Android Phone Fans |
- Google to buy Meebo?
- ASUS releases official Padfone demo video – are you getting one?
- Will Apple’s upcoming Map app beat Google Maps?
- Samsung’s official Galaxy S3 accessories are looking nice
- Pre-order your Samsung Galaxy S3 from Expansys now!
- LG Optimus 2X not getting Android 4.0 until Q3, 2012
- HBO Go to get tablet optimization this summer
- Do you have what it takes to finish 2012′s Dropquest? Because you can get up to 100 GB of storage for free
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.2 available tomorrow
- Verizon’s Galaxy S III turns up in Nenamark benchmark, Snapdragon S4 gives Exynos the boot
- HTC One X LTE WiFi bug found, eradicated
- OpenDESIGN born with a single aim: reverse engineer manufacturer-specific features
- Leaked Flipboard app updated, addresses major issues
- This is Android’s fragmentation. And it is still a feature [opinion]
| Posted: 12 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT
If you haven’t heard of it, Meebo is a social network / chat client / tool bar service. And sources are indicating that this is not exactly the cheapest company to purchase. It could cost Google $100 million. But why exactly would Google purchase this company? Google has a social network – Google+. It also has Google Talk. Would Google really purchase a $100 million-dollar company to have a form of tool bar with persistent social networking and chat capabilities? Maybe it would be a good idea to have a form of unified chatting client for Google Talk. One that you could use wherever you may be browsing through. Or they could somehow integrate Meebo’s social network to Google+? Anything we could mention would be nothing but a wild guess. But it is always good to try to speculate, so what do you think? [Source: All Things Digital Via: Electronista]
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| ASUS releases official Padfone demo video – are you getting one? Posted: 12 May 2012 06:29 PM PDT
All in all, the device seems to offer some great functionality and unified ecosystem. The fact that is is manufactured by ASUS also means that it will probably be getting updates in a very timely fashion. Something that has become a huge deciding factor when picking an Android device. We still do not know if/when this device will hit the US, but it is nearing its International launch. If you would like us to send you a notification when it goes live, don’t forget to sign up for it in our Phone Guide. But tell us, are you hoping to get your hands all over one of these? [Via: Android Police]
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| Will Apple’s upcoming Map app beat Google Maps? Posted: 12 May 2012 04:25 PM PDT It seems Google could be losing its crown as the King of mapping and navigation soon. Google Maps has been the best of its category for many years, and it is a life-saver for mobile devices. Rumors are indicating that Apple has something under its, sleeve, though, and it will “blow your head off.” 9to5Mac and All Things Digital’s sources are indicating that Apple’s multiple mapping company acquisitions are finally coming to fruition with the next iteration of iOS. All signs indicate that Apple will be leaving Google Maps behind and introducing a 3D, realistic imaging map service. This would be a product of one of Apple’s acquired companies, C3 Technologies. Such map application could display your favorite places with life-like textures and 3D models. It would be a mixture of Google Maps’ 3D buildings and satellite images, which does seem rather mind-blowing. And we could be seeing more about this during WWDC, or whenever the next version of iOS is announced. We haven’t heard anything about any possible responses from Google. But this could be the start of a fierce battle between mapping services, as well as yet another competing factor for the never-ending fight between Android and iOS. Do you think this will be next iOS’ “ground-breaking innovation,” much like Siri claimed to be for iOS 5? And if so, is Google Maps in trouble? [Via: All Things Digital]
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| Samsung’s official Galaxy S3 accessories are looking nice Posted: 12 May 2012 03:54 PM PDT
The holder doubles as a stand and an external battery charger. And if you want to display your content in the larger screen, the WiFi Display Hub will let you output all your media via HDMI. Samsung has really gone all out with this device’s accessories. Surely, the experience should be very fun. We only have a few weeks until the device is globally launched, so start getting ready! Are you getting the Samsung Galaxy S3?Which accessories are you guys purchasing for it?
[Via: Slashgear]
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| Pre-order your Samsung Galaxy S3 from Expansys now! Posted: 12 May 2012 03:12 PM PDT
This device is the international, unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3, which will work with both AT&T and T-Mobile. The idea of being one of the first in the US (and world) to have this device is surely enticing. The price to pay is not very friendly, though. Expansys is selling this bad boy for a tough $694.99. Yes, the device will probably be almost as expensive in the US, even a couple months after its European release. But for a couple or few hundred dollars, it might be worth it to wait until it reaches America, this summer. We still do not know what the carriers will do to this bad boy, and you may end up preferring the international version. Also, the US variants are likely to not get updates as quickly. If you would rather keep the original Galaxy S3, have some extra bucks to spare and want the device as quick as possible, you may as well head over to Expansys and pre-order this beast now. [Source: Expansys Via: Talk Android]
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| LG Optimus 2X not getting Android 4.0 until Q3, 2012 Posted: 12 May 2012 02:33 PM PDT
This information happened to go under every blog’s radar for a couple weeks – LG Singapore’s Facebook page has recently posted that the main leader in Tegra 2 smartphones will not be getting its Ice Cream Sandwich update until Q3, 2012. After being set for a Q2 roll-out, this update seems to have been delayed for unknown reasons. The LG Optimus 2X hasn’t necessarily had the best history. The device was plagued by multiple bugs and random reboots when first released, and for a while, it was uncertain if the phone would even get Android 4.0. This could be simply another bad story to add to the device’s list, but we certainly hope these issues don’t get extended to other devices. Te list of devices to get the ICS update during Q2 also included the LG Optimus 3D, LG Optimus LTE and the LG Prada 3.0. All of which are very popular smartphones. Do you think these will see the same delay? [Source: LG Singapore (Facebook) Via: Pocketnow]
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| HBO Go to get tablet optimization this summer Posted: 12 May 2012 02:04 PM PDT
Within a few months, you should be able to watch all those shows in a mobile screen larger than your smartphone. And remember that DirecTV subscribers are also getting HBO Go and MAX Go support later this year, so the deal will be getting even sweeter. [Source: Android Community Via: The Verge]
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| Posted: 12 May 2012 01:37 PM PDT
The lucky (or smart) person who finishes in first place will be entitled to a whopping 100 GB of cloud storage for life and some other goodies! There are some good prices for those that do not make it to first place:
So you think you’ve got what it takes? Get on it! [Source: Dropbox Via: Engadget]
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.2 available tomorrow Posted: 12 May 2012 11:36 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.2 can be purchased tomorrow onwards through merchants such as Amazon and Best Buy. While the Tab doesn’t offer any significant improvement over the original 10.1 version, Samsung have brought down the price to $399 for the 16 GB Wifi model (the original started at $499). As for the Galaxy Player, there’s not much to say. You can get it for $200, but I don’t think there’d be many queueing up (if you are, then please mention so in the comments).
[via Droid Life]
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| Verizon’s Galaxy S III turns up in Nenamark benchmark, Snapdragon S4 gives Exynos the boot Posted: 12 May 2012 11:27 AM PDT It looks like it’s going to continue to be the year of the (snap)dragon, folks. We always expected the Samsung Galaxy S III variants for the different carriers to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4, with it’s onboard LTE capabilities trumping the quad core Exynos that’s packed in the international version. And it looks like we have proof regarding the Verizon version, at least. The following Nenamark benchmark was found last night, quite clearly stating the carrier (Verizon) and the GPU (Adreno 225) for a device named SCH-I535. Additionally, the 1.5 GHz CPU info helps point towards the S4. If I were you, I’d invest in a few Qualcomm shares right now. It looks like they’d be making quite some money until the other chipmakers finally get into the LTE game (which might only be towards the end of the year). Any financial tip given in this blog post is not to be taken seriously. We are not responsible for any loss suffered by you. However, we would love a little treat if you make a killing. [via Droid Life]
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| HTC One X LTE WiFi bug found, eradicated Posted: 12 May 2012 10:53 AM PDT It turns out that a few people who purchased the HTC One X LTE faced issues with WiFi connectivity and speed. HTC moved quickly to post this statement:
Soon enough, the bug was taken care of, and our friends over at BriefMobile also managed to get their hands on the update file. You can download it from their site over here.
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| OpenDESIGN born with a single aim: reverse engineer manufacturer-specific features Posted: 12 May 2012 10:24 AM PDT While the open-source nature of Android makes custom ROM development and usage a feature of the platform, one issue that developers behind these ROMs have is the difficulty to replicate the manufacturer specific elements of devices (such as the S Pen for Galaxy Note). These elements are typically not available under the license that covers the Android Open Source Project, which typically means that users would have to trade off features if they wanted to use a custom ROM. A great example is the issue faced by developers looking to fix the camera in their ICS firmwares. In true spirit of the Android community, we find the creation of OpenDESIGN. Their goal is best described by the message on their website:
I really hope this team can sort out this issue that really exploded in the aftermath of Ice Cream Sandwich’s launch. My Galaxy Tab 10.1 currently sits with a non-functioning camera, while my myTouch 4G’s camera has a few issues of it’s own. I’ll probably be providing some development assistance (if they would take it) next month once I graduate. You can always support in other ways, too, by either donating or (more importantly at this stage) just spreading the awareness. [OpenDESIGN via TalkAndroid]
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| Leaked Flipboard app updated, addresses major issues Posted: 12 May 2012 08:45 AM PDT About a week ago, Flipboard’s Android app made its way to XDA-Developers well ahead of its intended launch as a Galaxy S III exclusive. Unfortunately, the app was in pretty dire state. If you moved down a feed, den moved back up, there would be a major issue with the “flipping” which caused the incorrect article’s details to be shown. Additionally, the widget we had seen on the Galaxy S III’s screen wasn’t available. Despite it’s visual appeal, I found the app pretty unusable. Until today, when as I just decided to open it up on my Galaxy Tab, I got a message saying an update is available. And it’s no minor update, either. The version of the app leaked on XDA was 0.7.17. The update took me to version 1.8.4. Most importantly, at this point the app seems ready for public consumption. At no point did I face any glitch, and my only complaint is that the widget (there are two of them, of 4X1 and 4X2 grid sizes) can’t be scrolled through, making it pretty pointless to me. Another aspect I wish they would work on is the use of low-quality icons here and there. I understand the app is meant for phones only at this point, but the beauty of Android is that it works perfectly on my tab, too. Sure, it doesn’t have the horizontal scroll that the iPad app has, but I actually prefer this look, where more often than not focus is on one article alone. If you notice in the screenshot below, the star isn’t scaled right, and a custom circular progress dialog they use is horribly pixelated. Other than that, you can’t really say this app isn’t meant for a tablet. On the whole, I’m now in love with Flipboard. I love the immersive experience, and though Pulse has nothing to be threatened by, since I prefer it’s style to go through the feed of my regular blogs, I am certain that I’ll be spending a significant amount of time on it daily.
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| This is Android’s fragmentation. And it is still a feature [opinion] Posted: 12 May 2012 06:45 AM PDT This particular image by popular app developer Animoca has done the rounds of world wide web this past week, used by several blogs as yet another “proof” of Android’s fragmentation. Even Chris wrote it about it yesterday. The Hong Kong-based developer says they have over 400 test devices to ensure their apps will be compatible with anything their work is put on. Damning? Hardly. Android is fragmented, it was always intended to be, and therein lies the beauty of the platform. Everything from TVs to watches run on Android currently. What Android does exceptionally well is that it allows manufacturers to produce any device they wish, without any restriction, so as to offer users as many choices as possible. And it also does well to allow developers to target as many varying form factors with the same code. The focus on that last sentence should be on the word quality. And what I mean by that is a developer who understands the platform, acknowledges the constraints fragmentation puts on it, and strategizes development accordingly. It might be more difficult to develop for Android than other platforms (though, personally, I found it easier because of my previous experience with Java) but with the slightest of research, you know when you first start what you’re getting yourself into. And, anyway, other than apps that have specific hardware-platform requirements, developing for Android is far easier than web-development. Also, Animoca goes on to mention that one of their biggest problems is the throngs of entry-level phones available in China. This is a problem specific to a few regions (primarily developing countries, such as India too). And it’s a good thing these phones are available, because they have brought down the price of smartphones to such a degree that nearly everyone can now afford to skip feature phones, and get an Android device (even if of highly limited capabilities). This is a good thing not only for Android, not only for developers, but the entire smartphone industry in the long run. Also, I have to give props to Animoco for having understood the purpose of fragmentation in Android by not cribbing about it, but instead saying:
As I wrote back in February, there’s not much Google can now do to turn this fragmentation and other side-effects that come along with an open-source system. So everyone, please, skip this pointless hoopla around “fragmentation”.
It isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.
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