Monday, April 16, 2012

Google Alert - android

News10 new results for android
 
Android on trial: Oracle v Google circus opens today
Computerworld (blog)
The trial is to determine whether Google violated Oracle's patents and copyrights [in] Android['s] Java. ... Google contends it built Android in a way that doesn't require it to [license Java]. ... Oracle is seeking damages...of millions of dollars.
See all stories on this topic »
Android May Be Big Loser In Oracle-Google Patent Trial
Forbes
The main attraction of Android for mobile phone manufacturers has been that it is free, but as phone makers like Samsung and HTC have found out, Android's encumbrance is that it is constantly pursued in courts all over the globe by Apple and Microsoft.
See all stories on this topic »

Forbes
Google and Oracle to face off in court in intellectual property case
Washington Post
April 16 (Bloomberg) -- Oracle Corp. is set to go before a federal jury for the first time with claims that Google Inc. stole some of the intellectual property behind its Android operating system. Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in San ...
See all stories on this topic »
Android faces first big court challenge
CNN
By Richard Waters, FT.com The robot symbol of the Android operating system is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. (Financial Times) -- Google's Android operating system will face its first big court challenge on Monday as a trial gets under ...
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Oracle suit vs. Google over Android hits trial
Chicago Tribune
Ellison would testify about Oracle's reasons for acquiring Sun Microsystems, the importance of Java to Oracle's business, and the harm Android has caused Oracle, according to the witness list. Page is a much more reclusive figure than Ellison.
See all stories on this topic »
Android Trojan Found on Apps in Japan: McAfee
eWeek
The malware, which is designed to steal sensitive data from Android smartphones, should serve as a warning to users about permission requests. New malware found in 15 Android apps in the official Google Play marketplace should serve as a cautionary ...
See all stories on this topic »
Oracle-Google patent trial starts today
CNET
They're finally going to trial after two years of litigation over Android and Java. What's really at stake here for the two Silicon Valley giants? by Rachel King April 16, 2012 4:51 AM PDT Oracle's patent infringement lawsuit against Google is finally ...
See all stories on this topic »
Oracle and Google's Android copyright row trial begins
BBC News
The Java developer claims Google's Android system infringes intellectual property rights relating to the programming language. Software engineers warn the case could set a worrying precedent. Java was first released in 1995 and allows software to be ...
See all stories on this topic »

BBC News
Oracle to Face Google in Android Operating System Trial
Bloomberg
(ORCL) is set to go before a federal jury for the first time with claims that Google Inc. (GOOG) stole some of the intellectual property behind its Android operating system. Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in San Francisco in Oracle's ...
See all stories on this topic »
Oracle versus Google Android copyright battle kicks off
SlashGear
Oracle alleges that Google has violated multiple patents and copyrights that it owns with the Android operating system. The trial kicks off today in a San Francisco Court. Oracle is looking for $1 billion in compensation. The company is claiming that ...
See all stories on this topic »

Blogs5 new results for android
 
Meizu MX Quad-core launching with Android 4.0 in June, gets 32GB ...
By Richard Lai
Can't say we're surprised, but Meizu's finally giving us the lowdown on the quad-core variant of its flagship Android smartphone. Simply dubbed the MX.
Engadget
Report: up to 3 million Android tablets made every month in China ...
By Michael Crider
Android may still lag behind iOS in the mindshare of consumers when it comes to the tablet space, but according to a report from DigiTimes, its sheer numbers.
Android Community
Android 4.0 Meizu MX Quad-core launching in June with Samsung ...
By Kevin Krause
Meizu has an update to their MX flagship slated for release in China and Hong Kong this summer. The Meizu MX Quad-core will utilize a Samsung Exynos chipset.
Android Phone Fans
Txtr Fights Amazon/Apple With iPhone/Android eBooks For The Rest ...
By Mike Butcher
Mike Butcher is the European Editor for TechCrunch. A former grunge rock drummer, he became a long time journalist, and has since written for UK national newspapers and magazines including The Financial Times, The Guardian, The ...
TechCrunch » Europe
Android copyright trial starts today | TG Daily
By Emma Woollacott
Oracle's accusing Google of infringing various Java-related patents and copyrights with its Android technology, which it wants made compatible with the rest of Java. It's demanding royalties, and is expected to ask for as much as $1 billion.
TG Daily


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Android Authority

Android Authority


FriendCaster for Facebook: Better and faster than official app

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 02:59 AM PDT

Are you not satisfied with the Facebook mobile app in your device? You are not alone because many users share the same sentiment.  The official Facebook app for Android does seem to be unreliable, but thanks to some third-party apps, you can now have a better Facebook experience on your mobile device.

One of the most downloaded and top-rated third-party apps for Facebook is the FriendCaster app, which already has over three million downloads because of its great features that continue to delight Facebook users.

FriendCaster  is currently the number one third party app that mobile users use to enjoy the number one social networking site in their mobile device. This app is developed by OneLouder, who also developed the popular app for Twitter users called TweetCaster. User reviews show that FriendCaster is the most preferred third-party app for mobile Facebook users because it sports a nice interface that gives you that Facebook-like feel and also because it’s loaded with lots of features that users can play with.

Features and Development

There sure is a lot of development going on for Android devices, as well as for Facebook itself, and FriendCaster doesn’t want to be left behind. It already released version 5.0, which is said to be specifically for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), sporting a beautiful interface and more features and promising fast Facebook experience on your ICS-powered device.

FriendCaster really gives you that Facebook feel through its interface that does look like the actual Facebook interface. The app gives you some of the most favorite Facebook features like posting a status update, uploading a photo, and checking in. It also gives you notifications which you receive in real-time and faster than any other Facebook app.

You also get to view full news feeds where you can quickly reply, like, or post your own status. You can also keep track of the location of your friends by using the check-in map of the app. The app also supports multiple accounts if you are using several Facebook accounts.

Aside from the resemblance of the app’s interface to Facebook’s interface you can also set custom options to make it a little bit more fit to your personality or gender. You can change the theme of the app to a color theme that you prefer.  There are six color themes that you can choose from, and the developers are looking to add more to the selection.

FriendCaster really is the app to go if you want a reliable Facebook mobile app that gives you quick access to your favorite Facebook features in an instant. What’s even better is that FriendCaster is free on the Google Play Store.


This article, FriendCaster for Facebook: Better and faster than official app , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


It’s official: the Samsung Galaxy S3 will launch on May 3

Posted: 16 Apr 2012 02:58 AM PDT

Galaxy S3 Launch Invitation 1

After so many weeks of furious speculation about the Samsung Galaxy S3, we now know why Samsung has been so tight lipped about its next flagship device. The next iteration of the Galaxy S superphone will be launched on the May 3 at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in London. However, the successor to the legendary Samsung Galaxy S2 may not actually be called the Galaxy S3.

Earlier today, Netherland-based Tweakers.net  claimed to have received an official invitation from Samsung to "come and meet the next Galaxy" at the above date and place. This is apparently the same invitation that has been extended to and reported by Korean newspaper DDaily, which has provided some juicy details on the phone in the past.

Since news broke, we got (finally!) confirmation from an official source about the launch date of the “next Galaxy”. The same invitation popped up on Samsung’s official blog — Samsung Tomorrow. So after weeks of anonymous sources, wild rumors, and crazy “leaks”, it’s finally real – the Samsung Galaxy S3 (or whatever it will be called) will make its grand debut in less than two weeks.

Here is a roundup of the most credible information we have so far on the future Galaxy superphone.

Highly expected to be powered by a quad-core Exynos chip, the Samsung Galaxy S3 will come in 3G and LTE versions. The phone’s Super AMOLED Plus display will treat your eyes with true HD resolution with 316ppi. The user interface of the Galaxy S3 will come in a 5-column layout, and the phone will sport a physical home button. According to DDaily, Samsung will partner with SK Telecom and will make the 3G model available in South Korea first at the end of May. The LTE model, meanwhile, will only be available in July.

Do you think Samsung will take a leaf out of its competitor and name the flagship device simply as the next Galaxy S? That's quite possible. On the other hand, maybe we shouldn’t read too much in a press invite and Samsung will keep its established naming pattern.

But you know what, whatever the name the Koreans have come up with, we’ll still love the phone as long as it delivers the goods. We're pretty sure Samsung won't mess that up. Roll on, May 3!

No related posts.


This article, It’s official: the Samsung Galaxy S3 will launch on May 3 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


The trial of Android to begin tomorrow

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 12:42 PM PDT

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After a long, long time of closed-court sessions, Oracle’s case against the alleged patent-infringing use of Java in Android comes to trial. As I pointed out in February, I believed this to be the single largest threat to Android at one point, but many of Oracle’s patent claims have been thrown out.

While the initial damages demanded by Oracle were a whopping $6.1 billion, but fortunately the cracks in Oracle’s arguments were noted and the claims were brought down to the $110-225 million range (which Google still claims is too much).

If you’d like some good weekend reading to preview the trial, head over to this article on GigaOm.


ICS update roll-out for 2011 Sony Xperia line begins

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:57 AM PDT

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Keeping to their promised target of a mid-April rollout of the ICS upgrade for their 2011 Xperia line of handsets, Sony took to their blog to update their users of the Arc S, Neo V and Ray in the Scandinavian nations that the update is now ready for them.

As long as there are no hiccups, other global markets should see the update over the next 4-6 weeks. Other handsets (namely Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman) should start receiving their updates towards the end of May.

[IBNLive]


LG’s new Prada phones, the L-series, releasing end-April

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:37 AM PDT

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I have never been a fan of "designer" phones, simply because I can’t remember one that isn’t outdated. But there really has to be a market for such devices considering someone seems to be rolling out another every now and then.

The latest devices in the category are the Prada-styled LG Optimus L series (the L3, L5 and L7). The L7 is the premier phone of the three, yet comes with only a single-core 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and 4GB on-board memory. On the good side, you’ve got a 4.3" IPS display and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. There’s also a 5 MP camera and a microSD slot, and if you’re in France or other parts of Europe you can get the device unlocked for 319 Euros ($420) towards the end of this month. The L5 should be out in May, too, while there’s no word on the L3.

[AndroidCommunity]


A short review of the $35 Aakash/Ubislate tablet

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 10:13 AM PDT

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tl;dr: It’s a waste of money at even $35

When the Indian Government announced the $35 Android tablet, the Aakash, last year, heads turned. And although just about everyone expected it to be pretty bad, there were a few review reviews that said it’s not too shabby (*cough* Gadget Guru *cough*).

I got a chance to play with it today at Startup Weekend Edu in New Delhi, and if there’s anyone on the fence about buying this, I’ve just got one thing to say: DON’T. The tablet offers absolutely nothing. I won’t even use it if I’m paid to do so, and I can’t understand why the Government would waste taxpayer money to subsidize this.

The Aakash is the worst thing that could happen to education. I am a huge believer in the benefits tablets can bring to students, but this is not going to generate any interest in kids in their coursework.

The cons? It’s ridiculously slow, the resistive touch is horrendous (even worse than other resistive touch-screens I’ve used, such as that on the Nokia 5500) and a clunky home screen button, which is the only hardware button other the one for power.

The pros? Nothing at all. The fifteen minutes I got with it felt like a punishment. And considering the delivery delays, I would never suggest giving the sequel a try, either. Even the most outdated syllabus, with a boring text book and an even worse teacher would do more for education than this.

Comparison photos below are with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1


Android Central

Android Central


Samsung Galaxy Note my way: Chris Parsons

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 04:46 PM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Note

As much as some cried foul on the Samsung Galaxy Note because of its size and of course, the stylus it is in my opinion one of the best Android devices out there. I could have chose from any number of devices on the market, including the Samsung Galaxy Nexus but I chose the Galaxy Note, in fact -- I fell in love with it. And no, I really don't mind TouchWiz at all. If you're wanting to know how I have mine set up, jump on past the break for the full details.

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Android Central weekly photo contest winner: Vices

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 03:53 PM PDT

sushiguy732

This past week we asked to see your vices -- the things you do even though you know you shouldn't. We all have them, and we got to see a bunch of them in the contest thread. Our winner for the week is sushiguy732, who really likes his wine. He also likes his Samsung Fascinate, which he used to take this great picture. Nice work, sushiguy732. Be on the lookout for info about your prize!

Wine wasn't the only thing we overindulge in, and sushiguy wasn't the only one to submit a great photo. We've picked out or favorites (after the break) and you can see them all in the contest thread. We're kicking off another contest tomorrow, so keep those lenses clean!

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HTC One X and One S Wifi gotcha down? Give this a try

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 03:41 PM PDT

Android Central

Some folks are reporting that their shiny new HTC One X and One S phones are experiencing a rather irritating Wifi bug. The glitch in question results in the phones disconnecting from certain Wifi networks while idle, and being unable to reconnect until the phone is woken up.

Hopefully HTC will have a fix ready for customers soon -- we're hearing that it's no longer an issue in the recently-leaked One X 1.28 firmware -- but in the meantime there's a pretty easy work-around for both phones. Manually assigning your phone an IP address on your Wifi network, rather than using DHCP, seems to squish the issue. If you already know how to do that, then off you go, we'll wait. If not, we've got a full walkthrough after the break.

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Cogs [Android Game Review]

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 12:42 PM PDT

Oh, Cogs. If ever I've had my noodle baked more from an Android game, I cannot say. In terms of sheer mind-bendingness, complexity, and demanding that the player stretch their imagination in many multiple directions, you take the cake. This is all aided, of course, by your incredible 3D models, which are some of the most gorgeous I've seen in any Android game. But enough fawning; let's get into the meat of what makes Cogs great.

For starters, lets just talk about the graphics. Not only does Cogs feature some insanely beautiful 3D designs, it does so without sacrificing performance. Animations chug along, buttery smooth, and with all the turning gears and cogs and steampunk goodness floating around, that's quite a feat to see.

So what's the point of Cogs, anyway? Well, there's one cog that spins all by its lonesome. It's your job to move tiles with other cogs on them in such a fashion that you make a cog on the other side (or sides) turn as well. It kind of makes you feel like a watchmaker, and watching the chain of cogs either come to life or grind to a halt based on your moves is strangely enchanting.

You're ranked on three things: moves used, time, and completion. (The last one seems a bit silly, honestly. You get a medal just for finishing?) Whenever you start a new puzzle, you're shown the optimal time and moves to finish in. Once the level starts, the timer starts counting down, and as you dwell, the color will shift from gold to silver to bronze.

The move counter acts much in the same manner, but consider this: you don't need to move single tiles at a time. If you want to move a whole row, tap the farthest tile and it'll shift everything in the row over one space, but it'll still only count as one move! You've earn yourself many a-more precious medal that way, trust me.

The levels get increasingly more difficult (duh), but as soon as the second or third level you're tasked with not only making a golden cog spin, but you've got to cross to planes to do it. To get around the potential issues with turning a 3D model, Cogs introduces the two-finger swipe. Place two fingers, swipe around, and you can see any side of the box-with-a-propeller on it. It's a cool mechanic that is implemented rather well and keeps Cogs both challenging and feeling fresh the whole time.

And that, in a nutshell, is Cogs. It's a beautiful exercise in excellent game design, a mind-bending puzzler, and overall, an excellent game on Android. If you're the puzzle-loving type, Cogs should be in your library, no doubt.

Cogs is $2.99 in the Google Play Store. We've got download links after the break.

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From the Editor's Desk: The alternative Android dictionary

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 08:09 AM PDT

Alternative Android Dictionary

​One of our greatest features at Android Central is the Android Dictionary, an ever-evolving list of frequently used terms. But did you know there's a second, secret blogging dictionary? He's a peek inside:

  • Benchmarks: A great way to confuse folks over which phone is "better" while simultaneously generating page views. Winning!
  • [Brackets]: Used to explain a headline that's not particularly good. Often used to point out that something is supposed to be [funny] or [humor] -- and chances are it's neither.
  • BREAKING NEWS!!!: The kind of news that just happened!!! And is important!!! Really important!!! So important all capital letters and exclamation marks are probably warranted!!! Also a great way to sex up a story without having to write a good headline.
  • Coming soon: We actually have no friggin' idea when it's coming. But if we say "coming soon," it makes it look like we know when it's coming. We're mysterious like that.
  • Developing ...: Putting this at the end of a post makes it look like we're doing important investigative work when really we're finishing an Angry Birds level or two.
  • Exclusive: Someone sent us something. We saved it, watermarked it and put it on a webpage, then spent the rest of the day crowing about it in IRC. (Alt. definition: Actual hard work put into an original story.)
  • Fragmentation: A story to be written quarterly reminding people you really don't understand how Android works as a platform.
  • Imminent: Really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really soon. Maybe. (See Coming soon.)
  • Nexus: Better.
  • Official: Used in headlines to point out that a story is different than the endless miles of published crap that has no chance of ever coming true.
  • Patent stories: A great way to show that 99 percent of us are not and never should be a lawyer.
  • Reached out: A flouncy way of saying you took 15 seconds out of your otherwise busy reblogging day to send a single e-mail. And, no, you didn't wait for a response before publishing.
  • Rooted: Better.
  • Stock: Better.
  • Tip @techmeme: A great way to let the tech community know you successfully rewrote a press release. Good job!
  • Unboxing: Wherein we pretend to be surprised to find a phone, earbuds, cable, charger and documentation inside a box from a carrier or manufacturer. Usually recorded on video and presented in grand fashion. May include schoolgirl-like giggling.
  • Watermark: A site's logo placed on top of its images to remind folks that they're visiting the site that they're visiting. A watermark's size should in no way be used to determine a site's importance. (But if you were to do so, the formula is W [HxW] x [number of writers2] x [number of improperly labeled exclusives])

That's just a snippet of how things really work on the Internets. Hope you enjoyed this peek behind the curtain.

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Motorola Droid 2 v4.5.621 software update incoming

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 07:09 AM PDT

Droid 2

For those of you with a Motorola Droid 2 in your hands, get ready for an update that should be hitting devices soon. As posted on the Verizon site, the change log for the v4.5.621 software update has been posted and here's what you can expect:

Device Features

  • Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System. + A Google Security Patch has been added to improve security level.
  • Fixed issue where the device may power ON without user interaction.
  • Adjusted camera settings will be saved, even after the device is powered down.
  • Resolved possible device resets while playing music.
  • Reduced Out of Memory errors.

Email, Messaging & Data

  • Improved ability to access and receive Gmail messages when the Mobile Hotspot is turned on.
  • Addressed error that replicated thumbnails in message threads.

Applications & Widgets

  • WAV files can be played from Visual Voice Mail.
  • Purchased ringtones are now able to be downloaded, saved and used where appropriate.

SD_Shadow from the Android Central forums has noted a few things about the update as well, such as the fact that it appears to break root and possibly even break SBF functions. If you're looking for more discussion, head on into the forums. If you've already got the update, drop a note in the comments and let us know how it's working for you.

Source: Verizon; Via: Android Central Forums