Android Community |
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 appears at MWC
- ASUS lets Christopher Columbus do the talking in the latest MWC teaser
- Motorola rolls-out new ‘Home For Upgrades’ support page
- T-Mobile Nexus 4 now free for a limited time
- Live from MWC 2013: What to expect
- Galaxy S III Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean leaks – lockscreen widgets and all
- Samsung Orb set to take on Google’s Photo Sphere camera
- Wikipedia aims to deliver articles via text message soon
- Google I/O 2013 registration opens March 13th at 7AM
- YouTube update integrates Google+ profile, adds notification bar controls
- Google Play Store update to 3.10.14 rolling out now
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 appears at MWC Posted: 23 Feb 2013 10:10 AM PST Thanks to an anonymous source, we’ve received an image of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 being previewed at the Mobile World Congress. The image of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 was placed on a digital board at Samsung’s booth. The Galaxy Note 8.0 looks like its going to be the focal point at Samsung’s booth this year, seeing as they’re not planning on announcing the Samsung Galaxy S IV until the middle of March, where they’ll be holding their own press event.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is a great medium between the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. The tablet is aimed at those who want a tablet, but think that a 10-inch tablet is too big to lug around. The feature that separates the Note 8.0 from other small tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, or the iPad Mini, is the inclusion of the S-Pen. The S-Pen makes taking quick notes, and utilizing the multi-tasking features included in the TouchWiz UI, a breeze. The Note 8.0 rumored specs are pretty impressive. It will have an 8-inch 1200 x 800 resolution display, either a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos 4 processor or Exynos 5 Octa processor, at least 16GB of built-in storage, 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 4,600 mAh battery, and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There will be a Wi-Fi only model, Wi-FI + 3G model, and a Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G LTE model. All of the information regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, as well as Samsung’s other products, will be released in the upcoming days while Mobile World Congress is taking place. You can expect our team to show you a hands-on demonstration of what the device can do. Until then, be sure to check out the recent news regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 in the timeline below. |
| ASUS lets Christopher Columbus do the talking in the latest MWC teaser Posted: 23 Feb 2013 05:27 AM PST Last week we saw MWC “Teaser I” come from ASUS and as of today it looks like part two has dropped. This latest teaser video is once again taking place in Spain and once again suggesting a device that will be both a tablet and phone. The interesting part here, it seems ASUS has decided to let Christopher Columbus do the talking this time around.
The video, which is dubbed ‘MWC 2013 Teaser II A New Discover at Hand’ measures in at just 33 seconds in length. It begins by making it clear that we are seeing Barcelona, Spain while showing some scenery. We quickly come to the statue of Columbus and hear some tourists talking about him having a tablet in his hand. Here is where it becomes a bit more interesting though. You hear a ring and Columbus hits a button and answers a voice call on his tablet. ASUS plays a bit from this point by having Columbus say that he is busy at work right now but he quickly goes back to the regular look of a statue. At this point the ASUS teasing comes back into play and ‘A New Discovery at Hand’ appears on the screen. From here we then get the date reminder. It seems Asus wants everyone to join them on February 25 “to discover a new world.” Here is where the mystery and speculation begins. While the previous commercial seemed to imply a Padfone like device where the phone docked into the phone, this one seems to suggest that the tablet is the phone. Time will tell which ASUS will be announcing. Or maybe they will show everyone and announce both styles. The good part here, we have a rather short wait at this point in time. Finally, remember that Android Community is now on site in Barcelona and will be working to bring you all the important details to come out of the show. |
| Motorola rolls-out new ‘Home For Upgrades’ support page Posted: 23 Feb 2013 04:44 AM PST While Motorola may not be perfect in terms of how fast they are able to roll-out an Android update, they have always been pretty good at providing status updates. The company has long had a support page on their site. More important, that page has seen frequent updates. The issue had always been in the discovery though — you see, the page generally consisted of one long list with lots of names and model numbers.
On that note, Motorola has recently introduced a new “Home For Upgrades” support page and has apparently ditched the long list. Basically, those visiting the page will now be guided through the process and be given the current update details in plain english. Visiting the page your first question is to where you purchased the device. This is looking for the carrier. Using Verizon as an example, once you make your selection you then see a grid of smartphones including name and picture. At this point just click the handset you have and get the good, or in some cases bad news. For example, clicking on the Droid 4 will tell you that this device will be upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Click on the Droid 3 and you get some bad news — that handset is sticking with Gingerbread. This brings us to the next point, the trade-up program. In this case you will see a red “Trade Up” button just below and when clicked it will give you information on the Motorola rebate program. In short, this program means you can trade-in your old device and get up to a $100 rebate towards the purchase of a newer Motorola device, presumably one that already running Jelly Bean. With that, those who happen to have a Motorola device can visit this new page by hitting the link just below. [via Motorola] |
| T-Mobile Nexus 4 now free for a limited time Posted: 23 Feb 2013 04:25 AM PST We have seen some Nexus 4 sales with T-Mobile in recent history. The carrier has dropped the handset to $200 and even $50 on a two-year agreement, however for this weekend — the price has dropped even further. Simply put, T-Mobile currently has the Nexus 4 available for free. The catch is that the handset is free on a two-year agreement and after a mail-in rebate.
Granted, that is not really a catch per say as more often than not when buying a smartphone from a carrier you will be getting it on a two-year agreement. The catch here is that is may still be a better deal to buy the Nexus 4 outright from Google for $350. Of course, that is just our opinion, but those who don’t mind signing the agreement and are comfortable with knowing that this will be with them for the next two years — this may not be a bad deal. Basically, T-Mobile is offering the Nexus 4 for free this weekend. Those interested in getting this deal will need to make the purchase online as it is a web-only offer. The price breaks down as follows; $549.00 with a $300 instant discount, $50 mail-in rebate and $199.99 web-only discount. In other words, while free — you will still need to shell out $50 on the day of purchase.
Otherwise, regardless of whether you end up getting this deal from T-Mobile or buy the Nexus 4 direct from Google — you will be getting the same device. That is to say a phone running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and with features to include a 4.7-inch display, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage space, a 2100 mAh battery, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and 8 megapixel rear-facing camera. [via T-Mobile] Device Info
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| Live from MWC 2013: What to expect Posted: 22 Feb 2013 05:20 PM PST We’ve just landed here in Barcelona, Spain, and are getting ready for what will surely be one of the biggest mobile events of the year. As usual this annual event promises the most smartphones, tablets, mobile devices and apps all combined in one place for all the excitement you can handle. While there will probably be a few surprises from the show, we know it’ll be all about Android, Android, 1080p, quad-core and 8 core processors, and of course more Android.
As usual it’s being hosted in the gorgeous city of Barcelona, at the Fira Gran Via, and should be a blast all week long. Things are still getting set up on the ground, and we’ll start kicking off all the coverage you can handle this weekend and throughout next week. For anything and everything from Samsung, HTC, Huawei, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and tons of other you’ll want to stick around. We’ve already seen plenty of manufacturers already make big announcements ahead of the event, most notably is HTC with their new One (M7) smartphone. Then LG also took a moment to steal the limelight early by detailing their new LG Optimus G Pro 5.5-inch smartphone and surely both of these devices will be floating around Barcelona for us to get some extended hands-on time with. Not to mention the entire L II series from LG. Don’t worry though, we’re still expecting tons of excitement from the event.
The Samsung Galaxy S IV won’t make an appearance, but we very well could see more details regarding their YOUM flexible AMOLED displays. Then of course many are expecting Samsung to make a splash and unveil their new Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet. Rumors have that device being aimed right at the iPad mini, and recent rumors state it won’t look anything like the recent leaks — which is a relief to be honest. We could see a few 10-inch tablets too, but that’s doubtful at this point. NVIDIA will have a lot going on this year now that they’ve announced both the Tegra 4, and their 4G LTE Tegra 4i coming later this year. This week we also revealed their new Phoenix reference smartphone platform, so we’ll be sure to get some hands-on time and benchmarks of the Tegra 4. It’ll be interesting to see how it compares to the recently announced Qualcomm 600 series in the HTC One – which we’ll also be learning more about. We’re hoping to get hands-on with some upcoming prototype Tegra 4 tablets from ZTE, possibly Huawei, and many others so you won’t want to miss it.
Then to round it off we can expect to see Sony‘s latest Xperia Z tablet and possibly a few budget oriented Xperia smartphones. There’s a ZTE 5.7-inch smartphone announced in January we’ll want to get our hands on, and of course the new ASUS tablet lineup. They already revealed their MemoPad, but according to this video we can expect a new Transformer or Padfone of some sort to take the stage. We’re here live and will be bringing you all the news as quickly as possible so you’ll want to stay tuned right here at Android Community. Follow along at our MWC 2013 Portal, or at any of the social links below. Follow us on Twitter: @Androids |
| Galaxy S III Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean leaks – lockscreen widgets and all Posted: 22 Feb 2013 04:27 PM PST Our first look at Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean running on a Samsung Galaxy S III has surfaced today over on SamMobile, and we’re getting a look at what Sammy has planned regarding all the tweaks and changes to Jelly Bean. From lockscreen widgets, expandable notifications, and of course the new quick settings menu are all on board. Obviously with a little TouchWiz included.
Now we already have expandable notifications and Google Now with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but all the new features from 4.2 seen to be included for the most part – with the exception of Photo Sphere which appears to be a Nexus feature for now. With Samsung’s fast updates lately we knew this was coming, and now can confirm the international Galaxy S III (i9300) can give it a try today. For the most part the look and feel is the same as TouchWiz on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean currently, but we quickly noticed the lockscreen widgets were included. Then as shown above the quick settings panel has been overhauled with TouchWiz, but actually looks even more useful than stock Android. All those toggles should really come in handy – and keep the regular notification pulldown bar clear for those expanding notifications. You can see multi-window, S-Beam, NFC, driving mode and more all accessible with ease through quick settings. Which was a welcomed addition on top of what Google currently offers. The premium suite, and multi-window modes are all here and on board so this looks pretty complete for now. SamMobile also reported the voice actions have been improved with more options, and the lockscreen ripple effect was improved, whatever that means. Head to the via below if you’d like to give it a try yourself.    [via SamMobile] Device Info
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| Samsung Orb set to take on Google’s Photo Sphere camera Posted: 22 Feb 2013 02:04 PM PST Samsung’s upcoming flagship Galaxy S IV smartphone is still somewhat of a mystery, but some new rumors are floating around that the company will have their own version of Google’s Photo Sphere. Instead of just taking a panorama photo, why not take a complete 360 degree view from all directions. Photo Sphere might not be perfect, but it’s one of our favorite features of Android Jelly Bean.
New rumors have surfaced reportedly from a Sammy engineer stating they’ll have their own camera technology to rival Google‘s. They’ll be calling this Samsung Orb and will work beautifully with the 13 megapixel camera in the Galaxy S IV, and probably will arrive in an update to some of their older devices like the Galaxy S III or Note II. According to AndroidGeeks this feature will even be better than Google’s own, which debuted with the Nexus 4 and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Their tipsters goes on to mention that the Galaxy S IV’s amazing camera will be one of many reasons as to why it will be better than what Google is offering today. Interesting right? It sounds like the Galaxy S IV will also be announced running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, instead of the older 4.1 so that’s another plus. The tipster does mention Samsung Orb is in beta and might not be ready be announcement date in March. If so we can expect an update to deliver the amazing feature and more shortly after launch. I’m getting more and more excited for the Galaxy S IV as the day grows near. Who is holding out for the Galaxy S IV, or will you wait to see the X-Phone first? [via Pocket-lint] |
| Wikipedia aims to deliver articles via text message soon Posted: 22 Feb 2013 01:35 PM PST Some interesting news and reports have surfaced this week regarding the hugely popular Wikipedia megasite. With all the information you’d ever need in over 25 million articles the company is looking for ways to deliver their content to more people. Mainly users in developing markets that might not have high-speed internet, WiFi, and 4G LTE to quickly access the content. Their plan is to deliver it through text messages later this year.
Their new plan, which is being completely funded by a donation foundation will aim to deliver all of their 25 million articles via text message to those in need. Instead of requiring a data connection just simply request information over a text message. Sounds crazy right? Users will be able to send text messages to the website through SMS or another standard called USSD, and then in return get the article and information delivered in a matter of seconds. All using the current text message platform already available in developing markets. More details on the entire project and funding can be found at the Knight Foundation Blog. They even state this new platform for delivering Wikipedia content could roll out in the next few months, something I’m sure many would love to see materialize. While not everything you read on Wikipedia can be taken as truth (it is the internet here folks) they do have millions and millions of articles with highly accurate information. Being able to offer this to smaller markets, developing countries, and even feature phones would be awesome. It sounds like a great project and certainly worth the read. Who uses Wikipedia around these parts? [via The Verge] |
| Google I/O 2013 registration opens March 13th at 7AM Posted: 22 Feb 2013 12:47 PM PST Google has just announced the date and time that developers will be able to attempt to register for their popular Google I/O conference. Users will be able to register a full two months before the event in March, then the developer conference will take place on May 15-17th where we are expecting tons of excitement on all fronts from Google.
Reports are coming in that the site has since been pulled, but everything is appearing as it should over here. So most likely March 13th at 7 AM PDT will indeed be when I/O registration starts. Last year the event sold out in under 30 minutes, and it wasn’t easy to register so this year we have a feeling it will be the same or worse. It’s one of the best events of the year and everyone will be looking to attend. As far as pricing is concerned, just like last year it runs developers $900 a ticket and students receive a discount and only pay $300 to attend. Interestingly enough Google does mention that a Google+ and Google Wallet account will be required to register, but that was pretty much expected. As soon as we find out pricing we’ll be sure and update with all the information. This year for those who can’t make it, Google will be streaming all the sessions and keynotes live on YouTube, so you won’t have to miss the pending announcement of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. We’re expecting tons about Google’s Project Glass (last year they skydived onto the roof with Glass) tons about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, a new Nexus 7 tablet to take on the iPad mini, and hopefully the rumored Motorola X-Phone. I’m getting excited already! [via Google I/O] |
| YouTube update integrates Google+ profile, adds notification bar controls Posted: 22 Feb 2013 12:35 PM PST Google has begun pushing a few updates out over the past 24 hours for a few of their services. This morning we reported the Play Store was receiving an update, and now it looks like Google has just updated everyone’s favorite video streaming service and site to waste time on. YouTube has received a neat little update this afternoon bringing multiple changes so lets take a peek.
The update today to YouTube will be a different version number for certain devices, but for most it is v4.3.9 and brings a host of new features as well as a small bug fix that I’ve never heard of before. For starters Google has finally figured out how to truly make Google+ look like it’s more successful than it really is, now you’ll be able to integrate your YouTube profile with Google+. This basically means they can be one and the same, and it will also make G+ “active users” number increase. Good for them.
That isn’t all though. Google’s also taking advantage of Android 4.1 Jelly Beans expandable notifications slowly but surely, and have added full controls to the notification pulldown bar. Essentially when you send video to your TV from your Android smartphone or tablet, you’ll be able to control the video playback all from the notification pulldown bar. Fun! Last but not least Google also mentions a fix for the “fullscreen button bug” although we’re not sure we’ve ever experienced that. It sounds like some people were having issues not being able to hit the fullscreen button on Transformer tablets, and that’s now been fixed. Might as well use that entire 10.1-inch screen right? Get the update right this minute from the link below, as well as other YouTube news. [via Play Store] |
| Google Play Store update to 3.10.14 rolling out now Posted: 22 Feb 2013 12:01 PM PST Today it looks like Google has initiated a software update to improve the Google Play Store on our Android smartphones and tablets. We haven’t seen an update to the Play Store for a few months, but today version 3.10.14 is rolling out as we speak according to multiple tips that are coming in. So far we aren’t seeing any new changes sadly.
It has been a few months since anything major has happened regarding changes to the Google Play Store. Just like the past two updates we’ve seen rollout, there’s no significant changes, tweaks, or features to report here. However, being an update we’re sure many of you are wanting the latest and greatest from the folks at Google. According to AndroidPolice the new Play Store apk rolling out today is only 14KB bigger than the previous version. Which means there’s probably only some very minor changes to the code, tweaks, and things of that nature. However, they do state there seems to be changes to the carrier billing code – probably Verizon related since they’re last on board – otherwise there’s nothing new. You can expect some tweaks, bug fixes, and hopefully some slightly better performance from the update. Let us know if you notice any changes or see a significant increase in performance using the Play Store. Again we’re being updated from version 3.10.10 to 3.10.14 and you should receive it shortly. I’m hoping for a slight redesign and maybe more options and filters later this year. Maybe Google will show a new Play Store with Key Lime Pie at Google I/O in May. We’ll see! |
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