Friday, August 10, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

FlightTrack Offers Free Version and New Design, Paid Users Have to Wait

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 03:51 PM PDT

Great news coming from Mobiata, developers of FlightTrack, who now have a free version of their popular travel app with a revamped UI. If you bought the application you will not have the new UI as of now, but I’m sure it will happen in time. Until then, free users can expect the following features:

• Real-time status for gates, delays & cancellations
• Zoomable, beautiful flight maps
• Detailed, interactive, retractable flight cards
• Covers 16,000 airports worldwide
• Track 1,400 airlines worldwide

Although there are some legitimate features available you will be lacking some major features like the integration of Tripit, you can only track one flight at a time and you won’t have weather info. Needless to say, if you spend more time in a plane then your own bed, the free version may not be for you. Still, you can hit the link below to check it out and see the new UI.

So how many of you use Flight Track? Is there another app you like better? Let us know!

FlightTrack_Free_02 FlightTrack_Free_03 FlightTrack_Free_04 FlightTrack_Free_08

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Play Store Download Link

T-Mobile blocks tethering for new Full Monty customers

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT

 

T-Mobile UK has confirmed that new customers signing up to its Full Monty contract would not be eligible for unlimited tethering on their device. The Monty plan was launched back in February of this year which offers customers unlimited calls, texts and data (including tethering) for £36 per month. While customers who previously signed up for this deal are still able to enjoy the unlimited tethering, new customers won’t be so lucky.

When a UK T-Mobile representative was asked why the sudden change in their plan, they gave no reason and simply stated: “We don’t have anything more to share.”

My assumption is that T-Mobile probably thought it would be a good idea at first until the free tethering started to eat up too much of their bandwidth. I don’t blame them as “free” tethering has always been such a sore subject on any carrier.

source: Techradar

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q image suggests release on August 15th

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 10:27 AM PDT

Last month we reported that Samsung and T-Mobile were preparing to release the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q on August 15th. The accuracy of that date was strengthened in a recently released press shot of the new device that shows a date of August 15th on the screen. Looking for these dates on press images of new devices has been a good method for determining the release date in the past.

The new smartphone is rumored to include a 1.5 GHz dual-core S4 Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, a 720p (1280 x 720) display, and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. With the slide out QWERTY keyboard, the Galaxy S Blaze Q will be the most powerful phone on the market in this form factor. If you are a fan of the physical keyboard, you might want to keep an eye on T-Mobile on the 15th.

source: TmoNews

Major update for Google Translate app hits Google Play store, adds image translation capability

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 10:08 AM PDT

Google issued a major update to their Google Translate app for Android today taking it up to version 2.5. The most impressive change included in this update is the ability to take a picture with your device's camera and perform the translation by brushing over the text you want translated. This could be very useful when traveling to take pictures of things like road signs or maps or a restaurant menu. The image translation functionality does require Android 2.3 and above.

Other enhancements in this latest version include instant translation results as you type, the choice of a dialect preference for speech input, recognition of multiple Japanese characters at once, and some checks of network availability. To grab this newest version of Google Translate, just hit the link below.

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Google Play Download Link

Kickstarter campaign for Ouya Gaming Console ends, but you can still pre-order one for $109

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 09:49 AM PDT

To say the Kickstarter campaign for the Ouya Gaming Console was successful would be a drastic understatement. They were able to rack up $8,596,475 and is probably one of the reasons why Google dropped the Nexus Q. While many people were able to grab one for as little as $95, you can still pre-order one for $109 with one controller in case you missed out or feeling buyer’s remorse. You won’t get it until April, one month after the Kickstarter Campaign members get their’s in March. If you need two controllers, the price is $139 and four controllers will run you $199. Unfortunately it looks like they will grab your money now rather than charge your account when it ships.

It will be interesting to see how successful the Ouya Gaming Console is. There are a lot of people wondering if there will really be enough development on it. but I guess for the price, you really can’t go wrong. Hit the source link below to get started.

source: ouya

Best Buy to get Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition bundled with keyboard and USB adapter

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 09:06 AM PDT

With the Nexus 7 priced at $199, Android manufacturers such as Samsung really need to get more competitive if they ever plan on selling any tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 was already priced fairly competitive at $249, but it looks like they will make a bundled package available later this month. It will be called the Student Edition and it will come with a keyboard and USB adapter, but the price will remain the same.

It looks like it will be in the Best Buy ad for the week of August 19th so look for it then. The Galaxy Tab 2 can’t measure up to the Nexus 7 in terms of specs, but for those that don’t need all the horsepower, but would rather have the flexibility of expanded storage through a microSD, this is a pretty decent deal.

source: engadget

More press images of the new Sony Xperia tablet leak ahead of IFA 2012

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 08:41 AM PDT

Last week we learned about the new Sony tablet that will be unveiled at the IFA Conference at the end of the month. We were pretty certain this tab would be Xperia branded, but now it’s just about a lock as you can clearly see the Xperia logo. Also the UI is very Xperia-like, which shows us that the development for both phones and tablets are becoming more unified.

For now it looks like Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Android version of choice. One other item to note is the Walkman app icon that’s visible. It looks that will be the next big push for Sony. Why they ever let that name die continues to amaze me.

Sony really makes some really nice hardware so I’m really interested to get my hands on it. From what I see so far, this one will keep up with their tradition. The big question is if it’s going to be priced right? Hit the break for two more images.

 

source: xperiablog

 

The Unthinkable Has Happened: Jelly Bean Recently Ported To HTC G1 Smartphone

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 07:43 AM PDT

 

Sure the original HTC G1 is the ancestor of all Android phones, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be brought in today’s world. XDA superstud Jcarrz1 was able to bring some Android 4.1 glory to the G1 by bringing a buggy, but functional port of CM10, just like how he brought Ice Cream Sandwich to the smartphone last year. In addition, the awesome Google Now is also working in a functional capacity— while WiFi is working at full capacity (though cellular data isn’t). Jcarrz1′s achievement just shows that contrary to what OEMs want you to believe, users can have the latest software on their Android devices.

Interested in checking out more details or giving the port a try on your old G1? Hit the source link to find complete information of the details.

source: XDA Forums

Make your Verizon Galaxy S III a world phone

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 07:04 AM PDT

The Verizon Galaxy S III is already set up with dual radios (CDMA and GSM), but Verizon hasn’t unlocked the full potential. At some point they will push an update, but seriously Verizon, why do you need to wait so long? If you’re in need sooner rather than later, XDA forum member lair12 put together complete instructions on how to get it going. Unfortunately it’s not a quick task, but upon completing the steps, it will work. Hit the break to get started.

Before leaving the U.S., you need to complete the following:

  1. Root the phone with stock ROM
  2. Use sprint.recovery.image for clockworkmod (others may work as well)
  3. Load APN Manager app from Google Play
  4. Load HiAPN Global app from Google Play
  5. Load Ghost Commander app from Google Play
  6. Load Dropbox app from Google Play
  7. Load PhoneInfo app from Google Play
  8. Back up APN’s to sd card through HiAPN
  9. Edit "apnlist_backup.xml" found at sdcard>HiDroid_Net>HiAPN using Ghost Commander app (select DB text editor to open) and then edit to include your required APN information. Here are two sites (option 1 and option 2) to check if you do not know the correct information. You can also load several options into the APN file data so you can be ready for several possible providers.
  10. Use HiAPN to restore APN’s
  11. Use APN Manger to see APN list and check that info for new APN is correct (APN manager cannot do anything else or it will crash)
  12. Use APN Manager to check to make sure that APN for now is still set to LTE-Verizon Internet or EHRPD – Verizon Internet

Once overseas, you need to complete the following:

  1. Turn off phone and pull battery and put in micro SIM from your foreign country (I'm using MTS in Russia, but was prepared for several other providers)
  2. Turn phone back on
  3. Turn off wifi
  4. Use PhoneInfo app to change preferred network type “Global” (click on Device information and scroll down for first box to change).
  5. Open HiAPN and select "Click to Autoset APN's" or hit “Net” one change at a time until you rotate to the correct APN
  6. Go to airplane mode for a minute (this helps reset the radio)
  7. Take off airplane mode
  8. Go to Settings>More Setting>Mobile Network and make sure that is not grayed out. If not there, try going back to HiAPN and doing the “Net” cycle again.
  9. Check Settings>More Settings>Mobile Network>Access Point Names to make sure correct APN is selected. (If not, go back to step 5).
  10. Reboot phone, you should have the cars working.

 

Once back in the states, complete these steps:

  1. Use Phone Info app to change preferred network to "LTE/CDMA/EvDo"
  2. Pull battery and put Verizon LTE micro SIM card back in
  3. Power up phone
  4. Turn off wi-fi
  5. Open HiAPN and hit “Net” one change at a time until you rotate to VZWINTERNET
  6. Use APN Manager to check to see if it is set to LTE-Verizon Internet or EHRPD – Verizon Internet
  7. Check Settings>More Settings>Mobile Network>Access Point Names to make sure correct APN is selected. (If not, go back to step 5).

If for whatever reason these steps fail (Once back in the states), then do the following:

  1. Reset phone to non-rooted stock, Go here for more info.
  2. Do full phone reset,
  3. Re-root
  4. Re-clockworkmod
  5. Restore ROM through recovery mode.
Lair12 was able to test this out in Russia recently and it worked like a charm. It’s a lot of steps, but if you’re heading overseas, it might be a big help. For more information or if you have any questions, make sure to hit up the source link below.
source: xda

 

Jelly Bean Encryption Negatively Affects Paid Apps

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 06:50 AM PDT

 

While the Android platform tries to be the best OS in the game, there are minor problems that plague it such as rampant piracy issues—- specifically with developers of various apps in the Play Store. While Google has addressed piracy issues with each new OS release such as with Jelly Bean’s App Encryption, its solution has ended up being worse for developers. Apparently developers are claiming encryption (the location of installed and encrypted apps from the Play Store) makes their apps completely unusable because account information is removed after a device reboot. Because of this— Google has disabled the security feature for the Play Store on Jelly Bean smartphones and tablets.

 


It looks like the issue has been pinpointed to a specific area too. When users download a paid app and install it to an encrypted folder at /mnt/asec, instead of the normal /data/app folder, which almost completely erases potential piracy. While it’s great in theory, some or all of the apps that register with the Android Account Manager has information completely erased after a device reboot. As of now, there is no official solution, though developers came up with a minor alternative before Google disabled the encryption feature. Simply put, developers encouraged customers or users of apps to use secondary authentication stores and apps like Amazon’s Appstore, which sideloads a paid app and places them back in the /data/app directory.

While this is only a minor fix, the hope is that Google will certainly address this as soon as possible… especially as it will see more and more Jelly Bean devices surfacing in the next year or so.

source: Android Police

 

 
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