Android Phone Fans |
- Wal-Mart set to release ‘Scan and Go’ – allows customers to avoid long lines for checking out
- HTC Thunderbolt misses promised Android 4.0 update, still coming
- Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE: another mid-tier device coming to Sprint this September
- Amazon won’t release a 10-inch Kindle Fire, launching two 7-inch devices instead
- LG’s anti-theft protection will knock you down [Humor]
- [Samsung Overload] ICS for T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1, Note II & Camera to get 50GB Dropbox space and more
- [LG Overload] Sprint-bound Cayenne makes pitstop at FCC, AT&T’s Escape pictured, Verizon’s Intuition could hit stores really soon
- Google, please, let me localize Play Store to my preference
- James Bond will be rocking the Sony Xperia T in Skyfall
- Huawei’s updated Emotion UI skips the app drawer, tries to appeal to newbies
- Samsung offers free Galaxy Tab 2 to everyone who upgrades to the S III or Note in the UK while trading in previous handset
- Apple Goes After Latest Competition: Adds Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Note 10.1 To Patent Lawsuit
- Mysterious HTC Device Pictured In The Wild – 5-Inch Galaxy Note Challenger Headed To Verizon?
- Is Motorola Planning To Debut A New Phone With Edge-to-Edge Display on Sept 5th? [Rumors]
| Wal-Mart set to release ‘Scan and Go’ – allows customers to avoid long lines for checking out Posted: 01 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT
This app will allow users to simply scan products as they shop. The customer would then be able to come up to the register and simply pay for the products at a self-serving kiosk. Not only would this make it easier and faster for both the customer and the cashier, but it would alleviate part of the $12 million Wal-Mart pays cashiers (all over the country) per second. There is no mention of having any mobile payment system embedded in the app, but it would be convenient if Wal-Mart offers a way to use credit cards to pay for products within the app. And if they don’t trust customers’ intentions (they likely don’t), they could simply have an employee look over the products and digital receipt at the exit. Employees are said to be testing the system as we speak, so we should start seeing those lines getting shorter relatively soon. These tests are being done with iPhone apps at the moment, but we have no doubt they will release an Android app once the system is ready to roll out. For now, let’s wait while we wait (in line). But we are curious to hear what you guys think of this system. How do you see these systems developing as we adopt current technology? [Via: The Wall Street Journal]
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| HTC Thunderbolt misses promised Android 4.0 update, still coming Posted: 01 Sep 2012 04:18 PM PDT
Fortunately, HTC is not ignoring the situation, as the guys from Droid-Life noticed. HTC has reached out to Thunderbolt users via their Facebook page, letting them know the update is still coming:
You will notice that HTC mentions they are “working with Verizon” to bring the update. This could very well mean that everything is ready to go from HTC’s side (official ROMs have been leaking, after all), but Verizon is delaying the OTA update. Sadly, this wouldn’t surprise us. Verizon is known to take its sweet time with updates, even those for the Galaxy Nexus, which should get updates on time. The only option is to wait and see when it all gets worked out, guys. Hopefully September brings ice creamy days for you. [Source: HTC (Facebook)]
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| Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE: another mid-tier device coming to Sprint this September Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:44 PM PDT
Samsung may not be feeling very “victorious” after its recent defeat against Apple, but it is nice to see they are staying strong. This little guy comes very well-specced for an affordable Android smartphone, offering a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 4G LTE connectivity. It does have its downsides, though. It only has a 480x800p display, meaning the screen should be rather small. The reason behind the rumored September release is due to the nature of the leaked document. It is a September promotions document that states representatives will earn $3 for every Galaxy Victory sold. And well… if there are no Galaxy Victory smartphones being sold during September, it would make no sense to include it. As always, we should keep n eyebrow raised and take any leaks and rumors with a grain of salt. Especially since we have seen no announcements or rumors regarding this device, but Samsung could very well have this one tightly hidden. We shall wait and see. [Via: Android Central]
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| Amazon won’t release a 10-inch Kindle Fire, launching two 7-inch devices instead Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:05 PM PDT
Instead, there will be two 7-inch devices being announced. One of them will be a slightly improved version of the current Kindle Fire, while the second will come as a significant upgrade. We have no clue why Amazon decided not to expand its reach to the 10-inch market, but they may simply be trying to avoid high risks. With the Nexus 7 and other affordable 7-inch tablets around, it can not be easy to be Amazon at this point. The Kindle Fire’s success was mainly due to the tablet’s price, which was considered to be stunningly affordable then. The tablet’s low price-point meant the customer had to sacrifice certain features, though. Lower specs, the exclusion of cameras and the Amazon UI were just some of them. Current tablets offer some of the best specs for the same $200 price. This is why Amazon is making some changes. According to CNET’s sources, this tablet will include a camera. But what might be even more exciting is that it is also expected to launch with a price lower than that of the original Kindle Fire. These improvements, along with the ones we don’t know about yet, should definitely entice some customers to purchase a brand new Kindle Fire. As always, we should take these rumors with a grain of salt. Your best bet is to wait until next week’s press conference to find out what Amazon has for us. We will be there, so stay tuned! [Via: CNET]
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| LG’s anti-theft protection will knock you down [Humor] Posted: 01 Sep 2012 01:28 PM PDT Anti-theft apps have proven to be very helpful, but they don’t always stop people from keeping your expensive devices. LG has taken it upon itself to find the best solution to keep your device from ending in someone else’s pocket, and they display the “mind-blowing” technique in their latest ad from the Netherlands. Thieves just have to take some balls to the face! You read that right! LG has decided to make this humorous commercial featuring a soccer player that unexpectedly kicks a ball to people’s faces right ater they pick up an LG phone. People would be minding their own business while strolling through the park. Upon finding the device and picking it up, BOOM! “It came out of nowhere!” So if you have some mad soccer skills, you might as well free your device from a few megabytes. And make sure to dodge next time you find a phone, some people won’t even wait for an old lady to try and call the owner. [Via: Lazy Tech Guys]
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| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 01:02 PM PDT
LGs not the only one getting a lot of news today: there were quite a few Samsung related posts coming through. But that’s gotta happen when you’ve got so many devices, right? Firstly, the T-Mobile Galaxy Tab 10.1 is finally getting ICS. Users, launch Kies now to get your hands on it. As with most Samsung devices, those who purchase the Galaxy Note II or the Galaxy Camera would get 50 GB Dropbox space. Whether the offer would be extended to those in the US remains a mystery, as AT&T and Verizon had previously opted out of it so as to not pick up the tab for it. The Galaxy Pocket Duos, a low-end, dual SIM phone, is now official.
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| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 12:49 PM PDT
Who says procrastination isn’t good for you? First we got the news in our inbox for the LG Intuition 4G, which Engadget believes could release as soon as September 6th. I was busy writing other stuff, so I put it off for a while. Then Droid Dog got press snaps of the Escape (P870). Still busy writing other stuff, so just kept the tab open as a reminder to get to it once I’m done with other stuff. Finally, the Cayenne is spotted at the FCC. I thought I might as well as wait and see if a T-Mobile related news is on the way, but it’s towards the end of my shift and nothing yet. Easiest post I’ve ever written.
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| Google, please, let me localize Play Store to my preference Posted: 01 Sep 2012 11:42 AM PDT I hate Google Play. I can’t remember the last time I discovered an app just browsing it that I wanted to throw my money at. Heck I can’t remember the last time I stumbled across a free app that was worth downloading, and much of that is to do with the kind of apps that I see on the home page that are said to be “trending”. The big issue for me is, my tastes are extremely different from the majority of the other Indian Android users. For some reason, only crap apps seem to be popular. It might be a case of Android smartphones being dirt cheap over here, and appealing to a demographic that tends to love downloading stuff that are either (a) have some pornographic nature (there are 3 of them in the screenshot) (b) offer features that don’t really work, but are named to attract downloads like the “fingerprint unlock” in the screenshot (c) promise to make your device iPhone-ish.
It’s a similar thing over at Twitter, where I hate the local trends they show me. However, I can just change the settings over there to show me what’s trending in San Francisco, since I like to keep up with the buzz of Silicon Valley. I wish I could do the same on Play, too. It’s a little thing, and I’m sure you could make that happen really quickly.
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| James Bond will be rocking the Sony Xperia T in Skyfall Posted: 01 Sep 2012 10:16 AM PDT
We just got a an update from the Sony Xperia Product Blog on our Google Reader list, where the writer mentions his favorite features from the company’s latest devices. Typically, I ignore most of the stuff since it’s the usual PR stuff. However, one line caught my eye: James Bond handset of choice in Skyfall, the latest movie of the series, will be the Xperia T. James Bond’s gadgets are probably only behind Batman’s and Iron Man’s in terms of awesomeness, so its good to see him using an Android device. And if Nokia could sell a few 5800 through the product placement in Dark Knight then I’m certain Sony would get a few Ts off the shelves, too.
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| Huawei’s updated Emotion UI skips the app drawer, tries to appeal to newbies Posted: 01 Sep 2012 09:52 AM PDT
The unfortunate truth is that manufacturer skins are here to stay. If the beauty of ICS or Jelly Bean couldn’t put an end to them, nothing will. While I don’t mind certain aspects of some of the skins, some additions seems just pointless. Take, for example, the latest iteration of Emotion UI from Huawei, which has decided to get rid of the app drawer completely. Apps are added to the home screens itself, from where they can be deleted or moved around. Widgets are added in the pre-ICS way of long-pressing an empty area on one of the home screens and selecting from a list. A lot of stuff that Huawei has done with their skin points to an aim to make the handset as easy to use as possible to a first-time Android user. But does removing the app drawer really make it any easier to a user? I’d say it doesn’t, and in my opinion it makes it worse. Once you install a ton of apps, it can be easy to forget which home screen you pinned it to. At those moments, its just so much easier to just open up the drawer and scroll through an alphabetically sorted list. Personally, I’m against paginations in the drawer too as it just slows me down way too much, and I still use the vertical scroll option in Apex on my phone. But hey, I’ve got no design degree so I could be wrong. Personally, I’ve got no beef against skins unless they (a) significantly slow down updates or (b) significantly alter the vanilla Android experience. Huawei falls into the later in this category, unfortunately, though I must admit I’m glad that they’ve included a “profiles” feature which allows you to change a bunch of settings together based on, well, profiles such as driving or outdoors. As the writer of the source article on The Verge mentions, profiles were popular on feature phones but never really took off on smartphones.
I’ve never understood why, especially considering the popularity of apps such as Tasker and Llama. While The Verge mentions that currently they tested Emotions UI without automatic profiles, it seems like it would be added by the time of production. Hopefully it’s done as well as Llama, which I’ve highlighted in the Uniquely Android series.
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| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 08:43 AM PDT
Update: I previously incorrectly mentioned the deal is available on an upgrade to the Note 2. It is available on an upgrade to the original Note, or the Galaxy S III. Here’s a not-so-bad deal for all our UK based readers who are planning to upgrade to either the Samsung Galaxy S III or the Note 2: if you trade in your old device, Sammy will throw in a Galaxy Tab 2, worth GPB 299 (or $475 based on the current exchange rate). Unfortunately, as with all these deals, some gloss is removed on reading the terms and conditions. The deal is offered to only those with either the Galaxy S II or the iPhone 4 or 4S, while the rest will have to cough up some additional dough to get the Tab 2. If you were to ask me, I’d suggest selling your device on Craigslist or something, and picking up the GBP 159 Google Nexus 7 instead. I’m pretty certain you’d be left with some additional cash.
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| Posted: 31 Aug 2012 11:55 PM PDT
We all know the story: Apple launched a holy war on Samsung for violating their trade dress and design/software patents — and won. A jury in the US ruled in favor of Apple last week, causing widespread panic and general angst among the Android community. Never one to rest on their laurels, Apple is now going after a few of Samsung’s newer devices (read: competition), alleging that Samsung’s Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Note 10.1 infringe on their ’721, ’604, and ’647. These how-the-hell-did-they-get-granted patents deal with slide-to-unlock, universal search, and clickable links inside of emails, text messages, etc. (which you may remember caused “the great banning of HTC devices” a few weeks back). It’s official. Apple hates competition and they wont rest until their competition is dumbed down enough to claim some soft of sick victory. Somebody, please. Make this all stop and let’s get back to innovating. [Complaint PDF | Reuters]
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| Mysterious HTC Device Pictured In The Wild – 5-Inch Galaxy Note Challenger Headed To Verizon? Posted: 31 Aug 2012 09:59 PM PDT
Images of a a mysterious new HTC device have just popped up in a Chinese forum and you know what? It looks damn sexy. We really don’t have much to go on other than a few blurry images, so we’ll just speculate for now. We’ve heard rumors HTC could be working on an appox 5-inch Galaxy Note challenger and judging by what we can see in these images — this might be it.
You’ll see red colored aluminum accents along the side (hinting at a possible Verizon release), and the 3 capacitive key combo along the bottom. The back looks very similar to the HTC One X, so we wouldn’t expect a removable battery or SD card slot. In fact, this could simply be a CDMA version of the One X for all we know. After a GLbenchmark appeared not too long ago showing HTC’s plans for a device with a 1080p display, there’s been some speculation that this could be that device but I wouldn’t hold my breath. 1080p on a 5-inch device just doesn’t sound practical.
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| Is Motorola Planning To Debut A New Phone With Edge-to-Edge Display on Sept 5th? [Rumors] Posted: 31 Aug 2012 07:22 PM PDT
After showing the world they can make a smartphone with a “Razr“ thin profile, Motorola is now looking to release a device that has a razor thin bezel to match. Seems Bloomberg has it on good authority that Motorola is gearing up to introduce the world to their all new device at their September 5th event and will reportedly feature an edge-to-edge display. This would make it a quite the head turner among Android devices (and iPhones) plagued with large bezels. Per the usual with Motorola, it’s being whispered the device will also be headed to Verizon Wireless. No word on the display size of said device, but without a single (worthy) Galaxy Note challenger in the world of Android, I’d hope for something close to 5-inches. What do you guys think of a phone with a bezel-less display? Is that feature you would actually look for in an upcoming device?
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