Android Community |
- XBMC brings media center control to Android: 3 steps to get started
- LG Optimus G breaks 1m sales barrier
- Samsung releases Jelly Bean and Premium Suite for Note 10.1 and Tab 2
- LG Optimus G Pro leaks: 1.7GHz quadcore with 5-inch 1080p display
- NVIDIA Project SHIELD extended hands-on with Android and PC gaming
- Motorola Atrix 2 users get Jelly Bean through official ROM leak
- Sony Xperia Tablet Z reportedly debuting next week
- Falcon Pro for Android gets updated to version 1.6
- LG exec claims Nexus 4 supply issues will soon be resolved
- VIA introduces APC Paper Android PC with $99 price point
- Rhapsody is discounted, but no longer bundled with MetroPCS plans
- Sony confirms Android 4.2 for Xperia Z shortly after launch
| XBMC brings media center control to Android: 3 steps to get started Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:56 AM PST You may have heard the news that the XBMC team has released a “user friendly” version of their media player that should be compatible with almost all Android devices. While the app itself may put the focus on accessibility, getting the app running is a little bit more complex than just downloading it from the Google Play Store. Luckily, the steps involved don’t seem bad at all, so you should only need to spend a few extra minutes to get XBMC working properly on your device.
The process, according to a thread on the Android Community Forums, can be broken down into three relatively easy steps. You device doesn’t need to be rooted before you can start running XBMC, so everyone should be able to use the media player. Rooting will help a bit later on in that you won’t need to download a third app, but we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, here are the three steps you need to follow in order to get XBMC on your Android device:
If you already know whether or not your device supports NEON, download the appropriate file, install it, and enjoy XBMC on your Android device. If you’re not sure whether your device supports NEON, here are a couple of methods for figuring that out. For non-rooted users, you’ll have to download and install the Android System Info app [download link]. Once installed, boot it up and take a look at the System tab. Expand the CPU section, and if see the word “neon” listed in there, you’ve got a device that supports NEON. If it isn’t listed, you’ll want to download the XBMC version for non-NEON devices, obviously. If you’re using a rooted device, the process becomes a little less time-consuming. There are no apps to install, as you’ll instead be having a look at the /proc directory from the root directory. Open up the /proc/cpuinfo file, and if you see “neon” listed under Features, you’ve got a NEON-supported device. Regardless of whether or not your phone supports NEON, you’ll know after simply taking a glance at the Features entry in your /proc/cpuinfo file. So there you have it, folks. It probably isn’t the most intuitive way to get XBMC running on your Android device, but it could be a whole lot more complicated. Be sure you’ve set your Android device to allow the installation of apps from unknown sources in the Device Administration menu, otherwise you might run into a few hiccups in your quest to install XBMC on your device. Enjoy! |
| LG Optimus G breaks 1m sales barrier Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:13 AM PST LG has sold over one million of its Optimus G flagships, the company has announced, after approximately four months on the market. The figure, reported by Yonhap News Agency, contributes to 7m global smartphone sales for LG in the last quarter, with around 2.1m of which being LTE handsets.
The numbers, while positive for the Optimus G, do leave LG still trailing Samsung in the fight of the flagships. While the Galaxy S III has been on sale longer than the Optimus G, as of last November Samsung claimed to have shipped 30m of the handsets; the handset was also the best-selling smartphone in the world in calendar Q3 2012. LG’s release plans for the Optimus G aren’t done with, however, and a launch in China and “several European countries” is expected before March 2013 is through. In the wings, meanwhile, is the Optimus G Pro, details of which leaked earlier today, complete with a bigger, Full HD display and faster processor. While Samsung may be holding the number one spot among Android devices, LG certainly isn’t lacking in ambition. The company aims to sell 75m phones in 2013 as part of a turnaround strategy. [via TNW] |
| Samsung releases Jelly Bean and Premium Suite for Note 10.1 and Tab 2 Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST Samsung has released the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2, complete with the latest version of the Premium Suite. The new software includes Paper Artist, the tweaked interface, the latest iteration of Multi Window and Air View, and Easy Clip, among other things.
Of the two tablets, it’s the Note 10.1 that gets the better deal. The pen-enabled slate gets all of the stylus-related functionality in the Premium Suite, whereas the Galaxy Tab 2 makes do with just those features that don’t rely on an S Pen.
It’s the new Multi Window which is perhaps most interesting, an evolution of the original split-screen interface that we first saw on the Note 10.1 at launch. Now, there’s support for fully resizable and pinnable windows, with fourteen apps enabled for Multi Window support (alarm, calculator, contacts, email, gallery, browser, music player, My Files, Polaris Office, S Note, S Planner, task manager, video player, and the world clock). It’s also possible to show the homescreen – and interact with widgets – while in Multi Window mode.
Meanwhile, features pulled from the Galaxy S III, such as Smart Alert – which automatically vibrates when you pick up the tablet, if you’ve missed notifications – and S Voice – Samsung’s version of Siri – are also included. The update will be pushed out OTA and via Samsung’s Kies app.                         |
| LG Optimus G Pro leaks: 1.7GHz quadcore with 5-inch 1080p display Posted: 18 Jan 2013 04:26 AM PST Details on what’s shaping up to be LG’s new flagship Android smartphone, the LG Optimus G Pro, have leaked, hinting at an imminent release in Japan. Running a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ7064 processor with 2GB of memory, according to Blog of Mobile, and clad in a choice of silver or black slimline casing, going by the slide sent to Engadget, the Optimus G Pro is expected to pack a 13-megapixel camera.
Up front is a 5-inch display running at 1920 x 1080 resolution, topped by a 2.4-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls. Inside is expected to be 32GB of storage and a 3,000 mAh battery; useful, since the G Pro should use 4G LTE networks as well as – for the Japanese market, at least – include 1-Seg and NOTTV TV functionality. Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz) and a copy of Android 4.1.x Jelly Bean round out the key specs. The handset is said to be 139 x 70 x 10 mm and weigh 160g, and will arrive in Japan as the L-04E (presumably on NTT DoCoMo, which currently offers the Optimus G L-01E). If you think it sounds a lot like Sony’s Xperia Z, revealed at CES last week, then you’re not alone; this polishes up the Optimus G to remain competitive against the fresh breed of devices we’re seeing emerge in 2013. An international launch is more than likely, though there’s no telling when it might happen. |
| NVIDIA Project SHIELD extended hands-on with Android and PC gaming Posted: 17 Jan 2013 05:20 PM PST One of the biggest presentations shown at CES this year was, without a doubt, NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD, complete with a Tegra 4 processor, streaming PC gaming, and the distinction of being the first Android-toting NVIDIA device, top to bottom. What we’ve got for you here is a sort of B-roll collection of videos collected at CES from several source including NVIDIA Technical Marketing Director Nick Stam and Product Line Manager for GeForce GPUs Jason Paul. Have a peek at gaming with the device, an extended look at Tegra 4, and an in-depth explanation of NVIDIA’s full intentions with this new gaming ecosystem.
First you’ll see an extended talk with Nick Stam about what NVIDIA Project SHIELD is all about. It’s here you’ll get confirmation, perhaps most importantly, that Project SHIELD will indeed by an NVIDIA-created and NVIDIA-sold device for the consumer market. One of the first questions many readers had when Project SHIELD was introduced was whether or not it was simply an example of what could be in the future – it’s real, man, it’s real! Next you’ll see a hands-on experience with Jason Paul, this showing off in brief what Project SHIELD is capable of in single easy-to-grasp clip. Paul is using a real-deal fully-operational Project SHIELD device here at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada as he shows off its excellence. It’s important to note that while the final project will be extremely similar to the unit we’re using here, we will still see some basic changes by the time the market-ready unit is out. Once again with Stam we’re having an early look here at HAWKEN. This game is currently only out for PCs [have an extended look at HAWKEN on the PC over at SlashGear] but as you can see here, it’ll be hitting Android soon! This game will be busting out with full online multi-player action sooner than later – we’ll see soon if it’ll be an NVIDIA Tegra exclusive. For now it’s ONLY on Project SHIELD. Next you’re going to see some fabulous Call of Duty: Black Ops II action as streamed from a GeForce-packing PC. This game is being played streaming with Project SHIELD’s 802.11n 2×2 MIMO "game-speed" Wi-Fi technology – hot stuff. From what we’ve seen here, this machine is not about to skip a beat. Finally we’ve got a talk with Stam once again, this time all about the NVIDIA Tegra 4 and the possibilities it brings to the mobile universe. This processor is being prepared not just for Android smartphones and tablets, but Windows machines as well – and if we look back at some of the oddities NVIDIA’s Tegra lineup has been involved in over the past 12 months, we’ll likely see it in automobiles before too long, too – and who knows what else? We shall see! Be sure to hit up our Tegra hub right this minute for more fabulous Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 action throughout 2013 and the future. NVIDIA’s going big this upcoming gaming season, and with Q2 2013 tagged as the big launch window for Project SHIELD, we can’t wait!      Device Info
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| Motorola Atrix 2 users get Jelly Bean through official ROM leak Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:27 PM PST If your phone of choice is the Motorola Atrix 2, then you were probably disappointed to find out that Motorola isn’t planning to upgrade the device to Jelly Bean. Last year, the company revealed a list of devices it will be upgrading to Jelly Bean in the coming months, with the Atrix 2 stuck in the column of handsets that are eligible for a $100 credit toward the purchase of a new Motorola phone. That unfortunately means that Jelly Bean just isn’t in the cards, so what’s an Atrix 2 owner to do?
Well, you could start by installing an official Jelly Bean ROM for the Atrix 2 that was recently leaked on the XDA Developers Forum. This is a pretty great find for Atrix 2 owners who had nothing but Ice Cream Sandwich to look forward to, but of course, there’s always a certain amount of risk in flashing ROMs to your device. It should be pointed out that we can’t be held responsible if you choose to flash this ROM and something goes wrong, and if you still have a warranty on your Atrix 2, it will be void once you root your phone to install the ROM. Let’s not forget that users can also install CyanogenMod 10 if they’re looking for a bit of Jelly Bean action. Essentially, if you want to get Jelly Bean on your Atrix 2, there are a number of different ways to get it, but it seems that all of them will require that you flash a ROM. Not all users are understandably willing to do that, which makes the sting of the Atrix 2 being left out of Motorola’s Jelly Bean line up even worse. Jumping back to Motorola’s list for a moment, there’s a selection of newer handsets that have Jelly Bean updates coming down the line. These include the Electrify 2 and the PHOTON Q, along with the Atrix HD, which was upgraded to Jelly Bean last month. For a refresher on the Atrix 2, be sure to check out Android Community’s full review! Device Info
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[via GSMArena] |
| Sony Xperia Tablet Z reportedly debuting next week Posted: 17 Jan 2013 02:56 PM PST It’s been a pretty exciting week for those of us who are looking forward to the rumored Sony Xperia Tablet Z. A few days back, reported specs for the tablet leaked out, and today, the date the new slate is debuting may just have been uncovered. The party responsible for this leak is none other than Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, so almost immediately, this rumor becomes much easier to believe than most of the whispers that come through our doors.
The image you see above was pulled from what’s called the DoCoMo Smartphone Lounge, and though you might not be able to tell just by looking at it, the text in the red box says that the carrier will be exhibiting Sony’s new line up of Xperia products beginning on January 22. That includes the incoming Xperia Z and ZL handsets, along with the Tablet Z. The exhibition is set to continue through January 27, so it stands to reason that DoCoMo will be letting consumers come in and test out these new products. The information related to these Xperia devices has since been pulled, but DoCoMo wasn’t fast enough to avoid the detection of the Internet’s watchful eye. So, if we were to go on the information held in the screen shot above (which we’re about to), it would seem that Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z will get an official announcement on January 22. If that happens, then we can probably expect Sony to have the tablet on-hand at MWC in Barcelona next month. Should the tablet make an appearance at Mobile World Congress, we’ll be right there to get some hands-on time with it, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for a pre-MWC reveal. There’s plenty of reason to be excited too, as the Android tablet is said to come with a 10.1-inch 1080p display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU clocked at 1.5 GHz, 2GB of RAM, and a pretty beefy 6,000mAh battery. Naturally, pricing details are still non-existent, but it probably isn’t the best idea to expect an inexpensive price tag for this slate. Hopefully we only have to wait another week to hear about these currently-missing details, so keep it here at Android Community for more! |
| Falcon Pro for Android gets updated to version 1.6 Posted: 17 Jan 2013 02:08 PM PST It wasn’t too long ago we were talking about the latest update to Falcon Pro, but this week the developer have pushed out another massive update for the popular Twitter app. It’s difficult to find good app support in this day and age, but thankfully, the person behind Falcon Pro – Joaquim Vergès – is all too willing to constantly improve and tweak his app. Even though the app received significant updates at the end of December and then again at the beginning of January, Vergès is back just a couple of weeks later with even more features to add to the already long list.
First and foremost, user profiles have enjoyed something revamp as they now show the number of people following you and the number of people you’re following. You can mute tweets based on keywords, so if there’s a certain hashtag making the rounds that’s starting to wear on your nerves, you can make it so you won’t get alerts for tweets featuring it. Vergès has also enabled searching for users, and you’ll have a recent followers counter in the app once the update has been applied. Compatibility with TwitPic, YFrog, and Mobypictures is coming with this update, as is a new starred user section in the right slide-out menu. Of course, there are also a number of fixes and a selection of nondescript “little UI changes” in this update. Vergès has posted the entire change log over at the Falcon Pro thread on the XDA Developers Forum, so be sure to check that thread out to get the full rundown. This is an impressive update to be sure, but given the update history of the app, it probably won’t be much longer before Vergès releases yet another update to the app. Most of these frequent updates have been pretty feature-rich, so don’t be surprised if the next update for Falcon Pro sports a similarly long list of new additions and fixes. For those who haven’t checked out Falcon Pro yet, it’s available on the Google Play Store for $0.99 [download link]. [via Phandroid] |
| LG exec claims Nexus 4 supply issues will soon be resolved Posted: 17 Jan 2013 01:28 PM PST The Nexus 4 has been rather hard to find up until this point. The delays began from day one and have continued up through the present day. On the subject of availability, or more specifically, on the subject of the lack of availability — we have seen LG blame the high demand, we have seen Google blame LG and we have even seen LG blame Google.
Regardless of who has blamed who in the past, it looks like we have another LG exec that has been talking. The latest is Cathy Robin who is the Director of Mobile Communication for LG France and she recently spoke with Challenges.fr. The interesting part here, Cathy Robin talked about several Nexus 4 topics including the inventory situation and even the recent sales estimates. Lets touch of the sales estimates first. These go back to the serial number dissections that we saw earlier in the month. You remember, the one where (based on serial numbers), it was believed that Google and LG had sold about 375,000 Nexus 4 handsets. Simply put, that number was not accurate. According to Robin, she is not familiar with the 375k figure, however she did say that number is much lower than the reality. Moving over to the touchier subject and Robin was not quite ready to fully throw Google under the bus. She did however say that Google had provided sales estimates based on previous Nexus devices and those turned out to be much less than the demand for the Nexus 4. Of course, that is sort of throwing the blame towards Google. Regardless though, it is looking like the lack of inventory situation will be changing. Robin mentioned that Nexus 4 production will be increased and the available inventory should soon catch up to the demand. Finally, Robin also commented on the subject of LG and Google selling the Nexus 4 at a loss. According to her statements, LG has no interest in selling the device at a loss. She didn’t go into specifics, however she did say that they (LG and Google) have an agreement in place to sell the Nexus 4 at a very attractive price and she believes that the current price points reflect that. Device Info
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[via phoneArena] |
| VIA introduces APC Paper Android PC with $99 price point Posted: 17 Jan 2013 01:02 PM PST We’re typically used to seeing Android running on tablets and smartphones, but VIA is using the operating system for one of its upcoming PCs. Capitalizing on the recent trend of inexpensive PCs the Raspberry Pi seems to have ignited, the company announced its new APC Paper PC today. The APC paper sticks out not only thanks to its $99 price point, but for its design – VIA has taken its newest version of the APC mainboard based on a Cortex A9 and packed it underneath a layer of recycled cardboard that folds over like a book.
Of course, the star of this show is the ‘board, which has been given the codename of “Rock.” The version we’re seeing in the APC Paper is mostly the same as the standalone version of the Rock, save for one rather important difference: the APC Paper doesn’t feature a VGA hook up. It does feature an HDMI port though, so you’ll still be able to connect the computer to a TV or monitor so long as it boasts support for HDMI (which many do these days, of course). Other features of the Rock include an A9 WonderMedia chip clocked at 800MHz, 512MB of DDR3 RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and two USB 2.0 ports. You’ll also have microUSB OTG, 10/100 Ethernet, and audio in/out ports at your disposal if you choose to pick this package up. If you’d like to bring additional functionality to your Rock, the ‘board features a number of header pins meant for expansion, which are pretty nice to have. The APC Paper will be running a modified version of Ice Cream Sandwich under the hood, and it should be available starting in March. VIA has posted all kinds of support documentation to its website, which covers open-source software and pin-out information, among other things. For those who simply can’t wait, VIA is selling its standalone Rock right now for $79, so if you can live without the cardboard chassis, that might be the better route to take.       [via SlashGear] |
| Rhapsody is discounted, but no longer bundled with MetroPCS plans Posted: 17 Jan 2013 12:37 PM PST MetroPCS recently announced some updated calling/data plans. These plans arrived last week in the form of three “simpler” 4G LTE options. Basically, each of those three plans included unlimited voice and messaging and offered varying data limits based on price. And well, MetroPCS also quietly removed any mention of a plan that had Rhapsody bundled in.
In the past, the carrier had a higher-end plan available that included a Rhapsody account. Putting the past, well, in the past and it looks like new MetroPCS users will still be able to get a deal on Rhapsody. In fact, some may argue that this is a better deal than before. You see, with this new arrangement, any of the MetroPCS plans will be eligible to add-on Rhapsody. Simply put, if you are signing up for a new plan with MetroPCS you will have the option to add Rhapsody for an additional $5 per month. This is a nice discount as compared to a stand-alone Rhapsody account which would set you back $10 per month. Users can get the $40 per month 500MB of data plan for $45 with Rhapsody. Similarly, the $50 plan with 2.5GB of data would be $55 with Rhapsody added and the top-tier plan would be $65 per month. The one catch in all this, users on the two lower end plans may need to keep an eye on data usage. After all, if you are streaming lots and lots of music, you may end up coming close to, if not going over when you are looking at 500MB and 2.5GB limits (before being throttled). Of course, Rhapsody does allow for offline listening (by downloading ahead of time) so you may want to make sure you plan your downloads for when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. [via GigaOm] |
| Sony confirms Android 4.2 for Xperia Z shortly after launch Posted: 17 Jan 2013 12:04 PM PST There are a lot of things to be excited about with Sony‘s incoming Xperia Z handset, but one thing that has some users a little disappointed is the fact that the phone will ship with Android 4.1 installed on it. There’s nothing particularly wrong with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but it isn’t the newest version of Android available. These users would like to see Android 4.2 running on the device when it launches, which unfortunately won’t be the case.
However, there is definitely hope for an Android 4.2 update shortly after the handset releases. In a new Twitter Q&A session with product manager Lego Svardsater posted to the Sony Mobile Blog, we learn that the Xperia Z won’t be staying on Android 4.1 for long. “Xperia Z launches on JB 4.1, but will receive 4.2 shortly after launch,” Svardsater said. “As always, we'll share more info on this over the coming weeks on the blog.” His answer holds a painfully small amount of details, but its one that should get potential Xperia Z owners excited nonetheless. Of course, the issue now is that Sony still hasn’t announced a release date for the device. Svardsater reiterated in the same Q&A that Sony will be globally launching the Xperia Z in Q1 2013, but other than that, we don’t have much of anything to go on. Thankfully, being halfway through January, we’re already into Q1, so it shouldn’t be too much longer before the handset arrives. When it does finally launch, users can look forward to a 5-inch full HD display and a quad-core Snapdragon S4 CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, among other things. We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for news of the Xperia Z’s release date, so stay here at Android Community for more! [via Ausdroid] |
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