Thursday, February 7, 2013

Android Central

Android Central

Samsung and EA make plans to bring more games to Samsung's App store

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 04:43 PM PST

Samsung Apps

Samsung and Electronic Arts have closed a revenue deal that will bring new games to Samsung's App Store, and put more money in game developer's pockets. The deal starts March 4, and participating developers will get 100-percent (as in all of it) of the profits from sales for the first six months, then Samsung will collect 10-percent for the next six months, and finally the fees return to the industry standard 20-percent the following year. This is a pretty big deal, from a pair of pretty big players in the industry.

The program is also focused towards indie games, and is designed to put those obscure titles on the same plane as well-known games like those in the Angry Birds series. Developers who participate aren't tied up in any sort of exclusivity deal, and are free to publish their games at other markets like Google Play or Amazon. They are also encouraged to bring existing games into the Samsung App market. 

Of course Samsung benefits as well here. Getting people tied into their "ecosystem" instead of Google's or Amazon's is no easy task. Samsung is now the top seller of smart phones in the world, but when everyone has a smart phone it's always good to have a secondary source of revenue. Eventually, smart phone ownership will reach its peak, and Samsung hopes their services will keep people interested in the brand, and keep the money flowing. Having a rich content catalog is one of the best ways to make that happen.

Source: Reuters

Multi-window update rolling out to Canadian Galaxy Note 2s

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 04:04 PM PST

Android Central

We heard just two days ago that Canadian models of the Galaxy Note 2 would be receiving their multi-window update today, and that seems to be going along as planned. Our own devices have started to pull down the update, all 230MB of it, to be installed and others are finding it arrive on their devices as well. This update will bring the much-anticipated multi-window feature, along with Chinese language support. The multi-window function let's the device run two apps side-by-side on the large screen, increasing the potential for multitasking.

The update arrived on other Note 2 devices -- and even Galaxy S3's -- in Europe and the U.S. late last year, so it's about time Canadian users got their opportunity to try out multi-window as well. Seeing the update on your own device yet? Let other users know in the forums.

More: Galaxy Note 2 Forums

Quick contest: Win one of 20 Carbon (backup) unlock codes

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:53 PM PST

Carbon backup

Carbon (the backup app) is a kick ass way to backup and restore apps and their precious data on your Android phone or tablet. It's simple, looks great, works even better, and doesn't need root or any fancy hocus-pocus to get it to work. We think it's the way Google should have done it. The free version works great, backing up all your data to the device, but the premium version takes things a step further by placing all your data in your Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box.net account. Yay the cloud!

There's one thing that could make it better, and that's getting a free Carbon Premium code. Koush hooked us up with 20 of them to give away, and here's your chance. Comment on this post, telling everyone what data you need to back up, and sometime after midnight (Eastern time) we'll pick 20 winners. No muss, no fuss.

If you're not sure because you haven't tried Carbon backup just yet, now is the time. Hit the Google Play link above and see why everyone is loving this one.

comScore: Android market share in US increases slightly in Q4 to 53.4-percent

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST

Android Central

Research firm comScore has just released its quarterly U.S. smartphone market share numbers, and as expected Android is leading the charge. Comparing Q4 2012 numbers to those of Q3, Android saw a 0.9 percentage point increase in share to 53.4-percent of the total smartphone market. Apple held down the second place spot at 36.3-percent, up 2.0 percentage points. BlackBerry and Windows Phone held down third and fourth, both declining in their share of the market.

Breaking down the numbers from a manufacturer perspective, Apple is still in the lead with the aforementioned 36.3-percent, with Samsung in second at 21-percent, which is up 2.3 percentage points. The next three round out to HTC at 10.2-percent, Motorola at 9.1-percent and LG at 7.1-percent. Both HTC and Motorola lost market share in the quarter.

If you haven't yet speculated about which smartphone OEM will come out on top in 2013, be sure to let us know what you're thinking in this week's sidebar poll. You may have a better idea of which to vote for now after seeing these numbers. Stick around after the break to see chart breakdowns of the top spots in both categories.

Source: comScore

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The Valentine's Day contest is getting huge, lets make it even bigger

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:05 PM PST

Valentine's Day contest

A few days back we started up a great contest where you and your Valentine could win a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7. We're loving the response and all the pictures of the happy couples. It's awesome to see the people who make Android Central what it is, and just how normal we all are. Looking through the contest thread and seeing folks from all walks of life, of every shape and color, united because we all use the same smartphone operating system makes us feel good inside. Really good.

So we're going to turn it up to 11.

Right now we're at 38 pages full of entries. If (and when!) we hit 50 pages, we're going to double the prize. That means two entries will have a chance to win a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7. In fact, if it can grow to 75 pages, we'll triple things, and give away three Nexus 4s and three Nexus 7s! A reminder of how this one works:

  • To enter this contest, you will need to post in this forum thread. <--------- Use that link right there. Don't use the comments in this post. (Those of you who do shall be mocked mercilessly.)
  • This is our first couples contest. It's going to require a picture of you and your significant other. Guy, gal, four-legged friend. Doesn't matter to us. We wanna see you with someone you care about. Or at least someone you bribed for a picture. (Or if all else fails, show us a pic of you and your beloved phone.)
  • Those who post pictures (again, do it in that forum thread) of you and your significant other get entered to win some great grand prizes: A 32GB Wifi Nexus 7 and a 16GB Nexus 4. Plus we'll throw in a couple of sweet LloydGear T-shirts for each set of winners.
  • Five runners-up will receive Lloyd T-shirts.

The contest ends February 15 at 8 am Eastern time. Be sure to get entered, and let's push this thing as far as we can.

Fitness Month: RunKeeper for Android hits beta 3 with new look and new features

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:41 PM PST

Android Central

Just in time for Mobile Nations Fitness Month, RunKeeper 3.0 beta for Android has landed. RunKeeper is a personal workout app designed to help you keep track of how you exercise, primarily using using GPS on your phone to track the pace and distance of each workout.

There’s a wide array of activities programmed in by default, including walking, running, cycling and even snowboarding and swimming, assuming your device is hardy enough to withstand the elements. Workout plans are also available, and there’s an interface to allow you to set up your own custom workouts if you like. That means you can tweak exactly how much activity you’re doing, and whether you want to rest, warm up or cool down.

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Stitcher Radio receives complete UI overhaul

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:30 PM PST

Stitcher Radio

Stitcher Radio isn't a new app by any means, but it's been completely redesigned so extensively it might as well be considered new. It may have "radio" in the app name, but there's much more on offer here than just that. We took a look at Stitcher back in August and thought it was pretty good, and now it's just been thrust back to the top with a complete UI overhaul.

Hang around after the break and see everything the new Stitcher Radio has to offer.

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Motorola RAZR HD LTE Jelly Bean upgrade now rolling out

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 12:44 PM PST

Android Central

Motorola's RAZR HD LTE -- that's the Canadian version of the DROID RAZR HD -- is now receiving its upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the manufacturer has announced.

As Moto's UI is pretty close to vanilla Android these days, most of the improvements in the RAZR HD LTE Jelly Bean upgrade are ones we're already familiar with -- namely Google Now, enhanced speech recognition and improved responsiveness thanks to "project butter." Motorola also notes that camera speed should be improved in the new Android 4.1-based firmware.

If you're rocking a RAZR HD LTE in Canada, be sure to head to Settings > About phone > Software updates to grab the new firmware, then hit the comments and let us know what you think.

Android Central Forums are going to get a lot easier to get around in

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 12:17 PM PST

Android Central

Hey Folks! James here, your Community Manager here at Mobile Nations. I wanted to give you a quick heads-up on some changes coming to the Android Central Forums.

Late Thursday/early Friday we are going to do some revamping to the organization of the forums. This is something we've done recently on Windows Phone Central, iMore and webOS Nation. The changes were all well received… and now it's Android Central's turn!

The new and improved structure has been vetted by your editorial team, forums team, other key players at Mobile Nations, and most importantly, Lloyd. We're excited about the changes. The new layout will simplify navigating Android Central's massive amount of forums.

One of our goals is to make the forums index as clean and clear as possible, while still providing as many relevant sub-forums for users to dive into. Carrier specific device forums, rooting/ROM forums and the like will still be available for existing devices… and we'll even have a few new areas to explore.

This is just one of the first steps in the continual evolution of Android Central's forums. We are always working to get better for YOU, our readers and active members.

Keep an eye on the forums over the next little while. If you're not active in the forums, I encourage you to pop on over and get involved. We have an amazing community of friendly and knowledgeable members. In a nutshell it's the BEST damn Android community there is!

Dropbox releases Sync API to application developers

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 11:33 AM PST

Dropbox

I think most of us are familiar with Dropbox. Around these parts we not only use it, but we rely on it every day by keeping some essential files in one easy to share place. Easy being the key -- you can get a file from any device with a web browser, or use one of the dedicated applications found on most desktop or mobile platforms. But Dropbox is more than a place to share files with your friends or coworkers, it's a piece of the cloud that's tied to you, where you can store just about any information for safekeeping. That's where today's news comes into play.

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Select ski slope runs now available on Google Maps

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 11:05 AM PST

Android Central

Google is always adding neat bits of information to its Maps database, and today its adding select ski resorts to that list. Users viewing certain ski slopes around the U.S. and Canada will now see ski runs, gondola routes and more right from the regular Google Maps interface. Different runs and routes show up as soon as you zoom in to a certain point, and show as both blue and green lines labeled with the route name. Gondola routes show as red dashed lines as well.

The list of mapped ski slopes is pretty limited right now unfortunately, with 38 different resorts listed in the post. But just like when Google started to map the insides of buildings, parks and other (relatively) small areas, these features will take some time to populate. We wouldn't expect that list to stay small for very long.

Source: Google Lat Long

Sony 'Xperia SP' poses with Xperia V in leaked pics

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 10:10 AM PST

Android Central

It wasn't long ago that we got our first look at the Sony C530X, codenamed "HuaShan" and rumored to go to market under the name Xperia SP. A mid-range companion to the Xperia Z, the SP reportedly packs a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 4.5-inch 720p resolution screen.

Today the device has cropped up again, in a set of comparison shots alongside the Xperia V. Now that the V's running Sony's latest Jelly Bean firmware, there's not much to separate the two devices in terms of software. But you can see a clear difference in the size of the device, as well as design cues like the earpiece and power button. The shots were posted over on German site Android Hilfe, and the poster claims it runs Android 4.1.2 and contains removable storage, but no removable battery. In its current form, the device is a said to be a little crash-prone -- not too surprising considering it's likely running non-final software.

Given Sony's track record over the past few years, we're pretty likely to see the Xperia SP unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month. Naturally, we'll be live from the show to bring you complete coverage.

Source: Android Hilfe; via: UnwiredView

HTC teases new phone with bizarre cybernetic heart

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 08:28 AM PST

Android Central

By now we're all well aware that HTC will have something new -- and most likely Android-based -- to show us at its Feb. 19 press conferences. But we're still unsure as to exactly what that'll be. We've heard rumors of an "M7" handset on the way (including chants from the company's CEO himself), but much of the device remains shrouded in mystery.

HTC's latest promotional teaser only adds to that mystery. Sent out to German press this morning, it shows a human heart pumping life into a circuit board, with the slogan "ALIVE SOON!" It's just vague (and weird) enough to get people talking about what's next from HTC without revealing the company's game plan. Well played, HTC.

If you've got any wild theories about what, if anything this has to do with the upcoming "M7" device, hit the comments and let us know.

Source: BestBoyZ (German)

Lloyd FlexCase for Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 now in stock at ShopAndroid.com

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:55 AM PST

Android Central

You've been waiting -- maybe you've even pre-ordered -- and today we're pleased to announce that the Lloyd Flex Case is now in stock for the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 at ShopAndroid.com. Emblazoned with the image of the one and only Lloyd, the flexible TPU cases are available in black, clear, smoke and green color options. 

If you want to show your love for Lloyd while protecting your phone from knocks, scrapes and drops, then hit up the links below. Both flavors are currently selling for $14.95, 25 percent off the standard price!

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LG teases new phones ahead of MWC

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:34 AM PST

Android Central

Mobile World Congress is just a few weeks away, and if recent rumblings are anything to go by, LG looks set to have some new stuff to show us. And there's more evidence of new LG phones on the way today, as the manufacturer has just posted the teaser image above on its Facebook page. "See what surprise LG has in store for you this time, with an unexpected distinction," the caption reads.

Expectedly, it's rather light on hard details, but we couldn't help noticing the L-shape of the bow in the image. We've already heard rumors of new L-style phones on the horizon, so that might be what LG's hinting at here. Last year's MWC saw the launch of multiple LG phones, including the Optimus L3, L5 and L7 as part of the original L-style series. Whatever LG's got up its sleeve this time around, we'll be live in Barcelona to bring you full coverage.

Source: Facebook

HTC starts 2013 with a slow January

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:16 AM PST

Android Central

HTC has announced its unaudited consolidated revenue for Jan. 2013, starting the year off with a 6.4 percent fall in revenue compared to Jan. 2012. In the first month of 2013, the Taiwanese manufacturer brought in NT$15.54bn ($530m), compared to NT$16.615bn ($560m) during the same period a year ago.

The announcement follows the posting of the company's Q4 2012 results, which showed a 41 percent year-on-year fall in sales. HTC is now forecasting a difficult first quarter, with operating margins between 0.5 and 1 percent. The manufacturer will be hoping to reverse its fortunes with the launch of its first major Android phones of the year, expected to be revealed at press conferences in London and New York City on Feb. 19.

More: The downward slid​e at HTC continues

Source: HTC

HTC One SV now available on Vodafone Australia

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:26 AM PST

Android Central

Following launches in the U.S. on Cricket, and the UK on EE, HTC's mid-range, LTE-capable One SV has just landed on Vodafone Australia. Voda's offering the One SV on various 24-month plans, ranging from A$30-100 per month, with data allowances between 200MB and 3GB.

As for the phone itself, you're looking at a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA (800x480) SuperLCD2 display and a 5MP rear camera. That's powered by HTC Sense 4.1 and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. So the One SV delivers solid hardware, but we're disappointed to see a new phone shipping with the year-old ICS. However the trade-off, we suppose, is getting 4G LTE connectivity on a budget handset.

For more on the HTC One SV, check out Jerry's review of the Cricket version.

Source: Vodafone Australia; via: Ausdroid

Deal of the Day: Musubo RubberBand Case for Galaxy S3

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:14 AM PST

Deal of the Day The Feb. 6 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Musubo RubberBand Case for Samsung Galaxy S3. The ultra-durable soft-touch material absorbs life's daily impacts while complimenting your Galaxy S3 with a stunning, precision fit design. The rubberband design of this case allows a better grip on your device as well access to the screen, ports and camera. Comes in black, chartreuse, magenta, and blue.

The Musubo RubberBand Case is available for just $19.00, 37% off today only. Grab yours while supplies last!

Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts

4oD on-demand UK TV app launches for Android

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 04:18 AM PST

Android Central

Long available on iOS, UK TV network Channel 4 has finally gotten around to releasing its 4oD streaming app on Android. Similar to rival offerings from the BBC and ITV, the 4oD app allows UK-based users to stream from Channel 4's back-catalog of TV content, and view shows aranged by recommendation, TV schedule or category.

Like the 4oD web streaming service, you'll need to create a (free) account before you can get access to shows, and it seems streaming over mobile data is disabled for the time being. (You're also SOL if you're rooted, likely due to piracy fears.) However, the app itself looks pretty well-designed, tying elements of Android's "holo" design language in with C4's own styling. There's also parental controls, allowing you to block 16+ or 18+ content using a PIN lock.

The 4oD app for Android is available now on Google Play for UK Android devices running version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher.

ZTE Blade III launches on Virgin Media in the UK

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:58 AM PST

Android Central

ZTE has announced the launch of a new entry-level handset for the UK market, the Blade III. With a 4-inch WVGA screen, Ice Cream Sandwich and a 1GHz processor, it's not what you'd call a cutting-edge smartphone, but ZTE is hoping some cheap and cheerful pricing will help it shift stock on launch partner Virgin Media.

Virgin's Pay As You Go prices start at a very reasonable £79.99, and the Blade III is also offered for free on contracts starting at just £18 per month (or £13 for Virgin Media cable subscribers). The Blade III first went on sale in Nordic territories late last year, priced considerably higher than the asking price on Virgin Media, so Brits looking for an inexpensive handset may want to give it a look over.

We've got today's press release, along with a full spec sheet, after the break.

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Average North American user could consume 6GB of mobile data per month by 2017

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 09:02 PM PST

Android Central

According to research and predictions by Cisco, the average North American smartphone user could consume 6GB of data per month by 2017. The annual report, which has been released six times now, shows smartphone data usage increasing 13-fold worldwide in the next four years. The average North American user currently consumes 752MB per month as of 2012, and the worldwide average is just 200MB. In just four short years those numbers are expected to hit 6GB and 2GB, respectively. These numbers are even slightly more conservative than previous years and estimates from other entities.

The Asia-Pacific region numbers are just as startling, where Cisco predicts usage will increase from 136MB to 1.75GB and the region will account for as much as 47.1-percent of all data consumed worldwide. The report also explains that in 2012 just 1-percent of connections in the world were 4G, but those connections drove 14-percent of mobile data traffic. By 2017, that is predicted to rise to 10-percent of connections and 45-percent of data traffic.

It's no secret that the introduction of new, faster devices and plentiful LTE connectivity will fuel quick increases in mobile data consumption. The unknown at this point is whether or not network operators will be able to continue to offer these connections at a reasonable cost going forward. Let's hope that they can keep up with the times as our world continues to move towards mobile devices.

Source: FierceWireless

LG Optimus G makes its way to the land down under March 13

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 07:11 PM PST

LG Optimus G

LG is rolling out its flagship Optimus G to more countries, and that rollout is set to hit Australia on March 13th. The Optimus G has been available here in the states (and a couple other countries) since October, but LG has just recently announced that the device will make its way to other countries in the coming months. Australians hoping to pick up an Optimus G will be stuck with just one carrier, Telstra, and no pricing has been released just yet. Based on what has LG stated before, this device will have LTE on board and should also ship out of the box with Jelly Bean, which is a nice consolation prize considering how late it's arriving.

The launch will come with its own event in Sydney, so we'll likely hear more about specifics at that time. We've still got well over a month before this device will be available.

Via: AusDroid
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