trio. It will sport an MTK Cortex A9 processor (clock speed unknown), 16GB of built-in memory with an expandable microSD card slot, a built-in FM radio tuner, and a built-in roll cage for added durability.

The A2109 is a larger 9″ model with a 1280 x 800 display. It will also feature a 1.2GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, has an aluminum body, 16GB of built-in storage, front and rear-facing cameras, and an HDMI port. It’s mid-range price of $299 will pit it against the upcoming iPad mini.

The S2110 is the powerhouse of the new trio. It will have a 10.1″ IPS display with a 1280 x 800 resolution (420nit brightness), a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm 8060A processor, and 32GB of internal storage. They will also offer an optional keyboard dock that has full-sized USB ports, an SD card reader, and will double the battery life. It will be priced starting at $399 and $499 with the dock. The S2210 will go against upcoming Windows 8 RT tablets as well as the Asus Transformer line of tablets.

Source: PCMag

ZTE announces the ZTE Grand X IN for Europe, features Intel Inside

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:41 AM PDT

 

ZTE, best known for their mid-range mobile devices, announced today their newest flagship device – the ZTE Grand X IN. This announcement comes just a little over two weeks after the announcement of the ZTE Grand X, but the highlight of the Grand X IN is that it’s the first Ice Cream Sandwich device in Europe powered by Intel Inside. The Intel Atom Z2460 processor with Intel Hyper-Threading should provide a more efficient and snappier experience than the Grand X. The device will share the same screen size as the Grand X (4.3-inches), however it will nearly double the RAM bringing it up to 1GB, and also pack an 8MP camera compared to the 5MP on the Grand X. Other features include a 1650 mAh battery, HSPA+ 21Mbps, and an expandable SD slot up to 32GB.

The device is planned for release in Europe in September. There is no word on pricing at this time, but as a comparison, the Grand X sits just short of the £200 mark on “pay as you go” so we can obviously expect the Grand X IN to come in a little north of that figure. Hit the break for the full spec list and press release.

Specifications:

  • Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2460
  • HSPA+ 21Mbps support with Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform
  • EDGE 900/1800/1900
  • HSDPA 900/2100
  • DPA 21Mbps UPA 5.76Mbps
  • Android* Ice Cream Sandwich
  • RAM 1GB, ROM 16GB/4GB, Ext. microSD 32GB
  • 4.3”, QHD (960×540), 16M, TFT, Capacitive
  • Battery – 1650 mAh, Li-Ion
  • Camera – 8Mpx AF/Flash + 0.3Mpx Front Camera
  • GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 2.1 +
  • A2DP
  • Accelerator, Gyro, Compass, Proximity, Light
  • Dolby, FM Radio
  • DLNA, 1080p Rec., 1080p Play
  • NFC, FOTA, HD Voice, Dual Mic
  • 127 x 65 x 9.9mm chassis, 140.8g weight (with battery)

 

30 August 2012, London, UK – ZTE Corporation ("ZTE") (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, announced that it will launch its first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone with Intel Inside®, the ZTE Grand X IN. This ZTE flagship handset is the latest product from the ZTE Grand series and will be launched in Europe in September.

The Grand X IN delivers fast and efficient performance via the low power Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, and support for HSPA+ 21Mbps network with the Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform. Together, these Intel technologies help deliver end users with an energy efficient, high performance user experience enabling fast browsing and a responsive Internet experience.

The ZTE Grand X IN has a 4.3-inch, 16 million colour screen, a best-in-class 8MP camera, Blu-ray quality movie playback and long battery life with a 1650 mAh, Li-Ion battery. With a 127 x 65 x 9.9mm chassis the Grand X IN also features the latest communications capabilities including Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi & Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and Mobile HD link (via micro-USB) short range connectivity. Its wide range of audio-visual features includes Dolby Sound, HD Video Capture and HD Voice.

"The Grand X IN is ZTE's first flagship smartphone in Europe to feature Intel Inside, and we look forward to building our partnership with Intel," said Mr. Ao Wen, Vice President of Europe Operations for ZTE Handsets. "The handsets in the ZTE Grand portfolio are quality devices focused on providing a great level of service and, with the inclusion of Intel's technology in the Grand X IN, we have provided a handset with enhanced capabilities, reliability and performance.

ZTE has nearly 10 years experience of smartphone research and development and commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to R&D. ZTE's focus is to provide the best handset for the best value so all consumers can enjoy the experience of using a very capable smartphone. We want to focus on things that matter, so we excel at providing superior battery life and fast feeds and speeds, resulting in a high level of customer satisfaction."

"We're pleased to extend the close collaboration we entered with ZTE at Mobile World Congress 2012 to Intel-based smartphones. ZTE is a fast growing global handset maker that strives to create products with features and capabilities that people care most about," said Helmut Vogler, vice president and general manager of Mobile and Wireless Sales for Intel Corporation. "The Grand X IN is a well-rounded device that marries robust hardware and software to deliver great performance and value for consumers."

Samsung Galaxy Note II headed to Vodafone with LTE, pricing revealed

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:13 AM PDT

Samsung didn’t offer any information regarding carrier availability for the Galaxy Note II during its keynote yesterday, but a new sign spotted on the show floor of IFA 2012 could give us some insight as to how much the phone might cost. According to the placard, when the superphone makes its way to Germany in the coming months, it will be priced at €639.90 on Vodafone, equal to about $803 in the United States. Keep in mind that’s the unsubsidized price, meaning customers wont be locked into a 2-year commitment. For comparison, AT&T’s original Galaxy Note costs $549 off-contract. Lets just hope Samsung can can collaborate with carriers to shed a few dollars before it brings the device to the North American market.

Source: Engadget

Half a gigameter of bike routes added to Google Maps for Android

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:14 AM PDT

On the Google Lat Long Blog, Google Maps Software Engineer Larry Powelson announced the addition of new mobile biking directions and navigation to the Google Maps for Android app. Ten countries have received new biking directions including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. In addition to the biking directions, Google added turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation to the Google Maps Navigation (beta) app for every country with biking directions.

Biking routes in Google Maps will show up as different shades or styles of green lines. Dark green lines indicate dedicated bike trails or paths or streets with no traffic. Light green lines designate street with bike lanes. Dashed green lines mark other recommended bike routes.

Users in areas covered by the Google Map Maker feature can add new trails and paths to Google's database and help their fellow bikers. In all, Google now has over 330,000 miles of bike routes mapped. That translates to over 530,000 kilometers or the half a gigameter mark. If you are ready to hit one of those trails on you bike, just strap your Android device to your handlebars and enjoy a map showing your route or get voice directions.

source: Google Lat Long Blog

HTC Chairwoman Confirms No Plans to Settle with Apple

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:44 AM PDT

Despite Apple’s recent legal victory over Samsung less than a week ago, HTC’s chairwomen Cher Wang has confirmed that her company has no plans on settling its current patent lawsuit with the Cupertino firm. The lawsuit started back in May when a Delaware court ordered both companies to begin settlement talks.

“Samsung’s defeat does not mean that Google Inc.’s Android camp is defeated”, Wang told Cynes yesterday, and that “every company has good innovations.” These statements make it clear that HTC is ready to go to court, even though such actions appear to be risky and could have social and financial implications.

Source: Cynes
Via: The Verge

Can you shoot a music video with Sony Xperia Ion?

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:40 AM PDT

What can be done with a Sony Xperia Ion? How about shoot a music video? The answer appears to be “yes” as that is what Sony Mobile set out to do to help demonstrate the HD everywhere experience. Partnering with Sony/RED music artist Metric, Sony created a music video for the title track on Metric's new album Synthetica.

The video was crowdsourced during an acoustic set of the song performed at the Hotel on Rivington in New York. The crowd was provided Xperia Ion Android smartphones to film the performance. The clips were then pieced together under the direction of director Chris Lenox Smith. Check out the video after the break.

Have you ever produced a video shot entirely with a smartphone?

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: MobileTechReview
Posted by at 5:47 AM

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