Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Camera Zoom FX update brings fresh UI and new features

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:15 PM PDT

Camera Zoom FX has consistently proven itself to be the go-to replacement camera application for Android smartphones, and today the app has been given a major overhaul. The update to version 4.0 brings a brand new user interface and several enhancements to the software’s photo capturing functionality.

New features include:

  • Portrait mode
  • Brightness, exposure
  • ISO, metering
  • Horizon and Stable indicators
  • Golden spiral grid
  • New timer UI
  • Pinch zoom
  • Set review durn
  • Prevent screen timeout
  • Light leaks + bokeh
  • New frames: elegant
  • Gallery to view, share and delete
  • Support for xhdpi
  • Facebook sharing
  • Flip photo
The developers behind Camera Zoom FX have also reassured us that the overall speed of the application has been improved, thanks to support for hardware acceleration. So, if you’re a user of the camera replacement app, be sure to download the update from the Play Store and let us know what you think in the comments.

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Play Store Download Link

Pre-owned Verizon Galaxy Nexus on sale for $230 off-contract

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 03:55 PM PDT

As we inch closer to the impending launch of LG’s Nexus 4, Verizon has put the Galaxy Nexus on sale. Last year’s Nexus smartphone is now available for $230, with no need to sign up for a painful new contract. Keep in mind the units in question are “Certified Pre-owned”, but Verizon claims that each phone has passed over 100 quality checkpoints to assure the utmost condition. And, each device comes with a full 1-year warranty, meaning if something happens to the device, Verizon will replace it free of charge.

Sure, the Galaxy Nexus may not be the latest and greatest, or even sport relatively fresh hardware, but at just $230 it’s difficult to pass up this opportunity. For comparison, Sony’s unlocked Xperia Activ –which sports a single core processor, a 3-inch display (320×480) and 3G– costs $250. Add this to the fact that this deal won’t affect your contract or future upgrades, and you’re left with one incredible deal. Hit the source link below before they’re sold out.

Source: Verizon

[Deal] Modern Combat 3 on sale for 99 cents to celebrate expansion on Major League Gaming

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:25 PM PDT

Gamers who enjoy the combat genre may want to head over to the Google Play Store today to grab a copy of Modern Combat 3 for only 99 cents. Gameloft is offering the title at this special rate for today only to celebrate the international launch of Modern Combat 3 on Major League Gaming. Both Modern Combat 3 and N.O.V.A. 3 have been available on Major League Gaming, but only in certain geographic areas. The two Gameloft titles are now available for play from anywhere on Major League Gaming, but only Modern Combat 3 is getting the special sale treatment. Major League Gaming runs tournaments every couple weeks with $250 awarded for first place, $150 for second, and $50 for third place. In addition, thanks to Sony’s support via Xperia Play and the PlayStation Mobile brand, players using an Xperia device can win an extra $50.

Even if you are not interested in the Major League Gaming aspect, this is still a great deal for a popular title. To take advantage of the offer, just use one of the links below.

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Google Play Download Link

LG exec outs Nexus branded phone, the world feigns surprise

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:10 PM PDT

The rumor mill has been correct yet again: For months we have seen numerous leaks concerning an LG produced Nexus phone, and it seems these leaks have been spot on. Today, LG’s Head of Mobile Product Planning, Amit Gujral, announced that the LG Nexus will be unveiled (I use the term loosely) on October 29th pending a yet unannounced Google event. LG might have jumped the gun on this, or maybe this was just a gaff by Amit Gujral, but all the information released lines up with all the leaked data we’ve seen.

Gujral also detailed specifications of the device: a 4.7 inch display, 1.5GHz quad core cpu and Android 4.2 will be packed into this “LG Nexus”, although he failed to mention whether Android 4.2 will be called Key Lime Pie, or continue with the Jelly Bean monicker. Now, practice your best surprised expression for October 29th so we dont hurt Google’s pride too much for the big launch that we’ve known about for months.

Source: IBN Live

T-Mobile LG Optimus L9 dropping October 31st

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:08 PM PDT

Two weeks ago we revealed that the LG Optimus L9 would be available on T-Mobile’s network after a few leaked shots were revealed. Today, T-Mobile confirmed what we all like to hear – launch date and pricing. The Optimus L9 will launch on October 31st for $79.99 on a two-year contract with a $50 mail-in rebate. For this mid-range device, you’ll get modest specs:

  • 4.7-inch 540 x 960 display
  • Android 4.0 ice Cream Sandwich
  • 1 GHz dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM
  • 5 megapixel camera
  • 2,150 mAh battery

 

There’s certainly a lot of competition in the mid-range market these days. What are your thoughts on this LG device? Will you opt for a different mid-range, or will you splurge for a premium device? After all, ’tis the season.

 

source:  T-Mobile

Featured Play Store Review: Hands on with TunnelBear VPN [Tools]

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:40 AM PDT

TunnelBear VPN is one of those apps that’s extremely simple, but is very powerful. There are two really important reasons why you need to download TunnelBear VPN today, and many of you will fall into both. The first if for those who frequently use public WiFi hotspots. Everything you do on a public WiFi is available to hackers and that includes passwords and just about anything else. You can’t always avoid public WiFi’s so how do you safely take care of your business? A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the only way. Now you can set up your own personal VPN, but who has the time to mess with that. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something safe and secure without all the hassle? Well TunnelBear VPN is just that. It provides “safe-passage and privacy” for Android tablets and smartphones with a secure, encrypted connection to either a U.S. or UK server (more on that in a bit). What this means is that if you are utilizing TunnelBear on an open WiFi network, anyone who intercepts your data won’t be able to read it thanks to the AES 128-bit encryption.

The second reason is you might not have access to certain apps or sites because of where you live. For example, if you live outside of the U.S., you cannot get Hulu, Pandora, Google Voice, Google Music, or some YouTube videos. With TunnelBear you can experience the internet as if you are living in another country. So if you live outside the U.S. you can choose the U.S. server. Not only will your traffic be encrypted, but it will be just like you were in the U.S. and you would have access to the services mentioned above. Those of us here in the U.S. who might want to watch the BBC out of the UK can now do so by choosing the UK server. If only you knew about it during the Summer Olympics. I know a lot of people tried all kinds of silly things to spoof their IP addresses, but TunnelBear eliminates all the fuss and it’s amazing how simple it is to set up.

Using the TunnelBear app couldn’t be easier, but if you are looking to get access to stuff you are restricted to, you might have to follow a few extra steps to get it working. If you are just looking for a safe VPN when you are connected to an open WiFi, then all you have to do is open the app and you will see a bear in a tunnel. You only have two options which are at the top left. The first is whether you turn it on or off and the second is your choice of server (U.S. or UK). When it’s turned on, the bear will have a digging motion. At the top right, you will see how much data you’ve used towards your quota. If you want access to something in another country, you might have to follow some additional steps depending on what you’re looking to do. If you are accessing something involving an app already installed (such as the BBC iPlayer app) or something via the Browser, you might have to force close the app before running TunnelBear as well as turn off your GPS and other location services. If you are trying to get something from the Play Store, you might also have to clear all data from the Play Store app. You can clear all data, by going into settings, choosing “Apps” and selecting Google Play Store under “Downloaded Apps”. You will then see an option to “Clear Data”. Just tap that, then tap “Force Close” and you will be all set. Now there is one other thing if things still don’t work, and that is to pull your SIM card if your phone ot tablet has one. I believe this is only an issue when dealing with the Play Store, but depending on what you’re doing, it’s possible you still might have to do it. You can see some of these issues in my hands on video below.

If you’re concerned that your speed will drop significantly when using TunnelBear, don’t worry. It’s natural to have a drop off, but you shouldn’t lose more than about 20 to 25% of your current speed. You won’t be able to use sites like Speedtest.net to test you loss because they attempt to find a local server. The only way to truly test your speed is to download a 100mb test file from CacheFly. I was getting 10.26Mbps down with my normal WiFi, but when using TunnelBear, I got 8.70Mbps down. That’s only a 15% reduction, which is very good.

With TunnelBear, you get 500MB of data for free per month and you can grab another 1GB by simply entering your Twitter ID and sharing your love with a tweet. That’s a total of 1.5GB per month, which is more than enough for those that want a simple VPN at times when they are utilizing an open public WiFi. For those of you that plan on using it to access sites that you’re blocked from, you might need more data. Watching a lot of Hulu or listening to Google Music could eat up that data in a hurry. For $2.99 per month, you will have unlimited data, and you can get it as cheap as $2.50 per month (average) if you pay for one year upfront, which is $29.99. They also offer a a 3-month plan for $7.99, which equates to $2.66 per month. This is a small price to pay for access to content that you wouldn’t normally get.

TunnelBear is completely free to try so you have nothing to lose. I guarantee it will work as you will see in my hands on video below. So check that out and hit one of the download links at the bottom to get started. As always, let me know what you think.

Features

* Incredibly simple – On/Off!
* Experience the internet as if you're living in another country
* Browse the internet on your Android tablet or smartphone with privacy
* A giant-sized animated bear
* Servers in US & UK + more coming soon!

 

TunnelBear_VPN_01 TunnelBear_VPN_02 TunnelBear_VPN_03 TunnelBear_VPN_04 TunnelBear_VPN_05 TunnelBear_VPN_06 TunnelBear_VPN_Splash_Banner

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Play Store Download Link

Sprint lights up 4G LTE in more parts of Kansas

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:06 AM PDT

Sprint announced today some additions to their 4G LTE service area. The new locations include Hutchinson and McPherson, Kansas. These cities join Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan-Junction City, Topeka, and Wichita as 4G LTE enabled areas in Kansas. Along with the new 4G LTE locations, Sprint also announced they were rolling out improvements for some customers on their 3G network as part of their Network Vision program in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Throughout the U.S., Sprint is working on improving the speed, quality, and coverage of their 3G network while they attempt to catch up with other carriers in deploying a 4G LTE network.

source: Sprint

Isis NFC payments are live in Austin and Salt Lake City for T-Mobile customers

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:01 AM PDT

If you remember, earlier this month we told you about the Isis NFC mobile wallet application for  select devices on Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Much like Google Wallet, using the Isis application will turn your smartphone into a “wallet” of sorts allowing you to use your device to make purchases conveniently at participating retailers. Well, today this application and service has launched in Austin, TX and Salt Lake City, UT for T-Mobile customers, although it’s unclear when AT&T and Verizon will join in.

T-Mobile has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S Relay, and Galaxy S II will be compatible with Isis. It needs to be noted that you’ll need to be running at least Android 4.0 in order for the application to work. You’ll also need to make sure you have a compatible SIM card (you can contact T-Mobile for specifics). Isis will of course compete with Google Wallet, and may find it to be an uphill climb initially as Google Wallet didn’t see decent success until it adopted support for all major credit cards. You can grab the Isis app from the links below. What are your thoughts on this technology – convenient, or potential personal information breach waiting to happen?

Play Store Link

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Samsung GT-i9260 shows up in GLBenchmark

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 09:40 AM PDT

Earlier this month we reported on a leaked image of a Samsung smartphone with the model number GT-i9260. Some were guessing the device might be a new Google Nexus device going by the name Galaxy Nexus Premier. However, the leaked image showed Samsung’s TouchWiz running on the device and indications are that it would include a microSD slot, a feature not favored by Google for their Nexus devices.

The GT-i9260 has popped up again, this time at GLBenchmark where it has been through the testing paces. The entry for the GT-i9260 lists the GPU as a PowerVR SGX544. The scores suggest this is a TI OMAP 4470 chip based processor. According to reports the device will pair that GPU with an ARM Cortex A9 processor running at 1.5GHz and driving a 1280×720 pixel resolution 4.65-inch screen. GLBenchmark shows the device is loaded with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean and it appears the device will include the word Superior in the device name.

source: GLBenchmark

Image of The Sony Xperia C650X Odin Leaks Out, Highlights Device’s 5-Inch Screen

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 06:36 AM PDT

 

Boy oh boy it seems like every Android manufacturer is getting in on the creation of devices with 5-inch+ screens and Sony is no different. If you recall, we’d seen a user agent profile of an alleged Xperia C650X Odin smartphone, but now we have a nice image that gives us an idea of how this phone looks like. As you can clearly see, the Xperia C650X Odin is a beastly looking device highlighting its massive display along with a likely metallic body. Additional rumor has it that the device will feature a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2 gigs of RAM, but unfornately— there’s no additional details for now. Hopefully we’ll continue to see additional info pour out in the near-future and as soon as we get additional details, we’ll be sure to let you know.

 

source: GSM Arena
Posted by at 5:46 AM

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