Friday, November 23, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


How to enable LTE on the Nexus 4

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 01:49 AM PST

Some enterprising folks in Canada discovered that, in spite of several reports that said the contrary, you can, in fact, use LTE on the Google Nexus 4.

We've shown you a video as a proof, and the thread on XDA-forums where the news first broke is full of people that managed to activate LTE on their Nexus 4. However, there are some caveats – it appears that only a specific LTE band is supported – Band 4 (also known as AWS). AWS includes spectrum in the 1710-1755 MHz band for uplink and 2110 to 2155 MHz for downlink.

AWS spectrum is currently used by several North American carriers:

  • Bell (Canada)
  • Rogers (Canada)
  • Telus (Canada)
  • AT&T (United States, in some markets)
  • T-Mobile (United States, no LTE)

With that said, note that the XDA users that managed to enable LTE on their Nexus 4 are from Canada. But AT&T's network uses the same bands like Bell and Rogers, so it's very possible that LTE can be used at least in some parts of the States as well. Moreover, T-Mobile will use AWS spectrum to deploy its LTE network in 2013.

Instructions

  1. Open the dialer.
  2. Type *#*#4636#*#* to enter the Testing menu
  3. In the Testing Menu, change the radio mode from GSM Only (it might be WCDMA Preferred also) to LTE.
  4. Some users reported that in order to enable LTE they needed to create a new APN.

In theory, the trick should work for AT&T users as well, but we weren't able to test this yet. AT&T uses different bands for different markets in the United States, so LTE might only work in some areas.

So, why did Google and LG denied that the Nexus 4 is LTE capable? As my colleague Stefan said, it might be a problem of PR – Google probably didn't want to confuse customers by offering a phone that can work on LTE only in some parts of the world, or worse, in some parts of one country.

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Sharp exec says the company has finally received orders for their IGZO displays

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 01:46 AM PST

When it comes to displays, there are only four companies you should care about: Sharp, Samsung, LG, and Japan Display Incorporated. The last one, known as JDI for short, is actually a joint venture made up of Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba. These four companies each have their own distint innovations. Samsung for example, they’re known for AMOLED. JDI, they’re making ultra high resolution LCD panels. LG is seen as being one of Apple’s largest supplier. And then there’s Sharp, who is in such terrible shape right now that some investors say they might have to ask the Japanese government for money to stay alive.

The technology Sharp is betting on to save their skin is called IGZO, which stands for indium gallium zinc oxide. In a nutshell, it allows Sharp to make crazy high resolution LCD panels that use far less electricity than traditional silicon based LCD panels. According to an article published by Bloomberg, an unnamed Sharp executive has confirmed that the company has finally begun receiving orders for these new IGZO displays. When will these panels end up in retail hardware? This quote sums everything up perfectly:

“A domestic company will probably offer products using IGZO display panels from the first quarter of the calendar year. As for foreign brands, you will probably see such products in the second quarter.”

When this person says “domestic” company, we think they mean themselves, because why would Sony, who is a part of JDI, use panels from their competitor? And as for “foreign brands”, that could be just about anyone, so let’s not bother speculating.

Have any IGZO devices actually been announced yet? Yes, we can think of at least two: the Japanese only Sharp SH-02E, which has a 4.9 inch 720p display, and the Sharp Aquos Pad SHT21, another Japanese only product that can best be thought of as a Nexus 7.

Looks like us foreigners have to wait a while to see whether IGZO really is all that.

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Video: Someone in Canada has figured out how to enable LTE on the LG Nexus 4

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 12:32 AM PST

The Nexus 4 is the perfect smartphone, right? For a lot of people, the answer is yes. But folks who have had the pleasure of using an LTE network say they’ll never, ever, go back to 3G. If the video embedded below is accurate, then someone in Canada has figured out how to make the LTE in the Nexus 4 actually work.

Now we know what you’re thinking, does the Nexus 4 actually have LTE, but Google doesn’t advertise it? Apparently yes. All you have to do to enable LTE it to open up the dialer, type in *#*#4636#*#*, and then select LTE. Boom, you’re done.

There are some caveats of course, the LTE only works on the 1700 MHz and 2100 MHz bands, which in America is known as the AWS band. No one really uses that band, so … while it’s nice that this discovery was made, it’s not exactly useful for AT&T and Verizon customers.

So why did Google lie about the specifications of the Nexus 4? They probably didn’t want to offend people. Imagine the PR blunder that would have resulted if Google went ahead and said Canadians can enjoy LTE, but Americans and Europeans couldn’t. There would have been geeks with pitchforks storming the Mountain View campus.

Do you even need LTE? This is a controversial question, because 3G in some cities is downright terrible, while in others it’s frankly amazing. The Nexus 4 is capable of connecting to 42 megabit HSPA+ networks, and speed tests have shown that it can deliver 25 megabits per second down in the real world. Again, not everyone will get those sort of speeds, but do you really need a 50 megabit pipe to your smartphone to be happy? We don’t think so. The only real benefit we see to LTE is the noticeable reduction in lag. Ping times are minuscule, so things “feel” faster.

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Lenovo set to overtake Samsung as the king of smartphones in China in 2013

Posted: 23 Nov 2012 12:05 AM PST

China is a country that the media tends to ignore, which is something that deeply troubles us. According to VentureBeat, China became the world’s largest smartphone market during the second quarter of 2012. That means, for all intents and purposes, China is where handset makers should be focusing all their efforts. Right now Samsung dominates the Chinese smartphone market, owning a nice 16.7% chunk of the market. In second place is Lenovo, one of the local brands that you might recognize as a PC maker. They have 14.8% of the market to themselves. Can Lenovo overtake Samsung?

The analysts at Gartner say yes. They say the change of power will happen in 2013, but they don’t specify which quarter. What kind of devices are going to drive Lenovo to the top? Unsurprisingly, it’s the mid to low end devices. There’s a magic number in China: 1,000 RMB, which translates to roughly $160. Many of the Android phones that are being purchased in China right now are in that price range. It’s a high volume low margin game, so what better company to address that market segment than a local player?

We’d like to remind you that in China, 90% of the smartphones sold run Android, so regardless if Lenovo becomes the new head honcho or not is sort of irrelevant when you think about the ecosystem in general. What’s important is what the local players do to Android in terms of ripping out Google’s applications and replacing it with Chinese equivalents.

That may be more damaging to Google than they initially estimated.

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Shocker: Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD crushes iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 in battery life performance

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:29 PM PST

Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD

The Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD has a humongous battery, so you'd obviously expect it to crush the competition when it comes to battery life tests, including two of its most important rivals, the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3. So there's really no surprise there, is it?

In fact, Motorola has recently put up a Droid RAZR Maxx HD ad taking an interestingly illustrated hit (see image below) at the battery performance offered by the iPhone 4S. But, curiously though, the ad didn’t attack the iPhone 5′s battery.

The Droid RAZR Maxx HD has a 3300mAh battery. That's almost as much as the iPhone 5's and the Galaxy S3's batteries combine, with the former having an 1440mAh battery while the latter packing a 2100mAh battery.

When looking at standby time, you'll actually see the Galaxy S3 come out on top, according to available data. On 3G, the Galaxy S3 will survive for up to 770 hours, while the Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the iPhone 5 will shut down in 372 and 225 hours, respectively. But it's not stand-by time that we're mostly interested in, is it?

AllThingsD decided to put the Droid RAZR Maxx HD through a series of tests to see how its battery fares.

In regular daily use, the phone lasted for a day and a half before needing a recharge:

With moderate use — checking email and social networks, listening to music, browsing several Web sites and streaming a couple of YouTube videos over Verizon's 4G LTE network, I was able to go about a day and a half before I needed to recharge. Meanwhile, my colleague Walt Mossberg got between nine and 12 hours of battery life from the iPhone 5 with mixed use.

Motorola estimates that the battery will serve up to 32 hours of mixed use.

When adding "power-hungry tasks" like GPS, games and video streaming, the phone stayed awake for about 24 hours in the tests performed by the publication.

When testing a continuous voice call (with Wi-Fi on and the screen turning off after 30 seconds,) the Droid RAZR Maxx HD's battery held out for 22 hours, 1 hour shorter than estimated. Comparatively, the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 can offer up to 8 and 17 hours of talk time, respectively.

When playing continuous video with brightness set at 75%, while Wi-Fi and email were also running, the battery displayed a "low battery" alert only after 13 hours of usage.

These are certainly some impressive numbers for an LTE's phone battery. Since we are talking about LTE connectivity, we can't but remember that one of Google's reported reasons for the Nexus 4 not coming with 4G LTE enabled was poor battery life. But that's not really a reason to disregard LTE support anymore, especially when one of your subsidiaries is able to produce a handset capable of lasting well over a day, LTE usage included.

But that's not a topic we'll get into again right now. Getting back to this gigantic Motorola smartphone, let’s hear it from our readers, have you purchased a Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD yet?

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HTC Deluxe DLX press images out in the open, release date not so much

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 05:05 PM PST

The HTC Droid DNA is already available from Verizon in the USA, and from KDDI in Japan, where it's known as the J Butterfly. But what about other international markets? When will the rest of the world receive HTC's 5-inch Android flagship smartphone?

We can't answer these questions yet, but we can show you press renders of the international version which is apparently now known as the Deluxe DLX, monikers that aren't new to anyone who has been keeping close tabs on Android rumors.

Sure, this isn't the first time we get to take a look at the international Droid DNA version, but this time around we have to show you more than one image of the device, which indicate that the phone will come in various flavors including black, brown and white.

According to GSM Arena's source, more information regarding the HTC Deluxe DLX will be available on December 6. The same publication speculates that the device could make its public appearance at CES or MWC 2013, which would be a little too late, at least for some international Android buyers.

Do you plan to buy the device first chance you get?

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Rogers Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean now set for ‘early December’

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST

Last time we spoke about the Jelly Bean update for Rogers' Galaxy S3 version we told you that the handset was going to be soon updated to Android 4.1, without providing you actual details other than an ambiguous "late November" timeframe.

We're approaching "late November" and we have some not-so-great update for you on this Rogers Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean upgrade: it's not going to come this month after all.

For whatever reason, Rogers decided to postpone it to "early December," whatever that means, because we don't actually have a release date for you or an explanation for the delay. Mobile Syrup does say that "Samsung Canada promised that it'll arrive 'before the holiday,'" although, at the end of the day, it's still up to the carrier to push it through.

Rogers subscribers that purchased the handset aren't the only ones waiting for the official Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update to be released, even though the update is available in various markets. Naturally, we'll be back with more details as soon as we have them.

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Google Nexus 10 vs Apple iPad 4

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST

nexus 10 vs ipad 4

Ever since Apple introduced the original iPad back in 2010, the Android ecosystem has been constantly attempting to imitate its success. However, despite the enthusiasm with which Android manufacturers have announced tablet devices of their own in 2010 (at the time, the entire industry seemed to be affected by a tablet frenzy virus of some sort), only a few of them have managed to escape the "failure" stigma. 2011 was not a great year for Android tablets either, despite the fact that Google had launched its first tablet version of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. (The Motorola Xoom has Nexus status when it comes to new OS updates from Google.)

Fortunately for Android fans though, 2012 has been a great year for Android tablets: first there was the avalanche of Nvidia Tegra 3 Android 4.0 tablets (the first Android version to unify both the tablet and the smartphone version of our favorite OS) that launched in the first part of the current year (the ASUS Transformer Prime gets a noteworthy mention here). This was the first batch of Android tablets that did not suck big time.

Fast forward to July 2012 and we reach a crucial point for the Android tablet market: the launch of the first Google Nexus tablet, the Nexus 7. To date, the Nexus 7 is the most successful Android tablet to have ever reached the market. ASUS says that Nexus 7 units are currently shipping at a rate of roughly 1 million per month – not exactly a number that can take on the iPad, but definitely a sign that consumers are now willing to buy Android tablets as long as they are priced aggressively.

But despite the commercial success of the Nexus 7 tablet, Apple's iPads were not threatened at all, since the Nexus 7 is a budget 7-inch tablet, while the iPad aims for the top-end segment of the market. Fast forward a few extra months and now we witness the launch of the Google Nexus 10, the most powerful Android tablet to have ever reached the market, and a genuine Apple iPad competitor.

But is this Android tablet able to take on the latest version of the iPad (4) on the latter's home ground? Read on and find out!

Display

When Apple introduced the iPad 3 with a Retina display, plenty agreed that the new (now old) iPad featured the best tablet display ever, with the iPad 2 display coming in at a distant second. The slight update that Apple names "the iPad 4" comes with that same display: a 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT panel working to power 2048 x 1536 pixels at a 264 PPI (Pixel Per Inch) density.

ipad-4-5319

As the resolution clearly denotes, the Apple iPad 4 uses the same 4:3 aspect ratio as all the other members in the iPad family, a sort of trademark for the Apple iPad line. Although only crazy people can claim that the display on the iPad 4 is not absolutely wonderful, there's a new boss in town!

Yep, we're talking about the Google Samsung Nexus 10 and its 10.055-inch display running a 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution. Simple math gives us a PPI ratio of 299. Now, given that Apple heavily markets the Retina iPad display as the crispest display around, it is very pleasant to see that the Nexus 10 features a display that offers an even higher PPI ratio than its direct competitor, as it will surely instigate other Android tablet manufacturers to equip their high-end tablets with displays of higher quality.

Although there are other things to praise about the Nexus 10, the extra high resolution display is probably its best selling point. As expected, one of Google's marketing efforts for the Nexus 10 aims to prove that the display on the Nexus 10 is actually so crisp that it offers print-like quality when reading magazines.

Early reports claim that the actual difference when reading text is not easily distinguishable between the Nexus 10 and the Nexus 7, although there are some who give credit to the Nexus 10. Now, we're unable to judge before we get the Nexus 10 in our hands, but it should be mentioned that some early reviewers claim that the iPad 4 has better contrast, black levels and viewing angles than the Nexus 10, while the latter has the advantage in the (few) games that have been updated to make use of the high resolution display. The number of apps that are optimized for such high tablet display resolutions will be discussed later in this article since it has nothing really to do with the display itself.

Verdict: Draw – The Nexus 10 might have a crisper display, but the iPad 4 has better contrast and wider viewing angles.

nexus-10

Build Quality & Design

When it comes to the design of our two contenders, things really leave the impression that they could not have been any different than they are right now. The Apple iPad 4 and the Google Nexus 10 look to be designed with different philosophies in mind. While the unibody aluminum frame of the iPad 4 gives the Apple tablet some sort of shiny, classy look, much like a very expensive watch, the Nexus 10 is designed to look and feel like a toy (remember that Google markets Android apps and content in a "Play Store"), a gadget that you can pass around the house for everyone to take their shots at besting your record in Fruit Ninja.

ipad-4-5316

As far as build quality is concerned, the iPad 4 isn't the sturdiest tablet out there (but not too easy to break either) as the aluminum will easily scratch after some time of intense (or sloppy) usage, while the Nexus 10 looks like it can sustain a bit of damage without manifesting unpleasant exterior signs. The rubbery material that Samsung has used is obviously reminiscent of the rubbery back of the Nexus 7. Bezel width doesn't seem to be important in the Google tablet design philosophy, although I'm sure some prefer the narrower bezel on the iPad 4.

On to exact dimensions, the Google Nexus 10 measures 263.8 x 177.8 x 8.9 mm (10.39 x 7.00 x 0.35 in) and weighs 603g (1.33lb), while the Apple iPad 4 measures 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm (9.50 x 7.31 x 0.37 in) and weighs in at 662g (1.46lb). Due to the difference in screen size as well as that of aspect ratios between the two contenders, the Nexus 10 is considerably taller but a little narrower.

nexus 10

The difference in weight – 60 grams – might seem negligible, but some argue that 600 grams is already too much to comfortably use for a long period of time (as in watching movies or reading). The 0.5mm in thickness should be neglected as it will not affect the overall experience at all.

Hardware

As most iPad 3 fans already know (just in case you missed it, that was a burn) the iPad 4 features the spanking new Apple A6X SoC, one that packages together a 1.4GHz dual-core (Swift) processor and a quad-core PowerVR SGX 554MP4 GPU from Imagination Technologies. Apple has been cheap and has equipped the iPad 4 with 1GB of RAM although the current standard for high-end devices points towards 2GB of RAM. In all fairness though, you probably won't know the difference.

When it comes to raw computing power, the iPad line has always featured the best CPU and GPU at the time of its launch. Just to give this segment a bit of context, you should remember that the iPad 3 featured a CPU and GPU that still trashes (in benchmarks) the entire Android ecosystem. When Apple announced that the only major improvement that the fourth generation iPad brings is a CPU / GPU combination that offers twice the raw power of the previous platform (the iPad 3 used the Apple A5X SoC), Apple seemed to distance itself even further. However, the Samsung Exynos 5 Dual SoC seems to be a real competitor for the newly released Apple A6X.

If you want a detailed analysis, go and read this article here from Anandtech, but what you should know in short is that the Exynos 5 Dual packages together a 1.7GHz dual-core ARM A15 processor and ARM’s new Mali-T604 (the 2012 Samsung Chromebook is also based on this SoC). Benchmarks scores show that the Nexus 10 has the fastest processor and GPU available on any Android device, ever. CPU benchmarks place the Nexus 10 right next to the iPad 4. GPU benchmarks prove that while the ARM Mali T604 is better than what the Android world know this far, no mobile graphical unit can rival the PowerVR SGX 554MP4 GPU so far.

ipad 4 nexus 10 benchmark

Regarding the amount of RAM memory available on these two tabs, the iPad 4 features 1GB, while the Nexus 10 comes equipped with 2GB of RAM.

The Apple iPad 4 comes in three models depending on the amount of internal storage: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, with no option to expand this storage via a microSD card slot. The Samsung/Google Nexus 10 comes in 32GB and 64GB variants, also lacking a microSD expansion slot.

One area where the Apple iPad 4 has a clear advantage over the Nexus 10 is the connectivity segment: while the Google Nexus 10 comes only in Wi-Fi only versions, Apple’s latest tab features 3G and LTE support. Like with the Nexus 7, Google will probably add a 3G version in the following months, but for the moment, the lack of a Nexus 10 with 3G connectivity is considered a minus by plenty of people.

As far as cameras go, the Apple iPad 4 uses a 5MP primary camera and a 1.2MP secondary camera, while the Google Nexus 10 uses a combo of 5MP and 1.9 MP cameras. Do not expect image quality to be extraordinary, but just enough for your basic point and shoot needs.

Probably a needed feature thanks to its ultra high resolution, the Google Nexus 10 is the only tablet than gets close to the huge battery capacity inside the Apple iPad 4. The Nexus 10 uses a 9,000mAh battery, while the Apple iPad 4 uses a 11,560mAh battery. Expect both these tablets to make it trough an entire day of moderate usage.

Image credit: HotHardware

Pricing is hardly an internal component, but it’s important to know the price difference between these two tabs. The Google Nexus 10 costs $399 in its 16GB variant and $449 in its 32GB variant. As mentioned earlier, both versions are Wi-Fi only. On the other hand, the Wi-Fi only versions of the Apple iPad 4 cost $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. LTE connectivity costs an extra $130 for each version, meaning that the 16GB LTE-capable iPad 4 costs $629, and so on.

Verdict: The Nexus 10 gets close to the iPad 4, but the latter is the tablet with the best internal hardware out there

OS and Ecosystem

In the Android corner, the Google Nexus 10 uses the latest version of the Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean. In the Apple corner, the iPad 4 runs on iOS 6.

Android 4.2 comes with plenty of features that are especially interesting on a tablet (multiple users being a personal favorite of mine), the thing to remember is that the featured capabilities of the operating system are just one half of the overall user experience pie. And, although I prefer Android 4.2 Jelly Bean over iOS 6 as a tablet operating system, Apple’s iPad 4 and App Store present a very polished experience for consumers and a huge variety of tablet-optimized apps.

The number and quality of Android apps that work well on a tablet is currently increasing exponentially (probably given the success of the Nexus 7), and it looks like Google is seriously trying to entice Android developers into designing better Android apps. Unfortunately for us Android fans, the Apple iPad 4 still offers way more tablet-optimized apps.

Verdict: I love Android, but the iPad 4 has a very mature app ecosystem with many more apps optimized for usage on the iPad.

ipad-4-5324

Pros and Cons

Google Nexus 10 Pros

  • Best tablet display
  • Reasonably priced
  • Exynos 5 Dual SoC

Google Nexus 10 Cons

  • No cellular connectivity

Apple iPad 4 Pros

  • High number of tablet optimized apps
  • The Apple A6X SoC is the reigning champion in the mobile world

Apple iPad 4 Cons

  • The eternal closed garden issue with iOS
  • Very high price (especially for the LTE-enabled tablets)

Conclusion

Android is not ready to dethrone the iPad, but the Nexus 10 is more than just a consumer-oriented tablet. While the iPad 4 perfects the Apple recipe, the Nexus 10 feels like Google’s way of saying “developers, what are you waiting for?”. Android now has the hardware and the global reach to offer an experience that’s at least on par with that of the iPad’s, and with Google expected to sell loads of Nexus 10 tablets during this holiday season, it is starting to gain enough inertia to entice developers into developing Android tablet apps.

If you’re looking for the best Android tablet out there (and a decently priced one at that), the Google Nexus 10 is the only way to go. On the other hand, if you don’t prefer Android’s open source nature over Apple’s walled garden approach and all you really want is the best overall tablet out there, the Apple iPad 4 is the tablet you should buy. It never got this close, but the pricier iPad 4 wins this battle!

And how about you? Is it going to be the Nexus 10 or Apple’s latest iPad?

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Canada to get the Samsung Galaxy Camera by December 7

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:29 PM PST

Samsung’s Galaxy Camera is going north

Longing for a taste of  smart cameras, eh? If you live up north of the 49th parallel (actually a few degrees south for the majority), then the Samsung Galaxy Camera is coming your way. Samsung has announced the launch of their smart camera in Canada in time for the holiday season.

Starting December 7, Samsung’s first ever Android smart camera will start selling through Black’s Photography and Samsung’s own Samsung Store located at the Metortown Mall in Burnaby, British Columbia. This is exactly a month after Samsung released the camera in the UK

As a refresher for those who have forgotten what the Galaxy Camera is all about, here are a few specs and functionalities:

  • 1.4 GHz quad-core processor
  • 8GB built in storage, support for microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC
  • 4.8-inch capacitive touchscreen HD Super Clear Touch Display
  • 16.3 megapixel BSI sensor
  • 23mm equivalent F/2.8 lens with 21x optical zoom
  • ISO settings: Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
  • Mobile data: 3G (HSPA+ 21 Mbps) and 4G capable: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
  • A-GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0
  • 1,650 mAh battery
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box

The Galaxy Camera also come shipped with special features and apps, such as Samsung’s own Smart content manager, photo and video wizards, voice-control, auto cloud backup, slow-motion video, S Planner, S Suggest and Best group pose feature. The Galaxy Cam also comes with support for AllShare Play, Family Story and Dropbox, among other cloud-sharing features.

For serious photography hobbyists or professionals, the Samsung Galaxy Camera may not exactly be a good replacement for your digital SLR, as it is intended to be more of a point-and-shoot camera. But as a smart device, the camera sure packs enough punch for the casual photographer and social network user. As a connected device, you will be able to instantly upload photos to a photo-sharing service without the need to move photos to a computer. Photos can be instantly backed up, too — particularly with the 50 GB storage that Dropbox is offering Galaxy Camera owners for free.

Of course, one of the main advantages of the Galaxy Camera over regular digital cameras is its support for Android Apps, which let you do just about anything you can on an Android smartphone, except perhaps make calls.

No pricing has been announced, although the Galaxy Camera sells for $500 in US greenbacks south of the border, so expect pricing to be within the vicinity.

Show full PR text

The Ultimate Connected Camera Begins with the GALAXY Camera

The Samsung GALAXY Camera ushers in a new era of visual communication, with instant sharing powered by Android platform

MISSISSAUGA, ON – November 22, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Canada, the global leader in Android™ smartphones, today announced that the GALAXY Camera will be available at Canadian retailers on December 7, 2012 in time for the holiday shopping season.

The GALAXY Camera combines high performance photography features with Android™4.1 (Jelly Bean)and the freedom of3G+ Wi-Fi connectivity to create the world's first truly Connected Camera. The GALAXY Camera ushers in a new era of visual communications, allowing users to shoot, edit and share high quality images and video from anywhere, at any time through a single device.

"The GALAXY Camera marks the next stage of evolution in the history of the camera and we are extremely excited to make it available to Canadian customers today," said Paul Brannen, Vice President, Enterprise Business Solutions at Samsung Canada. "Combining world class mobile and digital imaging technologies, The GALAXY Camera gives users the total freedom to take vivid, high quality pictures and videos and share them instantly through their favorite social networking sites or with family and friends without the restrictions of a conventional camera."

What sets the GALAXY Camera apart as the first truly Connected Camera is the 3G+ Wi-Fi connectivity, opening users up to a world of near limitless sharing and smartphone like activities. Posting high quality images to your favorite social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and the pre-installed Instagram app has never been easier. The GALAXY Camera functions on Wi-Fi with Dual Band and Channel Bonding for extra speed. Available in glossy white, simply shoot, edit and share with the touch of a button.

The GALAXY Camera also delivers outstanding photography on the go which easily outperforms any smartphone camera available. Boasted by a 21x super long zoom lens and a super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor, the GALAXY Camera also features Samsung's 'Smart Mode' technology; a series of 15 default modes and settings that make professional-looking photography easy for anyone to achieve. No matter what the occasion, the GALAXY Camera's 'Smart Mode delivers stunningly detailed images that make photography with the GALAXY Camera effortless and enjoyable.

Once captured, users can enjoy their images on the GALAXY Camera's 4.8"(121.2mm)HD Super ClearTouch Display. However, the GALAXY Camera's beautiful display can be used for more than just viewing. Users can quickly and easily make professional edits to their photos using the integrated 'Photo Wizard'; a comprehensive set of 35 photo editing tools powered by the GALAXY Camera's ultrafast quad-core processor. User can also use 'Paper Artist', an app that became popular on the GALAXY Note II, for quick and unique photo edits.

The GALAXY Camera ships with Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean), giving users access to over 600,000 apps currently available on Google Play. The Android OS also provides full browsing support and the ability to customize your camera to suit your creative needs.

The GALAXY Camera will be available on December 7th at Black's Photography and The Samsung Store, located in Metrotown Mall in Burnaby, B.C. For specific pricing details, please visit your nearest retailer. For more information on the GALAXY Camera, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.

Samsung Electronics Canada markets a broad range of award-winning digital consumer electronics, IT, telecommunications and home appliance products. The Canadian arm upholds Samsung's global mission to provide consumers with innovative digital convergence products that possess exceptional technology, quality, features, performance and value. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, Samsung has become one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. In 2012, Samsung was ranked #9 in the Interbrand “100 Best Global Brands” breaking the top ten for the first time, and was named as one of Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies of 2011″.

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5-inch Galaxy Grand spotted at the FCC, are we looking at a Galaxy S4 preview?

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 12:48 PM PST

We've had various Galaxy S4 rumors these days, and while we're a long way from the actual launch of Samsung's 2013 flagship Android smartphone, we're apparently soon going to get a little preview of what the device could look like.

We have recently talked about the Galaxy Grand, a 5-inch device that will be released in South Korea soon, and it seems like the device has already hit the FCC, looking for its stamp of approval.

Known as the Baffin, or model number SHV-E270S (SK Telecom’s?) / SHV-E270K (KT’s model?), the Grand will reportedly feature a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor, LTE connectivity, NFC, 2100mAh battery, Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean in addition to that 5-inch LCD display with 800 x 480 resolution.

We're not looking at a flagship device here – or at least not when looking at display quality and judging it by today's standards – but it's not an entry-level device either.

The phone is also rumored to look like the Galaxy S3, only slightly bigger, so it does make sense to see the Grand as a sneak preview of what the Galaxy S4 may offer in terms of size and design. On the other hand, that's not to say Samsung won't offer us a completely redesigned Galaxy S4 next year, but we're going to cross that bridge once the first Galaxy S4 leaks come in.

Meanwhile, how do you feel about a 5-inch Samsung Galaxy handset? Do you need the extra 0.2-inch upgrade or 0.5-inch downgrade, depending on your opinion on the current Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 models?

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Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


QWERTY-enabled Verizon Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere 2 now available

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 03:22 PM PST

In a time filled with Galaxy Note 2s, Galaxy S3s, and Galaxy Tabs galore it may be hard to accept phones lower on Samsung’s totem pole, let alone the entirety of Verizon’s shelves. The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere 2 seems to have found itself some space, though, as Verizon quietly launched the device in stores and online.

Verizon’s asking for $130 after a new two-year contract, and for that you’re getting a phone that actually does well for itself. It features a 4 inch WVGA Super AMOLED dispaly with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 5 megapixel camera with a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 4G LTE, Ice Cream Sandwich and more.

It’s not a bad phone, it’s just that it’s not Verizon’s best phone. If you were to put the this up against the Galaxy S3 for the same price people would probably choose latter, but its price point will help consumers get over the fact that they’re not getting Samsung’s absolute best.

Another reason this phone might capture sales is because it’s one of the few decent phones that have come out with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Those come in rare form these days, and it’s even rarer to see this form factor with such great specs.

And perhaps folks haven’t grown fond of that 4.7 inch size that has swept the smartphone landscape as of late. Whatever the reason, though, we would have no qualms if we were to ask you to pull out a respectable smartphone and this is what came out of your pocket. Head to Verizon Wireless if you’re thinking about adding this beaut to your life.

 


Buy SwiftKey for half price this holiday

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:47 PM PST

If you’ve been waiting for another chance to get SwiftKey for phones and tablets at a discounted price today is one of those rare chances. The developer has made the premier Android keyboard app available for sale at half its usual price. Both the phone and tablet versions cost $1.99, and while we’d love it if they’d combine both apps into one money and time-saving package this is a great time to get the two apps for the usual price of one.

SwiftKey has emerged as one of the most popular Android keyboards there are thanks to its innovative predictive text features and its ability to “learn your language” based on your Gmail and social networking accounts. More great upgrades are inbound, too, as SwiftKey Flow will bring a Swype-like texting experience for those who like to glide instead of tap.

At $1.99 this isn’t the best sale SwiftKey has ever posted (I distinctively remember getting the apps for $.25 during Google’s Play Store celebration sale) but this is the first sale since then and it’s as good a time as any to see why the world has regarded it as highly as they do. Take a look at it in the Play Store and see if it’ll help you type “Happy Thanksgiving” to your loved ones as swiftly as it promises. Remember that you only have a few days to take advantage so make no delay!


Burn off that Thanksgiving dinner with these fun fitness apps

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:38 PM PST

The dishes are piled in the sink, slim pickings are left on the dinner table, and family members have slunk off to the comfiest available furniture for a little post feast nap. If your Thanksgiving dinner has you popping the button of your pants, here is a selection of fitness apps for your Android device to help you trim down the calories.

Burn the Turkey with Noom

We featured the Burn the Turkey widget last year, but given its seasonal appropriateness we would be remiss to not include it in this list. The fun, interactive widget portrays your calorie intake in the form of its namesake bird. As the turkey whittles down to a mere carcass you know you are making progress toward your goal.

Burn the Turkey is an easy introduction to Noom Weight Loss Coach, an app which is required to run the widget. From the maker of CardioTrainer, the app intuitively tracks your diet and exercise. Both Noom Weight Loss and CardioTrainer make excellent editions to an arsenal of apps that can utilized in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Move Your Bot!

While were talking about the folks at Noom, it’s worth mentioning one last fun fitness app they offer in the Google Play Store. Move Your Bot! turns exercise into a game. The more effort you put out, the more energy your bot gets. Using Facebook you can pit your bot against friends. The most fit bot wins. If that’s you, not only do you get to rub it in your friends’ faces, but you can also feel satisfied with your improved level of fitness.

Zombies, Run!

You just stuffed your face with pumpkin pie, but you don’t want to be the next meal for a hoard of flesh-hungry zombies. So run! Zombies, Run! combines fitness training with an augmented reality experience in which the only way to escape from being the zombie equivalent of a stuffed turkey is to run. And we mean strap on some shoes and really run.

The story line is fed through headphones as you run around collecting supplies, outpacing zombies, and completing certain tasks. When you get back from your run you can build up your home base with what you have gathered, further protecting against the living dead. It’s like ZombiU, but real life. If there is one downside, it’s the app’s $7.99 pricing.

Endomondo Sports Tracker

If zombies aren’t your thing but you still want a fun way to track your activity levels, Endomondo makes a great choice. Record your runs, bike rides, or pretty much any other outdoor activity and share the data with a social network of over 10 million users.

The app will read real-time pep talks from friends posting on your Endomondo profile, which might just be the motivation you need to get through a grueling hill climb or distance run. Or, if you choose, you can challenge them head-to-head in a race. Both free and pro versions are available from the Google Play Store.

Just the beginning…

These apps are a great way to work down that Thanksgiving gut, but they could just be the kick you need to get committed to fitness. With the smell of Christmas goose already in the air,  you’ll want to keep them handy for the after the next holiday banquet. Consider it an early start to that New Year’s resolution.


Falcon Pro for Twitter beta preview

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 09:10 AM PST

While some folks may be satisfied with the crop of Twitter apps swirling about the Google Play Store, there are some of us who remain on an eternal search for the perfect client. While perfection is not possible, there comes a point where we’d settle for something quite close. I personally haven’t found any Twitter client that I’m 100% committed to just yet. Boid and Echofon have come close, but they’re still in beta and have their issues.

For me, another challenger has stepped into the arena to make this into a triple threat battle. Many of you may be familiar with Falcon, a set of widgets for giving you beautiful and quick access to your Twitter life right on your home screen.

While that is great, widgets alone aren’t cutting it for me and the developer feels like a lot of others feel the same way — that’s why they’ve begun work on a full blown Twitter client. Simply called Falcon for Twitter, the app promises to deliver a disruptive Twitter experience in the most beautiful, yet functional way possible.

After just five minutes with the client I fell in love. Mostly every facet of the Twitter experience is represented here, though the overall feature-set wasn’t that fleshed out as it’s in beta and more stuff is being added every day.

What I did get to play with was pure bliss, though. The spirit of the Holo UI shines through, and Falcon takes things further than most clients have with excellent typography, smooth transition animations and intuitive controls. It doesn’t hurt that the app already has an excellent tablet UI when you load it up on slates with Android 3.0 and higher.

It makes great use of the extra screen real estate by splitting things into two columns — one for timelines and the other for the contents of the tweets themselves. This gives you the ability to preview photos, web pages, videos and more without having to leave the app or be taken to another view within the app.

Things like widgets and extensive notification controls are missing, but the former can currently be had with the existing Falcon app and the latter is surely due to the fact that we’re so early in the beta process. For where the client is, though — version 0.3 — there’s a ton of functionality to be had here, very little bugs to deal with and I might dare say that this has supplanted the likes of Tweetcaster and Plume as my go-to Twitter client even in its current form.

You can currently download the full-featured beta ad-free using this link, and whenever this thing comes out of beta you’ll be able to get an ad-supported version for free or pay for a full version to get rid of them in the Google Play Store. Be sure to leave all the feedback you can at the XDA thread the developer has made, and keep your ears close to this project as it blossoms into the must-have Twitter app of the Android world.


Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 05:00 AM PST

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! By now you’re probably getting ready to scarf down delicious turkey, pies and everything in between, but don’t forget that tomorrow is the start of a big shopping weekend. Not only is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, going down, but the money-throwing festivities will extend all the way through Monday (and, in special circumstances, beyond).

Folks looking for new smartphones, tablets and apps might want to keep in mind the various deals being offered throughout the weekend from all the major carriers and retailers. Sit back and read through this list of some of the hottest deals you can take advantage of to upgrade your mobile life.

Verizon Wireless

AT&T (in-store)

  • Motorola ATRIX HD for $.99
  • HTC One X for $.99
  • Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket for $.99
  • Refurbished phones starting at $.01

Sprint (in-store)

  • 16GB Samsung Galaxy S3 for $50
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $0
  • Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE for $0

T-Mobile (value-plan pricing, post rebate)

US Cellular

How about games from the Google Play Store? You’re going to need something to do on all these phones with their powerful processors and gorgeous displays, so these special Black Friday deals will be there for you to take advantage of as soon as you turn your new device on and sign into the Play Store. Click through to check out each one:

Games

And the deals don’t stop there: you’ll want to use some of the following apps to help you track down deals whether it be locally or online. You should be able to find some great gifts for yourself and loved ones with no issue no matter what type of gift it is thanks to the help these apps will provide. Download them to your arsenal and be sure to prepare for your early morning attack.

Be sure to give all of these a look, and if you have any more great deals not listed here we’d love to hear about them! Head to the comments section and help some of your comrades save a few dollars by letting us in on some of the juicier deals we may have missed. Also be sure to suggest more apps to help in everyone’s deal-hunting quest. Let the games begin, and enjoy the rest of your holiday!