Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Motorola XOOM WiFi Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update rolling out

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 08:10 AM PDT

It appears that Google’s finally reading to start pushing their latest and greatest, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to the Motorola XOOM. After announcing the update at Google IO for a few of their devices, the Motorola XOOM is the last Google experience device to see the update — not counting the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Back around July 15th Motorola started sending out notifications to their “feedback network” of beta testers regarding the update, but now it appears to be ready. The changelog was posted and users have started reporting the update is arriving on their tablets as of earlier yesterday. The build is version 4.1.1 Jelly Bean JRO03D — the same build version the Nexus 7 received a few weeks ago.

After initially hearing the update was rolling out, and receiving a few tips suggesting users had received it, we’ve also heard the update has been delayed. For now we aren’t seeing reports that users are still getting the tasty treat, but you can download it now if you dare. The folks from Android Police have the download link for those interested. As a reminder this is for the WiFi version only, Verizon users need not apply. As usual.

Let us know when you get the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your Motorola XOOM. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : XOOM
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : January 05, 2011
    Release Date : February 24, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 10.10 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 9.80 Inch
  • Width : 6.61 Inch
  • Depth : 0.51 Inch
  • Weight : 730 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 6500 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 336 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 3.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • 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
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


Nexus Q media streamer now shipping from Play Store

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:56 AM PDT

Google’s first device that isn’t a smartphone or tablet, the Nexus Q, is finally shipping from the Google Play Store. Yup, that oddly shaped and designed black ball of social video-streaming goodness is now available. Being listed as in stock today for the low price of $299.

You could just call it a media Orb, and I doubt anyone would argue with you. The thought and idea behind the Nexus Q is a rather good one, and hacks have been allowing it market access and a few other neat things. Sadly I’ve still not decided what I think about Google’s magic 8 ball. YouTube streaming works quite well, and controlling it from my new Nexus 7 tablet is nice — but I already have OnDemand, Netflix, and of course Showtime for my Dexter fix.

Announced and tossed up for pre-order last month at Google IO the Nexus Q is currently $299, and should be arriving on doorsteps in the next 3-5 days for those who’ve ordered. The device has potential, running on Android, but the high price I’m sure has a few holding back. If this was $149, or even $99 it would be an awesome little gadget.

So now that the Nexus Q is available, who will be taking the plunge and giving it a try? Hey at least you can play Pong or Brickles with it.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Nexus Q
    Manufactuer : Google
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : June 27, 2012
    Release Date : June 27, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : Inch
  • Resolution :
  • Screen Type : NA
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.6 Inch
  • Width : 4.6 Inch
  • Depth : 4.6 Inch
  • Weight : 923 Grams
Battery & Power
  • Battery Capacity : 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
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP4460
    CPU Clock Speed : Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : NA
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via Play Store]


Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core developer tablet benchmarks and hands-on

Posted: 24 Jul 2012 05:11 PM PDT

Earlier today we gave you a bit of information on Qualcomm‘s new Snapdragon S4 Pro developer tablet, but now we’re back with more info thanks to a number of benchmark tests SlashGear has performed. As expected, the Snapdragon S4 Pro delivered some really impressive results in the tests, thanks to its quad-core APQ8064 chipset, 2GB of RAM, and Adreno 320 GPU. Since this tablet is intended for developers, you may not be surprised to hear that it performed well in benchmark tests, but we have a feeling that you’ll be left at least a little impressed nonetheless.


First up is the test with Quadrant. Here, the Snapdragon S4 Pro posted some staggering results, with its numbers coming dangerously close to 8,000. Since we’re used to seeing the most powerful devices end up closer to 5,000, that gives us some pretty high hopes for the S4 Pro. Indeed, run-of-the-mill tasks like browsing, scrolling, and navigating the Google Play Store were incredibly smooth despite the fact that the S4 Pro ships with Ice Cream Sandwich instead of Jelly Bean, but then, the S4 Pro wasn’t made for such mundane tasks, was it? Check out the results for the Quadrant test above.

The S4 Pro posted similarly impressive results for the AnTuTu test, getting a result of 13,975. That puts it ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S III by a fair amount, with the S4 Pro enjoying wider margins on the ASUS Transformer Prime and the Samsung Galaxy Note. The Samsung Galaxy S III is widely considered to be one of the most powerful Android devices around, so the fact that the S4 Pro came out ahead of it in the AnTuTu test speaks volumes about what’s going on under the hood.

Finally, we come to the test with Vellamo, Qualcomm’s own in-house benchmarking suite. Vellamo mainly tests web browsing, and though the S4 Pro didn’t post the ridiculous margins we saw in the Quadrant and AnTuTu tests, it still came out on top.

So, the Snapdragon S4 Pro can deliver some jaw-dropping results when it comes to benchmarks, but the truth is that this tablet isn’t meant for the average consumer. The $1299 price point certainly reflects that, but it’s safe to say that if you have cash to burn and want a tablet that isn’t going to become irrelevant anytime soon, you might want to give the S4 Pro a look. The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro is available now, and we’re expecting to see its quad-core processor show up in other Android devices later this year. Have a look at our full gallery of image below, which includes images from all of the tests discussed above (and additional tests), as well as a few of the tablet itself and the docking bay that comes with it!

P1090826 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-44-59 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-45-27 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-46-57 smart12 vellboth vellgraph cf Screenshot_2012-07-24-19-53-34 Screenshot_2012-07-24-19-54-56 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-39-49 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-39-56 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-41-49 Screenshot_2012-07-24-20-42-09 P1090836 P1090841 P1090846 Screenshot_2012-07-24-19-48-46 P1090829 P1090831 P1090832 P1090823 P1090828 P1090822


Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro tablet releases at $1299

Posted: 24 Jul 2012 02:54 PM PDT

Qualcomm has officially released its newest tablet aimed squarely at developers, the Snapdragon S4 Pro Mobile Development Platform. The new tablet makes use of Qualcomm’s new quad-core chipset, the APQ8064, which will help deliver the power developers require. That power isn’t going to be cheap, however, as the Snapdragon S4 Pro will set you back $1299.


Looking at its list of features, we can see why the tablet is priced so high. As stated above, the Snapdragon S4 Pro comes with a quad-core processor, but our friends at SlashGear also say that the tablet includes a 10.1-inch display and a 13-megapixel camera. It also comes with 2GB of RAM on board, along with an Adreno 320 GPU, which should deliver a hefty dose of graphics processing power. Finally, the Snapdragon Mobile S4 Pro comes with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich installed.

The tablet also ships with a charging dock, which features two USB 2.0 ports, as well as ports for HDMI and Ethernet. If you’ve got $1299 to spare, it sounds like the Snapdragon S4 Pro is going to be worth the cost of admission, and it’s available now through BSQUARE. Sadly, you’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of you, as delivery estimates currently come in at 2-3 weeks. Perhaps it’s true when they say good things come to those who wait? Keep an ear to Android Community for more information about Qualcomm and the Snapdragon S4 Pro Mobile Development Platform!


AT&T Q2 2012 financial results see 5.1m smartphones sold

Posted: 24 Jul 2012 01:52 PM PDT

We’ve been getting a lot of excellent quarterly financial reports in lately. From Samsung and Qualcomm to Verizon and now AT&T, smartphones and tablets are making a lot of people filthy rich. AT&T sold a whopping 5.1 million smartphones in Q2 of its fiscal year, with 61.9% of its postpaid subscribers using a smartphone. That 61.9% figure jibes quite well with what we’ve been hearing from Nielsen lately, which says that in Q2, 2 out of every 3 people who purchased a phone went with a smartphone over a feature phone.


Those 5.1 million smartphone sales led to AT&T reporting consolidated revenues at $31.6 billion for the quarter, growing 0.3% over Q2 2011. Also of note is the fact that one-third of AT&T’s postpaid subscribers are now using a 4G-capable device. AT&T ended the quarter with 105.2 million subscribers, making an average revenue of $64.93 on each of its postpaid wireless subscribers, which is up 1.7% year-over-year.

Branded computing net adds (which AT&T describes as tablets, tethering plans, mobile hotspots, etc.) hit 496,000 during Q2, bringing the total number of activations up to 6.3 million. Total wireless adds managed to rise to 1.3 million during the quarter, with 320,000 of those being postpaid adds.

So, overall, not a bad quarter by any means for AT&T. As stated above, smartphone manufacturers and carriers enjoyed excellent second quarters (or third quarters, in the case of Qualcomm), and many expect those gains to continue as the year goes on. Stay tuned, because this could be a record-breaking year for more than just AT&T.

[via SlashGear]


Qualcomm touts Augmented Reality as ultimate Android benchmark

Posted: 24 Jul 2012 12:31 PM PDT

This week we’re coming at you straight from Qualcomm as they move through a series of talks and keynotes as their Mobile Benchmark Workshop commences. In one of the first events of the week, Qualcomm’s devotion to testing their own devices with a benchmark test called Vellamo – perhaps you’ve heard of it before – is quite clear. In addition to speaking about how it’s not just the relatively wide variety of tests this app runs your device through that matters, specifically in the world of web browsing, they’ve made it clear that in the end its the user experience that’s most important.

Jon Peddie from JPR research spoke up on how it’s not any of the tests that we regularly use today that’ll be the tests of tomorrow, it’s Augmented Reality. With Augmented Reality tests on the horizon, we’ll be testing ever aspect of the processors in your smartphone and tablet, not just, for example, the graphics. Meanwhile it’s still Vellamo, a test which uses a set of benchmarks all in one giant test to stress out your device, that they’ll be working on and with.

Have a peek at our own hands-on with Vellamo here and download it for yourself from the Google Play app store, too!

Then note that Qualcomm will also be pushing forward with new versions of its hardware that it’ll be, once again, testing with Vellamo. We’ll be hearing more about Adreno 320 for the Snapdragon S4 quad-core Prime MPQ8064 as well as the S4 Pro throughout the week. Stay tuned for more hot Qualcomm action!


Duo Security releases X-Ray security app for Android

Posted: 24 Jul 2012 12:27 PM PDT

It takes a dedicated person to stay up-to-date on all of the security vulnerabilities in any given system, and that isn’t any different on Android. Thankfully for Android users, Duo Security has released a new DARPA-funded security app called X-Ray that will assist in identifying security holes on your Android device, because hey, who else is going to do it? Duo Security writes on the X-Ray official site that it developed this app in part because carriers typically drag their feet when it comes to pushing an update that will fix security flaws in Android, so with this app, they’re giving users the ability to test for these flaws themselves.


X-Ray is installed directly through an APK and isn’t available in the Google Play Store, so you’ll have to head over to xray.io if you want to download it. Duo Security says in an FAQ on the X-Ray site that the app looks for known privilege escalation vulnerabilities, which could potentially give malicious apps access to root privileges on your device.

“A number of such vulnerabilities have been discovered in the core Android platform, affecting nearly all Android devices,” Duo Security said. “Even more have been discovered in manufacturer-specific extensions that may affect a smaller subset of Android users.” One such vulnerability X-Ray is capable of identifying is Gingerbreak, which has been plaguing Android users for over a year now.

Unfortunately, X-Ray only identifies the security flaws and doesn’t actually fix them. If vulnerabilities are discovered, Duo Security suggests that you go to your carrier to see if there are updates available or install a third-party ROM like CyanogenMod that will patch the vulnerabilities. Of course, downloading a third-party mod can be a risky endeavor on its own, so Duo Security also suggests that you do your research before going down that road. You can find a full list of the vulnerabilities X-Ray scans for over on its official site, and even though the app doesn’t fix the flaws itself, it’s still looks like it’ll be a handy program to have installed on your device.