Thursday, December 6, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Rumored HTC M7 to have 5 inch HD display, quad-core processor and 13 megapixel camera

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:21 PM PST

Samsung and HTC have forced everyone to step their game up as we head into the 2013 calendar year, and it looks like the latter will look to take things a step further sooner rather than later. New rumors suggest HTC is working on a flagship device called the HTC M7. Said to arrive Q1 2013, the M7 is supposed to come with a 5 inch 1080p HD display. That particular spec is nothing new as the same company introduced a 1080p phone when it launched the DROID DNA on Verizon.

Alongside what many consider to be one of the best displays in the business, we should also expect Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 13 megapixel primary shooter. The phone’s internals will be housed in an aluminum unibody chassis, as well, so this thing should feel solidly premium all around.

HTC is said to be aiming for mass production at some point early next year with devices hitting store shelves before the Spring months are over. None of this is too surprising, timing wise, considering we have some pretty big events coming up. There’s CES, but HTC tends to let carriers take the shine for new smartphone announcements at that particular show.

Mobile World Congress is historically HTC’s biggest show, though, and we can be sure they’ll look to at least unveil the device no later than that point. Anything can happen, of course, but if we know HTC then we know that something will be shown off at these upcoming events, and you can be sure we’ll be there to cover every last bit.

[Focus Taiwan via HTC Source]

Google Now update makes holiday travel easier

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:54 PM PST

Google has announced a new upgrade for Google Now, and while the new goods weren’t available in the Play Store as of the time of this writing the search giant did well to inform us what to expect. This update focuses on new automatic and voice-activated features to make holiday traveling easier.

For starters, Google Now will automatically tell you what the weather will be like at your destination so you’ll know what type of clothes to pack before jetting off to the airport. I could have used said functionality when taking shorts and t-shirts to a near-freezing Vegas last year, but it’s better late than never!

When you get near your airport Google Now will automatically bring up your boarding pass so there won’t be a need to stand in those long lines or use those kiosks unless you’re checking a bag. The feature is not functional yet, but when it does go live it will be launching with support for United Airlines only. We’re told that other airlines will be coming soon.

Finally, Google Now will let you know where to go for fun and sight-seeing once you’ve arrived at your destination. They’ll either tell you about events going on at that moment or direct you to websites where you can find out where all the touristy things are for you and your family to sink your teeth into. Should you wander into a museum, Google Now can bring up more information on certain pieces by simply capturing it with Google Goggles.

On the voice activated side of things, Google Now can identify what song is playing using “What’s this song,” scan a barcode using “Scan this barcode,” and update your Google+ status message by saying “Post to Google+” followed by whatever you want your message to say. We’re keeping our eyes peeled toward the Play Store for the upgrade, and will update this post once it goes live. [Update]: it’s live! Go get it!

[via Official Android Blog]

Confirmed: SwiftKey Flow Beta launching in less than 24 hours for VIP members

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:40 PM PST

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I hope your bodies are ready because Joe Braidwood, CMO of SwiftKey has just announced via Twitter that SwiftKey Flow (beta) will officially be available within the next 24 hours. SwiftKey’s advice is to make sure “feedback@swiftkey.net” is in your email contacts so you don’t miss out on the beta. Of course, you wont be receiving this email unless you’ve already signed up for SwiftKey’s VIP forums, in which case now would be a good time to do so.

Shouldn’t be too much longer, folks. Can’t even remember the last time I was this hyped up for a simple keyboard replacement. Might have to reevaluate some things in my life… Anyway, are you guys ready for it?

Matrix One 7 manufacturer shut down with tons of orders in limbo (and how to get your refund)

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:53 AM PST

A bit over two months ago we told you guys about a 7 inch Android tablet that could be had for quite cheap. It was the Matrix One, a 7 inch Ice Cream Sandwich device that didn’t boast gaudy specs, but definitely turned some heads with its attractive $59 price point (which eventually ended up selling for $110 after the pre-sale period).

As sweet as that deal may have sounded back then, the risks of trusting a small, unknown company hit some people in the worst way possible. Unfortunately, it looks like the headaches won’t stop.

One reader of ours — who still doesn’t have the devices they paid for — told us their story about the rather non-existent customer support they’ve experienced. Nine Matrix One tablets were ordered for a grand total of $600 two months ago, and that was the end of it. The customer’s card was charged for the aforementioned amount before receiving so much as a confirmation, and no shipping details were given when the devices eventually went up for sale.

The “inexperience” bug

Companies make mistakes, but it’s the shoddy customer support that’s ruffling feathers. Trying to contact them via phone is a dead-end as an automated system immediately hung up on us after a short message stating they’re not available. The Facebook page associated with the company has been shut down.

It’s worthy to note that the Twitter account is still active, but the last Tweet was from November 9th, a message informing customers that orders will be shipped November 20th. We could get no response from them on Twitter, and neither could many other paying customers.

Today, the company’s website has been completely shut down and replaced by a rather long statement explaining what happened. Long story short, the initial shipping time of two weeks had to be extended to four weeks due to problems with manufacturing. It turns out there was a back-order for the glass used on the Matrix One. If that’s not enough, even when the glass came in the devices were being outfitted with the wrong circuitry, causing even more delays to get things right.

Refunds

The merchant claims to have issued refunds to anyone who requested it due to the extraneous delays, but that wasn’t enough for Google (the manufacturers used Google Wallet/Checkout to take orders). The search giant suspended their account due to all the complaints consumers sent in regarding the delays and lack of customer service.

Unfortunately this happened so abruptly that the Matrix One team had no way of knowing who still had orders being processed or needed refunds. After pleading with Google they were able to get low level customer information, but that was about it. Thankfully Google has taken it upon itself to begin refunding customers.

This action should have taken place automatically beginning this week, but those who haven’t received refunds should contact Google Wallet’s support team with all the information they can — including your full name, email address used to purchase the tablet, and order number — to make sure that it gets processed.

Logistics matter

Many are beginning to label the Matrix One team as scammers, and we urge you to put that label down for now. The company certainly has shipped out many orders since the device went on sale, and with its latest statement it has shown that they truly are sorry for how things have turned out.

If their story is true then the issue of unfulfilled orders certainly was out of their hands, but that doesn’t make up for shoddy customer service on their part. For starters, if you know you have a legitimate issue on your hands then shutting down your phone system, your social networking accounts (or some of them, anyway) and taking your entire site offline is not the way to go about handling it.

It did initially sound like a “take the money and run” scheme, and customers have every right to be angry. The aftermath of such poor planning and execution is only uglier because of all of that, and if the delayed manufacturing and shipping process wasn’t enough to completely drain your customers’ trust then the nonexistent and borderline fishy customer service certainly is. We love to support and encourage small companies who aim to deliver what the masses want, but when it comes to logistics amateur hour should be saved for Showtime at the Apollo.

Again, if you were affected by this unfortunate episode then do not panic. Check your bank and Google Wallet accounts for refunds from Google, and if you’re not seeing anything then be sure to contact the Google Wallet team to get it all straightened out. In the meantime we want to know how many of you actually received your orders, and for those who did we certainly wouldn’t mind hearing about the tablet itself in the comments below.

[Matrix One]

How to: Fine tune your S-Pen for the perfect Galaxy Note experience

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:09 AM PST

Samsung’s S-Pen is a central part of the Galaxy Note experience, but if your stylus is acting a bit wonky it can be quite frustrating (especially for an artist). Here’s a couple of quick tips courtesy of WonderHowTo that show how to fine-tune the S-Pen for the Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Note 10.1.

First things first, slam your S-Pen on the nearest hard surface. No, seriously. Not only will you take out a bit of pent up rage but it also works surprisingly well at jolting the stylus back into working order. Tap (with a bit of force) the nib end of the pen on a table a few times and see what happens.

If hulking out on your expensive new toy doesn’t sound like the approach you want to take (or if it doesn’t produce the intended results) a quick and simple hardware tweak will work wonders. Now this might sound like its pushing into something only for skilled users, but it’s actually quite simple. You need only to pop off the S-Pen’s click button using a razor or small screw driver (just be careful not to break it) and then adjust a potentiometer.

You’re aiming for the potentiometer closest to the tip of the S-Pen (the one on the left in the above picture). Turn clockwise to decrease sensitivity and vice-versa to dial it up. You can do so with the same screwdriver or razor blade you used to pop off the click button. Once you have honed in the perfect level of sensitivity simply replace the button and you’re on your way to the Galaxy Note experience you always dreamed of.

AndroidForums user Calligrapher was able to turn a problematic S-Pen into a finely-tuned writing instrument. Here’s a look at what you can do with a properly calibrated stylus:

Alright, so not everyone will go from doodler to expert calligrapher, but you will hopefully have an S-Pen that is more usable than when it came out of the box. Have some great Galaxy Note-created artwork you want to share? Head on over to the forums and show it to the world! We might even post some of the best art here on the main page of Phandroid.

 

Verizon, Motorola remind us of DROID RAZR HD’s Jelly Bean roll-out with festive package [PIC]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:39 AM PST

Motorola and Verizon did well to inform the world that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the DROID RAZR HD and DROID RAZR MAXX HD was available for download. We knew they’d make a big deal out of that considering faster Android updates was a focus of Motorola’s at the official RAZR HD event back in early September.

Well, they’ve gone a step further and seem to be sending a festive package out to everyone to celebrate the fact that Jelly Bean has arrived. We received a package with the following contents:

  • Red and silver tinsel
  • Red and black jelly beans from Jelly Belly
  • A picture note in the form of a text message conversation on a DROID RAZR HD.

It’s subtle, but definitely cool and has us believing that Motorola is taking its promise of timely Android updates as seriously as it can. It would appear that these are only being sent to members of the press so don’t expect to see one on your doorstep.

Regardless, it does well in serving as a friendly reminder that you could be on Jelly Bean right now if you own one of the latest RAZR HD phones by heading to the Settings > About Phone menu on your device. In the meantime we’ll be popping these delicious little candies back and continue to enjoy bringing you more great content as we do every single day!

Amazon launches Kindle FreeTime, monthly subscription brings kid-safe content

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 08:47 AM PST

Amazon has launched a new subscription service for their Kindle Fire lineup offering content that will keep kids occupied and mom and dad free of worry. Kindle FreeTime Unlimited provides a menu of apps, games, and media for $2.99 per month per child or $6.99 for a family pass.

The service will password lock kids out from the rest of the device, keeping them far from the dangers of the internet while still offering an experience complete with bookmarks, personalization, and additional parental controls. This includes the ability to set time limits that vary by category.

FreeTime is all-inclusive, so once you pay the monthly fee there is no limit to the amount of content, including streaming movies and TV shows, your little ones can consume. The service will be part of an upcoming OTA update for the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

[via Amazon]

For our Indian Readers: Get ready for the first Android App Expo on January 5, 2013

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:55 AM PST

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It is my absolute delight to have the opportunity to announce the details for the first Android App Expo, which is going to be held on the 5th of January, 2013 in Bangalore.

Having been part of the community in the country from its early days, when it was almost impossible to find a regular person who had heard of our beloved platform, let alone have a phone that ran it, I have seen first hand the challenge the developers here have faced. HTC? Samsung? LG? To the regular user, they all sucked, and you either had a Nokia, or were ridiculously rich enough to own an iPhone, or wasted money on some cheap stuff.

It's amazing to think that it was like that only 18 to 24 months ago. The word Android is itself now ubiquitous in a country where 30 languages are spoken by over a million people, and almost synonymous with the term "smartphone". And a big part of that reason is role the apps created by the developers have played in creating such a powerful ecosystem in such a short time.

The Expo, organized by Bangalore's Google Developer Group (GDG) and Android User Group, is a celebration of their work and of the platform in itself. Any person can nominate an app for the exhibition by following this link. The last date is December 15th, so do hurry. The best apps would be picked out by a panel of various members of the community, and would get the be part of the Expo at the Park Plaza, Bangalore on January 5th. Anyone and everyone is invited to attend and be part of the festivities, with registrations opening on December 25th for the general public.

What's in it for the developers? Besides the opportunity to showcase your hard work in front of users, media, members from Google's global Android team as well as others from the industry, there's a grand prize like none other: an opportunity to sit down with the Developer Relations team who'll assist you in taking your work to the next level.

I'll be at the event myself, covering each and every app that is demoed there and also some of the backstage activity. Having had the opportunity to be part of the planning in my new role at the GDG Delhi Android, I can assure you this is going to be one event that you don't want to miss (teaser: we're planning on having a full blown Ingress war over there).

For more information on the event, visit this link.

Raiden Legacy for Android brings four classic shoot ‘em up games for $5 [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:52 AM PST

This glorious hump day doesn’t just bring cause for celebration because it’s the middle of the week, folks. A new game has hit the Google Play Store that you old-school shoot ‘em up fans can probably appreciate. It’s called “Raiden Legacy” and it features four classic games from the Raiden IP, including Raiden, Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2 and Raiden Fighters Jet.

You’re essentially getting 4 games for $5, and each one features that vertically-scrolling top-down  shooting action that used to frustrate the heck out of me in the arcades (yet still somehow compelled me to insert two more quarters every time).

Each game has three different modes to tailor to any playing style, including an Arcade Mode for those who want to go through the entire game limited by artificial “credits” and be forced to start over after losing all your lives, a mission mode for those who just want to jump to their favorite levels, and a training mode for people who suck (like me).

There are 15 different ships in all, and each one has its own characteristics, power-ups, attributes and more. You’ll have everything at your disposal, from your standard stream of rail gun bullets to nuclear charge shots that’ll allow you to clear the screen if thins get a bit too hot.

DotEmu has implemented two control schemes — fast touch and a classic scheme — for easy playing, and also allows you to put any necessary controls anywhere you want on the screen. An auto-fire mode will have your ships spraying bullets, lasers and bombs without much effort from you so you can instead focus on dodging those pesky fireballs.

Two difficulty modes will be available to you as DotEmu humorously gives us medium and hard mode — there’s nothing easy about these games, so keep that in mind before throwing down $5. It’s a constant test of your reflexes and peripheral vision, but it’s a fun experience to be had for just $5 if these sorts of games pique your interest. Go ahead and give it a try in the Google Play Store, and be sure to watch our hands-on video above to get an idea of what to expect.

Schmidt sees Google and Apple as rival nations, finds legal attacks on Android partners ‘curious’

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:40 AM PST

In the lead up to a decision on whether or not to seek an antitrust lawsuit against Google, chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with The Wall Street Jounral to discuss the current state of affairs at the internet giant. As can be expected, a good part of the conversation focused on Android, its partners, and the competition. Apple was a topic of discussion, and Schmidt put a new spin on the ongoing feud between the two companies.

The once Google CEO described the two as countries rather than the “teenage model of competition.” Apple and Google still conduct business with one another but understand they have disputes to work through. Apple might disagree with his assessment, as it continues to cut Google services from their iOS lineup and moves away from sourcing parts from Android partners such as Samsung.

Speaking of Samsung, Schmidt said he found it “curious” that Apple has chosen the indirect route, attacking the manufacturers of Android devices rather than Google directly. The statement came in typical Eric Schmidt fashion, giving us just enough to pique our interest but not diving much deeper.

The entire interview is worth a read and contains more comments on topics ranging from the acquisition of Motorola to Android fragmentation and app monetization. Head over to the source link below to check it out.

[via WSJ]

Android team shows how beautiful Tasker could be with modernized UI [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:20 AM PST

In case you haven’t noticed, the Android team has been running a series called “Android Design in Action” where they take apps with outdated user interfaces and show how they could look with Android’s much nicer Holo UI-based elements. Well, the latest video in the series highlights an app that I think everyone agrees could use some tender love and care.

I’m talking about Tasker, the automation app that can manipulate your device in many different ways based on many different factors. For instance, you can have your device turn WiFi off, Bluetooth and GPS on, and dim the screen brightness once you leave the house. As great as this app is functionality wise, it’s no secret that it’s butt ugly in design.

Googlers Nick Butcher, Roman Nurik and Adam Koch get together and re-imagine Tasker as an app that looks like it was designed in 2012 instead of 2008. It makes use of better fonts, image resources, the best Android design practices as outlined in Google’s official style guideline and more to make Tasker look like a the mobile app equivalent of Shakira instead of Whoopi Goldberg.

It’s a long watch as it comes in at just over half an hour, but it’s a great video for us to fantasize about what could be with this great app. Is Tasker’s current user interface going to make us stop using it? No. Substance comes before style in this rare instance because no third party option comes close to the abilities Tasker provides. But I would be a lot more happy to see the result of the Android team’s imagination hit the Google Play Store one of these days. Take a gander above.

Sphero gets into the holiday spirit with this Android-coreographed dance

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:08 AM PST

Sphero’s robotic orbs recently spread some holiday cheer in Union Square, NYC. 28 out of the little Android-controlled toys combined via meticulous choreography to performa a “dance” to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Chritsmas Eve / Sarajevo.” So, yes, it’s a little like all those videos of houses with automated light shows, except not.

You might recall that the quirky Sphero ball made it all the way to our holiday gift guide. The orb can be programmed freely or used in conjunction with a selection of apps and games, making it more than just a light with a motor. Yes, the Sphero isn’t for everyone but it’s a pretty darn cool example of what you can do with a smartphone. Next we want to see a fleet of Parrot AR.Drones taking to make a toy drop down a chimney or two.

[via Reddit]

Android Overload: Sprint LTE coming soon to New York, Samsung working on Exynos 5440 quad-core A15 CPU, and more

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:06 AM PST

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  • Etsy is now available on Android. [Google Play]
  • Raiden Legacy now available for Android. [Google Play]
  • Yesterday now available for Android. [Google Play]
  • Google Play Store introduces private channel for internal enterprise apps. [GoogleEnterprise]
  • Sprint LTE coming to a few cities in New York in the coming months. [LightReading]
  • Looks like Staples will also be selling the Nexus 10. Now up for pre-sale. [Staples]
  • T-Mobile holiday contest has hopeful winners checking in with Carly at T-Mobile locations across the US. [Tmonews]
  • The Times now offering subsidized Nexus 7 for 50£ with subscription. [TheTimes]
  • Beautiful Widgets updated to all new version 5.0. Gets the overhaul treatment. [Google Play]
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 now receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update. [SamMobile]
  • Netflix signs deal to swipe Disney away from Starz. Streaming starts in 2016. [LightReading]
  • Google was about to offer landline telephone service to Kansas City, but gave up. [KansasCityBusinessJournal]
  • Cheese n’ rice. Samsung working on Exynos 5440, a quad-core A15 CPU. [SammyHub]
  • Google Knowledge Graph adds support for 7 new languages. [GoogleInsideSearch]
  • Judge Lucy Koh orders HTC and Apple to show which patents were included in their patent settlement. [CNET]
  • Snapdragon MSM8226 and MSM8626 are Qualcomm’s latest S4 CPU’s heading to China. [Engadget]
  • Motorola launches Notification Light Widget for all Android devices. Helpful for light sleepers. [Google Play]
  • “Verizon Selects” is a new service from Verizon Wireless that pays customers to keep tabs on their cellphone use. [VerizonWireless]

Sprint to offer buy-one-get-one free deal on Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2, and Galaxy Victory this Friday

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:55 PM PST

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If Black Friday deals weren’t enough to sway you, and you’re still looking to gear up the fam with powerful Android devices, might want to take a look at what Sprint will be offering. Turns out some early signage leaked out, showing a nice BOGO (buy-one-get-one) deal on “select” Sammy devices. Let me stop you right there — the Galaxy Note 2 is not apart of this deal. But, the fully capable (some might even call a Nexus-killer) Samsung Galaxy S3 is up for grabs.

A few “lesser” Galaxies also mad the list like the GS2 and Galaxy Victory. The fun starts this Friday, Dec. 7th and lasts all the way until the 24th, giving Christmas shoppers ample time to squeeze in a few GS3′s before the 25th. The best part? This deal is good for new and upgrades as long as you’re willing to sign away your life for 2 years. Anyone going to jump on this?

Thanks, _epic!
Posted by at 9:04 AM

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