Wednesday, February 20, 2013

AndroidGuys

AndroidGuys


Get this look for your Android smartphone: Dropdown

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 10:06 AM PST

uccw_theme_dropdown_fullOne of our absolute favorite things about Android is the fact that you can bend and tweak the platform to your needs.  Sure, there’s rooting and modding for deep level personalization, but that stuff does not always concern the everyday user. Some of just want to change the home screen around a bit and create a new user experience. To that end, we present our weekly series of Get This Look posts.

In a nutshell we will show you a new look for your Android handset and tell you which apps you’ll need if you want to mimic the feel. Note that the following details are but the ingredients to which you can create your own delicious Android dish – results will vary.  But that’s awesome. In fact, many of the designs we highlight tend to use the same apps.

UCCW THEME DROPDOWN by georgiexe

uccw_theme_dropdown_screen

WHY WE LOVE THIS LOOK:

This is the first Get This Look design that features a dropdown menu for the home screen and it is quite refreshing. We like being able to keep things tucked away until we need them and appreciate keeping everything on one screen. The background wallpaper can be swapped without any problems and the icons can also be adjusted to taste.

It might take a bit of playing around to get things lined up the way you like but the creator seems willing to help. We really think the the use of grays for inactive settings or menus juxtaposes nicely with the red but would love to see some other color schemes.

Finally, who doesn’t appreciate that the entire setup can be achieved without spending any money?

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Anything Else?

  • Check the comments for questions or help in setting up the look.

MyColorScreen is dedicated to the great ways you can modify your home screens.

The post Get this look for your Android smartphone: Dropdown appeared first on AndroidGuys.

AT&T announces plans to carry HTC One

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 08:14 AM PST

As if we expected anything else, AT&T has officially climbed on board the HTC One train. A press release hitting the wires just now says that Ma Bell will offer the handset in two color options (silver or black) and in two storage capacities (32GB or 64GB). Much like Sprint and T-Mobile, AT&T is reluctant to list a price or exact time frame.  We’ve heard $199 and $299 respectively and a March 22 availability but that’s not yet confirmed. In the meanwhile, why not see how the HTC One stacks up against the HTC One X+.

"As our lives become increasingly mobile, our smartphones play the vital role of keeping us connected to the things we value most in life," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president-Devices, AT&T.  "The HTC One's revolutionary way of tapping into your day-to-day activities and creating a truly personalized experience, combined with AT&T's lightning fast 4G LTE network, make sure you have access to the information you want, when you need it."

AT&T

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Sprint announces HTC One for “later this year”

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 08:03 AM PST

Sprint has officially rolled out its own press release for the HTC One, promising to carry the device “later this year”. We’re hoping that this means the same time frame as other carriers and this is actually March or April at the latest.

"In a world where technology is constantly evolving, Sprint is really excited to bring our customers the latest in smartphone innovation from HTC," said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. "We feel that combining the advanced features of the new HTC One with Sprint's Truly Unlimited 4G LTE data plans allows our customers to really take advantage of the data capabilities of the smartphone without having to worry about data caps or throttling making it a big win all around."

Sprint

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Comparing the HTC One to the HTC One X+

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 07:51 AM PST

After much hype and considerable fanfare, the HTC One is now an officially recognized smartphone. HTC today announced the Android handset for release in the coming weeks. With a name that so closely resembles other HTC devices of the last year or so, the question begging to be answered is, “what’s the difference between the HTC One and the HTC One X+?”

In more ways than one, the HTC One bests the Android smartphone of 2012. We’re talking more processing power and RAM, but also a better camera and display. We’ve put together a quick head-to-head to help answer some of the lingering questions as it pertains to the HTC One versus the previous flagship.

HTC One X+ HTC One
Android Android 4.1 Android 4.1.2
HTC Sense Sense 4+ HTC Sense 5
CPU NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm quad-core 1.6 GHz Snapdragon 600
Memory 1GB RAM 2GB RAM
Storage up to 64GB internal up to 64GB internal
Display 4.7 inch super LCD 2 (720p)  4.7 inch, Full HD 1080p
Camera 8-megapixel camera with auto focus, F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens, LED
flash, and BSI sensor
4-UltraPixel Camera with Zoe BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3′ Dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens
Battery 2100 mAh 2300 mAh
Connectivity 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DLNA, micro USB 2.0,
MHL, DLNA
3.5 mm stereo audio jack, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DLNA, micro USB 2.0,
MHL, DLNA
Size 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9mm  137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm
Weight 135 grams  143 grams
Price 64GB ($199.99 w/2-yr contract)) TBD

 

The post Comparing the HTC One to the HTC One X+ appeared first on AndroidGuys.

T-Mobile pledges HTC One support for coming weeks

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 07:41 AM PST

T-Mobile HTC

T-Mobile has become the first carrier to hit our inbox with word of support of the HTC One. Pricing and availability will be shared at a later date.

T-Mobile is excited to partner with HTC to bring our customers the new HTC One, a T-Mobile 4G LTE smartphone. The new HTC One introduces HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, key HTC Sense innovations that reinvent the mobile experience. 

The new HTC One is T-Mobile's first Android smartphone featuring the new HTC Sense experience with HTC BlinkFeed at its center.  HTC BlinkFeed transforms the home screen into a single live stream of personally relevant information such as social updates, news and photos giving people fresh content at a glance without the need to switch between applications.  Wrapped in a zero-gap aluminum unibody, the brilliant 4.7-inch full 1080p HD screen is the perfect display for the new breakthrough camera experience of HTC UltraPixel Camera with Zoe which gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets.

When combined with T-Mobile's industry-first Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data plan with no annual contract, the new HTC One provides amazing 4G experiences at a superior value – without limitations – that only T-Mobile can deliver. Information about the HTC One can be found at T-Mobile.comAdditional details, including device availability and pricing, will be shared at a later date.

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HTC announces flagship device for 2013, the HTC One

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 07:26 AM PST

HTC today officially announced the new flagship Android experience for 2013, unveiling the HTC One. The specs are pretty much everything we’ve seen leaked on the internet over the last few months; nary a surprise for those watching the Android space closely.

Details include Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, a 4.7-inch 1080p HD display, 2GB RAM, 32GB/64GB internal storage, and a 2300 mAh battery. The processor is a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU which means things will be humming along quite nicely.

UPDATE: AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile announcements pledging support for HTC One.

Software touches

One of the key features for the HTC One experience includes BlinkFeed (learn more), an aggregation of news and posts from 1400 of sources (AOL, ESPN, etc) that shows up on the home screen. Think Flipboard on your homescreen and you’ll get a sense.  The content is curated and users can add or remove topics of areas of interests. Speaking of ESPN, HTC has signed a deal with the sports brand to bring enhanced content and mobile experience to the handset.

The HTC One features a pair of front-facing stereo speakers and a little something called BoomSound. The new media player experience will provide real-time lyrics and a visualization. Additionally, the handset will dynamically adjust speakers, volume, and amplifier settings for better call quality.

The camera is 4-ultrapixels and is promised to deliver a much better picture than you’ll find with 5-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras. The sensor size is the same as that found in other phones (iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920) and lets in more light for better overall picture quality. Along those lines, HTC introduced Zoe (learn more), a technology that automatically captures high resolution photos and short videos at the same time. We’re talking one second before the shutter and three seconds after for a total 4-second short video. From there, Zoe will add filters, music, and transitions to create highlight reels.

The form factor of the HTC One is that of a single aluminum body with zero-gap construction. Fancy stuff to be sure, and hopefully nothing that creates an antenna-gate experience.

Sense 5

The HTC Sense 5 experience is a breath of fresh air and features prominent use of the Roboto font that comes with Android. It’s much cleaner and less obtrusive than the stuff that we’ve seen in the previous generations. The clock and weather widget is reborn, but not before 25 other iterations were tested.

Release

In terms of carrier support, U.S. customers will be able to pick one up at AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile USA. As we’ve heard in the run up, Verizon is not expected to offer the HTC One. Perhaps the Droid DNA rumors will still hold true. The global launch is expected to begin in March, with more than 185 carriers hopping on board. North America support comes in the form of the following: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cincinnati Bell and Best Buy in the United States and in Canada with Rogers Communications, Bell Mobility, TELUS and Virgin Mobile Canada.

 

 

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NVIDIA announces Tegra 4i processor with integrated LTE, i500 LTE modem

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 07:09 AM PST

Today, NVIDIA has announced their newest hardware, the Tegra 4i processor with LTE integrated on-board, as well as some specifics for their i500 LTE modem.

The project was formerly known as Project Grey. The Tegra 4i is said to bring to the table the highest performance of any single chip CPU in a smartphone, and is only half the size of the snapdragon 800. features of the CPU include:

  • 60 custom NVIDIA GPU cores
  • Quad-core CPU based on ARM's newest and most efficient core— the R4 Cortex-A9 CPU— plus a fifth battery saver core
  • A version of the NVIDIA i500 LTE modem optimized for integration
  • Chimera computational photography architecture like Tegra 4 for new HDR camera features

Be sure to hit up the full press release below for full details.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—February 19, 2013—NVIDIA today introduced its first fully integrated 4G LTE mobile processor, the NVIDIA® Tegra® 4i, which is significantly faster yet half the size of its nearest competitor.

 

Previously codenamed "Project Grey," the Tegra 4i processor features 60 custom NVIDIA  GPUcores; a quad-core CPU based on ARM's newest and most efficient core— the R4 Cortex-A9 CPU— plus a fifth battery saver core; and a version of the NVIDIA i500 LTE modem optimized for integration. The result: an extremely power efficient, compact, high- performance mobile processor that enables smartphone performance and capability previously available only in expensive super phones.

 

"NVIDIA is delivering for the first time a single, integrated processor that powers all the major functions of a smartphone," said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of the Mobile business at NVIDIA. "Tegra 4i phones will provide amazing computing power, world-class phone capabilities, and exceptionally long battery life."

 

Tegra 4i's new 2.3 GHz CPU was jointly designed by NVIDIA and ARM, and is the most efficient, highest performance CPU core on the market.

 

"Tegra 4i is the very latest SoC solution based on the ARM Cortex-A9 processor and demonstrates the ability of ARM and our partners to continue to push the performance of technology and create exciting user experiences," says Tom Cronk, executive vice president and general manager, processor division, ARM. "ARM and NVIDIA worked closely to further optimize the Cortex-A9 processor to drive performance and efficiency in areas such as streaming and responsiveness. This is an example of the collaboration and innovation that enables ARM technology-based solutions to be market drivers through multiple generations of SoC solutions."

 

Utilizing the same architecture as Tegra 4's GPU, Tegra 4i features five times the number of GPU cores of Tegra 3 for high-quality, console-quality gaming experiences and full 1080p HD displays. It also integrates an optimized version of the NVIDIA i500 software-defined radio modem which provides LTE capabilities, and makes networking upgradability and scalability fast and easy.

 

”NVIDIA's Tegra 4i appears to outperform the leading integrated LTE chip significantly, and also benefits from an integrated 'soft-modem' that can be re-programmed over-the-air to support new frequencies and air interfaces – something other modem vendors can only dream of," said Stuart Robinson, director, Handset Component Technologies Program at Strategy Analytics."

 

Tegra 4i mobile processor's camera capabilities include the NVIDIA Chimera™ Computational Photography Architecture recently announced inTegra 4. This delivers many advanced features, including the world's first always-on high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities, first tap to track functionality and first panoramic photos with HDR.

 

NVIDIA also introduced its reference smartphone platform code-named "Phoenix" for the Tegra 4i processor to demonstrate its unique mobile technologies. Phoenix is a blueprint that phone makers can reference in designing and building future Tegra 4i smartphones to help get them to market quicker.

 

The Tegra 4i mobile processor will be demonstrated in the NVIDIA booth in Hall 7, Stand #C110, at the 2013 Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 25-28.

 

As a recap, the Tegra 4 family includes:

 

  Tegra 4 Tegra 4i
Quad-Core CPU Cortex-A15, plus battery saver core R4 Cortex-A9, plus battery saver core
Tegra 4 GPU Cores 72 60
LTE Optional via NVIDIA i500 Integrated NVIDIA i500 core
Chimera Computational Photography Architecture Yes Yes

 

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Samsung announces Wi-Fi version of GALAXY Camera

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 05:57 AM PST

Samsung today announced a Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy Camera will be offered in the coming weeks. Stopping short of giving a price or exact launch time frame, the hardware maker indicates that the camera is the exact same as the 3G/4G model. This means the same Android 4.1 Jelly Bean experience with 21x Super Long Zoom lens and a super-bright 16M BSI CMOS.

Click to view slideshow.

How much would you consider spending for a Samsung Galaxy Camera (Wi-Fi)?  Is this something that even appeals to you?

Samsung

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