Android Community |
- Google I/O: What we expect in 2013
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 getting update to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
- Xiaomi Red Rice with 4.7-inch HD display leaks
- LG Optimus G2 image leaks with edge-to-edge display
- Facebook adds, then deletes ongoing expandable notifications
- HTC One goes vanilla Android with CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightly
- Boxfish Live Guide lands on Android, we go hands-on
- Ubuntu Touch stable builds coming by the end of May
- HTC One TV ads trash the competition, touts Blinkfeed features
| Google I/O: What we expect in 2013 Posted: 11 May 2013 05:16 AM PDT Google I/O 2013 is less than a week away at this point. The conference runs from May 15th through the 17th and will hopefully bring plenty of goodies for Android users. While there is still some question as to what will be shown and announced, we do know that Google will be running things a little bit different this year. The Google I/O schedule was released earlier in the month and it shows just one keynote. The keynote will run for a few hours on the morning of May 15th and this will be where our immediate attention is focused. The Android Community team will be on-site to bring you the latest, however as we recently saw with the release of the Google I/O 2013 app, these events will also be streamed for those not able to attend.
Taking a look back over the recent weeks and we have seen talk of everything from Ingress, Game Center, Google Now and Babel (now expected to arrive as Hangouts) to the physical Google Wallet cards, an LTE equipped Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Android 4.3 and Google Glass. The catch is, some of these topics are expected to be brought up during Google I/O and some aren’t. For example, while Google is expected to talk Wallet, they are not expected to announce the physical Wallet cards. Another possible no-show this year could be the Motorola X-Phone.
Ingress One topic that isn’t often discussed is Ingress. For those not familiar, Ingress is virtual game that has you running around in the real world. In Ingress you travel around collecting objects and discovering the sources of the “mysterious energy.” Ingress isn’t difficult to play, but it is a bit time consuming. Perhaps the hardest part of the game though — getting started. In the beginning you have to choose your side and decide if you want to be with the Enlightened or the Resistance. Despite the general lack of chatter though, it seems as if Google has something big planned for this year. Not only has Google scheduled three Ingress events, but they have also given an invite to all I/O attendees. In addition, Google has also been sending invites out to others that have only recently requested one. Ingress is a currently in a closed beta period. Game Center Game Center could be another exciting announcement this year. There had been some speculation (hope) of Google releasing something along these lines, however a recent teardown of the Google Glass companion app revealed some potential details. At this point we are expecting Game Center to arrive with everything from support for real-time and turn-based multiplayer games to in-game chatting, achievements, leader boards and invitations.
Google Now Google Now remains an often discussed topic and we are expecting to see plenty of talk next week. Google recently released Now for iOS and based on recent talk from Larry Page, we are expecting Now to be a big part of Android 4.3. There is also the expectation that Google will connect Now with the desktop as we have recently seen an extension spotted in Chromium. Of course, there is also the connection with Google Glass which brings the thought of voice improvements. Again, this speculation goes back to recent comments from Page when he mentioned "voice search momentum." Google Babel Babel should be another topic we hear discussed. The details of this have all come by way of leaks up until this point, however it is looking like this will be a unified messaging service. Basically, it is believed that Google will be combining services such as Google+ Hangouts and Google Talk into one cross platform service. We also recently learned that Babel is now expected to be introduced as Hangouts. There should also be support for everything from Android and iOS devices to support within Chrome, Gmail and Google+.
Hardware and Key Lime Pie Aside from what we have already mentioned, there has also been talk of hardware which includes everything from an LTE equipped Nexus 4 to an updated Nexus 7. One interesting aspect, despite earlier rumors suggesting that Key Lime Pie would be announced as Android 5.0, we are now expecting that to be unveiled as Android 4.3. Putting some evidence to that claim, Android 4.3 has been spotted in visitor logs lately. Along with updated smartphones and tablets, we should also be seeing some talk of Google Glass. Well, if nothing else, given the developer edition Glass recently began shipping, we expect to be seeing quite a bit of people actually wearing and using Glass. Bottom line here, as we have seen in the past years, it appears as if this years I/O will be full of news and excitement. So how about it, what are you most excited about seeing? Are you looking for new hardware, new services or will you just be content learning what will be coming with Key Lime Pie? But remember, what ever is (or isn’t) announced, the Android Community team will be on-site with the latest coverage. |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 getting update to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Posted: 10 May 2013 04:35 PM PDT Samsung has been paying more attention to their smartphone updates than Tabs, but we have good news. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 is their first and only tablet to use their Super AMOLED technology, and is still one of our favorite Samsung slates. Sadly it launched with Gingerbread, then back in the summer of last year was updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Today according to SamMobile the Tab 7.7 will be able to enjoy the latest and greatest.
Sadly for those with a Verizon 4G LTE Tab 7.7 the update to Ice Cream Sandwich didn’t arrive until late October, so most likely any devices in the US will be waiting a bit longer for this next flavor. However, for those with the Galaxy Tab 7.7 all around the globe will be happy to know the update to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is available today. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean improves on the OS quite a bit, and brings tons of fancy features. Project butter to improve the tablets speed with that aging hardware, expandable notifications, and of course Google Now voice search and more. We didn’t think this slate would see another update, but are happy that Samsung hasn’t left it behind. Before you get too excited, this is only for the Tab 7.7 GT-P6800 model in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia and a few other regions. The GT-P6810 and of course Verizon’s 4G LTE model aren’t so lucky, but hopefully an update for those will arrive in due time. Hopefully Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 will use an AMOLED display too, that would be nice. The update is arriving over the air as we speak, and as usual users can use Samsung Kies to update manually. Let us know how it goes, or if you have any issues. VIA: AndroidAuthority Device Info
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| Xiaomi Red Rice with 4.7-inch HD display leaks Posted: 10 May 2013 03:43 PM PDT Xiaomi might not be exactly what we’d call a household name in the U.S. smartphone market, but over in China the company has quite the following, and releases some pretty stellar hardware at great prices. We’ve seen plenty in the past, but their latest device that was leaked today is aiming bigger than most, and comes in ridiculously affordable at just $130 according to reports.
The phone leaked today is being called the Xiaomi Red Rice, for its red polycarbonate shell, but we’ll probably see something more traditional as far as a name later this year. The interesting fact here is instead of the traditional 4.3-inch screen of most of their phones, we have a massive 4.7-inch 720p HD display. We’ve seen reports and rumors of an impressive sounding Xiaomi MI-3 to follow the success of their past devices, complete with a 1080p display and a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, but so far we have nothing concrete on that device yet either. What we do know is Xiaomi has some stellar hardware coming soon, and it will be budget friendly, as always. Images today were unearthed by IT168 and show a rather unique red device in the works and coming soon for Chinese markets. Sadly according to the reports that 4.7-inch screen will only be 720p and not 1080 like the MI-3, and only sport a dual-core processor. It will have 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, and powered by a 2,000 mAh battery. The good news to this however, is Xiaomi could be prepping this device to be an excellent budget friendly smartphone, even cheaper than their others. Reports are stating you’ll get it all for just $130. As in all of that for $130 without signing a contract or subsidizing the smartphone. SOURCE: UnwiredView |
| LG Optimus G2 image leaks with edge-to-edge display Posted: 10 May 2013 01:33 PM PDT Last weekend we received our first glance at this mystery handset from the folks at LG, which many believe to be the LG Optimus G2, and today we’re getting another up close view at what could even be the next Nexus smartphone. The popular Twitter account @evleaks has once again delivered and posted another photo of this unannounced device, and we’re still left wondering what exactly LG has planned.
The smartphone was originally leaked last week in a full-body shot showing a super-thin bezel, no navigation buttons, and possibly being 5.5-inches. Which means just like the LG Nexus 4 and other Nexus devices it will be all on-screen navigation. This doesn’t mean it will be the Nexus 5 but it sure has a Nexus look with the rounded edges, speaker grill, and front facing camera all in a similar layout. The image today gives us another glance at the handset, but still doesn’t reveal any details. You can see from all images that have been released that this has one of the thinnest bezels we’ve seen to date. That is an edge-to-edge display if we’ve ever seen one. Many believe, including @evleaks, that this is the LG Optimus G2, but we’ll have to wait and see. Last years popular LG Optimus G ended up being the base for Google’s Nexus 4, and we could see the exact same thing this year too. While many don’t believe Google has a new smartphone they’ll unveil next week at Google I/O, you never know. We could be seeing an LG Nexus 5 with Android 4.3, or sometime this summer LG will simply announce the new LG Optimus G2 with a large 5.5-inch display, thin bezel and all. What do you guys think? |
| Facebook adds, then deletes ongoing expandable notifications Posted: 10 May 2013 01:23 PM PDT We are still waiting for the Facebook Home update to come available in the Google Play Store, however in the meantime, the company has rolled out an updated release of the regular Facebook app. This update is currently available and the changelog details a few minor, but welcomed additions. Aside from what we see in the changelog though, there seems to have been something else that was added and later removed.
First though, lets mention the additions before we get into the mystery. The first item are the stickers. These stickers will be familiar for those who had been using the Facebook Messenger app as they were added in an update that arrived back in April. Basically, you will now be able to send stickers while chatting from within the regular Facebook app. Those looking for the stickers should look for the smiley face in the “write a message” box. The next addition was also small, but we suspect more than a few will be happy with it. Moving forward you will now be able to delete unwanted comments from your posts. The final item on the changelog deals with Facebook Pages. With this, you will now be able to get directions as well as check in and make a call to the business right from the top. With those out of the way, lets get into the mystery.
It seems Facebook also included another item called “Ongoing Notifications.” This is basically how it sounds and when checked (which it was by default), you would get a persistent notification bar in your shade. This offered shortcut access to your Friend Requests, Messages and Notifications. Aside from the bit about it not being in the Facebook app, it appeared similar to the top section of the actual Facebook app. The twist on this, it seems this feature was silently added with the update and then just as silently removed. Aside from seeing this notification bar, this was an item that was found in the “Advanced Notifications Settings” section in the Settings. Assuming this hadn’t been removed, it was located just below the “Groups” setting. This setting has since been removed from all the devices we have in our possession but given we clearly saw this added and and then removed (the folks at Engadget managed to grab an image before it was removed), it brings the question as to how it was removed. After all, external app updates should have been stopped. Putting that to the side, it appears as if Facebook accidentally revealed an upcoming feature here. That does bring the question though; Is a persistent Facebook notification bar something that you want? VIA: Google Play Store |
| HTC One goes vanilla Android with CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightly Posted: 10 May 2013 01:08 PM PDT All you proud owners of the HTC One will be happy to learn that one of the most popular custom ROMs for Android is now available for your device. Well, all unlocked models of the HTC One at least. The popular developers behind CyanogenMod have finally released a nightly build of CM10.1 for the handset. Say goodbye to Sense, and Blinkfeed.
The HTC One runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC’s ‘new Sense’ which is better than their previous UI overlay, but it’s still not stock Android that many love. You’ll be losing Blinkfeed and many other aspects of HTC’s software, but will be able to enjoy the absolute latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean instead. Of course with CyanogenMod Android 4.2 Jelly Bean has tons and tons of customizations, tweaks, settings and more that makes it one of the best ROM’s around, so that’s a major plus too. The developers took to XDA and confirmed the nightly builds have pushed out to servers, and will be available for download soon. Also, this is a nightly build, and not a stable M release of the custom ROM. Earlier this week CyanogenMod announced stable RC1 milestone builds of Android 4.2.2 CM10.1 for over 40 devices, and while the One isn’t on the list, it is now officially being supported by nightly updates. As expected you’ll need to unlock that bootloader at HTCDev, get a custom recovery, and flash the lastest CM zip and Google apps to be up and running. For those looking for more information hit the XDA link below to enjoy some vanilla Android on that HTC One. No details on Beats Audio support, or the UltraPixel camera, so we’ll update when we know more. SOURCE: XDA Developers -Thanks to all who sent this in! Device Info
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| Boxfish Live Guide lands on Android, we go hands-on Posted: 10 May 2013 12:25 PM PDT The Boxfish Live Guide app has recently launched for Android. While this one has just landed in the Google Play Store this morning, some may recognize the name given the app had previously been available for iOS. And for those wondering what Boxfish is all about — think television. The app touts itself as being the “new TV guide.” But perhaps more to the point here, the Boxfish app provides a new method of seeing what is on television.
The app provides your basic television guide, however there is also the option to see what is trending and a favorites section that will allow you to quickly see what is playing on your favorite channels. In addition to the regular guide and the favorites section, Boxfish also offers the ability to search. Browsing to the trending section will have you sitting in the ‘everything’ category by default. This includes all types of shows that are trending across all networks. The trending section is also further broken down into categories with options for news, sports and lifestyle. The searching is as one would expect — it allows you to search for just about anything you want.    As this is an app we had some interest in, we spent a few minutes playing around. Upon launching the app for the first time you are directed through the setup process. You start by entering your zip code and television provider. The Boxfish app also wants to know if you have a Google TV or TiVo, but these are not required and can be skipped. From here you go into choosing your favorite channels and then into using the app. The setup process is simple and straight forward and the same can be said about using the app. The app launches to your favorites, which seems to make sense. Those favorites can also be edited/changed later on as you see fit. The search is always available in the top right hand corner and access to the trending, regular guide and settings is done by way of the three-line menu icon in the upper left. Touching back on the Google TV or TiVo, this was asked because the app does have remote functionality. While that support is limited to these two devices at the moment, there was mention that support for more providers is on the way. Bottom line here, while an interesting way to browse the current trends on television, without any integration with our current cable provider for the remote, it felt a little separate and really just added another item in your hand — the phone with Boxfish and the regular remote control. Nonetheless, Boxfish seems like something worth checking out and something worth paying attention to moving forward. VIA: GigaOM |
| Ubuntu Touch stable builds coming by the end of May Posted: 10 May 2013 12:02 PM PDT Ubuntu Touch on Android has been a slow but steady mystery. Canonical currently offers plenty of pre-release beta or even alpha builds of their software for Android devices like the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7, and others. However, today Canonical’s own Rick Spencer promises to have stable “daily-driver” builds of Ubuntu Touch for smartphones by the end of the month.
So what exactly does that mean? Well, the current builds of Ubuntu Touch available now aren’t quite something you can use on a daily bases. Well you can, it just won’t be much of a functioning smartphone. The project is still in the early stages and Canonical has been working hard at improving their new smartphone and touch UI for multiple devices. When we got our own hands-on with Ubuntu it wasn’t really something you could use daily, and is still a long ways from being a fully functional OS. In February Ubuntu Touch developer previews were released, and they announced a tablet version too, but today they’re all about the smartphone flavor of Ubuntu. Here’s what Ubuntu promises to be working by the end of the month.
So instead of offering developer builds that are rough around the edges, and not useful for daily smartphone activities, we’ll have stable builds good enough for many developers to use as their actual OS of choice. One important aspect, aside from making calls and texts, is the ability to update to the latest version without losing user data and having to restart all over. Something many developers will be happy to see. As usual head to the Ubuntu site for more details and downloads, and expect some builds coming soon with a greater emphasis on stability and usability moving forward. VIA: Liliputing |
| HTC One TV ads trash the competition, touts Blinkfeed features Posted: 10 May 2013 11:25 AM PDT If you’ve seen or used the HTC One you’d probably agree with us that the smartphone is pretty impressive. Today HTC has just released a new TV ad spot that trashes on the competition, and throws dirt all over their weak features. With HTC touting their Blinkfeed news front and center, these ads show why their smartphone is better than the rest.
To be honest we’ve been waiting for HTC to get a little more aggressive with their commercials. We all know Samsung has no issue with being aggressive, and doesn’t hold anything back. Instead of just random commercials this new TV advert by HTC is actually showing off new features and an aspect that makes the phone great. Blinkfeed is HTC’s proprietary news app, similar to Flipboard, that gives you updates on anything and everything you’d like to know in a timely manor, beautifully on your homescreen. No digging through the phone to find Facebook updates, news alerts, sports updates and more. They literally throw dirt on the competition in the ad, check it out below. Then they show us a little more of the same, with multiple people around you all doing the same digging. With the HTC One and Blinkfeed everything is right where you want and need it. Personally we absolutely loved Blinkfeed in our HTC One reviews, both which are available below, and add those into the stunning sound quality HTC’s been showing off in other commercials and you have a stellar experience. So do you proud HTC One owners use Blinkfeed? We wish there was more news sources we could add, instead of HTC’s curated list, but still love the option. Device Info
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