Android Community |
- Happy Thanksgiving from Android Community
- Samsung Galaxy Camera Coming To Canada December 7
- Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II quietly goes on sale at Verizon
- B&N NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ available in the UK
- 2.5 year old Android bug finally being fixed
- Google vs. Microsoft patent trial wraps up with big claims
- Marvel’s Avengers Initiative hits Android and Tegra devices, we go hands-on
- Android gets a taste of Windows Phone 8 with WP8 Launcher
- Twitter client Plume gets additional support for Android 4.2
| Happy Thanksgiving from Android Community Posted: 22 Nov 2012 10:46 AM PST Today is the day we all get to spend time with friends and family, enjoy great food and beverages, watch football, and then go to sleep in time for the early morning Black Friday shopping. Here at Android Community we have plenty to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving 2012. There’s so many things and people we are thankful for, but below we’ll just mention a few that deserve the shout out.
Last year we took the 5 things we are thankful for regarding Android toys, ROMs, games, and of course our favorite devices. This year, we want to mention things on a more personal level during these wonderful holidays. Of course we’ll start with you guys — the readers! Not to get too mushy mushy but without you guys enjoying the news, commenting on your favorite new apps, and sharing your thoughts we wouldn’t be where we are today. You guys and girls are not just the people that keep us in a steady job and enjoying our passion for Android, but our extended network of friends as well. While we enjoy playing with all these new Android phones and tablets, games and more, we want to make sure you understand that you mean a lot to us!
Next we’d like to take this moment to thank everyone that we work with day in, and week out. Without you we wouldn’t be able to do what we love. We are thankful for and would like to thank all of our sponsors (you know who you are) because we are glad to share a common passion for Android, and its news. Without you this wouldn’t work, and we're glad to help you reach your consumer base as well. We’d like to also take this moment to thank all the PR groups and individuals we work with each and every single day. You guys are truly the hard working, up all hours, unsung heroes that keep our gadget and Android obsession filled with new smartphones and tablets to share with the world in all of our Reviews. Then under the hood and behind the scenes we'd like to thank the UK2Group for sponsoring our CDN for the past 2 years. We’ve had tons of giveaways here at Android Community, and we’d like to thank everyone that makes those special moments possible. Being able to share great devices, Tegra powered tablets and more with our readers is truly something we enjoy. Expect more giveaways to come too by the way. Then of course everyone involved in the huge events all year long. From CES (coming up in just over a month) to Mobile World Congress, Pepcom, Google I/O and more. Those events are always a learning experience. The groups at Pepcom and ShowStoppers deserve a shout out for keeping us connected in a more personalized way at these events. Giving us tech and Android lovers our own room to see everything these events have to offer. We’re excited for CES 2013 and can’t wait to work with you all again! Last but certainly not least I’d like to thank all my teammates that make us strive. The bosses that put up with us, the newcomers that have a passion for Android, all of our new writers both here at Android Community, and our sister site SlashGear. Being able to enjoy writing about all things Android, and gadgets in general, while sharing our unique interests and mindsets is truly what makes working with you all daily an absolute blast. We still love all of those developers that make Android what it truly is, and that is the best mobile operating system and community in the world. We hope you all have a full stomach, enjoy your family, and don’t freeze to death in those 4:00 AM Black Friday lines. Drop us a comment below and let us know what you’re thankful for!
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| Samsung Galaxy Camera Coming To Canada December 7 Posted: 22 Nov 2012 08:33 AM PST The Samsung Galaxy Camera is already available in the US and Europe, but folks in Canada have been left out in the cold. Well, it turns out they are receiving the Android-based camera in Canada soon. In fact, it’s only a couple of weeks away, hitting the market on December 7 of this very year. It’s coming just in time for the holiday shopping madness.
The camera part of the Galaxy Camera is solid. It features a 21x super long zoom lens and a super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor. It comes with a series of 15 default modes and settings that help users take more professional photos. Don’t forget about the GALAXY Camera’s 4.8″ HD Super ClearTouch Display. For more info on the Galaxy Camera, make sure to read our review here. If you’re in Canada, and in the market for a new camera, December 7 may be the day you’ve been waiting for. [via NewsWire]
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| Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II quietly goes on sale at Verizon Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:27 AM PST Usually, when a new device hits the market, there are all kinds of stories and general excitement. Well, apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II didn’t get that memo, because it has hit Verizon’s website ultra quietly. Interested buyers can grab the qwerty keyboard toting phone right now from Verizon, even if they probably had no idea it exists.
The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II comes equipped with Android 4.0.4 out of the box. It also features a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. It also feature NFC and is ISIS-ready. It also comes with 5MP rear-facing camera and all the standard stuff. Time will tell if this phone makes a splash through Verizon. It comes with fast 4G LTE data speeds, which should make users happy. It looks pretty solid, and some users still love having physical buttons to type on. While it’s not exactly top-of-the-line, it is does have some solid specs. If you’re tried one, hit the comments section below and let us know what you think.
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| B&N NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ available in the UK Posted: 22 Nov 2012 06:24 AM PST Barnes & Noble’s tablets are ready to go head to head with Apple’s iPad and iPad mini in the UK. The tablets use the latest version of B&N’s customized version of Android. This customized version of the OS replaces the standard Android, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your preferences. Either way, these tablets come in at a competitive price point, and they could shake up the tablet market in the UK.
The NOOK HD, which has a 7-inch display and a 1.3GHz dualcore processor, is priced at £159 for the 8GB version and £189 for the 16GB version. Both price points are available in white or grey. It also comes with an impressive 1440 x 900. For those keeping score, that’s higher than the iPad mini. It also comes with a microSD slot. The NOOK HD+ has a full HD 9-inch touchscreen and a 1.5GHz dualcore processor. Barnes & Noble is offering a 16GB model for £229 and a 32GB for £269. Like the NOOK HD, it has an expandable memory slot, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, and stereo speakers. Both tablets are available online and at many retailers such as John Lewis, Argos, Asda, Dixons, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Blackwell's, and Foyles. [via SlashGear]
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| 2.5 year old Android bug finally being fixed Posted: 22 Nov 2012 05:34 AM PST A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, a user reported a bug involving not being able to resolve a hostname on a local domain. Other users started coming forward with the same problem, but that seemed to be the end of it. Then, 2.5 years later, a Google employee announced that the next Android update will address the issue. That’s something to thankful for.
Google has remained silent on the issue, but out of the blue, a Google employee jumped in the comment thread and addressed the problem. "The fix for this has gone in thanks to Kevin Tang. It will be available in the next major release," said the employee. It’s a thanksgiving miracle! Users were hit with a mix of relief and annoyance at how long it took to get the fix to happen. Either way, at least the fix is coming, and the Google employee even jumped in and explained the delay a little bit: “Guys, it was a matter of prioritization and resources. We don't have people to put on every requested feature and we certainly were not idle during this time. I apologize it took so long. I can't say what the next version will be (neither know it nor can discuss it) but it will be after 4.2, which has already gone out.” [via SlashGear]
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| Google vs. Microsoft patent trial wraps up with big claims Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST Hearings in the patent lawsuit between Google and Microsoft are winding down, and with the final day of testimony came one whopper of a claim from Motorola. Yesterday, Motorola sent expert Michael Dansky to the stand, who testified that Microsoft stands to make as much as $94 billion through 2017 with the allegedly illegal use of Motorola patents. His estimate includes products like the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Surface, but Reuters points out that Dansky didn’t say how far back he was going to arrive at his estimate.
If accurate, that’s certainly a lot of money, which is why Google and Motorola are taking Microsoft to court. Google is asking that Microsoft be forced to pay $4 billion per year for using its patents. Microsoft has a much different value in mind: the Windows 8 maker thinks that just $1 million a year is a suitable amount. There’s a pretty big discrepancy between those two numbers, so now it comes down to US District Judge James Robert, who will spend the next few weeks determining just how much Microsoft should pay for Motorola’s video and wireless technology patents. This is a big case for Google, considering that a major reason it paid $12.5 billion for Motorola was so it would have have access to the company’s vast patent portfolio. This case against Microsoft should give us an idea of whether or not that was a good purchase for Google. If it isn’t awarded a high royalty by Robert, that might mean that Google won’t be able to rely on Motorola’s patent portfolio as much as it was planning on, regardless of how massive that portfolio may be. Meanwhile, patents battles like this have been raging all across the world. Motorola and Microsoft certainly aren’t strangers to patent battles – neither are a number of Android manufacturers and, of course, Apple. Keep it tuned here to Android Community, as we’ll update you on this case once we have more information!
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| Marvel’s Avengers Initiative hits Android and Tegra devices, we go hands-on Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:22 PM PST Marvel fans, get ready for some Hulk smash. Earlier today the brand new Avengers Initiative game went live on Google Play, and it’s quite amazing. Though this game is a blast and works with multiple high-powered Android smartphones and tablets, those with a Tegra 3 device will really enjoy all that Marvel has to offer. Below we have some screenshots and video so you know what to expect from this awesome $4.99 game.
This is the first episode of what surely will be more to come, and here you get to enjoy the awesome character The Hulk. I’m looking forward to this level of perfection with an IronMan game myself. Marvel promises multiple updates, and episode-like release plans for multiple characters. Oh and the graphics and gameplay are epic. Simply put, you play as the Hulk and do multiple swipes to destroy — everything! What you see above is us enjoying this awesome new Android game on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime. Obviously the game plays great with tons of powerful devices but users with a Prime or the Nexus 7 will really get to enjoy this game to another level. All the details are crisp, vibrant, and stunning with excellent textures and lighting. Watching your enemies damage grow as you Hulk smash him to pieces is quite fun. As you can see from our video above the gameplay is dead simple and looks amazing on a mobile device. Marvel and NVIDIA have teamed up to make this an awesome experience for Tegra devices, and it clearly shows. Currently the brand new game is listed at $4.99 which Marvel says is an introductory price. While that might seem high you’ll be happy to know more content is coming soon. This game is set to be a gift that keeps on giving. They called it "episodic content" updates, which will be free. We can expect awesome playable characters like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man sometime next year. So while the price is high, in the end it will be very much worth it for gamers and Avengers fans. Get it now from the Google Play Store link above or at the NVIDIA TegraZone.             
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| Android gets a taste of Windows Phone 8 with WP8 Launcher Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:39 PM PST Most of us already set with Android, but just in case you’ve been lured by Windows Phone 8′s touch-friendly live tiles, you can now have the best of both worlds. Say hello to WP8 Launcher, which adds a Windows 8-style user interface to your Android phone. This means that you don’t have to ditch your Android device and buy an all new Windows Phone 8 device to just to use that WP8 user interface.
There doesn’t seem to be many differences between WP7 Launcher and WP8 Launcher, but this new version offers more customization options when it comes to the size and color of the tiles. WP8 Launcher was discovered by Lifehacker reader Dave, who said he had been on the lookout for a launcher that brings the UI of Windows Phone to the open platform that is Android. The image you see above is his personal home screen. As you can see, he made the tiles for Chrome, Facebook, and Gallery larger than the rest, as those are the apps he uses most. As an added bonus, with WP8 Launcher you can mount any widget to a live tile, with Dave putting things like Alarm Clock Plus and Simple Calendar Widget right there on his home screen. He also used 1Tap Quick Bar to make the non-app tiles you see in the picture. It’s a handy little launcher if you happen to like the Windows Phone 8 UI, but Dave says that it’s still in beta so there may certainly be some bugs that need to be ironed out. It’s also gone missing from the Google Play Store, but those who are interested can download the APK from the XDA Developers Forum. What do you think? Are you going to install WP8 Launcher on your Android device, or are you good with what you’ve got for now?
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| Twitter client Plume gets additional support for Android 4.2 Posted: 21 Nov 2012 12:50 PM PST With Android 4.2 now running on at least a few devices, it’s time for developers to update their apps to support the features found in the new version of the Android OS. One of the apps getting added Android 4.2 functionality today is the Twitter client Plume. Of all the fixes and features included with the latest update for Plume, definitely the biggest one is the addition of a lock screen widget for Android 4.2.
That, naturally, means that you can check Plume right from the lock screen, with no need to actually unlock your device and dive into the app. It’s definitely a cool feature, and we’re sure the many Plume users will be pleased with its addition (or at least those who are running Android 4.2 will). There’s more aside from the lock screen widget though, as the developers say they’ve also fixed “the widget context in Android 4.2.” There have also been fixes applied to the Facebook timeline and the unread list, so if you’ve been having problems with either of those, there’s a chance that those issues have been squashed. Finally, the developers have improved the “picture cache coherence,” and have unlocked the Halloween notification sound so you can play it whenever you want. It’s a nifty little update and it’s available right now on the Google Play Store [download link]. This update to Plume is only the tip of the iceberg. We’re expecting many more developers to update their apps with increased support for Android 4.2, and it seems that we can count on a pretty steady stream of updates as Android 4.2 becomes more prominent in the Android community. Keep checking back here with us, as we’ll let you know once Android 4.2 updates go live for more popular apps!
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