Android World Update # Further specs of HTC One Max leaked

Android News + App Tests - AndroidPIT This feed includes text previews of the latest news articles and app tests on www.androidpit.com. Click on the article title to read the entire article.

Want free Kindle ebooks? Sign up to receive the best freebie Kindle ebook deals in your email every day. From our sponsors

Further specs of HTC One Max leaked Oct 10th 2013, 08:45, by Kris Carlon I'll cut straight to the chase, the HTC One Max has had even more details leak about its internal specifications, this time from nowhereelse.fr editor Steve Hemmerstoffer, who somehow came across a spec sheet. His story changed a little later in the story, so there's nothing to say this is not all speculation or a fake, but most of the details match what we've already seen. Only a week to go until the rumors become fact. / © VR-Zone (This is a preview - click here to read the entire entry.)

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Android Community

Android Community Tracking the Android Platform Revolution

Ready to move beyond the basics? Enroll in this advanced DSLR course to explore more creative scenarios, image editing, and videography. From our sponsors

Google Maps for Android updated to version 7.3 with minor UI tweaks Oct 10th 2013, 07:19, by Juan Carlos Torres Google has started to silently roll out an update to its Google Maps app for Android. While it is only an incremental update with no major new features, it does introduce some changes to how the data is presented that will make the app easier to use and easier to look at. Perhaps the biggest change happened not within the app itself but in its notification. The expanded notification now not only shows the destination and direction, it also shows additional information such as remaining time, distance, and estimated time of arrival. The Google Maps interface itself, ironically, decreased rather than increase. It still shows the same amount of information but now lays out the text in such a way that it looks more compact and easier to read. Other changes include confirmation dialogs that ask whether you want to discard a review you’ve written, which could be handy for the times that you accidentally tap the back button. Under the hood, there are also improvements to caching of icons, which should result and fewer calls to the Google Maps server. There seem to have been hints of ad-related changes, which may raise some flags for some, though nothing is definite yet at this point. All in all, the changes are not staggering, but they’re just the right kinds of tweaks that improve usability and the overall user experience. The Google Maps update is going out on staged rollouts so it will take some before it reaches everyone. SOURCE: Android Police

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Android Community

Android Community Tracking the Android Platform Revolution

Many wonderful memories are captured in black and white. With digital photographs, the art is now in creating black and white images. This course will teach you how to use Photoshop techniques to create beautiful images. From our sponsors

Android to get native Windows Remote Desktop app later this month Oct 10th 2013, 06:52, by Juan Carlos Torres Whether it’s a sign of desperation or a moment of enlightenment, Microsoft seems to be on a track of trying to make nice with other operating systems. First, there have been rumors of the tech giant seeking to dual-boot with Android, and now we’re getting word that Microsoft will be bringing its remote desktop feature to Android and iOS soon. Remotely controlling a Windows, or other operating system, desktop is nothing new and is the purview of some popular apps, not to mention a source of income of some companies. But there will always be some fringe benefit when apps come directly from those who know the technology inside and out, and so it is good news, at least for users, when Microsoft is reportedly preparing mobile apps that will let users control their Windows desktops via an official Remote Desktop app. This has further implications considering it will be compatible with Windows 8. This means that all those Windows 8 tapping and swiping gestures will be available on Android devices, hopefully creating a rather seamless experience. Depending on data transfer rates and image quality, it might even feel like you’re running Windows 8 right on on your favorite Android device. That idea might not appeal to some, but it will most likely be useful to those that need or want it. The one caveat is that this seems to only work within the same home or office network. At least for now. The Window Remote Desktop app is said to be offered free of charge on each platform’s respective app stores, meaning Google Play Store for us Android users. No exact date has been given yet but is said to be ready by the end of the month. VIA: SlashGear Pantech Vega Secret Note goes official, touts privacy features Oct 10th 2013, 06:22, by Juan Carlos Torres Just yesterday, we got hold of some leaked photos of the upcoming Pantech Vega Note. That smartphone has become official today and we’re discovering that the stylus-enabled Pantech Vega Secret Note sports some rather intriguing features indeed. It is unsurprising that the Pantech Vega Secret Note runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. However, it comes with a RAM size of 3 GB, which is not that common but is quite in line with its rival, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. And indeed, this device also sports an almost similar looking stylus which Pantech calls, unsurprisingly, the V Pen. The Vega Secret Note does sport a larger 5.9-inch display that still keeps the 1920×1080 Full HD resolution. It sports a 13 megapixel camera at the back and a 2 megapixel one on the front. It has 32 GB of storage but, quite surprisingly, also has USB host mode right off the bat, giving it access to external storage capacities of up to 2 TB. Of course, the Pantech Vega Secret Note’s utterly long name would be useless without its special privacy and security features. As seems to be the fad these days, the Vega Secret Note has a fingerprint sensor on its rear. But aside from simply unlocking the device, it also serves as a way to reveal a hidden set of data such as phonebook entries, photos, videos, music, and others. The smartphone also some other interesting features such as LTE-A support, TV viewing via Korea’s DMB technology, and a custom tile-based homescreen launcher that looks quite similar to some other mobile operating system. There is no information on date or carrier availability yet, but the Pantech Vega Secret Note is said to be priced at 900,000 won, or around $840. The smartphone also has a cover accessory that sports a small window where you can use the stylus to write notes on the smartphone, similar to what Samsung also has for its own stylus-enabled phablet. SOURCE: Pantech Sony Xperia Z1 f SO-02F "Honami mini" unveiled, headed for NTT DoCoMo Oct 10th 2013, 05:21, by Juan Carlos Torres Sony has finally taken off the covers from its Xperia Z1 f SO-02F smartphone, what everyone is nicknaming the “Honami mini”. And indeed, it seems that it has inherited almost all the impressive features of its larger sibling, but packaged in a more manageable size. It didn’t take long for rumors of the so-called Honami mini to come up, merely weeks after the larger Honami, the Xperia Z1 SO-01F, was unveiled at the IFA trade show in early September. Late last month, a photo intended for the Japanese carrier was leaked, showing the Xperia Z1 f side by side with the Xperia Z1. Now that the device is official, we can see that the leaked information back then were indeed spot on. The Xperia Z1 f sports almost the same innards as the Xperia Z1, which means a 2.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and, at least on par with the demo version last month, 16 GB of internal storage. Both also run the same Android 4.2.2, which is slightly just behind the latest version. And, indeed, both even sport the same impressive 20.7 megapixel rear camera and 2.2 megapixel front-facing camera. The only difference lies in the display, with the Xperia Z1 f having a smaller 4.3-inch 1280×720 HD screen. Luckily, it still uses the same crisp Sony BRAVIA LCD technology. Sony released a short video ad for the Xperia Z1 f which you can watch below. The Sony Xperia Z1 f will be heading for NTT DoCoMo and is included in the Japanese carrier’s 2013-2014 winter spring lineup. No price details have been released yet but the smartphone won’t be available until late December, although pre-orders are being accepted starting today. The Xperia Z1 f will be coming in four color options of black, white. lime, and pink. No word yet on global availability and pricing. SOURCE: Sony

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Android Q&A – SD card problems, which smartwatch to buy? Xperia Z Android updates?

Android Authority Android News, Reviews, How To

Manage your social media Best social media tool for image publishing to Facebook and Twitter. Look amazing and delight your followers. Get 40% off when you sign up today. From our sponsors

Android Q&A – SD card problems, which smartwatch to buy? Xperia Z Android updates? Oct 10th 2013, 05:25, by Joe Hindy Hello again and welcome back to this week’s episode of Android Q&A. This week we talk about SD card problems, whether or not the Xperia Z will get the Android 4.3 update, and which smartwatches are worth picking up right now. Check below for the written responses or above for the video! Question 1 Just read an article by Brad Ward about accessories for the Galaxy S4. Sandisk class 10 memory card is recommended. I have a Lexar class 10 32g in my GS4. After about 120 pics my gallery looked fine, but when I select each pic and bring them up full screen about every 3rd pic had a large gray stripe through it that takes up about a third of the pic. I called Lexar. They said the GS4 needs a class 6 or lower. I was not able to recover my pics that have the gray stripe. They offered to switch out my class 10 for a class 6 card. – Troy Answer I'm sorry to say that Lexar fed you a load of crap. Class 10 SD cards have been safe to use in smartphones for quite some time. Long before the Galaxy S4. Without knowing more about your set up, I'd guess it's either the SD card going bad or a problem with the actual camera. I would take the SD card out and snap a few shots that get saved to internal storage. If the gray stripe is still there, it's a camera problem and if it isn't, it was most likely a bad SD card and you should have it replaced. Question 2 Hey Android Authority, I was thinking about buying a smartwatch and there are now a couple choices to pick from. I was waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Gear, but I am not very happy with how that turned out. Should I wait for the iwatch? What do you recommend? – Ritvik Answer Personally, I would wait until 2015 when smartwatches have evolved into something genuinely useful. You can wait for the iWatch but I don't see them making it all that much better than current smartwatches. If you must have one, I'd go for a Pebble because they're cheaper while still providing that companion device feeling. Question 3 Is it still worth it to buy the HTC One? – Asil Answer Absolutely. Even though there are phones coming out with the Snapdragon 800, devices with the Snapdragon 600 are still considered top tier devices that are well worth purchasing. You won't see any significant improvements in the 5" lineup of smartphones until next year so if you want a One, get yourself a One. Question 4 Hey Android Authority, I’m getting the galaxy note 3 next week, but I’m thinking about if I should I get the Note 3 Right now or wait for the Nexus 5, or the next HTC one. – Anthony Answer You really can't go wrong with any of those devices. The Nexus 5 will have the latest Android, but the Note 3 has a bigger screen and bigger battery, and the HTC One has the superior build quality and Boomsound. What you need to ask yourself is which features are the most important to you. If you want size and battery, then get the Note 3. If you want the bleeding edge of Android, get the Nexus 5, and if you want superior build quality and sound, get the HTC One. Question 5 Do you know when Android 4.3 will come to the Sony Xperia Z? – Ollie Brader Answer Unfortunately, there are no rumblings in the rumor community as to when the Xperia Z will get the Android 4.3 update. However, Sony is a lot better than other OEMs at updating their devices, so we imagine it'll happen eventually. We can't tell you when because we don't know, but it would be a surprise if they didn't bring it eventually. Don’t forget that this is fueled by your questions. If you don’t ask, we can’t answer!

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Android Community

Android Community Tracking the Android Platform Revolution

Many wonderful memories are captured in black and white. With digital photographs, the art is now in creating black and white images. This course will teach you how to use Photoshop techniques to create beautiful images. From our sponsors

QSAlpha Quasar IV self-authenticating cipherphone heads into production Oct 10th 2013, 04:22, by Juan Carlos Torres It might be far, far away from reaching its crowdfunding goal, but fans and supporters of the highly secure Quasar IV smartphone need not worry. It seems that the group behind the project was able to partner with an OEM that will ensure production of the device, regardless of the outcome of the Indiegogo campaign. The need for secure devices and networks has probably never been higher, with the rampant digital theft and, more recently, revelations of snooping happening today. According to QSAlpha, the company running the show behind the Quasar IV smartphone, more than 27 million Americans have become victims of identity theft over the last five years, with 73 percent of that number arising from cybercrime. It says that the task of securing one’s privacy and security cannot be entrusted to huge companies who themselves compromise such security or have been compromised themselves. That is why the company launched its campaign to develop the Quasar IV cipherphone to put the responsibility back into the hands of individuals, literally. As a device, the Quasar IV sounds quite promising. It runs on a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, probably a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, with 3 GB of RAM. It has two types of storage, one 64 or 128 GB internal storage and a 128 GB cloud storage, both of which are encrypted. Quite uniquely, it sports dual rear cameras which the makers say are designed for advanced augmented reality purposes. It has support for Dual LTE, 3G, and GSM networks. But the real star of the Quasar IV is the Quatrix trusted-authentication technology developed by QSAlpha. This proprietary technology, which is being integrated into the Android OS running on the device, not only ensures that your own data is safe, it also secures the information that the user is sending to other authenticated Quasar IV users. Furthermore, the phone also features a specialized chip that stores the user’s private identity key, strengthening the layers of security on the device. QSAlpha has announced that it has just partnered with one of the world’s largest consumer electronics manufacturer to start production of the Quasar IV, which should give backers of the device some amount of relief as the campaign has only raised around $59,000 out of the $3.2 million that it needs, with just 8 more days to go. Those who have pledged to back the project will automatically be added to a mailing list and will be informed once the device is up for reservation. SOURCE: QSAlpha

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Android World Update # Android Community

Android Community Tracking the Android Platform Revolution

Exotic travel ideas. Searching for your next vacation destination? Subscribe to Off The Beaten Path, a newsletter featuring captivating locales to help you to plan your next trip. From our sponsors

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 flash counter cannot be reset, warranty voided permanently Oct 10th 2013, 02:57, by Juan Carlos Torres Samsung is seemingly on a roll in making some rather controversial design decisions, ranging from the eyebrow-raising to the blood-curdling. Now it seems that the manufacturer has effectively found a way to discourage the few brave souls from tinkering with the newly released Galaxy Note 3. The latest S Pen phablet is already beset by bad publicity despite the otherwise impressive hardware and software tandem, which you can read about in our review here. Aside from the highly controversial region locking, Samsung has apparently designed the Galaxy Note 3 in such a way that its flash counter can no longer be reset when flashed with a different ROM, thereby permanently marking the device as “damaged”, even if its still working, and voiding all warranty. Here’s how it all works. Normally, everytime an Android device is flashed with another ROM, its flash counter is incremented to show many times it has undergone flashing. This gives service centers an indicator if the device has been tampered with. In the past, however, it has been possible to reset this counter to 0 which, along with flashing the original manufacturer ROM, would make it eligible again for warranty. This time, however, thanks to Samsung’s new KNOX security system, that is no longer the case. KNOX uses eFuse, a technology that enables read-only memory (ROM) to be reprogrammed, despite the read-only property of the chip. This, processor, however, is inaccessible to users. What happens now, then, is that, when the Galaxy Note 3 is flashed, KNOX gets rewritten and the flash counter is incremented permanently. Developer Chainfire, who wrote the TriangleAway tool that resets the flash counter, says that while it may be possible to find a way to reset the counter, it will be difficult to do so and the probability of success is quite low. This, unfortunately, leaves Galaxy Note 3 owners hanging with no way out of a flashed device. VIA: SamMobile Story Timeline Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SIM card restrictions surface Samsung regional SIM card locks explained Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review Samsung Galaxy Note 3 can now be region unlocked thanks to RegionLock Away Samsung SM-W2014 flip phone tipped to launch in China Oct 10th 2013, 02:23, by Juan Carlos Torres It seems that Samsung is really holding on to its throwback design as the company is reported to once again have a flip phone model in the works. The SM-W2014 is rumored to launch soon in China after having passed Chinese Industry and Information Technology authentication at the end of September. Samsung and China are no strangers to flip phones as the company has launched several such models in the past. Indeed just last August, Samsung unleashed its SCH-W789, codenamed Hennessy, on the Chinese market. Although that smartphone did have dual SIM support, a feature popular in that region, it only sported mid-range specs such as a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and two 3.3-inch 320×480 screens, a few notches down from the higher-end Samsung SHV-E400 Galaxy Golden which the company released in Korea just shortly after the Hennessy. Now it seems that Samsung will be making a repeat performance, this time in the Chinese market, preparing a flip phone that very closely resembles the Galaxy Golden. The SM-W2014, which at the moment doesn’t have an easier sounding name, sports a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, most likely a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, and 2 GB of RAM. It will also have dual AMOLED displays, both measuring 3.67 inches with resolutions of 480×800 pixels. It is rumored to have a 13 megapixel rear camera with a back-illuminated CMOS sensor as well as a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. Unlike the Galaxy Golden, this smartphone will be running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. But like the Galaxy Golden, the SM-W2014 is said to be available in only one color option: gold. There is no availability date or pricing details available yet, but the smartphone is tipped to be bound for carrier China Telecom. VIA: Blog of Mobile!! Final Fantasy VI venturing into Android soon, Final Fantasy VII also being considered Oct 10th 2013, 01:45, by Juan Carlos Torres That title alone should make the heart of any fan of the never-ending Final Fantasy franchise palpitate but let’s all take it in stride. Just after the release of Final Fantasy V on Android last month and with at least two more titles on the way, Square Enix is now saying that it is planning to release a modified version of Final Fantasy VI on Android and iOS this winter. According to Square director and producer Takashi Tokita, this mobile version of Final Fantasy VI will be a sort of remake of the original title, adjusted for the tastes and habits of mobile gamers today. For example, the need for grind has been reduced so that players can enjoy the game more for its epic storyline and memorable characters. Fans of the original 2D artwork, however, need not fear as the graphics will retain the same feel, only enhanced for modern displays on smartphones. Tokita also hinted that the company is also mulling over porting Final Fantasy VII over to Android and iOS. The title is one of the most popular and most loved in the franchise and has undoubtedly received many a request to update, port, or remake on various devices. However, given the somewhat perplexing stance by Square Enix to not put out a heavily modified version, we can probably expect that Final Fantasy VII will closely stick to the original, give or take a few adjustments for better mobile experience. The company is also said to be considering other titles further down the line such as Final Fantasy VIII, IX, and even X. However, all of these hinge on the success of this so-called “Legacy project” that is bringing beloved classic titles in the Final Fantasy world to mobile platforms, so whether all that happens is still to be determined. In the meantime, aside from Final Fantasy VI, we do have other titles to look forward to, with Final Fantasy IV: The After Years coming soon, as well as a newer Final Fantasy Agito game. VIA: Kotaku

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions