Android Central |
- Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support
- Judge agrees to hear questions of jury foreman integrity in Samsung v. Apple trial
- Nvidia Q3 earnings see 30 percent of revenue come from mobile
- Should I upgrade? Galaxy Nexus versus the Nexus 4
- Motorola to let users 'Test Drive' future software updates before release
- Google offering Price Protection for recent Nexus 7 purchases
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2 now available at AT&T
- Official Jelly Bean update hitting Motorola Droid RAZR M today
- My Little Pony for Android: Basically 'My First RPG'
- Pulse News 3.0 introduces unlimited pages and improved search
- Curiosity developer 22cans issues video response to game bugs and downtime
- Hands-on with the new black T-Mobile HTC One S
- Motorola RAZR MAXX lands on Alltel
- AT&T's Samsung Captivate Glide gets Ice Cream Sandwich on Nov. 10
- Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations 2012 Halloween Costume contest!
- Sony Xperia advance on sale unlocked in the U.S.
- Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Androidified Clone Army Case for Galaxy S3!
- Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini now available in the UK
- Android Central 115: On the eve of the new Nexus
- Three UK launches Sony Xperia J, Alcatel One Touch 903
- UK 4G carrier EE holds back launch of SIM-only plans
- From the forums: Is the Nexus 4 merely an 'S' upgrade?
- Galaxy S2 coming fashionably late to Virgin Mobile
| Light Flow updated with Nexus 4 and GMail 4.2 support Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:29 PM PST
Light Flow has been a go-to app for users that want to keep their device's notification LED flashing appropriately. It gained a lot of popularity with the Galaxy Nexus given stock Android's lack of settings to control the LED, and now the app has been updated with Nexus 4 -- and GMail 4.2 -- support just a few days before the device's launch. It seems to support just about every popular app you could think of, and even more are unlocked in the paid version. There's a "lite" version of the app that you can pick up at the Play Store link above, and if you like what the developer is doing consider dropping them $2.49 for the paid version. 
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| Judge agrees to hear questions of jury foreman integrity in Samsung v. Apple trial Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:28 PM PST
It seems at this point that the patent wars will continue. After quite the trial concerning patents and trade dress between Apple and Samsung, appeals thereafter and plenty of arguing outside of court it seems Samsung may have another way to get the previous ruling overturned. Since the judgment came requiring Samsung to pay $1.05 billion in damages to Apple, a whole lot of information concerning the integrity of the trial's jury foreman has come into light. Judge Lucy Koh has decided to hear statements from Samsung that will call into question whether or not the jury foreman withheld information that would have kept him from being a suitable juror in the case. Also in question is the amount of information Apple had on the foreman's past and whether or not they should have reasonably been expected to disclose that information. Samsung will have to prove not only that the juror lied about his knowledge but also that it affected the outcome of the trial. Sit tight folks, this isn't going to be over any time soon. Source: The Verge 
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| Nvidia Q3 earnings see 30 percent of revenue come from mobile Posted: 09 Nov 2012 02:39 PM PST
Nvidia released their Q3 earnings today and while boasting record numbers, the full story is more than just how much cash they made. The recent numbers saw 30 percent of the company's earnings come from mobile, a leap of 27 percent in three years. In the post earnings conference call, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, said that "consumers realize a great tablet is better than a cheap PC." Intriguing words considering the larger share of Nvidia's income still comes from the PC market, but perhaps relates to the ever changing times we find ourselves in. Huang also said that demand for the Tegra 3 chipset for both Android devices, as well as the new Microsoft Surface tablet, is helping to offset the slump in demand for PC's. Source: Venture Beat 
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| Should I upgrade? Galaxy Nexus versus the Nexus 4 Posted: 09 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PST
It seems like an easy decision to make -- the Nexus 4 is available for as low as $299 outright. Why wouldn't you get one? But the fact isn't lost on those of us who have a ridiculous number of smartphones that this is still a good chunk of money, and it's quite possible the phone you're holding right this second is still really good and should last a while longer. So we're going ask the question about a number of current phones and help break it down. Should you upgrade to the Nexus 4? Let's start with last year's Google phone -- the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. 
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| Motorola to let users 'Test Drive' future software updates before release Posted: 09 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST
Following the announcement that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is rolling out to the Droid RAZR M, Motorola introduced a new initiative they're calling "Test Drive". The idea behind Test Drive is to let a small number of registered users have access to the latest version of a software update before its general public release. Starting with updates to Android 4.2, a "few hundred consumers" will have access to the software to give a try and provide valuable feedback to Motorola before an official release. Motorola didn't provide any official information about when or how users will be able to register to be included in Test Drive, but you can bet it'll be quite a rush to get into those few hundred open spots. Source: Official Motorola Blog 
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| Google offering Price Protection for recent Nexus 7 purchases Posted: 09 Nov 2012 01:10 PM PST
At $249, it's easy to understand why a few people may have bought a 16GB Nexus 7 on a whim in the past few weeks -- only to find out that a price drop was coming as part of the big Nexus announcement. Fear not, as Google has added the 16GB Nexus 7 to its "Price Protection" list on Google Play. This means that users who purchased a $249 Nexus 7 on or after October 14th will receive refunds covering the difference of the new and old prices. That's a pretty generous protection window, so if you fall into this category, hit up the source link below to request a refund. Google says it'll refund the difference -- in this case $50 -- within 14 days. Source: Google Play Help 
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| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 now available at AT&T Posted: 09 Nov 2012 01:08 PM PST
Those of you itching to get a hold of Samsung's latest phablet will be happy to hear that, as expected, the Galaxy Note 2 is now available at AT&T stores and online for $299 on a two-year contract. The Note 2 launch on AT&T is going to be a bit crowded by Windows Phones though, as both the Nokia Lumia 920 and the HTC 8X are also hitting shelves today, and they're getting a lot of visibility. On the other hand, Samsung has already sold 3 million Note 2 devices. There aren't any surprises as far as Note 2 specs go, as the 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, LTE connectivity, 8 megapixel camera, and quad-core 1.6 GHz processor are the same as models released elsewhere. Who's in? Of course, you'll want to check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 before taking the plunge. More: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 forums 
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| Official Jelly Bean update hitting Motorola Droid RAZR M today Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST
We saw a leak of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Motorola Droid RAZR M just shy of a month ago, and Verizon has just taken off the wraps on the official update today. The official support page is now live, and the update will start rolling out in phases -- as is typical -- starting today. The page also indicates that eager users will be able to manually check in and download the update in the next week. The update is bringing the whole host of Android 4.1 features including Google Now, smart keyboard predictions and a few Motorola tweaks like an enhanced notification pane thrown in. Love it or hate it, the update is bringing along ISIS mobile payments as well. Surely we would have preferred to see the device launch with Jelly Bean on board, but a hasty update right after launch is the next best thing. It looks like Google kept its promise on this update. Source: Verizon; More: Motorola Droid RAZR M Forums 
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| My Little Pony for Android: Basically 'My First RPG' Posted: 09 Nov 2012 12:09 PM PST
I'm the only one here at Android Central who has young daughters, so it came as a bit of a shock that I had to fight off the other guys for first dibs at the My Little Pony game for Android. (Take that, Hildenbrand!) It also was a bit of an unwelcome surprise that for a kids game, you have an extra 87 megabytes of data to download. And don't hand your phone or tablet over to your kid just yet -- there's a scrolling scroll of scrollable legalese to acknowledge before you get anywhere near those beloved ponies. And once you get through all that (OK, it's not all that difficult, but c'mon, this is a kid's game!), finally you're in Ponyville, where apparently Nightmare Moon (whom I believe was one of Frank Zappa's prized mares) has cast the entire town into darkness. A little confusing because the sun's up and birds are singing, but whatever. Just tell your kids it has to do with last weekend's time change, and they'll be none the wiser. From there, the game blissfully walks you through the ins and outs of whatever it is you're supposed to be doing with a few helpful arrows. I'm still not quite sure what it was I was doing, or which character was doing it, or why that blasted hot-air balloon kept flying by and distracting me. But I'm also pretty sure the little girls who just stole my Nexus 7 do, and that's all that matters. They also don't seem to mind the in-game advertising, which is good, since the game was free in the first place. So if you wanna be the best parent ever this weekend, hit the link above and kiss your Android phone or tablet goodbye for a few days. Because it's Pony Time. 
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| Pulse News 3.0 introduces unlimited pages and improved search Posted: 09 Nov 2012 10:59 AM PST
Pulse News recently launched version 3.0 of their reader app for Android, which has a few significant changes. For one, there's no limitation on the number of pages that can saved to your Pulse account, which is great considering it was previously limited to five sections. There's a new sidebar to easily jump around these multiple content channels, as well as tweak your profile and view saved stories. There's also a new search mechanism that can haul in content from Tumblr YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Google, Flickr, and other sources. Oh, and there's a new icon. As always, Pulse offers their own curated, categorized library of content to subscribe to and view view them in a slick browser with scrollable rows for every site. Of course, you can always punch in RSS feeds for any kind of content you like and get a decent stream going on any of your categorized pages. They also have a web app that syncs up with your subscriptions and reading habits, if you'd rather catch up on the big screen. Which reader apps do you use on a regular basis? It seems like the most direct competitor to Pulse is Flipboard, since they're so focused on cool design, but are there others which are of the same caliber? Source: Pulse 
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| Curiosity developer 22cans issues video response to game bugs and downtime Posted: 09 Nov 2012 10:20 AM PST
22cans' mobile game experiment Curiosity launched on Tuesday, tasking players with the goal of tapping their way to the center of a mysterious cube. However, the game attracted so many players that it's been struggling to keep up with demand over the past few days. Players have been presented with error messages when trying to connect to the game, and in addition a troublesome bug has cropped up resulting in in-game coins disappearing into thin air. Today the developers took to YouTube to update players on their work to bring Curiosity back to life and fix the remaining bugs. The 22cans team, including head honcho Peter Molyneux, say they've been hard at work over the past few days, living out of the office as they work on the game. No timeframe is mentioned, but Molyneux says as soon as the fixes are in place, the game will become available once again. 
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| Hands-on with the new black T-Mobile HTC One S Posted: 09 Nov 2012 10:05 AM PST
Meet the new T-Mobile HTC One S. Same as the old T-Mobile HTC One S. Well, mostly. See, way back in February, deep in Hall 8 of the Fira de Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, we discovered that there actually were two versions of the HTC One S. T-Mobile U.S. was to get the gray version, with its traditional "gradient paint color sheet," while the rest of the world got to play with the cool-looking black one with its Micro-Arc Oxidation treatment that basically fries the metal into thinking its a ceramic. And now, you can get that same MAO-treated phone on T-Mobile U.S. And this is it. 
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| Motorola RAZR MAXX lands on Alltel Posted: 09 Nov 2012 08:14 AM PST
Alltel has started selling the Motorola RAZR MAXX today for $129.99 on contract or $499.99 off-contract. Don't confuse this with the RAZR MAXX HD, though it sounds like the last generation had great battery life too. Here's what's under the hood.
Any RAZR MAXX owners out there? Alltel customers, anyone tempted to pick this one up, or would you sooner switch carriers for access to the MAXX HD? Anyone interested, can order a Motorola RAZR MAXX from Alltel Online over here. 
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| AT&T's Samsung Captivate Glide gets Ice Cream Sandwich on Nov. 10 Posted: 09 Nov 2012 07:28 AM PST
AT&T this morning announced that the Samsung Captivate Glide -- the 4-inch QWERTY we first saw about a year ago -- will get its update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich starting this Sunday. It doesn't look like it'll be made available over the air -- it's still 2012, right? -- and instead you'll have to go to a Samsung update page, which at the time of this writing still says the update is on hold. Source: AT&T 
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| Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations 2012 Halloween Costume contest! Posted: 09 Nov 2012 07:05 AM PST Announcing the winners of the Mobile Nations 2012 Halloween Costume Contest!The judges worked long and hard going through the hundreds of submissions in this year's Mobile Nations Halloween Costume Contest, and they have finally narrowed it down and chosen 10 winners! There were so many incredible entries, from funny to scary with everything in between, and all of them were super creative, so this was a really hard contest to judge! We appreciate all the pictures that were submitted, and hope that you all had as much fun entering as we did getting to see everyone. You can watch a video of the entries above, and check them all out in a gallery at the link below. (If you don't see your picture in the photo gallery or video, it's likely because it didn't have a tablet or phone in the picture. Gotta follow those rules!) Winners are posted below, with description/back story if it was included in the email . If you were one of the chosen winners, watch your email later this week for details on what you've won! Congrats everyone, see you back here next Halloween! 
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| Sony Xperia advance on sale unlocked in the U.S. Posted: 09 Nov 2012 06:51 AM PST
The Xperia Advance (known elsewhere in the world as the rugged Xperia Go) is now available to Americans through online retailers like Newegg for a scant $249.99. Beyond being pretty dang tough, here's what you can expect spec-wise.
So, entry-level, but a decent, affordable unlocked phone with a fair bit of ruggedness to boot. Good enough for any of you, or does it make more sense to sign on to a contract for something higher-end? Is the IP67 rating an attraction at all? Anyone in the UK pick up the European version? What do you think? 
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| Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Androidified Clone Army Case for Galaxy S3! Posted: 09 Nov 2012 06:24 AM PST
The Cruzerlite Androidified Clone Army Case is available for just $5.00, 75% 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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| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini now available in the UK Posted: 09 Nov 2012 05:47 AM PST
If you're after a network-subsidized Mini, you'll find it offered on 24-month contracts from £28 per month from Three UK, or £27 per month from O2. Three's plan is more data-friendly, with "all you can eat" data included, while O2's is limited to 500MB, but with unlimited texts. O2's price plans go as cheap as £16.50 per month, but if you opt for that deal, you'll pay over £100 up-front for the phone. (It's worth noting that Three isn't selling the S3 Mini online until Nov. 16 -- until then it'll be available in stores only.) Anyone considering picking up a Galaxy S3 Mini today? Shout out in the comments! More: Galaxy S3 Mini forumSource: Three, Expansys, Unlocked Mobiles, O2 
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| Android Central 115: On the eve of the new Nexus Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:01 AM PST Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc115.mp3 Thing 1: Even more Nexus news
Thing 2: HTC's still around
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| Three UK launches Sony Xperia J, Alcatel One Touch 903 Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:29 AM PST
The Xperia J is Sony's new budget-focused Android handset for late 2012. Unveiled alongside Xperias T, TX and V the IFA show in August, the Xperia J sports Sony's trademark "arc" chassis design, but with less meaty hardware. It's powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, with 4GB of internal storage and a 5MP camera. On the software side, it's on-par with other Sony handsets, running a skinned version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. That's more than can be said for Alcatel's One Touch, however, which ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 2MP camera and a 650MHz CPU. It's a pretty basic smartphone experience, but the starting price of £49.99 (plus top-up) on PAYG doesn't leave much room for fancy hardware. (On-contract prices start at £10 per month, with the phone given away for free) Meanwhile, Three's Sony Xperia J sells for £149.99 on PAYG, and is given away for free on contracts starting at just £13 per month. That's not a bad deal if you're not after the very latest hardware. Source: Three 
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| UK 4G carrier EE holds back launch of SIM-only plans Posted: 09 Nov 2012 03:12 AM PST
EE, the carrier with an effective monopoly 4G LTE services in the UK until next spring, has announced that it's delaying the launch of its SIM-only 4G plans by "up to two weeks." The SIM-only deals, which were due to become available starting today, will now launch towards the end of the month. Writing on its official Twitter account, the operator said --
A statement obtained by TechCrunch seems to indicate that the testing process has overrun, resulting in the availability of SIM-only 4G being pushed back. EE's SIM-only deals are by far the network's most cost-effective price plans. working out significantly cheaper than contracts that include a bundled smartphone. SIM-free rates start at £21 per month for 500MB moving up to £26 for 1GB, £31 for 3GB, £36 for 5GB and £41 for 8GB. EE -- formerly Orange and T-Mobile UK -- became the first network to launch 4G services in the UK in late October, following an Ofcom ruling that allowed it to re-farm its existing 1800MHz spectrum for use with LTE. Source: EE, TechCrunch 
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| From the forums: Is the Nexus 4 merely an 'S' upgrade? Posted: 08 Nov 2012 09:34 PM PST
Writes Lanhoj in our Nexus 4 forums:
First off, don't feel bad saying it. Apple's update strategy has proved to be successful, if annoying for those who want the top-of-the-line phone year after year but grimace at the cost. And there's an argument to be made here, though I'm not sure it quite adds up. The internals of the Nexus 4 are a significant improvement over the Galaxy Nexus, both on paper and in actual use. Just ask anyone who's tried Photo Sphere on a Galaxy Nexus. The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro is a huge jump. More: Our complete Nexus 4 reviewDon't discount the improved camera, either. When I'd carry the Galaxy Nexus, I'd also carry a second phone, with a better camera. (Either the Galaxy S3 or the HTC One X.) That's not normal, I know. But that's how bad the Galaxy Nexus camera is compared to those two phones. And with the Nexus 4, I'll not be needing a second phone for proper photography. Android 4.2 isn't a giant leap over Android 4.1, but there's enough there to keep it interesting, and we still don't know if the Galaxy Nexus will get all the improvements in the Nexus 4. But maybe even more important is the price. You can get this phone for $299 or $349 unlocked. No contracts. In and out. And if it turns out you can't live with the anemic storage or lack of LTE data on AT&T in the U.S., (remember that there's no Verizon or Sprint-capable version, and T-Mobile still doesn't have any LTE) you'll be able to get most -- if not all -- of your investment back pretty quickly. What's it cost to upgrade to the latest iPhone or manufacturer's-best Android phone year after year? More: Nexus 4 forums 
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| Galaxy S2 coming fashionably late to Virgin Mobile Posted: 08 Nov 2012 08:24 PM PST
The Samsung Galaxy SII (S2) is making its way to Virgin Mobile. Yes, the Galaxy S2. Virgin Mobile has been reclaiming older devices and offering them at reasonable prices since Sprint has started moving to LTE and offloaded its WiMax network to prepaid operators. It started with devices like the Evo 3D coming to Virgin, and it will continue today with the Galaxy S2. We're going to go ahead and assume this device is going to look the exact same as Sprint's Galaxy S2 (Epic 4G Touch) from mid last year -- if the Boost Mobile variant is any indication -- save for probably a different logo on the back. The device will be $369.99 without a contract, in both silver and white, from November 15th. Virgin Mobile "Beyond Talk" plans start at $35 per month for unlimited messaging and data. Source: Virgin Mobile Newsroom 
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