Thursday, May 17, 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Temple Run updated with improved Android 4.0 ICS support

Posted: 17 May 2012 10:41 AM PDT

The folks from Imangi Studios have been busy with their hit sensation game Temple Run for Android. You should all know plenty about this much anticipated game that saw millions of downloads overnight. Today however, they’ve released another much needed update offering support for more Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones and tablets.

With more and more phones being updated to Android 4.0 ICS Temple Run needed a quick update to solve some compatibility issues and ensure optimal performance and today’s update brings just that. If your new ICS build on the HTC Sensation, or Galaxy S II has been having issues you should give Temple Run another try today.

Apparently there was also a major bug where Temple Run was using low-res, low DPI textures and graphics for higher end HD and high DPI devices that was causing graphics to suffer. Now all high resolution phones should be seeing the best and prettiest graphics available. I don’t know about you guys but the game seems to look great on my Transformer Prime, but if the graphics just got better I’m all for it. As usual Imangi states the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements. If you’ve been having issues hit the Play link below and give this addicting game another try.

Temple Run Link


Motorola brings three new RAZR’s with ICS to China

Posted: 17 May 2012 10:12 AM PDT

Motorola isn’t wasting any time tossing new powerful handsets onto the market in other parts of the world. Just like with Verizon here and the DROID branding, they’ve continued to update at a very fast pace. Today Motorola announced three brand new Motorola RAZR smartphones for China. All looking a little different but all running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Model numbers for these new RAZR’s are MT887, XT885 and XT889, and they’ll be available in China starting June 2nd on multiple carriers. Motorola’s MT887 (on the far right above) comes with a 4.3-inch qHD display (not HD) an 8 megapixel camera, about 8.3mm thin and is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. All these phones are running the absolute latest Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich — hopefully their US brothers will see the same shortly with an update.

All three of the RAZR phones shown will be available soon hitting China Telecom and China Unicom early next month. You can clearly see from the last image the famous RAZR designs around back although the one in the middle looks closer to the DROID line than anything. We’ve seen similar phones leak in the past but today they are official and headed to the Chinese marketplace. Now lets just hope Motorola gets that Android 4.0.4 update for Verizon’s RAZR’s sooner than later.

motorola-razr-china-android-4.0.4 motorola-razr-china-MT887-XT885-XT889-back-cover motorola-razr-china-MT887-XT885-XT889

[via PocketDroid]


HTC HD2 can’t be stopped: gets Sense 4.0 ROM

Posted: 17 May 2012 09:59 AM PDT

At this point, the HTC HD2 is nothing short of legendary. The phone originally launched with Windows Mobile 6.5 way back in 2009, but it’s super high-end specs (including the first 4.3-inch touchscreen) and easy hack-ability have made it the host to more Windows and Android mods than you can shake a stylus at. After a CM9 port, you’ll soon be able to rock Ice Cream Sandwich on your gigantic proto-superphone along with HTC Sense 4.0 – just as nature intended.

The custom ROM comes from (where else?) a team of developers on XDA, who call their project BlackOut ICS Primo. If it weren’t for the Windows button and the EDGE logos, you’d swear this was an official (if somewhat belated) update. The team has only released a preview of the software, based on the HTC One V ROM thanks to their identical resolutions, but they say they’re working hard to bring it to fruition.

Currently some pretty crucial components are non-functional, including the camera, SD card storage, data, WiFi and audio. When it’s complete the ROM will only work with T-Mobile. Hey, this is bringing Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0 to hardware that’s nearly three years old and designed for a now-defunct OS – it’s no walk in the park. Good luck to you, Team Blackout. Yours is a noble task.

[via XDA blog]


HTC Sensation 4G ICS update data issues fixed in settings

Posted: 17 May 2012 09:01 AM PDT

The long-awaited update to Ice Cream Sandwich often brings a few teething troubles with it, and such is the case with T-Mobile’s HTC Sensation 4G. After the scheduled Android 4.0 update yesterday, some users found that their HSPA+ (“4G”) data wasn’t working, much to their display. Luckily, TmoNews discovered an easy work-around: head into the settings menu, tap “Network”, then switch it to WCDMA/GSM Auto. You should see the little “4G” icon reappear when in a coverage area.

T-Mobile should fix the issue the next time they have a maintenance update. Of course, a slight interruption in wireless service isn’t the only troubling thing about the Sensation ICS update: T-Mobile is also ending its grace period when it comes to “unauthorized” tethering. Rooted users who skirt around T-Mobile’s official, paid tethering solution will be blocked if detected after upgrading their phones.

The only other phone on T-Mobile that’s confirmed to get an Ice Cream Sandwich update is the HTC Amaze 4G, which may have similar issues on both counts. (Samsung says they’ll update the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S Blaze 4G, but T-Mobile’s been silent thus far.) Of course for both phones there’s plenty of custom ROM options, if you’re not particularly attached to your warranty.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Sensation 4G
    Manufactuer : HTC
    Carrier : T-Mobile
    Announced Date : April 12, 2011
    Release Date : May 19, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.30 Inch
  • Resolution : 540x960
  • Screen Type : qHD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.96 Inch
  • Width : 2.57 Inch
  • Depth : 0.44 Inch
  • Weight : 148 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1520 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 350 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 768 MB
    Internal Storage : 4 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • 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 :


Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 rooted

Posted: 17 May 2012 08:26 AM PDT

Ah, root. It’s a sort of coming-of-age test for an Android device, in that brief (and sometimes nonexistent) gap between a phone’s retail release and the point at which the modder community beats it into software submission. The time has come for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the mild refresh to one of the most successful 10-inch Android tablets out there. Thanks to the folks at XDA, you can now get both root permissions and a custom recovery on your shiny new tablet.

Like many of Samsung’s devices, this exploit comes through the proprietary Odin desktop flashing software. It’s pretty straightforward as far as rooting goes: turn off your tablet, reboot into download mode, connect it to a Windows PC (proper drivers are necessary) and flash the ClockworkMod recovery image and the Superuser files. Reboot into recovery, flash a small ZIP, and you’re done.

There are no custom ROMs available just yet, but they’ll be coming soon for sure. And since the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 did so well on the modder circuit (indeed, continues to do well) I’m sure there will be plenty of clean and TouchWiz ROMs available in the coming weeks. Unlike certain other companies I could name, Samsung releases source code in a timely manner and doesn’t present barriers to those who want to run alternative software on the hardware that they own.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy Tab 2 (10")
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : February 25, 2012
    Release Date : May 13, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : TFT PLS
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 6.9 Inch
  • Width : 10.1 Inch
  • Depth : 0.38 Inch
  • Weight : 580 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Polymer
  • Battery Capacity : 7100 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP 4
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 3.2 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Liliputing]


Patent details Project Glass control with rings and tattoos

Posted: 17 May 2012 07:25 AM PDT

So Project Glass might not live up to the rather lofty expectations set by the preview video. But there’s no denying that it’s an awesome idea, and even if it flops like a one-winged seagull every geek who’s ever seen The Terminator wants to try it out. In addition to patents for the basic concept, Google has added some interesting control ideas, spotted by Patentbolt. The basic idea is that visible patterns or objects on a users’ hands could be used to access the user interface in the heads-up display.

Google’s patents describe rings, fingernails or “invisible tattoos” (infrared) that are keyed into the Project Glass system. The glasses then use the built-in camera to “watch” for commands based upon pre-defined movements, not unlike Microsoft’s Kinect. More complex movements with multiple markers (like a ring on each finger) could be used for more complex commands. There’s no connection between Project Glass and the objects in question – they’re simply used as points of reference, kind of like the base image in an augmented reality app.

The applications for this idea seem pretty straightforward, but there’s definitely some fun to be had. Say you made an augmented reality game based on Spider-Man’s web-slinging ability. The command to launch the game would obviously be placing your middle and ring fingers on your palm while the rest are outstretched. You could launch the dialer app with the good old-fashioned Inspector Gadget cell phone pose, or start recording video with the director’s universal sign for a letterbox frame.

Of course all this is just conceptual at the moment, and we’ve seen no indication that Google intends to add this functionality to glass. As of now all the controls are based on voice and head motion. Even if Google does use them, current motion tracking technology has actually progressed beyond the need for physical markers. Even so, I’d like to see something like this eventually, whether it comes from Google or someone else. I want to be able to abruptly hang up on somebody by using a certain universal hand gesture.

[via 9to5Google]


Samsung claims six new phone trademarks in the US

Posted: 17 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Here’s a peek into Samsung’s naming conventions for its new US phones. Fusible spotted no less than six new names floating around in the US Patent and Trademark Office: the Galaxy Forge, Galaxy Wield, Galaxy Mission, Galaxy Rivet, Galaxy Victory and the Lunge… which strangely goes without the Galaxy branding. There’s no telling which phones these names allude to, but since Samsung’s been pretty insistent upon keeping its Galaxy S branding intact since the second version, they probably aren’t the Galaxy S III.

Forge, Wield, Mission and Rivet sound like industrial names to me – the sort of names a blacksmith might give to smartphones if he could hammer them out on an anvil. Victory and Lunge might tie in with Samsung’s upcoming and inevitable 2012 Olympics campaign. Beyond that we’re in the dark, and remember that a trademark application doesn’t necessarily mean that a phone is forthcoming: companies often trademark names just to keep a good backlog handy, and prevent other companies from using them.

That said, more ruggedized phones from Samsung would be more than welcome. We came away impressed after reviewing AT&T’s tough-as-nails budget phone the Rugby Smart, so similar phones for other carriers under the “Forge” and “Rivet” names would be a treat. Place your bets now, ladies and gentlemen.

[via Geeky Gadgets]


HTC’s US One phones already work around Apple’s software patent

Posted: 17 May 2012 06:33 AM PDT

If you were hoping to get your hands on a shiny new HTC One X or EVO 4G LTE in the United States, you’re currently out of luck: the ITC has impounded shipments of both phones in US customs. HTC confirmed that this was due to a an ITC ruling, which can only be Apple’s successful lobbying of the commission based on its linking software patent. It’s been confirmed that both phones work around the feature in question.

HTC had already said that its software works around Apple’s petty software patent, which covers how a smartphone reacts to contextual links for email addresses and phone numbers. By default both phones (and other US HTC phones which have been updated) don’t link to the email or dialer applications automatically. There is a settings menu in the US version of the software that allows you to manually assign apps to contextual links, similar to the way that desktop browsers handle links meant for outside programs.

So why exactly is the International Trade Commission holding up two major devices? Wouldn’t that seem to be a pretty fruitless waste of everyone’s time, and a ridiculous block on the free market? You tell us: why is it that a case that seemed to be over and done with reignited just as the would-be flagships on two major networks are coming out? Why is it that T-Mobile’s One S, a phone that’s similar in almost every software respect to the One X and the EVO 4G LTE, spared the same scrutiny? Could it be that both the One X and the EVO 4G LTE are competing directly against the iPhone 4S in the middle of its product cycle, months before it’s due for an upgrade, whereas the One S is running on a network with no Apple products at all?

It’s unclear whether the ITC knew about HTC’s changes to the US versions of its software before impounding the phones in question, and coincidentally completely ruining the launch of the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Likewise it’s hard to see what they could find to complain about once they start their investigation. Should they find cause for continued delay, HTC will likely send out another update that simply removes contextual linking entirely.

Welcome to the technological future, folks, where one company’s bull-headed stubbornness and arrogance is cause for punishing consumers across an entire country. Remember: “good artists copy, great artists steal.”

[via SlashGear]


Google is re-working the Google Play authorization system

Posted: 16 May 2012 06:46 PM PDT

The Android world was somewhat up in arms today after discovering new limitations on Google Play Music, namely that you could only de-authorize up to four devices every year. This put those who often flash new phone or tablet ROMs in a bind, since an active flasher could run through his or her quota in a couple of months. The small but extremely vocal portion of Android users that this affects made their opinions known, and Google seems to have removed the limitation for the moment.

A few hours after changing the limit on Google Music itself, this message appeared on the Google Play support page:

Yesterday we made a change to our device policy for music on Google Play.  Any user can associate up to 10 devices to his or her account.  Once you have connected 10 devices, you may add a new device only by deauthorizing an existing one from your account, and you may do this up to four times per year.

We limit the number of times you can swap out new devices at the request of some of our music partners in an effort to limit abuse. We understand this has caused some issues for users who often deauthorize and reauthorize the same device, and we are currently re-implementing the solution in a way that works for our users and music partners.

We apologize for any inconvenience and will update this page as new changes are made.

As many had suspected, the new limitation was a stipulation of Google’s music publishing partners – who don’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to technological freedom (or common sense). At the moment and for the foreseeable future you’re unlimited on the number of devices you can authorize and de-authorize, so if you’re worried, head over to the Google Play Music settings page and remove your old devices or ROMs now.

The issue at hand isn’t necessarily the restriction itself, it’s how Google Play “sees” devices and software. If A Galaxy Nexus owner connects to the Google Play Store with a stock ROM, then CyanogenMod 9, then AOKP, it might be identified as three different devices. Frequent ROM flashers (not to mention phone reviewers!) can see a massive and disjointed list of devices and ROMs. You can see my personal list below, including a ton of devices I’ve reviewed for Android Community and various personal ROMs.

Google hasn’t said how it will change the system, but they have promised to keep us posted. Considering how fast they changed their policy when notified of the problems therein, I’d say they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt.


LG Revolution gets updated Gingerbread release

Posted: 16 May 2012 06:01 PM PDT

Let’s get this right out of the way: Verizon’s latest release for the LG Revolution is not, repeat not, Ice Cream Sandwich. There, we’re done. That being said, there’s quite a bit of new stuff in the latest update, and Revolution owners who are still on the stock software will want to upgrade immediately. Build VS910zV9 brings some important security fixes along with the usual speed and stability improvements.

According to Verizon’s documentation, unspecified “Android security patches” have been put in place, along with fixes to MMS when connected to WiFi, a more stable dialer app and  squashing some multiple SMS bugs. Other additions include better joined contact management and compatibility with the Wireless Alerting System. Verizon is also adding some remote viewing and management software, but don’t worry – it only goes into effect when you call in to customer service. Uh, right Verizon?

The update is just over twenty megabytes, so it shouldn’t take long to download and install over a 3G connection. Long-term Android users know the drill: check your Settings menu, tap “about phone” and then “system updates”. Neither Verizon nor LG seems interested in publishing an Ice Cream Sandwich update, now or in the future.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Revolution
    Manufactuer : LG
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : January 06, 2011
    Release Date : May 26, 2011
    Also Known As : LG Revolution, Verizon Revolution, LG Revolution LTE, LG Revolution 4G
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.03 Inch
  • Width : 2.63 Inch
  • Depth : .52 Inch
  • Weight : 172 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 335 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.2.x
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon MSM8655
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 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 Droid-Life]


Chameleon launcher gives early access to Kickstarter donors

Posted: 16 May 2012 05:22 PM PDT

There’s a ton of launchers available at the moment, but depressingly few are for Android tablets (with Go Launcher HD being the best among them). Chameleon is a new tablet launcher that uses an impressive methodology: its layout changes depending upon the time of day, connection, or even GPS location, catering itself to which apps you use in which situations. Like seemingly everybody these days, the creators have started a Kickstarter campaign to get Chameleon finished and into the Google Play Store.

Why do they need a whopping $50,000? They aren’t saying, but they are giving a pretty compelling reason to donate: give them $5 or more, and they’ll let you have access to the launcher on your Android tablet before it goes on sale in the Google Play Store. Higher donations get custom T-shirts, wallpapers and posters, and at the $5,000 pledge level you get a shiny new Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. (Come on guys, for that kind of dough you could spring for a Transformer Prime.)

The app is beautiful and the idea is novel, so I’ve sent five bucks towards the project myself. Anyone who wants a more capable launcher, with some undeniable inspiration from Windows Phone 7, should check it out. For me,  a launcher that kicks in with music, alarm and sleep timer functions around 11:00 at night would be perfect.  Unfortunately it looks like there’ s no smartphone version, so only those with tablets running Android 3.0 or later need apply. Currently the plan is to release the app in the Play Store in September, with donators getting access in August.

[via Reddit]


Huawei Ascend P1 hands-on and unboxing

Posted: 16 May 2012 04:21 PM PDT

Huawei announced this super-thin smartphone at CES and we were able to get a look at it running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich back in February during Mobile World Congress. The Huawei Ascend P1 will be available globally later this month so today we are taking a full hands-on look at it and unboxing it for everyone interested. In might not be Galaxy S III caliber but check it out after the break.

Huawei is sporting this as one of the thinnest smartphones around. Coming in at just 7.6mm thin it is extremely sleek and stylus, although their P1-S will be the “world’s thinnest smartphone” according to Huawei. This phone might not be at the absolute top of the pack but still comes in quite decent. Under the hood is a 1.5 GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, while up-front is a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 Super AMOLED display. The screen isn't HD but you'd hardly tell from looking at its crisp and vivid colors.

The specs aren’t the best but they aren’t too shabby either. Huawei’s tossed in an 8 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a 1.3 front shooter for self portraits and more. They’ve opted for capacitive touch buttons with ICS instead of the on-screen buttons with the Galaxy Nexus. Overall our first impressions are quite favorable. Huawei hasn’t always made the best hardware but this is a step in the right direction for sure. While still having a cheap Samsung-like design the phone feels solid and durable in the hand. For now check out the unboxing video and pictures below and expect a full Android Community review in the coming days.

P1090480 P1090481 P1090493 P1090482 P1090483 P1090489 P1090488 P1090498 P1090494


Samsung Galaxy S III with 2GB of RAM heading to Japan

Posted: 16 May 2012 03:32 PM PDT

Whoa, for those that were saying the LG Optimus LTE2 with 2GB of RAM that was announced the same day as the Galaxy S III didn’t pose a threat we might beg to differ. New details today appear to show that at least the Japan model will be getting an increase to 2GB of internal RAM to compete with the LG smartphone.

We already know the superphone from Samsung will be arriving in multiple flavors. Quad-core’s for most of the world with dual-core Qualcomm S4 versions with 4G LTE stateside and more. Now according to Unwired View they’ll also release a version with 2GB of RAM.

According to NTT DoCoMo, their version model number SC-06D will arrive sometime in June and sport the same Exynos quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage for their customers. The current quad-core version already rocks out the performance and benchmark numbers so we’d love to see how this rumored 2GB model handles daily tasks. Now this could obviously be some sort of mistake but most likely this will pan out. This is all just developing so stay tuned as we dig for additional details. Check out all of our coverage and hands-on below while you wait.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy S III
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : May 03, 2012
    Release Date : May 29, 2012
    Also Known As : The Next Galaxy, SGSIII
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.8 Inch
  • Resolution : 720x1280
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED HD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.37 Inch
  • Width : 2.77 Inch
  • Depth : 0.33 Inch
  • Weight : 133 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2100 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 : Exynos 4 Quad
    CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 32 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    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:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Pocket Now]


LG shows off the Optimus 4X HD in Tron-inspired video

Posted: 16 May 2012 03:18 PM PDT

LG announced their new quad-core Optimus 4X HD a few month back during Mobile World Congress and today they are giving us all another look at the handset. Although we’ve had various hands-on with the new phone ourselves this exceptional new video from LG is worth a quick look for those interested in the smartphone.

This video is pretty Tron-inspired if you ask me, just watch past the first 0:23 seconds to see the exquisite phone in action covered in orange light tails and more just like the popular TRON movie. LG plays up the NVIDIA quad-core Tegra 3 processor under the hood, as well as the 4.7-inch True HD IPS display on the phone and more.

The video doesn’t really show us anything new that we haven’t seen, but is neat to see LG themselves showing off what makes this handset special and their new flagship smartphone. The phone will be available throughout Europe early next month running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with LG’s new Optimus UI 3.0 overlay. Stay tuned for US availability and check out all of our coverage and hands-on below.

[via PocketDroid]


ASUS Transformer TF101 update rolling out with Face Unlock

Posted: 16 May 2012 02:32 PM PDT

The folks over at ASUS are pushing out another minor update for their popular NVIDIA powered Eee Pad Transformer tablet. It’s seen more updates than most tablet around but they are all quite small. Today’s however brings a few more needed bug fixes, as well as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich‘s popular face unlock feature.

First off the update is build version 9.2.1.24 according to Droid-Life and brings the much awaited feature of ICS Face Unlock. Now users can unlock the device using the front facing camera. While this isn’t anything important it has been missing and was recently added to the Prime. Another change was a few software side fixes for the casual reboot users still have, as well as Bluetooth.

Bluetooth was updated from v8.27 to v8.30 and should have improved connections as well as enhance stability for multiplayer games and streaming audio. I’ve never really had issues with WiFi or Bluetooth on mine so can’t really comment on that part of the update. ASUS recently started showing full change-logs and you can find out everything from the update at the source link below.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Eee Pad Transformer
    Manufactuer : Asus
    Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile
    Announced Date : January 20, 2011
    Release Date : April 13, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.10 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 10.67 Inch
  • Width : 6.73 Inch
  • Depth : 0.51 Inch
  • Weight : 680 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 6547 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • MP3
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
Hardware
    CPU : Tegra 2
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1024 MB
    Internal Storage : 32.768 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    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 ASUS Campus Life]


Google backpedals – allows deauthorizations on Google Music

Posted: 16 May 2012 01:50 PM PDT

Late last night we learned that Google’s popular cloud music service Google Play Music had recently received a few changes. Users can authorize 10 devices to use the music service, but recently Google changed this to only allow four deauthorizations per year. While this doesn’t matter to the average user, many in the developer community were upset and we saw an uproar this afternoon.

If you have a Galaxy Nexus and listen to Google Music, then wipe your phone and flash the latest CyanogenMod9 ROM and then listen to music again, you’ll have used two authorizations even though it’s the same device. For those with multiple phones (like me) developers, or the crack flasher that tries tons of different ROM’s you’ll run out fast.

Today everyone started covering the news that Google is now only allowing 4 deauthorizations per account and if you’ve used them all up you are out of luck. After a major uproar by almost all the online blogs, Android or not, it appears that Google has changed their mind. You can now go in and clear as many unused devices as you’d like. I’m sure a similar limit will be returned soon once they sort out this mess and how the system authorizes devices, but for now you better hurry and do it while you can.

I was clearly at my limit this morning, but have since went to play.google.com/music, settings, and cleared out old devices that I don’t currently use. We’d suggest the Android developer, ROM flasher, or multi-device user do the same.


Roamz real-time social discovery app comes to Android

Posted: 16 May 2012 01:24 PM PDT

A brand new application has just launched for Android today called Roamz. Why check into Foursquare and many other apps to find friends or things to do when Roamz can do it all for you. This is similar to other social discovery apps only it requires no check-in’s and operates in real time. They are calling it “social goggles for the real world” that will make you feel like a local no matter where you go.

Essentially Roamz aggregates real-time content off the social web such as Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and even Instagram to bring you things you’re interested in based on your location and preferences. Unlike foursquare it requires no check-in and has a bevy of preferences so you’ll see what you want, when you want.

This app will curate things to do, food to eat and more based on your social networks and contacts. Basically shows you what’s going on in town — making you a local. Roamz explains it by saying, “It's like having your best friend in your pocket, showing you things that you are actually interested in.” Not only that but Roamz will learn as you use it, get smarter, and bring you better content in the future.

You can find things that are around you based on preferences, or set it to search by popularity and more. We’ve seen multiple social apps similar to this like Path or Cheers, but Roamz aims to beat out the rest and become more than just a niche app. Available starting today from the Google Play Store. Give it a try today and let us know what you think down in the comments.

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