Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Sony details Xperia Android 4.0 ICS updates again – coming soon

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

Unlike some of the other companies around Sony came right out and made their intentions very clear for the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. Stating that all Xperia smartphones from 2011 would receive the update to the latest and greatest OS from Google. While they’ve already started these upgrades for many Nordic countries, today they’ve update their blog with additional details.

Today Sony has updated the Sony Mobile Blog basically stating that the updates are going smoothly, everything is on track, and the updates will continue to roll out globally as fast as they can. Sony is still working with the various carriers and networks but expects things to continue at a rapid pace.

Phones like the Xperia arc S, ray, neo V, and others are all seeing the updates in Nordic countries and the Netherlands, and more are coming soon. Sony reminds us the update must be completed on a PC, not over the air, by going to sonymobile.com/update when the updates are available. So basically we learned nothing new from Sony, no ETA’s or time-frames were given, but they did supply the neat ICS picture shown above.

Stay tuned for more details as the Sony Xperia line updates are coming soon to a handset near you.


Samsung Galaxy Tab ‘Value Pack’ update now available in South Korea

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 10:18 AM PDT

Those lonely old Samsung Galaxy devices like the original Galaxy Tab, the original Galaxy S, and a few others will never officially see Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from Samsung. Instead they’ll be getting the hotly discussed Samsung “value pack” instead that will bring ICS-like features to the aging devices. Today that update appears to be ready.

Samsung originally stated the hardware would limit an upgrade to ICS, then changed their minds and in the end settled on the value pack and not an actual upgrade to ICS. With phones like the Nexus S getting ICS I see no reason the original Galaxy S can’t, but apparently Samsung feels different.

Enough of that, can’t change their mind. Instead for you lucky users that haven’t already flashed a custom ROM to those Galaxy devices, we have the prized “value pack” update available via Samsung Kies v2.0 starting today. You might need a translator but the info is available at Samsungtomorrow.com. The value pack brings facial recognition to Gingerbread, image capture while recording video, a multitask-like button, and a few other ICS style features to your Galaxy Tab.

We have no details on when this will be available elsewhere, but for now it’s available for South Korean clients on SKT, KT, LGU+ and for WiFi devices. Feel free to fire up Kies v2.0 and give it a try yourself, and expect these updates to hit XDA shortly.

ics-galaxy-tab-s-540x383 galaxy-tab-p1000-skt
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy Tab
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile
    Announced Date : September 02, 2010
    Release Date : October 14, 2010
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 7.00 Inch
  • Resolution : 1024x600
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.48 Inch
  • Width : 4.74 Inch
  • Depth : 0.47 Inch
  • Weight : 380 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 4000 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 650 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
Hardware
    CPU : Cortex A8
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 512 MB
    Internal Storage : 32.768 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 3 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via PocketDroid]


Intel Medfield-powered Lava Xolo X900 benchmarked

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 10:10 AM PDT

If you’ve been waiting for an alternative to ARM-powered Android phones, then you’re in luck  - so long as you live in India. The Intel Medfield-powered Xolo X900 from manufacturer Lava went on sale earlier this week on the subcontinent, and the tech heads at Anandtech managed to grab one for a detailed review. If you want to take a look at an established company that’s soon to become a major power on the supply side of Android hardware, then it’s definitely worth a look.

The 22000 rupee ($419) Xolo X900 has some surprising specs for what’s essentially a test run of Intel’s Medfield x86 architecture. The centerpiece is a 1.6Ghz Atom Z2460 processor backed up by a gig of RAM, but the 4-inch screen has an admirably dense 1024×600 resolution that’s more common on 7-inch tablets. Storage is 16GB, and you’ll need it if you take a lot of snapshots with the 8-megapixel rear camera. On the downside, the battery isn’t removable and the phone is running Gingerbread – but at least it looks like it’s stock.

Enough about the details: what do the benchmarks say? When pitted against a range of other phones in single-task CPU tests, the Xolo X900 was second only to the HTC One X and One S (which are some of the fastest Android phones available right now) on BrowserMark, LinPack, BaseMark and Vellamo. It also held its own for Flash rendering, but lost by a small margin to dual-core phones like the Galaxy S II and the DROID RAZR. The Atom processor in the SoC is a single-core model.

GPU tests on the Xolo X900′s PowerVR SGX 540 were a little less kind. The HTC One X and One S still reign supreme on Android, but the Optimus 3D also beat out the Intel smartphone in a few tests, and offscreen rendering using the GLBenchmark showed the Xolo X900 near the bottom of the pack of recent high-end phones. Battery tests were lukewarm, with the Xolo X900 beating about half of the Android field (the DROID RAZR MAXX still beats all comers for total longevity).

All in all it’s a solid showing for Intel’s first high-end mobile chip in years. While Medfield isn’t exactly smoking the competition, it can certainly run with the big boys. We can’t wait to see what some more widespread manufacturers do with the platform.

[via SlashGear]


Angry Birds Space adds ten levels – Simpsons could be next

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 09:33 AM PDT

Angry Birds fanatics, check the Google Play Store for an update today – Angry Birds Space has added ten new levels to its ice-themed “Fry Me To The Moon” zone. That’s great, but there’s something more interesting in the update – a glimpse at the next zone. The unraveling package shows one of the pigs munching on a galactic donut – one that looks remarkably like the one featured in the marketing for The Simpsons Movie back in 2007.

Chris Burns of our sister site SlashGear spotted the inclusion, and would have thought nothing of it – if it weren’t for the fact that The Simpsons (now in its 23rd year on television) has featured Angry Birds in not one but two short sketches before. This doesn’t guarantee a tie-in, but Angry Birds developer Rovio hasn’t been shy about licensing its ultra-popular property before. They’ve lent the Angry Birds to promotional campaigns for  Samsung’s Galaxy Note commercials and the movie Rio which was produced by 20th Century Fox Animation, which produces The Simpsons.

Observe The Simpsons doing their thing below:

Everyone can play the new levels, but the “Danger Zone” levels are still exclusive to Samsung phones and tablets on the Android platform. The level additions are added to Angry Birds Space (free), Angry Birds Space HD and Angry Birds Space Premium. You can download or update the apps in the Google Play Store.

Screenshot_2012-04-25-10-17-32 Screenshot_2012-04-25-10-18-13 Screenshot_2012-04-25-10-18-40


Motorola DROID 4, RAZR and BIONIC modded for AT&T and T-Mobile

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 09:06 AM PDT

North and south. Yankees and Red Sox. GSM and CDMA. Never shall the two join – until now. Some of the tireless modders over at XDA have found that Motorola’s recent hardware for Verizon features global GSM roaming bands (not unlike the HTC Rezound). With a little hacking, they found that these LTE devices could accept SIM card from AT&T and T-Mobile, making them transferable to a huge portion of American carrier customers.

The phones confirmed to work thus far are the DROID BIONIC, DROID RAZR and DROID 4, all of which use SIM cards to access Verizon’s LTE network. (The DROID RAZR MAXX should work too.) Of course, you wont’ be getting LTE speeds if you hack these phones for other carriers – in fact, you won’t even be getting 3G. Because of the difference in wireless bands, data is limited to the EDGE (2G) network. On the plus side, calls and texts work without a hitch.

The modification isn’t easy by any means, but if you’ve been poking around Android for a few years it’s certainly doable. One method includes updating the bootloader, installing a stock ROM, rooting the phone, installing a second, custom ROM, then connecting it to a PC and running a leaked Radiocomm program to switch on the inactive GSM bands for voice and data. This is all made possible because the LTE radios in Verizon phones technically use GSM bands for data, while defaulting to an older CDMA radio for 3G, texts and voice. The process simply “wakes up” the inactive bands on the LTE radio.

While this mod isn’t ideal with the lack of 3G, it does open up a lot of options if you’ve recently left Verizon or are planning to soon, and don’t want (or can’t afford) a new smartphone. EDGE should be enough for basic web surfing and things like Android’s integrated navigation, but most media applications will require a WiFi connection. Happy modding!

[via Phandroid]


HTC and Facebook set to make another Android phone

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:33 AM PDT

Remember the ChaCha and the Salsa? Me neither. But HTC does, and according to DigiTimes, they’re eager to make another phone partnered with Facebook for features and branding. Their supply chain sources say that HTC and Facebook are partnering for another phone with exclusive features that tie into the social network, now an unbelievable 900 million users strong.

There’s little detail about the latest partnership available at the moment, other than the fact that it’ll feature “a platform exclusive to Facebook”. That could simply mean a customized and expanded Facebook app with better integration (and making a Facebook app that’s better than the current one wouldn’t be hard) or something a little more involved. Perhaps an Android fork, a la Barnes & Noble’s Nook devices? We can only speculate.

Another rumor mentioned in the DigiTimes article is that Facebook wants to brand the phones itself, instead of letting HTC handle the marketing and branding duties. That seems unlikely given the company’s previous stance on such a device, but if they were to create a completely customized version of Android, it would make sense. And it isn’t like Facebook is strapped for cash at the moment – even if a Facebook phone were a flop (which the previous HTC phones weren’t) it would only be a minor setback, and probably worth the risk. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[via The Verge]


Oppo shows off crazy thin 6.65mm smartphone

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 07:56 AM PDT

You can never be too rich or too thin, and it seems like Android manufacturers have taken the latter part of that saying to heart. Chinese phone maker Oppo released a teaser image of a 6.65mm-thin phone today, and if it comes to market any time soon the unnamed device will grab the title of world’s thinnest phone (for at least a month or two anyway). There’s no details part the picture, but the visuals can’t help but remind us of a certain flagship from everyone’s favorite litigious American manufacturer.

At present the holder of the world’s thinnest smartphone title is fellow Chinese manufacturer Huawei, whose Ascend P1 S was shown off at CES 2012. That phone was a mere 6.68mm thin, so if you just can’t stand that extra three hundredths of a millimeter sitting in your pocket, the Oppo mystery phone might be for you. To be honest, it looks pretty swanky too (despite the clear inspiration), with a full metal rim and an edgeless glass design. Just don’t drop it. Or hold it wrong.

Other details spotted in the teaser image are three capacitive navigation buttons which tell us that this is an Android device, and a trio of docking/charging pins like the Galaxy Nexus or HTC Rhyme. We’ve got no idea when this thing is coming, but given Oppo’s previous releases, it probably won’t be seeing the light of day outside of China.

[via Engadget]


Rumor: Samsung making the next Nexus phone

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 07:08 AM PDT

If the Samsung Galaxy Nexus doesn’t do it for you (and for many, it doesn’t) there’s always the next Nexus to look forward to. But if you were hoping for an HTC, Motorola or ASUS phone to bear Google’s developer branding, you may be out of luck. DigiTimes reports that Samsung has won the bidding to become the manufacturer of the next Nexus, probably due late this year or in early 2013. Samsung has made the past two Nexus devices, the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, while HTC made the original Nexus One back in January of 2010.

Treat this story with caution, dear readers – DigiTimes has a well-earned reputation for jumping the gun, though their predictions turn out to be true about as often as they aren’t. With that warning out of the way, Samsung makes sense as the makes of the next developer device. Google and Samsung have gotten very close over the last couple of years, and implementing Android has helped Samsung to become the top phone maker on the planet and rival Apple in smartphone sales.

Even so, some of us were hoping for something different. For all the Galaxy Nexus’ charms there are still a few sour spots, starting with the Samsung-centric name and ending with poor reception and battery life on the Verizon LTE version of the phone. Many had thought that Google’s new ties to Motorola would make them an easy choice, but it looks like that doesn’t give them a leg up. ASUS is strongly rumored to be creating a “Nexus Tablet” for Google to sell directly (probably via the brand-new hardware section of the Google Play Store) but their relative inexperience with smartphones may have put them out of the running.

In any case, DigiTimes’ story says that the phone hasn’t even reached the early stages of development yet. It’ll be many months before rumors of the next developer device begin coming to light in earnest, whoever’s making it.

[via AndroidAndMe]


T-Mobile HTC One S available now

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:51 AM PDT

The wait is over, T-Mobile customers – you can finally grab an HTC One S of your very own. As promised, the carrier has made its new flagship available today, though it doesn’t look like the phone has landed on its customer-facing website just yet. If you just can’t wait a few hours, head down to your local T-Mobile retail store, and bask in the glory of being one of the first in the US to get a hold of an HTC One-series phone.


In our One S review, we noted that the phone’s metal construction, gorgeous QHD 4.3-inch display, excellent camera and Ice Cream Sandwich plus Sense 4.0 make it one of the best phones around, bar none. And lest you get jealous of the bigger brother One X, rest easy knowing that the dual-core Snapdragon S4 is fast enough to keep pace with its quad-core counterparts (AT&T’s One X, due in May, will get the Snapdragon as well). Right now there’s just no better phone available on T-Mobile… with the possible exception of the Galaxy Nexus that went on sale yesterday, if you can stomach a non-subsidized price and have to have pure Android.

T-Mobile is listing the One S at $199.99 for a two-year contract, with the unfortunate addition of a $50 mail-in-rebate. The blue model will be offered initially, with the white and black versions coming later. If you’ve got an older phone lying around, you can trade it in to T-Mobile for cash credit – iPhone owners (not that there are any here, right?) can trade in any working model for a whopping $200. Now that’s what I call an upgrade. What say you, readers, any takers?


Samsung Galaxy S III listed at Carphone Warehouse

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:31 AM PDT

Do you have trust issues? It’s okay, we sympathize. If you need that little bit of extra assurance that Samsung’s Galaxy S III is indeed Coming Soon, then feast your eyes upon this listing for UK retailer Carphone Warehouse. It features the Samsung Galaxy S3 [sic] some time before SlashGear reported on it, but has now removed the tiny thumbnail image and replaced it with a generic “The Next Galaxy” information page. The page says that it’s “coming to Carphone Warehouse on al major networks”, indicating an unlocked phone at the very least.

Carphone Warehouse’s listing mirrors the preview page put up by Vodaphone on Monday, which also featured the nebulous “next Galaxy” branding. Officially Samsung and its carrier and retail partners are still in lockdown mode before the May 3rd announcement, but leaks are now starting to come out faster and faster. The latest is yet another pre-production device, which seems to feature both a physical home button and some TouchWiz-flavored virtual navigation buttons. Obsessive types should also check out this video from Vietnam.

With just over a week to go until Samsung’s London announcement, we’re finally starting to get a handle on what the Galaxy S III (or whatever it will be called) will look like. Physically it’s set to feature the same rounded rectangle shape as the Galaxy S II, with the size and screen of the Galaxy Nexus (hopefully with a non-Pentile Super AMOLED HD+ screen). A quad-core Exynos processor seems likely, as does Android 4.0 and the latest revision to TouchWiz. Be sure to keep an eye on Android Community on May 3rd: we’ll be covering the event live.


The Next Galaxy S III caught in the wild again

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 08:58 PM PDT

We still don’t know if Galaxy S III will be the name of what Samsung has been touting as “The Next Galaxy” but it has leaked again today in another photo, possibly showing us what to expect. In what appears to be a dummy unit we are getting another look of the device, most likely still under disguise and not a final product but figured we’d show you just in case.

There’s definitely no shortage of buttons on this device. If they do go with a hardware home button AND that huge on-screen set of buttons I’ll surely be disappointed. The photo can only be taken at face value, and it looks pretty odd with that yellow tape and possibly a fake screen-on image as well. Could this be the real deal? Sure. Is it? Maybe. You can clearly see the casing around the real phone in this photo below.

We’ve seen countless leaks as of late, and multiple reports stating the phone has a protective casing doubling as a nice disguise too (just like we see above) so we’ll just hang tight a few more days until Samsung shows the world at their event in London early next month. Even with the casing around the phone for a disguise, it still looks like it has a pretty big bezel on the bottom, bigger than the Galaxy Nexus.

Stay tuned for more details as I’m sure we’ll see more before the main event come May 3rd in London. As a reminder we’ll be there live for the REAL phone once it’s announced in all its beauty.

single-580x254 i9300-1 Screen Shot 2012-04-24 at 8.56.33 PM

[via SlashGear]


T-Mobile Galaxy Note spotted in the wild running ICS

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:35 PM PDT

T-Mobile users are getting some awfully good fare lately, thanks to phones like the HTC One S. And the good times are going to keep rolling: we’d previously heard that the Samsung Galaxy Note was on it’s way to Magenta, and now TmoNews has got the proof. Here’s the 5.3-inch smartphone hanging out next to its relatively diminutive little brother, the Galaxy S II.

There’s little doubt that this is the real McCoy: in addition to the T-Mobile branding on the phone itself, there’s plenty of carrier-specific apps spotted in the software. Of course, a T-Mobile version won’t get access to LTE like the current AT&T model (check out our review), but it does use the more standard 4-button navigation row. Oh, and one more thing. The spy shots show the version of software that the T-Mobile Galaxy Note is using: Ice Cream Sandwich. Hallelujah!

We still don’t have confirmation from T-Mobile of course, so the release date and price for the Galaxy Note are still up in the air. And to be technical, there’s no way to know that it’ll launch with Android 4.0. But the hardware and software look pretty complete, so a release within a few weeks is not out of the question. Keep your fingers crossed, T-Mobile customers!

GalaxyNote2 GalaxyNote8 GalaxyNote11


Lux Auto Brightness gives users more control over backlight

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:27 PM PDT

We’ve all given Android’s auto-brightness feature a shot, with varying degrees of success. I myself tend to turn it off and go for a manual approach, with the help of custom ROM functions or something like Brightness Rocker. But a new app might change that: Lux Auto Brightness allows you to change the brightness of your screen based on more than just the ambient light around you.

First of all, Lux uses a time function, so you can schedule which parts of the day your phone will operate at what brightness. This is great if you spend a lot of time out of doors and know when you’ll do it: if you know you’ll be driving in the early morning with the sun at your back, you can automatically boost the brightness to make sure your GPS navigation isn’t washed out. It also has a “sub-zero” brightness setting that sets the screen’s backlight even lower than the “0%” of the standard settings menu.

The basic version of Lux Auto Brightness is free, but the very reasonable $1.55 paid version adds a few extra settings that really take things up a notch. Night mode will adjust the color temperature of the entire phone for more comfortable viewing, and the awesomely specific Astronomer Mode will shift the phone’s screen into the red spectrum to avoid expanding your irises and getting extra light into a telescope lens. Lux Auto Brightness works on Android phones and tablets running 2.1 or later.

[via Reddit]


Google’s US GSM Galaxy Nexus gets separate software image

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 04:39 PM PDT

Google made a splash earlier today when it reanimated its direct phone sales, selling the Galaxy Nexus directly from the Google Play Store for $399 unlocked. In a Google Groups post, a representative stated that while the hardware is identical to the GSM model that’s been available overseas for almost six months, the software gets one important revision: Google Wallet support is added natively. Google Wallet is still only available in the United States.

Google said that the differing software build, “takju”, has been posted to the Google Developers website. These AOSP builds are especially handy for modders, who tend to rely on them for backup purposes. The latest Android 4.0.4 build is available for the US “takju” galaxy Nexus, the international “yakju” Galaxy Nexus (both have the identical hardware codenamed “maguro”). Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners who haven’t flashed a custom ROM are still waiting around on Android 4.0.2, though a 4.0.4 ROM has been leaked.

And one more thing: the yakju and takju builds are interchangeable on the GSM Galaxy Nexus. You can load either one onto either identical phone and they’ll work. So if you imported a GSM Galaxy Nexus months ago and want to get onto the official US release schedule, you can download and flash the takju build to do so. Likewise if you’re outside the US and you want to play around with Google Wallet, you can flash the takju build.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : GALAXY Nexus
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : October 18, 2011
    Release Date : December 15, 2011
    Also Known As : Nexus Prime
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.33 Inch
  • Width : 2.67 Inch
  • Depth : 0.35 Inch
  • Weight : 135 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP 4460
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 32 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
  • CDMA
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via androidcentral]


Acer Iconia Tab A100 Android 4.0 ICS update rolling out

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 04:23 PM PDT

Good news folks, if you’re rocking an Acer Iconia Tab you’ll be receiving the update to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich this week. Acer has confirmed the update should be available for both the Acer A500 and the smaller Iconia A100 starting April 27th, although we are hearing reports of the update rolling out as early as last night.

It appears the update for Acer’s tablet has been rolling out across Europe for a few weeks now, but the US and Canada have been told they’ll have to wait until April 27th like stated above. According to AndroidPolice a few lucky users in Canada received the update last night, so we should be seeing this rollout any time now for the US too.

A build of ICS for the Acer tablet was leaked back in February, but this is the real official version from Acer themselves. We are currently looking for an official changelog or more details but have yet to find anything. If everything goes as planned the update should be arriving for the A500 and A100 on Friday for users in the US, and if you’re lucky it might come sooner. Sources also confirm a small 17MB update will hit after the ICS update, most likely a small bug fixer of some sort.

Have you received ICS on your Acer A100/A500 yet? If so how is everything running?

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : ICONIA A100
    Manufactuer : Acer
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : February 14, 2011
    Release Date : June 21, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 7 Inch
  • Resolution : 600x1024
  • Screen Type : LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 7.68 Inch
  • Width : 4.61 Inch
  • Depth : 0.52 Inch
  • Weight : 470 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1530 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • MP3
    Video Playback:
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 250 Dual Cortex A9
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 512 MB
    Internal Storage : 8.192 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


Meizu schedules ICS update for MX and M9 in June

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 03:55 PM PDT

Meizu, the little Chinese phone manufacturer that could, is still basking from the PR glow of its MX Quad-core announcement. But they want to make sure that owners of the older MX and M9 phones don’t feel left out of the party. In a press release today, they stated that both phones will be getting the same version of Android 4.0 software as the MX Quad-core. Well, sort of: they’re both getting “Flyme OS 1.0″, Meizu’s skinned version of Ice Cream Sandwich.

The updates for the MX and the M9 are currently scheduled for sometime in June, via the standard over-the-air method. That’s a month (give or take a week or so) after the MX Quad-core is scheduled to go on sale in China. Meizu hasn’t released any details of the newest version of Flyme, but if it’s anything like the older versions it’ll be a considerably altered version of Android without access to Google’s services, but which can still run Android apps without much issue.

Meizu’s dedication to existing hardware is commendable. While I’m sure M9 and MX owners would have proffered to receive an Android 4.0 update sooner, releasing one just a month after the latest flagship is a better move than many of the more well-known carriers  can claim. (Right, Galaxy S II owners?) Meizu still doesn’t have any plans to release any of its smartphones outside of the Chinese market.

[via Engadget]


Chrome for Android coming out of beta soon

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 03:37 PM PDT

Google’s push to extend its Chrome browser to the Android platform has been a successful one for the most part, and apparently they’re done making it sit at the software equivalent of the kiddie table. Google’s senior vice president of Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai said that Chrome for Android will lose its beta label “in a matter of weeks”, making a statement about the mobile version of Chrome’s readiness to take over Google’s web presence on Android. Pichai did not give a more precise date for the transition.

Chrome has already seen some important updates since it was released back in February. Last week’s update saw the addition of tab syncing and a desktop mode, the latter of which was one of the few things holding it back from taking over the default ICS browser in terms of features. The speed and stability of Chrome, even with a hundred tabs or more open, just can’t be beat on Android at the moment.

Getting rid of the Beta tag introduces some interesting questions. Google probably won’t make Chrome available for older Android phones or tablets without Ice Cream Sandwich, just to give users (into to mention manufacturers and carriers) another reason to upgrade. But if Chrome isn’t a beta anymore, will Google get rid of the default Ice Cream Sandwich browser and replace it with Chrome? That would certainly help from a promotional standpoint, but then again, the open source code for Android doesn’t use any of Google’s separately developed apps like Gmail and the Google Play Store. It may be important enough to keep Android as a “pure” open source project that Chrome won’t become an automatic addition.

In either case, we’re likely to find out within the coming weeks. Keep an eye our for the next revision of Android, be it Jelly Bean or something simpler, to see what Google is planning. It’s more than likely that we’ll hear more about this at Google I/O.

[via Cnet]


Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. 3 coming soon – first trailer revealed

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 03:25 PM PDT

The extremely popular shooter from Gameloft we all know and love called N.O.V.A. is about to get a third installment. We’ve been big fans of N.O.V.A. here at AC and today Gameloft has just released the first video preview trailer of the new NOVA 3. What you’ll see below they claim is actual game footage and looks pretty awesome. I’m excited already.

NOVA has been extremely popular and is still one of my favorite first person shooters for Android. The controls are excellent, and same goes for the gameplay and graphics. A nice mix of Halo and Gears of War is what NOVA could be considered if you ask me. Without further interruption check out the awesome new video trailer provided today from Gameloft.

We don’t have any details at this point as the preview trailer was just released earlier today. According to Gameloft this will be their next big blockbuster release (hopefully in time for summer) and will be available on Android and iOS. Hopefully they release it at the same time for both platforms, that has been a common practice as of late. I can’t wait to see more from Gameloft as this looks to be one of their best yet.

Who’s excited?

Screen Shot 2012-04-24 at 2.03.04 PM NOVA3 Screen Shot 2012-04-24 at 2.57.29 PM Screen Shot 2012-04-24 at 2.02.46 PM


Scalado Album Review

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 03:10 PM PDT

The additions to the generic Android Gallery in Ice Cream Sandwich are pretty great, but of course, they don’t do much for the 90+% of user which don’t have access to Android 4.0. If you’re a shutterbug who wants better experience that the unfortunately slow 3D album from Android 2.3 or whatever replacement your manufacturer has provided, have a gander at Scalado Album, which goes for 99¢ in the Google Play Store. It’s fast, easy to navigate, and a has a few unique features that even the ICS gallery could use.

Upon opening Scalado album you’re greeted with an organization scheme that’s somewhere between folders and tags. The two primary options are the camera roll (whichever folder your phone or tablet puts its pictures in) and All, which scours your phone for every single JPEG it can find. Elsewhere your photos are divided into those taken nearby, photos taken by month, photos taken by area, and last (and from Scalado’s viewpoint, least) the actual directories on your phone or SD card. It’s a unique way at looking at your photos that’s very geo-centric… and makes me wish I had actually geotagged any of my photos.

Navigating through your photos is fast and natural, even with hundreds on your phone. Hi-res photos from the camera and relatively low-res screenshots get the same snappy response. Zooming and navigating uses the same swipes and pinches that you’re used to, and Scalado takes the liberty of removing the notification bar (but not Ice Cream Sandwich’s navigation bar). You can select multiple images to rotate them, delete them, or share them via Android’s built-in share function. There’s no real editing to be had.

The unique aspects of Scalado come when you tap the “Map” icon in the home screen (next to the “Camera” icon that immediately takes you to the camera app – Scalado Album is designed to be a complete replacement for the Gallery). You’re then taken to a Google Maps interface with your current location highlighted, and albums overlayed on the areas where you’ve taken groups of photos. It’s a pretty unique way of organizing your photos, and for certain types of users it will be very useful indeed. Video thumbnails are something we haven’t seen on any other app.

Scalado Album could use a little more in the editing department, but as a pure viewer app it’s well worth the entry price. If you’re tired of the default Android Gallery and need something that’s easy, flexible, and most of all fast, give it a shot.

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Trade in your iPhone and get the HTC One S free from T-Mobile

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:49 PM PDT

T-Mobile has a nice little spring cleaning deal starting tomorrow. From April 25th until May 8th they’ll be offering the Magenta Deal Days promotion, recommending users trade in their old phones, slower smartphones, or even those slow 3G iPhone’s for a brand new 4G smartphone from T-Mobile. Full details and cash value listings below including how the iPhone will get you an HTC One S completely free.

T-Mobile is offering $50 dollars towards any 4G smartphone if you trade in whatever old phone you’re using or have laying in the closet. Even better is the smartphone deal. They’ll give you at least $100 for any Windows, Android, BlackBerry or Symbian device and even more if you toss in that old iPhone of yours. Here’s an easy guide courtesy of T-Mobile:

They’ll take whatever old iPhone you have and give you $200 towards a brand new 4G phone like the extremely impressive HTC One S available tomorrow. In case you forgot the One S will be available tomorrow for $199, making it completely free if you trade in that old iPhone and sign a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile. Be sure to read our HTC One S review so you know you’ll be getting a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, and an awesome 4.3″ qHD screen if you decide to bite on this deal.

T-Mobile has multiple impressive 4G phones like the upcoming One S, the HTC Amaze 4G, and even the Galaxy S II so you’ll want to head to your nearest store for all the details – or feel free to just click here. Who will be getting the HTC One S or one of the phones listed below tomorrow?

Update: We reached out to T-Mobile to clarify how this all works and this was what we received in return. “Functioning eligible smartphone and 2-yr agreement on qualifying plan required.” So as long as that old beat up iPhone still works take her in and get a brand new T-Mobile phone guys.