Android Community |
- Nexus 7 sells out nationwide at most retailers
- Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on and unboxing
- Samsung Store opens in Canada, gets called an Apple rip-off
- Verizon launches GameTanium – Subscription gaming service for Android
- Android looking strong in Nielsen report for Q2 2012
- Motorola Atrix HD circle clock widget ported to RAZR and more
| Nexus 7 sells out nationwide at most retailers Posted: 13 Jul 2012 04:47 PM PDT Google’s brand new flagship Nexus 7 tablet has officially launched today. It started shipping yesterday from various UK retailers, Gamestop in the US started sending out confirmations that those who pre-ordered could pick theirs up, and Google’s Play Store has begun shipping all pre-orders as of this afternoon. We are now seeing multiple retailers and sites across the US already selling out — which is a good sign for Google but a bad sign if you haven’t ordered one yet.
Gamestop told Reuters they’ve already sold out of two full shipments that were allocated for pre-orders, and are currently awaiting more to sell to the public. Gamestop spokesman said they won’t have more until August, so that is bad news. Sam’s Club is already listing the tablet as out-of-stock, and we are hearing the same report from Walmart and Staples. It appears however that Office Depot still has stock, and are continuing to accept pre-orders online. It’s safe to say that on the first day of “availability” the new Google and ASUS Nexus 7 tablet is selling extremely well — which should hardly be a surprise. Being the first tablet with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, while also rocking a quad-core processor all for $199 it’s hard to pass up. We are still waiting for official details from the multiple UK retailers carrying the tablet. Although the first to start shipping was Ebuyer, and it appears they still have plenty. Heading to Ebuyer.com/UK you’ll quickly notice they still have at least 500 available for pre-order. Hopefully if you wanted one you’ve already pre-ordered from the Google Play Store, since they should all be shipped within the next 3 business days. With previous ASUS tablets like the Transformer Prime product was no where near the demand, so hopefully this time around they’ve prepared for much higher sales. We’ll continue to monitor the progress and availability of the Nexus 7 as the weekend rolls around. Who’s already received their tablet? Device Info
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| Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III hands-on and unboxing Posted: 13 Jul 2012 03:18 PM PDT The brand new flagship Samsung Galaxy S III superphone has arrived on all 4 major US carriers, and is set to hit US Cellular next. Verizon was the last to bring the device to market, then had a few delays causing it to be even later than the rest. Today however we’ve decided to do a quick hands-on and unboxing of the brand new handset so you know what you’re getting into should you decide to buy. Check out the video after the break.
This week Verizon’s 4G LTE equipped Galaxy S III has finally arrived on our test bench and we’ve been enjoying it other than a small WiFi notification annoyance. We’ve already reviewed the international Galaxy S III [here] as well as the AT&T and T-Mobile versions [here] so for now enjoy a few pictures and the hands-on unboxing of the Verizon flavor. The Verizon model is exactly the same as all the others and so are the specs. The only difference is it (and AT&T’s) come with 4G LTE network speeds. So we’ve snapped a few solid tests of Verizon’s speed for you below. As far as specs we all should be plenty familiar here. The Galaxy S III “designed for humans” (according to Samsung) comes with a bright, vivid, and crisp 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, a massively high 2GB of RAM, and 16 or 32GB of internal storage.    Around back is that zero shutter lag 8 megapixel camera, LED flash, and speaker grill. Then Samsung’s equipped all their Galaxy S III’s with a large 2,100 mAh battery under the hood and micro-sd support for added storage. We mentioned speedtests since after all this is Verizon 4G LTE we’re talking about here — the fastest and widest reaching network available. So here’s a solid list of tests showing just how diverse and impressive it is with the Galaxy S III. So far the the device seems awesome, but so did all the others before it on other carriers. At this point it really comes down to price and who you’re currently with for a carrier. We’re going to take the Verizon SGSIII through a full set of paces over the weekend and see how she handles the elements and the town of Las Vegas I’m in. You’ll want to check out the timeline below for the other reviews, and plenty of Verizon specific news, then enjoy the photos. Stay tuned for a full review folks!            Device Info
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| Samsung Store opens in Canada, gets called an Apple rip-off Posted: 13 Jul 2012 02:36 PM PDT It seems that our poor friends over at Samsung just cannot get away from angry Apple fans. Samsung has opened a new retail store in Vancouver, Canada – its first in North America – and apparently some can’t help but draw comparisons and Apple’s famous boutiques. Looking at the picture of this new Samsung Store below, there do seem to be some striking similarities such as the way Samsung’s devices are displayed and the dark blue uniforms its employees are wearing. It begs the question though – is this really something to get all worked up about?
In this case, we’re tempted to agree with The Android Guy, which brings up some pretty valid points. Concerning the dark blue, it’s important to remember that the color of Samsung’s logo is dark blue too. Samsung probably could have gone with a different color, but as far as brand recognition goes, it wouldn’t have worked quite as well if Samsung had chosen a different color for its store uniforms. When it comes down to it, many other stores out there coincidentally look like Apple stores, it’s just that Samsung gets called out because of its checkered past with the iPhone manufacturer. As you can see in the video above, Samsung’s new store looks great, as do the various Apple stores that have popped up across the country. At the end of the day, the whole thing seems a bit trivial to us, so why can’t we just all get along? In any case, if you’re interested in checking out this Samsung Store, it’s located in the Metrotown Mall in Burnaby, Vancouver. It’s unclear whether or not Samsung is displaying its entire line of devices there, but looking at the video walkthrough, it appears that there’s a significant amount of Samsung products on offer there. [via The Android Guy]
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| Verizon launches GameTanium – Subscription gaming service for Android Posted: 13 Jul 2012 12:32 PM PDT For those that love Android gaming we have a new offer for you. If you find yourself spending more than $5 or so a month on Android smartphone and tablet games a new subscription based service by Verizon might be just what you’re looking for. It’s like Netflix or Gamefly (in a way) although you seem to be limited to their specific apps they’ve chosen for you. More details can be had below.
Yup. I’m not sure if we need it or not, but Verizon has launched a fee-based subscription gaming service for Android. Complete with around 100 games for smartphones, and 50 that have been optimized or are specific to Android tablets. There’s a catch though — this is only for Verizon Wireless users. We’ve seen GameTanium before but now that Verizon scooped it up they have the exclusive access. Users get an all-you-can-play buffet of Android games for the low price of $5.99 a month. We aren’t sure how popular this will be but using it specifically during a vacation or during the summer months out of school could give it some potential. Games like Fruit Ninja, EVAC, World of Goo, and Doodle Gods are great games, but I’m not sure they warrant the monthly fee. This will succeed or fail based on the content provided, so it will be interesting to see what GameTanium and Verizon do with it. Are you interested in paying a monthly fee for Android smartphone and tablet gaming? Or does this seem like a stretch for now? As a reminder this is only for those using a Verizon phone and Verizon data service. You can enjoy a free 3-day trial first, then decide if this is for you. Head to the via link below for additional details. [via Verizon]
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| Android looking strong in Nielsen report for Q2 2012 Posted: 13 Jul 2012 11:55 AM PDT Nielsen has issued its report on smartphones in the US during Q2 2012, and even though the smartphone market in general is looking pretty healthy, phones running some version of the Android OS are by far the most popular. In all, 51.8% of smartphone users in June 2012 were using an Android-based handset, while only 34% of smartphone users had picked an iOS device. Android came out on top with 3 month recent acquirers as well, with 54.6% of new users in Q2 going for Android, as compared to 36.3% for iOS.
Apple may have the largest manufacturer share as of the end of Q2 (34% compared to Samsung’s second place ranking of 17%), but it’s pretty clear from this report that Android is winning the overall race. Android has done nothing but grow and then grow some more since its introduction, taking down competitors such as Blackberry and Windows Mobile during its ascent to the top. It hasn’t been able to take Apple out of the game, but to Google, taking the majority share of the smartphone market is probably just as sweet a victory. As stated above, the smartphone market at large is looking pretty great too, with Nielsen saying that 2 out of 3 phone purchasers in the US are choosing to go with a smartphone over a feature phone. Android’s market share will undoubtedly keep growing as smartphones become more and more popular with the American public, so keep an ear to Android Community for more information on the green robot’s rise to the top. [via Nielsen]
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| Motorola Atrix HD circle clock widget ported to RAZR and more Posted: 13 Jul 2012 11:46 AM PDT Motorola’s different tweaks and changes to the Android operating system has never really been something I’ve admired. Then I saw their new Motorola Atrix HD and what they are calling the Motorola “Circle Widget” and I instantly wanted it. It’s one of the better all-in-one weather, clock, and battery widgets we’ve seen lately — and now has been pulled so others can enjoy it too.
Motorola and AT&T’s new Atrix HD becomes available on Sunday the 15th, and you can see our initial device hands-on here. If you don’t want to wait or have some other device but loved the look of that impressive new widget here’s how you can get it yourself right now. It does take a little tweaking, but is very simple. Instructions: -Download AtrixHDWidgets.zip It looks like you’ll have to use the Motorola ICS launcher for now, so unless you have a DROID RAZR or another recent Motorola ICS build, you’ll have to use their launcher specifically. The new widget is quite neat if you ask me, I’m really liking these new changes from Motorola. Stay tuned for our full Atrix HD review coming early next week, or get your own Sunday from AT&T for just $99. Device Info
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[via Droid-Life]
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