Android and Me |
- Samsung to release rugged Galaxy S 4 Active this July
- HP Slate 7 tablet now available for $170
- This Nexus watch concept video has us even more excited for Google’s smartwatch
- Rumor: “X Phone” will be always connected to Chrome, features creepy intelligence, and casing choices now include wood
- Top 10 Android app updates: AirDroid, Runtastic, Dragon
- Samsung sells 69.4 million smartphones in Q1, sees $6.4 billion record profits
| Samsung to release rugged Galaxy S 4 Active this July Posted: 26 Apr 2013 01:31 PM PDT Is Samsung working on a rugged version of the Galaxy S 4 for the adventurer in your life? Earlier this week, President of Samsung Gulf, Young Soo Kim, mentioned that a “ruggedized” version of the Galaxy S 4 would be announced in a few weeks. We weren’t sure if there was a misunderstanding or if the device is really on the way, due to the bizarre nature of its premature announcement, but further information released by the Wall Street Journal today seems to lend credibility to the rugged S 4′s existence. According to the Journal, Samsung is set to release the ruggedized version of the Galaxy S 4 this July as the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active. While we assume the specs on the S 4 Active will be identical to the S 4, the Active will feature special hardware tweaks to make it dust-proof and waterproof. This wouldn’t be Samsung’s first attempt at a ruggedized device; devices like their waterproof HMX-W200 camera and the Galaxy Xcover 2 have received decent reviews for their ability to withstand the elements. Of course nothing is official until Samsung gives us the full details, but the Galaxy S 4 Active is looking very likely. What do you think? Would a ruggedized Galaxy S 4 fit your needs? 
         | ||
| HP Slate 7 tablet now available for $170 Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:53 PM PDT HP has had a terrible time attempting to break into the smartphone and tablet market, but they aren’t giving up yet. Looking to cash in on the success of the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, HP is taking the cheap 7-inch Android tablet route to regain some footing. Unfortunately, it may be a little too late. Available now on HP’s online home and office store, the Slate 7 is a perplexing device. Were it released exactly one year ago, HP would most likely be in a good position to go head-to-head with Google, ASUS and Amazon. Instead, they’ll have to prey on uninformed consumers to buy outdated hardware. Powered by a 1.6 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9, the Slate 7 features a 1024 x 600 display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage with microSD expansion, a VGA front-facing camera, 3-megapixel rear camera, Beats Audio, 3500 mAh battery, Android 4.1 and comes in red or silver for $169. It’s hard not to overstate that a year ago, this would be a great competitor to the devices that managed to sweep the cheap tablet arena. With right around a month to find out whether or not Google releases a new Nexus 7 at Google I/O 2013, you’d have to be mad to drop any money on HP’s tablet right now. If for some reason you really think the HP Slate 7 is for you, feel free to go pick one up now. Gallery
       | ||
| This Nexus watch concept video has us even more excited for Google’s smartwatch Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:48 PM PDT I’m just saying. Am I right? 
       | ||
| Posted: 26 Apr 2013 12:25 PM PDT WARNING: If you are allergic to rumors, speculation, or leaked phones, then do not click on this story. We just received another round of hot tips about the upcoming Motorola X Phone, and several other devices that are in the pipeline. Read on for the latest gossip. This post is clearly labeled as a RUMOR and it includes my speculation, so please keep that in mind before you crap your pants. Like with any rumor, there is always the chance this could be some elaborate hoax, but information from our source has been backed up by reports from external sites. Note: The post image above is of the bamboo ADZero, but we used it to illustrate one of the casing options for the “X Phone.” There has been a steady stream of Motorola X Phone rumors since last year, but we received our first real details of the secret project only last month. Our sources told us Motorola would offer some type of “user customizable” phone and also mentioned that Google was working on a smartwatch. Motorola's Guy Kawasaki hinted at the X Phone customizations rumor and the Financial Times confirmed the Google Watch rumor, so we are starting to believe that our sources can be trusted. Once again we went back to the well and returned with a bucket full of new “X Phone” rumors.  An early prototype of the rumored Motorola “X Phone” Rumor: The first “X Phone” is scheduled to launch the first week of August, and another delay is unlikely. AT&T will have an exclusive launch period of three months and then it will appear on other carriers in November. Response: I seriously hope this is not true, but it wouldn’t surprise me. AT&T has become the top carrier for exclusive launches, so I bet they made some back room deal with Google. We normally think of Verizon as the number one carrier for Motorola smartphones, but we previously reported that there are several more Droid phones in the pipeline for this year. If this rumor is accurate, AT&T might have allowed Google to ship this first “X Phone” as an unlocked device. This would be similar to how T-Mobile was the “exclusive launch partner” for the LG Nexus 4, but the device was still unlocked and sold online direct to consumers. AT&T has a much larger LTE footprint (and marketing budget), so this might explain why they were chosen over T-Mobile. Even though the first “X Phone” might be exclusive to AT&T, it could still work on T-Mobile’s LTE and HSPA+ 1900 MHz networks since they share the same bands. HTC just shipped their One Developer Edition as an unlocked device and that still operates on T-Mobile’s and AT&T’s and LTE network, so there is precedent for this to happen again. Rumor: The “X Phone” will feature an always on listening mode that allows users to issue it voice commands and wake up the device. Response: Qualcomm already announced an always-on “Voice Activation” feature that allows users to wake up their device, so it is possible we could see this on the first “X Phone.” The only problem with this rumor is that Qualcomm says this feature is slated for their upcoming Snapdragon 800 chip. We expect to see the Snapdragon 800 appear in devices by the second half of the year, which falls in line with the August launch window, but we were not expecting the “X Phone” to include this high-end chip. Other rumors had suggested the “X Phone” would be more comparable to the HTC One and Galaxy S 4, so we were expecting to see the Snapdragon 600 or 400. This always-on rumor suggests that the “X Phone” could be powered by a Qualcomm chip, but we are not sure which one. It might be that the “Voice Activation” feature works on other Snapdragon chips, and it is not exclusive to the Snapdragon 800. Rumor: The “X Phone” will feature predictive intelligence that is able to launch applications and commands based on how you hold and use the device. Response: This sounds like some hybrid of Motorola SmartActions and Google Now. We are told that the phone will automatically figure out what you want to do before you do it, something described as a little “creepy.” If you take your phone out of your pocket and hold it sideways, it will open up the camera app to take a picture. Pick up the phone with the display facing you and the lock screen will come up and display the time and notifications. We have seen both HTC and Samsung include actions that were based on movement, but this sounds like the concept has really been fleshed out. I’m curious to see what other common tasks the phone could perform without any input from the user. Rumor: The “X Phone” will be “always connected” to the Google Chrome browser. Response: With Chrome OS boss Sundar Pichai taking over Android, it’s no surprise we will see tighter integration between Android and Chrome. There are already apps like Airdroid that provide this type of functionality, but we would love to see an official solution from Google. Motorola had similar functionality with an Android app called Motorola Phone Portal, and they also explored the concept with the Lapdock. Chrome Browser already syncs up tabs between devices, but this new feature could allow you to respond to text messages, access your content, and possibly locate a lost phone. Rumor: As previously reported, consumers will be able to customize their phones with a number of different materials for the outer casing. A new option just added includes wood. An array of color and material options will produce thousands of custom combinations. Response: Last time we were told that material choices included plastic, metal, and carbon fiber, so this sounds like an extension of that. We have seen some wood phones in the past like the ADzero, but no big mobile devices have ever attempted this and been successful. Another rumor said the “X Phone” would be available in 20 colors, but it could be much more than that. We are not sure how there could be a thousand different combinations, so it sounds like users might be able to pick the colors of several different parts of the phones. WRAP UPBe sure to read up on rumor dumps one, two and three if you missed our previous “X Phone” reports. Only the customizable RAM option has been debunked, so there's a good chance that most of the other details could turn out to be true. I know a lot of this stuff sounds a little bit crazy, but it would definitely deliver the “wow” factor that Google and Motorola are aiming for. Like I said before, I have never carried a Motorola phone as my daily device, but that could finally change if I’m able to customize my own Android phone. With every passing week, it is sounding more and more like the “X Phone” will not be officially announced at Google IO. There is a chance that some Google employees might be carrying around the device, but we expect that Motorola will hold a separate event in June or July to finally unveil this thing. Experience tells us that one big leak encourages another, so hopefully more information will be coming soon. 
       | ||
| Top 10 Android app updates: AirDroid, Runtastic, Dragon Posted: 26 Apr 2013 10:47 AM PDT Welcome back to the return of our weekly Top 10 Android App Updates column, where we take a look at the most upgraded apps for the week. I've found that one of the best ways to discover useful apps is to look at what people are actually updating, and not focus on which apps have the most installs. As in the past, we are going to filter out minor updates for the super popular apps that have over 10 million installs, but I'm going to make an exception for apps that had significant updates. I hope you enjoy this weekly feature and discover some apps that you might find useful. AirDroid – Version 2.0What’s new in this version:
AirDroid is the number one app for managing your Android device from the web. This new version includes a ton of new features, so check it out if you haven’t used it in awhile. Dragon – Version 3.1.0What’s new in this version:
Dragon is another artificial intelligence app that attempts to recreate Tony Stark's virtual assistant Jarvis. This latest version lets you setup your own phrase to wake up the app, and it can run in the background so you can launch a command anytime the phone is active. System Monitor – Version 1.1.06What’s new in this version:
The developer Christian Göllner seems like a pretty nice guy and he let me know this “huge update” took him lots of weeks of thinking and coding, so I thought we should feature it. Check out the free version to see if you like it, and buy the paid version if you want to support the dev. Kindle – Version 4.0.1.3What’s new in this version:
This latest version of Kindle for Android features a new design and user interface. Kindle says that, “Customers have told us they love the UI of Kindle Fire and how easy it is to access and navigate their digital content. We're extending this design to Kindle for Android by optimizing the Kindle Store for tablets, improving the library interface, redesigning the home screen, and simplifying navigation through the app.” StumbleUpon – Version 3.1.2What’s new in this version:
I haven’t touched StumbleUpon in years, but their new cover image in Google Play encouraged me to download it. I am a news junkie, so I’m always willing to test out apps that help me discover new content. This latest version lets users create their own lists and share them with the StumbleUpon community. Runtastic Pro – Version 3.6.5What’s new in this version:
I have the entire family of Runtastic apps installed on my device, but Runtastic Pro is by far my favorite one. I use this in combination with a Zephyr Heart Rate Monitor, and it encouraged me to exercise like never before. This latest version lets you create your own routes and upload them to Runtastic.com to share with others. FedEx Mobile – Version 2.5.0What’s new in this version:
I used FedEx every week to ship or receive a package, so this latest update is great for me. The new version includes FedEx Delivery Manager that allows you to customize deliveries coming to your home. WordPress – Version 2.3.1What’s new in this version:
WordPress for Android got a big UI update last week and a minor bug fix this week, but we still featured it because we haven’t done this column in months. This app is a must have for anyone that runs a WordPress blog. Moviefone – Version 2.0.37.7What’s new in this version:
I don’t think I’ll ever give up IMDb for my movie needs, but Moviefone is a nice alternative and AOL continues to add new features. Version 2 includes a HOLO inspired theme and the ability to earn mPoints rewards. Minimalistic Text – Version 3.0.10.3.3What’s new in this version:
Minimalistic Text is an awesome app that lets you create and customize your own clean looking widgets. This week’s update is a minor bug fix, but it was recently updated to Version 3.0 and it deserves another look if you haven’t used it in awhile. 
       | ||
| Samsung sells 69.4 million smartphones in Q1, sees $6.4 billion record profits Posted: 26 Apr 2013 07:57 AM PDT Prepare to be shocked. Samsung has released its earnings report for the first quarter of 2013, revealing that the company managed to remain profitable. OK, that may be a bit of an understatement; Q1 was the best quarter on record for Samsung. Net income for the quarter skyrocketed to $6.4 billion, a staggering 42 percent increase over Q1 2012. During the quarter, Samsung’s smartphone sales jumped 56 percent to 69.4 million units, eclipsing Apple’s 37.4 million iPhone sales during the same time period. If it’s not already clear, Samsung is the most dominant force in consumer electronics – a position which will be solidified in the second quarter of this year with the global launch of the Samsung Galaxy S 4. While we’d like to think that HTC, LG, Sony or even Motorola have a fighting chance, Samsung’s success in the smartphone space will not be matched for quite some time. What’s your take on Samsung, its profits and its Android lineup? Will its rise to stardom backfire as consumers become aware of Samsung’s monolithic presence in the marketplace? 
       |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android and Me To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment