Android Authority

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• Kim Dotcom’s Mega launch a huge success so far, a MegaMovie service coming next?
• Korean Samsung Galaxy Camera LTE gets its firmware finally uploaded
• T-Mobile to have Valentine’s Day Sale and schedules a blackout period in April and May
• Instagram’s Terms of Service disaster could come to an end today
• Xperia Z, Xperia ZL to feature display calibration software, report says
• Sprint offers BOGO deal on LG Optimus G
• Non-Nexus Android 5.0 Kie Lime Pie Motorola X 5-inch smartphone coming at Google I/O?
• Google tops Fortune’s Top 100 best companies to work for
• Carbon app latest beta adds Dropbox support, more features
• Android Authority’s Best of CES 2013 online

Kim Dotcom’s Mega launch a huge success so far, a MegaMovie service coming next? Posted: 19 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST By now just about everyone has heard about Kim Dotcom’s newest venture, the Mega file storage site. It’s been the talk of the internet all day today. The numbers seem to indicate that it was a mammoth success. According to Kim Dotcom’s Twitter account, the service has over 250,000 registered users already with 100,000 in the first hour. The servers are at full load and things are just going so well. What’s making this such a success? There are several factors. First and foremost, new members are getting 50GB of free cloud storage upon signing up. That’s always a good start. Another factor is the site’s crazy good encryption. According to The Verge’s Kimber Streams, this is to help protect both the users and Mega itself. Due to the encryption, the service doesn’t have access to the content being uploaded. This helps indemnify Mega to prevent the kinds of problems MegaUpload had. With the encryption and all that free storage, it’s hard to say no to Kim Dotcom’s Mega. Some have even suggested that it could compete with very popular services like Dropbox. Currently, Mega doesn’t have all the features that Dropbox has, but we’re all but certain features will be implemented as time goes. However, they’re off to a good start by making the interface and using the site pretty easy. To upload files, simply drag and drop them. Is Kim Dotcom going to be launching a matching movie service? That will be the question of the second half of today. A few hours ago, Kim Dotcom posted this tweet to the MPAA. The picture suggests that this service could be made available whenever Kim Dotcom wants, so this could be something available soon. Where all the files are coming from is unclear. Distributing copyrighted content like that is what got MegaUpload busted. So we’re sure there is a plan in place to prevent that from happening to Mega. So what is everyone’s take on this? Has anyone given it a try yet? Perhaps the most important question, can anyone see this replacing popular file storage services like Dropbox? Let us know what you think of Mega. Related Posts Bitcasa cloud storage service goes mobile with native apps for Android and other platforms Dropbox reaches 100 million users, still going full speed ahead MegaCloud: Android app for mega-size cloud storage and multimedia streaming on the go

Korean Samsung Galaxy Camera LTE gets its firmware finally uploaded Posted: 19 Jan 2013 12:15 PM PST Usually people jump for joy when there is an update. Not typically when a firmware is made available for the first time. Getting some new Android with new features can make an old device feel new again while the current firmware isn’t all that important. Unless you need it for something, like a factory reset. Then it’s essential. The Korean Samsung Galaxy Camera stock firmware is now available for download. Those good Samsung fanatics over at SamMobile have found and uploaded the firmware for anyone to use. It’s for the EK-KC120S model of the Galaxy Camera. Here are some of the stats of the firmware according to SamMobile: Model: EK-KC120S Productcode: EK-KC120SRWDSKT PDA: KC120SKSALL4 CSC: KC120SSKTALI1 MODEM: KC120SKSALL4 Of course, there are some things people should know before going nuts with the firmware. If at all possible, use Samsung Kies or the stock factory reset function before trying this. Also, don’t use this firmware on any other Galaxy Camera besides the EK-KC120S as it could cause a bricked device. Where can I get the Galaxy Camera firmware? If you’ve read the warnings and want it anyway, it’s easy to find. Simply head over to SamMobile’s firmware page and search for the device model. It should show up as a South America and Android 4.1.2. From there, just download it. If you need it, check the links above. Has anyone been waiting for some stock firmware to play with? Related Posts Samsung Galaxy Camera goes on sale in Canada for $599 Root the Samsung Galaxy S2 Running Android 2.3.6 Firmware Build XWKL1 Samsung Galaxy Camera with LTE arrives at Verizon on December 13th

T-Mobile to have Valentine’s Day Sale and schedules a blackout period in April and May Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to start looking forward to the rest of the holidays this year. As per the norm, companies will tossing deals on holidays year round. T-Mobile demonstrates this by already having a plan for Valentine’s Day. As PhoneDog’s Alex Wagner reports, T-Mobile is setting up for Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t a leap in logic to assume they would be doing something. After all, T-Mobile tosses a deal every year on Valentine’s Day. They’re usually pretty good, too. So far, the deal itself is still hush hush. There are no details as to what is going on sale, for how long, or which days exactly. Of course, it’s very likely that T-Mobile will once again push their best smartphones like the Galaxy S III, Nexus 4, and the Galaxy Note II. So if you’ve been waiting for a high end smartphone, then start making plans for Valentine’s Day. So what’s up with this T-Mobile blackout period? TMo News describes the blackout as a four week period where employees won’t get vacations. So the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of May, employees aren’t going anywhere. This is indicative of a huge event that will require everyone be present. What it is exactly is anyone’s guess. Rumor has it that the Samsung Galaxy S IV will ship around then. There is also rumor floating around that this also falls into the time frame where T-Mobile will start carrying the iPhone 5. These are all unsubstantiated rumors, but the blackout does point to something big happening. T-Mobile seems to have a lot up their sleeves for the first half of 2013. Is anyone going to be taking advantage of the Valentine’s Day sale? Or is everyone going to wait for April? Related Posts T-Mobile Black Friday sale: Galaxy Note 2 for $199, HTC One S for free, and loads more T-Mobile USA denies April Cupcake update for G1 T-Mobile Valentine's Day Sale

Instagram’s Terms of Service disaster could come to an end today Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST Instagram has had an interesting last couple of months. A little background for those that may not know is that Instagram changed their Terms of Service recently. They stated that they could essentially sell your personal photos to other companies. The worry was that deeply personal photos could end up on the front of a website as someone else’s ad. Today, Instagram could be ending it. Instagram hasn’t been helping their case much. As early as yesterday, Instagram posted likely bogus stats claiming they didn’t lose any users during this fiasco. One sure way to keep your fans angry is to call the ones who quit not important. The Verge’s Chris Welch reports today that Instagram is due to change their Terms of Service once again to end the problem. Is Instagram going to continue selling photos of people? We’ll know later today, that’s for sure. It has been reported that the company will retain its right to share its photos with its parent company, Facebook. Otherwise, they claim they have no intention of selling any photos. Of course, as many of our readers have pointed out, the best way to keep your photos safe is to simply get rid of Instagram. Will this new ToS smooth things over or is it time to leave the photo sharing giant? Let us know what you decided to do in the comments! Related Posts Instagram denies sudden drop in users over terms of service fiasco Skype updates its terms of service, slips in details about Video Messaging OnLive acquired after mass layoffs, service will continue

Xperia Z, Xperia ZL to feature display calibration software, report says Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:17 AM PST The Android star of the beginning of the year, the Xperia Z, and its Xperia ZL brother will hit stores in the coming months, and while we though we knew everything there was to know about them it looks like we may have missed at least one particular feature. Both phones are reportedly going to arrive with display calibration software on board, which means that their owners will be able to independently customize the look of their screens. According to details provided by SECafe, white balance, color saturation and hue can be manually set on the new Xperia ZL, but considering that the Xperia ZL is essentially a slightly downgraded Xperia Z, it's only logical to see the same display calibration options on the top 2013 Xperia handset as well. We'll have to wait and see whether the feature will indeed be available on the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL, because we could also be looking at a prototype in the image above, running custom software. Is display calibration important to you? Would you want to have such features on more Android devices? Related Posts Learn everything there is to learn about the Xperia Z/ZL from these 18 videos from Sony CES 2013: first look at the Sony Xperia ZL O2 Xperia Z to launch in February, purple exclusive color option included

Sprint offers BOGO deal on LG Optimus G Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:54 AM PST If you're looking to get a pair of quad-core smartphones that have, let's say, similar specs to a certain Nexus phone that's a little bit hard to come by, you might want to consider grabbing the phone that the Nexus 4 is based on – the LG Optimus G. As part of Sprint's BOGO offer, you can get two LG Optimus G handsets for the price of one. Simply purchase the phone on a two-year contract for $200, the second Optimus G will be yours for free. Of course, the second device requires a separate two-year service agreement with Sprint. You may already know the ins and outs of the Optimus G, but here's a quick rundown of its specs. The flagship device boasts a 4.7-inch True HD IPS+ display and is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and Adreno 320 GPU. It has 2GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage, 13MP main camera, 1.3MP front-facing cam, LTE, a 2,100mAh battery, and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich on board – though an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is just around the corner. The promotion will run until February 28. If you’re interested, hit the link below to take advantage of the sweet offer. Related Posts Sprint's BOGO promotion starts on December 7, includes the Samsung Galaxy S3 LG Optimus G for Sprint and AT&T drops to $99.99 with Amazon Wireless LG Optimus G pre-orders now available with Sprint, for those willing to shell out $199.99

Non-Nexus Android 5.0 Kie Lime Pie Motorola X 5-inch smartphone coming at Google I/O? Posted: 19 Jan 2013 05:45 AM PST We were talking about Nexus and non-Nexus devices just the other day, trying to help new Android users understand some of the differences between stock Android and custom Android ROMs depending on what handsets these OS variations equip. At the time, we told you that Google is yet to call on Motorola, its own subsidiary, to make a Motorola Nexus and wondered whether 2013 is finally the year when this will happen. So far, the only existing Nexus 5 rumors concern LG, the same company that made the Nexus 4, although the South Korean group denied these allegations since they first appeared. As for Motorola, the company is rumored to work on a Motorola X project, and now we have more unconfirmed details on it. According to Droid Forums, the Motorola X will not be a Verizon-only handset like so many Droids before it, but it will be a multi-carrier smartphone. In fact, its name is not known at this time and it probably won't be Droid-branded. But it looks like this isn't going to be the Nexus 5 either. Whatever Google and Motorola call it, it appears that the X Phone will feature a 5-inch edge-to-edge display. That’s not entirely surprising considering that Motorola  knows how to make bezelless smartphones, on one hand, but also considering the sheer number of 5-inch devices that will hit the market in the coming months, on the other hand. Most interestingly though, the handset will be running Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie right out of the box. That means that yes, Google has to unveil the Motorola X during its mid-May Google I/O event, which is definitely exciting news especially since the X won't be part of the Nexus family, if these rumors are to be believed. But even though it won't be a Nexus, it will look and feel like a Nexus: [...] while this will not be a Nexus device, supposedly, Motorola has been working hard to create a UI that both compliments & enhances the Android experience, and is intended to be Nexus-like. Additionally, they are working on a variety of software add-ons to improve the functionality of the device further, much like several of Samsung’s software features, like S Beam for example. Like we always do with wild rumors, we'll tell you that nothing is confirmed at this time, as it comes from unnamed "hidden friends in high places within the industry." But we'll definitely keep tabs on the Motorola X in the following months leading to Google I/O 2013. Related Posts Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie, Motorola Nexus and Droid RAZR X spotted in wildest rumor yet 4.7-inch LG Nexus smartphone coming soon, is it an LG Optimus G variant? Fourth-gen Google Nexus smartphone coming by the end of the year?

Google tops Fortune’s Top 100 best companies to work for Posted: 19 Jan 2013 05:43 AM PST Meneame/Flickr If Google were a country, it'd have no problem charting high on the Gross National Happiness index. As a tech company, its 34,311 employees have spoken: they all love working for Google so much that for the fourth time in a row, Fortune magazine has placed Google, Inc. on top of its list of the 100 best companies to work for. The Top 100 list is quite diverse and features companies from a wide range of industries, but what makes Google quite the catch? According to the publication, Google's employees received "100,000 hours of subsidized massages" in 2012 alone. Meanwhile, the New Year should bring "three wellness centers and a seven-acre sports complex, which includes a roller hockey rink; courts for basketball, bocce, and shuffle ball; and horseshoe pits." Are you reconsidering your career choice? We won’t blame you. If Google isn’t within reach, you can also consider other high-charting companies. The rest of Top 5 consist of SAS, CHG Healthcare Services, The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., and Wegmans Food Markets. In case you’re wondering, there’s no sign of AAPL on the list. Related Posts HTC sees another bad quarter, will M7 change its fortunes? Google’s Chrome browser doesn’t work on the new Motorola RAZR i Foreign telecom companies to control almost half of U.S. wireless market

Carbon app latest beta adds Dropbox support, more features Posted: 19 Jan 2013 04:12 AM PST Being released as a beta just a couple of days ago, Carbon has created quite the buzz online amongst those who long for a solid cloud-based backup solution, one that also allows users to sync app data between multiple Android devices. Cloud-wise, the app initially only lets you save your apps and data backup to Google Drive, but the latest beta comes with the promised Dropbox support. Aside from that, the new Carbon allows you to save apps in batches and select all apps for backup. If you’re only looking to make a backup of the app data, you can now do so. Carbon only works on rooted Android devices for now. But Koushik Dutta – the developer — has promised that the next beta will support non-rooted phones and tablets. You can grab the APK for latest Carbon version right here. However, note that it'll only work until January 25. Expect one last beta to drop before we see the app making it to Google Play. How's your experience using Carbon so far? Related Posts ClockworkMOD developer releases Carbon, a cloud based backup tool for Android Dropbox adds new image related features to its Android beta Dolphin Browser Beta: Version 1.2 with Android 4.2 support and new features

Android Authority’s Best of CES 2013 online Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:16 AM PST We are a week removed from the Consumer Electronics Show of 2013. The dust had time to settle, we had some time to digest all the new things that came out of fabulous Las Vegas, and we even got time to physically heal (yes, two of AA's brightest have gone down sick during the convention). Our CES 2013 coverage was pretty extensive, and we like to think that we've provided good reporting on almost all important developments from CES. But, behind all the posts and videos, the Versus pieces and the Roundup pieces, there's always a fair share of bloopers, accidents, or simply stuff that just wasn't interesting enough for full coverage. Our Joshua Vergara (one of those who battled sickness, not only the madhouse that is CES) was the man behind the camera at the show, responsible for many of the great videos you can see on our YouTube channel. Here's his Best of CES 2013 video, where he collected some of the stuff you didn't see in out earlier CES videos. Check it out! See you at MWC 2013 in Barcelona! Related Posts Android Authority On Air – Episode 46 – CES 2013 Recap Sony announces free 50GB online storage for Xperia devices for lifetime Galaxy S4 official announcement MIA at CES 2013, just as expected

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