Android Community |
- Google Play Books now available in France
- Nexus S Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update arriving tomorrow
- AT&T announces shared data plans – will let you keep your unlimited data
- ZTE Grand X hands-on
- Sony unveils new Walkman F800 media player powered by Android 4.0
- Google adds interactive weather search to tablets
- Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G update rolling out – ICS coming soon
- Nexus 7 officially “in stock” on the Play Store – shipping now
- Steve Wozniak shows us his travel bag full of gadgets – Android included
- Nexus 7: Top 5 games for your new tablet
- Gmail chief developer heads to Google’s Project Glass team
| Google Play Books now available in France Posted: 18 Jul 2012 11:27 AM PDT Google’s been hard at work getting their Play Store content to more and more locations around the world. While this isn’t as easy as it sounds today they’ve announced one more to receive the gift of books. Google’s Play Store (Android Market) Books are now available for those in France as they continue their rollout to European markets.
Apparently Google needed to get the approval of Frence publishing firms after initially having some legal disputes on the matter, and now everything is cleared up and has been given the okay. Back in March Google announced the rollout for all their content was moving as quickly as possible, but can only be done so fast. Back in June Germany got the same treatment, and they’ve continued to add counties to their allowed list to sell apps in the Play Store. For now all this means is those in France can now enjoy free books, or rent your favorite Harry Potter book on the Play Store and enjoy it on your Android smartphone, tablet, PC and even those iDevices. More details provided at the source link below. [via Google]
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| Nexus S Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update arriving tomorrow Posted: 18 Jul 2012 10:51 AM PDT We have some potential great news for all those still rocking the Google Nexus S. At Google IO last month Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was listed as coming to the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S in mid July. Now that the Galaxy Nexus already started receiving it last week, it’s time for the Nexus S to enjoy that butter smooth Jelly Bean too.
According to Unwired View multiple sources have now confirmed the update will begin rolling out to the Nexus S either late today, or early tomorrow. Reports from SFR in France, and Vodafone have confirmed Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean is set to start rolling out to their handsets tomorrow, July 19th. This means Google is ready to push the latest version of their popular OS to the Nexus S, and it’s very likely that those with it here in the US could start seeing the update as soon as this evening. Those CDMA Nexus S 4G’s won’t see the update right away I’m guessing, but everyone rocking the original on T-Mobile can expect the update to arrive shortly. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean brings some awesome performance and general UI enhancements, and my new favorite feature — Google Now. If you see the Jelly Bean update on your Nexus S feel free to scream and let us know in the comments below. Device Info
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| AT&T announces shared data plans – will let you keep your unlimited data Posted: 18 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT We all knew this was coming sooner or later but today it’s finally official. AT&T has announced their new shared data plans that will help broaden the choices for their wireless customers. Verizon announced similar options last month and now it’s AT&T’s turn. The important thing is they are taking a similar approach with their offering, yet not messing with what users currently have.
Verizon’s shared data plans are decent, but they’ve completely done away with the unlimited data option. They also require users changing plans or upgrading to a new device to use these new plans — thus killing current customers grandfathered unlimited data or other options. This has caused a large stir from customers and it looks like AT&T noticed. While they have a similar outline for their shared data “buckets” changing to shared plans isn’t mandatory, and you won’t lose your grandfathered plans either. High five! AT&T’s shared data looks a lot like Verizon’s in that you pay a flat rate for your smartphone, then chose from the data options provided. The more shared data or “data bucket” you purchase, the lower the overall price for the device costs. 1GB data plan your smartphone is $45 a month, but 6GB or more a month and your smartphone is only $30 a month. It’s a bit confusing but the image above should help you out. Just like Verizon you can add up to 10 additional devices to use the same data bucket. $10 for tablets, and Laptops or MiFi options run you $20 a piece. Initial impressions are decent. The fact that AT&T isn’t making it mandatory that subscribers use these plans, and also aren’t completely eliminating grandfathered and unlimited data plans should keep users happy. Unless you’re using more than 2-3 phones in a plan these seem very similarly priced to Verizon. AT&T’s shared data will go live in August. Thoughts on AT&T’s approach?
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| Posted: 18 Jul 2012 09:01 AM PDT Today we’ve got our hands on the brand new beast known as the ZTE Grand X, complete with NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 4.3-inch QHD display, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This device also has, believe it or not, an NVIDIA modem – the NVIDIA i450 (Icera) to be exact. ZTE also makes another device with this modem, the ZTE Era. This device, the ZTE Grand X, is made to bring on power at an undeniably affordable price.
This device will be coming out for free on contract for £24 per month or £189 on UK prepay. ZTE is positioning this device as the ultimate value choice handset, made for those who want the newest Android software (Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) as well as a high-powered gaming experience. Though this device doesn’t have the newest NVIDIA processor inside, the Tegra 2 dual-core architecture here still allows you access to the NVIDIA TegraZone and will be more than enough to play you some sweet pinball action – and you know we love pinball. You’ll notice that this device is extremely similar to the version we saw earlier this year: ZTE Grand X LTE T82 hands-on. Inside you’ll also have 4GB of memory with a microSD card slot for 32GB storage expansion. You’ll be working with RAM at 512MB, a lovely 1650 mAh Li-Ion battery, and the ability to play 1080p HD video. Though you wont be outputting to HDMI with this device, you do have Dolby Mobile sound inside, so you’ll be set for on-the-go entertainment. The front has a 0.3 megapixel camera for video chat, the back works with a 5 megapixel camera, and you’ve got both auto focus and flash back there as well. The whole unit measures in at 126mm x 64.6mm x 9.9mm, and weighs in at 110g. With WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and an HSDPA 21Mbps radio inside, you’ll be well rounded in the field. This device runs a vanilla version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the whole unit looks extremely similar to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It feels so similar, in fact, that we’re a little surprised that there’s four buttons below the display rather than three on-screen buttons as the Nexus has. That said, you’re looking at one whole heck of a lot less expensive device in the end compared to Google’s own beast. Stay tuned as we take a closer look in our full review – soon!                        
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| Sony unveils new Walkman F800 media player powered by Android 4.0 Posted: 18 Jul 2012 03:28 AM PDT Sony has added several new products to its Walkman line of media players today including the F800 series. Out of all the new devices, the F800 series are the most interesting since they are powered by Android 4.0. The media player can also connect to the Google Play store to download any app you want for mobile gaming and more.
The media player has a 3.5-inch multitouch screen and features Bluetooth. Users can connect to the Internet using Bluetooth connectivity or integrated Wi-Fi. The media player will come in three different capacities, including 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB. The media player charges via a USB port and is good for about 20 hours of audio playback or 4.5 hours of video playback. The F800 series ships with earphones and has integrated xLoud speakers when you don’t want to wear earphones. Sony also unveiled the Walkman S770BT series, the E570 series, E470 series, and a speaker dock called the E473K. Pricing and availability for the products is unknown. [via SlashGear]
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| Google adds interactive weather search to tablets Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:10 PM PDT Today Google has added another one of those small yet ever so useful features to their search capabilities on mobile devices. More importantly on tablets now that they’re rocking their own Nexus 7. Today they’ve introduced interactive weather visualization for tablet devices — something that is already available for smartphones.
It’s actually quite easy to enjoy, and something that is so natural and fun that you’ll probably use it without ever thinking about it. Simply type weather into the search bar or Google while browsing on your Android tablet and you’ll get a nice interactive weather update. This includes the 10 day forecast and all that neat stuff for those worried about the rain. Or the heat for peeps like me living in the hot desert sun. A quick mention over on Google+ by Google confirms the fancy new features, so give it a try. Once open you’ll see a few days of the week but you can simply scroll through them with the glide of your finger for a full 10 day breakdown. You can scroll by temperature, hourly, and the 10 day forecast and more. It’s a small feature, but something nice that just adds that extra polish we all love. Enjoy!
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| Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G update rolling out – ICS coming soon Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:01 PM PDT Samsung’s decent mid range Galaxy S Blaze 4G over on T-Mobile started getting a quick over the air software update last night. Samsung’s confirmed it will be receiving Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but that isn’t what were getting today. The update is still Gingerbread but along with fixes it will also prepare the phone for the upcoming ICS update.
As usual, all the information and update details have been provided by T-Mobile at their support forums. They clearly state from the image below that the update is available now OTA as well as Samsung Kies, and that Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming at a later date. It is sad to see them announcing ICS is “coming soon” when it’s aging by the day and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has already been released. Hopefully Samsung skips ICS and jumps right to those tasty Jelly Belly’s. As a reminder head to settings > about phone > and check for software updates, or you can connect through USB to a computer and download the update via the Kies program mentioned above. Let us know how the update does and we’ll report back when we hear more about Ice Cream Sandwich. Device Info
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[via Android Police]
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| Nexus 7 officially “in stock” on the Play Store – shipping now Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT This is probably a bit confusing for some but today Google has changed the status of the Nexus 7 on the Google Play Store. Previously it was listed for pre-order and “shipping in 1-2 weeks.” Today however Google’s changed that to actually “In Stock” and that it will ship instantly. This is only the 8GB version, as the 16GB actual got pushed back from 1-2 weeks to 3-4 weeks earlier today.
Orders from the actual Google Play Store started updating late last week and have been shipping since Friday afternoon for those who’ve ordered the tablet. Google confirmed all current orders would ship within 3 business days, and many have received their tablets today. Although this morning the 16GB version went from shipping soon in 1-2 weeks to actually delayed and now shipping in 3-4 weeks. It appears that Google either ordered extra 8GB versions expecting that awesome $199 price tag to make it sell like hot cakes, but clearly many have been opting for the larger model. We don’t know how many are available, or if Google didn’t anticipate as high of sales for the 16GB version of the tablet, but that appears to be the case. Either way if you’d like to order the Nexus 7 and have it ship right away the 8GB model is your only option from Google. Otherwise I’d be checking my local Gamestop, Staples, or Sam’s Club as they should still have limited stock in their stores. Good luck and happy shopping! Oh and if you got one check out our 5 recommended games. Device Info
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[via Play Store]
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| Steve Wozniak shows us his travel bag full of gadgets – Android included Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:30 PM PDT If you’re like me you probably carry around more than one or two gadgets on a daily basis. Between multiple phones, an extra battery, and usual a tablet I do pretty well — but nothing compared to some. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak decided to share with the world what all he carries around when he travels. His travel bag must be pretty darn big because he packs an arsenal of gadgets.
When we head to events to bring you the latest Android news from CES, Mobile World Congress, or Google IO (like last month) I have a pretty large bag full of goodies. Wozniak on the other hand seems prepared for anything, with almost every device he uses occasionally, and is read for everything the world tosses his way. Thanks to a post by Gizmodo we have the full details of Steve’s bag. Everything in the photo above is either in his hands, pockets, shirt pocket, or backpack when he’s not home — and he’s nice enough to lug around a few things for his wife too. I seriously don’t even know where to start. Sure must be nice… or is it? I’d get awfully tired carrying all of that around. Between his MacBook Pro, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone (or 3) tons of cables, chargers, spare battery’s and more. This photo is crazy. Not counting his wife’s phones it looks like Steve hangs out with more Android phones than he does iPhone — that is awesome. Wozniak mentioned the image doesn’t include multiple chargers like his MBP charger, pens, pencils, toiletries and more. He states the bag is easily over 50 pounds daily and we’d have to agree. My first question is why? Then my next question would probably be what backpack is this that you so effortlessly pack all these goodies into? Check out the full-sized image below to truly get an idea of what all he’s got jammed in his travel backpack. Thoughts?  [via SlashGear]
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| Nexus 7: Top 5 games for your new tablet Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:34 PM PDT It’s here! Google’s hotly anticipated first production tablet, the Nexus 7 is finally landing in users hands this week (and late last week too.) Now that you’ve got an impressive 7-inch tablet with a powerful NVIDIA quad-core processor under the hood we figured you’d like to know of a few games worth checking out. Here’s some of our absolute favorites that work great on the Nexus 7.
First up we’ll have to start with Angry Birds — just kidding! Being a powerful quad-core tablet you’ll surely want to enjoy some of the added benefits of NVIDIA Tegra 3 enhanced “THD games” such as SHADOWGUN and Dead Trigger, both by MadFinger Games, as well as many other classics. We decided to add a few different game types in here to hopefully hit most users style. From casual gaming to hardcore first person shooters. These are all awesome games, but are in no particular order. Dead Trigger Temple Run The Amazing Spider-Man Riptide GP SHADOWGUN We have only just scratched the surface here with awesome games for our Android fans. The Nexus 7 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean so not all apps have been updated with compatibility. We know this is coming in the comments, so here’s a few more honorary mentions of great games you should also check out: Grand Theft Auto III, Dark Meadows, N.O.V.A. 3, Asphalt 6, Minecraft Pocket Edition, Sonic the Hedgehog Ep II, Defense Zone HD, NFL Flick QB, and last but not least get the Android Community App. Enjoy that new Nexus 7, drop us a comment or two below with more game ideas, and have fun! Device Info
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| Gmail chief developer heads to Google’s Project Glass team Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:16 PM PDT Google’s impressive new wearable technology called Project Glass has a lot of people excited. After all the small bits of information we’ve received it’s safe to say I want a pair myself. Today we can confirm the augmented reality Project Glass team has snatched up one of Gmails head community outreach developers. Sarah Price will be going from email, to glasses.
Confirmed over on Google+ Sarah Price will be joining the team at Google Glass to help this new bleeding edge technology grow. She’ll be reaching out to the developer community — and those who pre-ordered a pair during Google’s IO 2012 event this year. Google allowed developers attending the event to order their Explorer edition for $1,500 (and we ordered a few.) While Project Glass isn’t expected to ship until sometime in 2013 — and just to those lucky few — we can expect to see plenty more news on them in the coming weeks and months. The exact role that Google’s given Price isn’t yet known either. With what she’s accomplished with Gmail we have a feeling she’ll be doing great things for Google Glass too. Add in Android’s awesome OS with Google Now and toss them in glasses — I’m drooling already. [via SlashGear]
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