Android Phone Fans |
- LG Optimus G global roll-out begins
- Motorola X Phone said to be headed for all carriers, sold through Google Play Store? [RUMOR]
- OneLouder’s 1Weather gets big 2.0 update
- In wake of HTC M7 leak, Droid DNA gets a taste of Sense 5
- CyanogenMod continues M-Series builds with version 10.1
- Google and Samsung cooking up quad-core Nexus 10?
- Would Sony launch a 6.44-inch smartphone or media player?
- Report: Galaxy Note 8 confirmed for MWC, Galaxy S4 won’t be shown
- Samsung announces upcoming UK availability of NFC-equipped Galaxy S3 Mini
- First look at Jelly Bean for the Sony Xperia S
- Huawei made $2.5 billion profit in 2012, but don’t credit smartphone sales
- First Galaxy Tab 3 report pegs 7 and 10.1-inch models plus one more
- ASUS MeMo Pad 10 spotted in unboxing video, rumored specs revealed
- New HTC M7 render and screenshots leaked? [PICS]
- Sony Xperia Tablet Z officially unveiled with Full HD display, only 6.9mm thick
| LG Optimus G global roll-out begins Posted: 21 Jan 2013 02:59 PM PST While many of us in North America and parts of Asia (namely Korea and Japan) have already had a chance to own the LG Optimus G, LG still hadn’t gotten its global roll-out of the flagship device underway. The rest of you aren’t far behind now, though, as LG has just announced that its global roll-out will begin at the end of this month.
Over 50 new countries will be getting the device through the various carriers of the world, and likely via unlocked channels if you’d like to go that route. LG says the device will come with the “latest Jelly Bean OS and improved software,” though we’re not sure if they’re referring to the absolute latest version (Android 4.2) or just Jelly Bean in general (4.1 or higher). We’ll look to get more clarification on that particular line. In the meantime, you might want to do yourself a favor and check out our LG Optimus G review. According to our own Edgar Cervantes this is definitely LG’s best smartphone yet, but whether or not it wows and impresses you will come down to whether or not you find Optimus UI 3.0 to be as helpful and unimposing on the Android experience as it is beautiful. No one should have any major qualms with the hardware as it sports a 4.7 inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera, NFC and more. Be sure to read on for full press details.
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| Motorola X Phone said to be headed for all carriers, sold through Google Play Store? [RUMOR] Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:16 PM PST We haven’t heard much about the Motorola X Phone other than it was supposed to be a high-end beast of a phone with Google’s heavy influence injected. It wasn’t necessarily said to be a Nexus phone, though early details would have anyone believing that’s exactly what it could become. Well, a new set of rumors have popped up and this is one doozie of a story. According to information posted by a supposed trusted member of the community, which independent sources of Droid-Life’s seem to corroborate, the Motorola X Phone will be announced at Google I/O this may and all carriers will sell the device. An early July release date is said to be targeted, but things could obviously change between now and then.
The device won’t be marketed as a part of the Nexus line, and that unfortunately means Google won’t be guaranteeing updates straight from Mountain View as opposed to carrier-delivered upgrades. We imagine folks would still get timely upgrades for the most part, but as we learned with the Galaxy Nexus debacle nothing is promised. The rumors state you will have to pay Verizon $15 per month if you buy the device and get it unlocked through them, but if you buy it through the Play Store you’ll get it unlocked with no fee to speak of. Staying on the topic of Verizon, it’s assumed their version will cost $300. It sounds like carriers can price the device according to their own tastes so it might not be the same for the likes of Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. Carriers will be permitted to install bloatware on the X Phone, but users can choose to remove any of it after they unlock the phone. This is an action that typically requires root so we’re glad to hear that we probably won’t need to wait for the community to enable us with that functionality. As excited as you might get reading this, keep in mind that these rumors — although mouth-watering in some aspects and delivered by seemingly trustworthy messengers — are still to be treated as if they’re completely unsubstantiated. We don’t want people getting their hopes up only to be crushed in the event that none of this solidifies, so take it with a grain of salt and treat it as little more than a wishlist until we can gather up some more evidence. What would you say to these particular details? [DroidRzr.com via Droid-Life] |
| OneLouder’s 1Weather gets big 2.0 update Posted: 21 Jan 2013 11:47 AM PST Our friends at OneLouder, the studio behind Play Store hits such as TweetCaster and FriendCaster, have let us know that its weather app has gotten itself a nice big upgrade today. We’re in version two, and with that comes new support for Android tablets. You’ll get an entirely new user interface tailored specifically for the bigger devices so you can get your comprehensive weather experience no matter which device you prefer to use.
The user interface in general has been refined for phone and tablet users alike, giving folks a nice, clean look at everything they need to know about the elements in the days ahead. One of the major changes users can look forward to is an improved layout severe weather alert notification screens. An optimized radar screen, improved ongoing notification support, a map pin feature, lock-screen widgets for Android 4.2 owners (there’ll be a few different options to choose from in terms of styling, one of which you can see just above) and more are all part of today’s updates. It’s an exciting piece of work for sure, and more exciting is the fact that it’s still free — you’ll just have to deal with an ad or two. If that bothers you then you’ll be happy to know that OneLouder gives you the ability to get rid of the ads for a nominal, small fee of $2. Give it a shot in the Google Play Store and see if 1Weather will finally give you a reason to get excited about weather.
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| In wake of HTC M7 leak, Droid DNA gets a taste of Sense 5 Posted: 21 Jan 2013 11:19 AM PST
Over the weekend not only did we get a leaked peek at the upcoming HTC M7 flagship, but we also got an early glimpse at Sense 5. Now the new version of HTC’s custom interface has found itself on Verizon’s Droid DNA. The image surfaced at LeakROMS, and likely only represents a port of the M7′s software, not an early build of a future update for the 5-inch handset. It’s a long shot to think we might see Sense 5 on any phone before the launch of the M7. HTC will take the launch of that phone as an opportunity to show off the new features that will be baked into the latest evolution of the Android skin. But if any older handsets are going to get the new version, the Droid DNA is as good a candidate as any. Just don’t go knocking down HTC’s door just yet. [via Android and Me] |
| CyanogenMod continues M-Series builds with version 10.1 Posted: 21 Jan 2013 09:59 AM PST CyanogenMod fans will be delighted to learn that the team has finally reintroduced M-Series builds for version 10.1 of its AOSP-based custom ROM. Development of M-Builds were temporarily suspended as the team worked on CyanogenMod 10.1, the Android 4.2 base which we’ve all been waiting for.
The CyaogenMod team classifies an M-Series build as a build that is “mostly stable,” so if you wanted an early taste of CyanogenMod 10.1 that’s good enough to be your daily driver then this is what you’re looking for. They aren’t completely stable, but any bugs you find should be minimal. Those who own the Samsung Captivate, Nexus S/4G, USA Galaxy S3 devices, Samsung Galaxy S, Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus (all variants), Nexus 4, Nexus 10, ODroid U2 and any models of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 or 10.0 can enjoy these builds as early as today. More builds are being worked on right now so if you don’t own any of these devices then you’ll have to stick to the nightlies until they’re ready. As usual, you can find the downloads on CyanogenMod’s mirror site so be sure to grab your download. Also, keep it in the back of your mind that your device is still your own responsibility — should the result of your retooling be its transformation into a sentient being then you, and you alone, will have to deal with the robot rebellion. I’ll get Will Smith on the horn if you need some advice. [via CyanogenMod] |
| Google and Samsung cooking up quad-core Nexus 10? Posted: 21 Jan 2013 09:09 AM PST
Is Google cooking up an updated Nexus 10 in conjunction with Samsung? Sources say yes, and go one step further, claiming the new tablet is already making the rounds wearing the case of the original Nexus 10. Bright Side of News says the prototype model was sneaking around the back halls of CES and could again make a covert appearance at MWC before a grand unveiling at Google I/O. So what’s new in the rumored second-gen Nexus 10? A quad-core CPU with 8-core Mali-T678 graphics, an upgrade from the dual-core Exynos 5 found in the first iteration. According to the initial report, the folks at Bright Side of News were able to take the tablet for a test drive and benchmarks proved to be “night and day” by comparison. Making thing a little more interesting, the rumor immediately called us back to a story from earlier today detailing new tablet models from Samsung. One in particular, codenamed Roma and carrying model number GT-P8200, appears lined up as the successor to the Nexus 10, which carries the model number GT-P8110. While talk of a quad-core version of the slate is strictly rumor at this point, the existence of this Roma tablet creates a good deal of intrigue. If a quad-core model proves to be in development, don’t expect it to launch any time soon. Google reportedly plans to launch the device closer to the back-to-school fall season. [via DroidLife] |
| Would Sony launch a 6.44-inch smartphone or media player? Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:49 AM PST Samsung seems to have created a very attractive market as many OEMs are looking to literally stretch their smartphone lines a bit. Every day we hear about bigger and bigger phones on the horizon that could almost pass for tablets. The 5-inch sweet spot that everyone seems to be enjoying right now isn’t what we’d call an extremity, but it seems another player could be gearing up to test the 6 inch market in the near future.
A component leak served up by Digi-wo suggests Sony is looking to build a device that has a screen size of 6.44 inches. The component appears to be the front, outer bezel which would cover up the ugly bits that we don’t want to see. You can clearly see a Sony logo on the right side of what looks to be holes for the camera and light/proximity sensors. We’re not sure if this is supposed to come to us as a smartphone, but if so it would be one strange phone as the component doesn’t seem to make room for a speaker grill. At this size we would be more likely to believe that the device will come to us as a media player. It would certainly seem to fit Sony’s domain as the company still has a lingering Walkman brand it could look to revitalize. Whatever’s happening, I can tell you that a 6.44 inch device looks awfully awkward to hold. Trying to palm it looks like it’s almost one stop short of trying to palm a basketball so it’ll be interesting to see how that feels in person. Should these claims be legit then we could see Sony show something off at Mobile World Congress, an event Sony holds near and dear to its heart, and one it absolutely loves to use to announce its latest wares. [via The Verge] |
| Report: Galaxy Note 8 confirmed for MWC, Galaxy S4 won’t be shown Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:13 AM PST
New reports are shedding light on Samsung’s expected Mobile World Congress lineup. The news comes from several outlets, but all is attributed to Samsung Mobile Vice President JK Shin. A report from iNews24 confirms the rumored Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for a debut at MWC while News1 reiterates that much while adding that we can expect the Galaxy S4 to be unveiled at a later date. While the yearly global trade show makes sense for the Galaxy S4 debut, Samsung has in recent years opted to host their own event to unveil the marquee device. The Galaxy Note 8, which appeared in recent benchmark reports as the GT-N5100, seems far more likely. Samsung debuted the 10-inch Galaxy Note at last year’s show, and will look to do the same with their new line of Galaxy tablets this time around. The Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to feature a 1280 x 800 resolution 8-inch display, 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos chipset, and support for Samsung’s S Pen. The Galaxy S4 will be used to launch Samsung’s next generation of screen technology with a Full HD AMOLED display and could debut Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa SoC. That device is expected to be announced at a separate event in the spring. |
| Samsung announces upcoming UK availability of NFC-equipped Galaxy S3 Mini Posted: 21 Jan 2013 07:45 AM PST The original Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini was supposed to launch with NFC support, but Samsung seems to have disabled that for some reason. We’re not sure of the Korean manufacturer’s reasoning, but the company has opted to refresh the smallish device with operational NFC capabilities. You can expect the same package as before, except now you can setup WiFi Direct connections to other supported devices as well as use the full extent of Samsung’s S Beam. Being that the original S3 Mini is only a few months old it’s not hard to guess that there are a few folks out there not happy to hear this news. While Samsung isn’t obligated to accommodate those who were duped into buying the NFC-less option, we’d be very happy to see the company do something to help folks upgrade to the new version.
Despite its name, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini doesn’t match-up too closely to the original Samsung Galaxy S3. Other than the screen size being smaller, users also get a 1GHz dual-core processor and just 1GB of RAM. Compare this to the international version of the S3 which comes with a quad-core Exynos chipset ad 2GB of RAM. Perhaps the idea was to get the price lower, but it would be more accurate to call this a Galaxy S2 Mini than anything else. The phone isn’t bad, of course — it’s just that we’re left wanting a little bit more from something bearing the S3 moniker. Nevertheless, this new NFC-equipped version of the S3 Mini will give UK users another decent option that should be paired with some rather inexpensive tariffs starting later this month. As far as PAYG options go the original S3 Mini was about 270 pounds, and while Samsung hasn’t confirmed a price for the refresh just yet we imagine it won’t be much more or less than that. |
| First look at Jelly Bean for the Sony Xperia S Posted: 21 Jan 2013 07:06 AM PST
A user over at XDA is giving us our first look at Android 4.1.2 for the Sony Xperia S. The long-in-development update moves the build number to 6.2.x.x.xx and a new 3.4 kernel. Aside from bumping the handset’s Android version up from Ice Cream Sandwich to Jelly Bean, the new software also includes a selection of features found in newer Xperia phones. The Xperia S will gain access to new power management options, screen mirroring, and Find My Xperia. The phone will also get a new lock screen experience. Add this on top of Jelly Bean’s standard enhancements such as Google Now and Project Butter. There is no release date for the Android 4.1.2 update just yet — the build we see pictured here is still in testing. Even if all goes smoothly (and it sounds like there is still some work to be done), April might be the earliest we can expect Jelly Bean for the Xperia S.
[via XperiaBlog] |
| Huawei made $2.5 billion profit in 2012, but don’t credit smartphone sales Posted: 21 Jan 2013 06:32 AM PST Huawei has just reported its 2012 earnings, giving us a look at how much money the company raked in and a small idea of where, exactly, that money came from. The Chinese telecommunications and OEM company generated revenue of about CNY 220 billion, which comes out to about $35 billion. Of that, $2.5 billion turned out to be a sizable profit for Huawei. It can be easy to forget that Huawei doesn’t only deal with smartphones, though. The company has its hand in mobile broadband, gateways and set-top boxes, network infrastructure technology, healthcare, logistics and more. CFO Cathy Meng says a whopping 70% of Huawei’s revenue came from the company’s dealings with 45 of the world’s top 50 telecommunications operators. Meng didn’t give us much in the way of its smartphone numbers, though, only noting that smartphone penetration is still way too low for Huawei’s tastes, and that the company still has a lot of room for growth. Huawei’s desire to become a leading player in the booming smartphone market has been met with a new aggressive strategy by the OEM.
The plan will be to introduce more high-end smartphones and establish a name as a premium global handset maker. We imagine most of Huawei’s smartphone success has been possible due to the entry-level and mid-range options that are attractive to budget shoppers, but if Huawei wants to spur growth and change its image then it must do so with a bigger volume of quality releases. The transformation actually began around this same time last year where the company introduced the Ascend P1 and P1s at CES. Since then, we’ve seen a number of exceptional smartphones and tablets coming from the Huawei camp, with the most recent and exciting being the Huawei Ascend D2 and Huawei Ascend Mate. You can find more info about those phablets from our hands-on time here and here. For the foreseeable future, Huawei also has plans to announce a follow-up to the aforementioned P1. The Ascend P2 is said to be the star of the company’s Mobile World Congress offering, and it will look to reclaim the title of being the world’s thinnest smartphone. Huawei’s desire to improve its global image in 2013 is backed by a solid plan and a nice stable of hardware, but it’s not clear how easy it will be for the company to grow into the likes of Samsung, Apple and HTC. It might not happen this year, and it might not even happen next year, but there doesn’t seem to be a better track for Huawei to be on so only time will tell whether or not there’s room for them to shine. Read on for full press details.
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| First Galaxy Tab 3 report pegs 7 and 10.1-inch models plus one more Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:55 AM PST
As Samsung looks to refresh its product lineup in 2013, you best believe we’ll be getting a new series of Galaxy Tabs. Now, one of the first insider reports on what we can expect has surfaced. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, which is currently being developed under the Santos codename, will launch with 7 and 10.1-inch options. In total, there are currently four different Galaxy Tab 3 models, which account for 3G-enabled and WiFi-only versions of each size class. In addition to the new Galaxy Tab slates, Samsung is developing yet another tablet under the codename Roma. It’s unclear how Samsung plans to brand the device (it could be a Galaxy Tab, but might not), but known specs and a model number of GT-P8200 suggest it could be closely related to the Samsung-made Nexus 10. The mystery tab gets a 5MP camera and will ship with 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. All models are expected to launch during the first half of the year and will be available in a white deco, at the very least. The timing makes the devices excellent candidates for a Mobile World Congress unveiling. [via SamMobile]
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| ASUS MeMo Pad 10 spotted in unboxing video, rumored specs revealed Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:46 AM PST ASUS came to CES with the 7 inch MeMo Pad, and while the OEM clearly wasn’t looking to “ooh” and “wow” the crowds of the world, the tablet should be a very nice option for those looking for a tablet around the $150 price point. Well, it looks like another variant of the MeMo Pad is in the works and ASUS could be bringing it to us at Mobile World Congress next month. A 10 inch version of the MeMo Pad has shown up in an unboxing video on YouTube. The device goes with the safest of 10-inch tablet designs as it has a very ordinary-looking glossy white back plate and a black bezel on the front. The profile looks to be thin enough for ASUS to be proud about, but it’s nothing we haven’t become accustomed to by now. The software front even seems all too familiar, though this does give us an opportunity to marvel at the device’s snappiness. You are probably wondering what’s under the hood that makes it look as smooth as it does. Thankfully, some of those details have already surfaced. For the display, we’re getting a 10 inch 1280×800 panel which indicates this tablet will look to be competitively priced. It’s said to feature NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 clocked at 1.2GHz. That’s no beast by 2013′s standards, but it is still one of the nicer chipsets on the market. Other specs will include 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front camera. A $300 price point doesn’t sound far off the mark for such a configuration, but there’s no telling what ASUS will look to do here. We’ll know more at Mobile World Congress next month where ASUS is expected to reveal this thing on a global scale. We’ll see if an attractive price point will be the biggest thing going for what seems to be a very ordinary package otherwise. Have a look at the unboxing above. [via Tablets Magazine, Tech Hive] |
| New HTC M7 render and screenshots leaked? [PICS] Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:09 AM PST We’re all wondering what HTC is looking to bring to Barcelona in order to help turn recent financial woes around in 2013. The OEM’s latest flagship — what we know to be the HTC M7 — is said to be the first flagship device for the new year, but until now we haven’t had much of an idea of what to expect from it other than the obvious belief that it’ll be a high-end smartphone with an updated version of HTC Sense. Well, it looks like we could have ourselves the first early and clear look at the device from a couple of different angles.
On one hand is a render, the one you see just above, procured by HTCSource. Skepticism regarding its legitimacy whisked across our plate at first, but it’s worth talking about anyway. This render suggests the phone borrows a lot of design elements from HTC’s Windows Phone 8 flagship, the HTC 8X. They look so similar, in fact, that some have suggested that the Sense-based home-screen and standard set of Android buttons for Home, Back and Recent Apps were photoshopped onto an 8X. The folks at Android Police threw a small wrench into the fold, however, as it also seems to have procured some solid evidence of its own. This leak actually produced in-the-wild shots of the M7, and a few things seem to match up. For starters, the new configuration of buttons — where the Home button now flanks the right side of Back and Recent Apps — is the same. The backplate design is also very similar in look and feel, though it seems the Beats logo is a bit different and the camera flash moves to the left side.
We suspect the discrepancy could be due to the fact that either the render is an earlier design or the phone shown above is an early prototype. The possibility of HTC coming to Mobile World Congress with more than one variant also exists, though we doubt the changes made between different variants would be this subtle. The truth of the matter is that we won’t really know for sure until HTC announces the phone itself, so we’ll have to wait until Mobile World Congress for that road show. The other side of the equation involves HTC Sense, and it looks to match up with what we’ve seen from previous leaks. Something new we haven’t seen is the clock/weather widget and a few starter widgets designed to help people get started with their phones. The new clock widget employs a much more clean and modern design than the popular style HTC has used since Sense on Windows Mobile. Other than that, we can see that the default dock icons are identical between both of today’s leaks and leaks in the past, so there’s little doubt that this is what to expect from HTC’s latest software. We could bicker about what’s real or not all day, but I’d have a hard time imagining the M7′s design would be a far cry from what we’re seeing here. It’s a safe bet, but we’re not in Vegas — we’ll look to late February to get the official word straight from HTC.
PS: there’s also the little guy below that we were slipped, but we have a feeling this particular image isn’t what we’re expecting to see at Mobile World Congress.
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| Sony Xperia Tablet Z officially unveiled with Full HD display, only 6.9mm thick Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:02 AM PST
A couple weeks removed from announcing their Xperia Z flagship smartphone, Sony has unveiled their next Android tablet. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z debuted in Japan and brings a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200, enough for 1080p full HD and then some. But that’s not even the most impressive bullet point. While a quad-core 1.5GHz CPU from Qualcomm is nice, as is 2GB RAM and an 8MP camera, it’s the slate’s 6.9mm thickness that will turn heads. The measurement makes the Xperia Tablet Z the world’s thinnest in its size class while still managing to pack a 6,000mAh battery. The waterproof, dustproof tablet will run Android 4.1 out of the box. Exact pricing and release details haven’tbeen revealed, but an LTE-enabled version of the device is likely headed to Japan’s NTT DoCoMo. A more general availability is expected to be announced at a later date. [via Engadget] |
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