Android Phone Fans |
- YouTube Capture app released for the iPhone – Android version coming soon [VIDEO]
- T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 getting multi-view update December 19th
- Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S3 get CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies
- Google surprise calendar countdown to offer daily Google Play deals
- Latest Kik Messenger update infuses the app with Reddit browsing and sharing
- Samsung redoes “sex tape” ad with Santa and Mrs Claus [VIDEO]
- Facebook improves nearby places discovery in latest mobile update
- Smartphones with a sense of smell? IBM’s bold technology predictions for the next 5 years
- Dead Trigger Christmas update now available in the Play Store
- Schmidt once again toots the Android horn in interview with Stephen Colbert
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S3 coming this Friday
- Major security flaw discovered in latest Exynos devices; community cooks up temporary fix as Samsung investigages
- Android-controlled toilet is Japan’s latest bathroom innovation
- Google UK exec says Nexus 4 supplies have been scarce, erratic; confirms new shipments this week
- Sprint will acquire remaining stake in Clearwire for $2.2 billion
| YouTube Capture app released for the iPhone – Android version coming soon [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Dec 2012 03:44 PM PST
Today, Google announced an all new application for the iPhone called YouTube Capture. The app lets users quickly upload videos to YouTube, with easy sharing across multiple social networks like Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. While this is great news for iOS users, many Android users are feeling left out in the cold, but don’t worry — ours is coming too. So, what makes YouTube Capture all that special, and isn’t it the same as uploading from the gallery app on Android devices? Not entirely. With Capture, users can trim and add YouTube’s special video enhancements like video stabilization, color correction, and background music — options previously only available from the desktop version of YouTube on your browser. Probably the best part about YouTube Capture is that it forces its users to shoot in landscape mode by default (although this can be changed in the app’s settings). As I mentioned before, Capture also lets iPhone users easily share to multiple social networks all from within the app ala Instagram. Alright, so does this mean Android users should be expecting a YouTube Capture to drop in the Play Store some time soon? According to Google, most definitely. While I don’t think there’s any need for a separate video recording app just for uploading to YouTube, the inclusion of the once desktop-only editing features has me green with envy. Really, all Google has to do is simply update our current YouTube app to include all these features in the upload options. What still remains to be seen is if Android users will also be restricted to iOS’s 720p maximum limit. If not, you’ll finally be able to go back to gloating. |
| T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 getting multi-view update December 19th Posted: 17 Dec 2012 03:22 PM PST The marvelous feature known as multi-view on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 finally looks to come to T-Mobile users starting December 19th as the carrier has confirmed the news on its support site. This feature allows you to use two select apps at a time. For instance, I could be watching a YouTube video while browsing my Facebook time line at the same time. It’s pretty remarkable. By select apps, you’ll know that this feature will be limited to most Samsung-created apps, possibly a few Google apps and possibly a few third party apps such as Facebook and Twitter. Verizon users were shocked to find out that absolutely no Google apps, nor Facebook or Twitter, were available to use with their version of multi-view so nothing is guaranteed.
Developers can add code to an APK’s manifest to make the apps compatible with multi-view, but most apps in the Play Store are not coded in this way. You could petition your favorite developers to figure out how to added support and deliver it in an update, but know that it’s not guaranteed to happen, and that it might not be the best solution even if it is guaranteed. Those who opt to root their devices might have already been enjoying multi-view, and with that would come the ability to use multi-view with any app you download. This is obviously the most ideal setup one could ask for, so if you don’t have a problem rooting your device then it’s something you’ll want to explore. You might ask why Samsung doesn’t just allow all apps themselves, and the answer is simple — they don’t want to be liable for poor performance, bad implementation of apps or be bombarded with silly questions like why users can’t play Modern Combat 4 will doing their homework in S Note. By limiting apps to carrier and Samsung approved apps they can assure users are using multi-view with apps that work well with the feature. Thankfully they made it easy enough to manipulate if you’re willing to get down and dirty with your device so don’t be too vexed about it. Other changes in the update will include a fix for an issue where exchange calendar events were not appearing in the built-in calendar, as well as an issue where users were unable to swipe through Gmail messages. The update will roll out over-the-air and via Kies so you should have no issues pulling this one down come Wednesday. [via T-Mobile] |
| Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S3 get CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:58 PM PST More devices are in line to receive CyanogenMod 10.1 — aka the Android 4.2 build — as the team has started to push nightlies for some newly confirmed ones. Today’s lucky devices are the Samsung Galaxy S (yes, the original) and the Samsung Galaxy S3. It’s quite remarkable that the original Samsung Galaxy S is still getting the kind of support it’s receiving from CyanogenMod, and the development community as a whole. I shouldn’t be too surprised as people were still trying to get Ice Cream Sandwich up and going on the trusty G1 last I checked, but it’s still nice to know how dedicated the community is to supporting our devices far beyond what OEMs and carriers typically do.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 isn’t as surprising (in fact, it’s not surprising at all) considering there has been support for this device since it dropped this past summer. I should note that the supported devices are currently limited to the T-Mobile and AT&T variants, but others should be in line for it in due time. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean features some great new enhancements over the original Jelly Bean build, such as Photos Sphere support, the toggles in the notifications pane, profiles, home-screen widgets and more. You’ll want to head here for the nightly downloads, but remember that these builds are to be considered experimental — none are guaranteed to work 100% correctly, and the CyanogenMod team doesn’t like it when you complain about stuff. They generally only accept bug reports for release candidates and stable builds so you’ll have to wait on those if you end up running into any. That said, if you understand the nature of nightlies and you want to flash anyway then head to the source link and get on with it. [via IntoMobile] |
| Google surprise calendar countdown to offer daily Google Play deals Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:43 PM PST
Google has launched a holiday promotion in the Google Play Store that will see a new deal made available to Android users each day until we ring in the new year. Today’s “surprise calendar countdown” offer is a $35 credit to be used with the Hotel Tonight app. Users need only download the hotel booking application and enter the promo code “google35″ at checkout. Google isn’t revealing the deals in advance, but they will cover the complete range of Google play content, including books, music, movies, TV, and games. Based on this first promotion, it looks like the deals won’t simply be limited to discounted apps, as has been the case with past Google Play promotions. So if you’re looking for a hotel tonight, this Hotel Tonight deal looks like one that can’t be passed up. Otherwise, stay tuned to see what Google brings to us over the coming weeks. Great deals are sure to be had for all. [via TechCrunch] |
| Latest Kik Messenger update infuses the app with Reddit browsing and sharing Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:38 PM PST
Where the boys at Google have been sitting on their hands when it comes to adding new features to Google Talk (when are we going to be able to send pictures!?), the boys at Kik are picking up where Googs left off. A sort of hybrid between normal SMS and instant messaging, Kik combines the best of both, allowing users to quickly and easily share photos (and more) with users on Android or iOS. Because the Kik service requires users to create user names and not actual phone numbers — unlike rival messaging service, WhatsApp — users no longer have to worry about changing your number if some weirdo wont leave them alone.
If you haven’t been keeping up-to-date on all the Kik happenings, recently their Android app was updated with a new way for users to share using a new feature they called “Cards.” There were 3 cards at launch: YouTube Videos, Sketch, and (Google) Image Search. Think of Cards as tiny apps within the app, that allow for direct sharing of content with friends, family, or acquaintances. Where you could technically do this the “old fashioned way” by sending links via SMS or on Google Talk, when cards are shared with other Kik users, the content is immediately displayed in the conversation view and users wont ever have to leave the app to view. Genius.
Today, Kik was updated in the Play Store yet again, this time adding an all new card called “Reddit Pics.” As the name suggests, the mini-app allows for easy browsing of Reddit’s images, and you can even custom tailor browsing by adding your favorite subreddits. Once an image is found that is deemed worthy of sharing, simply send the image directly to another another Kik user where they can even read the caption. Gotta hand it to ‘em, it’s an awesome update for an already great app. Can’t wait to see what the guys at Kik come up with next. The update is live on Google Play and, as always, Kik Messenger for Android is completely free to download. |
| Samsung redoes “sex tape” ad with Santa and Mrs Claus [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:22 PM PST Remember that Samsung Galaxy S3 ad where a husband was going off on a business trip and his wife warned him not to watch a video she S Beamed to him on the plane? There was no telling what was actually in that video, but because we’re humans with dirty, dirty minds we all just assume it was a sex tape, of sorts. As racy as that ad was, what would you say if it was redone… with Santa Claus and his portly wife? That is exactly what Samsung has done for its holiday advertising campaign. The ad takes the attractive contemporary family and setting from the original ad and replaces them with the Clauses, their helpful elves and Santa’s sleigh all sitting in front of their North Pole home. The funny thing is that the characters for the new ad nailed the subtleties of the characters’ expressions from the first ad quite nicely. Yep, Mrs. Claus gives Santa that same “dirty” look after telling him not to watch it on the sleigh, and Santa responds with the awkward wave and double look. One difference you might notice in this ad is that Santa is using the Galaxy Note 2 while Mrs. Claus (does anyone even know her first name?) is using the Samsung Galaxy S3. The original ad only featured the Galaxy S3, but with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 now available from virtually everywhere it was important for Samsung to include it. Be sure to click above if you haven’t already seen this one floating about the digital airwaves, but if your mind has a tendency to paint its own pictures then you might want to steer clear so as to avoid having your brain burn unsavory mental images as a result of the sexual connotation this ad delivers. |
| Facebook improves nearby places discovery in latest mobile update Posted: 17 Dec 2012 12:09 PM PST
Facebook has an update ready to roll for their mobile app hot on the heels of the launch to the Android native version. The latest iteration of the social networking app focuses on enhancements to nearby places discovery. Selecting “Nearby” from the main menu will instantly compile a list of local business frequented or liked by friends. Sorting options will allow users to refine their search, while clicking on a place will show business info as well as friend interactions. If you find a great new bar or hangout spot, you can rate or share with friends directly from the app. Facebook says the update is just the beginning for improvements to Nearby, which will grow as a service as more users share, rate, and like locations. The update is headed to both iOS and Android devices and should be available later today. [via Facebook] |
| Smartphones with a sense of smell? IBM’s bold technology predictions for the next 5 years Posted: 17 Dec 2012 11:15 AM PST
Each year IBM releases its “5 in 5″ list offering five technology predictions for the next five years. This year’s list focuses on the five senses and details one new technology for each. All suggest intriguing possibilities for the future of smartphones. For smell, IBM predicts digital “noses” that can sniff out underlying medical conditions in a person’s breath. For sight, digital visioning enhancements could also have medical applications or be used to scan uploaded photographs for advertising purposes. For taste and hearing, technology could help craft foods that are maximize both nutrition and flavor or develop better hearing implants and predict the weather. Possibly most applicable to smartphones, advancements in touch screens might allow us to feel the textures we see. An obvious use for something like touch is retail. Shoppers surfing Amazon would have a chance to actually feel the fabric of the clothes they are browsing. But the other predictions offer more outside of the box thinking. With a digital nose, for instance, a smartphone could act as a fire alarm or carbon monoxide detector. Google could target advertising based on local scents. Is that the scent of delicious pizza wafting through the air? Here’s a Google Offer for a nearby slice shop. This, of course, is something that is likely much further down the road.
The combined digital senses could be used to aid in another IBM prediction from 2006, remote health care access. A patient could send samples and images direct from their phone to be used in crafting a diagnosis. But speaking of older predictions, it’s worth nothing that not all of IBMs guesses have panned out. The first two 5-in-5 forecasts to pass their fifth year have been a little hit or miss. We do have access to technology like mobile wallets and advancements in driving like Google’s computer-driven cars, but we’ve missed out on the 3D internet and reliable real-time speech translation. The beginnings of several of IBM’s predictions for this year already exist, but even with rapidly advancing computer and mobile tech it’s hard to imagine something like a smartphone display that can simulate textures on the fly arriving within the next five years. Still, it’s fun to imagine what the world will be like when such a technology inevitably debuts. |
| Dead Trigger Christmas update now available in the Play Store Posted: 17 Dec 2012 10:41 AM PST The folks at Madfinger Games have offered up another holiday-themed update for its zombie shooter in the Google Play Store. I’m talking about Dead Trigger, of course, and today’s upgrade brings a lot of new content that fits with the theme of Christmas. For starters, you’ll get a new arena that’s fixtured up in the North Pole. Here, you’ll take on waves of enemies who are led by the new boss that’s also coming along for a ride in his deadly sleigh — Zanta. Yes… Zanta. With a Z. I assume the “Z” is to play to the fact that he’s a zombified version of Santa, but if there was some other meaning then it went way over my head.
Other than that, a new grenade launcher can be added to you weapons inventory, new story missions can be played and Madfinger is offering special pricing offers on various weapons. You’ll also be able to play your way to a Dead Trigger t-shirt in a new underground puzzle. Beyond new content, Madfinger made a key tweak to the mini-mortar in order to make it even more deadly than it already was. You can’t be too mad about that. As usual, the game is free for all to download but you’ll be urged to help fight the zombie apocalypse with tools and weapons that you buy using in-app purchases. Still, the game is totally playable without much of that so you should be downloading this with the quickness. Head to the Play Store for the upgrade. |
| Schmidt once again toots the Android horn in interview with Stephen Colbert Posted: 17 Dec 2012 08:35 AM PST
Stephen Colbert is known for his often humorous interviews with celebrities, politicians, and authors on his show The Colbert Report, but the tables were turned when the TV personality made a recent trip to Google. Colbert was on the receiving end of a series of questions submitted by Google employees during an interview hosted by chairman Eric Schmidt. While the majority of the hour-long interview focuses mostly on Colbert’s latest book, Schmidt managed to slip in a bit of good-natured boasting for his company’s Android platform and Google Play Store. Saying, “I should not turn this into an Android commercial,” Schmidt once again touted the mobile platform’s position as the world’s top mobile operating system. Noting that Android is currently “five times bigger than the iPhone”, he assured Colbert that this fact combined with his book’s availability on Google Play meant “people will actually read your book.” Colbert, an open fan of Google, had a few suggestions for Schmidt, including a tweak for the company’s Nexus 7 tablet. The Comedy Central host owns the N7 and requested that Google consider installing a physical volume button on the device. Schmidt had the perfect response. “That would cost extra.” Most of the Android-related stuff, including a quip on Google Play being a competitor to the rainforest (or more specifically a competitor to an online retailer named after a rainforest) comes within the first 10 minutes, but if you are a fan of Colbert the whole video is worth a watch. Add in the always entertaining Schmidt and it makes for some can’t miss YouTube viewing. [via AllThingsD] |
| Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for US Cellular’s Samsung Galaxy S3 coming this Friday Posted: 17 Dec 2012 08:30 AM PST US Cellular has announced that it would be rolling Jelly Bean out to its Samsung Galaxy S3 starting this Friday, December 21st. This would make it the fifth and final upgrade needing to go out to the Samsung Galaxy S3 here in the United States as all major carriers, including Verizon, will have been offering it.
As with all the other upgrades to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, US Cellular’s will bring the obvious enhancements that are Google Now, Project Butter and expanded notifications, as well as some Samsung specific changes including new features for the camera, browser, calendar and more. An over-the-air process will be taking place, but if you end up having trouble with that then you can also do the upgrade via your PC over USB. This link will have everything you need to take care of that once December 21st hits, but let’s hope this “end of the world” nonsense doesn’t end up spoiling our fun. More fleshed out details of what’s going to be changing can be had at this link so be sure to give it a nice read or two ahead of time. We’re not yet sure if in-store upgrades will be provided but we will be sure to find out from our friends over at US Cellular. |
| Posted: 17 Dec 2012 07:55 AM PST Uh-oh — it looks like someone left a rather big hole open in Samsung’s kernel for its latest Exynos-based devices. An exploit has been reported to exist that would allow a malicious application to gain full access to a user’s device. For some reason, several parts of the memory system are open for read/write access to anyone. It’s said to affect any device with the Exynos 4210 and 4412, which would include heavy hitters such as the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S2, the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S3 and all Samsung Galaxy Note 2 units. Those with Qualcomm-based devices — which were common with the Galaxy s2 and Galaxy S3 here in North America due to LTE — are safe.
For an idea of just how bad this exploit is, know that it is possible for anyone who knows what they’re doing to gain root access fairly easily — so easily, in fact, that you don’t need to ODIN or do any fancy file transferring to do so. This means an app you download from the Google Play Store or third party sources could quietly break into any part of the system it wants to without much effort at all. More details about what seems to be going on can be found at the XDA thread where many folks within the development community have come together to discuss the exploit. A temporary low-level fix has been provided for developers who want to experiment with it or implement it into their ROMs, but the fix does seem to break access to the device’s camera. It comes down to what’s more important: security or photos? The former should ring true for most, but we understand the hesitance of not wanting to lose the latter. Luckily, danger should be easily avoidable. For starters — and you might have heard this a lot in the past, but here it is again — please remember to download from trusted sources only. Try and stick to the Google Play Store wherever possible, and don’t download any app that looks suspicious. Most folks in the Play Store are genuine, but one or two apps may try and sneak their way into people’s phones by disguising themselves as something they’re really not. Most of these types of apps tend to be simple wallpaper or ringtone apps, so if there was one category you absolutely had to stay away from then that would be it. If you’re downloading APKs for the purposes of sideloading then be sure that you can trust the developer who provides it. Even if you trust the developer, make sure you’re reading comments regarding the APK, and make sure you’re downloading from the developer’s own link. Of course, avoidance is not the best course of action — an even better solution would be an official fix from Samsung. The company has acknowledged that a problem might exist and has launched a formal investigation into the matter. We’re hopeful it’ll find that the development community is right, and that a fix will be rushed out worldwide to prevent a huge problem. [XDA Developers via MobileSyrup] |
| Android-controlled toilet is Japan’s latest bathroom innovation Posted: 17 Dec 2012 07:43 AM PST
Studies have already shown that the bathroom is one of our favorite places to pull out our smartphones, so why not take it a step further? That’s exactly what Japanese company Lixil did with the creation of their Satis commode, a toilet controlled by an accompanying Android app. The app makes things like touching a potentially germ-covered toilet seat a thing of the past through a variety of “hands-free” interactions. Users can raise the or lower the seat, initiate the cleansing blast of a bidet, and even stream music to a set of speakers installed in the toilet all with a few touches of the My Satis app. You can even monitor your toilet usage, which may or may not provide a snapshot of your digestive health (chances are you won’t need an app to tell you when your system is acting up, though). Leave it to the Japanese, a culture that has already achieved innovations in the bathroom that others around the world only dream of. In comparison to some of the other high-tech toilets found in the country, the Lixil Satis in reality is only a slight bump up in loo luxury. Here in the US we’re still waiting for the day a robotic toilet can pamper us while Phil Collins serenades from somewhere below the bowl. [Lixil via Inquistr] |
| Google UK exec says Nexus 4 supplies have been scarce, erratic; confirms new shipments this week Posted: 17 Dec 2012 07:31 AM PST In today’s edition of “let us tell you something you probably already know,” a Google exec has spoken out about the unfortunate situation that has been transpiring with the Nexus 4 delays. Many customers put orders in more than a month ago, and some of those customers still haven’t received a device. The initial corporate response, as it always seems to be with big delays of any kind, was that demand exceeded Google’s wildest expectations. You can only go so long trying to flip this big of a negative into a positive in that age-old way, though, and it seems Google UK and Ireland’s managing director is ready to put the bullish excuse away.
Dan Cobley spoke directly to users on Google+ (after they bombarded a post about Zeitgeist with complaints about the Nexus 4 debacle) as he looked to empathize with them regarding the situation. He says the delays are unacceptable, and that the teams are working around the clock to meet all of its orders and get back on track. Cobley wasn’t looking to help soften the fire under LG, either, as he implicated the OEM for its scarce and “erratic” supply. We’re not sure what, exactly, is meant by “erratic” but we’re going to guess he’s talking more about the process of shipment opposed to problems in manufacturing. Cobley says Google is still at fault, though, as communication to customers regarding these matters have been admittedly poor on their part. He’s right: when customers throw hundreds and thousands of dollars at you then the ability to let them know what’s going on with what they paid for is imperative. Having said that, Cobley took the opportunity to be more clear about the status of orders that were originally taken on the December 4th sale. Those orders were originally given shipment times of 3-5 days, and while a good amount of customers received devices in that time frame there still appear to be a lot who haven’t. Cobley assured everyone that the rest of those orders would be shipping out early this week, however, and any other orders that were originally scheduled to arrive before Christmas will make their way to customers’ doorsteps before the biggest gift-giving date of the year. Let’s hope Google is up to the task of meeting that estimation, because if there’s one date you absolutely cannot miss when shipping orders, it’s Christmas. How many of you are still without Nexus 4 devices? [via The Verge] |
| Sprint will acquire remaining stake in Clearwire for $2.2 billion Posted: 17 Dec 2012 06:55 AM PST
A deal that will see Sprint acquire the remainder of Clearwire has been confirmed after news that a potential agreement was on the table surfaced last week. Sprint, already owning a majority stake in Clearwire, is set to buy the remaining 50 percent of the company for $2.2 billion. It was initially reported that Sprint had made a bid of $2.1 billion, but the demands of Clearwire share owners and a rise in stock prices after whispers of the deal surfaced had the Now Network up their offer. The deal, which is still pending the necessary regulatory approvals, should be complete around the same time as SoftBank’s buyout of 70 percent of Sprint. That should be on the books by March or April of next year. SoftBank has already signed off on the deal, as have Clearwire’s minority shareholders, including Comcast and Intel. Sprint will provide $800 million in funding for Clearwire while absorbing the company’s existing debt of $5.5 billion. Check out the PR below for more details.
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