Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Android Central

Android Central

Samsung Galaxy Axiom hitting U.S. Cellular for free on contract

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 05:21 PM PST

Samsung Galaxy Axiom

We caught a look at leaked press images 2 weeks ago of a device -- the Galaxy Axiom -- that looked to be a rebranded Galaxy S3 Mini destined for U.S. Cellular, and now it looks like the rumors were correct. The device has a 4-inch WVGA (that's 480x800) display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5MP camera and is running Android 4.0 with TouchWiz. Like a few recent phones from U.S. Cellular, it also has 4G LTE connectivity, which won't do you much good unless you're in a few choice markets where it has been deployed. It's also one of the rare devices to ship with Google Wallet support baked in.

Apparently the price varies by location, but we're seeing it for just $0.01 with a contract, or $399 without. Take a look at the source link below if you're interested in picking one up.

Source: U.S. Cellular

Personal Capital Investing helps you keep your finances in order

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:15 PM PST

Personal Capital Investing

Coming into the holiday season, its important to keep your personal finances in order while the spending starts ramping up. The Personal Capital Investing app is hoping to stand out from the set of financial apps that have been available for some time on Android. You create an account and link to it your other accounts from banks, credit cards and financial institutions so that everything is available in one place (similar to Mint if you're familiar). You can keep track of spending, help budget monthly allowances and track your investments all with one interface.

Its pretty handy if you're feeling overwhelmed with the number of different accounts you have. You can give it a try for free at the Google Play Store link above.

Weekly photo contest: Street scenes

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 03:46 PM PST

Street scenes

This week's photo contest gets us back to basics. No real theme or technique this go 'round, just something interesting you see during your daily business. In the example above, I thought the saw looked lonely inside it's little cage so I grabbed a picture of it. You might think it's interesting, you might not, but I did and I had the camera (Nexus 4) in my pocket to grab a snap. 

That's where cameras on our phones are great -- they are in our pockets. So wander around, doing things you normally do, and see what catches your eye. When you find something you'd like to share, head into the forums and drop it in the contest thread. This week the prize is a Lloyd gear t-shirt and washed polo cap from ShopAndroid so you can show your Android pride wherever you go. Hit the big link below for the rules and to enter.

Before we go, let's all say congrats to last weeks winner starkillers#AC for the great pic of his or her 10-year old rock star. Nice job starkillers, check you inbox for info about getting your Sonos system.

Enter this week's photo contest

F-Droid is the FOSS application store for your Android phone

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 02:53 PM PST

F-Droid

One of the cool things about Android is the open market model. The folks at Google don't mind at all if you sideload apps, or use your phone to build apps of your own, or even if you install a whole separate application market. That's the real meaning of open when you hear the word being tossed around so freely. Because the platform is open, we get to see things like F-Droid.

F-Droid is a third party application "store" that hosts FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) in a repository for easy installation and updating. The repo is full of open-source software written under a variety of licenses, but all nice and FOSSy enough to please most any die-hard fan.

Having it laid out all nicely this way offers a few benefits as well. You can choose which version of an app to install, track which FOSS apps you have installed, and turn on update notifications right in the app settings. It's an excellent way to manage things, and closely mimics software repos from popular desktop Linux distributions. Even the F-Droid app itself is FOSS and licensed under the GPLv2+.

Of course we can't mention any third party application centers without thinking of security. F-Droid tackles this in a pretty novel way. Developers can upload a pre-built apk file, but the preferred way is to upload the source. F-Droid then builds an signs the code, creating an apk file they guarantee is 100% derived from the source code anyone can look through. Community oversight has long been a staple of the FOSS world, and when source is readily available you'll find that very few shenanigans are tried. The guys and gal who can read the code will let everyone know if they find something shady. Everyone.

There's quite a few interesting apps in F-Droid, and I'm going to give it a spin. If you're a fan of FOSS, I recommend you do the same.

Source: F-Droid, via +Josh Armour

Google reportedly looking to launch own-brand Chromebook in early 2013

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 02:09 PM PST

Android Central

Reports from the Far East starting to emerge are suggesting that Google is looking to further expand its Chrome OS device portfolio with an own-brand offering in Q1 2013. A report in the China Times claims that Google has approached Taiwanese manufacturers Compal Electronics and Wintek to handle the hardware. The kicker -- this Google branded Chromebook is said to be a 12.85-inch device with a touch based input. 

Google is of course in the midst of another round of Chromebook pushing at the moment, with low-cost offerings currently on the market from both Acer and Samsung. The reports of touch input are interesting, especially considering Google's recent push into the tablet space with both the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10. A touch based Chromebook would offer a different experience to an Android tablet. It could be seen more as a move to compete not against Google's own products, but more so against the likes of the Microsoft Surface and the other Windows 8 based touch-input laptops and tablets. 

Touch input alone may not be enough to increase adoption of Google's cloud based OS, but price could have a much bigger effect. We've seen with the recent launches of the Nexus 4, 7 and 10 that Google is capable of offering a premium experience at an attractive price point. If Google were to offer an own-brand Chromebook, sold exclusively through the Play Store, margins could be stretched as thin as they wanted with a potential for an attractive price for consumers. 

Source: China Times via The Next Web

Meizu launches MX2 with quad-core processor and Jelly Bean for $399

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 01:22 PM PST

Meizu MX2

Meizu is a name you probably haven't heard of before if you live outside of China, but they're an up-and-coming OEM that's trying their best to offer some compelling smartphones as of late. This device, the MX2, is a follow-up to their previous flagship model, the MX. The specs get bumped up heartily this time around, with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor (a Samsung unit), 2GB of RAM, 4.4-inch 800x1280 (347ppi) display and 8MP BSI camera.

At first glance, the software doesn't look much like any Jelly Bean you've ever seen before, even though this is indeed based on Android 4.1. Meizu makes its own heavy customizations to Android and ships something that's got a lot of unique flare. It will be somewhat familiar to anyone who has used an MIUI custom build on a device, and has offered many features on previous versions of Android that just hadn't existed before on a stock device. If the manufacturer is going to customize Android, they might as well go all the way, and make no apologies about what it is.

The Meizu MX2 is hitting China for $399, $479 and $639 for 16, 32 and 64GB of internal storage starting in December. We don't think this will hit many other markets any time soon, but willing users will surely be able to get their hands on one from importers.

Source: Meizu; Via: Engadget

Take full advantage of your new 4.2 ROM [From the Forums]

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 01:14 PM PST

From the Forums

Now that Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is the new cool thing, lots of different developers (and weekend warriors) out there have started tinkering around with the code to make something great of it. One of our forum members, Waza_Be, has put up a couple small apps in the forums that he made to add things to the lockscreen and daydream functions of your new Android 4.2 ROMs. They're simple but useful, and should be a good jumping-off point for other developers that are excited to start creating apps with the new functionality.

When you go to the Play Store to check them out, you may recognize the developer's name. Christophe talked to us just a couple days ago as part of our feature on developing for multiple screen sizes. Head to the forums and check out his work at the source link below.

Source: Android Applications Forum

Dear Google ...

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:22 PM PST

FIXIT

We would please like to buy a Nexus 4. 

Sincerely, Android Central.

Nexus 7 gets its turn at 4.2.1 -- it's pushing now or can be manually flashed

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST

Nexus 7

Just as we saw this morning with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, the Nexus 7 is getting updated to Android 4.2.1 via an OTA update. There's nothing groundbreaking here, its simply a bug fix for the omission of December from the people application and an update to add joysticks and gamepads as HID devices. 

But updates are updates, and we know that plenty need to get them ASAP. Thanks to XDA, the manual download link is available and advanced users can flash at will. You'll end up with build number JOP40D, and everyone you know that was born in December is now allowed to get a year older again. Grab the OTA package below, and head into the forums for questions about flashing.

OTA  package download; via XDA

Android 4.2.1 hits AOSP, for you build-from-source types

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 11:18 AM PST

Android 4.2.1

If you like to roll your own built-from-source Android ROM -- or if you rely on a developer to roll one for you -- rest easy knowing that Android 4.2.1 (Build JOP40D) has dropped into the Android Open Source Project. That means the code is there, and proper building can commence. No huge changes here (the missing December thing is the most notable at this point), but having the code is better than not, and Google's pushed it out just hours after devices started getting the update.

Google's Jean-Baptiste Queru also mentions that factory images should be pushed "in the next few days," so you can get your reset on without worry.

Source: Android Building group

Microsoft launches new Outlook.com email app with old design

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST

Outlook.com

Microsoft has just released a new version of its email app to coincide with its overall email rebranding to Outlook.com from Hotmail.com today. While the app brings a lot of features that Outlook users will like -- ActiveSync, Contacts and Calendar sync, multiple account support -- it is wrapped up in a very bland and outdated design that reminds us all of Android 2.3. We had high hopes that Microsoft would bring something more striking. Maybe wrapped up in a "holo" UI, or at very least something of the metro "modern UI" style that has won many people over on Windows Phone.

Nevertheless, if you're an Outlook user, you'll probably be getting one of the better experiences out there using this official app right from Microsoft. You can take a look via the Google Play Store link above.

Source: Outlook Blog

Hamilton's Great Adventure now in Google Play [Tegra games]

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:14 AM PST

Hamilton's Great Adventure

The PC and console game Hamilton's Great Adventure makes it's way to Android today, and is available from Google Play for Tegra devices. It's a two-part affair, and both the base game and the expansion will cost you $4.00, but I'm really feeling this one and won't mind buying my own copy. 

You play as an adventurer, and you need to work your way though mazes and levels, collecting coins and trinkets as you go along. You're followed by your parrot companion Sasha. Using virtual joysticks or a controller you walk along the level, until you reach something you can't walk past. If you reach that point because you weren't paying attention and the floor has dropped out behind you, you're done and need to restart the level. If you're stuck behind an obstacle, that's when Sasha comes into play. 

Tap a button and switch to your parrot, who can fly around and trip levers, grab keys and do all sorts of things to unblock your path. When you've accomplished that, a quick tap takes you back to playing as Hamilton and you can continue. It's easy and fun gameplay, but as the levels progress things get much more complicated and really present a challenge. 

The gameplay is plenty fun, and the visuals are a real treat thanks to Tegra 3 optimizations. Nvidia works with OEMs and developers to bring console quality gaming to Android, and Hamilton's Great Adventure is yet another winner from the TegraZone. Hit the links below to give it a try, and jump past the break for a few more screenshots and the game trailer.

More: TegraZone

Download from Google Play (1), (2)

read more

Galaxy Note 2 app controls pool of 'liquid pixels' in promo video

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 09:27 AM PST

Android Central

Samsung has shown a history of creativity in its Galaxy Note marketing -- recall the video of a real live Elephant playing with the original Note that cropped up earlier in the year. The company's latest ad for the Galaxy Note 2 takes is a little different, but no less impressive. Samsung has teamed up with creative consultancy Steak Studio to creative a piece of "interactive water art" based around the 5.5-inch, stylus-toting smartphone.

A specially designed app for the Note 2 wirelessly connects to an electronic assembly under a pool of water, which consists of a grid of 408 connected fish tank pumps. With everything wired up, this brought to life a screen of "liquid pixels," which allowed users to draw patterns, shapes or messages using the Note 2's S Pen and have them appear in the pool.

Samsung says the entire project took 10 days to create from start to finish, using over 3,000 manually-fitted connections.

Check out the video after the break. Samsung recently announced the sale of its five millionth Galaxy Note 2, putting it well on its way toward its sales target of 20 million units.

read more

HTC One X Jelly Bean update arrives in more countries

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 08:37 AM PST

Android Central

This will be old news for those of you in Asia, but the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the international HTC One X -- that's the one sporting HSPA+ data speeds and a Tegra 3 CPU -- has today begun pushing out to more countries.

According to reports from Twitter, XDA and elsewhere, One X devices with the CID (customer ID) of HTC_044 have started receiving the Jelly Bean update as of this morning. Territories included in this latest wave of updates seem to include South America and Eastern Europe, amongst other locales.

The update also includes the latest version of the manufacturer's UI software, dubbed HTC Sense 4+. A minor update over the previous version 4, Sense 4+ adds in new camera capabilities and re-vamped Gallery and HTC Watch applications.

One X owners will first receive a small over-the-air update to prepare the device for the Jelly Bean update, followed by a larger 365MB OTA that includes the new Jelly Bean ROM.

If you're getting Jelly Bean on your One X for the first time today, let us know how you're getting on (and where you are) down in the comments.

Source: XDA, Twitter; via: HTCSource

Inside the Nexus 4 and LTE, with AnandTech's Brian Klug

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:46 AM PST

Podcast MP3 URL: 
http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/nexus4-lte-special.mp3

The background: The Nexus 4 technically is not supposed to be an LTE-capable device. Only, if you're in Canada (or anywhere with Band 4 LTE), you can pick up an LTE data signal by changing a simple setting. That's pretty cool, but it's not supposed to happen, especially seeing as how the phone's not certified with the FCC to do LTE. And that's a bit deal.

So to clear up some of the confusion around LTE on the Nexus 4, we turned to Brian Klug of AnandTech. I've had the pleasure of learning from Brian on two continents now, and Jerry and I had the privilege of sitting down with him to talk the tech behind LTE on the Nexus 4, and whether it's something we should expect to last. 

As you listen along, I urge you to refer to Brian's "Nexus 4 Includes Support for LTE on Band 4 (AWS)" post at AnandTech. And mad props to Brian for learnin' us a thing or three.

Blue Skies Live Wallpaper updated for Android 4.2 Daydreams

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:26 AM PST

Blue Skies

There's not a lot to see here -- that's the Blue Skies live wallpaper I've been using for some time now. What's new is that it's been updated to serve as a sort of screen save as part of the Android 4.2 full-screen "Daydreams" feature. So when you plug in your phone, you can enjoy the same beautiful sky as when it's sitting in your hand.

Expect to see more live wallpapers do this, we reckon, and don't forget to check to see if your favorite widgets have been updated to work on the Android 4.2 lock screen.

Google: Nexus 4 available for purchase in U.S. at noon PST today

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:29 AM PST

Nexus 4

Google has just sent out e-mails saying the Nexus 4 will resume sales in the U.S. today at noon Pacific time. And, well, that's all there is to it.

The Nexus 4 originally went on sale Nov. 13, but Google's retail side of things didn't fare too well. Some folks got orders in, and we've seen a couple of waves of shipments, mostly recently a day ago. But the phone has remained unavailable for purchase for many days now. Today, that changes. Fingers crossed, folks.

As a reminder, there are two versions of the Nexus 4. Here are directly links to them at Google Play:

Still on the fence about the Nexus 4? Be sure to read our comprehensive Nexus 4 review, and swing by our Nexus 4 forums if you've got more questions.

Android 4.2.1 update hitting Nexus 4 and Nexus 10

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 03:35 AM PST

Android Central

'December birthday' bug in People app fixed in latest OTA

According to reports from the Android Central forums and XDA, Google's new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices are currently being upgraded over-the-air to a new version of Android, ver. 4.2.1. We've not yet been able to confirm whether 4.2.1 is also hitting the Nexus 7 or Galaxy Nexus, but we're sure these devices will get this latest update soon if it's not already going out.

The update fixes the notorious "December birthday" bug, which prevented any date in the month of December from being selected as a birthday or anniversary in the People app. So far we haven't noticed any other differences in the new software, which carries the build number JOP40D.

On the Nexus 4, the radio firmware version is unchanged from 4.2, and the hidden option that enabled some to use LTE on band 4 still seems to be present in the latest software. We can't verify first-hand that this unadvertised feature still works, but it doesn't look like this update has done anything to disable it.

As is always the case with these over-the-air updates, not all devices will get the update immediately, and we'd expect it to take a few days before everyone is up-to-date on 4.2.1. Nevertheless, we'll keep this post updated with direct links to the OTA packages for advanced users who want to flash them directly.

Google OTA links:

Source: XDA (1, 2), Android Central forums (1, 2)

Nexus 4 back in stock on T-Mobile USA site

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 03:07 AM PST

Android Central

After swiftly selling out on the carrier's website just a few days ago, it seems T-Mobile USA is back with more stock of the desirable LG Nexus 4. As before, the phone is being sold for $199 on a two-year service plan with Tmo.

The LG-made Nexus phone has been quick to sell out via many online retailers, including Google's own Play Devices store. Previously, Google had directed would-be Play Store buyers to T-Mobile, however shortly after that notice went up Tmo's stock was also depleted.

T-Mobile is offering the 16GB version of the Nexus 4, which sold for $350 during the brief time it was available through Google Play.

In more good news for Nexus 4 customers, it seems the Google Play Store is also expecting more stock this week.

Source: T-Mobile

Nook app updated with support for UK store, several new languages

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 02:43 AM PST

Nook for Android

Following hot on the heels of the latest Nook tablet hardware going on sale in the U.K. last week, Barnes & Noble has updated its Android app today to support users in that market as well. The latest version makes over 2.5 million U.K. books, magazines and newspapers available to users. Additionally -- and as you would expect -- the update brings added language support for British English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, although full dictionary support is only for British English at this time.

One quick thing to note for all users of the Nook app is that the app name will change after this update, and will now be labeled simply as "Nook" rather than "B&N Nook." You can grab a download of the Nook app at the Google Play Store link above.

Source: Barnes & Noble (BusinessWire)

Nexus 7 32GB hits '1 Sale A Day' for $249.99 with free shipping

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:20 AM PST

Nexus 7

It's that time of year where we start seeing some great deals on smartphones and tablets. We saw the Nexus 4 go up for a "discounted" (if you don't count the Play Store price) $499 yesterday, but we have a deal here regardless of what you compare it to. The Nexus 7 has been around long enough that we're starting to see it pretty consistently discounted on various sites, but the savings here come from your ability to save on shipping (and often sales tax as well) over what Google Play charges. Might just save you 10- or 15-percent overall.

Take a look at the source link below if you're interested in grabbing one of these at a great price.

Source: 1 Sale A Day

Google+ user reviews now a go for Google Play

Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:25 PM PST

Review

When the Play store apk last updated, the folks at Android Police noticed some reference pointing towards a Google+ tie in with user reviews, and now it's live. We figured it was coming when we saw all the reviews on the web go anonymous, and now whenever you go to leave a comment and review for an app you're first told it's going to happen, then you're switched to your Google+ account to do the deed.

It's surely something that's going to cause user-backlash, but it should also lead to more helpful reviews now that you're tied an account to the review. It's also a good way to pump numbers up, so prepare for those news stories as well.

It's easy to check out yourself, head to Google Play and leave a review!

Source: +#googleplusupdate

read more

Daily news roundup: November 26, 2012

Posted: 26 Nov 2012 09:15 PM PST

Angry Star Wars Nerd  Sprint

Plume  Zappos

Another day full of Android news that no sane person could keep up with. No worries, we're here to help. Here's a quick recap of what you might have missed.

The devices in the news

The software that runs on them

Other news you won't want to miss

Told ya it was a bunch of stuff! We'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.

Google Play hiccup creates a review world full of 'A Google User'

Posted: 26 Nov 2012 09:05 PM PST

Whoops

Chances are this will be fixed quickly enough, but look quick -- every app in Google Play appears to have been reviewed by "A Google User." And here you though you were special.

Our guess? Something's being changed in The Matrix. Only appears to be affecting the web portal at this point.

Via Android-Discuss

Words With Friends adds SMS game invites and notification improvements

Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:49 PM PST

Words With Friends

One of the most popular cross-platform word games in the mobile world, Words With Friends, has received an update tonight with a few good parts to it. First off is an interesting (and we doubt very useful) feature that lets you invite friends to games via SMS messages. Zynga also lists improvements to the notification system -- something that has been pretty hit or miss for many users. Unfortunately the notification sticks with a pretty unsightly gray/white striped background, but that's just how things go. Lastly, the game now automatically adds a homescreen shortcut when it's installed -- a curious addition considering the Play Store lets you choose whether you want this or not as a global setting.

You can grab the game for free at the Google Play Store link above. You might just grow your vocabulary while you're at it.
Posted by at 6:57 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)