Android Central |
- New version of the Google Play app leaks, with an all new interface style
- Perfectly Clear app updated and now better, stronger, faster
- Note taking app Google Keep now available in Google Play and on the web
- Fore! Super Stickman Golf 2 is here
- Google Currents gets support for audio playback
- Comparing the HTC One speakers
- Google Fiber service expanding to Olathe, Kansas
- Samsung lock screen bypassed entirely with clever, meticulous trickery
- Reminder: Android 4.2.2 pushing now for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus
- Deal of the Day: Musubo RubberBand Case for Samsung Galaxy S3
- UK retailer: Galaxy S4 pre-registrations 'four times' that of Galaxy S3
- AT&T brings LTE to several more markets
- Jawbone UP companion app now available for Android
- Facebook updates app again, this time properly through the Play Store
- Amazon makes 'Send to Kindle' button available for web developers
- HTC One launch delayed, suppliers no longer see HTC as a 'tier-one' manufacturer
- ZTE "Quantum" headed for Sprint?
- Swype beta 1.4.9 now available, brings bug fixes, new languages, and more responsive tapping
| New version of the Google Play app leaks, with an all new interface style Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:35 PM PDT
A new version of the Google Play app has leaked, and it shows a new Holo-esque (and colorful) user interface. Droid-Life got their hands on an apk file labeled 4.0.16, and while it's clearly not ready for prime-time, it does show off a look we haven't seen before from Google. Everything is clean, the font is all new, the icons are bigger, and the colors match the categories as displayed on the Google Play website. There are also a few changes in the settings, namely in the auto-update section which separates out Wifi from your data connection to auto-update apps. The app is pretty broken, and they aren't making it available for folks to try themselves. That will probably change shortly, nothing stays secret on the Internet for long. And while everyone is speculating that this is the change for the next version of Android, we all need to remember that apps like Google Play can be easily updated without a system-wide change. For now, you can head over to Droid-Life and have a look at what may be coming to everyone soon. Source: Droid-Life
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| Perfectly Clear app updated and now better, stronger, faster Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:42 PM PDT
Perfectly Clear for Android just got a hefty update, making one of my favorite apps even better. Perfectly Clear is an intelligent photo editor, that can take a good picture and make it great. It adjusts all the color and exposure settings based on some sort of magic algorithm, and truly does make a big difference in the clarity, color, and quality of the pictures you take with your phone. With today's update, it now does it all better. One of the major changes is a healthy speed increase, as the app has been re-written and now is twice as fast at displaying changes to your photo. Move a slider and you see the results almost instantly, especially with quad-core processors. Another is saving Exif and GPS data, especially if you use software on the computer or your Android that sorts using Exif and GPS. But those aren't the only change, have a look.
Some really nice changes to a great app. Grab it from Google Play for $2.99 if you haven't yet, or hit the Google Play app on your device to update if you have. 
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| Note taking app Google Keep now available in Google Play and on the web Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:49 PM PDT
Google's own note taking app, Google Keep, has just gone live and official. The service allows users to do more than just jot down ideas and thoughts, there is annotations, the ability to add pictures, voice notes, and color coding and lists to keep things organized. The included home screen widget even lets us create and view notes from our home screen without opening the app. To make things even better, everything it integrated into your Google Drive account. This means anywhere you have access to the web you have access to your notes. You can have a look at that here. The app is pretty simple, but the integration with Drive is a pretty "killer feature". Grab it from the Google Play link above, and hit the break for a short video. More: Google 
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| Fore! Super Stickman Golf 2 is here Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:46 AM PDT
Super Stickman Golf 2 combines a fun golf theme with challenging aspects of side-scrolling puzzle games, and the end result is a great game that's hard to put down. As a worthy follow-up to the original game, not only do you get a chance to play through dozens of great courses, but there are also many ways to customize your gameplay and character. Hang around after the break and see what Super Stickman Golf 2 is all about. 
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| Google Currents gets support for audio playback Posted: 20 Mar 2013 09:52 AM PDT
Google Currents got itself an interesting update today with support for editions that contain audio. Looks like you'll now be able to play audio from within the application itself, complete with a "media bar" with stop/start/next/previous controls. That media bar also works within the notification pane, so you can quickly pause or skip. Here's the full changelog:
Being able to sync where you are within a given post is pretty good as well. And as always, be sure to subscribe to Android Central on Google Currents! With the addition of audio controls in this update, we've just added a podcasts section. It's another great way to listen to the Android Central Podcast. 
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| Comparing the HTC One speakers Posted: 20 Mar 2013 08:48 AM PDT
We put the HTC One up against the Galaxy Note 2, Nexus 4 and HTC One X in a basic testAs we've been prone to do with recent phones, we're doing more speaker comparisons. This is unscientific, to be sure. What we hear may be a little different than what you hear. And while it may be cliche, you really do have to hear some of these phones in person to get the full effect. That's especially true for the HTC One. The "BoomSound" feature is a combination of hardware and software that eventually shoots from the stereo speakers (again, two is better than one here) from the front of the phone. The placement of the speakers makes as much a difference as maybe any of the other tweaks, Beats Audio included. We've seen that in tablets, previously, with speakers on the side as well as the front. (Switching from a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to the Nexus 7, and thus switching to a rear speaker again, took some getting used to.) The idea of front-facing speakers on a phone isn't exactly a new one, either. HTC went with a slider setup on the Windows Phone-powered HTC Surround. An interesting idea but not nearly the same as what's on the HTC One. Here's what our own Alex Dobie had to say in our HTC One review:
I tend to agree with most of that, especially on the low end, which is better than any smartphone I've ever used. The high-end is a little easier to get away with. As you'll hear in the comparisons below, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 handles that pretty well. Maybe even better. It does decently on volume, too, but the HTC One just has a much fuller sound. It's not quite properly conveyed here, I believe. But you'll get the idea. 
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| Google Fiber service expanding to Olathe, Kansas Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:49 AM PDT
Google Fiber is a service lots of us would love to have, if we could. Besides the TV service of course, there's the small matter of a Gigabit internet connection too, or even a free, much slower service. The only drawback is that to be able to use it, you have to be a resident of Kansas City. But, Google has now announced that Google Fiber will be extended, after the city council in Olathe, Kansas approved an agreement to bring Fiber to their city. It's not going to be an overnight process, and there's still a lot to be done before construction works can even begin. News on time scales will be coming in due course, but for the people of Olathe this is pretty big news. So, are you in Olathe, Kansas? Excited for Google Fiber? Jump into the comments below and let us know your thoughts. Source: Google Fiber Blog 
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| Samsung lock screen bypassed entirely with clever, meticulous trickery Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:15 AM PDT
Another Samsung lock screen security issue has come to light today, potentially allowing someone with physical access to a Jelly Bean-based Samsung phone to bypass a pattern or PIN lock. Brought to light by blogger Terrence Eden -- who you may remember from his earlier Note 2 exploits -- this one's particularly impressive because of the clever array of tricks used to achieve the eventual unlock. The method, demonstrated on a Galaxy Note 2 running Android 4.1.2, relies on the fact that returning from certain screens in the emergency dialer causes the previous app to be visible -- and fully usable -- for a split second. With precise timing and a bit of patience, it's possible to use these windows of usability to load Google Play, use voice search to find a screen unlocker app (yep, those exist), and run it, thus removing the lock screen security. So in order to use this in the real world you'll need a fair bit of time alone with someone's phone, the ability to use voice search inconspicuously and the patience to correctly hit the required sequence of screen taps. Nevertheless, it's a incredibly clever way of circumventing Samsung's lock screen security, and Eden deserves credit for his ingenuity. We've reached out to Samsung for comment on this issue, and we'll update this post with any official response. In the meantime we're not too worried about the real-world threats posed by this exploit, or any other that requires physical access to the phone for an extended period of time. Nevertheless, this is something that needs to be fixed. We've got Terrence Eden's original video demonstration after the break. Source: YouTube; via: SlashGear 
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| Reminder: Android 4.2.2 pushing now for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:54 AM PDT
Manual update file also is availableJust a quick reminder, folks, that Android 4.2.2 (Build JDQ39) is now available for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. You get all the benefits that other Galaxy Nexus owners have enjoyed for months, including DayDreams, lock screen widgets and the new trace keyboard, among other improvements. Folks are reporting that the update is pushing out over the air. Or if you hate waiting and want to update manually, you can snag the file straight from Google here. (via XDA) As always, hit up our Verizon Galaxy Nexus forums if you need help or have any questions. 
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| Deal of the Day: Musubo RubberBand Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:24 AM PDT
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 
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| UK retailer: Galaxy S4 pre-registrations 'four times' that of Galaxy S3 Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:10 AM PDT
UK mobile retailer the Carphone Warehouse has announced that it's received more than four times as much interest in the Galaxy S4 compared to last year's Galaxy S3. No specific numbers are revealed, but CPW said that pre-registration figures taken shortly after the Galaxy S4 announcement event were 446 percent of last year's Galaxy S3 pre-registrations. Given Samsung's rise to Android dominance in the past year, we're not to surprised to see higher demand than ever for its upcoming flagship, and we're sure the company will have a big marketing push planned for next month's UK launch. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is due to go on sale in the UK from Apr. 25/26. 
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| AT&T brings LTE to several more markets Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:48 AM PDT
There are still major markets in the U.S. that have yet to be touched by AT&T's LTE, but the number is dwindling further as the carrier adds several more markets this week. This group is mostly located in the Southeastern portion of the country:
AT&T always likes to use these network launches to remind people of how much money it has been spending to keep the rollout going. This time around the carrier points out that it has spent several billion dollars across just this handful of states on its LTE launch. Network infrastructure isn't cheap, folks. Source: AT&T; (2); (3); (4); (5); (6) 
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| Jawbone UP companion app now available for Android Posted: 19 Mar 2013 09:54 PM PDT
Until today the Jawbone UP has been an iOS only affair if you want to take advantage of the mobile aspect, but that has changed with the release of the Android companion app. If you're not familiar with the device, it tracks sleeping and exercise habits, and when mated with your smartphone the companion application allows users to keep track of their diet as well, making it an all around fitness and health system. The app has just now gone live in the Play Store for users to download, so head to the link at the top of this post to take a look. Via: Engadget 
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| Facebook updates app again, this time properly through the Play Store Posted: 19 Mar 2013 08:42 PM PDT
Facebook puzzled many users last week when the app began updating on its own outside of the Play Store, and today it seems to be pushing the same update through the proper channels. The changelog is the same on this update as the one that was mysteriously hitting some users devices earlier. The update lets users change their profile pictures from the app, report posts for spam and manage group messaging better. This is also a very similar changelog to the official iOS Facebook app from yesterday. Being such a small update with just a handful of features, we're still puzzled as to why Facebook tried to do things their own way the first time around. If you haven't been notified of the Play Store update just yet, you can grab it from the link at the top of this post. 
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| Amazon makes 'Send to Kindle' button available for web developers Posted: 19 Mar 2013 07:49 PM PDT
Amazon is rolling out a new feature today that lets web developers integrate a "Send to Kindle" button onto their websites. The button, much like the browser extensions before it, lets users send the page content to their Kindle account for reading later on other devices. Similar to the current Twitter, Facebook and Google+ buttons you see at the bottom of most website articles, Amazon is hoping developers will add in the "Send to Kindle" button as well. Articles saved with this method are then available for reading on any device -- Kindle or otherwise -- that has the Amazon Kindle app installed. Considering the wide range of devices that Amazon has made its apps available on, these webpage buttons are likely to catch on quickly. For now, The Washington Post, TIME and Boing Boing have already integrated the buttons if you're curious about how they look and work. Be on the lookout for more sites to add them soon. Source: Amazon; paidContent 
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| HTC One launch delayed, suppliers no longer see HTC as a 'tier-one' manufacturer Posted: 19 Mar 2013 07:27 PM PDT
The uphill battle for HTC continues. The proposed savior for the struggling company, the HTC One, now faces delays due to problems with component suppliers. The problem lies with one of the main selling points of the upcoming flagship phone - the "ultrapixel" camera. With the significant loss of profits and decrease in shipments HTC has had, an unnamed executive tells the WSJ that they are no longer considered a "tier-one" customer. This means they don't have the priority they once did with their parts suppliers, and are currently running short on components for the HTC One's camera and metal case. It's worth noting that suppliers have not mentioned anything of the sort, and it's possible that frustrations have company executives a little emotional. This certainly seems the case with CEO Peter Chou, who The Verge tells us has stated he would step down if the HTC One "fails to become a hit with consumers". It's also hard to determine what a "hit with consumers" is. Focus Taiwan reports that pre-orders for the HTC One have exceeded the companies target, which sounds fairly successful to us. In short, we're not going to read too much into this one. While there are still no concrete dates, HTC promises to start fulfilling pre-orders at the end of March in select markets, with a wider rollout scheduled for sometime in April. The HTC One's release is inching ever closer towards a confirmed release date of its strongest competitor, which could take away a much needed edge it would have with an earlier release. Will fans wait it out through expected delays, or will we see potential buyers jumping ship for something else? Read the review and discuss in the forums. Source: WSJ 
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| ZTE "Quantum" headed for Sprint? Posted: 19 Mar 2013 06:07 PM PDT
A new ZTE offering, tentatively named the Quantum, may be headed to a Sprint store near you. When compared to the recently released ZTE Force and upcoming ZTE Grand Memo, this looks to be a solid mid-tier phone. Labeled model number N8910, it is shown above sporting a 5" 720p screen with Android 4.1.2 and 4G LTE. Equipped with a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and 1GB RAM, this phone won't be going up against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One, but will certainly be much easier on the wallet. On the front is a 0.9 MP camera, and bringing up the rear is a 13 MP shooter. Wifi 802.11b/g/n dual-band and NFC are also included, as well as a SIM card slot - making this a potential world phone. According to Android Police, the N8910 recently received Wifi and DLNA certifications, which means we may see the Quantum sooner rather than later. For those Sprint subscribers balling on a budget, keep an eye out for this one. Source: Android Police 
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| Swype beta 1.4.9 now available, brings bug fixes, new languages, and more responsive tapping Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:52 PM PDT
There are plenty of great choices when it comes to a keyboard for your Android device, and Swype has long been a crowd favorite. Today's new beta update should please everyone who uses the original swiping keyboard, as the change log is chock full of improvements and fixes:
New language models are always welcome, and small fixes like errant microphone icons are nice, but crashes and bugs getting fixed and a more responsive input method is great news. Since Swype isn't in Google Play you'll need to manually install it from the link below to give it a try. If you're already using Swype, you should see an OTA in the next 72 hours if you don't want to manually update the app. Source: Swype 
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