Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Android Community

Android Community


Tweet by Glass tips incoming App for Google Glass

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:42 AM PDT

Who is ready to start tweeting and sharing photos from Google Glass? We need a pair first, then hopefully we’ll be doing just that. It isn’t the biggest news in the world but it appears that the folks from Twitter are indeed building a native Twitter app specifically for Google Glass. They want you sharing all that first-person content and photos as fast as humanly possible, so this makes perfect sense.

Google-Glass-will-tether-through-Android-smartphones

Yesterday the news broke after a Tweet went out from a developer saying “Just shared a photo #throughglass” and to make things even more fun the Tweet was posted by an app called Twitter for Glass. Yea, sounds pretty legit if you ask us. The tweet has since been deleted, which makes sense, but once it’s on the internet it is here forever. So take a peek below.

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 10.38.04 AM

The tweet came from a Twitter mobile engineer manager, which might not be a manager this morning, but that pretty much leads us all to believe this is real and coming soon. Google’s exciting Glass project is still slowly but surely getting into the hands of developers, and we have a feeling we’ll be live tweeting with ease in a matter of weeks.

The folks at TechCrunch first spotted the news, and even go as far as to say they’ve seen hints that a Twitter for Glass app will be announced soon. I like the idea of being able to easily send tweets and share photos from Glass, considering Twitter is one of the most active and fastest ways to share news and fun things. First I need a pair of those glasses. Who likes the idea of tweeting what they see whenever they want all from Glass?

[via SlashGear]

AT&T 4G LTE coverage expands across ten states

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:31 AM PDT

We have seen plenty of 4G LTE expansion news coming from AT&T lately. We have seen several announcements this month alone and as of today we have word of expanded coverage across ten states. This latest LTE expansion includes coverage for those in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

ATT-Mobile-Phone-Wireless-Logo-Store-Window-540x3041212

With the majority of new coverage coming for those in Texas, lets first begin with those cities. AT&T has flipped the 4G LTE switch for those in Athens, Corsicana, Huntsville, Nacogdoches-Lufkin and Paris. The next state with multiple markets going live is Florida, which now has coverage for those in Lake City and Ocala.

The coverage for Alabama includes Huntsville, Decatur and Cullman. Those three states aside, the remaining coverage includes one market per state. Going in alphabetical order we have Arkansas up first with LTE coverage now available in Mountain Home. Louisiana is up next with coverage in Shreveport/Bossier City.

Moving on and we have LTE coverage going live for those in Lansing, Michigan; Gulfport/Biloxi Mississippi; Henderson, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee and Centralia, Washington. As always, this is just another round of AT&T LTE expansions. Otherwise, those in these areas who already have an LTE capable device, now seems like as good a time as any to begin taking advantage of these increased speeds.

AT&T GALAXY S 4 bootloader is locked down tight

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:17 AM PDT

As many of you know, Samsung devices have been pretty developer friendly for the most part over the past couple of years, but that could be changing. That or Samsung’s hands were forced. We’ve now learned the AT&T Galaxy S 4 and its bootloader is locked down tight. Thanks AT&T for making developers and modders instantly choose a different carrier.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-23-at-3.00.32-PM4-540x314

While we can’t say for sure this was at the hands of AT&T, Samsung’s past pretty much gives credence to the theory. Then the hugely popular Android developer that needs no introduction, Steve Kondik (Cyanogen for those living outside of the Android world) backs up some of these suggestions with his own thoughts. While also confirming the device is locked down tight.

Over on Google+ Steve had some comments to share regarding the situation, and lets just say it doesn’t look good. Previously usually only Verizon devices were locked down, but now AT&T could be joining in on that mindset. Steve then backs up reasons why this shouldn’t be happening, stating they don’t have very much to gain by shunning developers.

“I can’t see what AT&T has to possibly gain from this. GSM and LTE aren’t magical, tethering is controllable on the server side, and theft-of-services is not possible from the application processor side (or even from the modem side as far as I know). The same device is available on every carrier, so it’s not an exclusivity issue either.” – Steve Kondik

However, locked doesn’t always mean completely encrypted so we have hope. That and developers have a pretty good track record of breaking these locks wide open and making the device modder friendly again. Even Motorola’s extremely tight devices have fallen from the Android Community of developers lately. So while this is bad news for the AT&T (and possibly other) GALAXY S 4 owners, we have faith that it won’t be long until everything gets figured out. In the meantime, developers might want to look elsewhere.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm)
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile
    Announced Date : March 14, 2013
    Release Date : April 24, 2013
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 5 Inch
  • Resolution : 1080x1920
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.37 Inch
  • Width : 2.748 Inch
  • Depth : 0.31 Inch
  • Weight : 130 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2600 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.2.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T
    CPU Clock Speed : 1900 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 2000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 13 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11a
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
  • 802.11ac
    Bluetooth:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

BlackBerry CEO claims tablets will be pointless in 5 years

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:02 AM PDT

Today some comments are being thrown around by the CEO over at BlackBerry, formerly RIM, about the current and future state of tablets. To quickly sum it up, Thorsten Heins just doesn’t really like tablets. Which was pretty evident with their attempts at the segment with the PlayBook piggybacking off of Android. However, he goes on to talk about all tablets in general, and their future.

BlackBerry-PlayBook

During an interview yesterday evening with Bloomberg, Heins goes on to talk about tablets claiming that their time is running out, and goes as far as to say they’ll be completely useless in 5 years. Maybe there is still some resentment from their failed tablet, or this is just his honest opinion.

“In five years I don't think there will be a reason to have a tablet anymore”

Perhaps he should be worried about BlackBerry smartphones in general for the next 5 years, and not the current state of the increasingly popular tablet – mainly Android tablets. But we won’t get into that. He goes on to mention that tablets in general aren’t a good business model, and we won’t be using their screen real estate too much in the future.

With smartphones getting more and more powerful, the point of using our smartphone for everything does make sense, but we have a feeling tablets will play a role for longer than 5 years. In classrooms, people on the go, and of course our living rooms. With Android tablets continuing to improve sales numbers and be on the rise, I think he might be off-base a bit.

In the end the Blackberry CEO gives you RIM fans some hope, saying that tablets aren’t necessarily off the table for BlackBerry. Whatever that means. Maybe we’ll see one, maybe we won’t. In the meantime enjoy that Nexus 7 or Galaxy Note 10 folks!

[via SlashGear]

Parrot ASTEROID app market gains a car-friendly version of Facebook

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:55 AM PDT

Parrot launched their ASTEROID line of devices back in March. This device lineup consists of the Smart, Tablet and Mini — all of which have access to the Parrot ASTEROID Market. Before anyone shifts focus thinking this is yet another market to download Android apps, the ASTEROID market does have one unique factor going for it. This market brings a focus on apps that are designed for use while in the car.

parrot-asteroid-market-540

That being said, the Parrot ASTEROID Market contains a mix of free and paid apps and includes everything from GPS navigation solutions to apps that focus on traffic, music libraries and online radio. As of today however, the market has gotten a few new additions. The first of these new additions is Facebook.

Specifically, Facebook for ASTEROID, which is said to be able to help drivers “safely” stay connected. The app will allow the user to do everything from share updates to include images and videos. The app also shows notifications for likes and comments as well as offers the ability to chat, play games and in general use your “favorite Facebook apps and check in wherever they go.” For those thinking this sounds a bit involved for a driver, rest assured in knowing that “certain app functions may not be available while the vehicle is in motion.”

Shifting over and the other new additions to the Parrot ASTEROID Market include Mail, VLC, Recargo, Glympse and Roadhub. Keeping in line with the car features, these apps all have car friendly features. Take the Mail app for example, this will provide a new mail alert and even read new messages so the driver can simply listen.

Verizon Wireless details upcoming LG Revolution update

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:59 AM PDT

Those still sporting an LG Revolution with Verizon Wireless have an update on the way. This may not be the most exciting of updates, however it does bring one item that we suspect most users will be happy to see. Not to mention, it also removes some of the bloatware that was originally pre-installed. With that in mind, lets get into what Revolution users can expect to see.

P1100221_SlashGear-540x345

The details show this update as brining “multiple” Android security patches. Sure, there are more exciting updates to be had, however we have a hard time arguing against a security minded update. Otherwise, this update also fixes the GPS so moving forward it should now be able to work with the VZW Family locator app.

Further details show this as updating the Google Maps Services and also fixing a bug that caused some file sizes to show as double on the network. Shifting over to the removal of the bloatware and we have the following apps being uninstalled; Mobile IM, Rockband, Bitbop, Verizon Apps, Blockbuster, Rhapsody, VCAST Music and Verizon Video.

The update is on the smaller size and measures in at 46.8MB in size. Those with a Revolution can sit back and wait for the notification to arrive and follow the prompts or seek it out by navigating to Menu -> Settings -> About phone -> System updates -> Check new to try and get the process started. Lastly, once the update has been completed your handset will be sitting with software version VS910ZVB.

[via Verizon Wireless]

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Revolution
    Manufactuer : LG
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : January 06, 2011
    Release Date : May 26, 2011
    Also Known As : LG Revolution, Verizon Revolution, LG Revolution LTE, LG Revolution 4G
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.03 Inch
  • Width : 2.63 Inch
  • Depth : .52 Inch
  • Weight : 172 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 335 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.2.x
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon MSM8655
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

Airtight Games releasing Soul Fjord as an OUYA exclusive

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:36 AM PDT

We recently learned OUYA had more than 10,000 confirmed developers. And while that number sounds impressive and could ultimately bring good things for OUYA users, it is hard to deny that specific developers can bring a bit of excitement on their own. Enter the latest news from OUYA, who have come forward with details of a new and exclusive title that is in the works.

soulfjord_logo_ouyaexclusive-1024x507

The game is called Soul Fjord and it is coming by way of Kim Swift and Airtight Games. We suspect many of the gamers will already have made the connection here, however just in case, think Portal and Left 4 Dead. Anyway, Soul Fjord is described as being a “randomly-generated dungeon crawler with rhythm-based combat set in a fantasy universe where the genres of 70's Funk and Soul meld with Norse mythology.”

The game is said to feature everything from lounge Dragons to Disco Wizards and “one bad*** Viking named Magnus Jones.” The game has you playing as Magnus Jones, who aside from being a viking, is a legendary warrior valiantly slain in battle. Those curious should check out the game trailer, which is sitting just below.

Otherwise, the OUYA game console recently cleared the FCC and at last we heard, it was shipping as expected and would be arriving for all Kickstarter backers before the end of May. The folks at OUYA have also previously confirmed the console would have more than 100 games available at launch and that the retail availability would begin on June 4.

[via OUYA Blog]

Acer Iconia A1 tablet specs revealed in leak

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:06 AM PDT

Acer has the Iconia B1 tablet, however it looks like they may soon be releasing the Iconia A1. We have yet to see an official announcement from Acer on the Iconia A1, however a recent leak is offering a look at the specs and pricing. Looking back, the Iconia B1 was introduced in January during CES and was touted as having a price point of less than $150.

acer-iconia-a1-leak-01

The Acer Iconia A1 doesn’t seem like it will come in any lower. In fact, it seems the price is expected to be 169 euro, which is roughly $220 in terms of US dollars. Of course, on this front, as we have seen in the past — a direct translation doesn’t always match up when we are talking pricing. For this, we are going to have to wait for the official word from Acer.

Shifting over to the specs and it looks like things begin with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and a 7.9-inch IPS display at 1024 x 600. The tablet is powered by a MediaTek MT8125 (4-core, 1.20GHz, Cortex-A9) processor with 1GB of RAM and options for 8GB or 16GB of internal storage space. Other specs include a 3250 mAh battery, VGA quality front-facing camera and a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera.

acer-iconia-a1-leak-002

While the price of the Iconia A1 looks like it will be a bit higher as compared to the Iconia B1, the specs do seem to match up. Looking back, the Iconia B1 had only 512MB of RAM with only 8GB of internal storage and nothing more than a VGA quality front-facing camera. With that, we now look towards Acer for the official announcement.

[via phoneArena]

HTC employee goes on record: “Sorry about the Thunderbolt”

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 07:32 AM PDT

HTC hasn’t always been the most popular Android handset maker and while the One appears to holding its own, the same can’t be said about a previous handset, the HTC Thunderbolt. Without getting into any specifics, it appears as if one HTC employee has recently taken to the web and offered an apology of sorts.

thundery2-540x3551

That employee is Erick Nielsen and he has been posting on Reddit where he is using the name of Erick_HTC. Aside from attempts to make it clear as to where his comments are coming from, he has said that he is “sorry about the Thunderbolt in general.” Further going on to mention that it was a “difficult project” and in speaking to the person who he was replying to, Erick has said he wishes they “didn’t destroy your trust” and goes on to say he understands.

Basically, it appears as if Erick has taken a sort of front-facing roll for HTC and will be further interacting with users moving forward. With that in mind, Erick also goes on to speak about how he isn’t from PR or marketing and that he may also step on PR mines from time to time. In an effort to make it clear where he stands, Erick touches on topics such as how he wants to “collect issues of our existing products so that we can either fix them or learn from our mistakes.”

Some of the other highlights here include how he wants you to feel respected as a consumer and how he wants HTC to be respected as a company. All that aside, while this is just one post that may ultimately amount to nothing, it does feel sort of encouraging. Of course, we have to remember that this is only one employee and only one posting. So how about it, if you had previously been burned by HTC, would this be enough to convince you to give them a second chance?

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : ThunderBolt
    Manufactuer : HTC
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : January 06, 2011
    Release Date : March 17, 2011
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.30 Inch
  • Resolution : 480x800
  • Screen Type : TFT
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 4.75 Inch
  • Width : 2.44 Inch
  • Depth : 0.56 Inch
  • Weight : 177 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1400 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 330 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 1
    Ram : 768 MB
    Internal Storage : 8.192 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
    CDMA Band:
  • 800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 2.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

Yahoo! for Android app update brings Summly integration

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:55 AM PDT

It appears as if Yahoo is on an app update kick here lately. We recently saw an update for the Yahoo Mail app that brought a new layout and proper support for tablets. This latest update deals with the Yahoo app and brings a bit of connection to a recent acquisition. Basically, the Yahoo for Android app has gotten Summly integration.

yahoo-summly-540

Details coming from Yahoo show this update as having added Summaries by Yahoo which will appear as what is described as an “endless visual stream of stories.” Basically, you launch the app and you are greeted with the story stream. While the stream is pre-populated with stories, it can be fine-tuned to better fit your likes and dislikes.

The fine-tuning comes by way of the navigation menu, which is accessible from the three-line icon in the top left corner. You can choose to have all sections showing (default) or narrow it down by choosing the specific topics you want to see. You can also turn the visual portion off, which basically, brings you back to s simpler looking layout of stories sitting on a white background.

In order to fine-tune the story list you will need to either have, or be prepared to create a Yahoo account. In addition to the Summly story integration, this update also added what is described as a “revamped” web search experience that includes images and video. That said, the Yahoo app is available for those running Android 2.2 or later and can be found using this Google Play Store link.

Verizon Cloud service launches to protect customers “valuable” data

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:24 AM PDT

While there are plenty of cloud solutions available for smartphone users, it seems that many users go without that peace of mind. The reasoning here could be as simple as the person not knowing about the available options, thinking they are hard to use or maybe that they are expensive. Needless to say, we are firmly in the camp of backing up our data and it seems as if Verizon Wireless is also sharing that same opinion. Enter the recently announced Verizon Cloud service.

verizon-cloud

Verizon dives right in here by saying that “for many smartphone users, the content stored on their device is considered to be more valuable than the device itself.” Seems to make sense in that respect. The key feature here, the Verizon Cloud will allow users to backup their data. The Verizon Cloud will also allow users to transfer content to other devices, which should be good for those using a tablet and smartphone. Not to mention, for when it comes time to upgrade.

The Verizon Cloud app is able to backup a variety of data including your pictures and videos as well as music, documents, text messages and call logs. The Verizon Cloud also has desktop apps (for Mac and Windows) that will allow you to gain access to data stored on your regular computer.

The Verizon Cloud starts off with 500MB of space for free with options to upgrade. Upgrades include going to 25GB, 75GB or 125GB for $2.99, $5.99 or $9.99 respectively per month. All things considered, this seems like a good services to have available, especially if Verizon can actually convince users this is something they should have set up. The one catch at the moment is device support. The Verizon Cloud currently supports the following devices;

  • Motorola Droid X
  • Motorola Droid X 2
  • Motorola Droid 2 Global
  • HTC Thunderbolt
  • HTC Incredible
  • HTC Incredible 2
  • Samsung Droid Charge
  • Samsung Fascinate
  • Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2″ Tablet
  • Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1″ Tablet
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

[via Verizon Wireless]

NEC Terrain candy-bar phone aims to take on BlackBerry

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:14 PM PDT

Today a rather unique device has just leaked into the wild and is headed for AT&T. As we all know, BlackBerry has recently changed their hardware to try and compete in today’s world, and many still love their hardware keyboards and candy-bar design. Well, if you want the best of both worlds check out the newly revealed NEC Terrain below.

NEC-whatlarge

Apparently NEC still makes smartphones, although you’d be hard pressed to find someone actually using one. Apparently NEC wants to get into the business world and take on the BlackBerry of old, and new. This new device appears to rock a 3.5-inch or so display, as well as a dedicated BlackBerry-style hardware keyboard for all you typists.

I don’t even know where to start. Can this trend and style just die already? Add on the fact they wasted tons of screen real-estate for that darn AT&T logo, and I want to throw it away already. However, there’s still a huge population of people that just love their hardware keyboards. And this appears to offer that and Android 4.0 (or higher) for the OS.

The leak by the popular and usually spot on @evleaks doesn’t reveal any hardware details, specs, or a release date, but we have a feeling this smartphone will be coming soon. The date on the screen states April 4th, so it’s already a little late if that was their planned launch date. Expect this to be a low-end device in terms of specs, and possibly free on contract. Although wait, anything is possible on AT&T.

HTC 608t leaks as a low-end HTC One

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 03:57 PM PDT

All the hype and noise lately has been around the HTC One flagship smartphone. With a stunning aluminum design, front facing Beats Audio speakers and a quad-core processor. Today it looks like HTC might be continuing the front facing speaker trend, but for their budget friendly devices. Below is a newly leaked device going by the name HTC 608t, and it has some pretty mid-range specs.

htc-608t

What you see above is an unreleased smartphone from HTC headed to China Mobile. It appears to be quite similar to the HTC One SV and some of their other budget devices, only it rocks a few new features. You could essentially call it the poor man’s HTC One. It has the same capacitive touch button layout, as well as similar looking front-facing speakers.

According to the report provided by Blog of Mobile, this new device has some middle of the road specs and will be a budget-aimed device. Talks of a 4.5-inch qHD 540×960 resolution display, most likely a Qualcomm quad-core processor, but sadly it only received 1GB of RAM. We still get Beats Audio, an 8 megapixel camera, and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is also on board.

Not bad right? Details regarding internal storage and battery size aren’t yet available, but this looks like a pretty promising mid-range device. Not everyone needs a flagship smartphone, but if you like some of what the HTC One offers, this will be a good option for those on a budget in China. Hopefully something similar arrives for the U.S. market soon. Thoughts?

[via Blog of Mobile]

Microsoft makes fun of Android vs iOS war – but still in last place

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 03:01 PM PDT

Today a rather fun video was released from the folks at Microsoft making fun of the ongoing Android vs iOS battle that we’re all enjoying. This new Windows Phone ads goes pretty far to try and get you to switch away from Android, but I doubt it has anyone fooled. While it was highly amusing, we won’t be switching anytime soon.

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 2.52.52 PM

Windows Phone certainly isn’t in the middle of the current mobile war. And while we know they’d like to be, they’re taking the approach of sitting back and watching Android and iOS beat each other up, while they slowly steal the spotlight. Lets face it folks. That won’t be happening anytime soon.

Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone ad pretty much sums up the ridiculous smartphone battle that’s going on lately, and gets pretty comical about it. Basically saying to stop fighting, and join the Windows side. This is just one of many of Microsoft’s latest attacks on Google and/or Android.

From Samsung’s massive phablets being too large and in the way of other wedding photographers, to S-Beam fanboys as you see above (classic) all getting enraged over their respective OS. Surely you’ve all had the “which is better” talk with someone, and it usually goes south quickly, but this was just too awesome to pass up.

In the end we learned one thing. “Don’t fight. Switch.” Although I’m going to go on record and suggest you all switch to a Nexus device or the HTC One.

[via SlashGear]

GALAXY S 4 launch party sadly goes ‘Gangnam Style’

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:34 PM PDT

If you thought the launch event of the GALAXY S 4 in the U.S. at Radio City Music Hall was bad and cheesy, prepare to get blown away. This was so terribly awesome that we just had to share it. Samsung gets “S4 Samsung Style” in yet another awful Gangnam Style remake. Leave it to a Korean company to do it.

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 2.31.08 PM

Basically, if you haven’t had enough of the phenomena and smashing hit PSY Gangnam Style, then you’ll want to watch the video below. If you’d rather save a few brain cells and spare yourself the embarrassment if anyone catches you, you might want to pass. As terrible as this was we just couldn’t look away. It was depressing and exciting at the same time.

Yes. Samsung has taken things to an entirely new low with this. According to IndiaToday Samsung got Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh to not only take the stage and talk about the new Galaxy S 4, but he also makes quite the impression with this terrible song. I had a hard time understanding at least half of it but we caught 5-inch screen, 13 megapixel camera, and other taglines in the song. Enjoy! Or don’t. Your choice.

We told you not to, but you did it anyways didn’t you? Amazingly awful. Right! I think Samsung is now at a new low, and whoever agreed to do this needs to be locked in a room with only this playing for 24 hours. That will teach them. The folks over at The Verge got it right. This was a train-wreck of a performance. So with that forgettable performance, enjoy our continued Galaxy S 4 coverage and review at the timeline of links below.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm)
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : AT&T T-Mobile
    Announced Date : March 14, 2013
    Release Date : April 24, 2013
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 5 Inch
  • Resolution : 1080x1920
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.37 Inch
  • Width : 2.748 Inch
  • Depth : 0.31 Inch
  • Weight : 130 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2600 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.2.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T
    CPU Clock Speed : 1900 Mhz
    Core : 4
    Ram : 2000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 13 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
  • 720p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11a
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
  • 802.11ac
    Bluetooth:
  • A2DP
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

Google intentionally left Glass unlocked

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:03 PM PDT

Last week brought news that Google Glass was rooted and unlocked. And well, coming by way of updates from a pair of Google employees, it seems that isn’t exactly as exciting as it originally sounded. You see, Google Glass was apparently left unlocked on purpose. The updates here began with one from Dan Morrill, which was later simplified by Stephen Lau.

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Morrill had posted about how this Google Glass trick was not gaining root. He said “nothing is rooted. There is no root here.” Further explanation by Morrill mentions that what happened was actually a “fastboot oem unlock” and that nothing can be rooted if they let you do it on purpose. The comments from Morrill also go into the definition of rooting and then further break down into some ‘get off my lawn’ type of ranting.

Shifting away from that and the comments from Lau were a bit simpler, more to the point. Basically, it seems Google “intentionally” left Glass unlocked. According to Lau, they did this so users “could hack it and do crazy fun **** with it.” That about says it all, however Lau makes the further point by saying how if you paid $1500 for it you should feel free to “go to town on it.”

Basically, this sort of goes along with what we have already heard about Google Glass — these initial units are really intended for developers. You know, the types of users that would probably be able to appreciate and take advantage of a device that has a bit more flexibility and freedom. Of course, on the flip side, despite paying $1500 and being able to “go to town” on them, you are still severely restricted in terms of lending and selling them.

[via Google+ Stephen Lau]

Galaxy Note 3 leaks with 5.9-inch display, 8-core, 3GB of RAM [Updated]

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:45 PM PDT

The folks from Samsung are preparing a pretty massive smartphone for later this year. Following their yearly upgrade cycle we’re expecting to see the Galaxy Note 3 be revealed sometime in September at IFA 2013, and until today we’ve been getting conflicting reports on the hardware. The leaked image below gives us an idea of what to expect, which is more of the same, only they’ve beefed up the internals again.

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By what we’re seeing and hearing it sounds like Samsung will do the same with the Note 3 as they did with the GALAXY S 4. Upgrade the screen and internals, but keep the design language the same. We’ve heard a 6.3-inch Note 3 was coming, but the current leaks suggest 5.99-inches will in fact be the final size.

Rumors earlier this month “confirmed” Samsung was working on aluminum or premium hardware materials to replace their plastics, but according to the above image that won’t be happening anytime soon. The device looks like a larger Galaxy Note II. So with that in mind, lets talk about under the plastic design, which are some pretty impressive specs.

As the rumors suggest, Samsung will use a 5.99-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display, then boost everything else under the hood too. Most importantly (or not, is this necessary?) Samsung will be adding 3GB of RAM to the Note 3. Yes, 3GB of RAM. The Galaxy Note 3 will run the newly announced Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz on four cores, and 1.2 GHz on the other 4. Sounds like a beast right. 8-core smartphone with 3GB of RAM. That’s just nuts.

For now this hasn’t been confirmed, but given what we’ve seen lately from Samsung this could very well be what they unveil at IFA in a few months time. That’s one massive phone. Would you buy one?

Update: Seems it’s still too early to get excited about the Note 3 - Paul O’Brien points us in the direction of this Note 2 clone which looks to be the device in the image.

[via MyDrivers]

Flipboard 2.0 brings record growth, promised for Android “very soon”

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:19 PM PDT

Flipboard 2.0 was detailed back towards the end of March. At that time we were given a good look at what can be expected with this release and Android users were once again left waiting. In that respect, this is nothing all that new or surprising. After all, this was how Flipboard was originally released — first for iOS and then later for Android.

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Trying to keep any anger in check, it looks like the Flipboard team has recently shared some numbers and also briefly touched on the topic of Flipboard 2.0 for Android. These details are coming by way of Flipboard CEO Mike McCue who recently spoke at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. In sticking with the Android specific news first, Flipboard 2.0 will be available “very, very soon.”

Unfortunately a specific date wan’t given, however we can hope that the addition of that second “very” means it will actually be available soon. We hope to see it land in the Google Play Store this week, but time will tell just how accurate that thought will end up being. Shifting away from Android and over to the numbers and it looks like v2.0 has done good things for Flipboard.

Comments from McCue show Flipboard as having picked up 6 million users since that release. Certainly an impressive sounding growth, especially considering that release happened just about one month back. Sticking with the topic of Flipboard 2.0, one of the big new features was the ability to create magazines. The number for this shows that users have since created 1 million magazines. Otherwise, it was also mentioned that Flipboard now has 56 million users in total.

[via TechCrunch]

Huawei Ascend P6 takes the crown as ‘world’s thinnest’ smartphone

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT

While having a thin smartphone surely is something many of us consider while making a purchase decision. Something decently thin with great battery life sounds a bit more reasonable. Not everyone feels the same way however, because Huawei is back, again, with what they’re calling the world’s thinnest smartphone. Their new Ascend P6 takes the cake.

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We’ve seen this title for “world’s thinnest smartphone” get traded a few times between Huawei and other random manufacturers. As Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others haven’t been focused on that silly title. The Ascend P1-S was pretty slim, but the new Ascend P6 comes in thinner than a pencil, and has decent specs at the same time.

Alcatel released a 6.65mm thin smartphone, but this new device from Huawei is really pushing the boundaries coming in at just 6.18mm thick. This is even thinner than some recently leaked Oppo smartphones that were aiming for the same title. Do you guys even care at this point how thin a device is? I just feel like at this point it would become weaker and not be very durable.

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 1.07.17 PM

The new Ascend P6 looks like an iPhone from the rear, but all the specs are completely different. You’ll get a 4.7-inch 720p HD display, Huawei’s own quad-core 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, and even 32GB of internal storage. Sadly the battery details weren’t revealed, which we have a feeling will suffer in the cause of chasing that “world’s thinnest” title. We’ll never see this in the U.S. but surely an Asia release is imminent.

[via Nowhereelse]

Angry Birds Friends coming to Android this week

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 12:42 PM PDT

Earlier in the month we learned Rovio Mobile was planning to release Angry Birds Friends for Android. This mobile release will follow the initial availability on Facebook, which had the game sitting with about 15 million monthly active users as of the beginning of April. The good news as of today, we now know that Rovio Mobile will be releasing the Android version of Angry Birds Friends later this week.

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In fact, according to a recent tweet coming from Rovio, we are expecting the game to drop on May 2nd. For those without a calendar handy, the 2nd is this coming Thursday. The release of Angry Birds Friends will bring one notable change for those used to playing on Android — instead of chasing the stars in an effort to get three stars for each level, here you will be competing against your Facebook friends.

Rovio hasn’t said much in terms of pricing for the Android version, however previous speculation is calling for the game to be free. Well, free with the option to spend some money on in-app purchases anyway. Bottom line here, those with an Android device will soon be playing another Angry Birds game. Well, that is assuming you have yet to grow tired of the series.

In addition to the Android release, Rovio Mobile will be releasing Angry Birds Friends for iOS on the same day. Sure, we suspect some of the Android faithful may not be as happy to hear this, but we just think of it as a way of having even more friends to be able to play against. That said, look for Angry Birds Friends to land in the Google Play Store on Thursday.