Monday, November 12, 2012

Android Central

Android Central


MObile Nations Movember Week 2 Update - Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 04:48 PM PST

Mobile Nations Network Movember Funds Raised so far: $6,639 (USD)

Welcome to our second Mobile Nations Movember update. We'll be bringing you these updates every Sunday throughout the month of Movember (formerly known as November) as we grow out our moustaches and raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research and men's mental health issues.

Our Mobile Nations effort has grown to 95 individuals from around the world taking part and together we have already raised over $6,000 for the cause. We want to end the month with over $10,000 raised, so while we are on track we still need your support! Donations can be made easily over the web. Simply jump over to our Mobile Nations Network page, click on the name of any of the individuals listed as part of the network, and hit the donate button. All funds donated to an individual will pass through to the network total.

We're now 11 days into Movember, which means for most of us our moustaches have sprouted nicely, but are still a long way off from that luxurious full bloom look we seek. Some of us are having more success than others. For myself, my moustache is still looking pretty pathetic, so just yesterday followed Nick Offerman's How to Grow a Moustache Advice (and Derek Kessler's dare) and ate a raw onion to fuel my moustache growth. Watch the video above to see how that all played out.

Keep reading for more on Movember and to see some great moustache photos from the team!

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Should I upgrade? HTC One X versus the Nexus 4

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 02:33 PM PST

HTC One X and Nexus 4.

Welcome to Round 2 of our "Should I upgrade?" series. We've already taken a look at the obvious -- the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

So let's move on to another of the flagship devices of the past year -- the HTC One X, and perhaps the new and improved HTC One X+ for good measure. (And you can basically apply all this to Sprint's EVO 4G LTE as well.) It's the pinnacle of the 2012 rebirth of HTC and packed quite the hardware punch, with HTC's usual design chops as well. 

So let's break it down: Should you upgrade to the Nexus 4 from the HTC One X?

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From the forums: Can I buy a Nexus 4 from another country's Google Play Store?

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 12:46 PM PST

Android Central

This one was borne in our burgeoning Google Nexus 4 forums, and prompted us to do a little digging around in Google's support pages. The OP from forums member jerryberry83 read like this:

Hi can someone help me out ? I will be traveling from Europe to the USA for two weeks at the end of November. Would I be able to buy the Google Nexus 4 from the online store and can I use an international card ? How long does it take to deliver ? Have never bought from the store before!

It's a good question. The problem prospective buyers around the globe face, is price. Outside the reach of the Google Play Store, we're already hearing that the Nexus 4 will be considerably more expensive. While we don't necessarily like this, it isn't all that surprising. But, for consumers in countries not supported by device purchases direct from Google, can they use the store from a country that does have it, if like jerryberry83 they will be visiting such a country soon. Or, maybe if you have friends or family there to accept a delivery and forward it on for you. Or, anyway at all you could think of to buy a device using your card. Is it possible? 

The short answer, sadly, seems to be no. The answer lies within Google Play's own support pages, with the key points being these that relate to possible reasons for declined payments:

Your billing address doesn't match the one on file with your bank. Check that the address listed in your Google Wallet account matches the billing address that appears on your credit/debit card statement.

At this time, the country of your credit card must match the the country to which you're shipping.

In short, it has to be a credit card that not only matches the address registered to the Google Wallet account, but that also is registered in the country to which your device will be shipping. So, if you know someone in a Google Play supported country, you're going to need to get them to buy you one, with their credit card. 

One suggestion posed in response to the initial query, was the use of a VCC (Virtual Credit Card.) Again, this looks like a non-starter, as Google goes into specifics regarding these cards. A VCC cannot be used to purchase a device from the Play Store. 

So, there we have it. Not necessarily what some were hoping to hear, but likewise isn't new as far as policies go. For more on the subject, head on into the Google Play Support Pages at the link below. 

More: Google Play Support, LG Nexus 4 review



32GB Nexus 7 can be yours for £180 from UK high street retailers

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 11:46 AM PST

Android Central

Despite having only just been made officially official, for UK Nexus 7 buyers savings can already be had on the new 32GB version. 2 different high street retailers are currently offering Google's 7 inch tablet for £179.99, £20 below list price. 

First up is Comet. While our thoughts are with each and every member of staff in these uncertain times the chain finds itself in, the result of the company's difficulties is a liquidation sale. While the majority of stock is reduced by a modest 10%, on a 32GB Nexus 7 that equates to a £20 saving. The sale only applies in store, and while stocks last. Our local branch still had them for sale though, so it's worth a look.

Rival retailer, Currys PCWorld, is also offering the Nexus 7 32GB for £179.99 after £20 cashback. Here though, the offer applies only when the tablet is bought with any case from their offering. But, since you're going to want to look after it, it's not a bad deal to be had. The saving would almost completely pay for an official Nexus 7 Travel Cover, should that be your desired choice. 



From the Editor's Desk: HTC and Apple did what?!?!?

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 09:06 AM PST

Phil Nickinson

Do these guys know how to party on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, or what?

As California was just getting ready to go out for the night, and Taiwan was just starting its morning, a joint press release came from Apple and HTC, announcing a cease-fire from the former after the latter licensed all current and future patents for the next 10 years. Don't discount the scope of that agreement. That's a whole lot of patents, for a whole lot of time.

I'd like to think that perhaps the agreement signals a change in the "Kill 'em all" strategy Apple had in Steve Jobs' final years. Or maybe it is just the realpolitik of the tech world -- somebody's gotta do something to slow down Samsung.

Whatever the reasoning behind it (and I'd be willing to keep an iPhone in my pocket for the next 10 years to know all the ins and outs of this one), it's a good thing. As I've written before, we should be focusing on the tech -- the phones -- and not playing amateur lawyer. (Few in this space are equipped to do so anyway.)

One thing it doesn't change is that HTC's still in a pretty big hole, financially speaking. But at least it takes the shovels out of the hands of Apple's seemingly endless supply of lawyers.

We've got a big week ahead of us, folks. Some thoughts on that, after the break.

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One last set of Droid DNA renders confirms earlier leaks

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 06:51 AM PST

Droid DNA

Nope, not done with the Droid DNA yet this morning. Our pals at @evleaks let loose another pair of renders of the coming Verizon smartphone, and this is the one I've been waiting for. The rear shot confirms the design is the same as in the pics we showed you back in October, and you can just make out the little holes to the left of the rear camera lens (even rez'd out here). It'll be interesting to see how much that camera housing sticks out from the body of the phone as well.

And it all line up with evleaks' other shots as well. It's safe to say this is it, folks.

We'll see you at Tuesday's launch in New York!

Source: @evleaks



Verizon makes the Droid DNA official

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 05:10 AM PST

Verizon Droid DNA

Verizon on its website this morning officially outed the HTC Droid DNA. The phone, which will be unveiled at an event Tuesday morning in New York City (we'll be there), is clearly listed under Verizon's "News and Offers" section.

What's more is that Verizon's throwing a Google Hangout on Monday, Nov. 19, at noon Eastern. A special unboxing, apparently, some six days after this week's event.

More: Exclusive first pictures of the Droid DNA

The Droid DNA is expected to be a 5-inch device, the largest thus far of HTC's traditional smartphones, and a cousin to the J Butterfly released in Japan. It should have a ridiculous 1080x1920 resolution, powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. Our previous leak pegs it at 1.5 Ghz, with 2GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel rear camera. It'll likely run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with the new Sense 4+ user interface.

Verizon's event Tuesday is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Source: Verizon; More: Verizon on Google+

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Apple and HTC settle patent suit

Posted: 10 Nov 2012 06:11 PM PST

HTC-Apple

Agreement ends current lawsuits; license covers current and future patents for 10 years

Apple and HTC this evening in a joint statement announced they've settled their patent dispute and have agreed to a 10-year license of current and future patents. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Here's the joint statement, released by HTC and Apple:

TAIPEI, Taiwan and CUPERTINO, California—November 10, 2012—HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. 

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.” 

The licensing deal covers all of HTC's products, company spokesman Jeff Gordon told Android Central this evening, which includes Android as well as its current Windows Phone stable. Gordon also said that "we do not expect this license agreement to have an adverse material impact on the financials of the company."

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