Monday, June 11, 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Google’s 7-inch Nexus tablet coming “by the end of June”

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:23 AM PDT

The rumors just keep flooding in regarding the possible Google Nexus Tablet we’ve all been patiently waiting for. Ever since Google’s then CEO Eric Schmidt teased an official Google slate we’ve all been waiting for one. As rumor has it, the ASUS MeMo 370T 7-inch quad-core tablet from CEO will be the first Nexus tablet and now we have even more rumors.

During Computex 2012 last week it’s being reported that an anonymous company rep apparently confirmed the Nexus tablet to Android Authority, and even went as far as to say it will be here “by the end of June.” Lining right up with previous rumors of a Google I/O debut in about 2 weeks.

Obviously no other details were revealed as they are being tight lipped on the subject, and he actually said unveiled by the end of June, not available. However, we expect retail availability will shortly follow the announcement and it will most likely be available in early to mid July. With NVIDIA’s new KAI budget friendly quad-core processor, a sleek and portable design all under $200 they should have a real winner on their hands. Other rumors suggest Android 4.1 will make an appearance too but we’ll have to wait and see. More details are available at the links below and remember that we’ll be live at Google I/O with all the details come June 27th.

[via SlashGear]


Andy Rubin denies leaving Google, brags on Android activations

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 02:20 AM PDT

A Rumor has been making the rounds the Google’s Andy Rubin was leaving Google to work at a startup called CloudCar. Robert Scoble apparently started the rumor on Google’s own social network, Google+. The rumor pushed Andy Rubin to take to Twitter where he denied he would be leaving the company.

Rubin doesn’t often post tweets, and historically when he does, the tweets are to brag about the number of daily activations for Android devices. Rubin tweeted that Android now has 900,000 device activations per day. Those devices can be any mix of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running Android.

Back in February, the number of Android device activations daily was around 850,000 so Android is continuing to grow. As of March, Android has 51% of the market share in the United States. The iPhone sits at 30.7% of the US market, with RIM clinging to a relatively small 12.3% and Microsoft having only 3.9% of US market.

[via SlashGear]


Android Community Weekly: June 10th, 2012

Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:11 PM PDT

The first week or so here in June has turned out to be quite busy. We can almost guarantee it will be followed with a rather busy summer too. From Samsung rocking the US with their announcement of the Galaxy S III being available on 5 major carriers, to images of the highly rumored Google Nexus tablet. There was plenty of news for Android fans so lets dig in.

To start things off right you’ll want to check out our Samsung Galaxy S III review, and while it’s the international version we’ll be seeing plenty of the US models very soon. Samsung controlled most of the headlines for Android this week, so we’ll try to keep that to a minimum. As noted above, they announced the flagship phone for 5 major US carriers. Starting with T-Mobile on June 21st. For Galaxy S III news, pricing, pre-order dates, and information from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular and more we’ll just make it easy by directing you to our Galaxy S III Portal.

Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus and Motorola XOOM both finally received Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich updates, Sadly way later than they should have. We even got a quick glimpse of the upcoming DROID Incredible 4G LTE in a leaked video but are still waiting for Verizon to officially announce that budget-friendly mid-range phone.

To round things off this week Google will soon be offering their Maps service with full offline support on Android. Followed by the Oracle lawsuit getting a second victory when the judge ordered Oracle to pay all of Google’s legal fees — a sum of around $300,000 or more. Last but not least Verizon has continued its 4G LTE dominance and have launched in new markets in Florida, North Caroline, Missouri, and more all the way to Oregon, and Motorola’s next phone to enjoy Verizon 4G LTE speeds leaked as the DROID RAZR HD.

School’s finally out so remember to be good, don’t have too much fun, and always make a Nandroid backup before flashing your favorite custom ROM. Get additional details from all the news above and more from the timeline below.


Verizon and AT&T won’t honor Dropbox 50GB promo for Galaxy S III

Posted: 10 Jun 2012 11:36 AM PDT

When Samsung announced their new Galaxy S III smartphone back in May we all learned new users would also receive 50GB of cloud storage free for 2 years from the folks at Dropbox — a good deal indeed. While worldwide users are already enjoying this free promo we’ve learned some bad news for the US. Both Verizon and AT&T have sadly opted out of this promo, and won’t be allowing the Dropbox freebie.

Pretty bum deal if you ask me. Samsung may have put their foot down and refused carrier-customized versions of their new flagship smartphone, but this shows carriers can still control the little things. We can only assume they have their reasons. Possibly for data usage or because they want to offer their own cloud options. Either way it doesn’t paint a good picture for the carriers. Everyone else to buy and enjoy the Galaxy S III will get 50 GB of free storage for 2 years.

According to the official support pages at Dropbox "Select carriers have opted-out of the promotion on phones otherwise eligible," and "Unfortunately, AT&T and Verizon are among these carriers not currently participating” as you can see from the screenshot above. While this is hardly a deal breaker, it is bad news and should potentially help out the sales for international models or for T-Mobile. I’d be making a quick build.prop file edit if I purchased the phone for Verizon.

I guess Verizon and AT&T customers can enjoy the usual free amount, or maybe opt for Google Drive and their 5GB limit.

[via SlashGear]


Google Alert - android

News9 new results for android
 
Android Reaches 900000 Daily Activations
InformationWeek
Google's Android platform has reached a new adoption milestone, says chief architect Andy Rubin. How long before it reaches 1 million? Android's chief architect, Andy Rubin, took to Twitter over the weekend to share the news that Google's mobile ...
See all stories on this topic »
Android hits 900k activations per day
Washington Post
Google's Android platform sees 900000 activations a day, according to a tweet from Android head Andy Rubin. The statistic, of course, doesn't distinguish between smartphones and tablets, so it's hard to get a clear picture of the Android ecosystem.
See all stories on this topic »
Over 900000 Android Devices Activated Every Day, Says Google's Rubin
PCWorld
By Mikael Ricknäs, IDG News Android continues to grow, with over 900000 devices based on the OS now being activated every day, according to Andy Rubin, who heads up development of the smartphone operating system at Google.
See all stories on this topic »
Android Activations Running at Nearly 1 Million a Day
Forbes
Almost a million Android devices are activated every 24 hours, according to Google's Andy Rubin. The company's senior VP of mobile stuff revealed the statistics through Twitter where, after insisting he had no plans to leave Google, claimed "there are ...
See all stories on this topic »
Google Android Activations Top 900000 Daily
eWeek
Android director Andy Rubin tweets a denial about a rumored departure from Google and boasts about Android's success. Google's Android leader Andy Rubin took to Twitter to brag about the success of the open source operating system, boasting that there ...
See all stories on this topic »
Android: 900000 activations daily — what that means
ZDNet (blog)
By James Kendrick | June 11, 2012, 4:36am PDT Summary: Head Android Andy Rubin responded to a rumor he is leaving Google, and couldn't resist throwing out the latest impressive figure of Android activations. The Android juggernaut continues to chug ...
See all stories on this topic »

ZDNet (blog)
E FUN Launches New Premium Android 4.0 Nextbook Tablet for Dads & Grads
MarketWatch (press release)
The 8" tablet features a user-friendly five-finger multitouch capacitive screen and the new Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3 operating system. It comes preloaded with the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store(TM), GetJar App Store and a 14-day trial of Net Nanny ...
See all stories on this topic »
Android outsells iOS, but developers stay loyal to Apple
NDTV
Smartphones running Google's Android operating system outsell iPhones more than two to one. And yet, even as Google's system has gobbled up market share, Apple has held onto one critical advantage - the loyalty of mobile app developers.
See all stories on this topic »
900000 new Android devices activated each day
CNET
by Aloysius Low | 11 June 2012 6:01pm SGT There are close to a million Android handsets being activated every day, according to Android chief Andy Rubin. This number appeared on his Twitter feed earlier today. Rubin doesn't post to the account often ...
See all stories on this topic »

CNET

Blogs5 new results for android
 
Google's Andy Rubin: Android activations up to 900000 a day, I'm ...
By Jon Fingas
It's been awhile since we learned how many unique Android devices were switching on every day; the last time was at Mobile World Congress, when Google's.
Engadget
Andy Rubin: 900000 Android Devices Are Activated Each Day
By Stan Schroeder
Users are activating more than 900000 Android devices every day, tweeted Google's Android chief Andy Rubin.
Mashable!
Android gets 900000 activations daily | Ubergizmo
By Edwin Kee
The figure continues to climb steadily – in December last year, we looked at 700000 plus Android activations daily, and just in February this year, the number of Android activations each day has passed the 850000 mark. I guess since [...]
Ubergizmo
Andy Rubin Says There Are Now 900000 Android Devices Activated ...
By Seth Fiegerman
Rubin also took the opportunity to tout just how successful Android products have been, all in a single 140 character tweet. ... Oh, and just for meme completeness -- there are over 900000 android devices activated each day :-)@Scobleizer ...
Business Insider
Android activations: Andy Rubin confirms 900000 devices per day
By Dan Graziano
Google's senior vice president of mobile Andy Rubin confirmed on Sunday that 900000 Android devices are activated each day, an increase from 850000 de.
BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

Web1 new result for android
 
Android by GoSecureAuth.com
Convert Web and SaaS Applications to Secure Android Apps with SecureAuth. The Android smartphone and app markets now nearly rival the iPhone in growth ...
www.gosecureauth.com/mobile/android/


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Android Authority

Android Authority


Google patents location-based mobile device alarm system

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 03:01 AM PDT

android privacy

Google is no stranger to controversy related to what some consider blatant intrusion and complete disregard for consumer privacy. While many appreciate the personalized results, others are equally wary about the information tracking and storage, and even more so when it comes to permissions required by applications allowing access to personal information on your handheld device.

In a move that is sure to stir up further controversy, Google was recently awarded a patent that will make your device, and indirectly Google, aware of your location. Engadget reports that the patent, filed back in September 2011, describes a software-based alert system and is titled “location-based mobile device alarm.” From the patent filing itself, certain excerpts that describe the product follows:

This document discusses systems and techniques that may be used to change the behavior of an alarm clock on a mobile computing device, such as a tablet computer or smartphone, depending on the geographical location of the device. For example, a device alarm may perform in one manner when the device is determined to be in its user’s home, and in another manner when it determines that the user is traveling and away from home.

Also, the categories of information displayed on an “alarm” or “clock” screen of a user’s device may change based on whether the user is determined to be at home or somewhere else. For example, while local sports scores may be displayed adjacent the current time when the user is at home, such information may be replaced by travel information such as the flight status of a flight on which the user is scheduled to travel later in the day.”

Above are just some of the various implementations Google is planning for the software. If you are interested, you can check out the complete filing on the USPTO website.

This application does sound very useful, but the question arises (again) about whether consumers are willing to further compromise on their privacy to get appropriate alerts based on their location. Granted, such a service will likely, or rather, should definitely, feature the on/off option. Of course, this is all speculation at this point as there is no information that Google is even planning to release such a service anytime soon.

What are your thoughts? How do you feel about your smartphone or tablet keeping track of where you are at all times? Would you like a service that sends you alerts or sets alarms based on your location? Let us know in the comments section below.


This article, Google patents location-based mobile device alarm system , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Asus Padfone goes for sale in Australia, no sight of keyboard dock yet

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 01:23 AM PDT

Crikey, who would've guessed that the Asus Padfone would be making its way to down under so soon.

Well, we did kind of report it a couple of days ago, but we were only expecting the Padfone to come in July — at least that’s what Asus Australia said. The early availability of the device is good news nonetheless for our Aussie readers who are looking to get an Android phone and tablet combo.

Thanks to the folks at Phandroid, we can tell you that the unlocked model of Asus Padfone is now available for purchase on Mobicity. The promotional price that they are charging for the phone and tablet package is AU$899, which roughly translates to about $890 in US dollars. Considering that the regular price is set at AU$999, it's quite a steal. One more thing – while you can get the Bluetooth headset pen for an extra AU$90, it seems the keyboard dock is nowhere to be found on the website.

In case you want to see how the device looks like in real life and how it measures up against its foes, we've recently uploaded a quick comparison video of the Asus Padfone and the Samsung Galaxy S3. Check it out right here.

How about it Aussie folks, interested in snatching the Asus Padfone deal above?


This article, Asus Padfone goes for sale in Australia, no sight of keyboard dock yet , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Motorola Droid Razr HD just got real, actual pictures leaked and benchmark is out

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 01:20 AM PDT

Droid Life

It looks like the Motorola Droid Razr HD isn't just a figment of our imagination, as pictures of the actual device have leaked online. What's even better, the folks at Droid-Life have spotted some benchmarks result of the Droid Razr HD. Let's go through the whole thing.

Fans of the Razr will be pleased to see that Motorola hasn't taken any drastic measures to alter the look of its Razr lineup. Back in full force is the Kevlar back cover, which now adorns the whole back part of the phone. The micro HDMI and USB ports are placed on the bottom of the phone, and despite the noticeable lack of a hump on the back, rumor has it the Droid Razr HD will come equipped with a 3,300mAh juice pack. We do wonder how they're going to fit such monstrous battery into such a slim phone.

Gone as well, apparently, are the capacitive keys on the front, to be replaced by a set of on-screen buttons.  This should make Google a very happy camper.

 

Confirmed specs of the Droid Razr HD are still rather hard to come by. But thanks to a certain NenaMark2 benchmark test, which shows — among other things — the device's 59.10 FPS result, it’s all but confirmed that the Droid Razr HD will be sporting a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor and the accompanying Adreno 225 GPU. While the size of the display is unknown, it will have a 1196 x 720 resolution, which falls in line with previous expectation. Lastly, the benchmark result tells us that the phone will come with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Droid Razr HD is expected to come to Verizon (it's quite obvious from the pictures) hopefully in the next two months. Do the leaked pictures and possible specs exceed your expectation? Having second thoughts about pre-ordering the Galaxy S3 on Verizon now?


This article, Motorola Droid Razr HD just got real, actual pictures leaked and benchmark is out , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Best augmented reality (AR) games for Android

Posted: 10 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT

Augment Reality (AR) became a realization way back in the 70's, when Morton Heilig created the Sensorama, a device that can render 3D images, sound, wind, as well as aromas, to create a virtual reality for the user.

Fast forward to the present age–augmented reality is now a possible feat and almost anyone can enjoy the thrill and excitement just by having an Android smartphone.  Have you ever wished that you could experience augmented reality? Here are some of the best augmented reality games that you can experience firsthand on your smartphone.

WARNING: Some of the games featured on this list contain violence, blood, gore, and such other content that may be inappropriate for young users.

Droid Shooting

One of the most downloaded augmented reality games is Droid Shooting. Turn any real-life boring background into a real life shooting fest as you deal with waves upon waves of droids that will come and attack you. Droid Shooting utilizes your phone's camera and makes it a viewfinder or HUD (Heads-up-display) for the battlefield. You will also find a radar at your disposal, so you’ll always know where those vicious droids plan to attack.

As a shoot-em-up game, players will be treated to a wide variety of guns to choose from. To make it more challenging, you need to use your phone's accelerometer to navigate and shoot droids from the screen, making you tilt your phone in all directions. If you are a casual gamer who needs a dose of entertainment in your day, then Droid Shooting could just be the best partner for your trigger-happy hands.

Parallel Kingdom

One of the most sought-after games for Android is Parallel Kingdom by PerBlue. Parallel Kingdom was nominated for a couple of awards, including best MMO, creative use of hardware, best use of location service, and best augmented reality game.

From the name itself, the game places players in a parallel universe that turns Google Maps into a large-scale medieval map of kingdoms, dungeons, and castles. The game's idea is simple; players just need to slay monsters in dark dungeons or battle dragons in the player’s own backyard.

Players can travel to far away lands and conquer chunks of land, claiming them as their own territory. Along the way, you'll be able to gather items and food, upgrade a set of skills, and coordinate with your allies through the game's massive inter-connectivity.

Paintball

Paint your friends in an awesome frag fest in this virtual world of paintball battles. Dive into the action with Paintball as you experience heart-pumping action, playing a game of paintball with your friends just by using your Android smartphone. Players will be able to choose from a variety of paintball weapons, starting from a standard marker to full-fledge industrial paintball grenade launchers that cause a massive amount of damage to your friends.

Whenever you are successfully hit by a paintball, your phone's screen will flash, indicating a hit by one of your enemies. You can’t play by yourself, but once you get to the game with a couple of your friends then it's basically an all-out war. Take the game in a free-for-all death match or partner with a friend for a team match-up via Wi-Fi. Make every shot count as the score really matters.

Zombie, Run

Have you ever thought of a zombie breakout in your neighborhood? If the answer is yes, then all you need is Zombie, Run, a neat little application that turns your worst nightmare into a reality. Zombie, Run will let players run for their lives as the app turns Google Maps into a nightmarish land of the dead with zombies roaming around in search of the living.

Players need to choose the Zombie Count for how many zombies populate the area. Once you're done with setting the zombies, then you're ready to play the game. The objective of the game is simple, all you need to do is reach the endpoint without bumping those red dots; those represent the game’s zombies. The game may sound like child’s play, but it is really addictive and fun once you go up a few levels.

SpecTrek Light

Have you always wanted to go ghost hunting? SpeckTrek can help you make your wish come true. The app is clever enough to recognize your location and places where it can spawn digital ghosts and other bonuses on your phone. The object of the game is to find ghosts and capture them, a la Ghostbusters. In order to catch one successfully, you need to get as close to the specters as possible so you can aim a special net at them.

SpecTrek uses your phone's camera and turns it into a ghost-capturing mechanism. SpecTrek is great for goofing around the house. The game becomes harder as you progress through the levels. The more you play, the more area you have to cover, and the game becomes a real-life adventure you can experience on your smartphone.

iSnipeYou

Turn your phone into full-fledge sniper rifle and get into the boots of a sniper. iSnipeYou is an augmented reality game that will let you play the role of a professionally trained marksman. If you are bored of the standard shooting games that only let you shoot virtual targets on the screen, then iSnipeYou will definitely change the way you play games.

In iSnipe, players will use their phone's camera as the game transforms it into a sniper rifle’s precise and sensitive scope. Your targets are real-life objects. Aim your sights and hit the fire button to shoot your target down. If a headshot has been made, you’ll be awarded with extra points.

The game is realistic enough with blood splatter effects. Players can also save in-game screenshots and share them with friends via social networking sites such as Facebook.

AR Shooting

If you’ve got the passion for shooting down things but still can't afford to get a real gun and a license, you can always practice using your Android smartphone. AR Shooting is a shooting application that lets you wield a gun and shoot as if you were holding one in your hands. The app is straightforward; the app lets you use first-person view with your hand and a gun visible.

All the controls can be done through the use of your phone's accelerometer. To shoot, all you need to do is tap the screen and it automatically fires your weapon with corresponding sound effects. Players can also change what type of gun they can shoot with, being able to choose from a Colt Python to an M16 Assault Rifle.

Skeeter Beater

Compared to Parallel Kingdom that involves a flair of strategy and a good dedication of your time, Skeeter Beater is a fairly easy game for casual players. Simply put, the game is a beat-em-up smash fest to kill mosquitoes, or, as the game calls them, Skeeters. Fully interactive, the game takes place in augmented reality as it allows you to use your fingers to squash those insects as you move your phone from side to side to find more Skeeters.

In each round, players are required to kill a certain number of Skeeters. As the game progresses, it becomes more challenging and Skeeters fly faster. Bonus mode can be entered by earning a number of points in a round. The game also has a 3D mode that allows your phone sensors to keep track of those pesky Skeeters in full 360-degree motion. 2D Mode, on the other hand, allows restricted movement of the Skeeters to the proximity of the screen.

CamGun

Transform your camera into one real-looking gun. If you’re a Call of Duty fan or you simply want to relieve some stress, then CamGun can turn your fantasies into a reality. CamGun is a fun way to use your phone's camera, turning it into a first-person shooter. Shoot your friends or inanimate objects with a wide variety of weapons, ranging from a dual-wielding SOCOM Mark23 to a Star Wars blue Light Saber.

The latest version of CamGun includes special effects with blood spatters, not to mention realistic headshots. To fire the gun, all you need to do is point and tap the screen to fire. CamGun is also a great tool to play fantasy games of Zombies vs Humans or use Google Latitude to document your kills.

NBA: King of the Court

Basketball will never be the same again once you try out NBA: King of the Court. If you always have been a basketball fan in your life, be sure not to miss out an interesting basketball game that takes your game up to the next level. NBA: King of the Court is not your typical basket ball game but rather a location-based, augmented reality game.

Become the "King" of the ring as you play in real world locations. Players will be able to use their phones as a locator to search for local courts and challenge the players in that location in an "Augmented Reality" browser camera game. Players can even customize and defend their personal turf with power-ups to add spunk to their kingdom.

Compete in weekly contests and players can gain additional rewards and badges to add to their collection. As the player progresses in later levels, they can also unlock cool power-ups, collect royalties, and even earn bonus points.

Life is Crime

Live the life of a criminal mastermind in Life is Crime, an augmented reality game like no other. Compared to other simulation crime city games in the Google Play Store, Life is Crime takes pride in being unique, as players actually engage in “crime” in a real-life neighborhood. Play where you live and build a strong reputation as the next king of the criminal empire. Players can start their criminal gang or gang-up with other players to become notorious.

Dominate real coffee shops, restaurants, or international airports, as the game literally transforms any real-life places into a digital contested territory. Players will have the ability to customize their avatar and equip themselves with over 200 guns, gear and other items.

Aside from that, the game map continuously grows every time, making the game dynamically challenging and fun as you play. Complete missions and grow your criminal empire in this one epic game of cops and robbers.

3D Weapons

Have you always wanted to own a gun and shoot? If you're still a minor or just want to have fun, then 3D Weapons is just the right application to wreak havoc without causing real-life damage to human life and property. Shoot with realistic 3D weapons as the application transforms any ordinary ndroid phone into a virtual gun that you could point and shoot.

Compared to other virtual weapon applications, 3D Weapons takes the full advantage of creating realistic weapons. Players can choose from a wide variety of weapons to choose from, including pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and even an ultra powerful mini gun. Players can even render a picture, which they can frantically shoot to their heart's content.

3D Weapons can be great for relieving stress or just for plain old crazy fun to kill time.

With all these augmented reality (AR) games for your Android device, spice up that boring period between classes or that long commute home. Download one or all of them today.


This article, Best augmented reality (AR) games for Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.