Android Authority |
- Mid-range HTC M4 with alloy chassis and Ultrapixel camera rumored for June release
- Delayed Telus Galaxy S4 shipping gets selected buyers $50 credit, as device is ‘so popular’
- Android Authority On Air – Episode 60 – Is Android a mess and SGS3 case giveaway
- Diamonds in the Rough: 7 Random Apps for Android You Might Like (Ep #3 April 15-21)
- Apkudo wants to address fragmentation by becoming the gold standard of smartphone hardware and software testing
- TweetDeck’s mobile apps set to shut down on May 7th
- Verizon Galaxy S4 registration page up, phone labeled as ‘coming soon’
- Some AT&T Galaxy S4 units could be shipping on April 23
| Mid-range HTC M4 with alloy chassis and Ultrapixel camera rumored for June release Posted: 21 Apr 2013 02:45 AM PDT
While HTC has outed its latest flagship HTC One, this leaves the mid-range market open to competitors, such as the rumored Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. But HTC still has an ace up its sleeve, with a mid-ranger reportedly going out this June. DigiTimes reports that upstream suppliers say HTC will be producing the midrange HTC M4 handset, which will be using metal alloy chassis from Catcher Technology. This will be to the tune of 700,000 units, targeted for an initial release by June 2013 and a wider release by third quarter of the year. According to reports, HTC has elected to source its chassis supply solely from Catcher, in order to prevent supply shortages that have previously plagued the Taiwanese company’s production. The specs of the HTC M4 will reportedly include the following: 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 4.3-inch 720p display, 1 GB RAM and Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 running Sense 5. The phone will reportedly feature an “Ultrapixel” rear camera, similar to that on the HTC One, which should be a selling factor for those inclined toward taking photos on their smartphones. Again, these are initial reports, and with DigiTimes mostly citing sources from upstream supply chain companies, Android Authority cannot vouch for the veracity of the report. What DigiTimes is focusing on at this time is an analysis of Catcher’s business for 2013 as a component supplier, citing revenue growth from 10.58% to 14.87% to NT$10.21 to 10.61 billion (US$342.42 to 355.84 million) in the second quarter of the year. Meanwhile, new HTC One orders are expected to reach 2.3 to 2.4 million units in the second quarter, according to DigiTimes’ sources. |
| Delayed Telus Galaxy S4 shipping gets selected buyers $50 credit, as device is ‘so popular’ Posted: 20 Apr 2013 04:50 PM PDT
Telus Galaxy S4 pre-orders seem to be going well, as the carrier is ready to offer some early buyers a $50 bill credit if they agree to wait "up to two weeks to receive" their purchased handset. The Galaxy S4 is described as "so popular" by the carrier, which is trying to manage its "restricted supply" on launch date by offering selected customers this particular deal. The Galaxy S4 is available with Telus for $199 with new three-year contracts, or $700 outright, and it's now available for pre-order. The pre-orders should be delivered on April 27, while in-store purchases will be available starting with May 3. However, should customers accept Telus' limited offer, they'll get their pre-ordered units by May 10. Here's the full e-mail notification some Telus Galaxy S4 buyers received:
Interestingly, Telus suggests in its email that there may not be enough Galaxy S4 units to go around on launch date, in "Canada and internationally," although we don't know exactly what that means for now, as there haven't been any reports detailing any potential launch issues for Samsung. In fact, we've seen so far various estimates for upcoming Galaxy S4 sales all looking very well for the company, with one of the latest such guesses saying that Samsung would sell as many as 10 million units at launch, and move 30 million units by the end of June. On a different note, a few days ago Telus revealed that it will stock the Galaxy S4 in different colors in the future, in addition to the White Frost and Black Mist versions that will be available at launch. Would you take $50 credit and have your Galaxy S4 unit shipped two weeks later than initially expected, or you want to get your hands on it as fast as possible? |
| Android Authority On Air – Episode 60 – Is Android a mess and SGS3 case giveaway Posted: 20 Apr 2013 01:22 PM PDT
Moving on to hardware news, everyone is excited for Motorola and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is comin’ to town. Here’s the Galaxy S4 availability:
Onto app news, we discussed the new MyGlass app and what goodies it revealed about an upcoming Google gaming center or gaming service. Chrome got updated as usual and a few other apps received much needed #HOLO. This week AOKP reached the 1 million downloads milestone. Following their announcement, AOKPush was released into the wild. If you’re down with the pink unicorn, you’ll love it. As usual, carriers continue to expand their ever growing LTE networks here in the United States. Besides network expansion, Dish Network made a bid for Sprint and Verizon wants in on the Clearwire goodness. The ContestLimited Edition Samsung Galaxy S3 Tats Cru Graffiti Case
Internationally-renowned, Bronx-based professional muralists, TATS CRU, have spearheaded the battle to change the public perception of graffiti, since the early 1980s. From the early days of subway graffiti, TATS CRU has helped elevate graffiti to a public art form. TATS CRU paint the famous Graffiti Hall of Fame in Harlem and receive recognition throughout the world for mural advertising and art – created for clients as diverse as small local businesses to corporations such as Coca Cola and Sony. To enter, make a post on Google+ or Twitter and include the hashtag #AndroidAuthority. Be sure to let us know why you want this case or why you think Android is or isn’t a mess with your post. The contest is only available to US residents. Even though we said on the show that the contest would end at 8pm on Sunday, we’re going to extend the contest until Wednesday, April 24 at 11:59pm EST. The winners will be announced the next day live on the air. As always you can watch or listen below.
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| Diamonds in the Rough: 7 Random Apps for Android You Might Like (Ep #3 April 15-21) Posted: 20 Apr 2013 09:13 AM PDT
Bestiary Live WallpaperFirst on our list of random apps this week is Bestiary Live Wallpaper. This unique wallpaper puts a beastly creature on your home screens that moves around, floats, swims, etc for your enjoyment. Each creature is uniquely shaped and with varying colors and patterns. The background behind the creature is matched with the creature so you have a comprehensive experience with each one. It’s really quite nice. In the free version, you can only cycle through and pick a monster with its corresponding background. If you opt to pay for it, you’ll unlock all the settings and have more control over which monster goes on which background. Either way, it’s a pretty nifty live wallpaper and fans of monsters should really enjoy it. To download it, click the link above.
Coach’s EyeAs any sports nut can tell you, game video is crucial for improvement. Giving players a look at what they did wrong and what they did right can help shape their training and shore up their weaknesses. On smartphones, though, it’s difficult to get a good sports video and it’s even harder to find good tools to turn that video into a training tool. Coach’s Eye looks to relieve both of these problems. Coach’s Eye allows people to take a video, then analyze it, create a training video, and use it to help train. It might come off as a sports only kind of app, but really it’s good for any activity that you may need to slow down and take a closer look at. It’s still a pretty niche app, like most of our random apps, but it can be pretty useful.
Around the Rock Disc GolfThis fun and different member of our random apps list is all about the not-so-well-known sport of disc golf. For those who have never played, you’re essentially playing golf with a frisbee. You start out at a predetermined spot and you try to throw your frisbee into a basket in as few throws as possible. It can be a fun and relaxing way to spend a day in the sun. Especially if you can’t afford golf clubs but still love the concept of golf. It’s a difficult game to master. Gamers only have a single shot to get it in the basket but get scores based on how close you get. Once you get the controls down, you can fly through rounds. It’s no Angry Birds or Temple Run, but if you’re tired of games like Angry Birds or Temple Run, then this is a fun little distraction that costs $1.99.
hiTask – Team Task ManagementProject management is among the largest growing fields in the world. Businesses will pay a person well for spearheading a project and pay more if you’re successful at it. As any good project manager knows, you have to be organized to do well at project management and next on our list of random apps helps do just that. It’s called hiTask it’s a tool any project manager should at least try out. There are a range of basic features like task creation, assigning tasks and resources, etc. There are also some more advanced features like generating project reports. It utilizes cloud storage so you can sync between your mobile device and your computer or, at least, sync between mobile devices. The only caveat is that subtasks aren’t a feature yet, but according to the hiTask team, it’s in the works. So this is definitely an app to keep an eye on and it’s free.
Go Laundry!Next up on our random apps list is an app called Go Laundry! This useful little app is designed to help you keep track of your laundry so you can busy yourself with other things instead of waiting around for the washer and dryer to finish. It can be useful for people cleaning their houses, but it can be even more useful for people who have to deal with a shared laundry room. If you live in an apartment, are in the military, or in college and you don’t want to leave your laundry unattended in the public washer and dryer space too long, this is definitely worth checking out. It features a simple interface where you can set a number of timers based on what you’re doing. So if you have multiple loads in there, you can set multiple timers. It’s a very new application, so there are still some kinks to be worked out. For instance, you can only set the timer for up to 99 minutes. Some people have washers and dryers that run for longer than that. Otherwise, it’s hugely useful if you fall into that group of people who need to keep track of their laundry. You can download it for free form the link above.
Grammar & Spelling KeyboardThere are a lot of keyboard options out there, but few put the focus and energy into grammar and spelling than the next app on our random apps list this week. Called Grammar & Spelling Keyboard, this keyboard focuses on learning how you type and will help correct your spelling and grammar. Unlike many, it actually won’t touch your words until you tell it to as it checks text as a whole as opposed to word by word. So if you like to type quick and correct later, this could be a good keyboard. Unlike apps like SwiftKey, which can learn your style before you even start using it, Grammar and Spelling Keyboard requires a break in period where it’ll learn your mannerisms and typing style. Other than that, it seemed to work fairly well. If you’re in the market for a new keyboard and want to try something a little different, the download link is above.
Social Network OverViewLast on our random apps list this week is Social Network OverView. Called SNOView for short, it’s a social media aggregator that populates your feed with pretty much whatever you want. You can customize your feed however you like and have it include things like RSS feeds and social media profile feeds. It works with Twitter, Google+, and Facebook as well. So if you follow a lot of news and want a place where it’ll get put into one gigantic feed, SNOView could be what you’re looking for. There is a free and a paid version so if you want to try it out first then you have that option. If you’re big into social networking and RSS, this is a fun app to play with and can save time if you’re frequently jumping from one social network to the next. To check it out, the download link is above. Random Apps Wrap UpThanks for tuning in for our Diamonds in the Rough this week and be sure to tune in next week for more random apps goodness. If there is an app you think we should have covered this week or you just want to tell us about a random app you like, feel more than free to leave a comment and tell us about it. |
| Posted: 20 Apr 2013 08:49 AM PDT  Don’t you just hate it when your apps keep crashing? Ever wonder why not all carriers release their mobile devices at the same time? Or how about Android updates? While Google is now at version 4.2.2, some smartphones are still getting updates older than this one. It all boils down to carrier testing and certification. Carriers that have the resources would require testing whether devices meet their specifications — in terms of performance and compliance with their specific needs. This is also the reason why manufacturers have to release separate updates for each carrier. But testing does not come easy. According to Apkudo, it’s usually normal for tier 1 carriers to have the resources to run a battery of tests before declaring a device or update fit for their needs. Everyone else might not have the clout nor the resources to do so. This testing can be outsourced, however, which is exactly what a startup called Apkudo is doing. Apkudo aims to become the gold standard of device and application testing, so that developers and carriers do not have to waste their time and resources in doing the testing themselves. Apkudo tests include monitoring performance, running about 25,000 apps from developer partners, and taking high-speed videos to determine dropped frames, among others.
Helping the fight against fragmentationAn added benefit of Apkudo for developers is that it helps fight against fragmentation — or at least its negative effects — by ensuring applications can run adequately across different kinds of devices. Apkudo is so far able to test with over 1,700 devices, which means developers can submit their applications to see how these work on these devices, ranging from low-end to the higher-spec’d ones. This even includes pre-launch devices, which means developers can be assured that apps can run seamlessly even on upcoming phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4. Apkudo CEO Josh Matthews admits that while Android users have a wide choice in their devices, this can result in a disadvantage, which is fragmentation. “The flip-side of that is that the variation in quality between devices in terms of performance under different app loads and in different circumstances is also phenomenal, and that can lead to very high return rates and customer dissatisfaction,” he said. This could be one of the reasons why Android users are less engaged than those using platforms like iOS. This has also been cited as one reason Android has a higher return and re-stocking rate with carriers. Not everyone is using a top-of-the-line smartphone, after all. A bad user experience will usually mean that a user cannot enjoy his or her Android device as much as someone with a hero phone. Apkudo ApprovedThe Baltimore-based startup is actually debuting its Apkudo Approved program, which would be a good opportunity for developers to have their apps tried out. Unless you have 1,700 Android devices at your disposal, this might be a better way to ensure your apps work on a wide array of mobile devices as possible, or at the very least reach out to your intended target market better. Apkudo has so far earned $5 million in revenue from its activities, and some of the second-tier carriers are actually insisting on devices being Apkudo Approved before approving these for sale or subsidy. Apkudo has so far signed Cricket, Cincinnati Bell, C Spire, Alltel and a number of smaller regional carriers under the Associated Carrier Group. Its product for developers is free, as it needs to reach out to as many developers possible, in order to build its profile as a testing platform. For us end-users, this means the promise better apps and a better user experience, or at the very least apps that do work as intended. |
| TweetDeck’s mobile apps set to shut down on May 7th Posted: 20 Apr 2013 03:45 AM PDT
Last month, Twitter revealed that it was going to close the TweetDeck app on both the Android and Apple app stores. Well, the app doesn't have long left, as Twitter confirmed that the program will be shut down for good on May 7th. After May 7th, users won't be able to access the service on their smartphones and it will also be taken off Google Play and The App Store. Mobile devices aren't the only places to lose out on TweetDeck, as it will no longer be integrated with Facebook severing a major link between the two social networks. Keen TweetDeck users can still find the program on PC and Mac but also online where new apps for Chrome and other browsers are being developed. The closure is part of a shake-up by Twitter, which has been busy optimizing its various services. After all, it was only a couple of months ago when the company added photo editing to Twitter and refreshed the look and feel of the entire service. Whilst TweetDeck will still be accessible on smartphones for the moment, its increasing blackouts will hinder its use meaning that users will need to turn to Twitter itself or other apps such as Carbon to monitor what's going on in our social networking circles. |
| Verizon Galaxy S4 registration page up, phone labeled as ‘coming soon’ Posted: 20 Apr 2013 03:26 AM PDT
Verizon's Galaxy S4 registration page is now online, letting interested buyers sign up to receive more details about the handset but not revealing any availability dates. The page says the phone is "coming soon" but doesn't mention pre-order or shipping details at this time. It's just the regular sign up page many mobile operators set up for popular upcoming smartphones. Verizon is one of the seven carriers in the USA that will stock the Galaxy S4 this year, but it will be launching its Galaxy S4 version later than its main competitors. The carrier took to Twitter to confirm the Galaxy S4 will arrive at some point in May, without actually revealing pricing or release date. Other Big Four mobile operators including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile will have the handset in stores in late April, which is when U.S. Cellular's version should also ship. Launch details for Cricket and C Spire aren't available at this time. This isn't the first time Verizon is late launching Galaxy devices, as both the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 launched later with the carrier than with its competitors. We'll be back with pricing details and ship dates for the Galaxy S4 once Verizon makes them available. |
| Some AT&T Galaxy S4 units could be shipping on April 23 Posted: 20 Apr 2013 02:49 AM PDT
A new report reveals that some AT&T Galaxy S4 pre-orders could be shipped earlier than expected, on April 23 instead of April 30 or later. AT&T started taking pre-orders a few days ago, listing an April 30 ship date for the handset. At the same time, some of the early buyers received notices saying their units will be delivered by May 3. Now Engadget reports that the shipping date for the flagship Samsung handset has been quietly bumped up to April 23 (see image below) although when going to AT&T's online store you'll still get that initial April 30 listed. Was this just a mistake, or is AT&T trying to be the first carrier to ship the Galaxy S4 in the U.S.? T-Mobile will launch the handset on April 24, with Sprint getting it a few days later, on April 27. Both carriers have some interesting offers, with the former selling the handset for $149.99 with monthly installments but not a mandatory contract and the later giving customers that switch carriers for the Galaxy S4 $100 off the listed $249.99 on-contract price.
Regional carrier U.S. Cellular also has the Galaxy S4 up for pre-order, priced at $199.99 with new contracts. The mobile operator will ship the handset in late April, and throw in a free S Flip Cover with every purchase. Other U.S. carriers will also be selling the handset in the region, including Verizon, Cricket and C Spire, but we're still waiting for availability details for these operators. On a related note, if you’re looking for a better AT&T Galaxy S4 deal, head over to Walmart, which is selling the handset for $168 with a new two-year AT&T contract, or $32 cheaper than the carrier. However, there’s no telling when Walmart will ship the handset. Has any AT&T Galaxy S4 buyer out there received an April 23 ship date notice from the carrier? |
There are an endless number of apps on the Google Play Store. It's nigh impossible to sift through all of them, let alone find the good ones. So, if you're in a "hell, why not?" mood today, take a gander at this week's roundup of random apps we thought were pretty nifty, and that you might enjoy too!
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