Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Sony Xperia Z And ZL Smartphones Appear In Subtle Press Shots

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 07:28 AM PST

 

It’s a new year so it’s officially time to see some new devices— and Sony has delivered by releasing some press shots of a few new additions to its Xperia line of smartphones. Thanks to a couple of listings on Sony Japan’s website, we finally have been treated to images of the Xperia Z “Yuga” and Xperia ZL “Odin” smartphones. While there are no concrete details of each device’s features, earlier rumors have indicated both will feature 5-inch 1080p LCD displays, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processors, 2 gigs of RAM and a 13-megapixel Exmor RS sensor on the rear. The main difference between the two? The Xperia ZL looks to be a bit smaller and more compact than the Xperia Z.

So now that the cat has been let out of the bag, it should be too long before we the devices in person at CES next week— which Talk Android will be at in full force by the way.

source: Engadget

Leaked image suggests red and brown color choices for Galaxy Note II are on the horizon

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:58 PM PST

The Samsung Galaxy S III managed to get some love in the color department after a few months of availability, and it now seems that the company’s Galaxy Note II is destined for the same fate. A newly leaked image shows the recently released 5.5-inch behemoth in both sleek red and brown colors, solidifying rumors that the device would receive alternate color choices in the near future. There’s no word on which carriers the fresh colors will be headed to, though its entirely possible that they cold see a simultaneous worldwide launch like the originals. So, I suppose the only question left to answer is Amber Brown or Ruby Wine?

Sources: Unwired View, AndroidSlash

CyanogenMod rolls out new Chronus clock widget for CM10.1 ROMs

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:34 PM PST

The crafty CyanogenMod team has introduced a brand-new clock widget for CM10.1 ROMs today, offering impressive weather and calendar integration. Featuring the same bold face as the revamped clock in Android 4.2, CM’s new clock, Chronus, works on both lock screens and home screens. Also included are several nifty features that aren’t apparent in Jelly Bean’s stock clock widget, with complete control over your choice of weather data and a slew of calendar options. The best part? The new clock will be included in CM10.1 nightlies starting tonight.

 

Source: Google Plus

LG to show off 5.5-inch 1080p display, 7-inch screen with 324ppi and 4.7-inch bezel-less panel at CES 2013

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 06:07 PM PST

LG has unquestionably had a great year with the introduction of the Optimus G and the highly-demanded Nexus 4. It seems as though the Korean manufacturer isn’t ready to slow down anytime soon as the company has already revealed plans to reveal three new displays at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The smallest of the three new display panels measures in at 4.7 inches. And, while that may be the same size as the panel used on the Nexus 4, the company’s newest iteration will feature a near bezel-less architecture, with edges just 1mm in thickness. The new layout would allow future smartphones to retain a frontward appearance that is composed almost entirely of the screen.

To compete with the likes of Samsung, LG will also be rolling out an all-new 5.5-inch display with full 1080p HD resolution, equating to an astonishing pixel density of 403 ppi. There’s no word whether or not LG plans to use this panel on an in-house device similar to its Optimus Vu released earlier this year.

Perhaps the most interesting of which, however, is the company’s upcoming 7-inch display. Featuring a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels, the new panel offer 324 pixels per inch, a number higher than both Apple’s iPad mini and Google’s Nexus 7.

Source: GSMArena

How to upload songs to Google Music from your smartphone or tablet using Dropbox

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST

Google Music (now officially known as Play Music) is an incredible product. Google allows you to upload your personal music collection to their servers and stream it from your web browser or any Android device absolutely free! The only bummer is that Google has overlooked an important feature: the ability to upload music purchased outside of the Google Play Store to your Google Music account from your smartphone. Naturally, Google is trying to push users to purchase their music from Google Play, but what if you want to buy your music from the Amazon MP3 store, or download it using some other quasi-legal method (shame, shame).

If your looking to upload music from your Android device, (or even your non-Android device…gasp!), you’ve come to the right place. Jump past the break to learn how!

 

You will need a computer of any kind for this workaround to function properly. Got one? Good! We’ll break up our guide into two parts: Part 1: Setting Up Your Computer, and Part 2: Setting Up Your Phone

 

Setting Up Your Computer

Step 1: If you don’t already have it, download and install Dropbox on your computer (this will entail creating a free account, and they will give you 2GB of free storage for life).

Step 2: Once Dropbox is installed, create a folder within Dropbox called “Google Music from Phone” or something that will make it easy to identify later.

Step 3: Once you’ve got your folder created inside Dropbox, use your web browser to navigate to Google Music. If you don’t already have a Google Music account set up, do that now (it’s free).

Step 4: In the upper right hand corner of your Google Music page, click “Upload Music”. This will prompt you to download Google’s “Music Manager”.

Step 5: Once the download completes, double click the file and let it install on your computer. After it’s installed, it’ll ask you to log in using your Google account. Do that, and then select “upload songs to Google Play”.

Step 6: It’ll ask you where you keep your music collection. Select “other folders” (it’s the last option), then “add folder”. When the window pops up, navigate to your newly created “Google Music from Phone” folder (that should be in your Dropbox) and select it. Click next.

Step 7: This is very important! After you select your “Google Music from Phone” folder as the place that you want Google Music to upload from, the Google Music Manager will ask you: “Do you want to automatically upload songs that you add to your selected folders in the future?” YOU MUST CLICK YES!

Ok, your computer is set up and we’re ready to move onto part 2.

 

Setting Up Your Phone

Step 1: Download the Dropbox mobile application for your smartphone platform (hopefully Android!) and log-in.

Step 2: Download Astro file manager and link it to your Dropbox account.

Step 3: Using Astro file explorer, navigate to the folder where your downloaded music is stored and use the “copy” function to copy the folders that you want uploaded to Google Music.

Step 4: In Astro, click the Dropbox icon, find your “Google Music from Phone” folder, open it, and paste your folders there. (What this does is upload your music files from your phone into the Dropbox folder on you computer, where Google Manager will find them and automatically upload them to your Google Music account!  Give it a few minutes and your music will all be stored on Google’s servers.)

Step 5: If you haven’t already, download the Google Music app, select your account, and enjoy streaming your new music from your phone! All done! Good job!

Hopefully Google will add this feature to their mobile apps in the future, but for now, you just hacked the system! Congratulations!

 

Disclaimer: This will work with Google Drive or any other like service as long as autosyncing is on.

Disclaimer 2: This method will also work with iOS, Windows, and BlackBerry smartphones and tablets

YouMail App Aims To Make Voicemail Services A Little “Smarter”

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 09:23 AM PST

 

As we approach 2013, we are seeing the adoption newer technologies such as visual voicemail service. As the most well-known and popular option, Google Voice arrived with immediate fanfare a few years ago and brought with it the transcriptions of messages to the mainstream public. While Google Voice is away and by far the most popular, it does seem a bit limited to a certain extent for some users, so it’s only natural that different alternatives surface. With that in mind— YouMail aims to make receiving voicemail and transcriptions of voicemails just a little bit… “smarter” than other offerings from services like Google Voice.

Many of you are probably wondering what YouMail is, right? Well in a nutshell— it’s a service that allows users to access their voicemails and messages on their smartphones or tablets using the YouMail app. Essentially, cellphone users sign up for the service by simply giving their name and cellphone number. Once done, YouMail replaces your main voicemail number with its own voicemail number to start off with and then from there users of the app and service begin to personalize both to their liking.

The main feature of the app and service is simple enough– but it goes much deeper beyond visual voicemails. In addition to the traditional read-by-email transcription service, which includes the ability to organize your messages into folders— YouMail offers a few additional cool features. The most noteworthy one right off the bat are the Smart Greetings, which actually greets callers by calling them by name or through a pre-recorded greeting either from the app or done by you. Another is Caller Ditching– which is another way of being able to screen callers and either trick them into thinking your cellphone number is out of service or thinking they can’t leave a message. Very cool indeed.

The app is free to download and is available for all Froyo+ plus devices— however we must note that the service is not available for prepaid cellphone users at this time. But for the rest of you, YouMail certainly is worthwhile to at least try out. Once you get used to it and use it regularly, we’re sure you’ll use it as your main voicemail service.

 

Play Store Download Link
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