Thursday, December 6, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


T-Mobile sets the Nexus 4’s price back to $199.99

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:18 AM PST

Despite the lack of LTE radio, the back glass debate, and the Google Play Store fiasco, the Nexus 4 is still one sizzling hot commodity. With no signs of the demand slowing down anytime soon, did T-Mobile take it a step too far by selling the Nexus 4 for $399.99 with a contract?

That's the shock that many learned yesterday, when the Nexus handset returned to its "in stock" availability status on T-Mobile's website. If you're planning to virtually pelt some rotten eggs, you may want to save it for another occasion, as the listing has been updated to reflect the Nexus phone's correct price.

The listing now shows the original price of the Nexus 4 with a T-Mobile contract, which is $199.99 — definitely not $399.99. For those who aren't convinced, you have to choose "Google" from the manufacturer list on the sidebar to get the right price.

Those who don’t mind being stuck on a two-year service agreement with T-Mobile can go ahead and order the Nexus 4 from T-Mo’s online store. Are you in or out?

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Google issues maintenance updates for Translate, Voice, Authenticator and five other Android apps

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:17 AM PST

What makes Google's first-party Android apps generally get the thumbs up from the most users and get ranked very high in the most downloaded Google Play charts? Well, there are a number of things, but it's mostly about support and the number of updates issued to iron out kinks, but also to always improve and tweak the user experience.

Sure, you might say that Google would not need so many updates if the apps wouldn't be so glitchy in the first place, but let's not get caught up in details and look at the bright side of things.

We can for example be very grateful today for a slew of upgrades being rolled out straight from the busy offices in Mountain View. Among the tuned-up apps, we have some greats – including Translate or Voice – but also some "minions", like Catalogs or Apps Device Policy.

Probably the most critical update went to Translate, who's now reached version 2.5.3. The translation tool has got new handwriting recognition for a number of new languages, including Afrikaans, Icelandic, Macedonian, Slovak, and Welsh. You can also translate from Chinese, Japanese or Korean by using your cameras' text recognition functions, but this only works for horizontal texts for now.

Next up we have an upgrade to version 0.4.2.75 for Google Voice. The 2-year old app that's still technically a pre-1.0 product should now be less glitchy than before after two major bug fixes have been rolled out.

Unfortunately, while the issue of delayed SMS notifications seems to have been swiftly solved, the fix for inbox syncing and duplicate notifications is only partially working. Big oops for Google here!

No oops and no problem with Google Authenticator's update bringing the app to version 2.35 however. While this is also a "minor" maintenance upgrade, like all the others, it comes with two very important tweaks – a bug fix in account setup flow and UI improvements than you can actually spot with your naked eye.

Zagat, Google Apps Device Policy, YouTube for Google TV, Google Catalogs and My Tracks are the other apps recently upgraded, but we're mostly talking about barely noticeable improvements. Zagat, for instance, got a fix for a pretty uncommon bug that caused unexpected crashes, while YouTube for Google TV now comes with support for ad skipping.

Google Catalogs version 1.3.0 has "improved stability" and "improved resolution for Nexus 10", the new My Tracks app has an ever so slightly changed map view and app widget, while finally Google Apps Device Policy v4.13 comes with support for control of Lock Screen Widgets.

Anyone overly excited about any of these updates? How about very disappointed?

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Here’s what IDC says is happening in the tablet market, this year and beyond

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 02:11 AM PST

Android-Tablets

Research firms like IDC, Gartner, and others sometimes screw up their predictions big time. For instance, Gartner said in 2011 that Android will get 38% of the tablet market by, wait for it, 2015. And here we are, discussing IDC's latest figures, which say that Android tablets already make up about 42% of the tablet market.

While it's fun to predict market shares for years in advance, there's really no telling what will happen six months from now, and four year predictions are pretty much useless in the tech world. But trends do matter and they are worth analyzing.

With this necessary caveat out of our way, here's what IDC says it's happening in the tablet market, this year and beyond.

To summarize:

  • More tablets than predicted will be sold this year, "thanks to solid products from Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others" and good performance from the iPad mini and iPad 4, which position Apple for another strong holiday season.
  • IDC increased their forecast for 2012, from 117.1 million units to 122.3 million units.
  • E-readers are dying – IDC says that it expects close to 20 million e-readers to be shipped this year, down from 27.7 million in 2011. This is no surprise; even with great products like the Kindle Paperwhite, users are increasingly preferring the versatility of a tablet.
  • Windows tablets – still a drop in a bucket. In spite of the onslaught of Windows based tablets, including Microsoft's own flashy Surface, slates running Windows 7, 8, and RT will have a hard time gaining traction. Windows tablets made 2.9% of total tablet shipments in 2012, and IDC predicts a little more than 10% for 2016. Take this long term predictions with a grain of salt.
  • The iPad to go below 50% by 2016. Another prediction that I find hard to believe, considering how fast has Android grown in the past year.
  • Shipments include sales to distribution channels, like Walmart or Amazon. Apple's figures are based on actual sales, so the actual number of Android and Windows tablets sold to customers might be smaller than indicated by the figures.

Here’s IDC tablet market share data:

idc tablet market share

What do you make of these statistics?

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Nexus 7 3G hits retail stores in Australia and NZ for $369

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:52 AM PST

Nexus 7

The Nexus 7 3G has been on sale in several markets for quite some time now, but it is still nowhere to be found in Australia. Well, that's about to change in the coming days.

Asus has announced that the 32GB Nexus 7 with mobile data will land in Australia and New Zealand this December, where it will retail for a cool AUS$369.

Stores that will have stocks of the tablet include Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, Dick Smith Electronics, The Good Guys, Bing Lee, and Radio Rentals. You should be able to find the Nexus 7 3G soon in Office Works, EB Games, BSR, and various Asus channel resellers as well. Meanwhile, the 3G variant of the Nexus 7 is still unavailable for purchase from Google Play Store, but we're hearing that it'll be updated soon.

Anyone excited about the arrival of the Nexus 7 3G?

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Get your flow on: Swiftkey Flow beta now available for download

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:45 AM PST

swiftkey flow

A couple of days ago we've told you about the newest version of the popular Android keyboard, Swiftkey. Dubbed Flow, the new Swiftkey brings gesture based typing and an innovative new feature that lets you type entire phrases without ever lifting the finger from the touchscreen. Great news for lazy typists everywhere!

Yesterday, the official account of the Swiftkey developer tweeted that the new Flow beta is less than 24 hours away. True to their word, the Swiftkey team has now made the app available for beta testing. Actually, to test the keyboard, you need to be a member of the VIP program, but worry not, contrary to the name, the program is open for just about anyone.

The marquee feature of the new Swiftkey Flow is the poetically named Flow Through Space feature. Instead of tapping the spacebar or pausing, you can enter spaces by gliding your finger over the spacebar. In theory, this should really speed up your typing, but from our initial experience, it's better to lift your finger from the touchscreen from time to time, to avoid messing up entire phrases.

Besides Flow, Swiftkey is the same great predictive keyboard you know and love. The latest update has a bunch of neat themes for you to choose from, and some tweaks to the usability part.

Given that Android 4.2 incorporates a Flow-like gesture typing keyboard, it's a great time for the Swiftkey team to kick it into high gear. If you are curious to try out the new Flow, check out the "VIP" program and don't forget to let us know your thoughts.

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Heroes of Order and Chaos by Gameloft is now on Android

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:08 PM PST

Gameloft has just released the much anticipated Heroes of Order and Chaos for Android. This new game is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) type game much like League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients for your home computer.

This challenging genre, while simple in concept, requires great knowledge of every single element of the game, if you want to master it. After picking either a 3v3 or 5v5 multiplayer match, you will be grouped with other players and fight for map supremacy against the opposing team. Not only do you have to battle it out with live players, but there are towers and game controlled minions that will attempt to stop your team from destroying their objective.

What helps determine victory is which character you pick before the match begins and the items you buy after accumulating gold while playing. This and plenty of team strategy from beginning to end will give a higher chance of success.

If you want to check out this great looking game, head on over to the Play Store and give it a shot. It’s free to download and is sure to feed your MOBA cravings when you are on the go.

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Dropbox updated, now allows moving folders and files

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:54 PM PST

Dropbox

The basically ubiquitous Dropbox brings a new update to their cloud-based storage service, bringing the version history up to 2.2.2. If you use Dropbox almost primarily on you mobile devices, there is a new feature that has been introduced – the ability to move files and folders around your storage.

Simply press and hold on the file or folder in question and you will be given a submenu where ‘Move’ can be selected. Then a selection of your entire Dropbox is thrown right back at you, where you can select the ultimate location. It might not be as flashy as a drag and drop interface, but it gets the job done.

You should be getting nudged to update your Dropbox already, but otherwise, get over to the Play Store to get it. And don’t forget to tell your friends about Dropbox – everytime someone signs up, you get more space in your drive. I’m up to 8.5 GB, myself.

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Enterprise users can now deploy apps through Google Play Private Channel

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:46 PM PST

BYOD is the in thing among enterprise users nowadays. If you’re not familiar with the term, then you’ve probably been living in a cave for the past couple of years or so. Basically, enterprises are moving away from proprietary devices or a limited set of devices, and are allowing employees to work, collaborate and communicate with their preferred “bring your own” devices.

Case in point: Yahoo!’s new CEO Marissa Mayer wants everyone to ditch their BlackBerry devices in favor of smartphones — a choice of either iPhone, Android or Windows Phone. But even as businesses allow employees to bring their own devices to work, sometimes companies will need to deploy a set of proprietary applications and programs. This might make it a bit difficult for IT departments to deploy apps to users devices.

iOS, for one, does not enable side-loading of applications without jailbreaking. Android users have it easier, as IT departments can simply distribute .APK files for installing on devices. But an update on Google Play makes it easier for enterprise users to install — and manage — their internal applications.

A new feature called Google Play Private Channel lets IT departments deploy apps through the official Android apps repository. All a user needs is a company email address to be able to install these apps. The system requires that your company runs Google Apps for business, education or government, which means it will be easier to tie everything into one ecosystem — Google’s.

Sure, Android users can easily side-load .APK files to install apps. But I see a few advantages with Private Channel.

  • Users who are not well-versed with side-loading apps will not have a difficult time installing apps.
  • Apps can be auto-updated (if enabled on Google Play).
  • Better security, since users are assured the app they are installing is an official one, and not a potentially dangerous .APK.

Non-enterprise users might not find this interesting at this point, but I can only imagine the possibilities. Private Channel enables organizations to run their own mini app stores and content repositories. This makes Google Apps an even more interesting suite of cloud-based applications for businesses, schools, government offices, and teams to use than, say, more closed systems like the iTunes App Store or BlackBerry AppWorld.

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Chameleon Launcher coming to smartphones, Nexus 4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2 owners and other testers wanted

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:08 PM PST

In case you love Chameleon Launcher on your Android tablet, you should know that the team responsible for the app is working on a smartphone version. While we have no release dates for the app at this time, we have some good news for you. The Chameleon team is looking for testers to try out the smartphone version of their launcher.

So far, 25 testers are needed to try out the first Chameleon Launcher versions (see Source link below to sign up), and the developers are looking Android users that own one of the following devices:

  • HTC One X+
  • HTC One X
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 2
  • Samsung Galaxy Note
  • Samsung Galaxy S3
  • Nexus 4
  • Galaxy Nexus
  • MOTOROLA RAZR HD LTE
  • LG OPTIMUS G
  • DROID DNA By HTC
  • MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX HD

Here's what else you should know about this Chameleon Launcher tests:

- We are looking for people who understand what “alpha” and “beta” software is and are able to give constructive feedback. A lot of it.
– You will have to sign an NDA ( non disclosure agreement ) in order to participate. Can’t have things going out into the wild before they are ready. Bad things can happen.
– We are looking for people who have these [listed above] devices. If you don’t have one that is listed, but is similar in the spec range we are targeting, feel free to recommend it: […]
– If you just want it to get it early and aren’t going to give us feedback. That doesn’t help us.

Anyone excited about getting Chameleon Launcher on their smartphone? Are you going to sign up for this testing "job"?

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Nexus Wireless charging Orb coming… when?

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:14 PM PST

Buyers of the Google Nexus 4 have already contended with limited availability and endless ‘sold out’ screens, and it looks like it will remain that way for at least a little while. For anyone that is having trouble ordering one of the hottest phones on the market right now, the reactions are almost procedural – frustration, some anger, repetition as the user keeps coming back to the webpage to check availability, denial as the same status remains, and in some cases, finally defeat when it seemingly never changes.

Unfortunately, it looks like users of the new Nexus might have to go through all of this again if they hope to buy one of the more anticipated accessories – the Nexus Wireless Charging Orb. Included in the Nexus 4 is its support of the Qi wireless charging standard, which Google hoped to take advantage of by supplying users with a small Orb that can magnetically keep the phone in place and charge the battery. It is a very nice looking device, and given the new Jelly Bean 4.2 feature called Daydream, it adds functionality by making your phone double as a photo frame, a clock, or a psychedelic color palette.

Originally revealed on October 29, users have been excited to use the sleek charging Orb to charge their new Nexus 4 device, only their phones never arrived. Now that shipping of the Google official phone is finally starting to pick up (see our review of the Nexus 4 here), users are looking to the future. But after the 29th, there hasn’t been much word on when the Orb will actually be released – not to mention, we don’t even know how much we have to put down in order to go wireless. And if the past is any indication, we might have to wait for a long time.

Google, unfortunately, is rather known for its lack of consistency with accessory availability. I am a current Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus user, and there’s just one thing about this phone I can’t help but be ambivalent about – the pogo pins on the side. These are three dimpled marks on the side that essentially serve absolutely no purpose. Why? Because Google didn’t make accessories – like the charging dock – that accommodate for the differences in the Verizon version of the phone. What are these differences? About 1 millimeter. That tiny amount of distance keeps the pins from touching the charging circuits on the dock. So, without any other choices, Verizon Galaxy Nexus users were left without a way of using the POGO pins for charging.

Not to mention the fact that the Nexus 7 charging dock has been unavailable for some time, as well – only recently has there been word of the official Asus dock being available, but currently only in Japan. Those us in the United States who have had no luck in receiving the Asus dock are stuck using our charging ports, hopefully sturdy enough to withstand the seemingly lifetime of usage they will be getting.

Okay, rant over – but this is just a sample of the frustration that users can experience when trying to make sense of the untapped capabilities of their phone. Perhaps luckily, however, there are ways of taking advantage of the Qi wireless charging capability in the Nexus 4, as alternatives to the Orb are available from other manufacturers. Energizer is one of the more well-known charging mats, while LG and Nokia have made their own versions, as well.

 

 All of these alternatives are mat-like in design, unlike the Orb that has the appealing dock-like form factor – yet another reason why people are clamoring for it. Given that we’ve gone over a month since the unveiling of the Orb, users probably shouldn’t be surprised if they won’t have a nice charging Nexus clock/photo frame/psychedelic color palette on their desks for the holidays.

Are you anxiously waiting for the wireless charging Orb? Rant about your wait, especially if you are also one of the people still waiting for your Nexus 4!

 

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Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


Rumored HTC M7 to have 5 inch HD display, quad-core processor and 13 megapixel camera

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:21 PM PST

Samsung and HTC have forced everyone to step their game up as we head into the 2013 calendar year, and it looks like the latter will look to take things a step further sooner rather than later. New rumors suggest HTC is working on a flagship device called the HTC M7. Said to arrive Q1 2013, the M7 is supposed to come with a 5 inch 1080p HD display. That particular spec is nothing new as the same company introduced a 1080p phone when it launched the DROID DNA on Verizon.

Alongside what many consider to be one of the best displays in the business, we should also expect Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 13 megapixel primary shooter. The phone’s internals will be housed in an aluminum unibody chassis, as well, so this thing should feel solidly premium all around.

HTC is said to be aiming for mass production at some point early next year with devices hitting store shelves before the Spring months are over. None of this is too surprising, timing wise, considering we have some pretty big events coming up. There’s CES, but HTC tends to let carriers take the shine for new smartphone announcements at that particular show.

Mobile World Congress is historically HTC’s biggest show, though, and we can be sure they’ll look to at least unveil the device no later than that point. Anything can happen, of course, but if we know HTC then we know that something will be shown off at these upcoming events, and you can be sure we’ll be there to cover every last bit.

[Focus Taiwan via HTC Source]

Google Now update makes holiday travel easier

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:54 PM PST

Google has announced a new upgrade for Google Now, and while the new goods weren’t available in the Play Store as of the time of this writing the search giant did well to inform us what to expect. This update focuses on new automatic and voice-activated features to make holiday traveling easier.

For starters, Google Now will automatically tell you what the weather will be like at your destination so you’ll know what type of clothes to pack before jetting off to the airport. I could have used said functionality when taking shorts and t-shirts to a near-freezing Vegas last year, but it’s better late than never!

When you get near your airport Google Now will automatically bring up your boarding pass so there won’t be a need to stand in those long lines or use those kiosks unless you’re checking a bag. The feature is not functional yet, but when it does go live it will be launching with support for United Airlines only. We’re told that other airlines will be coming soon.

Finally, Google Now will let you know where to go for fun and sight-seeing once you’ve arrived at your destination. They’ll either tell you about events going on at that moment or direct you to websites where you can find out where all the touristy things are for you and your family to sink your teeth into. Should you wander into a museum, Google Now can bring up more information on certain pieces by simply capturing it with Google Goggles.

On the voice activated side of things, Google Now can identify what song is playing using “What’s this song,” scan a barcode using “Scan this barcode,” and update your Google+ status message by saying “Post to Google+” followed by whatever you want your message to say. We’re keeping our eyes peeled toward the Play Store for the upgrade, and will update this post once it goes live. [Update]: it’s live! Go get it!

[via Official Android Blog]

Confirmed: SwiftKey Flow Beta launching in less than 24 hours for VIP members

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:40 PM PST

This image has no alt text

I hope your bodies are ready because Joe Braidwood, CMO of SwiftKey has just announced via Twitter that SwiftKey Flow (beta) will officially be available within the next 24 hours. SwiftKey’s advice is to make sure “feedback@swiftkey.net” is in your email contacts so you don’t miss out on the beta. Of course, you wont be receiving this email unless you’ve already signed up for SwiftKey’s VIP forums, in which case now would be a good time to do so.

Shouldn’t be too much longer, folks. Can’t even remember the last time I was this hyped up for a simple keyboard replacement. Might have to reevaluate some things in my life… Anyway, are you guys ready for it?

Matrix One 7 manufacturer shut down with tons of orders in limbo (and how to get your refund)

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:53 AM PST

A bit over two months ago we told you guys about a 7 inch Android tablet that could be had for quite cheap. It was the Matrix One, a 7 inch Ice Cream Sandwich device that didn’t boast gaudy specs, but definitely turned some heads with its attractive $59 price point (which eventually ended up selling for $110 after the pre-sale period).

As sweet as that deal may have sounded back then, the risks of trusting a small, unknown company hit some people in the worst way possible. Unfortunately, it looks like the headaches won’t stop.

One reader of ours — who still doesn’t have the devices they paid for — told us their story about the rather non-existent customer support they’ve experienced. Nine Matrix One tablets were ordered for a grand total of $600 two months ago, and that was the end of it. The customer’s card was charged for the aforementioned amount before receiving so much as a confirmation, and no shipping details were given when the devices eventually went up for sale.

The “inexperience” bug

Companies make mistakes, but it’s the shoddy customer support that’s ruffling feathers. Trying to contact them via phone is a dead-end as an automated system immediately hung up on us after a short message stating they’re not available. The Facebook page associated with the company has been shut down.

It’s worthy to note that the Twitter account is still active, but the last Tweet was from November 9th, a message informing customers that orders will be shipped November 20th. We could get no response from them on Twitter, and neither could many other paying customers.

Today, the company’s website has been completely shut down and replaced by a rather long statement explaining what happened. Long story short, the initial shipping time of two weeks had to be extended to four weeks due to problems with manufacturing. It turns out there was a back-order for the glass used on the Matrix One. If that’s not enough, even when the glass came in the devices were being outfitted with the wrong circuitry, causing even more delays to get things right.

Refunds

The merchant claims to have issued refunds to anyone who requested it due to the extraneous delays, but that wasn’t enough for Google (the manufacturers used Google Wallet/Checkout to take orders). The search giant suspended their account due to all the complaints consumers sent in regarding the delays and lack of customer service.

Unfortunately this happened so abruptly that the Matrix One team had no way of knowing who still had orders being processed or needed refunds. After pleading with Google they were able to get low level customer information, but that was about it. Thankfully Google has taken it upon itself to begin refunding customers.

This action should have taken place automatically beginning this week, but those who haven’t received refunds should contact Google Wallet’s support team with all the information they can — including your full name, email address used to purchase the tablet, and order number — to make sure that it gets processed.

Logistics matter

Many are beginning to label the Matrix One team as scammers, and we urge you to put that label down for now. The company certainly has shipped out many orders since the device went on sale, and with its latest statement it has shown that they truly are sorry for how things have turned out.

If their story is true then the issue of unfulfilled orders certainly was out of their hands, but that doesn’t make up for shoddy customer service on their part. For starters, if you know you have a legitimate issue on your hands then shutting down your phone system, your social networking accounts (or some of them, anyway) and taking your entire site offline is not the way to go about handling it.

It did initially sound like a “take the money and run” scheme, and customers have every right to be angry. The aftermath of such poor planning and execution is only uglier because of all of that, and if the delayed manufacturing and shipping process wasn’t enough to completely drain your customers’ trust then the nonexistent and borderline fishy customer service certainly is. We love to support and encourage small companies who aim to deliver what the masses want, but when it comes to logistics amateur hour should be saved for Showtime at the Apollo.

Again, if you were affected by this unfortunate episode then do not panic. Check your bank and Google Wallet accounts for refunds from Google, and if you’re not seeing anything then be sure to contact the Google Wallet team to get it all straightened out. In the meantime we want to know how many of you actually received your orders, and for those who did we certainly wouldn’t mind hearing about the tablet itself in the comments below.

[Matrix One]

How to: Fine tune your S-Pen for the perfect Galaxy Note experience

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:09 AM PST

Samsung’s S-Pen is a central part of the Galaxy Note experience, but if your stylus is acting a bit wonky it can be quite frustrating (especially for an artist). Here’s a couple of quick tips courtesy of WonderHowTo that show how to fine-tune the S-Pen for the Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Note 10.1.

First things first, slam your S-Pen on the nearest hard surface. No, seriously. Not only will you take out a bit of pent up rage but it also works surprisingly well at jolting the stylus back into working order. Tap (with a bit of force) the nib end of the pen on a table a few times and see what happens.

If hulking out on your expensive new toy doesn’t sound like the approach you want to take (or if it doesn’t produce the intended results) a quick and simple hardware tweak will work wonders. Now this might sound like its pushing into something only for skilled users, but it’s actually quite simple. You need only to pop off the S-Pen’s click button using a razor or small screw driver (just be careful not to break it) and then adjust a potentiometer.

You’re aiming for the potentiometer closest to the tip of the S-Pen (the one on the left in the above picture). Turn clockwise to decrease sensitivity and vice-versa to dial it up. You can do so with the same screwdriver or razor blade you used to pop off the click button. Once you have honed in the perfect level of sensitivity simply replace the button and you’re on your way to the Galaxy Note experience you always dreamed of.

AndroidForums user Calligrapher was able to turn a problematic S-Pen into a finely-tuned writing instrument. Here’s a look at what you can do with a properly calibrated stylus:

Alright, so not everyone will go from doodler to expert calligrapher, but you will hopefully have an S-Pen that is more usable than when it came out of the box. Have some great Galaxy Note-created artwork you want to share? Head on over to the forums and show it to the world! We might even post some of the best art here on the main page of Phandroid.

 

Verizon, Motorola remind us of DROID RAZR HD’s Jelly Bean roll-out with festive package [PIC]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:39 AM PST

Motorola and Verizon did well to inform the world that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the DROID RAZR HD and DROID RAZR MAXX HD was available for download. We knew they’d make a big deal out of that considering faster Android updates was a focus of Motorola’s at the official RAZR HD event back in early September.

Well, they’ve gone a step further and seem to be sending a festive package out to everyone to celebrate the fact that Jelly Bean has arrived. We received a package with the following contents:

  • Red and silver tinsel
  • Red and black jelly beans from Jelly Belly
  • A picture note in the form of a text message conversation on a DROID RAZR HD.

It’s subtle, but definitely cool and has us believing that Motorola is taking its promise of timely Android updates as seriously as it can. It would appear that these are only being sent to members of the press so don’t expect to see one on your doorstep.

Regardless, it does well in serving as a friendly reminder that you could be on Jelly Bean right now if you own one of the latest RAZR HD phones by heading to the Settings > About Phone menu on your device. In the meantime we’ll be popping these delicious little candies back and continue to enjoy bringing you more great content as we do every single day!

Amazon launches Kindle FreeTime, monthly subscription brings kid-safe content

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 08:47 AM PST

Amazon has launched a new subscription service for their Kindle Fire lineup offering content that will keep kids occupied and mom and dad free of worry. Kindle FreeTime Unlimited provides a menu of apps, games, and media for $2.99 per month per child or $6.99 for a family pass.

The service will password lock kids out from the rest of the device, keeping them far from the dangers of the internet while still offering an experience complete with bookmarks, personalization, and additional parental controls. This includes the ability to set time limits that vary by category.

FreeTime is all-inclusive, so once you pay the monthly fee there is no limit to the amount of content, including streaming movies and TV shows, your little ones can consume. The service will be part of an upcoming OTA update for the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

[via Amazon]

For our Indian Readers: Get ready for the first Android App Expo on January 5, 2013

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:55 AM PST

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It is my absolute delight to have the opportunity to announce the details for the first Android App Expo, which is going to be held on the 5th of January, 2013 in Bangalore.

Having been part of the community in the country from its early days, when it was almost impossible to find a regular person who had heard of our beloved platform, let alone have a phone that ran it, I have seen first hand the challenge the developers here have faced. HTC? Samsung? LG? To the regular user, they all sucked, and you either had a Nokia, or were ridiculously rich enough to own an iPhone, or wasted money on some cheap stuff.

It's amazing to think that it was like that only 18 to 24 months ago. The word Android is itself now ubiquitous in a country where 30 languages are spoken by over a million people, and almost synonymous with the term "smartphone". And a big part of that reason is role the apps created by the developers have played in creating such a powerful ecosystem in such a short time.

The Expo, organized by Bangalore's Google Developer Group (GDG) and Android User Group, is a celebration of their work and of the platform in itself. Any person can nominate an app for the exhibition by following this link. The last date is December 15th, so do hurry. The best apps would be picked out by a panel of various members of the community, and would get the be part of the Expo at the Park Plaza, Bangalore on January 5th. Anyone and everyone is invited to attend and be part of the festivities, with registrations opening on December 25th for the general public.

What's in it for the developers? Besides the opportunity to showcase your hard work in front of users, media, members from Google's global Android team as well as others from the industry, there's a grand prize like none other: an opportunity to sit down with the Developer Relations team who'll assist you in taking your work to the next level.

I'll be at the event myself, covering each and every app that is demoed there and also some of the backstage activity. Having had the opportunity to be part of the planning in my new role at the GDG Delhi Android, I can assure you this is going to be one event that you don't want to miss (teaser: we're planning on having a full blown Ingress war over there).

For more information on the event, visit this link.

Raiden Legacy for Android brings four classic shoot ‘em up games for $5 [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:52 AM PST

This glorious hump day doesn’t just bring cause for celebration because it’s the middle of the week, folks. A new game has hit the Google Play Store that you old-school shoot ‘em up fans can probably appreciate. It’s called “Raiden Legacy” and it features four classic games from the Raiden IP, including Raiden, Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2 and Raiden Fighters Jet.

You’re essentially getting 4 games for $5, and each one features that vertically-scrolling top-down  shooting action that used to frustrate the heck out of me in the arcades (yet still somehow compelled me to insert two more quarters every time).

Each game has three different modes to tailor to any playing style, including an Arcade Mode for those who want to go through the entire game limited by artificial “credits” and be forced to start over after losing all your lives, a mission mode for those who just want to jump to their favorite levels, and a training mode for people who suck (like me).

There are 15 different ships in all, and each one has its own characteristics, power-ups, attributes and more. You’ll have everything at your disposal, from your standard stream of rail gun bullets to nuclear charge shots that’ll allow you to clear the screen if thins get a bit too hot.

DotEmu has implemented two control schemes — fast touch and a classic scheme — for easy playing, and also allows you to put any necessary controls anywhere you want on the screen. An auto-fire mode will have your ships spraying bullets, lasers and bombs without much effort from you so you can instead focus on dodging those pesky fireballs.

Two difficulty modes will be available to you as DotEmu humorously gives us medium and hard mode — there’s nothing easy about these games, so keep that in mind before throwing down $5. It’s a constant test of your reflexes and peripheral vision, but it’s a fun experience to be had for just $5 if these sorts of games pique your interest. Go ahead and give it a try in the Google Play Store, and be sure to watch our hands-on video above to get an idea of what to expect.

Schmidt sees Google and Apple as rival nations, finds legal attacks on Android partners ‘curious’

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:40 AM PST

In the lead up to a decision on whether or not to seek an antitrust lawsuit against Google, chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with The Wall Street Jounral to discuss the current state of affairs at the internet giant. As can be expected, a good part of the conversation focused on Android, its partners, and the competition. Apple was a topic of discussion, and Schmidt put a new spin on the ongoing feud between the two companies.

The once Google CEO described the two as countries rather than the “teenage model of competition.” Apple and Google still conduct business with one another but understand they have disputes to work through. Apple might disagree with his assessment, as it continues to cut Google services from their iOS lineup and moves away from sourcing parts from Android partners such as Samsung.

Speaking of Samsung, Schmidt said he found it “curious” that Apple has chosen the indirect route, attacking the manufacturers of Android devices rather than Google directly. The statement came in typical Eric Schmidt fashion, giving us just enough to pique our interest but not diving much deeper.

The entire interview is worth a read and contains more comments on topics ranging from the acquisition of Motorola to Android fragmentation and app monetization. Head over to the source link below to check it out.

[via WSJ]

Android team shows how beautiful Tasker could be with modernized UI [VIDEO]

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:20 AM PST

In case you haven’t noticed, the Android team has been running a series called “Android Design in Action” where they take apps with outdated user interfaces and show how they could look with Android’s much nicer Holo UI-based elements. Well, the latest video in the series highlights an app that I think everyone agrees could use some tender love and care.

I’m talking about Tasker, the automation app that can manipulate your device in many different ways based on many different factors. For instance, you can have your device turn WiFi off, Bluetooth and GPS on, and dim the screen brightness once you leave the house. As great as this app is functionality wise, it’s no secret that it’s butt ugly in design.

Googlers Nick Butcher, Roman Nurik and Adam Koch get together and re-imagine Tasker as an app that looks like it was designed in 2012 instead of 2008. It makes use of better fonts, image resources, the best Android design practices as outlined in Google’s official style guideline and more to make Tasker look like a the mobile app equivalent of Shakira instead of Whoopi Goldberg.

It’s a long watch as it comes in at just over half an hour, but it’s a great video for us to fantasize about what could be with this great app. Is Tasker’s current user interface going to make us stop using it? No. Substance comes before style in this rare instance because no third party option comes close to the abilities Tasker provides. But I would be a lot more happy to see the result of the Android team’s imagination hit the Google Play Store one of these days. Take a gander above.

Sphero gets into the holiday spirit with this Android-coreographed dance

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:08 AM PST

Sphero’s robotic orbs recently spread some holiday cheer in Union Square, NYC. 28 out of the little Android-controlled toys combined via meticulous choreography to performa a “dance” to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Chritsmas Eve / Sarajevo.” So, yes, it’s a little like all those videos of houses with automated light shows, except not.

You might recall that the quirky Sphero ball made it all the way to our holiday gift guide. The orb can be programmed freely or used in conjunction with a selection of apps and games, making it more than just a light with a motor. Yes, the Sphero isn’t for everyone but it’s a pretty darn cool example of what you can do with a smartphone. Next we want to see a fleet of Parrot AR.Drones taking to make a toy drop down a chimney or two.

[via Reddit]

Android Overload: Sprint LTE coming soon to New York, Samsung working on Exynos 5440 quad-core A15 CPU, and more

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:06 AM PST

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  • Etsy is now available on Android. [Google Play]
  • Raiden Legacy now available for Android. [Google Play]
  • Yesterday now available for Android. [Google Play]
  • Google Play Store introduces private channel for internal enterprise apps. [GoogleEnterprise]
  • Sprint LTE coming to a few cities in New York in the coming months. [LightReading]
  • Looks like Staples will also be selling the Nexus 10. Now up for pre-sale. [Staples]
  • T-Mobile holiday contest has hopeful winners checking in with Carly at T-Mobile locations across the US. [Tmonews]
  • The Times now offering subsidized Nexus 7 for 50£ with subscription. [TheTimes]
  • Beautiful Widgets updated to all new version 5.0. Gets the overhaul treatment. [Google Play]
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 now receiving Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update. [SamMobile]
  • Netflix signs deal to swipe Disney away from Starz. Streaming starts in 2016. [LightReading]
  • Google was about to offer landline telephone service to Kansas City, but gave up. [KansasCityBusinessJournal]
  • Cheese n’ rice. Samsung working on Exynos 5440, a quad-core A15 CPU. [SammyHub]
  • Google Knowledge Graph adds support for 7 new languages. [GoogleInsideSearch]
  • Judge Lucy Koh orders HTC and Apple to show which patents were included in their patent settlement. [CNET]
  • Snapdragon MSM8226 and MSM8626 are Qualcomm’s latest S4 CPU’s heading to China. [Engadget]
  • Motorola launches Notification Light Widget for all Android devices. Helpful for light sleepers. [Google Play]
  • “Verizon Selects” is a new service from Verizon Wireless that pays customers to keep tabs on their cellphone use. [VerizonWireless]

Sprint to offer buy-one-get-one free deal on Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2, and Galaxy Victory this Friday

Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:55 PM PST

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If Black Friday deals weren’t enough to sway you, and you’re still looking to gear up the fam with powerful Android devices, might want to take a look at what Sprint will be offering. Turns out some early signage leaked out, showing a nice BOGO (buy-one-get-one) deal on “select” Sammy devices. Let me stop you right there — the Galaxy Note 2 is not apart of this deal. But, the fully capable (some might even call a Nexus-killer) Samsung Galaxy S3 is up for grabs.

A few “lesser” Galaxies also mad the list like the GS2 and Galaxy Victory. The fun starts this Friday, Dec. 7th and lasts all the way until the 24th, giving Christmas shoppers ample time to squeeze in a few GS3′s before the 25th. The best part? This deal is good for new and upgrades as long as you’re willing to sign away your life for 2 years. Anyone going to jump on this?

Thanks, _epic!

Android and Me

Android and Me


A closer look at the rumored HTC M7

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:15 PM PST

Since today was the first time we had heard of the HTC M7, we decided to do a little digging and see if we could uncover any additional information about HTC’s next flagship device. Surprisingly, details about the HTC M7 have been floating around for about a week. The reason we (and most...

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Rumor: HTC preparing for 2013 comeback with mysterious HTC M7

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:21 AM PST

HTC has produced a handful of incredible Android-powered smartphones in 2012, but competition from Samsung and Apple has taken its toll on the struggling manufacturer. While the company’s financial situation has been slipping over the past year, HTC has managed to remain profitable and is...

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Google I/O 2013 will take place from May 15 through the 17

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:25 AM PST

Google has taken to Twitter today to announce the dates on which Google I/O 2013 will be held. This year’s developer conference will take place starting on May 15, and run until the 17th. Much like Android itself, Google has turned Google I/O into something rather amazing in a very short...

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Day 5: Win a Google Nexus 7 (16 GB)

Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:05 AM PST

Day 5 is live and that means another chance to win an awesome device in the 25 Days of Tegra. We’ve paired with our friends over at @NVIDIATegra to bring you a full month of giveaways and challenges, and things are starting to heat up. To enter to win today, your And Me [...]

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