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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 06:29 PM PST
  We already saw them leaked earlier this afternoon, now LG’s upcoming L Series 2 has finally been made official, set for a Mobile World Congress debut. The L3 2, L5 2, and L7 2 are the newest iterations of LG’s popular entry, to mid-range line of handsets, coming out of the box with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Given that we barely saw the LG L9 launch on T-Mobile USA a few weeks back, it might be awhile before we see one of these new fangled L Series 2 officially announced for a US carrier. LG’s official press release can be found below. LG INTRODUCES NEXT GENERATION OPTIMUS L SERIES AT MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 04:07 PM PST
If you were looking for a good time to pick up a DROID RAZR MAXX HD you might want to bust your CostCo card out and pay them a little visit. The regional retailer, which only allows club members to shop there, is offering the device for just $100. That alone is a good enough deal for anyone to get excited, but you’ll also get a shot at taking home an accessory kit which includes a case and a car dock.
 We’re not sure how long this deal is supposed to last, but if you can find your way inside the store soon enough you’ll be beating deals from the likes of Best Buy, Amazon and Verizon itself. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to cash in on these savings online so if you don’t have a CostCo store near you, you might want to ring up a distant friend who does. Let us know if you’re planning to take advantage of this deal in the near future! [via Droid-Life] |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 02:52 PM PST
AOKP fans will be happy to know that a new upgrade has been issued. The update, an MR1 based on 4.2 and dubbed Build 3, adds support for five new devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE, T-Mobile’s Galaxy S2 and the Acer Iconia Tab A510. Support for the international Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 and i9100G (Exynos and OMAP versions, respectively) are also supposed to be coming, though a couple of issues is holding that particular device back until sometime tomorrow.
 More than just new device support, though, you can expect some very nice changes on the software front. The biggest change will be the addition of a UI mode selector, so you can switch between phone, phablet or tablet at the quick press of a button. I’m sure the new Galaxy Note 2 users added in this update will especially enjoy that one. Other changes include transparency options for “all the things,” dual panel support for any DPI setting, the return of Car Home, a quick unlock feature for the lock-screen, the ability to hide the navigation bar (slide up from bottom to bring it back), and more. You can find all the details you need about today’s juicy changes and additions here, but if your device is supported then why not just give it a whirl yourself? Find all the links you need here, and don’t forget to back your current image up and do a full wipe if you’re coming from another ROM or base build. |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST
The Pebble smartwatch is a very interesting device that deserved every bit of attention it got on Kickstarter. Now that it’s out and in users’ hands, folks have been hammering away at apps to make the thing more useful. One app allowed users to deliver notifications to the smartwatch from any app which uses the standard notification system, but it required the use of Tasker.
 Tasker is a very tough app to get used to on its own merit, so it was important for the developer of Pebble Notifier — Dattas Moonchaser — to bring a standalone option. Today’s update allows you to send full device notifications without the use of Tasker, though you’ll need to enable a quick accessibility option under the settings menu. That’s a very easy task, though, so there’s nothing worry about there. Other changes in today’s update include the ability to exclude all notifications from certain apps, as well as the ability to specify which apps you want to get notifications from. Both of these features only work when Pebble Notifier is being used without Tasker. Oh, and if you want to give the guy some money — the app is free, after all — there’s a handy donate button waiting for you within. Grab the download from the Google Play store here. |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST
It’s always interesting to hear about folks’ experiences when migrating from one platform to another. It’s a tough transition to make when considering the vast differences in the ecosystems, the way the devices work, and having to start anew on a platform that is far from anything you’ve used.
I personally tried to halfway migrate to iOS by getting an iPad, justifying the move with the lack of native tablet apps for Android. It was a fine device, but I’d only lasted about 5 months before crawling back to Android — no amount of apps in the world could replace the powerful multitasking and customization features Android has to offer, and that’s before even thinking about custom ROMs.  That’s why I was fascinated by this article over at sister site iSource.com. Brad — an iPhone 5 user — was enticed by the unique features and powerful hardware of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and decided to give it a real spin. It’s an interesting switch as the devices are polar opposites: one prides itself on being bigger, while the other prides itself on being smaller. Android with TouchWiz, despite what Apple might have you think, is a much different experience than iOS 5. I could go on and on, but you already know the deal. He talks about his two-week experience with the device, giving us his impressions on whether or not the bigger display is all it’s cracked up to be, Samsung’s unique multi-tasking features with multi-view and S Pen, and more. I won’t spoil it for you so you’ll just have to get on over to iSource to read it for yourself. After doing that, why not swing back here and let us know about a time you tried to jump from one platform to another. We’ve all thought about it before, and continue to do so as new platforms are introduced and old ones evolve. Don’t be ashamed! |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:46 AM PST
If you’ve been waiting for the wireless charging orb for the Nexus 4 to hit the Google Play Store, today is your lucky day. El Goog has finally listed the accessory in the Google Play Store, and you can walk away with it for just $60. With it, you’ll be able to prop your Nexus 4 up in horizontal or vertical orientation and have your device charge just as effectively as it would via USB.
 There’s not much else to the thing aside from its ability to charge your phone and make it look good at the same time, but the convenience of being able to plop your phone down without having to fiddle around with flimsy USB connections is a treat. You’ll be getting a nice charging flow of 5 volts and 1 amp, enough to get you from 0% to 100% in just about four hours — hey, no one ever said it was the most efficient charger ever. The device ships in less than one week so get over to the Play Store and order one before we end up with the reincarnation of the Nexus 4 debacle. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 10:53 AM PST
 Fans of fitness will have to look elsewhere if they hope to track their daily activity via their Android phone, as Nike has confirmed it currently has no plans to develop a FuelBand companion app for Google’s mobile platform. Shame, shame. The news first came by way of Twitter but was later confirmed by a Nike spokesperson. “[W]e are focusing on the FuelBand experience across iOS and nikeplus.com,” the statement reads, “At this time we are not working on an Android version of the app.” That app, which is available for iOS users, provides a means to interact with the minimalistic FuelBand, tracking activity, setting fitness goals, and sharing results with friends. The lack of FuelBand support for Android doesn’t mark the first time Nike has snubbed non-iOS users. The standalone Nike+ app was available for those with Apple-branded smartphones for years before it finally came to Android last summer. It’s really quite surprising that the global brand is choosing to actively ignore the largest smartphone userbase in the world. It isn’t as though the sportswear company can’t afford to hire the necessary software engineers. While the confirmation comes as a disappointment, the silver lining is that Nike did not expressly deny the possibility of the app coming to Android in the future. It may take years, just like the Nike+ app, but someday we might be able to count ourselves among those tracking daily fitness goals by way of NikeFuel. [via DroidLife] |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST
 A recent FCC filing details a Samsung-made wireless charging station, the company’s first foray into a technology that is slowly but surely starting to catch on with manufacturers and consumers alike. The documentation of the Qi-compatible cradle provides plenty of details, including a plethora of images demonstrating the device. In one image a Galaxy S3 is observed on the charging mat, a curious vision of what might have been. The GS3 was initially rumored to ship with wireless charging capabilities built into the phone, but the idea never came to fruition (unless you count third-party accessories). But the timing of the appearance of the Samsung-branded dock, which doesn’t seem sized to any particular device, should get people talking about the potential for wireless charging in the upcoming Galaxy S4.  Up until now, perhaps the most noteworthy Android device to ship with wireless charging out of the box was the Nexus 4 (the handset’s charging peripheral has not shipped yet, however). With awareness of the technology growing (and the chance to sell another $50+ accessory) it seems likely that Samsung will implement the feature in their highly-anticipated flagship phone. Wireless charging would round out a set of specs that include could include multi-core Exynos processing, a 1080p Super AMOLED display, and 13MP camera. The cradle itself very well could go on to charge future Samsung releases from the G4 to the Galaxy Note 4. |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 09:42 AM PST
A lot of us have probably wished to participate in the obstacle course show Wipeout, but the reality is that most of us won’t. We can always live vicariously through video games, though, and that’s exactly why Activision teamed up with ABC to bring a game based on the hit TV show to Android. Already available for iOS, Wipeout lets you take on courses like the Big Balls and Topple Towers, and you’ll earn points for making it through unscathed or wiping out in the most ridiculous ways possible.
 Style points can be used to unlock new shows, contestants, costumes and power-up helmets like the Amaze-O-Helmet and Slow-Mo Helmet. You can play through a number of themed courses such as Sports Night, Old MacBallsy, an alien-themed course and a monster-themed course. One of the coolest features is being able to record your Wipeouts and run-throughs, and share them with your friends and family on Facebook. You’ll partake in all this with a range of different characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some might be faster, yet more prone to wiping out, while others could be slower with better balance. You can net all of this for a quick payment of just $2 — that’s cheap enough to skip a full meal from the dollar menu for a day — so head to the Google Play Store and give it a whirl if you’ve been waiting. |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 09:17 AM PST
Looking for something cool to back on IndieGoGo? A new product called the nGees is being pitched as a next generation entertainment system, and its creators will rely on a combination of beautiful hardware and software to stand out from the rest. The device is smaller than an Apple and will connect to any television that accepts an HDMI port.
You might be asking yourself how it’s different from the likes of the MK802 Android stick. Well, this little guy comes with a nice motion-enabled remote, has some pretty nice specs, and is supposed to come to market with a lot of custom apps to create a better entertainment experience for TV. The MK802 isn’t the hottest thing on the market so there’s still a lot of room for good competition. That said, if you want to see something like this on top of your entertainment center anytime soon, you’ll want to pledge some funds to make the project a reality. The project’s goal on IndieGoGo is $395,000, and there are 52 days left to reach that as of the time of this writing. Only $431 have been pledged so far so there’s a long way to go. The cheapest pledge option to walk away with one is $100 for the 8GB version, but there are a lot more to choose from (including the ability to get a custom-designed nGees system). These things should be out in May if everything goes well, so get over to IndieGoGo and help them out if it’s something you wouldn’t mind seeing on the market in the next few months.  |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 07:58 AM PST
Fishlabs Entertainment has announced that it would be bringing a new strategy game for Android soon. Named Galaxy on Fire: Alliances, the game will be the studio’s first massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game, a pretty ambitious undertaking for any mobile developer. The game takes place in space, and what better story line to employ than the age-old “multiple factions fighting for newly discovered resources and treasures” shtick?
 Players will witness a three-way tug-of-war between factions called the Terrans, Vossk, and Niveliens, and will need to balance war, diplomacy and economic growth in order to succeed. You can work with other human player to help each other build up strong colonies and fight against strong enemies if you want, or you can take your chances and play out an “us against the world” scenario. So when is all this headed to us? Well, our iOS brethren will have first dibs — we’re all used to that by now, right? Fishlabs Entertainment assures us Android users will see a port shortly afterward, though, so there’s still reason to be excited this early in the game. Even more to get excited about is the game’s initial price tag of “free,” but we’re sure there will be some perks for those who cough up the cash for in-game purchases. We’ll see a lot more starting next month as the studio heads to the annual Game Developers’ Conference with its game in hand and head held high. For now, take a look at the screenshots above and below for a taste of what to expect. Read on for full press details.            
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 07:35 AM PST
As we inch closer and closer to Mobile World Congress later this month Huawei can’t seem to keep a lid on things regarding the Ascend P2. The device, a follow-up to the Chinese company’s 2012 flagship, is supposed to be the company’s best device yet. It’s main claim to fame will be the reclaiming of the “world’s thinnest” crown that the original P1 set, but it sounds like Huawei will also look to tout some supreme durability, as well.
The Ascend P2 is said to be coming with IP54 certification, and while that’s not quite as effective against the elements as Huawei’s IP64-certified D2, it should still be able to hold its own under a little rain or some dirt biking. It’s not often you get a device that durable in a package that thin, so the combination could be a major selling point for some people.  We’re more interested in what’s under the hood, of course. Recent rumors suggest the Ascend P2 is said to be coming with a 4.5 inch IPS display with 1080p HD resolution, a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 13 megapixel camera on the back with a 1.3 megapixel shooter on the front, a 3,000mAh battery, Android 4.1 and more. Huawei seems to be doing a fine job producing devices worthy of the “high-end” tag, but whether or not the Ascend P2 will be enough to change the company’s position within the ranks of the world’s smartphone OEMs is still up in the air. Huawei recently reported $2.5 billion in profits for 2012, but a vast majority of that money was made in the company’s various other dealings. In fact, CFO Cathy Meng went on record to say that the company wasn’t quite satisfied with its current position and it looked to gain deeper penetration in 2013. Huawei seems to be having a tough time outside of Europe and Asia as North American consumers rarely see its name on store shelves. The most notable devices we’ve seen were either entry-level “forgettables” or rebranded specialty devices. North America isn’t the only market, of course, but it is important for Huawei to get some sort of high-end device up on a carrier or two if it wants more people to accept the brand as a premium alternative to heavy hitters like Samsung and Apple. We’ll be in Barcelona to cover all of the company’s announcements live so stay tuned to Phandroid as we deliver the latest. [via Unwired View] |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 07:06 AM PST
 Would it really come as much of a surprise if the phone rumored under the name M7 launched instead as the HTC One? That’s where speculation is leaning as yet another image of the device — this time a promotional render complete with a look at Sense 5.0 – has leaked. In 2012, HTC put plenty of emphasis on their One brand, and the impression was that the company would keep the line going well into the future. The goal was to create the sort of awareness folks now hold for the iPhone and Galaxy series, both brands instantly recognized as being among the top smartphones on the market year in and year out. So, after putting considerable time, money, and effort behind the HTC One X and its siblings, would HTC really let the name, which was presented last February as a sort of new beginning for the company, simply die? Adding to the buzz is a photo that recently surfaced on Flickr. Its EXIF data ties it not to the M7 but the HTC One, while the camera linked to the image is rated at 4.1MP. You will recall that HTC’s upcoming flagship is said to use a new “Ultrapixel” array that stacks three sensors of about 4MP each, stitching together the final image while keeping a resolution in line with the lower megapixel count. The actual picture itself isn’t very impressive, but we’ll wait to see some better conceived compositions. The big reveal is about a week away. HTC will be giving an early look at the M7/HTC One on February 19th before packing up and shipping off to Mobile World Congress where we will have another chance to look at the phone in more detail. [via TechCrunch] |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 06:41 AM PST
 United States Congressman Hank Johnson(@RepHankJohnson) has introduced a draft of the APPS Act to committee in the House of Representatives. What is the APPS Act? Well, you can read the full draft here but the description sums it up nicely: "[to] provide for greater transparency in and user control over the treatment of data collected by mobile applications and to enhance the security of such data."The bill has several goals in terms of data privacy:
What does this mean for users?Now to dispense with the legalese and talk about what this means in plain English. Currently the Play Store discloses a fraction of this information. Let’s take the image of the permissions for an app above. As you may note, the app indicates that it will have access to (1) GPS (ie – your location); (2) it can read your Google service configuration; (3) it has full internet access; (4) it has access to your Google accounts and authentication credentials; and (5) it can prevent the phone from sleeping. This type of disclosure would certainly violate the APPS Act.How would a disclosure that was in conformity with the APPS Act look? Let’s again use the permissions image and specifically look at the location services disclosure. The categories to be collected are relatively straight forward, and this app would likely meet the requirements in terms of “personal data to be collected.” Perhaps plain language would be used instead of technical language. An example may be, instead of stating “course (network-based) location, fine (GPS) location” the app might say something like “this application will track your location based on GPS and cellular data.” However, the Act would require further disclosure. The developer would have to disclose why the data is being collected, who will be using the data, the length of time the data will be stored and how the data will be stored. As you can imagine, this might require the user to scroll through pages of information in order to install the app. Users will absolutely benefit from the required disclosures in the proposed Act. However, most significant to the security minded folk may be subsection (b). Subsection (b) of the APPS Act concerns "Withdrawal of Consent." The Act would require developers to provide a means for users to inform the developer of their intent to stop using the app and request the developer "refrain from any further collection of personal data through the application" and at the user's request, either "delete any personal data collected by the application that is stored by the developer" or "refrain from any further use or sharing of such data." §2(b)(1)(A)-(B). 
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)
What does this mean for developers?Now that the main points of the Act regarding users have been discussed, let’s discuss for a moment how this will affect developers. Section 3 of the Act concerns enforcement of Section 2 provisions. The Act delegates enforcement to the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"). The Act also gives a State's Attorney General power to bring a civil suit on behalf of its citizens, should the State feel a developer is violating the Act. Lastly, the Act incorporates a "safe harbor" provision that allows developers to satisfy the requirements of the Act if they adopt a code of conduct for consumer data privacy.In terms of the effects on developers, developers may be on the hook for violating the Act’s disclosure requirements. However, don’t jump to the recent CFAA news and the unfortunate case of Aaron Swartz as the potential punishment for violation of the Act. Nowhere, upon knowledge and belief, does the Act mention criminal punishment, only civil. Therefore, there will be no jail time and no federal criminal charges for developers who violate the disclosure requirements. Merely, the FTC or a State’s Attorney General could seek monetary damages against the developer. Maybe not a big deal to the likes of Google, but that prospect may be a cause for concern among smaller developers. The FTC has also taken a proactive step by outlining recommendations for mobile application developers on its website. The recommendations basically track Rep. Johnson’s proposed legislation, laying out what developers should disclose to mobile application users. This step by the FTC will hopefully alleviate some of the burden on developers by encouraging developers to incorporate disclosures that will conform with the APPS Act before any law is passed by Congress. Those who would like to read the FTC’s full recommendations can take find them on the FTC’s website. A move toward increased privacySo, that's the proposed Act. For the first time the United States government is attempting to regulate the collection and storage of mobile data in the name of consumer data privacy, a worthy cause to be sure.From an end user prospective, does this adequately address privacy concerns? Some may be of the opinion that this will deter developers, especially those who release apps for no money. Might this Act stifle innovation among developers, or will compliance be relatively easy to incorporate into mobile applications? This bill may not be perfect, but as the US government's first meaningful step in addressing mobile data privacy concerns, how does it sound? Tell us your thoughts from consumer and developer points of view. For those who would like to follow this and other data privacy conversations, Rep. Johnson and many other experts (including myself, when I can) take part in the Twitter Chat #PrivChat on Tuesdays at 12 PM EST. |
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Posted: 11 Feb 2013 06:32 AM PST
Valentine’s Day is coming up and folks are likely looking for some useful and unique apps to help find their true love. When this particular app — the Love Detector — hit my inbox, I thought it was going to be little more than a very cheesy way to hit on any random girl or guy you want. Well, after actually using it I’m afraid to tell you that is still the case.
All of that aside, we’re not sure how much of a market there is for a 99 cent app whose sole function is to beep randomly and show a cool retro-looking VU meter as you tilt and turn your phone in random directions. It could be a great conversation starter and a unique pickup line for those who will be alone and at a bar on Valentine’s day, so give it a shot if you need something to make the lonely ladies and men of the world laugh this upcoming Thursday. [Google Play Store] |
Sunday, February 17, 2013
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