Wednesday, December 12, 2012

AndroidGuys

AndroidGuys

New York Times bows refreshed, tablet-optimized Android app

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 10:57 AM PST

The official NYTimes app for Android is now optimized for tablets and adapts to fit various screen sizes and resolutions. Available imemdiately, the free app gives users more control on how they learn of breaking news alerts and offers at-a-glance peeks at the latest news.  Of course, there is also the requisite bug fixes in the 3.0 release however this one is all about providing a more intuitive reading experience.

Download New York Times for Android (Google Play)[/download_link

Continue reading: New York Times bows refreshed, tablet-optimized Android app

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Verizon Galaxy Camera arrives December 13 with $549 sticker

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 10:36 AM PST

 

Verizon’s version of the Samsung Galaxy Camera is officially official today as the device is confirmed via press release. Sneaking online last week and then subsequently disappearing, we expected that the carrier would soon make some noise for the Android-powered digital camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera arrives at Verizon stores on December 13 where it will be offered in two colors: Cobalt Black (exclusive) and White. Pricing is $549.99 for the world’s first 4G LTE ready digital camera. The Galaxy Camera can be added to a Share Everything plan for a promotional price of $5 per month.

Continue reading: Verizon Galaxy Camera arrives December 13 with $549 sticker

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Google CEO talks Android, Nexus program, Apple, and more in rare interview

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 09:24 AM PST

Google CEO Larry Page thinks that the Android team has done a pretty god job of keeping its partners happy.  Considering this is one of the chief concerns for Google and Co., we’d hope for at least some success in this area.

In a lengthy, and rare, interview with Fortune, Larry Page sheds light on a few facets of the Android and mobile space. Topics range from monetizing Android to the Nexus program with a bit of ‘this and that’ sprinkled in for good measure. Oh, and there’s some talk of Apple.

We’ve pulled out a few topics and listed their respective quotes however we definitely recommend reading through the full Fortune interview.

On staying ahead of the competition (Apple, Microsoft, etc) Page indicates that Google doesn’t spend much time evaluating the current landscape

Continue reading: Google CEO talks Android, Nexus program, Apple, and more in rare interview

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Former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki says ‘real men use Android’

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 08:45 AM PST

One of the more prolific Apple figures of the 1980′s, Guy Kawasaki, loves his Android smartphones and tablets. So much so, in fact, he no longer uses Apple mobile devices.

An article over at ReadWrite tells us that the former Apple evangelist switched to Android (Droid Razr Maxx, Galaxy S III) roughly one year ago so that he could take advantage of 4G speeds. After falling for our beloved platform, Kawasaki also began using a Nexus 7 tablet

Continue reading: Former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki says ‘real men use Android’

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Samsung confirms no Galaxy S4 at CES

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:51 AM PST

As if we expected anything else out of Samsung, the hardware maker has confirmed that the rumored Galaxy S4 will not be coming to Las Vegas in January. As many readers know, a teaser video hitting the internet yesterday promptly whipped the Android fans into a frenzy. What would Samsung bring to CES?

We were quick to throw cold water on the S4 chatter here and even offered up a number of potential alternatives. Today, we’re going to take it one step further and suggest that it’s not even Android-related. A day later and a few more times through the video and we don’t see anything to here to indicate anything Galaxy.  Just the fantasies of the Android faithful. Of course, I would love nothing more than to be wrong.

CNET

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HTC announces One SV for United Kingdom

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:31 AM PST

HTC has grown its One family by one more device this morning, today announcing the One SV. Headed to the United Kingdom (EE) in the coming weeks, the handset runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a host of mid-range hardware. Details include a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 display (800×480), a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB internal storage, and 4G LTE connectivity.

Digging under the hood we learn the One SV is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM, and an 1800mAh battery. Pricing is not yet known however the phone will be offered in a variety of color options including black, red, and white.

Click to enlarge

HTC

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5 ways Facebook can improve their user experience on Android

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:32 PM PST

Ahh, Facebook. It’s still one of the most popular social networks in the world, despite the rapid adoption that Google+ has garnered thus far. Sadly, Facebook’s Android experience is lacking in several areas. Everyone has at least one or two complaints about the Facebook app (and the Messenger app as well). With the recent updates to the Google+ Android app, many users are left wanting more from the big blue giant.

Recently, I started to actually go through the Facebook app, exploring the settings, page layouts, and the overall usability. After hours of frustration, I decided to compile a short list of changes that Facebook could make in order to improve the experience for Android users. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions that I have come up with, and this list is by no means a permanent solution.

So without further ado, here they are (in no particular order).

  1. Give us video chat

    Facebook has partnered with Skype to bring Facebook Video Calling to desktop users. This feature has been available for over a year, and it’s high time that it’s brought to mobile users. With Google rolling out Hangouts quite some time ago, Facebook needs to catch up to the curve, and fast.

    Google blew us away with Hangouts, and wasted little time in making them available for mobile users. Obviously Facebook doesn’t do Hangouts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put their own spin on the mobile video chat experience. This shouldn’t be that hard to achieve, as Skype already has a great Android app. Facebook could implement this into the Messenger app, and make a lot of users happy in the process.

  2. Take a lesson from ICS/Jelly Bean

    One of the Facebook’s big cornerstones is friend discovery. If Mark Zuckerberg can help you find that creeper you knew in 9th grade, he can sleep soundly every night. The Facebook app has this great feature called “Find Friends.” It basically does the same thing that the desktop version does: suggests people for you to befriend, based on location, mutual connections, or things that you have in common. It’s a great feature, but there’s one major difference between the mobile and desktop experience.

    For desktop users, there’s a small “X” that dismisses that particular friend suggestion, and brings up a new name and face. Mobile users don’t (at least to my knowledge) have that. The Find Friends feature is a great way to connect, but it’s missing one important thing: the mobile equivalent of saying “I don’t know this person, show me someone else.”

    Adding an impossible-to-press “X” in the app might not be the best way to accomplish this, so why not learn something from the apps switcher built into ICS and Jelly Bean? A simple swipe-to-dismiss gesture is all that’s needed. It might not seem like much, but Facebook could use this gesture for more than just discovering friends. Maybe they could add it to the main feed, to hide posts from other users, or even report them as spam.  With one gesture, Facebook could make simple actions even simpler for Android users.

  3. Get with the times


    This one is a bit more specific, as it only applies to some Jelly Bean users. Google recently wowed us all with improved notifications in Android 4.2. They showcased how versatile notification actions could be, from replying to a tweet to calling a person directly. Since 4.2 is still in its infancy and hasn’t rolled out to that many users, Facebook could take a step ahead of the curve by adding notification actions. Users can already get notified of wall posts, friend requests, messages, photo tags, and much more. The ability to Like, share, or comment on those things right from the notification bar would be a great feature for Facebook users.

  4. Tablets, tablets, tablets

    Let’s be honest, the Facebook experience on tablets isn’t exactly spectacular. The Facebook app on tablets (even small 7-inch devices like the Nexus 7) looks like someone literally took the app on a smartphone and steamrolled it. Either the Facebook team has failed to realize that tablets and smartphones provide two different experiences for the user, or they haven’t found a way to implement a major tablet UI. I’d say the former seems more likely, but that’s beside the point.I’m not saying that Facebook should create an entire new app for tablets, because we’ve seen that screen size can be optimized within the same app. A quick look at what Google+ did with the tablet experience is evidence enough. Of course, a separate app would be the most ideal, but an updated version of the current Facebook app would probably satisfy a fair number of tablet users.

  5. All about the widgets

    The Facebook widget hasn’t changed much in years. The app has been updated countless times, but the widget has been left out in the dust. Granted, they recently added a second widget that allows users to more quickly upload photos, post a status, or share their location. That’s all well and good, but if the original widget is constantly broken, it’s all for naught. What you see above is what I see on a daily basis. The Facebook widget consistently stops showing posts, and becomes virtually useless. Pressing the Facebook logo in the upper left corner of the widget does nothing, and the user can’t even post a quick status from the widget. This forces them to open up their app drawer and actually go into the Facebook app. Putting aside the fact that the widget is years old, the least it could do is work properly without spazzing out every five minutes.

    When third party widgets have been blowing yours out of the water for over two years, it’s time to make some changes.

    Facebook needs to improve both the visual and functional experience of widgets. They could do this by giving users more options, like one widget for photos, and one for pages. They could even give us the option to make specific widgets, that only show posts from select groups of people (family, friends, coworkers, etc). With all the content on Facebook, the sky’s the limit.

So there you have it, five things that Facebook needs to do if it wants to stay in the mobile apps game. Obviously these changes aren’t going to fix every little issue that people have with Facebook’s experience, but they’re probably a good place to start.

With that being said, we want to know what you would add to the list. Do you think Facebook should just start from scratch (again)? Drop a comment below and give us your thoughts!

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