Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Google Alert - android

News10 new results for android
 
Amazon's Android Smartphone Unlikely To Arrive Before Holidays
InformationWeek
Amazon still testing its first Android smartphone, and production might not start until late this year or early 2013, suggest sources.
See all stories on this topic »
Android Jelly Bean Updates Starting to Appear on Smartphones
eWeek
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ smartphone is the first to get the new Android Jelly Bean OS from the factory, but other smartphone models are in the pipeline for updates soon, Google says.
See all stories on this topic »
Google Maps for Android Goes Inside US Museums
PC Magazine
Google on Tuesday added indoor maps and walking directions for more than 20 popular U.S. museums to its Maps for Android app.
See all stories on this topic »
Samsungs Galaxy S III is a new contender for the best Android smartphone
Houston Chronicle (blog)
Samsung's Galaxy S III is a new contender for the best Android smartphone.
See all stories on this topic »

Houston Chronicle (blog)
The Problem With Your Android Phone
Business Insider
The new version of Android is out, but when will you get it?
See all stories on this topic »

Business Insider
Android Jelly Bean roll-outs begin with Nexus devices
BBC News
Google begins uploading Android 4.1 to Galaxy Nexus devices despite Apple's claims that one of its search patents has been infringed.
See all stories on this topic »
Unlocked Galaxy Nexus Gets Android Jelly Bean Update
PCWorld
The Jelly Bean update starts rolling out to all unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus phones today.
See all stories on this topic »
Ouya Android Gaming Console; San Fran Dumps Macs; Next Issue Mags for iPad
PC Magazine
Topping tech headlines on Tuesday: T-Mobile and Huawei announced two new smartphones, a startup is developing a sub-$100, Android-powered video game console, and.
See all stories on this topic »
Your Android Jelly Bean questions answered
TechHive (blog)
The release of Android Jelly Bean is right around the corner! Have a question? Get it answered here.
See all stories on this topic »
New Android Malware Discovered in Google Play
PC Magazine
A researcher at Symantec has uncovered a new premium-rate Trojan existed in Google Play for a couple weeks.
See all stories on this topic »

Blogs5 new results for android
 
Kantar: Android Now Accounting For More Than Half Of All ...
By Ingrid Lunden
These numbers are a crucial barometer of how well Android devices are selling in the market: Google typically talks activations but not actual sales of handsets. Andy Rubin in June noted that Android device activations are now numbering at ...
TechCrunch
Starbucks Android app gets caffeinated update, also launches in UK ...
By Mat Smith
Americans have enjoyed the freedom to choose between Starbucks apps on both iOS and Android for over a year, and now the Google-flavored.
Engadget
Samsung Removes Universal Search From Sprint Galaxy S III ...
By Anthony Hardy
Yesterday the Sprint Galaxy S III began receiving a security update OTA, but little information was given as to what the update addressed. Users have reported that the update has removed the universal search feature from the device, meaning ...
Android News, Rumours, and Updates
Android Fans Rejoice: Jelly Bean Rollout Is Underway
By Sam Laird
Can't wait to get your hands on the Jelly Bean, the newest version of Android? You won't have to hold your breath much longer.
Mashable » Tech
Android Overload: ITC Rejects HTC's Request To Use Google ...
By Chris Chavez
Nexus 7 Android 4.1.1 Update Didn't Dumb Down Sea... Nexus 7 reportedly ... Android Overload: ITC Rejects HTC's Request To Use Google Patents Against Apple, Jelly Bean Keyboard Now Available For Download, and More. posted on Jul ...
Android Phone Fans

Web1 new result for android
 
GitHub Android App Released · GitHub
The GitHub Android app was built on some great open source projects that are definitely worth checking out if you are looking to build your own Android apps or ...
https://github.com/blog/1187-github-android-app-released


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Android Authority

Android Authority


T-Mobile Galaxy S3 back-to-school BOGO promo unveiled – not as good as you’d have hoped

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 02:40 AM PDT

T-Mobile has already rolled out its back-to-school promotion and you'll be happy to hear there are plenty of smartphones included in its buy-one-get-one (BOGO) sale. Even the recently launched Galaxy S3 is part of the promo, but unfortunately, you won't be able to receive a free Galaxy S3 when buying a Galaxy S3 handset bundled with a new contract.

Instead, you'll be able to pick from a variety of other Galaxy-branded handsets including the Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S Blaze 4G or the Galaxy Exhibit 4G when buying the new Galaxy S3. These three devices will be available free of charge part of the BOGO offer, but only after a mail-in rebate and when purchased with new two-year contracts with the carrier – so they won't be entirely free of charge.

In addition to BOGO offerings, there are other promotions offered by T-Mobile part of its back-to-school sales that runs from July 11 through September 4. These include adding a voice line for $5 "when signing up for a new two-year contract on T-Mobile's Family Classic Unlimited Plan" and $25 in Live Nation Concert Cash, awarded when purchasing a "Samsung 4G smartphone and a no annual contract Monthly4G plan of $50 per month or greater."

In case you were wondering, we're still talking about fake 4G here, so these Samsung 4G smartphones are not going to connect to T-Mobile's inexistent LTE network – LTE deployment will start at some point in the future – but to the company's high-speed HSPA+ network.

Anyone excited about pairing a Galaxy S3 with a "free" other Galaxy handset this summer?


This article, T-Mobile Galaxy S3 back-to-school BOGO promo unveiled – not as good as you'd have hoped , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


CyanogenMod: Merger of JellyBean will be done manually. Nightlies will take a while to arrive

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:57 AM PDT

It’s a good thing CM9 reached the Release Candidate (almost final) stage in time before JellyBean got released, because it looks like the CyanogenMod team won’t be able to merge JellyBean that easily. The whole merger will consist of cherrypicking CM9 code when merging it with JellyBean to create CM10. Then they’ll work on fixing any possible conflicts and bugs.

The JellyBean code changes are not that big, which means it shouldn’t take another 6 months before we see a stable CM10 release; but they are still big enough that they need to be integrated manually. The CM team foresees the following issues with the merger, which will give them the most headaches, but they should all be solvable:

+ Trebuchet might be messy to rebase onto JB.
+ Theme Engine will be messy.
+ SystemUI stuff will need to be restyled.
+ Lockscreen stuff will need to be restyled.

This is why nightlies won’t be available for CM10 immediately, until they are happy with the state of the integration and of the CM10 ROM. The work on JellyBean should also not affect CM9, for which they plan a RC2 release, and then a stable release. But my guess is that will only take a few more weeks. It’s just in time before they finish the JellyBean merger into CM10, with all the latest fixes in CM9. They may start releasing nightlies soon after that!


This article, CyanogenMod: Merger of JellyBean will be done manually. Nightlies will take a while to arrive , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


The $99 OUYA console project doubles funding goal in 1 day

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:51 AM PDT

The OUYA console project has already broken the record for the fastest project to achieve its goal yet ($950,000), and also the fastest project to reach $1 million. In less than a day they’ve already passed the $2 million mark, and they still have 29 days to go for picking up more funds, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it even smashes Pebble‘s record funding of $10 million on Kickstarter. All signs say this console is going to be a success in the market.

The console comes with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage, HDMI output, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a single USB 2.0 port. It also comes bundled with a controller that is designed and made by the company, but you can buy another one for an extra $30. For the price of $99, the hardware seems like quite a good deal.

It’s based on Android 4.0, so it’s built on a solid foundation, and we might even see them update the console with new versions of Android, if they think that’s important for the user If it doesn’t require a lot of work for them, they’ll have a completely custom UI on top, made specifically as a TV interface (just like Google TV’s interface is very different from stock Android).

Being built on Android also means that even though it may not get access to the Play Store, it should be extremely easy for developers to port their Android apps to the console. Basically all Android games that work in landscape mode should be ready to go with minimal tweaks, and some optimization for OUYA’s controller.

Another great feature of the OUYA console is that they plan on having only free-to-play games – games that are free for everyone, but some people may want to make some in-app purchases, and that’s how the developers will make money. Ouya will also take a cut from that. Free to play games are the top grossing apps on the Play Store, so I don’t think developers have anything to lose here.

Plus, OUYA is meant to be completely open for anyone to add their games, which is a great advantage for indie developers, compared to consoles such as Xbox360 and PS3, which are closed for almost anyone outside the top gaming companies. The development costs for those 2 consoles are also very prohibitive for indie developers.

At $99, with such great support for indie developers, and being able to run Android games, it means that OUYA has a very high potential to disrupt the console market, and I wish Google would take note of this, and try to make Google TV set top boxes do the same. If they are not interested in promoting Google TV as a gaming platform, they should at least watch this company, and buy it out if it takes off.

If you want to support this project, help them increase their funding and their chance of success, and for $95-$99 you can pre-order one when it’s released (March 2013).


This article, The $99 OUYA console project doubles funding goal in 1 day , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Amazon (Kindle) smartphone already in testing?

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:28 AM PDT

A few days ago, we saw the first rumors saying that Amazon is working on its own Android smartphone – a logical move for the company if you ask me – and now it looks like we have more reports on the matter, with the Wall Street Journal stepping in to shed more light on this unreleased product.

Apparently the Amazon smartphone – it would also be pretty logical to assume it's going to be part of the Kindle family of devices – is already in testing, which should mean we could see it unveiled at some point in the near future, maybe around the same time the new Kindle Fire tablets are announced.

But the Journal doesn't expect this Amazon smartphone to come out anytime soon. According to "Amazon's parts suppliers, who [obviously] declined to be named," the company is testing the smartphone with mass production possibly set to start late this year or in early 2013.

Specs and features for the device aren't really available at this time, and chances are we're going to see plenty of leaked details about this device in the coming months in case Amazon goes forward with its smartphone plans. But the Journal does say that people familiar with the matter mentioned that the smartphone will have a touchscreen display measuring between four and five inches.

In case Amazon will sell the smartphone at cost, just as it does with the Kindle Fire tablet, and in case its first handset will be rather a high-end device than a mid-ranged gadget, then we may see Amazon challenge once again smartphone makers, and deliver yet another blow to the Android ecosystem in the process. Not to mention that such a device could be sold directly by Amazon, thus bypassing completely mobile operators. But we're only speculating at this time, as we still lack official details from Amazon regarding such a product.

At the same time we'll remind you that the Galaxy Nexus handset is selling for $349 from Google Play – provided that there's no injunction to stop sales – and that there are plenty of affordable Android handsets out there, even though you'd be required to ink a new two-year with a carrier when purchasing them.


This article, Amazon (Kindle) smartphone already in testing? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Sony Tablet S successor may be arriving soon

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:14 AM PDT

The Sony Tablet S has been one of the tablets with a unique and interesting design in the market. While a lot of people were trying to replicate the slab form factor for their tablets, Sony tried to think about how to make a 9″ tablet that is easy to hold with one hand. Going by the initial reviews, they seem to have succeeded more or less, with reviewers declaring that it feels lighter than it is really is when holding it. Many claim it feels more like a 7″ tablet.

The 10″ tablets are usually hard to hold with one hand, because of the (still) fairly bulky weight (600+ grams, ideal weight for one-handed use is around half of that), and it’s one of the reasons why people prefer 7″ tablets like the Nexus 7. It’s just that some might find the screen size too small, which is why it’s important to come up with innovations. Sony, in response, has tried to improve the usability of a 9″-10″ tablet.

Unfortunately, the Sony Tablet S arrived too late in the market, with an old version of Honeycomb, with Tegra 2, and at a fairly high price ($600). This ended its life cycle almost immediately. But it seems Sony may be willing to give it another try soon, with the second generation of the Sony Tablet S, that will launch almost exactly a year after the original. The tablet’s successor, with the model number SGPT1211 has just won FCC approval, which means it won’t be long before we see it in the market.

We don’t know much else about it right now, but we can speculate about what it will have. First off, the tablet might benefit from the recent unification of their mobile divisions. This means that if they release this tablet, it will be a big project for them that they will take seriously. It should also be Playstation Certified, so you’ll be able to play all the older PSX games on it, alongside all the native Android ones.

This means that it should have a powerful CPU and GPU as well, but it’s hard to estimate what they will use. It could either be a Tegra 3, or if they release it later, a quad core Snapdragon S4 Pro, with an Adreno 320 GPU. I would still bet on Tegra 3, though. They may want to take advantage of the Tegra Zone as well, if they want to promote this as a gaming device.

The OS is most likely going to be Android 4.0, although they should really try to release it with Android 4.1 if they want the reviewers and potential buyers to be more excited about it. If they are smart, that’s exactly what they will do.


This article, Sony Tablet S successor may be arriving soon , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Office Depot Nexus 7 launch set for July 12?

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 01:04 AM PDT

Google's Nexus 7 is slowly but surely approaching its official launch as both Google and other third-party retailers are getting ready to accommodate your tablet needs – and by that I mean shipping the Nexus 7 or making the device available in stores.

While we wait for Google to announce the release date of the Nexus 7 – somewhere around mid July – we'll tell you that pre-orders are still available to anyone interested in the device. In fact, Office Depot is the latest retailer to offer Google Nexus 7 pre-orders. According to a leaked document dug up by Droid-Life, Office Depot "will be authorized to pre-sell the new 16GB Google Nexus 7 tablet in all stores and online." The device will cost $249.99, which is what Google is charging for it inside Google Play.

Furthermore, the same document reveals that the 16GB Nexus 7 tablet will ship starting with Thursday, July 12 – on the same day, inventory will begin to arrive to 341 select stores.

Those of you interested in getting their hands on a Google Nexus 7 tablet as fast as possible should definitely check with your closest Office Depot retail store to find out more details about the availability of the device. The company will not sell the 8GB version initially, although the document hints that the cheaper Nexus 7 will hit Office Depot at some point in the future.

In case the July 12 date turns out to be the day Office Depot does indeed start shipping the Nexus 7, then we can only assume that Google will also ship the device to those of you that pre-ordered it from Google Play around the same day. We'll be back with more details once we know more, so don't go anywhere!


This article, Office Depot Nexus 7 launch set for July 12? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Use a smartphone? You’re probably voting Obama!

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:55 AM PDT

Politics, and all of its “nuances” has always been a fascinating subject to me. I don’t get into the inner workings of political systems around the world, but at least skim the headlines to stay up to date with daily occurrences in US politics. To be honest, I get all my political news from “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Does that still count?

Here is a report that could have easily originated from either of the previously mentioned shows. According to a recent poll:

If you own and use a smartphone, you’re more likely to vote for current President Barack Obama rather than Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

The Harris Interactive poll, sponsored by Velti, a mobile marketing technology provider, shows that 49% of iOS and Android smartphone owners would vote for Obama, as opposed to 31% for Romney. Granted, a test base of just 800 smartphone users isn’t close to being a big enough test base, and the results are maybe far from accurate.

Before these poll results spark a political debate along the lines of “I have a smartphone but I’m still voting for Romney” or “No smartphone but Obama FTW!” , let me just say that polls like these should be taken in good humor. Yes, smartphones allow people to stay connected always and on top of all the latest happenings around the world. But I’m not sure how much your device preference shapes your political associations. I am guessing little to none.

That being said, the U.S. elections are right around the corner and other polls have both candidates neck-and-neck, so we are definitely going to see an exciting finish.

What are your thoughts? Do you own a smartphone and will vote for Obama? Do you own a smartphone and will vote for Romney?  Let us know in the comments section below.


This article, Use a smartphone? You’re probably voting Obama! , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Motorola Atrix HD available from AT&T for $99

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:45 AM PDT

Motorola has been missing in the Android device wars this year, which is surprising considering the company is now owned by Google. Motorola finally made its move a few days back with the official revelation of the Atrix HD, that has been flitting around the rumor mill as the Motorola Dinara. You can find the full specifications about the device, that will be available exclusively from AT&T, here.

Unfortunately, the previous report did not include any information on pricing and release date, but we have good news on that front! Motorola and AT&T finally revealed that the Atrix HD will be available for $99 with a 2-year contract, and could release as early as this weekend, i.e. July 15.

With the release of the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3, the specs of the Atrix HD aren’t that “special” but is, in fact, almost identical to the other Android powerhouses. With the One X and Galaxy S3 selling for at least $100 more, the Atrix HD can be considered a steal.

The Atrix HD claims to be “Slimmer, Smarter, and Stronger than ever before.” Apart from the hardware, the MotoBlur UI has been also been “skinned” to give as close to a stock ICS experience as possible, while including its Smart Actions app and other new widget and UI enhancements. You can catch all the features of the Motorola Atrix HD below:

What are your thoughts? Is Motorola finally joining the Android smartphone race with the Atrix HD? Will you be looking to pick up this device? Let us know in the comments section below.

Show full PR text

Motorola ATRIX HD For AT&T Is Slimmer, Stronger And Smarter Than Ever Before

Runs Android 4.0, Created by Motorola and Available Exclusively from AT&T for $99.99 Beginning July 15 in Modern White and Titanium

DALLAS, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Beginning July 15, the Motorola ATRIX(TM) HD arrives in all AT&T* channels for $99.99** with a two-year agreement.

The newest addition to the popular Motorola ATRIX family, this smartphone is remarkably thin at 8.4 millimeters but doesn’t compromise strength since it is made KEVLAR® strong for incredible stability in any situation. The Motorola ATRIX HD also has a high-tech, invisible nano-coating that acts as a splash guard – not only on the outer shell, but on the electrical circuit boards inside, too. To see more of the ATRIX HD’s features in action, check out this video.

Motorola ATRIX HD comes pre-loaded with SMARTACTIONS(TM), a free app from Motorola that suggests ways to automatically change your phone’s settings throughout the day to make your life easier. For instance, when you place the Motorola ATRIX HD in the Vehicle Navigation Dock accessory and enable Drive Smart, it will set your phone to vehicle mode, read your text messages aloud, auto-reply to incoming calls and texts as well as provide turn-by-turn navigation. You can also set rules for when your battery gets low by enacting the Battery Extender, which can help your battery last longer by turning off GPS, disabling background sync or other features you select.

To raise awareness of responsible driving, for a limited time, customers who purchase a Motorola ATRIX HD at participating locations will receive a Vehicle Dock at no additional charge.

The vibrant 4.5-inch HD ColorBoost(TM) display is the highest resolution smartphone display on the market supporting a wide range of more vibrant colors for greater detail and sharper, clearer images. The ATRIX HD also features an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video recording capabilities at 30 frames per second and zero shutter lag. It also has a front-facing 720p HD camera.

“Our customers look to their smartphones to provide new, compelling experiences and the Motorola ATRIX HD does just that,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T Mobility. “With features that automatically customize over time to be contextually aware of the user’s daily routine and preferences, ATRIX HD is a great example of smartphones getting smarter.”

“Motorola ATRIX HD was designed for people who get excited about new technology, but want it to make their life easier, feed their need for entertainment and make a statement,” said Mark Shockley, senior vice president, Go-to-Market, Motorola Mobility. “This next evolution of the ATRIX family delivers a slimmer, stronger, smarter, Android-powered device at a great price.”

Running on Android(TM) 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, the ATRIX HD is the first phone equipped with Motorola’s Circle Widget on the home screen, which connects directly with your AT&T account and displays data usage since your last bill***. Plus, it gives you “at-a-glance” access to the time, notifications, weather and battery meter. You can also access more than 600,000 apps and games on Google Play(TM), as well as millions of books and songs and thousands of movies and TV shows.

And to help in your work life, the Motorola ATRIX HD is ideal for business use and comes with advanced security features including password protection and inactivity timeouts, VPN, government-grade data encryption on both the device and SD card, and the ability to wipe the phone and SD card in the event your phone is lost or stolen. With apps like Quickoffice, customers are able to create and edit documents and stay connected to their work on-the-go.

AT&T customers have access to the nation’s largest 4G network, covering more than 260 million people. AT&T has two 4G networks that work together for customers, LTE and HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. That means AT&T customers are able to enjoy a widespread, ultra-fast and consistent 4G experience on their compatible device as they move in and out of LTE areas. With other carriers, when you travel outside of their LTE coverage area, you’re on a much slower 3G network.

For more information, customers can visit http://www.att.com/motorolaatrixhd .

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.**Requires eligible voice and data plans.***Data usage is approximated. Actual billed data usage may vary due to network delays or other technical limitations.

Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. 4G speeds delivered by LTE, or HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul, where available. Deployment ongoing. Compatible device and data plan required. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Learn more at att.com/network.

Limited-time offer. Motorola ATRIX HD requires a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo) and min monthly data plan ($20/mo). Subject to Wireless Customer Agrmt. Credit approval req’d. Activ fee $36/line. Geographic, usage and other terms, conditions and restrictions apply, and may result in svc termination. Coverage and svcs not avail everywhere. Taxes and other charges apply. Data (att.com/dataplans): If usage exceeds your monthly data allowance, you will automatically be charged overage for additional data provided. Early Termination Fee (att.com/equipmentETF): After 30 days, ETF up to $325. Restocking fee up to $35. Other Monthly Charges/line may include a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge (up to $1.25), a gross receipts surcharge, federal and state universal svc charges, fees and charges for other gov’t assessments. These are not taxes or gov’t req’d charges. Visit a store or att.com/wireless to learn more about wireless devices and services from AT&T. Downloadable content may be subject to additional charges.

No related posts.


This article, Motorola Atrix HD available from AT&T for $99 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Best battery widgets for Android phones and tablets

Posted: 10 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT

It’s easy to get carried away with our mobile devices. There are a number of things that can just take up countless hours of your time. Browse the Internet and get lost in the maze of Wikipedia’s articles or TVTropes’ trope pages. Curious about the new TV series everyone is hyped up about? View videos on YouTube or download the series yourself to see why everyone is crazy over this show. Next thing you’ll know, you’ll be tapping on the Next button without noticing the time. Or, you can sit back and curl up with a number of ebooks. Flip page after electronic page to see to the end the adventure you’ve embarked on.

Unfortunately, your mobile device isn’t immortal. Devices can carry only a certain amount of charge and unless you’re willing to be hooked up to your charger all night long, you’re going to be watching that little battery icon in the corner as you slowly but surely suck its life dry. It’s easy to get paranoid and to end up forcing yourself to stop whatever you’re doing. Instead of letting your limited battery life rain on your parade, take a stroll through the Google Play Store and take a look at battery widgets to help give you an idea of how much power your device has left in it.

We have gone ahead and put together a list of some of the best battery widgets for both Android phones and tablets.

Battery Widget (Elvison)

If you want a simple yet elegant way to keep an eye on your device’s power, the Battery Widget developed by Elvison is the one for you. It’s a 1×1 widget that shows your battery level on your home screen. But, the Battery Widget is more than just that. Tap on it and you can view more battery information such as voltage, temperature, health, technology, and status.

Don’t worry about cluttering up your home screen; a clear battery level indicator is available on the status bar so you can keep an eye on your battery life without having to stop whatever you’re doing. You can configure it to show in three different colors to reflect high, medium, and low battery levels. The Battery Widget also allows you to define your own alerts so the widget can automatically notify you about battery status changes.

Elvison’s Battery Widget is available in English, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Italian, Hungarian, Estonian, Turkish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Polish. With all these languages covered, virtually anyone from around the world can enjoy monitoring one’s battery life through the Battery Widget.

Battery Solo Widget

Here’s another simple battery widget with a different look. Developed by Pedro Maicas, the Battery Solo Widget brings a more techie aesthetic. This simple gauge displays the battery level with solid white numbers, which makes glancing at your screen just to check your battery life easy.

When your batt’s at full charge, the ring around the number is completely green. As you use your device more, the green blocks will slowly turn grey.

Battery Solo Widget’s free version is the very definition of simplicity, with a clean battery level indicator on your home screen and battery information you can access by tapping the gauge. View information like temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit without the need to convert one measure to the other, voltage, whether your device is plugged in, its status, technology, and health.

Need more features? You can purchase Battery Solo Widget’s Pro version so you can access additional information like current, customize the widget’s look by choosing your own colors, and set trigger levels of your choice.

Battery Widget (geekyouup)

The battery widgets we’ve looked at so far were pretty much similar in function. Both Battery Solo Widget and Elvison’s Battery Widget were 1×1 widgets that gave you a simple yet elegant way to track your battery life and also gave you access to battery information. The Battery Widget by geekyouup is a similar widget that lets you monitor your battery life with a 1×1 graphic but also gives you shortcuts to Power-Summary, Display, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Settings.

Notice your battery life draining away faster than usual? Chances are one of those functions are on. You can easily view which one of them is the culprit through geekyouup’s Battery Widget shortcut.

Easily monitor how much juice is left in your device and easily turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS on or off with geekyouup’s Battery Widget. You can download it free from the Google Play Store.

Gauge Battery Widget

If you’re getting bored with the digital look, try something in analog. Gauge Battery Widget serves the same purpose as the widgets we’ve already looked at but it’s definitely no copycat. Though 1×1 widgets look clean and elegant and keep your home screen from getting too cluttered, they can sometimes be hard to tell the battery level with if your phone’s too far from you.

The Gauge Battery Widget, developed by Tomas Hubalek, gives you more options. Choose from 1×1, 2×1, and 2×2 widgets. 2×2 widgets are perfect for devices with larger screens such as tablets. Once you’ve selected a widget size that you like, you can get to choose which look you like.

On top of being able to choose the widget’s look, you can also pick the widget’s colors from a set of palettes to match your wallpaper or to help the widget stand out. Purchasing Gauge Battery Widget’s pro version lets you access more widget looks, manually configure widget colors, and adjust widget transparency.

Battery Monitor Widget

Craving for more analog looks for your battery widget? The Battery Monitor Widget by fsinib gives you more looks to choose from. Monitor how much life your device still has with a gas gauge-style look.

If you’re hankering for a more digital touch, however, don’t despair. The Battery Monitor Widget can give you that, too, in the form of a sci-fi looking gauge.

What makes this widget extremely useful is that it also tells you how long before your device kicks the bucket. That should give you enough of a heads up to start looking for the power outlet closest to you.

You can also access information such as your battery’s health, its temperature, voltage, time since boot, active time, and technology. The Battery Monitor Widget also gives you charts to track your battery’s temperature, level, and voltage over the course of several days.

That’s not all — Battery Monitor Widget can also provide Statistics like how long it’s been since your device was unplugged, its last level change, total charges, total charging time, total unplugged time, maximum time unplugged, lowest and highest temperature, and lowest and highest voltage.

Dual Battery Widget

Let’s break away for a second from widgets designed primarily for phones. Certain tablets, like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, have special needs. One battery indicator just isn’t enough. Sure, it may be able to give you an idea of how much power your device has, but what about the device’s dock?

Artiom Chilaru answers that question with the Dual Battery Widget. Using this widget, you can monitor your device’s internal battery and the second battery located in the device’s dock station. It’s more compact than, say, the ASUS default dual battery indicators, and to make sure that you can customize your home screen the way you want, the Dual Battery Widget allows for resizing. Make it wider, bigger, taller, or even smaller.

The Dual Battery Widget will reflect if your phone is charging. Remove the tablet from its dock station and the dock battery indicator will fade into the background. Tap on the Dual Battery Widget to reveal a break down of your battery consumption.

The Dual Battery Widget is available free from the Google Play Store. Get it for your tablet and its dock station today.

Beautiful Battery Disc

If your Android device has a dark background or a sci-fi tech theme, complete the look with the Beautiful Battery Disc. The widget’s look will instantly bring to mind the gorgeous neon-on-black look of Tron. Your battery’s level will be shown in percentage in the middle of a holographic disc or circle, which will fit right in with Ice Cream Sandwich’s Holographic User Interface.

Choose between 1×1 or 2×2 widgets to get the perfect look for your device’s screen size. The widget is more than just eye candy. You can also check out information like temperature, voltage, health, status, and type. You can also have a battery indicator on your status bar in the same sleek and elegant tech look as the widget. Keep an eye on your device’s health with this stylish widget. You can get Beautiful Battery Disc for free from the Google Play Store today.

Zebra Battery Widget

You might be getting bored of all those analog and digital battery level gauges, so let’s take a look at some unconventional battery widgets. First up is a unique way of telling how much life your device has in it. Instead of those gauges, the Zebra Battery Widget gives you a zebra.

It isn’t just any type of zebra, however, because this one has vanishing stripes. The more your battery life dwindles, the fewer stripes remain on your zebra. By the time the stripes near the zebra’s head disappear, you’ll be out of juice. Don’t worry, you won’t be doing any guess work. Your battery level will be displayed in percentage under the zebra.

Tapping on the zebra widget brings up its settings menu. You can opt to hide the text output and to show the battery notification on the notification bar. You can even choose the text color yourself by playing around with the RGB sliders. Make your zebra really stand out from your background by setting the zebra’s pattern color and choosing a body color to either compliment it or contrast it. You can also access the usual battery information such as status, power plug, health, technology, voltage, and temperature.

Battery widget Z

Want more cute animals? Battery widget Z, developed by comxp, will give you a good dose of cuteness. Instead of the usual gauge, you can choose animals for your 1×1 widget. Choose a cat, a dog, a rabbit, a panda, and many more to help you monitor your battery level.

Your animal of choice will have the battery level in percentage displayed below it. Battery widget Z also allows you to keep an eye on your device’s juice by putting an icon in your status bar. You can opt for a regular battery icon or you can amp up the cute factor by selecting a star, a heart, an apple, a word balloon, or even a paw. You can also access information like battery temperature and voltage and access the RAM Manager.

Battery widget Z supports both English and Korean. Get a cute animal companion to help you monitor your battery level today. Download Battery widget Z from the Google Play Store today.

Free Beer Battery Widget

If you’re a person who loves beer or knows someone who loves the stuff, get Free Battery Beer Widget. The icon is rather attractive and will fit right in if you have a restaurant-themed wallpaper on your home screen. As your battery life decreases, so does the amount of beer in the glass.

You can get a small widget if you have other things on your home screen, but if you’re planning on pranking someone, you can also enjoy the large and XL sizes. For maximum effect, we recommend using the XXL version. Don’t worry about the battery level reading being dwarfed by the widget’s graphic. Depending on the size you pick, the battery level reading also changes in size.

Of course, it’s more than just a hilarious but handy battery widget. Tap on it to reveal your battery capacity, status, whether your phone’s plugged in, health, voltage, and temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. This interesting way to monitor your battery life is available for free. Download it today from the Google Play Store.

No need to stop whatever you’re doing on your Android device. Install one of these sleek, elegant, cute, or even hilarious battery widgets and keep an eye on your device’s battery life. Which one of these battery widgets do you have on your device? If none of your favorite ones made it, let us know in a comment below.


This article, Best battery widgets for Android phones and tablets , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Jelly Bean 4.1.1 Build JRO03C Rolling Out Now to HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7

Posted: 10 Jul 2012 06:55 PM PDT

Following the release of Jelly Bean’s source code yesterday, today Google has announced via their Nexus account on Google+ that Android Jelly Bean 4.1.1 has began rolling out to supported devices. The devices to get Jelly Bean’s awesomeness first will be the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexuses and the Nexus 7.

If you’re running an official Yakju or Takju build on your HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus, you can begin checking for updates now by going to Settings>About>System updates and see if you can pull the update. If you were lucky enough to snag a Nexus 7 already, you too can start spamming your update button.

The 4.1.1 build changelog for the Nexus 7 boasts a few goodies such as performance and overall system responsiveness. The OTA update also adds Google Wallet. Users are also reporting that accessing Google Now via the swipe-up motion to be much smoother and the Google Now landing page appears slightly quicker.

When will other Nexus devices get Jelly Bean? There’s no official word, but the Google+ post did mention that the next devices to get Jelly Bean would include all Galaxy Nexuses, Nexus S, and the Motorola Xoom. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for timely updates.

Once you get Jelly Bean, be sure to check out some of Jelly Bean’s most import new features and how to setup and use Google Now.


This article, Jelly Bean 4.1.1 Build JRO03C Rolling Out Now to HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.