Android Community |
- Facebook Home privacy concerns are addressed in Q&A
- Robird Twitter client brings Holo UI, push notifications and more to Android
- OUYA consoles shipping at full speed, expected to be complete by May
- Google Fiber headed to Texas – can my town be next?
- HTC M4 looks to be the HTC First, but without Facebook Home
- PSA: HTC first is a stock Jelly Bean phone with one simple tap
- Samsung infringed on Apple’s text-selection patent
- Gamestop expands electronics trade-in program to allow more smartphones
| Facebook Home privacy concerns are addressed in Q&A Posted: 05 Apr 2013 07:46 PM PDT Excited about Facebook Home but wondering what the privacy aspect of it is looking like? Facebook has published a Q&A-format response to the most common questions that have been asked so far, addressing things like what information Home will gather and what it can see. We’ve got a full run-down of the privacy information, which you can check out after the jump.
First things first, Facebook says not to worry: you don’t have to use Home if you don’t want to, and can instead continuing to use the regular Facebook app as if nothing has changed. In addition, if you install Home or purchase a device on which it is preinstalled, only to discover that you don’t like it, you can turn it off under “Settings” or remove it from your lockscreen, whichever you prefer. Home “is a new way to experience Facebook,” not a replacement for the current method. That aside, those who do elect to use Facebook Home will find that privacy remains consistent with what is already present with Facebook. For example, Home will collect data when it is used to, for example, comment on a friend’s status. The app will also pull some other information about how it is used, such as apps that are added to the Home launcher. It will also show app notifications and thus acquire certain pieces of data, none of which includes content from within, for example, the notification. Identifiable data is stored for 90 days. Likewise, Home is limited to “seeing” only the ways in which you interact with it, but not specific information. Because of this, the things you do in other apps – such as searching for an address in Google Maps – will not be available to the platform, although it will know that you opened Maps. Of course, apps that you have authorized to share information with Facebook is different, but that is something that pre-dates Home and hasn’t changed. For more information, you can check out Facebook’s Data Use Policy. [via Facebook] |
| Robird Twitter client brings Holo UI, push notifications and more to Android Posted: 05 Apr 2013 03:20 PM PDT As you all know, there is no shortage of popular Twitter clients for Android. In our quest to find some of the better options available we’ve stumbled on a new Twitter client called Robird. It was available in beta on XDA for a few months but lately has hit the Play Store full of features, push notifications, and is getting updated at a rapid pace. We’ve been loving Robird for the past week so check out our video review below.
It’s hard to find a really good yet simple Twitter client for Android. Some try too hard, some don’t have enough features, and we can’t forget the ridiculous 100,000 token issue thanks to Twitter being greedy. Those aside meet the all-new Robird for Android. It offers a Holo-inspired user interface, two theme colors, tons of custom settings, and something every app should offer – push notifications. While Robird might not have as many features as some, it has most of the important ones and has seen two updates this week alone. So far the list is pretty comprehensive and will be getting fuller by the day. We have push notifications, multiple image upload, Tweetsync and Tweetlonger support, auto-save drafts, Dash clock support, username auto-complete (still needs work) and tons more. They have themes, custom settings for text and font size, and expect to bring multi-user accounts in the next update. Take a peek at the video below to see Robird in action. Pretty nice right? The developers have been working hard on adding new features and promise more options and settings, multi-user accounts, tablet UI, and more in upcoming updates. Which means the $1.99 investment should certainly pay off as this becomes your daily Twitter app. I’m personally loving the simple and elegant design, all the settings for changing font size, and of course the dark theme. Oh and as a hot tip just tap the header button on your main news feed to instantly scroll to the top! Now for a few downsides. The icon could use some work, it’s a little scary. The compose pop-up is said to be getting polished and wider in a future update. And hopefully they improve the auto-complete feature so we can scroll through the suggestions. Then occasionally the DM page doesn’t refresh unless you refresh it manually. Those few things aside I haven’t noticed any tweets missing, push notifications work amazingly well, and the entire app is blazing fast. Again, Robird is available now for Android smartphones at the link below, but will run you $1.99 so we wanted to post a video to give you a better idea of what to expect. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and go give Robird for Android a try today!    [via Play Store Link] |
| OUYA consoles shipping at full speed, expected to be complete by May Posted: 05 Apr 2013 02:25 PM PDT Today the folks from OUYA took a moment to inform all of their loyal fans, buyers, and backers that production has continued to pick up the pace and starting next week will hit full steam. After getting a few initial shipments and developer units out lately today they’ve confirmed starting next week they’ll be producing, packing, and shipping OUYA consoles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This is excellent news for the nearly 63,000 backers of the program. Being one of the most successful kickstarter campaigns to date everyone’s been watching OUYA, and this is certainly good news. Today they confirmed the standard shipping grey console and single controller production will be first to hit full steam 24/7. Then the custom models will be next. That isn’t all either. OUYA also took this moment to share details about how they will update their fans, and their customers. Starting today OUYA will update the kickstarter page (and blog) each Friday with details and status updates on production and shipments of the console. OUYA also confirmed that they’ll now begin sending out shipment notices a week prior to devices actually shipping. So customers know their unit is in queued up and will be coming soon. They expect all kickstarter backers consoles to be completed and shipped by May, then in stores by June. Things are starting to pick up and look good. Don’t forget to hit the links below for details on all the games available! [via OUYA] |
| Google Fiber headed to Texas – can my town be next? Posted: 05 Apr 2013 02:12 PM PDT Reports are beginning to surface this week that Google’s blazing fast gigabit internet service is headed to Texas, and we could be getting the official details as soon as next week. Reports are claiming Austin Texas is up next, and I’m just wondering when Vegas will get it. That’s all I need to know. For more details on Google Fiber read on past the break.
Google Fiber first settled down in Kansas City, but now they are aiming for a bigger city and a much broader audience with Austin, Texas. According to VentureBeat Google has been issuing a few special invites, as has the city of Austin, for a “very important announcement” and most rumors are swirling back to Google Fiber. Here’s part of the invite.
While we can’t say for sure yet, Google Fiber looks to be taking that next step and hopefully this is the first of many coming soon. We can’t really think of a better and more connected tech-city like Austin, which is the home to SXSW each year. Too bad it wasn’t available this year, but it could be providing all the bandwidth in years to come. Texas is also the host to some major technology companies such as Samsung, Intel, and others so this could be another good place for Google to bring their service on a larger scale. If everything works out we could see Austin, Texas, getting Google Fiber soon. Stay tuned and we’ll report back when we learn more details. [via SlashGear] |
| HTC M4 looks to be the HTC First, but without Facebook Home Posted: 05 Apr 2013 01:51 PM PDT The HTC First, the phone that is going to come pre-loaded with Facebook Home was announced yesterday. This handset is going to be available for pre-order next week and will be selling for $99.99 on a two-year agreement with AT&T. The catch here, while the HTC First is a low priced device, given the Facebook Home aspect, it is aimed only at those who cannot live without Facebook. This is where the HTC M4 may come into play though, as another low priced HTC device, but one without the deep Facebook integration.
This thought comes by way of the recent resurge of the M4 leaks. We mentioned this earlier in the day and those leaked specs are looking pretty similar to the HTC First. Well, similar enough in that they at least both seem aimed at the same markets and price points. Keeping in mind the First has been officially announced and the M4 has yet to be acknowledged. That said, they both look to have a 4.3-inch 720p display, dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage space. The interesting side of this comes in with the looks. We know what the First looks like. But based on the previously leaked image of the HTC M4, that handset is looking quite a bit like a handset that was previously released in China. That handset is the HTC e1, which while not exactly the same, once again is sharing some similar specs. The HTC e1 also has a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 4.3-inch 720p display.
Basically, judging from the specs, it is looking as if the HTC M4 will be the non-Facebook Home variant of the HTC First. Some of the differences between the First and the M4 include the camera. Both look to have a 1.6 megapixel front-facing camera, however the M4 is now expected to arrive with an UltraPixel camera on the back. The First has a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera. Needless to say, while the M4 is shaping up to be the non-Facebook Home variant of the HTC First — that doesn’t guarantee we will see it here in the US market. Or at all for that matter. Based on the unknown, we certainly wouldn’t suggest anyone wait for the M4. Not to mention, if you really like the HTC First, but cannot get over the deep Facebook integration, we have recently offered a PSA about how to switch back to stock Jelly Bean. |
| PSA: HTC first is a stock Jelly Bean phone with one simple tap Posted: 05 Apr 2013 12:30 PM PDT Yesterday Facebook and HTC finally announced their joint venture into another Facebook Phone, although this time it truly is more of a Facebook Phone than the previous failures. We’ve been seeing mixed feelings and reports on the entire idea, and it’s safe to say we have our own doubts. However, there is one awesome fact about the HTC first. It runs stock Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean under the Facebook Home launcher.
In the end Facebook Home is only a launcher! If there is one thing we and many others will really like about the HTC first is the hardware and build quality. HTC is no stranger to building some durable and fancy phones. Myself, it’s the software that ruins it for me. I have a confession or two to make. I’m not the biggest fan of HTC Sense, even the new Sense on the HTC One. I’m also not much of a Facebook user. Twitter and Google+ are my go-to social sites. In the world of Android smartphones I know there’s hundreds of you readers (myself included) that have always wished manufacturers would offer their custom skins as an option. Don’t like Samsung’s TouchWiz? Disable it! Sense UI isn’t your cup of tea? Just go back to stock Android. This is something many wish we had in this day and age, but sadly it isn’t an option – usually. That being said, the HTC first is HTC’s first stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean phone. All it takes is a quick tap in the settings menu.
We haven’t seen this mentioned much, so figured a PSA was in order. You can completely remove Facebook Home in seconds just by heading into settings and disabling it on the HTC first. What lays underneath? Stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in all its glory. For those looking for a vanilla Google experience on a pretty excellent mid-range phone. The HTC first for $99 might be a good move. It has Qualcomm’s absolute latest 400 series dual-core processor, a 720p HD display, 4G LTE, and if you’d like to get social you can. What this means is come April 12th for just $99 you can get a pretty impressive HTC smartphone with completely stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This is as close as we’ll get to the HTC Nexus One for now folks. Check out the full specs on the device below, then let us know in the comments if this changes your mind about buying one. While we’re here I’ll say it one more time. Google, please make the HTC Nexus 5. Device Info
Display
Dimension & Weight
Battery & Power
Software
Hardware
 Cellular Network
Device Connectivity
 |
| Samsung infringed on Apple’s text-selection patent Posted: 05 Apr 2013 12:20 PM PDT Samsung and Apple and more patent talk. This particular case stems back to mid-2011 when Apple accused Samsung of infringing on several patents. This complaint originally included seven patents, however one was quickly dropped from the group. Of the six remaining, it was determined that Samsung infringed on four of them. On the flip side, that meant Samsung did not infringe on those remaining two patents.
Anyway, that ruling arrive as a preliminary decision back in October and was handed down by ITC Judge Thomas Pender. Since then it looks like some of this has been looked at once again. In this case, we now have word on two patents. The ruling for this latest look was handed down back in March and unsealed this week. In short, it looks like Samsung has infringed on one, but not the other. This latest ruling has Samsung guilty of infringing on a patent dealing with text-selection and as being not-guilty on a patent dealing with the microphone jack. The microphone jack patent touched on the device being able to detect if a microphone or other device is plugged into its microphone jack. While we have these decisions, this is still not the final outcome of this case. As of now a final decision is expected to arrive in August. Basically, the commission now has to determine whether to uphold or overturn the judge’s ruling. And if upheld Samsung could face an import ban on several handsets. [via Reuters] |
| Gamestop expands electronics trade-in program to allow more smartphones Posted: 05 Apr 2013 11:26 AM PDT In case you guys haven’t heard or noticed, Gamestop has been getting into a lot more than just games as of late. Last year they started options like tablet sales, trade-in programs and more. This week Gamestop has confirmed their consumer electronics trade-in program has been greatly expanded and now you’ll have even more in-store credit to buy your favorite games.
Gamestop started selling Android tablets back in October of 2011, they have a robust trade-in program, and will even start streaming games sometime this year. One thing that isn’t widely known is you can trade in an old Android smartphone to get credit towards that purchase for Bioshock Infinite, or even when getting a new Xbox console. Last year Gamestop started a trade-in program for a select amount of consumer electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets, but this week they’re opening up the program to allow tons more. For some odd reason Samsung phones weren’t allowed before, but now they’ll gladly take that old Galaxy S II and put the cash towards your purchase of a Nexus 7 or a new game. Gamestop will now take “popular handsets” from Motorola, Samsung, Blackberry and of course those iDevices. They also have some new incentives where you’ll get extra credit if you chose to take the entire trade-in as in-store credit. Anywhere from $10-$50 extra depending on the amount will be rewarded free if you take the entire trade for in-store credit. They want you buying games folks! More details can be found at their site linked to below. [via Gamestop] |
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