Android Phone Fans |
- Google sells Motorola’s cable set-top unit for $2.35 billion
- Dropbox snatches up online photo sharing service Snapjoy – Looks to go head-to-head with Flickr and Picasa
- Peter Molyneux’s Populous reboot GODUS passes funding goal on Kickstarter
- First Nexus 4 commercial uploaded to YouTube – Showcases Photo Sphere family portraits [VIDEO]
- Would you buy a phone with built-in… airbags? [POLL]
- Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC Thunderbolt coming ‘soon’
- Verizon Galaxy Note 2 Developer Edition confirmed
- Official RedBox Instant app sneaks into the Play Store; rooted users need not apply
- Samsung confirms Exynos exploit; will work to fix as soon as possible
- Multi-window update now available for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2
- Sony provides updates on Xperia Jelly Bean plans; some phones not invited to party
- Stalk Santa with Google’s Tracker app and Chrome extension
- Android Overload: Samsung drops case to ban Apple products in Europe, Sprint to have more spectrum than AT&T or Verizon, and more
- Samsung uploads new 2-minute Galaxy Camera commercial starring James Franco
| Google sells Motorola’s cable set-top unit for $2.35 billion Posted: 19 Dec 2012 05:59 PM PST
Looks like Google is about to add a nice amount of change into their bank account with official word that ‘ol Googs is selling Motorola’s cable set-top unit for a cool $2.35 billion. Cable equipment manufacturer Arris is the new buyer and will pay up $2 billion in cash and $300 million in stock to Google, giving Arris a nice portfolio of patents and Google 15.7% ownership of Arris. Today’s news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Ever since Google bought Motorola for $12.5 billion last year we’ve heard talk that Google was planning on selling off the cable unit. Even though some were hoping Motorola’s set top unit could be used to further push Google TV, doesn’t seem Google had much different plans, keeping Motorola afloat being one of them. Deal is expected to close during the first half of next year. [Motorola] |
| Posted: 19 Dec 2012 03:05 PM PST
Dropbox has long held the title of top dog among cloud storage options, offering a fair amount of free storage with their reasonably priced GB options, and of course, desktop syncing. But with rival services from Cubby, Box, SugarSyc and even Google Drive, quickly encroaching on their turf, it seems Dropbox is having to think outside the, ahem, box if they want to keep their throne as the one — and only place — to store all your digital goods. Last week we told you guys about Dropbox’s acquisition of Audiogalaxy, a streaming music service that allowed users to combine their own music with streaming radio. Having GB’s upon GB’s of storage is great, but wouldn’t it be make sense if you can store, sync, and stream your entire music library across devices? Looks as if Dropbox is thinking the same.
Today, Dropbox is continuing to make big moves in the world of the online storage, landing themselves with yet another piece of the “cloud domination” puzzle after acquiring Snapjoy — a photo storage and sharing service similar to Flickr/Picasa/etc. Uploading my photos to the cloud for secure storage is all good and dandy, but when it comes to sharing, Dropbox currently leaves a lot to be desire. Hopefully with Snapjoy under their wing, we’ll have a nice alternative to Instagram. Just like with Audiogalaxy, Snapjoy has frozen signups and in a company statement posted to their blog, mirrored Audiogalaxy’s saying they look forward to working with Dropbox and their 100 milllion+ users. I’ve always been particularly fond of Dropbox and their latest move will keep them ahead of the pack when it comes to cloud storage services. I am excite. [Snapjoy Blog | via TechCrunch] |
| Peter Molyneux’s Populous reboot GODUS passes funding goal on Kickstarter Posted: 19 Dec 2012 02:32 PM PST When gaming hero Peter Molyneux — who worked on brilliant titles such as Fable, Black and White and Populus — picked up his creative genius and decided to leave Lionhead Studios many wondered what he would be up to. Instead of being the hotshot lead game designer at an existing high profile studio, Molyneux decided to form his own independent studio. The first project of the studio was a weird one, no doubt. The game featured a single cube sitting in empty white space with seemingly nothing to offer but the intrigue of it is that something could be at the center of the cube. Users would take their virtual pickaxes and chop away as they looked to discover what was beneath the shell of the structure. Molyneux launched the project for many different reasons, he said. For starters, it was an experiment of psychological measure. Molyneux wanted to know how far people would go to find out what was under the cube, and how many people would be willing to spend more money on better pickaxes to get to the center. It was also a test of simultaneous multiplayer on mobile, though this aspect of it wasn’t nearly as interesting as. It was his “guinea pig” game, of sorts, but it wasn’t close to being the first big end game. The end game, if we’re calling it that, is GODUS, a new mobile title that has yet to be realized but will become reality after a successful round of Kickstarter funding. GODUS brings a genre of video games that Molyneux himself helped pioneer to mobile (and potentially other platforms) — the “god” genre. Molyneux himself describes GODUS as the spiritual reinvention of Populous, the game that started it all. You play the higher power, the the aura in the sky, the ruler of men, if you will. Starting out, users will get two “believers” on a piece of land who will look to begin building their houses to start a new life under your rule. You can manipulate the various surfaces of the landscape to make it easier for new believers to come and build their own houses and buildings. Before too long a kingdom will begin to grow on its own, and you’ll have thousands of these tiny people living on for your cause. But you’re probably asking “well, what is my cause?” Details are scarce right now, but the idea will be to tie multiplayer into this concept and exist in the presence of other gods. Your opponents will have their own followers who believe in the idea of their ruler.
Heads will bump, eventually, and one side will inevitably decide that their kingdom deserves the rest of the land allotted to them. The earthlings of the two sides will clash, fighting for the right to spread belief in your existence. You won’t always be sitting idly by, watching your people struggle to stay alive. The “belief” points you gain can be used to send miracles down to your people to help them in their quests. You can bring other civilizations to their fiery doom if you so please, or use your powers to help your own land grow and flourish. War is only one angle, though — you could just sit and watch your people grow if you want, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But the meat and potatoes of god games has always been to face the biggest challenges your people face in their desire to spread out, and war is no doubt a huge part of that.
The gameplay you see above is only prototypical work that was concocted in just under two weeks’ time, but Molyneux says the project will accelerate quite fast once it has secured the Kickstarter funds. Speaking of funds, the project is due to end in just under 50 hours, and while it has already surpassed its goal it hasn’t surpassed it by much. There is incentive to get that funding pot even bigger, though, as several stretch goals have been put in place. You can find more details on the new stretch goals in the image above, and head to the Kickstarter project if it sounds like something you want to pledge some dollars (or, in the case of this UK-based studio, pounds) to. [via GameFans] |
| First Nexus 4 commercial uploaded to YouTube – Showcases Photo Sphere family portraits [VIDEO] Posted: 19 Dec 2012 12:40 PM PST
Just in time for Christmas (but maybe a little bit late) Google has finally uploaded their very first, official Nexus 4 commercial. The video on YouTube shows off a family who, after gathering together for the holidays, takes a unique family portrait like only the Nexus 4 (or Jelly Bean 4.2) can. Using Photo Sphere, the video shows an almost flawless 360 degree panorama shot, and although probably not the most practical use for the feature, the end result came out suspiciously well. Of course, this commercial will only go so far. Even if piquing interest in the device, the Nexus 4 in both storage configurations is still currently sold out on the Google Play Store. Maybe Google should have uploaded a Valentine video instead. Oh, and if you’d like, you can take a gander at the Photo Sphere’d family portrait on Google+ where it’s currently available for everyone — actors included — to view. [Google+] |
| Would you buy a phone with built-in… airbags? [POLL] Posted: 19 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST There have been a lot of inventions and innovations to behold over the years. Many advances have been made in mobile alone, including small cameras, mini projectors, NFC chips and more. All of that may not seem amazing in the here and now — we’re quite used to the usual bells and whistles of today’s smartphones, after all. But I bet not many have ever thought about this one: airbags. That’s right, what would you say to a phone that came with a working airbag system? The idea was put in the spotlight by the Interesting Engineering Google+ account. Said system would use sensors which could calculate sudden changes in velocity and direction to determine if a phone is about to fall, and would react as a car would following sudden impact. The airbags would protrude from the top and bottom of the phone, creating a nice air-cushioned buffer between the point of impact and the phone itself to protect it from any damage. The illustration also shows how the phone could emit jets of air to change the phone’s trajectory before it slams against the pavement or whatever it is about to hit.
I can’t think of any OEM that would be crazy enough to implement such a thing even if it is possible to engineer in a practical way. For starters, doesn’t a simple shock-absorbing case suffice for most people? Heck, even bumper cases can provide enough protection against your typical drops and tumbles. Also, what customer is going to want to have to restore the airbags after each and every drop? And to that fact, who’s going to want to deal with the headaches of false readings? I’m not sure how precise a sensor would have to be to make sure it doesn’t become a problem, but I surely wouldn’t want my phone to vomit bags and air if I decided to jump for whatever reason. Still, it’s an interesting idea that makes you wonder what more could be done to help protect users’ smartphones. Apparently this technology has been patented by someone but we can’t seem to find any details on that. Interesting Engineer suggests patents exist not only for airbag mechanisms inside phones, but inside cases, as well. It could be a very nice piece of tech for case manufacturers to present to those working in conditions where drops might be common, such as construction. It’s not something I’d want on my smartphone full time, but if I could buy a case to take on days where I think I might need added protection it would be nice to have. There are a lot of questions surrounding the idea, but it all comes down to this: would you buy one? Be it a phone or a case, would you accept the airbags movement? Almost everything under the sun has been done in terms of smartphones so it wouldn’t surprise us that someone — anyone — is already looking at doing something like this to give them the edge that’s needed to make noise in today’s crowded market. Be sure to vote in the poll below and let us know your thoughts with a quick comment. [Update]: After further review, it looks like this is Amazon’s doing. Oh, Amazon. Now bring us a smartphone. Thanks everyone! |
| Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC Thunderbolt coming ‘soon’ Posted: 19 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST
HTC Thunderbolt owners hoping for an Ice Cream Sandwich treat to relieve the dog days of summer were sorely disappointed when the update missed its targeted August release date. Even worse, it seemed all signs were pointing towards a future without Android 4.0 for the aging Verizon handset. But wait just a minute, HTC has once again put some hope back into our hearts. In a response to the curious tweet of one Thunderbolt user, the @HTCUSA account said, “ICS will be here soon,” adding, “Thanks for your continued patience!” And patience here is key, as there is no telling what HTC’s exact idea of “soon” really is. The Thunderbolt is nearing the two year anniversary of its unveiling at CES 2010 so we should consider ourselves lucky that HTC and Verizon are even pushing ahead with ICS for the handset. Similar devices such as the HTC Desire HD weren’t so lucky, despite having a fairly equivalent set of hardware. [via Android and Me] |
| Verizon Galaxy Note 2 Developer Edition confirmed Posted: 19 Dec 2012 09:38 AM PST When Samsung announced the Galaxy S3 for Verizon it almost immediately let us know that a developer edition would be on its way. You see, Verizon’s versions typically get developer releases because the consumer-ready devices come with locked and encrypted bootloaders. Since the same announcement wasn’t made immediately following the announcement of Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Note 2 we feared there wouldn’t be a developer edition of the device coming. Of course, developer Adam Outler put all worries to rest when he unlocked the Verizon Note 2′s bootloader not too long ago.
Still, it would have been nice to have that sort of access straight from Samsung and/or Verizon. Well those looking to get an official developer edition of the device — which will either ship with an unlocked bootloader or ship with a method to unlock its bootloader — can now rest easy because Samsung has seemingly confirmed its existence on its own website. A new product page for a 16GB developer edition has been published this morning. The page doesn’t feature anything we don’t already know about the device itself — it will still feature 16GB of internal storage, a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, and that glorious 5.5 inch HD display with S Pen — and there isn’t even an email sign up form to be notified of its arrival, but there it is regardless. We’ll be reaching out to Samsung and Verizon for more formal word on the release, but until then just know that a developer-friendly edition of one of the biggest (both figuratively and literally) devices of the year is on its way. [via Samsung] |
| Official RedBox Instant app sneaks into the Play Store; rooted users need not apply Posted: 19 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST We’ve been hearing a lot about Redbox Instant as of late. It has been rumored to be a collaboration between Redbox and Verizon, a natural marriage considering the “red” nature of both companies. A competitor to the likes of Netflix, Redbox Instant will allow you to access a nice collection of movies instantly via streaming. It’s a paid monthly service that Redbox seems to claim will provide more value than Netflix, and checking it out for the first month will cost you no more than the time and bandwidth it takes to download. One problem is that the app doesn’t seem to be working for rooted devices. Since the error message rooted users receive is a generic error code we can’t tell if Verizon and Redbox meant to implement this restriction, but as it stands Redbox is enjoying an unhealthy dosage of one-star reviews in the Play Store due to the restriction.
The Redbox instant app goes beyond the streaming aspect of it as it has incorporated mobile Redbox reservation features. You can reserve movies at your local box to ensure the movies will be there before you drive out to pick it up. The free month you get will also net your 4 DVD credits so you can check out the physical Redbox service in full. Other features of the app include the ability to buy and rent titles to watch on your devices, so if there’s one specific movie you want to see without being tied to a subscription option then that certainly is an option. We imagine the selection for buying and renting will be a lot deeper than the selection offered to you through the monthly streaming subscription so that’s one reason why you’d want to go that route for a movie night. Strangely enough the app is available to non Verizon devices despite Verizon putting its stamp all over it. We’re not sure if this is an early mix-up (without an official announcement they probably didn’t expect it to matter) but let’s hope this isn’t an exclusive for Verizon customers — we would hate for anyone to be left out of the fun. Go ahead and take a look for yourself in the Google Play Store. [Note]: As noted in the comments section, you’ll probably need an invitation code to use this app. You can grab one of those from this link. Also, users who are rooted can try disabling the superuser option in the latest superuser app in order to get the app to work. Disabling it when you want to use Redbox Instant and re-enabling it afterward should be a solid course of action for you without having to fully unroot your device. Similar options may exist in other root management apps so be sure to look through them and see if you can do the same. [Thanks Thomas, Paul and David!] |
| Samsung confirms Exynos exploit; will work to fix as soon as possible Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:49 AM PST A couple of days ago we told you guys about an exploit that the gracious developers of the Android community found within the kernels for the Exynos 4210 and 4412 chipsets. With this exploit, Exynos devices like the international Galaxy S2 and all Samsung Galaxy Note 2 units were vulnerable to malicious apps which could gain deep access to the system. It’s essentially a root exploit, and while that may sound all fine and dandy (the exploit is said to make rooting ridiculously easy) it would be a bad day if someone were to design an application specifically designed to attack it. The community took the initiative in providing a fix, but that fix didn’t come without some bugs of its own as early testing proved to break the device’s camera as the files contributing to the exploit were related to that piece of hardware. Still, it showed a fix was possible and quite easy.
Samsung was quickly notified of these happenings and said they’d investigate the claims, but at that time the OEM couldn’t confirm whether or not they’d consider this to be a true issue. We had all the confidence in the world Samsung would agree with the development community, though, and that’s exactly what has developed this morning. The manufacturer confirmed that the exploit existed, and has committed to providing a fix as fast as it can:
As we stated in our original report (and as Samsung reiterates here) most people need not worry too much about the exploit. Since you would need to download and install apps designed to attack the exploit then this can be easily avoided by watching what you download and making sure you’re downloading from credible, trustworthy sources. This means making sure you’re getting applications from legit developers from places like the Google Play Store and the Amazon Appstore. Things get a little trickier when you venture outside those grounds, such as the free applications that are sometimes cooked up for our enjoyment on XDA, but even that is typically safe as the community houses mostly genuine developers. And, really, if you’ve ever rooted your phone (no matter what the method) then you’re already using exploits to your benefit. This exploit is no different in that regard, but the ease of gaining root access through a kernel level hole is what’s troubling and is the main reason why this particular episode has gotten so much attention. We’re sure a fix won’t take long to whip up for the Exynos devices affected by this exploit — after all, the development community made tremendous progress in just a few short hours. Samsung should be able to concoct a fix in no time, and the rollout should be following it soon after. Unlocked devices would be first in line to receive the upgrade, obviously, while those with carrier specific devices would have to wait for carrier approval (though we imagine this is one thing most carriers won’t want to drag their feet on). Stay tuned to Phandroid as we look to provide the latest from the horse’s mouth down the line. |
| Multi-window update now available for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:29 AM PST
As promised, T-Mobile is now delivering the multi-view update for their Samsung Galaxy Note 2, bringing users the ability to run multiple apps simultaneously in a windowed view. The update, which measures in at 73.29MB, also fixes a few bugs including missing calendar events and an unresponsive Gmail app. The update keeps the same Jelly Bean version as the phone’s previous software, Android 4.1.1. Multi-window view is one of the most unique features to be added to Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, and it is designed to take advantage of the abundant screen real estate of the Note 2. However, not all apps will be compatible. Developers still need to add a few snippets of code to provide plug-and-play usability with Samsung’s fancy multi-tasking method. As of this morning several members over at the XDA forums have reported receiving the new update. If you own the Note 2 on T-Mobile, you might try forcing the update via the settings menu. [XDA via TheAndroidSoul] |
| Sony provides updates on Xperia Jelly Bean plans; some phones not invited to party Posted: 19 Dec 2012 07:14 AM PST Our friends at Sony have taken the time to update the masses on its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean rollout plans for the foreseeable future. For starters, they’ve confirmed that the Xperia T, Xperia V and Xperia TX’s upgrades will go out as planned throughout the months of February and March. The Xperia P, Xperia J and Xperia Go will all be getting their upgrades from the end of March. The Sony Xperia Acro S, Xperia S, Xperia SL and Xperia ion will follow along “in the subsequent weeks.”
These days may be a bit of ways to way, but the important thing to remember is that Sony’s still thinking about you and that you’ll be upgraded to at least one form of Jelly Bean at some point. Folks with some of Sony’s other devices aren’t so lucky as the manufacturer has confirmed that some devices would be left out of the upgrade plans. These devices include the Sony Xperia U, Xperia miro, Xperia tipo and the Xperia sola. And note that they aren’t saying they don’t know if they’ll upgrade these phones to Jelly Bean yet — Sony has expressly confirmed that they will not go beyond Ice Cream Sandwich in the way of major, non-critical upgrades. You’ll need to look toward Android’s great development community to see if you can get your device going on the latest and greatest Android has to offer, but as most of these aren’t Sony’s most popular devices it may be a tough task to tackle. Be sure to look into that on Google at your earliest convenience. [via Sony] |
| Stalk Santa with Google’s Tracker app and Chrome extension Posted: 19 Dec 2012 06:30 AM PST
Tired of Santa having all the fun spying on us throughout the year deciding who has been naughty or nice? Thanks to Google you can now keep a watchful eye on the jolly old elf as he makes his holiday rounds. As Christmas Eve turns to Christmas Morning, the Google Maps Santa Tracker will follow St. Nick’s every cookie-eating move, and now you can keep tabs no matter where you are with the official Android app and Chrome extension. Using everything we love about the Google Maps app for Android, Santa’s journey will be plotted against the backdrop of 3D cities or zoomed out to give a worldview, complete with a count of the number of presents delivered. If you are up late making a few extremely last minute purchases from Amazon, you can track Santa simultaneously with the Chrome extension. Maybe if he’s in the area he will even pick up your order from the nearest fulfillment center (a true Christmas miracle!).
How Google convinced Santa to put a GPS tracker in his sleigh, well that’s a question for the big man himself. Maybe he just enabled Latitude on his Android phone. Good thing Google is also giving people a direct line to Kris Kringle via Google Voice. Check out more holiday fun and games at the Santa Tracker landing page. Then bake up a batch of snickerdoodles, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and let the Santa stalking begin! [via Google] |
| Posted: 19 Dec 2012 12:33 AM PST
The Android Overload is the place where we stash all of the stories/articles/news bits that didn't make it onto our front page. But, just because they weren't featured doesn't mean they aren't worth taking a look at. In fact, there's almost always a little something here for everyone, so take a look around and let us know if you find any gems. Apps
Everything else
|
| Samsung uploads new 2-minute Galaxy Camera commercial starring James Franco Posted: 19 Dec 2012 12:19 AM PST
Samsung has been on fire lately, releasing a blitz of ad spots for their Galaxy line of smartphones. We’ve all seen ‘em, barristas waiting in line for the “next big thing,” and even a more recent ad featuring a husband, wife, and very naughty video. Looks like the Galaxy Camera is next up for some commercial love. and to help spark further interest in the camera, Samsung has enlisted the help of none other than Pineapple Express’ James Franco. The YouTube video uploaded earlier today, showcases a variety of real world situations the Android-powered camera could come in handy for. That is, if you’re James-mother-effin-Franco and live like a rock star. Watch the video below and let me know what you think. The Galaxy Camera is the first of its kind in that it’s a fully functional Android device rocking a quad-core processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Samsung pulled out all the stops on this one, making sure the Android experience didn’t take a back seat to solid camera tech. The device can be picked up right now on AT&T with a data-only plan, and also on Verizon Wireless taking advantage of their 4G LTE network. Make it a tad bit thinner with voice calling and you got me, Samsung. [YouTube] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Phone Fans To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment