Sunday, September 30, 2012

Google Android News Android Forums

Google Android News Android Forums

Motorola Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and Electrify handsets will not receive Ice Cream Sandwich update

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 02:57 PM PDT

It’s a sad day for early adopters of Motorola’s first dual-core handsets. In a statement made on the company’s support forum, it’s been revealed that the Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and Electrify will not be receiving updates to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and instead will remain on Gingerbread. This comes just days after Motorola revisited its update timeline, in which several devices had been given a new fate. The manufacturer is reiterating its $100 rebate program for owners of Motorola devices that won’t be updated to Jelly Bean. However, the offer is only good for those upgrading to new Motorola handsets, which we’re sure is very unlikely to happen at this point.

This is the worst possible news for owners of these select devices, though it’s not like we didn’t see it coming. Up until today I was the proud owner of an Atrix 4G, though as soon as I heard this unfortunate news I headed to my local AT&T store to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S III. And, while I may not be holding onto it for a long period of time (I’m hoping Google announces its new Nexus smartphone(s) soon), it will suffice as my daily driver in the meantime. I refuse to do business with a company who forgets about its customers.

Also, keep an eye out for some additional posts detailing the process for loading aftermarket Jelly Bean or Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs onto these devices. After all, we’re here to help.

Source: Motorola

Day 4 of Google’s 25-cent app deals is now live

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 12:49 PM PDT

There’s just two days left for Google’s 25-cent app sale that’s going on in the Google Play Store. As you know, the sale started this past Wednesday to celebrate the milestone of 25 billion downloads. Hit the break for today’s action.

Also to note is that SwiftKey 3 Keyboard is on sale as well. It’s not at 25-cents, but at 99-cents, it’s still a great buy for easily the best replacement keyboard on Android.

If you missed out on yesterday’s sales, you can still grab those deals as they are still live. Hurry, because they probably won’t last long.

source: Google Play

 

SwiftKey 3 Keyboard now 75% off to celebrate 25 billion downloads on Google Play [Video]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT

Finding a nice keyboard that fits your needs and desires is one of the greatest things on Android in my opinion. Certainly something that’s lacking in the iOS department. One of my favorite 3rd party keyboard is SwiftKey 3, while it doesn’t have the crazy customizations and theme-ing such as other keyboards like Smart Keyboard Pro, it does offer one hell of a great experience.

To celebrate Google’s 25 billion downloaded apps, the guys over at SwiftKey are having a fall sale where the app is 75% off with a price of just $0.99. Not a bad deal right? If you’ve been looking for a great keyboard replacement, this is your chance!

You can watch the quick video below for more info and download links will be provided after the break!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Play Store Download Link

Motorola to soon push ICS update to DROID XYBOARD 8.2 LTE

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 10:32 AM PDT

Just about anybody that has had a Motorola Android device will say that updates get delayed quite often. Look at the DROID RAZR for example. The infamous 4.0 ICS update was pushed back for months, leaving consumers anxious to receive some “tender, love, and care.”

Owners of the XYBOARD devices haven’t see too many updates besides 4.0 for Wi-Fi-only models. With a recent .PDF file showing up on the Verizon Wireless website, it looks like the DROID XYBOARD 8.2 (LTE Edition) will be getting some sweet Ice Cream Sandwich.

On the document, Big Red has decided to include a quick walthrough guide upon updating your device, as well as provide what is included with the latest 4.0.4 software. Here are some of the benefits that will be coming to a DROID XYBOARD 8.2 LTE near you:

  • Includes the latest Motorola USB driver to allow XYBOARD to connect to a computer to transfer files. 
  • Securely refresh your Corporate Email account with the native email client.
  • Faster Browsing Experience
  • Improved network connectivity

There is no “set” roll-out date for 4.0.4, but depending on Motorola it can either be days, or months. Hopefully in a couple days time, Ice Cream Sandwich will unite with all Xyboard devices.

Source: Verizon Wireless

Judge Lucy Koh To Be Reunited With Her Favorite Friends Again, Court Orders Her To Review Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Injunction

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 08:36 AM PDT

 

It looks as if Judge Lucy Koh isn’t quite finished yet in regards to the Apple vs. Samsung saga. If you recall, we mentioned that Samsung confirmed its intentions to appeal notable items such as the injunctions of its tablets— and it now appears that it has gotten its wish thanks to the U.S. courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently granted Samsung’s request to have the injunction of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 remanded in order for the trial court to re-consider Samsung’s motion to terminate the injunction. So what does all this mean? Well— while nothing is for sure, but this decision will allow Samsung to have additional time and present an effective argument highlighting why the injunction should be lifted since the jury did not find any type of tablet design patent infringement.

In essence, the Appeals Court is forcing Judge Koh to sit down for yet another day and hear why Samsung is right and Apple is wrong. Of course there’s a slim (or major) chance that Judge Koh probably won’t lift the injunction, but hey— anything can happen in this wacky world.

source: FOSS Patents

Lookout Mobile Security issues update to protect against dialer exploits

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 11:12 PM PDT

Security is a major concern amongst Android users, and this week a major security vulnerability was found on Samsung devices which allowed handsets to be remotely wiped from the Dialer application. While Samsung says the issue has been fixed with a software update, it remains unclear whether or not other phones have been affected. Regardless, the mobile security experts at Lookout have rolled out an update to their official Android application, providing much-needed protection against malicious and hazardous phone numbers.

This makes Lookout Security & Antivirus the first application to successfully block the exploit. The protection works by scanning telephone links before they open. When selecting a telephone number, the service will proceed to warn you if the number is fake or malicious. It does require user input, however, as Lookout will ask if you’d like to scan the tel: link in question. As usual though, when making a selection you can set it as the default within the pop-up box. So, if you haven’t already updated to the latest version of Lookout, you can head to the Play Store link below. For those of you not currently using a security suite for your phone, now is probably a good time to start.

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Play Store Download Link

Lookout Releases Protection for Samsung and other Android Phones against Dialer Related Attacks

This week, a new vulnerability was discovered that affects Android phones.  Security researchers on Monday demonstrated that the Android dialer could be exploited to remotely run commands that wipe the phone without users' permission or knowledge. To help minimize the risk facing users, Lookout today released an update to its Lookout Mobile Security app on Google Play, which protects users from these dialer-related threats.

A dialer-related attack can be triggered in two ways:

  1. By clicking a phone number link (also known as tel: link) that is malicious on a web page while browsing from a phone. (i.e. when you’re surfing the web from your mobile device and you click the phone number on the website to make a call.)


  1. By opening a webpage on your phone that embeds  a malicious tel: link as a resource (such as an iframe). (This can happen automatically, once the webpage loads, without clicking any links.)


The industry is working fast to patch this vulnerability. Google patched it for the stock Android dialer nearly three months ago (but it's unknown how broadly that patch has been merged into OEM Android firmwares), and phone manufacturers and carriers have already issued patches for a number of popular device types.

While we're not aware of malicious examples of a dialer-based attack in-the-wild, it still remains a concerning vulnerability: the worst known exploit results in total data loss, and there are likely a number of additional device-specific codes that are not being broadly discussed. The vulnerability still may affect many Android handsets. To check and see if your phone is affected, visit this exploit test page from your mobile phone.

How Lookout Keeps You Safe
All up-to-date Lookout users are protected against dialer-related attacks, however users must select Lookout as the default dialer for tel: links in order to be protected. Just follow these steps:
When you click-to-call from a web page on your mobile device, you will see the option to use the Android phone dialer or "Scan with Lookout before dialing". To ensure the number is safe, select  "Scan with Lookout before Dialing".

Lookout will then scan the number and alert you if the number you are about to dial is about to complete an action you might not have intended, like wiping your data, your photos or returning your phone to a factory reset.  If no threat is detected, your phone will then continue dialing the number selected.

Make sure you select "Scan with Lookout before Dialing" as your default setting to ensure the best protection when making web-based click-to-calls.

Samsung Galaxy S III hits C Spire Wireless for $199

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 10:15 PM PDT

Regional carrier C Spire Wireless has finally announced availability of the Samsung Galaxy S III. The handset arrives just in time for C Spire’s major 4G LTE push, which should come as great news for those looking for faster data speeds in the southeast. The Galaxy S III is the second device on the network to take advantage of the quicker 4G speeds, though the carrier is planning to release many more LTE-capable devices in the near future.

The Galaxy S III is now available in both Marble White and Pebble Blue with 16GB of storage for $199 along with a new 2-year commitment.  For the full run-down, hit the source link below.

Source: CSpire

 

Poweramp upgrade adds rich notifications and other improvements

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:33 PM PDT

A couple weeks ago Poweramp teamed up with TalkAndroid in a contest to give away a Nexus 7 grand prize in preparation for a pending update to their app. As part of the contest, readers were asked what feature they would like to see in the popular music player app. Those who participated can check out how they did with their prognostication skills as Poweramp released the update to the Google Play store today. Among the improvements are "rich" notifications for users running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on their device. Other improvements include better .wav and .wma support, audio in .flv, and music folders that can go ten levels deep along with some bug fixes.

If you participated in our contest, how did you do? Did Poweramp deliver what you were hoping for or are you going to have to wait for the next upgrade? If you are interested in trying Poweramp or grabbing the update, use one of the download links below.

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Google Play Download Link
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