Android Central |
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 now available from Verizon
- Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations Passport Contest Ultimate Android Prize Pack!
- Dragon Slayer game breathes fire all over Google Play
- Marvel’s Avenger Initiative now available on Google Play for a promotional price of $5
- Did you get your Droid DNA today? [From the Forums]
- Asus Padfone 2 spotted in white in a series of press shots
- Atrix HD soak test to get underway soon
- Introducing the first annual Mobile Nations Community Awards!
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to launch on Android on December 6
- µTorrent update adds WiFi only option, spares your data plan
- Amazon's suite of apps on Verizon phones isn't a bad thing
- Creatorverse brings physics sandbox to Android
- Verizon Droid DNA review
- Deal of the Day: DICOTA Flexi Case for Samsung Galaxy S3
- ForeverMap 2 brings offline-ready OpenStreetMaps to Google Play
- TELUS One X+ on-contract pricing tipped at $129
- EE, Vodafone customers to get Tube Wifi access
- Verizon launches the Droid DNA by HTC
- HSPA+ 42 data speeds, Nexus 10 back in stock [From the Forums]
- Daily news roundup: November 20, 2012
- Verizon expands 4G LTE coverage in New York
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 now available from Verizon Posted: 21 Nov 2012 04:41 PM PST
Verizon has now made available their LTE enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, just in case you're not satisfied with the available WiFi versions out there. We've already taken the WiFi version for a spin so be sure to check out our review Reminder of specs? Here you go:
Verizon has set their pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at $500. That's on par with the likes of AT&T but a little bit less than Sprint which sells their version for $550. If you're looking to pick one up, you can head on over to the Verizon site. Source: Verizon 
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| Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations Passport Contest Ultimate Android Prize Pack! Posted: 21 Nov 2012 03:41 PM PST
Last week, in celebration of the successful rollout of Mobile Nations Passport, we were given the opportunity to pass on some amazing prize packs to our awesome readers. With over 51,000 entries across the Mobile Nations sites, it was obvious how excited you all were to win these incredible prizes. So without further ado, the winners of the Ultimate Prize packs, courtesy of Gogo and Mobile Nations are... 
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| Dragon Slayer game breathes fire all over Google Play Posted: 21 Nov 2012 03:38 PM PST
As promised, Glu's free to play Dragon Slayer game has swooped into Google Play. This title takes the familiar one-on-one gesture-based duel format but pits dragons against mages. Mages blast through levels that are composed of a series of dragons, one after another. They all have their own elemental weaknesses as well as special attacks. As with all Glu games, there are lots of in-app purchases being nudged your way, but the graphics are pretty slick, and the game's premise is a nice change of pace for fans of high fantasy. I've been playing a little bit, and though there seems to be a lot more emphasis on improving gear rather than stats or abilities, it's pretty fun trying to read the movements of a variety of dragons and preparing to defend accordingly. Luckily there are also the occasional text warnings to provice cues. There's also a pet system in place, which can offer slight, and sometimes necessary back-up. Any takers, or is a reliance on in-app purchases a dealbreaker? Any other dueling games that you're digging lately? 
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| Marvel’s Avenger Initiative now available on Google Play for a promotional price of $5 Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:54 PM PST
Although it landed on iOS first, Marvel’s Avenger Initiative has now arrived in the Google Play Store. Noted as being "the first installment of Marvel's biggest cross‐over mobile gaming event" you'll start the game off playing as Hulk and take on the task of hunting down the world's most notorious villains and send them back S.H.I.E.L.D. In other words, Hulk. Smash. 
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| Did you get your Droid DNA today? [From the Forums] Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PST
The HTC Droid DNA debuted on Verizon today, and I know a lot of people are saying goodbye to their current phone and have pre-ordered this beauty. There's a lot to love with its amazing screen (and I'm not talking pixels here) and speedy innards, and that transitions well to the smooth lines and quality materials used on the outside. It should be one heck of a phone. Of course, the way things work on Verizon is that plenty of people who did pre-order get their phone on release day, and the DNA is no exception. The forums are filling with excited people posting thoughts and opinion of their new baby, and that's always worth checking out. And you'll definitely want to read what Phil thinks of the DNA in his review (spoiler alert -- I can tell he likes it) as well. If you're waiting to grab this one, or just curious, the Droid DNA forum is the place to be. Jump in and join the fray, or just lurk and read -- either way you'll be glad you did. Anyone get theirs [DNA] yet?
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| Asus Padfone 2 spotted in white in a series of press shots Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:59 PM PST
It's an Asus Padfone 2. But, it's an Asus Padfone 2 in white. That's really all there is different here, but as a series of press shots obtained by VR-Zone show, there's a white version of Asus' phone/tablet combination on the way. The phone is all white, and the tablet dock shares the coloring too. Reportedly though the front face of the tablet -- not shown in any of the images -- retains the original black bezels. Considering the official looking nature of these shots, it's likely we'll be seeing this line up alongside the black Padfone 2 pretty soon. There's no mention of availability, but since nothing else changes but the color, it's safe to assume the price will remain the same. To see the rest of the images be sure to visit the source link below. Source: VR-Zone via Unwired View 
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| Atrix HD soak test to get underway soon Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:19 PM PST
Motorola Atrix HD users enrolled in the Motorola Feedback Network are getting a message about an upcoming soak test that should commence soon. There's no news about what version being tested, so we can't say this is the promised Jelly Bean update, but we certainly can hope. Officially, the communication is pretty generic, and pretty standard as far as soak test invites go.
The Atrix HD is one of the handful of phones that Motorola says they will continue to support past ICS, so any mention of a software update gets us interested. When the push goes out to testers, I imagine we'll know a little more. Thanks, Anon! 
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| Introducing the first annual Mobile Nations Community Awards! Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:36 AM PST
Be it Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore, Windows Phone Central or webOS Nation, you need only dive into any of our forums for a few minutes to realize what makes them so special is the amazing group of individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty every single day to make them a helpful, friendly and fun community to be part of. With the introduction of the first annual Mobile Nations Community Awards, we are going to better acknowledge and reward the members and volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to our Mobile Nations community across our individual sites and give them the full recognition they truly deserve. And there are so many people too recognize. Passionate members who share their expert knowledge freely, answering and troubleshooting the questions and issues of new users at all times of the day. We have many volunteer moderators, advisors and ambassadors, who not only keep the forums organized and under control, but also produce guides and tutorials to help device owners get the most out of their ownership experience. And then you have somebody like Cory Streater, our Android-loving Forums Administrator, who has put literally thousands of hours into the forums on all of our sites over the years behind the scenes, squashing bugs and adding new features that make the forums rock. We have a lot of categories planned for the Community Awards. Next week we'll be following up with another post here and in each of the forums, opening up nominations and voting for some of the different categories. In the meantime, if you have any ideas for specific categories of awards you would like to see us acknowledge, be sure to let us know! 
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| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to launch on Android on December 6 Posted: 21 Nov 2012 10:38 AM PST
We've previously heard that GTA Vice City 10th Anniversary edition would be heading to our Android devices, but until now we didn't know when. The wait is almost at an end, with today's announcement from Rockstar Games that we can expect Vice City to drop on December 6. Following on from last years release of GTA III Anniversary edition, Vice City of course takes us back to the 1980's as Tommy Vercetti. The price of GTA Vice City is to be a reasonable $5, less than the price GTA III made at launch, although like its predecessor there is a potential compatibility issue. Rockstar has kindly listed the devices that will be compatible at launch, though thankfully this time round, it isn't quite so depressing. Many of the latest devices are to be supported immediately, including the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10: 
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| µTorrent update adds WiFi only option, spares your data plan Posted: 21 Nov 2012 09:41 AM PST
Although it's probably a long overdue addition for some, the folks from Bittorrent have now updated their Android torrent client µTorrent to offer a WiFi only download option. Previously, when using the app you ran the risk of blowing through your entire data plan or racking up overage charges by leaving some torrents running, but no more. You'll now be able to set it to download over WiFi only and never really worry about it. In addition to that change, there is also some unspecified stability improvements in this release. Hit the Google Play Store link above to grab the latest version. 
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| Amazon's suite of apps on Verizon phones isn't a bad thing Posted: 21 Nov 2012 09:05 AM PST
Once upon a time there was a leaked memo regarding Verizon beginning to load "a suite of Amazon apps preloaded on one dedicated home screen for all newly launched Android devices." Wit the launch of the HTC Droid DNA, we now now exactly what that entails. And the results are not nearly as scary as some had feared. First off, the sentence in and of itself should have made things pretty clear. Apps. On one home screen. Nothing about replacing Google Play. Nothing about going solely with the Amazon Appstore. But we can't blame folks' ears from perking up a little bit. Verizon, after all, is the carrier that once swapped out Google's maps and search for Microsoft's Bing. That ended poorly. More: Read our complete Droid DNA reviewFact of the matter here is that there's a nicely designed widget on one of the home screens that pushes to Amazon storefront, as well as apps such as Amazon MP3 and Kindle. No surprise there, and it's not like those apps had never been preloaded on any other devices before. The really interesting thing is how it handles the suite of apps. Instead of pushing links to the Amazon Appstore, you're directed to Google Play. We're willing to put good money on that being a requirement from Google in order to pass compatibility testing -- and there's no reason why you can't install the Amazon Appstore later, if you so desire. We've got a little video of the whole thing after the break. 
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| Creatorverse brings physics sandbox to Android Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:50 AM PST
Linden Lab, the folks behind the Second Life virtual world, have released their first creation for Android. Creatorverse isn't so much a game as it is a toy. Though there are simple, intuitive controls for placing virtual objects into a space, resizing, connecting, and coloring them, the breadth of mechanics that can be applied to them are truly boggling. Virtual magnetic fields, alterations in gravity and friction, levers, pivots, triggers, and many more tools are likely to keep tinkerers busy for a long time. Best of all, any creations, be they cute pieces of interactive art, explorations in physics, or even simple games, can all be shared online to other creators on all platforms. They can then download, experience, and tweak creations as they see fit. As Android fans, I think we all have a bit of a tinkerer's mindset. That said, an open, creative sandbox like this is well-suited to us. I can definitely see the use of Creatorverse for getting kids interested in engineering; the rules and interface are accessible, but deep and potentially inspiring. I've only been playing around with Creatorverse for a little while, but I can already tell that it's going to be keeping a permanent spot on my Android device. What do you guys think? Any Little Big Planet fans in the house? How about Second Life? 
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| Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:15 AM PST
You got something against large, high-resolution displays and the most powerful processor we've used thus far? What's wrong with you?!?!?!The Verizon Droid DNA has too many pixels, they said. It'll run too slow. The battery's too small, they said. It'll never last. The screen's too big, they said. It'll be too unwieldy. There's not enough on-board storage, says everybody. Poppycock. (OK, except for that last one.) After keeping HTC on the sidelines for most of 2012, Verizon's ending the year with a powerhouse of an Android smartphone in the Droid DNA. All the usual boxes are checked here. Powerful processor. High-resolution display. (The highest we've tested, actually). Great camera. Verizon's fast LTE data. So what has everybody so worried, and are their concerns really valid? Or is it just the usual "SMARTPHONE SKY IS FALLING!!!" jitters before anyone's actually used the device? Let's rap, shall we? Read on for the full Android Central Verizon Droid DNA review. 
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| Deal of the Day: DICOTA Flexi Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:07 AM PST
The DICOTA Flexi Case is available for just $14.00, 44% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping. Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts! 
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| ForeverMap 2 brings offline-ready OpenStreetMaps to Google Play Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:06 AM PST
After hanging out on the Barnes & Noble Nook since the summer, Skobbler's ForeverMap 2 has found its way to the Google Play store. Like a few other non-Google solutions ForeverMap 2 taps into OpenStreetMap for its data, which is created thanks to the collective contributions of users. The core app costs $0.99, and you can download locally-stored maps for individual cities for $0.99, single states for $1.99, whole countries for $2.99, continents for $5.99 each, or a full global map for $9.99. Though that sounds like a fair bit to ask, users get one country for free out of the box. All of the usual services are there, including turn-by-turn directions, points of interest search, and address lookup. Skobbler is pushing ForeverMap 2 as a Google Maps alternative, which is a pretty hard sell considering the high quality of Android's built-in navigation and local search apps. Offline access is always handy, especially if you're visiting someplace outside your data coverage, but it that alone enough? What would it take for you to switch to something other than Google Maps? Does ForeverMap 2 look like it could fit the bill, or are there other third-party maps applications that you're already comfortable with? 
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| TELUS One X+ on-contract pricing tipped at $129 Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:00 AM PST
The HTC One X+ is already available in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia, but has yet to make its debut in Canada. That may be about to change, as leaked promotional materials for the TELUS version appears to show subsidized pricing for the Canadian carrier. The image, obtained by MobileSyrup, indicates that it'll go on sale for C$129.99 on a three-year contract. No details on unsubsidized pricing was offered. The One X+ is a re-vamped version of HTC's earlier premium handset. With a redesigned chassis furnished in soft-touch plastic, a faster quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, 64GB of storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. In North America, the phone also includes 4G LTE connectivity. For more on the HTC One X+, check out our full review of the European version. Source: MobileSyrup 
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| EE, Vodafone customers to get Tube Wifi access Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:46 AM PST
Update: Both EE and Vodafone have now confirmed that they'll offer Wifi on the Tube in 2013. Original story: British mobile operators EE and Vodafone are said to be in talks to allow their customers free access to Virgin Media's Wifi network on the London Underground, according to reports. A tweet from the official EE Twitter account, which has since been deleted, said, "Travel on the tube? From early 2013, EE customers will be able to get WiFi access on the London Underground at no extra cost. Details soon." Virgin Media's Underground Wifi network is currently open to all users for free, however the company is due to begin charging for access in the near future. Presumably that's when deals with mobile operators might also kick in. Virgin and EE already collaborate on on mobile services in the UK, including the Virgin Media mobile network, which runs on EE, and on-board Wifi access on Virgin Trains. UK tech blog Pocket-Lint reports that the two are in talks to over access to Virgin Media's Tube Wifi network, which currently covers some 72 Underground stations. What's more, Vodafone is said to be in similar negotiations with Virgin to bring access to its customers, too. Neither company is officially commenting on the deals, but the "early 2013" timeframe suggested in EE's deleted tweet indicates an agreement well may be close. Source: Pocket-Lint 
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| Verizon launches the Droid DNA by HTC Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:21 AM PST
As was promised at the launch event a week ago today, Verizon has released the latest handset in its Droid series, the Droid DNA by HTC. The phone is available to order right now on VerizonWireless.com, where it'll run you $199 on a two-year contact, or $599 if you want to buy the device outright. We'll have a full review coming up soon, but we don't think we're spoiling much when we say the DNA is one of the most impressive phones in Big Red's line-up. Packing a quad-core Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP ImageSense camera and Retina-beating 1080p SuperLCD3 display, it certainly trounces just about everything else in terms of hardware specs. And on the software side, you're running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so you're not missing out on newer Android features like Google Now and "Project Butter" performance enhancements. Anyone planning on picking up a launch day Droid DNA? Shout out in the comments! More: Verizon Wireless 
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| HSPA+ 42 data speeds, Nexus 10 back in stock [From the Forums] Posted: 20 Nov 2012 08:15 PM PST
While you get yourself caught up on the blog posts from today, don't forget that in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about as well. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.
We've got over 1 million members helping members and nearly 2 million posts in our Android Forums. Are you one of them? Join today! 
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| Daily news roundup: November 20, 2012 Posted: 20 Nov 2012 07:13 PM PST
It's been another day full of Android news, and plenty of stuff has been bumped off the first page. It happens when you're dealing with so much Android goodness. Here's a quick recap of today's highlights, go ahead and dig in! Google and the carriers
Nexus news
App fun
Odd and Ends
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| Verizon expands 4G LTE coverage in New York Posted: 20 Nov 2012 05:20 PM PST
Verizon continues its expansive 4G LTE rollout today with improvements to its network in several markets in New York. Users in these areas may or may not already have LTE coverage, but Verizon is promising that it is expanding the network in these areas. The markets receiving updates are below:
The Verizon LTE train keeps chugging along, covering more and more markets. At this point we're not surprised that they're focusing on enhancing current markets, given that nearly all major areas already have some kind of LTE coverage. Source: Verizon; (2); (3); (4) 
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