Friday, December 28, 2012

Android Central

Android Central

Press Google Reader client review

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST

Press

Press, a brand new Google Reader news client, has been the focus of the Android app community since its release, being heralded for its great design choices and general ease of use. It certainly isn't the first -- nor will it be the last -- in this arena, but right now its one that has everyone watching, and early indications are that it's living up to the hype.

Do the design and features offer enough of a draw to pull you away from another reading app of your choice? Stick around after the break and see if Press is worth your consideration.

read more

Heads up: No podcast tonight

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:10 PM PST

Android Central Podcast

A quick heads up that there will be no live show of the Android Central Podcast tonight, or for the rest of the year. Frankly, there's nothing going on this week anyway, and the rest of this egg nog isn't going to drink itself. (For a different sort of concoction, we point you toward Jerry's Double Turkey Triple Sec.)

While you wait for us to reappear next year, we invite you -- nay, we implore you -- to do the following:

And so, with that, we bid you adieu, and we'll be back on the air in 2013. (Which is, after all, next week.)

Multi-window update for AT&T Galaxy Note 2 now live

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST

AT&T Galaxy Note 2

We heard from AT&T that today was the day for the long-awaited Galaxy Note 2 multi-window update, and it looks like the carrier has stuck to its word. Several users in our forums are finding OTA notifications on their devices -- while others have had success checking manually -- and reboot to find the new feature in working order. The download all together is 178MB, which is quite hefty, and keeps the Note 2 on Android 4.1.2 for the time being.

See the update hit your device yet? Head to the forums and let the other members know how it's working out.

Source: AT&T Galaxy Note 2 Forums; Thanks, Larry!

Win a $10 Google Play Gift Card because it's Dec. 27

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 12:23 PM PST

Android Central Stocking StuffersNow some of you may think that we forgot about today's $10 Google Play Gift Card giveaway. And that's not entirely true. We remembered it. About 6 hours ago. And then we forgot about it. But then we remembered it again, and all is right in the world.

So, in the end, we're giving away another $10 Google Play Gift Card today as we march toward 31 of 'em -- yes, one for each day in December.

What can you do with a Google Play Gift Card, you ask? You can buy apps, for one. Music for another. Magazines, movies and TV shows for three for and five. Or just flash one around in public and let people know what's up. 'Cause you're a baller.

To enter, just leave a comment in this post. A comment that rhymes will stand out the most. If Line 2 sounds like Line 1, you'll know that you're done, and increase the chances that you will have won. Or something. Just leave a rhyming post. Good luck!

Google Music scan and match only adding clean versions of songs

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 11:56 AM PST

Google Music

It seems that users taking advantage of Google Music's new scan and match feature aren't always getting exactly what they expected added to their music libraries. The new feature, which launched in the U.S. just a week ago, lets users bypass uploading of new music by instead "matching" the music on the user's computer with the same file in Google Music automatically. That's all fine and dandy if it works, but users are reporting that songs with explicit lyrics are having the clean versions of songs added instead. This doesn't come as a complete surprise considering the same reports came out when iTunes started its own matching service, but this still shouldn't be happening.

Whether its because of a licensing shortcoming or technical issue with identifying music, we hope that Google can get this one figured out. Users with explicit music usually have it for a reason, and don't really want it replaced erroneously because a service isn't operating properly.

Source: Droid Life

Huawei Ascend D2 makes a brief pre-CES appearance

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 10:48 AM PST

Android Central

Android Central @ CES

CES is right around the corner, and one of the devices Huawei will be showing off will be the Ascend D2, which was announced a few weeks ago. A batch of pictures have bubbled up giving us a closer look at the otherwise camera-shy D2. We all remember its predecessor, the dickwad D Quad, and it's battery-boosted bro, the D Quad XL, but the D2 stands to be a significant step up from both of them. The source of the latest batch of pictures of the device confirms it will have an HD-grade (1080p?) 5-inch display, a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, 13 megapixel camera, run Android 4.1, and have a big honkin' 3,000 mAh battery. 

It's great to see Huawei continuing to push the higher-end market and get those devices into Europe and the U.S. - after all, competition is good, especially on price point. We may also see a new 6.1-inch tablet from Huawei at CES, which will be interesting to try out, to say the least.

Any of y'all happy Huawei device owners? Those that aren't, would you consider switching away from one of the bigger manufacturers if you could save a buck on your next device? 

Source: IT Home

Via: PhoneArena

New Samsung Galaxy Note 2 ad targets business

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 09:23 AM PST

Samsung has just put out a fresh ad for the Galaxy Note 2 targeting enterprise users. In the span of a minute, it does a great job of showing how the Note 2 can be used to take notes, watch video, multitask, and transfer files over NFC. Despite being about work, it still has the same sense of humor as Samsung's previous TV spots, and I'm tempted to agree with the top-voted YouTube commenter for the ad: "Apple is going to have to get more creative with their marketing. Samsung is killing it."

Hit the jump for a playlist of Samsung's more holiday-themed ads. 

read more

Sony 'Xperia Z' and 'Xperia X' rumored for CES unveiling, January release

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST

Android Central

By now we’ve heard plenty of leaked details about Sony Mobile’s next big thing, the ‘Yuga,’ also rumored to come to market as the Xperia Z. We’re due a 5-inch, 1080p phone with a glass back, a 13MP camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, if recent rumors are to be believed. But fresh details from China suggest that the phone could be released as early as mid-January in that country, and in some territories another model, the ‘Xperia X,’ may be offered instead.

The reports come from Chinese site ePrice, which has a history of leaking information about upcoming Sony phones. The Xperia X, it’s said, will be almost identical to the Z, with only design differences being reported. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Sony adopted a similar strategy this year with its Xperia T and Xperia TX. The T was released in Europe with an external microSD slot, while the TX hit Asian markets a smaller battery.

ePrice reports that the Xperia Z is almost certain to be unveiled at CES in early January, which should come as no surprise considering Sony’s track record of showcasing major phones at the event. A domestic Chinese launch is purportedly scheduled for around Jan. 15. No word on when Xperia Z or X will launch in Europe, but with strong Android competition from HTC expected at Mobile World Congress in February, Sony may want to follow up with a quick international launch.

We’ll be live from Sony’s CES press conference in early January to bring you full details of whatever’s announced.

Source: ePrice; via: UnwiredView

Bluestacks for Mac now in beta

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 08:40 AM PST

Bluestacks for Mac

Here's a quick heads up for those of you who just have to run the occasional Android application siloed on your computer -- Bluestacks is now in beta for Macs. If you're new to Bluestacks, the idea is that it works as a sort of an emulator for Android apps -- some 750,000 of them, actually -- giving you full control with a keyboard and mouse. And while your experience may vary a little bit depending on hardware, it's actually a really good implementation, though it's not necessarily the quickest to load. 

There's also the argument that it's a little silly to use apps like Facebook and Instagram as an Android app on a desktop, but whatever. It's still pretty damn cool, especially for games.

So, go get the Mac beta if you want to give it a go, and remember that there's a Windows version available, too.

Download: Bluestacks

Announcement: Our Selections for The Mobile Nations 2013 CES Experience in Las Vegas!

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 08:30 AM PST

Android Central

Alright folks, it's time to announce the 6 lucky people that will be joining NVIDIA and Mobile Nations at CES 2013!

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of the members that submitted an entry. We really appreciate all of the time and effort everyone put in, and the response was quite overwhelming.

So, getting down to business... after much debate and discussion, we have selected 6 stand out entries. These folks will join the Mobile Nations and NVIDIA crews in Las Vegas for CES 2013!

read more

Google lists its 'Best Apps of 2012' on Play

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 07:24 AM PST

Best Apps of 2012

Google has put its "Best Apps of 2012" list up on Google Play today, with many familiar names. There are "best of" lists in each of the different categories on the Play Store, but the app listings always draw a lot of attention. It's always interesting to see what apps Google employees themselves are using and calling the "best" on the platform. The list is headlined by many apps that you yourself may rattle off as the best apps, such as Pinterest, Zappos and Evernote.

All but one of these apps are free, so why don't you go check out a few of Google's top picks? You can get the full list of all 12 apps at the source link below. 

Source: Google Play

Samsung updates its ChatON service to version 2.0

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:20 AM PST

Samsung ChatON

Samsung has just updated its universal chat service, ChatON, with a whole host of new features. When first launching the app, users are now greeted with the ability to sign in with their Samsung account, which makes syncing smoother. This means that all of your devices -- up to 5 in total -- with ChatON will receive messages simultaneously, which is a feature you'd expect from this type of service. Version 2.0 has added the ability to send multiple images at once as well as changing the font in the chat room. Samsung has also made improvements to the profile page that lets users have multiple profile images.

The ChatON app is preloaded on all Samsung devices, is available from Samsung Apps and can be downloaded to any device from the Google Play Store at the link above.

Source: Samsung

Toshiba Excite 7.7 is getting its Android 4.1 OTA update

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:06 AM PST

Toshiba Excite 7.7 Update

Coming a bit out of left field, the Toshiba Excite 7.7 tablet is receiving an OTA update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. A model that most people had forgotten about (including Toshiba, many would've guessed,) the 7.7-inch variety of the Excite is pulling down a quite sizeable 348MB update that will bring it up to Android 4.1.1. The update will bring the new UI style -- with centered navigation buttons and new status bar -- that we've seen on the latest updates to the Nexus 7, along with all of the other new Jelly Bean goodies like Project Butter and Google Now.

The update is now live and many users are reporting that the OTA is hitting their tablets. Have you been notified on your device yet? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Android Police

Original Galaxy Note getting Jelly Bean, multi-window and other features in new Premium Suite

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 03:08 AM PST

Android CentralBack in the spring the original Samsung Galaxy Note got Android 4.0 and new TouchWiz apps as part of the phone’s first “premium suite” software upgrade. Today, Samsung has confirmed that a second premium suite will bring the OG Note right up to date with newer handsets like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2.

A new entry on Samsung’s Galaxy Note micro-site confirms that along with an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Note will get multi-window (full-screen multitasking), pop-up video/browser/note apps, photo note/photo frame, easy clip, paper artist, and new S Planner and email apps. That’s in addition to standard Jelly Bean features like Google Now and Project Butter.

Last month we reported on rumors that the original Galaxy Note was in line to receive such an upgrade. In the past month we've even seen leaked builds start to appear, suggesting the new firmware is close to being finalized.

There’s no information on when this new premium suite might arrive. However with Android 4.1.2 updates already rolling out for other devices, and major events like CES and MWC looming, we suspect Samsung won’t waste any time in rolling this update out to global Note models. Owners of the U.S.-specific versions may have to wait a little longer, as usual.

Source: Samsung Mobile; via: Engadget

Galaxy Note 2 on AT&T receiving multi-window update tomorrow

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 06:33 PM PST

Galaxy Note 2

AT&T has confirmed to Engadget that starting tomorrow, Galaxy Note 2 users on its network will be receiving an update that will bring full multi-window functionality to their devices. AT&T is the last of the big carriers in the U.S. to roll out an update with the feature to Note 2 devices, something that many specifically want the device for. The multi-window feature, if you're not familiar, lets users run two apps side-by-side which can definitely offer increased productivity options if you're trying to get a lot done. With the extra screen real estate of the Note 2, it's something that can actually work for some people.

Luckily for us, AT&T is skipping the hassle of using Kies for the update (unlike the latest for the Galaxy S3) and letting this one go out OTA (Over The Air,) just like it should. We're not sure exactly when the update will begin rolling, but you can bet the folks here in our forums will know as soon as it does.

Source: Engadget; More: AT&T Galaxy Note 2 Forums
Posted by at 6:51 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)