Android Authority |
- Real Racing 3 Time Shift Multiplayer (TSM) explained by Firemonkeys [video]
- Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean coming out in February/March, last stop ahead of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie launch
- Samsung intros the Galaxy Young and Galaxy Fame, Jelly Bean smartphones for all
- The Raspberry Pi Model A arrives in Europe, global release expected soon
- Mythical HTC “Facebook Phone” leaked again, this time codenamed Myst_UL
- Facebook working on a location tracking app
- T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE launch set for March 27 / April 3, price unknown
- Fuhu’s new kid-friendly Nabi Jr. and Nabi XD tablets pop up at Best Buy, shipping soon
- Sony begins Jelly Bean rollout to the Xperia V
- Nexus 4 in stock in Google Play for customers in Australia And Spain
| Real Racing 3 Time Shift Multiplayer (TSM) explained by Firemonkeys [video] Posted: 05 Feb 2013 02:57 AM PST
Firemonkeys has released a new developer diary video for one of the most expected racing games of the year, Real Racing 3. In the short 2-minute clip, the developers explain how a new multiplayer feature that's going to be available to Real Racing 3 players. Called Time Shift Multiplayer, or TSM, it will let you race against any of your friends playing the game, or anyone else in the world for that matter, without requiring all players to log in and race at the same time, which is how multiplayer racing games are played traditionally. Because Real Racing 3 is a mobile game, it means not all players will be able to be online at the same time to race their friends, but thanks to TSM they'll be able to race against the best performance of their friends on any track of the game. Just log in and race against your friends, with AI controlling your friends' cars, mimicking their driving skills and track times. In short, it's like racing in Ghost mode – a mode available in racing games to compete against your previous best times – but you're actually competing with the ghosts of your friends and other Real Racing 3 drivers around the world. And they’re not ghosts. The game is headed to iOS devices in late February, with Android smartphones and tablets getting it down the road. Are you looking forward to it? Related PostsNo related posts. |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2013 02:27 AM PST
A few weeks ago we showed you various sightings of Android 4.2.2, Google's next incremental Android update, although at the time we didn't have any details regarding its potential launch. Today we have a new report for you that not only shows us Android 4.2.2 running on the Galaxy Nexus, but also tells us that Google could launch it in the coming weeks, either in February or in March. Android 4.2.2 appears to be the last hurdle for Google ahead of the highly anticipated Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie mobile OS version that's supposed to be unveiled at Google's I/O 2013 event taking place in mid-May. However, we can't tell you what's new in Android 4.2.2 in addition to bug fixes, but it looks like Google is testing the build internally on various Nexus devices including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and the Galaxy Nexus, as observed in the images here. IBTimes notes:
We'll be back with more Android update details in the coming weeks, as we're waiting for Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean to be released. Related Posts |
| Samsung intros the Galaxy Young and Galaxy Fame, Jelly Bean smartphones for all Posted: 05 Feb 2013 02:24 AM PST
It seems like not a day goes by without hearing about yet another Galaxy phone being introduced by Samsung. Entering the stage soon are the Galaxy Young and the Galaxy Fame. We first heard of the Galaxy Young a couple of days ago. Now that it has been made official, let's check out what the device packs inside. Samsung Galaxy Young Specs
Not a very enticing set of specs, we have to say, but at least it comes with an adequate amount of RAM and Jelly Bean. If you want something with a teeny bit more oomph, you may want to consider the Galaxy Fame instead. Samsung Galaxy Fame Specs
If you don't mind living with 512MB of RAM, the Fame offers a bigger display and a better camera than the Young. NFC will also be part of the package. The launch and pricing details for the Galaxy Young and Galaxy Fame haven’t been announced yet, but Samsung said that it’ll also release the two phones in dual SIM variants. Mildly intrigued? We’ll keep you posted. Related Posts |
| The Raspberry Pi Model A arrives in Europe, global release expected soon Posted: 05 Feb 2013 02:05 AM PST
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the availability of its Model A Raspberry Pis via global electronic suppliers RS Components and Premier Farnell/element 14. Europe gets the first chance to check out the low-cost computer, while the rest of the world will be able to do so as soon as limitations in distribution are revoked. With the purpose of advocating in academic institutions the learning of basic computer science, the Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer that comes with a very affordable price and measures the size of a credit card. By hooking up into the TV and a keyboard, this tiny PC performs most of the common tasks that full-blown desktop computers are able to do: word-processing, spreadsheets, and games Without Ethernet, a halved RAM at 256MBand only one USB port, the Model A is basically a lighter version of the Model B Raspberry Pi. The stripping down of components doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing though. For one thing, Model A is priced at $25, ten dollars cheaper than Model B. Another advantage is that the former only requires one third of the power consumption of the latter. This efficiency is particularly useful for projects that largely depend on solar energy: robots and sensors in remote locations, Wi-Fi repeaters installed in local bus stops, etc. And as seen with the first version of Model B, setting up a media centre via XBMC works quite well even with just 256MB memory. Due to some delayed paperwork that clears restrictions in distribution, anyone outside Europe who is interested in buying the Model A can still order but will have to wait before shipment can be processed. More than 1 million Model B Raspberry Pis have already been sold as of January; it wouldn't be a surprise if Model A sees similar success. Related Posts |
| Mythical HTC “Facebook Phone” leaked again, this time codenamed Myst_UL Posted: 05 Feb 2013 01:55 AM PST
What's the most preposterous, absurd yet fascinating legend you have ever heard of? The legend of Atlantis? The Loch Ness Monster? Unicorns? Bigfoot? How about the "Facebook Phone"? Well, it might not be as well-known to mankind as a sasquatch (yet) or as scary as the story of Vlad the Impaler, but this mythical creature supposedly being worked on in HTC's laboratories is… just mind-boggling. Mark Zuckerberg himself probably doesn't remember how many times he has denied the existence of such a gadget, saying "it doesn't make sense", and yet here we are once again dissecting the reliability of an FB phone rumor. This latest story comes via Twitter user @LlabTooFer, who looks like he knows a thing or two about HTC devices. According to this guy (or girl, or group of people, or whatever), the "Facebook Phone" is now codenamed Myst_UL (previously Opera_UL) and will be available on AT&T at some point in the future.
The "source in the know" also has an almost complete spec sheet of the handheld, parts of which contradict early rumors about the Operaul. For one thing, the previously rumored 1.4 GHz CPU has been bumped down to a 1 GHz clock speed. The new chip is said to be a Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon S4 Plus unit, so we can definitely rule out the possibility of this being a high-ender. Still, the rest of the features don't sound half bad and include 1 GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch 1,280 x 720 pix res display, 16 GB of on-board storage, dual 5 MP/1.6 MP cameras, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. A "dedicated Facebook button" is thrown in there for good measure, but I'm still not convinced this phone exists. Call it the skepticism of a guy who's seen one too many UFO sighting reports, but there's something off here. I'm not saying we should take Mark Zuckerberg's word for granted, but why would he be so aggressive in debunking all these rumors if he knows there's some truth to them? Then again, isn't this persistence the most solid proof that there is in fact something happening and Zuck doesn’t want us to know about it early? Darn, now I've started believing in aliens, unicorns and vampires. Related Posts |
| Facebook working on a location tracking app Posted: 05 Feb 2013 01:18 AM PST
The app is designed to help users find nearby friends, although you have to wonder what sort of “friends” don’t arrange to meet up, but would rather be spontaneously alerted to the fact that they’re passing each other, but anyway. The app will supposedly track users even if the program isn’t actively running in the foreground, which is clearly a concern for those interested in protecting at least some of their privacy. It’s suspected that the app also has major benefits for Facebook’s revenue generating abilities, as it will be able to target advertisements to users based on their location. So Facebook will know when you’re at home and suggest pizza deliveries, and remember what times you go out for a coffee break and propose a new cafe. Spooky. This would see Facebook focusing even more on its mobile ad revenue, which seems like something Facebook is probably keen to do after reportedly doubling its revenue from mobile devices. Are you concerned, or is tracking a small price to pay for Facebook’s social media experience? Related Posts |
| T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE launch set for March 27 / April 3, price unknown Posted: 05 Feb 2013 01:09 AM PST
We have already told you that the Galaxy Exhibit, aka Galaxy S3 Mini, is coming to T-Mobile soon, but we have even more good news for TMo customers waiting to get their hands on LTE gear. At least two other new handsets will head to T-Mobile in the coming months, the Galaxy S3 LTE and the BlackBerry Z10 although we're going to focus more on the former. The T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE (model number SGH-T999L) is going to be launched on March 27 or April 3, according to a leaked screenshot posted by TmoNews. Pricing details for the device are not available at this time, and it's not clear whether T-Mobile will sell the handset for a subsidized price, or whether it will be available for full retail price, part of T-Mobile's new smartphone selling strategy going forward. It’s worth pointing out that BlackBerry Z10 will also be launched on March 27, with the iPhone also rumored for a March release with the carrier. So if you're shopping for a new T-Mobile smartphone, you'll have quite a few new devices to choose from. Are you buying the T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE? Or are you rather waiting for the Galaxy S4? Related Posts |
| Fuhu’s new kid-friendly Nabi Jr. and Nabi XD tablets pop up at Best Buy, shipping soon Posted: 05 Feb 2013 12:58 AM PST
They're not glamorous and they rarely come with more than lackluster specs, but children-oriented tablets are definitely on the rise. The number of players involved in this niche is growing and growing, but one company that's been constantly in the spotlight there is Fuhu. The Nabi series has got a couple of refreshers unveiled back in December 2012, but both the Nabi Jr. and Nabi XD have been MIA until now. The official launches can't be too far down the road however, with Best Buy currently listing the two tabs as "coming soon". BB did in fact list the Nabi Jr. and XD as available for a few hours yesterday, but it seems that was either a website glitch or a misunderstanding. As we wait for the two to hit the ground running, this would be a perfect time to recap their specs and features. The $99.99 Nabi Jr. is the lower-end model of the duo, being targeted at young children (ages two to five, mostly). The 5-incher comes with a playful yet robust design and weighs around 1.5 pounds. The 800 x 480 pix res panel actually sounds decent for a dirt-cheap kid-friendly tab, as do the 1 GHz dual-core Tegra CPU and 512 MB of RAM.
Though the Nabi Jr. is Android 4.0-powered, you can imagine you won't have free access to Google's Play Store. That's definitely not a bad thing though, especially when you get loads of pre-installed educational content, as well as access to an app store made specifically for children. As for the $249.99 Nabi XD, that's a tab developed for older kids (aka "tweens"). Then again, we think some family tension might get built around this fellow, as moms and dads would probably love to take it for a spin from time to time as well. And why wouldn't you, when the XD comes packing a quad-core 1.3 GHz Tegra 3 CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a 10.1-inch 1,366 x 768 pix res display, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, 16 GB of internal memory, dual 5 MP/2 MP cameras, NFC, HDMI, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth? Well, do you or don’t you want to take one of these home? Will it be the Jr. or the XD? For your kids or for yourselves? Related Posts |
| Sony begins Jelly Bean rollout to the Xperia V Posted: 05 Feb 2013 12:47 AM PST
Last week, Sony gave Xperia T owners a surprise by pushing out the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean to the phone earlier than previously scheduled. Now, the same Jelly Bean update is making its way to the Xperia V (LT25i). For now, the update is live for folks in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. It's possible that more countries will join the list soon. Those who have made the jump to Jelly Bean reported that the update brings the phone's firmware to version 9.1.A.0.490. We're not sure if you can grab the new firmware via OTA, but a lot of folks seem to receive the upgrade via Sony PC companion software. Since there doesn't seem to be any official changelog yet, we also can't tell whether or not the JB update will fix the "Sleep of Death" bug that's plaguing the device. With the Xperia V receiving its Android 4.1.2 update, this leaves the Xperia TX as the odd one out. Hopefully we’ll hear more good news in the coming days. Did you get Jelly Bean yet on your phone? Let us know in the comments below. Related Posts |
| Nexus 4 in stock in Google Play for customers in Australia And Spain Posted: 05 Feb 2013 12:46 AM PST
The mystery behind the lack of availability for the Nexus 4 is still to be solved. Was it a production problem? Was it logistics? Was the demand just far greater than Google and LG ever imagined? One thing is known, during a recent earnings call, Google’s CEO Larry Page acknowledged that was a problem and said there is "work to be done managing our supply better". He added that solving the Nexus 4 shortage problem will be "priority for the teams". Also LG gave some assurances recently that there will be more devices available from mid-February. So, those in Spain and Australia go grab the Nexus 4 while you can, stocks aren’t guaranteed to last as the last time the Nexus 4 became available in Australia the 16GB model sold out in 20 minutes! Related Posts |
According to “two people with knowledge of the issue”, Facebook appears to be working on a smartphone app which will track the location of its users. Facebook’s new app will be heading our way in mid-March.
The game is afoot, well at least for those in Australia And Spain. It appears that the Google Nexus 4 smartphone is in stock in Google Play for lucky customers in those two countries. Both the 8GB and 16GB models are available with the Spanish buyers able to pick up the 8GB version for 299 Euros and the 16GB one for 349 Euros. In Australia the 8GB device is available for $349 and the 16GB goes for $399 (Australian dollars that is).| You are subscribed to email updates from Android Authority To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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