Monday, September 17, 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Android Community Weekly: September 16th, 2012

Posted: 16 Sep 2012 05:32 PM PDT

It was a busy week for the mobile world this past week but most of it wasn’t on the Android side of things. Apple announced their new iPhone 5 and it wowed all those who’ve patiently waited for it. Samsung’s been letting everyone know their Galaxy S III is better and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from them soon. Lets dive in.

It was pretty much a crazy Apple week. With their new iPhone 5 and its evolutionary (not revolutionary) 4-inch display, dual-core processor, and improvements to Siri. We won’t get into the Apple vs Android debate today and will let that go for now. We did however compare the iPhone 5 to the Galaxy Note II — and the Note is the clear winner.

Motorola had a busy week with the release of their new DROID RAZR M — and you can see our review by clicking here. This week coming up should be another good one with LG set to debut their Optimus G quad-core flagship smartphone, then HTC has an event later this week too where we should see “what’s next” from those folks.

Google’s CEO announced there’s now 500 million Android devices activated around the world, and they’re lighting up around a million a day. Now for some Verizon news. Verizon released the LG Intuition and the RAZR M like we mentioned above. Then the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is now the only Nexus that still doesn’t have Jelly Bean. Last but certainly not least the Samsung Galaxy Note II leaked complete with Verizon 4G LTE branding — so that should make plenty of customers happy.

We have plenty of exciting things coming up next week so stay tuned. In the meantime catch up on all things that mattered to us this past week with the variety of links below. Enjoy week two of the NFL guys!


Android Authority

Android Authority


White House tries to stifle Free Speech, Google says “no way”

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 03:15 AM PDT

Americans are known to be very defiant when in the face of censorship. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year old Egyptian Coptic Christian living in Southern California, has started a firestorm in the Muslim with his short film depicting a heavy anti-Islam slant, and now has the backing of Google.

White House officials have asked the media giant to pull the video, in light of the sensitive situations occurring in Egypt and Libya. Google has flatly refused on the grounds that the video is within YouTube guidelines, but noted that it has already taken strict measures to restrict access to viewing in countries which are primarily Muslim or where civil unrest is likely. At last check, India, Indonesia, Egypt and Libya were the only places where such viewing is prohibited.

Whether or not this is directly related to the mob attacks in Benghazi last Tuesday, which claimed the lives of four individuals, including U.S. Ambassador, Chris Stevens, is yet to be known. But it surely played a part and Google has said it has taken action based on local law rather than political pressure. The film’s key figure and director has not commented on the worldwide political unrest or his film, “Innocence of Muslims” status with the White House. He is currently in a location unaware to media officials, after turning himself into a Cerritos, Calif., Los Angeles County police station on charges unrelated to the film.

 

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This article, White House tries to stifle Free Speech, Google says “no way” , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Alibaba: Aliyun OS is ‘not a fork’ of Android

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:20 AM PDT

Ladies and gentlemen, the mobile OS war is getting into high gear, and apart from iOS, Android and Windows Phone, we have yet another contender intent to take the smartphone world by storm. This time, it’s Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. And with the Chinese smartphone market set to become the biggest in the world, it’s no wonder platform-makers and manufacturers want a big slice of this pie.

But there was a big uproar last week when Acer’s planned announcement of an Aliyun-powered smartphone was cancelled at the last minute. Google drew some flak for allegedly bullying Acer into pulling the plug on its Aliyun smartphone development. Andy Rubin, senior VP for mobile and digital content at Google, basically said that Acer could not work on an Android fork because of its membership in the Open Handset Alliance. If it does decide to work on an Android fork, then Google will no longer support Acer in its Android smartphone (and tablet) efforts.

Alibaba took offense, and has issued a response to Rubin’s comments. In an interview with CNet, John Spelich, VP for international corporate affairs at Alibaba, said Aliyun is not an Android fork, and has stressed that “Aliyun is different.”

Spelich stated that Aliyun is “built on open-source Linux,” and that Alibaba has its own applications. “[It's] designed to run cloud apps designed in our own ecosystem. [It] can run some but not all Android apps.”

Google’s point of contention is that Aliyun uses some of Android’s SDKs. Spelich continues:

Aliyun’s runtime environment, which is the core of the OS, consists of both its own Java virtual machine, which is different from Android’s Dalvik virtual machine, and its own cloud app engine, which supports HTML5 web applications. Aliyun OS uses some of the Android application framework and tools (open source) merely as a patch to allow Aliyun OS users to enjoy third-party apps in addition to the cloud-based Aliyun apps in our ecosystem.

Spelich further criticized Android for not actually being open, because of the way the platform distributes content through apps, which means the platform-maker essentially acts as gate-keeper to this content.

[W]e are an ecosystem that includes other Internet companies, whereas Android does not because it provides apps through downloads. It’s the crux of the whole cloud vs. app debate. Cloud is open, apps system is closed because it is controlled by the operator of the apps marketplace.

Andy Rubin has replied, this time pointing out that Aliyun uses elements from Android and even contains pirated Google apps.

Hey John Spelich — We agree that the Aliyun OS is not part of the Android ecosystem and you’re under no requirement to be compatible.

However, the fact is, Aliyun uses the Android runtime, framework, and tools. And your app store contains Android apps (including pirated Google apps). So there’s really no disputing that Aliyun is based on the Android platform and takes advantage of all the hard work that’s gone into that platform by the OHA.

So if you want to benefit from the Android ecosystem, then make the choice to be compatible. It’s easy, free, and we’ll even help you out. But if you don’t want to be compatible, then don’t expect help from OHA members that are all working to support and build a unified Android ecosystem.

Which is which? Is Aliyun indeed an independent Linux distribution that only borrows SDKs from Android, and as such cannot be called an Android fork? Or is the inclusion of “runtime, framework, and tools” enough to mean Aliyun is actually an Android fork and would result in Acer violating the terms of its membership into the OHA if it decided to launch an Aliyun OS phone?

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This article, Alibaba: Aliyun OS is ‘not a fork’ of Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


End of September a likely release period for Sony Xperia T

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:20 AM PDT

Those who have been anxiously awaiting the drop of the Sony Xperia T may have a few more moments before the device appears on shelves. According to a spokesperson from Expansys, the phone should be available by the 29th, but brief caution was given to those marking calendars in expectation. They mentioned the J model should be ready by mid-October if consumers are looking for something from the Sony line, but didn’t have their minds set on an Xperia T.

According the Sony, which said: “We are still on track to deliver the Sony Xperia T before the end of the month” all is well, though. Frankly, we’re not sure who to believe at this point; news has circulated that the site itself will not have units ready until January. You can thank modern tariff systems, contractual agreements with carriers retailers for that delay. Those of us buying direct are last in line even though we buy at full price.

Speaking of retailers, Three, Orange, and O2 are the current places to be hounding if you want your Sony Xperia T fix. T-mobile and Vodafone may join the mix, but none of these names have mentioned anything about pricing yet. As far as retailers go, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U are being given exclusive VIP access to the device to stock their inventory complete.

What do you think of the Sony Xperia T and if it comes out when expected, will you be getting one?

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This article, End of September a likely release period for Sony Xperia T , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Software update to fix radio glitch coming to Verizon Galaxy Nexus

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:20 AM PDT

 

Receiving a lemon of a Verizon Galaxy Nexus is pain in the tail, but it's not totally unexpected. If one seems bad enough, imagine receiving more lemons after returning the set and even its replacement to the store. That's the vicious cycle that many Verizon customers had to go through before scoring a flawless phone.

One of the more commonly known complaints is on the software side of things, where the Galaxy Nexus reportedly would keep losing its 4G signal. This is a problem that has been addressed on the leaked Jelly Bean firmware, but we know how Verizon likes to take it sweet time in rolling out those software updates.

Fortunately, as per a leaked Best Buy internal memo, a software fix is coming for the defective Galaxy Nexus.

It wasn't specifically mentioned whether Verizon is planning to push out the JRO03O firmware, aka Jelly Bean, for the Galaxy Nexus or if it's just a small update to fix the radio problem. Whatever it is, Big Red is apparently going to push the OTA update to the phones starting on September 14 – so frustrated Galaxy Nexus owners will have something to look forward to at the start of the week.

If you see the update on your phone, be sure to let the rest of our readers know by commenting below.

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This article, Software update to fix radio glitch coming to Verizon Galaxy Nexus , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Studies show that you may be getting overcharged for data in low signal areas

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:09 AM PDT

If you’re reading this, then chances are you are using a smartphone that uses mobile data, and you’re concerned about your bill. Since the smartphone craze started a few years back, more and more users are using their mobile devices more than their home internet connection. However, there is a new study that shows that you may get overcharged for your data: not for the data you’re using, but for the data you’re not using.

It sounds cryptic, doesn’t it? UCLA professor Chunyi Peng recently conducted a study to see if people were getting charged their fair amount for data services. Surprisingly, the results were that the data carriers were, in fact, charging people correctly for their data. What they aren’t doing is making sure the data actually gets to the device. That’s right, you could be getting overcharged for data that you’re not even receiving.

Here’s how it works according to Chunyi Peng and ExtremeTech. When a device is charged for data, it’s because the network sent data packets to the device. However, if the device is in a weak service area, it may never receive those packets. Thus, you’re being charged for packets of data youre device is not actually receiving.

How can I tell if I’m being overcharged?

If you live in a low service area, there’s a good chance you already are. It According to Peng, the average user is already being overcharged 5 to 7%. This isn’t a huge deal on carriers that have unlimited data. However, if you’re on a carrier that charges when you go over, this can actually cost you some money.

There are some ways you can prevent this from happening. In particular, try not to use your device in areas with bad signal. If you have to, try to keep usage to a minimum. In any case, this is definitely something that needs to get fixed. Potentially, the worst part is the carriers that were tested were never publicly named. There has been hints that they are large carriers in the U.S. That doesn’t mean that smaller carriers don’t suffer from this same problem, though. It could be happening to you right now.

How bad would this affect your phone bill if it did happen to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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This article, Studies show that you may be getting overcharged for data in low signal areas , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


PCs now using less than half of the available RAM chips on the market

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:07 AM PDT

Your smartphone, your tablet, your personal computer, they all use something called dynamic random access memory. You probably know it better as RAM. According to the research firm IHS iSuppli, something amazing happened in Q2 2012. For the first time in recorded history, personal computers consumed less than 50% of the RAM chips available on the market.

To give you some perspective, the PC has been around for roughly three decades. Android has been out for less than five years. Last week we heard two very important numbers: More than 500 million Android devices have been activated and more than 400 million iOS devices have been sold. Those devices, along with your Windows Phones, BlackBerry smartphones, and other mobile platforms, are to blame for the “death” of the PC.

“The arrival of the post-PC era doesn't mean that people will stop using personal computers, or even necessarily that the PC market will stop expanding. What the post-PC era does mean is that personal computers are not at the center of the technology universe anymore—and are seeing their hegemony over the electronics supply chain erode. PCs are no longer generating the kind of growth and overwhelming market size that can single-handedly drive demand, pricing and technology trends in some of the major technology businesses.” – Clifford Leimbach, Memory Analyst at IHS

Clifford says it best. Computers simple aren’t at the center of our lives anymore. Now yes, we need PCs here at Android Authority to give you guys the news you crave, but most people do a lot of their computing on the gadgets that live inside their pockets. IHS iSuppli estimates that by the end of 2013, more than one out of every four memory chips will end up inside a smartphone or a tablet.

Take a second to let that sink in. That’s less than 18 months away.

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This article, PCs now using less than half of the available RAM chips on the market , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Is Apple crazy enough to design its own application processor?

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:02 AM PDT

Every chip inside every iOS device to date has been “custom” designed by Apple. By that we mean the company has licensed application processors from ARM, graphics processors from Imagination Technologies, and then arranged various other components onto a chip that would then be manufactured by Samsung.

Last week, when Apple announced the iPhone 5, they said that their latest creation, the A6, was at the heart of it. They also said the A6 was twice as fast as the A5 inside the iPhone 4S. Most people thought that meant the company just doubled the clock rate (the MHz) of the A5 and simply called it the A6. Doing so wouldn’t have hurt them since the A6 is known to be a 32 nanometer chip, whereas the A5 is a 45 nanometer chip. Smaller transistors translates to less heat which translates to faster speeds.

A second camp, this writer included, thought Apple switched to ARM’s next generation application processor, the Cortex A15. The Apple A5 chip uses a pair of ARM Cortex A9 cores, so one obvious way to make it faster would be to swap out those cores for “faster” ones. In this case “faster” means an ARM Cortex A15 can do more work per core than a Cortex A9.

Now it’s been discovered that Apple isn’t overclocking, and they’re not using ARM’s Cortex A15 either. Instead, they’re designing their own application processor. The only other company we can think of that does does is Qualcomm, who designs the “Krait” application processor, the “Adreno” graphics processor, and then slaps both of those onto a chip that’s marketed as the “Snapdragon”.

We know there’s a lot of technical jargon in this article, so here’s what we want you to take away from this piece: Apple has become even more vertically integrated than they’ve been in the past. Whereas before they were “designing” their own chips, now they’re designing the cores inside those chips.

To put it another way: That would be like HP saying they’re tired of using Intel’s chips, so they’re going to start making their own. From scratch.

This isn’t something to be taken lightly.

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This article, Is Apple crazy enough to design its own application processor? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S4 to be announced at MWC 2013 with a 5″ screen

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:52 AM PDT

Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has been out on the market for less than four months. The iPhone 5 is going to hit store shelves this Friday.

And guess what? We just got our very first Galaxy S4 rumor courtesy of The Korea Times. They say that Samsung is going to announce the next Galaxy at Mobile World Congress 2013, it’ll start shipping in March, and that it’s going to have a 5 inch screen. Apparently Samsung decided on launching the GS4 at MWC 2013 just three days after Apple announced the iPhone 5. We have to remind you, this is a rumor, so take these “facts” with a pinch of salt.

Curiously, the source goes on to say that the next Galaxy will continue using a quad-core chip. That’s a bid odd considering that the ARM Cortex A15 is going to be all the rage next year. The first chips to use ARM’s latest generation processors will be dual-core variants, simply because the A15 uses way more power than the A9. As a reminder: The GS3 has four ARM Cortex A9 cores inside. Does this mean the GS4 will also have four A9 cores inside or is Samsung insane enough to use four A15 cores? Again, we don’t know.

Circling back to the screen size, we know some of you are rolling your eyes at the 5-inch display, but you shouldn’t. Earlier this year, another South Korean handset vendor, Pantech, announced a device called the Vega S5. It has a 5 inch display, but the phone itself is physically smaller than the GS3 because it makes use of thinner bezels and because the company decided to not put any buttons on the front of the device.

We certainly do hope that Samsung gives up putting home buttons on their phones. We’re huge fans of the Galaxy Nexus, so we can only imagine what a supercharged version of that would look like.

Cue the awkward drooling noises.

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This article, Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S4 to be announced at MWC 2013 with a 5″ screen , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Intel starts Clover Trail club, no Linux allowed

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:46 AM PDT

If you’ve been excited about the next wave of Windows 8 tablets and netbooks, then you need to look no further than the Clover Trail Atom processor. You may already be familiar with the Atom family of processors, as they’ve been in netbooks practically since netbooks were invented. Clover Trail is the next generation of the Atom processor and one that Microsoft will be happily placing inside many of their future releases.

Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between Clover Trail and prior iterations of the Atom. That big difference is that the new chips will not be compatible with Linux. This means if you’re one of those people who like to buy a netbook and then put Linux on it, you probably won’t be too excited about the stuff that’s about to come out. Of course, if you’re a fan of Windows –specifically Windows 8– then you shouldn’t have any problems adapting to the new chip set.

So what does Clover Trail mean for Android?

Because Android runs on a Linux kernel, that means it’s going to be much more difficult to port Android to devices with the Clover Trail chip set. Since classic Linux distros like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch won’t be available, it’s a pretty safe bet that Android won’t be either. Of course, Android developers could surprise everyone and get it running. But given the information on the Clover Trail processors, it isn’t a very likely scenario.

According to Ars Technica, the reason why Clover Trail won’t be Linux compatible is that Intel and Microsoft worked together to give make the new chip set specific functionality with Windows 8 devices. Namely, Windows 8 will have the ability to control Clover Trail’s advanced power management features. While it may mean no Linux, it could actually be pretty awesome for those who actually want it to run Windows 8. For everyone else, there’s always a virtual box or Bluestacks.

With more hardware being locked down, it could chase away some potential customers who like the hardware but don’t want Windows. Is Clover Trail’s Windows-only premise a deal breaker for you? Let us know in the comments.

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This article, Intel starts Clover Trail club, no Linux allowed , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


RAZR MAXX HD won’t be making appearance ‘Down Under’

Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:37 AM PDT

With more resource intensive apps, such as games, being available these days, bigger batteries are always a welcome sight in the specs list. The Motorola RAZR MAXX HD is no exception, with its hefty 3,300mAh battery commanding the flagship phone. Unfortunately, Australians looking to get their hands on the device will be left in a quandary as the company’s last words on its release was a definitive “no” because of incompatible frequencies.

Motorola Aus had a few words on the matter:

"due to [the RAZR MAXX's] availability on a different frequency band that is not compatible with the Australian market, it will not be available locally" – Motorola Aus

That being said, the frequencies of the phone have not been mentioned by possible carriers or Motorola; one is suspect to think there may be something else wrong with the device. It cant be that carriers don’t want the phone, as Telstra has picked up the RAZR HD on their lineup. It does show a lack of foresight on Motorola’s part, however, to make such a great device and then not be able to import it. They’v been hyping the hone now for a while, so you would think, they would have the basic protocol down in the hardware department. Apparently, that is not the case.

Australians, are you still interested n this phone if Moto gets its act together and releases it in the country? How long do you think it will take to fix this blunder?

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This article, RAZR MAXX HD won’t be making appearance ‘Down Under’ , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.


Android and Me

Android and Me


Samsung not backing down on anti-iPhone advertising

Posted: 16 Sep 2012 10:05 AM PDT

Apple may have won their court case, but Samsung is as determined as ever to win in the court of public opinion. Their latest ad which started appearing in newspapers today literally pits the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III head to head with a specs list illustrating the S [...]

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Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Note II shows up for some candids

Posted: 16 Sep 2012 09:32 AM PDT

As always you need to take these kind of images with a grain of salt, but if it’s a hoax it’s a bit odd as the user that posted these images has been a member of the mostly automotive focused forums for 8 years and they don’t seem to have any history of that kind [...]

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