Friday, January 4, 2013

Android Authority

Android Authority


Acer’s cheap Iconia B1 tablet heading to India, to cost a bit more than expected

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 03:06 AM PST

acer iconia b

The still-unannounced Acer Iconia B1 tablet has been the subject of online reports since the third week of December last year. Has it finally arrived? No, it has not. But if the most recent online reports on it are to be believed, then it looks like we’re going to see a launch in the next couple of weeks, at a price that will surely make most anyone’s wallet happy.

According to a report on NDTV, the Android-powered Iconia B1 is set to arrive in India before the end of January. But instead of being called the Iconia B1, it will be called simply Iconia B. Is there an Acer tablet called the Iconia A locked up somewhere, with absolutely no hope of ever being released to market in the future? Unlikely. The letter B in the Iconia B’s name probably just stands for the word “budget” — which would make perfect sense.

When the earliest reports on the Iconia B came out, it was rumored to have a $99 price tag. Now, as the actual launch date draws near, it will reportedly sell at $149 instead. Though that isn’t exactly as cheap as what some people thought it would be, it’s still a full $50 cheaper than the Asus-manufactured Google Nexus 7, which still goes for $199 a piece. Not to mention, it’s a fairly decent price for a tablet that is expected to have the following specs: 7-inch screen @ 1024×600, 1.2GHz dual-core MediaTek CPU, 512MB RAM, 8GB storage, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Wi-Fi, and microSD card support. It will also ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The Iconia B was also spotted briefly on Acer’s official web site, but its page has since been taken down and only a copy of it exists via Google Cache.

Acer Iconia B page
On its now-defunct (for now) product page, the Acer Iconia B is touted as an “ideal companion.” As the page states:

Whether you’re waiting for the train, sitting on the bus or relaxing in the coffee shop, the Iconia B Series makes each moment better. It’s easy to hold in one hand and feels snug in your palm. About the same size as a paperback book, the 7″ screen is ideal for reading.

With a 7-inch screen and an overall weight of just 320 grams, this claim is not so hard to believe. The question now is, when is Acer going to actually release it? No one knows for sure, but expect to find it here as soon as that information finally becomes available.

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Asus ME301T MemoPad 10 leaks with Tegra 3 and Android 4.1, CES unveiling in the cards

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:24 AM PST

Asus

Asus has pretty much always been an important tablet player, but ever since the Google co-branded Nexus 7 got out the bar of expectations got a huge bump. Now we're all eyes on the Taiwan-based electronics company, which is seen by some as one of the only hopes of Android ever overthrowing Apple's iPads from their leadership positions.

But does Asus have enough fire to come up with awesome tabs without Google's direct help? We shall probably see about that in only a few short weeks, when, according to piling rumors, several new Asus devices will be thrown to the lions.

A $99 7-incher should carry the Nexus 7 torch further ahead, an ME172V will most likely up the spec and price ante a bit, while business consumers will have a 10-incher designed specifically for them. This last slate has just been leaked, and, although it's far from official, we're ready to bet it'll be on display at CES in Vegas next week.

The 10-incher is known right now as the ME301T MemoPad 10, but we surely hope to see it marketed under a different and "cleaner" name. As for the specs, Asus has definitely stepped things up a notch, although the ME301T will still be unable to battle it out with the iPad hardware-wise.

asus_me301t

The 10.1-inch display is expected to boast a run of the mill 1,280 x 800 pixels resolution, while under the hood there'll be an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor (unknown clock speed) and 1 GB of RAM. The best news is probably the running of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, while the 16 GB of on-board memory and existence of both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi and 3G connected models doesn't surprise us too much.

What kind of shocks us however is the rumored price across Europe. According to online listings, retailers in Spain and Denmark could charge up to €322 for the tab, which is around $422 and definitely way too much for a 10-incher with not a whole lot of oomph.

It's true, the rumor that this will be targeted towards business users tells us that there might be a few premium features and functions there, which could explain this apparent price bump. Also, if Europeans will get it for a little over €300, Americans should have it up for grabs for around $300 and that's not quite prohibitive.

But enough with the guesses and let’s just mention that the Asus ME301T MemoPad 10 is expected to land on the Old Continent around mid-February in white, blue and fuchsia. Before that, we’ll be on the ground in Vegas next week to bring you all that’s new and exciting in the Android world, so stay tuned.

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HTC’s CEO: “The worst has probably passed. 2013 will not be too bad.”

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:08 AM PST

HTC isn’t exactly in the best shape. Their stock price is off by 80% compared to its peak in 2010, the launch of the Sensation is 2011 was a train wreck, and while the One X was a great phone when it was announced in early 2012, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 stole all that device’s thunder when it came out during the summer months. So what’s the company going to do to turn things around? The first step is to admit that you’ve hit your bottom. HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou, spoke to The Wall Street Journal today about the performance of the company, and he said:

“The worst for HTC has probably passed. 2013 will not be too bad. Our competitors were too strong and very resourceful, pouring in lots of money into marketing. We haven’t done enough on the marketing front. Although we don’t have as much money to counter [Samsung and Apple], the most important thing is to have unique products that appeal to consumers.”

Dale Gai, an analyst at Barclays, says HTC is in a tricky place mainly because they don’t make any components. That, more so than the marketing problem, is what we feel puts HTC in a terrible position. Samsung makes their own screens, processors, memory chips, and many other parts required to make a mobile phone. The same can be said about LG. Now yes, Apple doesn’t “make” their own components, but they do buy equipment for their component suppliers.

When you really stop and think about it, what exactly does HTC do? They take Google’s software, Qualcomm’s chips, Sharp’s screens, and then slap everything together. As the rest of the industry tries to become vertically integrated, HTC is stuck acting like a company from the the turn of the century. Other than firing lots of people and going stock Android, we don’t know what advice to give this company.

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Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD: The first phone to use MediaTek’s quad core chip

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 01:41 AM PST

Last month we told you about MediaTek’s new quad core chip, the MT6589. Unlike NVIDIA’s Tegra 4, which has four ARM Cortex A9 cores, or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro, which has four Qualcomm Krait cores, the MT6589 uses ARM’s Cortex A7. What does that mean in plain English? Companies that use the MT6589 will be legitimately allowed to say that their devices have a quad core chip inside, but the benchmarks show that said chip is barely faster than a one year old dual core Snapdragon S4.

So who is going to be the first to use this new deceptively marketed piece of silicon? According to Engadget and C|Net, the answer is Alcatel. That’s not a company one typically associates with high quality devices, but that’s partly due to the fact that most Alcatel devices are sold in China. In fact, Alcatel isn’t even Alcatel, it’s a Chinese company called TCL that acquired the rights to use the Alcatel brand quite a number of years ago.

Will you be able to buy this device in the United State or Europe? That’s a tricky question to answer. It’s notoriously difficult to find products with MediaTek chips outside a handful of countries (China, India, Russia). We think it has something to do with patents, but we can’t confirm that. That being said, Qualcomm announced their own quad core Cortex A7 chip called the MSM8x26. There’s a much better chance of that thing showing up in our neck of the woods.

Should you even buy one of these quad core chips just to say you have a quad core phone? We’re going to say no, but at the same time we recognize that marketing works. Even if it’s shady, it sill lures people in to make a purchase.

Save your pennies and buy a Galaxy S III.

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Galaxy S4 press release image reportedly leaked already

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 01:36 AM PST

galaxy-s4-press-release-render-1

Just earlier today we told you that the Galaxy S4 will make an appearance at CES 2013, at least behind closed doors, and now we're going to show you a first leaked press image of the device.

Yes, it's not official, and yes, we're advising you to take everything with a grain of salt. We've seen the same scenario last year when countless Galaxy S3 leaked images made their way to the web well ahead the official announcement of the flagship handset. And we expect to see the same thing happen this year.

Naturally, there's always a chance that one of these pictures is real, which is why we're looking at it in the first place. Sam Mobile says the image is coming from a Samsung insider that claims to have access to even more images, although just the one above is available.

In case the handset in the image is indeed real, the Galaxy S4 could feature a larger edge-to-edge display and will come without a Home button.

Previous reports would confirm the fact the Galaxy S4 is expected to offer users a larger display – a 5-inch Super AMOLED Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution is rumored for the device. Other features include 2GHz quad-core Exynos 5450 processor, Mali-T658 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. But, just like with the image above, nothing is confirmed yet.

What do you think about this Galaxy S4 render?

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Motorola confirms Jelly Bean update for Droid Razr and Razr Maxx coming in Q1 2013

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 01:31 AM PST

motorola-droid-razr-JB

Some lucky owners of the Droid Razr and Razr Maxx received an early Jelly Bean surprise from Verizon last Christmas, while the rest are still waiting for the non-buggy update to hit their device.

As per Motorola's software upgrade schedule, we know that Jelly Bean is guaranteed to come to the two handsets this year. Now, we're hearing that Moto will roll out the Android 4.1 software update for the Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx in Q1 2013.

The confirmation was posted on Moto's Facebook page. It's not as specific as we're sure some would like, but it's better than the previous timeline. We do hope that the update will come early in the quarter and not at the end of March.

If you don't want to wait that long, you can always make the jump manually, though be warned that the Jelly Bean ROM that folks were getting last week is apparently still full of bugs.

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Leak: ZTE to introduce a 5.7 inch 720p quad core phablet called the P945

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 12:54 AM PST

Large phones are something you’re going to be seeing a lot of this year. We all laughed at Samsung when they introduced the 5.3 inch Galaxy Note back in 2011, but man, we fell head over heels with the 5.5 inch Note II just a short year later. Rumor has it that the next Note is going to have an even larger 6.3 inch screen! The rest of the industry has started to take notice. Photos of Huawei’s 6.1 inch Asend Mate are floating around the internet, and now there’s news of a new device from ZTE called the P945.

According to @evleaks, who is a Twitter user you should definitly follow if you want to know about the latest gear before it’s officially announced, the P945 is going to be a 5.7 inch phablet with a 720p screen, quad core processor, and a massive 3,000 mAh battery. It has an 8 megapixel camera, and right now it’s China only, but there’s a good chance it’ll be sold throughout the rest of the world.

Do we see any reason to recommend this thing over a similar product from a more recognizable brand such as HTC or Samsung? Not really. ZTE is known for essentially taking Samsung’s ideas, copying them really fast, and then pricing the resulting products at a discounted rate. The thing is, whenever this phone comes out during the first half of 2013, the Note II will be that much cheaper, especially if one buys it used.

And hey, if you don’t like these giant phones, well … we’re sad to say this, but you’re a bit screwed. The HTC M7 is said to have a 4.7 inch 1080p screen, which is rumor we have a hard time believing, but if it’s indeed true then that means it’s going to be the smallest phone to be announced in 2013.

Isn’t that crazy? When did 4.7 inches become small?

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be at CES next week, but behind closed doors

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 12:24 AM PST

The Consumer Electronics Show is going to kick off in just a handful of days and the excitement in the air is palpable. We’re probably not going to see the best Android smartphones of 2013 announced at the event, but there will still be be a ton of interesting devices from “other” handset makers like Huawei, ZTE, and Sony. The big boys, and we’re talking HTC and Samsung here, typically wait till either Mobile World Congress in February, or they simply host their own event so they can get as much press attention as possible.

We’re going to call it right now, the next Samsung Galaxy will not be announced next week, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be at the convention center. According to a report from the South Korean website MT, the Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Jay Lee, will be at CES showing off the Galaxy S4 to people behind closed doors. The report says it’ll have a 5 inch 1080p AMOLED display and it’ll be powered by the ARM Cortex A15 packing Exynos 5440. Sadly, no other details were given.

Now before you get all giddy and excited, we just want to say that this sort of thing happens all the time. You may think CES is a place where companies announce things, but in reality it’s a venue where business gets done. Jay Lee is likely going to meet with several of his partners to show them the progress that’s been made on the S4. HTC is likely going to do the same thing, and so is Nokia. Everyone is at CES, so it’s just convenient to have these kind of meetings.

When are we actually expecting to see the GS4 get announced? Rumors say April, but that’s always subject to change. We actually prefer Samsung’s approach, where they hold off on announcing something until it’s just about to ship. More companies should strive to do that.

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Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to be demoed at CES, but will it end up in 2013 devices?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:46 PM PST

Chances are you’ve heard about Gorilla Glass, the product that Corning makes so that handset manufactures can create devices that don’t break when you drop them, but did you know that the first smartphone to use Gorilla Glass was the 2007 iPhone? These days, you can find Gorilla Glass in a majority of devices on store shelves. When Corning announced their Q3 2012 financial results back in October, they said there were over 1 billion devices using Gorilla Glass on the market. That’s not an insignificant number.

The latest version of Gorilla Glass, dubbed Gorilla Glass 2, was announced at CES 2012. It was basically the same thing as the original version, but 20% thinner. Now Corning says they’re going to show off Gorilla Glass 3 at CES next week. According to Engadget, this time the company is going to focus on scratch resistance. It’ll be three times more resistant to scratches than Gorilla Glass 2, it’ll reduce visible scratches by 40%, and the glass is said to be 50% stronger after sustaining some damage.

The real question is when will we see this show up in retail devices? It took about half a year after the announcement of Gorilla Glass 2 for us to see it in devices from Acer and ASUS. We could very well see the same pattern repeating this year.

Does Samsung use Gorilla Glass? Yes, at least according to Corning themselves, but Samsung doesn’t like to make a big deal out of it. In fact, most companies don’t really mention if their products have Gorilla Glass, which sort of baffles us. Wouldn’t you want to tell your customers that the phone or tablet they’ve just purchased can be manhandled and it isn’t going to break?

Expect to hear more about the third generation of Gorilla Glass in a couple of days. There’s a high probability that a fancy video will be uploaded to YouTube showing off everything the glass is capable of doing.

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1 in 10 of all Android devices are running Jelly Bean; Gingerbread still dominates

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:06 PM PST

Every two weeks, Google posts a chart on their Android Developer pages that shows what kind of devices have been accessing the Google Play Store. They’ve been doing this for a while now, and many analysts, such as Sameer Singh, have used the data to build charts showing adoption rates for various versions of Google’s mobile platform. This latest information shows something quite surprising. Android 4.1 and 4.2, both of which are known as Jelly Bean, is apparently installed on 9.0% and 1.2% of devices respectively. In other words, 1 out of every 10 Android devices that access Google’s services are running the latest version of the operating system. Considering that Jelly Bean landed just six months ago, this is quite an achievement.

Another significant milestone is the fact that Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which is soon going to turn 25 months old, is now on less than 50% of Android devices. We can’t tell you how long we’ve been waiting to see this happen. Yes, Gingerbread is still on a majority of Android phones, but the numbers are finally starting to shrink at a meaningful rate.

We know we’ve been sounding like a broken for a while now, but the message bears repeating: Google needs to start taking more control of Android and figure out how to push updates without operators interfering. That might anger some of you open source hippies who think everything should be free and unicorn-like, but you’ve got to understand that Google is a corporation who cares about one thing and one thing only: profit.

While we’re on the subject of Android, when are we going to see the next version of that platform? Google I/O is taking place in May this year, but our gut says we’re going to have to wait until the end of the summer to get all the details about Key Lime Pie.

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Android and Me

Android and Me


Archos TV Connect brings the full Android experience to your TV

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:47 PM PST

In a world where Google TV has never really caught on and the latest Android powered gaming systems don’t really offer a true Android experience, you’d think someone would be able to deliver an “Android powered smart TV providing the full Android ecosystem.” Say hello to...

Visit our site to read the full article.

Rumor: HTC M7 to feature on-screen buttons, set to debut at CES

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST

The HTC M7 is expected to be the device which returns HTC to its former glory. The first time we heard about the phone was when news broke that HTC was sourcing enough components from its suppliers to build 4 to 5 million HTC M7s in the first quarter of 2013. While HTC typically [...]

Visit our site to read the full article.

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


Facebook Messenger updated with voice messaging, VoIP calls also being tested

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:32 PM PST

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Facebook Messenger is receiving a sizeable update this evening, introducing thumb-happy texters into the world of real voice messaging (that thing you used to use a phone for). Now, jumping into the application and pressing on the “+” icon will pull up the usual set of messaging attachments with “Record Voice” being the newest option. The recipient can then listen to the recorded message at their leisure (this isn’t push-to-talk).

While some would likely speculate this is Facebook challenging apps like Voxer I must say, sound quality isn’t anywhere near the clarity of Voxer. Facebook Messenger voice messages sound like your typical cellular gibberish. Pity. Still, there’s no beating it if you’ve got your hands full and need to quickly respond to a Facebook buddy.

There’s also talk that Facebook is dabbling in VoIP capabilities for Facebookers in Canada, allowing users to place calls using their phone’s data connection as opposed to cellular voice minutes. Neato. Expect it to arrive stateside in the near future.

[Facebook Messenger on Google Play | via TechCrunch]

Corning announces Gorilla Glass 3 to be demoed at CES 2013

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:44 PM PST

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CES is coming just around the bend and we’re already seeing a flood of announcements from companies not wanting to get lost in mayhem that is Las Vegas. When it comes to smartphone protection, Corning is already sending out press releases for their next iteration of Gorilla Glass, the aptly titled Gorilla Glass 3.

Last year, Corning showed off Gorilla Glass 2 on the show room floor, promising displays 20% thinner, while providing the same level of protection as their initial offering. With Gorilla Glass 3, Corning is promising a glass material even tougher than before (that’s not saying too much). We’re sure to see demos of knives going at smartphone screens with extreme prejudice. Course, as we all know — you can’t intentionally scratch smartphone glass, it only happens when you’re not looking.

Want to convince me your glass is durable? Place it inside my girl friend’s purse for 1 day and watch it come out looking like a ice rink after a long hockey game. Women. Amirite, guys?

Android 4.0+ now on 40% of all Android devices

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:04 PM PST

Well, folks, it looks like Gingerbread is finally starting to make a steady descent into the ranks of the obsolete. Well… there’s still a long way to go, but progress is progress! The percentage of Android devices on Gingerbread has finally dipped below 50%. Only about 47.4% of devices remain on the increasingly archaic platform, and while that’s still a heft number considering the hundreds of millions of devices floating about, we have to acknowledge that progress is progress.

Froyo, Donut and Eclair all took hits in this two week period ending January 3rd, but it wasn’t enough to write home about. Cupcake has been exiled from the list altogether, and while it provided some good memories back in the days when the HTC Magic and Dream were the only Android devices available I can’t say I’ll miss it at all.

The future looks bright, though, as the most modern versions of Android — those running 4.0 and higher — make up nearly 40% of the pie. Specifically, Ice Cream Sandwich is now on 29.1% of all devices, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is on 9% of all devices, and Android 4.2 is on 1.2% of all devices. It’s tough to realize that Android 4.1 never hit double digits before Android 4.2 launched, but hopefully this’ll play out like the quick jumps between Android 2.3 to 2.3.3, and from Android 2.0.1 to Android 2.1 did.

Regardless, most are happy to finally be on the new and improved Holo UI and take advantage of all the 4.0+ exclusive apps that have been sprinkled throughout the Google Play Store as of late. Unless Google slows down to a yearly update schedule then the problem of fragmentation will never die (even that isn’t certain), and that’s just something we’re going to have to learn to live with, folks. Take a look at the breakdown above.

[via Android Developers]

First Look: OUYA Developer Console unboxing [PICS]

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 02:33 PM PST

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Visit OUYAboards.com for the largest independent community of OUYA enthusiasts!

The OUYA has a lot riding on it. As the world’s first Android-powered gaming console, it seems countless “me too” consoles are just now coming out of the woodwork. Still, it’s hard to compete with the sheer amount of backing the OUYA has received from big name game publishers around the world.

As official backers (and believers) of the console since its inception, Phandroid and GameFans are two of the first in world to get our hands on the recently shipped OUYA Developer Console — an early dev kit sent to developers so they can ensure their games are compatible with the console (and gamepad) at launch. Here’s what we found inside the little black box.

Console

The completely black box had a slick black engraving of “OUYA DEVS” with the nice message of “Thanks for believing…” and the company URL. The first thing you see when opening the box is a thank you letter, leaving you with a warm and fuzzy feeling of being part of something at the ground level.

The console itself is teeny tiny, made of plastic, but still pretty darn solid. Much of that sturdy feel comes from the cubed shape and although the “I can see your guts” clearness detracts a bit from the sturdy feel, it’s a pretty cool design for a developer exclusive.

On the top right you’ll notice four obviously placed screws: that’s so  you can easily crack it open and mod the hardware yourself. Oh yeah OUYA… that’s that’s the Android spirit!

Gamepad

The look and feel of the controller matched that of the console: plastic but sturdy, aethetically pleasing, and seemingly functional. All the buttons felt like that off top quality console, except for the power button on the console itself. The touchscreen is an interesting… touch, but we’re holding off judgement until it’s time to play some games and use some apps that leverage it’s capabilities.

The look of the buttons is nothing short of completely sweet and it pulls together the look, feel, and sound of the OUYA name. The battery covers, located in the handles, were a bit hard to pull off but after that first time cracking them open it was no problemo. There won’t be much to share until games start launching but we’re going to plug this bad boy in and start rocking away.

We’ll be back soon with more… but in the meantime:

Seeder app claims to remove any and all lag from rooted Android devices – Does it work?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:58 PM PST

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Lag. It’s something we could all definitely live without. With all these new high-powered quad-core processors hitting the market, you may have noticed that no matter how powerful your device, there’s still a half second (or longer) of time spent waiting for an app to open. I figured this had more to do with slow memory than processing power, but apparently it could also be something else altogether. One dev from XDA went on a search to find out what caused Android lag and cure it forever.

What he found was that 90% of Android’s lag was caused by a “limited entropy pool” and cooked up a simple app to seemingly eliminate all lag found on a device when opening bigger, memory intensive applications like Facebook, Chrome, Maps, etc.. The app — which can be downloaded from either the original post on XDA or from Google Play — is compatible with all Android versions, and all Android devices.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to give the app a spin as I’m currently unrooted (gasp!), but this is as good a reason as any to find a nice toolkit. That is, if we aren’t looking at nothing more than placebo here. Let me know if you guys notice any speed increases.

Thanks, @JonathanMallett!

[via XDA | Google Play]

My Galaxy Note 2 suffered a 20-foot drop…

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:42 PM PST

…and it came out 100% fine thanks to that case up above. It’s not often you get a chance to test out the claims of a protective case, but I had the unfortunate opportunity to find out that my choice — a generic metal bumper case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 — lives up to expectations.

Many people like to “go naked” and risk their phones’ protection in order to enjoy their natural good looks. I’m one of those people, but as clumsy as I am (Rob and the rest of the gang know all about it) I knew I had to protect this $750 investment at all times.

I hate full body cases, so I opted for a bumper instead. I knew it could absorb impact well due to its metal body, and the .25 centimeter-thick buffer on either side of the bumper and every corner of the device meant there was a high chance my device could survive first impact no matter which corner or side hit first.

Cases with shock buffering are nothing new, of course, but it’s the height at which I dropped it, and the surface it smacked against — face down on cold, hard concrete — that surprised me. I got the case for minor drops (no less than about 3 feet and no higher than about 5.9 feet) so when this 5.5 inch beast came tumbling out of my pocket, over a railing and hurdled face first into concrete I was all but certain I’d lost nearly a month’s worth of rent in just a few short seconds.

While I don’t mean for this to be a review of the case in question (you can buy it here if you’re interested anyway), my real message is for those who feel like desecrating their phones with cases is silly. Take it from someone who planned on treating this thing like a baby for at least the next year — the peace of mind and added protection certainly is worth the girth. The case didn’t fare well post-impact, but I’ll only need to shell out another $30 as opposed to $750, and it’s one repurchase that I won’t hesitate to make at all.

Motorola says Jelly Bean coming to all Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX users in Q1 2013

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

After a select group of Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX users received a Christmas gift in the form of Android 4.1.2, the update ceased without explanation. We can’t say for sure why Motorola halted the software upgrade, but we now have confirmation that Motorola plans to deliver Jelly Bean to all users of the RAZR and RAZR MAXX sometime in Q1 of this year.

The news was posted to the comments section of a post touting Jelly Bean for the Droid RAZR M on the Motorola Facebook page. No specifics were offered as to when exactly in Q1 we can expect to see the Android 4.1 update begin anew. We’re in Q1 now, so Jelly Bean could touch down as soon as tomorrow or as late as March. Let’s hope the latter isn’t the case.

If a major bug was discovered at the last minute, it could be a while before we see the update reach handsets. On the other hand, if the software only needed a few minor tweaks expect it much sooner.

[via Facebook | Thanks, Dave!]

5.5 inch LG Optimus G2 coming to CES? [VIDEO]

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:42 PM PST

We’ve heard about a lot of great new devices making their way to CES next week, but things have been a bit quiet from LG’s camp. That was, of course, until DigiTimes claims to have word that LG will launch a 5.5 inch superphone at the global trade show. The company is said to be launching a follow-up to the LG Optimus G.

Simply dubbed “LG Optimus G2,” this new device looks to challenge Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 even more with its 5.5-inch HD display (no word on resolution) and a quad-core Qualcomm S4 Prime processor. LG definitely seems to be prepping for a big unveil as it has launched a teaser video showing quick close-ups of a device that was too obscured to make out. Well… like all devices in the past 5 years it seems to be rectangular, but that’s all that we can tell about it for sure.

The :20 mark of the video above shows the mystery device sitting on a showcase tower, and some have reason to believe that the space beneath it is holding up a possible tablet dock ala the ASUS Padfone 2. That’s just pure speculation, though, so don’t read too deeply into that right now. Just know that LG will be looking to steal the show in Vegas next week, and they could be walking away with some nice “best of” honors if other smartphone OEM players don’t show up with anything compelling.

Phandroid is headed to CES, of course, and you can bet LG will be one of our first stops to bring you a first hand look at everything the South Korean electronics manufacturer has to offer. Be sure to stick around all throughout CES week for the goods. PS: LG, I totally forgive you for this teaser that looks like it was inspired from 1980s flea market commercials.

[via DigiTimesp]

YouTube remote control not just a Google TV feature anymore

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

Last November Google introduced an update to its YouTube app that allows users to remotely control video playback on their Google TV devices. Debuting at CES, the feature will soon be available on even more smart TVs, regardless of whether or not they run Google’s Android-based platform.

Google has announced that it is partnering with smart TV manufacturers including Sony, Panasonic, Bang & Olufsen, and LG to bring the experience to even more living rooms in 2013. Those companies will be showing off their latest sets, which will feature the latest version of YouTube’s app for the big screen (complete with 1080p playback), at CES next week. Later in the year we can expect the trend to continue with companies like Samsung, Sharp, and Vizio.

Using the app paired with a TV, users can watch a video on their HD set while easily searching for the next on their smartphone, all uninterrupted. You can even queue up entire playlists.

Does the move suggest Google will be moving further away from their own Google TV and instead focusing on a more integrated experience with other platforms? That’s doubtful Google loves ubiquity, even if it means a killer feature or app my not be exclusively theirs. Regardless, YouTube is making itself right at home in the living room.

[via Google]

Be glad this early Android mascot didn’t make the cut

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 10:57 AM PST

The little green robot we have all come to know as the official mascot of Android may never have been if a few folks at Google didn’t come to their senses. Pictured here is Googler Dan Morrill’s early representation for Android, designed to coincide with an in-house launch of the fledgling mobile OS back in 2007. “I had no eye candy for the slides we were putting together. Hence these guys,” Morrill relayed via his Google+ page.

Yikes. Could you imagine these colorful and zany robots (which look like demented bottles of ketchup and mustard) adorning the lawn of Building 44, appearing in TV commercials, and hiding out behind the screens of our smartphones? We doubt Morrill ever intended to see the characters through launch, however. At the time, most probably didn’t even realize the dominant platform Android would become in just a few short years.

Me, I’ll take Bugdroid munching away on Ice Cream Sandwiches and Jelly Beans over these so-called “Dandroids” any day. How about you?

[via MobileSyrup]

 

 

Sony Xperia Z pricing revealed?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 09:59 AM PST

All of Sony’s big surprises seem to be getting used up ahead of its official CES showing, but we’re not mad at all. After learning that the Sony Yuga would become the Sony Xperia Z, we got an early look at the press shots of this great looking phone. Now, less than a week away from its grand unveiling, we’ve learned how much it’ll cost… well, over in Thailand, at least.

It’s said the unlocked device will retail for about 19,900 Thai Baht, which works out to about $655 here in America. That’s par for the course when it comes to high-end smartphones these days, though we assume Sony will tweak the price more appropriately for each individual market the device happens to launch in.

This 5 inch, 1080p smartphone will look to challenge “hungry man” sized offerings from the likes of HTC and Samsung. Inside will be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro, a quad-core masterpiece of a chipset that many will enjoy for quite some time coming. It’s said to be coming with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in tow, and Sony’s user interface will look to sit on top and enjoy the ride.

We shouldn’t be heading too far into the Spring months before seeing the Sony Xperia Z take the world by storm, but we won’t know for sure until Sony unleashes the official details upon us at CES next week.

[SonyXP via GSMArena]

2013 Audit: what’s going on with Google Voice?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 09:11 AM PST

Once upon a time, no one could quit talking about Google Voice. It was the hot “in” of 2011, and with features like full carrier integration and a possible future for VoIP features it looked poise to become the next great Google service. Things like a dedicated Google Voice number, the ability to use the service for voicemail, SMS and MMS messages and more all would have looked nice on paper coupled with Google Talk’s ability to call phones.

But things have pretty much come to a screeching halt as we head into 2013. Perhaps the Google Voice team figured we wouldn’t be here by now, what with the world supposed to have been ending on December 21st, and all. Whatever the case may be, it doesn’t appear to be a significant priority for Google. A couple of different things might be to blame here.

For starters, carrier acceptance might be harder than Google initially anticipated. Sprint remains the only carrier who offers full, deep integration of Google Voice with its services. That doesn’t mean the service is useless to those who prefer Verizon, AT&T or others, but we’re sure users wouldn’t mind being afforded the same options.

Earlier in 2012, I speculated that carriers resisted deals for full Google Voice integration to make sure Google couldn’t undercut their own premium services. I can’t say with 100% certainty that is the case, but what other reason does every carrier but Sprint have for not wanting to strike deals with Google?

Another reason Google might not be pushing Google Voice forward any more than it did in 2011 could be due to a potential lack of a user-base. There’s no telling how many people are still using Google Voice, but recent rumors from Mountain View allege that underutilized services, like Google Reader, are always in danger of being given the axe.

If Google Voice’s user-base has dipped significantly since its popularity peaked in 2011 then we could be looking at a similar situation. It’s hard to believe that Google Voice might not be as popular as the sun anymore, but nothing lasts forever.

On the Android side of things, the app hasn’t gotten a significant upgrade in months. The most notable activity was earlier in 2012 when Google redesigned the app to fit in with the Holo crowd, but considering almost all its apps got that treatment then it’s nothing particularly special. The most recent upgrades by Google have been fixes for critical bugs, such as missed or delayed SMS messages and voicemail.

Perhaps Google feels the service is right where it needs to be, but tons of folks in the Google Play Store beg to differ. We’re still without the ability to properly send MMS messages. Whether or not it’s technically possible is a whole different story, but without a full suite of standard messaging features and comforting reliability you are going to have a hard time convincing folks that Google Voice can totally complement (if not replace) their carrier’s voicemail and texting options. It’s 2013, Google, and we want to see some significant progress on Google Voice.

Does a Samsung Tizen phone in 2013 signal a shift away from Android?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 08:19 AM PST

Samsung has confirmed for Bloomberg Businessweek that it intends to ship not one, but multiple Tizen-based smartphones this year. The phones, which would rely on a platform that shares much of its DNA with the abandoned Samsung pet project Bada OS, won’t be scheduled for a wide release, but their impact on the Korean company’s mobile strategy could be far-reaching.

In September of last year, rumors emerged that a Tizen smartphone might launch under the Galaxy brand, a line of devices that has featured Android exclusively while carving out a sizable market share for Samsung. While there is no confirmation that upcoming handsets will earn the Galaxy moniker, the thought that Samsung might initiate a slow retreat from Android isn’t all that farfetched.

More likely, however, is a continued partnership between Google and Samsung for years to come, though Samsung might be making small moves, such as the introduction of Tizen-based devices, to distance their reliance on the open source platform. Think of Tizen as more of an experiment for Samsung, limited to Asian markets and without a lot riding on its success. If it catches on, Samsung could release more devices in more regions. If it’s a flop, well there’s always future Galaxy models to look forward to.

BGR posits one intriguing possibility: Samsung could adopt an Amazon-esque strategy in which the company would develop a forked version of Android, an operating system based on Google’s but customized to a larger degree and following its own update schedule. In this case, Samsung would be looking to create an ecosystem to go with their devices, much like Amazon’s Kindle line.

But even that seems unlikely. It’s risky at best. Not with the foundation Samsung has already built with Android. So it’s a fair question to ask if Samsung is looking to move away from Android, but while there may be small signs in the meantime we likely won’t know the full extent of things until much further down the road.

Sprint to bring PAYG service starting January 25th?

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 07:45 AM PST

For many years now, Sprint has pushed customers looking to get affordable PAYG rates to one of its subsidiaries, Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile USA. While that strategy has worked out fine enough in the past, it looks like the Now Network will look to keep more PAYG fans under its own banner as new rumors suggest Sprint will look to launch the flexible, more affordable plans sometime this year.

Android Police gathered early training materials which suggest a PAYG service will launch under Sprint starting January 25th, and of the four phones that will be available to start we should expect at least two Android phones. One will be the $150 LG Optimus Elite, while Samsung’s Galaxy Victory will come in as the most expensive offering at $250.

Smartphone plans will begin at $70 per month, and will include unlimited voice, unlimited texting and unlimited data. Voice roaming and 1XTT data roaming are available as well, but 3G data roaming will not be offered for PAYG customers. All smartphones will be eligible for total equipment protection, and those who want extra services like mobile hotspot, international roaming and more will need to put those charges on separate credit cards as they cannot be tied in with the monthly bill.

Oh, and if you’re thinking about gaming the system with a “bring your own phone” mentality, guess again: Sprint will be creating brand new SKUs for its PAYG-eligible devices, so if you want in on this service then you’re going to have to buy one that’s branded “Sprint As You Go.” That’s not too surprising, but worth noting anyway.

Also, as you’d expect, the plans will not be eligible for any sort of corporate discounts or rebates.  ’Tis the cost of wanting to be freed from the tight chains of the wireless industry, though. The beauty is that you can leave whenever you want at no cost, so if you try it out and decide it’s not right for you the you can just pick up shop and give it a go with the many other options available to you. We’ll see if Sprint has anything to say about this come CES week.

LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 shows Verizon support in FCC filing

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 06:58 AM PST

Verizon could soon round out its selection of Galaxy tablets with Samsung’s bigger brother to their Galaxy Note smartphone. An LTE-enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 has passed through the FCC complete with support for Band 13 and Band 4, the 4G frequencies in tune with Verizon’s network. The setup differs from that of a previously spied LTE Galaxy Note 10.1, which did not feature compatibility with any US carriers.

Both companies have yet to announce any plans for the device’s release, but that could change soon. It wouldn’t be farfetched to see the slate on Verizon’s shelves, anyway. Is this the sort of thing that could warrant a quiet CES announcement? Perhaps. We’ll keep our ear to the ground.

[via Engadget]