Android Central |
- HTC One X Android 4.0.4 changelog
- Google Listen is officially dead
- CTV Olympics 2012 review - why Canadians are cheering at their phones
- This GOgroove Pal Bot speaker looks like a good way to share some tunes, Bugdroid style
- Samsung's Aug. 15 event gets official, Galaxy Note 10.1 unveiling likely
- Perfectly Clear review - fix your pics real quick
- Celebrating 2 million posts at our Android Forums
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies launches on Android, exclusive to Xperia Play and Xperia S for now
- Slices for Android - put your Twitter timeline to the chopping block
- Android Central Podcast 104: Google Wallet grows up, the Nexus Q gets weird, ICS gets going
- Notification History - the best way to find spammy apps
- Motorola MOTOROKR S305 Bluetooth headset review
- Dragon's Lore review - a lazy port from Symbian
- Motorola RAZR V now available from Bell in Canada
- Deal of the Day: Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for Samsung Galaxy S3
- MetroPCS announces Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G for $459
- U.S. retailer nabs Galaxy Note 10.1 ahead of official announcement, shipping today
- Sony Xperia T may be the final name for LT30 'Mint'
- HTC reports Q2 2012 financial results, expects lower Q3 revenues
- Samsung: Next Galaxy Note to be unveiled Aug. 29
- Multi-user support shows itself in Jelly Bean, but it's definitely not finished yet
- HTC releases Desire C kernel source
- Android Central Podcast - Live!
- Music Players, Comic Book readers and ICS on the Rezound [From the Forums]
| HTC One X Android 4.0.4 changelog Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:17 PM PDT For those of you still wondering, here's the full changelog for the Android 4.0.4 update for the AT&T HTC One X. In addition to giving new options for the menu function, you'll find: New features:
Fixes/Updates:
More: HTC One X forums 
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| Google Listen is officially dead Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:05 PM PDT A long, long time ago, in an Android ecosystem far away, Google Listen was our favorite podcatcher app. It was easy. It was simple. It synced with Google Reader, making adding new podcasts a snap. But it never seemed to be a very high priority, and today Google has put Listen out to pasture, as was first noticed by some of our own, as well as by folks on Twitter. The reason? There are other, better apps out there. Says Google:
We're a little sad to see it go, but there really are a number of great podcatchers out there. Oh, and if you're needing to re-add the feed to the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, here's the audio feed. Source: Google 
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| CTV Olympics 2012 review - why Canadians are cheering at their phones Posted: 03 Aug 2012 02:39 PM PDT With the Olympics in full swing, Canadians will likely want to check out CTV’s app since they’ve got the lock-down on coverage. Luckily it's free, you'll just have to put up with a bunch of pre-roll ads. CTV Olympics London 2012 for Android has the full spread of coverage that you could want - medal counts, tons of video, articles, and lots of social options for sharing content. Of course, since this is CBC, only Canadians will be able to get in on the app, but that’s alright - Americans have an NBC Olympics app that looks like it should offer roughly the same coverage. 
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| This GOgroove Pal Bot speaker looks like a good way to share some tunes, Bugdroid style Posted: 03 Aug 2012 01:50 PM PDT Android phones and tablets have a lot of different options for playing music. Whether you're streaming it, playing it locally, or creating your own the best way to share is with a stand-alone external speaker of some sort. The included speaker options will work in a pinch, but let's be honest -- nobody is buying any mobile device for the great speaker quality. When you're in a group, an external model is a must. So what better way to listen to a song or two than with a Bugdroid styled speaker? Enter the GOgrove Pal Bot. It looks a lot like Android's beloved mascot, and is a simple connection via the 3.5mm jack on all modern Android phones and tablets. The specs say it lasts 6 hours on a charge when played at full volume (the only way to play music) and at under a pound it looks to be pretty damn portable. Sure, there are probably a lot of options out there that offer better audio quality, but they don't look like Bugdroid! For a day at the beach or a camping trip this one should suffice, and it's only $30 at Amazon. As a music lover and certified Android nerd, I had to pass this one on as soon as I saw Aces and 8s showing it off in the forums. Source: Android Central forums 
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| Samsung's Aug. 15 event gets official, Galaxy Note 10.1 unveiling likely Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:39 PM PDT Press invites are starting to go out for Samsung's Aug. 15 special event in the U.S., and all signs seem to point to a Galaxy Note 10.1 unveiling. The event, previously teased by Samsung a "major product announcement" for the "newest Galaxy device," seems likely to set the stage for the U.S. launch of Samsung's 10.1-inch stylus-and-tablet combo. The invitation is accompanied by the graphic above, which is is a dead ringer for the back of the Galaxy Note 10.1, leaving little doubt as to what Sammy's got up its sleeve. The Galaxy Note 10.1 underwent a major redesign following its original debut at Mobile World Congress back in February. It's now sporting a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos chip, along with a slot for its "S Pen" stylus, just like it's 5.3-inch sibling. The Note 10.1 is expected to be joined shortly by the Note 2, which Samsung will unveil in Berlin on Aug. 29, but about which comparatively little is known. However, as we reported this morning, U.S. retailer Negri Electronics has already gotten its hands on Galaxy Note 10.1 stock, which it intends to ship over the next few days. So come Aug. 15, we could be in the very odd position of having devices in the wild before the official Note 10.1 announcement. In any case, we'll be live from an undisclosed location on the date to bring you full coverage of the U.S. Galaxy Note 10.1 launch. Check past the break for the rest of the invite, with secret stuff redacted. 
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| Perfectly Clear review - fix your pics real quick Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:12 AM PDT Perfectly Clear was launched in Google Play this week with a bevy of quick photograph fixes. Simple sliders can change exposure, depth of field, sharpening, vibrancy, tint, darkness, and skin tone individually, or apply all of them at once with the one-tap Fix button. The app shows your picture with a very cool before and after comparison. The core app is available for $0.99 as an introductory offer, which will soon be bumped up to $1.99. There are a few extra correction filters that are available through a single in-app purchase that includes skin smoothing, eye enhancement and tooth whitening, but the vast majority of fixes are available without having to buy anything extra. 
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| Celebrating 2 million posts at our Android Forums Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:10 AM PDT While you've been perusing our snippets of Android news and device reviews and app reviews and, well, everything we do that keeps us the No. 1 Android site around, there's been a wee bit of work going on in our Android Forums as well. And we recently flew by the 2 million-posts mark. So on this Friday, let us take a moment to thank our forum moderators and advisers and administrators, past and present. And if you've yet to do so, go register and take part in the friendliest and most helpful Android Forums around. 
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| Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies launches on Android, exclusive to Xperia Play and Xperia S for now Posted: 03 Aug 2012 10:26 AM PDT There was once a time when the undead had no place in military shooters. That age was thankfully consigned to history with the launch of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies add-ons for home consoles, and now it's time for Android owners to arm themselves with semi-authentic World War II weaponry and do battle with reanimated corpses. That's right, today sees the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies on the Google Play Store. The game is a zombie survival shooter, in the style of the zombie modes in Call of Duty console titles. Classic maps like Kino Der Toten, Ascension, and Call of the Dead: Director’s Cut make a return on mobile, and there's also "Dead-Ops Arcade," a 50-level wave-based survival game similar to Gears of War's Horde mode. For the moment, CODBLOPS Zombies is exclusive to Sony's Xperia Play and Xperia S. That means if you're rocking different hardware, you'll need to wait to for the 30 day exclusivity period to expire before you can take on swarms of Nazi cadavers. The game is free to download, with the option of purchasing CoD points through the app to use for revives and other in-game abilities. If you've got an Xperia S or Xperia Play, you can hit the Google Play link to download now. We've also got the full press release from Activision after the break. 
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| Slices for Android - put your Twitter timeline to the chopping block Posted: 03 Aug 2012 09:29 AM PDT Slices broke onto the scene this week, offering a fresh take on the mobile Twitter experience. In essence, it takes the idea of lists, a core Twitter mechanism for organizing those you follow, and does... something with it. I’m still not quite sure what that’s supposed to be. All of the basic Twitter functions are in the Slices app: replies, DMs, lists, and saved searches (though no trending tweets). Geotagging, Facebook sharing, and photo/video shortcuts are available from the compose Tweet window. Beyond that, there are a few advanced features that make Slices a great Twitter client despite the convoluted feature they’re trying to introduce. 
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| Android Central Podcast 104: Google Wallet grows up, the Nexus Q gets weird, ICS gets going Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:51 AM PDT Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc104.mp3 Ice Cream Sandwich updates, and lack of
More Android hardware
Things that are pretty awesome, and one that isn't
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| Notification History - the best way to find spammy apps Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:24 AM PDT Notification History is a dirt-simple, but extremely useful app for scouring out other apps that are spamming notifications. The simple history list shows which apps have made notifications, how many of them, and offers the ability to drill down into apps to see what those notifications were. Not happy with what you see? There’s a shortcut to uninstall the app from there. If you pay up $0.99, you can export the list of notifications. 
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| Motorola MOTOROKR S305 Bluetooth headset review Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:36 AM PDT The search for awesome Bluetooth stereo headphones for my Galaxy S3 that also function as a wireless headset continues with the MOTOROKR S305.Bluetooth stereo was originally billed as stereo without compromise – a truly wireless way to experience your music. Unfortunately Bluetooth audio often sounds compressed and “low fidelity” compared to a good set of wired headphones. Music capability is just one of the important features to look for, however. Today’s headsets need to also field and control the phone functions of your Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) or other Android phone as well as the ability to control what you listen to. 
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| Dragon's Lore review - a lazy port from Symbian Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:55 AM PDT Dragon’s Lore (99 cents) is a simple block-matching puzzler that recently launched on Google Play. The game pulls players through a series of islands where they have to overcome a variety of challenges; some of them as simple as wiping out so many blocks, others more specific, such as beating a level within a certain time-frame. A not-so-subtle Chinese theme weaves its way through everything, including the music, block design, and menu styling. Players slide a random assortment of blocks from one of two axes on a grid in an attempt to have three or more of the same kind matching. There are a bunch of different game modes, including hotseat multiplayer, story, classic, arcade, puzzle and infinity. As you play, you earn coins that can be spent on upgrades that can improve your chances, though if it’s taking too long to earn coins, you can always buy more through in-app purchases. 
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| Motorola RAZR V now available from Bell in Canada Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:36 AM PDT Back in July, Motorola took the time to introduce the Motorola RAZR V to Canada and after a slight delay; the device has now arrived on Bell Mobility. Coming preloaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with a 4.3-Inch display and 8MP camera, the Motorola RAZR V will serve as a good entry-level device for folks out there. In what has become typical Motorola form, they've also covered the device in Kevlar to keep its 8.3mm thin frame safe from regular wear and tear. If you're looking to pick one, Bell is selling it for $30 on a three-contract or $400 with no carrier agreement. Source: Bell 
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| Deal of the Day: Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for Samsung Galaxy S3 Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:22 AM PDT
The Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover is available for just $17.95, 49% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping! Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts! 
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| MetroPCS announces Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G for $459 Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT So you want a Samsung Droid Charge, without the monthly contract on Verizon, and with another of the infamous ridiculous names? Well, meet the Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G, MetroPCS's version of the Droid Charge which they have just made available. As you know by now MetroPCS offers many devices without contract, and they claim to have a heck of a 4G network that they will give "unlimited" access to for just $40 a month. Featuring a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, the screen is sure to grab your attention, and being powered by a 1GHz processor sure doesn't hurt the speed here. With an 8MP camera on the back, and a 1.3MP camera on the front you will easily be able to capture your memories on the go, with nice clean pictures or a video call back home to check on the loved ones. They have opted to include a 16GB card with the device, and it can be expanded up to a 32GB card if you desire, so storing your apps, pictures, videos, or favorite tunes to take with you should be no problem. Retailing at $459, the Galaxy S Lightray 4G will also be the first smartphone in the U.S. that offers an application to stream live television. (Not really, but that's the company line here.) Dyle will allow customers to stream television while on the go over the 4G network provided by MetroPCS, and with no additional cost. The only big downside is that it is only in some markets at this time, but we hope that will change. This device will also be the first one on MetroPCS to offer the ability to become a mobile hotspot, so if you are looking to be able to get wifi on your favorite Android tablet while on the go, you now can. Be sure to check out their site, and see if this may be your next prepaid device! Source: MetroPCS 
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| U.S. retailer nabs Galaxy Note 10.1 ahead of official announcement, shipping today Posted: 03 Aug 2012 04:57 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, though unveiled back at Mobile World Congress, hasn't been announced for the U.S. market yet. However, retailer Negri Electronics says it's got its hands on Note 10.1 stock ahead of time, and it'll begin shipping them to pre-order customers today, Aug. 3. Price-wise, you're looking at a cool $750 to get your mitts on Samsung's latest quad-core, stylus-toting Android 4.0 tablet. The version on sale at Negri is the Wifi and 3G version, which includes a quad-band HSPA+ radio, allowing you to use it on European networks and AT&T in the U.S. Other specs include a 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad chip, 16GB of storage and a 10.1-inch, WXGA (1280x800) display for you to use with that Wacom-powered "S Pen." The Note 10.1 went back to the drawing board after it was officially announced at MWC, getting a new CPU and a redesigned chassis with a slot for its S Pen. The tablet was widely expected to be officially unveiled at a special Samsung Electronics event on Aug. 15. If Negri's shipping plans pan out, though, devices may already be in customers' hands by the time that announcement takes place. Source: Negri Electronics, @NegriElectronic, via: Engadget 
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| Sony Xperia T may be the final name for LT30 'Mint' Posted: 03 Aug 2012 04:36 AM PDT
Now it seems we may have stumbled across the final branding for this device, as a newly unearthed DLNA testing certificate identifies the LT30 as the "Sony Xperia T." It'd certainly tie in with Sony's letter-based naming scheme, and clearly position it above the Xperia S in Sony's smartphone line-up. Specs are rumored to include a Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU inside, a 720p display, 13MP camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, complete with on-screen buttons. The name might also lend some credibility to unconfirmed rumors that the "Hayabusa" will come to market under the name "Xperia Z." That'd certainly leave plenty of letters in between for any intermediary or entry-level devices Sony might have planned. Whatever letters Sony picks out of its bowl of corporate Spaghettios, we'll be live in Berlin, Germany later this month to cover the resulting products. Source: XperiaBlog 
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| HTC reports Q2 2012 financial results, expects lower Q3 revenues Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:59 AM PDT HTC reported its audited second quarter earnings today, releasing figures in line with the earlier unaudited results reported last month. From March to June, the smartphone maker generated revenues of NT$91.04 billion (~$3.04 billion), while net income after tax was NT$7.4 billion (~$247 million), with a gross margin of 27.01 percent and operating margin of 9 percent. Looking ahead, HTC expects lower revenues, profits and operating margins from July to September. The manufacturer expects revenues to reach somewhere between NT$70 to 80 billion (~$2.33-2.67 billion), with an expected gross margin of around 25% percent and operating margin of 7 percent. If accurate, such a figure would represent a significant year-on-year fall from the NT$135.82 billion (~$4.53 billion) reported at the height of HTC's success in Q3 2011. Despite the launch of the well-received HTC One series earlier in the year, 2012 has been an uneasy year for HTC, with profits declining amid strong competition from Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market. HTC recently sold back half of its share of headphone maker Beats Audio, less than a year after acquiring its stake in the company, following the failure of Beats to emerge as a differentiator for a HTC's smartphones. And late last month the manufacturer pulled out of South Korea after its market share in the country reportedly dipped below a single percentage point. Despite these difficulties, HTC continues to hold a significant chunk of market share in the U.S. -- around 14 percent, according to recent Nielsen numbers. 
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| Samsung: Next Galaxy Note to be unveiled Aug. 29 Posted: 03 Aug 2012 03:19 AM PDT The next Galaxy Note smartphone will be a revealed in just over three weeks time, Samsung has reportedly confirmed. confirming what many -- including ourselves -- had already suspected, a Samsung representative told Reuters, "we plan to unveil the next Galaxy Note at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin on August 29." So that takes care of that -- Samsung's confirmed that we will indeed see a "next Galaxy Note" in Berlin later this month, just as it did with the "next Galaxy" announcements that preceded the Galaxy S3 launch event. In any case, it's not like Samsung was being particularly coy about its Note-based plans for the event -- see the stylus/magic wand in the official invite above. For now, though, the nature of the Galaxy Note 2 -- or whatever it ends up being called -- remains a bit of a mystery. Internet rumors focus on a possible 5.5-inch screen in the device, as well as a higher-clocked version of the Exynos 4 Quad chip in the Galaxy S3, though those come from easily-fakeable online benchmark listings. Feel free to launch into rampant speculation down in the comments. We'll be live in Berlin later this month for the Samsung Unpacked event and the rest of the IFA show. Source: Reuters; via: SamMobile 
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| Multi-user support shows itself in Jelly Bean, but it's definitely not finished yet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 01:54 AM PDT Something a lot of us really want to see in Android, is support for multiple accounts on a device. With the ever increasing uptake of tablet use, it would be pretty awesome to be able to have one tablet with a different account for each member of your family. Lord knows, you wouldn't want your kids Justin Bieber apps littering your home screens so being able to give them their own sign in would be positive for all. You do it on your computer, so why wouldn't you want to do it on your tablet. Over recent days and weeks since the launch of Jelly Bean, various parties around the interwebs have been diving into the code and really getting into the details. Your average user -- and sometimes average Android Central writer -- wouldn't even know where to begin or what we might hope to see. Thankfully for us the community is filled with those who are never happier than when knee deep in code, and what has been recently revealed is reference to future multi-user account support. It's clearly not even close to being ready for the prime time -- if it was, we'd have it already -- but it is there. And, with a little bit of tinkering, you can see it for yourselves on your Jelly Bean device. The key word is tinkering, and the key components are root access and a terminal emulator on the device. Heading into the terminal, you have to enter the command for superuser access, "su", and once you're in you can go ahead and create yourselves a new account. The next command you'll need to enter is:
And that's it. When you come out of terminal back to the home screen, hold down the power button and the menu presented to you will look a little bit like that you see here. Upon selecting your alternatively created user account, it'll be as if you've just fired up your device for the very first time. Tutorials and all. So, it's pretty cool to try out, and it's great news that it's there -- somewhere -- because it just reinforces the chances that future builds of Android will be seeing this as a full feature. But, while cool, it's far from usable. For one, any app updates that your main account notifies you of allows a backdoor into the Play Store and all the apps you've already purchased. Hitting the Play Store icon from the app drawer does prompt to add a Google account, but with a hole the size of that you aren't going to want to put much faith into it just yet. And, without passwords to protect each login, you're really better off not bothering. But, we need to remember again that this isn't a feature yet, and it is far from finished. The story is, it should be coming in the future. Maybe a future Jelly Bean update, maybe the next version of Android, who knows. They're obviously working on it though. Just for a little extra if you want to take a look at this for yourselves, hit the break for a walkthrough video. 
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| HTC releases Desire C kernel source Posted: 02 Aug 2012 10:04 PM PDT HTC has released the 3.0.16 kernel source for the Desire C, giving Android hackers and developers a chance to dig in and make some greatness. The kernel source is required to be released because of the license, and this means that developers have access to all of it for modifying. The rest of us probably won't have any need to download this one, but if you're using a Desire C and have rooted and aren't afraid to flash custom software, you'll be in for some sweet treats from the developers. If you are a developer working with the Desire C, hit the link below to get started -- and don't be afraid to give us a shout once you're done. We love looking at hacks and assorted Android fun. Source: HTCDev 
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| Android Central Podcast - Live! Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:26 PM PDT | ||
| Music Players, Comic Book readers and ICS on the Rezound [From the Forums] Posted: 02 Aug 2012 07:19 PM PDT Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.
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