Saturday, March 23, 2013

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Google Android News Android Forums

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Photos Leaked

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 03:01 PM PDT

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Not too far behind its larger sibling, photos of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9190 have been leaked thanks to Twitter user Ermek Kubanychbekov. Ermek shared several photos of the Mini and even snapped a shot of it alongside the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S III (pictured above). As far as specs, we’re currently hearing a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display at 256ppi, 1.6GHz dual-core processor, and running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy S4 Mini looks pretty much identical to the Galaxy S4 so there’s a good chance this is the real deal. With a release in June or July, we’ll be learning more and you can check out the leaked photos below.

samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-4 samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-3 samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-2 samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-1

Source: SamMobile


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European models of the Sony Xperia Z reported to be getting a firmware update

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT

Sony_Xperia_Z_Talk_Android_

 

Sony’s Xperia Z smartphone is starting to see its first major firmware update hitting devices out in Europe. The update seems to bring the firmware to version 10.1.A.1.434 and is only available for a minority of the devices so far. While there’s no change log of what the update brings, it’s widely speculated that this update addresses that nagging issue which causes devices to go through an unintended slumber, but we won’t know for sure until Sony gives up the information we’re all looking for.

If you’re an owner of the Xperia Z and living in Europe, be sure to connect your phone to your computer using Sony’s PC companion app and check for the download today.

source: XDA
via: Android Central

 


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Mysterious LG LS720 smartphone tries to slip through the FCC door quietly, shows that its wearing Sprint LTE frequencies

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT

lg_ls720_fcc

 

LG is looking to continue its impressive 2013 assualt by having yet another smartphone in the works. A mysterious device called the LS720 has just tiptoed its ways down the FCC halls and while it doesn’t have too much details or info— we do know that it will come dressed in LTE frequencies that screams Sprint which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since we saw plenty of 4G LTE-capable LG devices throughout 2012. Considering the Optimus G has its model name of LS970, it’s probably a safe bet to say that this device is probably going to be in the lower end of the mid-range category— but we’ll know for sure once more deets leak out as the device’s launch gets closer.

source: FCC
via: Engadget


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HTC Updates One Availability, Will Hit North America By End Of April

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 11:52 AM PDT

HTC Updates One Availability, Will Hit North America By End Of April

We’ve talked about HTC having to delay the One and although it won’t be out as originally expected, they’ve released an official statement today. According to HTC, “unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it” is to blame. The HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany, and Taiwan next week while North America and Asia will see the phone by the end of April. Next month will be tough for HTC considering the Galaxy S 4 will launch around the same time, and we’ll keep you updated on carrier details.


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Sony Xperia Tablet Z gets the teardown treatment

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 11:24 AM PDT

Sony_Xperia_Tablet_Z_Teardown

 

We know Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z is one heck of a device, but we know that more than a few of you out there have been intrigued to say the least to take a gander at its innards, right? Well you’re in luck as some ambitious folks decided to take some time and give us a gander of what’s inside powering the device. If you recall, the device is completely dust and water-resistant, so it’s only fitting that it is difficult to even access the inside of the device thanks to its heavy-duty tape on the back cover which covers the battery. Once that task is done, getting into the guts of the device is even more difficult as the teardown includes delicately handling the tablet in order to remove miniscule screws that hold much of the important components together.

When all’s said and done— this job is certainly not one for everyone… but you’re probably going to want to see the insides of the device anyways– so hit the flip and check out the juicy teardown for yourself.

 

Click here to view the embedded video.


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ZTE Grand X Quad Shown Off In Leaked Photo

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 10:51 AM PDT

ZTE Grand X Quad

evleaks on Twitter has a history of leaking photos and one such photo of the ZTE Grand X Quad is up for all to see. It looks relatively nice and specs aren’t so bad either with a 5-inch 720p HD display, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 8 megapixel camera, dual-SIM support, and 2500 mAh battery. As with any leak, we can’t guarantee this is what the ZTE Grand X Quad will truly look like and it may not make it to the US. Also, with ZTE not releasing any pricing, availability, or specs, one should take these specs with a grain of salt until we hear more.

Source: evleaks


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More Mediatek-powered smartphones with 1080p displays are on the way… and soon

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 09:13 AM PDT

Mediatek_1080p_chip

 

It appears that we’re about to see more cheap and inexpensive Mediatek-powered 1080p smartphones on the horizon. We already knew that Sony was making plans on introducing some quad-core devices for a budget price– but Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE are among 20 or so manufacturers expected to launch devices with the MediaTek MT6589 quad-core chip. In case you’ve forgotten, the MT6589 is an ARM Cortex A7-based units that utilizes all the bells and whistles that can be found in competing chipsets, but at a fraction of the cost. The result is the ability to see some pretty sexy smartphones with 1080p capabilities for a low, low price– just like what we’ve seen with the world’s cheapest smartphone that was recently introduced.

Expect to see the a bigger batch of Mediatek-powered 1080p to be shipped between now and April.

source: Digitimes


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More HTC v Samsung Twitter shenanigans surface

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 09:05 AM PDT

samsung_v_htc

You may recall that on the night of Samsung’s Unpacked event when they revealed their new Galaxy S 4 smartphone, HTC decided to try some new, more aggressive tactics in their battle for market share. It appears the fun did not stop there as some new tweets have surfaced and then disappeared, but not before folks could grab some screenshots.

The latest skirmish started on March 20th when Samsung’s UK office responded to a Twitter user with, “Four is always better than one.” In the response, they made sure to tag their HTC UK counterparts. Of course, HTC’s office responded with a tweet that read, “Plastic is not fantastic, my friend!” Both tweets were full of happy emoticons, but they couldn’t mask the underlying friction between the companies.

Since the tweets started to gain some notoriety, they have been deleted and the initial tweet from the unrelated user has been marked as private.

htc_tweet_01 samsung_uk_tweet_01

source: GSMArena


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LG is prepping their own smartwatch as well as something similar to Google Glass

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 08:59 AM PDT

LG_Logo_Large

Although smartwatches haven’t caught on yet, we are about to see a major push from all the major manufacturers. We already know Samsung, Google, and Apple will come out with their own smartwatch in the near future. LG is the next manufacturer to jump into the ring as a source familiar with the matter told the Korea Times. It was also revealed that they are working on something similar to Google Glass

"It is one major part of many currently non-commercialized products under development by LG Electronics," said the source. "The company has spared no efforts to invest in products that it believes are must-haves to stay ahead technology wise in the market, whatever the situation maybe."

The assumption is the watch will sport the Android OS, but they could opt for Firefox since they will be launching a Firebox phone later in the year. Companies like LG and Samsung have an advantage over Apple in that they make their own display panels and could very well implement the flexible style in their first offering.

It will be interesting to see if LG and Samsung make these watches useful to owners of any Android phone or only their branded phones. By choosing the latter, they create more of an echosystem for themselves and force users to buy their products, similar to the Apple approach. I’m hoping for the former, but not having a good feeling about it.

source: Korea Times


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Is Android vulnerable because of Samsung’s dominance?

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 08:18 AM PDT

Samsung_BugDroid_02

Recent reports have indicated tensions could exist between Google and Samsung, but were downplayed by Google CFO and Senior Vice President Patrick Pichette as well as Samsung Mobile Chief JK Shin. Although their working relationship is probably amicable, I have to believe that there is a little uneasiness at Google. Consumers continue to buy Samsung Galaxy branded phones in droves. So much so that 40% of all Android phones sold are Samsung branded. In fact, Samsung has sold 200 million more phones than the next Android manufacturer.

On one hand, Google should be delighted in what Samsung has accomplished. Android is now a dominating mobile OS, and a big thanks has to go to Samsung for being a big part of that. On the other hand, it's never a good idea for one entity to have such a large piece of the pie. Companies with too much power can dictate and give less choice to consumers. If Google had their choice, every manufacturer would be equally as successful, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way in the real world.

Now I am not about to tell you that Samsung will become a dictator and start demanding a bigger piece of the revenue from Google, but Samsung is a corporation and ultimately they will make decisions that give them the most profit. There's nothing wrong with that, it's capitalism at its finest.

So how does Samsung's dominance leave Google vulnerable? The bottomline is that 40% is a very powerful slice of the pie and represents a considerable amount of power. That power doesn't mean they become the "Evil Empire", but depending on what Samsung does in the future, it could have a major impact on Google and specifically Android. What would happen if Samsung were to leave Android? I know this idea has come up before and everyone assumes that since they are so successful with Android, they would never leave. It’s rather simple, corporations like to make more money, and if any Android manufacturer is in a position to leave, it's Samsung.

Samsung has spent a considerable amount of money over the last few years creating a brand that is as powerful as Apple's. At the same time, they have developed their own software features. All of these features are Samsung branded such as S Beam, AllShare, AirVIew, Smart Pause, and so on. I lost track, but I think Samsung unveiled at least 15 new features during the Galaxy S 4 event. Although Samsung phones utilize Android, you don't see that word anywhere in their advertising. The only time you ever see "Android" is in press releases or when they need to tell you what version of Android a particular device is running. In fact, during the Galaxy S 4 Unpacked event, they only mentioned Android once for the entire 50 minutes. This is something that all Android manufacturers do because it's their way of creating differentiation. By skinning Android, they make it "seem" like it's their own OS. In Samsung's case it's TouchWiz that consumers know. Hardcore Android users know the difference, but do mainstream consumers? It's unlikely that the average Galaxy S or Note buyer is concerned about Android or any other OS as long as the TouchWiz user experience is similar.

At the same time, TouchWiz is only the look. It's the software features like S Beam, Smart Pause, etc. that are selling phones. The difference is Samsung does it better than anyone else. With all these proprietary features, they are able to create a brand similar to Apple’s. They even go so far as to make their own version of Google Translate. S Translate (unveiled last week) is actually inferior, but I guarantee you that the average consumer will soon know more about S Translate, and they are unlikely to ever know Google Translate is a better alternative.

So where does Samsung go if they leave Android? Well it certainly won't be Windows Phone. Samsung won't leave Android just to be in another situation where someone else is in control. All things point to Tizen for now, but it could be something entirely different. It's no secret that Samsung will unveil their first Tizen-based phone this fall. The only issue Samsung has in leaving Android is app development, but at this point Samsung has the money to push development. They are already creating relationships with many top level developers from various contests they have held over the years. They even have their own branded app store that's ready to go if needed.

The good news for Google is if Samsung were to leave, it won't happen for a while. Additionally, since Google makes money with ads, it's unlikely a Samsung departure would hurt them dramatically since Samsung would most likely continue to utilize some Google services other than the Play Store. Still, if Samsung were to take 40% of the Android user base with them, it would be a hard pill to swallow for Android as a whole. So what can Google do? They are already doing it actually. The purchase of Motorola last year was the first step in the process. It was never about the patents because Motorola was never all that successful with their patents against Apple. The second step was the poaching of Samsung’s VP of marketing, Brian Wallace because Google wants to build their brand and take back some control. They’re not looking to hurt other Android manufacturers, but at the same time, they don’t want to get hurt by other Android manufacturers. Google is just doing what every smart company does, and that is prepare for the worst. Samsung may never leave Android, but the strong possibility does exist, and it behooves Google to make moves that will lessen the blow if it ever happens. Should Google be wary of Samsung? You're darn right they should. and I believe they are.


Come comment on this article: Is Android vulnerable because of Samsung’s dominance?

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