Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Android World Update # Android 4.3 build leaks for Samsung Galaxy S4

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Android 4.3 build leaks for Samsung Galaxy S4
Oct 1st 2013, 17:59, by Andrew Martonik

Galaxy S4

New features, but with very few noticeable UI changes

Right on the heels of the Galaxy Note 3 launching with Android 4.3 on board, a prerelease build of Android 4.3 for the Galaxy S4 has leaked out. The folks over at SamMobile have released a test build of the upcoming firmware for willing users to take a look at, and they claim that it is relatively stable. The biggest updates included here are new software features that we find on the Galaxy Note 3, along with lots of under-the-hood fixes and improvements.

The build is made for the unlocked European model (GT-I9505) of the handset, and the site claims that it is ready to be loaded on your own phone for testing if you are willing to deal with some issues. As with any other prerelease or test firmware there's always a chance that you could run into issues, so be sure to do your research and flash with caution.

More: Samsung Galaxy S4 Forums

Source: SamMobile


    






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Android World Update # Chrome for Android getting updated with new gesture support

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Chrome for Android getting updated with new gesture support
Oct 1st 2013, 17:30, by Jerry Hildenbrand

Chrome

The Chrome stable channel for Android has a new update brewing, with a short new feature list. According to Google, the update will enable new gestures.

  • Swipe horizontally across the top toolbar to quickly switch tabs.
  • Drag vertically down from the toolbar to enter into the tab switcher view.
  • Drag down from the menu to open the menu and select the item you want without having to lift your finger.

We saw these gestures hit the beta channel last month and they seem to work well.

Users should expect to see the new update shortly, thanks to Google's new rolling release strategy. 

Source: Google Chrome blog


    






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Android World Update # My second month with Google Glass

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My second month with Google Glass
Oct 1st 2013, 17:27, by Jason Cipriani

The second month of my journey with Google Glass, which actually spills over into my third month, has been an interesting one.

If you recall, I stated during my first month post that I had switched over to Android and really, truly liked it. As someone who has used an iPhone as his daily driver for the last four years, only tinkering with an Android device when required, this was really surprising to me.

Fast forward to today and I have been using an iPhone for the better part of the last five weeks, the entire time tethered to Glass. With the launch of iOS 7 looming, and requirements from freelance contracts with other websites, iOS 7 was something I had to use, learn and teach readers about.

I’ve found myself missing the MyGlass app for Android – - a lot. You see, with the MyGlass app paired to Glass via an Android device, not only do I no longer need to carry a tethering plan with my carrier, but I also can send and receive text messages using Glass and I get true GPS turn-by-turn directions. Neither of these things are possible, according to Google, on iOS. And thus no iOS MyGlass app at the moment.

But one thing that strikes me as odd is that Google claimed (in the official Explorers message board) Messages can’t be sent to a Bluetooth device, yet my Pebble watch receives messages just fine. Sure, I can’t send messages from the watch, but reading them without having to pick up my phone is super convenient. Even if I had to settle for a read-only solution when it comes to Messages on Glass when paired to an iPhone, I’d be happy. Alas, baby steps.

Back to my experience with Glass, and less iOS talk.

When to wear it

I’ve come to the conclusion that wearing Glass at all times isn’t something I want, let alone something those I am interacting with want. After the first month I felt that Google Glass was indeed getting technology out of the way, and I thought that wearing it full time was acceptable. After all, unless the screen is lit up (which anyone else in the room can easily see) I wasn’t using it and no one should be distracted by it.

Instead I have come to the conclusion that wearing Glass at all times is just flat out rude. There are times when we need to set better boundaries of not staring at a smartphone, such as during dinner, a meeting or when having an important conversation with a loved one; why would it be OK to wear Glass during those same occasions? Simply put, it’s not.

I have taken the approach in regards when to take Glass off: if I shouldn’t be on my smartphone during an activity, I don’t need to be wearing Glass.

I’ve begun using Google Search more, not to return fast results for common questions, but instead to browse the Internet. With the built-in browser, Glass users can view mobile pages for nearly any website. Using gestures and the gyroscope in Glass, I’m able to look around (literally) the Web with a fair amount of efficiency. Just don’t throw any text field prompts at Glass and myself. I can’t enter text.

More features!

I still don’t regret my purchase of Glass, nearly 3 months later. The honeymoon period hasn’t stopped, and I don’t think it ever will. Google has done a tremendous job sticking to its promise of monthly updates. These updates aren’t small tweaks or bug-killing updates. No. The monthly update adds features that make Glass users excited, including yours truly.

Last month Google added a Vignette feature. With this feature users can now take a photo and have Glass place a screenshot in the upper-right corner of the photo. The end result is exactly what the Glass user sees, both on the screen and beyond it.

Vignettes bring a personal feel to Glass photos, which was sorely missing from the photos of old. There are plenty of other features added, and if rumors hold true, the update in October is going to bring the biggest feature set to Glass yet.

Reactions in public

As for reactions and the overall experience when wearing Glass in public, I still have yet to have one person cause any issues or accuse me of being an NSA spy. In fact, I recently had one of the most memorable experiences with a random stranger in an Apple store. Sorry, I know I said no more iOS talk. I’ll be brief.

I was in the Apple Store last week for the launch of the iPhone 5S. I decided to wear Glass in, just to see what kind of reaction I would get in an Apple store while wearing this Google product. I can say not a single employee even stopped me or looked twice at Glass. They were pretty busy.

Instead I had a young man, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old and his mom stop me. I could sense them talking about me from across the room, which my wife confirmed with a quick glance. After the mom had given her son a pep talk, he came over and asked me if I was indeed wearing Glass. Once I confirmed I was, he immediately apologized and asked if he could put it on and try it out.

I rarely tell someone no when they ask to try it. This is all part of being an Explorer in my eyes.

So I put it in Demo Mode, and handed it over to the young guy. He was incredibly nervous, apparent from the constant shaking of his hands as he went to put Glass on. He had no questions on how it worked as he was well aware were the touchpad was, and what voice commands to use. This kid knew his stuff.

Photo taken by random person who asked if they could use Google Glass

Photo taken by random person who asked if they could use Google Glass

He snapped a photo of me and promptly turned to his mom, impatiently asking her to take a photo with him wearing Google Glass. After some small talk about Glass, how I got it, and my thoughts on it, he turned Glass back over and went on about his night.

It was an interaction I’m nearly positive I got more out of than he did. He was excited, he’ll have a story to tell his friends that they won’t believe (until he shows them the double thumbs-up picture of him wearing Glass). But I realized that going through this process, wearing something that causes amounts of self-awareness I haven’t felt since high school, is well worth it.

The post My second month with Google Glass appeared first on AndroidGuys.

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Android World Update # T-Mobile to sunset Classic plans at retail partners starting in November

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T-Mobile to sunset Classic plans at retail partners starting in November
Oct 1st 2013, 17:28, by Scott Webster

As many of you already know, T-Mobile has done away with phone subsidies through its website and retail locations. Partner such as Walmart and Best Buy, however, have been able to continue offering the Classic plans with signed contracts. A leaked T-Mobile document shows the carrier hanging up on these plans starting November 1.

Effective yesterday, September 30, retailers around the country were directed to return postpaid inventory back to the carrier. Both retail and the branded outlets are expected to allow for exchanges within a 30 day period provided the customer brings the original receipt with them.

tmobile_classic_retailers

Looking ahead, T-Mobile is expected to announce the third phase of its Uncarrier strategy. Rumors suggest the wireless provider might do away with up-front deposits and/or provide refurbished devices in stores.

TmoNews

The post T-Mobile to sunset Classic plans at retail partners starting in November appeared first on AndroidGuys.

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Android World Update # DisplayMate: the Note 3 has the brightest mobile display we ever tested

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thumbnail DisplayMate: the Note 3 has the brightest mobile display we ever tested
Oct 1st 2013, 17:00, by Bogdan Petrovan

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 aa 7

The Note 3 is launching this week in US and around the world and many of you have already made it clear that you plan to buy it. If you're still on the fence about it, perhaps the fact that the Note 3 has thoroughly impressed the experts at DisplayMate will help make up your mind.

DisplayMate is a company that produces software for "optimizing, calibrating, testing, evaluating and comparing all types of displays, monitors, projectors, mobile displays and HDTVs". They are an authority in the field that we often quoted in the past, most recently when they compared the HTC One, Xperia Z, and Ascend P6 in a Full HD display shootout.

Now DisplayMate evaluated a pre-release version of the Galaxy Note 3 (supplied by Samsung), and the results are quite impressive. Here are some of the highlights:

  • The Note 3's is extremely bright. According to DisplayMate's testing, the Note 3 is 55 percent brighter than the Note 2 and 25 percent brighter than the Galaxy S4. The Note 3 performs better than or comparable to "most LCD displays in this size class". With Automatic Brightness on, the Note 3's display reaches an impressive 660 cd/m2, which is the highest value that DisplayMate ever recorded. For comparison, the iPhone 5, long considered a standard in display quality, outputs 600 cd/m2.
  • DisplayMate praises the user selectable color modes of the Note 3, noting that the Professional Photo mode delivers a "fairly accurate calibration to the Adobe RGB standard, which is rarely available in consumers displays".
  • The reflectance levels on the Note 3 are very low, which, along with the high brightness, improves readability under intense ambient light. The Note 3 has the highest "Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light" that the company ever measured.
  • At viewing angles of 30 degrees, the display loses just 22 percent of its brightness, compared to 55 percent or greater in the case of a typical LCD display.

Overall, DisplayMate's experts were very impressed with the Note 3, remarking that, with it, Samsung brought OLED display technology to a level that is comparable to or better than most LCDs. For a technology that has matured in just a few years, that's a very impressive achievement.

We'll be taking a close look at the Galaxy Note 3's display in our upcoming review, so we'll be offering our own observations soon.

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Android World Update # Sony Xperia Z1 pitted against the Nokia Lumia 1020’s camera

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thumbnail Sony Xperia Z1 pitted against the Nokia Lumia 1020's camera
Oct 1st 2013, 17:07, by Andrew Grush

z1-1020-compare

With the Sony Xperia Z1, Sony has managed to create one of the most impressive handsets in the Android world, and this goes doubly when it comes to camera performance. We’ve already seen impressive Z1 night time shots and even a low-light comparison between the Sony Xperia Z1 and the Nokia Lumia 925. Now we are left wondering how the Z1 will stand up against Nokia’s 41MP Pureview-wielding Lumia 1020.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones interested to see how the two devices compare, either. Steve Litchfield from All About Windows Phone recently pitted the two handsets against one another in a series of different photographs.

How did the Sony Xperia Z1 compare? Depends largely on the photo.

The Sony Xperia Z1 seems to do a solid job of taking photos when lighting is decent, and compares nicely to the 1020 in these situations. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when light levels are lower. The Lumia 1020's combination of OIS, a larger sensor and Xenon Flash allow for the Windows Phone-powered handset to come out on top in areas where lighting isn’t so great.

Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look for yourself:

1020-image-1

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-1

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-2

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-2

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-8

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-8

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-3

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-3

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-4

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-4

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-5

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-5

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

 

1020-image-7

Nokia Lumia 1020. Click to enlarge.

z1-image-7

Sony Xperia Z1. Click to enlarge.

Now that you’ve had a chance to take a closer look at the comparative images, we’ll be honest here: Yes, the Lumia 1020′s camera is better. That said, unless you are really into having the absolute best cameraphone available, the difference in image quality probably isn’t significant enough to bother you.

Bottom-line, the Xperia Z1 is a wonderful handset with a camera that is right up there against similar Android devices. It might not be quite as impressive as the 1020 in some ways, but it also has some clear advantages such as the fact it runs Android and has access to the plethora of great Android apps out there. The Xperia Z1 is also compatible with Sony's SmartShot lenses, which can help take your Android photography experience to a whole other level.

For full-sized images, cropped comparisons and more – head on over to All About Windows Phone.

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