Android Central

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• Nova Launcher updated to version 2.0 with tons of new features
• Leaked images show new red and brown Galaxy Note 2 versions
• New Year's Eve Contest Extravaganza!
• CM nightlies start the year with a new widget - 'Chronus'
• Open webOS finds its way onto Nexus 7
• Falcon updated with YouTube API integration
• What I used in 2012: Simon Sage
• Android Central's most popular stories of 2012
• Monday Brief: Our EiCs and Their 2013 Predictions
• Korean Galaxy Note 2 sales reportedly top one million

Nova Launcher updated to version 2.0 with tons of new features Posted: 31 Dec 2012 03:56 PM PST Popular homescreen replacement Nova Launcher has just hit version 2.0 with a whole bunch of notable feature adds and improvements. The free version gets most of the improvements including custom wallpaper cropping, increased maximum desktop grid size and an infinitely scrolling app drawer setting. There's also a fix to force wallpaper scrolling on U.S. Galaxy SII (S2) variants, as well as a setting to force the phone to keep the launcher locked in memory. As for the paid "Prime" version, users can now set custom icon sizes and use their swipe actions on any homescreen, rather than just on the main one. You can give the new features a try by downloading Nova Launcher at the Google Play Store link above.

Leaked images show new red and brown Galaxy Note 2 versions Posted: 31 Dec 2012 02:50 PM PST It looks as though the Galaxy Note 2 is going to have some new color options for 2013 -- at least brown and red as seen in a leaked image today. The official color names are "Ruby Wine" and "Amber Brown," but we think just "red" and "brown" will do. Our first reaction is to think that these may be carrier- or region-specific variants that get the new colors, but considering that the original two colors made it around the world at launch, we could see these hit the U.S. carriers as well. This may remind you of a leaked image from a couple days ago which showed a Note 2 in svelte black casing, but AndroidSlash has updated its original story to say that the image appears to be a fan-made fake. For now, the best bet is that we'll see brown and red along with the current crop of colors. Anything more is a bonus. Source: UnwiredView; AndroidSlash

New Year's Eve Contest Extravaganza! Posted: 31 Dec 2012 01:46 PM PST Win one of 11 remaining Google Play Gift Cards - or a bonus Nexus 4! We had the best of intentions, really. Thirty-one days in December, 31 days of contests. But -- surprise, surprise -- holidays and birthdays and sick days caught up with us. We've already given away some 20 Google Play Gift Cards worth $10 each. And now, with but hours to go before we here in the U.S. tip over into 2013, we're finally going to wrap this contest. Those of you who made it a little further in your math studies than we did might note that we've got 11 Gift Cards to go. And since tonight is the party night of the year, let's just get it all done in one last major contest, shall we?  First, a quick reminder that all 31 winners are also in the running for a free 16GB Nexus 4, courtesy of us. If you've won one of the daily contests, or win one of the final 11 Gift Cards, you're automatically in the running.  But let's sweeten the pot, shall we? We're going to give away a second Nexus 4, and we're going to do it in this final contest. read more

CM nightlies start the year with a new widget - 'Chronus' Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:51 PM PST If you're running CyanogenMod nightlies on your Android device, you'll notice a little something new in this evening's builds. Aptly named Chronus, it's a widget that's a conglomeration of the clock, weather. and calendar, and it's fully customizable. The idea of more information in one widget isn't anything new, but this one looks like it is very well done. Hopefully the clock typography is one of the custom settings. It will sit happily on either your home screen or lock screen, and display differently based on the size. On your phone, the lock screen widget is like the standard Android clock widget, meaning that you'll need to swipe down to see it all, but on the home screen you can set the size as you would expect. Tablets display the full size lock screen as they do with the standard Android clock. This is why open-source wins. Google releases a bare-bones version with all the necessary information for folks to take it and create something great from it. For now, you'll need to run a CM nightly to have this one, but we expect someone to pull it out and publish on Google Play for all devices if possible. Be sure to grab tonight's build for your device and check it out. Source: +David van Tonder

Open webOS finds its way onto Nexus 7 Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST Since going open source, HP's webOS platform has been ported to a handful of Android devices, including the Galaxy Nexus and the Nook Color. The most recent addition to this niche club is the ASUS-made Nexus 7. A dedicated gesture area, working keyboard, brightness adjuster, and Wi-Fi connectivity are all up and running. Palm expatriates may by happy to see their old friend webOS again, especially if they have a a spare Nexus 7 kicking around to get the build running themselves once it's made publicly available, but as you can see in the video, things are still very much in an alpha state. It's hard to say exactly where aspects of Open webOS will proliferate through the mobile ecosystem over the long run, but looking at experiments like this, it's hard not to think that Android might be one of those places. Any old webOS users here? Who would be willing to try to bring it to their Nexus 7?  via webOS Central read more

Falcon updated with YouTube API integration Posted: 31 Dec 2012 11:13 AM PST One of our favorite Twitter clients for Android, Falcon, updated just in time for 2013 with a bunch of new features. The biggie is that Falcon now uses the fancy YouTube APIs for Android that Google introduced before Christmas, but there are also a few subtle tweaks that have been added, including a spam reporting button, a slider for setting refresh rates, and a logout button. Here's the full changelog for Falcon Pro 1.4. read more

What I used in 2012: Simon Sage Posted: 31 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST It's time to get up close and personal with the Android Central editors. You get a taste of the apps we're trying on a week-by-week basis, but what about those that actually stay on our phones for the long haul? Given, all of the authors here have wide and varied preferences, but hopefully this series will give you guys an idea of which apps have serious staying power.  read more

Android Central's most popular stories of 2012 Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:50 AM PST It's time for a quick look back at the year that was. Frankly, we don't remember most of it. Apparently a year ago or so we were in Las Vegas for CES. Then Barcelona for Mobile World Congress. Then London for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Then New Orleans for CTIA. And San Francisco for Google IO. And Seoul for the LG Optimus G. And San Diego for MobileCON. And any number of other singletons in between. So, yeah. It was a busy year. After the break we've got a look at some of our most popular stories of 2012. Not necessarily the most important. Not necessarily our favorites. But in terms of page views (we now have to get a second set of hands to count those on, by the way), this is what you guys and gals -- our dear readers -- were peeping over the past 12 months. Of course, it's a little biased toward older stories, but there are some rather recent ones tucked away in there, too. Enjoy! read more

Monday Brief: Our EiCs and Their 2013 Predictions Posted: 31 Dec 2012 05:56 AM PST Mobile Nations Podcast Feed Mobile Nations on iTunes Mobile Nations YouTube OUYA ships 1,200 developer consoles, opens dev portal Press: Google Reader done right? Or just different? Multi-window update for AT&T Galaxy Note 2 now live BlackBerry Travel will make its way to BlackBerry 10 New pictures of the BlackBerry 10 N-Series QWERTY device surface BlackBerry Z10 and QWERTY N-Series pose together with a special guest US Department of Justice now investigating HP's Autonomy acquisition WebOS Ports's OWO Memos: an Enyo 2 replacement Messenger Mega Mix mixes in smartphone messaging improvements Facebook Poke vs. Snapchat: What's the best sexting app for iPhone? Apple iWatch rumors surface again, this time with Intel attached 2012 iMore editors choice awards Notifications for Windows Phone 7 hits the Store HDR Photo Camera for Windows Phone 8 updated, adds settings and more Cloud-focused GPS chip by Microsoft Research slashes smartphone battery consumption

Korean Galaxy Note 2 sales reportedly top one million Posted: 31 Dec 2012 04:16 AM PST It's no secret that Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 has been a big seller around the world. Last month brought news that the 5.5-inch device had shifted five million units worldwide, and now reports from the Korean press suggest that one million of those were sold in Samsung's home country. The Galaxy Note 2 launched in Korea just over three months ago in late September, preceding a wider international launch in October. Korean news site MK reported the one million milestone today, while also stating that the Note 2 is selling three times as fast as its predecessor. After hitting one million units sold globally before the end of 2011, the original Note went on to sell ten million units in ten months. With smartphone screen sizes set to increase in 2013, it'll be interesting to see how the Galaxy Note 2 fares in the face of the big-screened competition. Rumors suggest that Samsung is planning to diversify its Note line with a new tablet, possibly in the 7-inch area. Whatever's announced and however big it is, we'll be covering it in full in the new year. Source: MK

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