Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Android Authority

Android Authority


Rogers rolls out Jelly Bean to Samsung Galaxy S2 LTE via Kies

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 01:52 AM PST

Galaxy-S2-LTE-Jelly-Bean

After being delayed for a couple of times, Rogers said last month that the Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S2 LTE will be pushed out in late February. It looks like the carrier is going to deliver on its word this time around.

In fact, the Jelly Bean firmware is reportedly already on its way to the Galaxy S2 LTE. Rogers hasn't posted the information on its website yet, but some users have reported that the software package is available to download and install via Kies. We’re not sure for now whether it’ll be available via OTA as well.

What owners can look forward to seeing on their Galaxy S2 LTE soon isn't the latest version of Jelly Bean, as it'll only bump the device up to Android 4.1.2. But hey, it's the same version that the Galaxy S3 is sporting.

Got the update yet? Let us know in the comments below how smooth Jelly Bean runs on your trusty Galaxy S2 LTE.

High rez press photo of the HTC One leaks just hours before the unveiling [Update]

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 01:23 AM PST

Update: a video of what appeared to be the HTC One briefly went live on YouTube. Published by MobileGeeks.de, the video was soon made private, but from the accounts of those who have watched it, this leaked press shot is genuine.

What you’re looking at below is a press photo of the new HTC One that’s going to be announced in roughly 12 hours. In case you’ve been living a rock, the HTC One will be HTC’s premier Android flagship phone for the first half of 2013. It’s set to have a 4.7 inch 1080p display, quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera, and allegedly a teeny tiny 2,300 mAh battery.

Click the image for full resolution.

Click the image for full resolution.

The image, which comes from the French website NoWhereElse, looks legitimate. The site has proven to be accurate in the past regarding rumors, so we think this is the real deal. And if it’s a fake … well, we’ll know what the official HTC One looks like in half a day.

While we’re on the subject of the One, it’s important to point out a few of things. Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Samsung. They’re going to hold an event on the 14th of March to unveil the brand spanking new Galaxy S4. That means there’s a good chance that we’ll know everything there is to know about the S4 before HTC even has a chance to bring the One to market. That’s going to hurt sales, a lot.

The next big topic of contention is HTC’s track record. They announced the One X in February 2012, updated it by announcing the One X+ eight months later in October, and then two months after that they unveiled the 1080p Butterfly. That’s three “flagship” phones in the span of one year. How long will the One be the cock of the walk? Six months? Less?

And let’s also not forget about Sense. It’s an Android UI skin that’s extremely polarizing. You either love it or you hate it. This writer falls into the latter camp, and whenever he admits that in public, HTC fanbois come to his front door with baseball bats.

We’re going to be in New York covering the announcement of the One, so make sure you come back here in a few hours. If not, let’s just say we have baseball bats too.

Samsung unveils a Galaxy Camera that lacks a SIM card slot, making it cheaper

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:58 AM PST

galaxycam Image Credit: Pocket-lint

We’re about a week away from Mobile World Congress, and Samsung has thus far announced five new devices. The first forth are not even worth talking about, the REX feature phones that look like Galaxy phones, but the fifth one is slightly more interesting. It’s basically the Galaxy Camera we all know and love, except that it doesn’t have a SIM card slot. In other words, it’s a WiFi only Galaxy Camera. This one line from Samsung’s press release is all you need to read:

“The GALAXY Camera (Wi-Fi) has all of the innovative and practical features that the GALAXY Camera offers but without a 3G/4G connection.”

When is this thing going to hit the market? We have no idea. How much cheaper is it going to be compared to the model with cellular connectivity? Samsung doesn’t say. Should you buy this thing? Not really.

Look, we appreciate Samsung entering new product categories, and the connected camera category is certainly an interesting one, but it’s early days. Similar to how the second generation Note fixed just about everything that was wrong with the original, we expect the exact same thing to happen with the Galaxy Camera. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Galaxy Camera II get announced at some point during the latter half of this year.

What else can we expect to see from Samsung before February comes to a close? There are rumors floating around that there will be an 8 inch Galaxy Note/Tab, but other than that … we’re not that sure. Samsung is going to host their own event on the 14th of March to show off the Galaxy S4, so next month is when all the exciting stuff should be announced.

Leaked: Xiaomi Mi2 gets dipped in white

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:53 AM PST

Xiaomi-Mi-Two

Some things look better in white, but whether or not this applies to the Xiaomi Mi2 – here’s a pic of the phone donning a new white outfit to speak for itself.

If you're wondering what's so special about the leaked picture below, this is the first time we see the Mi2 with a white faceplate. While the quad-core phone comes in a variety of colorful shades, white included, they all have a black front frame.

white-xiaomi-mi2

Not that Xiaomi is having any problem selling the Mi2, but it’s never a bad idea to refresh your product every now and then to give customers more options. Unfortunately, it's still unclear for now when the company is going to bring the white model out – if ever.

For those who need a refresher, the Xiaomi Mi2 sports a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.3-inch HD IPS display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2MP HD front cam, a 2,000mAh battery, and customized Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The phone carries a $320 price tag in China, but the price can reach over $450 elsewhere.

Are you a fan of the white-front Mi2 (or any other phone for that matter)?

More active Android and iOS users in China than in the USA

Posted: 19 Feb 2013 12:49 AM PST

china androidAny smartphone and tablet company that thinks it can ignore China is wrong! Traditionally, due to its comparative wealth and size, the USA has been the key market for smartphones and tablets. However new data is showing that as of February 2013, China has more active Android and iOS smartphone and tablet users than the USA.

Go back two years and the situation was like this. The USA had around 60 million  active Android and iOS users while China had only a couple of million (very small for such a very large country). However, China has seen tremendous growth and by January 2012 it had reached around 60 million users. But the USA also grew and in the same twelve months, from January 2011 to January 2012, the number of active Android and iOS users in the USA rocketed to around 160 million. But fast forward to today and although the USA has grown to around 230 million users, China has grown even faster. By the end of February 2013 it is estimated that China will have 246 million active devices.

Companies like Amazon are quite US centric. Devices like the Kindle Fire didn’t make it into Europe until almost a year after it was released in the USA. Even today there are certain Kindle Fire devices which aren’t available outside the USA. Others like Samsung and Apple are more international and both companies have significant sales in China, as well as in Europe and the rest of the world.

SmartDevice_InstalledBase_China_vs_US_Feb2013-resized-600

The usage data comes from Flurry, which is a mobile analytics company. To estimate the number of active users the company, which collects some 2 terabytes of data per day, tracked anonymous, aggregated application sessions from more than 275,000 apps. From this data Flurry estimates that it can reliably measure activity across more than 90% of the world's smart devices.

It is unlikely that the U.S. will take back the lead from China, mainly because of the vast difference in the populations: China has over 1.3 billion people while the U.S. has just over 310 million. Other than India, which currently doesn’t have a thriving smartphone or tablet market, there are no other countries that could challenge China’s dominance.  The country with the most active users, after China and the USA, is the UK followed by South Korea, Japan, Germany and France. However the combined total number of users in these countries is just 152 million.

In short, it could be China’s market trends that drive the models and pricing of future devices more than the USA!

O2 UK to start offering the Xperia E in March

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 10:39 PM PST

Xperia-E

Sony launched its two budget models, the Xperia E and Xperia E Dual, last December in the UK. While the dual model has gone on sale in the country for a few weeks, the E is still nowhere to be seen, even though it was initially expected to hit stores in February.

The latest we hear of its availability is that the Sony Xperia E will only be up for grabs starting in March.

You should be able to get the Xperia E next month from O2. Unfortunately, we can't give you the pricing details just yet, since the mobile operator hasn't shared them. Meanwhile, the Xperia E will also be coming to Carphone Warehouse at around the same time.

Aside from the dual SIM capability, the Xperia E and Xperia E Dual are but one and the same. They both sport a 3.5-inch display with 320 x 480 resolution, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage with microSD slot, 3.2MP main camera, a 1,530mAh battery, and Android 4.0 ICS – though there’s a good chance that it will ship with Jelly Bean instead.

Deal alert: Amazon offers Sprint’s Galaxy Note 2 for $70

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:20 PM PST

Sprint-Galaxy-Note-2

It's that time of year again when phone makers roll out their latest and finest Android offerings. If you're on team Samsung, you probably have the Galaxy S4 — confirmed to be unveiled on March 14 – on the top of your wish list.

For those who don't mind sporting last year's flagship device, such as the Galaxy Note 2, here’s an offer that might interest you.

It was just a few days ago that we told you about a special deal that Amazon has for Sprint's Galaxy Note 2. If the $100 on contract pricing didn't quite grab your attention then, the online retailer has dropped the price even further. New Sprint customers can now get the Note 2 for a mere $70 with a contract.

Both the white and titanium variants are up for grabs and can be shipped to your house within 24 hours, provided you don't mind staying with Sprint for the next two years.

Are you going to cave in or wait for the newer Galaxy devices to be revealed first?

Fujitsu’s Android smartphone for grandparents set to go on sale in France

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:01 PM PST

People are having less kids today than they were just a couple of decades ago. Put another way, countries are getting older. Now there’s nothing wrong with old people, one should respect their elders, but today’s gadgets are definitely not meant for them. There are way too many buttons to push, interfaces are confusing, and there’s so much wrong that it kind of makes you feel sad to watch someone old try to use something like the Galaxy S3.

Enter the Raku Raku F–12D, a smartphone made by Fujitsu for the Japanese market. It has an Android skin that can best be described as “Made for Seniors”. The buttons are large, most of Android’s options are removed, and it’s basically a feature phone, but with the power of a modern device. That means there’s a web browser, high resolution camera, and things that cheap feature phones for old people don’t have. Plus, do you honestly think Grandpa wants to pull one of those giant feature phone bricks out of his pocket so he can tell everyone around him that he’s too old to figure out technology?

This phone, the Raku Raku, sounds great, doesn’t it? The French operator Orange thinks so too, which is why they’re going to beging selling the device in France as the Stylistic S01. Expect it to land on store shelves in June. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet.

While we’re on the topic of phones for old people, aren’t today’s phones pretty much just giant screens? Why then doesn’t Samsung or HTC or Sony or anyone else for that matter make a “Grandpa Mode” that when activated simply transforms the UI into something that old people don’t have a problem with? Should be easy enough to do, right? If custom launchers exist, why can’t someone make one for their parents?

Tizen 2.0 screenshots reveal that Samsung’s UI designers are competent

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 08:17 PM PST

When people think Samsung, they think Android, but that would be doing the company a disservice. Samsung has released a handful of devices running Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, but more importantly they’re also working on a brand new operating system with Intel called Tizen. In case you haven’t heard of Tizen, it used to be called MeeGo back when Nokia was working on it a few years ago. But then Nokia gave up on the project, so Samsung took over their work and renamed the OS.

With that out of the way, let’s get to today’s news: The Tizen 2.0 SDK is out, and thanks to SamMobile, we have some screenshots of what it looks like. We’re not going to lie, it’s nice. It’s super nice. The lines are clean, the design is tight, and it kind of reminds us of Nokia’s N9 due to the rounded icons.

When will Samsung announce a device running Tizen? That’s the question everyone is struggling to answer. Assuming for a moment that a Tizen phone is going to hit store shelves this summer, why would a consumer buy one instead of going for a device powered by Android? Don’t people want access to Google’s ecosystem? Don’t people want access to the Google Play Store?

Mobile World Congress is just one week away, so we hope we’ll get some answers there. If not, then there’s always Samsung’s rumored Unpacked event that’s scheduled to take place on the 14th of March. Again, we’re struggling to see why someone would want a Tizen phone instead of an Android phone, so Samsung has to do a good job at communicating why we should care about their new platform.

Why do you think Samsung is working on Tizen? Is it purely to piss off Google by showing them that they can switch OS whenever they please?

Android Authority On Air One Year Anniversary Cruzerlite $150 Giveaway

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 06:34 PM PST

Android Authority on AirThis week is episode number 52 of the Android Authority On Air show. I can’t believe it’s been a year already. Our very first episode took place a year ago, recapping Mobile World Congress 2012. In fact, we did very first Hangout On Air show while they were still in beta on Google+, they weren’t available to everyone. My oh my, how far we’ve come.

We’ve had various show guests from around the Android community such as the ROM team from MIUI.us, Team EOS, and recently Paranoid Android. We’ve had kernel developers such as Francisco Franco of francoKernel and Daniel Charlton of Tiamat. We’ve been joined by the guys behind Goo.im, a popular Android file host. We had the pleasure of chatting with Aaron Krasten about the Big Android BBQ. We geeked out with Russell Holly from geek.com and many, many, friends from the Android community. Thanks Dan, Jon, Jeff, Josh, Kris, other Derek, Todd, Clark, Lindsay other Jon and many, many more.

To help celebrate our milestone, we’ve partnered with Cruzerlite, the popular Android case manufacturer. Cruzerlite makes Androidified TPU cases for many popular Android devices. What’s TPU? TPU is more cut and tear resistant than rubber. It is abrasion resistant, and has a high degree of transparency. This skin is more stiff than silicone skins, but remains flexible. Simply put, these cases are  bad ass, and you want one.

Cruzerlite
Thanks to Cruzerlite, we’re giving away 10 $15 gift cards ($150 in total) redeemable at their Amazon.com shop. How do you enter? Just watch or listen to the show. We know that many of you can’t catch our show live on Google+ or YouTube. We know that many of you download the podcast on SoundCloud or watch the show after it’s been published to YouTube. To accommodate everyone, during the show, we’ll provide a special link to a super secret Rafflecopter entry form. We’ll give everyone a chance to listen to the show all weekend long and then finally choose a winner Sunday night at 8pm EST.

As always, we’ll be live this Thursday night at 8:30pm EST on Google+ and YouTube. You can also find the show (with the contest URL) on SoundCloud, iTunes, RSS and Stitcher Radio.

Thanks everyone for supporting us over this past year. We were the first Android news site to tackle Hangouts On Air and then transform those into a weekly video cast and podcast. We appreciate all of your support and look forward to the next year.

 

Android and Me

Android and Me


Google working on “insanely great” smartphone cameras for future Nexus devices

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 04:05 PM PST

If you ever doubted Google’s commitment to improving the quality of smartphone cameras, doubt no more. Executives are usually careful to dance around wording when it comes to future products, going out of their way to avoid the subject, but in a conversation on Google+ today about...

Visit our site to read the full article.

New Weather Channel app barely resembles terrible predecessor

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 01:47 PM PST

When it comes to checking the weather on your Android phone, the official Weather Channel app is one of the most popular ways. Search “weather” on Google Play; it’s the first app to come up, and it has the most reviews. Unfortunately, it’s never been the best at what it...

Visit our site to read the full article.

Samsung to unveil Galaxy S IV on March 14th?

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:14 AM PST

SamMobile reports that Samsung is scheduled to unveil the Galaxy S IV on March 14th at a press event in New York City. The information comes from Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, who has a decent track record with unannounced smartphones. Previous rumors suggested that Samsung might announce the...

Visit our site to read the full article.

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans


[Update: Ubuntu tablet?] Could HTC also be bringing a tablet to New York City? [PICS]

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 02:11 PM PST

[Update]: And now Canonical is getting in on the fun. The company, which makes open-source Linux-based Ubuntu, has a countdown that curiously ends right at the same time HTC’s event starts, and the caption is “tick, tock, tablet time!” I don’t want to say the connection is obvious, but there it is.

HTC is posting teasers to its social networking accounts more frequently than we can check, and the latest is the most interesting of them all. The company posted a photo of a bunch of devices covered up by cloths on a table. We assume some or all of these are the HTC One, but looking a little closer it’s possible the device on the lower left could be a bit bigger than the others.

The shape of the cloth suggests this could be a tablet of some sort. It certainly seems big enough, though there’s a strong possibility that this is simply two phones sitting side by side. We find it hard to imagine HTC would be preparing a tablet without us knowing about it considering how much the HTC One has been leaked.

The Taiwanese company could just be throwing us off, but it’s something to think about. HTC has been rather playful when it comes to this particular launch. Some of the teasers have been as obvious as life itself and as generic as the sun, while others have been tough to comprehend. The most notable teaser has been an image of a heart wired to a motherboard — it was the creepiest piece of marketing we’ve ever seen, actually. It did its job, though, because it got our attention and HTC has kept us hooked ever since.

We won’t know what to expect for sure until the tech world converges on New York City tomorrow for the festivities. Our own Chris Chavez is shivering like a blind bat without a voice as he sits in an airplane on his way over there, so we’ll be delivering you live coverage of everything HTC has to announce by this time tomorrow. Be sure to circle back tomorrow morning as things kick off around 10am Eastern.

[via Instagram]

Is Sony preparing a 1080p Android 4.2 device called the C6802?

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 01:47 PM PST

A big spotlight still rests on Sony’s head as it prepares to launch the biggest flagship smartphone in the company’s history — the Sony Xperia Z — but it looks like another device might be in the works for an eventual launch later this year. An HTML5 user agent for one Sony C6802 has been spotted, and it details a device that will have a 1080p HD display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

That’s about all we know about it at this point, but we assume it will exist somewhere along the high-end side of the spectrum judging by that high resolution display. We’d guess that the C6802′s specs will read something like the Sony Xperia Z’s tale of the tape, which includes a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera, and more. It’s not polite to assume, though, so we’ll stop right there.

Of course, there’s a possibility that this user agent might not even be real so there’s only so much we can speculate on. While we await something more concrete and full of details, we’ll continue to be jealous of our friends over in France — those folks have already gotten the chance to snap up Sony’s Xperia Z, and the rest of the world has no choice but to look on in eagerness and anticipation as we await its arrival elsewhere

[via XperiaBlog]

HotelTonight update brings tablet UI

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 12:46 PM PST

HotelTonight is one of the more interesting hotel booking apps on Android. The service gets you booked up with a hotel  in under 10 minutes, and it does it while giving you some pretty decent rates. It’s basically geared toward last-minute shoppers who, for one reason or another, couldn’t book a hotel ahead of time. It takes this niche to the extreme by forcing you to book a hotel for rates starting on the night that you’re booking, and some hotels are even limited to maximum stays of one night.

With that all out of the way, you’ll be happy to know that it’s gotten a nice new upgrade over in the Google Play Store. The biggest change today will be the addition of a tablet-specific user interface for those using the service on a bigger screen.

With that added screen real estate comes a cool new collage view so you can view listings in a more beautiful and intuitive format than your typical scrolling list. The app also features both portrait and landscape user interfaces for those who value that preference. It’s sad to have to point that out, but some apps still lock you into one or the other in this day and age so we’ll award them an imaginary blue ribbon for going the full nine yards. Head to the Play Store and get your last-minute booking on for free.

Netgear PTV3000 firmware upgrade brings support for Miracast-equipped Android devices

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 11:01 AM PST

Netgear’s PTV3000 has gotten a new firmware upgrade that will enable some nice functionality for those of you with Miracast-enabled devices. That bunch would include owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, LG Optimus G (with Android 4.0.4 or later), Nexus 4 (with Android 4.2.1 or later), and various Sony Xperia models with Android 4.0.4 or later.

In case you don’t know what Miracast is, it’s a wireless display standard that’ll allow you to throw up a mirrored image of your device’s screen onto your television without the need to hook your phone up using MHL or HDMI. It’s a very nice piece of technology, so if you have one of these PTV3000 units then update it at your earliest convenience and give it a shot. If you don’t have a PTV3000 then now is as good a time as any to think about buying one — look into it for yourself here on Amazon.

[via Engadget]

What’s the next phone worth waiting for? [POLL]

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 10:27 AM PST

It’s an exciting time in the smartphone world. Mobile World Congress kicks off at the end of the month. Samsung is holding an Unpacked event mid March. It looks like the new HTC One (M7) is set to launch March 22nd. Google I/O is coming in May. Heck, even rumors of the next iPhone have started heating up.

With all of these upcoming events and releases, I find myself facing a personal dilemma. I’m eager for an upgrade, but what is the phone worth waiting for? Here is the shortlist:

  • The Samsung Galaxy S IV
  • The HTC One (M7)
  • The ‘X Phone’
  • The next iPhone (5s, 6?) 

Samsung Galaxy S IV: 

I was not a huge Samsung fan until the Galaxy S III. The phone offered great specs and was sexy to boot. The S3 has stood the test of time as it could be argued that it’s still the best all-around phone on the market. The S4 looks to build off of the success of its predecessor with rumored specs including a 4.99-inch (can we just call it 5-inch?) 1080p Super AMOLED display. There are currently conflicting reports on the chipset the next Galaxy will use, be it the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa or Qualcomm Snapdragon S4. Either way Samsung will sell boatloads of these when it launches sometime after the rumored mid-May launch event. 

The HTC One (M7)

Build quality has been a hallmark of HTC and made me a fan of their phones. The HTC One X is a high point in smartphone design. The company’s trademark Sense UI adopts a new modern look for version 5.0, a look I find very attractive.  The HTC One/M7 is rumored to have all the modern specs including a 4.7 inch 1080p HD display, 2GB of RAM and a Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. HTC is including a new camera that uses three 4.3 megapixel sensor layers placed on top of each other making up a 13 megapixel image. The One/M7 will likely be announced February 19th (tomorrow!), sporting a skin that looks decidedly iPhone-esque. 

The ‘X Phone’

The mysterious X Phone is thought to be the first product with Google’s direct influence since it acquired Motorola Mobility in May 2012. Rumored specs are, of course, off the charts, but perhaps most interesting are comments Google CEO Larry Page made during a quarterly earnings call. ”In today's multi screen world, the opportunities are endless,” he said, “battery life is a huge issue…when you drop your phone it shouldn't go splat. There's a real potential to invent new and better experiences.” Questions about the X Phone’s status as a Nexus device will likely have to wait till Google I/O on May 15th.

The Next iPhone:

Why look at the next iPhone? The iPhone 5 might not have been the most radical upgrade Apple could have offered, but rumors suggest Apple might have some tricks up its sleeve. Customers have been moving to bigger screens, and it’s widely thought that the iPhone will move to a 4.8″ screen, or Apple could offer multiple screen sizes. With the competition surpassing the iPhone in many respects, I’m interested in what we will see out of Apple’s iPhone 5s or 6. Android fans would be remiss to think that Apple would continue to be upstaged. The company has mountains of cash and some of the world’s best designers on staff.

Other

I have covered the phones I am most excited for, but they are not the only show in town. Some new devices will make their debut at Mobile World Congress, I expect Chinese Manufacturers, Huawei and ZTE to make some moves And Sony’s waterproof Xperia Z made its debut at CES and looks like the bee’s knees.

Many of us have suffered smartphone purchase regret. You do your research, wait for a killer phone, only to see a better option released a month later. With all of these awesome devices coming out over the next few months, this could be one of most important times to wait for the right phone.

Jump in the poll and tell us what phone is worth waiting for.

 

Could Samsung announce the Galaxy S4 March 14th in New York?

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 10:19 AM PST

We were surprised to learn that Samsung wouldn’t be unveiling the Samsung Galaxy S4 around Mobile World Congress this year, an event the company usually steals the show at with its annual Galaxy S announcement. Since then, the biggest question regarding the Galaxy S4 aside from the “what” has been the “when.” Well, according to new rumors we might be less than a month away from an official unveiling.

According to Eldar Murtazin — who tends to have more hits than misses when it comes to these rumors — Samsung will look to announce the Samsung Galaxy S4 in New York City March 14th. The previously rumored March 15th date is only one day off, so either way we’re eyeing “mid March” as quite an important window for Samsung.

Some might say Samsung would benefit from beating the competition to the announcement punch, but announcing its flagship smartphone a full two weeks after all of its competitors ensures its wares and the excitement regarding its announcement won’t be outclassed for quite some time. Samsung would have to be mighty confident that it has a surefire winner on its hands to wait that long, and we don’t expect anything less than “stunning” if the innovative Galaxy Note 2 (and even the Galaxy S3 in its heyday) is anything to go by.

We’re said to expect a 5 inch 1080p HD Super AMOLED display, Samsung’s new Exynos processor with an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera on the rear, a 2 megapixel camera on the front and more. Recent rumors suggest the S Pen will remain exclusive to the Galaxy Note series for the time being, though we never put much stock into the possibility of the S4 getting S Pen in the first place.

If the above rumors regarding the announcement date are true then we won’t have to wait long after Mobile World Congress to see invites for a New York City event rolling in, so let’s get through this month’s big show first (where Samsung is expected to unveil an 8-inch Galaxy Note tablet).

[via SamMobile]

AnyDash adds DashClock Widget extension for notifications from any app

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:58 AM PST

Roman Nurik has created quite the stir in the Android world with his one little app. DashClock Widget lets developers plug into the open-sourced app to create extensions that will show useful information in a beautiful way. We’ve already seen the likes of Falcon Pro and Plume tap into its power, and now another great extension has popped up.

Developer Rob J has created AnyDash, an extension that will allow you to use the notifications from (almost) any app on your phone as items in DashClock. This is a great way to add support for your favorite apps which haven’t gotten around to building DashClock functionality. For instance, I could get information about the latest Tweets from the official Twitter app if I prefer to use that instead of Falcon Pro or Plume (not that I do prefer that, but bear with me here).

The developer states that some apps might not work well with DashClock, but urges you to drop him a line whenever you come across a problematic app to see if he can iron out the kinks. Full support for DashClock in an app is a lot better, of course, but if you have a favorite app that you want to use with DashClock and the developer hasn’t built anything for it this is a great way to build a bridge while you continue to bombard them with emails demanding full support. Have at it in the Google Play Store (DashClock, AnyDash) and see if this dynamic duo doesn’t get you to understand the true spirit and benefits of open software.

Weather Channel app gets optimized for Android tablets

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:25 AM PST

Android tablet owners are getting another weather option starting today as the official Weather Channel for Android has gotten a nice upgrade. The biggest addition will be a user interface optimized for tablet devices, so you can see more forecasts and weather information on one screen. Getting stretched out for the bigger screens isn’t the only thing this huge 4.0 update brings, though.

Users can look forward to more detailed weather forecasts, a notification whenever the weather is expected to change within the next six hours, faster map features with past and future looks at the weather radar, severe weather bulletins, a “better” selection of videos, a much-needed refresh button, the ability to customize favorite places for more personalized widgets and notifications, and more.

The app is quite the looker whether you’re on tablets and phones, and while you might have already found your go-to weather experience it might be worth giving Weather Channel — one of the longstanding authorities on weather — another shot. The app is free, of course, so it should be no problem for you to do that in the Google Play Store.

HTC Rezound and DROID Incredible 2 due “HTC Device Enhancement” upgrades

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:06 AM PST

A couple of more Verizon devices have been lined up for software upgrades at some point soon. The HTC Rezound and the HTC DROID Incredible 2 both have new changelogs for an upgrade that will add “HTC Device Enhancements,” though the documents on Verizon’s site don’t go into detail about what these enhancements entail.

The DROID Incredible 2′s upgrade will be a mid-sized file coming in at about 4.5MB, and you can expect build number 6.04.605.07. The Rezound, on the other hand, is about 7MB, and its build number will be 3.14.605.13 once it makes its way to your device. Unfortunately there’s no way to tell when Verizon’s looking to issue the upgrades over-the-air, but history tells us we shouldn’t be waiting more than a week or two before folks start seeing that notification pop up like clockwork.

[Verizon 1, 2 via Droid-Life]

AT&T Galaxy Note 2 gets Exynos security patch

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 07:58 AM PST

It looks like AT&T has finally gotten around to upgrading its Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to fix the security exploit that was found for Exynos-based devices. The exploit was discovered by members of the development community at the end of 2012, and it was identified by Samsung as a serious issue that the OEM looked to fix as soon as possible.

This particular upgrade brings the firmware version up to I317UCAMA4, though we’re still on Android 4.1.2 here. It’s a small little guy, as well, as it’ll only eat up about 8MB of bandwidth. It’s an upgrade you’ll want to apply as soon as possible, so if your phone notifies you that it’s ready to be downloaded and installed be sure to take care of that. If you don’t get the notification then there’s a high chance you’ll find it upon hitting the software upgrade menu under Settings > About Phone.

Even though the upgrade is small, you should still make sure your WiFi is turned on and battery is charged to at least 50% before applying it just to make sure nothing goes wrong. Take care of all of that and you should be well on your way to a more secure device. Be sure to read our earlier post about the exploit that today’s upgrade is targeting to get an idea of how important it is.

[AT&T via AndroidForums.com]

Vic Gundotra says Google’s committed to making “insanely great” cameras for future Nexus phones

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 07:31 AM PST

Some interesting commentary has sprouted from the mouth of popular Googler Vic Gundotra. Google’s senior vice president of engineering took to Google+ to ask folks which photo snapping devices he should take on his upcoming vacation trip to Lake Tahoe. The Nexus 4 and a set of Google Glass lines the inside of his bags, obviously, but he was undecided on whether or not a DSLR would be appropriate, as well.

Responding to a comment by a user suggesting he wouldn’t have to worry about taking a DSLR if the Nexus 4 had some truly revolutionary camera hardware, Gundotra said “we are committed to making Nexus phones insanely great cameras.” He also added a nice, reassuring “just you wait and see” to the end of that for good measure.

First of all, it’s refreshing to see Gundotra reference an unannounced device even if it’s obvious that one is coming. It’s not often you’ll get one of these corporate big wigs to spill any beans — whether they be big, small or filled with jelly — ahead of any official announcement.

The only thing to work out is whether or not Gundotra was simply being overzealous and excited with his comment, or if we should expect truly big innovation in the camera department with a future Nexus device. It’s important to note that he didn’t say “next” Nexus device, so don’t be too disappointed if 2013 comes and goes with a phone that has a relatively ordinary camera.

We wouldn’t mind seeing a mini Lytro sensor stuffed into one of these devices sooner or later. One might also speculate Google could be looking to outfit a future Nexus phone with a larger camera sensor akin to the kind you’d find on the Samsung Galaxy Camera or Polaroid’s Android-equipped camera. That’s all wishful thinking for now, but Gundotra’s comment has our mouth watering and has us expecting nothing short of “insanely great” hardware — you can’t let us down now, Google.

[via Google+, thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 gets Jelly Bean rollout

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 06:51 AM PST

HTC’s Ice Cream Sandwich update for the HTC Thunderbolt proved that a device is never too old to receive modern updates. Thankfully for Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 users, Samsung feels the same way. The original international Galaxy Note has started to receive an OTA upgrade that will bring the device up to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

It appears Samsung is hitting some key markets in Asia with the upgrade first as folks in Hong Kong and Taiwan are reportedly receiving it. We’re also said to expect our German friends to have access to it. It’s available via over-the-air or via Samsung Kies, the company’s desktop synchronization software.

We assume Samsung is readying the upgrade for other regions as well, though carrier-specific rollouts will likely happen at the discretion of said carriers. Most European carriers tend to be quick with upgrades, but without any formal announcements or promises we can’t quite pinpoint a date.

The Galaxy Note is slated to receive all the great features of Android 4.1 — such as Google Now, Project Better, and expanded notifications — as well as some of the latest TouchWiz-specific features such as the “nature” UX, multi-window, an improved S Note experience, Paper Artist and more.

It’s a pretty big upgrade, and quite frankly we’re a bit surprised to see Samsung offering users of its previous generation Note some of the same features that made the Galaxy Note 2 such a big deal. It just goes to show that not all companies are keen on saving their latest software innovations for their newest devices. Be sure to report to this thread over at AndroidForums.com and let all the eager Note owners know if you’re able to pull the upgrade down. Don’t forget to let us know which region you’re in so we can get a better idea of where, exactly, Samsung has started to push it.

DashClock Widget: new features added, Plume plugin now available

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 06:10 AM PST

DashClock Widget has quickly ascended to the throne as one of our favorite apps since it arrived on the scene last week. It’s an app which gives you a simple and beautiful widget to place on the home-screen and lock-screen of your Android 4.2 phones and tablets. The app was created by Googler Roman Nurik, and its biggest claim to fame has been its open-source goodness.

Nurik designed the app to allow third-party developers to hook into it so that they can provide their own plugins to show up alongside the rest of the pre-built widget options. We saw this functionality taken advantage of quite early with the latest version of Falcon Pro, and now another app has decided to join in on the fun.

LevelUp Studio has created a small plugin for the widget that will pull the amount of unread tweets, mentions, and direct messages from Plume, the company’s Twitter client. You can get a collapsed and condensed looked at this information, or get a more fleshed out experience which includes the content of the latest tweet. Like we advised when similar features were added for Falcon Pro, this won’t revolutionize or change your Twitter experience but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have.

While we’re still on the subject of DashClock, the app has gotten a very nice upgrade recently. Version 1.2 adds a whole host of new features and bug fixes. For starters, you can adjust the background opacity of DashClock Widget when it’s placed on the home-screen, you now have an option to have the date and time centered at all times, you can further customize shortcuts for the clock and weather, there’s a new home-screen shortcut that can take you right to the widget configuration screen, and localization for German, Russian, Spanish and French has been added.

As for bugs, Exchange calendar support should be working correctly, a bug that caused the weather not to load for some regions has been fixed, and a few “common crashes” have also been resolved. That’s a whole lot of app for a whole lot of nothing, so be sure to download it in the Google Play Store and give it a try if you’re on an Android device with 4.2 or higher.

Formal LG Optimus G Pro announcement reveals Snapdragon 600, Q2 US availability

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 05:54 AM PST

LG’s half-baked announcement of the LG Optimus G Pro last week was nice, but the Korean manufacturer has finally revealed the device in full. The latest press release confirms a few of the specs we’ve already known, including a 5.5 inch 1080p HD display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13 megapixel HD camera with a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, a 3,140mAh battery, and more.

We’d thought the 1.7GHz quad-core processor revealed last week would be a Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, but the Optimus G Pro will actually feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600. This would make it the first device announced with a chipset from Qualcomm’s latest and most powerful line, though it’s not quite the Snapdragon 800. Still, it will be quite the beast and should put any benchmarks to shame.

On the software side, you can obviously expect Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and LG’s custom Optimus 3.0 user interface sitting on top of that. More interesting than all of that is when we can get it, of course. LG has confirmed that the Optimus G Pro would begin selling in the United States beginning in the second quarter of this year. We’ll have to wait on official world from the country’s carriers to see who exactly will be offering it, of course, but it’s nice to know that us mere Americans will have a chance to own one regardless.

We’ll be in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress next week to take in all the best the mobile world has to offer, and you can bet the LG booth will be one of our first stops as we look to get some good hands-on time with the Optimus G Pro. Circle back for those particular festivities starting next week Monday. Head to LG Korea for a translated press release.

Latest HTC One teasers tip superior camera, audio experience

Posted: 18 Feb 2013 05:31 AM PST

It’s not quite surprising to see HTC hyping its next big smartphone up to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but with all of this pre-show hype we’re not expecting to be disappointed. Once HTC takes the stage to unveil the HTC One in New York City tomorrow morning we’re expecting to be blown away by several of its features. Well, it seems HTC will be putting an emphasis on a few different things.

For starters, the latest series of teasers feature a close-up of an iris with some sort of image within the pupil and the numbers 2-19-13, a close-up of some Canon lenses with that same date on it, and the outer edges of a pair of stereo speakers with a graphic featuring the date in between. We imagine the iris is tipping us off to a high-resolution display, the Canon lenses tease an out-of-this-world camera sensor, and the stereo speakers tell us to expect a superior audio experience (likely something Beats-infused).

In regards to that last point, the latest HTC One leaks show what appear to be a set of speakers on the front as well as on the back. It’s not often we get a phone with stereo speakers, so we’re definitely interested to see how this will sound in practice. There was also a fourth pic which showed a series of videos ready to be played back, but we’re not exactly sure what HTC’s referencing with that particular image.

That’s just one of many things we’ll be looking to get a hands-on taste of once we arrive in New York City tomorrow for HTC’s big unveil. Stay tuned to Phandroid as we provide live coverage of everything the Taiwanese company has to offer for its main money maker for 2013.

[via HTC Twitter]