Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


U.S. Cellular introduces the Samsung Galaxy Axiom, a 4G LTE smartphone for $79

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:26 AM PST

It may look like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, but it's not. What you're seeing on your screen is the Samsung Galaxy Axiom, the phone that was outed earlier in the month and was hinted to head to U.S. Cellular.

If you're intrigued by the marginally better specs that the Galaxy Axiom has compared to the Mini, we're here to tell you that U.S. Cellular has now made the phone official. You can get the Galaxy Axiom on contract or without. The price for the former is $79 with a two-year service agreement, while the latter will set you back $399.

Some of the things that set the Axiom apart from its doppelganger are the inclusion of a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 processor and 4G LTE radio. As for the drawback, the phone will only ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Other features include a 4-inch display with 480 x 800 resolution, 4GB onboard storage, microSD support (up to 32GB), 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera, NFC, and 2,100mAh battery. It's worth to note that the Axiom supports Google Wallet out of the box.

Hit the source to get more details of the Samsung Galaxy Axiom.

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HTC gets a new Chief Marketing Officer, but will new ads fix HTC’s problems?

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:22 AM PST

HTC has just announced that John Wang (pictured above), their current Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), will be replaced by Benjamin Ho. When does Benjamin take over John’s position? Next month. What sort of credentials does this guy have? According to The Next Web, he used to be the CMO of Motorola, and he was once responsible for the marketing strategy at the Taiwanese operator FarEasTone. What is Benjamin going to do differently than his predecessor? We have no idea. HTC is calling their new marketing strategy “Marketing 2.0″ internally, which is just about the most vague name one can assign to a project.

The sad reality that HTC has to face is that Samsung spends an insane amount of money on marketing. According to the independent analyst Benedict Evans, Samsung is currently spending roughly $11 billion a year on ads. Now yes, Samsung markets more than just smartphones, but to put that number into some perspective, HTC had revenues of $2.4 billion in Q3 2012 and they expect to hit around $2 billion this quarter. In other words, Samsung spends more money on advertising than HTC makes by selling mobile phones.

Can a new marketing guy really fix things at HTC? We’re going to have to say no. HTC’s problems have more to do with their infatuation with Sense UI, their stale design language, and their inability to stand up to operators who want custom hardware.

We’re not saying HTC deserves to disappear, because more competition is better, but we’re struggling to see how advertising is going to turn this sinking ship around. Maybe HTC would be in a better position if they merged with another handset vendor? Huawei and ZTE are facing an uphill battle in mature markets because they don’t have any brand recognition. If they slapped HTC’s logo on the front of their devices, then that could change everything.

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Android starting to erode iPad’s dominance

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 02:07 AM PST

Android-Tablets

ABI Research has revealed that the iPad made up 55 percent of tablet shipments in the third quarter while Android claimed a 44 percent share. That's a 14 percent decline for the iPad compared to the second quarter. Amazon, Asus, and Samsung are in the ascendancy with a strong range of Android tablets and sales are rising fast.

We discussed this issue earlier this month after an analyst tried to answer the question – when will Android overcome the iPad? Sameer Singh predicted that mid-2013 will see Android take the lead in terms of shipments. The ABI analyst Jeff Orr is an agreement,

"As the OS of choice for the majority of device OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], we expect the Android ecosystem to continue growing in numbers — new manufacturers, better device choices for reaching more markets, and more developers finding value from apps and content."

Expectations are that the iPad mini will not do much to help Apple retain market share. Orr said,

"With the introduction of a smaller, lower-cost iPad Mini, Apple has acknowledged Android’s beachhead of 7-inch-class tablets, though at the same time, it has failed to deliver a knock-out punch through innovation, pricing, and availability during the most critical selling period of the year."

A lot of iPad sales are expected over the holiday season, but more and more people are choosing Android tablets and this looks like it will be the last Christmas that the iPad dominates the tablet market. Tellingly there was no mention of Windows 8.

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Jelly Bean coming to Samsung Galaxy S3 in Canada on December 3

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:31 AM PST

After taxes and death, you can bank on carriers to delay the latest Android roll out, in this case Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy S3 in Canada. The software update was hinted to come to Rogers customers this month, but then got pushed back to early December. Can we hold to their words that it'll be arriving before the holiday?

If Samsung Canada's tweet is anything to go by, it looks like your Galaxy S3 will be rocking Android 4.1 by next week. More specifically, the Jelly Bean update will be pushed out on Monday, December 3.

Naturally, the rollout will be done gradually, so it's best not to get your hopes up that it'll arrive on your handset on Monday. What's more, Samsung has left out a few details from the announcement, such as which carriers will be pushing it out first. We won't be surprised to see Rogers and Telus leading the way.

Jelly time is almost here, folks. Aren't you excited? We'll update you when we hear more of the impending software bump up.

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The paradox of Android engagement: why you’re not buying enough from your Android device

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 01:00 AM PST

The Black Friday weekend is usually a great time for retail establishments and marketers. Through the four days after Thanksgiving in the U.S., stores hold sales and deep discounts to encourage consumer spending. With the rise in popularity of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, these platforms are also increasingly becoming popular as e-commerce — or mobile commerce — platforms.

But while Android is on the rise nominally in terms of devices sold and in its market share, there seems to be a paradox at work. More and more people are buying Android smartphones and tablets. But the rate of engagement or online purchasing activity is not growing as fast.

Data from market analytics firm Asymco confirms this. Researcher Horace Dediu cites IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark’s study that Black Friday sales rose 17.4%, while mobile access grew by 24% from the previous year.

But what’s interesting to note is the dominance of iOS devices in access and online purchases. For instance, smartphones made up 54% of the mobile access, while tablets made up 46%. The iPad dominated iPad traffic at 88%, while Android devices made up the minority. Kindle and Nook devices took 5.5%, Galaxy Tab devices 1.8% and other devices 4%.

From the previous year’s Black Friday, Android devices grew by a factor of 3.4, while iOS devices grew by 4.8. Interestingly, both the iPhone and iPad quickly overtook Android in terms of percentage of Black Friday online shopping activities.

The big question here is what is causing the disparity in behavior. “What is causing phone users to behave differently based on the devices they own?” asks Asymco, noting that the mobile market has grown more mature in the past year. What’s clear with Android at this point is that “engagement is down as ownership is up.”

A few thoughts, based on the analysis:

  • It can be expected that later adopters would engage less. Even as Android devices are selling like hotcakes, users who buy the devices a few years down the line are less likely to be more active in their online shopping.
  • Price is not necessarily a factor. High-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3. “The most popular devices are not exactly cheap.”
  • Engagement is not a frivolous platform attribute. This is causal to a platform’s success because engagement leads to cash flows and economic activity (ad revenues, sales). This is particularly relevant to Android as a platform, given that device makers usually depend on more than monetizing hardware.
  • It’s not only shopping data that shows this kind of disparity in behavior between iOS and Android users. “[D]evelopers and publishers have been reporting distinct differences in consumption on iOS vs. Android.”
  • There is something else at play in this “paradox” and it can involve several factors, including design considerations, user experience flaws or integration of e-commerce platforms.

Asymco’s analysis did not say exactly what cause these differences. But the comment thread offers a few interesting insights into how the data could be interpreted. For example, there is question on how exactly Google counts Android activations. Do they double count a device when the device is updated? Another possible reason is the flood of “cheap, badly designed Android phones” that don’t exactly make for a good web browsing or e-commerce experience.

I have a concern with the so-called Android engagement paradox, though. Amazon seems to have found success in its Kindle Fire lineup even if it is selling each device at a loss. They recoup the investment through sales of content and merchandise. Does the Black Friday data mean that device-makers who bank on content sales like Amazon are set to lose out in the long run?

As an Android user, how active are you in buying content and items using your smartphone or tablet?

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Full HD quad-core Oppo Find 5 coming on December 12th with 12 megapixel camera

Posted: 28 Nov 2012 12:49 AM PST

Although not the very first, Chinese phone maker Oppo will release a five inch full HD smartphone on December 12th. The device, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 Quad Core 1.5GHz CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno320 GPU, will sell for around $480 in China. Several Chinese international re-sellers are also already advertising the phone for around $599 for those in the west.

As well as the quad core CPU and full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display, your 600 bucks get you Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, GPS & A-GPS and a 12 megapixel camera. The phone can take two SIM cards, one for GSM and one for GSM+3G, however the 3G frequencies might not cover the ones in your geographical location. It supports 850/1900/2100MHz and the key missing number is 900MHz, which lots of countries in Europe use.

If you don’t fancy a Chinese grey import, then there is of course the  HTC J Butterfly (also known as DLX / DROID DNA) and there are rumors of  upcoming full HD phones from Samsung (Galaxy S4), LG (Optimus G2), and ZTE (Nubia 5).

There is an Oppo Find 5 promotional video out there, it is all in Chinese but it is still quite fun to watch:

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Chrome for Android to catch up with the desktop version of Chrome in early 2013

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 11:33 PM PST

Google’s Chrome browser is the best browser on the planet, period. That title used to be held by Mozilla’s Firefox, but man, those engineers really just let themselves go. Now some of you might be wondering, how come the desktop version of Chrome is at version 23 while Chrome for Android is stuck somewhere around version 18? According to Google Chrome’s Google+ page (try saying that three time fast), this will soon no longer be the case. Here’s the exact quote:

“We expect an update to Chrome for Android starting with a developer update to happen before the end of the year, and we’re actively working towards aligning releases across all platforms, including Android, starting early next year.”

This is obviously great news, but why? Let’s take a step back and remind ourselves of how software updates used to work before Android and iOS. If your device was lucky enough to get updated, said update wouldn’t add new features, it would fix bugs. With the rise of smartphones, people started expecting regular updates, but since the browser was part of the core operating system, it only got updated when the whole device got updated.

Think about that for a second. Imagine if you had to wait for Microsoft to release a new version of Windows to get a new version of Internet Explorer. Crazy, right? With Chrome for Android, it’s just another application installed on your phone, which means it’s now able to get updated whenever Google feels like pushes out an update. On the desktop side, Chrome gets bumped up a version number every couple of months. To see that kind of progress come to the phone side in 2013 is not only incredibly welcome, it’s downright revolutionary.

And hey, if you don’t use Chrome for Android because you prefer the stock browser or even Opera … maybe you should consider switching.

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Verizon Galaxy Note 2 starts shipping, branded home button still very much in the picture

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:55 PM PST

U.S. Galaxy Note 2 fans that desperately wanted to buy the device from Verizon should be happy to hear that the 5.5-inch handset is approaching its official launch. Better late than never, right?

Some of those folks that pre-ordered the device have been told that their Galaxy Note 2 will ship starting with November 27, and DroidDog apparently can confirm that Verizon has indeed started to ship the device.

The handset should be soon available in brick-and-mortar Verizon locations as well, so if you want to check out the device – branded home button included – before you buy it, then you should definitely check with your local Verizon stores to see when they're getting it.

As for that Verizon-branded home button, well, it looks like Verizon simply had to go for this stunt, even if it obviously meant launching the device much later than everyone else – and there are four other carriers stocking the same device in the country.

On the same note, we can't be wonder why Samsung agreed to let Verizon "customize" its Galaxy Note 2. After all, just earlier this year it proved to the world that it's ready to take less crap from carriers by launching the same Galaxy S3 version, when it comes to product name and design, even though some internal components are different depending on what continent you get the device from.

That said, let's hear it from Verizon Galaxy Note 2 buyers, did you get your device yet?

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Google now accepting pre-orders for books on the Play Store

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:45 PM PST

Keeping up with Amazon and the Apple’s iBookstore, Google now allows you to pre-order books in the Play Store. This update follows another recent Play Store change related to app reviews, which are now linked to your Google+ account.

If you go to the Play Store and click on Books, one of the featured stories will have the heading “New And Coming Soon” which has a list of the all the books available for pre-order.

Standard pre-ordering policies apply, which means that you will get charged only once the book is available and you can cancel your order at any time. There is already a wide range of books available, including titles by Tom Clancy, Sebastian Faulks and Sara Shepard.

It is great that Google has decided to implement this system even if books aren’t available yet. Once you order a book you are reserved a place in the queue without actually paying anything at the time. Even though this method does postpone the payment, it does take the thought off your mind. To see what books are available for pre-order right now, hit up the source link below. Your experience should be pretty seamless, but let us know if you encounter any hiccups.

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Nexus 4 not sold out, it’s just Google unable to keep up with ‘very high traffic’

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 04:30 PM PST

Today was filled with quite a few Nexus 4-related updates. We learned that Google will only let customers purchase up to two devices and that T-Mobile received more Nexus 4 stock.

Later we heard that Google announced potential buyers that the handset will start selling again today, and then we told you that the Nexus 4 appeared to have sold out minutes after sales resumed.

Well, it turns out that the Nexus 4 wasn't out of stock and it's just Google that wasn't able to keep up with demand for the handset. Or better said, it wasn't able to cope with the increased traffic, which resulted in plenty of users complaining about encountering errors and not being able to put their orders in.

Normally, that wouldn't be such a big – deal would it? – as this isn't the first company selling stuff online that's experiencing problems during sales of a popular device. But considering that we're talking about Google here, a company that has a lot of experience when it comes to Internet traffic, servers, data centers and everything related to the online environment, you'd think it would be able to setup a system that wouldn't crash as fast as it did.

The company posted a message on top of the Google Play Store to tell users the Nexus 4 was not out of stock:

Google Play is currently experiencing very high traffic. Nexus4 is not sold out and will still be available for purchase. Please try again shortly. Thank you for your patience.

But that doesn’t make things any better for disappointed buyers, does it?

How was your Nexus 4 buying experience (in case you decided to buy one today)? When is your unit shipping?

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Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


Verizon Galaxy Note 2 begins shipping to customers, arrives this Thursday

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:45 PM PST

This image has no alt text

Good news for those that pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on Verizon Wireless. No, they aren’t getting rid of that branded home button (that we know of), but Verizon has begun sending out shipping confirmation emails to early adopters, with an expected arrival date as early as this Thursday (although a few readers have received Friday dates as well). At $300 with a 2-year agreement and $700 off-contract, the Note is one of Verizon Wireless’ biggest device in stature and pricing.

The Note 2 will go head-to-head with the HTC Droid DNA this holiday season, and while both have their strengths and… well, more strengths, they seem to be evenly matched on the spec front. Guess it’s just up to the user to decide which is the perfect size for them. We’re hearing the device will also be available in-store on the same day, Thursday, November 29th for those that didn’t pre-order. Just get to your local store early, as we’re hearing some stores only receiving as little as 2 units for sale.

[AndroidForums]


Pantech Flex review

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 03:02 PM PST

The Pantech Flex is one of AT&T’s underdogs among a group of heavy hitters, but even with your Samsung Galaxy S3s, Motorola Atrix HDs and Samsung Galaxy Note 2s of the world there might still be room for such a fellow. Is the Pantech Flex worth taking a second look at? And has Pantech finally come into their own in the Android space? Let’s find out in this review.

Hardware

The Pantech Flex doesn’t do anything uber special but it’s a very safe device. Instead of the sideshow gimmicks usually associated with trying to market a phone by an unfamiliar manufacturer the Flex goes with the “less is more” mantra that some companies are beginning to grasp. The result is a thin and attractive looking device that looks like it can hold up to the test of time. I wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen holding this device in public at all, and sometimes that’s what it comes down to for most people looking for a phone.

Being a tech head, though, I’m more concerned with what’s under the hood than anything else. Well, I was… until I realized that this phone doesn’t live or die based on sheer power. The 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus and 1GB of RAM inside might have been an industry best at one point, but that is no longer the case with devices such as the LG Optimus G and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 coming with quad-core processors and 2GB of RAM.

But do I care? No. In fact, I couldn’t care less. This device is still a beast when it comes to sheer specs, and it can do anything that the aforementioned competition can without much effort. Considering the phone is aimed toward casual and first-time smartphone owners I approached this review with the “typical” user in mind, and even as a power user I’d have no problem carrying this device around for an extended period of time. It can handle everything thrown at it, and it does it all with the battery efficiency that the S4 line is known for (speaking of which, battery life on this phone is quite pleasing and should easily last you most of the day with moderate usage).

The 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display boasts only qHD resolution, and while it’s a bit weird to use up against the HD monsters of today it was a very quick adjustment for me. And while 8GB of internal storage can be off-putting, the ability to expand that capacity should make this a non-issue for most people. Throw in an 8 megapixel 1080p camera, 2 megapixel front-facing camera and 4G LTE, and we’d say this device has an impressive tale of the tape up against other devices in its current price range.

Software

The Pantech Flex does its bidding with a customized version of Ice Cream Sandwich, but Pantech’s done something very interesting here. They’ve made an “easy mode,” of sorts, and it allows you to simplify the Android experience with the click of a button. Multiple home screens die, the lock screen is compressed into vital information and a simple light switch, and the menus are laid out like the menus of a feature phone would be.

Easy mode was a very interesting experience for a die-hard user like me. While I did miss my multiple home-screens chock full of widgets and shortcuts, I could see and understand why a new smartphone owner would be more attracted to the simplified experience it provided. Useful information like the time, date, weather and battery life were blown up in my face and hard to miss. And all of the device’s features and settings could be accessed within one menu hierarchy.

Sure, I missed being able to set things up exactly how I wanted but I can see how easy mode will help alleviate some of the stress others will experience when they see a seemingly endless stack of options at their finger tips. The beauty of it all is that you can easily revert to the full Android experience at any time, which will give you all the flexibility your heart desires.

Perhaps most interesting is the fact that the UI seems to house two different apps for each mode. For instance, the messaging app was pretty bare bones and dry in easy mode, but in normal mode it looked like your typical Android texting hub. This not only makes it easy for new users to navigate the phone, but to also use its many apps without feeling like they’ve abandoned the feature phone experience they’ve become used to.

Overall the UI is nothing special, but it’s also nothing horrible. That’s a good balance that OEMs must be able to achieve, and Pantech doesn’t do a bad job. It’s fast and lightweight despite there being a lot of influence from Pantech. Aesthetically it looks nice enough, and the UI doesn’t take away the familiarity of Android once you get back into normal mode.

People will have to come to grips with the fact that OEMs need custom UIs for product differentiation, and all you can hope for in this day and age is that they don’t go overboard. The crop of apps that Pantech includes are useful enough that I don’t mind them (the pill reminder is actually quite useful), and while I can do without AT&T’s collection of apps I had no problem “disabling” them.

Camera, Media, Odds and Ends

Like the rest of the device, there is nothing that stood out much at all. For the camera, the 8 megapixel shooter produced exceptional photos in favorable lighting conditions but the quality of the sensor couldn’t hold a candle to Samsung’s line (or the iPhone’s, for that matter). For what it’s worth, though, no one’s expecting camera performance to mirror even a cheap point and shoot so what we get here should suffice. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just nothing spectacular.

Radio quality is a bit more tricky of an issue than anything as my area is a tough spot for all carriers. At the very least I was able to muster up good call quality over the constant one bar I was getting throughout my time with the device. Likewise, 4G LTE and HSPA+ coverage isn’t the best in my area and speeds suffered because of it, but the speed I did get at least remained consistent.

HSPA+ averaged at around 2 megabits down and 1.5 megabits up, while LTE speeds would teeter around 8 megabits down and 6 megabits up. The LTE speeds are great for the limited coverage I have so AT&T’s network had no problem impressing me. I’m not sure if that’s because this area isn’t as congested for AT&T as it is for Verizon, but I’m not complaining.

Gaming on the device is quite fine as its processor ensures it can handle anything that is thrown at it, though the lower resolution display will make controls feel a little cramped if you’re coming from a device with a higher resolution.

As for the rest of the multimedia wheel you’ll want to invest in a pair of headphones as the external speaker on this device won’t deliver great sound quality. It’s loud, but sound tends to get distorted at the highest level and it’ll make you want to shut the content off. It’s great for notifications and ringtones, but that’s about it.

Verdict

For the price, the Pantech Flex will be a great device for anyone, but it’s clearly aimed at those who want a smartphone but are intimidated by what could be a scarily unfamiliar experience. Easy mode alleviates all of that, and once you grow out of that the Pantech Flex stands quite nicely as a full-fledged Android smartphone.

pantech flex 5 pantech flex 4 pantech flex 3 pantech flex 1 pantech flex 6 pantech flex 2

The theme is that while there is nothing here that’s going to blow you away, there’s nothing that’s going to turn you away either. It’s a very solid experience from top to bottom with everything from its build quality down to the pleasant experience that is easy mode. It’s the first time I can say, with confidence, that I wouldn’t mind being confined to a Pantech phone for two years.


Chrome for Android releases will mirror desktop starting early next year

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 02:26 PM PST

Google chrome for Android is a pretty nice browsing experience for mobile, but some are wondering why it’s only at version 18 while the desktop version is on version 23. The significance of the discrepancy won’t be in some of the more visible features, but more timely security updates, updates to webkit and more stand to be gained with a more synchronized release schedule.

Well, Google says all of that will begin to be worked on by early next year as it has confirmed the news in a post on Google+. We’re not sure how excited we should be about this news without any more details. Will this accelerate the development of mobile plugins? Will this motivate Google to implement flash despite Adobe’s willingness to let the project to die?

We’ll try and get the answers to those while we’re waiting for the Android version of Chrome to catch up, but as it stands Google doesn’t want to give any wrong impressions about what to expect from such a development.

Q. Chrome for Android is still at v18, while regular Chrome is at v23.
When will Chrome for Android catch up?
A. Soon! We expect an update to Chrome for Android starting with a developer update to happen before the end of the year, and we're actively working towards aligning releases across all platforms, including Android, starting early next year.

[Google+ via ChromeSpot]


Rdio for Android gets redesign, remote control features in new upgrade

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 01:20 PM PST

Rdio for Android has long been one of the more exciting music apps in the Google Play Store, and the barometer has been raised with a new upgrade that’s been released today. The app has hit version 2.4, and those who were clamoring for a new user interface can rest easy knowing that the upgrade brings the app’s most dramatic interface upgrade yet. The app has been given a more simple and modernistic feel that lines up with the company’s desktop and web apps.

It all looks great, but the more functional changes made are even more exciting. The biggest new feature is a remote control mode that allows you to see if music is playing on any of your other devices. You can pause, play and skip tracks from whatever device you happen to be using, and you can even switch playback from that device to your phone in case you want to take your music on the go but don’t want to fiddle around with the app to get back to where you were.

Infinite scrolling lets you explore all the music content you can in a seamless and easy way, and a side-bar navigation can be brought up for quick access to music, settings, playlists and more.

You’ll need an Rdio Unlimited subscription if you want to access the service, but for $10 and as much music as you can sink your teeth into that is not an unattractive option to consider. Head to the Play Store for the download, and be sure to check out Rdio’s website for more information on the various subscriptions available.


Nexus 7 receiving Android 4.2.1 update, as well

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 01:11 PM PST

The Android 4.2.1 update, which began this morning for the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, is also pushing to Google’s Nexus 7. The 7-inch tablet was the first Jelly Bean device to hit the market and isn’t taking a backseat to the newer Nexus devices released earlier this month.

Users can expect the same minor update (build JOP40D) that reached the 4.7-inch smartphone and 10-inch tablet, a bug fixer that most notably restores the ability to associate a contact entry with a date in December. Previously, Google’s calendar skipped the month, going straight from November to January.

[Thanks, Keith!]


Android 4.2.1 makes its way to AOSP

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 12:26 PM PST

It started making its way to the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 earlier today, and now it’s available as part of the Android Open Source Project. The code for the latest version of Jelly Bean, Android 4.2.1 (JOP40D) is now available for download.

As we typically point out, the source will be of little use for the average Android user, but it provides the ROM makers that many of us depend on with all the meat they need to craft custom Android builds based around the latest release. And, yes, the month of December is included.

The factory images of Android 4.2.1, which should be of a bit more use to most, will be available in the coming days, according to Android codemaster Jean-Baptiste Queru. Head on over to the Android Building group to snag the source code today.

 


Nexus 4 now available (again) from the Google Play Store, did you get yours? [Update 2: Ships in 4-5 weeks]

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 11:59 AM PST

Update 2: Google has placed a banner notice on the Play Store informing customers that the Nexus 4 is in fact not sold out, however high traffic is creating issues with the ordering process. The phone is indeed listed as available for purchase, but it’s definitely worth noting that the shipping time is now listed as 4 to 5 weeks, which isn’t much better than being completely sold out in the first place.

Update: Yes, the Nexus 4 is once again sold out. It took all of about a minute, from the sound of things. Add in an overloaded Play Store that has created headaches for those trying to check out and today’s re-launch of the Nexus 4 has gone off no more smoothly than the first.

Some users are still reporting the ability to add the phone to their shopping cart after spending some time refreshing the page, but there is no guarantee you will make it through the whole process. And at this point any successful purchases could soon be greeted with a backorder notice.

Note to Google: get it together, guys!

****

After two grueling weeks, the Nexus 4 is once again available from the Google Play Store. The Android 4.2 flagship starts at $299 for the 8GB model. The 16GB version is $349. So why are you still reading this? We’ll wait while you go order yours.

Back? It’s been quite the wait for those folks who missed out on their chance to pick up the phone on its November 13th launch date. As we’re all too well aware, the phone sold out in mere minutes after going on sale at 9AM PST. Google hasn’t made any guarantees about how many devices will be available to ship today, but hopefully they have a bit more stock than the first run. It’s also worth checking to see if the official bumper case is back in stock.

We’re eager to hear about the experience of our readers making a second go at picking up the Nexus 4. The initial launch was plagued with Google Play bugs that resulted in the device being oversold and some buyers being notified later that their handsets were on backorder. So who got one? Was it a painless experience or were there any unexpected complications?


Facebook running internal campaign for Android, urges employees to make the switch

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:42 AM PST

It’s no secret that the big brass at Facebook isn’t all too pleased with the current state of the social network’s native Android app. Over the summer there were reports that founder Mark Zuckerberg was forcing members of his development team to make the switch to Android simply to see how bad the Facebook experience really is. With Android deployment at an all time high, the company is now encouraging more employees to take up an Android smartphone to aid in the development of a better app.

The campaign consists of a series of posters asking employees to “switch today.” The one above is particularly telling with its depiction of Android outpacing the iOS ecosystem that Facebook’s staff is so tied to. According to a Facebook spokesperson, the whole thing is working with a larger number of employees now carrying devices from both platform.

The changeover extends beyond the development team, but all Android-toting employees are being provided with a beta of the new Facebook app for Android. The internal version of the software includes a nifty bug-reporting technique. When the app does something particularly frustrating, users can “rage shake” their phone to report the bug. Something tells us this won’t make it to the public version, but it sure sounds like an intuitive way to get bug input.

We sure hope the initiative has the desired result. Personally, I uninstalled the Facebook app months ago and rely on the browser if I want to check the network on my phone (let’s be honest: it’s the same experience, anyway, sans a few not-so-useful notification options).

A truly native version with a bit more care to detail could remedy the Facebook woes we have experienced since the app first came to Android, and I share the stance of Zuckerberg. Until things are fixed, Facebook for Android is virtually unusable.

[via TechCrunch]


Meizu MX2 officially announced

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from the folks at Meizu but they’ve finally chimed in with some good news about their latest and greatest. The latest flagship smartphone has been announced by the Chinese company, today — what you see before you is the Meizu MX2. There’s a lot to like about this little guy, and it starts with the internals (as it usually does).

Inside will be a 4.4 inch 1280×800 display, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel backside-illuminated camera with 1080p HD video, a front-facing camera capable of shooting 720p HD video, storage options up to 64GB, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and more.

On top of Jelly Bean is Flyme 2.0, Meizu’s extensive UI experience that is said to “surprise” us with its beauty and suite of useful apps. More than anything, Flyme focuses on giving you a superior cloud experience.

The elephant in the room is that Meizu still looks to be taking some of its design cues from Apple. The front of the hardware closely resembles that of the iPhone 5′s, but the back looks to be clear of any meaningful influence. And Meizu isn’t trying to clone the iOS look anymore, either, so that’s something to be excited for.

It’ll cost you 2,499 yuan to own one, which is about $482 if you’re doing a direct currency conversion. Meizu tends to stick to its hometown when it comes to releasing devices, but there’s a chance you’ll be able to import one once they’re available. Unfortunately we don’t have much of an idea of when the phone will be out but we imagine Meizu won’t take its time.


Official AdBlock Plus for Android app is here

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 09:04 AM PST

While we’d love to live in a perfect world without intrusive ads and such on all these newfangled websites, the truth is that some users just don’t want to see them. Moral issues aside, plugins have existed for years to help folks disable them as easily as they could disable anything, and the biggest of such a tool is AdBlock Plus. The plugin, which can be had in the form of browser plugins on desktop, has now made its way to Android.

The app will block ads for most browsers that can be had in the Play Store, and you don’t have to be rooted for basic functionality over WiFi. 3G and 4G will be a bit of a problem if you don’t have root access on your device, though, so keep that in mind before damning it in the Google Play Store if it doesn’t appear to be working. In fact, keep this full list of compatibility issues and restrictions in mind:

  • Rooted: Blocks ads over Wi-Fi and 3G
  • Non-rooted with Android 3.1 or later: Blocks ads over Wi-Fi
  • Non-rooted with Android 3.0 or earlier: Some manual configuration is required. Please visit our website to learn how to setup your own proxy: https://adblockplus.org/en/android-config#proxy
  • Also, Android does not allow ads to be blocked on SSL encrypted websites.

Co-founder Till Faida says mobile users should be able to control their browsing experience and block intrusive ads just as easily as anyone else:

Mobile devices have exploded over the past few years, and as usage of these devices has increased, so has advertising, which is becoming more and more intrusive. Mobile devices can feel more 'personal' than online browsing via a desktop device, making advertising on these devices even more intrusive and annoying when they interrupt browsing. And by blocking ads from rendering, Adblock Plus users can experience up to 40% faster browsing on their Android devices.

Trying it on my Nexus 7 proved effortless. I used the latest version of Firefox with the ever-so-easy EasyList and not a single ad got through. Your mileage may vary, but the app shouldn’t give many users problems as long as they take heed to the aforementioned list of exceptions.

Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be any options for white-listing, but we imagine that functionality will be added in future upgrades. We’ve pinged the AdBlock team to be sure and we’ll update this post with anything they’re able to share. Go ahead and try the free app in the Google Play Store.


Cyber Monday sales reach record highs, mobile a big contributor [POLL]

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:53 AM PST

The exact numbers vary depending on which report you read, but the consensus is the same. Cyber Monday sales reached a record high this year as holiday shoppers scrambled to find the best deals on the web, and mobile contributed on both ends. According to a report from the Adobe Digital Index, mobile devices accounted for 22 percent of Cyber Monday purchases. IBM’s data says 18 percent of shoppers accessed retailer websites with their smartphones and tablets.

Adobe’s figures say Cyber Monday sales were up 17 percent from last year to reach $1.98 billion. IBM puts the number even higher at 30.3 percent, though the average cost per order was down from $198.26 in 2011 to $185.12 this year. Breaking down the data further, 4.5 percent of shoppers made purchases from their Android device, lagging behind those buying on an iPhone (6.9 percent) or iPad (7.1 percent). Did you count yourselves among them?

Cyber Monday shopping surpassed the total number of online sales made on Black Friday by over 36 percent, proving that the unofficial shopping holiday still reigns supreme when it comes to the best deals on the web. And there were plenty to be found.

We’re eager to find out about the Cyber Monday shopping experience of our readers. Let us know in the poll below if (and how) you shopped yesterday. And, yeah, go ahead and brag about all the sweet swag you saved tons on in the comments below.


Lenovo P770 comes with a 3,500mAh battery and insanely attractive price

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:45 AM PST

Lenovo seems to be coming to market with a new phone — the Lenovo P770 — and this one is going to turn a few heads based on a couple of different factors. Let’s start with the specs, shall we? Those who eventually opt for one can look forward to a 4.5 inch display with qHD resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek processor, a 5 megapixel camera, a VGA front-facing camera, 4GB of internal storage, Jelly Bean and more.

But it’s the battery that’s going to jump out at you. This thing challenges the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD with a 3,500mAh battery, a kit that Lenovo says will deliver 29 hours of talk time. Whether or not those claims are accurate remain to be seen, but even if you shave a few hours off of that it’s still quite impressive.

Even more impressive is the price Lenovo’s putting on the P770. The device will cost ¥1,699 in China, which is just over $270 here in the states. Sure, MediaTek is no Qualcomm or NVIDIA but we’d be damned if we could find another phone in this range for this price. Well… the Nexus 4 is a more attractive offering for just $300 but you can’t quite get a 3,500mAh battery inside that thing even if you wanted to.

Unfortunately Lenovo has a history of skipping out on launches outside of Asia so those of you who want to snap this thing up will have to find a way to import it once it becomes available.

[Lenovo via Unwired View]


Google Play Store getting deeper Google+ integration

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 07:04 AM PST

As Google looks to integrate Google+ with pretty much all of its services we expect to see new features added almost every week. We’re still waiting on the bombshell that should be the death of Google Talk and the subsequent birth of Google+ Messenger integrated in Gmail, but for the time being another Google site has gotten the Plus-heavy treatment.

The Google Play Store is the site I’m talking about, and while there’s been minor cross-functionality before Google has added another level of integration that has us pretty excited. There isn’t much to do right now, but if you notice the reviews section in the screenshot above you can see that the names of each reviewer are replaced by “A Google User.”

It looks like Google will eventually allow users to link the Play Store to their Google+ accounts and have their profile, name and icons available for those looking through reviews. For now it just displays “A Google User,” and we imagine the names were tossed out so Google could restore some control of privacy to users while they fully implement the rest of this.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see Play Store prompts asking whether or not you’d like to link your Google+ account to your reviews in the future, but for now there doesn’t appear to be anything more to it than making the reviews anonymous.

Most users should be noticing the changes by now as there’s no Play Store APK update for this particular change. It looks like the changes are more on the level of account information so be sure to check it out on the web Play Store or in the Google Play Store on your Android device.

There’s nothing useful to be done with any of it yet, but it’s nice to fantasize about what’s to come. And if you just want to see how your own review would display for the time being why not see how a review of your own would look by downloading the Phandroid News app and submitting a review? You’ll be feeding your curiosity and getting a great tool to help you read Phandroid on the go at the same time — win win, from where I’m standing.


Nexus 4 will be back on sale today at 12PM PST

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:41 AM PST

Google has just begun notifying customers on their Nexus 4 watch list that the handset will be back on sale today, November 27th, at 12:00 noon PST via the Google Play Store. For the East Coasters too lazy to do math (like me), that’s 3PM EST.

Here’s the pertinent text from the email:

“Nexus 4 will be available for purchase later today!
Order yours from Google Play starting today, November 27 at 12:00 noon PST (U.S. only).”

The Nexus 4 initially went on sale on November 13th and sold out in record fashion. The phone has been unavailable direct from Google since, though those willing to sign a wireless contract could pick up the device from T-Mobile. As the above email states, the newly available Nexus units are reserved for US customers only. Google has not announced any availability plans for other regions just yet.

Google’s handling of the Nexus 4 launch has left more than a few customers miffed. Hopefully a replenished stock will come with an improver customer service experience, but there are no guarantees. You will want to act fast if you plan on buying. There are still plenty out there just itching to get their hands on the flagship Android 4.2 device.

[Thanks to all who sent this in!]


Google pushes Android 4.2.1, restores December for latest Nexus devices

Posted: 27 Nov 2012 06:17 AM PST

With the final days of November winding down, Android 4.2 users have been anxiously waiting to find out if December really exists. Thanks to a timely update from Google, all of their worries should be eased. Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices have started to receive Android 4.2.1, a minuscule software patch that restores the ability to associate a date in the year’s 12th month with a contact entry.

The new software brings the Jelly Bean build to JOP40D and changes little otherwise. Other tweaks or bug fixes are taking place below the surface, and we likely won’t have confirmation until the release of an official changelog.

There are no reports of Nexus 7 owners receiving the new software yet. The same goes of the Galaxy Nexus. As with all over-the-air updates, Google will be rolling this one out in phases, so expect it to reach more devices as the week drags on.

[Thanks, Mike!]