Three customers will all get 4G service as standard, with no price hike
The UK LTE market just got a whole lot more interesting tonight, as Three UK has announced that it'll bring 4G LTE service to its existing customers at no extra charge. The network, which plans to roll out 4G on newlyacquired 1800MHz later this year, says its subscribers will get the LTE upgrade as standard, assuming they're using a compatible handset.
Currently EE is the only network offering 4G services in the UK, and due to its effective monopoly the carrier is able to charge much more than its competitors. Today's announcement heralds the arrival of unlimited LTE something not offered by EE for as little as £12 (~$19) per month on a rolling onemonth contract.
The news may give prospective EE customers pause, as that carrier's contracts all run for at least 12 months, and there's no unlimited option available. If Three can pull off its promised 4G launch without any price hike, EE and rivals planning LTE networks of their own may be forced to reexamine their pricing.
Three didn't give any exact timeline as to when in 2013 it'll launch LTE, but the terms of its 1800MHz purchase from EE require the latter to hand over the spectrum by September at the latest. In the meantime, all the major UK mobile networks are competing for 800MHz and 2600MHz airwaves in the longdelayed 4G spectrum auction.
Wine, the software that's officially not an emulator but allows Microsoft Windows applications to run on Linux, Mac OS, and other platforms, was shown running on an Android environment today at FOSDEM in Brussels. Alexandre Julliard, of Codeweavers and Wine's original developer, demoed Wine on a Apple Macbook running Linux and the Android emulator. The initial tests show Wine running pretty slowly, but Julliard blames much of this on the fact that Android was emulated on the system.
While running Windows programs compiled for ARM processors on Android devices is an interesting idea, things will really take off if Intel can push the X86 processor to Android tablet manufacturers. An Atom CPU powered Android device will allow Codeweavers to push their CrossOver commercial products, like Office, for both consumers and business users.
It isn't every day that you find a game that is a truly fresh take on a classic game style. There are dozens of games out there that are simply a couple tweaks away from infringing on Tetris and Bejeweled trademarks. Upset the Fruit Basket takes inspiration from these staple game types, but builds something fun and unique that you can enjoy for its own merits.
Read along with us after the break to see how Upset the Fruit Basket is able to stand out.
Carbon is for Android smartphones only, separate tablet app in the works
After more than a year in the works and a couple of false starts, Carbon for Android -- the Twitter app -- is finally available on Google Play. Everything we showed you a week ago in our exclusive preview still stands. The scrolling is the gold standard for any other application. The animations are as subtle as they are impressive. And the overall design and feel is among the best we've seen in a Twitter app. And the keyword and hashtag filters can help clean up your timeline in a way usually reserved for desktop Twitter clients. This initial release is just for phones, but rest assured a tablet version is on the way.
Best of all, Carbon is free.
One update from our preview regards the settings menu, which wasn't active in our early build. We've updated our post with a bit on it.
Asus is no stranger to Android tablets, and so while nothing official by any stretch, it's not at all surprising to hear that a new tablet is reportedly heading to Mobile World Congress later this month. Following on from the already announced MeMo Pad 7, what we see here is allegedly the new MeMo Pad 10.
The MeMo Pad 10 is said to follow on from its 7 inch sibling in hitting a lower price point. Reported specs include a 1280x800 display, a 1.2GHz Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera, 16GB of on board storage with microSD card expansion and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. 12 months ago specs such as these would have put the MeMo Pad 10 at the bleeding edge, but by current -- and forthcoming -- standards, it would sit in the mid-range, lower price bracket quite nicely.
The source of the images, tabletsmagazine.nl, claims that several Dutch retailers have already begun to offer pre-orders for the MeMo Pad 10, starting as low as €299 (£259/$407), which sounds very competitive for a decent 10 inch tablet. Of course, until it's official, nothing's official. Treat it as you would all leaks, but we'll be in Barcelona in little over three weeks to see just what Asus does bring.
As is so often the case in life, the little things can make a big difference. I was worried that our little Valentines Day contest -- we're giving away a pair of Nexus 7s and Nexus 4s -- would come off as too cheesy. Sappy, even for me, a guy who grew up believing John Cusack's "Better Off Dead" was actually a preferred way for high school to pan out. (Sadly, I played trombone instead of the sax -- not quite the same romantic effect there. And no bitchin' Camaro, but my sun-faded 1985 BMW 325e with no air conditioning, speedometer and, occasionally, brakes, at least sounded cool on paper.)
But it's working. At the time of this writing, there are some 28 pages of entries. Somewhere around 600 pictures posted of all kinds of happy couples as I sit here Sunday morning finishing this column. Pictures of boys and girls. Boys and boys. Girls and girls. Dogs. Cats. Even saw someone with someone in a cow suit or something. (I don't judge.) In a job like this, it's both a blessing and a curse to not actually have to interact with people all the time. But every single time -- from the occasional reader meet-up (and we really need to do more of those) to events like Google I/O and CES -- getting to meet even just one of our reader is energizing in a way that's tough to describe.
So thank you for that. Each and every one of you. I can't wait to pack up the hardware and get it off to a couple happy couples. But we've got another couple weeks -- and hopefully many more inspiring pictures -- to go.
And now, a few more thoughts to keep things going ...
We recently saw benchmark filings for the GT-B9150 and it looks like several other Samsung devices have been benchmarked. This latest GLBenchmark discovery includes five additional Samsung devices, including one that is also a 9150. Though, just to clarify, this latest is the GT-I9150 (and GT-I9152) as opposed to the GT-B9150.
That said, lets begin the list of five with that model. The GT-I9150 is described as being a device with a 1.2GHz Broadcom BCM28155 processor, VideoCore IV GPU and a qHD display with a resolution of 960 x 540. The GT-I9150, which also includes the 9152 is also shown as running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Next up on the list is the Galaxy Pocket 2, the GT-S5310/S5312. This handset is shown to be running Android 4.1.2 with an 850MHz Broadcom processor, VideoCore IV GPU and a VGA display at 320 x 240. Clearly, a low-end device.
Moving on and we come to the Galaxy Star (GT-S5282), the Galaxy Young (GT-S6310/S6312) and the Galaxy Frame (GT-S6810/S6810P). These are all shown to be running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy Star will arrive as another low-end device with features showing as a Spreadtrum processor, Mail-300 graphics and a 320 x 240 display. The Galaxy Young steps things up a tiny bit and is shown to have features including a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, Adreno 200 graphics and an HVGA (480 x 320) display.
The Galaxy Frame looks to be similar to the Galaxy Young with features to include a 1GHz Broadcom processor, VideoCore IV graphics and an HVGA (480 x 320) display. The Galaxy Frame models are shown to include the S6810 without NFC and the S6810P with NFC. Of course, these models aside, we think the much more exciting filing was for the GT-B9150 which was some to have a dual-core 1.7 GHz Exynos 5 (Cortex-A15) processor with a 1920 x 1080 full HD display.
Google originally released the Android 4.2.1 code into the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) back in late-November and coming a bit more recently, it looks like they have since dropped in some updated code. And by updated, we mean two newly tagged files. The files are showing as android-4.2.1_r1.1 and android-4.2.1_r1.2.
The r1.1 file shows as being build JOP40F and the r1.2 file shows as being build JOP40G. The interesting part here, the JOP40G build was expected to arrive as Android 4.2.2. That aside though, to follow up on the remaining timeline, aside from the 4.2.1 version bump that arrived several months back, Google also released build JOP40E a little over two months back.
While these could be interpreted as minor bumps, there were some changes noted. The changes did not however address any of the Bluetooth issues. These are still expected to arrive as part of the Android 4.2.2 release — whenever that makes its way into the AOSP. The folks at Android Police apparently spent some time digging through the code and noted the changes as being “very minor and mostly related to the Nexus 4.”
Finally, for those who just happen to have an Android device and are wondering what an AOSP release means — this is good news for developers as well as those who like to mod and hack. Basically, these releases mean it is not only possible, but also easy for you to get your device back to the original factory state.
Pebble launched their Android app back on January 24 and it looks like an update has since arrived. This update isn’t brining any new features, however it should be welcomed by those who happen to already have a Pebble on their wrist and have been having issues getting it paired. Simply put, this is a bug fixing update.
Specifically, this update brings two fixes. The first is a bug fix that should take care of an issue that caused some Pebble watches to become undiscoverable. The second fix deals with device support. As for this, the Pebble team has simply adjusted the Play Store listing that caused the app to list certain devices as being incompatible.
Those two points out of the way — this update brings the Pebble app up to version 1.6.8 where it remains available for devices running Android 2.3.3 or later. Otherwise, aside from these two fixes, it seems that not every handset is going to work perfectly. In fact, the Pebble team has also identified an issue that some Samsung users with Android 4.0 may be experiencing.
According to the details coming from Pebble, “some” Samsung users with Ice Cream Sandwich “may find that their device starts speaking after enabling the Pebble accessibility service.” The cause of this is said to be a Samsung bug that affects all third-party accessibility services. For those dealing with this issue, there hasn’t been any timeline given as to when a fix can be expected, however the Pebble team has said they are “currently waiting on a fix from Samsung.”
Samsung released the “El Plato Supremo” teaser video a few days back and as promised — they have since released the follow-up video. This commercial has dropped on the Samsung Mobile USA YouTube page, sports the title of “The Next Big Thing” and brings the return of Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd.
The full commercial measures in at a full two-minutes in length and has Rogan and Rudd offering competing pitches to see who will represent The Next Big Thing for Samsung. In fact, description aside, you get a sense of that right from the beginning. The commercial begins with both actors telling each other about how Samsung called them in. Of course, from this point they go into taking jabs at each other.
The Samsung technology comes into play as we see that each have been given a Galaxy Note II. They even managed to get in some of the features such as being able to search the web, take images and then touch up images with the S Pen. Well, as it turns out, they are both working for Samsung together. Later in the commercial, LeBron James also makes a cameo appearance on a tablet.
That all being said, as we mentioned after we saw the one-minute “El Plato Supremo” teaser — Samsung has yet to show off anything new in these commercials. Needless to say, they have done a fairly good job of showing off their current lineup while at the same time giving the viewer something to laugh at.
Rumors for the much anticipated X-Phone joint effort device from Google and Motorola are starting to heat up. While we’ve been reporting little tidbits here and there lately, today we have additional rumors which match previous reports and we’re getting excited. To start it looks like Google’s I/O event on May 15th is when the X-Phone will be revealed to the world, but read on for more details.
Rumors have been floating around on the X-Phone since the WSJ originally leaked the details, and today sources claim to actually have a friend using and testing the new smartphone. Yup, according to PhoneArena’s tipster the device is in the wild and being tested by a few lucky souls. Now what would a rumor be without some juicy details? Lets dig into those.
According to the source the X-Phone has some pretty bold specs, but we already knew that going in. Back in January we reported on a May release date and a 5-inch display, but today we’re getting slightly conflicting reports. This source says Motorola and Google have decided on a 4.8-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD display, will reveal it at I/O on May 15th, and it will even sport the impressive Sony Exmor camera sensor. Apple’s exclusivity contract has ended, and we can expect that camera sensor to make its way into multiple handsets early this year.
Google’s big focus lately on Android smartphones has been for durability, and battery life. The X-Phone will address both of those. Using Motorola’s excellent Kevlar design for extreme durability and splash-guard water-resistance mixed in with a battery like the RAZR MAXX HD (3,300 mAh) the new X-Phone will reportedly rock. It will have the latest and greatest hardware on all levels, the newest Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, amazing battery life, be extremely durable, support up to 128GB of internal storage and come with a micro-SD slot, and all of this will hit multiple carriers. Not to mention be sold on the Google Play Store.
This is a lot to take in, but most of it doesn’t seem too far fetched other than the 128GB of internal storage option. It won’t be a Nexus so a micro-SD card still makes sense since Motorola’s in charge, will rock a quad-core processor, and should be ready for a May unveil. Who’s getting excited? We sure are!
Business owners who use Foursquare will be pleased to know that they now have an app made specifically for them waiting on the Google Play Store. Foursquare for Business rolled out for Android this week, giving business owners an all new level of functionality. Now, you can push updates about your business from the phone, meaning you can update your company’s page anywhere you can get a mobile data signal.
Before Foursquare released this app, business owners had to go through the website to make their updates, which we imagine proved to be quite the headache. After all, we live in a world that requires many people – business owners in particular – to be constantly on the go, so stopping everything to hop on the website to make updates probably wasn’t always an option. Owners can send their Foursquare updates to Facebook and Twitter, taking care of the major social networks right there in-app.
You’ll also be able to view your recent check-ins with the app, and if you’ve got more than one business listed with Foursquare, you can use the app to manage all of them. It isn’t a bad deal at all, and if it makes it easier for businesses to maintain a social presence, we’re thinking it’ll probably be a big hit. Perhaps most importantly, the app doesn’t cost anything to use.
Speaking of Foursquare, the company recently released a number of Best of Foursquare lists. The lists highlights highly-rated businesses in 30 cities across the US, so if you live in a big United States city and are looking for a new restaurant or bar to visit, it wouldn’t hurt to check out those lists. The Foursquare for Business app is now available on the Google Play Store [download link].
Time to get excited, Xperia T owners, because it appears that Sony has started sending out Jelly Bean updates. Spotted by Xperia Blog, the Jelly Bean update was only certified for the Xperia T yesterday, so Sony hasn’t wasted any time in pushing it out to consumers. Sony seems to be sending the update out in waves, so unfortunately, some consumers are going to have a longer wait than others.
In fact, the Jelly Bean update has only been confirmed in the Netherlands at the moment, so if you live anywhere else, you may not be getting the update immediately. Still, it should be popping up in other regions of the world shortly, so at least we all have that to look forward to. Sadly, this update is only bringing the Xperia T up to Android 4.1, meaning that you won’t be getting the most recent version of Android here.
That’s not to say Android 4.1 is a bad thing, especially when you’re coming from Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.1 brings a lot of exciting things with it, as Google made many of performance improvements in the jump to Jelly Bean. The goal is to get your phone running as smoothly as possible, and a lot of folks have been impressed with their phone’s performance after upgrading from Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Xperia T is the first in a long line of devices Sony plans to upgrade to Jelly Bean. A number of these upgrades will be coming before quarter 1 2013 finishes up at the end of March, with others launching as we continue through 2013. Have you received the update to Jelly Bean for your Xperia T yet?
If you’re been looking for some good free Android games and happen to own an HTC phone, then your search may be over. HTC and PlayStation Mobile have announced that they’ve teamed up to bring Android users a handful of free games throughout the month of February. There will be a new game to download every week, and the companies have chosen to make Cubixx free for the first week.
In order to take advantage of these offers and download your free games, you’ll need to download the PlayStation Mobile app from Sony (which can be found here). This means you’ll have to allow app installs from unknown sources on your phone, so head into the security menu and enable the option. After you’ve downloaded the PlayStation Mobile app, boot it up and create a Sony Entertainment Network account. Once that’s done, you should be able to download your free copy of Cubixx.
Of course, if you’re already an HTC user who has PlayStation Mobile installed, you can skip all of the above and just get to downloading. Not all HTC users will be able to take advantage of this deal though, as Sony and HTC are requiring Sense 4+ and Android 4.1. If you’re running anything older than Sense 4+ and Android 4.1, you won’t be able to access the PlayStation Mobile Store. For a refresher, here are the HTC devices that have been PlayStation Certified:
• One V • One X • One S • One XL • One EVO 4G LTE • One X+
So, it appears that even if you are running Sense 4+ and Android 4.1, you may not have much luck if your device isn’t listed above. In any case, we don’t hear too much from the PlayStation Mobile store these days. Aside from those HTC devices and a number of Sharp handsets, only Sony’s devices have been PlayStation Certified. As a result, there isn’t all that much to see on the PlayStation Mobile Store at the moment, but perhaps this promotion will light up some new interest in the store? Remember that HTC and Sony will be releasing making a new game free every week, so stay tuned.
For those Classic 5 or Bejeweled fans we have an awesome and beautifully designed new puzzle game for Android to share with you all today. It’s called 7×7 and was just recently launched in the Google Play Store this week. Just like Classic 5 and other puzzle games it’s extremely easy to understand, but gets very addicting as you go along.
Just like Classic 5, Bejeweled, or many other similar puzzle games the idea is extremely simple. Match colors in horizontal, vertical or diagonal rows with as few turns strategically as possible to earn the most points. You’ll need to match 4 of any color in a row, and getting two rows at a time is bonus points. We all know the name of this game, but can you do it?
7×7 adds on this classic and awesome time-wasting game by having a beautiful touchscreen friendly user interface, and they’ve added a few unique spins to really make the game better than most. The developers added power-ups to save you from those sticky situations or moments where you weren’t thinking clearly. It’s all about strategy here folks! 7×7 has an “undo” power-up but don’t use em all or you’ll be sorry. Then they have a move anywhere power-up for when there’s no moves left. I happened to use them early and wish I saved a few.
You get in-game achievements and high score alerts, and clearing a level will earn you another undo power-up. Again, I’d be saving those til things get hot and difficult later on. You never know when you’ll need a lifeline. The graphics are clean, the user interface is sharp and easy to understand, and overall it’s extremely polished and well made. If you’re looking for a well made and designed fun puzzle game to keep you entertained for hours — try 7×7 by Kiip Inc. Get this brand new puzzler for Android by clicking here.
