Android and Me |
- DROID DNA, Incredible on close out; DNA+, One to replace them?
- Facebook asks Samsung to create Facebook phone, Samsung unlikely to comply
- Samsung Galaxy S 4 LTE-Advanced manual leaked, reveals Snapdragon 800
- Sign up now for Minuum keyboard beta, coming later this summer
- Falcon Pro pulled from Play Store
- NVIDIA planning to license Kepler GPU to OEM’s
- HTC Butterfly S unveiled, puts HTC One to shame with spec bump, 3200 mAh battery
- Samsung Galaxy Ring hits Virgin Mobile for $179.99
- Fresh Meat: 10 new Android apps worth checking out
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 benchmarks scores put current-gen smartphones to shame
| DROID DNA, Incredible on close out; DNA+, One to replace them? Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:49 PM PDT Verizon has apparently begun the process of retiring two of their DROID-branded devices. Both the HTC DROID DNA and the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE are now to be sold off, according to promos sent to sales reps. It seems Verizon wants to get rid of their remaining stock, but why? Given the HTC Butterfly S announcement, we have a suspicion that we might see a successor to the DROID DNA on Verizon. (The original Butterfly, or HTC DLX, was released in the US as the DROID DNA). We have spotted mentions of the DLXPLUS in Verizon systems, so the release of the Butterfly S may bring Verizon one step closer to releasing the DROID DNA+, or whatever they choose to call it. We don’t know exactly what’s coming, but it’s going to be pretty big. And of course, we’re excited. What device would you like to see come to Verizon? Leave a comment! |
| Facebook asks Samsung to create Facebook phone, Samsung unlikely to comply Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:09 PM PDT It looks like the failures of both the HTC ChaCha and the newly doomed HTC First weren’t enough to dissuade Facebook from making more Facebook-branded devices. If you don’t remember, the HTC First was discounted from $99.99 to $0.99 on contract soon after launch, and people assumed it was because the device wasn’t selling well. Then the entire launch for the UK was indefinitely put off. Finally, Facebook publicly stated that you can turn Facebook Home off on the HTC First. Undeterred, Mark Zuckerberg visited South Korea and met with Samsung executives this Tuesday. According to industry watchers, they discussed the idea of a “Facebook-friendly” Samsung phone. I don’t know why, but that doesn’t sound like a great idea to me. This anonymous watcher said, “Facebook has every intention of becoming the second Google, and with that intent in mind, Zuckerberg is said to have asked Samsung to step up cooperation by launching a phone with a Facebook interface.” Luckily, it seems that Samsung is reluctant to actually create this device. “Samsung doesn’t want to help nurture a second Google, which is now becoming a formidable rival for Samsung in the handset business.” Samsung thinks associating with the Facebook brand would provide them no benefit, and I’d have to agree. There is no reason for Samsung to make a Facebook phone; you can already install either Facebook Home or the standard Facebook app on a few high-end devices and be done with it. There’s no need for a dedicated Facebook phone, and as consumers have already dictated on multiple occasions, they will not buy it. What are your thoughts on the whole “Facebook phone” concept? |
| Samsung Galaxy S 4 LTE-Advanced manual leaked, reveals Snapdragon 800 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:31 AM PDT Samsung’s plan to make the first smartphone that supports LTE-Advanced is quickly becoming a reality. It was previously stated that the device might release as early as this month in South Korea, but we’ll just have to wait and see. However, we’re excited to where it will lead. The device, a variant of the Galaxy S 4, will support LTE-Advanced connectivity, bringing a huge boost in network speeds. But with no LTE-Advanced live in South Korea, this will push carriers to start rolling out. Russian network Yota is the only one in the world to support LTE; they claim up to 300Mbps theoretical network speeds. LTE-Advanced is capable of even more. Today, a Japanese blog called rbmen managed to get their hands on the user manual of the device, and it reveals an interesting detail. Many of you asked what processor was inside, assuming that it was made by Qualcomm, and you were right. The manual states that it houses a Qualcomm MSM8974, better known as the Snapdragon 800. This is how Samsung managed to include LTE-Advanced: with a brand new chipset that supports it. While there wasn’t much of a point buying a device solely for LTE-Advanced capabilities when the network isn’t even live yet, those in South Korea may buy it just for the powerful processor. The Snapragon 800 was recently benchmarked in reference devices, and it looks to be incredibility powerful. Who wouldn’t want a Galaxy S 4 with a processor that destroys current competition? We’d love it. Unfortunately, we may never see this model of the Galaxy S 4 in the United States. Would you like to own one of these beasts? |
| Sign up now for Minuum keyboard beta, coming later this summer Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT Minuum keyboard believes that the spaced-out keys on a standard keyboard layout is a remnant of the past, unnecessary for our small-screened devices. They set out to create a new, small keyboard that can accurately predict what you’re typing. And where there’s a new keyboard idea, there’s a new funding project. Minuum turned to Indiegogo to find funding for their keyboard project. As you can imagine, they got what they asked for and more. The Minuum keyboard has been sent to backers to try out, but what about the rest of us? Luckily, they’ve decided to provide a limited release of the beta version. It should come out later this summer and allow you to test out Minuum for yourself. Signing up only requires an email address and (optionally) a name, so go ahead and hit the source link to sign up! Minuum is more than just a keyboard. Its design has so much potential for other uses. The team demonstrated how you can use it to type with anything from a watch to a piece of paper. An Android keyboard is only the start, and if they get enough support, there could be much more in store for us. We’re definitely excited to see what they can create. Watch this video to learn more about Minuum. Tell us, would you like to give it a shot? |
| Falcon Pro pulled from Play Store Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:14 AM PDT Ah, Falcon Pro. It’s had a rough life. When it was first released, it quickly rose to the top as one of the most popular Twitter apps out there due to its sleek design and interesting features. But it hit its API token limit of 100,000 pretty quickly, which kept it from adding any new users. So the developer “reset” the API tokens for Falcon Pro to allow users to get back on. But alas, the API token limit has been hit again so the developer decided to do the same thing for a second time. But when the developer, Joaquim Verges, woke up this morning, he found that all of the tokens for the app had been used up. That would be a crazy amount of people re-downloading the app overnight, so people are now assuming that Twitter has revoked his API keys. Why would they do that? Well, the folks at Android Police have helped explain a murky area regarding his resetting of the app’s tokens. Apparently Verges was generating a new application key each time he hit or got near the API token limit. But he’d leave the keys for the old version live as well. This gave him more than one API key for the app, and in essence, more than the 100,000 tokens granted to him. That would mean that he’s definitely in violation of Twitter’s API rules, certainly a reason to revoke his API keys. For now, Verges has pulled the new version of the app from Google Play and has left the old versions live for people already using them. This is a clear example of Twitter’s new API guidelines at work. Those rules are an attempt to keep third-party Twitter apps from stealing attention from Twitter’s own app. We don’t know what will happen with Falcon Pr,o but if Verges pulls it for good, it could be the first of the third-party Twitter giants to fall. What do you guys think of the entire situation with Twitter? Do you believe that the API rules should be changed again? |
| NVIDIA planning to license Kepler GPU to OEM’s Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:46 AM PDT We all know NVIDIA and their Tegra chipsets, but now some big news has come out regarding their technology. NVIDIA has announced via a blog post that they’re planning to license out their Kepler GPU architecture to mobile manufacturers. The Kepler GPU architecture is the most advanced and efficient mobile GPU that NVIDIA makes, and it serves as a part of the reference design for the next-gen Tegra processors. But now that NVIDIA has agreed to license out the technology, it could make huge waves in the mobile sector. You see, both Apple and Samsung make their own SoCs, or system on a chip. To date, they both have always had to license their GPUs from companies like ARM, with their Mali GPUs, or Imagination Technologies, creater of the Power VR GPUs. With NVIDIA’s Kepler GPU now available for license, we could see one of Samsung’s Galaxy devices using a high-end NVIDIA GPU. Or possibly even an iPhone with an NVIDIA GPU. Either of those would be a huge breakthrough for NVIDIA, who has long struggled to have a major impact in the mobile phone market. Companies who choose to license the Kepler GPU will get designs and support to integrate the Kepler GPU into their chipsets. But NVIDIA is also planning to license out their visual computing portfolio to allow manufacturers to create their own GPUs. This means that rather than putting their own Tegra chipsets in different devices, NVIDIA can instead get their renowned technology inside of them which should help save money for both them and the manufacturer. If you’re interested in reading their full post, follow the source link below. Who’s excited about this news? |
| HTC Butterfly S unveiled, puts HTC One to shame with spec bump, 3200 mAh battery Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:29 AM PDT Step aside HTC One, there’s a new titan to contend with. The HTC Butterfly S, featuring an impressive array of specs, was unveiled today in Taiwan. The HTC One is still considered to be HTC’s flagship Android device, but the those in the know have to admit that the Butterfly S is now the must-have smartphone in HTC’s lineup. The HTC Butterfly S sports a quad-core 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 5-inch 1080p (440 ppi) Super LCD3 display, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, microSD expansion slot up to 64GB, front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound audio, BSI UltraPixel camera sensor (we’re presuming 4MP like the HTC One), 2.0 µm pixels size, f2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens for the main camera, 2.1MP shooter on the front with a wide angle lens. To top things off, HTC has bestowed the HTC Butterfly S with a 3,200 mAh battery, enabling 3.5 days of continuous mp3 playback, 25 hours of talk time and an astonishing 659 hours of standby time on a WCDMA connection. On the software side, the HTC Butterfly S is running on Android 4.2.2 with HTC Sense 5. This means Butterfly S owners will be treated to features like BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and the advanced imagine capabilities found in the gallery application. The HTC Butterfly S is scheduled to make its retail debut in Taiwan in July with a sticker price of NT $22,900 ($766 USD). We doubt the HTC Butterfly S will arrive in Europe or North America any time soon (if ever), but other Asian markets should see the phone appear in stores later in Q3. How do you think the HTC Butterfly S stacks up against the HTC One? Would you be willing to sacrifice the full-metal aluminum construction of the HTC One for a slightly larger screen, expandable storage and a battery that’s guaranteed to last a full day? Gallery
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| Samsung Galaxy Ring hits Virgin Mobile for $179.99 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:25 AM PDT One of the larger prepaid carriers in the US, Virgin Mobile offers a decent selection of phones for their no-contract plans. They recently announced the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G LTE, and now they’ve got another Samsung smartphone in the pipes: the Samsung Galaxy Ring. While it’s not a high-end phone, it’s no slouch either. The Galaxy Ring packs a 4-inch display, 1.4GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 4GB storage, microSD card slot and a 1,750mAh battery. On the software front, you’ll find Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI placed delicately atop. The Galaxy Ring may not appeal much to you in the specs department, but it has a very wallet-friendly price tag of just $179.99. Since Virgin Mobile’s main focus is price, this could be a pretty good seller for people who want a decent smartphone at a low price. Bear in mind though, it only has support for Virgin Mobile’s 3G network. Are any of you guys thinking about picking up a Galaxy Ring? |
| Fresh Meat: 10 new Android apps worth checking out Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:13 AM PDT New apps need lovin' too, right? Every day there are thousands of new entries on the Google Play store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and launch them to new heights. So, we're bringing back our weekly column Fresh Meat that highlights new apps with less than 100k installs. Browse our new Android app picks below and let us know which ones you enjoy. How to Make Paper Airplanes 3D
Description: If you've ever dreamed about building a bomber or a modern fighter jet, that doesn't mean you love war; you just think planes are cool. We understand you completely. All right, are you ready? Go get a piece of paper. Compare Between the Stores
Description: Want to find the apps from iPhone store on your Android device with one click? The app “iPhone store” will let you know and follow all the leading apps available in iPhone Store sorted by countries. You will find top 300 free apps, top 300 paid apps and top 300 grossing apps in each country you select! Fitness Checkup
Description: Are you in shape? Fitness Check Up is the app you need to do a fun and enjoyable check-up! The Fitness Checkup application helps you assess your physical shape using 11 health tests: Flexibility, Balance, Body Core, Strength, Capacity for effort, Muscle Tone, Explosiveness, Pulse at rest, Body mass index, Body fat index and Reaction speed. Verizon FiOS Mobile
Description: Check out the new Verizon FiOS Mobile application with live streaming TV Channels, available now to watch anywhere in your home! FiOS Mobile also offers premium subscription On Demand content from Starz and Encore, the ability to use your device as a remote control to interact with your FiOS TV, remotely manage your DVR recordings, view TV listings, and access the entire Flex View On Demand catalog. Music Tutor Sight Read
Description: Learn to sight-read music with MusicTutor SightRead (MTSR). MTSR is a quiz game designed for music students, for learning to read (and write) music in an easy and pleasant way. Floating Notifications
Description: Floating Notifications is a new and intuitive way to view your notifications. It can take a notification from any app and present it to you as a floating icon, similar to Facebook chat heads, but for any application. It even works in fullscreen mode (in Games, Youtube etc) and is fully customizable. Kids Media
Description: Looking for what to watch, rent, read, play or buy for your kids? Get instant access to over 18,000 trustworthy ratings and reviews from Common Sense Media, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping you make the best media decisions for your kids. Our extensive database of movie, DVD, TV show, book, music, app and game reviews are now at your fingertips. Flowpaper Free
Description: Flowpaper is an interactive drawing tool that lets you make beautiful flowing paintings using your finger-tip. Perfect for making a personal background for your device or for sharing with a friend. We hope you enjoy this trial version of Flowpaper! 3D Image Live Wallpaper
Description: Increase the liveliness of your Android device with this moving parallax wallpaper. 3D depth effect works best with images with strong edges – i.e. not plain colours or smooth gradients. Taskbar – Windows 8 Style
Description: Taskbar – Window 8 style is a tool that mimics Window 8 Taskbar. It comes in handy when you want to launch apps, common settings or favorite contacts quickly. Trailerpop
Description: Play hundreds of thousands of trivia questions while watching over 20,000 movie trailers. Who was almost cast as the iconic Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate? How many films have Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino worked on together? From The Wizard of Oz to The Matrix, Argo to Key Largo, there’s something here for everybody to enjoy. |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 benchmarks scores put current-gen smartphones to shame Posted: 19 Jun 2013 03:00 AM PDT The HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 currently rank as the most powerful smartphones on the market, but we knew that wouldn’t last long. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC isn’t shipping in any smartphones yet, but we expect to see the chip show up in a handful of phones and tablets starting in Q3 of this year. We all expected the Snapdragon 800 to easily outclass the Snapdragon 600, but we were a bit socked when we first saw the benchmark scores below. Our friends from Engadget were able to get some hands-on time with the latest Qualcomm reference smartphone and tablet, both of which are powered by the new Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor. While both devices features most of the same specs, the discrepancy between the benchmark numbers can probably be attributed to the difference in screen resolutions (11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display on the tablet versus 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 pixels smartphone display). For the most part, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 numbers edge out what we’ve seen from the NVIDIA Tegra 4, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see how the two match up once they are available in production devices.
While the numbers show a huge improvement in processing power over the Snapdragon 600 and latest Exynoxs chip, do you think the Snapdragon 800 will deliver a noticeable improvement in real-world performance? |
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