Android World: Android Authority

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy Stellar to hit Verizon on September 6?
Moleskine for Android to launch exclusively on Galaxy Note, will focus on style
CNET: Two new 7-inch Kindle Fires to be unveiled on September 6, but no 10-incher
Unknown HTC beast spotted in blurry pics, could it be the much awaited Verizon-bound phablet?
Kyocera Rises at Virgin Mobile right on schedule – who wants a texty beast for $100?
Updated S Pen SDK to make the “old” Galaxy Note new

Samsung Galaxy Stellar to hit Verizon on September 6?

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 09:36 AM PDT

We don't usually see a lot of fuss surrounding the launch of entry-level or mid-range phones, but for some reason Verizon seems to have built some hype around the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Stellar.

The 4-incher has been around ever since April, when it was known as the Jasper or the SCH-I200. Spotted getting FCC certification in June, it got some additional public attention in July with a set of specs and a supposed "official" image leaked.

This past week we heard about the Stellar twice, finding out its future on-contract price at Verizon, but also its off contract one at retailers like Best Buy. The plot thickened even further after its BB listing was pulled off, but now we finally have an (unofficial) launch date for the phone.

Oddly, both Verizon and Samsung are still hush-hush on the subject, never having formally confirmed the Stellar. Still, it's very hard to believe that all these rumors have been false, so we're ready to bet we'll be seeing the fresh new handheld up for grabs starting next week at $100 on-contract.

September 6 (next Thursday) is the day you want to circle in your calendars if you're interested in the Stellar. Engadget has a bunch of internal docs listing different details about the phone, but aside from this ETA, there's not much we didn't already know.

That "starter mode" is shortly detailed in one of the documents, being described as a "new, simple way to interact Access apps and control device settings with ease." In other words, a little something to help those of you not very skilled in technology learn a couple of things.

In fact, tech novices might well be the phone's main focus, as its spec sheet barely makes it hold its own in the mid-range niche. The dual-core 1.2 GHz CPU, running of Android 4.0 ICS, 4G LTE speeds and 4-inch capacitive touchscreen with 800 x 480 pixels resolution are undoubtedly the Stellar's main strong points spec-wise.

Then again, the 768 MB of RAM, 4 GB of on-board storage and 3.15 MP rear-facing camera are not that hot and will certainly drive away a fair amount of users focused only on raw speed and performance. The Stellar is not the thinnest or lightest fellow around either, weighing in at 133 grams and measuring 12.7 mm in depth.

The rest of the features are pretty standard for a mid-range handheld and include a 1.3 MP front-facing webcam, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and microSD support. The battery's capacity is basically the only technical detail still kept under wraps, but we wouldn't get our hopes very high.

So, who will be looking to Verizon stores come September 6 for the Stellar? Anyone?

$99 Samsung Galaxy Stellar on Verizon to come with ‘starter mode’, Samsung Galaxy Stellar goes up on Best Buy for $449.99, Verizon debuts Samsung Galaxy S3 ad, and it's not a very good one

This article, Samsung Galaxy Stellar to hit Verizon on September 6? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Moleskine for Android to launch exclusively on Galaxy Note, will focus on style

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 09:27 AM PDT

(Photo credit: The Verge)

Premium notebook brand Moleskine has announced the launch of its Android app, which will be an exclusive for the Samsung Galaxy Note, at least for a few months before being available to the general Android population. Update: the Moleskine app will come pre-installed with the Note II and Note 10.1.

The app will run alongside the stock S-Note app, which likewise comes with the Galaxy Note, although the Moleskine app will focus more on style. The Moleskine app will be geared toward the creative crowd and will have what may be considered a more relaxed look and feel.

The app’s pages will be ivory-colored, reminiscent of how Moleskine’s oil-resistant paper looks. The app will also have a digital “pocket” like the ones found at the back cover of Moleskine notebooks.

I was first introduced to Moleskine when I first started writing freelance. I got my first taste of a Moleskine notebook care of Moleskine enthusiast Armand Frasco of Moleskinerie.com. I could say that more than just notebooks, there is a certain culture that revolves around Moleskines. Hopefully, the app will convey the same image. I, for one, am excited to get the Android version.

U.S. Galaxy Note 2 launch confirmed for 2012, actual release date still missing, HTC Invites Press to “Celebrate in Style” in NYC on September 20, Might Launch New Android Device, Phablets battle looming: Galaxy Note 2 and Opimus Vu 2 to launch at the end of August?

This article, Moleskine for Android to launch exclusively on Galaxy Note, will focus on style , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

CNET: Two new 7-inch Kindle Fires to be unveiled on September 6, but no 10-incher

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:49 AM PDT

This is starting to get crazy. And ridiculous. Amazon has scheduled a special unveiling event for September 6, and, even with a few days to go, we still have no idea what the Kindle Fire makers will bring to the public attention.

We know that we are in for a treat, we know that at least one Kindle Fire 2 tablet is to be unveiled, but rumors keep contradicting one another on the gadget(s)' specs and features, starting with the display diagonal size.

We've been reporting on "inside" reports, leaks and speculations on the matter ever since last spring, and pretty much each one said a different thing. We've had people saying there'll be only one new 7-incher unveiled, a 7- and a 10-incher, just a 10-incher, two 7-inchers and even a 10-, two 7- and one 8.9-inchers.

The latest rumor is that Amazon has temporarily put on hold its 10-inch tablet plans and will look to focus on resisting the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini challenges. And as legit as that sounds… wait for it… it seems that not one, but two new 7-inch Kindle Fires are coming.

CNET is the source of this new report, so that's one solid reason to buy the story. Then again, the rumor mill is grinding again after the testimony of an unnamed "person" who has supposedly "seen the products", so I think that coin flipping scenario can be brought back on the table.

Assuming that the "person" is not bluffing though, let's see what "he" has to say about the two tablets. The first of the duo will only be a "slightly revamped version of the original tablet" with a new user interface and a lower pricing point than the first Kindle Fire (possibly $150).

That doesn't sound very exciting, but the second 7-incher does. This should supposedly come with a faster processor, a camera (probably a front-facing one matching Nexus 7's), physical volume controls, an HDMI port and larger storage capacity (still non-expandable though).

CNET's source has no intel on this puppy's pricing, which will probably depend on the exact upgrades Amazon is planning. If this version of the Fire 2 were to come with a quad-core CPU, that, alongside the HDMI connection, camera and higher storage, will surely raise the bar to at least $250.

As far as branding goes, the publication also has nothing to report just yet, so we don’t know if the two tablets will get different names or they’ll be called something like the Fire 2 and the Fire 2 Pro. Finally, Amazon’s 10-incher is still expected to come sooner or later, but for the time being the Nexus 7 menace is much more important than the temptation to go after the iPads.

All in all, I’m still not sure whether this report is more trustworthy than others that are saying very different things, but fortunately we shouldn’t bother with speculations and assumptions for much longer. September 6 is around the corner and rumors will finally stop then.

What do you think? How many new tablets will Amazon unveil, when and how will these be specced?

New Kindle e-reader hits FCC, still no trace of 7-inch Kindle Fire 2, BGR: Two new Kindle Fire tablets to be unveiled after all, could come with metal casings and sophisticated looks, DigiTimes: 8.9-inch Kindle Fire is a no go, 10.1-inch model to be released in Q3

This article, CNET: Two new 7-inch Kindle Fires to be unveiled on September 6, but no 10-incher , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Unknown HTC beast spotted in blurry pics, could it be the much awaited Verizon-bound phablet?

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:40 AM PDT

HTC has had a surprisingly discreet IFA, only unveiling one not very impressive smartphone in Berlin. Still, we know that the Taiwanese are onto something and it's only a matter of time until we'll be seeing it announced.

A tweaked version of the HTC One X "beast" seemed to be on the cards until about a month ago, when it suddenly and mysteriously dropped off the radar. We also very recently saw a 10-inch HTC tablet getting leaked, but that rumor looked particularly fishy from the get-go.

But what about that Galaxy Note competitor we've been hearing about ever since April? Well, that also dropped off the radar for a while, only to pop up again in a benchmark in July and in a Digitimes report some weeks ago. Neither rumor was particularly trustworthy, but there usually isn’t any smoke without a fire in the tech world, is it? And if you needed an additional reason to believe in the existence of HTC's phablet, here are two awfully blurry pics leaked by Phone Forum HK.

The photos show off a pretty massive HTC phone, so there's a good shot this is in fact that 5-incher we've all been waiting for. The red colored aluminum touches along its sides are clearly design elements that scream Verizon (aka Big Red), so that's yet another hint at this big guy's identity.

Unfortunately, we can't pick up many other things from the pics, aside from a not surprising Beats Audio logo, what looks like a non-removable battery cover, and a pretty impressively thin and slim profile for such a big fellow.

If this actually proves to be the same device as the "6435LVW", chances are that it'll in fact be coming soon with a 1080p display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8960 S4 processor, an Adreno 320 GPU, as well as LTE and HSPA+ radios.

Sure, we can even hope to see the "phablet" packing one of the new quad-core S4 Pro chipsets that we crave so much for, but before anything we should wait and have this officially unveiled. Or even confirmed, because right now this seems more like an alien than a phone. Many believe in it, some have even saw it, but there's no solid proof to confirm its existence.

Who here believes in the existence of a Verizon-bound HTC phablet? And who’s excited about it?

No related posts.

This article, Unknown HTC beast spotted in blurry pics, could it be the much awaited Verizon-bound phablet? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Kyocera Rises at Virgin Mobile right on schedule – who wants a texty beast for $100?

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:32 AM PDT

Those of you who are more into conserving their finances than having the absolute best pieces of technology at their disposal might remember a little guy going by the name of Kyocera Rise. The entry-level phone was first leaked more than a month ago, popping by again at the beginning of August with a rumored release date for both Sprint and Virgin Mobile.

One of Kyocera's most decent offerings in a while "rose" right on cue at Sprint, and, also on schedule, the phone is now available through Virgin Mobile. The Rise is this time around up for grabs for a slightly higher price, but you'll be glad to know you don't have to sign up any kind of contract up front to be able to buy it.

The "texty beast", as Virgin calls it (pretty clever, eh?), is obviously not a high-end gadget (not even high-end-ish), but has a decent shot at drawing the attention of certain groups of people that have started to not have that many options. In fact, it's certainly not a coincidence that Virgin has made the Rise available right before the school year starts, with students of all ages being bound to get drawn by it.

And what's there not to like if you're a "texty fanatic"? The Rise has a sleek and very functional slide-out QWERTY keyboard, it's elegant and portable and, while it doesn't pack much raw power, it can get the job done with some light browsing, multimedia playing and gaming.

The Kyocera Rise, available only online for the time being at $99.99, can be coupled with Virgin Mobile's very lucrative unlimited prepaid plans, starting at $35 monthly. You can get more details at this link, where you can also check if Virgin "has you covered".

And to be sure you’re going to make as informed a decision as possible, here’s a quick rundown of all of the phone’s specs and features:

3.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 320 pixels resolution and 165 ppi pixel density
Single-core 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon processor with Adreno 205 GPU
512 MB of RAM
2 GB of on-board storage + 2 GB microSD card included
3.15 MP rear-facing camera with autofocus
Android 4.0 ICS with access to Google Play and Virgin Mobile Live
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
3G
Bluetooth 2.1
MicroUSB 2.0
Standard Li-Ion 1,500 mAh battery capable of running for up to 8 hours in talk time between charges
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
158 grams weight
113 x 60.5 x 14.3 mm dimensions

Anyone getting the texty beast?

No related posts.

This article, Kyocera Rises at Virgin Mobile right on schedule – who wants a texty beast for $100? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Updated S Pen SDK to make the “old” Galaxy Note new

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT

Alongside the introduction of Galaxy Note 2, Samsung has announced the availability of a new Software Development Kit for the S Pen. The S Pen SDK 2.2 should help developers bring several features found on the Galaxy Note 2 to other S Pen-touting devices, the original Note included. The updated SDK contains new UX scenario, context awareness, and expanded drawing tools.

Of note is the tool that allows apps to recognize the S Pen even when there's no physical contact between the stylus and the screen. In other words, you can simply hover the pen over the device to trigger certain actions.

Available only for the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1 is the ability the launch preset features when the S Pen is detached or when the earphone is attached. As for the expanded doodling tools, a new calligraphy brush has been added to the list of pen input, and there are new color filling features, 33 image effects, an improved UI, and more.

With Samsung doing its part by releasing the new S Pen SDK, the ball is now on the devs' court to try and create some more advanced apps for the Note series.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 updated specs, may come in September, Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update rolling out "very soon," Galaxy Note 10.1 and original Galaxy Note also to get it, Galaxy Note 2 'first hands-on' video rolled out by Samsung

This article, Updated S Pen SDK to make the "old" Galaxy Note new , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.