Android and Me |
- New Motorola X Phone specs leaked, surprisingly mid end
- Deal: Verizon’s HTC DROID DNA only a penny for upgrades and new accounts on Amazon
- Rumor: Vine-like video sharing headed to Instagram
- Samsung to launch first LTE-Advanced smartphone, Galaxy S 4 variant
- Get the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 June 21 for just $199.99
- PhoneDog Media acquires Android and Me, a change of hands and new beginnings
- One year later, the Nexus 7 has gone from the best to worst tablet I’ve ever owned
- Sprint launches new LTE markets, reveals upcoming expansions
- Buy the HTC One between June 14 and July 15, get $25 Google Play credit from HTC
- Jay-Z partners to give Samsung owners an early release of his upcoming album
| New Motorola X Phone specs leaked, surprisingly mid end Posted: 17 Jun 2013 12:50 PM PDT The mysterious Motorola X Phone has had its fair share of rumors started, particularly about its specs and the possibility of customization. People seem to be going wild over the X Phone, and we don’t know anything about it! Today, we have another spec leak for the device, but this time it comes from the famous Twitter user @evleaks. He states that the device will house a 1.7GHz dual core MSM8960 Pro (an updated Snapdragon S4 Plus with the same dual core layout but with an Adreno 320 GPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 720p display resolution, a 10MP rear camera and 2MP front camera, and Android 4.2.2. Is it just us, or is this not a super phone in the making? With all of the stated specs far behind the likes of the Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One, it seems that the Motorola X Phone might be destined to be released as a mid end device. Of course, we don’t know if these specs are fully accurate, but that’s a rumor for you. The purpose of this device may be very different from what many high end devices represent. This could be a device that will be offered for a very low price, possibly cheaper than the Nexus 4. Or it could be something wildly different that no one currently knows about. We’re excited to see what comes of the X Phone. What do you think of the newest leaked specs? What could this device be meant for? Via: Pocket Now 
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| Deal: Verizon’s HTC DROID DNA only a penny for upgrades and new accounts on Amazon Posted: 17 Jun 2013 12:26 PM PDT The HTC DROID DNA may not be quite as good as the new HTC One, but they aren’t too far apart. The DROID DNA features a gorgeous 5 inch 1920×1080 display, slightly bigger than the HTC One but having the same resolution. The Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor paired with a beefy 2GB of RAM is no slouch either. Of course, you won’t get the BoomSound front facing speakers or the UltraPixel camera, but you get three buttons below the screen instead of two! Plus, it’s still a very competent device. But for Verizon customers, it’s currently the only high end HTC phone available. Verizon has announced that the HTC One will come to their stores this summer, but it may be a wait of a few more months. Instant gratification may sound great to you right now, so Amazon has a big deal on the DROID DNA if you sign a new contract. The device is selling for only a penny, and unlike most of Amazon’s sales, this applies to both new customers and old customers wanting to use their upgrades. You can’t beat that price, so jump on the deal! Via: Android Police 
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| Rumor: Vine-like video sharing headed to Instagram Posted: 17 Jun 2013 12:09 PM PDT Vine isn’t the first video sharing application to make it to smartphones in the last couple years, but it’s undoubtedly the most popular. Use of Vine has quickly overtaken similar long-standing media sharing applications, but Facebook isn’t willing to sit back and let Instagram fall into obscurity. Citing an unknown source, TechCrunch is reporting that on June 20, Facebook will unveil Vine-like video sharing to its massively popular Instagram. According to TechCrunch, the videos will be limited to five to ten seconds in length and will be integrated into the normal Instagram app. There isn’t much more information available on Instagram’s new video feature at the time, but we imagine filters would be making their way over, setting Instagram apart from Vine in that respect. If the numbers from a recent report on Topsy Analytics’ website are correct, Vine shares have eclipsed Instagram on Twitter, in some cases doubling the active daily use. Have you been using Vine since in launched for Android? Would you switch to Instagram video if the feature makes its way over? Be sure to let us know. 
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| Samsung to launch first LTE-Advanced smartphone, Galaxy S 4 variant Posted: 17 Jun 2013 11:04 AM PDT Samsung plans to make history by releasing the first smartphone that supports LTE-Advanced, a new network technology that can be twice as fast as current LTE. The device is set to be a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S 4, powered by a Qualcomm chip with LTE-Advanced support built in (network radios are usually integrated into the SoC, and the Exynos Octa does not support LTE-Advanced). According to co-CEO JK Shin, the device may be released as early as this month in their home country of South Korea. Here’s the downside: no carriers in South Korea support LTE-Advanced. In fact, only a single carrier in Russia called Yota currently has LTE-Advanced enabled. But who better than Samsung to push this new technology ahead? With the hardware now available to the public, carriers will have plenty of reason to pursue LTE-Advanced technology. Verizon received major recognition as the first US carrier to support LTE. We can safely assume that the first carrier to implement LTE-Advanced will have customers rushing to try it out, especially when the flagship is a Galaxy S 4 variant. Samsung says a movie download that would usually take 3 minutes on 4G LTE would take a little more than a minute on LTE-Advanced, so the increase is nothing to scoff at. And with Sammy talking to carriers about LTE-Advanced and their new phone, we might just see this technology emerge fairly soon. Are you excited? Via: Android Central 
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| Get the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 June 21 for just $199.99 Posted: 17 Jun 2013 10:46 AM PDT AT&T no longer subsidizes tablets, but they are offering a bundle package that could save you money on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. The AT&T version of the tablet, which hits U.S. shelves June 21, will retain its international brother’s specs with added LTE connectivity. The Note 8.0 features an 8-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 1.6GHz quad core Exynos 4 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 4600 mAh battery. Not quite top-of-the-line, but enough power to pack a punch. The tablet comes standard with 16GB of memory, microSD, IR blaster, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and the Wacom-powered S Pen. Features like Multi-Window, Air View and Samsung’s SAFE business ready technology are also along for the ride. By itself, this tablet sports a $399.99 price tag with a two-year contract to AT&T. However, if you’re also interested in picking up a Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S 4 Active or Galaxy Note II with the Note 8.0, the price for the Note 8.0 drops to just $199.99. It’s a pretty good deal, if you’re willing to sign two contracts in one day. And you’ll need to get that phone alongside the tablet, because unlike the international Note 8.0 3G, this model does not support voice calling. How many of you plan to jump on this deal? Source: AT&T 
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| PhoneDog Media acquires Android and Me, a change of hands and new beginnings Posted: 17 Jun 2013 10:02 AM PDT Good Monday morning Android and Me readers! There are some changes afoot today, and we’re pleased to announce that AAM has been acquired by the PhoneDog Media brand. Alongside PhoneDog.com, TmoNews.com and TodaysiPhone.com, Android and Me will continue to excel in its Android coverage. You can expect to see some changes here and there; but for the most part, everything you know and love about AAM will stay the same. We’re not interested in breaking something that’s not broken, but a change in leadership will naturally lead to a few changes. For one, expect to see some fresh new faces around these parts! And, a larger staff will bring an increase in the amount of daily Android news. You can expect more reviews, more videos, more contests, more app coverage–more of everything. The press release below details what the change of hands entails. We’d love your reaction. What would you like to see more of? Less of? What would you change? What needs to stay the same? Perhaps a Google+ hangout is in order to help you all get to know me and the team from DroidDog.com? As my TmoNews.com readers will attest, I’m completely dedicated to the success of this property and I know the current AAM staff is excited about the future. I hope you’ll join us on this new adventure and in giving a fond farewell to both Taylor and Clark Wimberly ,who put together a fantastic site with an awesome design and fantastic readership. We wish them the very best in their new beginnings.
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| One year later, the Nexus 7 has gone from the best to worst tablet I’ve ever owned Posted: 17 Jun 2013 09:36 AM PDT The first time I used a Nexus 7, I was blown away. It was the perfect form factor for Android, and probably the best Android device I had ever used at the time. All for just $200. You simply couldn’t ask for more in a device. One year later, I’m changing my tune. My Nexus 7 is just a shell of its former self, and an embarrassment to Google. I don’t remember when it first started happening, but most say it was when Android 4.2 began hitting devices. The new features and changes in Jelly Bean, 4.2, were certainly welcome additions, but my Nexus’ new found love of life in the slow-lane was not. I have not spent a full year using the Nexus 7 as a daily driver, only the last six months. So at first, I didn’t notice just how bad things had gotten. I thought maybe it was an illusion from using so many high-end Android phones. Until I started asking around. I can’t find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn’t seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps. I tried the basics at first, like a factory reset. I then moved onto drastic measures, like rooting and installing CyanogenMod 10.1 (which I thought would surely fix everything, since I’ve used faster devices with lesser hardware, and performance problems were merely a lack of software optimization). And nothing seems to work. Using CyanogenMod worked at first, but things have slowed down dramatically again. I’ve tried uninstalling most of my apps. Using replacement launchers. No widgets. Nothing works. And even if any of those things did work, it would still be terrible looking for Google. Other companies, take Amazon for example, have seemingly mastered the budget to performance ratio in affordable tablets in no time. It may have taken a couple generations, which is why I still have hope for the successor to the Nexus 7, but even the first generation Kindle Fire stands up better against the Nexus 7. I can only imagine how the latest Galaxy Tab, Kindle Fire HD, or dare I say the more expensive iPad Mini, would completely knock it out of the park. I used to love my Nexus 7. I want to love it again. Have you experienced any similar problems with a Nexus 7, or has your experience been the exact opposite? 
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| Sprint launches new LTE markets, reveals upcoming expansions Posted: 17 Jun 2013 08:30 AM PDT With LTE being a must-have feature on our smartphones, it stands to reason that carriers would be working as hard as possible on rolling out their LTE coverage. Having launched LTE over a year later than Verizon and AT&T, Sprint is now playing catch-up with their coverage to compete with them. But today brings in a new wave of LTE markets from Sprint that should help to greatly bolster their coverage. The list has nearly two dozen cities and is fairly expansive:
But that’s not all. Sprint also named some cities that are next in their LTE rollout. Here’s that list:
Sprint is definitely working hard to get their LTE coverage up to par with the others. These latest expansions cover a variety of key states that haven’t seen much love when it comes to LTE. But with Verizon already having such a dominant place in the LTE market and AT&T not far behind, can Sprint really compete with them? In terms of speed and coverage, not yet. Verizon and especially AT&T both have far superior speeds and coverage. But with Sprint’s affordable pricing, they’re offering a decent swath of LTE markets at a price that won’t make your wallet cringe too much. Besides that, you get unlimited LTE which is something neither Verizon or AT&T can offer. So Sprint certainly does have some advantages over the other carriers. If this new rollout affects you then give us a shout in the comments! Via: Android Central 
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| Buy the HTC One between June 14 and July 15, get $25 Google Play credit from HTC Posted: 17 Jun 2013 07:29 AM PDT The HTC One is an amazing device at $200 with a new two-year contract, but HTC is making the deal even sweeter by offering a $25 Google Play credit for anyone who purchases the device between June 14 and July 15. Simply purchase a new HTC One, register your device and you’ll be emailed a $25 Google Play promo code within 72 hours. The best part is that the $25 Google Play credit can also be redeemed by anyone who took advantage of Amazon’s HTC One one-day sale last Friday. Like every promotion, there are a few rules and restrictions to be aware of. The $25 Google Play credit must be used by November 30th with a single registration limit per email account. If you purchase multiple HTC Ones for members of your family before July 15th, make sure each device is registered with a unique email address. What apps, games, music or movies would you recommend to those who will get $25 Google Play credit with their HTC One? 
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| Jay-Z partners to give Samsung owners an early release of his upcoming album Posted: 17 Jun 2013 06:54 AM PDT When it comes to the music industry, one of the biggest names out there is Jay-Z. He’s a brilliant producer and a massive music mogul who’s churned out many hits of his own as well as helping other artists to rise up through the ranks. But it seems that he has a new twist for the release of his latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay-Z and Samsung have signed a deal together to give one million Samsung device owners a chance to win the album free of charge and three days before the official release. That means that owners of the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and the Galaxy S4 will all have a shot at scoring the album at 12:01 a.m. EST on July 4, 2013. The way to download the new album is to first download a free app that will arrive on the Play Store on June 24. Samsung says that the app will feature a special look at the album and have personal stories and inspirations from Jay-Z on it. There should be some interesting stuff in there with Jay-Z giving us a better look at the story behind his music and some of the meanings of his lyrics. Interestingly enough though, they released a video on the album’s website that showed off some big names working with Jay-Z. People like Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and Swiss Beatz were all in the video and musical genius Rick Rubin was also seen. If you’re an owner of one of the aforementioned Samsung devices, then this is pretty exciting news for you. The fact that you get to keep the entire album for free is an incredible offer and Samsung reportedly paid through the nose for it. The going price for each of the albums was said to be $5 which is a serious chunk of change when you consider that one million were purchased. The entire contract price was about $20 million which clearly tells us that Samsung was serious about this partnership. How many of you are going to try and snatch up a copy of the album before it runs out? Via: The Verge 
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