Android Authority |
- First Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 image “leaks”. Real or fake?
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for Sony Xperia S gets previewed ahead of release
- 1Weather app adds tablet support with refined UI
- Galaxy S4 announcement set for March at U.S. Mobile Unpacked event, report claims
- LG makes the Optimus G Pro official in Japan, it features a 5 inch 1080p screen
- Micromax to launch Canvas HD in India in February, a quad-core 5-inch Jelly Bean phone for $280
- 11 HTC Droid DNA Tips & Tricks
- Cherry Mobile Cruize: $110 can buy you a 5.2 inch phablet in the Philippines
- Galaxy S4 to be a no-show at MWC 2013, Samsung’s JK Shin reveals
- LG Optimus G with Jelly Bean hitting over 50 markets starting this January
| First Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 image “leaks”. Real or fake? Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:47 AM PST
Initially thought to be a 7-inch Note, Samsung's GT-N5100 tablet has increased in size last week, courtesy of a source close to Sam Mobile. The new Galaxy Note 8.0 has earlier today been confirmed, but the questions still stand on the slate's design and spec sheet. With the official intro looming and with an MWC showing next month almost a certainty, it was obvious we had to keep our eyes peeled for new info. Which we did, although to be honest we weren't expecting a pic to be spilled so fast. The above image is supposedly a press render of the Note 8.0, according to the @ClasificateArg Twitter account. At a first glance, we have no reason to doubt the credibility of this leak, but if we pay attention to a couple of details we'll notice a few things are off. First, what's up with the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 mention on the home screen? Even if you don't think it's very unusual to see an ad for a gadget on a whole different gadget (which we definitely do), you still have to admit it's bizarre for a tablet that's supposed to come out in 2013 to make a reference at a 2012 slate.
Digging even deeper in that weird home screen, we can't help but notice everything about it looks awfully familiar. Which is probably because it's a one-one-one copy of the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 screen as shown by Samsung in multiple press renders. Oops, did anyone forgot something in his photoshop session with the 7-incher? We think so, even if there are in fact multiple differences between today's leaked image and the official ones starring the OG Tab 2 7.0. The rear-facing camera is placed differently for one, while the corners are slightly more rounded, following the design philosophy of the Nexus 10. You can obviously do those kinds of tweaks in Photoshop, but maybe we're wrong. And maybe it's also a coincidence that this doesn't really look like a bigger than 7-inch tablet. Or that the "S-Pen slot" is barely noticeable in the lower left corner of the back of the device. Or that the specs are conveniently mentioned below the image and fit the already existent rumors. And maybe the image is real after all. What do you guys think, real or fake? Related Posts |
| Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for Sony Xperia S gets previewed ahead of release Posted: 22 Jan 2013 01:38 AM PST
We know that the Xperia S alongside other recent Xperia models have been promised to get Android 4.1 at one point in the future. If you want some proof that Sony is still working hard to make the Jelly Bean dream comes true for its customers, check out these screenshots from the "leaked" JB firmware running on the Xperia S. The Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware for the Xperia S is an early build that has somehow made its way to the folks at XDA-developers. Apparently, there are still quite a few kinks that need to be ironed out in order for it to live up to its buttery smooth reputation.
Some added features that Xperia S owners can expect to see include one-touch screen mirroring, power management options, a new lockscreen, and loads more. The new firmware isn’t expected to be rolled out by Sony to the handset until April at the earliest. We’re hoping it’ll come much sooner. To make the wait more bearable, you have the screenshots to look at and enjoy.
Excited about the Jelly Bean update? What do you think of the sneak peek? Drop your comment below. Related Posts |
| 1Weather app adds tablet support with refined UI Posted: 22 Jan 2013 12:47 AM PST
One of these is 1Weather and the popular free app has just been updated with several new and interesting features. The app, which has over half a million installs, now fully supports tablets and sports a more refined user interface. On a tablet the app looks great and it makes good use of the available space. The main screen displays the current weather for the chosen location along with the hourly forecast in the bottom section. Swiping the forecast moves it from hourly to a two day forecast with the days split into morning, noon, evening and night. A second swipe takes you to the extended six day forecast with each day showing a symbol to summarize the weather along with the expected temperature range. Down the side are some icons which allow you to access the more detailed forecast, precipitation charts and the radar section. In the new version the radar section has been improved. The app also puts weather notifications in the notification bar and can be configured to alert you of severe weather warnings. For Android 4.2 Jelly Bean users there is also the ability to add a lock screen widget. Have you tried 1Weather? What do you think of the new version, especially if you are using it on a tablet? Related Posts |
| Galaxy S4 announcement set for March at U.S. Mobile Unpacked event, report claims Posted: 22 Jan 2013 12:24 AM PST
Mere hours ago we were talking about how the Galaxy S4 won't make it to MWC 2013 in Barcelona, Spain in late February and we now hear that Samsung may have scheduled a special "behind enemy lines" launch operation for this year's flagship smartphone. According to Asia Economy, Samsung has scheduled a special Mobile Unpacked event at some point in March right on Apple's home turf, although Samsung is yet to confirm the media event. The Galaxy S4 is rumored to sport a 4.99-inch Full HD AMOLED touchscreen display, an eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera and Jelly Bean right out of the box. However, these specs are not confirmed at this time either. What's worth noting is that, traditionally, Apple unveils a new iPad in the first quarter of the year and launches it by the end of the period in several markets. We have no idea whether new iPad models are coming by the end of March – and certain reports out there seem to indicate that new iPads could be launched only later this year given that the fourth-gen iPad and the iPad mini were released just a few months ago – but Samsung's play is definitely interesting, as it will certainly divert some attention from Apple products rumors to new Android devices. As for previous Galaxy S announcements, the original model was unveiled in March 2010 at CTIA in U.S, the Galaxy S2 was announced in February 2011 at MWC in Spain while the highly-acclaimed Galaxy S3 was unveiled in early May 2012 at a special London-based event. A March Galaxy S4 announcement means that the handset could hit some markets in the coming weeks, with late March or early April making a great launch period for the device. Are you buying a Galaxy S4 this year or are you looking to other Android devices first? Related Posts |
| LG makes the Optimus G Pro official in Japan, it features a 5 inch 1080p screen Posted: 21 Jan 2013 09:44 PM PST
After two days of rumors and semi-confirmations from several Korean news outlets, today the LG Optimus G Pro has finally been officially announced. According to The Verge, the Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo says the Optimus G Pro will hit the local market in April. We all thought it would have a 5.5 inch 1080p screen, but we were wrong. Instead, it’s going to ship with a 5 inch 1080p screen, just like the Xperia Z/ZL, ZTE Grand S, and pretty much every other phone that was announced at CES.
So, what do we think about the design? Let’s start with the most obvious fail. It’s 10 mm thick. That would’ve been totally acceptable two years ago, but in today’s world … that’s massive. Why so large? Because there’s a 3,000 mAh battery in there. That sounds wonderful, but we have to test the device first before coming to any conclusions. As for the rest of the phone, there’s a quad core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon in there, 2 GB of RAM, it ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and it has a 13 megapixel camera. Again, we can’t emphasize this enough, this phone is going to hit Japan in April. You can buy a 5 inch 1080p smartphone, today, from HTC at your local electronics store. Verizon has the DNA, and this writer has seen the Butterfly with his own eyes at two shops in Kuala Lumpur. The worst thing about the G Pro is that it’s going to be LG’s flagship phone for barely six months. It’s widely expected that we’re going to see the Optimus G2 during the second half of the year. It’ll probably have one of those new fancy Snapdragon 600 or 800 chips, and maybe even a larger screen. In case you can’t tell by now, we’re not excited by the G Pro. If you think our opinion is wrong, please do leave a comment below, because we really want to love LG, but we just can’t. Related Posts |
| Micromax to launch Canvas HD in India in February, a quad-core 5-inch Jelly Bean phone for $280 Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:00 PM PST
The influx of 5-inch+ smartphones into the market shows no sign of slowing down. While offerings from top-tier manufacturers obviously won't come cheap, those who are looking for an alternative that won't cost an arm and a leg can look forward to the Micromax A116 Canvas HD hitting the store shelves soon in India. The Micromax Canvas HD will be up for grabs starting February for Rs. 15,000, which translates to about US$280. It boasts a 5-inch IPS screen with 1,280 x 720 resolution and is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6589 processor. The rest of the specs include an 8MP rear camera with LED flash, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), 3G connectivity, a 2,100mAh battery, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Canvas HD shares many similarities to the Beidou Chi, which was just released in China last December sporting a $103(!) price tag, but the innards have been vastly improved. All in all, it seems like a great phone for the price that it is offered at. Anyone planning to queue up and get the Canvas HD next month? Micromax launches Canvas HD to strengthen phablet leadership Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacture today announced its partnership with MediaTek, the leading chipset manufacturers for the launch of their first quad core processor phone –A116 Canvas HD. Designed for comfort and convenience, the Canvas HD is powered by MediaTek’s MT6589 1.2 GHz quad core processor and run on Android Jelly Bean. With an HD IPS screen with a HD resolution of 1280×720 and a color depth of 16.7 million, the phone comes with superb graphics and HD viewing experience. Supported by a 2100mAh battery, it is the ideal phone for the young generation who is always on the lookout for better, faster and savvier smart phones on the go! Commenting on the launch and association with MediaTek, Mr. Deepak Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer, Micromax said, “At Micromax, we constantly strive to innovate and develop great technological experiences for our consumers. Today’s launch marks our association with MediaTek to bring forth our first quad core phone in this segment, offering consumers a great user experience with latest features and added functionality.” He further added, “We are excited with the success of Canvas 2, which has clearly established Micromax as number one player in the new 5″ phablet category in India. We are looking forward to similar success with the new phone being unveiled today.” The A116 Canvas HD promises superior quality graphics, multi-tasking and improved application performance. The phone sports an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and multiple camera settings such as night mode, 4X zoom – to further enhance the superiority of the memorable moments. 3G enabled A116 will help users in faster browsing, downloading attachments and watching streaming videos with excellent quality. The users can download HD quality videos and watch them on their phone without compromising with the quality. Users now can get to keep all their downloaded music by storing them in the phone’s external memory which is expandable up to 32GB. Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Finbarr Moynihan, General Manager – Business Development at MediaTek, said, “In less than 2 years of launching our first smartphone chipset, MediaTek’s shipments in this category have grown more than ten times, with 110 million units in 2012. As the world’s first commercialized quad-core Cortex-A7 SoC, the MT6589 is an innovative solution that accelerates product development, simplifies differentiation, and offers the best possible experience that mid to high-end smart device owners desire. Micromax shares our core philosophy of pushing the bar on innovation and bringing it within the reach of the masses. We are delighted that India’s leading youth mobile brand has chosen MediaTek to power its top-end mobile smartphones.” Related Posts |
| 11 HTC Droid DNA Tips & Tricks Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:00 PM PST
If you have seen our review of the HTC Droid DNA, you probably noticed that despite its shortcomings, we think it's a great phone. While sales might not have been as high as HTC and Verizon hoped, there are still plenty of fans of the DNA, so for those of you using the phone, here are 11 tips and tricks to get the most out of it. If you would rather see these tips in video format, you can jump to the video at the bottom of the article. Otherwise, read on. 1.) Use Best Shot ModeYou're human; you move. It's a fact of life that can often ruin photos. Luckily, the HTC Droid DNA has a built-in feature that can provide a solution to this problem. When you take a photo with your DNA, instead of simply pressing the shutter button, hold it down. The camera will take a rapid series of exposures–up to twenty photos. Now you can either use Best Shot to automatically select the best looking photo, or save them all and pick the best yourself. 2.) Change Your Lock ScreenWe're all different, and that means that we all use our devices in different ways. The very first thing you're going to do when you pick your phone up varies greatly from person to person, including what they do with their lock screen.
The HTC Droid DNA offers a wide range of different lock screens, starting with the most basic: your wallpaper and a few icons. By going to Settings -> Personalize -> Lock screen style, you can choose from a variety of different lock screens starting with Productivity, which shows your most recent notifications, Photo Album, Weather, People, Clock, Stocks and Music. You can even choose to have no lock screen whatsoever if you wish. 3.) Turn Off 3-Finger HTC GesturesIf you have an HTC Media Link device, you can easily connect your Droid DNA by swiping up on the screen with three fingers. However, this has the side effect of preventing other apps from using three-finger gestures. If you don't use HTC Media Link or would rather have three-finger gestures available to other apps, simply go to Settings -> Display & gestures and uncheck the box next to HTC gestures. Now any three-finger gestures will be recognized by other apps. Music apps in particular seem to use these gestures, so you may want these types of gestures to pass through. 4.) Create Custom ScenesIf you like to customize your home screens but don't like to take risks, custom scenes may be for you. While there are a few included to choose from, like Verizon, HTC, Work, Play and Travel, you can also create as many custom scenes as you want.
Just go to Settings -> Personalize -> Scenes, and hit the menu button at the top. You will see the option to delete or rename existing scenes as well as create new ones. When you create a new scene, your home screen will be nothing but wallpaper and the app drawer button. Feel free to add widgets and apps as well as customize your skin and wallpaper. If you want to return to a previous look, just select the desired scene in Settings. 5.) Turn Off Fast BootFast Boot is a great feature that does exactly what it promises to–it allows your HTC Droid DNA to boot up quickly. The problem is that when this feature is enabled, you're never really actually shutting down your phone. Instead, it's more similar to the hibernate feature found on PCs. While this is handy, sometimes you just want to start over with a clean slate.
To turn off Fast Boot, just head to Settings -> Battery and uncheck Fast Boot. Now the next time you reboot or power off your phone, you will actually be rebooting. While you're probably not always going to want to have Fast Boot turned off, it might be nice to do this if you want to flush out your system, so to speak. 6.) Flip Your PhoneWe've all been there: your phone starts to ring at the worst possible time, and you need to scramble to silence it. Luckily, with the Droid DNA, you can simply flip the phone face down on a desk, for example, to silence it immediately.
This same gesture can also prove useful when you're in the middle of a conversation as well. Flipping the phone down in front of you mid-conversation will automatically activate the Droid DNA's speakerphone. Picking the phone up again will deactivate speakerphone. 7.) Use Two-finger Scrolling OptionsWhile this isn't going to work with every app, some of the built-in apps included with the HTC Droid DNA offer alternate modes of navigation when scrolling with two fingers. Two examples are the built-in Mail app and your Contacts. In contacts, for example, scrolling with two fingers allows you to quickly scroll through the alphabet. I personally don't have enough contacts for this to be especially useful, but those of you with huge contacts lists will no doubt find this incredibly useful. It's a shame that this type of navigation can't be used in Gmail, for example, but it's understandable that this doesn't work. Still, one can hope. 8.) Try Out Slo-mo VideoWhile a lot of the items on the list so far have leaned more toward the useful side of the fence, this item is a lot closer to just plain cool. I doubt you'll find much use for this, but it is definitely worth playing around with. To try out Slo-mo video, all you have to do is enable in the shooting options menu in the camera app. Now any video you capture will be slowed down considerably. Unfortunately, there's a major downside in that the quality of the video is reduced drastically. Still, experimenting with this feature can lead to some fairly interesting results. 9.) Enable HTC Sense Keyboard's Swype-style FeaturesWhen we talk about replacement keyboard apps, it is almost impossible not to mention Swype. While it isn't everyone's cup of tea (I'm not a fan, for example), many people swear by it and the ease of use it brings to typing for some people is a huge time saver. With the Sense keyboard on the HTC Droid DNA, you don't even need to download it.
To enable Swype-like functionality on your DNA, head to Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> HTC Sense Input and check the Trace Keyboard option. Now you can use your keyboard either normally or exactly as you would Swype. 10.) Improve Your Battery LifeThere are a lot of things you can do to save battery life on any Android phone, and I'm not going to cover them all here, but there are a few quick things you can do to improve battery life on your HTC Droid DNA in a just a few seconds with minimal impact on performance. First, turn off automatic brightness and set the brightness as low as you can while keeping the screen usable. Not only does the reduced brightness save battery, but the lack of monitoring to change the brightness helps a bit as well. Now, if you're on WiFi, turn off mobile data. Even if you're not using it, this can chip away at your battery. Finally, head to Settings -> Battery -> Usage and close any apps you're not using that are eating up battery. Alone, none of these solutions will do much, but together, they'll help squeeze out a little more crucial battery life on a busy day. 11.) Unload Unused Apps From RAMI've said before that I'm a big fan of the multitasking or Recent Apps button on any phone that has it. With the HTC Droid DNA, there is a nice bit of functionality here that some people don't seem to know about.
In addition to simply switching between apps, it's possible to flick them upwards and off of the screen. This does more than simply remove them from the list; it actually removes the app from memory. The simplest way to test this is to open a page in the brower and hit the home button. Open the browser again and you'll see the page appear instantly. Now hit the Recent Apps button and flick the browser off the screen. Open the browser again and you'll see the page has to load. If you have a lot of apps going at once, this is a handy way to free up some extra system resources without much trouble. VideoNow obviously everyone is going to have their favorite tips and tricks, and the ones we've mentioned are just a few. What are some of your favorite tips or tricks for the HTC Droid DNA? What do you think of the tips we mentioned? Let us know in the comments below. Related Posts |
| Cherry Mobile Cruize: $110 can buy you a 5.2 inch phablet in the Philippines Posted: 21 Jan 2013 06:09 PM PST
Cherry Mobile is a company that you’ve probably never heard of, but don’t worry, because neither have we. Some quick Googling reveals that they’re a Filipino handset maker that was founded in 2008. They buy parts from China, slap them together in the Philippines, and then sell them to the locals. Why not just import Chinese phones directly? There’s probably some issues with customs and taxes that these guys are skirting around. But anyway, let’s get to today’s news, the Cherry Mobile Cruize. For 4,499 Philippine Pesos, which translates to about $110 or less than 85 Euros, you can get a 5.2 inch 800 x 480 smartphone/tablet that has a 1 GHz processor from Broadcom, 512 MB of RAM, 3G/WiFi/GPS, and it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. There’s even a massive 2,500 mAh battery inside, so chances are it’s going to last a full work day. Will this thing ever leave the Philippines? No. Why are we covering it then? To show you guys that Android is blowing up people’s preconceived notions of what a smartphone is and who is and is not a reputable smartphone manufacturer. Benedict Evans, an independent analysts, recently said:
We’re all fans of super high end expensive smartphones here at Android Authority, but it’s the bigger picture, devices like the Cruize, that really make us fall in love with Google’s mobile operating system. Related Posts |
| Galaxy S4 to be a no-show at MWC 2013, Samsung’s JK Shin reveals Posted: 21 Jan 2013 04:31 PM PST
The Galaxy S4 will most likely be one of the Android stars of 2013, but just like with its predecessor we have no idea at this time of year when the handset will be introduced and launched. The device was rumored to arrive early this year, either at CES or at MWC, but the handset did only visit Las Vegas behind closed doors – reportedly – and it looks like it won't make it to MWC next month in Barcelona, Spain, either. The most important show in mobile of the year, MWC 2013 will surely offer us quite a few new Android devices, especially considering that some of the big guns in the business decided not to announce any new mobile devices at CES. But Samsung's mobile division head JK Shin revealed earlier today, when confirming that the Galaxy Note 8 will be unveiled at the trade show, that the Galaxy S4 will not be announced during the event. This is certainly not a surprising move from Samsung, but at least it should put rumors to bed, or at least for the time being. Then again, this isn’t the first time Samsung says the phone is not going to appear at MWC 2013, is it? But at least this time around the denial seems to come for one of the most important execs with the company. Will history repeat itself then? Samsung announced the Galaxy S3 in early May 2012 and started shipping it later during the same month in various markets. Is Samsung going to announce the Galaxy S4 about a year after its predecessor became official? Related Posts |
| LG Optimus G with Jelly Bean hitting over 50 markets starting this January Posted: 21 Jan 2013 03:52 PM PST
Even though later than anticipated, LG seems more and more capable to play in the big leagues when it comes to high-end smartphones. The company launched two virtually similar flagship devices in late 2012, the Optimus G and the Nexus 4, both selling quite well in various markets. The Optimus G has been confirmed to have passed 1 million units in sales since its release, while the Nexus 4 has passed half a million units in sales. Sure, these are not numbers comparable to Samsung's Galaxy S3 or Apple's iPhone 5 sales, but they certainly help LG advancing in the mobile business. In fact, it looks like LG is ready to go international with the Optimus G, as the phone will be available in over 50 markets this month – in case you were wondering, the company is yet to unveil the Optimus G Pro / Optimus G2. The company failed to mention which countries will get the handset in the coming days, but it did say that it all starts with Singapore at the end of January. And the phone will come complete with Jelly Bean support and 4G LTE support where available. So far, the Optimus G has been selling officially in the U.S., Canada, South Korea and Japan. Did you buy one yet? SEOUL, Jan. 22, 2013 -– The Optimus G, LG's most premium and powerful 4G LTE smartphone, will begin its global roll-out into over[j1] 50 countries this month. The Optimus G has already been launched in the United States, Canada, Korea and Japan to very favorable reviews and LG is aiming to build on the excitement already generated to launch the device in other LTE markets. "As 4G LTE availability expands on a global scale, we will leverage our strong LTE technology and expertise to offer consumers the best 4G experience through our devices," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "With the latest Jelly Bean OS and improved software, Optimus G will make a strong case for the title of ultimate premium 4G LTE smartphone." Since the launch of Optimus Glast September, the smartphone has been enthusiastically received by audiences as one of the most advanced 4G LTE devices currently available. Optimus G has been receiving accolades from consumers and industry thought leaders alike for its powerful performance and thoughtful user experience. Optimus G's unrivaled power originates from its innovative hardware design which includes Qualcomm's advanced Snapdragon™ S4 Pro Quad-Core processor. The device also delivers blazing fast data transfer speeds using today's 4G LTE telecommunication network. "LG's long history of LTE know-how is evident in the DNA of the Optimus G," said Dr. Park. "As such, we hope consumers will take a deep, hard look at Optimus G when deciding which smartphone will give them the best 4G experience." The Optimus G will be available starting at the end of January in Singapore followed by other markets worldwide offering 4G LTE service. Related Posts |
There are some places in the world where it is pretty much guaranteed to be either constantly hot or constantly cold. But for those of us in temperate areas, the weather is changeable and often the subject of small talk! The great thing about Android is that there are several good weather apps which deliver all the latest weather information right to your device!
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Authority To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment