Android Authority |
- LG Optimus 4X HD Jelly Bean update rolling out in Europe
- HTC One Developer Edition to start shipping on April 19
- Could one third of free Android apps be stealing sensitive data?
- Facebook Home a threat to Google Search, Google+ and other services on Android?
- HTC First to launch on U.K. carrier EE during the summer
- Facebook Home to benefit developers as well, company says
- HTC First available through AT&T for $450 without contract
- Google’s BufferBox coming to San Francisco
- HD Widgets new ‘Colourform’ now available
- New beta version of Deezer rolls out for Android users, features predictive search
| LG Optimus 4X HD Jelly Bean update rolling out in Europe Posted: 05 Apr 2013 02:20 AM PDT
The LG Optimus 4X HD Jelly Bean update is rolling out to European users, as LG has promised a little while ago. Don’t check your smartphone just yet, though, as the update won’t be coming to your Optimus 4X HD over the air. This time around, you’ll need a PC to get it installed on your smartphone. You’ll also need the LG Update tool, which you can get here (page is in German). Note, though, that the update is available for SIM-free, factory unlocked LG Optimus 4X HD devices, while owners of operator-branded ones might have to wait a bit longer. This update brings new features like Google Now, Project Butter for a smoother and faster performance, constant frame rate via Vertical Sync and many other very useful improvements. Do you own an LG Optimus 4X HD Jelly Bean? Did you get the update yet? The post LG Optimus 4X HD Jelly Bean update rolling out in Europe appeared first on Android Authority. |
| HTC One Developer Edition to start shipping on April 19 Posted: 05 Apr 2013 12:53 AM PDT
Those hackers and developers in the USA who are keen to get hold of a less restricted edition of the HTC One don’t have long to wait. During the recent Facebook Home event, a HTC spokesperson revealed that the HTC One Developer Edition will be available for pre-order in the next few days and that it will go on sale from April 19th. The HTC One Developer Edition is identical to its regular counterpart, except that it comes with an unlocked bootloader. The device supports all the 2G/3G/4G/LTE bands needed for use on AT&T. For T-Mobile users the problem is that the HTC One doesn’t support 1700 MHz for HSPA+, however in some cities T-Mobile uses 1900 MHz which is supported by the device. As for LTE, T-Mobile has started its 4G rollout and it is hoped that the HTC One developer edition will work with those bands. With its unlocked bootloader the Developer Edition can be used for creating and using custom firmware that replaces the version of Android shipped by HTC. It is also unlocked in terms of the SIM card and will work on any supported network across the world, including in Europe. The HTC One Developer Edition uses the Snapdragon 600 processor, has 2GB of RAM and provides 64GB of storage. It costs $649. Unfortunately for those outside the USA, it will only be shipped to US postcodes, and in limited quantities. Are you planning on getting a HTC One? Would you choose the Developer Edition over the standard consumer version? The post HTC One Developer Edition to start shipping on April 19 appeared first on Android Authority. |
| Could one third of free Android apps be stealing sensitive data? Posted: 05 Apr 2013 12:06 AM PDT
New research from security specialists Bitdefender suggests that as many as one third of free Android apps access and upload your private data (including your phone number) to third parties. Issues around privacy and security are constantly with us in the digital age. As more and more information about us is digitized, what happens to that data is becoming increasingly relevant. The problem is with advertising. Other than the freemium business model, where in-app purchases are used to monetize an app, the majority of free apps use advertising to generate income. There are dozens of different mobile advertising platforms and each one offers its own software development kit and libraries to give the developer an easy way to integrate the adverts into his or hers app. But the question is what data are these mobile advertising platforms uploading to allow relevant and targeted adverts to be delivered? The Bitdefender data shows that just under 33 percent of apps upload information such as your phone number, location, and your email address to third-party advertising companies. It is unclear from this research if any one app actually uploads your number, location and email all at the same time, but the study shows that 12% upload at least your phone number and some 17 percent of apps ask for permission to read your contacts, access your browsing history, and access your photo library. Although an app developer might be offered terms and conditions for the use of a particular mobile advertising platform, very seldom are the end users offered the chance to read and accept terms and conditions about how the in-built advertising interacts with an Android device. Although the Google Play Store does have an optional link to a publisher’s privacy policy, these are often in legalese.
I picked a random app from the front page of the Play Store and followed the link to the developer’s privacy policy and this is what it said, “some third party advertisers automatically receive some of your personally identifiable information if and when you interact with an advertisement.” This text was buried in the penultimate paragraph of the privacy policy. And at the top of the text it says very clearly that by using the app “you represent and warrant that you have read and understood, and agree to the terms of, this privacy policy.” However the issue is a little less clear once you consider that most advertising platforms want to know your location so that you can be sent targeted ads. It is pointless sending a European adverts about a discount sale in New York. Likewise it is pointless sending a man adverts targeted at women and so on. I find adverts annoying, but I find unrelated, irrelevant adverts more annoying. So assuming that there is legitimate data that an app needs to fulfill its monetization needs, the question remains are there apps which are uploading sensitive data which neither it or the mobile advertiser have a right to see? Bitdefender would say that there are such apps and would use words like “aggressive adware”. But it is interesting to note that the report also mentions that “you could always go ahead and install a mobile security solution that can spot malware and aggressive adware at a distance.” I would guess that Bitdefender would prefer that the “mobile security solution” that you install would be theirs! So what do you think? Are Bitdefender trying to hype up this issue or is it in fact a real problem? The post Could one third of free Android apps be stealing sensitive data? appeared first on Android Authority. |
| Facebook Home a threat to Google Search, Google+ and other services on Android? Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:22 PM PDT
Facebook's Home user interface for Android devices may just be one of the smartest moves done by the social network in mobile, as the new UI does away with Google's Search app from regular Android home screens and will feature Facebook's own ads at some point in the future. Not to mention that it could affect other Google services in the future, especially Google+. In other words, Home may not a sure bet, and it may not even pay off in the end, but it's definitely an attack against Google worth following. Without forking Android like Amazon has, Facebook is still in a position in which it challenges Google's core business, search and advertising, by attempting to take over the lock screen and home screen of Android mobile devices with its own apps built into the Home UI. Google SearchTechCrunch points out that Home actively replaces the Google Search app on most Android devices, with users having either to go to the browser for their online searches or to switch launchers (which is entirely possible) to go to the Search app. It would appear, though, that Google Search is still there on the HTC First, the first Android handset that will ship with Home preloaded, but the app would disappear from the Home screens on those devices that will get Home from Google Play.
Google Search is not removed from the phone during the Facebook Home installation, and Facebook would never get away with doing such a thing, but Facebook is apparently simply placing an obstacle in front of Google's mobile Search app. Would that hurt Google ad-based revenue in the future? How long until Facebook will somehow include a more advanced search of its own in the Home UI? After all, Facebook wants to bring new features to Home on a monthly basis, and it has already made its first baby steps into the Search business. Mobile AdsAs for mobile ads, The Verge says that Facebook has confirmed via its main man Mark Zuckerberg that ads are in the picture for the future. Home will not ship with ads at launch, but the feature will arrive later down the road, described as just "another type of content," that would hit one's Cover Feed. This is sort-of similar to what Amazon is doing in its forked Android environment, the difference being that if you agree to be served Amazon ads, you also get to buy a cheaper Amazon device.
Comparatively, Facebook may end up serving ads on your phone without you getting any sort of discount on that phone or tablet (in the future). We'll have to note though that we're only speculating at this point on how ads on Facebook Home would work, as we have no way of knowing in advance what Facebook's advertising policy for Home will be. On its part, Google isn't putting ads directly on the Home screen. But through its Search features, other services and even third-party apps, Google ads are presented in one way or another to Android users, and Google walks off with more and more money each year off of mobile search. But what will happen if Facebook Home does become a popular UI for some Android device owners who won't mind having to go an extra step to search for stuff online or see mobile ads on their lock screens? Other UIs and bloatwareFacebook's Home won't only replace Android home screens but it could also interfere with other proprietary user interfaces for Android, not to mention third-party content from carriers that inevitably gets preloaded on Android smartphones. Facebook announced that a variety of Android OEMs as well as mobile operators are willing to work with the social network to launch Android devices with support for Home.
But what does exactly mean? Will OEMs preload future handsets with Home? Are they going to give up their own user interfaces they built on top of Android to simply replace it with Facebook's UI? What about carrier bloatware that gets preloaded on Android devices? Won't carriers mind the fact that their apps will be buried in a sea of Facebook apps? Or will they turn Home into an asset, bringing targeted ads to their subscribers via Facebook? And then there's Google+One of Facebook's biggest rivals in the social networking game right now is Google's Google+, so what better way to deal a blow to Google's social network than by placing a Facebook-filled environment on top of Android? Sure, Home does include an app launcher that will let users quickly launch any apps they desire, Google+ included. But with so many Facebook apps included in Home, and so many ways to interact with their Facebook friends, won't they, in time, forget about Google+, or at least become less active?
The numbers are not in Google's favor when it comes to this social battle. Facebook has topped 1 billion users as of September 2012, with more than half of them using the service on mobile devices. Comparatively, Google+ has over 500 million users (235 million active on a monthly basis) as of December 2012. Meanwhile, over 750 million Android devices have been activated to date, and the number will most likely pass 800 million by the end of the year. Since both Google and Facebook make their money mainly from mobile advertising, they both need to be able to serve targeted ads to consumers, and thus their social networks are a way of getting the job done. The larger the active user base for each network, the better ads either Facebook or Google would serve. Sure, the later has other ways to leverage data in order to offer better-tailored ads, but that doesn't mean it can afford to lose the Google+ battle, especially on its home turf. Facebook vs GoogleSure, not every Android user will get Facebook Home, especially those consumers that like to run their own custom ROMs or who prefer a vanilla Android experience unobstructed by any other UI layers. But that still leaves a lot of Android device owners that would appreciate using Facebook apps on their mobile devices right from the Home and/or lock screen. After all, Facebook did not risk the farm on this move. The company is simply leveraging its power in the social networking business, and by power we mean the fact that the Facebook app is the most popular smartphone app, to turn a profit.
Considering that so many people go to the Facebook app countless times during the day – and Facebook probably has a good idea on what the usage of its mobile apps is – offering them an even easier way to check out content from their friends seems like a no brainer for Facebook, especially on a platform so popular as Google's Android and so… open source. Facebook could not try to take away the iOS or Windows Phone screens in such a manner, but with Android these prized possessions could be there for the taking. Google can't really be happy about this whole Facebook Home thing, or at least we wouldn't expect it to publicly acknowledge it, especially since Facebook rather praised Android for its openness on stage during its media event. In fact, here’s what Google told VentureBeat when asked about Facebook Home:
However, the same source says that Nexus devices won’t support Facebook Home, which is an indication that Google can’t be too thrilled about this.
But the fact is that Facebook is challenging Google on its own turf, and could potentially endanger Google's mobile money-making avenues. Mind you though, that will not happen all of a sudden – and it may not happen at all – but Facebook it's clearly making a run for it, and it's not even hiding the fact that monetizing Home will follow. How will Google fight back? That still remains to be seen, but the Facebook vs Google fight is getting more and more serious. What kind of Android user are you? Will you install Facebook Home on your Android smartphone or you like things as they are now? The post Facebook Home a threat to Google Search, Google+ and other services on Android? appeared first on Android Authority. |
| HTC First to launch on U.K. carrier EE during the summer Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:01 PM PDT
Previously known as the Facebook Phone, the HTC First will be coming to the U.K. exclusively on the nation’s the first 4G LTE carrier, EE. The handset will be available on the operator sometime during the summer, but no pricing or specific release dates has been announced at this time. Alternatively if you’re in the U.S. you can snag the HTC First from AT&T on April 12 for $99 on a new two-year contract or $450 to buy the phone outright. You’ll also have four color options: red, white, blue and black. The HTC First supports a 4.3-inch LCD 720p display, a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera, a 1.6MP front-facing camera and 4G LTE. On the software side of things, the handset is running Facebook’s Home launcher with HTC Sense 4.1 atop of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The post HTC First to launch on U.K. carrier EE during the summer appeared first on Android Authority. |
| Facebook Home to benefit developers as well, company says Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:39 PM PDT
Facebook unveiled its Home user interface for Android smartphones earlier today, with the app launching on April 12 on Google Play for a select number of Android devices. We have already shown you what Home will have to offer (see videos here as well), but it looks like Facebook is not targeting only regular smartphone users with its new UI. The company says that Home will also benefit app developers, by helping "people discover [their] app" and by letting devs "reengage with existing users." The main Home features as demoed by Facebook on stage are the Home Notifications, the Chat Heads messenger app, the Cover Feed (based on Facebook's News Feed) app and the app launcher that will let users access apps right from inside Home. In a post on its Developers blog, Facebook further detailed the developer-oriented features of these Home elements:
That said, there's a lot of talk around Home at this time, but it remains to be seen whether it will see a wide adoption or not, and whether developers will actually use it to further promote their Android apps. Any Android app developers excited to work with the Home UI? The post Facebook Home to benefit developers as well, company says appeared first on Android Authority. |
| HTC First available through AT&T for $450 without contract Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:13 PM PDT
For those looking to get their hands on a pre-installed Facebook Home experience, the HTC First is what you are looking for. The new HTC handset has already been announced for both EE and AT&T, with the later of these offering the phone for just $99 with contract. For those that would rather go the no-contract route? The phone will set you back $450. That $450 buys you a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core powered handset with 1GB of RAM. Other specs for the handset include a 4.3-inch display with a 720p resolution, a 5MP rear cam, 1.6MB front cam, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Facebook Home as the launcher. While most folks will likely go with a contract plan, there are some of us that just don’t want to be tied down to contract. If that sounds like you, you can always snag the handset off-contract but you might also want to consider the fact that Facebook Home will be heading to Google Play and will work with quite a few handsets without a hitch. Installing custom launchers requires very little technical skill, and there are quite a few handsets you can buy unlocked for $450 or less that offer more bang for the buck, such as the LG Nexus 4. Still, it’s up to you. What do you think, interested in the HTC First or not? The post HTC First available through AT&T for $450 without contract appeared first on Android Authority. |
| Google’s BufferBox coming to San Francisco Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:48 PM PDT
Recently, we told you all about Google purchasing BufferBox, a Canadian company which builds storage lockers for delivery storage. The concept is that you have a package delivered to the locker, rather than your home or office, then pick it up at your convenience. There is a code that is sent to your device, and once the code is entered at the locker hub, your locker springs open, revealing your package. Google also launched a delivery service in San Francisco recently, focused on same-day courier service of packages from local retailers. An interesting concept, which now seems to be bolstered by Buffer Box. The BufferBox website now mentions (via a pop-up on the home screen)that the service will be available in San Francisco "soon". While there was no lineage traced between it and Google's same-day delivery, it makes sense that two delivery services owned by Google would go hand-in-hand, and it can't be coincidence that BufferBox is coming to San Francisco. If Google is as serious about delivery as they seem to be, San Francisco is a great place to test out this hybrid service. They've already started their delivery service, and BufferBox makes a great option for those who are too mobile to catch the delivery driver. There are also various locations to pick up a package via the BufferBox, so we'll look forward to seeing how this all plays out. The post Google’s BufferBox coming to San Francisco appeared first on Android Authority. |
| HD Widgets new ‘Colourform’ now available Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:39 PM PDT
Hd Widgets, a constant "Editors Choice" pick in the Play Store, has released a new lineup. This time around, they're going for minimalist cool, rather than complex personalization. The new packet comes in 50 different colors, and are just as customizable as their predecessors. Named 'Colourform', they're what is being touted as a "theme pack", meaning you'll have to own HD Widgets first. However, for a few bucks, you can afford yourself a myriad of options to alter the look and persona of your Android device. If you're a fan of simple design, these new widgets will suit you nicely. First impressions are that they look a lot like Windows 8, and their 'metro' tiles. That's not negative, either. Many Android fans like that look, as quite a few custom ROMs have mimicked the style. Now, those of us who don't like to root our devices can enjoy another level of customization. HD Widgets new Colourform packet is available in the Play Store now, for $0.99. Remember that you'll need the original HD Widgets as well, which runs $1.99. That's not a huge investment, but the return is. The post HD Widgets new ‘Colourform’ now available appeared first on Android Authority. |
| New beta version of Deezer rolls out for Android users, features predictive search Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:38 PM PDT
Deezer still doesn’t have official Google Play app for its streaming service, but it is slowly marching forward towards that goal. Today a new beta version of the Deezer app was released to the public, available directly through their website. The new update adds several changes including a new mini-player. The mini-player makes it possible to leave the app while still having some control over your music selection through notifications and the lock screen. Another important new feature is the addition of predictive search. While this isn’t anything revolutionary per se, it does make it easier to find what you are looking for by suggesting artists and tracks as soon as you begin typing into your search bar.
The Deezer app has also received a bit of a visual makeover, with the new look featuring basically a black and white color scheme. Don’t let the sounds of that fool you, it is actually very attractive and does a great job of helping the album artwork stand out. There is no word on when exactly this will touch down through Google Play, but at least the beta is fully open for any early adopters that want to give it a try. What do you think, willing to give this one a go or do you already favor one of their competitors such as Spotify? The post New beta version of Deezer rolls out for Android users, features predictive search appeared first on Android Authority. |
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