Sunday, June 16, 2013

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Google Android News Android Forums

Brazilian bar designs new beer glass made to keep your eyes off your phone

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 08:16 AM PDT

offline-glass

Bars are a place to be social and enjoy a brew, which unfortunately for some patrons means social networking and enjoying a browser instead. The Salve Jorge Bar in Sao Paulo, Brazil has found a solution to this problem in the bottom of a beer glass (literally). Designed by advertising agency Fischer & Friends, the Salve Jorge Bar now serves their beer in the Offline Glass, a glass designed to only stand straight when propped up on a smartphone. Hit the break for a video of the Offline Glass in action.

The Offline Glass is designed to “save people from the online world”, forcing drinkers to put down the phone and enjoy the atmosphere and company. Obviously the idea has its shortcomings (phones of various sizes being the biggest issue) but as the idea spreads I’m sure we will see more glasses of the like. As for condensation, the designer says the glass is shaped so the condensation does not drip down the side to your phone.

An innovative idea, it will be interesting to see if this catches on in other bars. Let us know in the comments what you think of the idea, or if you will just find a clever way to use your phone while balancing the glass.

Source: Phone Arena


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Google introduces Project Loon, hoping to bring the entire world internet access via balloons

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 07:33 AM PDT

Loon-mission-controlGoogle is no stranger to outlandish ideas, and it appears they will stop at nothing to make sure the whole world is connected. In that tradition, Google has announced Project Loon, a crazy (hence the name Loon) idea that plans to bring the world internet via high-altitude balloons. The idea is that in many parts of the world, internet access costs more than rent and is out of reach for the average citizen. The plan is to launch a ring of balloons orbiting the globe on stratospheric winds, broadcasting an internet signal comparable to that of most 3G connections. On top of connecting rural areas and other parts of the globe that previously didn’t have internet access, it could also aid in disaster relief, providing a means to stay in contact with devastated areas. Hit the break for videos breaking down how the technology will work.

Since the project is still in its earliest stages, there are many hurdles to overcome. First, Google has figured out how to control the balloons flight path using wind and solar technology to change the balloon’s elevation, allowing it to catch streams in the desired direction. However, they’ve yet to figure out a solution to controlling all balloons at once, making sure that the broadcasts are always available when and where they are supposed to be.

Google is launching a pilot run of the technology in New Zealand and plan to test it in more areas with similar latitudes. If successful, Project Loon could not only connect rural and remote areas, but provide everyone with a means of being connected to the internet almost everywhere they go. Let us know in the comments what you think of this exciting new technology.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Google Blog


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Specs leak for the highly anticipated Motorola X phone, featuring HD screen, 2GB of RAM and dual-core processor

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 07:08 AM PDT

google-x-phone

Unsurprisingly, infamous twitter user @evleaks has been gracious enough to list the specs of the new Motorola X phone, and its looking to be a solid mid-to-high end device. The Google-owned company has put together a phone running Android 4.2.2 Jellybean powered by 2GB of RAM, a dual-core 1.7GHz MSM8960 Pro processor, and comes with 16GB of internal storage. For those of you worried that a dual-core processor won’t satisfy your needs, it should be noted that in benchmarks the device out-performed the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One. On the outside they’ve put a generous 10-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The display has a 1196 x 720, 720p resolution and its safe to assume it will be of the standard IPS variety. 

As reported before, the phone will also feature a boatload of sensors, and could possibly utilize the cool edible vitamin password that Motorola/Google’s Regina Dugan showed us earlier this year. Other sensors include one that detects when the phone has been taken out of the pocket, and another that can detect how fast you are going in a moving car, prompting your phone to act differently for safety purposes.

If past rumors are correct, we could be seeing this phone sometime in October, though only time will tell. Let us know in the comments if this is the X phone you’ve been waiting for, and if not, what you would have like to have seen from Motorola and Google’s much-anticipated outing.

Source: @evleaks


Come comment on this article: Specs leak for the highly anticipated Motorola X phone, featuring HD screen, 2GB of RAM and dual-core processor

TalkAndroid Daily Dose for June 14, 2013

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:46 PM PDT

TalkAndroid_Daily_Dose

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Guides

30 seconds not long enough? How to create a longer HTC Video Highlight

Carriers

AT&T updating GoPhone prepaid plans, GoPhone devices to get LTE access June 21st

Phones

LG announces budget-friendly Optimus L4 II with IPS display

Leaked photo from Galaxy Note III suggests 13 megapixel camera

Could Samsung SCH-I435 be the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini headed to Verizon?

Tablets

Mystery ASUS K009 unit shows up at the FCC doorstep, tries its best to hide its Nexus 7 colors in the process

Amazon releases Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ in Canada

New Nexus 7 may support Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile LTE bands

Miscellaneous

Acer has no interest in rewriting Android

Humble Bundle weekly sale features 3 top-notch Android games

The future of smartphone battery life could be with new solar-charging screen technology

Jay-Z wants fans to tune in to NBA Game 5 for more on Samsung partnership

 


Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Daily Dose for June 14, 2013

Jay-Z wants fans to tune in to NBA Game 5 for more on Samsung partnership

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:33 PM PDT

samsung_jay_z_tune_in_ad

Last week we reported on an alleged deal between Samsung and rapper Jay-Z. That deal appears to have been completed based on the image above that was posted to Samsung Mobile USA’s Facebook page. As you can see, Samsung and Jay-Z want fans to tune in to game 5 of the NBA Finals and turn up the volume. The question is whether whatever is revealed will be just another clue to the partnership or will it reveal the nature of the deal itself.

If you are interested in finding out what the buzz is about, get ready to watch some NBA basketball.


Come comment on this article: Jay-Z wants fans to tune in to NBA Game 5 for more on Samsung partnership

The future of smartphone battery life could be with new solar-charging screen technology

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:22 PM PDT

sunpartner-screen-tech

As smartphones get bigger, better and more powerful, batteries unfortunately have stayed pretty consistent. Major manufacturers keep promising that it will get better but have yet to deliver the goods. French startup SunPartner Group says that the secret to power management may not be in the battery, but in the screen. SunPartner has been hard at work designing a new 82 percent transparent display with standard thin-film solar cells spread throughout, in theory giving your phone an extra charge between charges.

How significant a boost is yet to be seen, but SunPartner claims it could add up to 20 percent more time to your normal charge, provided you’re phone catches enough sun.

Currently in the prototype stage, the designers state that by the time it goes to market it will be 90 percent transparent, and since the technology is already well-established, the screen will only add about $2.30 to the build price of each phone that utilizes the technology.

Source: Android Authority

 


Come comment on this article: The future of smartphone battery life could be with new solar-charging screen technology

Could Samsung SCH-I435 be the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini headed to Verizon?

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:59 PM PDT

Galaxy-S4-Mini-Review

When Samsung announced the release of the Galaxy S 4 Mini, they did not mention which carriers would make the device available. Given the wide number of spectrum bands available for the device and Samsung’s strategy with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 of making it available with a wide number of carriers, we would not be surprised to see the same thing play out with the Galaxy S 4 Mini. The first carrier that seems to have surfaced for the U.S. market for the device appears to be Verizon based on some Bluetooth SIG information.

A Japanese web site has reported an entry has been found in the Bluetooth SIG database for a Samsung SCH-I435. In the past, Samsung devices that are given a model number starting with “SCH” have landed on the Verizon network. The numbering scheme would seem to peg it somewhere below the Galaxy S 4 and its SCH-I545 and the Galaxy S III with SCH-I535.

source: Blog of Mobile


Come comment on this article: Could Samsung SCH-I435 be the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini headed to Verizon?

Humble Bundle weekly sale features 3 top-notch Android games

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:59 PM PDT

humblebundle

Pay-what-you-want services are taking over every form of media and why not? It allows consumers to decide what various goods and services are worth to them personally. Of course as with any payment model it has its shortcomings, and developers have come up with some crafty services, one such service being the excellent Humble Bundle. For the uninitiated, the Humble Bundle is a pay-what-you-want service that bundles top-notch eBooks, music apps and games and the more you pay the more awesome stuff you get.

This week the service is hosting a bundle of excellent indie-Android games and with an average donation of $5.86, its a great opportunity to save a bunch of money and support developers and charity at the same exact time. The games in this bundle include:

Anomaly Warzone Earth Mobile Campaign ( normally $3.99)
Sleepwalker's Journey (normally $0.99)
Funky Smugglers (normally $0.99)

And if you donate a more generous amount you get:

Anomaly Warzone Korea ( normally $3.99)

On top of all that the bundle includes wallpapers for every game in the bundle and a 3D Print figure of the Mech from Anomaly 2. Bust out the wallet, do yourself and the Android community a favor and grab some really cool games. When your done with that feel free to thank us in the comments.

Source: Humble Bundle

 


Come comment on this article: Humble Bundle weekly sale features 3 top-notch Android games

New Nexus 7 may support Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile LTE bands

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:40 PM PDT

Nexus_Logo_Nexus_7

The rumors for the unannounced new Nexus 7 just keep flooding in. This time, we have an FCC filing that shows the new version of our favorite 7 inch tablet will sport LTE bands for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. And no, that doesn’t mean there will be three different models for each carrier; this is one model of Nexus 7 that has all of the radios built in for (potential) carrier hopping. Well, except for Sprint. Sorry Sprint guys.

The filing shows LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 13, and 17, which covers all of the major US carriers. All of them use some band 4, especially T-Mobile, and Verizon and AT&T use band 13 and 17 respectively. Of course, there’s still that tricky issue of not having LTE coverage, and the filing shows that this Nexus has bands for AT&T’s HSPA+ network. So, essentially, the device may be built for AT&T’s network, but will “support” other networks as well. Take it with a grain of salt, but keep your ears open.

source: Droid Life


Come comment on this article: New Nexus 7 may support Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile LTE bands

LG announces budget-friendly Optimus L4 II with IPS display

Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:39 PM PDT

 

LG-Optimus-L4-II-Android-official

LG announced today a new budget-friendly Android handset called the Optimus L4 II (also known as the E440), which we’ve been catching glimpses of as early as May. The modest device packs a single-core 1GHz MediaTek processor, 512MB or RAM, 4GB of internal storage (expandable via a MicroSD slot). On the outside they’ve attached a 3.8-inch HVGA IPS display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels.

An interesting feature of this handset is the standard LG front-and-center home button, which features a built-in LED that changes color based on the different types of notifications. Hit the break for a couple more images of the device in white.

The phone is currently available in black and white variations in Russia and Ukraine for 5,490 RUB, or about $172.

LGL4 LG-Optimus-L4-II

Via: Unwired View
Source: Mobile-Review


Come comment on this article: LG announces budget-friendly Optimus L4 II with IPS display

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