Monday, March 4, 2013

Android Central

Android Central

Socialmatic camera takes and prints Instagram pictures, runs Android

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 02:41 PM PST

Socialmatic

Socialmatic is hoping to hop on the Instagram popularity bandwagon by releasing its own camera specifically aimed at taking, sharing and printing Instagram pictures. The idea for this camera has been around for some time, but now the company has some specifics for us to see. The Socialmatic camera will have 16GB of storage with an SDcard slot, both Wifi and 3G connectivity and run Android as its base operating system. Running Android will enable it to share using the Instagram app, naturally, but you won't be constrained to just that network.

Tying into the retro theme, the camera will actually be Polaroid branded, and has a mechanism to print pictures directly in the camera. The design is an uncanny resemblance to the Instagram logo as well, which we doubt is going to help usability at all but certainly gets the point across on what this camera is meant for.

Socialmatic is targeting the first quarter of 2014 for commercial availability of the product, but no specifics are given regarding pricing.

Source: Socialmatic

Android at Mobile World Congress 2013 wrap-up

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 08:25 AM PST

Fira Gran Via

A look back over the past week's Android news from Barcelona

Like CES a month ago, this year’s Mobile World Congress was lighter than usual on major Android announcements. HTC did its thing in London and New York a week before; Samsung’s got its big event planned for Mar. 14. And the Android manufacturers who were present skipped a couple of the major devices we had expected to see at the show.

So what we were left with was a scrappier show than usual, though one that still gave us a good deal to talk about.  In place of our usual international roundup this week, we’re going to look back over the past week in Barcelona and highlight some of the major Android developments.

Join us after the break, won’t you?

read more

Leaked image shows Charcoal Black version of Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:59 AM PST

Android Central

When we first saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 in Barcelona, it came in one color. Marble White. While white is very much Samsung's thing these days -- all recent big name devices have launched in white -- it doesn't necessarily mean it's for everyone. So then, how about this? This press image sent to the team over at PhoneArena shows a sleek black colored Note 8.0, reportedly termed as Charcoal Black. 

The usual caveats apply here though, folks. Until it's official, it's not official, so park this one in the rumor basket for the time being. But, it's not all that unreasonable to expect there to be other color variants of the Note 8.0 when it goes on sale. Nor is that unreasonable to expect black to be one of those colors. How about you guys though? Jump into the comments below and let us know which you prefer. 

More: Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

Source: PhoneArena

UK pricing for Google Play gift cards appears, actual cards still M.I.A.

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:53 AM PST

Android Central

The Google Play gift card saga continues to roll for eager potential UK based customers, with this latest information appearing on the Google Play support pages. There's no telling at the moment just how long this information has been there, but what it confirms is the amounts we'll -- eventually -- be able to purchase. And it isn't in anyway a surprise. 

It seems that the UK price structure will follow an almost identical numerical scheme to the U.S. cards, with £10, £25 and £50 cards to be available. No £15 one, but that's not a disaster. 

Considering the first signs of a UK launch were seen back in December, the fact we're yet to see these on UK shelves is still somewhat frustrating. Missing the holiday shopping period could be seen as something of a fail on Google's part, but at this point we'll take them when we can get them. 

via Redmond Pie

Software update inbound for Verizon's LG Intuition

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:13 AM PST

Android Central

Anyone out there pick up an LG Intuition on Verizon? Well, if you did, looks like you have a software update heading your way sometime soon. And no, it isn't looking like Jelly Bean, especially since the international variant the Optimus Vu hasn't had that yet. 

But, updates usually have some goodies in for us, right? There's the usual bug fixes built in, along with enhancements to the speakerphone. Device wise, email split view is being added, a nice feature for a large screen device. Some apps are removed, Color and V Cast, yet at the same time the Amazon Appstore is added in. We've known since the Droid DNA though that Verizon is starting to put Amazon software onto their devices.

For the full rundown on the update, hit the source link below. It's a pretty meaty one, weighing in at 204MB, so you'll perhaps want to accept it at home when it finally drops. At present it's still listed as coming soon, but when it arrives for you be sure to jump into the LG Intuition forums and let us know what you find. 

Source: Verizon

LG: 10 million LTE smartphones sold worldwide so far

Posted: 03 Mar 2013 02:33 AM PST

Android Central

LG's latest sales announcement may still seem somewhat insignificant in the overall standings, but that's not to say it's an achievement that should be sneered at. Announced this morning, LG has now sold 10 million 4G LTE smartphones worldwide. There's a strong chance that the bulk of those sales were made in its native South Korea, but 10 million is 10 million, wherever they're sold. 

Consider too the global mess that is LTE, and the fact that outside the United States and places like Korea, it's still starting out in many areas. Europe is still getting to grips with LTE, the UK has barely started for example, and making a device LTE compatible in different markets is still more of a headache than it should be in an ideal world. 

LG is committed to the 4G LTE device market, and with the introduction of the F-Series at Mobile World Congress, hopes to bring affordable LTE devices to the market. 

Source: LG (Newswire)
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