Android Central |
- Sony Xperia Tipo tipped for Aug. 8 UK release, pricing info emerges
- AT&T Inspire 4G update now available, Sense 3.0 included
- Browse all of your online pictures with Pictarine for Android
- Nexus 7 official travel cover review
- Google postpones Nexus Q retail launch, will give pre-order customers a free sphere
- Ice Cream Sandwich arrives on the Sprint HTC EVO Design 4G
- SeatGuru by TripAdvisor helps you get that extra legroom on your next flight
- Rogers rolling out update for the HTC One X, corrects WiFi issues
- Verizon to pay $1.25 million for blocking tethering apps on C block devices
- Amazon Cloud Player now matches iTunes purchases and CD rips
- Romney to announce VP pick via Android, iPhone apps
- ScoreMobile for Nexus 7 and Android tablets released
- How to uncover and use the hidden Service menu on the Galaxy S3
- My BMW Remote app unlocks car doors, starts the A/C, and more
- Jabra Wave Bluetooth headset review
- Samsung Music Hub goes live in the U.S., but not for everyone just yet
- Pantech Marauder Gallery
- Final Fantasy 3 announced for Ouya Android gaming console
- Ice Cream Sandwich rolling out again for Sprint Epic 4G Touch
- Verizon aims the Pantech Marauder at first-time smartphone buyers
- Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for HTC EVO 3D
- Sprint EVO 3D finally getting its Ice Cream Sandwich update
- Google adds service alerts for NYC subway into Google Maps
- ZTE teams up with Professor Green for Facebook video contest
- Sony still 'actively investigating' Jelly Bean for all devices
| Sony Xperia Tipo tipped for Aug. 8 UK release, pricing info emerges Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:55 PM PDT Entry-level ICS handset to cost £89.95 on PAYG, or free on £10.50 p.m. contractsEarlier this week we heard that Sony's new budget-oriented Xperia Tipo would be arriving on O2 and Orange in the UK in August, and now we have the first firm information on pricing and availability. Independent UK retailer the Carphone Warehouse is now listing the Xperia Tipo for pre-order on a range of different price plans. If you're after a network-subsidized Tipo, you'll pay nothing for the handset itself, which Carphone is offering on-contract with O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and Talkmobile. Pre-paid (PAYG) customers get the best deal, though, as the Tipo is just £89.95 when bought with a £10 top-up. Those after an unbranded handset, fresh from Sony can pick one up for £119.95. The device is due to ship for delivery next Wednesday, Aug. 8. The Xperia Tipo is a fairly basic Android handset, with an 800MHz single-core CPU, a 3.2-inch screen and a 3.2MP rear camera. Nevertheless, it's a nicely-designed little phone that runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. You could certainly do a lot worse for your 89 pounds and 95 pence. Source: Carphone Warehouse; via: UnwiredView 
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| AT&T Inspire 4G update now available, Sense 3.0 included Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:45 PM PDT HTC has been busy trying to justify their lack of ICS on the Inspire 4G / Desire HD to users but that doesn't mean they've forgotten about the device entirely. AT&T Inspire 4G owners should soon see an update notification on their device or if you're unwilling to wait, you can download the RUU direct from the HTC website. As noted on their support site, the update has quite a few changes in it: New features:
Fixes/Updates:
Even though it's not Android 4.0, it's still a nice update. Keep in mind, if you download the RUU you'll need HTC Sync installed and you'll lose all your current data on the device. With some patience though, you can just wait for the OTA update to arrive and don't forget to drop by the forums and let us know how things are working out. Source: HTC, via: Android Central Forums 
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| Browse all of your online pictures with Pictarine for Android Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:10 PM PDT A new photo app called Pictarine was launched today, tying into multiple photography sites and offering a single a dashboard to flip through them. 11 networks are currently supported, including the biggies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Flickr, as well as some smaller ones like 500px, Photobucket, and Shutterfly. It can even tap into your Google account, Tumblr blog, or Dropbox for pictures. Depending on the networks you plug into, you can also see what your friends are sharing and leave comments or likes without leaving the app. Here's a quick feature run-down.
It seems like this is a great little app for those that don't want to get too invested in any single network. Where do you tend to share most of your mobile pictures? Are they scattered in a million different places, or do they tend to all get dumped in the same spot? 
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| Nexus 7 official travel cover review Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:04 PM PDT Our Nexus 7 official travel cases have arrived, and of course we want to share some quick thoughts and impressions with you guys, The gray travel case has so far been pretty difficult to get, as they would disappear from Google Play as soon as they appeared it seemed. Late last week we jumped in and ordered a couple as soon as they became available, and they arrived very well packaged in this afternoon's UPS run. Once you crack it open, you'll find a very bland dark grey TPU case with a folding cover. We're not complaining -- in fact I prefer the nondescript and subtle grey color -- but if you're looking for something fancy or colorful you'll need to look elsewhere or wait for the leaked cases we saw yesterday to appear for sale. What you get here is a plain, yet very protective piece to keep your shiny new Nexus 7 shiny and new. The case is form-fitting, and easily slips on and off the tablet. The ample cut-outs provide easy access to the ports, microphones (there's two) and external speaker assembly. The edges and corners wrap around to keep the case from coming off when you don't want it to come off, and the familiar raised TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) blocks are present so you can find and operate the volume and power switches. Of course, the full-face cover will keep the screen of your Nexus 7 from getting scarred up while in a bag or backpack. Unfortunately, there is no magnet embedded to activate the switch and power on the tablet when the cover is opened. I'm searching amazon for supplies to cut and insert one of my own, and I'll be sure to get that in the forums if and when I find out more. The only real drawback of these cases is the price. One will set you back $30 after shipping, and it's very likely that you'll be able to find a more inexpensive option on Amazon or even locally sourced. These are manufactured by ASUS, and OEM equipment, so we expect to pay a bit extra. Price aside, they do seem like a great way to keep your Nexus 7 from getting scratched and otherwise damaged, and are worth considering if you prefer a simple, utilitarian option. Hit the break for a short video hands-on and a handful of pictures, and if you're interested in buying you'll find a link to Google Play below. Order the Nexus 7 travel case from Google Play 
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| Google postpones Nexus Q retail launch, will give pre-order customers a free sphere Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:10 PM PDT Google has postponed the consumer launch of the Nexus Q to add additional functionality. To make up for it, Google will give those who pre-ordered a Nexus Q a free device. Here's the e-mail that just went out:
The Nexus Q, for those of you who don't have one -- which is most everyone -- is a small sphere that connects to your Google account and streams music, Youtube and movies and TV shows to a television and stereo set or bookshelf speakers. And that's all it does, though it certainly does so stylishly. The device is hackable, and folks have already gotten CyanogenMod and Android apps running from it, and XBMC has plans as well. It was nearly a week ago that we first noticed that Google had limited new orders of the Nexus Q -- if you'd already ordered one, that was it. 
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| Ice Cream Sandwich arrives on the Sprint HTC EVO Design 4G Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:09 PM PDT
Hot on the heels of this morning's Sprint HTC EVO 3D Ice Cream Sandwich update, it looks like the Android 4.0 update is also rolling out for the EVO Design 4G. Promised around the same time by the carrier a couple of weeks back, the EVO Design update consists of the same cocktail of Android 4.0.3 and HTC Sense 3.6, and the OTA package weighs in at just over 256MB. The update's arrival follows the launch of ICS for the international EVO 3D and HTC Raider, earlier this month. So you've got a slightly polished up version of HTC's custom UI, in addition to standard Ice Cream Sandwich features we've become familiar with over the past eight months --
Sprint EVO Design 4G owners will want to head to Settings > About phone > Software updates and hit the button to check whether their update to ICS is ready. If you're rocking an EVO Design, hit the comments and let us know how you're getting on with ICS. Thanks, Anon! 
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| SeatGuru by TripAdvisor helps you get that extra legroom on your next flight Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT Today TripAdvisor launched a new Android app called SeatGuru, which helps users book flights, pick seats, and monitor flight status. The app has access to over 700 seat maps across almost 100 airlines, as well as a plethora of user reviews from their travel network to make these choices a bit more easily. The last we heard from TripAdvisor, they were focusing mostly on city guides, but they've made a name for themselves by hooking up travellers with hotels, flights, restaurants and events across the world for awhile now. As a dude who measures in a six-foot-eight (or 203 centimeters for our metric friends), I can appreciate an app that helps me get that exit row seat before anyone else. Anyone booked anything through TripAdvisor lately? Any testimonials as to the quality of their service? Which mobile app do you usually use to book flights? 
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| Rogers rolling out update for the HTC One X, corrects WiFi issues Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:52 PM PDT Although there has been a few updates to the international and AT&T versions of the HTC One X, Rogers in Canada has been taking their time pushing things out but finally, a new update has arrived. Showing as version 1.94.631.3 and coming in at 67MB this update according to Rogers will fix some WiFi connectivity issues as well address Media Link improvements. If you've got a Rogers One X, you can hit that software update button and grab the download. Source: RogersBuzz 
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| Verizon to pay $1.25 million for blocking tethering apps on C block devices Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:44 PM PDT The FCC has released a statement today concerning its investigation into Verizon Wireless blocking access to applications (specifically tethering apps) for devices using the "C block" spectrum they use for LTE services. Under the terms of the settlement announced today, Verizon will be paying $1.25 million to the U.S. Treasury, and implement a "compliance" plan consisting of more training to ensure that they do not violate the C block rules in the future. The issue stems from the rules of the C block auction, which Verizon bid on and won to get the spectrum they use for LTE. I won't bother going into all the numbers here, but the wavelength of the C block makes it a very desirable piece of the airwaves, and the FCC placed a mandate that the auction winner must allow customers to freely use devices and applications of their choosing when accessing the frequencies. Verizon had successfully blocked tethering apps from appearing in Google Play, including their LTE devices. This is against the rules, and the FCC had to take action. There also are couple things here we need to keep in mind. Other carriers (hello, AT&T!) can block apps from the Play Store, as they didn't win the C block auction and don't have to follow those rules. The second is that while Verizon has to allow access to the applications, nothing was mentioned that said they had to allow free tethering on its LTE network. It can still block access server-side, or monitor accounts and charge users that download and use applications to tether. We're not sure what, if any, precautions Verizon is going to implement here, but before you celebrate by downloading Easy Tether and burning through a few GBs of data, keep in mind that few things in life are actually free. Source: FCC 
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| Amazon Cloud Player now matches iTunes purchases and CD rips Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:17 PM PDT
Amazon Cloud Player has been updated with a bunch of new features, including some hefty new licensing deals with Sony, EMI, Universal, and Warner to beef up their music selection for sale. There's also some new ways to make sure all of the music on your computer is in line with what's being stored in the cloud, namely that 250 of your songs (even ripped or purchased iTunes music) is automatically added from Amazon in 256 Kbps audio.
Soon, Amazon Cloud users will be able to access their remote libraries through Sonos and Roku boxes too - a palatable option for real music junkies. Currently, Amazon Cloud offers 5 GB of free storage with plenty more available for $24.99 annually. Of course, any music you buy on Amazon doesn't count towards your storage limit, which is a nice touch. A significant change starting today is that Amazon Cloud Player and Cloud Drive will be separate storage bins and have their own subscription fees. That's not so great news for those that use the service for both tunes as well as documents, though they've lowered the Cloud Drive price to $10/year for 20 GB. You can get more information about signing up here, but us international folks are out of luck on this one, unfortunately. How many of y'all are already Amazon Cloud Player users? Are you happy with the experience, or is Google Music doing the job for you just fine? Would these new features get you to switch? 
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| Romney to announce VP pick via Android, iPhone apps Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:45 AM PDT
The Android app, which gives you plenty of opportunities to sign up, sign in and donate (via a poorly formatted web view) will be the first place to learn who will join Romney on the Republican ticket this fall. In fact, jests the app, you'll learn it before just about anyone else. (Of course that's not actually true, but it's a nice selling point.) Says the app:
The app gets some kudos for properly having an option to turn off push notifications (actually, they're off by default), and it's attractively designed, though it doesn't really follow Google's design cues. Download: Mitt's VP 
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| ScoreMobile for Nexus 7 and Android tablets released Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:58 AM PDT Sports fans, you'll be happy to hear that most excellent ScoreMobile app for Android has been re-jiggered to run on the Google Nexus 7 and other Android tablets. The usual features are still there, like:
There's also some dedicated 2012 Olympics coverage nestled in the app among all of the other football, basketball, golf, MMA, auto racing, soccer, and tennis sections. If you're seriously into the Olympics, be sure to check out our Olympics app roundup for a few more suggestions. 
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| How to uncover and use the hidden Service menu on the Galaxy S3 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:29 AM PDT Hidden in your Galaxy S3 is the ability to test out all major display and sound functions.I usually like to have some sort of diagnostic tool for my smartphones to make sure that every feature I pay for actually works. One great thing I just discovered about the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) is that it has the diagnostic capabilities built right in. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I swear that I see a dead pixel on my phone or that the vibration isn’t working like it should. I want to always be sure that even if I don’t use all the features, they're in good working order. The Galaxy S3 makes this incredibly easy for all of us, but Samsung doesn’t exactly let us know that we have that capability built in. 
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| My BMW Remote app unlocks car doors, starts the A/C, and more Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:29 AM PDT
BMW 7 Series 2010, 6 Series 2011, 5 Series 2010, X3 2010, and 1 Series 2011 should all be compatible with the app. Any BMW owners in the house? 
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| Jabra Wave Bluetooth headset review Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:17 AM PDT The Jabra Wave is a Bluetooth headset with very sophisticated wind reduction technology.On the Jabra website, there is a very cool video of a guy at the beach and you can really hear how this particular headset cuts out the wind and background noise. The Jabra Wave is a bit larger than most headsets and is designed to be worn behind the ear. Read on for a full review. 
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| Samsung Music Hub goes live in the U.S., but not for everyone just yet Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:03 AM PDT
Samsung today announced that its new Music Hub service, previously only available in the UK, is now available in the United States. But only on the Galaxy S III, and only on two carriers. That'll change, as the service expands, but for now, it's not all that widespread. We've been using Music Hub for a couple weeks now. In a nutshell, it's an expanded and improved -- though more complicated -- version of Google Music, combining locally stored songs, songs uploaded to Samsung's MSpot cloud storage and streamed back to the phone, and the 7digital online music catalog. For now, it's only available on AT&T and US Cellular's Galaxy S3. Music Hub will be announced later for Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. There are a couple versions of Music Hub available. First is the free Music Hub Store, which gives you access to 7digital's library for purchase, along with 30-second previews of songs. Any music you purchase is automatically uploaded to the Music Hub cloud, as well as remaining on your phone locally for offline playback. Then there's Music Hub Premium. It costs $9.99 a month, but you get a free 30-day trial. With the premium version, you can upload up to 100 gigabytes of music to your Music Hub account. Music Hub scans your directories for any music already in its system. If it finds a match, it'll simply stream the songs, saving upload time and space. Along with that, you get personalized and customized Internet radio, and music recommendations. Other features include a EQ, a number of storage and streaming settings, and the ability to change the quality of the audio to better suit your data speeds. In our testing, Music Hub worked pretty well. Samsung's streaming and uploading services (you install an app on your Mac or PC just like you do Google Music) work as advertised. The 100GB of cloud storage is five times greater than what Google currently offers, though Google's giving you that 20GB for free. The question at this point is whether you're ready to invest in yet another music service, both in the time it takes to set up, and with the $120 a year it'll cost. At the very least, though, the 30-day trial is worth a look. We've got loads more info and screen shots after the break, so let's hit it. 
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| Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:31 AM PDT 
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| Final Fantasy 3 announced for Ouya Android gaming console Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:44 AM PDT Ouya's partnerships aren't stopping at OnLive; today they've announced that Square Enix will have Final Fantasy 3 available on the Android-powered gaming console in time for launch in March. Worried about an obscenely huge pricetag, since FF3 originally launched on Android for $15.99? Ouya promises that a free demo will be available, and make a very interesting point about the launch: "This will be the first time gamers outside of Japan can play FFIII on their televisions through a console." What most of us considered Final Fantasy 3 was actually Japan's Final Fantasy 6, which also explains why it was a big jump to FF7 for many gamers. It's great to see Ouya roping console developers as readily as those on the mobile side. Seeing as there's still 8 months to go before launch, I suspect we'll see many more big-name games find their way to Ouya. Which Android games would you like to play on the big screen with an honest-to-goodness controller? Source: Kickstarter 
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| Ice Cream Sandwich rolling out again for Sprint Epic 4G Touch Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:59 AM PDT A couple of weeks ago Sprint began the Ice Cream Sandwich rollout to the Epic 4G Touch. There were reported issues and problems, however, and the update was halted. It now appears that the OTA has started rolling out again, as some of our lucky Forum members are reporting. So if you're a Sprint Epic 4G Touch owner and are seeing the ICS OTA, we'd love to hear from you in the Epic 4G Touch Forum. Source: Android Central Forums; Image Courtesy of Lizardking 
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| Verizon aims the Pantech Marauder at first-time smartphone buyers Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:26 AM PDT Verizon this morning announced the Pantech Marauder, a 4G LTE Android smartphone aimed at first-time buyers. It'll launch Aug. 2 for $49 after a $50 rebate. Specs aren't going to knock anyone out of the water -- it's got a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera. But the Marauder has a trick up its sleeve -- it's a dual-more device. There's Standard Mode, which provides "a general smartphone setting" and the traditional Android experience. Or if that's a bit much for you, there's Starter Mode, which features a dialer on the home screen. We've got another pic and the full details on the release after the break. 
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| Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Crystal Case for HTC EVO 3D Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT
The Mobi Crystal Case is available for just $2.95, 85% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping. Supplies are limited, so get yours today! Deal also available in the Canada store Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts! 
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| Sprint EVO 3D finally getting its Ice Cream Sandwich update Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:16 AM PDT Top o' the morning, folks! It looks like the Sprint HTC EVO 3D has begun getting its update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. That's according RockLight from ye olde Android Central forums, and other folks are seeing updates as well. As a reminder, here's what's new:
So, be on the lookout for a 300-megabyte or so update, and try not to let your HTC Rezound-toting friends see you gloat too much. More: EVO 3D forums; Thanks, RockLight! 
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| Google adds service alerts for NYC subway into Google Maps Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:16 AM PDT Regular subway commuters in New York City, this one's for you. Google has flipped the switch from this morning, on a new addition to their transit information in the City. When searching for transit directions, or when selecting any one of the 468 subway stations labelled in Google Maps, disruption alerts and any planned service changes for the relevant stations will be displayed. The added features are available in Google Maps on the desktop, and within the Google Maps Android application. It's noted that Google is regularly adding new features all over the globe. And, having up to date travel information right within the app most Android users will be using to find their way around, is no bad thing. Source: Google Lat Long Blog 
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| ZTE teams up with Professor Green for Facebook video contest Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:15 AM PDT As part of its continuing promotional deal with British rapper Professor Green, Chinese phone-maker ZTE is launching a new Facebook video contest, where fans have the chance to win £1000 in cash and a new ZTE Grand X handset. The winner will also get a two-day "filming experience" with the good Professor, and close pal and cameraman Rufus Exton. Fans are challenged with producing a 20-second ad for the Grand X, incorporating a Professor Green track, the phone itself, and its slogan -- "a world of entertainment in your hands." ZTE is partnering with online creative collaboration Talenthouse for the competition, which it recommends to "film-makers, video editors, motion graphic designers and anyone keen to break into TV/ film production." The deadline for entries is Monday, Sep. 3. Winners and runners-up are due to be announced just over three weeks later on Sep. 25. There's more info in ZTE's presser after the break. Also check out our hands-on preview with the ZTE Grand X from the launch event earlier this month. 
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| Sony still 'actively investigating' Jelly Bean for all devices Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:21 AM PDT Info suggesting no 2011 Xperias would get Jelly Bean was given "in error."In a statement on its official product blog, Sony has reassured Xperia smartphone owners that it's still in the process of investigating which of its devices will receive updates to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The statement follows earlier reports, originating from one the company's own Facebook pages that 2011 Xperia handsets like the Xperia Arc and Xperia Mini Pro would not be getting updated. The manufacturer said --
So that's that. For what it's worth, only one Android manufacturer, HTC, has so far made a public statement on which of its phones will be getting Android 4.1. So Xperia owners will have to wait it out while the company works out its Jelly Bean plans. In any case, with so many 2012 Xperias still on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, we think the company's immediate priority will be getting those devices onto ICS. Source: Sony Xperia Product Blog 
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