| HTC One S now available for T-Mobile. Save a further $200 until May 8 Posted: 25 Apr 2012 03:27 PM PDT 
T-Mobile is aiming to claw its way back into the competitive carrier race in the US. As such, it has launched a massive image re-branding campaign to advertise its fast HSPA+ network and is slowly adding to its lineup of “4G” devices. Joining this lineup now is the HTC One S. The younger sibling of the highly-acclaimed HTC One X, the specifications of the One S are nothing to scoff at: - Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4.0
- 4.3″ Super AMOLED display
- 540×960 resolution
- 1.5 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage
- 8MP rear camera, with HTC ImageSense, VGA front camera
- 1650 mAH battery
The device will be available for $199.99 with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile along with a $50 mail-in rebate. 
But if you feel that price tag is too much for this high-end device, T-Mobile is also offering further savings of up to $200 until May 8, with their “Magenta Days” campaign. All you have to do is trade-in your old smartphone to be eligible for savings of $50 to $200. Any smartphone including older Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, or Symbian 9.0+ devices are qualified, with trading-in an iPhone guaranteeing a $200 return. Granted, this isn’t an instant cashback offer. You will have to mail-in the older device, trade-in voucher, and proof of purchase. T-Mobile will then send you a prepaid debit card with the appropriate amount within 60 days. But in my opinion, it’s just a few simple steps you have to follow that will bring down the price tag of the device to close to free (or free if you trade-in an iPhone). T-Mobile is headed in the right direction, and the HTC One S is a truly impressive device. This is a very good choice, sweetened by the extra savings options available to you, if you are looking to switch to T-Mobil or are already a part of the network. You can find the order page for the HTC One S here. Unfortunately, it seems like the “Magenta days” offer is only available in stores. What are your thoughts? Will you be picking up a T-Mobile HTC One S today? How awesome are the extra savings? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article, HTC One S now available for T-Mobile. Save a further $200 until May 8 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| US judge said Apple violated one Motorola patent, the legal war rages on Posted: 25 Apr 2012 03:22 PM PDT 
While it's far from being a game, set, and match, Motorola Mobility has scored another win in the patent battle against Apple, and is one step closer to having the iPhone and iPad banned from being sold in the US. From the contested four patent, a US judge has ruled in favor of Motorola for one patent that relates to WiFi technology, and dismissed the other three. The complaint was filed by Motorola back in October 2010. The patent that Apple is found to have violated is the technology design that helps eliminate noise so that the signals can be clearer, something that Apple said has become an industry standard and one that should be disregarded. Talking to Bloomberg, a spokeswoman for Apple, Kristin Huguet, commented that Motorola has refused to license it on reasonable terms. "A court in Germany has already ruled that Apple did not infringe on this patent, so we believe we will have a very strong case on appeal", she continued. The winning party, on the other hand, expressed its satisfaction about the ruling. Motorola Mobility spokeswoman Becki Leonard said that, "We are pleased that the ALJ's initial determination finds Apple to be in violation of Motorola Mobility's intellectual property, and look forward to the full commission's ruling in August." Indeed, this is but a temporary setback for Apple. The initial finding will be reviewed by a six-member committee of the International Trade Commission and a complete investigation of the patent infringement case is expected to be finalized by August 23. Even if an import ban of the iPhone and iPad is granted, it will have to be reviewed by the president and a patent law appeals court. Motorola has also won another patent case yesterday, with another ITC judge saying that Microsoft has violated four Motorola patents that relate to WiFi and video-decoding standards used on the Xbox gaming console. The winning streak will be most welcomed by Google, which acquired Motorola Mobility on the basis of securing its trove of patents.
This article, US judge said Apple violated one Motorola patent, the legal war rages on , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| Strong One sales could increase HTC revenues by 55% in Q2, according to forecast Posted: 25 Apr 2012 03:16 PM PDT 
After a couple of years of great success in the smartphone business, things have abruptly (but not surprisingly) started going downhill for HTC. The last three months of 2011 and the first of 2012 have been pretty horrific for the Taiwanese, with sales, revenues, and profit all going down massively. However, if we are to trust the company's latest forecast, it seems that things could well pick up for HTC soon enough, with a second quarter of 2012 expected to bring a 55% increase in revenues. HTC's predictions might hint towards pretty strong One sales, but should be taken with a grain of salt for the time being. I mean, usually, these forecasts come true or at least prove somewhat accurate, but in this particular case I feel that HTC's actual revenues depend on quite a few variables. First of all, we're almost a month in this second quarter of 2012 and the One X, S and V, the smartphone trio that should drive sales forward for HTC, is still nowhere to be found on most of the important markets in the world. In US and Canada, just the T-Mobile One S is available at this point, and the situation might drag on for a couple more weeks. There's also the future Samsung Galaxy S3 looming over the market, which could seriously cripple HTC's chances of getting back in the smartphone game (for real, anyway), if it will come with the rumored specs and if those leaked benchmark scores would prove to be accurate. All in all, though, there's a serious possibility that HTC has in fact taken these things into consideration when drawing up the forecast, which might mean that they have true confidence in the One Series (or they know something we don't about the upcoming Galaxy S3). 
Looking closely at HTC's predicted numbers for the second quarter of 2012, we can see that the Taiwanese are expecting revenue to total NT$ 105 billion ($ 3.56 billion) with a gross margin and an operating margin of 27% and 11% respectively, significantly up from 25.03% and 7.53% in the year's first 90 days. While that should be pretty impressive and could mark the company's revival, we have to mention the fact that year-on-year that would still be a regression for HTC. In Q2 2011, the Taiwanese pulled a record overall revenue of NT$ 124.4 billion, almost NT$ 20 billion more than what the company could earn from April to June 2012 . It's safe to say, therefore, that even if Q2 revenues will fall into this HTC projection, the Taiwanese's long-term success will still depend on several aspects that we can't quite grasp at the moment, like the company's ability to reinvent itself and start covering market niches ignored up until now. What do you guys think? Will the One X, S, and V mark a turnaround for the struggling HTC? Are you thinking of buying any of those three smartphones? Let us know in the comments section below!
This article, Strong One sales could increase HTC revenues by 55% in Q2, according to forecast , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| Samsung Galaxy S3 might come with dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors in the US Posted: 25 Apr 2012 03:05 PM PDT 
One of the biggest drawbacks of the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor is its incompatibility with LTE radios. This issue was at the forefront with the release of the HTC One X, with the international version featuring the Tegra 3 processor, but the US version using a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor. Of course, some benchmark tests suggest that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it still means that the specs maniacs in the US are a while away from getting their hands on a quad-core device. While HTC missed out on introducing the first quad-core phone in the US, it now seems that Samsung is heading in the same direction, according to The Korea Times. An unidentified Samsung executive mentioned that Samsung plans to release its next flagship device with different specifications for different markets. The source continues to state that the Galaxy S3 will feature Samsung’s own quad-core Exynos processors for European and Korean markets, but will use Qualcomm chips for the US. This is very possible considering the problems quad-core processors face with LTE compatibility. Nvidia has an LTE supported chip in the works for release only in 2013, and while we have no information on Samsung’s Exynos lineup, this might also be true for Samsung’s quad-core processor. Of course, Samsung does make its own dual-core processors as well, so no definite call on this issue can be made just yet. Further fueling the speculation is the statement by Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, again to Korea Times, in which he said that Qualcomm is facing a shortage of 28-nanometer capacity (Snapdragon S4) and is finding it difficult to meet increasing demands. This won’t cause problems for Samsung, as the Korean company is a top-tier Qualcomm customer, but might adversely affect smaller OEMs, such as LG and Pantech. As with all other Samsung Galaxy S3 rumors, there is no way to confirm or deny this new information. While likely, we will only know more with the official announcement of the device on May 3. What are your thoughts? Will the use of a Qualcomm dual-core processor as opposed to Samsung’s quad-core Exynos affect the popularity of the device? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article, Samsung Galaxy S3 might come with dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors in the US , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| T-Mobile image re-branding on track. Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon Posted: 25 Apr 2012 02:56 PM PDT 
T-Mobile is certainly taking its image re-branding plan seriously, in an effort to become competitive again in the race for US network carrier supremacy (or at least survival). T-Mobile is already releasing the HTC One S today, and now the rumors of T-Mobile getting its hands on the very popular Samsung Galaxy Note seem to be coming to fruition, according to a leak revealed of TmoNews, an unofficial blog for everything T-Mobile. 
Interesting points to note from the above images, that give the rumor some credence are: - Most obviously, the T-Mobile branding at the top of the device above the screen
- Inclusion of carrier apps such as My T-Mobile, T-Mobile Name ID, T-Mobile TV, T-Mobile Mall, and T-Mobile visual Voicemail
- The device is running Android 4.0.3. With the Galaxy Note Android 4.0 update rolling out, any “new” devices should feature the OS
Granted, there has been no official announcement from the carrier about the pricing and release date of the device, or even whether the 5.3″ “phablet” will actually make an appearance in its device lineup. But it’s highly unlikely that this is just a wild rumor. The Samsung Galaxy Note is currently exclusive to AT&T, but the addition of this device will certainly strengthen T-Mobile’s faltering lineup. If true, and it definitely seems like it, this will certainly give T-Mobile users a huge reason to celebrate. What are your thoughts? Is T-Mobile back on track? Will you be picking up a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note when available? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article, T-Mobile image re-branding on track. Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| Samsung details Android ICS upgrade for US devices, but fails to reveal any official dates Posted: 25 Apr 2012 02:50 PM PDT 
Although the latest Android OS version, Ice Cream Sandwich, has been released more than five months ago, there are still a bunch of popular gadgets running on either Gingerbread or Honeycomb these days. Samsung, probably the most successful Android device manufacturer of the moment, has failed to provide its customers with ICS updates for more than a handful of smartphones and tablets released during the past year or so, and users are clearly starting to lose their patience. With probably exactly that in mind, Sammy has kindly released a new update schedule for US phones and tablets, detailing specific plans for devices from different carriers. Unfortunately, the list is a bit on the light side, lacking a couple of important gadgets, and it also doesn't include any official release dates for the Android 4.0 upgrades. AT&T customers should be the most content after taking a look at the list, which confirms upcoming updates for the Galaxy S2 (model number i777), the S2 Skyrocket SGH-i727), the Galaxy Note (SGH-i717), the Captivate Glide (SGH-i927), the Nexus S (SGH-i9020A), and the Galaxy Tab 8.9 (SGH-i957). Verizon clients should expect an ICS update for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Tab 7.7 in the near future, while Sprint users, who have recently received an upgrade for the Nexus S 4G, should wait for a similar update for the Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch (model number SPH-d710). 
As for T-Mobile customers, Sammy has failed to reveal any specific plans for upgrades. "We are in close communication with T-Mobile to ensure that eligible devices are upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the coming months and will provide updates as we have additional details to share" is the only message Samsung has for T-Mobile users right. Of course, we have no way to know what "eligible devices" are they talking about and when could we expect these to be updated, but I guess there's nothing else to do but wait and see. Aside from the specific carrier-branded devices ready to get a big scoop of Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung will also be updating the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, 8.9 and 10.1. That's all (kind of) good news for Sammy users in the United States these days, but there are still two important devices missing from the list. And while the first-edition Galaxy S is not a very big surprise, as we've been hearing rumors of it never receiving ICS before, we are a bit shocked to see the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab not figuring in Samsung's update plans for the moment. The 7-incher hasn't exactly been Samsung's most popular tablet ever, but it has sold pretty well, and I personally would have expected it to receive Ice Cream Sandwich. Oh, well, maybe it will after all, because Samsung hasn't announced this list as being a definitive or complete one. Is your Samsung device on the update list? Are you a T-Mobile customer and you’re just about to go mad over the most recent Samsung "message" for you? Do you think that the first Galaxy S or the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab will ever receive ICS? Hit us with a comment and let us know!
This article, Samsung details Android ICS upgrade for US devices, but fails to reveal any official dates , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| HTC EVO 4G LTE pre-order page goes live, the phone could start shipping on May 18 Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:09 AM PDT 
The HTC One X is one of the most exciting Android-based smartphones to hit the market by this summer, but Sprint's own take on HTC's flagship, the EVO 4G LTE, might capture the regular geek's attention even more. Although it won't come with a quad-core processor, but rather with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip, the EVO 4G LTE will hold three big aces up its sleeve. I'm talking, of course, about the 4G LTE connectivity, the SD card slot (lacking on the standard One X), and the kickstand found on Sprint's EVO super-phone. With all this in mind, it's pretty difficult not to get excited about the smartphone's future release, which is why we are glad to inform you that Sprint's pre-order page for the device has gone live. Pre-orders haven't started just yet, but, if you want to receive a notification about when will Sprint begin taking orders, you can subscribe now and ensure you'll be one of the first to get their grubby hands on the EVO 4G LTE. 
Now, we know when Sprint will start taking pre-orders (May 7, which is exactly the date rumored a while ago). What we still don't know (officially) is when will the phone actually start shipping. Unofficially, we have a pretty good idea on when will that happen, as the good lads at Androidandme.com have picked up a rumor saying that the first EVO "beasts" will be available starting May 18. The rumor doesn't come out of thin air and is actually pretty credible, as it is based on statements from a "trustworthy" anonymous source inside Sprint, as Androidandme calls it. Given the website's past record with such leaks, I, for one, am 90% sure that we will, in fact, see the EVO 4G LTE hitting the market on May 18, so we should pretty much start the countdown. You have 13 more days to get a hold of the necessary budget for pre-ordering this monster of an Android phone (probably $199.99, if we are to trust existing rumors), and an additional 11 days to prepare yourself for what might be the sweetest encounter with a gadget ever. Will you be one of the first to get in line to purchase Sprint's EVO 4G LTE on May 7? Why? Why not?
This article, HTC EVO 4G LTE pre-order page goes live, the phone could start shipping on May 18 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| What Microsoft can teach Google about Android Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:47 AM PDT  When talking about success in the mobile device market, Microsoft isn’t the name that instantly springs to mind. Google yes, Apple yes, RIM maybe, but Microsoft? Although they have a version of Windows for mobile phones (the latest being Windows Phone 7.5) and although Windows 8 has some potential to increase Microsoft’s market share, Microsoft has failed to make it big on phones (or tablets).
Of course, that isn’t true for PCs. In fact, Microsoft is the overwhelming number one in terms of PC operating systems (Windows) and PC software (Microsoft Office). So, why has Microsoft been so successful on the PC and what can Google learn about this success when it comes to Android? The fundamental difference between Microsoft and Apple in the PC market is that Microsoft doesn’t make any hardware. It licenses its software to hardware makers and ensures that it is compatible. Apple, on the other hand, makes the software (OS X) and the hardware (Mac). Both companies are successful but Microsoft is the clear leader. Now, move into the mobile device space and we see the same pattern forming again, but, this time, between Google and Apple. Google doesn’t make any hardware (ignoring Motorola for the moment), but it does license its software (Android) to run on the devices made by the likes of Samsung, HTC, LG, and so on. Apple, on the other hand, makes the hardware (iPhone & iPad) and the software (iOS). Both companies are successful, and, this time, Apple, with its hardware/software combination, isn’t on a distant second place, but on equal footing with its closest rival, Google. So, in the PC market, Apple’s holistic approach has been successful but not dominant. Whereas in the mobile device market, Apple is a force to be reckoned with. What did Microsoft do in the PC market that gave it that dominance over Apple, and how can Google reproduce the same effect on mobiles? The answer, of course, is that Microsoft doesn’t make any hardware but licenses its OS to others. Google does the same, but why doesn’t it dominate the market like Microsoft does? I am tempted to tell you it is because Android is open source and this is leading to fragmentation, but that isn’t entirely true. There are lots of open source projects, the majority in fact, that aren’t fragmented. The problem is twofold. First, the handset manufacturers need a way to differentiate their hardware in a saturated market. The second is compatibility. Saturated marketRewind 25 years – IBM is the de facto standard for PCs. Microsoft makes software that is compatible with IBM PCs. When IBM introduces something new, the industry follows (the PS/2 keyboard plug, that was so ubiquitous before USB keyboards, was an innovation made by IBM in a line of computers called the PS/2 range. The industry just followed IBM’s lead). Since Microsoft made software for computers that were compatible with the IBM standard, it didn’t matter to Microsoft which hardware manufacturer made the machine. So, for every PC sold, the hardware came from one of dozens (today hundreds) of companies, but the OS only came from Microsoft. This was a stunning success for Microsoft – while the hardware companies fought to try and differentiate their hardware and take a slice of the pie, Microsoft was guaranteed to be the OS supplier. This model worked so well that Microsoft became number one, and IBM eventually left the PC market, realizing that hardware became a commodity. The situation is similar today. Handset companies like Samsung, HTC, Sony, and LG are trying to differentiate their devices (how big is the screen, how many megapixels in the camera, how many cores, and so on), while Android is the OS that runs on them all. But to make the handsets even more attractive, the manufacturers are also tweaking Android to bring better features that only work on their phones. This means that the version of Android running on any given phone isn’t actually a vanilla copy of what Google is offering. Because of this, Google has effectively lost control of Android. When Google releases a new version of Android, it now takes months and months for the handset manufacturers to get it out onto their devices and many just don’t bother. The last thing handset manufacturers want is an equivalent of the “IBM compatible” standard but for mobile devices. The very thing Google needs (and consumers) is a “Verified Google handset compatible” standard. If such a standard existed, any user could upgrade their handset to the latest version of Android, as long as the handset was “Google compatible” and the manufacturer (or Google) had released the relevant drivers. But then handsets would become a commodity, something the handset giants don’t want. That is what killed Nokia in the low-end market. 
CompatibilityIt is the lack of compatibility which is causing so much pain. Almost daily, I talk with Android users who don’t understand why they can’t have the latest version of Android for their phone or why it is taking so long for their handset manufacturer to ship a new version. Google isn’t making much money from Android. There are reports that, in its entire history, Google has only made $550 million from Android. In fact Google makes more money licensing its Maps and Search services for Apple to use on the iPhone. Now that Google has put Android into a dominant position, it should use its influence to create a “Google handset compatible” standard that allows users to buy a phone knowing that it is supported by Google and that the updates from the phone can be found on Google’s website and not their handset manufacturer’s website. To do this, Google needs to take a hard look at the CyanogenMod project (which supports an impressive and broad range of handsets/tablets) and start shipping its own version of Android for popular handsets. Since Google clearly has lots of money, it should basically give jobs to all the CyanogenMod project members and make it the official Google version. It should also use Motorola to enforce/encourage this, by making all future Motorola phone compatible to a standard that guarantees compatibility with any future release of Android. This way, Google can become the Microsoft of the mobile device world… But then again, that is what Microsoft is trying to do with its tablet version of Windows 8. The hardware needs to be Windows 8 compatible… Come on Google, wake up! What do you think?Would you like to see a “Verified Google Android compatible” standard that would allow you to buy a device in the safe knowledge that it is compatible and ready to receive future updates? Leave a comment below. I promise to answer any sensible comments. Let your voice be heard, maybe Google will listen!
This article, What Microsoft can teach Google about Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| Why Android can never be a closed platform Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:08 AM PDT 
Ever since Google announced it was buying Motorola, industry watchers have speculated if Google was going to make Android a closed source platform exclusively for Motorola’s devices. That will never happen and here’s why. The Financial Perspective: Revenues & Gross MarginsGoogle’s revenues from the mobile segment are currently derived from advertising, while Motorola’s are from device sales through carriers and retailers. So let’s compare how much money Google can possibly make over the next few years by following its open source strategy versus a Motorola-focused proprietary strategy. For the purpose of this analysis, I have taken very conservative estimates for Android revenues, to emphasize my point. I have also restricted my analysis to smartphones, so the numbers are even more conservative. First, let me list out my assumptions for this analysis: Proprietary Strategy
Average Selling Price - Motorola’s average selling price has been estimated by Forbes as $226.30. However, this most likely includes sales of feature phones as well. So I have considered the average selling price for smartphones in the US, which is about $135, added to the average carrier subsidy of about $280. Gross Margin - Gross Margin is essentially the difference between the price at which Motorola sold a smartphone and the manufacturing cost of the device. Motorola’s gross margins over the last few years have consistently hovered around the 25% mark, so that was a safe estimate to take. Annual Growth in Gross Margin - This annual increase in gross margin would be driven by increased prices, as following a proprietary strategy would most likely put Motorola’s devices at a premium in the market. Open Source Strategy 
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) - This is an estimate of the advertising revenue Google makes per year on every Android user. The details of this analysis are mentioned here. Annual Growth in ARPU - This is an extremely conservative figure, given that growth in ARPU is driven by growth in user base. An ARPU growth of 10% is probably more realistic, but I’ve taken this figure to be on the safe side. Average Daily Android Activations for 2012 - Given that android activations have already reached 850,000 per day, it is a fairly safe assumption that they would surpass the 1 million mark this year. So I have considered an average figure of 1 million for the year. Annual Growth in Activations - This is an average growth rate in daily activations from 2012-2016. This, again, is a fairly conservative figure, as daily activations have grown by more than 100% over the last year. This growth should be driven by a sharp increase in global smartphone penetration, which is currently around 30%. Active Android smartphones discarded - This is an estimate of the percentage of active Android smartphones from the previous year that are discarded in the following year. This excludes refurbished, reused, or re-sold phones since those would still be active Android devices from which Google can earn advertising revenue. Just to add, although I’m sure this is fairly obvious, this number is much higher than any reasonable estimate. I have taken this figure to get an even more conservative estimate of advertising revenue. Comparison of Revenues & Gross MarginsBased on the assumptions highlighted above, let’s first have a look at Google’s mobile advertising revenues from the Android platform, only considering smartphones sold from 2012-2016. 
Wow, that is considerable growth from Google’s current open source mobile strategy. Now let’s have a look at the sales volume Motorola would need to achieve (taking into account both device sales revenue & advertising revenue from those handsets) to meet these revenue targets. 
This volume growth is much higher than any reasonable expectation from Motorola, considering their revenues over the last 3 years have mostly been flat. In addition to this, Motorola’s marketing and distribution expenses (Motorola’s operating margin is currently negative) would far outweigh Google’s running expenses (including a mobile advertising revenue share with carriers and OEMs). Therefore, the actual expected volume growth could be significantly higher than this. Expecting Google to turn Motorola into another Apple, to just match a conservative estimate of their mobile advertising estimates is asking for too much. Google is many things, but a great consumer marketing company, it is not. Google’s OptionsAt this point, it is clear that Google did not buy Motorola to convert it into the manufacturing arm of a proprietary Android platform. Rather, Google primarily bought Motorola for the following two reasons: 1) To acquire Motorola’s patent portfolio, to defend the Android platform against frequent attacks from Apple and Microsoft 2) To prevent Motorola from using its patent portfolio to attack other Android manufacturers Now, Google has a couple of options in front of it: 1) Sell Motorola’s Hardware BusinessIt would make sense to sell Motorola’s hardware business, as it would put other Android manufacturers at ease. There have been rumors of Huawei being an interested acquirer, and the deal would make sense as long as the valuation was acceptable. 2) Hold on to Motorola for nowIt might make sense for Google to hold on to Motorola for now, because Motorola owns some significant distribution relationships with retailers, carriers & cable TV operators, which could come in handy for Google. Google is making a major push into tablets and television, with the Nexus tablet and Google TV, and Motorola could help with that. This strategy carries the risk of alienating other Android hardware vendors, but considering the success and market penetration some of them have seen on the Android platform, it is not a very big risk. OEMs could always fork Android, like Amazon did, but there are some considerable risks with that strategy. ConclusionThis analysis is not exhaustive in any way, but it does highlight the fact that even though Google has a few options in front of it when it comes to Motorola, using Android as a closed platform on Motorola’s devices is not one of them.
This article, Why Android can never be a closed platform , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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| New Samsung Galaxy S3 disguised prototype appears Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:24 AM PDT 
With the launch of Samsung’s “next Galaxy” only a week away, the torrent of Galaxy S3 rumors is showing no signs of slowing down yet. We’d already seen how Samsung is using disguised prototypes of the device when sending it out for network testing, to avoid any design leaks. But, there have been numerous leaks and speculation about these dummy boxes themselves, and here’s another one. This leak is courtesy of Chinese mobile forum, Mobile01. The page has been removed since the news broke. 
Of course, this is not the final design of the device at all, which is very obvious, with notes and tape all over the device. But, the leak, if true, does give us some useful insight into what Samsung is hoping to achieve with its next flagship device: - It features Android 4.0 with a TouchWiz layering
- The prototype suggests that Samsung is looking to include a physical home button (as previous leaks have suggested)
- The above device features the Android 4.0-recommended virtual buttons
- The position of the virtual menu keys have been switched around, with the recent apps moving to the left and the back button shifting to the right
- The “Twonky Server” app features an additional virtual button (seen above), which might suggest that Samsung isn’t happy with in-app menu options
Of course, no conclusive evidence about this device being the Samsung Galaxy S3 can be found in this latest leak. One of the most important points that makes me feel like this might not be accurate is the presence of the Android Market, which should’ve been updated to the Play Store by now. Another day, another Samsung Galaxy S3 rumor. Why does it feel like May 3 is ages away? You can visit the website for the Samsung Unpacked event here. What are your thoughts? If the leak is true, how do you like the design changes – the virtual keys and the additional 4th menu option when using apps? Physical button – yes or no? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article, New Samsung Galaxy S3 disguised prototype appears , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. 
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