Thursday, August 9, 2012

AndroidGuys

AndroidGuys

WhitePages re-imagines calling with Current Caller ID

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:36 PM PDT

WhitePages today released a brand new (v4.0) Caller ID application which goes above an beyond the stuff you find in other, similar apps. Not only does the app give users the standard name and number of who is calling, but a host of other relevant goodies as well.

Tie Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts to the app and you'll see all the latest posts as calls come in. What's more, you'll also see current weather, local news, and infographics for those who are trying to reach you. Going further, Current Caller ID also works for outgoing communication as well.
  

 

Ever wonder who you call or text the most?  The WhitePages app also identifies these types of things and presents them in clean, easy-to-understand charts. The database houses 300 million phone numbers so chances are very good that you'll get the deets on your next caller.

We've spent the last 24 hours using Current Caller ID and have found it to be easy to learn and very helpful.  It's actually pretty fun to see which of our contacts we use the most and then plot them against others.  Sorry mom, we really should call more.  We promise, though, we'll use the widget to remind us!

  • Stay up-to-date effortlessly with social and local information for each caller and texter
  • One app to manage all your calls, texts and contacts with Frequent and Recent lists.
  • ID incoming and outgoing calls and texts, including Businesses and Cell Phone Numbers*
  • Fun infographics about your calling and texting habits with friends and family
  • Frequent Caller Widget makes getting a hold of your favorite people super simple

WhitePages Combines Social, Call and Text ID Into Single App to Foster Better Communications

New Current Caller ID Android app streams social network status for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter;

Gives fun game-like infographics for important callers and texters; Identifies nearly any number for free

Seattle, WA, August 8, 2012 – The era of caller ID simply being a name and number has officially ended with today's introduction of Current Caller ID by WhitePages (www.whitepages.com). Available in the Android App Store, Current Caller ID not only displays recent status updates by friends and social contacts from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but it also identifies nearly any incoming or outgoing call or text instantly for free. Taking innovation even further, Current Caller ID includes live local info from the caller or texter's location, such as weather and news, as well as fun infographics that provide instant insight into the communication relationship between users and the people they contact the most.

"Between Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, consumers are overwhelmed with too many connections and status updates, said Lori Roth, director of mobile products at WhitePages. "By marrying call and text ID with social status, we created a single useful service that makes it easy for people to stay up-to-date with the people they communicate with the most."

According to an online Harris Interactive Study commissioned by WhitePages in May 2012, 88 percent of smartphone owners use an app like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter to stay in touch on their smartphone with their contacts. About 76 percent of the smartphone owners who were surveyed claimed to use two or more mobile applications. In fact, of those smartphone owners who use mobile apps/functions to stay in touch with contacts on a mobile phone, nearly 60 percent use these apps at least five times a day, which suggests that an increasing number of smartphone owners are trying to avoid a communications breakdown of missing important updates from real friends in an era where online friends outnumber real friends 7 to 1.

Current Caller ID: Staying in the Know with People You Call and Text the Most (Real Friends)
In one easy-to-use app, Current Caller ID effortlessly streams social status updates just as people are about to communicate. Users can then ignite highly engaging phone and text conversations about relevant topics such as social events, travel, accomplishments like promotions and graduations, or a recent concert attended. The app seamlessly integrates Android's call log and text history with the user's social graph to provide timely, relevant statuses for most callers and texters – all without having to lift a finger. Through a clean interface, the app provides users with a detailed snapshot of callers and texters connected to their social networks, including recent status posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as profile photos, job description, workplace, weather and news. For example, on an inbound call, Current Caller ID users could see a recent Facebook post about a friend discovering a baby boy is on the way, falling for a new love, or notice that a friend is attending a party, and decide to answer the call immediately.
For business contacts, a user might discover a former colleague is attending the same conference, recently changed jobs, or will be in the area via a LinkedIn status, and build a stronger relationship by knowing this information before returning a call or text.

Current Caller ID also features game-like infographics in real-time that displays communication patterns between users and their contacts, including how often and when they most frequently engage with their contacts, and number of calls and texts accepted, missed and made. For example, users can easily see a fun consolidated view of call and text interactions with their contacts to learn the best time of day to call or text them to get a response.

WhitePages' new social caller ID capabilities build on the company's long-standing leadership in helping mobile users identify nearly any unknown call or text, including hard-to-find mobile and some VoIP numbers. WhitePages was the first to bring caller ID to mobile in 2008 for Android phones and has been the market leader in caller ID ever since, having identified over 700 million calls to date. With the survey results showing that more than 70 percent of those who screen their calls on their mobile phone don't answer the phone because they don't recognize a number, Current Caller ID helps users overcome the unknown and decide on the spot whether or not to answer a call or text. In addition, Current Caller ID makes it easy to update missing contact information using the WhitePages contact database of over 200 million U.S. adults.

Customers of existing WhitePages Caller ID apps can easily upgrade to the new Current Caller ID app for free. To learn more, watch the video or follow the new app on Twitter @currentID. For more information about all WhitePages mobile products visit: http://www.whitepages.com/mobile.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of WhitePages from May 22-May 24, 2012 among 2,208 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables please contact Liz Powell at lpowell@whitepages.com.

About WhitePages
WhitePages is the leading provider of contact information for people and businesses in the U.S. With over 40 million unique monthly users and powering over 2 billion searches per year on over 1,500 sites including MSN and the United States Postal Service, only WhitePages offers consumers one-click access to more than 200 million adults, also providing them with the ability to edit and control their own listings. The company's suite of mobile products includes a top-50 mobile website and popular Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, webOS and Windows 7 applications with over 7 million active monthly users. For more information, please visit www.whitepages.com or check out the WhitePages blog at blog.whitepages.com.

WhitePages and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of White Pages. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

WhitePages re-imagines calling with Current Caller ID was written by the awesome dudes at AndroidGuys.

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Join thousands of fellow Android enthusiasts at The 2012 Big Android Barbecue on October 21!

POLL: Would you consider a shared data plan?

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 11:23 AM PDT

With two of the big four U.S. carriers making the switch to shared data plans, consumers now have a little something else to consider when choosing their next phone.  Do I go with a smartphone now or should I stay the course with a feature phone?  Do I add my tablet or netbook?  Should I add my two teenage children to my plan?

Would you ever consider pooling data together with other users?  Do you like the idea of adding multiple devices to your data bucket?


POLL: Would you consider a shared data plan? was written by the awesome dudes at AndroidGuys.

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Order off the Verizon menu and get up to 20GB shared data

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:44 AM PDT

Ever been to a restaurant with someone who orders special meals that aren't on the menu?  Sometimes those meals are quite delicious, even if they are a tad pricey.  The same could be said about five shared data plans from Verizon that aren't immediately obvious to customers.

Speaking to ComputerWorld this week, Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney indicated that consumers could potentially get up to 20GB of data.  Priced at $150 per month, it would be considerably cheaper than going over the 10GB plan by a few GBs.

The five "off the menu" plans:

  • 20GB for $150/month
  • 18GB for $140/month
  • 16GB for $130/month
  • 14GB for $120/month
  • 12GB for $110/month

If you think 20GB is something you'd never hit, consider this: An HD movie is around 2.5GB-3GB.  Watch one a week and you're over 10GB.  Now, toss in a couple of other users in the pool and it escalates quickly.

That said, Verizon says subscribers "must arrange with customer service to get that allotment as part of a monthly plan". As to how difficult that is remains unclear.

Order off the Verizon menu and get up to 20GB shared data was written by the awesome dudes at AndroidGuys.

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Wanna see three dozen shots of the unannounced Sony Xperia T (Mint)?

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:32 AM PDT

As many of you know, a photo or two of an unannounced phone finding its way online is not all that uncommon.  In fact, most Android devices we've encountered have, at some point, been treated to an "in the wild" or "blurrycam" shot.  Every once in a while you get a model that stands still for an extended period of time and poses for an entire gallery.  Such is the case with the yet-announced Sony Xperia T (codename: Mint).

The team at nixanbal.com (translate) has managed to grab three dozen images of the Xperia T, from just about any angle you can imagine. We've grabbed a couple of them and pasted them below.  Click the source link to see the rest.

xperia_t_wild2_feature xperia_t_wild3_feature xperia_t_wild_feature

It is expected that Sony will announced the Xperia T on August 29, at a pre-IFA event at which point we'll have all the final specs, potential pricing, and availability.

Wanna see three dozen shots of the unannounced Sony Xperia T (Mint)? was written by the awesome dudes at AndroidGuys.

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Join thousands of fellow Android enthusiasts at The 2012 Big Android Barbecue on October 21!

Early details for HTC One X successor, Endeavour C2

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:08 AM PDT

The successor to the HTC One X will be known as the Endeavour C2 and should arrive on or before October 1, according to Stuff.  Citing an anonymous source at HTC, they report that the handset will feature a faster, quad-core 1.7GHz processor, ClearVoice call technology, HTC Watch 2 service, an improved battery, and a pair UrBeats earphones.  Stuff advises that the phone will come in a new color option but will be compatible with the One X's accessories.  Sounds to us like a refreshed version of the handset more than a new model?  Either way, we're game for it!

Early details for HTC One X successor, Endeavour C2 was written by the awesome dudes at AndroidGuys.

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NAMCO BANDAI jump on board with OUYA

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 04:15 PM PDT

A little over a month has passed since the OUYA revealed itself to the world and we’re now into the final countdown in the Kickstarter campaign. During the past month it seems that barely a day went by without another announcement of support for the Android Game Console and today is just another example. World famous Gaming Guru NAMCO BANDAI has partnered up with OUYA in order to bring classic titles such as PAC-MAN, GALAGA, TEKKEN and Ridge Racer. The addition of the NAMCO BANDAI catalogue will be sure to be bolster the growing list of titles available at launch.

The good news just keeps coming too with the announcement that, after listening to feedback from investors, the OUYA will officially support four controllers. Those of you who pledged $90 will still receive a Console with one controller, however if you throw in an extra $90 you’ll get the additional three.

With the steady flow of good news flowing in from OUYA, it’s looking increasingly likely that the plucky upstart might just be a success. Are you planning on picking one up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Kickstarter

Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE Rumored to Launch on Sprint on August 19th

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 04:10 PM PDT

 

Rumor has it that Sprint is planning on launching the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE next Sunday on the 19th of August. Motorola officially announced the phone about two weeks ago claiming a Sprint launch in the “upcoming weeks.” If you’re not familiar with this device, here’s a quick rundown on its specs:

  • 4.3-inch ColorBoost display (assuming qHD – 960 x 540)
  • 1.5 GHz dual-core processor (assuming the Snapdragon S4)
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 8MP rear camera with 1080p video capture
  • Front-facing HD camera
  • micro HDMI with mirroring
  • Sprint ID, offering an innovative way to personalize an Android smartphone with apps, widgets, ringtones and more all, in a single download
  • NFC
  • LTE

Minus the resolution of the device, everything else is top tier when it comes to specs. With physical QWERTY-sliders still popular to many people, I’m sure this device will be welcomed. Does this impending device appeal to any of you guys?

source: Phonedog

Verizon Discretely Offers 5 Additional Shared Data Plans for Heavy Users

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Verizon Wireless recently got rid of the traditional individual data plan offerings in lieu of their new “Family Share” data plans. The Concept is simple, pick your device and the amount of data you and your family will consume. The plans come with unlimited minutes, text messages and allow the user to have up to ten devices to share the data. The new plans originally consisted of only six data tiers to choose from, ranging from a base of $50 a month for 1GB to $100 for 10GB. Heavy users will most definitely end up paying more, while the light user will save money. What about those who use more than 10GB? Verizon has an answer for them too.

On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless confirmed with ComputerWorld they have five additional unpublicized tiers available for their heaviest users, unpublicized until today that is. If you are on a Share Everything plan you can now choose from one of the five additional data tiers: 12GB for $110 a month, 14GB for $120 a month, 16GB for $130 a month, 18GB for $140 a month and 20GB for $150 a month. In terms of devices it’s the same as adding to the lower six tiers; $10 per tablet, $20 per Jetpack/USB dongle/notebook, $30 per basic phone and $40 per smartphone. So, if you and your spouse will consume 20GB in one month, figure $40 per smartphone and $150 for the data, you will get unlimited talk, text, and 20GB of data for $230 for two lines.

AT&T already announced their very similar program called Mobile Share. Their plan will be consistent with those of Verizon Wireless ranging from $40 per month for 1GB to $200 per month for 20GB and $10-$45 per device added. The biggest difference is AT&T will continue to offer their traditional data plans, which Verizon has done away with.

Say what you will about these plans, for the lighter user, they present a good value. I personally favor T-Mobile’s offerings (unlimited with no overages) as compared to going over my data and paying dearly for it. So what about you guys? Anyone going to take advantage of the new additions?

source: BGR

Contest: Win one of seven Cruzer Lite TPU Cases! [4 Galaxy S III and 3 AT&T HTC One X]

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 12:10 PM PDT

 

Time for another Cruzer Lite contest guys! I would first like to thank Scotty Brown and Cruzer Lite for providing us some cases to give away to you guys. What’s up for grabs? We have a  total of 7 cases to give away, 4 for the Samsung Galaxy S III and 3 for AT&T’s HTC One X. All you have to do is visit our forums post and tell me why you think you need a free Cruzer Lite case. Don’t forget to mention which of the two phones you need it for. Be creative and I will pick the six entries at random for the win. You have until Sunday, August 12th at 11:59PM EST.

Click here to enter

Good luck all!

The Coolpix S800, the first Android based camera from Nikon

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:47 AM PDT

It looks like the popular camera company Nikon will soon be announcing their first Android based camera. The model will be dubbed as the Coolpix S800 (S800c), and the specs that you can expect on this will be:

  • 25-250 mm lens
  • 3.5″ OLED screen
  • The camera runs all Google Play apps
  • The camera will probably run Android 2.3
  • Built-in GPS
  • Built-in Wi-Fi

I think this would be great and a smart move by Nikon. Perhaps this could be a first step into seeing some really powerful Android-based camera’s in the near future. Maybe even DSLR’s?

The proposed announcement of this device is on August 22nd and we’ll be sure to relay more information as soon as we know.

source: Nikon Rumors

Led by Samsung, Android smartphone shipments in 2012 Q2 surge to 68% of market

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:35 AM PDT

"Android continues to fire on all cylinders," notes IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas in IDC's just released report on smartphone operating system market share for the second quarter of 2012. The report reveals Android powered smartphones accounted for 68.1% of all smartphones shipped during the second quarter. Year-over-year numbers reveal the number of Android smartphones shipped in the second quarter doubled from 2011 to 2012, with more than 100 million units shipped this year during the second quarter.

Leading the way for Android powered devices was Samsung which accounted for 44.0% of Android smartphones shipped during the second quarter. Meanwhile, Apple's share cooled to 16.9% of the market on shipments of 26 million iOS powered units. Although the growth in Apple's numbers compared to a year ago would normally seem strong, iOS shipments are not keeping pace with the explosive expansion for Android smartphones.  This probably explains why Apple is fighting so hard in litigation against Android’s current flagship manufacturer, Samsung.

Meanwhile, stalwarts Blackberry and Symbian both saw their market share slip below the 5.0% level at 4.8% and 4.4% respectively. Market share for Windows based phones crept up slightly and Microsoft may not be far off from taking over third spot in the near future. It would be a distant third though as Android and iOS now command 85.0% of market.

source: IDC

Samsung Galaxy Note, myTouch and myTouch Q all available at T-Mobile starting today

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:11 AM PDT

T-Mobile

Just a quick PSA letting you know that the Samsung Galaxy Note, myTouch, and myTouch Q are all available starting today at T-Mobile.

The Galaxy Note is a little late to the party as Samsung will announce the Galaxy Note 2 in a few weeks. The price is $249.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate. You also have the option of going with one of T-Mobile’s Value Plans, which will put the phone at $199 with $20 installments. You can check out our review of the AT&T version here.

The myTouch line continues on with these latest versions made by Huawei. Both are considered mid-range phones and the only difference is the QWERTY slide-out keyboard on the Q. Both are going for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate.

sources: T-Mobile – Galaxy Note, myTouch, myTouch Q

 

Latest Reports Indicate Upcoming HTC “Endeavor C2″ Smartphone Is Possibly The Successor To The One X

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:04 AM PDT

 

Well friends, it looks like we’re about to see another HTC device arrive sometime later this year. While many of you are thinking this will likely be a brand-new device, it’s looking more and more like a refresh of a really good device already on the market. Reports are indicating the new device will be codenamed “Endeavor C2″ and will include a faster Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, better battery and urBeats headphones. Additional leaks include the upcoming body of the device being identical to existing HTC devices, which also includes the ability to use current accessories as opposed to launching new accessories. Sound a little familiar to you? Well it should— the original HTC One X smartphone was codenamed “Endeavor”, before its unveiling at MWC earlier in the year. All in all with a fairly similar profile as the original, this upcoming device points to what looks to be a supercharged version of the One X that will be called the One X+ and similar to HTC’s strategy in the past with its Sensation and Sensation XE devices.

The device won’t skimp on software either. Stuff reports the “Endeavor C2″ will utilize HTC’s brand new ClearVoice technology to improve call quality and will also be the first phone to run HTC Watch 2, the latest version of HTC’s video-on-demand offering. Sounds like those two features will compliment the rumored Sense 4.1 and quite possibly, Jelly Bean mighty well upon the device’s release— which should be around the beginning of October in the U.K. if all holds up.

Try to contain your excitement there folks. Try to contain your excitement there.

source: Stuff
via: Android Central

Apple shows further evidence that TouchWiz was inspired by iOS

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:20 AM PDT

On Monday Apple showed an email that proved that the iPhone caused a “crisis of design” for Samsung and they showed a decent amount of evidence that Samsung’s icon designs were influenced by iOS. Apple wasn’t finished as yesterday they showed the jury a 132-page internal document from 2010 that shows that Samsung was definitely trying to design icons that resembled iOS and not only that, was trying to make the whole UI experience (TouchWiz) resemble it.

The next image shows how Samsung compared the icon designs. They felt the iPhone maximized the 3D effect by utilizing light while the curve of the icon frame was smooth. In contrary, the Galaxy S had no feeling of receiving light and there wasn’t any softness in the curvature of the rounded corners.

 

Next up is a representation of the alarm function where Samsung is comparing the sounds of setting the alarm for both the Galaxy S and the iPhone.

I’m still not convinced there really is anything that shows a direct copy, but what it does show is that Samsung was truly inspired by the iPhone when they designed the Galaxy S back in 2010. I can’t imagine companies not designing a product without comparing it to that of the competition, and to me it seems senseless to try to grab a buck or hurt your competition because they were inspired by your success. Doesn’t that happen all time in every type of business or product? Why does Apple feel their product is so different? Apple was certainly inspired by Android with their newer notification system that was introduced in iOS 5. How about their new Maps software. Do you think they might have been inspired by Google Maps? Yesterday when I was driving around I noticed how so many cars look alike because they are inspired by each other. That’s how business works, but of course Apple is trying to prove that Samsung outright copied them and wasn’t just inspired by them.

source: phandroid

 

Potential image of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 appears and disappears with a blink of the eye

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:21 AM PDT

Well here’s something interesting news for you morning coffee. The image above showed up on the Samsung Pakistan Facebook page with “Picture perfect view made even more perfect with Samsung Galaxy S3″ as the caption. Now it clearly isn’t a Galaxy S III and interestingly enough, this same image made the rounds before the Galaxy S III was officially introduced. There is a big difference though and that is that this is more a legitimate source.

It was an obvious mistake because it disappeared shortly after, but it wasn’t the end of it. The page re-appeared but with “Galaxy Note” as the caption. Not surprisingly it disappeared yet again.

It will be interesting to see if the Galaxy Note 2 really ends up being that image with basically no bezel and no home button. In late June and image leaked showing it to look a lot like the Galaxy S III and that seemed to make a lot of sense.

Just like the Galaxy S III, we are all speculating with little information. Even the Korean Times chimed in this morning saying that the Galaxy Note will sport a UDP flexible display, something we reported on back in June, but I didn’t think it was a worthy rumor. We will know for sure in about 3 weeks so stay tuned.

source: engadget

 
Posted by at 5:48 AM 0 comments
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