Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


Samsung Galaxy Premier is now official, coming to Europe and Asia starting November

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:16 AM PDT

After the semi-failed Galaxy S3 Mini whose purpose not many understood, Samsung pulled a pretty nasty stunt, scaring us with what looked like another mess of a mid-range phone. Thankfully, many of the rumors surrounding the Galaxy Premier's specs have proven fake, and now that the handheld is official, we can definitely start feeling relieved.

Basically, the Galaxy Premier is an ever so slightly downgraded version of the Galaxy S3 who only makes a few performance sacrifices in order to reach a wider audience. Sounds great to us, but let's see exactly what downgrades we are dealing with.

First off, let's talk design, although there's not much to discuss here. The Premier looks almost identical to the S3, weighing 130 grams (3 grams less than the flagship) and measuring 8.99 mm in thickness (a tad more than the S3).

The Premier sports a Super AMOLED display that, although has a slightly shrunken 4.65-inch diagonal compared with its "cousin", still boasts a generous 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and an impressive 316 ppi pixel density.

The 1.5 GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4470 ticker under the hood can't compare with the quad-core Exynos or dual-core Krait CPUs of the S3, but is definitely no pushover either. There's also only 1 gig of RAM on the Galaxy Premier, but the international S3 has the same amount of memory and there's nothing wrong with its multitasking whatsoever.

As for the cameras, those are actually identical to the ones featured by the S3, with the rear-facing one being equipped with an 8 MP sensor and the front-facing having 1.9 megapixels. One of the major sacrifices you'll be asked to make with the Premier involves storage space, which has been shrunken from 16, 32 and 64 GB on the S3 to just 8 and 16 gigs.

Still, there's microSD support allowing you to expand storage with an additional 32 GB, so all in all this doesn't seem like a big issue either. The software is another area where all's good, with the Premier being ready to run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box with Touchwiz on top, as well as other Samsung exclusive goodies like S Beam, AllShare Cast, AllShare Play or S Voice.

The battery is itself more than decent, at 2,100 mAh, and we should probably expect a higher autonomy than on the S3, given the Premier's slightly smaller screen and slower CPU. Finally, in terms of connectivity, you get all you could ever need, including Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and 4G LTE.

Now for the details you're all so eager to hear about – pricing and availability. Well, we know that the Galaxy Premier will be available in parts of Europe, South East Asia, China and Korea. We also know that Russia will get it in November, while the Ukrainian release is scheduled for December.

Finally, we know the price in Ukraine, which will be of 5,555 hryvnias, or around $680. We don't know however other pricing details or anything about a possible US release. Hopefully, we will find out something on that soon, so stay tuned, and, in the meantime, tell us what you think of the Galaxy Premier. Could the phone find a niche for itself? Is it a disappointment or a hit in the making?


Google’s updated search app for iOS poses serious challenge to Siri

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:13 AM PDT

When the iPhone 4S was launched last year, one of the most well-marketed features was Siri. The speech-powered interface brought about a change in how users interacted with devices. Sure, voice-control was not entirely new. But Apple wanted to marry interface with content and control. Siri accepted natural speech instead of memorized commands, and users could directly command their iPhones to do their biding.

Android users may actually have a better speech-powered interface than Siri, although with Google being the central platform, the focus here is on search rather than spoken commands. Google Now on Android Jelly Bean uses the company’s Knowledge Graph to put better context to a user’s information, connections and actions through the various Google online services.

With Google’s latest update to its iOS Search application, it might pose a more serious challenge to Siri on its iOS home turf. An iOS Search app review by The Verge reveals that Google’s latest Search app may not be Google Now, but is “still a big step forward.”

Some highlights:

  • Fast and accurate voice recognition. The review resulted in a fast and fairly accurate recognition of spoken commands both through a WiFi and cellular network. Search doesn’t try to answer questions in natural speech like Siri, but it offers relevant search results within context faster than Siri.
  • Google Now style functionality.  Search does not offer phone-level control, which means you cannot ask it to set appointments for you or accept SMS dictations. But it offers search results in an interface similar to Google Now, particularly the card-style items. The app can read back certain items, such as weather updates, sports scores, flight info, stock prices, and translations.
  • Google app integration. The new Search app is well-integrated with Google apps and services like YouTube and Maps. Asking for directions will open Google Maps — within mobile Safari — complete with the route you asked for. You can directly speak to Search when looking for YouTube videos.
  • Support for iPad and iPhone 5. The search app supports different displays and formats, particularly the latest iPhone and on the iPad.

What makes Google’s latest Search app attractive is its great combination of interface and content. It’s a polished app that combines speed, good voice recognition, and Google’s vast stores of information, the review says.

Check out the video below:

Are there any iPhone users out there who think the same?

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Google previews new Gmail compose interface, focusing on productivity

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:47 PM PDT

gmail logo

Even with doomsdayers saying email is dead, the fact is that email is still an essential means of communication. Even with the popularity of IM, SMS and social networking, users still turn to email when signing up for online services.

But email has its inherent disadvantages, and services like Gmail have tried to innovate. For one, Gmail’s threaded view came with a learning curve when it was first introduced by Google. But conversation views made it easier to put emails into context. Google is gradually introducing changes to Gmail aimed at making it easier to communicate.

The latest change involves a new “compose” interface. Gmail developers are turning the compose interface into a popup window, very much similar to chat.

This makes it easy to reference any other emails without ever having to close your draft. You can even do a search or keep an eye on new mail as it comes in. And because the compose window works the same way as chats, you can write multiple messages at once and minimize a message to finish it later.

The new update is still in the works, though, and Gmail developers will be releasing these once ready. But the devs have already given us a sneak peek. Gmail seems to have taken a page out of the IM playbook. Here are a few highlights:

  • Popup window. Gmail compose will now be a popup window, which makes it easy to switch back and forth through other email conversations. The window automatically resizes depending on the length and size of the message.
  • Recipient avatars. You now see recipient avatars when adding contacts to the To, CC and BCC fields. The names also work similar to how you add names when sharing items on Google Plus.
  • Movable recipients. Recipients can now be moved across the To, CC and BCC fields.
  • Replying. The reply interface is also being revamped, which will automagically adjust to fit your content.

This update is rolling out in the next few months, as Google finishes up with polishing the new interface. This is for the web interface, though, but Google is probably working on improving its smartphone and tablet interfaces, too.

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Android 4.2 download available to all, but only contains new Gesture Typing keyboard

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:32 PM PDT

We still have no idea when Android 4.2 Jelly Bean will be rolled out to existing Nexus devices, but at least we can tell you that an early version of the new keyboard app found inside Google's latest Android update is now available to download for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich or higher.

As you may already know, the new keyboard app comes with a new interesting feature called Gesture Typing, which is what Google calls its own Swype-like keyboard. In case you want to experience without having to wait for the actual Android 4.2 roll out to come out, you can do so right away.

The only caveat is that you'll need a device that doesn't run stock Android ICS or higher to enable it. Otherwise you'll have to root your handset before enjoying Gesture Typing.

As always, remember that we're not encouraging you to install any unofficial software on your devices and you're the only person responsible for whatever happens with your device during such procedures. But we'll also remind you to back up sensitive data before doing anything that you're not entirely comfortable doing.

Have you tried the Android 4.2 keyboard app yet?

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Galaxy Note 2 stars in LeBron promo, or is it vice versa?

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:11 PM PDT

The Galaxy Note 2 is slowly making its way to North American buyers, so what better way to promote the gigantic phone than by associating it with the gigantic basketball player that's LeBron James?

That's apparently exactly what Samsung Mobile USA thought too, and the company has prepared a Galaxy Note 2 clip starring LeBron to be released on YouTube just in time for today basketball event – in case you don't know, the NBA season starts today, with LeBron to receive his first ever championship ring.

The Galaxy Note 2 commercial, entitled “LeBron’s Day with the Samsung Galaxy Note II” is almost two minutes long and shows LeBron in a variety of instances in which the Galaxy Note 2 can be used. And according to the script it happens apparently all today.

While we won't spoil it for you, we will tell you that those special edition Nike sneakers he's wearing today to celebrate that first ring are also part of the story.

So let's hear it from North American Android fans, have you purchased a Galaxy Note 2 already?

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs HTC J Butterfly (DLX / DROID DNA)

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:44 PM PDT

Probably a bit envious on Samsung for the latter’s capabilities to do draw in loads of hype and customers around the Galaxy Note line, HTC has finally announced an Android phablet of its own: the HTC J Butterfly, also known as DLX / DROID DNA in some rumors. You guessed it: it is now time to see how the new HTC J Butterfly / DLX stacks up against the current Android Phablet King, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (on paper at least).

Note: Although HTC has announced that its phablet will be branded as the HTC J Butterfly in Japan, rumor has it that the U.S., Verizon-bound version will use the Verizon HTC DROID DNA / DLX branding. While some rumors claim that the international version of the HTC J Butterfly will come with some minor improvements, since there is no hard evidence to back this up, throughout the rest of this article I will only analyze the official specs of the HTC J Butterfly. If the HTC DLX will bring something new to the tablet, we'll update this article with the corresponding information.

Specs

Display

While it definitely pleases me to say that the HTC J Butterfly / DLX and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 both come with high quality displays, there are some notable differences though, as I'm about to explain!

Starting off with the reigning champion, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 uses a Super AMOLED display that measures an impressive 5.5 inches across the diagonal and uses a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution – also known as 720p or HD. The Pixel Per Inch (PPI) density rests at 267, which can be considered an above decent value even by the most exigent standards (plenty will also be pleased to learn that the display on the Galaxy Note 2 doesn't use a PenTile subpixel arrangement, but a slightly peculiar RGB matrix instead). While brightness, contrast ratios and viewing angles are absolutely top notch, as is the case with most Super AMOLED displays, some critics claim that the color reproduction is a bit off for this type of panels, especially when compared against Super LCD displays.

On the other hand, the HTC J Butterfly uses what is currently considered the best display to ever be used on a smartphone/phablet/tablet. At 5 inches in size, the Super LCD3 display uses an impressive 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (also known as 1080p or Full HD). As a consequence of cramping in so many pixels in a 5-inch display, the PPI ratio blows right through the roof and rests at 440. By contrast, the Apple iPhone 5's Retina display features a PPI ratio of "just" 326. We'll have to wait before we get our eyes on this fellow to really know for sure, but early hands-on reports claim that the quality of this display is astonishing.

Judging by the fact that the Super LCD2 display used on the HTC One X often regarded as the best display currently available, the Super LCD3 technology shouldn't be worse by any extent. Add in this awesome PPI ratio and this should be the best display on Earth.

HTC J Butterfly / Droid DLX Display

Verdict: While the Galaxy Note 2 has by 20% more screen real estate, and is not a bad overall display, the HTC J Butterfly / DLX wins this round thanks to its incredible PPI ratio.

Build Quality and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 steals its design from the highly successful Samsung Galaxy S3. It's like someone zoomed in on the Galaxy S3. That's not to say it is an ugly phablet, but it is surely isn't the best looking device around. Thankfully though, drop tests have proven that the Galaxy Note 2 is a lot sturdier than the S3, meaning it shouldn't smash into bits and pieces very easily (not that you should try though).

Subjectivity gets the best of me this time, so I'll just go ahead and say it: the HTC J Butterfly / DLX looks simply amazing in the press shots. Again, we'll have to wait until we get our hands on the actual device, but it looks like HTC have managed to come up with yet another great design.

On to the dimensions, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 measures 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm and weighs 183g, while the HTC J Butterfly measures 143 x 71 x 9.1 mm and weighs 140g. As expected, the Galaxy Note 2's bigger display adds to the overall footprint of the device. However, since none of these devices are a breeze to use with just one hand, this aspect shouldn't be necessarily be considered a disadvantage for the Galaxy Note 2.

Personally, I feel like the HTC J Butterfly is the best looking device of the two, but don't let my subjective views influence your personal preferences.

Internal Hardware

The Galaxy Note 2 uses a slightly overclocked version of the Exynos 4 quad system on a chip (SoC) that Samsung has equipped the international version of the Galaxy S3 with. This translates into a quad-core Cortex A9 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz per core and a Mali MP-400 GPU.

Benchmarks have proven that the Exynos 5 quad is currently the best SoC available in the Android ecosystem, although as with everything in the tech field, that affirmation won't remain valid for too much longer.

The HTC J Butterfly will be one of the first devices to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC (the freshly announced LG Google Nexus 4 is also using the same SoC), one that packs in together a 1.5GHz quad-core Krait (A15-like) processor and an Adreno 320 GPU. Early benchmarks clearly denote that the Snapdragon S4 Pro is better than everything else on the Android market, including Samsung’s Exynos 4.

Regarding the amount of RAM on the two contenders, there's nothing to separate them, as both carry 2GB of RAM memory, enough to ensure proper multitasking capabilities.

On to the cameras, the Galaxy Note 2 uses an 8MP primary camera and a 1.9MP secondary camera, while the HTC J Butterfly uses an 8MP primary camera and an 2MP secondary. Both devices will allow you to snap photos on the go at an acceptable quality… just don't mistake them for a DSLR.

As far as the battery power is concerned, I find it a bit curious that the the HTC J Butterfly uses a battery of just 2020mAh, as it will have to power up an awful lot of pixels. The 3100mAh battery on the Note 2 has to power up way less pixels, but still can only last through the day with moderate use.

It will be interesting to see if the HTC DLX will use the same battery capacity as the J Butterfly, and if so, how many hours will the HTC phablet last on a single charge. It sure seems like a pity that advancements in the battery life segment are currently unable match the advancements in the CPU, GPU and display segments.

Verdict: The HTC J Butterfly is definitely faster, although it remains to be seen if the 2020 mAhbattery won’t be a major drawback!

Software and Ecosystem

Although it would look like the HTC J Butterfly has the upper-hand in most of the areas that matter, it is now time for Samsung to shine. The reason I would say such a thing is because even though these two phablets both come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean pre-installed (here goes hoping Android 4.2 makes its way on these phaboulicious devices before the end of the year), the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 comes with a range of very useful and unique features.

While the HTC J Butterfly currently uses an Android theme that is much alike what can be found on the HTC Rhyme and comes with virtually no real improvements over Android’s regular functionality, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a phablet that goes beyond what can be considered a traditional Android smartphone.

First of all, the Note 2 features all the Smart Functions that people have praised about on the Samsung Galaxy S3 (S-Beam and Smart Stay are two of my personal favorites). Then come some features that are unique to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, such as real multitasking, Air View and plenty others that you can read about in further detail here.

But what really sets Samsung’s Galaxy Note line apart from any other tablet that has been announced (at least so far) is the S-Pen and the wide array of S-Pen enabled apps. The S-Pen, in itself, is nothing more than a pressure sensitive stylus, but combining that with the bunch of S-Pen optimized apps makes for a totally unique experience, one that no other Android manufacturer can rival.

Furthermore, thanks to the fact that Samsung has made the S-Pen SDK available for app developers, S-Pen optimized apps will continue to surface at an even higher rate than in the past (the reasoning for that is that app developers usually go where the consumers are, and since more and more people are using Galaxy Note 2 phablets, more developers will want to design apps that use the S-Pen).

Samsung not only takes this round, but also deserves a round of applauds for genuinely improving on the Android ecosystem. Sure, Google will probably get around towards implementing true multitasking, Smart Stay and other similar futures, but Samsung has them NOW, before anyone else does. Don’t get me wrong, I dislike some aspects about the Samsung philosophy, but the South Korean manufacturer has definitely hit the nail on its head as far as improving on the Android experience is concerned.

Pros and cons

HTC J Butterfly / DLX / DROID DNA pros

  • 5-inch, Full HD display
  • The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro is the fastest SoC in the Android universe
  • Simple but effective design

HTC J Butterfly / DLX / DROID DNA cons

  • The battery seems to be underpowered
  • No unique functions

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Pros

  • Exynos 4 is now the second fastest SoC in the Android universe
  • Samsung Smart Functions
  • True Multitasking
  • S-Pen & S-Pen optimized apps
  • 5.5 inches across the diagonal of the display: it is BIG

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Cons

  • PPI ratio (264) is not top-end anymore
  • Very large footprint

Conclusion

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the HTC J Butterfly are truly exceptional Android devices. However, to me it looks like the HTC J Butterfly / DLX is not actually a phablet, but just a HTC One smartphone with an even bigger and crisper display. Underneath the display, the S4 Pro can handle almost anything you can possibly throw at it. If you want a smartphone upgrade and can handle the larger footprint, go for the HTC J Butterfly DLX.

On the other hand, if you want as much screen real estate as you can get on a device that is not a tablet, go for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The display is more than decent, the internal hardware is excellent, but what really makes the Note 2 an exceptional device is the S-Pen, the Smart functions and all those little tweaks to the Android OS. On the downside, the footprint is a bit too large for some people. Try it out first and see if you can handle it.

What do you guys think? Who is the King of the Phablet hill: is it the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or the HTC J Butterfly / DLX / DROID DNA. Let us know what you think in the comment section below (but please, no Apple talk this time)!

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Google Nexus 7 – everyday situations test

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:08 PM PDT

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a phone that wants to be a tablet, but should you buy one instead of a tablet? When it comes to Android tablets, the favorite on the market is the Nexus 7 – it even has Apple quaking in its boots. In the following test, we consider a series of everyday situations – Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Google Nexus 7. In each case, we assume the Nexus 7 is accompanied with a hypothetical Android phone. For the purposes of simplicity, we’ll assume that the cost of the companion phone would make the overall cost of ownership equal to having a Galaxy Note 2. Also note that the Nexus 7 3G will soon be available, in this case the need for tethering to a companion phone is negated, but it would incur an extra cost in paying for a second data plan.

A night out with friends

In a public social gathering, a tablet is an inappropriate piece of equipment to be carrying around. In fact, you should probably avoid any attention-grabbing tech as you should be focusing on people and not gadgets! As such, you don’t need the extra functionality of a phablet either.

Winner: In the “two box solution” you can leave the tablet at home and just take the regular Android phone with you for camera duty and calling a cab home.

Holiday

Here we are assuming that you are leaving work behind and only taking your movies and ebooks with you. Ideally, going on holiday means travelling as light as possible. Carrying two devices would mean two chargers.

Winner: Galaxy Note 2. A phablet can handle all of your calling and SMS needs, and the Galaxy Note 2 has a rather good camera too. The Galaxy Note 2 also has a large enough screen to view any content you’ve brought with you and the added screen size will be excellent for mapping software as you navigate through a foreign land.

Business trip

On a business trip you need the most powerful yet portable hardware that you can carry with you. You’ll also need decent text entry for writing reports and emails, as well as good connectivity. In this case, the larger screen the better the virtual keyboard which will be much more physically sustainable to use than handwriting, such as is found with the Galaxy Note 2.

Winner: For heavy duty conference usage, the Nexus 7′s powerful quad core Tegra 3 processor and 7″ screen wins out over the Galaxy Note 2. As for connectivity, simply set up the generic Android phone as a WiFi hotspot or buy the Nexus 7 3G.

Day trip

While away from home to go sight seeing or to meet friends, it’s unlikely you’ll have much need for a tablet device. However, you will need good battery life, a decent camera and a good screen to view Web pages, ebooks, or the photos you’ve taken on your travels.

Winner: Galaxy Note 2, on a trip where your gadgets are not the main focus of the trip, an all in one device would make your life much simpler.

Working in an office

In the hectic environment of a typical office, mobile devices don’t just provide communications, but they are often used as a companion screen for monitoring email and schedules. Additionally, having something to grab quickly for taking written notes can be very useful.

Winner: The Galaxy Note 2′s specialized note taking software combined with a phone could make it the ideal companion device to an office PC.

Second screen while watching TV

In this scenario you would be relaxing at home, possibly watching a movie and wanting to check the internet movie database, or watching some inane reality talent show that you feel compelled to tweet about.

Winner: The Nexus 7′s larger screen makes glancing through tweets and web sites easier. In addition, the larger keyboard area make it easier to use while recumbent, than it would be with the Galaxy Note 2.

University Students

In the lecture theater environment, both the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Note 2 would be inadequate for transcribing. However, since course notes are mostly available online, which device would be best for taking free form notes about extra comments and questions?

Winner: Galaxy Note 2. This scenario is a close run thing. The Nexus 7 is clearly better for reading electronic text books. However, the custom S Pen software makes the Note 2 an excellent notepad – it can even understand handwritten equations! Its 5.5″ screen makes it big enough to read comfortably, and is complemented by its Smart Stay and anti-rotation features which enhances any reading experience.

Conclusion

There you have it, a close run competition with four points to three in favor of the Galaxy Note 2. If you are in the market for some new hardware and was wondering whether to have a separate phone and tablet or Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, the latter is probably the best option. As always though, things are more complicated than they look. You should try out the Galaxy Note 2 in a shop as its gargantuan proportions may be too much for your slender digits. Furthermore, the situations listed above will not apply to everyone equally.


We’d love to know in the comments whether you’d prefer a Galaxy Note 2 or a Nexus 7, a Nexus 7 3G or Nexus 10, or even something else, and why?

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LG Nexus 4 will support HSPA+ 42, Google and T-Mobile both confirm

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:20 PM PDT

LG Nexus 4

Yesterday Google posted the official specs for the LG Nexus 4 on its Google Play Store and in doing so created more than a little confusion. The problem was that Google’s specs claimed the Nexus 4 would only work with HPSA+ 21. This was in stark contrast to T-Mobile’s press release, which suggested the Nexus 4 did in fact have HSPA+ 42 support. Essentially this meant that either LG had more than one version of the Nexus device or someone had made a mistake. The good news is that Google was at error here, not T-Mobile.

Google has since confirmed that the they had posted incorrect specs and that the LG Nexus 4 did in fact offer 42Mbps support through HSPA+. This is great news for T-Mobile users planning on purchasing the LG Nexus 4. The only news that could be better is if Google and LG announced that the Nexus 4′s lack of LTE was just a typo, too. We can dream at least.

Are you excited for the upcoming LG Nexus 4? If so, are you buying it off-contract from Google or will you get it at a subsidized price?

 

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N2A Cards allows your Nook Tablet to dual-boot Jelly Bean

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:42 PM PDT

N2A Cards

Looking for an easy way to dual boot Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your Nook Tablet? N2A Cards has a new SD card solution that will allow you to do just that.

To get started you need to buy a pre-loaded special microSD card or you download the file for $20 and put it on an existing Class 4 microSD card. For those that want to go down the pre-packaged route, there will be several card sizes to choose from ranging from 8GB up to 64GB. The pricing will start at $30 for the 16GB microSD and will go up to $90 for the 64GB card. The pre-loaded Jelly Bean cards will start shipping on November 1st, or you can download the file immediately.

This is probably one of the easiest ways to boot Jelly Bean for those that haven’t done hacks or mods like this before, but only if you are willing to pay for something like this. For those that are wondering, the N2A Cards are based on Cyanogenmod, which typically is free and widely supported by an active online community. If you have a bit more technical know-how you could always head over to the XDA developers forum and learn how to prepare a dual boot for your tablet without paying for something that you can get at no additional cost with a bit of little work. The choice is yours.

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted now available through Google Play

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:35 AM PDT

Need for Speed

No more waiting, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is finally here. Not only does the game arrive to the home consoles and iOS today, but the Android version has hit Google Play as well.

So what’s new in this latest Need for Speed game? Quite a bit actually. Some of the big hitters include improved graphics, a new collision engine, and over 35 different cars to choose from. Of course most of these vehicles will need to be unlocked by playing the game, but that’s a big part of the fun.

To get a small taste of what kind of vehicles you’ll encounter, we’ll list just a few: Jaguar XKR, BMW M3 Coupe and even the Alfa Romero 4C Concept 2011. As you can there are several fast, unique and sexy automobiles to collect while playing the game.

While the Android version might not be as full-featured as the game’s console counterpart, it is still looking to be one of the most intense Android racing experiences released to date. Like the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, Most Wanted has a story line that centers around the fictional city of Fairhaven. The city is home to a great deal of illegal street races, and you are just one of the many racers participating in the street racing events.

The game is available now and will set you back just $6.99. What do you think, interested?

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Android and Me

Android and Me


Not two, not three, not four; This phone’s display is 5.5 inches

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:53 PM PDT

“When LeBron James was choosing his next smartphone, he wanted something unique—something that would turn heads but could also make day-to-day tasks effortless. Something that had all the functional capabilities of a smartphone and all the creative elements of a tablet. With its fine-tuned S...

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Nexus 4 will launch with HSPA+ 42, not 21 as originally listed

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:33 PM PDT

As the debate on whether or not the lack of LTE makes the Nexus 4 dead on arrival wages on, Google has clarified the network connectivity listing for the device, adding a correction as to just what kind of speeds it’s capable of. It has been confirmed by Google that the Nexus 4 has [...]

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ARM announces new 64-bit processors that will power your mobile devices in 2014

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:35 PM PDT

Two years ago ARM announced their Cortex-A15 CPU architecture, and now we are finally seeing  it appear in devices like the new Samsung Nexus 10. This week ARM announced their new Cortex-A50 processor series, which includes ARMs first low-power 64-bit implementations of the ARMv8 architecture. This...

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Samsung Galaxy Note II first impressions

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:42 PM PDT

Now that all the Android 4.2, Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 news has settled, we thought it would be a good time to remind you of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. We were invited to last week’s Samsung Galaxy Note II North American unveiling in New York City where Samsung put on an impressive show [...]

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Electronic Arts and Gameloft pledge support for new Nexus devices

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:20 PM PDT

If you plan on buying a Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Nexus 10, there will be a bunch of optimized games waiting for you on launch day. Both Electronic Arts and Gameloft have announced they will support the entire Nexus family of devices with their lineup of Android games. Gameloft says they have optimized...

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Android Game Trailers: Zombie Driver, Angry Birds Star Wars, Rage of the Gladitor

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:53 AM PDT

Every week we cover the latest Android game releases, but we thought it would be fun to have a separate column that focuses on upcoming titles. Today we'll start a new experiment, Android Game Trailers, where we highlight the best video teasers for new games that are coming soon to Android. Check...

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4 reasons I’m buying the Nexus 4, and 4 reasons others might want to skip it

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:01 AM PDT

Google finally unveiled the Nexus 4 smartphone after a month of solid leaks, and the device is pretty much what we expected it to be. The rumors were right on about the hardware and Android 4.2, but many of us were surprised to see how low Google priced these devices. Now that everything [...]

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Need for Speed Most Wanted races to Google Play

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:41 AM PDT

Electronic Arts’ highly-anticipated racer Need for Speed Most Wanted is now available on the Google Play Store. We had the chance to preview a demo copy, and it was the best looking racing game I have seen on Android. The controls were easy to pick up and play, and I was drifting around...

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Matias Duarte responds to questions about on-screen buttons, lack of SD cards

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:24 AM PDT

Matias Duarte, Google’s head of Android User Experience, took to Google+ to answer recent questions about Android 4.2 and the Nexus 4. He gave some pretty in-depth responses, and he is still taking questions, so head over to the source link to engage. Read on after the break to see his...

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