Android World: Android and Me

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Android and Me

Rumor: Google set to unveil Google Edition Galaxy S4 at I/O

Posted: 14 May 2013 07:08 PM PDT

According to Russell Holly of Geek.com, Google is gearing up to make a huge announcement tomorrow at I/O, completely out of left field. While we won’t see a new Nexus phone unveiled just hours from now, Holly is citing sources already at the developer conference that say we will see a “Google Edition” of the Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android.

Hardware wise, the Galaxy S4 is an absolute beast of a phone. A high-end processor, 5-inch full HD display, and fantastic camera are just a few of the hardware elements that make the S4 one of the best Android powered smartphones money can buy. Unfortunately, Samsung’s custom version of Android isn’t for everyone. The Google Edition of the Galaxy S4 would remedy that, not only giving consumers a chance to buy a non-Nexus stock Android device, but one with a removable battery and expandable storage as well.

How the Google Edition of the S4 would be sold, whether through Google Play or Samsung directly, is still a mystery. But supposedly it will work on T-Mobile.

As far as rumors go, this one is pretty out there. It’s strange that we haven’t heard anything about the Google Edition Galaxy S4 before now, some 12 hours until it’s supposed to be unveiled, but Holly and Geek.com have been on-point with Google related rumors in the past. There may be good reason to get excited for this one. Not long now until we know for sure.

NVIDIA SHIELD goes on pre-order for $349, ships in June

Posted: 14 May 2013 06:05 AM PDT

NVIDIA surprised everyone at CES with the announcement of their mobile gaming device Project SHIELD, and today they finally revealed the launch details. Fans who signed up to receive updates by clicking “Notify Me” on the SHIELD website will have an exclusive opportunity to pre-order starting today for $349. Pre-order for the general public will open on May 20th, and retail launch partners include Newegg, Gamestop, Micro Center, and Canada Computers. NVIDIA said SHIELD will ship “in June,” but they did not provide a specific date.

We were told that SHIELD would not be cheap, but the $349 retail price seems like a good value compared to other high-end Android devices with 5-inch displays. SHIELD will be the first product to ship with NVIDIA’s new Tegra 4 chip, so it will be the fastest Android device we have ever seen. The open platform gaming system also has access to one of the largest ecosystems of games, including NVIDIA Tegra Zone, Google Play, and Steam (with optional GeForce game streaming).

Here's what you'll get:

Tegra 4 – The world's fastest mobile processor, Tegra 4, delivers rich graphics and unbeatable performance thanks to 72 GPU cores, four CPU cores, and 2GB of RAM
Console-grade controller – Precise control – thanks to dual analog joysticks, a full-sized D-Pad, left and right analog triggers, full-sized bumpers and A/B/X/Y buttons
Multi-touch Display – 5-inch, 720p retinal multi-touch display for high-fidelity visuals
Integrated Speakers – Custom, bass reflex, tuned port audio system – we think this is SHIELD's sleeper feature
Wi-Fi – 802.11n 2X2 MIMO game-speed Wi-Fi for seamless game streaming
Pure Android – Latest Android Jelly Bean operating system from Google, for access to Android games and apps
There's more – We put into SHIELD everything we would want in a premium mobile gaming device… 16 GB memory, GPS, BlueTooth 3.0, a mini-HDMI output, micro-USB 2.0, a microSD storage slot, an 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack… see the full spec sheet, here.

In addition to the launch details, NVIDIA also revealed 5 cutting-edge games that will rock SHIELD.

It will be interesting to see how the SHIELD sells since it is such a unique Android product. Dedicated game consoles seems to be on the decline, but the SHIELD offers the pure stock Android experience and it is capable of so much more.

For more details about SHIELD, head over to the official site and check out NVIDIA’s YouTube channel where they have a ton of hands-on videos.

Based on the retail price and what you know of SHIELD, how many of you plan to pre-order this device?