Android Community |
- YotaPhone dual-screen smartphone hands-on
- CyanogenMod 10.1 users can now customize the NavigationBar
- Pebble is now in mass production and will begin shipping on January 23
- Panasonic unveils a 7-inch Toughpad tablet with Android 4.0 ICS
- GameStick console to get extra features as Kickstarter meets funding goals
- T-Mobile HD Voice and Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan now available
- Verizon Wireless 2013 4G LTE roadmap detailed
- Polaroid unveils the M10 and M7 Android tablets at CES
- Chameleon Launcher shown running on Android smartphones
- Lenovo K900 Hands-on: Intel Atom and a 5.5-inch 1080p display
- ZTE Grand S 1080p smartphone hits CES, we go hands-on
- Archos GamePad Tablet Hands-on
- Huawei Ascend D2 manufacturing process revealed
- Ematic announces the Fun Tab Family of tablets with Zoodles Kid Mode
| YotaPhone dual-screen smartphone hands-on Posted: 09 Jan 2013 11:34 AM PST Late last year the Russian company Yota announced a rather intriguing new smartphone called the YotaPhone. As I’m sure many of you are aware, this Android 4.1 Jelly Bean handset sports two displays. The front being a 4.3-inch 720p LCD display, and the rear of the device enjoys a 4.3-inch E-ink screen. It’s a neat concept and we were able to enjoy some time with a prototype unit earlier today and we came away rather impressed.
For a little background you can check out their announcement details, but the video and pictures below will give you a better idea of what Yota is offering the Android, and smartphone world. The star of the show with Yota isn’t the usual specs, but it’s the additional 4.3-inch E-ink display on back that makes the smartphone have multiple new uses.
Inside the YotaPhone we have a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720p HD LCD display, Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 2,100 mAh battery for the usual specs. Then they’ve tossed in a 12 megapixel rear camera and 2 MP front for video chat. All of this comes in a relatively thin package considering the front and back 4.3-inch screens are both protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. Instead of explaining the many features of the rear facing E-ink display enjoy the video with Yota’s CEO Vlad Martynov: The YotaPhone runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but should launch with the absolute latest version available upon release — which is scheduled for later this year possibly around Q3. Instead of the usual Android buttons, Yota has taken a different approach that we find refreshing, and actually quite intuitive. No on-screen or capacitive buttons here and instead there’s a simple gesture panel under the display. Gesturing from right to left goes home, doing the same gesture halfway is back, and long press brings up multi-tasking. After only minutes with the device I was swiping to go back and home with ease. The idea is actually extremely simple, and works rather well in actual use. Another unique feature of YotaPhone is including the SIM tray and power button into a single slot to save space and keep the design clean and elegant. Oh and we can’t forget that E-Ink display on the rear which also has the industries first use of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 in a curved design. The E-Ink refresh rate was as expected and took about a 1/2 second, and the images were extremely crisp. The video above gives you an idea of the many uses, and Yota’s API will be released for developers to take full advantage of all its uniqueness.    Being able to display the weather in a simple low power state. Ebooks, comics, RSS feeds (that update real time while sipping battery) screenshots, or even maps long after you’ve lost service or a reliable connection really makes this phone’s E-ink display awesome and extremely useful. Not to mention new, fun, and innovative. In the end I went in skeptical, but left a believer. The design language was neat, the build quality was top notch (even if that power button needs work) and the entire phone was a joy to use. In the current prototype state it still needs a little work and was cumbersome at times, but overall we came away really impressed. The possibilities for developers are truly endless, and we look forward to seeing more from Yota in the coming months.          |
| CyanogenMod 10.1 users can now customize the NavigationBar Posted: 09 Jan 2013 11:19 AM PST CyanogenMod users received a nice little feature update yesterday. That one came in the form of being able to maximize your lock screen widgets. And as we mentioned, this is one of the nicer points of running a CyanogenMod ROM — new features from time to time. Or at the very least, new features more often than those who use stock ROMs.
Anyway, yesterdays update aside, it looks like the folks at CyanogenMod have announced two new additions for CM10.1 users. These latest have already been merged and will arrive in the form of the ability to customize the NavigationBar and a “further refinement” to the Quick Settings functionality. Kicking things off with the latter of the two, this will mean that CM10.1 users will be able to swipe into, and out of the Quick Settings . This is done by using a sideways swipe gesture. You can see a demo of this in the video. That said, the one point worth noting, it was specifically pointed out that “the ability to swipe anywhere other than the bottom bar proved inconsistent when the drawers were full and was removed in the final patch.” Otherwise, moving over to the NavigationBar customization. This one is just as you would expect — you can customize the NavigationBar. All said and done, as these have both been merged, those rocking the nightly builds should see them available now. [via Google+] |
| Pebble is now in mass production and will begin shipping on January 23 Posted: 09 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST The long awaited Pebble smartwatch shipping date has been announced. In short, the Pebble will begin shipping on January 23. According to details coming from the Pebble press conference, the watch is currently in mass production and that means they are able to push out about 15,000 per week. So far so good, but keep in mind, Pebble had quite a few Kickstarter backers.
This means that Pebble will need about 6-8 weeks to get the watch into the hands of all Kickstarter backers. That translates into all backers getting their watch between January and late-March. Once all the Kickstarter units have shipped, the watch will make its way into the hands of those who placed a pre-order on the getpebble.com website. Otherwise, in addition to the shipping information, the folks at Pebble offered some detail on the watch. Some of those goodies include an e-paper display that is sunlight readable and a battery life of up to 7 days on a single charge. As for charging, Pebble announced that the watch will charge (using USB) over a magnetic cable. This, in addition to keeping the watch clean looking — allows for the Pebble to retain its water-resistant status. Keeping on with the water-resistant, the Pebble was said to have been designed to be water resistant to 5 atmospheres, which means you can run in the rain and even go swimming with the watch. It was also said that the Pebble was designed to be a sports and fitness watch. That comes in with the weight — a light 38.2 grams. The Pebble is made of a polycarbonate and also has a polycarbonate lens to protect the display. Other bits that were mentioned include the watch having a standard 22mm watch strap, Bluetooth 4.0 and something that was previously unannounced — an ambient light sensor. Finally, getting back to the shipping date, it was said that you should be on the lookout for an email notification which should arrive one week before your Pebble is expected to ship. |
| Panasonic unveils a 7-inch Toughpad tablet with Android 4.0 ICS Posted: 09 Jan 2013 08:58 AM PST Panasonic has announced some details in regards to a 7-inch tablet here at CES. The tablet is in the Toughpad line and given that, it will arrive with features to include a MIL-STD-810G certification against drops, fluid and temperature. In addition to the rugged design, the tablet will also feature a daylight readable display.
That being said, lets discuss some of the basic features. To begin with, this Toughpad is the JT-B1 and it will arrive running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The display will be 7-inches with a resolution of 1024 x 600. Other hardware specs include a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP4460 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. Panasonic has added a 5720 mAh battery that is said to be able to offer up to 8 hours of run time. Other goodies include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as an option to add 4G LTE or 3G connectivity. The tablet will also have USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, Ethernet, a true serial port and GPS as well as a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and 13 megapixel rear-facing camera. The Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1 will be available beginning in February and it will arrive priced at $1,199. And for those thinking that price sounds a bit high, keep in mind that this is not your basic Android tablet — this is one aimed towards business. Or more specifically, those who need to get business done while out and about in situations where a regular non-ruggedized tablet may not be ideal. |
| GameStick console to get extra features as Kickstarter meets funding goals Posted: 09 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST The GameStick launched earlier in the month as a Kickstarter campaign and quickly captured some attention. The game console quickly rose above the $100,000 goal and is currently sitting at $274,864 with another 22 days left. To be specific, they actually reached that $100k goal in about 30 hours. So with the initial goal being meet — what is a company to do to attract some additional attention.
That question can probably be answered in numerous ways, however in the case of GameStick, they will be offering additional features and perks as they reach certain dollar amounts. In fact, GameStick now has goal amounts set at $320k, $450k and $560K. Additionally, those who have already backed the campaign will be able to chip in another $10 to get a carry case. That bit aside though, lets get into what will come if the campaign reaches these new goal levels. The $320K level will bring an additional color — black. The GameStick is currently going to ship in white. Given the campaign is currently sitting at about $275k, this goal seems pretty likely. Moving up and we have the $450k level. This level will bring yet another additional color. This color will be picked based on popular vote. Backers will be able to register their vote on the GameStick Facebook page. The colors include gunmetal gray, dark blue, orange, pink, light green and Famicon gold/red. Finally, the $560k level means a memory card slot. Specifically, a microSD card slot for additional storage while on the go. |
| T-Mobile HD Voice and Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan now available Posted: 09 Jan 2013 07:32 AM PST Coming out of CES 2013, we have some information from T-Mobile. It seems the carrier has announced the availability of the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan and HD Voice as well as the upcoming release of an LTE compatible Galaxy S III. The unlimited data plan and HD Voice are available as of today, however the release of the refreshed Galaxy S III was left open.
In fact, T-Mobile didn’t reveal anything specific in terms of when that handset would arrive for sale. Of course, with the LTE network not even available at the moment, that doesn’t seem like it would be much of an issue. Moving past the handset news and into the HD Voice. This service has launched and is available for those with a compatible device. The one catch with the HD Voice — users will need a compatible handset. Or more specifically, both parties will need to be using a supported handset to take advantage of HD Voice. For now there are a few available including the Samsung Galaxy S III as well as the HTC One S. Next topic up, the availability of the Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan. This is a no annual contract offering and is priced at $70 per month. Those choosing to go this route will get 4G data with “no caps and no overages.” And as part of the launch of this new plan, T-Mobile has dropped the price of the LG Optimus L9 which is now down to $199.99 “with no annual contract.” Touching on the subject of T-Mobile LTE. The carrier has said that they will be launching an LTE network that will reach 100 million people by mid-2013 and then doubling (to 200 million) by years-end. Finally, in addition to the LTE network roll-out, T-Mobile is also still expanding the 4G HSPA+ network and has announced coverage for several new markets to include Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego and Virginia Beach, Virginia. [via T-Mobile] |
| Verizon Wireless 2013 4G LTE roadmap detailed Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:54 AM PST We have seen plenty in terms of Verizon Wireless 4G LTE coverage in 2012. We have seen reports about the roll-out and the progress that was being made. It was back in early November when they announced that they expected to have the 4G LTE network roll-out completed by the middle of 2013. Anyway, flash forward back to the present day and Verizon has come forward with details on the 2013 4G LTE roadmap.
Kicking things off with the total markets that are covered as of this moment — 473 markets which includes a potential of 273.5 million people. And as we seen with AT&T touting themselves as having the largest 4G network (with LTE and HSPA+ being combined), Verizon is also quick to point out that they have the “largest commercial 4G LTE network in the world.” Perhaps more important though, the Verizon 4G LTE network currently includes “close to 89 percent” of the US footprint. Verizon is still claiming that the network will be complete by mid-year. In fact, they have some good news for those still rocking a Verizon 3G connection in that “by mid-year 4G LTE will be available in nearly every US market currently served by the company's 3G data service.” No specific roll-out announcements this time around, however Verizon did touch on the subject of LTE in Rural America stating that they plan to continue working with rural communication companies to help them build and operate 4G LTE networks in their areas. And similar to the lack of specific 4G LTE roll-out news, Verizon left the LTE in Rural America bit rather generic sounding. [via Verizon Wireless] |
| Polaroid unveils the M10 and M7 Android tablets at CES Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:28 AM PST We saw the Polaroid iM1836 Android camera unveiled during CES. And well, it looks like the camera was not the only Android related announcement coming from the folks at Polaroid. In fact, the company also unveiled a pair of Jelly Bean tablets, the M10 and the M7. These tablets are featuring dual and quad-core processors and being touted as having mighty performance with minimal price.
That being said, lets dive in with the features beginning with the larger of the two, the Polaroid M10. As implied by the name, one can expect a 10.1-inch display, which in this case has a resolution of 1280 x 800. Other goodies for the M10 tablet include a quad-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, 7800 mAh battery, HDMI, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera.
The M7 on the other hand will have a 7-inch (1280 x 800) display, dual-core processor, 8GB of internal storage and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. Additionally, both the M10 and M7 tablets will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well as expandable memory by way of a microSD card slot. Polaroid has said that these devices will be running Android 4.1 and arriving with access to the Google Play Store. Both will be available beginning in the spring with the M7 selling for $129 and the M10 selling for $229. Those interested will be able to find either model by way of the Polaroid website. [via Polaroid] |
| Chameleon Launcher shown running on Android smartphones Posted: 09 Jan 2013 06:05 AM PST The Chameleon Launcher is one of many add-on launchers for Android devices. Of course, this particular one made a splash when it launched as a Kickstarter offering. Chameleon has since come available and can be purchased by way of the Google Play Store for $3.99. The one catch with this — the Chameleon Launcher is currently only available for tablets.
It will run on devices with Android 3.2 or later, but that aside, it is limited to tablets. That whole tablet only business looks like it may soon be changing though. Chameleon Launcher, or more accurately, Teknision is at CES 2013 and they have been showing off some new goodies — including the launcher running on a smartphone. The video is on the shorter side, coming in at just shy of 3 minutes and 30 seconds, but it does give a brief look at the launcher running on the Galaxy Note II as well as the Nexus 4. Watching the video will give you a look at the launcher running on both handsets, as well as some new feature that will be coming to the tablet version. The new features include folder support, apps on the home screen support and a bit more. Of course, we suspect that many will simply be excited about this launcher coming to smartphones. We do wonder how well it would translate to a smaller display, but at the same time — the Nexus 4 seems to have a fairly standard sized display for Android devices these days and it seemed rather nice in the video. Finally, the smartphone version of Chameleon is currently available only in a private alpha at the moment, however there was mention of a public beta (for the Kickstarter backers) coming in the “near future.” [via Chameleon] |
| Lenovo K900 Hands-on: Intel Atom and a 5.5-inch 1080p display Posted: 08 Jan 2013 07:24 PM PST Today Lenovo dropped some rather impressive news to the Android world here at CES 2013. The Lenovo K900 is the company's new hero phone, and is powered by an Intel Atom processor, Android, and a 5.5-inch 1080p HD display. This will be the first Android phone to enjoy Intel’s new ATOM processor, and we have some hands-on video below so check it out.
Designed with a beautiful composite of stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate in a Unibody mold – it’s sleek and robust. The phone remains thin due to work Lenovo's done on optimizing both the thinness of the camera setup and the layout of the internal battery. Two things that are extremely important these days for a smartphone. Sadly it will only be arriving in China first, we’re told around April, but check out the video below. Intel still has not released full specs on their Atom processor for mobile, so for now a few details will remain a mystery. More details, pricing, and full specs will be revealed soon enough however. Now we’ll just skip the unpleasantries and let you check it out: This 5.5-inch phablet just looks gorgeous, as you saw above, and that 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display is full of IPS goodness. The colors were crisp and as expected, viewing angles were exceptional. Under that unibody design is a 13 megapixel camera, one that Lenovo has worked tirelessly with Sony on to keep low profile. Did we mention it sports a F1.8 focal length lens for awesomely fast photos, even in low light. April is the estimated time frame, but again until Intel gets all their ducks in order we’ll be waiting for something official. We also can’t confirm the exact version of Android this will be working with but are hopeful for at least Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Check out the multiple other exclusive video and pictures below and stay tuned for more details.            |
| ZTE Grand S 1080p smartphone hits CES, we go hands-on Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:38 PM PST ZTE has been sharing the details slowly about what they had in store here for CES 2013, and today we ran down to their booth to get a quick hands-on with their new and impressive 5-inch phablet. The device is called the ZTE Grand S as well as a Grand S LTE and the name certainly lives up to the expectations. Check out this Jelly Bean powerhouse smartphone below.
ZTE decided to take on the likes of the HTC DROID DNA, while also aiming for the phablet market of the Galaxy Note II. The ZTE Grand S has some impressive specs under the hood, but they’ve been claiming it’s the “thinnest 1080p” device around — and it is. The specs come in rather impressive, and they added a 13 megapixel camera around back, while managing to keep the device to just 6.9mm thin. The full specs chime in with a 5-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display (as expected) and Qualcomm’s popular Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.7 GHz quad-core processor. You’ll also enjoy 2GB of RAM, and a massive 13 megapixel camera around back. They’ve managed to keep the design rather sleek given the camera, but it still features that unpopular hump around the top back.
Then the last spec that we were hoping would receive a little upgrade before launch but didn’t is the battery. ZTE decided to keep the smartphone rather thin and as a result the batter size suffers slightly. Still, it beats the mediocre at best DROID DNA by a few hundred. The ZTE Grand S has a 2,500 mAh battery under the hood that should keep the quad-core powered long enough for most users, but certainly doesn’t compete with the Note II’s 3,100 mAh battery, or the Huawei Ascend D2′s 3,000 battery. ZTE did manage to keep the device thin, lightweight, yet still remain durable. The awesome red polycarbonate shell on back felt rather nice in the hand, and wasn’t too slippery either which is a concern for larger device. They’ll also be offering up an LTE model for select regions. Be sure and stay tuned to our CES 2013 portal for any and all news.        |
| Archos GamePad Tablet Hands-on Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:07 PM PST Last year the folks from Archos unveiled their own take on the Android gaming market with their new 7-inch GamePad tablet with an integrated controller. After finally launching in late December outside of the US, we were able to get some quick hands-on pictures and video today at CES 2013 to show you all. Check out this Jelly Bean tablet in action below.
For those who aren’t to familiar with Archos’ offering the tablet rocks a 7-inch display that is nicely built into a game controller for easy and intuitive gaming. They're calling this the first true Android game console, although we have a feeling OUYA and a few others will have something to say about this. Not to mention the just announced NVIDIA Project SHIELD will surely rival this slate on all levels. Either way we ran down to the Archos booth to check it out, but before the video here’s a rundown on the specs. The Archos GamePad rocks a 7-inch 1024 x 600 resolution capacitive touch IPS display, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Archos usual array of changes, tweaks, and media options. A 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, quad-core graphics, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Now here’s a quick look: As usual, Archos always has a rather lightweight plastic build quality. We applaud them for the lightweight and simple design, but the usual plastic feeling makes the tablet “feel” rather cheap. As we originally explained, Archos has their own gaming and key-mapping technology that will map the keys to specific functions for the ultimate gaming experience. Some will automatically map, but most will require manual entry. Which is fine and simple as you saw in the video above. The tablet is currently available now so head to Archos Store to give it a look yourself if you’re interested in some gaming on the go. We’re told a second generation quad-core powerhouse with an HD display is in development, but that’s probably a long ways away. We’ll be taking a look at plenty of other Android goodies here at CES so as usual, stay tuned.     Device Info
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| Huawei Ascend D2 manufacturing process revealed Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:52 PM PST Huawei unveiled the Ascend D2 smartphone here at CES 2013 and while we went hands-on with the handset yesterday, we are getting a look at the manufacturing process today. The sneak peak of the manufacturing process comes direct from Huawei and has arrived in the form of a short, but sweet YouTube video.
The video details how some CNC machining, welding, and laser cutting ends up being a rather nice looking smartphone. Of course, those are just a few of the processes. In fact, Huawei notes that it takes 116 processes to make the Ascend D2. Some of the others include laser distance measuring, drawing texture, stamping, polishing buffing, insert molding, shot-blast and lots of other fancy sounding items. After seeing this video and learning that it took 116 processes in total, we now understand why Huawei seemed to focus on how much work and effort went into the design, and into each of these handsets. Otherwise, aside from the manufacturing process, we had already mentioned the 5-inch 1920 x 1080 display, quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and Jelly Bean. And those are just a few of the decent specs on this device. In fact, it seems that one bit we are waiting (maybe hoping) to see is the release schedule. So far we Huawei has only said the handset will be available in China this month and then arrive in Japan at some point “in the future.” Otherwise, no mention of a global release. |
| Ematic announces the Fun Tab Family of tablets with Zoodles Kid Mode Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:52 PM PST Coming out of CES 2013, we have mention of some new kid-friendly tablets from Ematic. These latest, of which there are four include the FunTab Pro, FunTab, FunTab XL and the FunTab Mini. These four tablets will make up what Ematic is referring to as the FunTab Family and they will all arrive running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with the Zoodles Kid Mode.
Kicking the details off with the FunTab Pro and we have a device with a 7-inch display, 1GHz processor, dedicated GPU, front and rear-facing cameras and a battery life of up to 8 hours. The FunTab Pro will ship with a variety of faceplates to switch up the look. The faceplate colors will include blue, pink and red. This model is priced at $149.99. Moving over to the FunTab and we have another 7-inch display. The FunTab is powered by a 1.2GHz processor with a 400MHz GPU, has a battery life of up to 5.5 hours and is available in blue/green or pink/purple. The FunTab also has front and rear-facing cameras and is priced at $119.99. Next up, the FunTab XL which as the name implies — has a larger display. Though, not what everyone may think of as extra-large. That aside, the FunTab XL is sporting a 9-inch IPS display with a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and HDMI as well as a front and rear-facing camera. The FunTab XL will sell for $149.99. Finally, the FunTab Mini. And as you could have guessed, this one is smaller in size. The FunTab Mini has a 4.3-inch (480 x 272) display along with a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a rear-facing camera. The FunTab Mini will be priced at $59.99. Otherwise, as these are kid-friendly devices, they are sporting kid-friendly features. Some of the goodies include an interactive Story Books and Art Studio, a Video Mail feature and games such as Angry Birds, Where’s My Water? and Cut The Rope. These tablets are also all featuring a “durable” design to include a rubberized grip. Finally, as for the Zoodles interface, this will allow parents to monitor what the child is doing including getting a detailed report on the educational progress, a gallery of their artwork and storage to record video messages. |
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