Android Community |
- LTE in the wild: seeking the fastest mobile speeds in the USA
- AT&T 4G LTE expands across thirteen states
- HTC One mini leaks with Ultrapixel camera and more
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Active official: Rugged, waterproof with Aqua Mode camera
- Samsung and Jay-Z look to sign $20 million deal
- Samsung GALAXY S 4 advert shows the company’s cute side
- BlackBerry Messenger hitting Android June 27
- comScore: Android remains top platform despite small drop in share
- Vine for Android gets its first update, camera still needs work
- Verizon Galaxy Note II price drops by $100
- Verizon inks multi-year deal with NFL – more live streaming coming in 2014
- Falcon Pro v2.0 enters the Play Store as a public beta
- HTC One unlocked edition gets random $25 price increase
- YouTube update adds slide-out navigation app wide, suggestion overlays
| LTE in the wild: seeking the fastest mobile speeds in the USA Posted: 05 Jun 2013 10:49 AM PDT The 4G LTE data speeds we get on our smartphones have come a long way in the short two years since LTE first hit the streets. I remember loving how fast that HTC Thunderbolt was, even though I was still in T-Mobile land. Now that most have 4G LTE including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and more, we want to see how fast yours is.
Being stuck on T-Mobile 3G a few years back then finally switching to a Verizon 4G LTE capable GALAXY Nexus, I saw the light. Getting 12-15 Mbps down and similar up continuously was just awesome. Updating apps took seconds, instead of minutes, and downloading that latest game was no longer a WiFi-only process. It’s wonderful. And don’t even get me started on trying to do anything with the Sprint network. Last week when Verizon Wireless pushed out a quick software update for the Galaxy S III a few issues arose where users were losing their 4G LTE. In the comments we saw some stunning (good and bad) speeds during the commotion so we’ve decided to seek out the fastest speeds around. Here’s a few of mine lately with Verizon 4G LTE and the GALAXY S 4. Topping 53 Mbps download throughout Las Vegas.
One comment in particular (Thanks ImmaDroid – see screenshot below) is consistently seeing speeds that rivals many users home internet. In fact, it puts most to shame. Of course the Speedtest.net app isn’t anything scientific, or remotely official, but that’s what most use these days. With all the reviews we’ve done here at Android Community we always give Speedtest a run. The good, bad, and worst always come out through speedtest. We know bars don’t matter, but still want to see your results.
Averaging above 60 Mbps down and roughly 19 Mbps upload with speeds on a daily basis, it’s safe to say I’d take a grandfathered unlimited data plan and be canceling my home internet. Those speeds are just ridiculous. Those aren’t something you see everyday though, nor can you expect them. At least not yet. I recently reviewed the AT&T LG Optimus G Pro and saw pretty good speeds too. Ranging from 20-50 Mbps on the daily. We don’t need these speeds to truly enjoy our smartphones, but it’s always nice to fire up the Speedtest app and see speeds besting our home internet. Surely these can probably be faked, but we’d love to see the fastest speeds across the USA. Don’t give us WiFi or Google Fiber results, we want your AT&T, Verizon and others 4G LTE data tests. The 53.34 Mbps you see above of mine is the fastest I’ve ever achieved, personally, and we’d love to see yours. Post your screenshots below and don’t forget to mention the location, carrier, and device if you’d like. |
| AT&T 4G LTE expands across thirteen states Posted: 05 Jun 2013 10:40 AM PDT AT&T has announced the latest 4G LTE expansions. This time around we are seeing new and expanded coverage spreading across 13 states. The list includes Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington. Perhaps even nicer, some of these states have multiple markets seeing the new coverage.
Beginning first with Arkansas. This happens to be the first state alphabetically, however this time around they seem to be getting the most in terms of new coverage. The Arkansas coverage includes Batesville, Blytheville, Brinkley, Forrest City, Helena and West Helena, Newark, Newport and Pleasant Plains. Keeping things going alphabetically here and we can move into the next several states. The Colorado coverage is for Colorado Springs and the Florida coverage is for Clewiston. The Idaho coverage deals with a few markets and includes Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Rexburg. The Indiana coverage deals with the Columbus and Seymour markets as well as Fort Wayne. Rounding out the first half and we have coverage going live for those in Muskegon, Michigan. Additional markets include Miami, Oklahoma; Farmington, New Mexico and Wooster, Ohio as well as Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland, New Jersey. The coverage for Pennsylvania includes Williamsport. Those in Utah will be seeing coverage in the Heber City area and those in Washington will now have LTE speeds for those in Olympia and Spokane. All said and done, while this may not have been the biggest AT&T 4G LTE roll-out, it is nice to see these regular updates. As compared to the other of the big four carriers, AT&T may not be in the lead, however they do appear to be way ahead of T-Mobile and Sprint. On the flip side, AT&T LTE was shown to be faster as compared to Verizon Wireless. Of course, in the end this coverage is important as we are only seeing AT&T release devices with LTE support at this point. SOURCE: AT&T |
| HTC One mini leaks with Ultrapixel camera and more Posted: 05 Jun 2013 09:46 AM PDT HTC’s upcoming miniature version of their popular HTC One smartphone has appeared today, and we’re getting a full gallery of images as well as all the details. We’ve been talking about the HTC One mini (aka M4) for some time thanks to leaked details, but today the picture is very clear. This 4.3-inch smartphone rocks 720p, the Ultrapixel camera, and the same beautiful design so check out more below.
There is still nothing official from the manufacturer, but all signs are pointing to a release very soon. The smartphone has leaked multiple times over the past few weeks, and today’s Mr. Blurrycam photos are the first real-life shots that actually look real. He’s also confirmed countless details that should have many excited for this device. Just like the bigger brother the Mini rocks an impressive Ultrapixel camera (of the same caliber) beats audio integration, a beautiful brushed aluminum design and same curves we’ve been enjoying from the One. Then he goes on to confirm the 4.3-inch 720p display, Snapdragon dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and even running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Thankfully for us, this leakster was also nice enough to give everyone a decent little comparison with the smaller handset sitting next to its older sibling. And for that, we thank him/her. The phone overall doesn’t appear much smaller than the original One as a whole, but clearly you can see the difference in the shots. HTC has yet to make any formal or official announcement, but they could and should be coming sometime soon. According to the leaked details we could see an early August launch, so stay tuned.     |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Active official: Rugged, waterproof with Aqua Mode camera Posted: 05 Jun 2013 01:36 AM PDT Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active, the ruggedized version of the Galaxy S 4, has been officially revealed, capable of surviving underwater as well as in dusty, bumpy conditions. Based largely on the S 4′s specifications, though with a few notable changes, the Galaxy S4 Active has a 5-inch Full HD display though uses TFT LCD rather than AMOLED, while the rear camera steps down to 8-megapixels from 13-megapixels.
However, it’ll still record Full HD video, and thanks to a new Aqua Mode in the camera app, it’ll apparently shoot great underwater pictures and footage as well. The IP67 ruggedization means the Galaxy S4 Active is good for up to thirty minutes at a depth of at most a meter. There’s also a front-facing 2-megapixel camera, and a water-resistant earphone jack. Inside, you get a 1.9GHz quadcore processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (11.25GB user-accessible) and a microSD slot.
As for connectivity, there’s LTE and HSPA+, together with WiFi a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0. NFC and infrared appear – the latter for use with the WatchON universal remote app – and WiFi Direct. You also get an accelerometer, digital compass, and gyroscope, along with proximity, barometer, gesture, and finger-hovering sensors. All of Samsung’s usual TouchWiz tweaks are present, on top of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The phone tips the scales at 151g with its 2,600 mAh battery, and measures in at 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm. Samsung says the Galaxy S4 Active will go on sale, initially in the US and Sweden, this summer. Three colors will be offered – grey, blue, and orange – and we’ll be able to see more of the tough smartphone at Samsung’s June 20 “Premiere” event.           |
| Samsung and Jay-Z look to sign $20 million deal Posted: 04 Jun 2013 04:21 PM PDT Is Samsung preparing even more music streaming options? Today a crazy report and rumor has appeared stating that Samsung is looking to ink a deal with superstar and entrepreneur Jay-Z for what we’re hearing will be roughly $20 million. What for you ask? The details haven’t been revealed yet so that is anyone’s guess. According to the New York Post this deal is basically done and close to being finalized.
Any sort of terms of the deal or agreement weren’t made public, so for now we’ll just have to guess and wonder what this could possibly mean for the company, and for Jay-Z. The Hip-hop superstar and entrepreneur is one of the most successful in the industry, and is expected to be worth around $500 million, so this deal must be pretty big to get him on board. With Google Music All Access, Apple looking to get into the music streaming service, and options like Spotify all over the place many are speculating this could be another attempt from Samsung in that space with their Music Hub. With Jay-Z obviously being a huge part of the music industry, a deal of this size makes sense for some sort of music service. Whether that be streaming or not remains to be seen. JLo teamed up with Verizon for her own Latino-inspired Viva Movil network, HTC is working with Dr. Dre and Beats Audio, and now it looks like Jay-Z could be the face of the next big movement from Samsung. We might be seeing some of his music, and his labels coming front and center with Samsung products in the future. For now however, we’ll just have to wonder what Samsung and Jay-Z have planned. We’ll update once we learn more, or if this deal actually gets finalized. VIA: IntoMobile |
| Samsung GALAXY S 4 advert shows the company’s cute side Posted: 04 Jun 2013 03:37 PM PDT Samsung surely isn’t showing any signs of slowing down with their advertising campaigns. In fact, they’re only going to increase now that all major US carriers and more are offering their latest flagship GALAXY S 4 smartphone. Instead of poking fun at the iPhone we’re seeing Samsung’s sensitive side in this latest ad spot. Check it out after the break.
The new GALAXY S 4 ad spot is called “Swaddle Master” and might end up being one of the most sensitive and cute videos you see all week. Unless of course you frequent /r/aww as much as I do. Instead of getting obnoxious at pool parties or showing celebrities Samsung is giving us a look at a more realistic and personal usage scenario. Instead they are once again highlighting key features of their new smartphone, and doing so in a fun and cute manor that surely many first time dad’s can relate to. In this clip we’re seeing the awesome AirGesture features for hands-free usage, not to mention using S-Voice for instant hands-free YouTube video searches and more. Take a peek below. Then in what is probably the best part of the commercial (aside from the 0:48 second mark) is Samsung showing off their eye-tracking technology called smart stay and smart pause. The GALAXY S 4 will track your eyes while playing back video, and pause each time the user isn’t looking directly at the display. This is one of those neat features the average user might not know is available when they get their own GS4. I feel for all you dads getting left alone with the little man. It’s tough to change a diaper and watch NFL network at the same time. Tough indeed. Good job Samsung for playing it nice and showcasing your product at the same time. VIA: AndroidAuthority |
| BlackBerry Messenger hitting Android June 27 Posted: 04 Jun 2013 02:44 PM PDT Get excited folks because BlackBerry Messenger is reportedly coming to Android and iOS on June 27th. Back in May BlackBerry confirmed it was coming this summer, but never revealed a release date. Recently however an unofficial confirmation appeared on Twitter stating the once exclusive chat will be arriving on both platforms later this month.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not all too excited about this. Between Google Hangouts getting released at IO, and only expected to improve, BBM might be too late. We know many are happy to hear the news though, with more than 60 million monthly users still to this day, BlackBerry Messenger isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Even if their phones are. Take notice that this release date of June 27th hasn’t been officially confirmed by BlackBerry, but the Twitter account above seems to have insider information confirming the date. More so, they’ve also got an image showing the messenger on an iPhone, for what it’s worth. We’re hearing from multiple sources that June 27th is the day, but take it with a grain of salt. Some of the features that are expected to arrive with BBM for Android include BlackBerry Groups as well as voice note sharing, multi-person chat and the same quick service that current BBM users experience. However, all the file sharing, voice features and more probably won’t arrive at first, but are expected to be added in due time. For now this is all just a rumor but we’ll update once we learn more or hear an official date from BlackBerry themselves. VIA: GSMArena |
| comScore: Android remains top platform despite small drop in share Posted: 04 Jun 2013 02:22 PM PDT The latest comScore report has been posted and once again we are looking at Android as being the top smartphone platform. The report shows Android with 52 percent of the market share which is sitting against the 39.2 percent iOS happens to have. We suspect the Android faithful will be happy with that little bit of news, however there is another side to this story. In fact, there is a side we suspect that same group of Android faithful will not be all that happy to hear.
This marks the fourth consecutive month with Android on the decrease. The overall drop hasn’t been what many would consider huge, but there has been a drop nonetheless. Looking at the April 2013 percentage of 52 and there has been a 0.3 percent drop from the beginning of the year. A January 2013 comScore report had Android sitting with 52.3 percent of the market share. Otherwise, aside from the small but steady drop with Android, much of the other numbers and names are where and who you would expect. Rounding out the top five smartphone platforms and we are seeing a significant drop as we move from second to third. BlackBerry is in the number three position with a 5.1 percent share, Microsoft is next with 3.0 percent and Symbian is fifth with 0.5 percent of the overall share. Aside from the drop with Android, the other notable drop was BlackBerry with a decrease of 0.8 percent. Apple on the other hand, saw a 1.4 percent increase coming from 37.8 percent in January 2013.
The interesting aspect here, despite the small but steady drops in Android, it seems like a significant change will be needed to see it removed from top position. Apple with iOS and Google with Android are roughly 13 percent apart at the moment and even if the other three platforms in the top five dropped in favor of iOS, that would still only add an additional 8.6 percent and leave Android on top. Aside from looking at the platforms, we also have the top smartphone manufacturer numbers to consider. In this case, Apple sits on top with 39.2 percent of the market share. Similar to previous reports, Samsung, HTC, Motorola and LG round out the top five. For the April 2013 comScore report, we are seeing Samsung with 22.0 percent, HTC with 8.9 percent, Motorola with 8.3 percent and LG with 6.7 percent. SOURCE: comScore |
| Vine for Android gets its first update, camera still needs work Posted: 04 Jun 2013 02:16 PM PDT For that that missed the news yesterday, Vine for Android was officially released to the public. Following a rush of users the app was down for a good part of the afternoon, but now you’re able to create 6 second clips with ease all on your Android device. It’s their initial release, and isn’t anything near the iOS version, but getting its first update already.
Vine for Android is as basic as it gets. Like as basic as Vine was when it first launched on iOS. They weren’t able to implement all of those features they’ve added for us Android users, but that will hopefully all be coming soon. Today Vine Inc issued their first (of many) updates for their Android app, but it didn’t really do anything. So this post is more of a PSA that Vine is now available for Android, in case you missed the news yesterday, and at the same time doubling as somewhere to call out Twitter and Vine for the lack of features. For starters, the camera is a mess. It’s awful, doesn’t autofocus, doesn’t focus at all actually, and even my 13 megapixel GALAXY S 4 images don’t turn out too great. Then of course the front facing camera support like iOS has is missing. Today’s update lists “Updated user settings and other bug fixes” and that’s all for now. So basically just the most minor update as humanly possible. The developers have promised “frequent updates” the the platform, and this is at least a good sign they might hold to that promise. So are you guys liking Vine on Android? Feel free to share any masterpieces below. Get the latest update to Vine and enjoy! SOURCE: Play Store |
| Verizon Galaxy Note II price drops by $100 Posted: 04 Jun 2013 01:32 PM PDT We have been seeing more and more talk of the Galaxy Note 3 lately, however it looks like Verizon has just given a reason to pay attention to the currently available Galaxy Note II. That reason, or more specifically, the 100 reasons have arrived in the form of a price cut. Simply put, Verizon Wireless has slashed the price of the Galaxy Note II and the handset is now sitting at $199.99.
Of course, that price assumes a two-year agreement. This price drop includes both of the available colors and so far, it is looking like this is a permanent price drop. Or at least, Verizon has yet to offer anything to suggest this is a limited time sale. With that in mind, there is the talk of the Galaxy Note 3 to consider. Those who are tying to always have the latest and greatest may want to hold off on a purchase, but otherwise, the Note II is still a solid handset.
The Galaxy Note II is running Jelly Bean and sporting a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos processor and 2GB of RAM with 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 64GB in size. So sure, it may not the latest anymore, but it is still more than respectable. The handset also has LTE connectivity. The other perks that come with the Note II include the massive 3100 mAh battery and S Pen which brings the ability to easily capture written notes and also edit and otherwise spice up your images. As far as the camera situation goes, the Note II has a front-facing 1.9 megapixel and a rear-facing 8 megapixel. Otherwise, looking towards some of those Galaxy Note 3 rumors and it looks like we are expecting a handset with a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera that has optical image stabilization along with an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 2 megapixel front-facing camera and 5.99-inch Full HD display. The Note 3 is also expected to launch with the latest versions of Jelly Bean and TouchWiz. Samsung is expected to announce the Note 3 during IFA in September. |
| Verizon inks multi-year deal with NFL – more live streaming coming in 2014 Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:49 PM PDT Today the National Football League and Verizon Wireless have agreed to another multi-year deal that will extend their exclusive access to NFL Mobile for Verizon customers. We’re not learning any details about how long this new extension is for, but we have a feeling Verizon won’t be letting go of this anytime soon. The most important part of the news is the additional features and live streaming options coming next year.
The NBA Playoffs are just something I watch to pass the time until the NFL returns, and I can’t wait for the season to get started. My Green Bay Packers are stacked, and ready for the 2013 season where they return to the Super Bowl. Ok back to the Verizon deal. We’ve learned that live steaming and access to NFL games on the go is getting even better. The current NFL Mobile on Android (and other platforms) will be getting some serious improvements following this new deal between the two parties, but sadly the good stuff won’t arrive until the 2014 season. However, this year we can expect an updated and improved app, the same exclusive access to Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night football games on mobile, and much more. The new update will deliver “unprecedented inside access to all the latest news, stats, exclusive game highlights, plus an extensive collection of on-demand video featuring analysis and inside access from NFL Network and NFL Films.” Then here’s the good part. Starting in 2014 NFL Mobile from Verizon will give all subscribers access to CBS and FOX Sunday games (amazing) all NFL Playoff games, and of course the Super Bowl. I just got super excited! NFL Mobile continues to be the best option for NFL fans to enjoy the best sport on Earth, and sadly for all the other carriers this won’t be getting shared by Verizon anytime soon. Expect the updated app to arrive before the 2013 season kicks off, and we’ll let you know when it’s live. SOURCE: NFL |
| Falcon Pro v2.0 enters the Play Store as a public beta Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:36 PM PDT Falcon Pro offered a bit of a teaser for the 2.0 update earlier this morning and it looks like you can now download that update. The one catch here, Falcon Pro 2.0 is still available in beta form. Assuming you don’t mind playing with a beta release, this is open and available for those wanting to check things out. The Falcon Pro beta is being handled through the Play Store and requires nothing more than a few clicks and a minute or so to update the app on your device.
You will first need to join the Google+ community setup for this beta and then choose to “become a tester.” Once those are done it is just a matter of the update and posting any feedback or bug reports in the Google+ community. First things first though, lets break down the steps;
And worry not, if for some reason the beta release isn’t playing nice on your device — you do have the option to revert back to the current stable release (which at the moment happens to be v1.9.1). One catch that we should mention though, as Falcon Pro is a paid app, the beta program will only be available for those who have already purchased the app. Or for those willing to make a purchase. As a recap from our earlier post, some of the highlights in the Falcon Pro v2.0 beta include a new “flat design” that is available in three colors. Of course, perhaps the biggest attraction would be the multiple account support. Looking back through the Google+ community and it doesn’t look like there are any issues dealing with stability. That by itself sounds good for those who may be nervous about leaving an app that currently works well for a beta release. In fact, the few issues we are seeing from the community appear to be minor and more related to design and the overall looks. Specifically, the colors and layouts and things along those lines. With that, those looking to get started need to simply follow the directions we listed above. SOURCE: Google+ |
| HTC One unlocked edition gets random $25 price increase Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:26 PM PDT Well that’s just a bummer. Recently it appears that team HTC has decided not to lower the price of their new handset, but actually increase it. The fully unlocked HTC One over on the HTC store went up in price this week from $574.99 to $600. There’s no official word as to why we are seeing a price hike, but we have a few ideas as to why.
With HTC having some extremely stiff competition from the folks at Samsung and their GALAXY S 4, you’d think they’d be lowering the price at any and all costs, not raising it. As Droid-Life states, this could very well be an answer to the recently announced $599 price of the Nexus edition vanilla HTC One that’s coming to market later this month. It wouldn’t make much sense for HTC to offer their regular One smartphone with all its amazing features for less than the inferior in their eyes (depending on if you like stock Android) Nexus experience model being offered on the Play Store for $599. So that’s probably the reasoning here, but really, we don’t know why. As a reminder, the unlocked HTC One does come with 32GB of internal storage, and of course is completely unlocked for buyers to do as they please with the smartphone. Which makes sense for the small premium you’ll be paying. So now that they are even. Would you go with the unlocked HTC One covered in Sense UI, or the stock Nexus experience model hitting the Play Store later this month? Let us know! SOURCE: HTC |
| YouTube update adds slide-out navigation app wide, suggestion overlays Posted: 04 Jun 2013 11:56 AM PDT Google has been busy with updates as of late, and they’ve also been adding the popular slide-out navigation drawer to many of their popular apps. Gmail being the latest to receive this new navigation system, and today Google has improved the feature for YouTube, as well as a few other minor changes we’ll mention after the break.
For those wondering. Yes, YouTube already had the slide-out navigation bar before the update that arrived today. However, they did change a few things, the animation was tweaked, and the slide-out navigation panel is now available app wide. Before you could only access this from certain points in YouTube, now you can instantly side it out for quick access to channels, subscriptions, options and more. They’ve removed the “app button” and now a simple swipe from the left edge or tap of the button on the top left will instantly open the slide-out menu. It’s a nice touch, but a small change. Those aside there really isn’t much new here, but here’s the full changelog from the Play Store.
Interestingly we also have “video suggestion overlays during playback” but we’ve yet to get any suggestions or overlay popups to appear while watching video. Have you seen this yet? Then of course we have the usual bug fixes and stability improvements. The comments on the Play Store are a mixed bag of happy and angry customers, so let us know how the update serves you in the comment section below. Get it, as always, for free from the link below. SOURCE: Play Store |
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