Monday, December 17, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


AUO set start shipping 4.3 inch AMOLED panels in Q1 2013, HTC ordered them all

Posted: 17 Dec 2012 02:00 AM PST

Samsung has a monopoly on AMOLED production. They started investing in the technology way before everyone else, and now they’re reaping the benefits. According to Taiwan Economic News, AUO is soon going to change that. They say that AUO will begin shipping 4.3 inch AMOLED panels in Q1 2013 and that HTC has already ordered all the panels due to come out of AUO’s factory in Linkou. Sony has expressed interest in the AMOLED panels as well.

Why is this important? Remember HTC’s 2010 flagship smartphone, the Desire? It started shipping with an AMOLED display, but then for reasons that were kept secret the company switched over to Super LCD. With hindsight, it’s pretty easy to see what happened. Samsung decided to use AMOLED as one of their key differentiators. Think about it, when was the last time you’ve seen a high end Samsung phone use LCD?

Exactly.

How many panels will AUO actually supply HTC? That’s a hard question to answer. We don’t know how many glass substrates their factory outputs, and we don’t know how many useful smartphone panels each substrate can produce. We’re sure that information will leak out sooner rather than later.

Will AUO’s panels deliver a resolution that’s better than the 960 x 540 resolution in HTC’s One S? That remains to be seen. We were big fans of the One S when it was announced, but we just couldn’t live with that display during day to day use.

The real question we want to see answered is what’s up with Samsung’s AMOLED division? Are they going to deliver a 1080p AMOLED smartphone panel to compete with the 1080p LCD panels from Sharp, JDI, and Innolux? It’ll be really embarrassing if everyone except Samsung announces a 1080p smartphone during the first half of next year.

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Imagination Technologies raises their bid on MIPS to $100 million, is it enough?

Posted: 17 Dec 2012 01:07 AM PST

Imagination Technologies announced that they wanted to buy MIPS for $60 million back in November. Several weeks later they were outbid by a company called Ceva; they wanted to buy the company for $90 million. According to Reuters, today Imagination has said they’re now willing to fork over $100 million.

Who are all these companies and why should you care? Imagination Technologies designs graphics processors that companies then license to put on their chips. Chances are you’ve heard of the “PowerVR” brand. That’s Imagination’s work. Who uses PowerVR GPUs? Their most famous client is Apple. Samsung used a PowerVR GPU in the Galaxy S, but then they switched to ARM’s GPUs starting with the Exynos 4 line.

MIPS is a company that kind of sort of competes with ARM. Products like your cable box have MIPS chips insides. There’s an Android port that runs on MIPS, but it hasn’t seen widespread adoption.

Why does Imagination want MIPS? We’re going to go out on a limb here and say Imagination wants to get in on the system on chip game. They want to be like Qualcomm or Texas Instruments or NVIDIA, meaning they want to design a solution that they can then sell to companies to shove into their products. Why bother? There are higher margins in selling chips than licensing graphics processors.

What impact, if any, will this acquisition have on Android? If Imagination plays their cards right, they could position themselves as an ultra low cost alternative to ARM. We have to wait until the deal goes through however, and then another year or two after that to see any real meaningful products hit the market.

Will Ceva outbid Imagination again? You never know. Maybe. It’s telling that Imagination’s first bid was $60 million. Now it’s $100 million. If we were shareholders in MIPS Technologies, we’d want to know how high Imagination is willing to go.

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The Head of Google UK apologies for the epic mishandling of Nexus 4 orders

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 11:47 PM PST

dan Image Credit: Twitter

Google indexes billions of websites every day without breaking a sweat. They serve an ungodly amount of video on YouTube, again, with little to no effort. But when it comes to online sales, they’re about as useful as your typical scam artist on eBay. People who ordered the company’s newest flagship smartphone, the Nexus 4, were subjected to shopping carts that mysteriously emptied themselves, web forms that were unresponsive, and for the lucky few who successfully got their orders through, they’re now facing delays. This is downright embarrassing for a company that advertises itself as being the backbone of the internet. Dan Cobley, the Managing Director of Google UK and Google Ireland, offered this statement regarding the situation:

Dear all

I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue. Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed. I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process.

For those that originally received a 3-5 days shipping estimate, your orders are now in process for fulfillment. You can expect an email notification early this week which will include tracking information. Although you will be initially charged in full, you will receive a credit for the shipping charge soon after.

For others that received pre-Christmas shipping estimates, we anticipate processing your orders for fulfillment this week.

I realise that the people who ordered the Nexus 4 so early are among our most committed and loyal users and we are doing all we can to put things right.

Sorry again.

Dan

We’re not going to roll over and accept this apology. Google should have known what to expect. It’s common knowledge in the mobile industry that there are really only three phones that matter in any given year: Apple’s newest iPhone, Samsung’s newest Galaxy S, and the latest Nexus. And forgetting about demand for a second, why was Google’s order page so fundamentally broken?

Not cool.

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Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, other Android handsets featuring certain Samsung Exynos chips in danger, as new exploit is found

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 03:54 PM PST

Exynos-4-Quad

We kept talking about Android malware these days, with various reports from security firms coming out to suggest that even more Android devices will be affected by malicious apps next year.

In addition to these reports, we have a new exploit discovery to show you, via xda-developers, that could prove to be harmful for various 2012 flagship Samsung products including the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, but other devices that pack Exynos chips also.

xda user alephazin has discovered a vulnerability in Exynos processors version 4210 and 4412 that essentially allows any Android app to access and control the whole device:

Hi,

Recently discover a way to obtain root on S3 without ODIN flashing.
The security hole is in kernel, exactly with the device /dev/exynos-mem.

This device is R/W by all users and give access to all physical memory … what’s wrong with Samsung ? […]

The good news is we can easily obtain root on these devices and the bad is there is no control over it.

Ram dump, kernel code injection and others could be possible via app installation from Play Store. It certainly exists many ways to do that but Samsung give an easy way to exploit. This security hole is dangerous and expose phone to malicious apps. Exploitation with native C and JNI could be easily feasible.

Moreover, user Chainfire has already managed to come up with a one-click root method based on this exploit – called Exynos Abuse. And Samsung has been notified about the whole issue.

The company is yet to offer an explanation for this potentially harmful exploit, so meanwhile we'll just list some of the devices that could be affected, at least in theory, by malicious apps that would target this exploit:

  • Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100
  • Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300
  • Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE GT-I9305
  • Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100
  • Verizon Galaxy Note 2 SCH-I605 (with locked bootloaders)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8000
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 GT-N8010.

We'll be back with more news once we have it.

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Canadian LG Optimus G owners get first CyanogenMod 10.1 port

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 02:40 PM PST

lg-optimus-g

LG Optimus G owners who would like their device to look and feel more like its close cousin the Nexus 4 may be getting closer to seeing their goal realized, but there’s still a lot of work to go.

The LG Optimus G might have more internal storage and a sturdier build, but a lot of users really want the stock Android experience that the Google Nexus 4 offers, not to mention Jelly Bean. Despite the two phones being very close when it comes to hardware, this is proving to be harder to pull off than many would think. That doesn’t mean that nobody is trying.

Since earlier this month, a build of CyanogenMod 10.1 has been available for Canadian Optimus G owners. It’s a port of a Nexus 4 ROM, and is in a very early state. Right now, key features like Wi-Fi and capacitive keys are not working. Still, it’s a sign of things to come.

Jelly-Bean-CyanogenMod

There are a lot of roadblocks for LG Optimus G owners looking to run a custom ROM. First, there was the issue of the locked bootloader. This has since been remedied by Project FreeGee, but that’s not the only problem.

The developers of this ROM aren’t sure if it will work on a carrier other than Telus in Canada, and are positive that it won’t work on the U.S. versions on AT&T and Sprint, since those models use a different firmware that isn’t supported by the kernel used in the ROM. Still, hopefully the developers will end up with a fully functional ROM in the coming weeks, and then they or others can begin the task of porting it to other LG Optimus G models.

At this point, there isn’t really a reason for most users to flash this ROM, but developers may be interested in taking a look at it. Now, it is worth pointing out: do not try to install a Nexus 4 ROM on your LG Optimus G. The hardware differences in the phones will leave you with a bricked device, and nobody wants that. If you want to know more about this ROM, check out the XDA link in the sources section below.

How long do you think it will take until LG Optimus G owners will be able to run stock Android? Are you one of these owners, or did you opt for the Nexus 4 instead?

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Android 4.2.1 ROM available for Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST

ASUS-Transformer-Pad_Infinity

In the past, Asus has been pretty good about providing updates for the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T, but if you can’t wait to get Android 4.2, there is a solution.

An intrepid user over at XDA Developers has released an Android 4.2 Jelly Bean ROM for the Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T, going so far as to rewrite the audio code from scratch to get it to work. This ROM, based on the official Android Open Source Project code base, has been around for a while now, but everything isn’t fully functional yet. Most major functionality is solid, but the GPS and camera are not yet working.

Assuming you’ve already rooted your TF700T and installed a custom recovery, the process is very straightforward. If you haven’t, you may be glad to know that we have a guide available that will show you exactly how to do that very thing. It isn’t a particularly difficult process, but be cautious and read the instructions very carefully to ensure you do everything correctly.

For the files you’ll need to download and instructions on how to flash the ROM, hit the source links below.

Have you tried Jelly Bean 4.2 on your Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T yet?

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16GB Sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 for $0.01 via Amazon Wireless

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 11:26 AM PST

Sprint-Galaxy-S3

Yesterday, we reported on a Best Buy deal giving users the chance to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S3 for just $49.99. Now Amazon Wireless is joining in, offering the chance to pick up the same phone for essentially free.

While the Best Buy deal is offering the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S3 for $49.99, Amazon Wireless is offering the same phone for $.01, and the 32 GB version for $49.99. Unlike the Best Buy deal that is currently running, however, Sprint is the only carrier option available here.

Of course, the usual catch is in place: this only applies for new customers, and you’ll need to agree to a two-year contract. While the Best Buy deal is only running today, it isn’t clear how long the Galaxy S3 is going to be at this price via Amazon Wireless.

If you’re interested, you may want to act quick. You’ll find links in the sources section below.

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Morse releases service to automatically find phone numbers in your Gmail messages

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:45 AM PST

Morse

With virtual communication becoming more and more popular, a lot of first-time meetings actually occur through email. As a result, phone numbers are typically given out in the message body or the sender's signature. Previously, calling somebody you've only spoken to through email would involve combing through emails to find the number. However, a new startup called Morse has just released a product to remedy this inconvenience.

Morse will solve this potential issue by automatically searching your email account for phone numbers and adding them to your contact list. These means that the majority of the people you email with will be very accessible should you want to call them. At the moment, the service will only work for Gmail accounts due to its friendliness towards developers.

It's a rather simple service to set up. All you do is give Morse access to your Gmail account, and it will do the rest. You can obviously have all of the data synced with your mobiles device so you can always have access to your numbers. Alex Blom, founder of Morse, says "I founded Morse because I'd always need to call a colleague, or a client as I'm running late, and would realize I'd never saved their data,"

Blom goes on to explain "I'd then spend 10 minutes scanning old e-mails trying to find where the phone number was mentioned. My habit of never manually saving data wasn't going to change, so I needed a tool that did it for me". This concept is actually not entirely new, but it is unique in the fact Morse will generally produce information that is considered more private.

Blom stresses that no data from your email account is stored so you won't have to worry about privacy issues. He also says that they are hoping to get the service functioning on more platforms sooner rather than later.

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Kicksend 3.0 launched with “Print to Family” and unlimited photo sharing

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:33 AM PST

Kicksend 3

How many times have you wanted to share full-size, high-resolution photos in real time with family members that are located too far from you? It’s a situation that’s pretty annoying even if it happens to you only once. Fortunately, there’s an app called Kicksend, currently on version 3.0, that’s available to help make sure you don’t deal with this problem ever again – or at all.

So what does Kicksend 3.0 have to offer? It offers 100% private photo sharing to its users, a feature that has always been available as standard in previous versions. And it’s still as easy to use as ever, allowing users with little to no tech-savvy to start using it in no time at all.

Kicksend 3.0 also includes a couple of new features. First, there’s “Print to Family” which, as its name suggests, lets users print photos easily from wherever they are to family members who are logged in and using the app wherever they are as well. The makers of Kicksend have even partnered with Target and CVS, in addition to Walgreens, to provide easy printing of photos in any one of the 15,000 participating retail locations for maximum convenience and user satisfaction.

Kicksend on Android and iPhone

Through Print to Family, Kicksend users will be able to choose the photos they want to print, and then have their family members pick up the prints at the nearest Target, CVS, or Walgreens. As you can imagine, it’s extremely convenient and is going to be a huge time-saver.

The second new feature is unlimited photo sharing, which lets users share entire albums of photos with absolutely no limits on the number of photos that can be shared at all. Indeed, the previous limits have been lifted and now you can share as many photos as you like at a time with any and all Kicksend-compatible devices.

The latest version of Kicksend is available as a downloadable app for both Android and iOS through Google Play and the Apple App Store, respectively. There’s also a web-based version of Kicksend available at kicksend.com. Check out the full press release below for more information on Kicksend 3.0.

Show full PR text

Kicksend Unveils Version 3.0 of Its Mobile App with "Print to Family" and Unlimited Photo Sharing Features

  • Industry-First Retail Integration Feature Lets Kicksend Users Send Prints to Family Members' Nearest Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy and Target Stores
  • New Features and Full Visual Revamp Make It Even Easier for Users to Keep in Touch with Friends and Family

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (December 4, 2012) – Kicksend, a Y Combinator-backed company that helps people share photos privately with their loved ones, today unveiled version 3.0 of its Kicksend app for Android and iPhone, which includes a new "Print to Family" feature and the ability to share an unlimited number of high-res photos with family and friends.

Available as a free download, the Kicksend app includes upgrades and features that simplify the sharing of photos with family and friends around the world. Offering the privacy not afforded by social networks, Kicksend provides the solution to the difficulties many encounter with sending full-resolution photo albums via email or phone.

Among Kicksend 3.0's new features is Print to Family, a retail integration that enables users to send prints to their family and friends' nearest printing location. With this launch, Kicksend users are now able to print to CVS/pharmacy and Target stores, in addition to Walgreens, which was previously available. This brings the total number of Kicksend-integrated photo printing locations in the United States to more than 15,000.

With Print to Family, Kicksend users simply select the photos they want to send to their family for printing, at which point recipients receive a notification via SMS text message or email. Recipients then follow the link within the message, order prints in the sizes of their choice and pick up prints at the participating store nearest to them.

Kicksend 3.0 encourages constant sharing and eliminates the need to be tech-savvy through its simple interface. Other new features include:

Unlimited Photo Sharing – Kicksend users have no limitations on the number of high-resolution photos they can send at one time via the Android or iPhone mobile app and the Kicksend website.
Share Photo Albums – The latest version saves Kicksend users time by letting them conveniently send and print entire photo albums with a single tap, eliminating the need to tap on each photo individually.
Smart Album Grouping – Kicksend's smart dynamic cluster assembles users' photo libraries into specific albums based on the time and location in which the photos were taken. Users can then share or print these albums with one touch.
Send Photos to Any Phone – Kicksend users can also send photo albums to friends and family in their phone contacts, who then receive an SMS message inviting them to download and install the Kicksend app to view their photos securely and print to retail stores.
Set Weekly Reminders – Reminders can be set that automatically remind Kicksend users to send photos on a certain day of the week.
Photo Conversations – Kicksend users and recipients can now engage in conversations around photos that are shared through the application by commenting on any photo. Users can show their love with the ability to "heart" photos they particularly enjoy. Recipients may also initiate calls to the sender directly from each photo to express their thanks.
Optimized for Small Groups – Privacy is a priority in the latest update, which lets Kicksend users send photos to selected small groups of people they care about and collaborate around any photo album or photo within the group.

"With Kicksend 3.0, we've made the experience of keeping in touch with family through photos even more simple," said Pradeep Elankumaran, CEO and co-founder of Kicksend. "Now with Print to Family, users have the ability to quickly share hard copies of photos with their loved ones. Our goal is to help people stay in touch more easily, and with this update, Kicksend users both old and new will be delighted to see how effortlessly they can keep everyone in the loop."

As entrepreneurs living far away from their families, Kicksend's founders were frustrated with the limited options available for sharing their experiences through photos, along with these options' accompanying trade-offs – from file size to quality to overall usability. Designed as a better way to share large batches of photos, Kicksend is the complete photo sharing service for sending and printing high-res photos and staying in touch with the people you love.

For more information about Kicksend, please see the following:

Download the free Kicksend mobile app on Apple's App Store and Google Play at www.kicksend.com/apps.
View user testimonials at www.kicksend.com/testimonials.
View the Kicksend online press kit at http://www.kicksend.com/press.
Follow Kicksend on Facebookand Twitter.

About Kicksend

Kicksend helps people share photos privately with their loved ones, with apps for iPhone, Android and the web. Kicksend was founded in 2011 and is funded by True Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, Digital Garage, SV Angel, Start Fund and Jack Abraham (CEO of Milo.com). Kicksend’s offices are located in Mountain View, CA. For more information, visit Kicksend's website at http://kicksend.com.

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PlayCast cloud gaming service coming to U.S. in 2013

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:17 AM PST

Playcast Cloud Gaming
Is cloud gaming the future? PlayCast Media seems to think so. And it has set its sights on the U.S. with a plan to launch its very own cloud gaming service some time in Q3 2013.

As you may already know, cloud gaming is nothing new. An old, failed outfit called OnLive tried it unsuccessfully and in the end, it was met with financial woes that affected many, including HTC. In any case, PlayCast promises to be something different. As its tagline goes, it works. And it makes money.

So how does it work? PlayCast is going to become available either as a TV channel or an app that lets users play many major video game titles a la VOD or video on demand. It will be set up to work with a number of different platforms including pay TV offerings like satellite and cable TV, IPTV services like AT&T U-Verse, and over-the-top TV providers like Boxee and Google TV. Essentially, anyone can run it with nothing more than a TV and a compatible set-top box or a supported mobile device with no additional hardware required. Except for the controllers, of course.

PlayCast servers do all the number crunching in a remote location to serve up top-notch games like Dirt 3 and Batman Arkham Asylum. Up to 15 players can enjoy 720p HD resolution gaming simultaneously on a single server, so it scales quite well. And as for the game packages, it is said that these are expected to cost about $10-$15 a month with 15-20 games each.

PlayCast Media is currently taking care of the business end of things in preparation for its official launch in the U.S. in 2013. For now, you can check out a hands-on demonstration posted by Engadget as part of an interview with a couple of PlayCast Media execs at the Source link.

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Android and Me

Android and Me


Day 16: Win an unlocked HTC One X

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST

Day 16 is here 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 Account will need [...]

Visit our site to read the full article.

Android Central

Android Central


Android Central Stocking Stuffers week 2 winners

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 04:16 PM PST

Android CentralWe're into the third week of our month long Stuff Your Stocking contest here at Android Central, and that means that we have more winners to announce.

Last week we asked you to follow us on Youtube and comment on a video, and we've checked our list, rifled through our Youtube inbox, and picked winners for each day's contest. Each winner will need to check their Youtube inbox for all the details, but there's a $10 Google Play gift card with your name on it. I imagine everyone wants to know who those winners are, so let's get on with it!

  • timecop1080
  • laurel2510
  • elemental1
  • vmmini91
  • milton abaunza
  • what316austin1
  • sleepyhollow57

A big holiday congrats goes out to each of you from all of us here at Android Central, and we know you'll find something great in Google Play to spend your gift cards on. Plus, you're automatically entered to win a Nexus 4 from us!

Don't forget that starting tomorrow is a new week, and we have more gift cards to give away. Keep an eye on the blog for just how we're going to do that. Good luck, congrats to last week's winners, and thanks everyone for entering!



The Samsung Exynos kernel exploit - what you need to know

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 01:53 PM PST

Note 2

A new kernel exploit has been found (credit to alephzain at XDA) that affects some Samsung Exynos chipsets -- which happen to power many of Samsung's more popular phones. Normally kernel exploits don't make the rounds as news, but this time the word "malware" got attached to it so it has a bit of steam behind it.

Let's start this by reminding everyone that any app or program that roots your Android phone or jailbreaks your iOS device is malware by this definition. People really need to give up on that damn click-bait, and instead worry about educating people to help keep them safer. That's what we're going to try to do, so read on and lets have a look.

Source: XDA; More: Chainfire's ExynosAbuse root exploit thread

read more



The week in international Android news - Dec. 16, 2012

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 12:19 PM PST

Android Central

The holidays may be just around the corner, but the pace of news shows no sign of slowing. So here's another quick recap of the week's main Android events around the world. It's been a busy week packed with device launches on various UK  networks, app updates from Google and the BBC, as well as review and first impressions features here on AC.

Check past the break for this week's round-up.

read more



Google UK boss offers 'unreserved apology' for delayed Nexus 4 orders

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 09:39 AM PST

Android Central

Dan Cobley says pre-Christmas deliveries on track for this week, offers shipping refund for late orders

As we've reported in great detail over the past month, customers hoping to pick up the Nexus 4 directly from the Google Play Store haven't had the easiest time ordering the device. Even after dealing with a tumultuous ordering process, some in the UK have found that their orders had missed the shipping window they'd been given by Google Play.

As a result, some disgruntled customers decided to go straight to the top to get answers, reaching out to Google UK & Ireland Managing Director Dan Cobley on his Google+ page. Today Cobley has responded with an update on the situation, an apology to those affected, and a shipping refund for those whose orders had missed the quoted 3-5 day window. The bottom line is that orders with pre-Christmas shipping estimates should be processed in the coming week.

In his Google+ message, Cobley also addresses the subject of stock levels, saying supplies from Nexus 4 manufacturer LG have been "scarce and erratic." The first wave of Nexus 4 stock sold out in under an hour, and the second wave was back-ordered by over one month in under a day.

Check past the break for Cobley's message in full.

read more



Carphone Warehouse offering pre-Christmas deals on Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Posted: 16 Dec 2012 08:09 AM PST

Android Central

If you're in the market for an inexpensive tablet this Christmas time, be it for yourself or a loved one, Carphone Warehouse in the UK has just made the choice a little wider. Many -- including the Android Central staff -- would automatically recommend the Google Nexus 7. But, it's not for everyone. 

If you're more interested in a 10-inch tablet, the UK retailer has dropped the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to just £195 for the 16GB model. Better still, the tablet is still eligible for £50 cashback from Samsung too, making the net price just £145. At that price it's a potentially compelling purchase, and add to that the recent Jelly Bean rollout that started here in the UK, and it could make a great gift. It's by no means perfect, but it's cheaper than even the Nexus 7. It's limited to 2 per customer and it looks like stock is selling fast. It's currently out of stock online but we found a couple of our local stores with stock left. 

The Tab 2 isn't alone in the deals section either, as the 2nd Generation Amazon Kindle Fire has been reduced to just £98. As a content consuming device the Kindle Fire is a good choice, with built in LOVEFiLM streaming as well as Amazon's extensive content ecosystem. No Google Apps might be a deal-breaker for some, but at under £100 the Kindle Fire is a bonafide bargain.

Source: Carphone Warehouse (Tab 2 10.1) (Kindle Fire)

 



Best Buy offering Samsung Galaxy S3 for $49 for one day only on Sunday Dec. 16

Posted: 15 Dec 2012 08:13 PM PST

Android Central

If you fancy a little pre-holiday treat for yourself, Best Buy might have something for you. For one day only tomorrow, Sunday Dec. 16, the retailer is dropping the price of the Samsung Galaxy S3 to just $49 on a new 2-year contract. It's not the first time in recent months that the Android Central International and U.S. Best of the Best pick has been reduced. The difference this time round is that the Galaxy S3 will be available for that same price on the four big carriers. If you've been holding off, there might be little better opportunities to pick one up on the carrier of your choosing.

Source: @BBYNews 



Photo buffs - be sure to give Snapseed a good long look

Posted: 15 Dec 2012 08:02 PM PST

Snapseed on the Nexus 4

Like that old dog who is reluctant to learn new tricks, I may have written off the new Android Snapseed app a bit too soon. In our last podcast, I was quick to dismiss it as yet another hipster filter app, with controls that are too difficult to use on a phone. We all agreed that it's better on a tablet (and it still is -- real estate FTW) but after a bit of practice today -- inspired by Google Android engineer Tor Norbye -- I'm Loving it. With a capital L. 

Gesture based apps aren't really new, but most folks are used to controls and numbers being shown when editing photos. I know I am, but after actually trying it for a while, I've got the hang of it and can use the image adjustment tools that aren't grunge and other lo-fi dramatic effects. It's helpful for phones with less-than-stellar cameras like the Nexus 4, and really does a number when you're using something like the Galaxy S3 or One X.

Take a few and try it on some old pictures. Chances are you'll see what all the fuss is about and end up keeping it. Be sure to show them all off, and enter the photo contest with your result. Install it by clicking the link up top.