Friday, April 5, 2013

Android Central

Android Central

Good news/bad news/podcast news

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:22 PM PDT

Android Central PodcastSeeing as how I'm sitting in the lovely Delta Sky Club until 10 p.m. or so for a redeye home tonight, we're going to have to push the Android Central Podcast tonight. It happens. The good news is we're going to crank one out on Friday afternoon, to catch up on all this Facebook stuff from this morning.

So hang tight, thanks for your patience, and we'll hopefully get back to normal soonest.

You know, unless someone else decides to do a major launch at the last minute. Or unless a bunch of editors get together for a week to do some super-secret stuff. Just saying.

So, yeah. No show tonight. Be back soon.

    

GameStop now accepting even more devices for trade-in

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:03 PM PDT

GameStop Logo

Trade-ins will​ receive additional bonus in-store credit through April 28th

GameStop has been branching out of just selling games for some time now, and it may not be widely known that they accept smart phone trade-ins when buying new devices from them. Today the retail chain is expanding the number of devices capable of being traded in, as well as giving some extra incentives for those trade-ins. GameStop will now take "popular handsets" from Samsung, Motorola, BlackBerry and other brands and give instant cash or in-store credit.

For those opting for the in-store credit option, you'll receive additional value of $10 to $50 on top of what you'd normally get for the device. PowerUp Rewards Pro members will receive even more in-store credit for trade-ins. If you're interested to see what GameStop will offer you for your device, head to the source link below.

More: GameStop Trade-In

 

read more

    

Of course you'll put up with ads in your Facebook Home

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:03 PM PDT

Mark Zuckerberg

It was a simple, direct question asked more than once today at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park in Silicon Valley. There are ads on Facebook. Will there be ads in Facebook Home, the new Android home screen replacement (along with its snazzy if underwhelming new phone) that'll be available starting next week?

Apparently those of us in the audience needed a little clarification, despite the answer having been delivered just minutes before.

"Yup," said Mark Zuckerberg, this time leaving absolutely no doubt.

At some point, Facebook Home will have ads. Not next week, but somewhere down the road.

And you'll be perfectly OK with that. And if you're not, it won't matter.

read more

    

ComScore: Android remains on top in the US, but iOS makes gains

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:01 PM PDT

ComScore OS data

Google and Apple continue their significant lead over other platforms

After months of increasing growth, Android has hit a small bump in the road. The latest comScore data for the US shows a decrease in Android's market share by 2 points between November 2012 and February 2013, falling to a total of 51.7%. During the same time, iOS climbed 3.9 points to a total of 38.9%. Microsoft also saw a small increase in mobile OS market share, while Blackberry continued to lose footing. Growth was stagnant for Symbian, showing no change whatsoever. When worldwide market share is considered, Android holds a commanding 70-percent of the market.

With Android's significant lead over the number 2 platform (iOS), it's going to take a lot more than a small fluctuation or two to close the lead on between Google and Apple. However, a few more fluctuations in the next comScore reports would not be surprising. We're just over a month away to see what changes to Android Google has up its sleeve, and rumors are already flying about huge changes to iOS this year. 

ComScore hardware data

On the hardware front, Apple continued to move forward as it remained in the top spot, while Samsung finished with a strong second place. With a 3.9 point increase, Apple now has 38.9% market share as an OEM. Samsung totals out at 21.3%, thanks to a 1 point increase. HTC, Motorola, and LG were not so fortunate from November 2012 to February 2013, with each seeing a slight market share decrease.

Things are going to get interesting for top OEMs in the coming months, with the immanent release of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Apple's newest iPhone(s). Will Samsung's 'Experience Shops' and its newest flagship phone be enough to overtake Apple in the near future? I'm sure Samsung is betting on it. How will your dollars be voting? Hit the comments to let us know.

    

iHeartRadio brings "Perfect For" and alarm clock features to Android

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:35 PM PDT

iHeartRadio

Find a radio station that's just right for the time of day or mood you're in

Just a couple of months after new features of iHeartRadio were released, the Android app has been updated to integrate the new features of "Perfectly For" and alarm clock. Perfectly For is an interesting idea that aims to automatically select from a curated list of radio stations depending on the time of day or activity you're involved in. For example in the morning you could listen to "A Traffic Jam" or "Drinking Coffee", or on the weekend select "Relaxing".

The alarm clock feature is pretty self explanatory, but makes a lot of sense on mobile devices as more and more people give up the traditional bedside alarm. The iHeartRadio app now makes it easy to set alarms or reminders to wake up to your favorite music or talk radio stations.

    

This week's sidebar poll: Will you try out Facebook Home?

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:18 PM PDT

HTC First

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we know all about Facebook Home, it's time to find out just who will give it a try

A whole lot of people use Facebook. Zuck spent a couple minutes today to make sure we all knew that, and just how much time is spent doing it -- about 25-percent of everything done on a mobile device is Facebook-related. It's natural that Facebook would want to go deep into a device so they can be front and center no matter what you're trying to do.

Enter Facebook Home. Yes, there is going to be a Facebook phone  now a phone that has tighter Facebook Home integration, but most of what we've seen today will come to all modern Android devices eventually. That makes it easy to try, and easy to throw away if you don't like it.

The only way to find out if you like something is to try it. We can talk about it, show you video, rant about the bugs and issues, and praise the good parts -- and that's fine and dandy. But you still need to try it and see just what is up before you write it off or embrace it. Are you going to? There's a poll in the right sidebar (or after the break), waiting for you to tell us.

First, a quick look at last week's results:

Are you going to consider T-Mobile when you buy your next phone?

Poll results

Plenty of folks are interested in what T-Mobile is peddling it seems. That's good news for the folks in Bellevue, and more options is a good thing.

read more

    

Box for Android gets updated with media previews and better shared link options

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT

Box for Android

The latest update to the Box for Android app gives you better control over shared file access and lets you preview audio and video files as they download

Box updated their Android app today, and a couple really nice features are now available -- finer control over how you share a link to your files, and the ability to see and hear the media you're downloading within the Box app itself.

The new media preview is an extension of the way you've been able to preview more than 75 file types by just tapping them in the Box app. This is a great way to view documents like pdf files or presentations, and it turns out that it's also perfect for rich media files. All users will be able to preview supported audio files and images, but video preview is only for enterprise users. 

The new shared access controls are also a nice new feature. Using the existing collaborator permissions, you can now send a link to any file or folder and limit access When you create a link to any file or folder, you can now also limit access to collaborators only, people at your company only, anyone with the link, or no one at all. This is a quick and easy way to share files with multiple users without dropping a link that anyone can use.

We know plenty of you guys and gals took advantage of that free 50GB Box account offer, and will get plenty of use from these new features. Hit the break for a demo video.

Source: Box

read more

    

Hands-on with the 'HTC First'

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 12:54 PM PDT

HTC First.

A couple quick thoughts on the "HTC First," aka the first Facebook phone.

First off, the hardware most definitely isn't the most important part of this phone. If you're the kind of nerd who lives for specs -- the speeds and feeds crowd -- head elsewhere. In fact, there was very little talk at today's event at Facebook HQ (and same for the ensuing press releases) about the nuts and bolts of the HTC First. And that's because it's Facebook Home that's the star of the show.

We did get an answer to the burning "Why!?!?!" regarding Facebook doing its own hardware. It's pretty simple, in fact, and it's something we should have thought of. While using Facebook Home on an existing device is a pretty damn good experience, there are certain low level things -- particularly regarding notifications -- that you can't do with a launcher. You need deeper hooks into the existing operating system. And, so, we have the HTC First.

The phone itself is unassuming. It's got the usual HTC curves, and a 5MP camera out front your usual "did I really just use that" front-facer out front. It's deceptively light, and and thin to boot. (OK, for the speeds and feeds folks, it's got a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor and it's running on Android 4.1.)

But it's Facebook Home that's the real star, and for good reason. It looks good. If you don't live in Facebook -- and chances are if you're a regular reader of this blog -- you may well not have a great need for it. But on the other hand, it's still a full-fledged Android smartphone, complete with all the Google apps -- and, more important, access to Google Play -- that you're used to. That was almost certainly a necessity, and it means all of your existing applications should still work, and they're completely accessible through a normal app drawer.

We'll have deeper looks in the coming days and weeks as Facebook's HTC First comes to market. Video hands-on and more hands-on pics are after the break.

More: HTC First forum

read more

    

HTC First to cost $450 without a contract

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 12:47 PM PDT

HTC First

Going contract-free can be expensive up-front, and the $450 HTC First proves it

By now you've heard that you can snag the HTC First at AT&T in the US for $99, and soon you can do the same in the UK on EE (pricing to be determined), but what if you just want to buy one outright? If that's what you're looking to do, be prepared to shell out $450 for it.

There are a lot of reasons why people want contract-free phones. Inexpensive prepaid service, the freedom to switch carriers at will, and not having an upgrade option from your carrier are just a few. They're all good, valid reasons and we're 100-percent behind folks who want to take a bit more control and save a few dollars if they can. And $450 is far from the most expensive contract-free price we've ever seen. But it is also a far cry from $99, so decisions will have to be made.

While it's likely that HTC made a few extra changes to Android for the First, chances are a cheaper, higher spec'd Nexus 4 is a better buy. Eventually Facebook Home will make it's way to other phones, and the Nexus 4 is bound to be on the short list. We won't presume to tell you how to spend your pennies, but it's something to consider. 

Source: AT&T

    

HTC First video walkthrough

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

We're live at Facebook HQ, where the company's just announced Facebook Home and the aptly-named HTC First -- the first handset to run Facebook's new software suite. Before we dig into our full hands-on preview, there's just time to  take a look at the hardware and software in our video walkthrough of the phone.

As we've come to expect from HTC, the 'First' is a sleek piece of hardware, with a soft-touch plastic back and a minimalist look reminiscent of its Windows Phone 8 stuff. And on the software side, Facebook has radically altered what we've come to expect from Android phones, bringing a home screen experience based upon photos, content and people.

Check out our video walkthrough above. The HTC First ships on Apr. 12 on AT&T, priced $99.99.

    

HTC First an EE exclusive in the UK

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:45 AM PDT

HTC First

Facebook Home-powered phone will be exclusive to the UK's first 4G network

British mobile network EE has announced that it'll exclusively carry the new HTC First in the UK. The first handset to run the new Facebook Home suite out of the box, the HTC First also packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU, a 4.3-inch screen and 4G LTE connectivity.

No UK pricing or release date has been offered yet, but with the phone launching on Apr. 12 in the U.S. we'd imagine it'll be hitting British shores sooner rather than later.

More: HTC First forums

Source: EE on Twitter

    

AT&T's HTC One now available for preorder

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:33 AM PDT

HTC One

Snag one by April 18 and get a free HTC Media Link HD as well

Just a quick heads up in amongst all the Facebook craziness that AT&T's version of the HTC One is now available for preorder. Pony up $199 and you'll get 32 gigabytes of on-board storage. Another $100 gets you the 64GB version. That's all on-contract pricing, of course, but AT&T tells us you should be able to pre-order off-contract as well.

Plus, if you preorder by April 18 (the HTC One is officially available April 19), AT&T's throwing in a free Media Link HD for wireless streaming. (See our full review of the Media Link HD.)

You can preorder the HTC One from AT&T here.

More: Our HTC One review; HTC One forums

    

Facebook Home coming to Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean only

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:26 AM PDT

Facebook Home

Gingerbread users out of luck in getting Facebook Home on their devices

Facebook Home -- the new app suite announced today by Mark Zuckerberg at the 'Facebook's New Home on Android' event -- has been confirmed in an after-event Q&A session to be compatible only with devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. That means any phones or tablets running an Android version older than 4.x are out of luck when it comes to using the upcoming Facebook software.

Right now the official list of phones that'll support Facebook Home at launch is as follows: HTC One, HTC One X, HTC One X+, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note II, and of course the HTC First.

read more

    

Facebook Home Program partners - HTC, Samsung, Sony, Huawei and others

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:24 AM PDT

Facebook home partners

Carriers, manufacturers and a chipmaker partner with Facebook

At today's press conference at its California HQ, Facebook announced that many of the mobile world's big names are already on-board with its Facebook Home Program, aimed to bring the social network's new "Home" suite of apps to phone buyers out of the box.

The list includes manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, Sony, Huawei, Alcatel, Lenovo, ZTE, chipmaker Qualcomm and mobile networks AT&T, Orange and EE.

read more

    

Facebook Home event replay now available

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:24 AM PDT

The live stream for the Facebook Home event has wrapped up, but the replay is available for those of you that want to really know the ins and outs, but missed the show the first time around. The short version is, Facebook is making a launcher that has a bunch of in-depth customizations for notifications, news feed, and chat. It's not a whole new operating system, but it does promise to be a unique experience - at least for those of us that spend a lot of time on Facebook. 

So, notice anything especially interesting from the live event that hasn't really been highlighted yet?

    

Facebook Home video shows Chat Heads and Cover Feed in action

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:09 AM PDT

Alongside the big Facebook Home announcement today was a short and sweet video which ran through what these new Android apps were all about. Sure, the video is mostly about invoking all the feels for social networking, but we do get to see Chat Heads, Cover Feed and notifications in action. It looks like it's working smoothly enough, anyway.

Expect Facebook Home to be landing April 12, alongside the new HTC First. 

    

HTC First the first Snapdragon 400-powered phone

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:08 AM PDT

HTC First

Hidden away in today's HTC First and Facebook Home announcements was the news that the Facebook-centric HTC First is powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 400 processor -- a mid-range chip announced back in February. The Facebook Home-running handset is the first to incorporate this new chip.

The Snapdragon 400 in the HTC First includes a dual Krait aSMP CPU running at 1.4GHz. That's paired with an Adreno 305 CPU, native Miracast wireless display technology, and 4G LTE connectivity options.

The HTC First will launch on Apr. 12 on AT&T, priced at $99.99.

More: HTC First announcement; HTC First forums

    

HTC and AT&T announce the HTC First with Facebook Home, coming April 12

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 10:44 AM PDT

Facebook event

The new Facebook phone is official, and it'll launch  this month

We're live at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, Calif. where HTC and AT&T have taken the wraps off the HTC First, the first handset to come with the new Facebook Home experience out of the box.

A minimalist design with curved corners and a widescreen display, the HTC First puts Facebook Home's content and people-centric UI front and center. The device runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on a 4.3-inch screen, and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU.

The HTC First will be available on Apr. 12, for $99.99 on AT&T in four color options -- black, white, red and blue. Preorders begin today. In Europe, it'll launch on EE and Orange.

Keep watching Android Central for more information as it emerges. In the meantime, we've got more photos after the break.

More: Facebook Home forum; HTC First forum

read more

    

Facebook Home coming to Android tablets in coming months

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 10:39 AM PDT

Android Central

During today's Facebook event, it was mentioned that though tablets wouldn't be supported at Home's launch, they would be available in the coming months. 

For those unfamiliar, Facebook Home is a collection of Android apps that integrate deeply into the OS, though it's not an operating system of its own. 

What do you guys think of Home? The emphasis on Facebook pictures seems like the experience will lend itself well to tablets. 

    

Facebook announces Home - a group of social Android apps

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 10:16 AM PDT

Android Central

Relax, they aren't forking Android

Today Facebook announced a whole suite of new social apps for Android that will help with staying up to date with status updates, messaging, and everything else Facebook has to offer. Don't worry, Home isn't a new operating system, or their own phone. Everything will be downloadable from Google Play. New updates with fresh features will come every month. It will be available for download on April 12 for a few select devices (Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, HTC One X+, and Galaxy Note 2), and the newly announced HTC First. 

read more

    

AT&T LG Optimus G Jelly Bean update is official

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 07:09 AM PDT

AT&T Optimus G

AT&T's Optimus G gets Android 4.1.2 and ISIS Mobile Wallet​

The over-the-air update started hitting devices a day ago, but today it's official -- AT&T's LG Optimus G has its Jelly Bean upgrade. AT&T PR has confirmed the update to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, bringing improvements such as "Project Butter" performance enhancements and Google Now predictive search.

The update also enables the ISIS Mobile Wallet -- an NFC-based Google Wallet competitor currently in testing in Salt Lake City. Utah and Austin, Texas.

To grab the update, turn on Wifi and head to Settings > General > About phone > Software Update > Update. Once you're updated, hit the comments and let us know how you're getting on with the newer version of Android.

Source: AT&T

Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) for Galaxy Note 2

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 06:35 AM PDT

Deal of the Day The April 4 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) for Samsung Galaxy Note 2. This case protects your Note 2 from scratches and drops while adding minimal bulk and convenient viewing with its built-in kickstand. Durable plastic is accompanied by a soft-touch coating, which enhances the look without attracting lint. Comes in black, blue, red, white and purple.

The Seidio SURFACE Case (with kickstand) is available for just $20.00, 43% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping!

Deal also available in the Canada store

Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts

We're live at 'Facebook's New Home on Android'

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 06:03 AM PDT

Facebook phone

New app, new hardware (yes, really) and a new approach to social on Android! Join us for the liveblog!

Greetings from beautiful Silicon Valley, California! We're at Facebook HQ this morning for the big "Facebook Phone" event, where we fully expect to see a new app, custom launcher and -- crazy as it seems -- a new, dedicated smartphone.

Quite frankly, Facebook's got some explaining to do with all this, and we're itching to get the full scoop.

Livebloggage will commence at the following times:

  • 10 a.m. PDT (that's the U.S. West Coast -- the best coast)
  • 1 p.m. EDT (New York and Roanoke)
  • 6 p.m. BST (in London Town)

And all points in between.

Join us after the break for the complete liveblog, with photos and commentary from the event, your comments, and basically the biggest party from the most trusted name in Android!

read more

Wifi-only Samsung Galaxy Camera headed to the U.S. 'this month' for $450

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:27 AM PDT

Galaxy Camera

Samsung's Wifi-only smart camera is only slightly cheaper than the cellular version

Samsung has announced that it'll launch the Wifi-only version of its Android-powered Galaxy Camera in the United States this month. The Wifi-only Galaxy Camera will sell for $449.99 at "authorized Samsung retailers." That's cheaper than the $499.99 cost of the AT&T version, but not by a whole lot. The saving compared to the Verizon 4G LTE model is a bit more substantial -- that device still sells for $549.99.

The Wifi-only Galaxy Camera sports the same internals as its cellular cousin -- a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos CPU, 720p LCD, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean backing up the 12-megapixel shooter with 21X optical zoom.

We reviewed the 3G/HSPA version of the Galaxy Camera late last year and were impressed with its Android-based UI and sharing capabilities, though we found the overall image quality a little lacking for a camera in this price range. The addition of the Wifi-only model at a lower price point could be a smart move to get the Galaxy Camera into more consumers' hands, but we can't help thinking the starting price should be lower.

For more on the Galaxy Camera, be sure to check out our full review.

read more

Deezer music app launches new beta for Android

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:05 AM PDT

Deezer

New look, mini-player and predictive search added in new version of app

Music subscription service Deezer has announced the launch of a new beta version of its Android app. The new Deezer beta includes a re-vamped, more modern-looking UI, and introduces predictive search capabilities to the search box. In addition, a mini player has been added, providing track controls throughout in the app.

Today's news will be of particular interest to EE subscribers in the UK, as they have the option of choosing a Deezer music subscription as one of their free inclusive add-ons.

You can grab the new beta version of Deezer for Android over at the source link below.

Source: Deezer
Posted by at 6:07 AM

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