Android Central |
- About that Google Settings app that appeared on your device today
- Pocket Casts 4: more than just a fresh coat of paint
- TuneIn Radio updated with new Google+ sign-in feature
- Google+ sign-in coming to apps and web
- Debug & Iterate team-up podcast: The future of human interface
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Book Cover
- Hands-on with the ASUS Padfone Infinity
- NVIDIA shows off 5 new Tegra 4 optimized games at MWC
- Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Stand Pouch
- Hands-on with the ASUS Fonepad
- Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case for Galaxy Note 2
- First look at the Galaxy Note 8 car dock
- Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Grand
- ASUS MeMo Pad tablets launching in the UK beginning early March
- LG's 'VR Panorama' puts Photosphere on the Optimus G Pro
- ASUS Padfone 2 launching in the UK on March 1
- LG showcasing wireless Ultra HD transmission technology at Mobile World Congress
- LG officially announces new wireless charger, claims worlds smallest
- Hands-on with the Lenovo K900
- ZTE launches Grand Memo with 5.7-inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor
- Samsung touts market share, infographic style
- Twitter announces support for Firefox OS, app to be in Firefox Marketplace when devices ship
- MetroPCS shareholders to vote on T-Mobile merger March 28
- Boost Mobile getting the HTC One SV on March 7
| About that Google Settings app that appeared on your device today Posted: 26 Feb 2013 04:42 PM PST
As part of its new Google+ sign-in initiative that went live today, Google pushed a silent update to the Google Play Services app to support the new feature, which also brought along a new app called Google Settings. Google Play Services updates in the background routinely, much like the Play Store itself, in order to have phones up to date and syncing properly. The updates don't usually install new apps, but there's nothing to worry about here, the Google Settings app is indeed supposed to be there. That being said, it doesn't seem all that useful, as it just provides shortcuts to the settings menus of other apps on the phone -- like Google+, Maps and Location. These settings could all be accessed previously, but in order to have everything working out of the box and have a settings area set up for the new Google+ sign-in, Google had to push something out there. We may have preferred if there was some kind of notice of what was going on though. Going forward it's likely that Google will use this app to house more than just a few settings shortcuts -- and the functionality could easily just be baked into the general OS settings as well. For now, just let it be -- at least the icon isn't too ugly. 
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| Pocket Casts 4: more than just a fresh coat of paint Posted: 26 Feb 2013 04:11 PM PST
Pocket Casts has been around for some time, and is always part of the conversation when talking about podcast apps on Android. But like many other apps, it was long overdue for a redesign. This latest update, Pocket Casts version 4, has thrown the app back into the forefront of quality Android design. But the update is more than just skin deep -- underneath that design is a whole bucket of new features that are just as appealing as the visuals. Hang around with us after the break, and take a look at the completely redesigned Pocket Casts 4. 
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| TuneIn Radio updated with new Google+ sign-in feature Posted: 26 Feb 2013 02:40 PM PST
Google only just today announced their Google+ sign-in features that are opening up to app developers, but TuneIn Radio is one of the first out of the gate to implement it. Much as they were involved early on with Jelly Bean expandable notifications, the extremely popular radio streaming app is in on the ground floor with Google's latest features. To the user, it's exactly the same process as signing in via Twitter or Facebook, without the necessity of course to enter any login details. You choose which of your Google accounts you wish to sign-in with, and that's it. You're also presented with a check box allowing you to restrict who has access to content you share on Google+ -- although sharing something only you can see does seem a little, well, pointless. Google+ sign in isn't the only new feature in this update either. TuneIn Radio will now integrate with your calendar, so if you don't want to forget about that big 
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| Google+ sign-in coming to apps and web Posted: 26 Feb 2013 01:53 PM PST Google announced today that it is rolling out Google+ sign-in support for both apps and the web, giving users one-click login to third party services with their G+ account. Technically called "application sign-in", this new feature will replicate what many are used to with plain old Google sign-in, but now with enhanced features that come along with Google+. Similarly to the way sites and apps can now authenticate you with your Facebook or Twitter accounts, Google+ will now be an option when visiting sites that have integrated the service. You get all of the perks of having site credentials tied to your Google Account, as well as the improved sharing functions that come along with Google+. When sharing from an app that has the service integrated, people that see the post on Google+ will be able to directly act on the item you shared -- for example sharing a radio program from TuneIn Radio will give a direct "listen" button right in the post, or sharing a listing on Open Table will give a button to view the restaurant's menu. This is very similar to the way Google already integrates app installs and music purchases into Google+ posts. Developers that use Google+ sign-in on the web will also be able to offer users their Android apps directly from their own website, with a pop-up "install" screen that looks identical to the one found on the Play Store. About a dozen different sites are on board with this initial launch of the new application sign-in, with more on the way. It will be interesting to see how many apps take advantage of the new Google+ sign-in option and sharing improvements. Source: Google Developers Blog 
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| Debug & Iterate team-up podcast: The future of human interface Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:44 AM PST
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| Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Book Cover Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:21 AM PST
Here's a more traditional folio case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 -- the Book Cover. It's basically the same flip cover you can get for the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2. The difference here is it's a full shell that fits over the back of the tablet, as you can't remove the battery cover. So you gain a little thickness. Note the hole for the front speaker/earpiece, so you can still listen to the conversation with the cover closed. But then you'd be someone holding an 8-inch tablet to your head, looking like a maniac. Don't be that guy. Like just about every other flip case of this design, you can fold the cover back onto itself to make a little stand. 
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| Hands-on with the ASUS Padfone Infinity Posted: 26 Feb 2013 10:06 AM PST
At the conceptual level, the ASUS Padfone series has always sounded cool, but it's never managed to translate that into mainstream success. Previous Padfones, though technically impressive, have been too expensive to win over consumers and carriers en masse. On top of that, ASUS has yet to present a really compelling use case for combining a phone with tablet dock. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese manufacturer is back with a third Padfone iteration, the Padfone Infinity. The Infinity boasts superior specs, a redesigned, brushed aluminum chassis an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. But is that enough to justify this class of device? Check out our first impressions from Mobile World Congress after the break. 
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| NVIDIA shows off 5 new Tegra 4 optimized games at MWC Posted: 26 Feb 2013 09:24 AM PST
With the announcement of the new Tegra 4 processor and devices, NVIDIA is looking to showcase what it is capable of by highlighting 5 new Tegra 4 optimized games in TegraZone. Burn Zombie Burn, Carie: Blood Mansion, CODEX: The Warrior, Dead on Arrival 2 and RU Golf have all been updated with enhanced graphics to show off just what makes Tegra 4 so much more appealing over other processors when it comes to playing games. NVIDIA is well known for partnering with game developers to release these high-end titles via the TegraZone, and these will kick it off for Tegra 4. Hang with us after the break and see some impressive gameplay videos, as well as a screenshot gallery of the titles. Source: NVIDIA 
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| Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Stand Pouch Posted: 26 Feb 2013 09:17 AM PST
We've seen some Android tablets essentially ape the iPad's Smart Cover, which protects the screen while closed and doubles as a stand when folded in on itself. Samsung's gone a different route with the Galaxy Note 8.0 Stand Pouch. Pouches in and of themselves are hardly new in the mobile space. But Samsung's here also doubles for a stand for the Galaxy Note 8.0. Slip the Note 8.0 into it (the inside is soft and warm and safe, like ... something soft and warm ... or at least soft) to keep things nice and safe. The pouch -- notice how it's segmented here -- folds in on itself in the usual triangle manner. From there, you get a couple options for angles -- one high, for media viewing, the other low, say, for typing. Samsung's got a host of colors -- I'm partial to the boring (but nicely textured) gray you see here. We've got some more pics of the Samsung Stand Pouch after the break. 
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| Hands-on with the ASUS Fonepad Posted: 26 Feb 2013 08:35 AM PST
Android has a long history of playing host to ridiculously large smartphones. First there was the Dell Streak. Next came the original Samsung Galaxy Note. And now in 2013 we have the ASUS Fonepad, a 7-inch tablet that's also a 7-inch phone. On first inspection the Fonepad looks a little bit like a another 7-inch ASUS tablet, the Nexus 7. But unlike that device it's also a full 3G/HSPA phone, complete with earpiece and microphone. That's right, you can hold this seven-inch slab of electronics to your head and make telephone calls.
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| Deal of the Day: Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case for Galaxy Note 2 Posted: 26 Feb 2013 06:22 AM PST
The Cruzerlite Bugdroid Curcuit Case is available for just $8.00, 60% off today only. Grab yours while supplies last! Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts 
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| First look at the Galaxy Note 8 car dock Posted: 26 Feb 2013 05:28 AM PST
So the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is a more-than-capable Android tablet, as well as as an oversized phone. And if you want to dock it in your car, Samsung's got you covered there, as well. Yes, there's an official car dock for this phone/tablet hybrid. It's done in the usual Samsung motif of glossy black plastic, and the tablet fits snugly inside. We didn't see any specific car app installed on this Note on display, but you can find any number of them in the Play Store. More: See our hands-on with the Galaxy Note 8.0All in all, it's a stylish way to keep the Note 8.0 at hand in your vehicle. The trick will be to keep from creating an 8-inch blind spot on your windshield. We've got one more pic after the break. 
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| Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Grand Posted: 26 Feb 2013 05:14 AM PST
With devices like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, Samsung has been an integral part of the push towards bigger screens on smartphones. But traditionally these larger, higher-resolution devices have been aimed towards the high-end, carrying expectedly high-tier price tags. Today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, we saw a device that aims to defy that convention.
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| ASUS MeMo Pad tablets launching in the UK beginning early March Posted: 26 Feb 2013 04:02 AM PST
More ASUS related news has emerged from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, this time concerning the UK launch of their MeMo Pad tablets. Both the 7-inch and 10.1-inch tablets will be available to buy in the UK, with the first launching from March 7. The 10.1-inch ME301T -- more commonly referred to as the Smart 10 -- is a Tegra 3 packing, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet with an extremely competitive price point of £249. It houses a 1280x800 resolution IPS display, 16GB of on-board storage and will only be available in Midnight Blue at launch with other colors to follow. Several retailers have picked up the MeMo Pad Smart 10 including Currys PCWorld, Tesco and Amazon. Pre-orders should be available from each of these online now, with in-store purchases set to begin on March 7. The MeMo Pad ME172V -- or MeMo Pad 7 as we shall refer to it -- again runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but is a more budget oriented offering. It's powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 processor, and has a display resolution of 1024x600 with 16GB of on-board storage. The killer feature on the MeMo Pad 7 though is the price, set to arrive for just £129 some time around mid-April. The full press release can be found after the break. 
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| LG's 'VR Panorama' puts Photosphere on the Optimus G Pro Posted: 26 Feb 2013 03:55 AM PST
LG Photosphere from the Nexus 4 and improves it on its newest device
It's no secret that I'm a pretty big fan of the 360-degree Photospheres you can shoot with the Nexus 4. Fire up the camera app, spin around a few times and you get a really cool shot that can be panned and zoomed, and shared on Google+, or embedded with Google Maps. It's a novelty, yeah. But I'm enjoying the hell out of it, and there are some great Photospheres being published every day from remarkable locations. But so far the only phones with that feature have been Google's Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus. Until now. LG, which also manufactured the Nexus 4, has a new version of Photosphere built into the camera application on its Optimus G Pro, which the company is showing off here in Barcelona, Spain, at Mobile World Congress. (The phone actually is available already in Korea.) And we recently took it for a spin in Plaça de Catalunya to see how it works. 
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| ASUS Padfone 2 launching in the UK on March 1 Posted: 26 Feb 2013 02:48 AM PST
Way back in October last year we first heard word that ASUS planned to bring the Padfone 2 to the UK in early 2013. It's now early 2013 and true to their word ASUS is indeed bringing the Padfone 2 to the UK on March 1 for £599. For some it may seem an anti-climax given the recent unveiling of the Padfone Infinity at MWC. But, the Padfone 2 is still an impressive device packing a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a HD Super IPS+ display. It isn't quite the powerhouse the new Padfone Infinity is, but the hardware specs are still impressive. And of course, the Padfone 2 will be around £200 cheaper than the Infinity. Both white and black versions will be available, and several big name retailers will be picking it up including Amazon and Carphone Warehouse. The full press release can be found after the break. 
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| LG showcasing wireless Ultra HD transmission technology at Mobile World Congress Posted: 26 Feb 2013 02:37 AM PST
Last month's CES over in Las Vegas had a whole lot of 4K Television news. After HD, comes Ultra HD, and with it some pretty amazing looking TV sets with an amazing price to match. If you were sat there wondering; "when will I be able to push my smartphone content to one of these," then wonder no longer. Over in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, LG is showcasing what they're saying is the world's first wireless Ultra HD transmission technology. It's pretty much as simple as it sounds. Wirelessly transmitting content from a smartphone, to a 4K TV in real time. Further more, LG claims the technology consumes less than half the power of some other wireless transmission technologies. You'll find the full release after the break. 
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| LG officially announces new wireless charger, claims worlds smallest Posted: 26 Feb 2013 02:09 AM PST
Remember the Qi wireless charger we first showed you yesterday at Mobile World Congress? LG has today officially announced it and in the process claim that the hockey puck like charging disk is the worlds smallest wireless charger. As we found out during our hands on, it's a nice little accessory, and unlike the Nexus 4 charging orb sits flat against a surface. As this is a Qi certified charger, in theory any Qi compatible device should be able to take advantage of this. LG makes note of 2 of their US released smartphones -- the Nexus 4 and Spectrum 2 -- as being Qi enabled. No word on pricing or availability at this moment in time, but as this will be coming from LG direct we'd love to see a much wider availability than the currently limited Nexus 4 charger. Click on past the break for the full press release. 
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| Posted: 26 Feb 2013 01:53 AM PST
At CES in January Lenovo unveiled the K900, a high-end, big-screen smartphone aimed at the Chinese market. And at Mobile World Congress this week, the manufacturer gave us a closer look at this dual-core, Intel-powered beast. At 5.5 inches diagonally, the K900 dwarfs even the Galaxy Note 2, and like other devices in this half phone space, half tablet it's easy to see how this might not be ideal for every smartphone buyer. But the overall design is attractive enough, with a metallic chassis and squared-off edges. On the front is a 1080p display, which looks about as sharp and clear as you'd expect. On the inside, Intel's Clovertrail+ -- a dual-core, HyperThreaded CPU -- provides enough horsepower to keep things running smoothly, and around the back is a 13MP Sony Exmor R camera with f/1.8 aperture. On the hardware side, we came away pretty impressed. The K900 is running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, along with Lenovo's own software layer software, and although it's great to see 4.2 finally rolling out to devices, the manufacturer's UI customizations leave something to be desired. Visual gimmicks such as a rotating cylindrical app drawer persist, and the sleek minimalism of stock Android has been replaced by cartoonish buttons and a lack of overall visual cohesion. Lenovo is a relative newcomer to the smartphone market, and like many in the early days, they're doing better in terms of hardware than they are software. Nevertheless, our brief time with the K900 has our interest piqued, and we'll be keeping a watchful eye on what's next from the manufacturer. We've got more photos and your first hands-on video after the break. 
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| ZTE launches Grand Memo with 5.7-inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:49 PM PST
ZTE is taking the wraps off of its latest large-screen phone, the Grand Memo, at MWC 2013 in Barcelona. What we're looking at here is a 5.7-inch display at just 720x1280 resolution -- but curiously so as the previously announced ZTE Grand S has a 5-inch 1080P display. Underneath that display the Grand Memo has a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor (unspecified clock speed), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a quite enormous 3200mAh battery. There's a 13MP camera around back, much like the Grand S. The design is subtle and sleek, with a smooth plastic shell and protruding camera pod around back. On the front there are capacitive back, home and menu keys. It is also just 8.5mm thick, which is quite impressive considering the specs. The Grand Memo is running Android 4.1, along with some of ZTE's own software customizations. There doesn't appear to be any special digitizer or stylus hardware available though, contrary to what the name would lead you to expect. Unfortunately, ZTE isn't yet giving any information on pricing or availability at this time. Source: ZTE (BusinessWire) 
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| Samsung touts market share, infographic style Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:34 PM PST
Samsung shipped a hell of a lot of phones last year, and a bunch of them were smart phones -- 213,000,000 according to their latest infographic. That's a number which equates to over 30-percent of all smart phones shipped in 2012, and as we see is more than the total population of Brazil. Samsung of course hopes to keep this trend going into 2013, with new releases like the Galaxy Note 8.0 and the upcoming Galaxy S4, as well as the multitude of entry-level phones and tablets for emerging markets. We'll have to see if this strategy works for them as well this year as it did in the last. 
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| Twitter announces support for Firefox OS, app to be in Firefox Marketplace when devices ship Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:34 PM PST
Twitter has announced that they will be among the first marquee applications to support Firefox OS. Mozilla announced yesterday that Firefox has committed mobile operators in 18 markets, and that Alcatel, ZTE, and Huawei are partnered to build devices for the new OS.
The interface they are showing looks very much like the Android app, and Twitter says the application offers a rich experience, and is easy to use. In addition to the standard functions, Twitter plans to take advantage of Firefox OS' unique Web Activity feature, and users will be able to tweet out from any app that supports them. For more information about Firefox OS, visit Mozilla's blog, and for information about Twitter for Firefox visit the source link. Source: Twitter 
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| MetroPCS shareholders to vote on T-Mobile merger March 28 Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:56 PM PST
Shareholders of MetroPCS are planning to hold a vote on March 28th to approve its previously-announced reverse merger with T-Mobile USA. The deal has been in the works for several months, and is technically a "reverse merger" because MetroPCS will be buying T-Mobile, even though it is the smaller company. Deutsche Telekom currently owns T-Mobile USA, and will have a 74-percent stake in the new company if the merger is approved. But because MetroPCS is a publicly held company, the shareholders must vote to approve the deal before it can go any further Two different hedge funds -- P. Schoenfeld and Paulson & Co. -- which hold 2.3-percent and 8.7-percent of MetroPCS shares respectively, have expressed that they will vote against the merger. These funds believe MetroPCS shareholders aren't getting enough from the deal, which at this point is about $4.09 per share (or $1.5 billion in cash) and the remaining 26-percent of the newly merged company. While the funds continue to urge other shareholders to consider voting against the deal, the MetroPCS board of directors is supporting the deal, as is Deutsche Telekom. The terms could certainly change before this becomes final, but at this point it looks as though MetroPCS and T-Mobile will indeed merge in the coming months, combining the 4th and 5th largest carriers in the U.S. Source: MarketWatch 
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| Boost Mobile getting the HTC One SV on March 7 Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:27 PM PST
The HTC One SV is a very capable mid-level Android phone, and today we found out that it will be available on Boost Mobile starting March 7 -- complete with 4G LTE service. With the Snapdagon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM, the extremely thin and well built One SV will certainly be a treat for existing -- and new -- Boost customers. The One SV will be available on Boost's no-contract shrinking price Android plan. What that means is that the first month's service will be $55, and every six months the payments are on-time will drop $5 off the monthly price until you hit $40. The phone itself will cost $299.99, but remember that is the full, no contract price you're seeing. A phone this nice (check the review, I thought it was dandy) for just $40 monthly on Boosts "unlimited" plan sounds like a sweet deal. Hit the break for the full press release. 
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Marc Edwards of Bjango, Guy English of Kicking Bear, Loren Brichter of Atebits, Sebastiaan de With of DoubleTwist, and Rene Ritchie of Mobile Nations talk human interfaces of the future, including Siri, Google Now, Kinect, Leap, MYO, Project Glass, iWatch, Oculus Rift, and more!
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