If you’re looking for an awesome smartphone for a low price, the folks from HTC and AT&T might have exactly what you need. Just in time for summer to be coming to an end AT&T has slashed the price on their flagship HTC One X smartphone in half. From $199 to just $99 bucks on a new 2-year contract.
Early reports suggested this was only a rumor, but it has now been confirmed by multiple sources including RadioShack. They reported that starting Sunday, July 29th, the HTC One X on AT&T will be just $99 in their retail stores nationwide. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me.
The Motorola Atrix HD comes in at the same price, similar specs, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich too — but it has a locked bootloader, on-screen navigation buttons, and a smaller 4.5-inch display. This price point is actually a solid move by HTC as it stops them from losing out on sales from the Atrix, while undercutting the Galaxy S III. For a reminder of the HTC One X and it’s top of the line specs see both our review, and our spec sheet from our device.ac database below. As well as out Atrix HD review and Galaxy S III comparison.
Who’s ready for Total Recall? We might not have Arnold Schwarzenegger this time around but the popular 90′s movie is ready to take center stage again. The studio Jump Games has just launched what they are calling the official Total Recall game for Android and iOS. The graphics are neat, and it features a futuristic and unique look and feel — just like the movie.
The upcoming movie and feature film won’t be exactly like the original, but I’m sure the die-hard fans already know that. I’m still not sold on Colin Farrell taking Arnold’s place, and can think of about 5 actors that would do a much better job — but I’m excited about the remake nonetheless.
The brand new Total Recall game is available right this minute for only $1.99 on the Play Store from the link below. It will feature cutting-edge 3D environments taken right from the new film, and you’ll be playing as the lead character while enjoying countless different weapons. The game includes comic book-style scenes (and graphics if you ask me) and is said to have additional levels and missions coming soon in a future update. Surprisingly this one isn’t made by Gameloft, who’s been releasing games along big name movies all year. Get it from the Play Store and drop us a comment if it’s any good.
We might have jumped up a version of Android to Jelly Bean, but manufacturers are still playing catch up with Ice Cream Sandwich. At least LG is working slowly but surely, with AT&T announcing that the ICS update for the LG Nitro HD will be coming on July 31st. The update will bring all the benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich, plus LG's new Optimus 3.0 UI, offering a cleaner visual aesthetic plus some new features.
The update won't be delivered OTA, however: NItro HD users will have to download the upgrade to their computers, then plug in their phones via USB, and follow the instructions using LG's PC software. Once everything has been applied, you can look forward to multitasking improvements, new fonts, additional lock screen actions such as jumping straight into certain applications, and a redesigned gallery app and photo editor.
The home screen has also seen some tweaks, and standard ICS functionality such as improved folders is onboard. The keyboard has been given a jumpstart, promising an better typing experience with improved error correction. The ICS data usage application is along for the ride, and the famous Face Unlock feature is fully functional with the update as well. There's only a couple of days until the update hits, so sit tight for now and make sure to fire up LG's update tool on July 31st.
Who wants a case for that shiny new Nexus 7? When Google announced their much anticipated Nexus 7 tablet at Google IO it immediately went up for pre-order on their Play Store. Along with it was an official case that sold out in a matter of minute and has since been listed as “coming soon.” If you want a real case for the Nexus 7 (not a homemade one from the Kindle) they are available now.
The Google Play Store has just added the official ASUS/Google Nexus 7 dark grey case to “In Stock” and shipping in 3-5 days. Most likely we’ll be seeing this case sell out, possibly by the end of the day. So you should probably act now if you want one. Hopefully the colorful ones ASUS teased are coming soon.
The cases appear to have no sort of magnet for auto on/off like we discovered a few weeks back, so that is a bummer but an easy fix. The case comes with the same neat finish on the rear, has a matte coating and is dark grey. It offers full port access to micro-USB charging and syncing, as well as the headphone jack so that shouldn’t be a problem. They are available right this minute for just $19.99 but probably won’t last long. Hit the link below and buy your own today.
Great news! And yes it’s actually true although we’ve heard Motorola sing this tune before. Today they’ve announced that starting with their new Motorola PHOTON Q they’ll be unlocking bootloaders. On a very brief Blog post Motorola outlines that they’ll also offer this to other devices in the future too — but who knows how long that will take. We can probably all thank Google for this too.
Motorola has been the target of heavy criticism with regards to bootloaders on their smartphones, and it looks like that Google acquisition is finally doing some good. Unlocking the bootloader to allow developers full access to devices has been a large burden as of late. Motorola has remained tight on this front (probably because of Verizon) but are ready to come clean and join HTC and ASUS.
For months now we've been working closely with our developers and carrier partners to provide users a way to to unlock the bootloader on their Motorola Mobility device while keeping the networks secure and satisfying carriers' requirements. And we've finally found a solution.
Most likely this will be some sort of unlock tool similar to HTC and ASUS’ current implementation. Hopefully Moto doesn’t screw it up though. They don’t reveal any details and only mention that the PHOTON Q announced this morning will be the first to enjoy this treatment. They then mention “Other products will have this option too in the future.” And that is as far as they went.
This is great news and we’ll surely be looking for more details. Who’s excited to fully enjoy Motorola’s hardware in the future?
If you’re like me and you have fat fingers that don’t do well when presented with a tiny touchscreen keyboard, then Google‘s new Handwrite search might just be what you’re looking for. Google has officially rolled out the beta for its new Handwrite search functionality, and it allows you to write your search term with your finger instead of typing it into the search field. As with regular Google Search, you can write-in only a partial phrase and then pick from a list of common search terms, which should come in handy when using Handwrite on a smaller screen, such as a smartphone.
Getting Handwrite set up on your device is simple enough – all you need to do is visit google.com on your device, click the “Settings” button found at the bottom of the page, and then enable Handwrite. Once Handwrite has been enabled, you simply need to click the Handwrite button that appears near the bottom of the screen, and voilĂ , you can now write out your search term with your finger. Handwrite is currently available in 27 different languages, and today Google shared a promotional video that previews this new functionality.
Google points out that Handwrite works best in the native Android browser on Android 2.3+ phones and Android 4.0+ tablets. Handwrite looks like it could be a pretty useful tool in some cases, so we’re excited to see where this goes as beta testing picks up and it eventually moves toward a full roll out. Check out the promotional video for Handwrite above, and be sure to keep an ear to Android Community for more information!
The folks that brought Wi-Fi to the world, the Wi-Fi Alliance, is preparing the next step of Wireless media consumption with Miracast certification. Allowing Miracast certified devices to wirelessly stream movies, photos, games and more all to your HDTV. It’s like mirror mode only wireless. NVIDIA’s been hard at work making this not only be an option, but deeply integrated into their quad-core Tegra 3 powered devices.
In a recent blog post NVIDIA outlines how Miracast, along with the Tegra 3, can enhance users time with their Android devices and home entertainment. Miracast’s open wireless display specification will soon be available and widespread with the vast WiFi capable devices we use daily. NVIDIA wants to make sure their at the forefront.
The video above should explain it all quite simply. You can see from the quick demonstration by the folks at NVIDIA that their Tegra-powered devices are going to work wonderfully with this new and impressive standard. I’ve always enjoyed using mirror mode to use my Android devices on my larger HDTV, but doing it all wireless with Miracast will be awesome. The video shows just how impressive it is, how great and smooth the performance can be, and exactly what we can expect in the coming months.
Pretty awesome right? Once the Wi-Fi Alliance gets everything up to spec and ready to go, we’ll surely let you know as I’m sure you’re all dying to try it.
For those enjoying one of the many impressive 4G LTE capable phones on AT&T we have some good news if you’ve yet to see LTE in your city. Today AT&T has announced another set of cities getting the upgrade to their fast 4G LTE service. Their rollout hasn’t been extremely quick, but AT&T’s been picking up the pace as of late.
In their usual fashion they’ve been announcing all the details and locations at their press page, but we have the new cities easily listed below for those hoping they’ve been upgraded. Verizon’s still got a firm lead with the LTE networks, but here’s a few more available on AT&T starting today:
– Miami – Fort Lauderdale – West Palm Beach – Worcester area – Massachusetts – Baltimore region – Greater Washington D.C. region
Add the 7 new markets getting 4G LTE or expanding today along with the 7+ announced earlier this month AT&T’s been making a strong summer push. Many of the cities and networks mentioned today are getting greater reach and expansion, and aren’t necessarily new, but I’m sure you’ll all enjoy any additions. Let us know if you’ve started seeing 4G LTE in your neck of the woods.
This week Google’s finally taken the wraps off of their uber-fast internet connection. Google Fiber has been launched officially in Kansas City, and has a few neat additions to the new ISP service. It’s available in three optional packages, one which includes Google’s Nexus 7 tablet free as the actual TV remote. The rest of us are patiently awaiting it to arrive in our city already.
They’ll be offering a $70 a month web plan, $120 gigabit internet and TV option and more. For full details on Google’s new ISP options you’ll want to head to our sister site SlashGear for full coverage. Google Fiber’s TV plan, which costs $120 a month plus a $300 installation fee has a neat remote control. Yup, just like mentioned above you’ll be getting their brand new (and practically sold out) Nexus 7 for free as the actual TV remote control. +1 for Google on that!
There’s also an option to pay the $300 installation fee and then enjoy free slower (but still decent) speeds for around 7 years with no monthly fees. Sounds good right? From Chromebooks, Google TV, to the Nexus 7 this is all coming together and being used with Google Fiber. All the details are available from Fiber.google.com but if you’re interested in that Nexus 7 TV option you’ll want to click here.
Is Google headed toward an Android Nexus PC? CNET (blog) In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon discusses whether Google will use the Android mobile OS or browser-based Chrome OS to take on Apple and Microsoft in computing, and she explains why it's still important to check the coverage of ... See all stories on this topic »
Android, Nokia Phone Vulnerable to NFC Attacks Z6Mag A security specialist has demonstrated that the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology on new Android and Nokia devices can be easily hacked if left on their default settings. The information was presented at the 2012 Black Hat security conference in ... See all stories on this topic »
Motorola's entire Android lineup banned in Germany By Adrian Diaconescu Microsoft is on a winning streak in its patent war against Motorola, with Moto now banned from selling Android devices in Germany. Android Authority
Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean Update Now Rolling Out To Motorola Xoom ... By Chris Chavez After reports that the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for the Motorola Xoom (WiFi) may have been delayed, it looks like everything checked out with that soak test we heard about, as Motorola has just begun pushing out the over-the-air update ... Android Phone Fans
Google introduces Handwrite search for ... - Android Community By Eric Abent If you're like me and you have fat fingers that don't do well when presented with a tiny touchscreen keyboard, then Google's new Handwrite search might just be. Android Community
Motorola Xoom users receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean (Update ... By Jeff Blagdon The wait for Jelly Bean could be over for Google’s other Nexus device. Some owners of Motorola’s Xoom report having received OTA updates to Android 4.1.1, despite not being part of a... The Verge - All Posts
Now that summer break is almost over, Verizon is hoping to catch the new school year momentum by unleashing the Pantech Star Q 4G LTE. The Star Q's main attraction is its 5-row QWERTY keyboard, which should be welcomed by text-obsessed students or other folks who often have to do their word processing on the road.
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard aside, the Pantech Star Q 4G LTE is no slouch in the speed department. The phone is equipped with a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor; the same chip used in high-end Android smartphones. It boasts a 4-inch display of 800 x 480 resolution, 3MP rear camera, and a front camera. Another surprise is the inclusion of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
As pointed out by Androidandme, sample pictures taken with the Star Q's camera can already be found online on Picasa. And if you're wondering how the phone performs in Nenamark benchmarks, you can find the result here.
Verizon hasn't set a specific launch date yet for the Pantech Star Q. But looking at the online trails of the phone, we expect to hear an official announcement from Big Red really soon. The Star Q will likely find a spot in the carrier's mid-range lineup, and we don’t think that the phone will cost more than $100 with a contract.
As previously hinted, HTC's latest entry-level phone, the Desire C, has finally landed in Canada on several wireless carriers. The first is Rogers, which will practically give away the phone to willing customers. The second carrier that will sell the fiery-looking phone is Fido.
If you don't mind being stuck with Rogers for the next three years, you can get the HTC Desire C for as little as $0.01. Considering they'll also throw in a free Bluetooth headset as a bonus, it's not at all a bad proposition. Alternatively, you can purchase the phone outright for $200 with no strings attached.
Over at Fido, the phone is being offered for $30 – but you'll only have to sign a two-year contract. Plus, we believe the required monthly plan is slightly lower than that of Rogers. Similarly, purchasing the phone without a plan will only set you back $200.
The HTC Desire C comes in two colors: white and red. It may look like your ordinary HTC phone from the outside, but pry open the back panel and you'll see some dope transparent red plastic innards. If you're into smaller sized Android phone, the Desire C's 3.5-inch HVGA display should be a right fit. It certainly helps that the phone comes with Beats Audio enhancement, Sense 4, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
One of the most awaited projects from Google in the past few years, Google Fiber, has finally been launched.
The average American consumer should be very excited about this project, because, even if Google doesn’t intend to compete with other ISPs on a national level, the service should still push ISPs to try to match Google’s speed and pricing. Seeing how US has one of the slowest and most expensive internet industry in the world, this move is a very welcome one, indeed.
But why is this important to Google? Google is at a point (and has been for a while) where it can only grow by expanding “the Internet”. They grow by helping people browse faster and get access to faster Internet. Plus, gigabit speeds will help proliferate more advanced web-apps, once people won’t have to worry about their Internet speed anymore. A fast browser and a fast Internet connection is what’s needed for that, as we already have very cheap storage and powerful enough computers.
Google has split their Google Fiber plans in 3:
a $120/month plan, that offers 1Gbps Internet connection, with Fiber TV and a Nexus 7 included
a $70/month plan, that offers 1Gbps Internet connection
a “free” plan, that offers a 5 Mbps Internet connection
free 5 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload (average national speeds)
no data caps
free service guaranteed for at least 7 years
network box
$300 construction fee upfront or 12 payments of $25/month
optional: $299+ Chromebooks
The Google Fiber service will only start in Kansas City (both Missouri and Kansas) for now, but Google promised it will become available in other cities, depending on how much those cities want them there.
Google announced that the fiber network will be turned on selectively, in the neighborhoods of KC that are most interested in getting Fiber. To gauge this interest, Google has announced a sign up program ($10 fee); the “Fiberhoods” with the most signups, will get Google Fiber first. The sign up period extends to September 9, so if you want to benefit from Google Fiber, head over to the pre-register page.
Are you hoping Google Fiber will be available in your area, too?
Google Handwrite is one feature that Galaxy Note owners will be happy to get. The newly unveiled function will make the Note’s stylus even more useful – users can now search on Google by handwriting the words. And, while this sounds like the perfect application for the stylus of the Galaxy Note, Handwrite seems to work just as well with fingers.
To use the new Handwrite feature, go to your Search Settings at the bottom of the Google.com page and enable it. A small toolbar will then pop up at the bottom of the page on smartphones running Android 2.3+, tablets running Android 4.0+, and on all iOS 5+ devices.
The Handwrite input method will work best in Chrome and on the stock Android browser, but Google warns it’s still “experimental”. In addition to these limitations, the feature seems to require a moderately fast device. If you have a low-end phone, it might prove too slow to use.
Google Handwrite is not Google’s first dabble in handwriting recognition. They used to have a scribbling app for Android, that you could use to write the first letter of what you were looking for in your phone, but they terminated that in one of their recent product clean-ups. Google also recently added handwriting in the Google Translate app, which can be especially useful for people who use non-latin scripts, like Chinese of Japanese.
If Google is working on these sort of apps for handwriting, I wonder if they will also drastically improve handwriting recognition and stylus support in future versions of Android, which should make styluses even easier to use with Android.
There are many reasons why Android is the most popular operating system around, ranging from its open source nature to its availability to all consumers, regardless of financial capability. Android has been dominating the smartphone market across the world. We know about how Android’s market share in Spain is a whopping 84%, and around 50% in the US. But that number is all set to grow, although slowly, if a new report by Comscore is any indication.
Comscore, an internet marketing research company, has just released a report, which states that 62% of first-time smartphone owners choose Android devices, with 25% picking iOS. Granted, this is likely because Android includes all devices across the price spectrum, with iOS featured on only the high-end iPhone. While Apple might be better off financially against Android device manufacturers, market share numbers are also a very important factor in the race for smartphone and OS dominance.
Highlights of this report include:
Around 110 million users in the US own a smartphone.
47.5% consumers who owned feature phones upgraded to smartphones, and increase of almost 10%, with around 50% choosing to change to another smartphone.
61.5% of first-time smartphone buyers chose Android, with 25.2% picking Apple devices. Microsoft (Windows Phone) and RIM accounted for 7.1% and 4.8% respectively.
For users that upgraded from one smartphone to another, 54.2% bought Android devices, with 33.5% buying iOS devices.
Important to note is the last point, of an upgrade from one smartphone to another, where the numbers are somewhat similar to the current market share breakup. Safe to assume that, as expected, Android users upgrade to another Android device, with iOS users staying loyal to Apple.
Check out the press release below for the complete Comscore report.
What are your thoughts? Is it unexpected that first-time smartphone owners prefer Android? Is there any area of the report that surprises you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Show full PR text
The Great American Smartphone Migration: Nearly Half of Feature Phone Subscribers Who Acquired a New Device in April Switched to a Smartphone
62 Percent of First-Time Smartphone Owners Chose Android Devices, While 25 Percent Opt for iPhones
RESTON, VA, July 25, 2012 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results from a study of first-time U.S. smartphone owners with insights from the comScore MobiLens service. The study found that nearly half of feature phone subscribers who acquired a device during April 2012 switched to a smartphone, an increase of 9.5 percentage points from the previous year, as smartphone adoption continues its upward climb in the U.S. Among this audience, 61.5 percent of consumers acquired devices running the Google Android platform, with 25.2 percent choosing Apple devices and 7.1 percent opting for Microsoft smartphones.
"The growing number of smartphones available to consumers, accompanied by the decrease in price points and surge in mobile media content, have made smartphone ownership possible and desirable for many more Americans," said Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of Mobile. "Within the year, we expect to see smartphone owners become the mobile majority, a milestone that represents not only the evolution of the mobile landscape but highlights the enormous potential for marketers as these powerful, ubiquitous devices open new opportunities to reach a growing audience of consumers."
Smartphone Adoption among Feature Phone Owners Surges Nearly 10 Percentage Points in the Past Year
In the past year, smartphone adoption has grown rapidly with nearly 110 million Americans owning a smartphone device in April 2012, up 44 percent from the previous year. Analysis of new smartphone owners found that 47.5 percent of feature phone subscribers who acquired a device in April switched to a smartphone, an increase of 9.5 percentage points from the previous year. Slightly more than half (50.7 percent) of feature phone subscribers in the market for a device chose to acquire another feature phone, with this audience witnessing a rapid decline in the past year.
Smartphone and Feature Phone Acquisition in Past Month 3 month avg. ending Apr. 2012 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers, Age 13+ that Acquired Device in Month* Source: comScore MobiLens Custom Analysis
% Share of Feature Phone Audience
Apr-11
Apr-12
Point Change
Feature Phone to Smartphone
38.0%
47.5%
+9.5
Feature Phone to Feature Phone
60.6%
50.7%
-9.9
N/A**
1.4%
1.9%
+0.5
*Acquired phone in month refers to people who received a new phone during the month including people who purchased a device, who received a phone but did not directly purchase the device, etc. **N/A refers to mobile subscribers that acquired a new device within the month, but acquired device type was unknown.
3 of 5 First-Time Smartphone Owners Chose Android Devices
Among those feature phone subscribers that acquired a smartphone device in the past month, 61.5 percent chose a Google Android device, while 25.2 percent acquired an Apple device. Devices operating on the Microsoft platform accounted for 7.1 percent of acquired smartphones, while RIM represented 4.8 percent.
In comparison, among existing smartphone subscribers that acquired a new smartphone device in the past month, 54.2 percent chose Android devices while 33.5 percent preferred Apple devices. RIM accounted for 9.6 percent of acquired devices, while Microsoft represented 3.0 percent.
Smartphone Acquisition in Past Month: OS Analysis 3 month avg. ending Apr. 2012 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers, Age 13+ that Acquired Device in Month* Source: comScore MobiLens Custom Analysis
% Share of Audience of Those Acquiring Smartphone in Month
Feature Phone to Smartphone
Smartphone to Smartphone**
Google
61.5%
54.2%
Apple
25.2%
33.5%
Microsoft
7.1%
3.0%
RIM
4.8%
9.6%
*Acquired phone in month refers to people who received a new phone during the month including people who purchased a device, who received a phone but did not directly purchase the device, etc. **Including migration within same OS.
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
Contact: Sarah Radwanick Manager Marketing Communications comScore, Inc. +1 206 268 6310 press@comscore.com
Smartphone manufacturers have been known to lock the bootloaders of their devices, ostensibly because of security concerns. This is an ongoing battle between the large Android development community and device manufacturers, with the former obviously hoping to take full advantage of the open-source nature of Android.
The search is still on to find the perfect way to provide complete user access while keeping the device secure. Some manufacturers, like HTC, provide an “official” bootloader unlock process for certain devices (which unfortunately does not include the One series of devices yet). Sony has also done the same, with a bootloader unlock option available for almost the entire Xperia lineup, which you can find here. But you might want to take in this new information before jumping to unlocking the bootloader of your Xperia smartphone.
According to XperiaBlog, Sony is refusing to fix hardware issues of their devices if the bootloader is unlocked, claiming that it is illegal to do so. This is definitely a surprising turn of events considering that Sony “supports” unlocking your device bootloader, albeit at your own risk. There is also the fact that the unlocking of the bootloader should not create an issues with the hardware of the device. If you thought re-locking the bootloader is the way to go, unfortunately that does not seem to work either, as they know if the bootloader has been unlocked in the past.
Granted, Sony mentions that unlocking the bootloader “may void the warranty of your phone and/or any warranty from your operator.” The keyword here is of course, may. If Sony was going to take such a hard stance on going through with the unlock, it should have been stated outright, instead of the vague connotation of the disclaimer.
Stay tuned to see how this issue plays out!
What are your thoughts? What do you think about Sony’s harsh stance when it comes to unlocked bootloaders? Should people with devices from other manufacturers also be worried about the same treatment? Let us know in the comments section below.
The reason everyone is moving to smartphones is because of the endless possibilities made available to users thanks to the app world. There are 600,000+ apps available on the Google Play Store, enough to satisfy everybody’s requirements. Anything you can think of, there’s probably an app for it.
Yet, as consumers, we tend to ignore the person or team behind these apps. Most of the apps on the various app stores are created by third-party developers, who spend hours and works very hard to make our lives easier. Today, we give you a small glimpse into the thought process behind the design and creation of an app, with the Alarm clock app by DoubleTwist. If you thought making apps was easy, you’re in for a surprise!
What is the Double Twist Alarm clock?
Double Twist is known for creating one of the best Android media players and has also released an alarm clock app, which, if integrated with the Double Twist player, lets you choose a song or playlist to wake up to. Other features of the DoubleTwist Alarm clock include:
Two clock modes: flip clock and analog clock, includes nightstand dim mode.
Set alarm through one of three modes: Time, Sleep Cycle, or Sunrise. Sleep Cycle helps pick optimal wake-up times to correspond with sleep cycles.
Set multiple and recurring alarms.
Set a custom label for your alarms.
Choose from built-in alarm sounds and ringtones or your favorite song(requires free doubleTwist Player app).
Alarm volume starts out quiet and gradually gets louder.
View time pending until next scheduled alarm.
Set snooze duration and alarm volume.
Swiss Clock live wallpaper.
Let’s take a look at the process behind the making of this alarm clock app.
Making of
DoubleTwist Alarm was developed by Sebastiaan De With, a creative director, design speaker, and consultant. He’s put in a lot of time and effort into creating the app, and has posted a glimpse into the process on his blog. Here are some of the highlights:
First and foremost, is the problem most Android application developers have. Developing for the Android platform is difficult, primarily because of the “fragmentation” issue we’re all familiar with. Overcoming this problem requires a comprehensive testing process, to ensure that the app performs consistently across all devices.
The next stage involved designing the clock, which is not as easy as it sounds. It’s difficult to find the perfect balance to create something that will be well-liked across the board. Sebastiaan mentions that he worked through multiple designs that he discarded and started over from scratch, to arrive to the beautiful design we see today.
Attention to detail, because it’s the little things that make a difference. The non-clock alarm setting UI and the perfect snooze interface are just some of these minor details that go a long way in creating a good alarm clock app.
Special features to make it stand apart from “just another” alarm clock. One nice feature of this app is the “Sleep Cycle” option. Research suggests that we go through several deep sleep cycles, and waking up in the middle of one leaves you tired and groggy. This feature lets you choose between four options to ensure you don’t wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle, at the time of setting an alarm. On the flip-side, if you have a specific time when you have to wake up, the app recommends a time to go to bed.
These are just the highlights of a detailed explanation behind the creation of this app. You can find the full post on his blog here.
Wrap-up
Our smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. The first thing we do when we wake up is check our phones, not only for missed calls or messages, but e-mail, Facebook updates, news, and anything else you use your phone for. I haven’t worn a watch since I got my first cellphone, and I’m wholly, sometimes stupidly so, dependent on my phone. Suddenly, even some thing as simple as an alarm clock app becomes essential, and the Double Twist Alarm clock is one of the best ones available.
You can check out the alarm clock by DoubleTwist from the Google Play Store here for only $1.99.
There is a wave of Chinese manufacturers looking to establish themselves in the international Android market. When we think Chinese OEMs, the first thought goes to companies that have have been frequenting tech shows with some amazing devices on offer, such as Huawei, ZTE, Baidu, and Meizu. Another, less known, name that is coming up in conversations is Xiaomi.
Xiaomi is very new to the cut-throat world of Android smartphone manufacturing, with its first device, the Xiaomi MI-One, releasing only last fall. But if you’re into Android development or are familiar with custom ROMs, the name Xiaomi will be familiar to you, as they are the developers of the popular MIUI custom ROM.
Xiaomi has a high-end smartphone in the pipeline, if rumors of a quad-core Snapdragon S4-powered device are true, and the MI-One is no slouch either, with a dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, and an 8MP camera, for the low price of $310. Similar to what Amazon did with the Kindle Fire, all Xiaomi devices will feature their custom MIUI ROM, which is said to provide a faster and richer user experience.
Xiaomi’s just-released H1 2012 (half year) earnings attest the growing popularity of the device manufacturer in the largest market in the world. Xiaomi has pulled in 6.1 billion yuan (~$955 million) in revenue in the first half of 2012, and sold over 3 million devices. Granted, this isn’t much compared to the revenue of companies like HTC, Samsung, or even home-rival Huawei, but the comparison isn’t fair just yet, as the Chinese company is only established in its home market.
This is truly a great start for a company that is so new to the game, and with its foray into the international market, the number is only going to grow. Xiaomi will likely continue to release high-end devices at very reasonable prices, and the MIUI ROM on-board is a big plus for many users. Even though we’ve seen some great Android devices this year (with more to come), the other Android manufacturers are certainly in for a fight when this Chinese company bursts onto the world stage.
What are your thoughts? Would you consider buying a Xiaomi smartphone with the MIUI custom ROM? How popular do you think these Chinese OEMs are going to be on the world stage? Let us know in the comments section below.
Motorola Mobility is notorious for locking the bootloaders on a large majority of their devices. We’ve seen them release device after devices with locked bootloaders and even promises of said bootloaders being unlocked in the future without following through. In fact, the development and modding sectors of the Android community have even sought changes to Motorola’s bootloader policies via online petitions. Sadly, the outcries of the community did nothing back then. However, times they are a changin’.
Today, Motorola Mobility announced that their latest device, the PHOTON Q 4G LTE will have an unlockable bootloader. Motorola stated that for quite some time, they have been working with their carrier partners, in hopes to find a way to provide users with the option to unlock their bootloaders. Some of the most exciting news to come out of this is the hint that previous devices may get unlocked as well. We’re not sure if this is via a provided installed application similar to the methods of ASUS or if you’ll visit a Motorola Mobility Dev site for instructions similar to HTC. Whatever the case, it’s coming.
We know there are users out there who have been asking for an unlockable bootloader on their Motorola Mobility device. For quite some time now, we've been working closely with our carrier partners to find a way to make that possible — all while keeping the networks secure and protecting other users' experiences. We're excited to announce that Motorola PHOTON Q 4G LTE, just announced today and coming soon to Sprint's fast 4G LTE network, will have an unlockable bootloader. We'll share more details on how to take advantage of this feature closer to availability. And moving forward, we'll be looking to offer this option on other devices as well.
Why exactly is this a big deal? For the general population, this doesn’t matter. However, for the modding community, locked bootloaders are simply a pain. When the bootloader is locked, certain portions of the device are unable to be customized such as recoveries or kernels. A lot of the time, when rooting a device, the first step requires the bootloader to be unlocked or bypassed. So, depending on the device in question and the will of the developer, creative Android hacking has allowed some devices with locked bootloaders to run custom ROMs. Generally, these devices aren’t as stable as they could be if the device was able to be completely customized from the ground up.
Is this new found softening of Motorola’s bootloader policy due to Google’s recent acquisition? Your guess is as good as ours.
When placed beside Moto's greats like the Razr and Atrix series, folks in the US may not be too familiar with the Motoluxe. It's a shame, because the series does have its charms and is actually quite the looker, if only Moto had bothered to sell it in the country. It's a different story in China, where the Motoluxe has found its niche. The latest Motoluxe XT685 has just been introduced for the Chinese market.
The Motorola Motoluxe XT685 receives the honor of being the first in the series to come with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the gate. But there are more to like of the phone, such as its WCDMA+GSM dual mode (dual standby), pulsing lanyard-hole notification light, and slim 9.8mm profile.
The XT685 has also received some upgrade in the specs department, as it now packs a 1GHz processor. It still boasts 4-inch display of 854 x 480 resolution, 512MB RAM, 1GB onboard storage, an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 0.3MP front-facing camera. Software-wise, Moto has preloaded the Motoluxe XT685 with essential stuff – for the locals – like Sina Weibo and Sohu Women.
The Motoluxe XT685 is now available in mainland China for RMB 1,999, which works out at about $300. There's no word yet on whether Moto will bring the XT685 to other countries, but seeing that the older model made it to Europe and Canada – there's hope still that folks outside China will be able to get their hands on the Motoluxe XT685.