Sunday, December 9, 2012

Android Community

Android Community

Android Community Nightly: December 7th, 2012

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:54 PM PST

All you Android fans should be happy to know it was another fun-filled Friday complete will all sorts of gaming and update goodness. First off we’ll dive right into Motorola’s extensive list of upcoming updates, and the many that won’t see updates. It appears the Motorola Atrix HD will be next up to receive some Jelly Bean. Then we had tons of exciting Samsung and gaming news so lets dig in below after the cut.

Amazon had an interesting announcement that they’ll be adding voice guide features to their Kindle Fire tablets, then they stated that their AppStore has been booming since releasing their new Fire HD tablets. HTC’s 5-inch 1080p phone got confirmed for the international markets simply as the HTC Butterfly, they’ve dropped the J from the name thankfully. While we’re mentioning HTC, they announced their One VX budget phone for AT&T is available today.

Samsung had another exciting day with a video showing off Jelly Bean and the premium suite update for the Galaxy S III, then hours later Verizon’s GSIII saw a leak of Jelly Bean. Then the final two bits of Samsung news is their Galaxy Camera is indeed headed to Verizon with 4G LTE, and the S Pebble media player is now called the Galaxy Muse player and is available now in the US.

In a few random bits of news all four major US carriers will begin rolling out text-to-911 emergency services in early 2014, and BitTorrent apps for Android have surpassed 10 million downloads combined. In what was probably some of the most exciting news of the day Gameloft’s entire 2013 Android game lineup leaked to the web, and it sounds amazing. We’ve since removed the list but lets just saw all their biggest titles will get sequels, and they have a few new shooters that look amazing. To wrap up this Friday afternoon Asphalt 7: Heat got a big update, SoundHound was updated and is better than ever, T-Mobile’s testing a new pre-paid service, and check out the neat new Action Launcher in the Google Play Store. Last but not least the LG Optimus 2X was updated to, wait for it… Ice Cream Sandwich and not even Jelly Bean. Enjoy the weekend folks and hopefully next weekend we can enjoy Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for Android if Rockstar fixes their issues.

See ya next time!

Apple multitouch patent tentatively declared invalid by USPTO

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:26 PM PST

Most of us are already familiar with Apple‘s ’949 multi-touch patent, more famously know as “The Steve Jobs patent.” It has been used against a number of companies in patent suits, but unfortunately for Apple, the United States Patent and Trademark Office declared today that all 20 claims of it are invalid. FOSS Patents reports that the USPTO did so with a first Office action, which is considered to be something of a preliminary action.


This means that Apple’s patent may be safe in the long run, but at the moment, it isn’t looking all that great. Indeed, Florian Mueller writes that a number of “patent claims that are rejected at this stage do ultimately survive,” as there is potential to get this decision reversed. You can bet that Apple will fight tooth and nail to do just that, potentially taking the matter as far as the Supreme Court if it has to.

If this tentative decision ends up sticking, though, then we can expect a lot of the companies Apple hit with patent claims to appeal. One of the most notable companies is Samsung, which was found to be infringing on that patent in the high-profile trial that was raging a couple months back. Samsung was found to be infringing on a handful of other patents, of course, but if this means that Samsung can render some of the ruling invalid based on the USPTO’s decision, it will certainly try.

Of course, with Apple going after a number of other companies using that patent, we can expect even more appeals past just Samsung if this sticks. At the moment, it seems to early to tell if Apple’s patent will be invalid at the end of everything, so we’ll just have to wait an see. Stay tuned, because regardless of where things end up, this is definitely about to get interesting.

Samsung Galaxy Muse player finally for sale in the USA

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:56 PM PST

Say hello to the smallest Samsung Galaxy Player ever. Previously known internationally as the Samsung Pebble, today Samsung has listed up for sale the newly renamed Pebble as the Galaxy Muse media player for the USA. What makes the Muse special is the way in which it pairs nicely with multiple Samsung Galaxy devices for easily listening or transferring of music.

The Galaxy Muse media player is like an iPad Nano if we have to explain it that way. The difference here is Samsung’s made this neat little accessory nicely pair with all their smartphones. You can add songs right to the device from your Galaxy S III, Note II or many others all without a PC, then leave your phone behind as you head to the gym.

The Galaxy Muse is a small pebble sized media players that is offered in Blue or White, and comes with the same lightweight design as the Galaxy S III. There’s a large metal clip on back for safe attachment for those that jog, or mountain bikers like myself, and as you can see up top it has the usual music player navigation buttons for easy controls.

You can easily transfer music using the recently released Muse music app from the Google Play Store. It looks like Samsung is offering up this neat little Galaxy accessory for just $49.99. You have 4GB of storage included so options are a bit limited with space, but easily transferring to and from with just a smartphone makes this a breeze. Get one today from the link below.

[via Samsung]

BitTorrent’s collection of Android apps hit 10 million downloads

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:22 PM PST

We already know that BitTorrent is pretty popular with the Internet using masses, but as it turns out, it’s proving to be quite popular with Android users as well. There are four different BitTorrent apps available for Android devices – BitTorrent beta and µTorrent beta, along with remote apps for both BitTorrent and µTorrent – and collectively they’ve been downloaded 10 million times. Not bad for a group of apps that only started becoming available just over a year ago.


Of those four, it seems that the remote apps are the most popular, with 4.7 million downloads between them. Little surprise there, considering that those apps let users remotely control their desktop BitTorrent or µTorrent clients, meaning they can keep track of the items they’re downloading to their computer from anywhere. We imagine a lot of BitTorrent users can see the value there, hence the apps’ popularity.

The numbers for the others have the µTorrent app at 3.8 million downloads, which is certainly saying something considering that app has only been available since September. It would seem that users are flocking to the app, as BitTorrent says that 45% of µTorrent’s Android audience use the app a few times a week, while 25% use it each and every day. Expect µTorrent’s popularity on Android to keep growing at a fast pace as time goes on, with it overtaking the remote apps in terms of downloads soon.

Rounding out the group is the BitTorrent app, which has 1.5 million downloads to its name. That means BitTorrent is the least popular app out of the four, but even then, 1.5 million downloads is nothing to stick your nose up at. We imagine the downloads will keep coming for these apps for a while yet, so keep it here at Android Community for more details.

[via Digital Trends]

Text-to-911 emergency services coming to US carriers in 2014

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 02:44 PM PST

New details have confirmed that the big 4 US phone carriers have agreed to rollout a brand new service in a joint effort with the 911 Association (NENA) that will allow text-to-911 emergency services. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and the Now Network have all agreed to offer this come 2014. With text messages being such a huge part of daily life we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner.

Apparently the agreement and plan between all four major US carriers and the 911 association has been shipped off to the FCC for approval, and should be seen this month to get things started. Apparently back in May Verizon was dabbling with the idea, but this is a full on agreement by all four carriers to work together and offer this service to all their subscribers.

NENA's President Barbara Jaeger offered this statement. "As the public becomes more mobile and embraces new methods for communicating, 9-1-1 has to be ready to answer non-voice requests for assistance. This historic agreement demonstrates the shared commitment of parties to serve the evolving needs of citizens in the digital age."

Plans to launch the service are aiming for early 2014 with the initial rollout complete by May. There will be a bounce-back system in place for regions not yet supported as 911 call centers will need to have required equipment and training to complete this new option. Obviously placing a call for help or emergencies is obviously the best and fastest way to proceed, but this service will be great for hearing impaired as well as those scary situations where silence is needed. This is a good first step by wireless carriers, I’m just surprised this hasn’t been fully implemented sooner. Thoughts on text-to-911 services?

[via SlashGear]

Gameloft’s entire title line up for 2013 leaked

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 02:22 PM PST

When it comes to mobile gaming, there are few companies as big as Gameloft. There have been plenty of console and PC publishers who have made their presence known in the mobile gaming space, but Gameloft is one of the few to rise to the top through releasing only mobile games. Therefore, you’ll excuse us while we jump up and down at the news that Gameloft’s line up for 2013 has been leaked.


The list that has been leaked is apparently the real deal, as Gameloft has supposedly been trying to track down and remove the information. Considering that Gameloft puts out some really stellar games for mobile devices, we can’t really blame websites for getting excited about this leak, but at the same time, we can’t really blame Gameloft for wanting to keep this stuff a secret. After all, just because a game is in development doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing, so Gameloft may not want these game titles out in the open on the chance that one of the games on the list ends up cancelled.

Really though, given the success some of Gameloft’s series have enjoyed, it probably won’t come as much of a shock to see a number of sequels on the list. Some of Gameloft’s biggest franchises are apparently due for a new installment in 2013, so fans have every reason to get excited. Here’s the list of new Gameloft titles rumored to hit in 2013, which comes from Touch Arcade.

Edit: List has been removed at the request of Gameloft.

Based on what we’ve seen it appears that Gameloft has a full year ahead of it. Not only are most of it’s major franchises getting new installments (with the notable exception of N.O.V.A. interestingly enough), but Gameloft will also be releasing a handful of movie-based titles for some of 2013′s biggest flicks. Also worth pointing out is the fact that Gameloft has a number of different genres covered in its 2013 line up, so many gamers should be able to find something that suits them. We’ll have to wait and see if this is all true, but one thing is certain: 2013 should be a big year for Gameloft fans. Stay tuned.

[via DroidGamers]

T-Mobile testing new pre-paid brand called GoSmart

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST

It’s been a big couple of days for T-Mobile. Yesterday, the carrier announced that it will stop offering subsidies on new devices next year – something that could end up having a ripple effect throughout the industry if it succeeds – and now it has confirmed to Fierce Wireless that it has a new pre-paid brand called GoSmart Mobile in the testing stages. Provided this test works out well, T-Mobile may look to take GoSmart nationwide in 2013.


The T-Mobile representative didn’t go into any depth about the service with Fierce Wireless, but promotional documents unearthed by TMoNews presumably give us all the details. GoSmart customers will get to pick from three different plans: there’s a $30 per month plan that covers only unlimited voice and text messaging, so you won’t have any mobile data with that one. Then there’s a $35 per month plan that gives you unlimited voice and text messaging but throws unlimited 2G data on top of that.

While the $35 per month plan is certainly a bit better than that the $30 plan, 2G data still isn’t much to write home about. If you want to take advantage of 3G data speeds, you’ll need to jump up to the $45 plan, which grants unlimited talk, text, and 3G data. It certainly doesn’t sound like a bad service, but now we know that T-Mobile wants to test the waters before committing to a nationwide roll out.

Pre-paid service plans have worked out pretty well for T-Mobile, so the fact that the carrier is pursuing something with this GoSmart brand isn’t some grand revelation. Just as well, T-Mobile’s recent acquisition of MetroPCS shows that the company is serious about tackling the pre-paid space in a big way. T-Mobile didn’t reveal which markets it’s testing GoSmart in, but assuming everything goes well during this test, we should be hearing more about it soon.

SoundHound updated with faster song search and lockscreen widgets

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:57 PM PST

The wildly popular song search and recognition app SoundHound has received a nice little update this afternoon that should make many users happy. Today the developers have issued a quick update that promises to make searching and song recognition even faster. They’ve also added a few new features and improved on the layout. Now it’s the fastest and best looking song matching app for Android.

While Google might offer their own song search option, SoundHounds competition like Shazam and the newly announced Rhapsody SongMatch don’t offer lockscreen widgets. SoundHound has added support for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean‘s lockscreen widgets. This will enable those diehard music fans to instantly search and recognize a song without even unlocking their phone.

They’ve improved the search speed and results to continue being the fastest and best option available. Lockscreen widget support for Jelly Bean is here, they improved the layout although the changes appear pretty minimal so far, and as usual mention bug fixes. A few older devices with support issues should also be resolved too. According to the comments.

It’s a small update but the new lockscreen widget feature should make plenty of users quite happy. So readers, what’s your favorite music recognition app? Do you use the stock Android option from Google (Google Ears) Shazam, SongMatch, or stick to SoundHound? Let us know in the comments below. Get the all new SoundHound right now from the Play Store.

Samsung reportedly announcing Galaxy Grand DUOS in January

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:38 PM PST

Given that we’re expecting the announcement of the Galaxy S IV relatively soon, all eyes will be on Samsung in the first half of 2013. According to a new rumor from the folks at SamMobile, however, it appears that Samsung is gearing up to announce a brand new handset as early as next month. This has a model number of GT-I9082 and, according to SamMobile’s source, goes by the name of the Galaxy Grand DUOS.


The source wouldn’t divulge any information about the phone’s technical specifications, but late last month, the Galaxy Grand reportedly passed through the FTC. It was then we found out that the Galaxy Grand will sport a 5-inch screen that’s displaying at a paltry resolution of just 800×480. That seems a little on the low end for a 5-inch display, but interestingly enough, the rest of the hardware in the phone seems pretty high end.

For instance, the Galaxy Grand is rumored to use a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz, which should be pretty powerful. Other bullet points on the list include NFC capabilities, 4G LTE, and Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. The screen makes us immediately think mid-range, but the other hardware doesn’t seem to mesh very well with that assumption.

In any case, SamMobile thinks that Sammy will announce this device in January – perhaps we’re headed for a CES 2013 reveal? It’s hard to say for sure, but if these rumors are true then it won’t be too much longer before we get official word on these rumors. Keep it here at Android Community for more information, as we’ll update you if we hear any new details.

Ice Cream Sandwich hitting LG Optimus 2X in Europe

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:03 PM PST

It’s been a long, long time coming, but it appears that some folks outside of Korea are finally getting the long awaited update to Ice Cream Sandwich on their LG Optimus 2X. We’ve been talking about this update for more than a year now, with LG even leading us to believe at one point that the Optimus 2X would not be getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich. In a rather strange (and very delayed) turn of events, GSMArena has spotted a thread on the XDA Developers forum that says the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Optimus 2X is now ready for Europe.


According to that forum post, it looks like V30a is the update bringing Ice Cream Sandwich with it, and you can nab it now through the LG update tool. Unfortunately, if you’re using a carrier-locked device, GSm=MArena says you’ll probably have to wait a bit for the update. Still, this is much better than nothing, and we’re sure Optimus 2X owners can wait just a little while longer for their ICS update – after all, they’ve waited so long already, what’s a little more time going to hurt?

Obviously, jumping up to Ice Cream Sandwich means that you’ll get increased speeds and updated version of Google’s apps, but it appears this update is also adding a newer version of the LG Optimus UI. It isn’t Jelly Bean, but with a phone as old as the Optimus 2X, Ice Cream Sandwich is better than being stuck on older versions of the Android OS indefinitely. Speaking of Jelly Bean, it’s probably too much to expect an update past ICS, so don’t be surprised if this is the last update delivered for the Optimus 2X.

Of course, you never really know with these things, even if the chances of an update seem slim to none. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but it’s encouraging that LG isn’t leaving the Optimus 2X entirely in the dust just yet. Keep it tuned here to Android Community for more information!

Action Launcher hits the Play Store – makes opening apps a breeze

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:58 AM PST

Today we have an awesome brand new launcher to share with everyone. The developer from the wildly popular Tweet Lanes comes Action Launcher. Just as the name implies this home screen replacement launcher has an always available action bar for quickly and easily opening and launching apps, as well as a few other impressive features. Let’s take a look.

There’s multiple options available for launchers in the Google Play Store. Some are wildly different and unique, while others are just a slight spin off of stock Android. What we have here with Action Launcher is a similar way of searching for things, but for your apps. Just like the alphabetized shortcuts in the People app, we have the same with the app tray. Instead of flipping through 3 or 4 pages of apps just hit the P for Play Store, and select it from the list. This makes things extremely quick, easy, and fluid.

The developer, Chris Lacy, states that Action launcher “aims to allow you to load any app in one second from your home screen.” Then he’s also taken Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich folders to an entirely new level. The video below will explain it perfectly so check out his hands-on video.

Covers brings an intuitive and evolution to folders in Android. Now instead of tapping a folder only to be offered up multiple apps, simply tap once to launch the most often used app from the folder, then a double tap opens it as usual. The video above goes into detail and I could really see that being an awesome feature.

Action Launcher is certainly different from stock Android launchers, but keeps that same look and feel in general so many users will be excited to give this a try. So far it appears he’s only offering Action Launcher Pro for $3.99, but we’re hopeful for a free version eventually. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

3 2 1 unnamed action

– Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Posted by at 12:56 AM

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