Monday, December 24, 2012

Android Central

Android Central

Apps of the Week: Press, Pudding Monsters, FlightTrack and more!

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST

Apps of the Week

'Twere the app picks before Christmas, and... we didn't pick a bunch of holiday apps. We just want to bring you the best of what we find on Google Play -- holiday or otherwise -- each and every week. We've got a bunch of different tools and a couple of games available for your enjoyment this week, with just two holiday-themed apps thrown in.

Stick around after the break and see how we did this week.

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Huawei executive happily shows off 6.1 inch Ascend Mate ahead of CES

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 11:19 AM PST

Android Central

How big is too big? If you're Huawei, definitely not 6.1 inches. Blurring the lines between tablet and phone, what we see here is the 6.1 inch, 1080p Huawei Ascend Mate, expected to be announced officially at CES in Las Vegas. The man showing the device off is Huawei executive, Richard Yu, the same man who took to Sina Weibo to tell us about Huawei's other Android device expected at the show, the 5 inch D2. 

Android Central @ CES

The impromptu demonstation took place in a Huawei store in Guangzhou, where he just happened to pull out the gargantuan smartphone and offer it up to the packed masses. Perhaps fitting that part of the demonstration included showing a movie on the phone, after all, it's got to be one bonus to having a huge phone. What movie though? What else, but Titanic. Fitting. Check out a short video of it after the break. 

via Engadget

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Shape Services discount their Android apps for the holiday season

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 10:03 AM PST

Android Central

We have featured Shape Services many times here at Android Central, but I would say they're best well known for their fantastic instant messaging client IM+ -- full review here.

Just in time for Christmas, Shape has decided to have a big sale on all its products, and there are some rather hefty discounts on offer. These special prices will be available until the end of the year.

Click the below apps to be taken to Google Play.

  • IM+ Pro - Sale price: $0.99 (normal price $9,99)
  • Business Card Reader - Sale price: $0.99 (normal price $4.99)
  • RDM - Sale price: $1.99 (normal price $7.99)
  • iDisplay - Sale price: $1.99 (normal price $7.99)

Get 'em while they're hot.

Archos introduces the 97 Titanium tablet, with a high resolution display and Jelly Bean

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 05:39 AM PST

Android Central

Archos has quietly introduced their latest Android tablet, the 97 Titanium. Part of their elements series, the 97 refers to the 9.7 inch display. Spec wise, the 97 Titanium is a pretty impressive piece of equipment. 

The 9.7 inch IPS display has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 with a PPI of 264. That's iPad 4 territory right there. Underneath, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean runs over a dual-core 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, but only 8GB of on-board storage. It is expandable however via microSD card, and Archos claims 64GB cards are supported with no worries. Camera wise, there's a 5MP shooter on the rear, and a 2MP front facer.

Commendably, Archos is running what looks to be a straight up, vanilla version of Jelly Bean. Instead of the screen layout we see on the Nexus 10 though, Archos has gone for what we would traditionally think of from an Android tablet. The 97 Titanium isn't the plastic hell we might possibly expect either. The casing on the rear is constructed from Aluminum, and the thickness is kept down to just 9mm.

It isn't up for sale yet, nor do we know just when and where it will be, or how much it will cost. Archos has released a number of Android devices in the past, but rarely made a compelling case for purchase. This one could be a different story. For those looking for a stock experience, oodles of storage and a killer display, the 97 Titanium could meet some needs.

Source: Archos 

Press shot of forthcoming ZTE Grand S leaks ahead of CES unveiling

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 05:09 AM PST

Android Central

We've already seen the first signs of ZTE's forthcoming CES announcement, but as we enter the holiday period we're treated to an alleged first look at the device. This leaked press render is supposedly the 5-inch, 1080p ZTE Grand S. Other than an image and a name, we still know very, very little about the device aside from its size and screen resolution. Oh, and it's thin. 

Android Central @ CES

Further confirming the Grand S name, ZTE has been teasing the device themselves over on their Sina Weibo account. Posted there are some sketches of the Grand S -- and by sketches, we really do mean sketches -- and a promotional flyer depicting the Grand S name adorned on the side of a boat. The writing may be in Chinese, but "CES2013" definitely is not. Whatever the finished product actually ends up being, Android Central will be on the ground in Las Vegas to bring you it all. 

Sources: Engadget, Sina Weibo

Verizon customer database hacked; 300,000 entries leaked online [UPDATE Verizon's response]

Posted: 22 Dec 2012 05:23 PM PST

Verizon

 

Update 2: Verizon has responded, and they disagree with many key points in the story here. Following is their full response:

The ZDNet story is inaccurate. This incident was reported to the authorities when we first learned of it months ago and an investigation was launched. Many of the details surrounding this incident are incorrect and exaggerated. No Verizon systems were breached, no root access was gained, and this incident impacted a fraction of the number of individuals being reported.

We take any and all attempts to violate consumer and customer privacy and security very seriously, so we notified individuals who could potentially have been impacted and took immediate steps to safeguard their information and privacy. Verizon has also notified law enforcement of this recent report as a follow-up to the original case.

This sounds pretty positive, and kudos to Verizon for reaching out on the Saturday before Christmas. The original text still follows for reference. 

Update: ZD Net has updated their original story, and it appears that the records are for FIOS customers and not wireless customers. We'll leave this in place so that the FIOS customers among you have a heads up

According to ZDNet, a hacker has gained access to over 3 million records from a Verizon Wireless customer database. The information includes names, addresses, serial numbers, and passwords. The hacker gained access to the server on July 12, and claims to have contacted Verizon, but since the have reportedly ignored his report, he has pasted 300,000 of the records online. Supposedly these database is broken up into regions, and the leaked region is in and around Pennsylvania. The records are stored in plain text, and the hacker "might leak the rest later".

If you're a Verizon customer, now would be a good time to change your account password. We're not going to go into the details or link to the pastebin of account data. We hate delivering this sort of news, but we know you need to be informed. We hope Verizon is quick to address the issue, and look forward to hearing their side of things. 

Source: ZD Net

 
Posted by at 6:38 AM

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