Android Community |
- Galaxy S4 gold-plated edition brings elegance to Android
- New Nexus 7 clears the FCC with 5 MP camera and 4G LTE
- Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Galaxy Camera hardware photos leak
- LG Optimus L4 II unveiled with 3.8-inch display
- T-Mobile’s UNcarrier “Phase 2″ tipped to kick off on July 14th
- Huawei Ascend P6 profile revealed in teaser image
- Samsung GALAXY S 4 Active pre-orders go live with AT&T
- Google Nexus 7 second gen coming in July
- YouTube videos for Google Music revealed in latest update
- Samsung stress test video may relieve Galaxy S 4 owners stress
- EU Watchdogs inquiring to Google about Android
- Android 4.2.2 leaks for the Sony Xperia Z
- T-Mobile 4G LTE sticking its nose into new cities
- HTC Butterfly S leaked showing BoomSound and Sense 5
- iOS 7 icons on Android for the Apple fan in you
- WhatsApp reaches new daily message record of 27 billion
- Google Maps adds over 1000 new Street View locations
- Samsung responds to GALAXY S 4 analyst reports
- Vodafone ‘Power Shorts’ aim to charge your phone as you walk
- Google Play Music update reduces data usage, brings faster downloads
| Galaxy S4 gold-plated edition brings elegance to Android Posted: 14 Jun 2013 10:55 AM PDT When you have extra cash to throw around, you might as well rock the latest and greatest smartphone on the planet with style. The iPhone isn’t the only one getting the gold-plated treatment, and we have the Samsung Galaxy S4 wrapped in Gold, Platinum, or Rose Gold for you below. Sadly it’ll cost you some serious coin so you better start saving your pennies now.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen ridiculously priced luxury smartphones. Just like a watch, some people will pay the premium. Lamborghini has a few Android phones, and the company VERTU offers a few costing upwards of $10,000 USD. We have good news though, the gold-plated Galaxy S4 will only run you a little over $2,600 if you’re interested. Even the folks from TAG Heuer offer a few smartphones topping $4,000 and beyond. It’s a bit ridiculous if you ask me, but we figured you’d all like to give it a look. The company GoldGenie is responsible for making Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S4 gold as you see it today, but sadly they appear to be sold out at the moment.
So what will that £1700 get you besides a gold-plated Galaxy S 4? You can choose the white or black version of the phone as your base, then it’ll come with 16GB of storage and the usual quad-core processor under the hood. The device is SIM unlocked, and will probably have a substantial increase in weight. Your device will be worth its weight in gold. Each unit also comes in a specially designed Limited edition Cherry Oak finished collectors box, so that should totally make it worth the purchase. More details can be found below.    VIA: GoldGenie |
| New Nexus 7 clears the FCC with 5 MP camera and 4G LTE Posted: 14 Jun 2013 09:58 AM PDT ASUS and Google have been busy lately, but we’re all still waiting to see what exactly they’ve been working on. With the new second-gen Nexus 7 not arriving at Google I/O as expected, we’ve now been seeing multiple reports on the slate, but still no sighting. After an unknown 7-inch ASUS tablet listed as the K008 with Android 4.3 cleared the Bluetooth SIG last week, today it’s passing through the FCC.
Oddly enough now we’re a bit confused because the device today is listed as K009, not K008. It also shows as having the older Snapdragon S4 Pro (like the Nexus 4) on board and not the newer Snapdragon 600 or 800 like previous rumors. Then it’s also being reported as rocking a 5 megapixel rear and 1.2 front set of cameras, and happily this slate will come with 4G LTE. Now that this has finally stopped by the FCC we’re moving it up to “official” but the details still aren’t fully know so we’ll continue taking reports and rumors with a grain of salt. We’ve also seen the original Nexus 7 clear Bluetooth SIG with Android 4.3, so clearly there’s some odd things going around with both tablets, and the next version of Android.
We’re happy to see 4G LTE, a rear camera, and a 32GB model all being listed here, so this is certainly a better tablet all around over the original. We just wish a better processor was on board, but that could be to help hit that low price point that made the Nexus 7 so successful. Latest supplier reports suggest the second-gen Nexus 7 is coming in late July and will run you $229 for the 16GB model. Until Google and ASUS make it official we’ll just wait patiently and keep looking for more details. Who’s interested even with the slightly outdated S4 Pro quad-core processor?    SOURCE: NotebookItalia |
| Galaxy S4 Zoom vs Galaxy Camera hardware photos leak Posted: 14 Jun 2013 09:48 AM PDT Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S4 Zoom and while we are waiting to see where and when the handset will be available, a few in-the-wild style images have recently surfaced on the Chinese language weibo.com. The images are showing the Galaxy S4 Zoom sitting alongside the Galaxy Camera. And in addition, the Galaxy S4 Zoom is also pictured with an iPhone 5 and Nokia 808 PureView.
These images weren’t accompanied with much in terms of descriptions, however it seems clear that the person responsible for those images was intent of giving a side-by-side comparison with a few other ‘known’ handsets. While we may not be the biggest Apple and Nokia fans here, it stands to reason that most everyone has at least seen the iPhone 5. Particularly interesting though, the Galaxy S4 Zoom appears to be a decent amount smaller as compared to the Galaxy Camera.
Not only does the Galaxy S4 Zoom appear smaller in size as compared to the Galaxy Camera, but it also looks a bit more easy to carry around in a pocket. With that in mind, given the S4 Zoom is a true camera and phone, that sort of fits in with the expectations that we have. In fact, the Galaxy S4 Zoom appears much more similar to the size and shape of the Nokia, not that we think Samsung is copying. Aside from the Galaxy S4 Zoom announcement, we have already seen the first promo video hit the web. That video was posted by Samsung the other day and offers a rather nice look at the camera specific features — including how the zoom-ring is able to serve as a quick launch to the camera goodies.
That all being said, the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Galaxy Camera images were all included in the post above. To check out the Apple and Nokia comparisons you will need only to venture down into the image gallery sitting below. And shifting away from the Galaxy S4 Zoom for a moment, it looks like Samsung has another Android-based camera ready for announcement. We have yet to see official details, however some images of the Galaxy Camera NX recently leaked.      |
| LG Optimus L4 II unveiled with 3.8-inch display Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:19 AM PDT LG has announced the Optimus L4 II. This handset is sporting a model number of E440 and will arrive to fill the entry-level market. LG has the Optimus L4 II running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with a 3.8-inch IPS display with a resolution of 480 x 320. For now it looks like the Optimus L4 II will be released in a select few markets including Russia and the Ukraine.
Of course, that is not to say this model will not arrive elsewhere in time. That aside, the handset will be powered by a single-core 1GHz MediaTek processor and has just 512MB of RAM. Other specs include 4GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot, 1700 mAh battery and a 3 megapixel rear-facing camera with flash. The Optimus L4 II will also have HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and measurements of 112.5 x 64.7 x 11.9mm. While the specs are not super exciting, LG has included one interesting perk when it comes to the home button. Simply put, the home button will double as an LED notification light. As we often see with smartphones these days, the LG Optimus L4 II will launch in two colors — black and white. LG has the handset priced at 5,490 RUB, which means it would be roughly $175 in terms of US dollars. Needless to say, these currency-to-currency translations do not always match up perfectly in the smartphone world. Otherwise, the Optimus L4 II has joined the L-Series II alongside the L3 II, L5 II and L7 II. While we wait for further details on a wider global release for this specific model, LG is also expected to announce a dual-SIM variety called the Optimus L4 II Dual. VIA: mobile-review |
| T-Mobile’s UNcarrier “Phase 2″ tipped to kick off on July 14th Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:47 AM PDT The T-Mobile UNcarrier approach went into effect back towards the end of March and it is now looking like the carrier also has a phase 2 and phase 3 in the works. All of the specifics have yet to be revealed for phase 2 and 3, however it looks like phase 2 may be coming in mid-July.
As of now July 14th is said to be the date, though that was originally reported as being June 23rd. Bottom line, with the rumored date already having changed once, it seems likely that July 14th is just a rough estimate. Perhaps more important for today, there are a few details as to what may be coming with phase 2. This phase is expected to bring some new no-credit-check options for customers that do not want their credit run. Not to mention, for those who already know going in that their credit may not be good enough to qualify under traditional mobile plans. It looks like this will mean the ability to grab a T-Mobile handset on a Simple Choice plan without any need for qualifying. More specific here, this means customers going this route will not have any EIP offered and they will be buying the phone at full retail pricing. Basically, a prepaid setup using the currently available Simple Choice plans. T-Mobile is also expected to combine their UNcarrier approach with MetroPCS. This is said to be known internally as Apollo 15 and is expected to tie in with the 15 additional markets that MetroPCS will be launching. Otherwise, while there are some details for phase 2, we do have to remember these are unofficial and should therefor still be considered rumor for now. With that, while we at least have some rumored details for phase 2, the details for phase 3 remain a complete mystery at the moment. VIA: TmoNews |
| Huawei Ascend P6 profile revealed in teaser image Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:08 AM PDT With just a few days left before the Huawei ‘Beauty’ event is set to take place, it appears as if the teasing is going to continue. Coming by way of the official Huawei Twitter account, the company has recently dropped a few additional images of the Ascend P6 along with a bit of teasing about the thickness of the handset.
The actual event is scheduled for June 18th and from the way it looks, the teasing is going to continue right up until the time of the announcement. Huawei has yet to specify which markets would be seeing the Ascend P6, however a recent message from the company does have it listed as being a “global launch event.”
Otherwise, Huawei appears focused on two things — the beauty and the thickness of the handset. We have yet to see any official measurements, however the profile does appear thin based on these images. Recently leaked specs show the handset measuring in at 6.5mm thick. Other still rumored specs include Android 4.2 Jelly Bean along with a 4.7-inch 720p display, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, 2000 mAh battery and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera that is capable of capturing video at 1080p.
In addition to a thin phone, it looks like Huawei is planning to carry that over to the packaging. The image sitting above was accompanied by the following;
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| Samsung GALAXY S 4 Active pre-orders go live with AT&T Posted: 14 Jun 2013 06:31 AM PDT AT&T announced the Samsung GALAXY S 4 Active yesterday and as was expected, the carrier has began accepting pre-orders today. The pre-orders are available by way of the AT&T website and the handset is priced at $199.99 on a two-year agreement. Otherwise, those looking to purchase the handset without the lengthy agreement would need to shell out $594.99.
With that, it looks like those who move forward with a pre-order should be able to expect delivery in less than a weeks time. According to the current estimates on the AT&T website, the GALAXY S 4 Active pre-orders will begin shipping on June 18th. Aside from that shipping date, the regular availability is still expected on June 21st. The handset is available in Urban Gray and Dive Blue, running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and sporting the IP67 certification. Basically, the IP67 rating is just another way of saying the handset is water and dust resistant. In fact, Samsung has the GALAXY S 4 Active loaded up with some special water related camera functions. That will be called Aqua Mode and should help those looking to shoot video or capture images while in the water. The handset also has plenty of other Samsung related features to include Eraser Shot, Air View, Air Gesture, Drama Shot, Samsung Smart Pause and Story Album. Aside from the water and dust resistance, the GALAXY S 4 Active also has Corning Gorilla Glass protection on the display. Also worth noting, that display is 5-inches and 1920 x 1080 in resolution. Other hardware specs include the quad-core 1.9GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, 2600 mAh battery, 2 megapixel front-facing camera and 8 megapixel rear-facing camera. Bottom line here, if you had been eyeing the GALAXY S 4 but were hoping to see it arrive with a bit more in terms of durability — it looks like the Active is the model for you. |
| Google Nexus 7 second gen coming in July Posted: 13 Jun 2013 06:18 PM PDT With so many budget tablets in the works, it would seem only fitting that Google would introduce the second generation Nexus 7 on a mid-summer release. Mainly in order to compete with all the other big names out there who are also slated for summer tablet releases. We’ve been toying with the concept of whether or not Google would ever actually bring it out in the first place, so to hear that they are, definitely has our interest piqued.
We weren’t expecting this price, but we can’t say we’re surprised; the Google Nexus 7 Second Gen will reportedly start $229 USD for the 16GB version, and then go up from there, according to reports. We were expecting a bit less, but then again, technology doesn’t tend to get cheaper as time goes on. Not to mention this is 16GB, not 8 like the original. There’s a good chance it’ll run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, run on a Snapdragon 600 quad-core CPU or an S4 Pro. As for the visual goodies, you can expect a similar case design, but the screen will be even better than it was before (and it wasn’t bad to begin with) with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. Resounding color quality matched with Jelly Bean? You have us officially sold. When it does come next month, it’ll be raised in price solely to distinguish it from lower Android tablet offerings, and to help it compete strongly with the iPad Mini second-gen, which is expected very soon. Given enough time, and a strong enough reception, we have no doubt that it’ll trounce the expensive iPad in every way. We’ve seen countless rumors stating a July release, but this seems to confirm it while also giving us a price to expect too. SOURCE: VRZone |
| YouTube videos for Google Music revealed in latest update Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:32 PM PDT Google has been busy with their music offering as of late, and now we’re hearing it could be getting whole lot better in the coming weeks or months. Earlier today the folks from Mountain View pushed out an update to Google Music that brought some major changes, speed improvements, and tweaks for All Access users, but behind the scenes is telling a different story for the future of Google Music.
Last month Google revealed and released Google Music ‘All Access’ at their I/O developer event. Blending the best of Google Music, Spotify, and Pandora into one awesome music solution. For those already using and enjoying it (like myself) today’s update reveals some awesome improvements coming soon, at least according to an APK teardown from the boys over at Android Police. While digging through the newest version of Google Music, some pieces of code revealed that Google could be adding the option for the Play Music app to search for and find a music video to go along with it. Instead of heading to YouTube and looking up VEVO Videos for the artists you’re currently enjoying, why not let Google Music do it for you? It looks like that’s exactly what’s coming soon.
As you can see above, Google Music from a browser currently will do something similar and search for the correlating video to share with your friends on Google+, and it looks like our Android devices will be able to do the same soon, as well as watch them right from mobile. Google Music won’t just find the video for sharing, but it’s being reported that it will actually let you watch the video in the Music app itself. You won’t have to go anywhere to enjoy it. That’s pretty awesome. Who needs MTV these days anyways? I sure don’t. |
| Samsung stress test video may relieve Galaxy S 4 owners stress Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:22 PM PDT It’s a common thing for your phone to just slip out of your hands, get knocked out, fall backwards out of your pocket, fall of your desk, etc etc. It happens to everyone, and no one can escape the fact that some phones just are not made for that sort of thing. Enter Samsung, with this video showing just how much physical abuse they put onto their products before letting them out into consumer hands, and you may just feel some mental relief.
In this video, you see tons of carnage. Okay, that’s a lie, but what you do see is just how much emphasis Samsung puts onto quality control. In the video we’re presented with everything from water dunking to simulated stair toppling all the way up to the dreaded walnut crusher test (pictured above). In a few views, we see that the Samsung Galaxy S 4 in question is running Android in its stock form. There is no video of how it would react if it was using the TouchWiz software. If it would react differently, we’d hope that Samsung would post a video about it, in hopes of calming any consumer fears. Lastly, if you are watching this video, and you just so happen to not be able to speak Korean, it might be a good idea to switch on the Closed Captioning. We got a kick out of the “The butter melted in heat…. Duh” lines within the video, suggesting that even in the most strictest of environments at Samsung, a little fun can still be had. We can’t promise your Galaxy S 4 will handle that dreaded moment where you accidentally drop it, but rest assured knowing Samsung put it through the ringer before ever releasing it to the public. |
| EU Watchdogs inquiring to Google about Android Posted: 13 Jun 2013 04:26 PM PDT As of late, it seems as if the EU Regulations Commission has been pestering everyone for their doggy treats. But none more so than Google and Microsoft, both of whom are the biggest players in their respective segments. This time, the EU is probing Google in regards to reports that they’ve been discount pricing Android to manufacturers with the expectation that they increase Google App awareness to their clients.
According to sources, an informal investigation is being taken into effect based on these reports, although Google has not commented on it. They did however, release this statement, which we believe suggests that they are trying to calm the waters of the storm.
Filed in April, the report alleges that Google has been setting up shop with mobile carriers that allows them to purchase the rights to use Android at a reduced cost so long as they either include or try to advertise known Google applications within the software themselves, to the retail customer. This would effect some 70% of phones sold worldwide, which is a pretty hefty number. We’re hearing the allegations were initially brought out by Microsoft and Nokia, which inspired the probe to begin with. Apparently that’s what happens when you’re losing the mobile war. Although nothing has been formally announced, and no serious concerns have arisen out of the ordeal, we will be keeping a watchful eye on the story to cover what does become of it. In the meantime, harbor your thoughts as to what you believe Google has been up to in the comments below. SOURCE: AllThingsD |
| Android 4.2.2 leaks for the Sony Xperia Z Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:47 PM PDT This afternoon we have some excellent news for all those users rocking the Sony Xperia Z waterproof smartphone. After a few screenshots leaked this morning, we now have the full Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update for the Xperia Z. It leaked in all its glory over on XDA, and we have more details below for those interested in updating a bit early.
The update was initially tipped to arrive in March, which obviously never happened for all you Sony faithful. Don’t worry though, because we have you covered. To be more specific we have Android 4.2.2 build number 10.3.A.0.407 for the Sony Xperia Z C6602/C6603. According to the details being made available this was initially for Sony brown developer units only, but the leakster over at XDA has made it work with all retail units. That means if you’d like, if you dare, you can flash the latest build yourself and enjoy that Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
It isn’t stock Android, but we’ve heard an Xperia Z Google Edition is in the works, but it’ll do for now. Obviously you’ll need to be rooted and running a custom recovery here, but all the details on how to flash are available from the XDA link above. The devs state everything may not be working, and this isn’t the final production software, but should be fine for a daily driver. I’m still waiting for Google and Sony to hopefully announce that Google Edition Xperia Z and drop it to the Play Store, that could be fun. VIA: XperiaBlog |
| T-Mobile 4G LTE sticking its nose into new cities Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:34 PM PDT T-Mobile was the last carrier to enable 4G LTE wireless data into service, but it looks like as of today, it’s not just limited to a few cities in a few states. According to Twitter and emails sent to many tech sites, there have been numerous sightings of LTE in Dallas, Denver, and Wichita. With this news, it looks like 4G LTE for T-Mobile is spreading fast.
T-Mobile itself is looking to cover 100 million POPs by summers end, and is limited to only seven official markets. Before today, it was only live in 9 different cities; Denver, Las Vegas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle. Verizon and AT&T were the first to the scene with 4G LTE. Now that T-Mobile is slowly making its rounds in major cities across America, they’ll likely find that more people may opt to switch to them based on their plans and coverage. The speeds we are seeing again appear to be averaging 25Mbps down and 8Mbps up with a 40ms latency, which is exactly what we saw before. Although T-Mobile is the last major player to the ballgame of 4G LTE, we do expect a full rollout very soon, at which point you too, wherever you may live city-wise in the USA, will be able to join the 4G LTE crowd. As for the rest of you who live in rural areas, you can expect a rollout to almost all of you by mid 2014. At least according to T-Mobile. Add in their 4G LTE with a new UNcarrier plan and you’ll be set. A full list can be found below. SOURCE: TmoNews |
| HTC Butterfly S leaked showing BoomSound and Sense 5 Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:47 PM PDT Like a sneaky high school rumor that refused to die, we kept hearing about the release of the HTC Butterfly S, which fused the HTC One and the original HTC Butterfly together into one cool combination. Thankfully, we have our first details that show us just what it looks like, and how it’ll all translate to production specification.
Looking more like an amalgamation of Darth Maul and an HTC One, the new Butterfly S shown in these pictures is certainly far more eye catching than its predecessor. With a matte finish on its backplate (perhaps made out of rubber) as well as red accents front and back, it comes off as aggressive, although we’re sure this won’t be the only color combo available at launch. Another point of interest is the dual speakers up front, which makes it clear that this device will utilize BoomSound. We also see Blinkfeed, which was introduced in on Sense 5 in tandem with the HTC One. We also see a lot of Droid DNA in that color scheme, which could mean that there is some sort of co-operation between Verizon and HTC. DROID DNA+ anyone? Although all we have are these leaked images right now, we’ll keep you updated on more as it comes in, as it should within the next week or so. If it’s any consolation, we do hear rumors of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (not the 800) as well as a 1920 x 1080 SLCD display, and Android 4.1/4.2 Jelly Bean being utilized when it does come to market. SOURCE: VR-Zone |
| iOS 7 icons on Android for the Apple fan in you Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:57 PM PDT Earlier this week the folks from Apple unveiled iOS 7, the new face of their mobile OS. Representing the biggest change to the iPhone OS since its birth. We won’t get into if we like it or not, who copied who and all that jazz, but instead show you just how easy we can make our Androids look the same. Thanks to one fan and her Galaxy Note II we have exactly that.
As usual, thanks to the awesome fan and developer community on Android we already have a full icon theme pack to deliver the same look to all of our Android smartphones. Don’t get out the pitch forks on me guys. No I don’t like the look, and I’m fine with Jelly Bean just how it is. Thank you very much! However, it is fun to give this a try and show it off to your iPhone friends patiently waiting for iOS 7. A student by the name of Gail Santos posted up the details and all the information over on Google+ for those looking to make their phone look like iOS 7. I’m not sure why you’d want to, and neither is she, but she states it was fun nonetheless. Using her simple theme and icon pack with a custom launcher such as the popular NOVA Prime Launcher, she quickly changed all her icons and arranged them on screen just like Apple and iOS 7. It’s that simple. Between custom ROMs, themes, and launchers we can do just about whatever we want on Android, and this is nothing new. I’m sure many won’t like the idea behind this, but to each his own. If you’re interested in customizing your icons with the new “flat iOS 7 look” Gail has the icon pack and iOS 7 wallpaper both available to download. She states she quickly went back to stock after giving this a try, and just wanted to share it with everyone. More details and full download info is available from the link below. Give it a try and get crazy. It’s all in good fun. SOURCE: Google+ |
| WhatsApp reaches new daily message record of 27 billion Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:53 PM PDT With the availability of cross-platform messaging apps, it seems many are looking towards those as opposed to sending messages through a carrier provided plan. One of those messaging apps is WhatsApp and it looks like they have recently set a new daily record. The company took to their official Twitter account and shared the news of having handled 27 billion messages in a 24 hour time period.
The breakdown includes 17 billion messages as being received (outbound) and 10 billion as having been sent (inbound). This news comes as a decent step as compared to a report from April. In April, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum talked about how they were seeing a combined 20 billion messages per day. This was coming from more than 200 million monthly active users. At the time of the April (20 billion) number, Koum had that broken down as being 12 billion outbound and 8 billion inbound. WhatsApp currently has an Android app available as well as apps for other platforms to include iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. The app is free for Android users. In addition, the first year of service is also free. After the first year however there will be a $0.99 per year charge to keep things going. To sum up the features, WhatsApp will allow you to send and receive individual messages and also participate in group chats. Users are able to send plain text messages as well as image, video and voice notes. The app is also setup to use data (cellular or WiFi) when available and can even hold messages for those times when you turn your phone off or miss a notification. Of course, while WhatsApp is seeing an increase in usage, there are plenty of other alternatives available. Google recently released Hangouts and BlackBerry is even expected to join in on the cross-platform messaging market fairly soon. While we have yet to see a firm release date for BBM for Android, that is expected to arrive sooner rather than later. That said, whichever option you choose, it is nice to not have to worry about carrier messaging fees and limits. VIA: SlashGear |
| Google Maps adds over 1000 new Street View locations Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:32 PM PDT Google Maps has revitalized the way we travel in so many ways, including the ability to (for all intents and purposes) void every other aftermarket GPS device on long trips. One of Google Maps’ achievements is its ability to go down to street level and see an area face to face, something which a satellite from any other competitors simply cannot do. So with an add on of over 1000 new Street View locations around the world, finding that getaway spot may just get a whole lot easier.
Previously, if you were in Singapore, you would find it difficult just to circumnavigate, since there was no available Street View for the city… until now. Google Maps has finally had the chance to drive through the city and capture it in full, allowing you to get a better scope on where you are and where it is you want to go next. They’ve also managed to add some very interesting places in Latin America, central Europe, and North America that will all satisfy your exploration taste buds. These places include the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade, Fullerton Heritage Promenade, the Seville Cathedral in Spain and the canals of Copenhagen, themselves lined with beautiful houses and promenades that make Denmark stand out as one of the tourist capitals in the world. And that’s not all, as you can also tour some of Toronto’s finest museums, or Brazil's Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida, where you’ll find a gloriously ornate centerpiece within the shrine – a praying ground for those that visit it. Either way, with over 1000 other new places to check out, you won’t find it difficult to find something that fits your niche. Google Maps Street View is available in the Maps app in the Google Play store. SOURCE: Google |
| Samsung responds to GALAXY S 4 analyst reports Posted: 13 Jun 2013 12:54 PM PDT Samsung CEO JK Shin has spoke out in regards to a recent JPMorgan report. Said report, for those who may have missed that, suggested the GALAXY S 4 was falling short of sales expectations. In addition to the comments from the report, JPMorgan also cut the share price estimates by 9.5 percent and lowered the 2013 earnings estimates by 9 percent. Following the JPMorgan report, a similar report was posted by Morgan Stanley.
Anyway, in response to the JPMorgan report, JK Shin said “the report was based on its own analysis” and then went on to talk about how they may have been correcting their “previous bullish estimate about the S4 sales." Or perhaps the key point here, Shin made it clear that sales of the GALAXY S 4 smartphone “are fine” and that the handset has been “selling well.” Looking forward through 2013 and we have GALAXY S 4 sales estimates of anywhere from 60 to 100 million. It was reported that Samsung is hoping to sell 100 million, however analyst estimates have that number closer to the 60 million side. While we don’t often see Shin respond directly to individual reports, these can have an effect. It was said the JPMorgan report caused Samsung shares to fall 6.2 percent by the end of Seoul trading. What that means for the bigger picture is that was a four-month low and also the largest single day drop in nine months. Aside from the comments from Shin, it looks like Samsung’s investor relations department has also taken a pro-active approach. A Korea Times report mentions how “company's investor relations team contacted major local brokerages and provided them with background information about sales of the S4.” And in the end, the GALAXY S 4 saw 10 million in sales during the first month of availability. |
| Vodafone ‘Power Shorts’ aim to charge your phone as you walk Posted: 13 Jun 2013 12:19 PM PDT It isn’t quite the next-gen battery technology we are all waiting for, but it certainly is a step in the right direction. The folks from Vodafone have announced a number of prototype charging systems for our Android gadgets. Imagine your phone charging from a sleeping bag while camping, or even while walking around a night downtown – all based on your heat, and movement.
Over in the UK this summer Vodafone will be hosting a festival full of future and upcoming tech, and these so called “Recharge Bags and Power Shorts” will begin trials and the testing phase all festival long. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d be perfectly fine with most festival-goers to be rocking the shorts shown below, but that’s just me. Research began back in 2003 and the system uses thermoelectric materials developed by the Electronics and Computer Science Department at the University of Southampton, UK,. Working with special next-gen printed circuits that can convert heat into power. The same technology is also being developed into fabric, and that’s where both heat and movement from shorts or pants can power your smartphone for up to 4 additional hours. That’s enough to get through a night at the club.
Did we lose your attention? While the shorts do look nice, it’s the underlying technology that really piques our interest here. While this new tech may seem like a gimmick, the potential now and in the future is huge. Being able to get a full 4 hours of additional battery life from your shorts, or 8 hours of sleeping in the bag delivering 11 hours of stand-by to your smartphone is a big deal here. And this is only the beginning. These recharge bags and (good looking) power shorts will be available during the Vodafone festival this summer in the UK, and hopefully we see more things of this nature moving forward. Print this technology on the bottom of my shoes to then wirelessly charge my phone, and we’re set. VIA: SlashGear |
| Google Play Music update reduces data usage, brings faster downloads Posted: 13 Jun 2013 11:50 AM PDT The latest Google Play Music app update has come available in the Play Store and it looks like it has brought a few worthwhile changes and improvements. This latest round of changes touches on music download speeds, search and data usage. Given many are fighting low data caps the data usage seems key for those who may find themselves regularly downloading and streaming.
Google has said this Play Music update adds a new setting for bandwidth usage while on a mobile network and that it should reduce the overall amount of data usage. On the topic of downloading, this latest Play Music update should also bring increased speeds for music downloads. Finally, Google hasn’t said much on this last change, but moving forward the search quality should be improved. Anyway, this latest update arrives as v5.0.1052J and was following rather closely to the previous (v5.0.1041J) update. That update arrived towards the end of May and added the ability to delete tracks and the ability to share and add songs to a playlist from the Now Playing screen. Of course, while these previous two updates brought a decent set of changes, the bigger deal arrived last month during Google I/O. We are fairly certain everyone remembers that update, however that was the All Access announcement. Google Play Music All Access offers radio with an unlimited amount of skipping. Google also touts the service as offering “millions” of songs. With All Access in mind, we are also getting close to the cut off of the introductory pricing offer. That service will regularly be priced at $9.99 per month however those who sign up before the end of June will be able to get it for $7.99 per month. And in addition, Google is currently offering a 30-day free trial for new All Access users. SOURCE: Google Play Store |
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