Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority


Galaxy S4 model number or high-end TIZEN smarpthone confirmed: GT-I9500

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 06:08 PM PST

Samsung-Galaxy-S4

Samsung is said to sell over half a billion cell phones next year, with almost 400 million of those being smartphones. Obviously, we expect Android to be the main mobile OS for Samsung's 2013 smartphones, although other operating systems such as Windows Phone and TIZEN will also equip some of them.

Sam Mobile seems to have confirmed a model number for the next flagship Samsung smartphone, the GT-I9500, which will run either Android or TIZEN.

According to the online publication, the GT-I9500 could very well be the Galaxy S4 because the number 4 is apparently unlucky in South Korea – the Galaxy S3's model number is I9300 – and therefore Samsung would skip I9400 in favor of I9500 (I9505 for the LTE version). It also seems that Samsung hasn't used the number 4 in high-end devices.

At the same time, we could be looking at Samsung's first TIZEN handset here, even though that may not sound as interesting to Android fans.

No matter what handset model we'd be looking at, it's worth mentioning that Samsung is reportedly testing software for the two handset versions, GT-I9500 and GT-I9505, as follows:

Model: GT-I9500
I9500XXALL1/I9500OXAALL1/I9500XXALK3
Model: GT-I9505 (Probably LTE version)
I9505XXALL1/I9505OXAALL1/I9505XXALK7

Will you buy a Samsung smartphone next year, or are you interested in trying out something else?

What can we expect in our mobile future?

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 05:48 PM PST

Android_Collectibles

It seems we're always looking for the next thing in the world of mobile technology. We get the best thing available and crown it king, only to find there is a usurper to the throne lurking around the corner. Maybe this one has a bigger screen, or a bigger processor. Will it have more memory? We operate in the cloud…so does that even matter? More importantly, will it ever end?

Let’s take a minute to consider what the future holds for us. We’ve become enamored with all the goodies we can get in a device, but where will it end?

The Screen

As we prepare ourselves for CES 2013, news is oozing out that Samsung will have flexible displays ready for us to play with. Yes, those displays you see in commercials where it looks like they're holding a piece of cellophane are real. Not quite the same as the ad, i'm sure, but close enough. So, does that mean the display and, by virtue, the cell phone of the future will be like having a piece of heavy card-stock paper in your pocket?

Our phones now have densities so high that we can't readily see the pixels with the naked eye during normal use. Studies show that anything over 300ppi is moot to the naked eye, yet we keep getting higher and higher with pixel density. Why is that? The same reason we climb mountains; because we can. Pixel density on small screens is directly related to resolution, and we're all guilty of falling in love with resolution.

So what can we expect in the near future? I don't think the flexible display will be what we think of it. That technology is best served as a feature on a "regular" device, not as a standalone. A flexible display has a lot of promise, but it won't be the end-all which those cute commercials tell us it is. A flexible display on a normal device could do such things as pinpoint haptic feedback or build textures, which has a lot more to offer a greater number of people.

While screen resolution gets better and better, companies will probably start to concentrate on their color quality rather than pixel density. Put five different devices side by side, and you will have five different shades of black. This is already a point of contention amongst users, and I look to the manufacturers to narrow the gap here.

Battery 600

The Battery

Not that long ago, a cell phone battery would last for days. All of us that had the old technology lament the battery life we get now. At best I get a full day out of my Nexus 4, which is sadly normal amongst devices now. I haven't had a smartphone yet that will last all day and through the night, which doesn't seem very smart to me.

This category has the most promise, and the biggest risk. Batteries are not known for a long life span, or to keep up performance throughout. Their whole existence is a downhill slide into the recycling bin, slowly disappointing us more and more each day. We quietly hate them, but forgive them as we know the issue is not really them, it's the device…and us.

A device battery is the final frontier on the hardware side of things. It's the one thing inside your device that has seen almost no improvements. A study at Northwestern University last year yielded a cellphone battery that "charges in 15 minutes and stays charged for more than a week." I let out a Keanu Reeves "whoa" when I read that. Imagine the convenience of a device that will stay charged for days on end! There is all kinds of new technology being developed for batteries, but we haven't seen it in our devices yet. Why not?

Manufacturers have been slow to implement change in batteries because of manufacturing cost, but I believe they will begin to institute change soon. As devices get bigger and badder, the battery must follow suit…and let's be honest, at this point if there was a device that could stay charged with normal usage for a few days and remain slim and sexy, we'd jump all over it.

Hardware 600

The hardware

As batteries see the least improvement, hardware sees the most improvement…and for the same reason; manufacturing cost. The cost of building a new processor or smaller memory is minute in comparison, so we see upgrades here all the time. We have devices that can do much of what our computer at home is capable of, and a lot of that has to do with hardware specs…but where does it end?

I think we're seeing a levelling-off point here. We've got all kinds of wonderful things like NFC, LTE, quad-core processors, lots of memory, etc. wrapped up in these tiny devices. Hardware is tangible, it has mass. We are at an impasse consolidating fast with sleek. We can't continue to get a slimmer, lighter device that will continually build on performance.

Luckily, the much ballyhooed "cloud" takes care of a large part of the memory concern, but there is a faction of people who don't feel comfortable with anything less than 32GB or so of on-board storage, which is where I think we can expect devices to hold their ground. In terms of processors, we now have quad core devices with 8-core right around the corner (rumored to be in the Samsung Galaxy S4). If each is double the speed of it's predecessor, processors will be much like displays; we will get to a point we can't really tell anymore. Expect to see 16-core processors in a year or two, but not much beyond that.

Camera 600

The camera

The camera is a huge deal to any cell phone user. I make the distinction here with "cell phone" rather than "device" because, well, taking pictures with a tablet is awkward and should not be encouraged.

The inclusion of cameras on cell phones was originally kind of annoying because the camera was horrible. Now that we have 8MP cameras, it's pretty great. We no longer take cameras with us to special occasions because the camera on our phone will do a more than adequate job. We have our phones, which take great pics and very decent video…so why carry another device?

The cell phone camera will get better, but there is a limit to what can be done with such a small hardware footprint. We can comfortably get 8 megapixels with the rear camera, but that's not enough for us. With the advances we're seeing with hardware, we can expect the same with cameras. While 8MP is great, 12MP or 16MP would be perfect. A phone will never really be a camera, but it can come really close!

We should also expect to see improvements with the front-facing camera. The front-facing camera can be used for much more than those lame self-pics we're all guilty of, and once things like skype chats or hangouts become part of our routine, we will want a better front-facing camera. I don't think a 4MP front facing camera is far fetched or far off.

Future 600

Conclusion

Keep in mind that while I'm discussing the "future" of devices, I'm only talking about the next two years or so. It would be silly to project any further, because this industry simply moves too fast to be predictable. If you come back in 2 years and read this article on your 64-core device with a 12-inch screen that folds up like a napkin, I won't be shocked. Jealous, maybe…but not shocked.

As an observer and lover of technology, I think the one thing not discussed is the one thing that will drive this discussion…but there is no way to predict it. I'm talking about services. Services drive our devices, plain and simple. A device is little more than a gateway to services, and should be thought of as much. It's why you have the slim, light, cool devices you do. Imagine if app data had to be loaded into the memory, or those games you love required a cartridge. You'd be lugging around half a suitcase all day!

Services comprise everything you love about your device, whether it be checking your email, writing a quick to-do list, or playing a first-person shooter game…those are all services. What will the future bring us in terms of services? It's scary to think about. With so many bright developers and studios bringing us such a diversity of offerings, only time will tell what we will see.

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New HTC Droid DNA ad released by Verizon, says the device is an upgrade to yourself

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 05:29 PM PST

htc-droid-dna-verizon-ad-1

The recently launched HTC Droid DNA (see our in-depth review here) stars in a fresh new Verizon commercial entitled "Extra Sensory."

In it, the carrier emphasizes the Droid DNA's main features, presenting the device not as "an upgrade to your phone, but as an upgrade to yourself." Obviously, the whole DNA thing is exploited in the 30-second commercial, so don't be surprised to find phrases like "vision expanding to 5-inch 1080p HD display and camera," "touch acquiring NFC" or "hearing evolving with Beats audio."

The HTC Droid DNA, known as the J Butterfly / Butterfly in other markets, is definitely one of the best HTC Android devices out there, but is it enough for the Taiwan-based Android maker to help it recover lost ground in the Android ecosystem?

2013 will certainly drive competition among top Android rivals to new levels, and we can only hope HTC will put up a great fight.

Have you purchased a Droid DNA yet?

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32GB Oppo Find 5 model confirmed, Chinese Android smartphone coming to multiple markets in Q1 2013

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 04:56 PM PST

32gb-oppo-find-5-facebook

The Oppo Find 5 is one Chinese Android smartphone that we have extensively covered this year, especially in the recent weeks, as we had a chance to offer you an extensive hands-on preview of the device.

And now we have some good news for you for Android smartphone buyers that are interested in getting this particular handset in the following weeks. The company has confirmed via its Facebook page that the Find 5 will be available in a 32GB version, which will cost $569 in the U.S., or $70 more than the 16GB model.

In addition to America, the phone will ship officially to a variety of countries in Q1 2013 including, in spite of what you may have initially heard: Canada, UK, Spain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, Malaysia, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, Greece, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Japan and Hong Kong.

In fact, it looks like this is only a partial list of markets for the handset, so more countries will get the handset next year. As for the ones above, Engadget tells us that Oppo will try to launch the device "as close to the early January China launch as possible," although we don't have any official release dates yet.

Are you buying an Oppo Find 5 next year?

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New $99 Acer Iconia tablet coming early 2013

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST

Acer

If you read the headline and thought “Another tablet?”, you may be on to something. As previously reported, Acer’s submission of a tablet device to the FCC is expected to hit shelves in the first quarter of 2013. The tablet, which has the potential to be competitive with Amazon’s Kindle, may not be coming to the U.S. at all. A person with direct knowledge of the situation said Acer is planning to target emerging countries before making a decision on whether to bring the tablet (reportedly named the Iconia B1) to the U.S. market.

This may be a very smart move by Acer. With a very crowded tablet market here in the U.S. that gets deeper every day, a budget tablet may get lost in the shuffle. While we love our low cost electronics, something as plain as this may be lost on us. Reportedly aimed at the Chinese market, this could be a huge win for Acer. China is a huge country with a lot of potential for growth. Getting into the Chinese market with a popular device at this point would be wonderful for any company.

Would a $99 tablet be something you could see yourself purchasing?

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Android and Me

Android and Me


Day 25: Win a Nexus 7 (32GB), HTC One X+ (AT&T LTE), Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, Sonos Play:3, Sonos Bridge, and Jawbone JAMBOX

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST

Ho ho holy crap we’re finally to the last giveaway of the 25 Days of Tegra and we’re about to melt some faces. Just like last year, since our final giveaway is so huge, and because we’re afraid some of you are probably off spending time with your families (what?!), we’ve...

Visit our site to read the full article.

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


Protect your new Android in style with our Cruzerlite $10 Giftcard Giveaway

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 05:59 PM PST

This image has no alt text

Merry Christmas, Phandroids! Hopefully you were good this year and Santa brought you everything you asked for. Those of you that were really good, you may have even received a shiny new Android device under your tree. Chances are, you’re going to want to keep it shiny and blemish-free, and there’s no better way to do that than with a protective case. Good thing Cruzerlite is here to make sure your device is protected in style and it doesn’t matter if yours is a Christmas newborn, or if it has a few months under its belt.

With so many Android options out there, it wouldn’t be much of a Christmas giveaway if we committed to a single device. Thankfully, Cruzerlite was nice enough to accommodate, giving us 10 coupon codes to giveaway to our readers for use on whichever case they’d like. Nexus 4? You’re covered. Galaxy S3? You’re good too. Two-handed Galaxy Note 2? Come on down.

To enter, it’s simple. Simply leave us a comment down below with how you and your family spent the holidays and we’ll pick 10 random participants sending them a coupon code for $10-off the Cruzerlite case of their choice from their Amazon storefront (it’s like a $10 giftcard). Just make sure your Disqus account is registered with some kind of email address (so we can easily contact you). Merry Christmas everyone and have a great rest of your holiday. Here’s to many more.

[Cruzerlite on Amazon]

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums


Best looking apps for your new Android device

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 11:49 AM PST

Did you get a new Android device for the holidays? Congratulations! Here’s a list of some our favorite and best looking apps for your new device. Check them out and let us know how you like them!

Social Networks:

Facebook - Everyone has Facebook, so check out the newly released native android app with much improved speeds and easier navigation.

Google+ – Google+ is one of the best looking and most fluid social networking apps currently available in the market. If you haven’t yet joined the growing social network, this app is a good excuse to jump in with both feet.

Falcon Pro / Plume – Twitter has a pretty decent native application, but if you’re looking for something with a little more eye candy, then try out either Falcon Pro or Plume. Both are very well designed and fully functional. Also check out the Falcon widget (a separate app) for some beautiful home screen Twitter action.

Path / lnstagram – If you’re into photo sharing, these are the best and most beautiful photo sharing apps out there.

Snapseed – Speaking of photos, Snapseed (recently acquired by Google) is a beautiful and full featured photo-editing software. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything more robust then Snapseed when it comes to editing capabilities.

Pinterest – If you’re a girl (or a man who likes girly things), check out the very well designed Pinterest app, so you can keep all your recipes and house decorating ideas in one place.

 

 

Reading:

Press / Feedly / Pulse – If you’re a big Google Reader user you’ll LOVE these gorgeously designed reader apps that link into your Google Reader account. Each one is different, but excellent. Try all three!

Flipboard – The famed Flipboard is like an ever-changing magazine with all of your favorite categories of content.

Zite – Zite is also a content discovery app. Choose the categories you enjoy most and Zite will find articles that it thinks you’ll like. You can rate the articles after you read them and the app will feed you better content over time.

Bible – If you’re a searching for a good looking app to read the Christmas story with your family, there is no better looking Bible application than Life Church.TV’s Bible app.

Pocket – Pocket is a beautiful “save it for later” reader. If you find content you want to read, but don’t have time, just save it to Pocket where you can read it at a more convenient time…even if you’re phone/tablet is “offline”.

Kindle - Kindle is a beautifully designed e-reader that syncs all of your highlights, bookmarks and last page read across all of your Kindle applications and devices.

Google Books - Google Books recently got a design update and is now one of the cleanest, most elegant readers you will find. It’s great if you haven’t already bought into the Amazon Kindle ecosystem.

News - If you enjoy reading Google News, but don’t like their bland site layout, News is a simple but elegant Google News app.

News Republic for Tablets- News Republic is another good looking news app design specifically for tablets. It also lets you read articles from different categories of interest. It has some nice animations and eye candy.

Google Currents - Google Current’s is Google’s competitor to Flipboard. Looks good and works well (but don’t let it cause lag on your device!)

Talk Android - Of course you’re a Talk Android reader! Check out our new official Talk Android app!

 

 

Listening:

Google MusicLooks great and syncs all of your Google Music directly to your device, so you don’t need to store anything on the SD card.

Double Twist PlayerDouble Twist knows how to design incredibly beautiful apps. This music player is one of them! Lots of features, and even more can be purchased in app.

PowerAmpAnother popular music player is PowerAmp. Be sure to check out our PowerAmp giveaway. We are giving away fully licenced versions to 15 lucky readers.

Pocket CastsIf you love listening to podcasts, Pocket Casts is the most eye-pleasing podcast app I have found to date. Looks great and works well.

Spotify / Rdio / Pandora –  Music streaming has turned into a big business, and these three apps come from the top contenders in the catagory. Grab all three and see which one you like best.

TuneIn RadioTunein Radio lets you listen to radio stations from across the world. It is totally free and is very well designed.

 

 

Productivity: 

SwiftKey 3 –  There is nothing more productive than speeding up your typing. SwiftKey does exactly that by predicting your next word for you. It is extremely accurate and gets better over time. Not only does it work great, but it looks great as well, with multiple themes.

Chrome – Hands down the best browser in the universe. The end.

Eye in SkyEye in Sky won top honors in our Best Weather Widgets rundown, and rightly so. This is the best looking weather app that you’ll find for Android.

Evernote – Keep all your ideas and notes in one place with this great looking app. Syncs to all your devices that have Evernote installed.

Mint - A beautiful and super functional financing app that puts all your financial data in one place and gives you a break down of spending, income, net worth and more.

Wunderlist / Any.do – If you love “To-Do” lists, then you’l love Wunderlist and Any.do. Check out both of them, but we personally like Wunderlist because they have apps and webapps across all devices and platforms.

Expedia – Travel a lot? Expedia just got a major makeover and it looks great!

Flight Tracker – Speaking of traveling, Flight Tracker is the most beautiful way to see when your loved ones’ flights are arriving.

Google Translate - Traveling overseas for the holidays? Google Translate not only looks great, but works awesome as well. Speak into it, and it’ll automatically translate your sentance into another language and speak it for you! Wow! You live in the future!

Craigslist for Android (CLapp)If you’re a big Craigslist shopper (or poster), this is the most beautiful craigslist app that we’ve found. It has fully adopted Androids new design language and it looks great!

Zenfield File Manager – There are many great looking File Manager apps on the market, but Zenfield looks most like a “stock Android” app, which is why it made our list.

Timer / Minu Timer / Hybrid StopwatchTimer, Minu Timer and Hybrid Stopwatch are all excellent time keeping tools.

Double Twist Alarm Clock – Speaking of time, if you want a beautiful clock to wake up to in the morning, there is nothing more elegant than Double Twist’s offering.

 

Lifestyle:

TED Talks – If you want to expand your mind, check out Ted Talks app. It is very well designed and follows all of Android’s new design cues.

BBC Good Food - Here is a new and beautiful cooking app for Android.

Nike + Running - Feeling fat from all the holiday food? Grab this beautiful app and hit the streets. It’ll tell you how far and fast you ran, as well as how many calories you burned. Get to it!

 

That’s it for now. Those are our picks for the most beautiful Android apps currently available. We hope this list got you started on a fun new adventure with your Android device! If you’ve found any beautiful apps that you think we forgot, add them to the comments. Happy holidays everyone!

 


Oppo Releases The Ulike 2, Comes Decked Out With A 5MP Front-Facing Camera

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 07:12 AM PST

 

Chinese manufacturer OPPO has just released a new device called the Ulike 2. This beast features a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 LCD screen, 16GB of on-board storage and is powered by Ice Cream Sandwich. While the device doesn’t sound like anything too exciting, here’s the kicker– the device features a full-fledged 5MP front-facing camera complimented by items like a countdown timer and face slimming among other things. Pretty freakin’ impressive indeed, right?

In case you’re wondering— no, the device won’t break the bank too much. The device is available in Chinese markets for a mere $370 USD. It’s a fairly small price to pay for a device with a better FFC than most other devices, right?

source: Engadget


ZTE Grand X gets spied at FCC, headed to T-Mobile

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:14 PM PST

A few months ago ZTE launched the mid range Grand X over in Europe. Now it seems ZTE and T-Mobile have plans to bring the phone across the pond to the US. The international version of the phone had some decent specs including a stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich experience, a 4.3-inch QHD screen, 512MB of RAM, a 1 GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, and a 5MP camera, so we expect the US version to have the same. Of course, these aren’t exactly top of the line specs, but this isn’t meant to be a top of the line phone. We’ll more than likely see this released in the next few months with a very reasonable, lower-end price tag. I’m sure there are many people who wouldn’t mind having a phone like this…just probably not our readers.

Source: FCC


LG To Bring Line Of Google TV 3.0 Devices In 2013

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:24 PM PST

Korean electronics giant LG, announced it will bring a new line of big screen TVs with Google TV 3.0 in the first half of 2013. The smart TVs, ranging in size from 42-inch up to 60-inch, will include a voice search functionality LG is saying will go beyond simple voice input to near magic-remote control levels. Users will be able to perform broad voice queries like “Will Smith new action movie coming out” and the TV will respond with a list of likely results. Quick Guide and Prime Time features will allow users to search for content and continue watching at the same time.

The new line also gets a new remote which will have a microphone, QWERTY keyboard and will be capable of gesture input. For those of you/us who didn’t jump on the Ouya Android gaming consoles, the new remote will work with OnLive on Google TV to help get you your gaming fix. We’ll get our first look at the new sets next month at CES (Consumer Electronic Show).

Source: LG Newsroom