Saturday, September 29, 2012

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Google Android News Android Forums

Sony to rollout Ice Cream Sandwich for Xperia Go, Xperia U and Xperia Sola

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:17 PM PDT

Sony announced plans to rollout an over-the-air (OTA) update over the next few days for three devices to bring them up to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The devices include the Sony Xperia Go, Xperia U and Xperia Sola. This latest round of updates continues a trend of Sony's to provide ICS to many of their devices, even older ones.

Along with the ICS update, the OTA will include some Sony specific additions like enhanced media, a better lock screen, and "extended standby mode" to help improve battery life for the devices. The Xperia Sola also gets "Glove Mode" which will let users operate the device while wearing gloves.

The OTA was scheduled to start rolling out today with unlocked devices first up to receive the improvements. Carrier-branded devices will take a little longer although Sony anticipates the updates to well underway by the middle of next week. Owners of the Sony devices can check the Sony update site at http://www.sonymobile.com/us/software/ for more information.

source: Phandroid

AT&T Android portfolio to grow with new Samsung devices including Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and other devices

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 04:56 PM PDT

In a joint announcement issued by AT&T and Samsung, the two shared information on some devices slated to be available "in the coming months" for AT&T's 4G LTE network. The devices include three smartphones powered by Android and one tablet device.

Headlining the list of forthcoming devices is the Samsung Galaxy Note II, the eagerly awaited for successor to the Samsung Galaxy Note. Unveiled earlier this month, the "phablet" device will sport a 5.5-inch screen and a quad-core Exynos processor to power Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung's S-Pen apps.

Two other smartphones will be released as well, each targeting different markets. The Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, designed for those with an active lifestyle, is built to military specifications. The waterproof, shock resistant, dust-proof device will probably appeal to outdoor workers as well. The device will have a 4-inch screen and access to advance push-to-talk services. The other phone is a Samsung Galaxy Express geared toward first time smartphone buyers. The Galaxy Express will have a 4.5-inch screen backed by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and a 2000 mAh battery powering Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Rounding out the joint press release is the impending release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablet for the AT&T 4G LTE network.

The specifications for the mid-range devices sound pretty decent and should offer some good choices for buyers not interested in top end devices.

AT&T continues to build 4g lte android portfolio with the addition of three smartphones and one tablet from Samsung

DALLAS, SEPT. 28, 2012 – AT&T*  and Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung Mobile)1 announced three new 4G LTE Android™ smartphones– Galaxy Express™, Galaxy Rugby Pro™ and the Galaxy Note® II – and one new 4G LTE Android tablet, Galaxy Tab® 2 (10.1), available in the coming months.

Samsung Galaxy Express
First-time smartphone users will find their perfect match with the Samsung Galaxy Express, a 4G LTE smartphone that combines high performance features at a great price.  Galaxy Express runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and sports a clear and bright 4.5-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus screen.  The 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2000 mAh battery helps users stay productive throughout the day; while the 5-megapixel rear facing camera lets you capture and share images easily through text messages, email and social networks.

Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro
An ideal mix of brains and brawn, the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro gives customers with active lifestyles access to a 4G LTE smartphone that can handle whatever life throws at it.  The Rugby Pro is built to military specifications (810g specifications) and is waterproof**, shock resistant and dust proof.  It features a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display and a 5-megapixel rear facing camera that lets you record HD video in 720p.  Business customers can rest assured that in addition to being protected from every day wear and tear, Rugby Pro also comes with full device encryption and EAS corporate email support.  The device will have access to Enhanced Push-to-Talk functionality upon launch of the service.

Samsung Galaxy Note II
Announced earlier this month, Samsung Galaxy Note II continues to expand the popular category created by the Galaxy Note with improved battery life, a thinner and narrower design and enhancements to the S Pen™.  Arriving later this year running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), Galaxy Note II with 4G LTE combines the productivity of a tablet with the convenience of a smartphone and the S Pen features you need to unleash your creativity in a single device.  With a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display and 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos™ processor with integrated graphics processing unit (GPU), the Galaxy Note II provides PC-like processing power and advanced features like Popup Video, new Gallery views and great gaming performance in a truly pocketable device.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1"
This 4G LTE Android 4.0 tablet delivers entertainment and productivity to fit your whole life.  Galaxy Tab 2 10.1" offers a 10.1-inch display and premium entertainment options including Media Hub, Smart Remote and AllShare® Play.  Features like on-device encryption and VPN access ensure your tablet is secure for business use.  The 7000 mAh battery allows you to stay connected throughout the day.

AT&T customers have access to the nation's largest 4G network***, covering 275 million people. AT&T has two 4G networks that work together for customers, LTE and HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. That means AT&T customers are able to enjoy a widespread, ultra-fast and consistent 4G experience on their compatible device as they move in and out of LTE areas. With other carriers, when you travel outside of their LTE coverage area, you may be on a much slower 3G network.

All of these devices will be available from AT&T in the coming months.

Samsung, Express, Note, Rugby Pro, Super AMOLED, Exynos, S Pen, and AllShare are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

1 Samsung Mobile is the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States, based upon reported shipments, according to Strategy Analytics, North America Handset Vendor Marketshare, Q2 2012. Samsung Electronics Company is the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide, based upon reported shipments, according to Strategy Analytics Global Smartphone Vendor Market Share by Region: Q2 2012.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
**Waterproof against incidental exposure to water when all ports (incl. USB and earphone ports) are tightly closed. NOT designed or intended for in water use. Submersible up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Waterproof based on IP57 rating.
***4G speeds not available everywhere. Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Learn more at att.com/network.

Motorola RAZR HD and Maxx HD possibly delayed by external antenna issues

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 02:09 PM PDT

We all remember Antennagate: the loss of signal on the iPhone 4 caused by poor positioning of exterior antennae. It now it seems Motorola and Verizon’s latest flagship RAZRs are being held back because of a similar issue. According to a Howardforum post, “The signal drop is great enough to create a large amount of users to return the device“. This issue seems to be pretty severe, but hopefully is wont delay the highly anticipated phones for too long.

Unfortunately the post is pretty vague, only mentioning a “a huge problem with the external antenna’s that wrap around the device“, but hopefully Motorola will respond shortly as to either confirm or deny this rumor’s validity. This news only raises questions in my mind as to why this issue hasn’t been spotted on the Atrix HD and RAZR M?

Source: Howardforum

Acer Iconia A110 7″, Tegra 3 Android tablet now shipping in the UK

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:06 PM PDT

Not to be outdone by Google and Asus, Acer has now officially joined the 7-inch tablet party by releasing the Iconia A110 in the UK. Boasting specs very similar to that of the Nexus 7, it seems like Acer’s offering may hold its own in the hot 7-inch tablet market. There’s no doubt that it’ll be tough to grab a decent size of the market share without offering something better or different. However, there isn’t much not to like about Acer’s offering. In fact, it does offer a couple of things that a certain other 7-inch tables doesn’t.  The specs on the Iconia A110 are as follows:

  • quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB of storage of internal storage (expandable via SD slot)
  • 7″ display
  • HDMI output
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Decent specs indeed, and all that for £179. Some folks may particularly like the expandable storage and HDMI out. Ebuyer is claiming to be the first UK retailer to offer this excellent option in the 7-inch tablet market, and at the time of this writing is showing as in stock. If you pick this tablet up, let us know how you like it.

 

source:  ebuyer

Day 3 of Google’s 25-cent app deals are now live

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 12:25 PM PDT

We are now on day 3 of the Google Play 25-cent app sale to celebrate 25 million downloads. Hit the break for the complete list of apps that you can grab for a very cheap quarter.

**Don’t forget yesterday’s deals because they are still live. Day 1 appears to have ended.

source: Google Play

Featured Play Store Review: Greedy Spiders 2 [Brain & Puzzle]

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 11:57 AM PDT

If you’re looking for a new puzzle style game, Greedy Spiders 2 just might do the trick. It’s developed by Blyts and is the follow up to the very popular Greedy Spiders. The premise is very simple, but the task is quite hard. Each level presents a spider web along with at least one spider and one bug. Your job is to slice spokes off the web so that the spider(s) never reach the bug(s). The bugs never move, but with each slice of a spoke, the spiders will move along any remaining spokes trying to get closer to the bugs. What you need to do is slice off enough spokes to make it impossible for the spiders to get to any of the bugs, which will result in a win for that level. Obviously if any spider gets to any bug, you lose.

Your main weapon or tool is a pair of scissors, but as you move up the levels, you will earn other weapons that will help. For example, after the first few levels, you will earn an ice weapon. This lets you freeze one of the spiders for two moves or two cuts. Other weapons that you will earn include a tesla tower that shocks the spiders, a spring trap that throws the spiders off the web, and a bug costume that turns a bug into a spider confusing other spiders. All of these weapons, with the exception of the scissors, is new to this version.

This version brings new spiders as well. The Midas spider turns web strings into gold making them non-cuttable. The Smarty Spider is the most intelligent and won’t be affected by most of the weapons. Last but not least, the Eggy spider is born from the spider nest. which can hold up to three of these spiders.

Scoring is based on the star formula, but with a couple of twists. The first being that the next three levels are unlocked upon achieving three stars. The second is they have what’s called “better than 3 stars”, which will yield you some coins. Coins can be used for hints, which is something that wasn’t offered in the first game.

I never had a chance to play the original game, but I assume it was as addicting as this one. I personally love puzzle games, and I couldn’t stop playing this one. I found myself screaming when I made the wrong move and had to watch one of the spiders get the bug. Just like most puzzle games, it’s easy for the first few levels, but it gets hard pretty quickly. As you move along, there are more bugs and more spiders to deal with. It’s a total conundrum playing a game like this because when you finally conquer a level, you’re excited, but when you see the next level, you’re like, “how am I going to solve this?”

Complete list of new features with this version:

  • 72 new levels
  • New graphics and scenarios
  • New and more intelligent spiders
  • More bugs
  • High quality music
  • Achievements
  • Difficulty Selection
  • Google TV and tablet support
  • Multi language support: Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Malay

Greedy Spiders 2 is Free and includes 72 levels. There is a paid version for 99-cents, which include an additional 72 levels making the total 144. Check out the video trailer below and hit one of the download links to get started. As always, let me know what you think. I also included the trailer for the original game because it shows a little more of the gameplay.

Greedy_Spiders_2_01 Greedy_Spiders_2_02 Greedy_Spiders_2_03 Greedy_Spiders_2_04 Greedy_Spiders_2_05 Greedy_Spiders_2_Splash_Banner

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

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Play Store Download Link - Free

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Sony Tablet S gets Android 4.0.3 update in the U.S.

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:43 AM PDT

Fear not U.S. owners of the Sony Tablet S. Sony didn’t want to alienate you by not offering some of the sweet options that Xperia Tablet owners are enjoying. If you own a Tablet S, you may have noticed a software update notification. Once acknowledged and downloaded, the update will bring you up to version 4.0.3. You can then begin enjoying such features like:

  • Guest Mode
  • New media player applications (WALKMAN, Album, Movies)
  • New Small Apps
  • New macro functionality on the Remote Control App
  • New widgets, including Topics
  • Socialife
  • Watch Now

You’ll also find additional features such as new icons and a more robust copy/paste feature. That’s a nice little list of new features to breath new life into the Tablet S.

 

source:  Sony

Motorola RAZR i shipping in the UK on October 1

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:15 AM PDT

Last week, Motorola and Intel unveiled its international version of the RAZR M, the RAZR i. A British retailer has now confirmed Motorola is releasing this Intel Atom based device on October 1st in the UK. Those of you in the UK can grab this nice device for the SIM-free price of £342 ($555). That chunk of change will buy you the following:  A lightning-like Intel Atom 2GHz processor, 4.3-inch edge to edge qHD (960 x 540) display, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera, VGA front camera, 8GB of storage, GPS, NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is upgradeable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. We’re anxious to see how this 2GHz beast performs in the real world. Let us know if you jump on this device.

source:  Clove

Texas Instruments Clarifies Previous Statement Regarding Shifting of Chip Development

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:43 AM PDT

A couple of days ago, we heard Texas Instruments‘ (TI) plans on their supposed shifting away from the mobile chip market. This wasn’t merely a rumor either, as this news came straight from TI’s senior vice president. However, the statement in question may have been taken out of context. While he did say, “We believe that opportunity is less attractive as we go forward,” maybe he was just expressing mobile chips are an opportunity for the company going forward. We say this because a spokesperson for TI confirmed the development of the OMAP 5, Cortex-A15 SoC chip. Furthermore, samples of their latest mobile chip should begin going out as early as today while products containing the chip will be hitting shelves as soon as early 2013. Perhaps TI knew this would be their last chip and that’s what the senior VP was alluding to – beyond the OMAP 5. We’ll most likely find out early next year after we see some of these OMAP 5 devices hit shelves.

source:  GSMArena

Cricket Announces New ZTE Engage Smartphone

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:07 AM PDT

 

Chinese manufacturer ZTE is looking to continue its big splash out here in the States, so it’s only natural we see more and more devices on networks willing to take a chance and bring some unique devices. That’s why Cricket has announced its new ZTE Engage smartphone. This Ice Cream Sandwich-powered device will arrive on the wireless carrier on October 2nd and will cost a mere $250. What this gives customers is a zippy Snapdragon S2 1.4GHz processor, 4-inch WVGA display and 8MP camera. Not a bad way for customers to enjoy Muve Music, right?

 

More details of the device once you hit the break and check out the full presser.

 

 

ZTE Engage Smartphone to be Exclusively Available at Cricket

~ Second Android 4.0 – Ice Cream Sandwich Handset in Cricket’s Smartphone Lineup ~

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Cricket Communications, Inc. and ZTE, today announced the upcoming availability of the ZTE Engage. The Engage will be available at Cricket company-owned stores, dealers and www.mycricket.com beginning Tuesday, October 2, 2012.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56761-zte-engage-smartphone-exclusively-available-at-cricket

The ZTE Engage is a full-featured, multimedia powerhouse based on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), equipped with a 4.0″ capacitive touchscreen, a 1.4GHz CPU and an 8.0 megapixel camera with LED flash. With Android 4.0, Cricket customers will benefit from a range of improved features that offer an exceptional, interactive experience – from multitasking, customizable home screens to Swype predictive text. The ZTE Engage also features Cricket’s innovative Muve Music service. Muve Music subscribers have access to unlimited downloads of their favorite music and access to exclusive artist commentary, music and video through Muve Music’s Muve First and Muve Headliner featured artist programs. With millions of songs at their fingertips, customers will never pay per song and no contracts are required.

“The ZTE Engage is an exciting smartphone with enhanced functionality from Android 4.0 OS and will be available with Cricket’s new value-rich no-contract smartphone service plans,” said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket. “Impressive at any price, the ZTE Engage will be a WOW device for Cricket customers and is a great new addition to the higher-end smartphone line-up that Cricket is turning on this year.”

The ZTE Engage features:

4.0″ WVGA TFT capacitive touchscreen
Qualcomm MSM8655T Scorpion – 1.4GHz
Dual-Facing Cameras: Rear (8.0MP) w/LED Flash & Front (VGA)
MUVE Music Ready with 4GB Muve Music SD Card included
Removable MicroSD Memory Card (up to 32GB)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Lithium Ion 1900 mAh battery
Pricing and Availability:

The ZTE Engage will be available at Cricket company-owned stores, dealers and at www.mycricket.com beginning Tuesday, October 2, 2012 for $249.99 (MSRP). Customers can choose from three Cricket no-contract smartphone plans for the ZTE Engage. The rate plans start at $50 for unlimited talk, text and 3G data plus 1GB of full-speed data per month. The $60 smartphone plan contains 2.5GB of full-speed data per month and the $70 smartphone plan offers 5GB of full-speed data per month. Both the $60 and $70 plans include the ability for customers to tether their device to power additional wireless devices.

For more information about Cricket’s dynamic service and newest device lineup, visit www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket’s recent news and updates online, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cricketnation.

 
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