Pantech Burst review Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:45 PM PST The Pantech Burst is one of AT&T's latest LTE-enabled handsets, and it's clearly aimed at the first-time or budget-minded smartphone buyer.  That's a huge market, and this is the first time we've seen 4G LTE directed at it.  But two years is a long time, and you're wise to do a little homework before you sign that commitment, no matter how low the up-front cost is.  Hit the break and see what we think of the Pantech Burst. The Super AMOLED screen is great.  Pantech has done very nice things to Android, while keeping an overall stock feel to things.  The $399 off-contract price is quite a bargain. The poor battery life while on an LTE network is still a sticking point.  The benefits of a low upfront cost pale when considering the price of the contract. The Burst is really a nice little phone.  But the other AT&T LTE handsets offer a little more in the way of customizations and features.  If you're going to sign-on for two years, you should get the best product available.  If you're looking for a solid and inexpensive LTE phone for AT&T, and buying outright, that's where the Burst shines. Inside this review More info Video walkthrough Hardware review Software review Camera tests Pantech Burst specs Pantech Burst forums   read more

DoubleTwist updated again, no longer requires payment for podcast streaming [updated] Posted: 05 Feb 2012 01:39 PM PST Update: As doubleTwist's Monique Farantzos points out, streaming podcasts is now free, but you still have to upgrade to the premium version to download, subscribe and manage podcasts. Original: Seems that the guys over at doubleTwist have been listening to the comments from the community. The application has been updated again about a week after they first brought in podcast streaming, to remove the necessity to pay for them. A lot of you out there weren't too impressed by the charge imposed to unlock the podcast feature. Considering you can sync your subscriptions from iTunes for free if you already shelled out for the AirSync add-on, it seemed a little steep. All that is put to bed now though, as with this latest update podcasts are available for all -- which naturally includes the worlds greatest Android podcast. No word on whether or not they intend to refund anyone who did fork out, but we're guessing that not many of you parted with your cash.  Aside from this, we also get a couple of improvements elsewhere in the app. Fixes come for video and podcast position saving, last.fm scrobbling and general bug fixes. We also get support for the Ice Cream Sandwich lockscreen which is always a welcome addition. You'll find the download links after the break. read more

Android Central international round-up - Feb. 5, 2012 Posted: 05 Feb 2012 10:23 AM PST It's been another eventful week for Android news around the world. We've seen phone announcements, on-going legal skirmishes between Samsung and Apple, and confirmation that we won't see the Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress later this month. We also delivered our list of top European smartphones for the UK and Europe, and gave you the chance to win a HTC Sensation XL just by proving your superior Android knowledge. Here are a few highlights from the past week in international Android developments -- Features The best UK/European Android Phones - As of Feb. 2, 2012 Win an HTC Sensation XL with HyperBees, Android Central and HTC News Sony Ericsson announces Billabong partnership, Xperia Active Billabong Edition HTC Flyer available once again at reduced price in the UK White HTC Sensation coming from Mar. 1 Apple expands patent claims against Samsung in Australia German court rejects Apple bid to ben sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Nexus Samsung Galaxy S Advance available in the UK from Feb. 6, priced at £350 Japanese carrier to stop sending push notification ads UK retailer withdraws Transformer Prime, blames 'faults' and stock availability Samsung: No Galaxy S II successor at Mobile World Congress LG Optimus L3 emerges in Sweden, appears to be new entry-level offering Samsung offering personal engraving for Galaxy Note in South Korea Samsung Galaxy Note launching on TELUS and Rogers in Canada T-Mobile UK launches new price plans, offers unlimited data that's actually unlimited Got an international story? Tip us at the usual address!

From the editor's desk - Feb. 5, 2012 Posted: 05 Feb 2012 09:04 AM PST It's time to take a little editorial privilege and start a new feature wherein you'll get a few thoughts, ramblings and humblebrags regarding the goings-on here at Android Central, and perhaps the state of Android or the mobile space in general. Don't worry, politics shouldn't rear their ugly head too much. (Is it November yet?) Sports should be a non-issue with football just about over. (Giants-Patriots? Should be a good game. But, still, yawn.) So let's get to it. Mobile Nations Fitness Month: I'm pleasantly surprised by the traction in our new Health and Fitness forum. It's nice to see that a few of our readers appear to be taking up the challenge, too. We've still go a long way to go before we're anywhere near as sexy as CrackBerry Kevin (let alone knowing it), but I'm enjoying the feedback on my daily walk. Don't tell me to give up carbs, though. Not gonna happen. Android Central App Gen. 2: We've gotten back in touch with a number of developers interested in working with us on the next generation of the Android Central app. We're taking our time and doing this right, and we're excited about the possibilities. Everyone (including me) is going to need a little patience here. Paul O'Brien on the Podcast: If you haven't listened yet, Paul O'Brien of MoDaCo joined us on the podcast this week. MoDaCo (and Paul) have been around the mobile space about as long as the space has been around -- I started reading them when I got my first Windows Mobile device lo those many years ago, and it's still a great (and friendly) place for some hacking. It was great to finally "meet" Paul and have him on the podcast. Be sure to give it a listen. Verizon Galaxy Nexus: What a debacle. Google changes a documentation page, and the fit hits the shan. If you're just joining us, it's really much ado about nothing. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is still supported by Google. And Verizon. Be sure to read Jerry's explanation of what's changed (very little) and how it affects you (not at all). I gave a little thought to how such a badly reported story spread so quickly. Give it a gander. Here's to hoping the Internet does better this week. Mobile World Congress: We're three weeks away from the start of MWC in Barcelona, Spain. We'll have a team there, of course, including myself, Alex Dobie, editor-at-large (and large editor) Simon Sage, plus Kevin from CrackBerry and Dan from WPCentral. Most of the major players already have events scheduled (LG and Samsung are straggling, but that's not to say they won't have something to show). We're not doing posts on every event that gets scheduled, but be sure to bookmark androidcentral.com/mwc to follow all of our MWC stories. We'll toss a schedule on there soon, to help you track what's happening when. Remember that Spain is 6 to 9 hours ahead of the United States, depending on where you live. Android Wallpaper Gallery: Our Free Android Wallpaper Gallery eclipsed 1,000 uploads this week, which is pretty damn awesome. If you haven't yet, be sure to upload and share your favorite wallpapers. We're also featuring one a day during the week on the blog, so look for them in the mornings. Android A to Z: Dunno about you guys, but we're loving this feature. It's an offshoot of the Android Dictionary, wherein we expand on one definition a day. The idea isn't to give a whitepaper view of the nuts and bolts of Android, but more of a top-level, in-plain-English discussion. You can find all of our Android A to Z posts here. Anyhoo. Yeah. Things are cookin' here at Android Central. Catch ya later.

Weekly Accessories Roundup Giveaway Posted: 05 Feb 2012 08:19 AM PST We're kicking off this week's roundup of Android accessories with a closer look at some of our most popular picks from the store including some hands-on videos, topping it off with a daily giveaway of any one featured accessory of your choice. Every week we'll be looking at five select accessories from ShopAndroid.com, each featuring a hands-on video and brief description. At the end of the roundup, leave a comment stating which one of the five featured accessories you'd like to have.  Each day this week we'll randomly select one person that leaves a comment to win the accessory of their choice.  Pretty simple, right? Let's get this thing started.  Jump past the break to dive in for more details. read more

Samsung Galaxy Note now available for pre-order from AT&T and Best Buy Posted: 05 Feb 2012 01:06 AM PST AT&T will begin to take pre-orders today for the Samsung Galaxy Note, the 5.3-inch phablet will be sold in carbon blue or ceramic white, and check in at $299 with a new agreement.  Orders are set to be delivered by Feb. 17, just a bit too late for Valentine's Day.  Also scheduled to be in AT&T stores are a few accessories, notably a desktop docking station, a spare battery charger, and a flip cover case and pen holder.  Speaking of the flip cover, if you head into Best Buy and pre-order your Samsung Galaxy Note they will hook you up with one for free.  Everyone loves free. The Note is big, bad, and just what a lot of folks are looking for.  It's huge as a phone, but has enough size to it that it could function as a tablet for many.  The lure of carrying one device to cover both use cases is bound to attract quite a few folks, and the fact that LTE data is built into the unit is certainly a big plus.  The rest of the specs are certainly no slouch either.  That 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen has a 1280x800 HD resolution, there's a 1.5GHZ dual-core processor (word is it's the same Qualcomm as in the Skyrocket), a 2500mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, and Samsung's excellent 8MP camera all running Android 2.3.5. If you're going to do the deed and sign up to buy one of these big beauties, be sure to head into the forums and join the discussion.  It won't make the wait any shorter, but it might help make it feel that way.  Preorder: From AT&T | from Best Buy More: AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note forums

Best Buy Canada now taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note, pricing starts at $200 Posted: 05 Feb 2012 12:44 AM PST We noted Best Buy in the U.S. was taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note and now their Canadian stores have started as well. Although the Canadian release doesn't include any free goodies to go along with it, the price points for the device do vary across carrier with Bell coming out on top in terms of pricing. Bell - $200 TELUS - $250 Rogers - $300 Those price points are all on new, three-year contracts but that's a given for the Canadian mobile landscape. The Samsung Galaxy Note will be available on Feb. 14th so if you're looking to get your hands on one, head on over to Best Buy and get your pre-orders in. Source: Best Buy Canada