Android Community |
- ASUS PadFone 2 full specs leaked
- Verizon roadmap leaked, includes HTC Droid Incredible X and LG Spectrum II
- SteelSeries launching new Bluetooth gaming controller
- Jelly Bean arrives for Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus
- Cube U9GT5 Jelly Bean tablet replicates iPad Retina display
- SoundCloud introduces in-app audio editing
- Verizon sees more Android activations than all other carriers
- 10Terra Nexus 7 Bamboo case; Back this Kickstarter campaign!
- Walmart removes all Amazon Kindles from store shelves
- Facebook Messenger for Android gets a new design
- Netflix bringing new UI to Android phones
- Jelly Bean coming to the HTC One X in October
- Auto Trader for Android updates with history check and more
| ASUS PadFone 2 full specs leaked Posted: 21 Sep 2012 11:01 AM PDT Just yesterday we were told that ASUS would be launching the PadFone 2 on October 16. However, we still weren’t given any solid details about the product itself, but thanks to a leak, we’re given access to the full specs of the PadFone 2. And we have to say, they look pretty good.
We knew the upcoming tablet would be given a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, but that’s really all we truly knew. Now we get to see all the specs of this beautiful device, thanks to a photo taken of the back of the box. It’ll be running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 13 MP rear camera, Bluetooth 4.0, a 2140 mAh battery, and a 4.7-inch Super IPS+ HD display with a 1280 x 720 resolution (although it also says Super AMOLED, so we’re not sure which one yet). All of this weighs in at only 135 grams and is a mere 9mm thick. These are certainly respectable hardware components that we can’t wait to see in action. The only thing that really remains a mystery is price and availability of the PadFone 2. We’ll just have to wait patiently until October 16 when ASUS gives us the complete details. Until then, it’s nice to know what we’ll be dealing with before the device is even out yet. Here’s hoping that ASUS will send the thing over to the US for us Americans to dabble with. [via SlashGear]
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| Verizon roadmap leaked, includes HTC Droid Incredible X and LG Spectrum II Posted: 21 Sep 2012 10:47 AM PDT Looks like someone decided that it was time for the world to see what Verizon has up its sleeve for the foreseeable future. A leaked roadmap reveals some of Verizon’s new devices that they’ll be bringing to the market soon. Two of which will be the HTC Droid Incredible X and the LG Spectrum II.
The Droid Incredible X is rumored to have a 5-inch display and a quad-core processor, which means that this could be Verizon’s first phablet to launch on its Droid line of devices. The Droid Incredible X should launch in November according to the roadmap. The LG Spectrum II, which we’ve heard about before, will closely resemble LG’s Optimus 4X HD. It’s said to have a 4.7-inch display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor clocked, an 8 MP rear camera, NFC capability, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to top it off. Early October is the expected launch date for the Spectrum II. Other phones found on the leaked roadmap include three Windows Phone 8 devices, the Samsung ATIV S, Nokia Lumia 920, the Motorola Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD, and the HTC Windows Phone 8X. All of these phones have a potential launch window of November. [via PhoneArena]
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| SteelSeries launching new Bluetooth gaming controller Posted: 21 Sep 2012 10:17 AM PDT Mobile gaming is big business on Android, and sometimes the touchscreen controls just don’t cut it for us button smashers. A lot of manufacturers have been filling that void by releasing their own mobile wireless gamepads (and even devices with physical buttons), but today SteelSeries announced a unique controller of their own that looks pretty stunning.
The SteelSeries Free Mobile Wireless Controller connects over Bluetooth and is compatible with not only Android devices, but also iOS, Windows, and Mac. The layout is typical of what you would find on the controller of the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, but it only comes with one set of shoulder buttons. The controller is tiny — about the size of a smartphone itself. The gamepad can last for up to 20 hours of casual play time and around 10 hours of hardcore gaming, but if you happen to run out of juice, you can quickly just pop in the charging cable and continue gaming on. The controller also features a power-save function that will shut the controller off after three minutes of idle time. The SteelSeries Free will cost you a whopping $80 and you’ll be able to get your grubby gaming hands on it starting October 2. $80 is quite a pretty penny to pay for a gaming controller, but if you’ve been yearning for a better (and more mobile) gaming experience on your smartphone or tablet, the SteelSeries Free maybe just for you. [via GameFans]
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| Jelly Bean arrives for Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:29 AM PDT For those of you patiently waiting for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to arrive on your Galaxy Nexus over Verizon’s network (some more patient than others), you will be pleased to know that it’s finally happening. We got word today that Verizon has been rolling out the latest Android OS out to its LTE Galaxy Nexus owners.
The Jelly Bean update is detailed in a PDF document from Verizon, which mostly just gives you a rundown of all the new features you’ll be getting, like Google Now, improved notifications, a much smoother UI, and a smarter keyboard. It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long for Jelly Bean to arrive on Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus. To have it take two months for Google’s latest mobile OS to arrive on its own flagship phone is beyond us. I’m sure Verizon had its reasons, and we’re glad Jelly Bean is finally here, but that doesn’t mean we’re not still scornfully gazing at Verizon. Then again, those with the guts to root their GNex have probably already been playing around with Jelly Bean ever since CyanogenMod 10 came out last month. But finally VZW Galaxy Nexus owners are greeted with an official update. From this day forward, here’s to a new and improved Android experience that will last a lifetime (or until the next Android update comes out, for which we’ll be back to waiting a few months again). Verizon warns that it’s a “WiFi only download,” so be sure you’re not out and about when you decide to hit the update button. Device Info
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 [via SlashGear]
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| Cube U9GT5 Jelly Bean tablet replicates iPad Retina display Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:52 PM PDT Don’t get me wrong, the iPad’s Retina display is pretty cool. Fitting a 2048 x 1536 resolution inside of a 10-inch display is fairly impressive, and I’d be incorrect if I said that it doesn’t look good. No Android tablet has come close to matching that yet. The Tegra 3-equipped Acer Iconia Tab A700 is about the closest an Android tablet has gotten, until now.
The Cube U9GT5, a Chinese Android tablet running Jelly Bean, has supposedly caught up with the iPad’s Retina display with a high-resolution display of its own. The U9GT5 sports a 9.7-inch screen with a 2048 x 1536 resolution, giving it the same 264 ppi that the iPad has. Under that display you’ll find an ancient Rockhip RK3066 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. The display (and Jelly Bean) is really the only thing that this tablet has going for it. Most newer Android tablets from Asus, Samsung, and Acer could blow the U9GT5 straight out of the water. While you may not have heard of Cube, they have actually been around the block before. They were actually the first manufacturer to release a tablet that ran off the Rockhip RK3066, which made it one of the first tablets to have a dual-core processor. However, we probably won’t see the U9GT5 hit any major stores. You’ll probably only find it on eBay and knock-off stores over in China. [via SlashGear]
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| SoundCloud introduces in-app audio editing Posted: 20 Sep 2012 04:37 PM PDT SoundCloud is a great platform to upload all of your audio creations to, and a lot of people use it to publish their own music and podcasts for the world to listen in on and hopefully gain some popularity. A big chunk of their user base enjoys using the service’s mobile app, and it updated today with some pretty cool new features.
The updated app now includes the ability to edit your audio clips directly inside of the app. You can do things like trim your audio clips, pause and resume recording, and smoothly scrub through an audio clip with just the slide of your finger. The Android app also has an exclusive feature that lets you add fade in/out segments to your recordings. SoundCloud is becoming an increasingly popular service for audio geeks of all kinds. They currently have around 20 million users, with 5.7 million monthly active users and 730,000 daily active users. That’s a lot of people, not to mention a ton of audio that’s being created and shared on the service. The updated SoundCloud Android app is available now in the Google Play store as a free download. If audio editing and recording isn’t your thing, SoundCloud still lets you browse and discover new and popular audio creations for your enjoyment. [via The Verge]
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| Verizon sees more Android activations than all other carriers Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:34 PM PDT If there’s one thing about Verizon, they love touting their huge 4G LTE network, as well as the Android phones that go with it. It isn’t too surprising then that between June and August of this year, Android devices accounted for around half of all device activations on Verizon. That’s a lot of Android phones.
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) surveyed people who activated smartphones between June and August 2012 to determine what mobile operating system garnered the most activations. They found that not only does Verizon see more overall activations than the other carriers, but Big Red sees more Android activations than any other carrier, period. Furthermore, Verizon sells roughly 70 percent of its phones through its retail stores, which is more than any other carrier. A quarter of all Verizon’s mobile phone activations between June and August occurred at their own brick-and-mortar stores, and 91% of them came from existing customers. It seems Verizon has seen a lot of activity lately, and it looks like a lot of people are embracing the carrier’s Share Everything plans more so than what Verizon thought. In terms of the entire smartphone market, Android leads the way owning 48% of all smartphone activations from June to August. iOS comes in second at 29%, features phones come next at 17%, BlackBerry with 4%, and Windows Phone devices with just 1%. [via AllThingsD]
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| 10Terra Nexus 7 Bamboo case; Back this Kickstarter campaign! Posted: 20 Sep 2012 03:08 PM PDT Protecting our most loved electronic devices is something almost all of us do. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone that’s not using a case on their phone or tablet in this day and age. A lot of us like nice looking cases, though. We know that putting a case over our devices isn’t the best-looking ever, so we need a case that protects our phones and tablets that also looks nice. A company on 10Terra is campaigning on Kickstarter to bring its Bamboo cases to the mass public, and it aims to meet these two guidelines.
The company offers Bamboo cases for the 2nd and 3rd iPads, the iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5, and the Nexus 7. We were able to get a hold of the company’s Nexus 7 Bamboo case to take a ton of photos, as well as shoot a quick video to try to give you guys the best visual experience with one of these cases without actually touching it. First of all, the case looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s smoothness gives it such a vibrant look and the bamboo panels, as well as the grain in the wood makes it really eye-popping. It’s also not extremely thick — it’s actually pretty thin for being a bamboo case. The case also has a simple and minimalist look to it. It only has cutouts for the buttons, ports, and the speaker on the back. Other than, it’s a simple and sleek design that we really like. It comes in two pieces for assembly purposes and it does show a slight crack where the two pieces come together, but it’s hardly noticeable. Pledging $44 will get you one of these Nexus 7 Bamboo cases. That’s certainly not a lot for any kind of case, especially a bamboo case that’s this beautiful. Sadly, they don’t make these cases for other Android devices, but if you have a Nexus 7, this is certainly a case that we would recommend for anyone that wants to add a simple and classy feel to their tablet. Check out more photos of the case below.                   [via 10Terra]
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| Walmart removes all Amazon Kindles from store shelves Posted: 20 Sep 2012 02:56 PM PDT Kindle products will now be in less brick-and-mortar stores starting today. In a move that would oust retail competitors like Amazon from their stores, Wal-mart has stopped selling all Amazon Kindle ereaders and tablets. No longer will you be able to try out Amazon’s offerings of slates at one of the largest retail stores in the US.
Even though Walmart will still sell an assortment of other ereaders and tablets, they’re getting rid of all Kindles. The biggest reason being that Amazon competes with other retail stores like Walmart on all sorts of merchandise, so Walmart’s choice to boot Amazon from its stores was purely competitive. Holiday season is quickly approaching and the decision to stop selling Kindles could affect Walmart’s sales, but the company refused to disclose profit margins on the devices and how many it sells. Then again, it may not deter the store’s sales all that much, since they still sell thousands of other products. Target also closed connections with Amazon earlier this year when the store decided to stop selling Amazon Kindles. However, Amazon shouldn’t be worried. This likely won’t affect their Kindle sales and its even possible they may open up a few of their own stores to sell their Kindle line and possibly some other products. [via SlashGear]
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| Facebook Messenger for Android gets a new design Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:15 PM PDT For those of you who just can’t get away from your Facebook friends and have to resort with Facebook’s mobile offerings will be pleased to know that they updated Facebook Messenger for Android today with a new design. Now, avid Facebookers can chat with their friends using an improved user interface that makes navigation a lot easier.
Facebook Messenger for Android 2.0 includes an all new user interface in both your contact list and conversation view. The app includes a hidden side bar that you can now swipe to the left to bring up anywhere in the app. This will show all your friends who are online. You can also add your most-contacted friends to the top of your Favorites list so they're easily accessible. Facebook also updated its regular Android app today. It now features a new button that allows you to quickly see who’s available to message, as well as a new design for conversations in Messages. There’s also the usual bug fixes that improve the app’s security and reliability. Plus, they’ve patched up a few errors that were causing device reboots and stability issues. While a few of us aren’t huge fans of Facebook here at Android Community, it’s nice to see that the social network is keeping up on their mobile prowess, especially when they ditched HTML5 and went native on iOS. Hopefully they’ll continue to make progress with their mobile apps, including Android.    [via SlashGear]
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| Netflix bringing new UI to Android phones Posted: 20 Sep 2012 01:02 PM PDT Netflix has been a powerhouse movie-streaming service for a while now, and its mobile apps have served as vital tools for watching movies and TV shows while on the go. However, Netflix’s mobile interface really isn’t anything to write home about, but it looks like that might change.
It appears that some mobile Netflix users have temporarily been seeing the new tablet-like user interface show up on their phones without no warning or update from the Google Play store. Eventually, the new look would go away and revert back to the old, regular user interface. Some users that have been using the new interface are reporting that the app is still pretty laggy and doesn’t support landscape mode yet. Others are saying that icons are pixelated and sometimes won’t even load. However, there’s a handful of users that are saying that the new interface performs a lot better than the last. In any case, we’ll just have to wait until Netflix officially updates their Android app with the new user interface before we can accurately judge its performance and design, but if it looks anything like the tablet version (which it clearly does), it’ll be an improvement over the old interface no matter how laggy it still is. [via Droid Life]
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| Jelly Bean coming to the HTC One X in October Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:07 PM PDT For the past few months, we’ve been trying to wait patiently for HTC to bring Jelly Bean to its newer devices ever since they confirmed it in July. If you’re an HTC One X owner and are just dying to get a taste of Jelly Bean, it looks like you won’t have to die any longer. It’s said that Jelly Bean is planned to roll out to the One X in October.
HTC is planning to roll out Jelly Bean to all of its newer phone by Christmas, with the One X being the only device with a narrowed-down time frame. No word yet on the One S, but HTC’s upcoming One X+ and the One XL will both ship with Jelly Bean “out of the box”. We will surely be ready for it. The HTC One X comes with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor and has a 4.7-inch 720p HD display. It’s also got 1GB of RAM, an 8 MP rear camera that records 1080p video, a 1.3 MP front-facing camera, and all the amenities you would need like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a built-in compass. Personally, we love the HTC One X and it’s one of the nicer phones available on AT&T, but what would make it ever better is a little bit of Jelly Bean action. Come October, it’ll be nice to finally see a great mobile OS meet up with a great smartphone. Device Info
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[via MoDaCo]
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| Auto Trader for Android updates with history check and more Posted: 20 Sep 2012 11:38 AM PDT Shopping around for a used car can be a huge pain, and sometimes it’s nice to have a mobile app on hand in case you’re out and about looking for a good deal. Auto Trader is one of the UK’s most popular services to find used vehicles. It’s also pretty popular in the US, but the UK Android app updated today with some pretty cool new features.
One of the big new features is the addition of a vehicle history check, which lets you find out past details about a vehicle if they’re available, like color changes, whether or not it’s been stolen, license plate changes, and more. Auto Trader warns us that “1 in 3 vehicles has a hidden past”, so this new feature lets you pick out a new ride with greater confidence. Other features include saving vehicles and searches across multiple devices, local dealership search, motorcycle search, saving potential vehicle candidates to your “garage,” and reviews from owners and experts alike. These features make the process of finding and purchasing a new vehicle a lot less stressful for everyone. Plus, having a mobile app that can do all this is great for when you’re out looking for a new ride. It’s a lot more convenient to have your phone with you to just look up vehicles for sale in your area. Once you find something you like, you can go straight there without having to go home first to use your computer to look up potential cars to buy.
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