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- Leaked images of Samsung’s Galaxy NX Android Camera surface
- More screenshots of HTC’s Butterfly S; Will feature front speakers with “BoomSound”
- Featured Android Game Review: Dawn of the Dragons [Arcade & Action]
- Best Android apps for monitoring data usage [June 2013]
- Sony sends out July 4th Save The Date invites, all but confirms the arrival of Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet
- Amazon to have one-day sale on the HTC One
- Sony’s Xperia ZU slated for June 25th announcement, specs revealed early
- Samsung releases short video showing off Galaxy S 4 Zoom features
- Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone “selling well”, despite lowered expectations by analysts
- AT&T announces the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, available June 21 for $199
| Leaked images of Samsung’s Galaxy NX Android Camera surface Posted: 13 Jun 2013 04:01 PM PDT
Yesterday we posted that Samsung’s own CEO confirming the existence of a mirror-less Galaxy Camera 2 that will be unveiled on June 20th. Much to my surprise, it looks like Samsung isn’t done there with an Android based camera as several leaked photos of yet another camera has surfaced. This one is called the Samsung Galaxy NX and is rumored to have a APS-C 20.3 Megapixel sensor, 1080p HD recording, a 4.8" HD display with Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad-Core processor, 2GB of RAM and options of 8 or 16 GB’s of internal storage. Definitely high end specs for a camera.
Also in the screenshots you can see a couple of lenses that are paired with the camera, a standard 18-55mm, 55-200 and another 85mm.
I’m sure this will appeal to the camera enthusiasts out there. Will this be something you might want to purchase? source: tinhe
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| More screenshots of HTC’s Butterfly S; Will feature front speakers with “BoomSound” Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:49 PM PDT
More screenshots of HTC’s upcoming Butterfly S device have surfaced and confirms that the all popular “BoomSound” feature will be on the device. While nothing else is rumored about the phone, we should expect it to have at least a 5″ screen considering the first Butterfly was just that. We can also expect the Butterfly S to have the same features as it’s HTC One brother with the likes of Blinkfeed, an Ultra pixel camera, and Sense 5.0. As for hardware, this device will most likely don the Snapdragon 600 processor along with 2GB’s of RAM.
Not sure if we’ll see this device in the US, but my guess is that it’ll land on Verizon sometime this Fall. Stay tuned for more info as we learn more about this device! source: VR-Zone
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| Featured Android Game Review: Dawn of the Dragons [Arcade & Action] Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:11 PM PDT
5th Planet Games recently released Dawn of the Dragons on Android, which is the hit RPG from Kongregate, Facebook, and Armor Games. The game was originally released in 2010, and is one of the most popular social RPG of all time when you consider 3 million people have played the game in over 100 million sessions. The mobile version launched on iOS earlier in the year and it finally made its way to the Play Store. Dawn of the Dragons is set in the ancient Kingdom of West Kruna. There are a lot of honest and hardworking people there, but unfortunately it has been invaded by bestial dragons looking to steal their land. This is where you come in. You will need to complete a series of quests, raids, and other challenges to fight off the dragons, monsters, werewolves and giants. You will be able to band together with others, but you can also compete in player-versus-player battles. This social aspect is what makes Dawn of the Dragons very appealing.
Now if you are into RPG games, you will be used to the many aspects of the game. Personally, I am not, so it can be a little overwhelming. Things start out simple enough by creating your character. You can name him or her anything you want, then you choose the hairstyle, expression, and type of fighter. Just like any RPG game, you will need to keep track of your stats such as health, energy, stamina, honor, and experience. There is two types of currency, gold and planet coins. Gold can be used to buy new equipment and heal yourself. Planet coins can be used to recharge your stats or to buy powerful treasures. Planet coins seem to be the most valuable and depending on how fast you want to move through the story, you might need to purchase some with real money. The quests is where you will find the textual story and where you will fight your battles. Unfortunately fighting is just a matter of pressing the attack button over and over until you win. With each press of the button, you will lose some of your stats, but as you level up, you will gain some of them back. You will also gain stat points that you can use to increase your attack, defense, health, energy, stamina, and perception. The quests will start in the fields and when you defeat all the enemies you will move to the next location. The last enemy in each location will be the boss battle, which is more difficult because you tend to lose more of your stats with each press of the attack button. This is where you will need to utilize various equipment. The bazaar is where you will go to buy stuff needed to defeat the enemies. You can buy such things as equipment, armor, generals, and rare expeditions from gold or planet coins. You can also purchase gold or planet coins with your own money. You can also purchase packs, which contain the most rare and powerful items of the land. Whenever you buy an item pack, you are given a rare item at random. You will never be given the same item twice, and once you obtain all the items in the pack, you can choose to buy them. You will also find what’s called raid bosses that are more powerful, and you will need a group of players to defeat them. You can join raids that others have summoned or summon your own. To summon a raid, you must possess its essence. You get this essence by defeating the quest version of the particular boss. As you complete quests and raids, you will earn various items which include ingredients that can be used to create powerful weapons or obtain allies. The craft page will show the ingredients needed for various recipes along with what you already have. The last part of the game is legions. You will obtain many legions during your adventures and you can also purchase them. Each legion is defined by a commander, the commander’s equipment, number of generals, number of troops, types of troops, and power bonus. You will need to select the right generals and troops or the best legion to make use of the generals and troops you possess. All in all, Dawn of the Dragons should make any RPG fan happy, especially those that have already played it. The graphics are good and the music is mesmerizing. Gameplay itself is simple, but if you aren’t used to playing RPGs such as these, it will be a little daunting trying to figure out all the details. Thankfully, you will find a lot of tutorials within the game to guide you. One other thing I need to mention is since it is an online game, you will need to have a network connection in order to play. Every time you start the game, it will attempt to connect to the servers. If you are using a WiFi-only tablet that isn’t connected or if your phone is in airplane mode, you will be out of luck. The game is free, but it could cost you some money to buy coins. RPG experts can probably make it through with minimal damage, but inexperience players like myself will have a hard time doing that. Check out the download links below and let me know what you think. Features
       
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| Best Android apps for monitoring data usage [June 2013] Posted: 13 Jun 2013 11:28 AM PDT
Data caps are a hard reality for many customers on a majority of carriers, and managing that data usage can be tricky. Even on prepaid plans, hard and soft data caps are put in place for carriers to
It’s worth mentioning that Google has added data tracking to Android 4.0 and above, but not all phones are running current versions of Android. Even if you have a 4.x device, many of these apps offer tools and features that Google’s own implementation is lacking.
My Data Manger is an extremely robust application that gives you a handful of ways to track your data usage. One of the most unique features it offers is its ability to give you a forecast usage for the month to give you a hint on if you need to slow down your data usage to make your data limit last through the month. It even allocates a recommended amount of data for you to use on a day-to-day basis to give you an idea on how much music you can stream on your ride to work or how many YouTube videos you can watch on your lunch break. The app supports setting up how much data you’re allotted in your plan and how often and what day the billing cycle resets so you can keep it in step with what you’re carrier is seeing. If you’d like to set up a hard cap with the app, you can do that too; the app supports up to two monthly alarms for data usage, and a single daily alarm. There are options for all three of these alarms to turn your cellular data off once you reach a certain limit. The app also has settings and plans you can set for separate roaming data if you roam often on your carrier’s network. Aside from the basic data monitoring and alarms, My Data Manager also offers a handful of other ways to see how you’re using your data. One of my personal favorite features is the ability to stick an ongoing widget in your notification shade to see where you’re at for the month. Since you’re going to be checking notifications on your device often, it’s a great way to constantly be reminded where you’re at with your data. The app also has several different graphs and filters built in for seeing exactly what apps are chewing up data. You can sort apps from how much data they used in a month down to how much data they use per hour, and even based on what percentage of your data plan they’re using up. Other graphs in the app let you see graphs and pie charts letting you know what apps are heavy on the data at a glance and which days you used the most data. For a free app, My Data Manager is hard to beat.
Onavo Count is an extremely powerful data monitoring app that essentially acts like a portable data usage counselor. You set up your data cap, the day the billing cycle resets, and Onavo handles the rest. It monitors your apps in the background and watches data usage, letting you know when apps start to hog data. The “App Watch” screen lists all of your active applications and specifies how much data each application is using to give you an idea of the heaviest data hogs. If an app does start to use up an abnormal amount of data in the background, Onavo will give you an alert to proactively stop the app. It also sends alerts for high data usage for your billing cycle, roaming data notifications, and features several ways to slow down your data usage. Onavo will allow you to restrict certain apps to only use data on WiFi and will shut off your mobile data once you hit a certain limit. Where Onavo really shines is its advice features and crowd sourcing features. Onavo makes a usage profile based on your data usage and can give you recommendations on how to minimize your data usage, and it can even give you tips on what the best value plans for data are on your particular carrier or similar carriers. If you could cut your data plan in half to save some cash every month, Onavo would tell you whether or not that would work based on your monthly usage habits. The crowd sourcing is also a pretty unique feature; Onavo users can mark apps as unsafe or as data hogs to give you a heads up about high-risk apps when you download it. Aside from all of those selling points, Onavo does feature a handful of great widgets to stick on your homescreen for quick access to your data usage each month. Another excellent feature in Onavo is a companion app called Onavo Extend. Essentially, the app uses some pretty nifty data caching on your SD card and data compression to stretch how far your data goes. It claims to offer up to 5 times more data usage per month, which will vary depending on how you tend to use data, but since both apps are free, it’s definitely worth checking out.
3G Watchdog has been a popular app since much earlier iterations of Android because of its simplicity and effectiveness. It’s not the prettiest application on the list, but it’s a very lightweight application that works extremely well. Watchdog constantly monitors your data usage in the background and offers a status bar notification to keep you alerted to how much data you’re using. Like with the other applications, it can also alert you when you’re about to hit your monthly limit and can shut off your mobile data entirely once you’re past your limit to avoid those nasty overage charges. One unique feature to 3G Watchdog is how it breaks down your mobile usage; it separates received and sent data per day, so you can see if apps are consuming more data from downloading files, or if they’re hogging data from things you’re sending off, such as picture uploads. Unfortunately, you can’t break down the usage into individual apps, but it’s still very handy to see what kind of behavior is using up the most data.
Data Usage Defender is a Swiss Army Knife of data usage monitors, especially for rooted users. On the surface, it has what most other monitoring apps offer; efficient background monitoring, two widget styles, etc. It runs in the background and places a notification in your status bar letting you know how much data you’re using based on the plan you’ve set up in the app. You can set alerts when you hit a percentage of your data cap, similar to other applications on this list. Data Usage Defender really turns into a toolbox once you get into the nitty-gritty monitoring of apps. You can view your apps and see how much mobile data and WiFi data they’re using, including their download and upload amounts. The app will also show your daily data usage, including what time of the day the most data was consumed. If your device is rooted, you can access a firewall section of the app, which will allow you to block any application from accessing data on either a mobile network or WiFi network. If you want Facebook to only run over WiFi and Twitter to only run on mobile networks, it’s easy to set up. On top of that, there’s a built in speed testing app built into Data Usage Defender so you can figure out exactly how fast your network’s are, and how fast you can chew through your data cap if you aren’t careful. You can also use Data Usage Defender to control some network system settings, like turning mobile data or WiFi on or off. The last really unique feature it offers is a floating speed widget. It’s essentially a small pop-up that you can drag around your phone’s screen that constantly tells you the speed of your current data connection. If your phone isn’t doing anything, it obviously shouldn’t be very high, but if the speed starts to dramatically increase when you aren’t doing anything, it’s a great heads up to start trying to find an app hogging data in the background. If you’re looking for an app to manage a ton of things on your device, (and you’re rooted) this one’s definitely worth checking out.
These last monitoring apps are carrier-specific, so not everyone will be able to use them, but they offer a functionality that none of the other apps can do, so they’re worth mentioning. Developer Hoeksoft has two sets of usage widgets for Verizon and AT&T that links directly to your account and provides extremely accurate data usage in widget form. Since the other applications on this list can only monitor data that’s been used while they’ve been installed, it isn’t always 100% accurate, especially if you install it halfway through a billing cycle. These widgets avoid that problem by keeping data synced with what you see in your Verizon or AT&T accounts. As an added bonus, there are three widgets for monitoring minutes, data usage, and texts, so it goes a bit beyond just simple data management. If you’re on a shared data plan, these also make it much easier to keep up with how much data everyone on your account has used. Unfortunately, there are caveats with these apps. The only way you can use these is if you are a postpaid AT&T or Verizon customer, so if you’re on another carrier or using a prepaid plan, these won’t work for you. If you’re on a contract with either of these carriers and don’t mind spending 2 bucks on accurate data monitoring, these are worth checking out. Play Store Download Link (Verizon) Play Store Download Link (AT&T) These are my favorite apps for keeping up with data usage and staying under the frustrating data limits. Are there any apps we missed that you use to track your data usage? Let us know in the comments.
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| Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:29 AM PDT
Yup, it finally looks like Sony is finally about to reveal its next great device for the masses, the Xperia Z Ultra— which is a larger-scale smartphone set to compete with the likes of the Optimus G Pro and Galaxy Note smartphones. How certain are we, you ask? Well— a nice press invite has gone out from the fine folks from Sony Mobile France highlighting “Sony Mobile reserves a big surprise for you” on July 4th. Moreover, the same invite encourages folks to “not forget to mark your calendars! “, all the while using a nice stylus-type pen to handwrite the note. So yes friends, all that’s left to do is wait for Sony to finally confirm the arrival of the device featuring a 6.44-inch 1080p display, quad-core processor, potential waterproof capabilities and Android 4.2. source: Xperia Blog
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| Amazon to have one-day sale on the HTC One Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:23 AM PDT
Have you been eyeing the HTC One but haven’t wanted to drop a full $200 on it? Keep on eye on Amazon tomorrow, June 14th, as they’re having a one-day sale on the device for both AT&T and Sprint. New customers can pick up the One for $79.99, and upgrading customers will pay $99.99. Either way you look at it, you’re getting at least a 50% discount. They’re offering both color variations of the device, (silver and black) and you will, of course, have to sign a two-year agreement for the discount pricing. If you’re still on the fence, check out our HTC One review and see if it sways you one way or the other. Hit the break below for the Amazon links. AT&T HTC One Sprint HTC One
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| Sony’s Xperia ZU slated for June 25th announcement, specs revealed early Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:15 AM PDT
Remember that monster phablet from Sony, the Xperia ZU? If you’re in the market for devices that big, we’ve got some more details on a release date and the hardware behind the ZU. According to Taiwanese site ePrice, Sony will make the Xperia ZU official on June 25th, which fortunately isn’t too far off. ePrice also listed some specs for the device, including that massive 6.4-inch, 1080p screen. The ZU will be one of the first devices to run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 CPU, clocked at 2.2 GHz, and will also feature 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, an 8 MP rear camera, and a 3,000 mAh battery. Compared to phones of similar size, that battery isn’t particularly large, (the Galaxy Note II has a 3,100 mAh battery, for reference) but hopefully some extreme software optimization from Sony and Qualcomm’s latest monster processor will keep battery life as a positive for the device. As soon as June 25th rolls around, we’ll keep you up to date on Sony’s official announcement. source: ePrice
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| Samsung releases short video showing off Galaxy S 4 Zoom features Posted: 13 Jun 2013 09:04 AM PDT
Samsung has released a three minute clip demoing their newly announced Galaxy S 4 Zoom, and in traditional Samsung marketing fashion, the video highlights how an average person would use all the Hit the break below to check out the video, and let us know in the comments what you think. Niche product or next big thing?
Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone “selling well”, despite lowered expectations by analysts Posted: 13 Jun 2013 08:38 AM PDT
Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 is no doubt a smash hit despite those lowered expectations, but its leader took some time recently to tout just how much of a hit the new smartphone has been since its release last month. While not giving raw numbers, Sammy head J.K. Shin told Korean reporters that the smartphone has been “selling well”, pretty much refuting J.P. Morgan’s analysis. With Shin’s comments, the hope is that the Galaxy S 4 will hopefully sustain, if not gain positive momentum so that Sammy can continue to pull in the cheddar and all that good stuff. source: Korea Times
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| AT&T announces the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, available June 21 for $199 Posted: 13 Jun 2013 08:17 AM PDT
Samsung already announced the Galaxy S 4 Active last week and AT&T just announced plans to carry it. Those of you that want all the features that the Galaxy S 4 offers, but need something that can handle the many hazards in life, will want to check this one out. It’s IP67 certified to be water-resistant and dust-resistant. It has a 5-inch Full HD TFT LCD display, a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 8MP rear camera, and Android 4.2.2. It will be available June 21 for $199. Hit the break for the full presser and demo video.
Click here to view the embedded video. High-performance meets real-life WITH the samsung galaxy s 4 active, exclusively from at&tNew Water and Dust Resistant Galaxy Smartphone is Built to Withstand Whatever Life Throws Your Way DALLAS, June 13, 2013 – With summer in full swing, you need a phone that can go just about anywhere and endure the demands of an active lifestyle. To help you keep up with whatever comes your way, AT&T* and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announce the Samsung Galaxy S® 4 Active™, an evolution of the popular Galaxy S® 4 designed to withstand the hazards of everyday life. Beginning June 21, you can pick up the Galaxy S 4 Active from any AT&T store or online for $199.99 with a two-year agreement. For consumers who prefer to place their orders now, AT&T will begin taking pre-orders on June 14 at www.att.com/galaxys4active. The Galaxy S 4 Active will be available in two colors: Urban Gray and Dive Blue. The Galaxy S 4 Active runs on AT&T 4G LTE, which currently covers more than 200 million people; with plans to expand to cover 300 million people by the end of 2014. AT&T’s 4G LTE network was called "blazing fast" in a report** by independent testing organization RootMetrics. The report found AT&T's 4G LTE network delivered the fastest pure LTE speeds in markets where AT&T provided 4G LTE. "Continuing AT&T's legacy as the first carrier to launch the Samsung Galaxy series, we're excited to offer the next evolution of the popular Galaxy S 4. The Galaxy S 4 Active is a high-performance smartphone with a stylish, protective design to keep up with the demands of everyday life. It's truly summer-proof," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices and Developer Services, AT&T. "With its quad-core processor and access to the nation's largest 4G network and fastest 4G LTE network you can stay connected nearly anywhere life takes you." Built For Life The Galaxy S 4 Active was designed around life. It is IP67 certified to be water-resistant and dust-resistant***, making it perfect to take on any summer vacation whether it's camping or the beach. It also has an Aqua Mode feature that lets you capture photos and videos underwater. Its 5-inch FHD TFT display is made from Gorilla® Glass, which is specially built to be tougher and more scratch-resistant. It runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and comes packed with a quad-core processor for faster, smoother gaming and apps. But there's more to the Galaxy S 4 Active than its sturdy, more resilient exterior. It also includes high-performance features that let you get more done on-the-go. The 8-megapixel camera includes multiple custom shooting modes, including Aqua Mode and Eraser Shot. It also features enhanced low light performance to help you get the shot you want even when lighting isn't ideal. Entertainment The Galaxy S 4 Active has an Integrated Infrared (IR) controller which acts as a TV remote control, so you can use your smartphone to control your home theater system. When you're on-the-go, Samsung Hub gives you access to more music, movies, books and games from multiple content sources all in one place– perfect for passing the time on summer road trips, or even while waiting in line while running errands. Galaxy S 4 Active includes all the features that made the Samsung Galaxy S® 4 popular including:
Productivity The Galaxy S 4 Active is a master multi-tasker. Features like Multi Window let you use two apps side-by-side like a PC so you can reference your notes while writing an email or follow the game live while checking out your friends' reactions on social media simultaneously. This smartphone is SAFE™ (Samsung For Enterprise) to help keep your work data secure and separate from your personal content. Whether you are in the office or on vacation, the Galaxy S 4 Active balances stylish, professional design with enhanced durability. Additionally, the Galaxy S 4 Active features an optional Easy Mode that simplifies the home screen with larger icons and your favorite apps. *AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
** Based on availability of AT&T 4G LTE in in 47 markets out of 77 total cities studied; ©RootMetrics®LTE Performance Report, March 2013).http://www.rootmetrics. *** Water-resistant and dustproof based on IP67 rating. Submersible up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Rinse promptly with water to remove any residue from food, dirt, or other substances.
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