Android World: Android Authority

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 makes its sales debut in South Korea
Netflix app lets you use your Android as a remote control for PS3
Barnes & Noble takes on Amazon with ad-free and light Nook HD
Leak: Samsung Galaxy Music: 3 inch screen, dual SIM, Android 4.0
RIM’s CEO says BlackBerry 10 will beat Windows Phone 8; Android and iOS are too tough to compete with
Google Maps isn’t coming to the iPhone for at least another few months
Texas Instruments to put less focus on making chips for smartphones and tablets
Android Nexus Binaries Updated to JRO03R and Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus gets Factory Images
TouchWiz and browser vulnerability can wipe or reset your phone with a single click
Select Motorola Atrix 2 users getting ICS update for soak test

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 makes its sales debut in South Korea

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 03:33 AM PDT

And so it begins – the first wave of customers are getting their Samsung Galaxy Note 2 today. Not surprisingly, the first market to have the phablet on sale is South Korea, where the pen-equipped phone/tablet will be offered by SK Telecom, KT and LG U+.

Following the launch of Galaxy Note 2 on the company's home turf, the phablet will be released in additional 128 markets worldwide via 260 mobile operators. Samsung's head of mobile business, J.K. Shin, expects the device to sell "more than three times those of the previous version."

Though the build up to its release didn't exactly match the crazy hype surrounding the Galaxy S3, we don't think Samsung will have a problem meeting its goal. Millions of owners of the original model will likely find the successor to be worthy the upgrade, what with the bigger screen, faster processor, and improved software, while keeping the dimensions of the device relatively similar.

The next country to be graced by the presence of the Galaxy Note 2 is Italy, and possibly India on September 28. It will also hit UK retail stores next week.

This is indeed exciting times for phablet lovers all around the world. Are you ready to get your hands on the Galaxy Note 2?

Galaxy Note sold by the bucketload in South Korea: two million units in five months, South Korea Sells 700K Galaxy Note's and Counting!, Samsung to debut Galaxy Note 2 at IFA in August, with Jelly Bean and 13MP camera on board

This article, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 makes its sales debut in South Korea , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Netflix app lets you use your Android as a remote control for PS3

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 03:03 AM PDT

The new Netflix app has a handy wee feature that wasn't highlighted. Not only did the Netflix app get a new user interface, it also now allows you to use your Android device, or iOS device, as a remote control for Netflix on your PS3. As long as both devices are on the same network and the Netflix app is running on both of them, you can browse content on your smartphone or tablet, and when you hit play you'll get the option to play it on your PS3.

This means you can continue to browse for things to watch on your smartphone or tablet while you watch something through your PlayStation 3 on the big screen. You can also pause, stop, skip through the video, or tweak the audio or subtitles. This is handy second screen functionality that allows you to tweak and browse without having to interrupt the action.

Before you get too excited, this functionality doesn't seem to have rolled out universally. I updated my PS3 and Galaxy S3 apps this morning, booted them both up, and shouted to my wife to behold this wonderful new dawn for technology and it totally failed to work. The interface is updated, everything else is present and correct but when I play content it just runs on the phone like usual. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the fact that I'm based in the UK, but if you know then please comment and enlighten us.

If you want to try it for yourself then check out this video to see how easy it is.

Netflix app unexpectedly gets a new user interface, Netflix possibly heading to Android, Netflix Rolls Out Support For More Android Devices

This article, Netflix app lets you use your Android as a remote control for PS3 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Barnes & Noble takes on Amazon with ad-free and light Nook HD

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 02:49 AM PDT

Barnes & Noble has released details of its new Nook HD range of Android tablets, which are aimed squarely at Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD line and Google’s Nexus 7. The new tablets are on pre-order now and will start shipping in late October. These are aggressively priced, with the 8GB 7 inch Nook HD selling for $199 (just like the Kindle Fire HD). But of more interest is the 16GB 9 inch version which starts at just $269, compared to $299 for Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD 8.9″.

Looking at raw specs, the Nook HD comes with 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage and an extra 32GB can be added via the microSD Card slot — something you can’t do with the Kindle Fire HD. The 7-inch display has a better resolution than the Kindle Fire HD and packs in 243 pixels per inch to give a resolution of 1440 x 900. The battery life is 9+ hours and it is powered by a dual-core 1.3GHz OMAP 4470.

The Nook HD+ is a 9-inch device, with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and again the same ability to add an additional 32GB via the microSD Card slot. It has a 1920 x 1280 pixel resolution display (256 PPI) and is powered by the same CPU as the Nook HD but running at a faster 1.5Ghz. The 32GB 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD costs $369 while the 32GB Nook HD+ costs just $299.

In terms of the pricing, it is clear that $199 is about the lowest any of the big (non-Chinese) companies can go for a 7-inch device, but the Nook HD+ pricing is much better than Amazon’s (for both the 16GB and 32GB versions) and way cheaper than anything Apple has to offer.

The Nook HD and HD+ use a customized UI on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Like the Kindle, it is designed to focus on the content available for purchase on the platform. Barnes & Noble are launching a new video service “Nook Video” which promises blockbuster movies, classic films and original TV shows from the major studios including HBO, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, STARZ, Viacom and Warner Bros. The service will launch concurrently with the shipment of the new products in the USA and is expected to hit the UK in time for Christmas.

In an attempt to differentiate itself from the competition, Barnes & Noble is highlighting the fact that the new tablets are the lightest on the market. The Nook HD weighs only 11.1 ounces (315 grams) and is just 5-inches wide. That makes the device 20 percent lighter and nearly a half-inch narrower than the Kindle Fire HD. The Nook HD+ weighs just 18.2 ounces (515 grams) compared to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ which weighs 20 ounces.

For customers outside of the USA, the new Nook tablets will be also available from the uk.nook.com store (and I guess can be shipped to the EU from there) starting at just £159 which is the same price as the Amazon Kindle Fire HD in the UK.

Ad-Free

Another interesting aspect of the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ is that the pricing is not supported by Ads. As Barnes & Noble put it, “customers can enjoy their favorite content and personal photos, not annoying ads as with Amazon's tablets.” This makes the “always ad-free NOOK tablets” better value than Amazon's, which charges customers an additional $15 to remove the ads.

Is Barnes & Noble Nook the weak link in the tablet war?, Nook price cuts from Barnes & Noble looking to tempt budget tablet hunters, Barnes & Noble Officially Unveils New Android E-Ink Nook

This article, Barnes & Noble takes on Amazon with ad-free and light Nook HD , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Leak: Samsung Galaxy Music: 3 inch screen, dual SIM, Android 4.0

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:50 AM PDT

Earlier this week, Samsung published a list of devices that are due to get upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. One of the devices on that list was the Galaxy Music. We like to think that we know just about everything there is to know about Samsung, so when we saw “Galaxy Music” we started scratching our heads. Thanks to SammyHub, we know now a little bit more about that device. They say it’s going to have a 3 inch screen, an 850 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, front facing speakers, a 3 megapixel camera, and that there’s going to be a single SIM variant and a dual SIM variant. It’ll ship with Android 4.0 out of the box, though it’ll obviously get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Why is Samsung making a music focused device? Well why not? Sony Ericsson (now Sony Mobile) had, some might say still has, a fantastic reputation when it comes to music because of the Walkman brand. HTC also has Beats. So why wouldn’t Samsung try to enter this space? We just want to know if they’re going to try selling music directly to consumers or whether they’ll point consumers to the Google Play Store? There’s also the partnering option. Imagine Spotify on this thing!

With regards to the spec sheet, most of you are probably turned off, but many people, this writer included, are big fans of small phones. Samsung makes plenty of small phones, but they’re usually budget devices. That’s the problem. Meanwhile Sony has a range of small-ish Android phones that are quite capable. Take the Xperia Active for example. That thing has a 3 inch screen, a 1 GHz processor, and it’s totally waterproof.

Back to the Galaxy Music, when will it be officially unveiled? We don’t know. How much is it going to cost? Judging by the spec sheet, we’d be surprised if it goes for more than 200 Euros.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Leak Photos Show Dual-core Power Packed in Small Tablet Form Factor, Samsung Officially Outs Yet Another Android Honeycomb Tablet: 7 Inch Dual-Core 1.2GHz Galaxy Tab 7.0, New Details Emerge on Samsung Galaxy S3: Ceramic Back, 4.8-inch HD Screen & More

This article, Leak: Samsung Galaxy Music: 3 inch screen, dual SIM, Android 4.0 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

RIM’s CEO says BlackBerry 10 will beat Windows Phone 8; Android and iOS are too tough to compete with

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:07 AM PDT

Research in Motion, remember those guys? They’re hard at work on their next generation operating system, which they’re calling BlackBerry 10. Yesterday the company showed the world a sneak peak of what it’s going to look like, and we’ve got to admit, it does look rather interesting. It’s heavily inspired by Nokia’s MeeGo operating system, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, and there’s even some hints of Android in there. But what about RIM’s ambitions? Thorsten Heins, RIM’s CEO, told the press:

“We have a clear shot at being the number three platform on the market.”

Who says that, seriously? Let’s take a look at the smartphone market as of Q2 2012. According to the bean counters at IDC, Android powered 68% of the phones that shipped that quarter. Apple’s iOS platform ran on 17%. Those two numbers add up to 85%, so setting your goal to become the “number three platform” means you’re targeting 15% of the market.

Does Thorsten think BlackBerry 10 can beat Windows Phone 8? Absolutely, but how hard is that? Again, looking back at Q2 2012, Nokia sold 4 million Lumias during that quarter. That’s barely more than a million units a month. Meanwhile, Samsung pushed 20 million Galaxy S III units into customers hands in 100 days. That comes out to 18 million units a quarter or 6 million units a month. That’s just one of the many Android models that they sell too!

Look, we want competition, because it makes the market better, but telling people you’re aiming for a bronze medal is like confessing that you’re not really serious about fighting the good fight. We’re incredibly eager to see what RIM has to announce in 2013, but at the same time we question if they have enough life left in them to live until the end of 2012.

What do you guys think?

Google Android Tablet To Compete With iPad’s Sales Volume, Yahoo! employee smartphones: iPhone 5, Android, Windows Phone (anything but BlackBerry), BlackBerry 10 is Looking Good, But Will It Compete Against Android?

This article, RIM’s CEO says BlackBerry 10 will beat Windows Phone 8; Android and iOS are too tough to compete with , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Google Maps isn’t coming to the iPhone for at least another few months

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:55 PM PDT

Apple released a new version of their mobile operating system last week. Dubbed iOS 6, it adds several features that aren’t really all that exciting, but what’s making the internet go insane and foam at the mouth is the fact that Apple decided to rip out Google Maps and replace it with their own in-house developed mapping solution. We’re sure you’ve heard about how laughable Apple’s maps are by now. Not only are they uglier than Google’s maps, more importantly Apple’s mapping data has incorrect and missing information.

Why did Apple dump Google? A lot has been said over the past few days, but now we have a better picture of what actually went down thanks to a report from The Verge. First, Google didn’t find out that Apple was going to stop using Google Maps until just a few months ago. Second, Apple was pressuring Google to charge less for their mapping data, but at the same time Google was pressuring Apple to make Maps on iOS a better application by including some of the features that Google Maps users with Android devices have been enjoying for years now. Third, and this is the big one, if you have friends or family that own any iOS devices, tell them that they’re going to have to wait a few months until they can get a native Google Maps application on their device.

Why should Google even bother working with Apple? That question gets asked a lot. We’d like to remind you that Apple is in the business of selling physical goods, whereas Google gets practically all their money from advertising. It’s in their best interest to have more people using their services, because that means they can push more ads. Forgetting about Android versus iOS for a second, these two companies keep the lights on using very different business models.

That can’t be stressed enough.

Apple Maps vs Google Maps: #iLost Motorola (Google) ad pokes fun at the iPhone 5 and the iOS 6 Maps issues, Apple’s desperately trying to recruit former Google employees who worked on Google Maps, Google Maps 3D official, Google Maps offline for Android coming soon

This article, Google Maps isn’t coming to the iPhone for at least another few months , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Texas Instruments to put less focus on making chips for smartphones and tablets

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:54 PM PDT

Texas Instruments, one of the larger system on chip vendors, has just said that they’re going to “shift” their focus away from the wireless market. In case you don’t know who TI is, they make chips under the OMAP brand. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus for instance, that uses an OMAP chip, as do Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablets. So why did the company come to this decision? Greg Delagi, Senior Vice President for Embedded Processing at TI said: “We believe that opportunity is less attractive as we go forward.”

Now we know what you’re thinking, isn’t the mobile device industry booming? It is, but companies don’t want to deal with the hassle of integrating components from multiple vendors. Why do you think most Android phones on the market use Qualcomm chips? Because Qualcomm sells handset makers a complete solution. The Snapdragon platform comes with an application processor (Krait), a graphics processor (Adreno), all the radios needed for data, GPS, Bluetooth, and so on and so forth. TI will gladly sell companies companies CPUs, but companies want more than that.

Take a look at ST-Ericsson for example. STMicroelectronics, who was great at making chips, decided to partner with Ericsson, who was great at making cellular modems, to take on the big boys. Today their products are found in several of Sony’s Android devices. Will they ever become as successful as Qualcomm? Probably not, but hey, you can’t fault them for trying.

And finally, the clearest example of this type of integration, is NVIDIA. They bought a company called Icera in May 2011. Their area of expertise? Cellular modems. During the next 12 months it’s practically guaranteed that you’re going to hear about a new Tegra chip that comes with some sort of cellular connectivity. That product, whatever it’ll end up being called, is what companies want.

TI knows this all too well, which is why they’re calling it quits.

Ice Cream Sandwich Chips Coming From Texas Instruments, Texas Instruments shareholders ask for a pullback from the mobile chip business, Texas Instruments adds Bluetooth and WLAN drivers to Android

This article, Texas Instruments to put less focus on making chips for smartphones and tablets , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Android Nexus Binaries Updated to JRO03R and Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus gets Factory Images

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 06:01 PM PDT

Android superhero Jean-Baptiste Queru has reminded us once again that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is in fact, a Nexus. It may not get updates in a timely manner. It may not get updates before other non-Nexus devices get updates, but dammit, it’s a Nexus.

JBQ has pushed Android 4.1.1 JRO03O factory images to join the ranks of other Nexus devices at their usual location. What exactly does this mean? These images will do you good if you happen to flash a bad ROM or do run into issues tweaking and customizing your Nexus device. Think of them as a fail safe to go back to a stock, out of the box and freshly installed over the air update experience. If you’re not an Android hacker, cracker, or flasher, you need not worry about these.

Besides blessing us with factory images for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, JBQ has also provided the development community with the latest build of propriety Nexus binaries over at Google’s Nexus drivers page. The latest batch of binaries work with the android-4.1.1_r6 release and master branch. According to Jean-Baptiste Queru, the most noteworthy changes with the newer binaries are for the Nexus 7, supporting GPS and include a high-precision touchscreen firmware. The latter part of that statement may address issues floating around various forums surrounding touch screen responsiveness on the Nexus 7.

Jean-Baptiste Queru, Technical Lead, Android Open Source Project:
I’ve published a full set of proprietary JRO03R binaries at the
usually location https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/drivers
Those binaries work with the android-4.1.1_r6 tagged release and with
the master branch (but not with jb-dev).
Noteworthy changes: for grouper (i.e. Nexus 7), the new binaries
support GPS, and include a high-precision touchscreen firmware.
I’ve also updated the graphics libraries for PandaBoard, and I’ve
included the JRO03O factory image for mysid (i.e. VZW Galaxy Nexus).

Download:
Stock images | Binaries

Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean factory images for Nexus 7, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus available, Nexus S and Nexus S 4G Jelly Bean Factory Images Now Available For Download, Sprint now has Jelly Bean binaries

This article, Android Nexus Binaries Updated to JRO03R and Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus gets Factory Images , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

TouchWiz and browser vulnerability can wipe or reset your phone with a single click

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 05:25 PM PDT

Samsung smartphone users beware. It seems the custom TouchWiz skin found on most Samsung Galaxy smartphones is vulnerable to an attack that can wipe out the phone’s entire contents, including even the SIM data. And this can be done in only one click.

GigaOM reports how only a single line of HTML can do that much damage. In a vulnerability demonstrated by Ravi Borganokar at the Ekoparty security conference, the issue involves tapping a link that executes a data wipe command via the TouchWiz phone dialer.

The report is entitled Dirty use of USSD Codes in Cellular Network, and Borganokar discusses various other means of attacking smartphones and data using USSD commands.

If you’re a Samsung user, you may be familiar with how you can execute all sorts of commands and diagnostics through codes entered in the dialer. The exploit involves directly keying in those commands via a link, and no other user intervention is required other than tapping the link, since TouchWiz automatically dials these codes. Check out the video demonstration below for an example.

Borganokar says this code can even be executed through an NFC wireless transfer or through a QR code, which makes Sammy phone users vulnerable to social engineering attacks that involve tapping or otherwise loading a link.

As an update to the report, Android Police says the vulnerability is not with Samsung phones per se, but with the stock Android browser itself.

The fact is, this is not a Samsung problem, it’s an old Android problem that has been known about for some time. More recent versions of Android avoid the wipe issue, but unpatched devices (like some Samsung phones) may still be vulnerable.

This means the issue can also be replicated on non-Samsung phones, as long as these use unpatched versions of the Android browser.

So far, the issue can be reproduced on these Samsung phones: Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Beam, and Galaxy Ace, among others. Android Police says smartphones that have already been patched, or those that don’t use TouchWiz, are not vulnerable. For instance, the hack does not work on the Galaxy Nexus, since it uses vanilla Android, and without custom skins.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus GT-I9250: How to enjoy TouchWiz UX look and feel on your phone, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 TouchWiz Update Brings Added Features, A-GPS vulnerability could let hackers track your location, take over your phone

This article, TouchWiz and browser vulnerability can wipe or reset your phone with a single click , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.

Select Motorola Atrix 2 users getting ICS update for soak test

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 01:52 PM PDT

It’s been a long time coming, but it seems that for users of the Motorola Atrix 2, the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich may already be on its way. Users who are signed up for soak tests are beginning to receive the update today.

While just a few days ago, we were worried that the Motorola Atrix 2 wouldn’t be getting an update until next year, this soak test does bring some hope that the full roll-out may be sooner than we thought. While Motorola’s site still just says ”Further plans coming soon,” it’s possible that they simple haven’t updated yet.

Here is the text of the message that some users are receiving:

Thanks for signing up for the Atrix 2 software test. Our apologies for the delay in starting this test! The software will begin to be pushed out later this afternoon; however, it may take several hours for all targeted devices to receive the update.
We’re eager to hear your feedback. Please share your experience on the private community provided, and via the survey I will send out after you’ve had some time to work with the software.
To ensure we hear you, please follow these guidelines:
Please post all your feedback in our private community (link below). This also where you’ll find help during the soak.
Please do not call or contact Motorola, AT&T or your carrier support for help during the soak. Those teams are not yet ready to support this software.
I’m not able to check private messages on the forums during soaks, so if you need immediate help that’s not a good route to take. Post in the community instead.
If you have any problems accessing the private community, please click here for help.
Please do not post questions publicly, on our site or elsewhere.
Please start your visit to the private community here. You’ll find additional important information in the Welcome message as soon as you sign in. (Note that you will not be able to post in the public communities during the soak test.)
Thanks so much for your participation! We really appreciate your time and insights.

Are you signed up for soak tests from Motorola? If so, the update could be on its way soon. Have you got your update yet?

Motorola preps up OTA update for soak testers, Android 4.0 ICS heading to Droid 4 soon?, Motorola rolls out Android 4.0.4 ICS update for Droid 4's soak testers, Motorola Xoom Jelly Bean update coming soon, soak test invitations suggest

This article, Select Motorola Atrix 2 users getting ICS update for soak test , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.