Saturday, January 19, 2013

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Facebook update brings voice messaging – Messenger app no longer necessary

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:45 PM PST

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The Facebook app was updated today in the Play Store. The update brings about nice little enhancements like faster image loading, but the biggest change comes with the ability to send voice messages to friends. If this sounds familiar that’s because the Messenger companion app added this functionality earlier this month, but now it’s no longer required if you want to send voice messages but hate having to download anything extra. Cool deal.

Hopefully once Facebook rolls out voice calling, this will also come to the stock Facebook app as well, and not be exclusive to Messenger. This latest update has us hopeful.

[Facebook on Google Play]

Opera Ice shows off next gen web browsing, coming to Android in February [VIDEO]

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:22 PM PST

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If you’re a web browsing veteran, you’ve no doubt heard of Opera. Sort of the underdog in the browser space, the company is probably most well known from their work in Android for releasing a browser that actually compresses data on the server end, then speedily sends a slimmed down web page to its user quicker than if it was the original page. It worked pretty well for a good while, the only problem was the vast rollout of 4G LTE kinda eliminated the need for Opera and it was back to good ‘ol Chrome/stock Android browsers.

Well, the company is attempting to make a comeback, this time they have a new web browser set to debut on Android (and iOS) in February that introduces a pure visual experience to traditional web browsing. The touch-based UI acts almost like an OS in itself, featuring a homescreen that can launch web pages and bookmark them without diving into stale, boring menus. It’s actually pretty damn cool. Take a look.

What did you guys think? You ready to ditch your current browser in favor of some Ice? What are you guys currently using as your favorite?

[Pocket-Lint]

Poster for The Internship revealed, hits theaters June 7th

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:22 PM PST

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If you guys missed our previous post a few months back, Shawn Levy (the guy that brought us Real Steel) is wrapping up shooting on a new movie called The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Yes, the dynamic duo is back again, but instead of crashing weddings, the boys play two out of work salesman looking for work at, where else, but the happiest place on earth: Google. Here’s the gist of the movie:

Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation's most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.

Google welcomed the entire production to the Googleplex for the backdrop of the movie back in July and now, it looks like we can officially mark June 7th on our calendars for The Internship’s debut, as shown off in the new movie poster for the flick. The movie looks like it will be a lot of laughs (Vaughn and Wilson are always a winning combination) and this will the second time Director Shawn Levy, and writers Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern will team up for a flick since The Watch that released last year. Anyone else excited to see it?

They’ve already taken our headphones — will they take our charging cables, too?

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:19 PM PST

A disturbing trend that has been sweeping the smartphone world over the past couple of years has been the death of headphones being packaged with devices. It used to be that companies were happy to give you a pair of neatly-wrapped earbuds for your listening pleasure, but most companies have stopped doing this in a consistent manner.

Some select smartphones do still come with headphones, but even that is hit or miss. We saw it with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2: the OEM had no problem supplying headphones with the device, but some carriers elected to exclude them.

It’s almost become a game of cereal treasure hunting: you never know what sort of prize you’re going to find at the bottom (or top, if you play it smart) of the cereal box. Soon enough, those cereal boxes became empty, and if you were lucky enough to see a mail-in promotion for a toy it was a glorious day. The only problem is that cellphones don’t come with mail-in promotions for headphones — if you want one in this day and age, you’re most likely going to have to buy your own.

Headphones are a bit different as they are seen as premium additions that OEMs and carriers don’t have to give us, but what if I told you some carriers were looking to try the same with phone chargers? The benefactor of this horror story is O2, the UK carrier who seems to be spearheading a movement to phase out in-box phone chargers by 2015. The carrier ran a three-month trial where users could decide whether or not their devices came with a phone charger, and a surprising 4 out of every 5 folks declined one.

It’s not that I expect people not to have extra USB cables and charging pucks lying around — I have a few too many laying around myself. But I can’t imagine those little things being such a big inconvenience to the point where someone would outright refuse them. Having extra chargers has saved me in the past when one of my USB cables shortened out or I happened to misplace a charging puck, or when I simply had more than one device to charge at the same time.

Beyond that, you have to think about the phone itself. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S3 came with a 1A charger, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 came with the faster 2A charger in order to charge its bigger battery in a more reasonable amount of time. If I were forced to use a 1A charger with my Galaxy Note 2 I would probably return it.

Different strokes for different folks is always going to be the theme, of course, so if 4 out of 5 people really don’t have an issue with it then I guess I have to live with the fact that I’m in the minority. All I can do is hope that this doesn’t become a trend, and that whatever O2′s looking to do in the future doesn’t affect those of us who actually value getting those extra accessories every time we buy a new device. What say you?

[via WinSource]

Google removes racist “Make Me Asian” and “Make Me Indian” apps from the Play Store

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:59 PM PST

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After brief stints in the Play Store, it appears a few apps that can be described as nothing short of racist have finally been taken down directly by Google. “Make Me Asian” and “Make Me Indian” crept their way into Google Play back in November and allowed users to take pictures of themselves and give themselves stereotypical Asian or Indian “traits” by slanting their eyes, adjusting skin tone, or even pasting “fu manchu” mustaches and Native American headresses onto their pics (or pictures of friends).

After outcry from the Asian community, it appears Google finally listened and has removed both apps — as well as developer Kimbery Deiss — from the Play Store entirely. The developer also created a few less controversial apps like “Make Me Bald” and “Make Me Old” which are also no longer available for download.

These apps creeping their way into the Play Store spotlight the very different ways Google and Apple allow apps into their app stores. Where Apple takes a very proactive roll of reviewing each app individually before it enters into their store, Google’s only scans apps for malware using a process they call Bouncer, then addresses other concerns (like censorship) only after they’ve been live and downloaded by users.

[via NPR]

Does this benchmark result reveal Samsung Galaxy S4′s 1.8GHz CPU?

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:17 PM PST

It’s always difficult to take an entry in a benchmark database at face value, but when the potential subject is the Samsung Galaxy S4 it’s worth a second look. So goes the story with the latest AnTuTu benchmark result, er, results. Two devices have appeared with model numbers SHV-E300S and GT-I9500, but both appear to be linked to identical handsets.

If that GT-I9500 number sounds familiar, it’s because speculation has already tied it to the next iteration of Samsung’s Galaxy S flagship. If that is accurate and the benchmark results we see here hold true, the Galaxy S4 will feature a 18.GHz quad-core CPU — potentially Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa.

Roll that in with previously rumored specs including a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED FHD display, 2GB RAM, and a 13MP camera and we’re looking at a device that will once again capture a wide swath of the market for Samsung. The specs would simply blow almost every other device out of the water. But, we haven’t even dipped our toes in, just yet. Samsung is expected to unveil the next Galaxy S later this spring.

[via BGR]

If mobile phones were NFL Quarterbacks…

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:51 AM PST

The weekend is here. NFL Playoffs are here. And tech… is always here. So we figured why not have some fun and mix together all of the above? I want to ask you a question:

These are our answers. Share yours in the comments.

Verizon Galaxy Note 2 receiving update, could be Exynos security fix

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:47 AM PST

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is receiving a small update, but what exactly the new software version brings to the table is a mystery. Well, not a complete mystery. The update, which when prompted should take only a few minutes to download and install, carries the build number VRALL4. That’s the same as a recent Galaxy Note 2 update (UVALL4) for T-Mobile, save for a few different (carrier specific) letters at the the front.

The update for Verizon’s phone, then, likely deals with the same issue as the one for T-Mobile’s handset: a root exploit pertaining to Samsung’s Exynos chipset. Perhaps confirming this are reports that the update cannot be rooted using current methods. So, if rooting is your thing, there is a tradeoff here. But if you are the type to root, you should be familiar enough with potential security risks to make an educated decision on whether or not to update to the latest software version.

[via DroidLife]

Samsung Galaxy “Fonblet” said to be a Galaxy Player 5.8 with phone radios [RUMOR]

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 09:59 AM PST

It seems we can’t go more than a week without hearing rumors about some new Samsung device with some obscure screen size. From 5.5 inches to 6.3 inches, all the way up to 8 inches and beyond, Samsung is rumored to be testing pretty much every screen size you can think of. Now, new rumors are surfacing that the company might be trying out the 5.8 inch screen size on for size.

This isn’t really a new screen size for Samsung — the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 currently on sale in Korea comes with it. The rumor does state Samsung will be looking to bring a phone out with this size, and that Samsung will be calling it the Samsung Galaxy Fonblet. SamMobile, usually a reputable source, says that it’s “confirmed,” though no substantial evidence was given to back that claim up.

If real, the Galaxy Fonblet (ouch on the name, by the way) would most likely sit somewhere between the upper echelon of mid-range and on the lower end of the high-end side of the market. It doesn’t sound like a device Samsung would look to bring to all markets, but it’s always tough to try and pinpoint the target markets for these releases.

Not much is known about the Fonblet, but we can’t imagine it won’t share some of the characteristics that the Galaxy Player has. That device has a qHD resolution, a 3 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 4.0. Being that it’s a media player and considering that the original Galaxy Player wasn’t that powerful we never expected it to have uber impressive specs, but perhaps the Fonblet will step things up a bit. Should this device be in the works then we could expect to hear about it at Samsung’s showing at Mobile World Congress next month, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed to hear something concrete ahead of time.

Huawei Ascend P2 to pack biggest punch in world’s slimmest profile?

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:42 AM PST

We’ve heard a little bit about the Huawei Ascend P2 following CES 2013. According to rumors, Huawei is set to unveil the device at Mobile World Congress as the latest “world’s thinnest smartphone,” and although that title has become less and less prestigious over the years (a new manufacturer seems to reclaim it every other week) we’re still excited to see what the Chinese manufacturer is looking to bring.

According to recent rumors, this phone will be the thinnest in the world while also being one of the most powerful. According to Chinese outlet CSR, the device will sport a 1.8GHz quad-core K3V2 processor, an in-house chipset that isn’t half bad. Other specs would include a 13 megapixel rear camera, a 1.3 megapixel front camera, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a 3,000 mAh battery. It also stands to come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box, though it’s possible that we could see Android 4.2 by the time it launches.

The K3V2 doesn’t have the same name power as NVIDIA’s Tegra, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or Samsung’s Exynos, but Huawei has refined its chipsets quite nicely and they provide exceptional performance for the company’s various smartphones. The most interesting thing about this package is the battery — how can Huawei fit a 3,000 mAh battery into a chassis expected to be thinner than 6.45mm (the size of the current thinnest smartphone, Alcatel’s One Touch Idol Ultra)?

That particular freak show is one we’ll be looking to attend front row and center as the company heads to Barcelona next month for its big annual showing. I should note that the source of these rumors isn’t the strongest, but I could definitely see Huawei looking to bring a package close to this as it looks to improve its status as a premium device manufacturer. We’ll see if it’s enough to have people looking at them on the same level that we do HTC, Samsung and the other big names in the smartphone industry.

[via IntoMobile]

Samsung to debut rugged Galaxy Xcover 2 at MWC [RUMOR]

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:12 AM PST

Here’s another one to mark down on your Mobile World Congress watch list: the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2. The phone would follow the original Samsung Galaxy Xcover (S5690) and feature a similar combination of mid-range specs and rugged construction.

Specs being floated for the device, which carries model number S7110, include a 4-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera, and 1700mAh battery, all upgrades from the original Xcover. It will launch with Jelly Bean in Titan Gray and Red/Black color schemes.

It’s a no brainer to include IP67 certification for the device, the same standard for the original Xcover approving the device for resistance to shock, dust, and dirt. It can also survive submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Now, implement the same sort of resilience in a flagship phone like the Galaxy S4 and then we’re really talking…

[via SamMobile]

HTC One X+ Android 4.2 update being readied?

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:23 AM PST

Considering the HTC One X+ launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean we’d like to think HTC and AT&T have plans to release the next version, Android 4.2, at some point down the line. It’s not always a certain thing when it comes to mobile upgrades, but the general consensus is that the HTC One X+ is powerful and popular enough to warrant an upgrade.

Well, first indications of an impending upgrade might have just reached the interwebs. XDA developer Shen Ye was caught testing the Photo Sphere feature on an HTC One X+, indication that he must have some form of Jelly Bean on the device. Unfortunately the developer would not confirm whether or not this was an AOSP-based ROM or a leaked version of an HTC Sense Android 4.2 ROM.

The latter scenario would mean either HTC has incorporated Photo Sphere into its own camera app or Ye ended up sideloading the stock Android 4.2 camera app. All of it is shrouded by a degree of uncertainty as the developer wasn’t willing to spill any more beans (no pun intended) following his initial slip, but either way it would look to be the first bit of Android 4.2 that one can find on the HTC One X+. We’ll be reaching out to see if we can gather any more details, but for the time being just know that somehow, somewhere and in some for, Android 4.2 is being cooked up for the HTC One X+.

[via Google+, thanks Hasnain!]

Chrome Beta for Android updated, here’s the change log

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:15 AM PST

Chrome Beta for Android is receiving a minor update to deal with performance and stability issues. Pegged as version number 25.0.1364.37, you shouldn’t notice any major changes or additions after moving to the latest software revision. Fixed for this release are iframe scrolling, issues with displaying the Chrome progress bar, and a myriad of smaller bugs.

The complete list of changes can be found at the Chrome Releases blog and the SVN revision blog. You can also find an account of known issues in the current build, which includes problems with updating the app icon after installation of the new version.

If you have Chrome for Android and are wondering where your update is, note that Chrome Beta is a separate app in the Google Play Store. To be privy to an early look at upcoming Chrome releases, you will want to Beta version of the browser.

 

LG Optimus G Pro leaks with 5-inch 1080p display

Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:26 AM PST

LG’s update to their Optimus G handset released last fall looks primed for release in Japan, according to a series of leaks. Dubbed the Optimus G Pro, the device features several improvements over the original including a 5-inch 1080p display. Other specs listed are a 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, 13MP camera, and 3000mAh battery. It will launch with Android 4.1.

The leak in question pegs the Optimus G Pro for a launch on NTT DoCoMo in two color options, Platinum White and Indigo Black. Given the phone’s overall design, the G Pro comes across as more of a iterative update rather than a true sequel.

The specs don’t quite jive with rumors we have heard related to an Optimus G2. Sources have said that phone would feature a 5.5-inch display and could launch next fall running Android’s unannounced Key Lime Pie version out of the box. It could be that LG is taking a Samsung-esque approach with their G series.

Just like the Galaxy S often receives several variants (mini, plus, etc.) before the next flagship model is introduced, we could see the same from LG with the Optimus G. You can already count the Nexus 4 in there, if you’d like. Unless DoCoMo releases this independently, the Optimus G Pro looks like another candidate for a Mobile World Congress debut.

[Engadget via TechCrunch]

 

Google Glass Laser Keyboard: will it further fuel patent wars?

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 11:04 PM PST

At CES 2013, I showed you the crazy eyesight controlled computer that could become a Google Glass partner. Many of you had your doubts, but as we reported yesterday, a recently filed patent by Google illustrates some of the exact functionality we predicted Tobii could bring to Glass.

Look at your hand. Dialpad beams onto it. Press your hand. Number dialed. What the heck just happened?

The functionality is a little bit different from Tobii because rather than tracking your eyes and correlating eye movement with a pressed button, Google Glass already knows where your eyes are looking because the glasses are pointed in that direction. But note number 304 where you’re visually seeing the display? Looks familiar.

Combine the technology that’s already working brilliantly in the Tobii display with the concept shown above and Google Glass could have something really interesting in store for us all. While the Glass possibilities are undoubtedly marvel, how do you activate all the ideas app developers could initiate? Do you need to provide voice commands? Will your phone be a remote control for them? What’s the deal? This type of interaction could solve that problem.

But this concept isn’t new as pointed out by Devin Coldewey of NBCNews Digital.

Above, you can see a 2009 video from TED discussing SixthSense technology. Last year, Microsoft showed off an eerily similar Kinect-ish concept that makes everything a touch screen. First let’s take a look at a screenshot from the SixthSense video shown two years ago:

Now how about Microsoft’s rendition from last year?

Uhoh, I can see where this is headed: patent court U-S-A. That being said, Google’s variation mounts the laserto a pair of glasses, cooperates with a glasses-mounted camera, and possibly incorporates eye-tracking technology (among other tech) to efficiently process user interactions. Crazy stuff.

Although the first Google Glass developer event is right around the corner, incorporating consumer-ready technology found in this patent isn’t likely within the next couple years. And therein lies the patent race debacle: if these glasses and this technology becomes popular, what parts of which patents are valid or first or overlapping? By the time these products generate corporate profits (if they do), the string of related patents will be so confusing that… well, things will seem like they haven’t changed.

I think it’s about that time. Time to start thinking of futuristic movie ideas and, instead of writing a screenplay, file patents based on that imaginary movie in hopes that someone else will one day try to patent it. On the contrary: the awesome, crazy, and exciting thing about Google is that, whereas other companies leave these ideas on the shelf as futuristic “concepts”, Google is actually making them a reality.

 
Posted by at 9:18 AM

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