Android Phone Fans |
- Glu Mobile Releases Trailer For Upcoming Game Titled “Death Dome” – Combines Infinity Blade Combat with Borderlands Visuals
- T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 2 Pictured In The Wild – Is That A Branded Home Button?
- Rumor: Google Changing Up Their Nexus Program, LG Optimus G Nexus Debuting In November, and More
- Google Drive, Wallet, and Music get upgrades
- US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S3 gets maintenance upgrade
- Sprint, AT&T getting LG Optimus G
- Pantech Burst and Pantech Element get Ice Cream Sandwich
- NBA 2K13 for Android brings a pretty good mobile basketball experience
- Plume for Android update adds expandable notifications for Jelly Bean; plus more
- Samsung Nexus 2 and 32GB Nexus 7 spotted in inventory system?
- A look at the T-Mobile/MetroPCS combined spectrum and coverage area
- In face of iPhone 5 and patent trial loss, Samsung Galaxy S3 sales still strong
- Xbox Music launches October 26, coming to Android eventually
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE headed to UK’s Everything Everywhere October 15
- T-Mobile officially announces MetroPCS merger, provides more details
| Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:29 PM PDT
Never one to rest on their laurels, Glu Mobile has uploaded a trailer for an all new gamed titled “Death Dome.” The video on YouTube shows us exactly what it wold look like Infinity Blade, Borderlands 2 and Rage all climbed into bed with each other and 9 months later… Okay, weird analogy. Just picture a post-apocalyptic setting similar to Rage, combined with the cell shaded visuals of Borderlands 2, and the gesture-based combat o Infinity Blade and — BOOM: Death Dome. Here’s a quick intro to the story:
The game will feature light RPG elements used for building up your character’s skill set, with enemies who grow stronger the further you progress. Speaking of enemies, some will have vulnerabilities to specific elements, so equipping the correct elemental weapons and armor will be crucial for staying alive. But enough jibber jabbering, check out the trailer and make sure to let me know what you guys think.
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| T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 2 Pictured In The Wild – Is That A Branded Home Button? Posted: 03 Oct 2012 06:33 PM PDT
Nah, it’s not. Thankfully, there’s no Verizon-esque branded home button. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. What we do get to see is a couple of blurry cam shots of the Titan Grey Samsung Galaxy Note pictured in the wild. Word on a recent FCC filing is that the device will come complete with future-proof’d T-Mobile LTE bands, and a much less horrid Pentile arrangement on its display. Both are completely welcomed specs to a device that’s sure to take the world by storm. Seeing as how I’ll be stuck with a T-Mobile for a few more months, I figure I’ll ride this thing out with the world’s biggest smartphone. Who knows, maybe I’ll stick around for another year. [TmoNews]
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| Rumor: Google Changing Up Their Nexus Program, LG Optimus G Nexus Debuting In November, and More Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:32 PM PDT
I love a juicy rumor but instead of running to the magazine rack at my local grocery store, I turn my ear to the internets in hopes of finding any information regarding Google’s next Nexus device. As it turns out, our good friend Taylor Wimberly from Android and Me found himself with a wealth of “insider knowledge” dropped onto his lap today, and according to his unnamed sources Google’s got some big plans for the next Nexus(es) with the next Nexus being dubbed the LG Optimus G Nexus. I think the most interesting part of the rumor is the talk that Google could be changing up the way the Nexus program works. Traditionally we’ve seen Google work closely with 1 specific OEM, using only 1 chipset, for a device completely unique to anything the chosen manufacturer has produced. Instead, Google could be enabling strict guidelines that must be adhered to and will allow for any OEM to see one their devices “Nexus certified.” As to be expected, one of those commandments is “thou shalt not alter the stock Android user experience.” Google could still find themselves throwing OEM’s a bone by allowing OEM’s to provide their own UI skin as part of a theme inside of an all new app called “Customization Center.” This will come packed inside the next version of Android 4.2 — still being called Jelly Bean — which will debut on the LG Optimus G Nexus. This will finally allow OEM’s to include their own UI skins that look to enhance the traditional Android experience but is in no way forced upon the user. Other than the the Customization Center, it’s said there wont be many changes from 4.1, other than a slightly retooled “tabbed” launcher. Another Nexus rule: your device must be future-proof. This is to guarantee a future upgrade to the next version of Android will be possible without facing hardware limitations. I think it goes without saying that Android’s biggest criticism has long been its “fragmentation” issue and while this is simply a reality of an open source mobile OS, it’s something Google wants to make sure will never occur on their Nexus devices. When it comes to dates, rumor has it Andy Rubin will be taking the stage at the All Things D: Dive Into Mobile event later this month, with Google and LG hosting a joint event to unveil the LG Optimus G Nexus unto the world in late November. Guess we wont have to wait much longer to find out if these rumors pan out, but it seems Google could have a few tricks up their sleeves in order to give consumers the one thing Apple can’t and wont — options. Let’s cross our fingers for a 5.5-inch Nexus Note!
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| Google Drive, Wallet, and Music get upgrades Posted: 03 Oct 2012 03:56 PM PDT
A trio of Google apps have been upgraded in the Google Play Store and we’re sure there’s something here for everyone. For starters, Google Music brings us “minor fixes” that the software Giant apparently isn’t interested in detailing. For Google Drive a whole smorgasbord of changes can be found. These include folder creation, improved editor features, and more. Finally, Google Wallet got an update but the Play Store listing doesn’t list anything specific other than the previous changes. We’d chalk things up to routine maintenance but it’s never safe to assume.
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| US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S3 gets maintenance upgrade Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:52 PM PDT The Samsung Galaxy S3 is still awaiting Jelly Bean on many carriers, but that doesn’t mean a maintenance upgrade should be anything to sneeze at. US Cellular’s version has been upgraded to build R530UVXLI4, and while the company hasn’t provided much information on what’s changed Android Police has evidence suggesting Google Wallet is now fully supported.
To date, Sprint has been one of the only carriers to officially support Google Wallet. The other big 3 — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — are in bed with ISIS so there’s no use in holding your breath for those guys to get it (though community efforts in the past have shown that workarounds are possible). Other changes include a fix for Microsoft Email 365, an update to Polaris, and more. You can grab this one over the air, or download the whopping 756MB EXE file from US Cellular to get started.
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| Sprint, AT&T getting LG Optimus G Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:07 PM PDT While we knew LG was planning to launch the Optimus G here in America we were’t sure which carriers would be getting it. We had an idea, but nothing concrete. What’s more concrete than a press release, though? They’ve announced that AT&T and Sprint will soon carry the great-looking device in what has to be the OEM’s most ambitious offering yet. The Optimus G boasts a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 4.7 inch True IPS HD display, a 13 megapixel camera, Android 4.0 to start, and more.
LG’s press release mentions “13 megapixel or 8 megapixel camera” for their rear camera specs so it sounds like one of these carriers will get the lesser version. It also looks like carriers will be able to offer either 16GB, 32GB, or both. As it stands the LG Optimus G will arguably be the most powerful device to launch in America. We’d consider the Galaxy Note 2, but technically are unable to considering its launch event has yet to take place. It rivals the Samsung Galaxy S3 in pretty much every area, and while it currently bests the American Galaxy S3 in processor type rumor has it Samsung is coming out with an S3 “plus” of sorts that’ll have 64GB of internal storage and a quad-core processor of some sort. But this is about the Optimus G, LG’s greatest attempt to find their footing in the smartphone market the right way. Read on for full press details, and stay tuned as each individual carrier issues press releases of their own.
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| Pantech Burst and Pantech Element get Ice Cream Sandwich Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:39 PM PDT Two devices from Pantech have been given the green light on Ice Cream Sandwich today. The Pantech Burst, the company’s AT&T 4G LTE phone, has finally received Ice Cream Sandwich after a brief delay.
It’s not Jelly Bean, but quite honestly we weren’t really expecting Ice Cream Sandwich this fast to begin with. The Pantech Element is the company’s 8 inch tablet for AT&T, and that also got an upgrade to Android 4.0 today. You can expect all the Ice Cream Sandwich specific goods alongside things that AT&T and Pantech have put into the mix. For information on each update and for the download links, hit the links here (Element) and here (Burst). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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| NBA 2K13 for Android brings a pretty good mobile basketball experience Posted: 03 Oct 2012 12:32 PM PDT 2K Games has released NBA 2K13 for Android. The release coincides with the launch of the console versions, and while we tend to take the bite-sized versions of these games for granted NBA 2K13 actually looks pretty decent.
It’ll run you $8, but it features the full 2K basketball engine with controls to make it easy to play on mobile and tablets. The game lets you play exhibition with any of the 30 teams in the NBA, play Greatest Games moment’s where you try to emulate legendary performances, a full multi-year season mode and more. It won’t quite be the NBA 2K13 you’ll find on the likes of the Xbox 360 and PS3 but for$8 it’ll be a fine portable experience for any basketball fan. Go ahead and check it out in the Play Store.
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| Plume for Android update adds expandable notifications for Jelly Bean; plus more Posted: 03 Oct 2012 11:59 AM PDT Plume for Android, the app formerly known as Touiteur, has gotten a great new upgrade today. The developers have added rich, expandable notifications for those running Jelly Bean. I’m not quite sure what all the functions are, but for mention notifications you can find buttons to respond and retweet right from the notification pane, as well as the ability to read the full tweet itself.
They’ve also added support for displaying pictures in full-screen mode, better tablet support, fixes for Facebook, tweet drafts, tweetmarker, and more. As new clients battle their way up the Holo Twitter client ladder Plume is already a very well-established, full-featured client that deserves a second look if you haven’t used it lately. Download the app from the Google Play Store.
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| Samsung Nexus 2 and 32GB Nexus 7 spotted in inventory system? Posted: 03 Oct 2012 10:55 AM PDT We’ve heard rumors of a new Nexus phone for quite some time, but we haven’t quite been able to pinpoint who would be the lucky OEM to take on the job of making the device. The leaked screenshot you see above was reportedly taken from a Carphone Warehouse inventory system in the UK, and it seems to suggest Samsung will be making the Nexus phone for the third consecutive time. The product listing is for an Invisible Shield screen protector so the phone itself isn’t necessarily floating around. After the great job ASUS did with the Nexus 7 many pegged them as the front-runner to make the next Nexus phone, but Samsung has established a reputation for themselves that can’t be denied. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Google sticking with them for the foreseeable future.
I should note that this entry could be very misleading. It could simply be a different SKU for a second version of the Galaxy Nexus Invisible Shield, or simply referring to the Galaxy Nexus as the Samsung Nexus 2, in which case we can probably disregard any notion of this being a new phone. Still, the possibility is there. Google and Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Nexus mid-October of 2011 so it wouldn’t surprise us that whatever new version is being readied is close to being unveiled. We’ll keep an eye out on this one. On the tablet front it looks like we might soon see another edition of the Nexus 7. The retailer’s inventory system suggests that 32GB models are in tow. The current offerings are between 8GB and 16GB, and considering the device doesn’t have external storage options it wouldn’t surprise us to see Google offering something for those not satisfied with the current storage options. So, we know we’re due for some refreshes at some point this year, and if history is anything to go by then we should be getting a whiff of what’s on the horizon in about a month. [via Droid-Life]
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| A look at the T-Mobile/MetroPCS combined spectrum and coverage area Posted: 03 Oct 2012 10:34 AM PDT
In case you missed it, this morning Deutsche Telekom completed an arrangement that will see the merger of their US branch of T-Mobile with MetroPCS. While the financial and business details have been covered, here’s a look at how the merger will expand coverage area and wireless spectrum holdings for the new venture. As you can see from the above map showing combined coverage area, the two networks overlap in the majority of shared markets.
The real gains come in spectrum, which includes AWS and LTE, as can be seen in the maps detailing each network before (below) and after (above) the merger. The strength of MetroCPS coverage in the Northeast could be used to balance T-Mobile’s weaknesses in the same region. Regardless, the two networks operate on different standards, with the CDMA network of MetroPCS eventually shutting down with spectrum repurposed for T-Mobile’s GSM operations. The two companies expect to complete the deal by mid-2013.
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| In face of iPhone 5 and patent trial loss, Samsung Galaxy S3 sales still strong Posted: 03 Oct 2012 09:13 AM PDT
If Samsung’s loss in a landmark patent infringement trial to Apple wasn’t enough to derail sales of their Galaxy S3 flagship, you would think the launch of the iPhone 5 might put a few more nails in the coffin. But no publicity is bad publicity, as they say, and sales of the Android smartphone have actually surged in the weeka following both events, according to analytics firm Localytics. According to their research, the number of GS3 handsets accessing mobile apps tied to Localytics analytics platform has seen a 9 percent increase on average since the beginning of August. Further showing that the patent trial with Apple may have only done more to raise public awareness of the phone, new Galaxy S3 devices were up 16 percent during the week that the verdict was announced. In a similar case, the number of Gs3 phones grew by 15 percent during the week of the iPhone 5 announcement. As BGR points out, perhaps Apple’s trial had the opposite effect intended, painting a picture of the Galaxy S3 as a device so similar to the iPhone that customers wanting a new smartphone decided not to wait for the next version to grace Apple’s mobile lineup. If sales continue to hold steady, they should easily help Samsung recoup some of the $1 billion in damages owed to Apple. [via BGR]
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| Xbox Music launches October 26, coming to Android eventually Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:44 AM PDT
There are plenty of music subscription options available for Android, but this latest comes with a bit of a twist. Xbox Music will launch October 26th, and, if you haven’t figured it out by the service’s name, it’s coming from a direct competitor to Google’s mobile OS. Microsoft will unveil the service initially their own Windows Phone platform as well as Windows 8 and Xbox 360 (duh), but has plans to expand its foothold to Android and iOS through native apps to come at a later date. Xbox Music picks up where the now-defunct Zune Music Pass left off, allowing users to pay a subscription fee for unlimited streaming music. Likewise, a free ad-supported version of the service will be available. A benefit of Xbox Music is SkyDrive integration, allowing users to store and access their own music catalog in the cloud. No word on when the Android version will be available. [via WinSource]
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| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE headed to UK’s Everything Everywhere October 15 Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:37 AM PDT
Folks in the UK can already pick up the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on one of several carriers offering the handset, but we can add one more to the list. Everything Everywhere has announced that they will carry the phone come October 15th. So why is it worth waiting a couple extra weeks rather than purchasing the Note 2 now? EE is the country’s first 4G LTE network, and — you guessed it — will carry the LTE-enabled version of the phone. The catch is that the LTE network won’t go live until October 30th, so those wishing to pick up the phone when it launches will have to make do with a service plan from Orange or T-Mobile UK with the option to switch to an EE plan when available. [via PocketLint]
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| T-Mobile officially announces MetroPCS merger, provides more details Posted: 03 Oct 2012 07:21 AM PDT
T-Mobile has posted a news release officially confirming the completion of a deal that will merge the carrier’s operations with those of MetroPCS. The two providers will combine to host some 42.5 million subscribers on an “expanded scale” with the benefit of additional spectrum and financial resources, all while retaining the T-Mobile banner. As reported earlier, T-Mobile will hold a 74 percent stake in the reorganized company, and will provide a $1.5 billion payment for MetroPCS shareholders. Estimates from the company project for $24.8 billion in revenue and $6.3 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. [via T-Mobile]
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