Android Central

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• Clearwire expected to accept Dish offer amidst questions of governance terms
• Google releases Cloud Print app for Android
• MetroPCS now welcomes unlocked GSM devices on its network
• 'Easy privacy' may be coming soon to CyanogenMod via Incognito Mode
• T-Mobile's teasing a water-resistant smartphone, too
• T-Mobile drops Galaxy S4 price by $50 for one month
• Yes, a MySpace Android app is coming
• eBay updates item listing UI, home screen layout
• Spring cleaning: Win an Archos GamePad
• The Android Central app now available on the Amazon Appstore
• Galaxy S4 official wireless charging kit back in stock at ShopAndroid.com
• Looks like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is headed to AT&T
• HTC One Mini pictured in clearest side-by-side shot yet
• Galaxy Note 8.0 with AT&T LTE lands 'in the coming weeks'
• Hands-on with Moga Power series Bluetooth controllers
• Talk Mobile Gaming Week Recap: The best things you said
• Verizon confirms a fix in the works for Galaxy S3's Android 4.1.2 update
• Deal of the Day: Mobi S-Line Case for Samsung Galaxy S4
• Bloomberg adds fuel to the HTC One Mini fire
• Vodafone launches the £50 Smart Mini
• Making sense of the Galaxy S4 Zoom
• Samsung announces Galaxy S4 Zoom: 16MP camera, 10x optical zoom, full phone capabilities
• AT&T LTE launches or expands in over a dozen markets
• Verizon's next rugged Casio device shown in leaked render

Clearwire expected to accept Dish offer amidst questions of governance terms Posted: 12 Jun 2013 03:58 PM PDT   Despite Sprint's continued protest against Dish's cash offer to acquire as much of Clearwire as possible at $4.40 per share, Clearwire looks to be nearing a decision to accept it. Sources familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal that the special committee at Clearwire assigned with assessing the current offer from Dish will advise the rest of the company's board to push back a Thursday shareholder vote in order to accept Dish's cash offer for the company. Previous arguments from Sprint that the deal is not in the best interest of the company nor is it legally possible given the governance structure demands from Dish (which call for board member appointments as a term) still remain, adding to the confusion. Sprint claims that its previous agreements with Clearwire, and a restructuring of the company in 2008, conflict strongly with the demands Dish has on its offer. Dish and Clearwire don't seem to be bothered by the potential structural issues of the deal, and have explained as such to Sprint previously. If Clearwire is to accept Dish's offer -- whether it be with revised governance terms or not -- it would have to be for at least 25-percent of the company to make any meaningful difference for Dish's plans to block Sprint's buyout of Clearwire. Sprint needs a majority of the minority shareholders to approve its plan to buyout the rest (49.5-percent) of the company it doesn't already own, something that simply won't happen if Dish controls that majority share. Let's also remember that Dish and SoftBank are on their final round of offers to try and buy out Sprint in the coming weeks as well, which adds another angle to this whole discussion. Next week is shaping up to be a major decision week for these four companies, with lots of money getting ready to change hands if everything goes Sprint's way. Source: WSJ

Google releases Cloud Print app for Android Posted: 12 Jun 2013 03:20 PM PDT I don't often have to print documents, but when I do ... Google Cloud Print is pretty handy, letting you print anything from anywhere using Chrome with your own computer and printer. With today's release of the official Android app, you can now print to your Cloud Print enabled printers straight from your Android devices. Doing so is simple, just open the app and use Android's sharing menu to import whatever it is you want to print. In fact, the hardest part of it all is setting up your computer and printer to work with Google Cloud Print, and that's pretty easy.  While most of us send files and documents through the Internet in this day and age, having an easy fall back to get paper copy is nice. Grab it from the Google Play link above.

MetroPCS now welcomes unlocked GSM devices on its network Posted: 12 Jun 2013 03:10 PM PDT Select cities participating at launch; AT&T and T-Mobile compatible devices welcome MetroPCS announced today that it is now letting customers bring their own unlocked GSM devices, signaling that it is ready to start the transition to using T-Mobile's network. As was indicated when the merger of T-Mobile and MetroPCS was being finalized, the legacy CDMA network for MetroPCS is going to be quickly phased out, moving customers over to T-Mobile's GSM offering. With the announcement today that customers in Boston, Hartford, Dallas and Las Vegas can bring their own unlocked AT&T and T-Mobile devices to the carrier we can assume things are going according to plan. The website has a handy tool to let you know if your device will be compatible with the network being offered, but expect pretty much any modern GSM device to fit the bill. Being that this is a limited rollout MetroPCS is only offering SIM cards in-store and not online at this point, but we have to assume it's only a matter of time before this program expands to pull even more people off of the CDMA network. Source: MetroPCS; Via: TmoNews

'Easy privacy' may be coming soon to CyanogenMod via Incognito Mode Posted: 12 Jun 2013 01:59 PM PDT The new method would make it easy to hide your data from any application Steve Kondik took to Google+ earlier today to talk about something new he's been working on called Run in Incognito Mode. Designed to help maintain control over your personal data, it's a per app command that will stop your phone from sending out data to an app that might ask for more than you're comfortable sharing. We aren't providing ad-blocking or device info (IMEI) spoofing. This feature is designed explicitly to help protect your personal data, and it will remain as such. So what exactly will Incognito Mode do? Of course we haven't seen it yet, but according to Kondik, the new flag will allow the software on your phone that delivers data (called content providers) to either return the "real" data, or a limited set of data using the following privacy features: Return empty lists for contacts, calendar, browser history,and messages. GPS will appear to always be disabled to the running application. When an app is running incognito, a quick panel item is displayed in order to turn it off easily. No fine-grained permissions controls as you saw in CM7. It's a single option available under application details. In other words, with Incognito Mode turned on, an app like Facebook will be told that you have zero contacts, nothing in your calendar, no message history and no browser history. Your real contact list, calendar, messages list and browser history will remain unchanged, but the third party app will never know the difference. If the app queries for a location, it will be told that GPS is turned off. All of this will be easily toggled on and off in the quick panel. No word on when to expect this feature, or even a promise that it will make it's way into CM. It sounds like a pretty easy way to keep your valuable data safe, though, and we hope to see it soon. Source: +Steve Kondik

T-Mobile's teasing a water-resistant smartphone, too Posted: 12 Jun 2013 01:45 PM PDT AT&T was less than subtle in its YouTube teaser for the Galaxy S4 Active earlier today, but T-Mobile U.S. is leaving more to the imagination. In a video entitled "What if your smartphone could do this?," we see the action from a phone's perspective as it follows a diver into a pool. Like AT&T, T-Mobile's promising more information tomorrow, suggesting it too may be preparing a Galaxy S4 Active announcement. But let's not forget that the Sony Xperia Z -- also water-resistant -- is rumored to be heading T-Mo's way in the near future, too. So which are you hoping for -- Xperia Z or Galaxy S4 Active? Share your thoughts down in the comments.

T-Mobile drops Galaxy S4 price by $50 for one month Posted: 12 Jun 2013 01:45 PM PDT One of T-Mobile's hottest devices now $99 down or $579 outright In what is likely an attempt to get more customers moving up to its new Simple Choice plans and onto LTE devices at the same time, T-Mobile is offering a $50 discount on the Galaxy S4 from now until July 13th. That brings down your up-front cost for buying it on a payment plan to $99, with 24 monthly payments of $20. That adds up to $579 if you're wanting to buy it outright on day one, and also pegs it at the same price as the HTC One for the time being. T-Mobile is also dropping prices slightly on the Galaxy Note 2 -- now $169 down and 24 payments of $20 -- and the Galaxy S3 -- $49 down and 24 payments of $20 -- for the same time period. The pricing of the Note 2 and Galaxy S3 doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering how much more powerful the Galaxy S4 is, but options are always good for the average consumer. The new pricing has already been updated on the T-Mobile website at the source link below, and will also be available at T-Mobile retail locations. More: T-Mobile read more

Yes, a MySpace Android app is coming Posted: 12 Jun 2013 01:16 PM PDT Some of you kids might have to ask your parents what MySpace was ... MySpace is attempting to reinvent itself as a the space for music and video discovery, and today it took itself out of beta and is available for anyone willing to sign up for yet another space to discover music and video.  "Millions of musicians, artists, filmmakers, designers and curators are making their way to the new Myspace," reads the tag line. "Start connecting with them and channel an ever-widening stream of culture, creativity and sound directly to your eyes and ears."  So there's that. There's also an Android app "coming," MySpace says in an e-mail blast today. Assuming it's on par with the iOS app (currently available), you'll be able to create animated gifs and browse people and music and videos. So, hang tight.

eBay updates item listing UI, home screen layout Posted: 12 Jun 2013 01:02 PM PDT Proper scaling to larger tablet screens improves the experience The official eBay app has just been updated in the Play Store with several improvements to both the main home screen and the item listing experience for devices of all sizes. The main view when you open the app has changed to be cleaner and more prominently display your recent searches near the top, with a similar interface for both tablets and phones. The item listing function has received a bit of an overhaul, with the ability to see a full preview of your listing before posting, access to draft listings between devices and a proper tablet UI that takes advantage of large screens. eBay is also expanding the ability to list items through the app to Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. You can grab a download of the newly improved eBay app at the Play Store link above.

Spring cleaning: Win an Archos GamePad Posted: 12 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT Phil's not the only one with too much stuff laying around the office. I'm remodeling, so that means some of this stuff has to go. During the next week or so I'll be sprinkling a few things here and there that are looking for a good home, and I'll start today with an Archos GamePad. It's a 7-inch Jelly Bean tablet with a pretty nifty set of gaming controls built right into the body. To win, just drop a comment on this post. I'll shut it down late tonight, and we'll announce the winners once my office is cleaned out. Good luck!

The Android Central app now available on the Amazon Appstore Posted: 12 Jun 2013 12:32 PM PDT All the Android-powered devices without access to Google Play need love, too Good news for folks with a Kindle Fire, or any other Android-based device that may not have access to Google Play -- The Android Central app is now available in the Amazon Appstore. It's the same AC app you know and love, for the same low price of free, and it will install right to your device like any of the other thousands of apps available from Amazon. It's a great way to stay up-to-date with Android news, browse the forums or even catch the podcast. We're also continuously updating with new features so things keep getting better. If you love your Kindle as much as we love your Kindle, be sure to grab it! Download The Android Central app from Amazon

Galaxy S4 official wireless charging kit back in stock at ShopAndroid.com Posted: 12 Jun 2013 12:25 PM PDT   A quick heads-up for those that missed it the first time around -- the official Samsung Galaxy S4 wireless charging kit is now back in stock at ShopAndroid.com. The kit, which is based on the Qi wireless charging standard, includes the official charging pad and charging back for Samsung's latest smartphone. After selling out last week, it's once again available to buy from ShopAndroid for $89.95, which is 10 percent off the list price. If you're undecided, you can check out our full write-up on the GS4 wireless charging kit, which includes photos, video and a thickness comparison versus the standard back cover. More: Buy the Samsung Galaxy S4 wireless charging kit ($89.95)​

Looks like the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is headed to AT&T Posted: 12 Jun 2013 11:27 AM PDT AT&T's being all coy about it, but it's pretty clear the phone in its latest teaser trailer is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The ruggedized, water-resistant version of Samsung's flagship was announced last week, and will be on show at the company's Premiere 2013 event in London next Thursday. Meanwhile, AT&T's promising more info tomorrow, June 13. Check out the video above -- and note the Active's trademark button setup at 0:11, and the TouchWiz UI towards the end. We'll be live from London on the 20th to bring you full coverage of the Galaxy S4 Active.

HTC One Mini pictured in clearest side-by-side shot yet Posted: 12 Jun 2013 11:16 AM PDT 4.3-inch HTC One variant snagged by source for Engadget The HTC One Mini -- previously known by its codename of "M4" -- is quickly coming into focus as HTC's leading mid-range handset for 2013. Last week brought the first blurry-cam photos of the device. Earlier today reports from Bloomberg suggested an arrival 'by August.' And now Engadget has published a photo of the unannounced handset alongside its big brother, the HTC One. The photo, which the site says was provided by a trusted source, shows very few external differences between the big One and the little One, though the One Mini will reportedly feature plastic front sections instead of the metal of the original. Never fear, though, aluminum fans -- the back of the chassis remains furnished in brushed metal. Engadget's report repeats some previously-rumored specs, including a 4.3-inch 720p display, Beats Audio and (obviously) a pair of bassy front-facing "BoomSound" speakers. The IR blaster found on the HTC One reportedly hasn't made the cut though, sadly. The CPU is speculated to be a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400, and the handset is currently said to be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and HTC Sense 5. As for release windows, it doesn't get any more specific than Q3 2013, which would fit with what's been reported elsewhere. So, in this world of five-plus-inch phones, is anyone still in the market for a well-made 4.3-incher? Shout out in the comments. Source: Engadget

Galaxy Note 8.0 with AT&T LTE lands 'in the coming weeks' Posted: 12 Jun 2013 10:09 AM PDT It's been just a couple weeks since we saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 with AT&T's brand of LTE on board swing through the FCC, and today it's official. AT&T will carry the Galaxy Note 8.0. With LTE. "In the coming weeks." No word on an exact date, or pricing. Basic specs stand as have have for the version we previously reviewed, with a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4410 CPU with 2GB of RAM. It ships with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) running Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. Also included is support for 802.11 a/b/g/n (in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz modes) Wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and a sensor package consisting of a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a compass. Be sure to swing by our Galaxy Note 8.0 review for the full rundown. Source: AT&T

Hands-on with Moga Power series Bluetooth controllers Posted: 12 Jun 2013 09:26 AM PDT The Moga Power Bluetooth controller was unveiled last week, and here at E3 2013 we got some time to try out their latest prototype. It isn't working just yet, but it was still a nice chance to highlight some of the major feature changes. The main addition is a full-sized USB port which allows your mobile device to sup from the Moga Power's local battery.  read more

Talk Mobile Gaming Week Recap: The best things you said Posted: 12 Jun 2013 08:39 AM PDT Capping off the first week of Talk Mobile 2013, we gathered up the Mobile Nations Editors-in-Chief and hosts Cali Lewis and John P. of GeekBeat.TV to discuss how the week went down. Read on for our hand-picked comments from the week and thoughts on each from our editors. Talk Mobile 2013 has been a long time in the works, possibly even longer than the interminable teasing of #TM13 we did in the weeks leading up to the launch. Now that the first week is out of the way, we'll give you a bit of a primer on how Talk Mobile is going to work going forward. As mentioned before, we've picked ten topics in mobile that we're going to discuss, attempting to move past the debates over features and specs to a forward-looking conversation about how we these advanced devices actually impact our lives. In order to give ourselves some breathing room, we'll be doing these weeks every other week, so this week was about gaming, we're taking this week off, and next week Talk Mobile will be back to spark a conversation about, well, you'll just have to tune in to find out. read more

Verizon confirms a fix in the works for Galaxy S3's Android 4.1.2 update Posted: 12 Jun 2013 07:25 AM PDT Connectivity, battery life noted as issues for some in MD3 update Verizon has confirmed in a statement to Android Central that the Android 4.1.2 update for the Galaxy S3 has been halted, and a fix is in the works following a number of complaints over connectivity and battery life. The VRBMD3 update, heralded as a "major" release that brought a bit of functionality seen in more recent releases -- multi-window and multi-screen, to name two -- sparked a number of threads in our Galaxy S3 forums of folks experiencing issues, and word of a fix started trickling out last week. Here's the official word from Verizon: A software update was recently pushed to the Samsung Galaxy S III, and while a majority of customers downloaded and installed the update successfully, a small number were negatively impacted. As a result the software update push has been postponed as a precaution for customers. We will notify them when a new software update is available for download.  So, everybody hang tight for an update, which hopefully will come sooner rather than later.

Deal of the Day: Mobi S-Line Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 Posted: 12 Jun 2013 06:51 AM PDT The June 12 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Mobi S-Line Case for Samsung Galaxy S4. The S-Line Case is a slim, form-fitting TPU skin that wraps around your Galaxy S4 to protect against drops and scratches while providing a better grip on your device. It sports a unique "S" design on the back, giving your Galaxy S4 a personalized look. Available in a variety of colors to choose from! The Mobi S-Line Case is available for just $6.00, 60% off today only. Grab yours while supplies last! Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts!

Bloomberg adds fuel to the HTC One Mini fire Posted: 12 Jun 2013 06:36 AM PDT Mini HTC One reportedly due 'by August' The evidence that HTC is working on an HTC One "mini" is growing, with fresh reports from Bloomberg seemingly confirming the rumored specs, and offering a tentative launch window. The publication says it's heard through two insider sources that the miniature HTC One will come with a 4.3-inch screen of lower resolution than the original. In addition, a "less powerful" Qualcomm CPU is said to be onboard. As for release dates, Bloomberg says the new handset will go on sale "by August," meaning we could have a few weeks to wait before the device becomes official. Earlier rumors have pointed to the "M4," as it's codenamed, shipping with an "Ultrapixel" camera, like the HTC One, and a screen resolution of 1280x720. Leaked photos have revealed a design almost identical to the 4.7-inch One. If the rumors are accurate, it'd compare favorably against the Galaxy S4 Mini, due to go on sale in July. Source: Bloomberg

Vodafone launches the £50 Smart Mini Posted: 12 Jun 2013 06:02 AM PDT Vodafone UK has just launched a new smartphone for the budget-conscious, and it's available for just £50 on PAYG with no subscription. The Vodafone Smart Mini packs vanilla Android (Jelly Bean) UI onto a 3.5-inch HVGA (320x480) display, running on a 1GHz single-core MediaTek CPU. That's backed up by 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a microSD slot. Around the back there's a 2-megapixel camera.  So the Vodafone Smart Mini isn't going to win any awards for cutting-edge technology, but it is impressive that you can pick up a fully functional (if basic) smartphone for a tenth of the cost of the latest high-enders. The Smart Mini will be available from Vodafone.co.uk later today in black and white, with a pink version to follow.

Making sense of the Galaxy S4 Zoom Posted: 12 Jun 2013 03:30 AM PDT Let’s call the ‘Zoom’ what it really is -- a Galaxy Camera Mini This morning Samsung announced a phone with a camera strapped to the back of it. The Galaxy S4 Zoom, as it’s called, combines the guts of a Galaxy S4 Mini with the body of a point-and-shoot camera, complete with 16-megapixel sensor and 10X optical zoom lens. The main benefit, besides the high megapixel count, is that you’ll be able to take zoomed-in photos that don’t look like crap. That's because you’ll no longer be relying on the software-based digital zoom used by regular phone cameras. But why is Samsung stitching a gigantic, hulking camera assembly to the back of a phone? And how does the Zoom relate to the company’s other Android-powered imaging device, the Galaxy Camera? Let’s take a closer look. read more

Samsung announces Galaxy S4 Zoom: 16MP camera, 10x optical zoom, full phone capabilities Posted: 12 Jun 2013 02:05 AM PDT Finally bridging the gap between point-and-shoot cameras and smart phones Rather than waiting for a big launch event scheduled for later this month, Samsung has decided to roll out everything we need to know about the Galaxy S4 Zoom with a simple press release. Much as we thought, the S4 Zoom is the next step to bridge the gap between the previous Galaxy Camera and the current crop of Galaxy S4 devices. From a camera perspective, the S4 Zoom has a 16MP sensor with 10x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, a xenon flash, 4fps burst mode (with auto focus) and ISO support up to 3200. From the phone side, it looks to be closer to the internals of the recently announced Galaxy S4 Mini. We're looking at a 4.3-inch qHD (540x960) AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (with SDXC support), a 2330mAh battery and all of the requisite sensors you'd want or need. Yes, this is a phone, with everything you'd expect for a functioning phone. Samsung lists support for all major 2G, 3G and LTE bands, with "up to 6 different band sets" depending on the market. On the software side, it looks to be a typical build of Android 4.2 with Samsung's software customizations just as you'd find on its recent high-end phones. Stick around after the break where we have compiled the full set of press images for the device. Source: Samsung read more

AT&T LTE launches or expands in over a dozen markets Posted: 11 Jun 2013 11:41 PM PDT Several new markets across the U.S. will be seeing new or expanding AT&T LTE network coverage starting today, bringing faster network performance all around. Users in the following cities with LTE-enabled devices and accounts should see the network go live: Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona Quad Cities and Sterling, Illinois El Dorado-Magnolia, Arkansas Southern New Jersey Shore Points Brookings, South Dakota Watertown, South Dakota Dayton, Ohio Camden, Arkansas Astoria, Oregon Duluth-Superior, Minnesota Additionally, AT&T is expanding its LTE coverage in the following three markets today as well: Salinas, Calif., East-Central Miss., and Reno, Nev.

Verizon's next rugged Casio device shown in leaked render Posted: 11 Jun 2013 05:19 PM PDT Verizon is set to roll out the latest iteration of its Casio-made rugged smart phones soon if new images are to be believed. A press render shown off by perpetual device leaker evleaks shows an extremely rugged and bold-looking device that follows right in the footsteps of the original Casio G'zOne. The new design seems to take on even more rubber, metal and exposed screws -- with no shortage of black and red Verizon branding. We don't know much in the way of specs, but the new Commando will of course support Verizon's LTE network, something that it's predecessor didn't have. The screen gives us a look at a moderately skinned ICS or Jelly Bean interface, with four capacitive keys as well. We can expect this one to hit stores quietly in the coming months. Source: @evleaks

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