Sunday, June 16, 2013

Android Central

Android Central

Google's latest 'moonshot' idea: balloon-powered internet for all

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 03:59 PM PDT

Advanced system of high-altitude balloons delivering 3G-like speeds to rural areas

The latest project to come out of Google may seem like an April Fool's joke at first, but Google is serious when it says it intends to launch an internet delivery service based on high-altitude balloons. Known now as "Project Loon" and coming out of the research arm of the company, Google[x], the initiative is taking off (so to speak) out of the need for better internet access in many parts of the world. As it explains in its official blog post about the project, 2 out of every 3 people in the world still don't have reliable access to the internet, leaving many large swaths of the world in the past.

Rather than try to bring traditional wireline or satellite internet into these areas, which can be quite costly, with Project Loon Google plans to set up a system of free-floating high-altitude balloons to create a network with a wider reach. In its preliminary testing Google says it can create networks that have speeds comparable to today's 3G networks -- an impressive feat considering these balloons are flying twice as high as commercial airplanes.

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Your Android device is not the place to store your photos

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 02:35 PM PDT

Dropbox photo upload

When (not if) you lose everything on your phone or tablet, you'll be thankful you backed up the important things

We just got another heart-breaking email from a reader who has lost all their pictures and video because the SD card in their Android device went belly-up. We get at least a few of these every week, and it's horrible having to tell folks that there is a very good chance they'll need to use complicated forensic data retrieval tools to have any hope of getting those memories back if they can even get the media to be recognized in a computer again. Not having a good answer is the worst part of our jobs.

Now, this is not the SD card vs. no SD card debate. The same thing can happen with the internal storage on your phone, and while corruption isn't as common, accidentally erasing everything is more frequent -- especially when folks are tinkering with things and wiping and flashing "stuff". Don't go thinking this doesn't apply to you, because it does.

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Hardware identification tool CPU-Z makes its way to Android

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 01:56 PM PDT

CPU-Z

Know everything you would ever want to know about your device hardware with CPU-Z

The folks at CPUID have been around for a while. Folks using Windows computers have been using their software to get information for overclocking their computers, optimizing performance, and getting hardware information to install Linux since 2009. Yesterday, they brought a beta version of their wildly popular CPU-Z tool to Android.

The app is super simple to use, you just open it and read the screen. There no challenge, or high score, or inviting of friends involved, you just get a pretty darn complete set of information about the hardware inside your Android that you can use for debugging, or optimizing, or tweaking just like you would a Windows computer. 

Everything is nice and simple, with different tabs for your SoC, system build information, battery stats and live sensor data. The interface is superb, and follows Google's Android app UI guidelines -- no black bar on your HTC devices to be seen. There's also an easy method to send debugging information to the folks at CPUID if you find any problems, as well as a setting for temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Not a lot of fuss is needed to get just about all the data you would ever need about your phone or tablet.

There are plenty of apps out there that will give you this same information, but people are excited about CPU-Z because  of who is behind it, and what else they may have to offer. The folks at CPUID have a few legendary performance and monitoring programs for Windows, and seeing an app like TMonitor or PerfMonitor2 come to Android would get every Android nerd in a tizzy, and your favorite ROM developer would have an amazing set of tools at his or her disposal. 

Of course, there's no promise that any of the other products will make their way to Android, but it's nice to dream. If you want to give CPU-Z a try -- and you should, it's free -- grab it from the Google Play link above. There are a few screenshots after the break showing you just what you'll see.

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Apps of the Week: Bandsintown Concerts, Google Translate, Runtastic Pedometer and more!

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 12:48 PM PDT

Apps of the Week

Another diverse set of picks to give a try this week - see if some are right for you

It's hard to believe we're already half way through June, but that means we have another edition of our weekly app picks for your enjoyment. Every week the Android Central writers take a few moments to show off an app that they're using on their own device regularly, and we group them up to show off each Saturday. They aren't always the newest or flashiest apps out there, but they always serve a purpose for us that other apps just haven't.

Hang around with us after the break and see how this list stacks up against the rest -- you may just come away with a few new apps to try out for yourself.

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Next-gen Nexus 7 pictured in tiny photo, Snapdragon 600 CPU listed

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 07:18 AM PDT

Nexus 7 2Bluetooth SIG listing shows new 7-inch Nexus tablet alongside spec details

After dropping by the FCC a couple of days ago, the ASUS K009 -- a new "Nexus"-branded tablet, according to FCC documents -- has appeared in a tiny photo at the Bluetooth SIG. It's rectangular and tablet-shaped, with a front-facing camera... and that's about all you can tell. Squint really hard and you might be able to make out the outline of the screen, which seems to indicate slightly less bezel than on the existing Nexus 7.

But it isn't all tiny, illegible pictures -- the Bluetooth SIG listing also contains an interesting paragraph about the new Nexus 7's internal specs.

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ShopAndroid Father's Day Weekend Sale: Save 15% on ALL Android Accessories!

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 06:02 AM PDT

Father's Day Savings

In honor of Father's Day this Sunday, all weekend long we're celebrating dads everywhere with a sale in our Shop Android store. That's right... until midnight PT on Monday, you can save 15% on ALL Android cases and accessories. To take advantage of the savings, all you need to do is use coupon code DAD13 at checkout. It's as simple as that. Enjoy the savings, and happy father's day!!

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European roaming fees to cease from next year

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 05:13 AM PDT

Android phone, passport

From July 1, 2014, Europeans traveling within the EU will no longer pay expensive roaming rates

Europeans will be able to use voice, texts and data within the EU for the same prices as their domestic service, following a ruling by the European Commission. The commission, which last year imposed significant caps on roaming rates charged to EU customers, will push the legislation through before the May 2014 European elections. The new rules will come into force on July 1, 2014.

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