Android Community |
- Android in 2013: Expectations and Predictions
- CM10.1 Nightlies now available for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Cricket Galaxy S III
- US Cellular Galaxy Note II software update brings multi-window support
- OUYA Dev Consoles begin arriving and eager developers begin sharing details
- Samsung Galaxy Note II shipments top 1 million in South Korea
- Android Community Weekly: End of 2012 Edition
| Android in 2013: Expectations and Predictions Posted: 31 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST The world of Android was pretty exciting in 2012, but prepare yourself for even more come next year. We welcome a whole new generation of 1080p quad-core smartphones, flexible AMOLED displays, tons of Android devices, and surely round after round of rumors. Expectations will undoubtedly be high, and we’re expecting a strong start at CES in just a few weeks. Read on for our thoughts and expectations for the first half of 2013.
There really is no telling what to expect in late 2013, since technology is moving at such a rapid pace. However we can look into the depths and have a pretty good feel for the first half of the year. Many of the expectations and predictions make sense, given the natural evolution of smartphones and current trends, but lets break it down and take at look at what to expect from 2013. 1080p True HD screens and beyond
In 2013 Android will be all about who has the biggest, best, brightest, and most colorful HD smartphones and tablets. Personally I feel 4.7-inches like the One X is the absolute perfect size, but many manufacturers feel very different. Samsung already has leaks confirming a 6.3-inch Galaxy Note III, a 4.99-inch 1080p HD Galaxy S IV, and that’s only the beginning. We know Huawei has a 6.1-inch Ascend Mate coming soon, and almost every manufacturer since HTC released the DNA has had some sort of larger than usual 1080p smartphone leak. It’s safe to say Android in 2013 will be all about 1080p True HD smartphones and tablets of all shapes and sizes. Now if we can only continue to improve outdoor usage, then I’ll be happy. Quad-core processors… and even Octa-core!
NVIDIA had a breakout 2012 with their Tegra 2 and Tegra 3 quad-core processors powering the most popular smartphones and tablets. Samsung and their Exynos processor line, while not too big at first in the US due to not supporting LTE, has came on extremely strong and their own chipset powers the best selling smartphone in the world. That being the Galaxy S III. Samsung’s new Cortex-A15 based 5250 is already here in the Nexus 10, and we expect the extremely powerful and efficient A15 platform to be the future of Android next year. Qualcomm is also leading the pack as well. These main three all have awesome products, each with their own pros and cons, but 2013 will really set them apart. The race to 2.0 GHz quad-cores that are efficient, yet powerful, will determine the race. Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro is already running strong to end 2012, and we already know of a handful of devices all to rock the same in 2013. Qualcomm has some seriously efficient and powerful chipsets, NVIDIA knows how to play like a true gamer, and Samsung brings raw power to the table. It will be a very fun and exciting 2013. Oh and ZTE claims they’ll release an Octa-core (8 core) smartphone in the middle of 2013, so stay tuned for that. Android for $99
This year Motorola released their $99 impressive DROID RAZR M smartphone and really performed well in the budget market. Only it rocked a 4.3-inch edge-to-edge display, dual-core power, 4G LTE, and awesome battery life. All of that for $99 makes it hard for others (like the iPhone) to compete. We are expecting a RAZR M HD next year, and surely HTC, and Samsung will have similar lower priced devices to compete in that space. Oh and we can’t forget about Google. They’ve been changing the game in this front with both their Nexus devices this year. Reports claim they have a $99 tablet in the works again with ASUS, and surely we’ll see a few more Nexus devices in mid 2013 with Android Key Lime Pie. Motorola RAZR Nexus on ALL carriers
The Wall Street Journal just last week reported that Google and Motorola were in the final stages of what is being called the Google X Phone — at least that’s the inside codename. This next-generation device with cutting edge features will likely become the next Nexus, run Android 4.5 or 5.0 Key Lime Pie, and will probably be announced at Google I/O 2013 in May. If they can offer this on T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and everywhere else like Samsung’s done with the Galaxy S III and Note II, it will be a smashing hit. We’re betting on a June release for $249. Key Lime Pie and eventually Licorice
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean really shows where Google’s aiming. They’ve refined the user interface, polished the edges, improved battery life and increased performance with project butter, and Google Now is automating everything. Key Lime Pie will focus on speed across the board. The UI will get faster, their Play Store will see huge overhauls for performance, speed, as well as general look and feel. Then Google Now will continue to integrate deeper and deeper into Android. The notification bar and its expanding notifications will blend into Google Now to become the best experience we’ve seen to date. Google Now is extremely impressive but it still needs work, expect Google to focus heavily on that in 2013. Then of course to end 2013 we’ll see what’s next after KLP, and that will probably be Licorice. It’s all about the deserts in Mountain View! Oh and we can’t forget Project Glass. Android Key Lime Pie and Google Glass will become one, with a voice-controlled Google Now at the helm. Welcome to the future folks! Tablets
Android tablets have still been the weakest link when it comes to the Android ecosystem as a whole, but in 2013 Google and their partners will gain ground on the competition, beat them in pricing, performance and options, and finally give Android tablets the attention it needs. Crazy Predictions
Samsung will open multiple retail stores in the US, probably near Apple locations, and their own Samsung geniuses will be standing by to help you with that awesome new Galaxy S4. Speaking of Samsung, we’re still hoping they’ll reveal an actual smartphone with a flexible AMOLED display like they’ve teased at CES more than once. Will 2013 be the year of flexible displays? We’ll see. Amazon will launch their first smartphone powered by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but you’d never guess because their Fire UI will plaster it with content, movies, music, books, and of course suggestions — also known as advertisements.
Google Wallet, NFC, wireless charging, home automation and more will all be a strong focus in 2013. Manufacturers, partners, and carriers will all be looking to offer something different than the competition to be unique, and as a result the consumers will all benefit. When I can tag a poster at the airport for a free Google Music song, stop for a quick Starbucks, unlock my car, then have my TV set to Sportscenter when I get home all using NFC and Android@Home — then we’ll know things are looking good. #Firstworldproblems. In the end there is literally so many things we could talk about, dreams we could think up, or devices we wish would become a reality. While many things here are expected, many are not. The next version of Android will surely push the limits as Android continues to be the number one mobile OS in the world, and we’ll be here for the amazing ride. Obviously every moment has been exciting, but 2013 will be Android and Google’s biggest year yet! We’d love to hear your own thoughts and predictions for 2013. Drop us a comment below. |
| CM10.1 Nightlies now available for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Cricket Galaxy S III Posted: 31 Dec 2012 08:29 AM PST Some good news this morning for those with a Cricket branded Galaxy S III or a Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet — you now have a nightly build of CM10.1 available for use. This latest CM10.1 nightly announcement includes just that one Galaxy S III, but several of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 variants. That list includes the Wi-Fi (p4wifi) only model as well as the 10.1 (p4), 10.1v (p3) and the T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless models.
These builds can all be grabbed from the Cyanogen branded get.cm website, just make sure you grab the appropriate build for the device you have. And as we have seen with other CM10.1 builds, these will give you Android 4.2 along with some CyanogenMod specifics. Also worth noting, the nightly builds are probably best used by those willing and/or able to accept and deal with some bugs. Moving away from the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and we have the Cricket variant of the Galaxy S III. And while this is a nightly and there may still be a few quirks, it was noted that this nightly release comes with a fix for the issues that plagued the camera in the past. The CM10.1 Nightly for the Cricket Galaxy S III can be found on the get.cm website. Bottom line here, this is just another bit of nightly related builds. These builds are fun to play with and often stable enough for daily use, but as mentioned earlier — they may contain some issues. Simply put, if you have just one phone and you rely on that phone for your daily needs (whether those be personal or work related), you may want to skip the nightlies, just to be safe. [via Google+] |
| US Cellular Galaxy Note II software update brings multi-window support Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:55 AM PST AT&T rolled-out the multi-window update for the Galaxy Note II a short while back, and well, as of today we have word of that update coming available with another carrier. The latest is US Cellular and nicely done on their part, the update includes more than just support for running multiple windows.
First things first though, this update arrives as Android 4.1.2 with baseband version R950VXALL1. The update brings the previously mentioned support for multi-window as well as some pre-loaded apps, some UI changes and some fixes. Beginning with the UI changes and US Cellular notes that these will deal with a color change (from gray to green) on the sound icon (4th position) and a change in menu items. The menu saw the term Sync being replaced by Multi-Window. Some of the fixes included where users could not search for image files using the “Search” option in the My Files app, where the device would sometimes toggle between 3G and 1X and for burst mode. The change dealing with burst mode should take care of those times when you used burst mode only to enter the gallery to see black images. Finally, those pre-loaded apps include more than a handful from Amazon as well as Wi-Fi Now, Slacker Radio, Let’s Golf 3, Mobi TV and a few others. That all being said, those rocking a Galaxy Note II with US Cellular should look for the update notification or grab your device and navigate to Menu -> About device -> Software Update to get the process started. Device Info
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 [via AndroidPolice] |
| OUYA Dev Consoles begin arriving and eager developers begin sharing details Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:22 AM PST Those OUYA Dev Consoles began shipping last week. And in addition to the consoles shipping, the developer SDK was also released. We were given a brief look at the console last week. If you remember back, that look came courtesy of the folks at OUYA who unboxed the unit and gave everyone a look at those translucent consoles.
Moving past that first look and we are now seeing some developer made videos surfacing online. For example, we have a trio of videos coming from the folks at CodeZombieGames. The videos include an in-depth look at the pieces included in the box, an overview of the hookup process and an overview of the interface. Beginning first with what is included in the box. We saw some of this in the video from OUYA, however this one goes a bit further into detail, such as with the controller. For example, the controller is said to be light and easy to hold but that the plastic is “kind of in the middle” in terms of quality. Other points about the controller include how one battery slides in on each side and that the touchpad works “fairly well” but seems to be better for browsing as opposed to gaming. Next video up was the hookup process. This is the shortest of the three videos coming in at just over 2 minutes in length. But on that note, the shorter video probably just means that there is little to discuss. Simply put, the OUYA console appears rather easy to set-up. You have the power and HDMI. Additionally, you also have the Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on the connectivity you choose to use. This video also shows the OUYA as it begins to turn on, which appears to be rather bright. Moving over to the third of three videos and we have the longest — just over 17 minutes. The boot up process appears to be on the slower side, and also shows the note that this is a developer preview that is “not ready for gamers.” In other words, while this is an interesting video to watch, there will likely be some things that will be changing. The overall UI appears to be decent and easy enough to navigate — almost Windows Phone like. All said and done, these videos may just end up serving as a teaser for many considering the regular Kickstarter and pre-ordered units are not expected to begin arriving for a few more months — until March 2013. [via SlashGear] |
| Samsung Galaxy Note II shipments top 1 million in South Korea Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:25 AM PST Despite what some may say about the size of the Galaxy Note II, it seems that Samsung is not really having all that much trouble shipping them out. We have seen some Note II shipment numbers in the recent past, however as of today we are learning about a new milestone — more than 1 million Galaxy Note II phablets have shipped in South Korea.
This news is coming by way of the Korean language MK News site who are reporting that Samsung has now shipped more than 1 million. The key here, this 1 million milestone comes just three months after the initial launch. Of course, looking at the bigger picture, this just adds to the overall global shipment number. If you remember back, Samsung had announced that they shipped 3 million Galaxy Note II phablets back in early-November. And this came before the handset was even available with most of the US carriers. At that point, the Note II was just about to be released with AT&T and still a few weeks away from a release with Verizon Wireless. More important for Samsung though, they returned later in the month with word that Galaxy Note II shipments had topped the 5 million mark. And as always, while these are big numbers — we should point out that they are shipped, not sold. Simply put, these are the devices that Samsung is shipping out to suppliers and distributors. Nonetheless, we suspect that if those suppliers and distributors were not selling the devices, they would not be ordering the devices. Speculation aside, the Galaxy Note II and its 5.5-inch display is beginning to seem not so big anymore considering we are seeing more and more 5-inch devices these days. Device Info
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[via SammyHub] |
| Android Community Weekly: End of 2012 Edition Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:33 PM PST Welcome to the latest round of the Android Community Weekly. The last edition ever… in 2012. This was an amazing year for the Android world at large, the Android community, and us here at Android Community. We’ll be bringing plenty of stories wrapping up the year tomorrow, but for now lets rundown everything that happened this holiday weekend in the news.
We want to start by thanking everyone that made this year awesome, and possible. From the manufacturers, the PR companies, the wireless carriers, and of course you — the readers! Then by saying Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year — Ya filthy animal (name the movie). We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Years Eve. Now lets talk Android. This week was exciting for many Motorola owners, gamers, and Samsung Galaxy Note users. We’ll start with the OUYA, their developer kit game console shipped this week, and we’re expecting great things from OUYA in 2013.
Motorola and Verizon issued the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for their highly popular original DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX, which made tons of people happy, and reports surfaced of a RAZR M HD for early next year. That was an awesome budget phone and a 4.5-inch variant would be a hot seller. Speaking of the M, we reviewed the Motorola Electrify M for US Cellular, so check that out by clicking here. Samsung as usual had a fun week. We’ll try to keep their news to a minimum since it comes in bunches, but we saw some interesting Galaxy S IV stuff — albeit fake. A concept video based off of early design drafts was leaked, and looks rather interesting for the 4.99-inch 1080p quad-core superphone. We can’t wait to see it next year around March or April. Then Samsung confirmed the original Galaxy Note will receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and multi-window updates soon. Speed round. Google Music received music scan and match features, but was cutting out explicit songs and naughty words, and here’s a fix for that. Hyundai wants to replace our car keys with NFC smartphones, and an impressive new 3rd party keyboard called the Kii Keyboard was released — and is rather nice. Last but not least Huawei’s 6.1-inch 1080p Ascend Mate leaked a few times, and we’ll be seeing more of that flagship next week for CES. Have a Happy New Year!!! Then stay tuned because starting next Sunday CES 2013 will be in full stride with plenty of Android news. |
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