Sunday, November 18, 2012

Android Central

Android Central

Nexus 10 gets ripped open and it's full of Samsung

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:52 PM PST

Nexus 10

The Nexus 10 says Samsung on the back, and after a detailed teardown we find that most of the innards say the same thing. The folks at Powerbook Medic have yanked that gorgeous screen off and had a peek at what's inside, and they found that the battery, processor and flash storage are all genuine Samsung parts.

Not surprising, considering that we've seen those same components be made by Samsung in plenty of other popular mobile devices.

More good news is that it looks like there is very little glue used, and most of the unit can be disassembled with just a few tools -- making the DIY'er in my get a little itchy when I look at our review unit. Meh, I still think it looks better on the outside than the inside, so I'll just watch another 1080p movie instead. Check the source for all the gory details.

Source: Powerbook Medic

Android news around the world - Nov. 17, 2012

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:46 PM PST

Android Central

This week was Nexus week, and Google's new smartphone and tablet dominated the past seven days' international Android news. The Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 went on sale, and promptly sold out in Australia, Europe and the United States, as buyers battled against technical issues with Google Play and Google Wallet and attempted to place orders. As of this weekend, many devices are in buyers hands -- the first Nexus tablets started arriving on Wednesday, followed a day later by the initial batch of Nexus 4s.

read more

Beware: Fake Apple apps on Google Play

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 03:15 PM PST

Android Central

There seems to be a crop of fake apps from “Apple Inc” on the Google Play store. The six apps are masquerading as Apple’s Garageband (erroneously called Garage Band on the faked version), iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers and Pages.

They are priced similarly to the legit versions on the iOS store for the iPad and iPhone, so it only makes it seem more authentic. It seems some users have already paid for and downloaded these apps, so please beware.

Apps of the Week: Notification Weather, Flick Widgets, Brainsss and more!

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 02:10 PM PST

Apps of the Week

Now that we're squarely in the aftermath of Nexus ordering time, the writers here at Android Central all have a minute to give you our app choices for the week. We've got some sports news, a few tools and of course, a zombie game all for your enjoyment

So go ahead and close that Play Store Nexus 4 device page for a couple minutes and take a look at some great apps with us.

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Video Unboxing

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 12:45 PM PST

To be totally honest, when the doorbell rang earlier today and the UPS man handed me an Amazon package, I could not for the life of me recall what I had ordered. It was only when I opened the package and saw the box within for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" that I remembered pre-ordering one the day it was initially announced over two months ago. 

Phil's Fire HD 8.9" should arrive on Monday and team will take it from there, but in the spirit of the unnecessary yet mandatory unboxing, I fired up the video camera to get one done. Check out the video above to see what's in the box, the Epic Mickey ad on the start screen, and how the HD 8.9" sizes up to Apple's iPad. For more information and to order, you can jump over to Amazon.

How to set up the right APN on your Nexus 4

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 08:54 AM PST

Access Point Names

For many people, buying the Nexus 4 will be their first time stepping into several different arenas. First GSM device, first unlocked device, first time using a prepaid carrier. Once everything is setup there's not a whole lot of difference in using an unlocked GSM phone, but unfortunately it's not always 100 percent frictionless. One of the only things that the user is likely to have to change on their devices when putting a SIM in is the APN (Access Point Name) settings.

Each carrier has distinct APN settings that let the phone operate on the network. It works in conjunction with the SIM to get you setup and registered on the network for full-speed data as well as texts and MMS. We're going to give you a quick run-down of the most popular U.S. carrier's APN settings and just how to set them up on the Nexus 4. Join us after the break.

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T-Mobile USA appoints new Chief Marketing Officer

Posted: 17 Nov 2012 06:19 AM PST

T-Mobile Logo

T-Mobile USA is in a bit of a transition phase right now to say the least. After picking up a new CEO, it is now pushing forward into its acquisition (really a reverse takeover) with MetroPCS. There's now a little more shakeup going around, and T-Mobile is appointing a new CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to the company. Michael Sievert is a marketing veteran with over 20 years of experience in the telecom industry, formerly holding positions at Clearwire, AT&T Wireless, Microsoft and IBM.

The appointment of a new CMO will be important to the future of T-Mobile's branding and image, which has suffered as of late. As the company attempts to transition from postpaid to prepaid and move away from its dependence on device subsidies, T-Mobile is going to need plenty of marketing help to figure things out and keep customers on board.

Source: T-Mobile

New version of Google Play app pushing, with new install screen and ability to delete wishlist items

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 10:51 PM PST

Google Play

Version 3.10.9 of the Google Play app is pushing out to phones tonight, but there aren't any major changes. In fact, a cursory glance shows it as basically the same as the 4.2 Google apps version except that now you can delete items in your Wishist and you get a new screen when apps are installing. More than likely there are more behind-the-scenes changes as well.

The apk is floating around in the usual spots and will install right over your existing Play Store app. Or you can just wait it out and you should see it "soon". Hit the break to see what it all looks like.

Via: @WinDroidGuy

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Tweet Lanes also falls victim to Twitter's 100,000-token limit

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 09:15 PM PST

Tweet Lanes

Some bad news for fans of the Tweet Lanes Twitter client. Developer Chris Lacy drops word tonight that the app won't be able to get past Twitter's 100,000-user token limit, which it's recently begun enforcing ahead of the March 2013 API changes. (A promising Windows Phone 8 client also just bit the dust because of this as well.)

Writes Lacy:

So it saddens me greatly to announce that going forward, I won't be actively developing Tweet Lanes as I have to this point. The cold hard reality is that with this immovable, 100,000 user ceiling, my plans for growing and eventually monetizing the app are no longer feasible.

This will likely be disappointing news for many of you, but given I spent a good chunk of my spare time for 10+ months working on this app, believe me when I say this decision pains me more than it does anyone else.

 

I'm disappointed that the app is not feature complete, that I won't be able to implement my planned premium features, and that I won't be able to demonstrate some of the cool UX ideas I had (especially in the tablet space). Also, I continue to feel strongly that Twitter users are under-served on Android, and I regret that I won't be able to give my all to try and change that situation.

For what it's worth, I have given serious consideration to creating and selling a new 'Tweet Lanes Pro' application. If I ever reached the 100k user limit for such an application, that would clearly be well worth my time, and I could do whatever I saw fit in creating that app with regards to Twitter's requirements. I am however, very hesitant about pursuing this course of action, as it seems like a bit of a slap in the face to the people who helped me promote the app via 'free for life', even if this circumstance was brought about by factors outside of my control.

One little ray of sunshine is that Lacy says he'll provide bugfixes and new features "as time permits," as well as possibly ("if/when," Lacy says) an App.net port.

Give Lacy's full post a read at the link below. And be sure to let Twitter know what you think of its move to shut out developers.

Source: +Chris Lacy

Nexus 4 teardown by iFixit is finished, phone parts found inside

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 07:38 PM PST

iFixit Nexus 4 Teardown

These devices all look very smooth and nice on the outside -- the Nexus 4 is no exception -- but what makes them tick on the inside? Popular teardown and repair website iFixit has taken apart its fair share of devices, and now the Nexus 4 is on the table (figuratively and literally) as the next one to be torn down.

The teardown is finished and we now have a completely comprehensive walkthrough of the internals of this device. In typical fashion you can get a really good look at every component, including that non-removable battery and diagrams of chips on the board. And its all captured in stunningly nice photography.

They give the Nexus 4 a 7 out of 10 for a "repairability" score, which is pretty good. For comparison, the Galaxy Nexus was a 6, and the iPhone 5 is a 7 as well. The Nexus 4 picks up points for being easy to open and access components with minimal screws and prying. It loses points for a battery that's very well sealed to the frame and screen glass that's fused to both the display and display frame, making it more expensive to replace.

Let's face it, most of us will never do this to our devices, but its still cool to look at. Take a gander at the source link below.

Source: iFixit

HD Widgets updated with Android 4.2 lockscreen compatibility

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 06:36 PM PST

Android Central

We saw just yesterday that Beautiful Clock Widgets was updated to support Android 4.2's new lockscreen widget functionality, and now HD Widgets is following today with its own update. There are many to choose from, and the update includes 11 new widgets in total -- 5 for the phone and 6 for the tablet -- for you to customize your lockscreen with.

We'll surely see more developers update their apps with this functionality as Android 4.2 gets onto more devices out there. For now, there are a couple good ones to choose from at least. HD Widgets will only set you back $1.99, and is available at the Play Store link above.

Source: Cloud.tv

T-Mobile and MetroPCS deal was in the works from Dec. 2011

Posted: 16 Nov 2012 05:20 PM PST

metroPCS Logo

According to a proxy statement filed with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) by MetroPCS, the merger with T-Mobile USA has been in talks much longer than first assumed. A deal with Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile's parent company) for a merger with T-Mobile USA began just 2 days after it failed to sell the company to AT&T. This means that the merger talks between the companies began all the way back in December of 2011.

MetroPCS reports that it was in talks with "several" wireless carriers for possible merger, buyout and spectrum licensing deals before finally settling on terms with Deutsche Telekom. Aside from its attempt to sell to Sprint earlier in the year, MetroPCS was also nearly acquired by an unnamed company that is a current roaming partner. The company also attempted twice to buy different chunks of spectrum from different satellite companies.

It seems there was quite a lot going on in the wireless industry while everyone was still confused about the fall-through of AT&T and T-Mobile's merger. Surely makes us wonder what else is in the works as we speak.

Source: WSJ; SEC; Via: FierceWireless
Posted by at 6:52 AM

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