Sunday, April 15, 2012

Update - 205



Posted: 13 Mar 2012 02:45 PM PDT

A lot of talk is going on in the Androidosphere about a rumored Google-Asus Android tablet. Word on the street is that Asus will launch the first ever "Nexus" tablet," which is rumored to be a 7-incher running the latest version of Android (whispers are going around that Google will launch Jellybean on this device.) Now some  new information is pointing to a May reveal, and it will cost around $199-249. However, Asus refused to comment on it. DigiTimes leaked this information, and they have reported several leaks in past. They've always been reliable, but we're going to take this with a grain of salt until we get some confirmation.
From a realistic standpoint, there's a reason Google selected Asus. They tried Motorola with the launch of the Xoom, which was not as successful as they expected. As Google wants to introduce a cheap tablet, selecting HTC would be a bad idea because their hardware quality is superb, and they're not known for being particularly cheap. So logically, the only remaining manufacturers would be Samsung and Asus. Since Sammy is constantly tied up in legal battles with Apple, Asus is the best because they offer quality, reliability, and a nice price tag all in one package. With the combination of Google and Asus, I am sure the tablet will be an amazing product.
If the rumor is true, then we will see this Nexus tablet in April. So is anyone looking forward to a Google tablet? Anyone think there's a better manufacturer out there than Asus for this project? Let us know in the comments!
Source DigiTimes
Asus and Google launching Nexus Tablet in May? originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 02:15 PM PDT
By now, you might consider the Samsung Galaxy S III to be vaporware, but there is still hope, according to Eldar Murtazin. If the rumors are true, it will be worth the wait. The ceramic housing Murtazin speaks of is only one of the awesome features on the GSIII. Other rumored specs include one of Samsung's own quad-core processor, a 4.8" HD screen, all packed in a whopping 7mm thick body.
Murtazin's tellings haven't always been right, but this time his rumors seem quite plausible. Once again, let's hope he's right because that would mean that by June this year we will be able to buy one of the most awesome devices ever. More on this as it develops.
So what do you think? Is the Galaxy S III real, or just a bunch of smoke and mirrors? Drop a comment below!
Source PhoneArena
Eldar Murtazin claims Galaxy S III is complete, touts monster specs originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 01:23 PM PDT

A few weeks ago, an internal T-Mobile image was leaked, and it showed us the HTC Ville and Huawei Prism, along with a possible April release. Now the Prism has finally made it to the FCC, and the guys over at TmoNews got their hands on a leaked shot. Right now, not much is known about the Prism, but what we know is that it will come with HSPA+ bands, microSD support and a 1,400mAh battery.
Keep in mind that it's not a high-end device, and the press image is suggesting that it's a small device running on Gingerbread, probably featuring a single-core processor. Hopefully we will see this device again before its rumored April launch.
So is anyone looking forward to the Prism? Do you think Huawei should give up in the phone market? Sound off in the comments!
Source TmoNews
Huawei Prism for T-Mobile leaked, crosses FCC originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 01:01 PM PDT

More tablets, that seems to be the clamoring of the masses these days. So, in response, Lenovo has passed the new IdeaTab S2109 through the FCC for approval, and it comes with the following:
  • 9.7" screen
  • 4:3 aspect ratio
  • Android 4.0 ICS
  • OMAP CPU
  • Possible: 4 speakers with SRS technology
Rumors have the IdeaTab launching to the public sometime in March (yes, that would be this month), although any region-specific details have yet to surface.
Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 tablet hits FCC sporting 9.7-inch screen and ICS originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 11:58 AM PDT

If you're an Android developer looking to head to San Francisco this June for Google IO then you'll want to open your wallet up a little more than usual.  Tickets for this year's three-day developer conference will be$900 when they go on sale March 27th.  Live on the west coast?  You will want to get up extra early that day as tickets start selling at 7AM PDT and will likely be gone by the time you finish that coffee.  Last year's event sold out in just under an hour and we fully expect 2012's to go just as fast.
You can head to Google IO's website for the full details but we've gathered some of the pressing matters.
  • Google IO 2012 takes place June 27–29, 2012 at the Moscone West Convention Center (San Francisco, CA)
  • The hours of the event are as follows:
    • June 27 from 9:00 am–5:15 pm, with the After Hours evening event from 6:30 pm–10:30 pm
    • June 28 from 8:30 am–5:45 pm
    • June 29 9:00 am–5:00 pm
  • An individual can only purchase one ticket.
  • Tickets may be transferred at Google's sole discretion
  • In order to register, users must have a Google Account and access to Google+
  • General attendee tickets are $900
  • A limited number of Academia tickets are $300
  • Registration payments may only be made using Google Wallet through the online registration form.
    • We will no longer be accepting payments without a Google Wallet account.

Google IO tickets to be $900, go on sale March 27 originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:33 AM PDT

T-Mobile today announced that they are continuing to expand their 4G network into new markets and speed up data connectivity in others.  A blog post from CTO Neville Ray tells us that select markets in Texas, California, Wisconsin, and Missouri will have access to 4G data speeds.  Additionally, these and other markets are getting HSPA+ speeds today, allowing for super-fast connections for handsets such as the Amaze 4G, Galaxy S Blaze 4G, and others.
With the AT&T breakup spectrum factored in, T-Mobile will have sufficient spectrum to roll out LTE with 20MHz to about 75% of the top 25 markets in 2013 - Neville Ray
The blog post is definitely worth reading as Ray discusses the carrier's plans for LTE and where HSDPA fits in the scheme of things.  Will they really skip HSPA+84 and build out LTE or is that rumor?  As it turns out, T-Mobile is still "evaluating" the technology but that the focus is on LTE for now.  In the end, however, Neville would like to see both stick around.
Not that you're likely to care much but there's also a bit on how the decision to go with the LTE technology will help the carrier in the long run as it pertains to iPhone support.  Head to T-Mobile's blog for more information on today's announcement.
T-Mobile expands 4G network, talks LTE versus HSPA+84 originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:15 AM PDT
       I have a Nexus S 4G on Sprint. And I'm mad as heck. Well... not mad, but frustrated. It has been nearly 5 months since Android 4.0 was announced at a special event in Hong Kong. My girlfriend and I waited, stayed up, watched it and fell in love with the update. This was literally everything I've wanted.  Once the Ice Cream Sandwich update arrives, my Nexus S 4G would absolutely be the best phone ever made!

And so began the very familiar wait for any information. I set up my usual Google Alerts for "Android 4.0 Nexus S 4G"... and waited. I checked all the big tech sites - daily, sometimes hourly, for the first few weeks. No dates. I wasn't totally turned off, like I said, with Android we are used to NO information - which is ridiculous. Then hark! Early December 2011, I was tipped off by my Google+ community of Nexus S users - that the update may be released by the end of December! Hooray! Best Christmas present ever.  However, as we all know, that didn't happen - or did but... then didn't. The update appeared to have been released for "some" GSM users then paused due to a battery issue.
Anyway, long story short, this is ridiculous. I bought a phone from the Nexus line to enjoy the earliest of updates and get the pure Android experience. Both is crap. The Nexus S should have been the first to get Android 4.0 period.
Now I hear from my angry fellow Google+ Nexus S friends, that there's a new rumor that the Nexus S may never get the update. You have to be kidding me. I've waited this entire time and now an update may really not happen? I've heard rumors that the now antiquated Wimax (or the "slower" processor) may be to blame, but the phone is not even a year old (on Sprint)! Google should have prepared the device for further updating - prior to release.  And, really, the 4G is a joke. Or maybe it's just me... on the Nexus S, since it has such terrible reception...
Click here to view the embedded video.
.
I really feel that Google and Sprint owe us an explanation. Are you going to upgrade this phone or not? Simple question. No need for secrecy. If not, I have suffered with a phone with a bad radio, weird ticks, and poor battery life in the wry hopes of getting Android 4.0 ... for nothing.
I literally don't know where to go from here - rooting does not appeal to me for multiple reasons, the main one simply being I shouldn't have to! And my girlfriend has an iPhone, so I know both worlds - both options, per se. And, I am not really into the iPhone. I primarily use Google products for work and - let's face it - the Android platform has the best integration with Google products. She is using Microsoft Exchange to sync things and doesn't have a native Docs app, that I use on a daily basis.

I am alone on an island just waiting for my next direction to be screamed at me by Google.  Thank God I have a great community of fellow Android and Nexus users who are just as upset as I am on Google+.  We even started a petition to get Google and Sprint to listen... if you're one of us make sure to sign it!
Make a simple announcement Google, before you lose an entire generation to Windows Phone 7 or the iPhone.
Will the Nexus S ever get Android 4.0? originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 09:36 AM PDT

Motorola recently adjusted their Android 4.0 update timeline for a number of smartphones and tablets.  Of particular note this time around is that, come the second quarter, the Ice Cream Sandwich update will hit every version of the Razr save for the U.S. model.  Yep - that means that Europe, Africa, Latin America, Korea, Japan... everywhere else but stateside.  Our Verizon-branded model is still in the "evaluation and planning" stage.  The same still goes for the Droid 4, Droid Razr Maxx, and a number of other smartphones.
PHASE 1 – EVALUATION & PLANNING: During this phase, we evaluate the benefits, technical issues and user experience of an upgrade. Generally, we are not able to provide release dates in this stage. There are also some cases in which we can state that an upgrade will happen but are not able to provide a release date. Please note that some products that enter the Evaluation and Planning phase may not complete the upgrade cycle.
Keep in mind that things are always subject to change and that timelines will vary, depending on how a carrier plays ball with Motorola.  We're bummed for sure, but at least they didn't scrap it altogether.  Yet.
Respect knuckles to Dale for the heads up.
 Motorola
Motorola’s ICS timeline not so kind to U.S. Razr owners originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 09:07 AM PDT

Samsung has officially begun sending out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the European Galaxy S II handset. Confirmed in a Facebook post yesterday, the update is also hitting Korea, Poland, Hungary, and Sweden and will "gradually roll out" to other markets in short order. Pocket-Lint advises that new countries will see their update on March 19th.
In addition, we'll also offer Android 2.3 Gingerbread firmware upgrades for GALAXY S, GALAXY Tab 7", GALAXY S Plus, GALAXY S SCL (Super Clear LCD) and GALAXY W from end March. The firmware upgrades for GALAXY S, for example, include Face Unlock, Snapshot, Photo Editor, and others.
Keep in mind that this 4.0 update is not intended for the handset you picked up from T-Mobile, Sprint, or AT&T. Those carrier-branded U.S. editions will have to wait a bit before any hard news surfaces. Up next for Samsung are the Android 4.0 for the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Tab 8.9, and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Samsung officially deploys Android 4.0 to Galaxy S II originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY
Posted: 13 Mar 2012 08:49 AM PDT

Sony today announced their next Android smartphone, the Xperia Sola, a 3.7-inch slab of sexy headed for international markets over the second quarter of this year.  Formerly known by its code name of 'Pepper', the Android 2.3 handset features a 1GHz dual-core processor, NFC, Sony Bravia engine, and Video and Music Unlimited service.  If you're turned off by the lack of Ice Cream Sandwich, you'll be happy to learn that it's due in the summer months.
Speaking specifically about the screen, Sony calls the technology behind the Reality Display "floating touch".  What does it do?  Oh, nothing really... other than it's able to recognize when a finger is hover above! This will be helpful in web browsing as it allows one to use their finger in a cursor-like capacity.  We can imagine that, once given to developers, that this could make for engaging games and applications.
Making its smartphone debut exclusively on Xperia sola, Sony's unique floating touch lets consumers navigate the web by hovering their finger above the screen so it acts like a moving cursor, without actually having to touch the screen.  Once the desired link is found it can be highlighted and a simple tap will load the page.  Floating touch will evolve with new user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers.
 
The guys over at AndroidNext.de were able to spend some time with the Xperia Sola and were too kind to share their impressions.


*****PRESS RELEASE*****
13 March, London, United Kingdom – Sony Mobile Communications today announced Xperia™ sola* as the latest addition to its portfolio of Android powered Xperia smartphones.  Complete with Sony technology, premium entertainment and innovative floating touch™ navigation, the NFC enabled Xperia sola comes equipped with Xperia SmartTags, allowing consumers to change their smartphone's settings and applications to fit their lifestyle in an instant. Xperia sola will be available to consumers globally in black, white and red in the second quarter.
A floating touch of magic
Making its smartphone debut exclusively on Xperia sola, Sony's unique floating touch lets consumers navigate the web by hovering their finger above the screen so it acts like a moving curser, without actually having to touch the screen.  Once the desired link is found it can be highlighted and a simple tap will load the page.  Floating touch will evolve with new user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers.
Calum MacDougall, Head of Xperia Marketing for Sony Mobile Communications, commented; "Xperia sola comes with the power of Sony and a sense of magic with floating touch, giving consumers a fun new way to browse the web and latest technology to show off.  With Xperia SmartTags out of the box and access to the latest content through Sony Entertainment Network, Xperia sola is perfect for consumers looking for ease of use and the best in entertainment in a smart and innovative smartphone."
Simplify the everyday with SmartTags
Xperia sola is NFC enabled and comes with two NFC Xperia SmartTags in the box as standard to simplify consumers' everyday smartphone experiences.  By touching an NFC Android smartphone on a SmartTag, a pre-configured profile in the smartphone will launch.  The two SmartTags included with Xperia sola can be personalized with up to 10 commands.  Out of the box they are ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi™ and launches Google™ news and weather apps, or for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode.  Xperia sola supports NFC pairing, allowing consumers to enjoy great connectivity with other NFC smartphones, applications and services by tapping their smartphones together.
Powerful entertainment anytime, anywhere
Xperia sola boasts razor sharp clarity with Reality Display powered by Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, xLOUD™ and 3D surround sound audio technology delivering crisp and loud sound, and a 1GHz dual-core processor for super fast performance.  Xperia sola also comes with fast capture to take the camera from sleep to snap in a little over a second with a single key press.
Consumers can also access premium entertainment experiences with Sony Entertainment Network**, where they can watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters on Video Unlimited or listen to millions of songs*** through Music Unlimited.
Key features for Xperia sola
  • Floating touch navigation for an easy web browsing experience
  • NFC enabled and Xperia SmartTags in the box to enable quick app loading and easy content sharing
  • 3.7" Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine gives razor sharp clarity
  • Powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor for super fast browsing
  • xLOUD and 3D surround sound audio technology for crisp and loud listening
  • Direct access to Sony Entertainment Network* with pre-installed Video and Music Unlimited** apps
  • Launches on Android platform 2.3, upgrade to Android 4.0 during summer 2012
Sony debuts the Xperia Sola with touchless navigation originally appeared on AndroidGuys.
Follow AndroidGuys on Facebook and Twitter and download the free AndroidGuys app for your device! Save a bunch on your next Android. Check out Amazon's best sellers! UPDATED HOURLY


Posted by at 4:29 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)