Sunday, July 15, 2012

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Samsung Galaxy S3 launcher ported to ICS ROMs – blasphemy in the ears of stock Android fans

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 07:00 PM PDT


Manufacturer UIs are here to stay. It is the only way a phone maker can differentiate itself from a crowd of manufacturers using the same operating system. In the hands of manufacturers the result can either be amazing or simply horrible. Regardless, it is a matter of opinion. But around this site people are usually yelling and screaming how much they hate UI overlays, making it a bit weird when people port these launchers to other devices.

The guys at XDA Developers have managed to port the Samsung Galaxy S3′s launcher to all ROMs running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. That is right, you can stick the Touchwiz launcher into any rooted device running ICS, regardless of the brand. Of course this comes with its limitations, and it won’t work perfectly with all devices. There is a rather goodlist of working devices, though.

The launcher is fairly simple to install. One simply needs to put the .apk file under /system/apps using any root explorer.

I would never choose to install a manufacturer launcher, as I prefer regular, simple and beautiful stock Android. And we are sure many of you will scream: “Why would you destroy your device like that?!” It might be important to note that users have been reporting rather good experiences in terms of performance. Some even swear by it being smoother than any other launcher, including Nova and Apex Launcher.

The point here is that there is a drug for everyone. And if Touchwiz is yours, then by all means – enjoy it! MIUI has a very high demand, and it is also very similar to Touchwiz and iOS. We love options, right?

Hit the source link for download, instructions and more details.

[Source: XDA Developers]

Add Fujifilm to the Android patent wars, goes against Motorola

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 06:07 PM PDT

The growing trend of companies suing Android manufacturers continues to grow along with the platform’s success. Just in case Google partners don’t have enough to worry about already, Fujifilm has decided to join the party. The camera maker has recently filed a lawsuit against Motorola, claiming that a large amount of the manufacturer’s devices are infringing on its patents.

Fujifilm is bringing 4 specific patents to court, which include the following:

These patents involve processes mostly related to imaging (of course) and communications. In short, they relate to image conversion, processing, face detection and devices communicating with other devices “over a path other than the telephone network.”

Needless to say that some of these are pretty general patents, and many other companies could very well be blamed for the same. There could be a certain process these patents refer to, which usually includes the way the coding and/or hardware is set up. But for now, the only thing to do is wait and see which patents are considered valid in court.

So there you go, guys! Fujifilm joins the rest of the tech world in the war against Android.

[Source: Document Via: FOSS Patents]

Did you switch to Verizon’s Share Everything family data plans? [Poll]

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 04:46 PM PDT


All hopes of the perfect data-sharing plans were destroyed when Verizon announced its pricing strategy. Surely, this option is not for everyone, something that was made very clear by the media, as well as customers. But with our unlimited plans not being honored starting this summer, it is about time we start thinking about our options.

Having the benefit of sharing data can be a great advantage for some users. Especially those that would like to take advantage of unlimited calling and text messaging, as these plans offer those features. One can also add tablets to these plans for only $10 a month, even though these are no longer available at subsidized prices.

Regardless, these plans are still not as affordable as one would hope. They start with a base payment ranging from $50 to $100 (for 1 GB and 10 GB, relatively). Then each device added to the account will cost an extra fee, which is different depending on the nature of the device. Adding a smartphone costs $40, while a basic phone costs $30. Furthermore, a WiFi Hotspot will run for $20 and a tablet $10 (more details here).

Considering these prices, I would end up paying about $20 more than I currently do, if I decided to make the switch. Of course, I do not currently have unlimited calling or texting, but nor do I need it. And I am definitely not ready to let go of my unlimited data plan.

With that in mind, we have been wondering if our fellow Verizon readers have done the math and made a decision yet. Will you be sticking with your current plans? Have you switched to Verizon’s Share Everything plans yet? Go ahead and let us know, as we would be interested to see how well these plans have taken off.

And don’t forget to join us in the comments to explain your experiences in further detail!

Take Our Poll

Carbon for Android may become the best Twitter client, coming for free this month after major discrepancies

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT

Twitter fans tend to be very picky about their client of preference. After all, this social network can be a great source of news and information, aside from being fun. With many fans in line, Carbon seems to be the only Twitter client to cause any major hype lately. The WebOS-originating client is smooth and over all gorgeous.

The developer encountered some major issues in its path, but this ended up resulting in a much better conclusion; the app will be free for everyone and is set for release this month.

This decision has become almost necessary, as Google does not allow developers to post paid apps from the UAE (United Arab Emirates) yet. The Carbon team was hoping for an announcement at IO 2012, allowing developers from other parts of the world to post paid apps in the Play Store. This never happened and the developer found itself forced to re-route its plan.

The app will now be completely free, promising an ad-less “premium” Twitter client for the masses. We are certainly excited to see this application go live later this month. If you haven’t seen the preview from March, you best check it out right now. Even in its alpha stages, the app looks stunning. Its beautiful UI and smooth transitions reflect the full potential of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

We believe this is a must-try, and will surely be keeping our eyes on it. A Twitter app with the potential to leave its competition in the dust, and for free? Sign me up!

But just out of curiosity, what would it take to make you leave your current Twitter client? Is the UI and eye-candy enough?

[Source: Google+]

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity starts to hit US retailers a few days early

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 02:09 PM PDT


ASUS has been making rounds across the US, nearly selling out all its Nexus 7 devices on day 1. Those that want a top-of-the-line device have been waiting around for a certain other tablet, though – the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity. If you consider yourself one of these patient tablet fans, you are probably biting your nails by now. The tablet is set for release come July 16th (this Monday). But what is even more exciting is to see the tablet showing up in third-party retailer sites.

Office depot happens to be the among the first, offering the tablet for $499.99 and now displaying it in stock. We are sure this bad boy will not sell out as quick as the popular Nexus 7, but it will definitely have some good demand. Office Depot is limiting customers to two devices per customer. Something that probably won’t be an issue for most of us, but some of you might want to get one for each family member.

If you need a refresher, the tablet comes with a Quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB of RAM and Android 4.0. You may not get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box, but ASUS is known to be very efficient in keeping its devices up-to-date. We expect Jelly Bean to hit the TF700T rather soon. But if you need a little extra incentive in the meantime, do remember this bad boy sports a stunning 10.1-inch 1920x1200p IPS+ display (which happens to be the tablet’s main highlight).

If you are in a rush to get your Transformer Pad Infinity secured, you might as well go with Office Depot now. Or you could take a bit of a risk and see if it is in stock at your local stores this Monday. What do you say?

[Via: Engadget]

Sprint’s LTE network found active earlier than expected

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 12:07 PM PDT

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If you’ve been waiting eagerly for Sprint’s LTE network and happen to live in their initial launch regions (Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta and San Antonio) then we’ve got good news for you: reports are coming in that the 4G LTE network is discoverable AND active. The reported speeds are 10 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. Not all pockets in the above mentioned cities are getting consistent network, which launches officially tomorrow.

[via The Verge]

Telus cancels HTC Desire HD Ice Cream Sandwich update, cites “poor performance”

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 11:56 AM PDT

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I always hate reporting these kind of news, but someone’s got to. Telus has decided to cancel the Ice Cream Sandwich update that was due for the HTC Desire HD, saying that they got poor response during testing. Which basically means they’re either too lazy, or don’t want to incur the cost, or just don’t give a damn.

Why do I say that? Because I’m certain the Desire HD can run Ice Cream Sandwich. You need only visit XDA to find several fledgling ROMs. The phone has decent enough components to handle the OS with ease, with the same Snapdragon S2 and has the same Adreno 205 GPU as the HTC One V, with more RAM (768 MB RAM to One V’s 512). The One V can apparently handle ICS, but Desire HD can’t.

Once again, the carriers prove it’s foolish to expect any honesty from them.

[via Droid Dog]

This is why Apple is going berserk: Android extends US marketshare lead, Samsung tops platform’s OEMs

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 09:27 AM PDT

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Analytics firm Nielsen statistics from their Q2 2012 subscriber data has shown Android extend its significant lead over Apple, with a 51.8% marketshare compared to iOS’s 34.3%. In Q1 2012, the scores stood at 48.5% for Android to Apple’s 32%. About a year ago (Q3 2011, I was unable to find the Q2 2011 data for a YoY comparison) Android had a 44.2% to 28.6% lead. These are minor growths, but it shows that regardless of the injunction requests and all the legal hoopla, and despite all the “fragmentation” talk, Apple is nowhere close to closing the gap on Android.

In the manufacturer’s stakes, Samsung is the leading OEM as expected, with their Android devices accounting for a 17% total marketshare. HTC is second at 14%, Motorola third at 11% and the rest accounting for 9%. Looking over at the other platforms, Blackberry has dropped from 17% in Q3 2011 to 9%. Windows Phone 7 is stagnant at a meager 1.3%, with all the money spent on marketing still unable to get them to even half of Windows Mobile’s 3% share.

[via Brief Mobile]

Samsung’s request for expedited Galaxy Nexus hearing accepted, Apple groups them with “pirates, thieves and counterfeiters”

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 07:55 AM PDT

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After the return of the Galaxy Nexus to the Play Store, we have some more good news on the Samsung vs Apple patent battle: the Korean manufacturer’s request for an expedited appeal against the preliminary injunction granted against the Galaxy Nexus has been grated. As a result, they must submit their court brief by the 16th of July to the US Court of Appeals, after which Apple has 14 days to respond. Final comments will take place on the 6th of August.

However, that’s not the end of the story. Apple’s use of lawsuits to protect and increase their marketshare has already hit the wrong notes with most of the community, even those who use iOS devices. Yet, having first written to retailers informing them not to sell the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the Galaxy Nexus (despite the latter’s injunction having been removed for the time-being), they have gone on to defend themselves in a way that leaves a pretty bad taste. When Samsung complained about the letters, Apple’s stance was summed up by their following words:

“[the company's] letter shows nothing beyond the entirely predictable consequence of Samsung’s infringement — i.e., the infringing products must be taken off of the market. It is not a legally cognizable harm to halt downstream sales of stolen, pirated, counterfeit, or infringing products.”

While I believe that it is fair to remind retailers not to sell a product against which an injunction has been granted, Apple’s choice of words were eye-opening, in a bad way. To try to remove a competitor’s products from the market using minor software patents that should never have been granted is one thing. To group the competitor with pirates, thieves and counterfeiters is quite another.

The arrogance displayed by Apple in that statement is mind-boggling. There was absolutely no need to mention “stolen, pirated, counterfeit” to get their point across, which leaves us with the obvious conclusion that this was a calculated strategy on the part of their legal team.

Apple, I never thought I’d say this, but you’ve stooped to a whole new level.

[via Electronista]

XBMC Media Player Officially Announced For Android

Posted: 13 Jul 2012 08:52 PM PDT

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This is sure to make more than a few Android-nerds very happy campers. Tonight, XMBC, the popular open-sourced media player app, has just announced that an honest-to-goodness, full featured, all-inclusive Android application is nearing a release. That means soon, Android users will be able to take full advantage of the media player solution, to stream locally stored media anywhere they can hook up their Android device. None of that rooting or funny business required. This is for everyone. The developers provided the below video as proof.

I think we may have finally found a use for the Nexus Q…

[XBMC]
Posted by at 7:44 AM 0 comments

Android Central

Android Central

Sprint LTE network reportedly starting to fire up a day early

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 02:44 PM PDT

Android Central

We already knew that the Sprint LTE network was due to fire up on July 15 in selected markets, but it seems as though it might be starting up already. OK, so it's only a day early, but it's still early. 

According to various different reports in the Android Central forums, Sprint users are starting to see LTE data in cities slated for tomorrows turn on. We've got threads stating that LTE has been turned on in San Antonio, Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City and Houston, all the cities we were expecting to see fired up tomorrow. 

If you're seeing LTE yourselves, why not let us know down in the comments below, or head on over to the Android Central forums and join in the discussion.

More: Android Central Forums

Building AOSP Jelly Bean for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus - a tutorial [from the forums]

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 02:29 PM PDT

AOSP Verizon Galaxy Nexus

We've seen the source code for Android 4.1.1 (affectionately known as Jelly Bean) drop from Google, and plenty of us were excited to see the Verizon Galaxy Nexus binaries were back online and available. Whether you're a Verizon subscriber or not, as an Android fan it's OK to get warm and fuzzy inside seeing more devices opened up for users. Nice work to all involved for getting the licensing worked out once again.

But seeing it there is only the first step. For many of us, half the fun of having a phone like the LTE GNex is building code and hacking the living crap out of it. If this sounds like you, there's a special treat waiting in the Verizon Galaxy Nexus forums -- the best damn AOSP building tutorial you'll ever see. I've written a few how-tos in my time, so I can say, with no remorse, that you won't find a more thorough, easier to understand, well-thought tutorial anywhere. Dmmarck is not just an AC forums moderator, he's a total nerd, and not afraid to let it shine. He walks you through setting up your machine, from the ground up, and in the end you'll have the satisfaction of flashing a build of Jelly Bean that you made yourself. It's the pinnacle for any Android geek with a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The icing on this cake? Dylan is there, in the forums, all day every day, to answer your questions and walk you through when you get stuck. When doing this sort of thing for the first time, that's the key.

If you've got the hankering to do some Android building for your LTE GNex, and looking for a great place to start, you've found it. Hit the link, and be sure to give dmmarck a big thanks for his hard work!

[GUIDE][Ubuntu] Compiling Android from Source

This is what an Apple takedown notice looks like

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 12:41 PM PDT

Galaxy Nexus

Rene and his team over at iMore got their hands on a copy of Apple's takedown notice that's being sent to retailers who stock the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Nexus. According to their source, they received both electronic (fax or e-mail) and physical copies of their demands, the text of which follows:

Re: Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., et al., United States District Court, Northern District of California, Case No. C-11-01846 (LHK)

[Name redacted]

We represent Apple Inc. in the above-referenced action.

We enclose a copy of the June 26 preliminary injunction ordered entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in this case together with a copy of Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,086,604 (the '604 patent'). With the posting of the requisite bond, the order is now in effect.

The order provides as follows:

For the foregoing reasons, Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction is GRANTED. Accordingly, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Samsung Electronics America, Inc.; and Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC; its officers, partners, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, subsidiaries, and those acting in concert with any of them, are enjoined for making, using, offering to sell, or selling within the Unite States, or importing into the United States, Samsung's Galaxy Nexus and any product that is no more than colorably different from the specified product that infringes on U.S. Patent No. 8,086,604.

(emphasis added).

As the italicized language provides, the order applies not only to the named Samsung entities, but also to anyone "acting in concert" with them. Apple thus believes that the order extends to you because you may be selling, offering to sell, or importing Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

Please comply with the order by ceasing immediately to engage in any of the specified acts (e.g., importing, offering to sell, or selling within the United States) in connection with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and any product that is no more than colorably different from it and embodies the '604 patent's design. At a minimum, Apple believes compliance with the Court's order requires immediately removing for sale the Galaxy Nexus from all physical and online venues under your direction or control.

Please contact the undersigned if you have questions.

Along with the letter came the pertinent US District Court ruling, weighing in at another 100 or so pages. It's clear that Apple is in this until the very end, and will use any tactic available to them under the law to carry on their feud with Samsung. Meanwhile, the fact remains that the ban on the Galaxy Nexus was lifted, and even Samsung admits the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is an obsolete product. To us, this seems like a lot of money being spent (guess who eats that cost in the end?) that could be used to build inexpensive 7-inch iPads and larger screen iPhones, like consumers seem to want. The scanned copy of the letter itself is after the break.

Source: iMore

read more

Apps of the Week - Boid, Songza, Tasks, and more

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 08:32 AM PDT

Apps of the Week

It's that time again - Android Central's editors are showing off their favorite recently discovered apps. This week we've got some social stuff, we've got some gaming, and a dash of productivity. Let's dig in. 

read more

TELUS HTC Desire HD update to Android 4.0 cancelled, down to 'poor device performance during testing'

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Android Central

TELUS has been pretty good as far as information surrounding their devices update schedule to Ice Cream Sandwich. There's another update now doing the rounds, and sadly it brings bad news for owners of the HTC Desire HD. The update for the Desire HD has been cancelled "due to poor device performance during testing." 

While it's sure to be a bitter blow to owners of the device eagerly awaiting their turn to upgrade, if performance is an issue then it's the right decision to make. An update isn't worth waiting on, let alone accepting, if it doesn't make for a good user experience. 

Additional Android devices featured on the latest documentation still shows August for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 with the 10.1 also slipping to August after we'd previously seen late July for the tablet. Also, there's prospective August 7 in market date for the LG Optimus LTE. 

Source: TELUS via Mobilesyrup

The Dark Knight Rises set to hit Android on July 20

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 06:26 AM PDT

Android Central

Batman fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the release of the third Christopher Nolan movie in the series, The Dark Knight Rises. Due for release in cinemas across the world on July 20, further good news is to be had with Gameloft's official game of the movie arriving on Android on the very same day. 

As the only game based on the movie, The Dark Knight Rises promises full likeness to the cast, and a totally immersive experience throughout the sprawling metropolis of Gotham City. The release of The Dark Knight Rises follows the impressive Amazing Spider Man title, also from Gameloft, and is a mobile game we're very eager to get our hands on. There isn't long to wait, but in the meantime check out a new trailer after the break. 

via Pocket Gamer

read more

Android Central international round-up - July 14, 2012

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 05:07 AM PDT

Android Central

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is almost upon us, and although most of us are still waiting for the much-anticipated device to arrive, we’ve had plenty to keep us occupied in the way of international Android news.

Just as Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is arriving, Samsung is going on something of an upgrade spree, bringing the previous version, Ice Cream Sandwich, to a slew of older Gingerbread phone and Honeycomb tablets. Among the devices getting updated this week were the Wifi and 3G Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, as well as various flavors of Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II.

And Samsung’s launch of the 2GB, quad-core, LTE-connected Galaxy S III in its home territory of South Korea was reportedly met with record day-one sales of 50,000 units across the three main Korean carriers. That’s apparently more than double the Galaxy S II’s first-day sales, and five times the initial sales of the original Galaxy S.

British carrier O2 saw a mass outage affecting up to a third of its customer base on Wednesday and Thursday. The problem, caused by a glitch in the software which registers customers’ handsets on to the network, lasted for around 24 hours, during which time affected O2 users were unable to access the carrier’s voice or data services. The bug was dealt with by lunchtime BST on Thursday, and everyone affected by it should now be able to use their phones again.

Check out a selection of the biggest international Android stories from the past seven days below. If you’ve got news, be sure to tip us at the usual address.

Special features:

News:

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean changelog posted in celebration of the Nexus 7 shipping

Posted: 14 Jul 2012 04:51 AM PDT

Android Central

So, your shiny new Nexus 7 is either in hand or on the way, and your Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- in most cases -- just got an OTA to Android 4.1.1. But, when you're asked; "so just what is all the fuss about with Jelly Bean?" What would you say? Project Butter? Google Now? Some sort of changelog would be good right? 

In celebration of the first shipments of the Nexus 7 going out, Google has given us just that, as posted to Google+ by none other, than Hugo Barra himself:

To celebrate the fact that we've just started shipping +Nexus 7 today, we're publishing the official Jelly Bean changelog with all of the new features in Android 4.1

It's a plentiful list of goodies too. Picking a few out at random we see, support for USB audio docks shipping later this year, you can calibrate face unlock to work with accessories such as glasses and hats, news and weather has been improved for freshness and power consumption, and specific improvements to Currents and GMail for the 7-inch tablet. 

The full changelog is posted over on the official Android site, so hit the source link below and go read up on all the Jelly Bean you can handle. 

Source: Android

XBMC for Android is coming soon, source code available for building and testing

Posted: 13 Jul 2012 10:41 PM PDT

XMBC, the very popular open-source media center software, has been successfully ported to Android. The folks at XMBC tell us this on their blog -

Today we announce XBMC for Android. Not a remote, not a thin client; the real deal. No root or jailbreak required. XBMC can be launched as an application on your set-top-box, tablet, phone, or wherever else Android may be found.

If you don't understand just what this is, think of having Windows Media Center running on your Android device, fully customizable, open-source, and with full Python plug-in support. Now think of it on Google TV boxes, Android-on-a-stick style devices, or the Nexus Q. Music, video, internet apps like Pandora, all running on Android device. XMBC does all this, and more. Have a look at Wikipedia if you're not familiar with the media center concept.

For now, no public builds are available. There's still some things to iron out, and the folks at XMBC only want folks who can actively help fix the bugs using it. They've released the source code to make this happen, and you can find it (and more info) at the link below.

Source: XMBC

Carbon for Android will be free, aiming for release later this month

Posted: 13 Jul 2012 10:00 PM PDT

Carbon for Android

Some good news tonight for everyone waiting on the Carbon for Android Twitter client. Release is nigh! Developer Dots & Lines let loose tonight on Google+ for the first time since offering up a teaser video nearly four months ago, announcing that Carbon is aiming for release the week of July 22. And what's more -- it's going to be free. 

That's not to say it's not going to be a full-featured Twitter client. We've been fortunate to use a couple early versions for a number of weeks now. And even with the odd bug and a number of features not yet active (hey, it's alpha testing after all) we're more than a little excited about this one. The design is top notch, the scrolling is to die for.

So why's it going to be free if it's so awesome? Dots & Lines is based in the UAE and had expected Google to allow paid apps from that country by now. That hasn't happened. Instead of waiting, we all get to benefit. (Here's to hoping there's a donation version, too. Perhaps an in-app option?) And it gets even better -- no pesky ads, either. 

Says Dots & Lines:

So, we finally decided to make it a free app. Yep, a premium free app. No Ads (we believe that Ads cripple the experience no matter how efficiently done, it's just wrong on an app that users use all day long). Going free, doesn't mean watering the app down, but a mean to get the app that we've been working on for a long time, designs that went through endless iterations and tweaking to be experienced out there by our eager friends who've been waiting for months.

Dots & Lines goes on to say that what hits Google Play the week of July 22 won't be a beta test, either. It'll be a full-blow version 1 build. Those of us with test builds (and we really can't wait for everyone else to get to try Carbon) should see an update in the next week or so, ahead of the public release. We're counting the days.

Source: +Carbon for Android

Advantages of an unlocked Nexus, Got my Nexus 7 [From the Forums]

Posted: 13 Jul 2012 05:45 PM PDT

From the Forums

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.
Posted by at 5:52 AM 0 comments
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