Android Central

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• This week's sidebar poll: Does Google Play have all the apps you want?
• Boost Mobile carrying LG Optimus F7 for $299 starting June 27
• Spring cleaning: Win a Sony NSZ-GZ7 Google TV player
• Feedly launches 'Feedly Cloud' sync platform, new web interface
• Ematic FunTab Mini 2, another kid-focused tablet
• How to install Android apps from the Google Play website
• The Talk Mobile cross-platform hangout!
• HTC Butterfly S specs and photo gallery: Ridiculously gorgeous
• AT&T gets ultra-rugged PTT smartphone in the NEC Terrain
• What will it take to get every app on every platform? - Talk Mobile
• Rockmelt brings the best of the Internet to Android
• Dolphin Browser hits version 10 with a fresh design, new features
• Huawei Ascend P6 available for preorder from Carphone Warehouse in the UK
• Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) for HTC One
• Huawei Ascend P6 gets priced in the UK, expected July 4
• Falcon Pro removed from Play Store while dev addresses Twitter token issues
• HTC Butterfly S announced: BoomSound speakers, 5-inch display and Snapdragon 600 CPU
• AT&T launching or expanding LTE network in nine new markets
• Unlocked HTC One getting OTA tonight, still Android 4.1.2

This week's sidebar poll: Does Google Play have all the apps you want? Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:37 PM PDT Does Google Play cover all your wants and needs in the app department, or are you left wanting? Tell us in this week's poll Kevin, Phil and the gang have been talking apps and app stores all week in Talk Mobile. They're sharing some pretty deep insight into the way apps, and the buying and selling of them, and most important of all -- availability. Talk Mobile is a great way to see and discuss the general mobile atmosphere, but let's drill down a bit and focus on Android for this one. Google Play has over 700,000 apps. A lot of those apps are live wallpapers, themes, icon packs, and widgets. Those are all important, and we're not discounting them at all, but they're not exactly what we think of when we talk about apps. But even then, chances are Google Play has a whole lot of stand alone programs that will run on our phones and tablets, and our choices are pretty good. But can it ever be good enough? Have you ever wanted an app to do something and couldn't find a solution in Google Play? Or maybe an app you really want is exclusive on another platform. Here's you chance to be heard. In the sidebar to the right, as well as after the break, you'll find a poll where you can tell everyone if you've been able to score everything you want on Android. Be honest, and be sure to participate. For the record, I had to vote no. I want an accessory and accompanying app to plug my guitar into the Nexus 10 and use it as an amp. I know why this isn't easy to do, but i still want it badly. Maybe one day. read more

Boost Mobile carrying LG Optimus F7 for $299 starting June 27 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:48 PM PDT Mid-range specs meet LTE connectivity at an acceptable off-contract price point for the prepaid market As rumored, the LG Optimus F7 is making its way to Boost Mobile with a $299 off-contract price and mid-range specs. This is the budget prepaid carrier's fourth LTE device of the year, and looks to be very similar to the version recently launched on U.S. Cellular. The Optimus F7 is squarely in the mid-range of specs, with a 4.5-inch 720x1280 display, 1.5GHz dual-core (Snapdragon S4 Plus) processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and 8MP/1.3MP cameras. Naturally, the Optimus F7 is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with LG's customizations and bundled apps. The Optimus F7 will be available starting June 27th for $299 without a contract, and when paired with one of Boost Mobile's $55 unlimited plans can be a real cost saver over the alternative high-end devices. read more

Spring cleaning: Win a Sony NSZ-GZ7 Google TV player Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:59 PM PDT I'm finally seeing some daylight as the pile of stuff in my office gets smaller, but there is one last thing that needs to go -- a Sony NSZ-GZ7 Google TV set-top box. Almost a year after release, it's still one of the most capable Google TV units we've tried (and we've tried a bunch), and there is still plenty of life left in this one even after daily use for almost a year. To win, you need to enter, and that's easy enough. Leave a comment below. At midnight Pacific, I'll shut the comments down and pick a winner. We use the email you registered with here at AC to contact you, so make sure it's valid and that you check it from time to time.  Tomorrow, I'll announce all the spring cleaning winners here on the blog. Good luck!

Feedly launches 'Feedly Cloud' sync platform, new web interface Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:38 PM PDT Press RSS reader, among others, also updated to support new Feedly services Feedly, one of the leading Google Reader replacement services, announced major restructuring of its services today with a new cloud infrastructure and web interface. Posted on its official blog, Feedly unveiled what it calls "Feedly Cloud", a scalable infrastructure it says is ready to replace Google Reader. The new Feedly Cloud provides several benefits, the first of which is one-click import from Google Reader -- new users to the service can now simply pull everything over seamlessly from their Google account and start using Feedly right away. Existing users will simply have to make sure that they have the latest version of Feedly installed, and their accounts will be migrated to Feedly Cloud over the next few days. Additionally, the new service allowed Feedly to create a stand-alone web interface (found simply at cloud.feedly.com) that works in all major browsers without plugins or extensions. read more

Ematic FunTab Mini 2, another kid-focused tablet Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:09 PM PDT A simple, tough tablet for children that comes in at just $69 Ematic is launching another tablet in its "FunTab" line of kid-focused devices, this time in a smaller form factor with the Mini 2. Just like its other devices, the FunTab Mini 2 is designed from the ground-up with young children in mind, with software and hardware that is designed to be simple and robust. The Mini 2 runs a software layer called "Zoodles Kid Mode", giving them access to a small set of games and tools that are fun and educational. It also provides parents with easy tools to watch their child's progress after the fact. This 4.3-inch "tablet" of sorts is designed to take a beating with big bezels and rubberized grips along the sides, keeping it safe from the inevitable bumps it will endure. Inside there's a mild set of specs like a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and Wifi, but what really matters is the ability to hand a tablet like this to your kid and not worry about it from a hardware or software standpoint. The FunTab Mini 2 is available now for just $69 at both TigerDirect and Amazon. More: Ematic read more

How to install Android apps from the Google Play website Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:09 AM PDT Installing Android apps to your phone or tablet from any computer with a web browser Google is one of the biggest web service companies around. Their cloud-based apps and services can do some pretty wild and wonderful things, and we're about to look at one of them -- installing apps to your Android device remotely through the Google Play website. All the complicated issues, like making sure apps are compatible and available for you, or keeping track of which device(s) you're currently using are done by Google behind-the-scenes, leaving us with just a few clicks needed to make some serious magic happen. All you need is an Android device registered with Google Play, and a computer with a modern web browser. There's a complete video walkthrough of the process after the break, but we'll spend a few minutes and talk about it as well. This is the way I install almost all my apps, because I only have to find them once and can install them to any device I may have in service. It goes a little something like this. Visit our Google Play mini-site for everything there is to know about Google Play read more

The Talk Mobile cross-platform hangout! Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:44 AM PDT We're in Day 3 of apps week, and myself, Kevin, Rene, Dan and Marcus got together to chat a little more about apps and whether going cross-platform is a necessity. Check it out!

HTC Butterfly S specs and photo gallery: Ridiculously gorgeous Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:11 AM PDT We got a pretty good look at the HTC Butterfly S this morning via HTC's official first-look video. But seeing as how there's very little chance of it being released in the U.S. (we've got the HTC One, after all), it's worth another look. We've got a bevy of official shots -- as well as the full specs list -- after the break. Enjoy. read more

AT&T gets ultra-rugged PTT smartphone in the NEC Terrain Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:44 AM PDT AT&T today announced an ultra-rugged Android smartphone with the added capability of Push-to-Talk in the NEC Terrain. It'll be available June 21 through AT&T Business Solutions and online for $99 on a two-year contract. The NEC Terrain has a 3.1-inch display (with Gorilla Glass) and full physical QWERTY keyboard. It's powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor at 1.5 GHz and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It's got a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3MP camera out front.  read more

What will it take to get every app on every platform? - Talk Mobile Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:04 AM PDT There are three ways to choose what smartphone experience you're going to have: by carrier, by device, and by apps. Choosing by carrier places the quality of your voice and data service first, whereas making a decision based on the device means you're after a specific platform experience and hardware features. But choosing by apps is trickier. The current array of mobile ecosystems is simultaneously fragmented and unified across the many platforms. Some major apps are available on all or most platforms, as are apps from smaller developers. Other apps are exclusive to a platform by virtue of features unique to the operating system or the resource constraints of the developer. But if you need that one app to do what you need to do, then the carrier or the device don't matter so much. But what if all apps could be available on all platforms? Is cross-platform development something that developers should be concerned about, and what are the pitfalls that can be faced in doing so? Is it better to build an app specifically for each platform, or should the app be built with a cross-platform web-based framework? Users and developers alike can agree that having an app available regardless of platform is a great ideal. But at what cost? Let's get the conversation started! read more

Rockmelt brings the best of the Internet to Android Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:26 AM PDT No longer 'just' a browser, Rockmelt has released its app for Android Rockmelt is bringing their critically acclaimed "everything" aggregation service and social network to Android, and they're doing so with style. If you're not familiar with Rockmelt, they started life as a web browser on the desktop, complete with social tools and ways to subscribe and share what the web has to offer, and now their new content discovery and delivery system has made it's way into Google Play. We sat down and had a little chat with Tim Howes, Rockmelt's CTO and Co-founder, and Sharon Chang, Head of Marketing for the company and and discussed both the history of the Rockmelt brand as well as the present iteration. They're excited about what they're doing, and after having a go with the Android version of Rockmelt for a while, I think they have good reason to be. read more

Dolphin Browser hits version 10 with a fresh design, new features Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:04 AM PDT Version 10 brings a refreshed design to the entire app, with small feature enhancements to keep the experience fresh With over 10 million downloads to date in the Play Store, Dolphin is one of the most popular browsers on Android. It's moving right along with development though, and with a bump up to version 10 including a refreshed interface and new set of features that should build on its great user experience. With its latest version Dolphin left no portion of the interface untouched, keeping the same color scheme but rethinking the design and interaction at every point. On the back-end, a revamped web app store and development tools increase the potential for expansion. This is a big step towards modernity for Dolphin, and things are looking good. Hang with us after the break where we break down the improvements in Dolphin Browser version 10. read more

Huawei Ascend P6 available for preorder from Carphone Warehouse in the UK Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:11 AM PDT UK retailer Carphone Warehouse today announced that the Huawei Ascend P6 is now available for preorder. It'll run £21 per month on a two-year contract. The Ascend P6, which we took a look at this week in London, is described by our own Alex Dobie as "a good-looking piece of kit, with an iPhone-like metal trim around its top and sides, and a featureless back panel." It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 5MP shooter up front and is just 6.18 mm thick. read more

Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) for HTC One Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:26 AM PDT The June 19 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) for HTC One. This case protects your HTC One from scratches and drops while adding minimal bulk and convenient viewing with its built-in kickstand. Durable plastic is accompanied by a soft-touch coating, which enhances the look of your HTC One without attracting lint. Comes in black, blue, red and purple. The Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) is available for just $20.00, 43% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping! Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts

Huawei Ascend P6 gets priced in the UK, expected July 4 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 03:24 AM PDT Carphone Warehouse taking pre-orders for July 4 availability, £329.95 SIM-free During the Huawei Ascend P6 launch event in London, we were given an RRP of €449, but in putting the device up for pre-order Carphone Warehouse has undercut this by quite a bit. The CEO of Carphone Warehouse appeared at the event, but didn't discuss any pricing or availability, but the high street retailer is now taking pre-orders. A SIM-free Ascend P6 will cost £329.95, and will be available on contract for free on deals starting at £21 a month.  read more

Falcon Pro removed from Play Store while dev addresses Twitter token issues Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:18 AM PDT Developer says Twitter may have 'shut him down' On Monday, for the second time in just a few months, popular Twitter client Falcon Pro ran up against the 100,000 user token limit imposed upon most third-party clients. And as it did back in February, the app managed to sidestep the restriction by revoking all the old keys and requiring users to sign in again. But Falcon Pro has run into additional issues this morning, as it seems it may have once again exhausted its available tokens. Writing on the official Falcon Twitter account, developer Joaquim Vergès said "Wtf? I wake up one day after resetting keys and they're already all used? Did twitter just shut me down?" In a later tweet, the dev said he'd unpublished the app from the Google Play Store "for now" while he figures out a new strategy. read more

HTC Butterfly S announced: BoomSound speakers, 5-inch display and Snapdragon 600 CPU Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:29 AM PDT A worthy successor to the original Butterfly with some HTC One influences HTC has just unveiled the successor to its flagship Butterfly device from last year at an event in Taiwan, and it is indeed named the Butterfly S as previously rumored. As the name would lead you to believe, this is a mild refresh to the original handset, borrowing many features from its cousin the HTC One. The Butterfly S is packing dual front-facing BoomSound speakers as well as an UltraPixel camera, keeping the same 5-inch 1080P display. On the inside, the specs have been bumped to a 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, alongside 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a notably large 3200mAh battery. This Taiwanese version has a simple quad-band HSPA+ radio on-board. read more

AT&T launching or expanding LTE network in nine new markets Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:56 PM PDT New network equipment going live in new markets across the U.S. As it regularly does, AT&T is keeping us up to date on the rollout status of its LTE network. This week, the carrier is lighting up or expanding its network in 9 different markets, listed below: New Bedford, Massachusetts Gallup, New Mexico Rio Grande Valley, Texas Tuscaloosa, Alabama Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama Providence and Kent Counties, Rhode Island Logan, Ohio Tri-Cities, Washington Salinas, California read more

Unlocked HTC One getting OTA tonight, still Android 4.1.2 Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:54 PM PDT HTC Sense update brings "System Enhancements" The unlocked HTC One is in the midst of getting a small (17.55MB) OTA update this evening, bringing the version number to 1.29.xxxx.17. The device has hit our developer edition HTC One, and is tagged only with the obscure but ever-present "System Enhancement" bullet point in the update prompt. HTC hasn't posted any change log at this hour, but we know you Android junkies needed to know about any OTA, no matter the time. If you want to grab this one -- rooted users consider any consequences -- grab it through your system settings. No word on when we'll see anything similar for carrier branded devices, we'll reach out tomorrow when our HTC folks get out of bed. read more

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