Sunday, May 13, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

HTC EVO 4G LTE Gets Unlocked Bootloader

Posted: 12 May 2012 01:56 PM PDT

While the HTC One X has been a hit with consumers and tech enthusiasts alike there has been one thorn in the paw of this lion of a phone. That’s the fact that AT&T has the device’s bootloader locked. This potential slap in the face to HTC’s unlocked bootloader policy has caused an uproar and enough of one that HTC made an official statement the other day. Some of the worry has transferred over to the HTC EVO 4G LTE offered by Sprint. Well folks you have little to worry about as it appears that HTC’s bootloader unlock tool supports the unlocking of this device. This is a potentially good sign for those who want to root their device.

While HTC does allow the unlocking of the EVO 4G LTE, it does not in fact grant S-Off. This means that you can’t flash a ROM, kernel, etc. in recovery but have to use a PC work around to do such things. Sorry folks. You will still have to wait to do those things, but it’s good news as its a step closer into that direction. So while you may not be able to flash one of the CM 9 nightlies easily just yet, chances are sometime soon you will be able to. If you’re interested in reading more on this device you can check out our initial hands on review right here. Enjoy!

 

source: HTCDev
via: Phandroid

Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE unboxing and initial hands on review

Posted: 12 May 2012 12:20 PM PDT

The 3rd generation of the EVO will arrive on Sprint on May 18th for $199. Original EVO owners have been waiting for a reason to finally upgrade after last year’s flop, the EVO 3D. The EVO 4G LTE is a variant of the HTC One X, which is the best Android phone available now. Sprint worked with HTC to give this phone a more “EVO” look, which seems to be a love or hate it feeling with original EVO owners. The wanted to give customers a micro SD slot (not on the global version) for expanded storage, and with that came a shiny slide-out cover on the top back that just doesn’t look right because  the bottom half is anodized aluminum.  For whatever reason HTC didn’t feel they could go with the anodized aluminum on the top cover. I’m no phone designer, but did it have to be so shiny? This is my only complaint, but if I’m a Sprint customer, I can look past it because this is the best phone, and the next one down isn’t in the same “zip code.”

Other differences from the global HTC is a bigger battery at 2000 mAh, a dedicated camera shutter button, LTE compatibility, HD Voice, and the EVO signature kickstand that fits beautifully in its place. The final difference from the global version is the processor. Like the AT&T version of the One X, the EVO 4G LTE gets the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. Again this is for LTE compatibility since the NVIDIA Tegra 3 isn’t compatible.

Speaking of LTE, it hasn’t launched yet, but should sometime in June. The first six markets include Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio. It’s a little bit of a Debbie Downer that LTE isn’t available now, but if you consider most consumers will be signing up for 2 years, LTE should hopefully be in major areas by then.

The full specs include a 4.7-inch (1280 x 720) Super LCD 2 display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, micro SD slot for up to an additional 32GB of storage, 8MP camera rear camera with ImageSense, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, WiFi, HDMI through MHL port, mirco USB, Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, and Sense 4.0.

We will do a full review, but for now checkout the initial hands on.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

‘Amazing Alex’ will be Rovio’s Newest Endeavor, Follow up to ‘Casey’s Contraptions’

Posted: 12 May 2012 09:36 AM PDT

Rovio, the creators behind the Angry Birds franchise, is gearing up to release what will most likely be another blockbuster hit for Android gaming. After recently purchasing the rights to the popular iOS game, Casey’s Contraptions, Rovio has plans to release a successor that should appeal to many people on both Android and iOS. In an interview with Finnish TV channel Yle, Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said that the "quality pressure is high" and Rovio wants "to maintain the high standard Angry Birds fans have come to enjoy." Although the game hasn’t been formally announced, Hed confirms that “Amazing Alex” is going to be the name of Rovio’s latest endeavor and a recent amazingalex.com domain purchase is further evidence.

Rovio says this “fun and highly addictive take on the physics puzzler” will launch in the next two months but in the meantime we have a video showing you what you can expect. Jump past the break to see Casey’s Contraptions as it were before Rovio took over the reins. It’s pretty exciting to think how they will add their own twist to the already popular game.

Click here to view the embedded video.

source: TheNextWeb

Sprint HTC Evo 4G LTE now $150 at Amazon Wireless

Posted: 12 May 2012 08:06 AM PDT

Amazon Wireless is now offering the country’s latest and greatest smartphone, Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G LTE for only $150 on contract! What’s even more awesome about this deal is that current upgrade eligible Sprint customers can take advantage of this amazing offer as well, as long as they are cool with autographing a new 2 year contract. To have all the greatness of the HTC One X, along with super cool additions like the kick stand and micro SD card support, all for the low price of just $150 is just too fantastic to pass up. Hit the source link below to jump on this incredible deal, and remember, Friday is just around the corner!

source: AmazonWireless

Featured Play Store Newbie: Turntable.fm [Social]

Posted: 12 May 2012 07:46 AM PDT

You know we all have thought about rocking a turntable at some point in our lives, even if it was for only a moment. The popular iOS app Turntable.fm has finally made it’s way to Android for the casual music creator in all of us. What’s great about the app is that it incorporates social chat allowing users to leave comments on other user’s musical creations and make connections with DJ’s and other music lovers with similar tastes all around the country.

Turntable.fm for Android is meant for devices running on Android 2.2 Froyo or higher, yet there are already some reports of the app not working well with ICS.  Hopefully we will see an update to address this in the near future. So who is ready to get their scratch and loop on? Hit the link below to get the goods.

 

  qrcode

Play Store Download Link

Are the latest Android flagship phones female friendly?

Posted: 12 May 2012 06:35 AM PDT

I’m sitting here today with my Galaxy Nexus by my side with its wonderful 4.65″ HD Super AMOLED display and I’m feeling a bit of tech envy towards the 4.8″ display that’s set to arrive when the Galaxy S III hits the shelves. I’ve had some hands on time with the HTC One X and its 4.7″ screen and Motorola’s current flagship device, the Droid RAZR, offers up a 4.3″ display. It seems that most Android phone manufacturers are of the view that bigger is better and with the runaway success of devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note, it would appear that they might be right.

It’s long been a trend in my household that whenever I buy a new phone, my wife will happily inherit my previous phone. The benefits of this arrangement are two fold; Firstly, my wife knows that I’m very specific about my choice of phone and that I look after them carefully. Therefore she can be safe in the knowledge that any phone she gets from me will be as good as new and more than sufficient for her needs. In turn it then means that I can use her upgrade when it comes around for my own use, a win-win situation I’m sure you’ll agree!

Just recently when I returned from the Samsung Unpacked event in London, I decided to show my wife some of the photos and videos that I grabbed. In the middle of my enthralling presentation she remarked “You do know I won’t be able to use that phone when you’re finished with it, it’s far too big” Referring to her Nexus S, she continued “This phone is as big as I’d ever want to go” It was only then I recalled the conversation I’d had with my sister a few months back. My wonderful sister, for her sins, had been an iPhone user for a number of years and actually approached me for some advice on which Android phone to switch to as she’d finally seen the light. Now my sister isn’t a geek like I am but does enjoy having a high spec, capable smart phone so without hesitation I recommended the Galaxy S II. “That’s way too big” she proclaimed, the search would have to continue. In the end she opted for a Droid RAZR due to the thin profile and durable kevlar build (she’s dropped and smashed her last three phones in a row). I checked in with her after a week of use for the verdict. She loved Android and was more than happy with Motoblur and seemed to have adjusted fine to the differences when compared to iOS, “It’s still a little bigger than I’d have liked” she concluded.

With only two cases to go by, I decided to do a little more local research to see if it was just a coincidence. A healthy number of my social circle are Android users, perhaps due to my influence but that’s another story!  A few of my friends have a similar set-up as I do regarding passing their old phones on to their partners. From my extremely limited research I came across an HTC Desire, another Nexus S and an original Samsung Galaxy S all of whose female owners agreed that they wouldn’t be comfortable with the size of the Galaxy S II let alone a Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy S III.

With my ‘extensive’ research complete, I ventured on-line to see which high end, new smartphones are a bit more modest in size. It didn’t take me long to come to my conclusion. If you’re looking for the latest and fastest processor, the most RAM, oodles of internal storage, the sharpest screen and the latest software all with a sub 4″ display…  you’re pretty much out of luck. It looks to me that there’s a very obvious gap in the market for this particular niche. The question is, just how big is the requirement, which is why I’ve decided to write this piece.

I’d be interested to hear back from the female Android enthusiasts out there in order to gather your thoughts on the latest batch of flagship phones and how they suit your needs. Are all the females I know overly picky with small hands or is the market missing a trick. Check out the comments below and be sure to let us know your views.

Nvidia’s Integrated Tegra 3/LTE Chip Delayed Until 2013

Posted: 12 May 2012 12:10 AM PDT

Nvidia announced their first-quarter earnings today and they made $60 million in profit and $924 million in revenue. Ok, congrats. But what we really care about is that the Tegra 3 processor with integrated LTE, codenamed “Grey”, is still not ready, and won’t be until next year.

CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said this during the earnings call:

“Looking forward, you’ll see Tegra 3 LTE phones with partners’ baseband processors in the second half of this year and then next year with our own LTE baseband processors as well.“

A previously-leaked roadmap suggested a delay until 2013, and this statement supports that. Huang also stated that partner baseband LTE chips might take a little longer than expected, arriving towards the end of this year. No reason for the delays were given, but Huang had this to say:

“Although we don’t have LTE at the moment, LTE is predominantly a U.S.-centric phenomenon. Outside of the United States, the big superphone upgrade is quad-core.“

Nvidia is missing out on the U.S. market since phones like the HTC One X are forced to use a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor instead of Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core chip because U.S. carriers are requiring LTE on their high-end devices. The possible saving grace for Nvidia is that Qualcomm is facing shortages of their S4′s, which buys Nvidia some time to catch up.

source: seeking alpha
via: the verge

OpenDESIGN Promises To Reverse Engineer Manufacturer Specific Features Into CM9

Posted: 11 May 2012 10:56 PM PDT

 

The fun part of unlocking and rooting your Android phone is trying out all the cool third-party ROMs out there. But in many cases, these ROMs are missing some of the manufacturer specific features of some devices, such as S-Pen support or camera burst mode. Well fear no more, young rootmeisters, for OpenDESIGN is born.

Headed by XpLoDWilD from TeamHacksung, a subgroup of CyanogenMod, OpenDESIGN’s goal is to essentially reverse-engineer manufacturer features and build them into CM9. These features are written from the ground up and open-sourced early on to give developers a chance to keep improving the code.

This is a great project that should help make AOSP-based ROMs even more attractive to geeks enthusiasts. The site is pretty new but has a bunch of information on features that are being worked on. Developers can join them and help the cause by contributing to the project. Hit the source link for more info.

source: opendesign
via: androidpolice

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to Launch in the States on May 13th, Lacks Rumored Quad-Core Upgrade

Posted: 11 May 2012 06:36 PM PDT

We finally got some official news surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2‘s availability, and whether or not it will come equipped with a dual-core or quad-core processor. When we first heard about the new slate from Samsung we couldn’t help but think that is wasn’t a very big improvement over the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, sporting only a 1GHz dual-core processor. We then got our hopes up when we heard from a Korean Samsung insider who claimed that production of Galaxy Tab 2 was halted so Sammy could double its processing power to a quad-core chip. Well, apparently that insider was left out in the cold as Samsung today officially announced the device’a pricing and availability and sure enough, it still rocks a dual-core chip. One advantage it does have over the original Tab is that it comes running ICS straight out of the box and supports microSD card storage as well. The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is scheduled to launch on Sunday, May 13th through Amazon, Best Buy, hhgregg, Tiger Direct, WalMart, and Office Depot for $399.99.

The new Galaxy Player 4.2 will also launch on May 13th and will run $199.99 through the same retailers mentioned above. Jump past the break to see the full press release. 

May 11, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2™ 10.1 and 4.2 Galaxy Player™ to be available for purchase nationwide this weekend

Samsung Electronics America Inc., today announces that its newest additions to the Galaxy Family, Galaxy Tab 2™ 10.1 and Galaxy Player™ 4.2, will be available for purchase nationwide beginning Sunday, May 13.

The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will be available for $399.99 SRP, and the Player 4.2 will sell for $199.99 SRP. These complement the already available Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and Galaxy Player 3.6.

Retailers carrying the devices include Amazon, Best Buy, hhgregg, Tiger Direct, WalMart, Office Depot and others. (Not all models available from all retailers).

For additional retail outlet availability, visit http://www.samsung.com

Key highlights include

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

Control, Watch and Share Your TV Content
· The perfect TV companion, use your Tab as a universal remote, multitask on the web while watching and wirelessly stream the live feed from your TV to your Tab.

Your Movies, Videos and Games Will Come Alive
· Everything’s more exciting on a bigger screen. Browse the web, explore over 450,000 apps from Google Play and Samsung Apps, and access thousands of TV shows and movies via WiFi.

Built to Power Your Entertainment
· A big 10.1″ entertainment machine The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, a dual-core processor with a microSD™ card slot and more.
Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2

Listen to your favorite music on the go
· Get instant access to your music with WiFi; as simple as drag and play.

Personalize your player. So many options to make it your own
· Discover a large collection of apps to customize your player.

One single device for all your entertainment needs
· The Galaxy Player 4.2 includes premium EA games. Experience seamless multimedia playback and much more!
Posted by at 5:40 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)