Droid Life

NVIDIA Posts Q1 Earnings, $60.4 Million Profit on $924.9 Million in Revenue

Tim — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:49:49 +0000

NVIDIA's Q1 earnings call took place this morning with the company reporting a somewhat small decrease in growth when compared to last year's Q4. In total, the company raked in $925 million in total revenue, with $60.4 million in profit thanks to the success of their Tegra line of mobile processors and the Kepler GPUs. In true CEO fashion, Jen-Hsun Huang said that their product launches have been better than ever and that he has high expectations for the upcoming year. You can catch the entire press release down below. Speaking of NVIDIA, feel free to enter our contest and win yourself a Transformer Pad prize pack.

NVIDIA Reports Financial Results for First Quarter Fiscal Year 2013

SANTA CLARA, CA, May 11, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)

--  Revenue of $924.9 million.
--  GAAP net income was $60.4 million, or $0.10 per diluted share.
    Non-GAAP net income was $97.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share.
--  GAAP gross margin was 50.1 percent. Non-GAAP gross margin was 50.4
    percent.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue of $924.9 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 ended Apr. 29, 2012. "Kepler GPUs are accelerating our business," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of NVIDIA. "Our newly launched desktop products are winning some of the best reviews we've ever had. Notebook GPUs had a record quarter. And Tegra is on a growth track again, driven by great mobile device wins and the upcoming Windows on ARM launch. "Graphics is more important than ever. Look for exciting news next week at the GPU Technology Conference as we reveal new ways that the GPU will enhance mobile and cloud computing," he said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Q1 FY13   Q4 FY12   Q1 FY13   Q4 FY12

 (in millions except per share data)    GAAP      GAAP    NON-GAAP  NON-GAAP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue                                 $924.9    $953.2    $924.9    $953.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross margin                             50.1%     51.4%     50.4%     52.5%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating expenses                      $390.5    $367.7    $348.0    $325.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income                               $60.4    $116.0     $97.5    $158.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share                       $0.10     $0.19     $0.16     $0.26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outlook Our outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 is as follows:

--  Revenue is expected to be between $990 million and $1.05 billion.

--  GAAP gross margin is expected to be 51.2 percent, plus or minus one
    percentage point. Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be 51.5
    percent, plus or minus one percentage point.

--  GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $418 million.
    Non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $354
    million.

    GAAP operating expenses for the second quarter are expected to
    include a one-time charge related to a corporate donation to Stanford
    Hospital of $25 million, payable over a 10-year period. We are joining
    Stanford's initiative, along with other corporations in the high-tech
    community, including Apple, eBay, HP, Intel, Intuit and Oracle, to
    build a leading-edge health care institution.

--  GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates are expected to be approximately 20
    percent, plus or minus one percent, for the second quarter and fiscal
    year, excluding any discrete tax events that may occur during the
    quarter, which, if realized, may increase or decrease our GAAP and
    non-GAAP tax rates. If the U.S. research tax credit is reinstated into
    tax law, we estimate our annual effective tax rate for the fiscal year
    2013 to be approximately 16 percent.

We estimate depreciation and amortization for the second quarter to be approximately $55 million to $57 million. Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $35 to $45 million. Diluted shares for the second quarter are expected to be approximately 628 million. First Quarter Fiscal 2013 and Recent Highlights:

--  NVIDIA launched its new Kepler(TM)-architecture GPUs to rave
    reviews. Products included the GeForce(R) GTX 670, GeForce GTX 680,
    the dual-GPU GeForce GTX 690, and the notebook range of GeForce 600M
    GPUs.

--  The first Ultrabook with an NVIDIA(R) GPU, the Acer Aspire Timeline
    M3, launched on March 6.

--  NVIDIA's first Tegra(R) 3 phone launched on Feb. 26, the HTC One X,
    to wide acclaim in the media. Tegra 3 phones are available from 22
    carriers in Europe and Asia.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     GAAP Quarterly Financial Comparison
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (in millions except per share data)     Q1 FY13   Q4 FY12        Q/Q
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue                                     $924.9    $953.2         down 3%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross margin                                 50.1%     51.4%   down 1.3 p.p.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating expenses                          $390.5    $367.7         up 6.2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income                                   $60.4    $116.0      down 47.9%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share                           $0.10     $0.19      down 47.4%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------
               Non-GAAP Quarterly Financial Comparison*
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(in millions except per share data)  Q1 FY13   Q4 FY12       Q/Q
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue                               $924.9    $953.2        down 3%
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross margin                           50.4%     52.5%   down 2.1 p.p
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating expenses                    $348.0    $325.2          up 7%
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Net income                             $97.5    $158.1     down 38.3%
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share                     $0.16     $0.26     down 38.5%
---------------------------------------------------------------------

* Non-GAAP earnings excluded stock-based compensation, amortization
of acquisition-related intangible assets, other acquisition-related
costs, a legal settlement in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, and
the tax impact associated with such items.

Inverted Instagram Brings a Dark Side to the Photo Sharing Social Network

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:00:05 +0000

An outstanding forums member over at RootzWiki has taken the official Instagram apk and inverted most of its light colors to help people fulfill their dark-theme needs. This would go perfectly with any of themes we posted earlier today. To install, simply download the apk and install as you would any other 3rd party application. And if this isn't enough Instagram goodness for you, then you can now have your Instagram uploads made into actual prints for you to hang in your house. Wow. Download: Inverted_Instagram.apk Via: RootzWiki Cheers Chris!

Groupon Has the Motorola XOOM WiFi for $340, Vanilla Android Tablet at its Finest

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:00:20 +0000

It seems that the Interwebz has been pumping out deals left and right for Android tablets as of late. The newest to hit our inbox is Groupon's listing of the XOOM WiFi for only $340. The XOOM will always hold a special place in our hearts, seeing as how it was the first and still remains to be one of the only true vanilla Android tablets ever made. It receives timely updates straight from Google to the newest versions of the Android OS and while being completely unlockable, has a healthy developer community to keep it kicking even after Google drops support. Via: Groupon Cheers Terris, Anthony, and Bladelaire!

HTC Thunderbolt Update to 2.11.605.19 Begins Rolling Out to Owners

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:00:52 +0000

The emails and tweets are flying in with HTC Thunderbolt owners saying that their devices are starting to see the 2.11.605.19 update prompt. The update itself isn’t major and appears to be focused on connectivity issues, plus has better VPN functionality and better handling of Yahoo Mail. Go get it, Bolt owners. To update: Settings > Software update > Status or Check new Cheers Stephen and Joe!

NVIDIA's TegraZone Hits 1-Year Anniversary - Announces Players' Choice Awards, Wants to Give You Prizes

Kellen — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:27 +0000

Can you believe it? The NVIDIA TegraZone, the premier spot for serious mobile gamers to shop, has hit its 1-year anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, NVIDIA has launched a Players' Choice Awards contest where gamers can win a variety of prizes (including some right here at Droid Life), simply by voting at the TegraZone site in 3 categories: best graphics, best gameplay, and overall fun. The Players' Choice Awards will run from May 10 through May 31, but throughout the voting period, NVIDIA will hand out 7 Asus Transformer Pads to those that have voted. On Droid Life, we will hand out 3 separate tablet bundles of our own (1 per week for 3 weeks) that include a Transformer Pad with keyboard dock, Jambox speaker, and a Logitech gaming controller. In other words, you have a bunch of chances to win some pretty amazing prizes. To start voting and to get your name entered to win prizes, scan the QR code below:

You can also head to the TegraZone site or NVIDIA blog.

Video: ASUS Padfone Receives an Unboxing, Now This is Boxception

Eric — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:20:54 +0000

It seems like we have been hearing about the ASUS Padfone for years now, and it still isn't out. If you have been waiting for a phone that comes with a stylus that docks into a tablet that turns into a laptop, this video should whet your appetite a bit. The good people over at NetbookNews got their hands on the crazy device and unboxed all of the boxes for you, showing off everything that ASUS has up their sleeve.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJyYPxd5wKM&list=UU0GhiZR9zyPorNmoWyPClrQ&index=4&feature=plcp[/youtube]

If Ice Cream Sandwich wasn't enough on one device, how about all three? The phone, tablet and resulting laptop all run Android 4.0, and pretty smoothly from what the video shows. Remember it does have a Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor in it, clocked at 1.5GHz. The phone's screen is a 4.3" Super AMOLED display and the phone has an 8MP camera on the rear that also is the camera the tablet uses.

You have to watch the video to really understand how it all, literally, fits together. It's an interesting device andASUS may have an audience here, the device(s) are certainly something to talk about if nothing less. Any readers planning on picking this up when it finally hits stores?

Via: Phandroid | NetbookNews

Kickstarter Project Wallee Looks to Mount Your Galaxy Nexus Anywhere With the Help of Rare-Earth Metals

Eric — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:53 +0000

Kickstarter is once again the landing place for another exciting project that a lot of readers here can benefit from. The Wallee M is a case that is being designed for the iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus that includes neodymium magnets in the molding that connect securely to wall mounts that can be placed almost anywhere. It looks pretty sleek as far as cases go which is good in our books.

For as low as $40 you can back this venture and get yourself one of the cases alongside one magnetic holding disc. There are plans for a desk dock that pivots and even a suction cup car mount as well. From the looks of things however, the case seems to be trimmed to fit the Galaxy Nexus, chin and all. So unless people speak up it looks like this will not work with the extended battery. Even then, what do you think about sticking rare-earth magnets onto the back of your electronic smartphone?

Via: Kickstarter

First Wave of CM9/AOKP Theme Manager APK's Start Popping Up

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:40:47 +0000

If you happen to be running the newest builds of CyanogenMod or AOKP, then you already know that they have the popular Theme Manager baked right in. We are starting to see the first applications come forward on the forums and we have linked to them down below. So far, we have a vivid green one and a few dark/black options. To use them, just download the apk's and install them as you would any other 3rd party app. Then, open the Theme Manager and apply from there.

Dark Ice | ICS Green | Black Exodus

Cheers Chris!

Save $100 on the DROID RAZR MAXX in Upcoming Verizon Deal?

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:45:50 +0000

Planning on picking up a DROID RAZR MAXX soon? Verizon may be hosting a sale that would save customers $100 on the device when they sign up for a new two year plan and data package. As of right now, the phone costs a whopping $300, so the extra $100 off would be a pretty sweet deal. We don't have any word on when this sale is to take place exactly, but it could be right around corner. Cheers ___!

Rovio Buys IP for Casey's Contraptions, Intends to Re-Brand and Relaunch on Larger Scale

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:10 +0000

Recently, Rovio has confirmed that they have big plans following the huge success of Angry Birds Space. They have acquired the IP for Casey's Contraptions, which is a popular title for iOS users. Rovio intends to re-brand the game and then launch on both Android and iOS, followed by many more platforms. Ville Heijari, VP of franchise development had this to say on the acquisition:

Working with Noel and Miguel has been fantastic, and this is a game that we all fell in love with from the first play. The gameplay is a perfect fit in our arsenal with its approachable, fun and highly addictive take on the physics puzzler genre.

Watch the video below and let us know what you think of this game. It seems like another 'cutesy' physics game, which is always welcomed. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlqNa9mEqNE[/youtube] Via: BGR

Blue DROID RAZR Available at Select Verizon Stores Today, Online Starting May 17

Tim — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:10:12 +0000

If you have had your eye on when the blue DROID RAZR would be making its way to the masses, then today is your day. Starting now, you can head into select Verizon stores and pick yourself up a new blue 16GB DROID RAZR for a reported $150 on a new two year contract. The device will be made available in all Big Red stores on May 17 and also online. As far as we know, there aren’t plans for this blue color to make its way onto the MAXX any time soon, so if this is the color you have been waiting for, no 3300mAh battery for you. Is this the color of DROID you've been looking for?

Is Google Working on Their Own Native Gaming Center With Google+ at the Center?

Eric — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:30:44 +0000

Google is looking to improve a few of their services in the near future, and in this case: build a new one. Google+ has had a gaming center for a while now, whether or not it gets used as much as Google wants it to is another story. But now, rumor is that Google is looking to expand that into a full fledged Android Gaming hub.

Most likely taking a few cues from Apple's Game Center, users will be able to read leaderboards with friend's scores and battle against them to try and beat their numbers and times. Since it's heading towards social it would be only obvious to use Google+ as a center of all this. Could we hear more about this when we learn about the Nexus tablet later this year? We're gonna have to wait and keep a look out.

Via: Phandroid

Samsung Acquires mSpot to Bolster Their Cloud Services

Eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:20:31 +0000

Samsung is looking to beef-up their cloud presence, because let's face it, who doesn't have a cloud storage offering for you these days? While you may never heard of mSpot, they specialize in mobile entertainment services and all things in the cloud. This makes sense after Samsung boasted about how easy it will be to share with their new Galaxy SIII. Pictures, movies, and check-ins will all be in the cloud and this acquisition is sure to help with some of the heavy lifting for that.

Samsung Electronics Acquires mSpot
Palo Alto, Calif. – May 9, 2012 – Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today it is acquiring mSpot, Inc., a leading mobile cloud contents service provider based in Palo Alto, California. The acquisition will provide a cloud entertainment experience of music, video and radio services for users of Samsung devices, while extending mSpot’s cloud and streaming solutions to a broader base of global entertainment fans. The combination will extend mSpot’s top class cloud and streaming services, while further enhancing Samsung’s mobile and tablet device entertainment offerings. The mSpot entertainment services will be a key pre-installed offering on newly announced Samsung mobile devices. “mSpot shares our vision to bring a best-in class cloud and streaming entertainment experience to consumers, and they’ve backed it up with great technical solutions from a great engineering team,” said TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Media Solution Center. “Samsung is unparalleled in terms of global reach and cutting edge devices; with our combined resources, we are looking forward to redefining media consumption across the mobile universe with cloud services,” said mSpot Chief Executive Officer Daren Tsui. The acquisition will include the full scope of technology, assets and human resources under mSpot. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed. About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$142.2 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of nine independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, mobile phones and semiconductor chips. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com. About mSpot mSpot was formed in 2004 and is a provider of innovative music and video delivery service for mobile devices. The company has been providing white-labeled cloud entertainment services for major US mobile carriers. It also has its own brand services available in the Android Marketplace or App Store. For more information, go towww.mspotcorporate.com

Project Glass Photo Says "Boy These Would be Awesome While Playing With My Kids

Tim — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:40:06 +0000

Now this is a cool shot. Unless you have a smartphone duct taped to your face, shots like these are hard to come by. With Project Glass, pictures such as these will be more common and we can finally start capturing pictures of what we truly see with our own two eyes. It's looking like a bright future for Project Glass and we wish we could throw cash at our computers and make them become available already. Still no word on availability, but let us hope they're making progress. Via: Google+

Google Releases New G+ App for iOS, Says Android Version is "Coming in a Few Weeks"

Tim — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:00:39 +0000

Google+ for iOS users received a major overhaul today, but poor Android users won't see the newest version for at least a few more weeks. With the new update, users will see a completely redone user experience and Google's goal is to basically simplify and beautify Google+. They released a statement that sums it up best:

To be clear, we’re not interested in a mobile or social experience that’s just smaller. We’re embracing the sensor-rich smartphone (with its touchable screen and high-density display), and transforming Google+ into something more intimate, and more expressive.

Well, Android users are going to have to be patient and wait for their turn. Most likely realizing that this is a lot to ask of an Android owner, Google says there will be a few "extra surprises" in the Android version. Thanks, Google. Via: Google+

LG Optimus LTE2 Gets Leaked Photos Galore, Really Wants To Compete With The Galaxy SIII

Eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:10:16 +0000

A few hours after the Next Galaxy announcement last week when we learned the Galaxy SIII was official, the other Korean handset maker had a nice quiet announcement about their new flagship phone as well. LG quickly pushed out information about the Optimus LTE2 and attempted to wow the masses with the fact that it sports 2GB of RAM. Now we've got some leaked pictures of the phone and some information to see if there is anything else interesting about this phone.

At first glance, looking at this phone you would think that it is the international version of the Galaxy SII, and it makes LG's obsession with Samsung pretty apparent. We learned what we didn't know before and that was the question around the chipset in this phone. It has a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with a 4.7" True HD IPS screen on top. It is running LG's skin over top of Ice Cream Sandwich and has a 2,150mAh battery inside. There are even leaked pictures of LG's own wireless charging accessory for this new phone, something that Samsung also announced at their press conference.

There are plenty of more leaked photos at the source link below, but this leaves us thinking. This all sounds good on paper but with LG's track record they just haven't been able to relate the specs into good sales in the US. There is a stigma about the brand that they need to shake. Do the specs for this phone sound good enough for you to give it a look?

Via: Kuccblog

CloudOn Released for Android - Create MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Documents While On the Go

Tim — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:30:28 +0000

A fantastic application has made its way onto the Play Store that will enable Android tablet users to produce some serious work while still being mobile. With CloudOn, you can access three of the major cloud storage services like Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive. Once connected to your online storage, you can then create/edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from anywhere you have an internet connection. The application doesn't stop there - with built in Adobe Reader, you can essentially open any type of file for viewing including PNGs, GIFs, and even PDFs. It's a fantastic mobile tool that almost all Android tablet users should think about picking up. Starting today, you can give it a go in the Play Store for free. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqj3QUUnEtQ[/youtube]

Samsung Continues Being Slow With Accessories, Wireless Charging Kit For Galaxy SIII Won't Be Out Until September

Eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:45:33 +0000

At the announcement of the Next Galaxy last week, Samsung made it a point to mention all of these wonderful accessories we would be receiving alongside the Galaxy SIII. An HDMI adapter, a battery charging stand and a few others were mentioned but the star of the show was the Wireless Charging Kit. This kit is apparently the first to use a new type of technology that will make it more reliable and faster than other technologies, but the problem is they didn't mention when we would see it.

As many Galaxy Nexus owners will attest, Samsung hasn't been too good at providing accessories for their phones. Word on the street is that there will be a four month delay from when the phone launches to when we can see the wireless charging accessory. In the long run that isn't that much of a delay but with Samsung's track record we are a little wary. Let us all hope for the SIII's sake that they do better on the accessories this time around. What is so hard about making a dock that uses the G-Nex's pogo pins?

Via: The Verge

Video: Quick First Look at the LG Optimus Vu

Kellen — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:10:41 +0000

Is the LG Optimus Vu the weirdest phone of the last year? Quite possibly. Once rumored to be LG's knee-jerk reaction to the Samsung Galaxy Note, this thing is a monster. It's being sold as a phone, but with its 5" display, it's much more. On the spec side, it has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor (probably the Snapdragon S4), LTE, 2080mAh battery, 8MP rear camera, and is only 8.5mm thick. Oh, it also still runs Gingerbread. After playing with it, I can sort of see how it would be a nice coffee table device, maybe as a mini tablet. I'm still struggling to decide if I would ever want to carry around a device this big as my daily driver. You'll see in the video below what I'm talking about. Aside from the size, it hums along nicely, has nifty screen capture tricks up its sleeves, takes decent pictures, and would be a joy to consume media on. It has not been announced for the U.S. market yet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJeDj__Ics[/youtube]

Video: Quick First Look at the LG Optimus 4X HD

Kellen — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:30:17 +0000

LG is one of the few big wigs that has a major presence here at CTIA this week, so we stopped by their booth to check out their newest line of Optimus phones. First up is the Optimus 4X HD which so far, has not been announced for the States. It's currently an international phone with a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 processor, 4.7" HD display, HSPA+, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, 2150mAh battery, NFC, and Ice Cream Sandwich. After playing with it for a bit, I will give LG some credit for once - this phone is very nice. This version of their custom skin is their best yet. They also took things like their native video and camera apps and pumped them up with features that no one else is doing (to my knowledge). It may not be stock, however, this phone is still something to consider if/when it comes to our shores.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly4AtDcKfSg[/youtube]

Google Maps Update Brings Offers and Indoor Directions to Your Map, Shazam Update Enables Android Beam Tag Sharing

Eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:00:22 +0000

A few interesting updates await you in the Play Store today if you head on over. First up is an update for arguably the best app of all time, Google Maps. The application will now show you Google Offers based on your location, so if you're walking around downtown you can find where to go to lunch and save some money. The map view of this is particularly handy. Also tucked into this update is "360 degree panoramas inside restaurants and stores" and indoor walking directions for the US and Japan. Both of which can be pretty interesting once they become more widespread.

Shazam also has an update waiting for you, one that enables NFC if you have it. You can "swap tags and share your favorite music" through Android Beam just by tapping your two phones together (provided you both have NFC). Now you can really be that guy who shares the music with all of his friends.

Play Links: Maps | Shazam

Video: The HTC One X Has Hidden Bluetooth Camera Controls?

Tim — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:30:48 +0000

You have to give it up for some tech-tinkerers out there. Someone over in China with too much time on their hands have found that if you pair certain Bluetooth headsets with the HTC One X, that you can remotely control the camera's shutter. Seriously, that's neat. Depending on which headset you have, it could be as easy as a single click or sometimes a variation of certain button presses to get it working properly. It's a nifty video and thankfully, it comes with subtitles. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcOv2F3JjGk[/youtube] Via: Android Community

Best Buy Offering Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Bundle for $300

Tim — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:45:30 +0000

If you have been searching the internet for that perfect deal, then look no further. The folks over at Best Buy are selling a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 bundle, complete with keyboard dock, case, headset, and more for only $300. The 8.9 Tab is perfect for people who enjoy simplistic portability and don't need a whole 10.1" device for their mobile gaming and business. It's not a bad deal, so definitely consider it if a tablet was in your purchasing future. Buy Cheers Bryan!

HTC Thunderbolt Update 2.11.605.19 Approved and Ready, Is Not Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:57:06 +0000

A new update for the HTC Thunderbolt has been approved by Verizon and is ready to be rolled out. The build number of 2.11.605.19 may look familiar since it leaked a few weeks back. The update itself isn't major and appears to be focused on connectivity issues. It also has better VPN functionality and better handling of Yahoo Mail. When these update docs arrive, we usually see an update within a week or two. The update is 61MB in size. More info.

Hands-on With the Samsung Galaxy SIII

Kellen — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:16:43 +0000

Last night during CTIA, PepCom threw their usual shindig of multiple mobile industry players who want a more intimate setting to show off their latest and greatest products. We knew that Samsung was going to be in attendance, but had yet to confirm whether or not they would have the freshly announced Galaxy SIII on hand. Sure enough, they did - in both colors. And we dove into it as we were unable to attend its unveiling in London. So what do we think now after finally putting our greasy paws on it? Let's talk about it.

Build, Look, and Feel

Well, the phone in hand, feels pretty damn good. It's light as all Samsung devices are, is a nice size, but like the One X, could be close to being too big. If you called Sammie phones "cheap" in the past, I would bet that your opinion wouldn't change on this one. Personally, I don't mind the build materials in their phones, so to me, it just felt like a nicely made Samsung phone. Nothing to complain about on the build and feel front. Looks may be another story though. The phone itself is really glossy. I mean like, the shiniest, glossiest device in history. I wouldn't call it ugly, but if you prefer matte finishes (like we do), then the shine may be a bit much for you. We were critical of the new EVO LTE's top because it had a similar finish, which means fingerprint magnet, and this was sort of on that level. Also not a fan of the physical home button on the bottom, that at times, seemed difficult to press. I'm sure a little practice would fix that problem though. As far as colors go, both white and blue looked nice in person. The blue backing in particular gives off this impression that it's this heavy, thick metal, when in actuality it is as thin of plastic as you can get. Tricky little optical illusion there by Samsung. Overall on design, I'd give it high marks. Again, I'm not so hot on the glossy finishes, but could get used to it.

Software

When Samsung unveiled this device, they talked about specs ever-so-briefly. It has next-gen stuff, but what they really wanted to focus on was software. They showed off their Siri-like S Voice and S Beam, but they have so many more tricks up their sleeve that they were unable to do at the press event. For example, if you and all of your friends have a SGS3, you can create mini-networks wherever you are, and then instantly share things like photos with them all. It's like Color was at launch, but integrated into TouchWiz. They built in this hand-waving gesture across the screen that lets you take a screenshot (hard to explain). I got to see the eye-recognition software in action almost immediately as well. Just by staring at the screen for a few seconds, this little eye icon appears in the notification bar to let you know that it is tracking you. The phone will then essentially wake itself if you look away and then back. Again, hard to explain, but was cool to play with. The reps I spoke with talked about how most of the stuff is impossible to show off at an event because it usually includes personal info and such, so I have a feeling that as we get closer to review time, we will all find new things to show off on the regular. I really came away thinking not about the build and look and specs, but about all of the software add-ons that I couldn't wait to give hours of my time to. This is one of the first Android devices where I can say that. Normally we care about processors and screen types, however, with the Galaxy SIII, it's beyond that. Samsung is building high-end phones on the spec front, but now, they are jumping into the software game and it appears to be in a good way. My conclusion after spending such a minimal amount of time with it was that this device is probably a lot like the iPhone 4S launch. Samsung didn't try to wow us all with specs (even though they are some of the best), they instead wanted us to talk about the experience and the apps or features they built in to make your life easier. I know that many of us had strong opinions about the phone at last week's event, but this is definitely one of those devices you need to spend time with before forming a final one. Looking forward to launch so that we can see everything that Samsung has done.

Gallery:

Flipboard APK Leaks Out Ahead of Official Launch With Galaxy SIII, Available For Download

Eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:03:54 +0000

One of the last things we heard from the Galaxy SIII event is that the widely popular iOS app, Flipboard, would be coming to Android with the launch of Samsung's new phone. It's a news reader application that adds a certain level of flair by letting you flip through the pages vertically and it comes with a very slick animation as well. While we were excited to wait for its launch for Android when the Galaxy SIII hit stores, today's news that the APK has been leaked is even better. XDA user Valcho somehow came across the official application and has it available for everyone to download at the link below. All you have to do is allow the installation of non-market apps in your settings and you are good to go. Will you give this a try? Or do you have too many news readers these days? Download Via: XDA Cheers everyone who sent this in!

Instagram for Android Receives Update, New Tilt Feature Added

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:15:20 +0000

Our beloved Instagram has received an update, adding another feature called 'tilt" which iOS users have had for quite some time. With tilt, you can specify a part of your picture to be crystal clear while the rest is then blurred out. Simple yet effective. It's another great way for you to make some pretty pictures to share with your followers. Play Link Cheers K!

Google+ Adds Ability to Interact With Friends Straight From Your Email Inbox

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:35:46 +0000

Over the course of the coming week, Google+ is going to be turning on a new feature that will make commenting and "+1'ing" content a total breeze. When you receive an email notification about your friend's activity, you can comment and share a laugh straight from your inbox in real time. No more dragging your eyes over to the Google+ site to see what's happening.

We're now making Google+ notification emails in Gmail completely interactive:

You can view, comment on, and +1 posts from inside your inbox

Your comments appear in the Google+ stream in real-time, and

Responses from others instantly appear in Gmail, as part of the notification message

Reply to notifications from your mobile device

This should definitely make using Google+ a bit more easy for folks still using it. Via: Google+

Verizon to Begin Letting You Text 911 During an Emergency, We Say "It's About Time"

Eric — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:41 +0000

So you're in a dire situation, but calling 911 might not be either advisable or possible. Verizon is looking to help its customers with that by building an SMS-911 system over the next 12 months. This new system will also come in handy for people with hearing or speech disabilities by allowing people to text 911 to report emergencies.

The FCC has been planning to upgrade their call centers to receive texts and photos even for a few years now, and it seems that things are finally moving in that direction. Somewhere near 70% of all 911 calls come from mobile phones these days it only makes sense that the technology gets scaled up to the times. Verizon expects to start rolling out the service in early 2013 in metropolitan areas.

Via: iOnApple

Android Has Come a Long Way Since 2007, a Young Sergey Brin Shows Us the New OS

Eric — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:20:37 +0000

A lot of Google's secrets about Android have come to the light in their recent legal battle with Oracle over the use of Java patents. One of the more interesting nuggets that we have learned was the existence of the never released device called the Sooner. Officially it is the HTC EXCA 300, a Blackberry-esque device that was the precursor to the G1. Packing an OMAP 850 processor, QWERTY keyboard, 64MB of RAM and a "generous" 320 x 240 resolution (that didn't support touch capabilities), this phone was what Android was built on, and boy what four years can do to an operating system.

Hardware aside though, the really interesting part of this is to see Android on-screen. The video changes to the touch-capable and now legendary T-Mobile G1 halfway through so we have something a bit more familiar to look at. Note the many references to the "fast 3G data network." Here we are 4 years later and we feel like waiting for a webpage to load on anything other than LTE is a lifetime. Google Maps is shown off with its map tiles that we have seen gone for a while now.

So here we are, with arguably the largest overhaul of Android since its inception just dropped: Ice Cream Sandwich. It's interesting to see the growth of Android from it's roots to being the leading OS around the world. So much has changed in 4 years but a lot is the same, but that's part of the draw to Android: it's always innovating. Where do you think Android is headed next?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg[/youtube]

Via: Android Authority

CTIA 2012 Keynote Day 1: Battle of the U.S. Carrier CEOs

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:47:13 +0000

When I saw that CTIA had booked the 4 CEOs from the top 4 U.S. carriers to get on stage and banter about the industry, I immediately penciled it into my schedule. They ran a similar keynote last year, but with the AT&T and T-Mobile merger still up in the air at the point, it was missing T-Mo's CEO. With that merger now squashed, this will be the first time that all 4 will gather. It's moderated, but it should make for some entertaining commentary.

Test Your Consumer Skills with Logo Quiz, A True Look at How Well We Recognize Logos

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:40:02 +0000

Want to test your skills at remembering logos and brands? It may seem weird, but this game is actually pretty enticing. When you open the game, you are greeted with the world's most well-known brands and logos and your task is to correctly identify each of them. Simple, right? There are the easy ones like McDonald's and Facebook, but there are also some head-scratchers such as Peugeot and Stella Artois whose logos are either hard to recognize with no words or spellings are unfamiliar to Americans. Give it a shot and let us know if you need any hints. Play Link Cheers Rick and Jordy!

Apple and Samsung Slowly Start to Disarm Their Patent Nukes, Drop Numerous Claims Against Each Other

Eric — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:06 +0000

Even though the court-recommended talks between Samsung and Apple were supposed to start later this month, it seems the two companies have started pulling back a bit from their thermonuclear patent war. Monday, Apple filed to narrow their patent claims against Samsung to nearly half of what they originally were. Samsung responded hours later by shaving five claims off of their suit against Apple as well.

While this is a far cry from things being resolved, this might make it easier for the two to come to a complete settlement. If something is not agreed upon, the trial is set to go to court in July.

Via: BGR

1SaleADay Has Factory Refurbished Logitech Revues, Selling for Only $70 (Update: Sold Out)

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:10:04 +0000

Are you still looking for some Google TV action? The Logitech Revue, one of the more well-known and popular models of set-top boxes, is being sold on 1SaleADay for just $70. The units are factory refurbished and come with a 90 day warranty which should ensure you aren't buying a piece of junk. I myself use the Revue and have had nothing but good times. If you have been looking to try out Google TV, this is definitely an affordable option right here. Update: They have sold out. Sorry, folks. Buy Cheers T!

Video: Quick First Look at the HTC EVO 4G LTE

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:30:47 +0000

While stumbling around HTC's booth here at CTIA, I came across the new EVO 4G LTE which I had yet to get my hands on. So I took it for a spin and thought I'd share. When this phone was unveiled, I was pretty critical of the design choices that were made, particularly to the back side. The matte finish on the bottom looks amazing, but that glossy black top is something else altogether. After handling the phone for all of 5 minutes, the glossy part was completely covered in fingerprints (you'll see in the video). So with this phone, you will constantly be wiping the back and screen so that it doesn't look like a massive black smudgefest. Overall though, the phone is very pleasing to look at from the front, it's just that backside makes me cringe a bit. For those not familiar, the EVO 4G LTE is headed to Sprint as somewhat of a copy of the One X. It has a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor inside, 4.7" gorgeous Super LCD2 display, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, 2000mAh battery, and more. It's easily Sprint's best phone even with the Galaxy Nexus just launching.

Gallery:

Quick look:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf_JAeYz038[/youtube]

Video: Quick First Look at the DROID Incredible 4G LTE

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:50:38 +0000

There she is, folks, the DROID Incredible 4G LTE. I gave you some photos of the phone in the wild from yesterday, but I finally had a chance to swing by HTC's booth here at CTIA to spend some quality time with it. My initial reaction is, "Smallish device with some great specs that will be a winner if priced right." This is not the HTC One X, let's be clear. It is however the best of the Incredible series and will probably end up as VZW's top LTE phone thanks to the Snapdragon S4 chip inside and a combination of other specs. Specifically, the expandable storage and removable battery make this a step ahead of some of those One Series phones in my opinion. We still aren't sure when the phone is coming out, but have heard either next week or all the way at the end of the month. Pricing is also a mystery, however, we have heard $149 a few times. On a semi-related note, HTC is taking the accessory game very seriously now. They are producing all sorts of different cases, docks, media sharing dongles, in-car audio add-ons and more. I took a quick picture of some of their case ideas which is below. For future Incredible 4G LTE owners, you will notice that there is a white shell case that also comes in red to give your phone some extra flair.

Gallery:

Cases:

Quick First Look:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpDJMuq5tRM[/youtube]

Nevada Gives Google License to Test Driverless Cars in Their State

Eric — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:10:10 +0000

Google isn't giving up on their vision of seeing cars driving themselves and passengers in the near future. After Nevada passed legislation regarding the requirements for driverless cars, Google has been granted a license to test their new pet project out in the desert. There are a few rules however, to make sure that these Priuses (Prii, Prioria, Priores?) don't go rogue and cause some major damage.

Nevada has said that if you want to test these cars you need to have an insurance bond of $1 million and that the testing time and area for these cars must be laid out thoroughly. Don't expect to be driving down the highway and seeing one next to you in rush hour anytime soon. The cars even get their own license plate, featuring a red back with an infinity symbol on it. Nevada DMV Director Bruce Breslow says, "I felt using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the ‘car of the future.'" Anyone ready to give up their lead foot to let the car drive itself?

Via: Arstechnica

AT&T CEO Says That Google Determines Update Schedule For Phones, Google Assures Us They Don't

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:28:41 +0000

In a recent interview at the Milken Institute, AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson said some curious words on Google's process of updating Android devices. Stephenson tried to shed light on the actual happenings that take place when you wonder why your phone still isn't updated to the newest Android OS. Should we be blaming the carriers or Google for my device running old software. He had this to say:

Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when. A lot of times, that’s a negotiated arrangement and that’s something we work at hard. We know that’s important to our customers. That’s kind of an ambiguous answer because I can’t give you a direct answer in this setting.

The blogs and writers weren't the only confused ones in the building after that statement and even Google had to release a statement to try and determine just what AT&T's CEO was trying to say:

Mr. Stephenson’s carefully worded quote caught our attention and frankly we don’t understand what he is referring to. Google does not have any agreements in place that require a negotiation before a handset launches. Google has always made the latest release of Android available as open source at source.android.com as soon as the first device based on it has launched. This way, we know the software runs error-free on hardware that has been accepted and approved by manufacturers, operators and regulatory agencies such as the FCC. We then release it to the world.

You can watch the full interview down below and try to figure out what Stephenson was shooting for, but be warned, it's an hour long. We can probably expect AT&T to release a statement that will reiterate what their CEO was trying to explain. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3drI4yyiVw[/youtube] Via: 9 to 5 Google

Did the Latest Google Maps Update Break Voice in Navigation?

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:50:10 +0000

After the last Google Maps update rolled out, we received an email here or there from users who had noticed that when using turn-by-turn navigation, that the voice was no longer saying street names. Instead, the voice was simply saying "Turn right" or "Turn left." You can imagine how frustrating this would be for daily users who are actually looking at the road when driving, rather than at their navigation device. We were unable to replicate the issue on any of our devices (One X or Galaxy Nexus) and have had no problems with navigation. However, after cruising through the comments in Play Store listing of the app, it's clear that many are. So we thought we would bring it up to ask if your Google Maps is having voice navigation issues, and if so, have you been able to fix it? Cheers Scott!

Verizon Introduces 4G LTE Edition of Color for Facebook, Live Stream Video with Sound Straight to Your Friends

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:10:03 +0000

Color and Verizon have just launched a special 4G LTE edition of their social photo sharing application onto the Play Store. With Color, you can stream video onto your Facebook page for all of your friends to watch and enjoy. Previously, users of the already popular application had requested that sound be made an option for streaming - their wishes have been granted. If you're on Big Red, then you can access the sound feature and upload your beautiful images and audio straight to your friend's timeline. I tested it on my Galaxy Nexus this morning and it seems to work like a charm. If you're into live streaming special aspects of your life onto FB, then give Color a go. If your name is FortitudineVincimus, you should probably skip this one though. Play Link

Verizon 4G LTE Markets Expand in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts

Tim — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:30:52 +0000

If you live in any of the below mentioned cities, you might have noticed a shiny new 4G LTE logo in your notification bar. Verizon has continued to their push to cover the nation with their super fast 4G network, expanding by the minute. Parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts are getting lit up as we type this. Here is the full list of new 4G LTE markets in the US:

Henniker, New Hampshire
Canton, Ohio
Youngstown And Warren, Ohio
Northern Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Somerset, Pennsylvania
New Castle; Pennsylvania
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Franklin, Pennsylvania
Clarion, Pennsylvania
Barnesboro, Pennsylvania
Bucyrus, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Defiance, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Ashtabula, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Lunenburg, Massachusetts

Update: We would like to clarify that these cities will be receiving 4G LTE or will be having their 4G LTE area expanded starting May 17 or later. Do we have any happy new 4G LTE users? Cheers Brandon!

Quick Hands-on With the DROID Incredible 4G LTE

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:52:22 +0000

Last night, while making the rounds in New Orleans, I had a chance to spend a few minutes with the newly announced DROID Incredible 4G LTE. This will be Verizon's next major LTE release and has easily been the topic of the week here at CTIA. The phone in hand, feels great. It only carries a 4" display, so it really is like a 2012 version of last year's Incredible 2. The size is almost identical, but the build materials and internals make it quite the upgrade. One thing to note is that this does not have HTC's ImageChip (we were told that was reserved for One Series phones) which means that some features of the camera will be slightly different than on the One X or One S. In our short time with it, I wouldn't say that it seemed worse off, but features like burst mode did not appear to be included. It should still be the same high-end 8MP shooter from the One Series, but with slightly different software. We should have the opportunity to dive deep into the phone within the next couple of hours, once the show floor opens, so stay with us. Enjoy the pics for now and let us know what you think about a 4" screen - too small for 2012?

Video: HTC's New Car and Media Link HD Experiences

Kellen — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:19:56 +0000

HTC released a couple of new videos today to highlight the car and media sharing capabilities of their new One Series. The car software, as you will see in the video below, has been optimized for music (once paired with a dongle), so that you can have wireless tunes throughout without all of those pesky cables. Their Media Link HD accessory gives One Series owners the ability to share media with any screen at any time. You will need to purchase a Media Link receiver in order to make this magic happen, but for those wanting to easily take their phone's screen and share it with their TV, it doesn't appear to get any simpler.

Media Link HD:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfW8uLs0qA[/youtube]

Car:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuBnPPAU3mE[/youtube]

LG's Google TVs Hitting Stores at The End of May, Google TV Gears Up for Round 2

Eric — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:30:15 +0000

Google is trying to reboot their Google TV venture this year and LG is the first to get into the game with them. Back at CES in January, they showed of two sleek LED models that they said we would be seeing sometime soon. Rumors have been swirling around about the price and availability of these new sets, but LG has just announced the first two models.

The first piece of the puzzle comes from LG executive Ro Seogho, saying that they will be available in the US on May 21. But how much will they cost you say? There are two sizes, 47" and 55" that will run you $1699 and $2299 respectively. Whoa.

Willing to give Google TV another try at that price point?

Via: Engadget

AppDrawer Gives You More Customization, Incase You Didn't Have Enough Already

Eric — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:45:16 +0000

If your homescreen or more specifically, your app drawer is feeling a bit stale, then AppDrawer is looking to spruce things up for you. It can work with multiple launcher applications such as ADW Launcher, LauncherPro, Apex Launcher and Nova Launcher being some of the bigger names. The replacement app drawer lets you choose what layout you want, whether it be a list like is found in Windows Phone 7 or the scrolling app page found in Android before Ice Cream Sandwich's release.

You can choose the background color and even the font that you want underneath your applications and the list just goes on. If you're looking for that little extra tweak to make your phone just how you want it, check out this app drawer replacement.

Play Link

HTC Rezound Receives Another Ice Cream Sandwich Build Leak, Includes Newer Radios and Bug Fixes

Tim — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:23 +0000

Owners of the HTC Rezound, a new Ice Cream Sandwich treat has been made available to you today. Last week an initial build was leaked, but unfortunately some bugs apparently made it through s well and have plagued users. This newest build should address some of these problems such as the wrong sender being displayed on SMS messages, which could lead to awkward situations. We do know that an official 4.0.3 update is in the works, but if patience is your strong suit, then give this a go. This is a full ROM, so this will almost undoubtedly wipe your entire phone. Approach with caution. Download Link Instructions:

*Your bootloader needs to be locked. If you unlocked using the HTCDev tool, this won’t work.

1. Download the file from above and rename to PH98IMG.zip. 2. Place the file on the root of your SD card and power off your device. 3. Reboot to bootloader by pressing Volume Down and Power. 4. Once in the bootloader, the process will start automatically with on-screen instructions. 5. Enjoy ICS. Via: Android Police

Toshiba Excite 10 Now Available for Order, Starting at $450 for 16GB

Eric — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:10:40 +0000

Toshiba's next entry into the Android tablet world is here with the Excite 10 launching today. The 10.1" tablet comes in three different storage sizes; 16, 32 and 64GB. Currently the 64GB can only be pre-ordered but the other two sizes are up for grabs if you're looking to order them from Amazon or Toshiba directly. While this may not be the 13" monster we are waiting for, it is no slouch itself.

The Excite is not lacking in the specs department either. At it's core a Tegra 3 quad-core chipset that has been shown to tear through anything you can throw at it. The display is 1280x800 display and covered with protective Gorilla Glass, it has 1GB of RAM and full microSD slot alongside miniUSB and microHDMI ports. All of those ports make it one of the most versatile tablets out there now. Oh, and it's even running Ice Cream Sandwich, which sweetens the deal all the more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ERBpaGrhSU&list=PL89917863371FA634&index=1&feature=plcp[/youtube]

Amazon | Toshiba

Global Samsung Galaxy SIII Stops by Bluetooth SIG

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:35:28 +0000

When phones are announced and on the verge of release, we like to see certain things happen, one of them is a device cruising through Bluetooth SIG. Think of it like a certification process for phones that are Bluetooth enabled. It's nothing major, but something that can be checked off the release schedule list. So seeing the Samsung Galaxy SIII pop up in it over the weekend is not surprising, but exactly what should happen for a phone that is about to take over the world. Sammie told us that it would be out at the end of May for many countries, with a potential June rollout here in the States. These Bluetooth SIG listings show the phone headed to Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe with model numbers GT-I9300 and GT-I9300T. After a full weekend with it on your brain, are you still have mixed feelings over this phone? Via: Bluetooth SIG [2] | Blog of Mobile

Kindle Fire Updated to 6.3.1, Adds Requested Features and Privacy Options

Eric — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:50:27 +0000

The Kindle Fire has receiving a pretty big update in the form of 6.3.1 and for those worried about their privacy settings they are welcome changes. The biggest change is the ability to outright not use Amazon's Silk Browser feature that lets pages load faster by letting Amazon do the heavy lifting beforehand. If you don't want anyone in your browsing history then this is great for you. Amazon also added in content filters for libraries that might not be family oriented. A Reading View has been added for the browser so if you want to focus on the words without all the distractions you can now do so and a few other tweaks have been put into the movie rental system and a few other applications as well. If you want to update your Fire manually hit the source link below, and they'll have instructions waiting for you. Via: PDFDevices Cheers Wendy!

CTIA Wireless 2012 Happening This Week in New Orleans, We are Here to Cover It

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:10:28 +0000

This week, CTIA Wireless 2012 is poppin' off in New Orleans and we are here to cover anything major that comes out of it. Think of this wireless show as a mini-CES that focuses on mobile only, rather than the TV, computer stuff and overwhelming amounts of spam products. It should be a decent show, with Verizon already announcing the DROID Incredible 4G LTE - a device that we should have our hands on before too long. Samsung, HTC, Qualcomm and most of the other players you have grown accustomed to will also be around in some capacity, showing off their latest products. Galaxy SIII in the building? We'll see. Keynotes begin tomorrow morning to open up the event, followed by an afternoon session that should be a blast. We get the CEOs of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint all on stage together to banter about the industry, LTE and more. Wednesday's keynote includes Spotify, Visa , EA and Firefox - Thursday's is former President Bill Clinton. The press events kick off this afternoon, so don't be surprised if the press releases start trickling out this evening. Again, if it's big, we will try to bring it your way. In between the oysters, po boys and local brews, of course.

Monday Poll: Is the HTC Incredible 4G LTE Your Next Phone?

Tim — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:25:34 +0000

After we posted on Verizon's announcement of the Incredible 4G LTE, we had a few folks stating that this would be their next device. The phone's specs aren't bad and are quite competitive when compared to the Galaxy Nexus or other top tier Verizon devices. With its 4″ qHD LCD display, NFC chip, Beats Audio, Ice Cream Sandwich, Sense 4.0, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, expandable storage, 1700mAh battery, 4G LTE, and 8MP camera we are sure to see plenty of people pick this one up. What about you? Are you going to buy this phone? [poll id="172"]

Android's Market Share Balloons to 61% in the U.S. During Q1, iOS Drops to 29%

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:44:07 +0000

According to new research presented by NPD Group, Apple's record setting last two quarters were not enough to help it fight off Android in the battle for top smartphone OS. Their numbers show that after Q1, Android has grabbed a hold of 61% of the U.S. smartphone market share, with Apple dropping from 41% to 29% in the same time period. I'm not sure anyone would have predicted numbers like these, but then again, this is OS market share we are talking about and not phone sales by one manufacturer, a category that Apple still clearly dominates. Together, Android and iOS make up for 90% of the U.S. smartphone market. That's, nuts. Via: CNET Cheers Pops and duke69111!

Google+ Introduces Hangouts on Air for All Users, Live Stream Your Hangouts from YouTube and Your Blog

Tim — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:55:40 +0000

Google is beginning to roll-out Hangouts on Air to all of their Google+ users over the upcoming weeks. With Hangouts on Air, you can live broadcast your Hangouts to as many people as you like through your blog with embeddable videos or even streaming from your YouTube channel. Once done streaming, your footage is then saved and uploaded to YouTube for later viewing by the masses. Features:

Broadcast publicly. By checking "Enable Hangouts On Air," you can broadcast your live hangout—from the Google+ stream, your YouTube channel or your website—to the entire world.
See how many viewers you’ve got. During your broadcast, you can look inside the hangout to see how many people are watching live.
Record and re-share. Once you're off the air, we’ll upload a public recording to your YouTube channel, and to your original Google+ post. This way it's easy to share and discuss your broadcast after it's over.

You can plan on DL to start taking advantage of this and doing some live unboxings as soon as it's made available for us. :) Via: Google

Newest CyanogenMod Nightly Includes Theme Engine Support and Custom Lockscreen Shortcuts

Tim — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:15:31 +0000

When the Theme Manager was introduced in CyanogenMod 7, applying different themes to your phone was as easy as downloading an apk and a press of a button. As of today, the newest CM9 nightly now supports this ever-popular feature and one other noteworthy addition. Along with the Theme Manager, users can now create custom shortcuts from inside the settings menu to open whichever application they need right from their lockscreen. Win. If you want to give the newest nightly a go, check to see if the newest 5/7/2012 nightly is available for your device on the via page. Via: CyanogenMod Cheers Faustic!

Blue DROID RAZR Launching May 17 for $149

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:29:44 +0000

Back in early March, our sources told us to expect a blue DROID RAZR and sure enough, it should be here by May 17. Verizon has the phone loaded up in internal systems at a price of $149 on 2-year contract. This is the 16GB model, which simply means that Big Red won't be supplying you with a microSD card to help keep the price low. As far as we know, there aren't plans for this blue color to make its way onto the MAXX any time soon, so if this is the color you have been waiting for, no 3300mAh battery for you. We now have regular grey, white, purple, and blue, along with special edition versions in red and black. I'd ask that you discuss, but Disqus (who powers are comments) and their system is down across the entire globe. Cheers ___!

Verizon's Latest "Double Data" Promo Ends June 3 for 4G LTE Phones

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:37:41 +0000

Multiple sources reached out to us this morning to let us know that Verizon is planning to shut down their latest Double Data promo by June 3. That gives you just under a month to lock into 4GB of data for $30, 10GB for $50, or 20GB for $80. After the 3rd, data plans will likely drop back to 2GB, 5GB and 10GB for those same prices. Would be nice of Big Red to at least launch the Incredible 4G LTE before that time so that customers have something "2012" to consider. With its announcement happening this morning, it should be out by then. Cheers ___ and ___!

Tawkon for Android Released, Aims to Protect You From Your Phone's Harmful Radiation

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:27:19 +0000

Do smartphones emit dangerous levels of radiation? They may or they may not. It's one of those arguments or studies that will probably continue on through the end of time. We are still early enough into this smartphone game that no one really knows how harmful the use of them will turn out to be in the end. An app called tawkon isn't going to wait around for that time to arrive though, and wants to be proactive about it. Tawkon claims that it will monitor your phone's radiation levels and then warn you if they reach the danger zone. At that point, they will make recommendations for how your phone should be used until it drops back into a safe level. It's an interesting idea whether you buy into the radiation argument or not. Oh, and it's free. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us4gZrSyWxI[/youtube]

HTC and Verizon Announce the DROID Incredible 4G LTE, Available in the "Coming Weeks"

Kellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:28:02 +0000

Nice way to kick off CTIA 2012, right? Verizon and HTC made the DROID Incredible 4G LTE official this morning, however, they were not ready to give us a price or release date. It is as you expected it to be though, with its 4" qHD LCD display, NFC chip, Beats Audio, Ice Cream Sandwich, Sense 4.0, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, expandable storage, 1700mAh battery, 4G LTE, and 8MP camera. It should be a solid phone with enough power to make it worth your consideration. Sources of ours have suggested that it will retail for $149 or so and could be available by May 17. Since we are at CTIA all this week, don't be surprised if we spend some quality time with it.

Gallery:

Release:

HTC AND VERIZON WIRELESS REVEAL DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE

New DROID INCREDIBLE Offers Advanced Camera Capabilities, Beats Audio and 4G LTE Speeds from Verizon Wireless
NEW ORLEANS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – From International CTIA Wireless® 2012, Verizon Wireless and HTC today announced the new and exclusive DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC. The new DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE enhances the customer experience by offering high-quality photo and audio capabilities, combined with the power of 4G LTE speeds. Running the latest version of HTC Sense™ 4.0, HTC’s branded user experience integrated with Google’s™ mobile operating system, Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, the new DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE brings a sophisticated, pocket-friendly device to America’s fastest 4G LTE network. DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC features Beats Audio™ which is enabled across the entire experience for a rich and authentic sound whether customers watch a YouTube™ video, play a game, or stream music over 4G LTE. Beats Audio allows customers to listen to music the way the artist intended with thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. The DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE captures life’s special moments with an advanced 8-megapixel camera with quick activation from the home screen so customers never miss that perfect shot. Additionally, there’s no longer a need to choose between shooting video or taking photos, HTC Video Pic™ allows users to shoot HD video and capture photos at the same time. With 4G LTE speeds, sharing photos and video via email, uploading to the cloud or posting to social networking sites is a breeze. DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE is packed with features to make life easier and customizable. Customers can personalize and use lock screen shortcuts to quickly access their four favorite apps. Folders can easily be created on any home screen for additional customization and organization. A Read Later feature allows people short on time the ability to save browser content like news articles and websites that can be viewed later, even while offline. The smartphone is also NFC capable so customers can take advantage of Android Beam™ to quickly share Web pages, apps, contacts and YouTube™ videos with friends by simply tapping two compatible phones together. The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is available in 230 markets across the Unites States. In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. When customers travel outside of 4G LTE coverage areas, devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, where available, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast. Additional features:

4-inch super LCD qHD display

8 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, BSI, f/2.2 and 28 mm lens

Front-facing camera for video chatting with friends and family

1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 processor

Mobile Hotspot capable to share 4G LTE connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices

Support for up to 32 GB microSD™ memory card

1,700 mAh lithium ion removable battery

The new DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com in the coming weeks. ### About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 93.0 million retail customers, including 88.0 million retail postpaid customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia. About HTC Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense™, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

Switfkey 3 Beta Updated, Some Bugs Fixed and UI Gets Enhanced (Updated)

Tim — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Update: We didn't realize that SwiftKey Tweeted this new beta out to the public the other day. It doesn't look like this is a private VIP thing any longer. Download it here. A new version of the Swiftkey 3 Beta has been pushed out to VIP users today. In the newest build, there are lots of bug fixes, improved UI, and some various other additions for all you testers. There was one in particular that made Kellex and myself completely stop using the Beta, which was the "What's New dialog popping up all the time" bug. Totally annoying. Here's the full changelog:

Since the last version we have:

Improved the UI: there is now a dedicated comma key, and the <123> key is now in the bottom-left corner. And of course you still have the larger spacebar.

Refined the Smart Punctuation pop-up.

Reintroduced the Long-press duration setting.

Improved Smart Space functionality.

Further reduced lag on some devices.

Fixed a number of bugs, including the missing decimal point in the numpad and the "What's New" dialog popping up all the time.

Have any of you given it a go yet? It's pretty solid so far. Cheers AJ!

AT&T's HTC One X the Latest to Star in a Bootloader-gate, HTC Blames "Restrictions" aka the Carrier

Kellen — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:01:29 +0000

If you were considering the HTC One X that is headed to AT&T, not only for its power, but also because of HTC's commitment to unlocking bootloaders, you may want to look elsewhere. Early adopters of the device noticed a constant error when trying to unlock it through HTCDev's bootloader tool, prompting the media to ping HTC for a comment on the matter. What did they have to say? Here you go:

HTC is committed to listening to users and delivering customer satisfaction. Since announcing our commitment to unlockable bootloaders, HTC has worked to enable our customers to unlock the bootloader on more than 45 devices over the past six months. In some cases, however, restrictions prevent certain devices from participating in our bootloader unlocking program. Rest assured, HTC is committed to assisting developers in unlocking bootloaders for HTC devices and we'll continue to unlock additional devices in the future.

"Restrictions" or better yet, a PR person's way of saying, "the carrier" is the reason for this phone to remain locked. This is a sad turn of events in HTC's journey to appease the developer community. Last May, HTC's CEO Peter Chou announced via Facebook that after an overwhelming amount of customer feedback that they "will no longer be locking the bootloaders" on their devices. He didn't say "where carriers permit it" or anything of that nature, so this move is a bit shocking. We watched HTC provide unlocking tools for all of their Verizon devices, leading us to believe that the stand they had taken was going to make it. Only one way to tell if the dark days are on the verge of returning, and that's to see the status of the Incredible 4G LTE when it gets released in the next couple of weeks. Via: Modaco Cheers to everyone who sent this!

Limited Edition Red DROID RAZR MAXX Devices Start to Arrive for Verizon Employees

Kellen — Sat, 05 May 2012 09:35:45 +0000

The limited edition, red and black DROID RAZR MAXX is now arriving in stores to Verizon employees. As reported back in February, VZW workers were given the opportunity to purchase either a 16GB regular RAZR or the 32GB MAXX at $99 and $199 respectively. Each would come with their own uniquely engraved number on the back along with the words "LIMITED EDITION" next to the Big Red logo on the front. The color scheme has also been tweaked to a pure black look with red accents on the power button and kevlar backing. After seeing the device in the wild now, I can definitively say that this is the hottest RAZR yet. Previous models with their silvers and greys look nice as well, but that black and red combination is always a winner. These phones cannot be purchased by regular Verizon customers, unless of course you find one on eBay for some incredibly bloated price.

Cheers ___!

Facebook Does the Right Thing in New Android Update, Removes Pesky Camera and Messenger Shortcuts

Kellen — Sat, 05 May 2012 09:21:21 +0000

Adding little "F" accents to the newly introduced Camera and Messenger icons with Facebook was not enough to quiet critics. Facebook gave in last night, removing the shortcuts from their Android app completely in the latest update. The people have been heard. And back to your regularly scheduled Saturday activities. Cheers Josh, Inquizitor, Aaron and Mark!

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 5/4/2012

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:48 +0000

Biggest thing this week was obviously Samsung's unveiling of the new Galaxy SIII. Huge shout out to Samsung for being able to keep so many details under wraps until the reveal. That's a true rarity in this business. People are definitely giving off some mixed emotions on the device and if you haven't done so yet, feel free to share yours here on this post. If you happened to miss anything, we have your highlights down below:

According to this list we may have just had the busiest Android week in a long time. It seemed like it flew by! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend and we'll catch you all soon!

DROID 3 Update Approved as Build 5.7.906, Weighs in at 224MB and is Not Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:52:22 +0000

We mentioned this morning that a soak test was in the works for the DROID 3, however, it appears now as if the software in that test has already been given the green light. The changelog for build ~~5.7.905~~ 5.7.906 has been posted and it's a doozy. Weighing in at 224MB, this should fix any bug that D3 users may have been experiencing. Unfortunately, this phone is not on Moto or Verizon's list of those expected to receive Ice Cream Sandwich, so even at that size, don't expect this to be a game changer. You will see updated bloatware, security patches, and a whole bunch of bug fixes. Update: The update will actually be 5.7.906. Verizon has changed the support doc to reflect this. There aren't any changes from .905 to .906 that we can tell. What we are finding odd, is that this update leaked some two months ago. Also, the support docs for it from Verizon were created in February, so we have to ask, "What was the hold-up?" I don't want to question Verizon too much on their update practices since I don't know all of the dirty details, but really, a 2 month delay? We saw this last week with the Xperia Play too. Is their testing group overwhelmed and simply cannot get to these updates to test them thoroughly? You have to wonder, especially knowing that the Galaxy Nexus has gone 5 months without an update, leading Android devs to question the carrier approval process. More info.

Pick Up the 32GB Transformer Pad From Amazon for the Same Price as Best Buy's 16GB Version

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:43:13 +0000

Looking to score a deal? Best Buy has had the Asus Transformer Pad (review here) listed at $379.99 for the 16GB version. Thanks to a tipster, we now know that Amazon has the same tablet, but 32GB for the same exact price. If you've been looking to scoop up the T-Pad, now would be the time. Via: Amazon Cheers Brandon!

Friday Poll: Why Do You Root Your Device?

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:36:20 +0000

It's no secret that the DL community is big into the root and ROM game. We have some of the most savvy of readers, but there is one among us who needs our help. His name is Davis and he is doing a school project. He needs to know why people choose to root their devices. Is it for the custom ROMs, themes, kernels, etc? Let's help this guy out. Why do you root your Android device?

Galaxy SIII Hangover: Reacting the Next Day

Kellen — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:39:38 +0000

We were originally going to post our reactions yesterday afternoon, but decided to sit back and absorb all things Galaxy SIII for a day before doing so. Now that we are a day in, let's go ahead and talk about what we saw, what we liked, and what we didn't like. Did it live up to the hype? What's with the hardware navigation keys? No "Plus" on the display?

Design: For the most part, the design is beautiful. The white version is eh, OK, but the blue they have chosen looks great and is a welcomed change from the standard black or grey models we have seen in numbers over the last couple of years. The screen comes close to being edge-to-edge, the curves in the body will probably make it comfortable to hold, and thankfully, they included a notification light. The shiny finish though, not so hot. We tend to favor more subtle matte finishes around these parts - you know, the ones that aren't fingerprint magnets.
Display size: 4.8" is probably too big, no matter how they try to sell it. There is definitely a market for gigantic smartphones, but personally, I'd prefer no bigger than the Galaxy Nexus. The 4.7" display on the One X along with hardware nav keys is definitely pushing the limit for my taste, so with Samsung going up another notch, I'm a little hesitant to praise them on this one.
Display tech: No "Plus" in that HD Super AMOLED? Last year, Samsung blew our minds with the Super AMOLED Plus screen on the Galaxy SII, along with its new processor and other specs. Where is that "wow" factor, this year? This is the same screen that's on the Galaxy Nexus. And while we still like that screen, it's not even in the same ballpark as the Super LCD2 used by HTC in the One X.
Hardware navigation keys: You didn't, did you Samsung? Why, oh why did you have to throw on a physical home button and then hardware menu and back navigation keys? First off, the Android team killed the menu button in Ice Cream Sandwich, yet you slap on one that can't be removed? Plus, one of the big ICS features is a task switcher which now is only accessed by long pressing that nasty home button? Bleh. The good news is that in the past, all U.S. versions have not had the physical home button in the middle. Could Samsung change the design and ditch the hardware nav keys for on-screen versions when the SGS3 arrives on our shores? Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise.
Processor: The quad-core Exynos chipset in the Galaxy SIII is by all means a beast. I wish I could say, "I can't wait to take it for a test drive!" but we all know that it won't come anywhere near our favorite U.S. networks. Well, it could come to T-Mobile since they don't have LTE, but the rest of 'em, probably the Snapdragon S4.
TouchWiz: Oh TouchWiz, you remain our least favorite Android skin of all time. Your cartoon colors, 2009-esque icon set, and rippling water effects are not for us. It looks like Samsung has added some new features to TouchWiz that could be worth bragging about (gestures from lock screen, better sharing, direct call, etc.), but we would have rather their focus be on creating a skin that at least looked appealing. Gone is the puzzle unlock screen, but in is a watery swiping mess? If there was ever a time we wished that those rumors of phones having the option to toggle on or off an OEM skin, this would be the one. Give me Sense 4.0 or Blur over this any day.
S Voice: Yes, Samsung created a Siri clone. I'm not really sure what else to say about it. Since Apple introduced it in the Fall, we shook our heads at it, hoping that the world would not walk around talking to their phones, yet here we are with the biggest dog on the planet joining the party to sell it to everyone.
Camera: The 8MP shooter in the Galaxy SII was/is still one of the best mobile phone cameras around. From what we saw yesterday, Samsung managed to make this one even better. They added burst shooting modes, better facial recognition, zero shutter lag photos, and more. Cameras can make or break a phone, so we have to give Sammie props here.
Other: Removable battery, yay! Expandable storage, yay x2! 8.6mm thick, +1! Not in the U.S. until maybe, June? Boo! 50GB of Dropbox storage and Flipboard, awesome! NFC, woohoo!
Overall: For the most part, the Galaxy SIII looks like a hell of a device. We are frustrated with Samsung's choice to include hardware navigation keys and to continue to push a tired TouchWiz UI, but it's still got enough goods to get you to consider it. Is it better than the One X by HTC? To me, it doesn't come off that way. I'll have to wait until I get my hands on it or I see what the U.S. versions look like, but HTC's offering is close to being perfect. As you can see from my list above, the Galaxy SIII seems far from that.

The rest of the DL team reacts (Ron's here): Tim:

My thoughts are still unclear. It has some very intriguing features, both inside and out. The idea of it listening and watching me is really fantastic (sure to make my iPhone-adorning girlfriend jealous), but I am still split on its actual design. I was thinking Samsung would do away with the hardware buttons and give us a massive/beautiful display, but it sort of just looks like a supercharged SGSII. I was hoping for some sort of new design altogether. It looks gorgeous, but I will have to feel it to know what to actually think. For example, I thought the HTC One X was just another phone, until I felt it. If the SGSIII gives off a plastic feel, then I will shy away. I guess I will have to wait until we get our hands-on to see how I truly feel.

Eric:

Overall the thing I was most impressed with Samsung's preparation for the whole event. To truly compete with Apple they needed to build up hype like Cupertino does. Yesterday, with their strange videos, live music and likable speakers they took a step in that direction, so I applaud them there. For the actual phone, I was far from surprised or 'blown away' from the announcement. I am excited for the internals of the phone; the quad-core headlining that list. But even that might not make it to the US, we'll have to wait and see. I was a bit disappointed they didn't go with the HD Super AMOLED Plus but I'm sure the screen will look great anyway. TouchWiz is what it is, but Samsung looks to be throwing in some goodies like S Voice and all those sharing options to keep us from throwing stock ICS on there. I will definitely be looking into this phone. The only real concern is the build of it, from what it looks like. With HTC blowing people away recently with their One series this looked to be the same old Samsung plastic. The jury is still out on that but this is the logical expansion of the Galaxy series. Whether or not it can knock all other mobile phones down a peg remains to be seen.

We have seen plenty of your thoughts throughout our SGS3 coverage, but do you feel any different about the device today? Want it more or less or not at all? Should we expect better things when the phone arrives here?

Re-Awaken Your Inner Fanboy With These Android-Centric Wallpaper Packs

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:57:52 +0000

Android fanboys and girls arise! You can never have enough Android love on your device and if you like showing off your pride with wallpapers, then may I suggest checking these out? From developer/themer Mobile Sensei comes a ton of different packs to choose from. Ranging in textures and colors, there is most likely a pack that will suit everyone's needs. The packs cost about a dollar and some change each, but if browsing Google for hours looking for the right walls is boring, then this is where to go.

Androidify | Android Impressions | ICS Volume 2 | Androidian

HBO GO and MAX GO Updated in Play Store, Ice Cream Sandwich Support Finally Added

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:00:20 +0000

All HBO and MAX subscribers with Ice Cream Sandwich devices can stop holding their breath. It has finally come, support for our devices. Shows like Eastbound and Down, Game of Thrones, and all of HBO's movies are streaming beautifully over 3G/4G LTE and WiFi networks. Get it while it's hot.

HBO Play Link | MAX Play Link

Cheers Anon!

LogiType Tablet Keyboard, A Funky But Awesome Mobile Board

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:24:43 +0000

We have had the pleasure of experiencing some pretty funky keyboards. Whether they use interesting features to help you type better or just look down right ridiculous, you can always bet that there will be that one diamond in the rough. LogiType may be that gem. At first glance, I was a little worried. With the bubble keys and how it seems that they're strewn across the display with no sense of order, it is not a minimalist's best friend. But, this thing actually works and works quite well. For a speed pecker like myself, I actually find myself missing fewer strokes and not hitting wrong keys. But if I did miss a key, the built-in auto-correct was good enough to fix all of that. It also has a pretty nifty swipe feature for you to access special characters and a number pad, which gives it the closest feel of a full keyboard I have experienced on a 10.1" screen. The keyboard is free on the Play Store, so it's worth a shot (even if you think it looks dumb) and let me know what you think. Play Link

LG Announces the Optimus LTE2 With 2GB of RAM, Eat Your Heart Out SGSIII

Tim — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:34:45 +0000

According to analysts and ~~bloggers~~ fanboys, Samsung's launch of the Galaxy SIII was suppose to be thee launch of 2012. To some, it may have seemed to be anything but. In a surprising move, there was another device manufacturer that decided to unveil a new device on the same day as Sammy though. LG decided to go against the grain and announce the Optimus LTE2. What makes this device stand out is its whopping 2GB of RAM, wireless charging capabilities (zing), LG's True HD IPS display, and a massive 2,150mAh battery. No word from LG on which chipset we can expect to see included with the device, but we can hope it is something powerful enough to take full advantage of that 2GB of RAM. Much like the SGSIII, the device is expected to launch this month in Korea, with no signs of an American launch. Figures. Sure the design may look sort of horrendous, but those specs are nothing to scoff at. Via: Engadget

The Galaxy SIII is a "Me Too" Device and a Disappointment [Opinion]

Ron — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:01:19 +0000

When you're on top, there's little reason to innovate. Based on the latest numbers, Samsung gained 26% of operating profits so far this year. Some have gone so far as to say that the only real competition between smartphone manufacturers is between Samsung and Apple. Yesterday Samsung revealed the Galaxy S III, the latest version of the very popular Galaxy line of phones. While the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II have been major devices for the past two years (hence Google's continued partnership with Samsung on the Nexus line of phones), the Galaxy S III looks like a me too device that doesn't stand out on its own. Personally, I wasn't impressed with the Galaxy S II, but I think the Galaxy S III is a joke compared to the competition.

The Hardware Design I won't bore you with admonitions about how important hardware design is. Simply put, hardware design can make a device really stand out next to the thousands of black slabs released every year. Samsung did everything it could to make the Galaxy S III stand out in all the wrong ways. The first thing that bothered me about the Galaxy S III was the home button. I understand the appeal of a physical button, but it still makes it look like Samsung is trying to copy the feel of an iPhone. I thought the same thing when I saw the Galaxy S II and the Droid Incredible. It may not have been intentional, but having a physical home button is very reminiscent of the iPhone. To make matters worse, Samsung decided to add a silver rim around the phone. Instead of using aluminum to copy Apple's tired design outright, Samsung elected to use plastic. It looks cheap, like a mophie case. I think the 4.8 inch screen is way too big. At this point I think Samsung is just trying to troll me. The Galaxy Note is way too big, but Samsung tries to market it as a tablet and a phone, so maybe it's gray area. This size screen just reminds me of the Dell Streak. Maybe the Galaxy S III will sell well, but if it does I don't think it will be because people think 4.8 inches is the perfect size; it isn't. I find myself unintentionally switching to use two hands with the Galaxy Nexus, so I'm sure most people will have to use two hands to use the GS3 comfortably. It's also very disappointing that the screen is PenTile.

The Software Lately there has been some backlash against the term skin because manufacturers aren't just skinning Android devices, they're adding features and apps to customize the software on the phone. Skins can be a wonderful thing. TouchFlo made Windows Mobile almost usable. Sense made early Android appealing to me. The latest version of Sense is much less overwhelming, especially with the redesigned clock widget (finally!). TouchWiz, on the other hand, has always felt cheesy to me. The latest version hasn't changed those impressions of cheesiness. The skin looks mostly identical to the Gingerbread release on the GS2. In other words, it looks cartoony and cheap. I could possibly understand using a skin to change the design of the operating system if the stock look was horrible (like WinMo and early Android), but this is inexcusable. Ice Cream Sandwich looks great; TouchWiz is not a visual improvement by any means. It would have been much better if Samsung had just added some enhancements on top of the ICS design like CM9. Samsung also added some software enhancements on top of ICS. Some of these enhancements are actually useful like Smart Alert and Direct Call. Smart Alert makes the phone vibrate when it's picked up if a notification has been missed. It's a subtle way to notify the user physically. Direct Call is even more useful - if you're sending someone a message, you can bring the phone up to your face and it will call that person. It's not life changing, but it is nice. Other features, on the other hand, are absolutely ridiculous. Smart Stay, which tries to track your eye to see if you're still looking at the screen in order to determine if the screen should be turned off or not, seems like a creepy waste of battery life. S Voice is even more insane. S Voice is clearly Samsung's attempt to rip off Siri in design, with somewhat improved functionality. From what was seen it doesn't look like S Voice is nearly as conversational as Siri, but S Voice has access to third party apps and a few actions that Siri can't do. In the end, it makes Samsung look like they're trying to copy Apple by slightly improving Google Voice Search.

Conclusions The internal specs of the Galaxy S III look great, but at this point smartphone competition isn't about specs as much as it is about the overall experience. The question isn't whether or not is has a Tegra or Snapdragon processor, but what kind of experience those specs help facilitate. Most top tier phones can handle anything thrown at them, which is great. Android OEMs definitely helped push each other to release incredible internal hardware, but at this stage in the game there are very nuanced differences in terms of performance between top tier phones, which leaves ecosystem, hardware design, and software. As a whole Android is a strong ecosystem. Most new apps are launching on both iOS and Android, and more iOS-only apps are making their way to Android. That said, making Flipboard a Galaxy SIII exclusive is a shame - it should be released for all phones at the same time. Flipboard is a great app, but that alone doesn't make the GS3 more appealing, just annoying for another reason. I usually don't care for Samsung's hardware or software design, but the Galaxy S III is just atrocious to me. The claim that the hardware and software are inspired by nature doesn't make any sense to me. The colors in TouchWiz are over saturated and unnatural. The hardware looks cheap and mismatched with the silver rim. I don't understand why Samsung waited to release this underwhelming follow up to the Galaxy S II. It would have blended right in with Samsung's other mediocre announcements at Mobile World Congress. It's a real shame that Samsung didn't really try and innovate with the Galaxy S III. In a lot of ways, it feels like the iPhone 4S - a warmed over version of last year's phone. It seems as though most manufacturers have plateaued in terms of design and innovative features. I love the design of the One X, but at the end of the day it's a slightly altered Sensation. Sense 4 looks much better than 3.5, but it's not a major improvement for Android. TouchWiz is assaulting to my eyes and a step down from the stock ICS launcher and design. The Galaxy S III should have been a device that challenged HTC and Apple, but instead it looks like a "me too" device. The Samsung Galaxy S III is an unexciting refresh of Samsung's tired hardware design and over saturated skin, nothing more.

Soak Tests Starting For Both DROID X2 and DROID 3

Kellen — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:36:05 +0000

This morning, Motorola sent out invites to owners of the DROID X2 and DROID 3 to participate in a soak test for new software. It's tough to tell what is included in either, especially since we saw an update to 1.3.418 for the DX2 back in February. The DROID 3 on the other hand, has not been updated since September and is long overdue. Neither will be Ice Cream Sandwich, but I wouldn't be surprised if the D3's was pretty major. Let us know if you receive the update! Cheers J and B!

Samsung's Sign-Up Page For The New Galaxy SIII Goes Live, Get On It

Tim — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:09:49 +0000

The sign-up page for Samsung's brand new Galaxy SIII device is now live. If you need to be one of the first folks to know when this bad boy becomes available, then this is where to start. Or you could just read DL. Choice is up to you. Note: When signing up, don't forget to mention what carrier you are on. ;) Via: Samsung

Specs: Galaxy SIII vs. Galaxy SII vs. Galaxy Nexus vs. HTC One X

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:18:44 +0000

Ready for a spec battle between the newly announced Samsung Galaxy SIII and some of the other players in the game? Here is a quick look at how it stacks up to last year's Galaxy SII, the Galaxy Nexus and the beast of the moment, the HTC One X.

(Click to enlarge)

Samsung to Include 50GB of Dropbox Storage and the Flipboard App for New Galaxy SIII Owners

Tim — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:23:18 +0000

Samsung has some additional treats for upcoming buyers of the Galaxy SIII device. Once registered, users will be granted 50GB of cloud storage through Dropbox. Dang, that's a lot of storage! Along with that, the Flipboard app which shares qualities with many news feeds such as Google Currents and Pulse will come pre-installed on the device. It's the first time the application has been seen on device that isn't running iOS, so this is much welcomed. Thanks, Samsung. Via: Engadget | Android Community

Samsung Releases Commercial for Galaxy SIII, "Designed for Humans"

Tim — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:50:13 +0000

The commercial that is to air across the entire world, introducing the new Galaxy SIII smartphone to the masses has been uploaded to the web by Samsung. We get the feeling that Sammy has big marketing plans for this device, so this is only just a baby step towards their intended global domination of the market. What else do you have up your sleeve, Sammy? [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lpLGb1WW8E[/youtube]

Video: Hands-on With the Samsung Galaxy SIII

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:32:30 +0000

The Samsung team was kind enough to put together this "hands-on" video of their own so that those of use who skipped London could get the full experience of the Galaxy SIII. It's 4 minutes or so long, talks the different colors, the new UI which is "inspired by nature," sounds from "nature," hardware, quickness of the phone, "Pop Up Play" feature (floating video player), camera, direct calling abilities, S Beam (just like beam but more), and more. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D683O1YeozY[/youtube]

Thursday Poll: Thoughts on the Galaxy SIII?

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:12:07 +0000

Now that the live event is over and the Samsung Galaxy SIII has been unleashed, we are ready to hear your thoughts on it. The specs are essentially what we expected, but Sammie really focused on bringing us custom software add-ons, like S Voice (or Siri for Android), a better camera experience that can detect contact faces, new gestures for the lock screen, and more. It's TouchWiz, but it definitely feels like Samsung has done some innovative things on the software side of this announcement. It would take us an hour to list them all, something we will eventually do. What are your thoughts on the color scheme, physical home button, hardware menu and back buttons, screen size, overall look, etc.? It's launching in Europe in May, but could be on some U.S. carriers by June. Is this your next phone? Share anything that comes to mind in the comments below.

Samsung: Galaxy SIII Headed to "Fastest LTE and HSPA+" U.S. Networks This Summer (Updated)

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:33:15 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy SIII has finally been announced and will arrive in European markets at the end of this Month - yes, in May. What about the U.S. though? We have been told officially by Samsung that we have to wait until this summer. They mention both LTE and HSPA+ in this statement, but as you all know, Sprint and AT&T also have LTE networks at this point. Well, they like to call them "networks."

Samsung Mobile is planning a U.S. version of Galaxy S III, optimized for the fastest LTE and HSPA+ networks in the U.S., which will be available in the summer of 2012. Exact timing and retail channel availability is not being announced at this time. We believe the Galaxy S III is the most anticipated product in the 20-year history of Samsung Mobile; therefore, we will continue to share information as it becomes available.

This shouldn't shock anyone. The U.S. carriers want different versions with different names so that they can differentiate. It sucks for all of us. If you want this phone in May as an early adopter, you are going to have to import it just as many did with the HTC One X. Update: Engadget says June - somehow I missed that reference. I'll take June though!

Samsung Announces the Galaxy SIII - 4.8" HD Super AMOLED Display, 2100mAh Battery, 8.6mm Thick, and More

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:21:11 +0000

It's official! The Samsung Galaxy SIII has been announced and will be available in Europe at the end of May. The 4G version that the U.S. will get won't be until "this summer" some time. A lot of the predictions were right in that it has a 4.8" HD Super AMOLED display (not the Plus), 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 2100mAh battery, NFC, 16/32GB on-board storage, up to 64GB of expandable storage, and is only 8.6mm thick. As you can see from the pictures, it indeed does have a physical home button. No mention of processor, but that makes sense since the processor will differ depending on the region. We know from previous announcements that at least one variation of it will have the Exynos quad-core 4412 chipset. The live stream of the unveiling event is going on now, but we get the feeling that the focus is on the UI and software and how this phone can make your life easier. The specs are nice, but this appears to be so much more. Developing... We have the full specs, gallery and press release for you below.

Gallery:

Specs:

Press release:

Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S III, the Smartphone Designed for Humans and Inspired by Nature

Effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, Samsung GALAXY S III reveals a new concept of smartphone
London, UK—May 4, 2012—Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today the third generation GALAXY S, the GALAXY S III. Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the GALAXY S III is a smartphone that recognizes your voice, understands your intention, and lets you share a moment instantly and easily. This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With Samsung GALAXY S III, you can view the content like never before on the device’s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8MP camera and a 1.9MP front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung GALAXY S III is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier. Packed with intuitive technology, the GALAXY S III delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised. “With the GALAXY S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.” Introducing Natural Interaction The GALAXY S III enhances the interaction experience between the device and user. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how you are using your phone – reading an e-book or browsing the web for instance – by having the front camera identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure. The GALAXY S III features ‘S Voice,’ the advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to your words. In addition to allowing information search and basic device-user communication, S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands. When your phone alarm goes off but you need a little extra rest, just tell the GALAXY S III “snooze.” You can also use S Voice to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo. In addition to recognizing your face and voice, the GALAXY S III understands your motions to offer maximized usability. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lift your phone to your ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number. With ‘Smart alert,’ the GALAXY S III will also save you from trouble by catching any missed messages or calls; your phone will vibrate to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle. Easy and Instant Sharing The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user - it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery. With ‘AllShare Cast’, users can wirelessly connect their GALAXY S III to their television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display. ‘AllShare Play’ can be also used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and your tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices. Under AllShare Play is also the ‘Group Cast’ feature that allows you to share your screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; you can make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device. Human-centric Design with Uncompromised Performance The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Inspired by nature, its design concept is the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the GALAXY S III. In its essence, the minimal organic design identity is reflected in the smooth and non-linear lines of the device. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options. With a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth. The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways. It introduces ‘Pop up play,’ a feature that allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. Its 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay – the image you see is the picture you take. With the ‘Burst shot’ function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the ‘Best photo’ feature that selects the best of eight photographs for you, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience. HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which you can use to capture a video of yourself. Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights. Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The gaming experience is enhanced through ‘Game Hub,’ providing access to numerous social games, while Video Hub brings users high quality TV and movies. Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service. Game Hub, Video Hub and Music Hub will be introduced in select countries initially and soon rolled out to global markets. The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available from the end of May in Europe before rolling out to other markets globally.

Samsung Galaxy SIII London Event - Live [Ended]

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:30:14 +0000

Here we go, folks! Samsung will be on stage in London in just a few minutes to unveil the "next Galaxy." Will it be the Galaxy SIII? How big will the screen be? Which processor will we see in the U.S.? When will it arrive? All questions we should have an answer to shortly.

HD Widgets Version 3.0 Coming June 7, Preview Trailer Released

Tim — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:15:17 +0000

The developers of HD Widgets have been hard at work preparing to launch the newest update for Android users. The next iteration looks pretty impressive and has a ton of new features and Ice Cream Sandwich goodies baked in. Down below is the full list of what we can expect in the new 3.0 release:

What's new: - massively vivid easier-to-use app UI - built for new themes & add-ons - customizable switches - universal apk (ready for modded tablets) - ICS native (built on sdk 15) - more weather services - even more colors & clocks - multi-location weather - device specific User Guide - show/hide widgets in the main menu

You can pick up the current version of HD Widgets in the Play Store for $2 and it has been a constant on all of my tablets for quite some time. There are lots of options and different widgets to choose from which definitely makes it worth the two bucks in my opinion. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76KFweR2Pj0[/youtube]

Man Behind HTC's Sense 4.0 Interviewed, Talks Inspiration and Toning Down

Tim — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:26:55 +0000

In a recent interview with Laptop Mag, HTC's AVP of user experience Drew Bamford, was asked to spill his guts on the development of the new Sense 4.0 and how they were able to "tone it down." As most folks here may know, we have had the general belief that the Sense UI, when placed atop vanilla Android, was bloating and made our devices lag all across the board while not adding anything that was incredibly needed by some. HTC have been listening and took many steps to minimize Sense down and make it more usable and an intuitive experience. When asked what inspired the newest version of Sense and its cleaner look, Drew had this to say:

We took inspiration from matte finishes that have become very popular in high-end automobiles, such as Mercedes and BMW. We also took a warmer approach to the color palette to make it feel more inviting and friendly.

Later in the discussion, he was asked how long his team had to work with ICS before having to create the final Sense 4.0 for the masses. Not surprisingly, they had very little time:

There was not a lot of time between when we saw Ice Cream Sandwich and when we released our Sense 4. In fact, we were designing things like our recent apps UI well in advance of when Ice Cream Sandwich came out. So really this represents our spacing on the best way to do it; it’s not an intentional rebuttal of the Ice Cream Sandwich design. It’s just a different approach that we eventually came up with.

If you have been reading our recent reviews of the new HTC One X and the One S, then you would have noticed our opinions of the Sense UI have changed greatly since our first encounters with it back in the DROID Incredible days. It's cleaner, easier on the eyes, and actually works the way you would hope an overlay would. It adds good features while not taking too much away from the stock feel of Android. To read the full interview, which I would recommend, follow the via link below. Have you been able to play with the new Sense UI? What are your thoughts? Via: LaptopMag Cheers Mark!

Say "Hello!" to Disqus 2012

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:54:02 +0000

We didn't think it was possible for another tech product to trump the Galaxy SIII on its launch day, but one may have done it. Disqus released 2012 to Droid Life and other "select" communities, today! OK, that's not actually cooler than the SGS3, but it's still something we have been waiting impatiently for (behind the scenes). So yeah, Disqus informed us this morning that we were invited to turn on version 2012 to our entire community and we have done just that. Take it for a spin, tell us (in the comments) what you like or dislike about it, and then report any bugs or errors you see to Disqus so that they can fix them.

What's new?

Up and down voting: That's right, you can now vote things up and down! You used to only have the ability to "like" something or flag it as inappropriate, so this is a major change. Enough down votes on that freshly posted troll comment and it gets hidden from view. Let's not abuse this though, and try to use it only when seriously needed.
Community tab: The Community tab is there to help you discover other hot topics on Droid Life. If you tap it, you will see the most popular posts with the most comments from within the last week or so. If you want to make sure that you are up-to-speed on all things DL, this is a great place to start. You also get to see a leaderboard of sorts for our top commenters. I dare you to try and oust me at the top.
My Disqus tab: The My Disqus tab is new as well, bringing you a list of notifications from your current conversations. If someone has replied to a comment of yours, it should show up in a list here so that you can quickly jump back to it and share your haterade.
Star button (top right): This has replaced the "Like post" button, but we want to make sure you are using it still. If a post is awesome or you enjoyed it, make sure to hit the Star button.

Other stuff:

Flagging comments: No better time than now to remind everyone of this, but don't forget that if a comment is completely uncalled for or obscene or spam or from a pure troll, flag it as inappropriate. That way, it pops up in our moderator panel and we can take extra measures if need be. For most things though, just use the down vote button until it is hidden.
Hide comments: Or better yet, feel free to "hide" them if they are annoying you, but aren't necessarily "flag" worthy.
Mini-images: We aren't sure what happened, but Disqus 2012 apparently does not take URLs to images and display them as a thumbnail for easy viewing. We hope they bring this back as it was one of the best features - especially for showing off home screens.
Live comments: Disqus 2012 is also supposed to update in real-time, however, we aren't noticing that as being live yet. We'll see what we can find out from the Disqus team on this front.
Mobile version: Not going to lie, the mobile version kind of sucks now. It used to be really good, so hopefully this is on their list of things to polish.

Let us know what you think, and be sure to report problems as you see them through that blue bar at the top. We already see a few issues that we hope are taken care of, but the more people that report them, the better.

Dear Motorola, the RAZR Doesn't Have On-screen Nav Keys or Ice Cream Sandwich Yet - Please Tell Brazil

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:08:24 +0000

This isn't the first time that one of our readers spotted a DROID RAZR with magical on-screen navigation keys and Ice Cream Sandwich, but when it happens during a professionally made video from the makers of the device that are promoting it in a contest, we had to point it out again. Come on, Motorola! Spank that cohort of yours in Brazil already. Spank 'em. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSzvix6rag4[/youtube] Cheers Tenaj!

Temple Run Update Introduces Wallpapers Via Store - Foursquare Brings Us a Map During Check-ins

Kellen — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:30:59 +0000

Two of the more popular Android apps on the block, Temple Run and Foursquare, received updates last evening. For Runners, you finally get to purchase game-themed wallpapers in the store, assuming you have enough coinage. There are three of them: the Evil Demon Monkeys (pictured above), Temple Wall, and Guy Dangerous. Along with the new 'papers, "all sorts of improvements and bug fixes" were also included. Foursquarians, the app now has a mini-map that is displayed when you hit the "Check In" button. Seems like something we should have had ages ago, but nevertheless, we'll take it. Play Links: Temple Run | Foursquare

May 2012 Verizon Rumor Round-up: DROID RAZR HD, Galaxy SIII, White Nexus, Family Data, ICS Updates and More

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:53:30 +0000

We get asked quite often to put together posts that grab all of the current rumors in the wild and present them, so that folks with contracts ending or the urge to buy a new smartphone know what to expect over the next few months. Since we focus on Verizon around these parts, that's exactly what we will focus on here unless there is something else on on a potentially massive scale that needs mentioning. I can't promise that this will be a monthly thing, but we would certainly like for it to be, assuming we get new juicy details for the world to slurp.

DROID Incredible 4G LTE

The DROID Incredible 4G LTE by HTC (codenamed Fireball) has about a 99.9% chance of being Verizon's next device. Thanks to a variety of tipsters who sent us pictures and info, we know just about everything there is to know about it. It will rock a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 4" qHD Super LCD screen, 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE, NFC, 8GB internal storage, expandable storage up to 32GB, 8MP rear camera, VGA front camera, a 1700mAh battery (removable), and will run Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0. We reported all of this previously, but Verizon's own DroidDoes.com site confirmed it all when the landing page for the device went up weeks ahead of time. The device will be very similar to the HTC One S that we reviewed a few weeks ago, but for the most part, will have upgrades in all the right places. We were huge fans of that device, so expect the Incredible 4G LTE to be as good, if not a couple of points better. When will it launch in stores? A previous leak of ours showed April 26, but since that day has come and gone, we know that didn't happen. Our next guess would be for Verizon to announce it next week. CTIA starts on Monday (we'll be there of course), so with a ton of the tech media all attending, it would be a great spot for Big Red to make it official. Update: We were told that May 17 is the likely date for this phone to launch. What about a price? I know that the screenshot above says $299, but I have been told by two separate sources that the phone will launch at $149 on 2-year contract. There may be a rebate factored in there somewhere as well.

DROID RAZR HD

Other than the Galaxy SIII that we will get to in a minute, the DROID RAZR HD by Motorola (codenamed Fighter) has gathered a ton of interest from those on the hunt for a new phone. We didn't know much about it for months, but thanks to leaks out of China, we sort of know what to expect now. According to a benchmark, it's looking like this phone (and just about any LTE phone in the U.S. this year) will have a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, on-screen navigation keys, 4.6" HD display, 3300mAh battery (just like the MAXX), 12MP or 13MP camera, 4G LTE, and will run Ice Cream Sandwich with Blur on top. The phone pictured above is it. A similar looking device is pictured here. We have mentioned this before, but will say it again - this should have been the original RAZR. We didn't need a skinny RAZR followed by a slightly thicker MAXX a couple of months later to get here. When will it launch in stores? Great question. We once saw a targeted date of April 12, but that certainly did not happen. With the lack of leaks and info coming out of Verizon when it comes to this phone, I'd say we are still at least a couple of months away. I have no proof of that, but have heard "summer" or even "late summer" from some. Part of me wonders if it got pushed back a bit because Samsung may try to simultaneously push the Galaxy SIII across the globe within the next month or two. What about a price? This is an educated guess, but Verizon will deem this a flagship device, meaning it'll be priced at $299 on contract. You could see it as low as $249, though don't expect it to be any lower.

Galaxy SIII

Ahh yes, the darling of the tech world, right now. The Samsung Galaxy SIII (or "next Galaxy") will be unveiled in London tomorrow, May 3. We have seen a ton of leaked pictures of a device that could be it or could be Sammie's cruel way of toying with us. No matter what, they have done a remarkable job at keeping this phone under wraps. So bravo, to that. We think it will have a 4.7" HD display, 1.4GHz quad-core processor (dual-core in the U.S. on Verizon), 1GB of RAM, 8MP or 12MP camera, NFC, 2050mAh battery, and will run Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz on top. It will be the device of the year, assuming Samsung can produce it fast enough and spread it to as many countries as possible by the time the Olympics rolls around. The Olympic part is key since they are a major sponsor and are expected to make this the official device of the games with the world watching. When will it launch in stores? Since Samsung has said that they want to attach this phone to the Olympics which start on July 27, you have to figure that it will be out before then. There are events leading up to the games that would be a great opportunity for Samsung to build some hype. We guessed earlier today that the phone will launch in late June. The good news is that we should know tomorrow around 11AM Pacific. What about a price? That's a tough one. On Verizon, knowing their pricing schemes, this could easily be $299 on contract. If it goes to other carriers though, that price point has rarely been matched and the folks at AT&T have continued to stick around the $199 mark.

HTC "Note" (5-inch HD Display)

We have just one rumor, but felt we should include it. Word has it that HTC is planning to release a 5" device with a full HD display (1080p) and a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor on Verizon in the Fall. Think of it as a Galaxy Note competitor. If this is true, I may take back my stance on 4.7" devices being too big. And I'm not saying that I care about the 5" display, I just want me some quad-core Krait processor. If you thought the dual-core Snapdragon S4 was powerful, wait until we get our hands on the quad-core. There might not be another processor on the planet that will ever match it. When will it launch in stores? The rumor says Fall and that's all we have to go on. With the Incredible 4G coming out in the next few weeks, the Galaxy SIII in the next month or two, and the RAZR HD by the end of the summer, Fall sounds about right.

Galaxy Nexus 16GB (in white)

Seriously, what did happen to the white Galaxy Nexus on Verizon? We were told back in February from a reliable source that the device was ready to rock with 16GB of storage instead of the original 32GB at a price of $199. Hell, we even saw OEM battery covers made for it, but have still not seen or heard about the device in some time. With Verizon dropping the regular Nexus down to $199 as of last week, we are wondering if they scrapped the 16GB models altogether. There is still time and room for it at $99, but with the new RAZR HD, Incredible 4G and Galaxy SIII on the way, we wouldn't be surprised if Verizon has moved on.

Ice Cream Sandwich Updates

The HTC Rezound, RAZR/RAZR MAXX, and XOOM 4G are first on Verizon's list of devices needing to be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). We have seen builds for the Rezound and RAZR leak at least twice now, so that's a good sign that each is in testing. The XOOM on the other hand, is done from what we know, but we need Verizon to say "GO!" In a recent leak of Big Red's entire software update system, we have a list of potential dates that these updates all may roll out. Mark 5/9 on your calendar if you own a Rezound and 5/21 if you own a RAZR. No word on timing of ICS updates for the Bionic, Thunderbolt, Spectrum or any phone not named "Rezound" or "Razr."

Family Data Plans

This summer! According to Verizon CFO Fran "ShamWow" Shammo, we will see family shared data plans at some point this summer. Pricing or specific details are still locked up in some massive safe somewhere, but we know that they have been penciled in on Big Red's calendar of things to get done in 2012. For those not familiar, think of family data plans as you do with your family minutes package. It's a pool of data that everyone on your plan can pull from rather than having to purchase separate data packages for each one. We are excited and scared about this idea. Will Verizon do it right? You tell us.

Other Notes

A Samsung device by the model number SCH-I200 has been spotted in a benchmark. The screen resolution (800x480) on it leaves us to believe that it will be nothing but a mid-range device. It should have a nice processor inside, but if you aren't rolling with a qHD or HD screen these days, you are not going to be taken seriously. Tablets seem to have disappeared from Verizon's roadmap this year and you won't see us complaining. Last year, all we had was boring, overpriced Android tablet after boring, overpriced Android tablet that was attached to a contract. They just launched the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and do not have anything else on the horizon that we know of. Thank you, Big Red. So that's it for this month's rumor mill on Verizon. If you stumble across any other details that we may have missed or find yourself in a situation where snapping pictures and submitting them through our tip line would be a fun time, please do.

Amazon Launches Cloud Drive Desktop Application, Must Have For Cloud Users

Tim — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:14:03 +0000

Amazon has released the Cloud Drive desktop application for even easier access to your files and music that are stored on their cloud servers. With the desktop client (available for both PC and Mac), you can simply drag and drop your files onto the desktop icon for instant uploading to the cloud, then have access to them from any of your mobile devices that have a web connection. Note that there is no actual Cloud Drive app yet, unless you're using the storage for music, which you can use the Amazon MP3 application for. Features:

Easily upload your photos, documents, videos and other files

Drag and drop files and folders to the Cloud Drive icon

Right-click any file or folder and send to Amazon Cloud Drive

Easy download of one or more files and folders from Cloud Drive

Uploads and downloads run in the background

Continue using your computer as you normally would, the app can handle restarts and lost internet connections without losing your data

You can pause and resume at any time

You can never have enough Cloud storage, right? Sign Up Page Cheers Allen!

Motorola MotoActv Receives Update - New Features Depend on Whether or Not You Loaded the Golf Software

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:28:47 +0000

Owners of the Motorola MotoActv, you have an update available. It's fairly minor, but we wanted to point out that there are different versions of it depending on your current software status. If you took the golf update before it was pulled in early April, you get build 1.6.12 which includes new golf stuff. If you forgot or didn't care about the golf software and missed your opportunity to update to it, you get build 1.6.13. The updates are essentially the same, one just has golf features and the other does not. Enhancements: 1. Improved calorie burn algorithm during cycling workout with heart rate monitor 2. Added Primary Activity selection during setup so your MOTOACTV is tailored to your primary sport 3. Improved watch performance after display wake up 4. Enhanced the way Album Lists are displayed *If you have golf software, you get 5-7 as well. 5. Improved calculation for total score after a golf round. 6. Improved Golf club recommendation by widening the distance range 7. Improved connectivity with Wahoo BLE heart rate monitor To get the update, plug your device into your computer and let it go to work. Release notes: 1.6.12 | 1.6.13

Wednesday Poll: Headphone Jack on the Bottom or Top?

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:01:27 +0000

It's time to settle this debate once and for all (because polls can do that). Yes, we are talking about headphone jack placement on smartphones. The DL crew wishes that all phone manufacturers going forward would do the right thing (biased much?) and put headphone jacks on the bottoms of phones, because it simply makes sense. If the jack is on the bottom, you can plug in your headphones and the headphone cable stays out of your way as it drapes below the phone. Also, when you go to place the phone in your pocket in the natural way, which is top down, then the headphone jack points upwards and out of your pocket. If the headphone jack is up top, the cord then becomes a nagging issue and is either draping off to the side, behind, or often times in front of your phone. Then, as you go to place it in your pocket, you have to consciously make an effort to adjust (possibly break) your wrist to slide the phone in bottom side down so that the cord sticks out of your pocket. (That makes my entire forearm hurt just thinking about the maneuver.) So tell us, which do you prefer and why. Also, to further our argument, we dove deep into the logistics, creating evidence in the most proper of ways - yes, GIFs. [poll id="171"]

On the bottom:

On the top:

New Firefox Aims to Create Uniform Experience Across Desktop, Phones and Tablets

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:05:29 +0000

A presentation by Mozilla's Madhava Enros has surfaced online, giving us a look at the future of their popular browser, better known as Firefox. In the slides, you can quickly figure out what the goal is here - to create a browser that looks and feels the same across all platforms, hence the "distinctive and unified" mention at the top of the first slide. Over the last few months, they merged their mobile and desktop teams to hopefully make this dream come true. The motto for this new project seems to be "soft, friendly, and human," and that makes sense. After cruising through the slides, I sort of see what they are getting at with the curves, soft colors, and simple approach (wait, is that human?). In the presentation, you will find a number of pictures that represent the Firefox team's ideas for the future of the browser. Be sure to check it out at the source link below. Phone version:

Tablet version:

I hate to be that guy, but it looks a bit Chrome-ish. And not that that's a bad thing, since Google is trying to do something similar with their browser, by making the experience seamless between platforms. Some of the look or features has been taken from previous mobile versions though, but the overall look is quite a bit different. What are your thoughts on Firefox? I know that Chrome has become the #1 browser for many of you - are you willing to give Firefox another shot, though? Via: Ars Technica | SlideShare

Radios From Galaxy Nexus IMM76K 4.0.4 Pulled and Available to Flash

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:15:39 +0000

When the new IMM76K Android 4.0.4 update leaked yesterday for the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, many of us focused immediately on the new radios that came with it. Could these solve many of the hand-off issues and failures to attach to 4G networks that owners have experienced since day one? Only one way to find out and that's by flashing them to your phone. Thanks to XDA member mwalt2, a flashable .zip is available for you after the break. Download: 4.0.4_IMM76K_radios_btldr.zip

*For rooted users. File will need to flashed in a custom recovery.

Before flashing, be sure to create a backup. As far as compatibility goes, this file is said to work with any VZW Nexus build, including your favorite ROMs. Personally, I can't say that I'm all of a sudden having the time of my life on the network connectivity front after updating to these radios and 4.0.4. A couple of times now I have had to completely turn my phone off and back on again to regain signal after it seemingly lost it. Are you having any better luck? New radios helping? Via: XDA Cheers Raj!

Google Play Adds Carrier Billing Support of Movies, Music, and Apps for Multiple Carriers - No Verizon Love Yet

Tim — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:35:21 +0000

Google has launched additional carrier billing support on the Play Store for three out of the four major wireless carriers in America, excluding Verizon. Not that Google didn't offer, but we have a feeling Verizon decided to decline the service for reasons unbeknownst. Previously, AT&T and T-Mobile customers could charge applications to their monthly bill, but now users can checkout movies, books, and even music straight on to their wireless bill. So, what's up Verizon? When can Big Red subscribers get in on the action? Oh that's right, you have your own App store that handles that. Via: Google Play

Galaxy SIII Event Happens Tomorrow - What Can We Expect to See?

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:23:08 +0000

Can you believe it? Tomorrow is finally the day that everyone in the Android world has been waiting for. Samsung will unveil the Galaxy SIII or "next Galaxy" at 11AM Pacific. The event will be broadcast live via Facebook for you all to watch, but we plan to have a live blog around these parts as well, since this is the most anticipated tech device to launch in some time. The Galaxy Nexus was a big deal, but after seeing how many smartphones Samsung shipped in the last quarter, we aren't sure that it's fair to even compare the two. This is huge. So what can we expect to see? After months of rumors and speculation, it will all be official tomorrow. That won't stop us from diving into it all one last time to make some predictions. Follow along below. Device Specs We have a lot to go on here, but deciding which is right or wrong is the difficult part. Benchmarks, leaked videos and hands-on treatments have at least allowed us to get in the ballpark of what Samsung may show off on stage in the morning. My guess is that the phone will have a 4.7" HD Super AMOLED Plus display (1280x720), 8MP camera, 2MP front camera, 2050mAh removable battery, 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor (1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 in the U.S.), 1GB of RAM, NFC, expandable storage, 16GB internal storage, and Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz. Nothing in that necessarily reads like it will blow our minds, but I'm thinking the HD Super AMOLED Plus will be the big sell here on the spec front, along with the quad-core processor and some sort of new camera tech. The Galaxy S2 had one of the better cameras on any mobile phone, so part of me is expecting Samsung to up the game again with this phone.

Look and Design (Hardware or on-screen keys?) What will it look like? I'm putting money on it looking a lot like the Galaxy Nexus, but with a better display, a ceramic exterior (in blue or white), a notification light in the top left, and on-screen navigation keys. I know that plenty of leaked photos show physical home, back and menu hardware keys, but it makes no sense. Why would Samsung, who helped invent the on-screen keys for phones, revert back to hardware? Plus, the menu button has been killed in Ice Cream Sandwich, so including a hardware button for it would be flat out silly. Also, the only times we have seen the GT-I9300 (the rumored model number for it) in the wild with the screen on, has included on-screen keys. Availability When Samsung takes the stage tomorrow, we are expecting them to announce that a retail release will happen very soon. Sammie pushed back the announcement of this device to be closer to a shipping date, similarly to what Apple does. If they had announced the phone at MWC in February, it would have been months before it ever hit store shelves, possibly decreasing the buzz. They also want this phone to be tied to the Olympics in London since they are one of the major sponsors. For reference, the Olympics start on July 27, but there are plenty of related events that lead up to the opening ceremonies. I'm thinking late June for the device to arrive across the globe. And yep, you have to think that this will be a global launch, rather than a slow rollout from Korea to Europe to the States. Verizon is apparently already creating online pages for the device this early.

Verizon and U.S. Versions Be surprised if the Verizon version has the quad-core Exynos 4412 inside. The U.S. version, just like what that UAProf said from this morning, will include the 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. This sounds disappointing, but the S4 is quite a beast and should help to provide better LTE battery life than any previous LTE device. One thing I hope they don't do is "DROID" brand it, but you just never know with Verizon. Big Red and other carriers apparently force their hand on every OEM in the business except Apple. It would be nice if Samsung told all carriers that this phone will be called the "Galaxy SIII" and that's it. No "Epic Touch" or "Skyrocket" or "DROID" crap attached to it. Not crossing fingers on that though. It's all about differentiating! Wireless Charging There was mention at one time that the phone would have the ability to wirelessly charge, but not through one of those Qi charging pads. Somehow, it would involve a charging module that could be placed on your desk that could charge your phone from up to a few meters away. This would be amazing if true. Second Device as GT-I9800? Any chance that Samsung unveils a second device tomorrow as the GT-I9800? One rumor from yesterday suggested that it will happen, but we know absolutely nothing about the 9800. Maybe it will end up being the SGS3 and everything we thought we knew, will all be false. Part of me hopes that's true. Come on Samsung, go crazy on us. Be sure to head back here in the morning as we'll be covering every aspect of it that we can. Live stream here or here. Those are my predictions. Are you willing to make any bets on what we'll see? Speculate away - this is your last chance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NnVU8R6mAU[/youtube]

Verizon to Launch HomeFusion May 3, LTE for Your Home Starting at $60 a Month

Tim — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:51:47 +0000

Tomorrow, Verizon is to launch their new HomeFusion broadband service in the US. After a $200 installation fee, customers can experience 4G LTE power right in their living room at 10GB for $60 a month or $90 for 20GB. So, Big Red comes to install a "cylinder-shaped antenna" to your house, then once installed, you can have up to twenty devices connected to the router at once. The service is geared towards folks who do not have major providers in their area such as Comcast and Time Warner who provide these services at a subsidized price.

HomeFusion Broadband uses a professionally installed, cylinder-shaped antenna attached to a customer’s home. The antenna’s innovative design includes multiple internal antennae, allowing the device to pick up the best Verizon 4G LTE signal available and transmit it to a broadband router inside the home. The router can connect up to four wired and at least 20 wireless devices inside the home using Wi-Fi. In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon 4G LTE customers, including HomeFusion Broadband customers, should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

While those prices seem a bit high for just 5 to 12 Mbps, not to mention the data caps, this may be some people's only option if they live in more rural areas where major provider's support is unseen.

HomeFusion broadband FROM VERIZON NOW AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE On America’s LARGEST 4G LTE NETWORK

Innovative Service Brings Customers High-Speed In-Home Internet Access
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced that HomeFusion Broadband℠, a service that provides high-speed in-home Internet access leveraging the power and speed of the nation’s largest 4G LTE network, will be available throughout the country starting Thursday, May 3. HomeFusion Broadband offers customers a reliable alternative for residential broadband, especially in areas with limited broadband choices. It provides connectivity for a wide range of devices, including computers and gaming consoles, using the Verizon 4G LTE network, which is now available in 230 markets covering more than two-thirds of the population in the United States. “HomeFusion Broadband is another example of Verizon Wireless’ commitment to providing our customers with the most innovative products and services,” said Tami Erwin, vice president and chief marketing officer, Verizon Wireless. “With HomeFusion Broadband, customers across the United States, in towns large and small, will have the chance to link devices to the Internet and take advantage of the speed, coverage and connectivity offered by our 4G LTE network.” How it works HomeFusion Broadband uses a professionally installed, cylinder-shaped antenna attached to a customer’s home. The antenna’s innovative design includes multiple internal antennae, allowing the device to pick up the best Verizon 4G LTE signal available and transmit it to a broadband router inside the home. The router can connect up to four wired and at least 20 wireless devices inside the home using Wi-Fi. In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon 4G LTE customers, including HomeFusion Broadband customers, should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. Pricing and availability Customers who choose HomeFusion Broadband can opt for one of several usage-based plans specifically designed for the service: $60 monthly access for 10 GB of data, $90 monthly access for 20 GB or $120 monthly access for 30 GB ($10 per GB after allowance). A one-time equipment fee of $199.99 applies and installation is free. Customers get 50 percent more data allowance for the first two full billing cycles of service. HomeFusion Broadband has been available in six markets since March, and beginning later this week, it can be purchased in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation. For more information about HomeFusion Broadband, go to www.verizonwireless.com/homefusionbroadband or visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store.

Ice Cream Sandwich Build 3.13.605.7 Leaks for the HTC Rezound

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:02:59 +0000

Owners of the HTC Rezound, a new Ice Cream Sandwich treat has been made available to you today. We know that an official update to Android 4.0.3 is in the works for this device, but if you want to get a taste of something close to that final build ahead of time, this is your chance. The source is calling it "official" yet a "release candidate" so they are clearly a bit confused as to which it is. What we know is that it is a full ROM, so this will almost undoubtedly wipe your entire phone. Approach with caution. This will bring you to software build 3.13.605.7, Android 4.0.3, and Sense 3.6. It also has new radios. Download Link Instructions:

*Your bootloader needs to be locked. If you unlocked using the HTCDev tool, this won't work.

Is RIM to Blame for the Staged Protests Outside of the Apple Store? At this Point, Nobody Cares (Update: Yes, it was RIM)

Tim — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:20:49 +0000

Okay, so unless one of these companies actually comes out and says, "Yes, it was us," then we will not write about this event anymore. It's becoming a conspiracy theorist's wet dream. Anyways, newly gathered evidence is pointing to RIM as being the culprit behind the staged protests outside of an Australian Apple store last week. After most people were honestly concerned with the marketing(?) attempt, it seems that no company is willing to raise their hands and accept responsibility. Samsung even went as far as to publicly deny involvement, which most people could believe due to the fact that Samsung has no fear of publicly poking fun at Apple. Thanks to some digging by Macworld AU, new information shows that when inspecting the source code of the "Wake Up" countdown webpage, there is a double-click account identifier that when searched for on Google, returns a lot of results for RIM's AU website. Busted! And as for what the counter is actually counting down to - it was first reported that it would reach zero on May 3, the date at which Samsung plans to unveil the Next Galaxy device. In reality, it counts down to ~~July 2~~ May 7, the date at which BlackBerry 10 is rumored to be announced. As one tipster pointed out:

Honestly...RIM should be spending money on R&D rather than some dumb campaign against a product that works much better than anything they've made recently.

I couldn't have said it better myself. So, can we finally close this case and get back to living our lives? Update: It has been confirmed. Today, RIM has come forward to accept responsibility for the 'Wake Up' protests that took place out front of an Apple store in Australia. The company released the following statement:

"We can confirm that the Australian 'Wake Up' campaign, which involves a series of experiential activities taking place across Sydney and Melbourne, was created by RIM Australia. A reveal will take place on May 7th that will aim to provoke conversation on what 'being in business' means to Australians."

Good for you, RIM. You managed to take an almost clever idea and completely screw it up. Bad form. Apologies to Samsung - we should have known you were way too classy to pull a stunt like this. Via: Into Mobile | PC Mag Cheers Jigga_Z!

N.O.V.A. 3 Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer Released, Was That A Warthog I Just Saw?

Tim — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:45:56 +0000

In classic Gameloft fashion, they have released yet another upcoming N.O.V.A. 3 trailer. We always knew that this game took certain aspects from the Halo series, but now after seeing this new multiplayer gameplay trailer, I can officially say that this game is Halo-on-the-go. Take a peak at the trailer down below to see what I mean. Notice the Warthog? In the new N.O.V.A. multiplayer, teams will have to work together to drive vehicles and to defeat their opponents. Oh, like Halo? Either way, the trailer is making this game out to look pretty flippin' sweet and the trailer says it should be out this month. Excited? Speaking of game trailers, did anyone catch the new Call of Duty Black Ops 2 trailer that aired last night? I will save my commentary on that until I see additional footage, but I will say that so far, I am scared for CoD's future. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZIcFNBiadc[/youtube]

Deal: Refurbished Amazon Kindle Fire for $139

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:56:45 +0000

The Amazon Kindle Fire is today's Warehouse deal, which means you can nab the to Android tablet (by a mile) for as little as $139. It's refurbished, but since Amazon apparently did the dirty work, it comes "factory sealed" and is essentially as good as new. Ready to help the Kindle Fire continue dominate the non-iPad tablet market? It already has a 54% share of the Android tablet world. Buy.

Galaxy SIII Rumors Run Wild: Verizon Gets Dual-Core Version, Comes in Blue and White, and a Look at the Boot Screen

Kellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:27:19 +0000

We are only a day away from Samsung's unveiling of the Galaxy SIII or "next Galaxy" or whatever you want to call it these days. There is no denying that this has been the most anticipated Android device since well, the Galaxy Nexus I guess. On a global scale though, this is probably much more significant as Sammie's lineup of Galaxy phones has essentially become the biggest in the world. So what could we possibly have with only 24 hours or so to go before kick off? Oh, quite a bit. First, we have the Carphone Warehouse screen at the top which shows that the phone will come in both blue and white. Makes a bit of sense knowing that the "Next Galaxy" event invite had blobs of blue and white on it. For those not familiar, Carphone Warehouse is a UK retailer, so things could always change when they come to the States, but then again, the Note landed on AT&T in blue and white. You will also notice that they list the phone as the "Galaxy S3" which helps the claim that this will be the name when announced tomorrow. Next up we have a UAProf from a Verizon page that lists out a Samsung device by the model number SCH-I535 along with some specs. If that looks familiar, it's because the Galaxy Nexus is SCH-I515, the Charge is SCH-I510, and the original Galaxy S (Fascinate) was SCH-I500, so I535 seems likely for the "next" in line. This UAProf lists out a screen resolution of 1280x720 (HD) and a processor of MSM8960 aka the dual-core Snapdragon S4 that is in every U.S. LTE phone these days. It's hard to be disappointed since this chipset is arguably the best on the market today, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a part of me was secretly wishing for the quad-core Exynos 4412.

Last, we have what is being reported as the boot-up screen for the device. You can clearly see "Galaxy SIII" and "GT-I9300" splashed across it, both tags we have seen attached to the device for months now. If Samsung comes out tomorrow and does not call this phone the "SIII," I'd be highly surprised.

Thoughts on the dual-core to Verizon? Fan of the colors? Good with the name? Via: PocketNow | GSMArena | BGR Cheers Daniel and everyone else!

Download: Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 Build IMM76K [Instructions Added]

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:34:05 +0000

Here you go...somebody finally pulled a log over at XDA and a few of us patched it together to form the update URL from Google. This is it, folks, the 4.0.4 IMM76K update for your beloved Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. So much for that conspiracy, eh? Download Link

Instructions [Rooted users]:

1. First, you have to be stock and rooted, running 4.0.2 (ICL53F). 2. You also have to be running the stock radios ek02 and ek05 (found here). 3. Download the update file to your internal storage. 4. Rename to update.zip if you'd like. 5. Reboot into recovery and make a backup just to be safe. 6. Select "install zip from sdcard" and then "choose" and find the file. 7. Apply it and reboot. Enjoy 4.0.4 and hopefully a lot less bugs.

*Note - If you are running a custom ROM and do not have an ICL53F backup, you can return to stock by following this set of instructions. Remember that you don't want to do the "fastboot oem lock" command though. *Note 2 - If you are running the leaked 4.0.4 (IMM30B), it is looking like you will need to go back to ICL53F, unless someone can find a full blown IMM76F .zip or a .zip that takes you from IMM30B to it.

Instructions [Non-rooted users]:

1. Non-roots, you can use the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit from XDA to flash a temporary custom recovery. 2. After doing that, you can flash the file and update. Upon rebooting, you will have stock recovery back. 3. So it seems like you are "rooting" but you aren't. After updating, you will be back to fully stock. 4. Links: Instructions | Toolkit If you need help with rooting or flashing recoveries or need the files to get back to stock, it can all be found in our Guide to the Galaxy Nexus. Cheers Chris!

Android Distribution Numbers Updated for May, Ice Cream Sandwich to 4.9%

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:45:21 +0000

Here we are on May 1 and the Android team has already updated their OS distribution chart. The most notable change is the jump for Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) from 2.9% in April to 4.9% in May. Staggering increase, I know. Can you contain yourself? Not much else to say, but always like to share the numbers. Via: Android Cheers Gary!

HTC One X Review [AT&T]

Tim — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:53 +0000

HTC is out to reinvent their brand this year after they struggled during 2011. To kick off 2012 the right way, they have presented their newest flagship device, the HTC One X. We have already published our full review of the unlocked Tegra 3 variant of this phone, but this one is branded with an AT&T logo and is powered by a Snapdragon S4 chip to support their 4G LTE network. Could this be the device that saves HTC in the US handset market? Let's take a look.

The Good:

Display: Since the display is the same on this One X as the unlocked version, I am going to pull from Kellex's review since I agree word for word with his breakdown of it. "Easily the most beautiful smartphone display you will find anywhere. At 312ppi and 4.7-inches of Super LCD2 glory, the colors and details are natural, defined, and simply put, stunning. We probably won’t find another display that will compete with the One X’s until Samsung puts out a phone with their HD Super AMOLED Plus. Even then, the vibrant and sometimes oversaturated colors on the AMOLED may not be preferred over these LCD2 displays that HTC is using. Experiencing this screen in person is something that each and every one of you should attempt to do."
Design, Look and Feel: I am not ashamed to say that this is the best and most beautifully designed phone on the planet. The subtle, smooth, milky feel of the back against your hands is one of the most satisfying sensations you can hope for when touching just a phone. Keeping it in your pocket is almost a crime and it should never be kept in a case. We wouldn't want it to think we're ashamed of it. And yes, we're weird like that. All creepiness aside, the phone's curves are just fantastic examples of symmetry and I have found myself just staring at it in amazement. Did we mention that no other phone has attracted as much curiosity from strangers and friends than when we pull this device out? You have to see it to believe it.
Hardware: Inside this beast, you have a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (kind of a downer), 8MP f/2.0 camera in the back, 1.3MP camera in the front, a 4.7″ HD Super LCD2 display, NFC chip, MHL port, and a 1800mAh battery. It doesn’t get any more top-of-the-line than this. As far as the average Android user is concerned, this device leaves almost nothing to be desired.
Battery: Unfortunately, I am not in an area that supports AT&T's LTE network, so giving it a true battery test was not possible. Although, I will say that while running on HSPA+, that this device has the best battery life I have ever experienced. From the shot below, I went a solid 25 hours without having to throw it on the charger. And when merely idling the device is a slow drainer. I give big blue ribbons to Qualcomm and HTC for making this possible. Once the Portland area gets some AT&T LTE we will have to retry this though.

Performance: With only a dual-core chip and 1GB of RAM, there may seem to be a lot of devices that can match up to this device on paper, but that's just paper. In reality, the Snapdragon S4 cruises through tasks without even a stutter. In my attempts at trying to slow this thing down, I came up empty handed. You can open multiple apps in a row, switch to the camera, snap photos, toggle off and on settings, flip home screens, open your app drawer, and more without ever noticing a bit of lag. Well, you may see them from time to time in HTC’s Sense UI, but without that, this phone is unbelievably fast. We performed a set of standard benchmarks between the Tegra 3 version and the Snapdragon S4 variant that can be viewed here.
HTC Sense 4.0 (parts of it): Um, where should I start with Sense. I am a passionate Nexus lover and if you throw a skin on top of my Vanilla Android I might have to cut you. But you know what? This new Sense isn't completely unbearable. In fact, it sort of kicks butt in some cases. Previous versions were highly intrusive and made Android look like a completely different OS in my opinion, but with this new version, they leave a lot of the Android experience alone basically and just sort of revamp the look. It has a great way of managing your contacts, pimping out the camera, and tying into your social network feeds. Not bad, HTC.
Camera: The rear camera weighs in at 8MP with a f/2.0 aperture and is better than your average smartphone shooter. After spending most of my time with the Galaxy Nexus's camera and liking that, I can now see why people despise it so much. This camera is a serious upgrade in that department and I just hope and pray that we can see more devices get shipped with a shooter such as this one.

Ice Cream Sandwich: I would expect nothing less from a flagship device in 2012. With companies like LG and Motorola releasing phones that still have Gingerbread, a shout out should be given to HTC for keeping up with the times. They may have tossed their new Sense 4.0 on top of it, but the features that were introduced with Android 4.0 are all there for you to enjoy to their fullest.
Call Quality: Had nothing but pleasures when speaking to people over Big Blue's network. No disconnects, no static, no nothing. And in fact, reception in general was fantastic. Everywhere I went, including the woods and the lake had mid to full bars. Knowing that I can go anywhere and still be receive my tweets is a huge plus(/s).

The Not-so-Good:

Bloatware: The number of applications that come pre-installed and serve a general useless purpose isn't as bad as I first thought it could be. There are definitely some that take the cake such as AT&T Navigator, YPmobile, and Device Help. I understand for people new to Android that these apps may be beneficial, but come on. This is a Google device. We already have Google Maps and a Google Search feature built it, so just give us those things instead of confusing people even further as to which app they should use for each task.

Hardware Navigation Keys: It's a major bummer that this device has been shipped with actual hardware keys, seeing as how the Galaxy Nexus has been out for months now and HTC had plenty of time to see that people really loved that concept. Either way, this isn't a complete negative. They feel pretty good, but we just sort of wish HTC stayed completely current and ahead of the design curve.

Non-removable Battery: The internal battery is 1800mAh and should be strong enough to get most people through an entire day of use. But not everyone is the same and there will be times that having a non-removable battery will hamper your abilities when it comes to extended options and things of that nature. In the long run, if you are the traveling type or like to be unplugged from a wall outlet every 24 hours, then you will definitely notice this downside. With most Android devices featuring removable batteries, it is definitely a different approach for HTC that may not pay off in the end if users experience sub-par battery life.
Top Lock Switch and Headphone Jack: I share Kellex's beliefs on the placement of these two items, so I shall piggyback from his review of the International variant. "The top lock switch, sucks. As does the top headphone jack. The thumb lock switch on the side of the device, makes so much sense, that there should be a law created to make top switches illegal. Same thing with the headphone jack. If I’m listening to music on my phone through headphones, a plug at the bottom simply works better. The cord doesn’t have to hang out the back of the device or dangle to the side if I’m looking at it, and when I place it in my pocket top down (like everyone does), the cord pokes right out, without me having to think about it." Couldn't have said it any better myself. When will the manufacturers learn? At least Samsung has it right.
No Camera Lens Protection: While we may crown this device as having the most beautiful design, the camera placement almost kills it. My girlfriend said the design looks like a nipple and after looking at it for five seconds, I agree. The lens is out in the open for anything to come along and scratch it, so you might find yourself placing the phone screen-side down, just to make sure you don't damage it. If the camera was flush with the body, then it would be money.

Full Gallery:

Screen Comparison:

Unboxing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1suYjNJEeNw[/youtube]

HTC Sense 4.0 Overview:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-ElZWO2hk[/youtube]

The Verdict:

Easily a 9 out of 10 star performance from HTC on this device. Without a doubt, the best device I have had the pleasure of reviewing and it easily replaced my Nexus during the trial time. Superior camera, performance, and design make this the best device on the market. American customers who are on AT&T or were thinking of making the switch should put this device at the top of their lists when shopping for a new phone. Unfortunately for Verizon customers, it looks like we may be getting a less impressive variant such as T-Mobile's HTC One S we reviewed earlier. Let's hope that later down the road Verizon has plans of picking up a superphone such as this one. And with Samsung's Galaxy SIII being unveiled in just a matter of days, who knows how long the HTC One X will sit atop the Android device kingdom.

HTC One X Benchmarks: Tegra 3 (Quad-core) vs. Snapdragon S4 (Dual-core)

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:35 +0000

First, if you haven't checked out our full review of the AT&T HTC One X, then you will want to do that. After doing that, let's go ahead and start the conversation about benchmarks between the AT&T, Snapdragon S4 version and the Tegra 3, unlocked version of the phone. With NVIDIA not having LTE modems for their quad-core processors just yet, carriers that want this phone with LTE capabilities are having to swap out the Tegra 3 in favor of the dual-core Snapdragon S4. Both processors are beasts in their own right, so we thought, "What better way to see if we can find a difference than through a handful of tests?" For those that hate benchmarks and think they mean nothing, we would agree with you to a point. We would have to disagree in that these at least give us something to compare against. We can flip through home screens all day long, open and close apps, look for stutters, etc., but in the end, you need to have numbers. Benchmarks give us numbers. So what did we see? On a pure performance and power level, the Tegra 3 with its 4-PLUS-1 quad-core architecture seems to come out in front of the dual-core Snapdragon S4. We also noticed in benchmarks like Quadrant that show a constant frame rate, that Tegra 3 seems to hold a higher rate even during the most strenuous of on-screen activities. But, the Snapdragon S4 produces higher one-time frame rates than the T3 at times and even bests it completely in some tests, and is clearly no slouch. You won't find a loser in this battle. If there is one conclusion to draw from these tests, it's that these two processors (at least for now) are the best in the business for Android devices. Both will probably never slow down no matter what you try to do to your phone, and that's a great feeling to have.

Video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoOfslHxF4[/youtube]

Results:

Motorola Posts Another Loss for Q1 2012, Ships 5.1 Million Smartphones

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:20:28 +0000

Boy, do we miss the days when Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha would jump on their quarterly earnings calls and start rambling about phones on the horizon and other products that weren't supposed to be spoken of publicly. Those times are long gone though, as Google tries to wrap up their acquisition of the company and Jha's standing remains in question (is he in or out?). Moto and Google no longer hold calls to talk about the company and the releases aren't any fun with losses being reported on the regular. For Q1 2012, Motorola shipped 5.1 million smartphones (shipped, not sold) and brought in revenues of $3.1 billion with an operating loss of $121 million. This of course, comes on the heels of Samsung's record quarter where they took over the #1 mobile phone maker in the world title from Nokia. As far as that acquisition is concerned, Google and Motorola hope to finalize everything by the end of the the first half of this year. We are still waiting for China to sign off on it. The full earnings statement can be found at Motorola's investors site.

SCAWAR Space Combat, High Quality Space Shooter with Tilt Controls

Tim — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:40:31 +0000

For fans of the space shooter genre, another great addition has been placed on the Google Play Store. It's called SCAWAR Space Combat and features some really high quality graphics, along with kicking gameplay. After calibrating your device, you control your ship with tilt controls and one onscreen control to fire your gun. Object is simple - fly around and destroy all of the alien scum. There are a ton of levels to beat and it isn't a game that will only last you a day or two - it's epic and free. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7letJRulqDU[/youtube]

Samsung Ships More Smartphones in Q1 Than Apple and 6x as Many as HTC, Motorola Fails to Make the List

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:50:17 +0000

The IDC posted a report this morning with their estimates for global smartphone shipments for Q1 of 2012 and the numbers might shock you. We already know that Samsung took over the top spot from Nokia as number one mobile manufacturer in the world, but this gives us a visual representation of their dominance. In Q1, Samsung shipped 42.2 million smartphones across the globe, topping everyone including Apple who totalled 35.1 million. In Q1 of last year, Samsung only shipped 11.5 smartphones, which is a quarter of this year's Q1 numbers and a 267% change year-over-year. The most shocking number though, might be the comparison to HTC's quarter which shows a shipment of 6.9 million phones, a number 6x lower than Sammie's. Or to top even that comparison, we could point out that Motorola and LG aren't even on the list. Yikes. So going into 2012, the smartphone battle is a two horse race. Samsung has started to reach Apple-status, with ridiculous amounts of buzz and rumor leading up to the release of this year's Galaxy model, similarly to what happens when a new iPhone is on the way. It's exciting to see an Android OEM turn into such a behemoth, but then again, we like competition. Do work Moto and HTC. Via: IDC

Android Open Kang Project Releases Milestone 5 For All Supported Devices

Tim — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:33:01 +0000

Big day for custom ROM users, as the Android Open Kang Project team has released Milestone 5 for all supported devices. The list of supported devices is humongous and chances are, your device is certainly one of them. Milestone 5 brings mostly a ton of fixes and should make your device's operation as smooth as butter. With AOKP, there are always tons of theme options and customizations that are just not possible on a stock build. If you want to give it a look over and download, then follow the source links down below. Via: AOKP | Rootzwiki Cheers Ostensibly!

New Android Commercial Reminds You That Your Contacts, Calendars, and Photos Have Always Been in the Cloud

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:19:15 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KexBU26TTeI[/youtube]

When Apple unveiled iCloud last June, I actually laughed out loud. As an Android and Google user, we had been using the "cloud" for our contacts, calendars, apps, books, feed readers, etc. for years, but didn't realize that users of iOS were so far behind. Today's newly released Galaxy Nexus/Android commercial highlights that idea. You don't need some fancy "cloud" service add-on to your Android or Google world, you just need an account. Simply sign-in to your Google account in your Android phone and you have access to it all - email, contacts, calendars, browser info, and more. Stop using Verizon's Backup Assistant or some other 3rd party app and let Google handle it all.

RIM Previews Blackberry 10, Someone Kang the Keyboard Now

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:21:19 +0000

Blackberry World is in full swing this morning and to kick it off, RIM teased us with the future of their OS in Blackberry 10. In the video, you can see the oS running on their new developer unit which essentially looks like a Playbook, but as a phone. While it may be a while before we see this on a device any time soon, this teaser video should give Android devs some ideas to consider for their apps. How about that incoming call pop-up? Or better yet, check out the predictive text style of the keyboard. Rather than providing you word suggestions in a bar at the top of the keyboard, you see mini-suggestions over the next letter you may type. To me, that seems brilliant. Thoughts? [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEPYYo0-gfc[/youtube]

Another Galaxy S3 Dummy Box Appears - New Details Plus a GT-i9800 Device to Launch With It?

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:50:04 +0000

The folks over at SamMobile believe with all their heart that the phone above is 100% the Samsung Galaxy S3. As you can see, it looks exactly like the other dummy box leaks that we have seen over the last couple of weeks. According to their source and blurry photos, this is the GT-i9300, runs Android 4.0.4 and received a kernel that was built on April 23. Clearly the box around the outside of this will be gone when the phone is unveiled, leaving a Galaxy Nexus-esque phone to drool over. The odd thing again, is that the home button simply looks like a sticker, but if you check on each side of it, you can faintly see back and menu buttons. At the end of last week, we saw a device that reportedly had the dummy box removed that also had a physical home button and menu/back keys. Why on Earth Samsung decided to forgo on-screen soft keys is beyond us. We also aren't sure how Ice Cream Sandwich is going to work with a dedicated menu button and no task switcher. Maybe they built the task switcher into a home button or menu long press as they did with the Galaxy SII? In related news, the source of these pics claims that there is also a GT-i9800 device in the works and that the i9300 is "just the beginning." The model number of i9800 has been rumored in the past along with i9300, so I guess it's fair to say that anything is possible at this point. Ready to start speculating about a second device? Thankfully, we will know it all in 2 days. Via: SamMobile

Handful of Lucky DL Readers Receive Android 4.0.4 IMM76K Update on Verizon Galaxy Nexus? (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:00:06 +0000

Soooooo, about that Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 update that you are all waiting for - is it ready to roll out as build IMM76K? According to one of our readers, the update appeared for installation this morning on a replacement phone that he picked up over the weekend. He claims to be running stock Android 4.0.2 and to not be rooted. As anyone in this business knows, readers try to deceive blogs all of the time, but the date on the kernel, the brand spankin' new radios, and the newer build number over any other Galaxy Nexus including the Sprint and GSM versions, leaves us to believe that this may be real after all. We keep hearing "early May" for a release of this update and being May 1, that certainly matches up. The odd thing here is that he is the only one to have mentioned it, anywhere, on the internet. Stay tuned for more. And be sure to check your phone immediately and throughout the day to see if you are prompted as well. Update: After hitting "publish" on the post, another reader received the same update.

Update 2: A handful now have it, some with screenshot in the comments:

Update 3: Store unit with it:

Update 4: Folks, if you are prompted, we need pictures of the pop-up that is notifying you of the update. Also, install a logcat app so we can find the location of this file. Or better yet, when you are notified that it is ready, email us before installing it. Update 5: A lot of talk in the comments about VZW support confirming that an update is rolling out to select devices with a mass rollout happening later in the week or even month. That's usually how updates work, but feel free to keep checking. We'll continue to update this post as we have more. Update 6: If you are following along in the comments then you are probably seeing the same trend we are - VZW corporate devices are all seeing the update. In our update above, we posted a picture of a store device with the update and were told that all of them had it available to be downloaded. Since then, multiple DL readers have been in stores and noticed that the display devices all have the update available as well. Here is the prompt to update which lists it as 39.8MB in size:

Update 7: DOWNLOAD LINK. Cheers Scott!

Lookout Introduces Install Monitoring and File System Monitoring to Better Protect Your Device

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:30:14 +0000

People who download applications and side-load them onto their devices are sometimes at risk, whether we want to believe it or not. Whether it's from an alternative market such as Amazon's Appstore or Getjar, it is best to take a safe approach when installing all applications. To help save you the stress, Lookout Mobile Security has introduced Install Monitoring and File System Monitoring. What these actions do is monitor files within the apks before you even install them, assuring there is never any malicious programs loaded onto your device.

We know a lot of our users like to explore everything on Android, even if that means downloading apps from a source you’ve never even heard of before. For these cases, File System Monitoring and Install Monitoring are here to protect you.

Some folks probably think that Android mobile security concerns are somewhat of a joke, but we do know it's a real issue from past reports. Good to know there are plenty of companies out there fighting off these baddies! Play Link Via: Lookout

Motorola's Feedback Network Sends Out DROID Bionic Soak Test Invites

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:05:38 +0000

Motorola has started to notify members of their Feedback Network that a software update will be made available for the DROID Bionic in some time. No word on what to expect, so can we assume it is not Ice Cream Sandwich and most likely the 5.9.904 build that is floating around? As soon as we get some more juicy details we will share them with you. Do we still have some happy Bionic owners out there? Here is the letter going out to MFN members:

Hi. Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. We are inviting owners of the Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon to participate in a preview of a new software release, and provide feedback. If you are not currently using a Droid Bionic, please excuse and ignore this email. Click this link to take a short enrollment survey if you wish to take part. The registration window for this test is very short, so please respond as quickly as possible. This is a confidential test under the terms of the Motorola Feedback Network. Do not post any details or information about this on any public sites. Note that you must be a member in good standing of the Motorola Owners' Forums to be included. Thanks -- please understand that start times are always fluid. We ask for your patience if you register but don't hear from us right away. Regards, Matt and Mark Motorola Owners' Forums Motorola Feedback Network

Cheers everyone who sent this in!

Monday Poll: Are You on a Tiered or Unlimited Data Plan?

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:50:21 +0000

It's quickly coming up on a year that Verizon introduced their tiered data plans. Back then, the idea of tiered data didn't seem all that swell for folks who came accustomed to unlimited streaming capabilities. Unfortunately, for people who were late to the Big Red party and had to opt for one of the limited packages, they had to deal with the cards they were dealt. We want to know how many of you were lucky enough to be grandfathered in and keep your unlimited packages and who here has a data cap. If you are on a tiered plan, let us know which package you have down below - 2GB, 5GB,or the monstrous 10GB plan? [poll id="170"]

Verizon's Double Data Promo Tells You How Many Streamed Songs, Read Emails, and Photo Uploads You Can Do in 4GB

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:45:20 +0000

Tiered data plans are here for good and yes, it is unfortunate. Thankfully, many of us were able to keep our unlimited plans back when tiers were introduced, however, we would be foolish to believe that we will have them forever. We haven't been given a time frame as to when our grandfathered plans will run out, but you can imagine that it could happen in the very near future. We know that family share plans will be here this summer, which might also be a perfect opportunity for VZW to cut off unlimited for good. When that time comes, and if family plans aren't of interest, you will have to pick a tier. Verizon is currently running another of their "double data" promos that would get you into 4GB of data for $30 a month, a price that beats almost any other carrier's tiers. We have already seen one of these promos come and go, so it's not like Big Red is scared to run them from time to time. Let's just hope that they plan to run one again on the day of reckoning. And on that day, you may be worried that it won't be enough. It certainly won't be for those that tether on the regular, but if you take VZW's word in the infographic below, most of you may have more data than you know what to do with.

I'm curious, how much data are you using these days? We ask every few months for people to drop their numbers in the comments, so if you know or saw a statement recently, feel free to share in the comments. Via: Verizon Insider

GO Launcher EX Receives Update - New UIs in Home Editor and App Drawer

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:30:49 +0000

We know that not everyone is on Ice Cream Sandwich yet, so third party launchers like GO Launcher that were made for Gingerbread are still a big part of scene. GO Launcher in particular received a sizable update late last week that included a new UI for editing home screens, fancier design in the app drawer, and a bunch of other enhancements. We threw it on both the Galaxy Nexus and One X for a spin down memory lane and quickly remember why we were such big fans of this launcher before Android 4.0 came along. Now if only they had removed the legacy menu from the app, we may have thought about giving it a real shot on the One X. For now though, it looks like it will remain a Gingerbread launcher. Play Link Cheers Elwin!

Skype for Android Updated, Newly Revamped IM Interface and Video Rotation Support for More Devices

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:55:37 +0000

Skype for Android has received a little update recently, bringing a couple noteworthy features to the masses. If you still use Skype from time to time, then you will notice a newly revamped Ice Cream Sandwich look, plus the app now has a reported faster start-up time. Good to know big developers are beginning to use Google's theme outlines. Are you still using Skype on your mobile? Play Link Cheers Ashot!

Verizon's Sony Xperia Play Update Incoming as Build 4.0.2.E.0.57, Pops Phone Up to Android 2.3.4

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:12:44 +0000

We are almost positive that this update to build 4.0.2.E.0.57 for the Sony Xperia Play on Verizon is new, but truthfully, we had forgotten that this device even existed anymore. From what we can tell though, this hasn't been released yet, so it should be on the way any day to owners of the device. After updating, you will see a bump to Android 2.3.4 with new VZ Navigator, screenshot capabilities, camera improvements (720p recording), and more. The update is 66MB in size. More info.

Samsung and Apple's Court-Recommended Talks to Begin May 21 and 22

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:50:38 +0000

Apple's Tim Cook and Samsung's Choi Gee-sung are to begin their mediated discussions in San Francisco on the 21st and 22nd of May. The talks will revolve around the year-long trial that is based on Apple's belief that Samsung has done nothing but copy their designs and then Samsung's countersue, stating that Apple has infringed on a long list of their patents. Come on, gentleman. Can't we all just get along? Only time will tell if these powerhouse companies can come to an agreement and both get back to doing what they do best, make money. Via: SammyHub

Verizon Announces New Prepaid Plan - Unlimited Talk and Text Plus 1GB of Data for $80

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:16:03 +0000

Verizon announced a new 3G prepaid plan this morning that at least at first glance, appears to be decent. Starting May 1 for $80 per month and no contract, you can take advantage of unlimited talk and text, along with 1GB of data. Normal prepaid plans are already "unlimited" for mobile-to-mobile, but this just says "unlimited talk" which comes off as meaning unlimited talk to anyone on any type of phone (we'll know for sure tomorrow). On the data front, the current prepaid price for data is $30 a month to have unlimited. If you were to purchase the unlimited talk plan along with a data package, you are looking at a total monthly bill of around $130. So again, this new $80 plan doesn't look all that bad. Verizon also announced new prepaid mobile broadband plans at $15 for 250MB of data weekly, $60 for 3GB or $90 for 10GB of data monthly.

VERIZON WIRELESS ANNOUNCES NEW PREPAID PLANS

Unlimited Talk, Text and 1 GB of Data Smartphone Plan for $80 per Month; First Prepaid 4G Jetpack Offers a Variety of Mobile Broadband Data Plan Options
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced the availability of a new prepaid plan beginning May 1, offering unlimited talk and text messaging, as well as 1 GB of data for $80 per month. This monthly plan, available on the prepaid Samsung Illusion™, provides customers with an affordable, flexible option to take advantage of the nation’s largest, most reliable 3G network without the commitment of an annual contract. The Samsung Illusion prepaid package will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $169.99. In the coming weeks, the Samsung Illusion prepaid will also be available at Best Buy®, Target®, RadioShack and Walmart. Additionally, starting May 1, customers can purchase a prepaid Verizon Jetpack™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi® 4510L and take advantage of new prepaid Mobile Broadband plans. With the prepaid Jetpack, customers can now create a personal Wi-Fi cloud capable of sharing the high-speed Internet connectivity of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously. Prepaid 4G LTE Mobile Broadband plans are as follows: · $15 for 250 MB of data weekly · $60 for 3 GB of data monthly · $90 for 10 GB of data monthly The Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L prepaid package will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $129.99. In the coming weeks, it will also be available at Best Buy, RadioShack and Walmart. From keeping in touch with friends to surfing the Web, Verizon Wireless gives customers the power and flexibility to stay connected, with no annual contract, to America’s largest and most reliable high-speed wireless network. For more information on prepaid plan offerings, visit www.verizonwireless.com/prepay. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 93.0 million retail customers, including 88.0 million retail postpaid customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

KegDroid Makes Drinking Beer Fun Again, Assuming You Thought It was Boring to Begin With

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:33:46 +0000

An Android beer dispenser that uses NFC for authentication, a XOOM tablet for beer selection, and electronic pre-measured pours? Umm, where do I buy one? Well, no where yet, but Google employee Paul Carff has created one that looks amazing. Yeah, that's it pictured above and it's called KegDroid. The only thing I'm a bit confused about, is his quote during the intro where he claims that drinking beer has gotten to be "very boring" so he needed to spice things up a bit with this invention. Sorry Paul, drinking beer will never be boring. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pj8FHxzFvI[/youtube] Via: TheNextWeb

LG Introduces Own Cloud Services for Phones, Tablets and Smart TVs

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:10:19 +0000

Look at you LG, beating Samsung to an idea that they will potentially unveil this Thursday along with the Galaxy S3. It's another cloud service! Just what we need! So yeah, LG has announced LG Cloud this morning as the "first real streaming multimedia cloud for all three screens." (I don't know why, but that title is hilarious.) This new cloud service will allow you to stream photos and video from your phone to PC to TV to PC to phone to TV and back again and again "almost instantaneously." The apps are all free, but in order to get your TV into the game, it will have to be a Smart TV produced by LG. We can't tell if your phone needs to be made by LG or not, but the Play Store is currently showing that none of my phones are compatible, so that could very well be the case. Yep, another "cloud" service. Links: Play Link | More

LG INTRODUCES THE FIRST REAL STREAMING MULTIMEDIA CLOUD FOR ALL THREE SCREENS

Unique Cloud Service Offers Content Consumption and Seamless Connectivity via TVs, Mobile Devices and PCs
SEOUL, APR. 30, 2012 -- LG Electronics (LG) announced the beta opening of LG Cloud service on May 1 with the aim of providing seamless connectivity and streaming access to all digital content across various electronic devices. Although cloud is today’s hottest IT buzzwords, LG Cloud is the first that allows users to manage and consume all types of content on “three screens” which includes Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs (including but not limited to CINEMA 3D models) without a separate set-top box. To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud app from Google Play or LG SmartWorld app store from their Android smartphones, LG SmartWorld store from their LG Smart TVs or the LG Cloud website (www.lgecloud.com) from their PCs or laptops. LG’s Cloud service automatically synchronizes smartphone content with the cloud server and the user’s PC and TV. Photos and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously. Videos edited on a PC can be uploaded to LG Cloud for viewing seconds later on a smartphone. Unlike other cloud services, there’s very little waiting or lag time since the content is streamed to the TV, PC or smartphone, not downloaded first. The difference is in LG’s Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology. The conversion happens on the server in realtime, not on the device. There is no need to worry about installing codecs or converters, everything happens seamlessly and in the background with no involvement from the user. No other cloud service can make this same claim. The service also works perfectly with 3D content. Vacation videos taken with an LG 3D smartphone can be uploaded via 3G or Wi-Fi to the LG Cloud service. Back home in the comforts of the living room, the family can watch the vacation footage as it streams from LG Cloud to their LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV in superb three dimensions. To better develop cloud services that prioritize convergence, LG created a new division called Smart Business Center to focus specifically on content and services. Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company, is also responsible for the new Smart Business Center. “Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” said LG’s Mr. Kwon. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.” LG Cloud will be offered as both a free and paid service. Free storage space and pricing will differ market to market and will be announced separately as the service becomes available in that country.

SiriusXM Internet Radio for Android Updated, TuneStart and Additional User Controls Added

Tim — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:32:40 +0000

The SiriusXM satellite radio app for Android has finally received an update. Included in the update are a ton of awesome new features, so start getting excited. Users can now pause and resume live tunes, fast forward/rewind, and there is the ability to "TuneStart." With TuneStart, you can hear songs from the beginning when you tune into a specific music channel. No more coming in halfway through your favorite jams and wishing there was a way to start it over. All in all, this update is just what the doctor ordered, so if you're a subscriber, go pick it up and rock out. If you don't have a pricey subscription, you can sign up (no credit card required) for seven days free of charge.

What's in this version:

Start Now - Go back in time up to 5 hours to hear previously aired programming on most channels

TuneStart - Hear songs from the beginning when tuning to music channels

Pause - Pause and resume live programming

Fast Forward & Rewind - Skip forward and back on many channels

Show Alerts - Reminders when your favorite shows begin

Album Art & Artist Bios

Improved reliability & sound quality

Play Link Cheers everyone who sent this in!

N.O.V.A. 3 First Gameplay Teaser Released, Game Coming in May

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:04:46 +0000

Last week, Gameloft teased N.O.V.A. 3, the newest version of their popular first person shooter series. Today, the bring us the first look at gameplay in what is sure to be another hit for one of mobile gaming's biggest contributors. The new N.O.V.A. takes us to the streets of Earth in what appears to be ramped up graphics, more enemies, and faster game play. We will definitely keep an eye on this one. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQvzNFf5900[/youtube]

Verizon Brings Back the "Droid Does" Campaign, This Time in Much More Subtle Fashion

Kellen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:18:46 +0000

"Droid Does," the campaign that started it all has been reignited this morning by Verizon to show off their current lineup of DROID phones, the RAZR, RAZR MAXX and DROID 4. Things are a bit different this time around though. What was once robotic arms, ninja women, bike chase scenes, and futuristic science fiction has now become an outlet for smiles, feature highlighting, and uses for real world situations. Enter the new world of "Droid Does" where actual humans are involved. Has been a while since we had one of these, so I'd love to know what you think. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0wb039vng[/youtube]

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 4/27/2012

Tim — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:00:07 +0000

With Ice Cream Sandwich headed to numerous devices and more photos of the Galaxy SIII "surfacing," it was definitely a busy week here at DL. Samsung's unveiling is scheduled for next week on May 3, so it's gearing up to be even crazier here in a few days. If you happened to miss any of the festivities, we have highlighted the good stuff for you down below.

Have a safe weekend, everybody!

Apex Launcher Pro Finally Hits the Google Play Store

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:15:36 +0000

Back in the Gingerbread (and even Froyo) days, there was this original battle between top launchers that we followed ever so closely. For a lengthy period of time, you were either a LauncherPro guy or an ADW EX guy. Both were amazing launchers, but you couldn't deny that each had their die-hard base of users. After a while, we saw new players enter the market such as GO Launcher and a few others, but for the most part, those two dominated the field. Now with Ice Cream Sandwich, we are seeing a similar battle play out in front of our eyes. You are either a Nova Launcher user or an Apex Launcher user. For fans of Apex, today is a great day as the "Pro" version has been released to the ~~market~~ Google Play Store. Almost 2 weeks ago, the newest beta of Apex was released and included many of the features that would become exclusive to the pro version. So if your beta expired (and it should have), your best chance to keep current is going to be through this new release. At $3.99, it's not cheap, but it's also not expensive. Devs who do this high quality of work need to be rewarded. The pro version features:

Multiple configurable drawer tabs
Unread count notifications
Dock swipe gestures
Two finger gestures
More transition effects
Batch add option for folders
Option to merge folder contents
Widgets in dock (1x1 only)
Overlapping widgets
More features on the way!

Play Link ($3.99) Cheers to everyone who sent this!

ComScore: Kindle Fire Holds 54% of the Android Tablet Market in the U.S.

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:37:48 +0000

In not-so-surprising fashion, Amazon's Kindle Fire has been announced as the top dog in the U.S. Android tablet market according to the latest ComScore numbers. What is a bit surprising is that the device makes up for 54% of it. The Samsung Galaxy Tab family comes in at 2nd with around 15.4% share and no one else even cracks the double digit mark. So in 5 months, the $199 Fire has taken over and probably won't bother to look back. You can imagine that Google is doing whatever they can to prepare their $199 tablet for release, especially since the Kindle Fire isn't necessarily looked at as an Android slate. Sure it runs Android, but you can't tell since Amazon customized the heck out of it and uses their own app store. The price point is nice and hard to argue against though. We covered the Fire a bit when it first launched, but got the feeling that many of you were not all that interested in and cut back. After looking at these numbers, I'd say that people actually are fairly interested in the device. So tell us, are you a Fire owner?

Via: ComScore

Contest: Win a Transformer Prime 32GB, Keyboard Dock, and $25 Giftcard from NVIDIA to Celebrate the Launch of Dark Meadow (Update: Winner Picked)

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:10:05 +0000

With the launch of Dark Meadow: the Pact on Android this morning, the teams at NVIDIA and Phosphor Games decided that to celebrate, they would like to hand out a 32GB Asus Transformer Prime, matching keyboard dock, and $25 giftcard to one lucky DL reader. We just posted our review of the game, which I highly recommend that you read. Powered by the Unreal Engine and built specifically for the Tegra 3 4-PLUS-1 chipset, Dark Meadow is a pleasure to look at and play. The high polygon count and added textures and effects really come to life if using the right device - such as a Transformer Prime. When you think of the game type, we tend to compare it to older classics like Myst that involve strategy and adventure through the eyes of the main character. This takes a step up in the awesome meter though, thanks to all of the demon slaughtering that occurs along the way. This is easily one of the more beautiful games you will find on any mobile platform. So about that contest...ready to win a Transformer Prime and take on the evil white-glowing witch in Dark Meadow? Let's do it.

Winner:

Congratulations goes out to Gary Martel, who loves Battlefield 1943 on the Xbox 360!

Contest:

To enter - 1. ~~Follow @droid_life and @NVIDIATegra on Twitter.~~ ~~2. Tweet the following:~~

Win a Transformer Prime, Keyboard Dock and $25 from @droid_life and @NVIDIATegra to celebrate Dark Meadow! - #android

3. ~~In the comments, tell us what your preferred gaming platform is (XBOX, PS, mobile, PC, etc.) and your favorite game on that platform.~~ Entry period and Winner - The contest will run from the time of this posting until Friday (4/27) at 3PM Pacific. At that time, a winner will be chosen from the comments and contacted.

A huge thanks goes out to NVIDIA and Phosphor Games for hosting the contest and putting up the prizes.

Tabr Widget, the Perfect Mix of Social, Web, and Productivity in One Widget

Tim — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:14 +0000

We've stumbled upon another widget built with tablets specifically in mind that is bound to help improve some productivity for folks who spend most of their days plugged in to the Internet. With Tabr Widget, you can neatly organize your contacts, calendar events, and online bookmarks for easy access straight from your homescreen. When you open up the widget, you are asked which tabs you want to have added on. You can choose to have your contacts listed out, your calendar events, and choose one of your social network's streams to show up. It's pretty good for an all-in-one widget. Once downloaded, you'll need to download a couple add-ons that are free from the Play Store to get the full effect, so give it a go and let us know what you think. Play Link Cheers Picolas!

Acer Releases App to Help A500 Owners Update to Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:10:56 +0000

The Acer A500 Ice Cream Sandwich update is supposed to be available today for all owners. On Wednesday, a lucky few received the update early, but the rest should have it today. In order to make sure the process goes off without a hitch, Acer has an app in the Play Store for you to download that should help. We aren't exactly sure what the app does other than check to see that the update is available, but you might as well grab it so that you don't run into any problems. Play Link Cheers Shane!

New RAZR Ice Cream Sandwich Leaks as Build 6.14.84, May Be Official (Updated)

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:35:50 +0000

A new Ice Cream Sandwich build for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX has leaked within the last day or so as build 6.14.84. We are hearing that the file size (roughly 343MB) matches that of the file listed in yesterday's VZW update schedule, so this could be the official build assuming it passes all tests. Our reader has been testing the build over night and we are hearing that the file may be released to the public within the next hour. The folks at DroidRzr.com will have it, but we will be updating this post to let you guys know. Once released, it appears as if you will need to be on build 6.12.181 in order to apply it. If that sounds familiar, that's because 6.12.181 is the new OTA update that started rolling out at the beginning of the week - another sign that this ICS might be the one. Update: It has been released. Here is a link to the download and instructions on flashing. Update 2: Folks are already reporting some bugs that VZW likely won't let pass. This probably won't be the official version. Seems like we are getting pretty close to being there though.

Cheers Joseph!

Samsung Denies Responsibility for Staged Protest Outside Apple Stores in Australia

Tim — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:50:09 +0000

After we posted news of Samsung's flash-mob protest against Apple and their customers down in Australia, word is out that Samsung is denying any ties to it whatsoever. Say what, Sammy?

Samsung Electronics Australia has nothing to do with the ‘Wake-Up Campaign.

Initially, it was reported that the Tongue marketing firm that was hired to stage the mob, had all buzz created on the web link to a site that displayed a timer that was counting down towards May 3, which is the date Samsung plans to announce their upcoming Galaxy SIII device. So, who is paying for this? Whether Samsung's Australia office is responsible or possibly some other entity working for Samsung, we definitely want to know. Via: Slash Gear

Kovdev Releases Lustre Icon Pack to the Play Store, Simplistic Meets Beauty

Tim — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:15 +0000

We enjoy making our devices stand out from the pack and it is not the easiest thing to do unless you have some clean wallpapers, sexy icons, and a good sense for symmetry. Our dear friend Kovdev is a maker of all the aforementioned goods, so we constantly praise his work for the Android community. He has worked with Tha Phlash on countless icon packs that we have featured, but now, he has stepped out on his own to create Lustre. In my opinion, it is so far the most eye-pleasing icon pack and wallpaper sets I have had the joy of using and it is finally available for the masses in the Play Store. It is starting at an introductory price of just $1, which isn't bad for almost 200 icons for you to use any way you see fit. The pack will of course see updates and people are encouraged to send in icon requests, which if reasonable, shall be fulfilled. If you are currently running a launcher that supports custom icons, then you better jump on this set immediately. Play Link ($0.99) Via: Kovdev

DROID 4 Fastboot File Released For Build 6.13.215

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:25:13 +0000

The first fastboot file for the DROID 4 is now available for those of you that want to have a security blanket of sorts should you run into any software issues with your phone. The build number on this file is 6.13.215, which is the original software build for the device. Within the last week, the D4 was updated to 6.13.219, so you may want to verify that this file can be flashed over 6.13.219 before doing so. Via: Eternity Project

First Look at the HTC Incredible 4G LTE Otterbox Defender Case

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:50:36 +0000

At this point, we are starting to pencil in a release of the DROID Incredible 4G LTE some time during the next couple of weeks. A finished build of the device has been photo'd a handful of times, the DroidDoes.com page for it went live earlier in the week, and now we are seeing cases from players like Otterbox arrive in retail packaging. We had a targeted date at one point that referred to April 26 as being the day, but with that being yesterday and no phone in sight, we will focus on next week or the one after. Verizon released the Spectrum and RAZR MAXX back in early Q1 and nothing important since. With it being 1 month into Q2, you have to assume that something will arrive any day now. The DROID RAZR HD is a possibility, but we are expecting the Incredible 4G LTE to launch well before it. As a recap, this device will sport a 4.3" qHD LCD display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, NFC chip, 4G LTE, 8GB of onboard storage, SD card slot to add on more, and 1GB of RAM. It's almost like an HTC One S (our review), but with different screen tech, LTE, NFC and expandable storage. So yeah, that's basically us saying that the Inc 4G is better.

Cheers J!

Samsung Releases Record Q1 Earnings of $4.46B, Proceeds to Make it Rain

Tim — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:15:29 +0000

Today, Samsung has released their earnings report for the first quarter of 2012. To make it short and sweet, they raked in a cool $4.46 billion in profit (up 81% from last year) thanks to huge growth in their mobile communication sectors - not a surprise there. According to Sammy, the Galaxy Note was selling like hotcakes and the international popularity of the Galaxy SII skyrocketed them to be the number one handset manufacturer in the world.

Samsung is expected to continue its strong growth momentum in the second quarter, following the announcement of the next GALAXY device in London on May 3.

From what we can tell, Samsung is expected to put a lot of effort into making sure the "next GALAXY" does well in the market. And with marketing ploys such as their staged protest outside of Apple stores in full effect, they're having no troubles generating buzz for their upcoming flagship device. Via: Samsung | Earnings Report

Android Engineer: Verizon is Holding Back Your Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 Update

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:36:10 +0000

Android software engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru, who you see mentioned here quite a bit as he handles the AOSP, shared his thoughts yesterday about the update process for Ice Cream Sandwich. He talked about how Sony spends a lot of time contributing to the AOSP, thus the reason for their early update schedule. He also talked about how different Gingerbread and Honeycomb are from ICS "under the hood" which may lead to a more lengthy update process from OEMs this time around. But then he finished off with a comment that I'm sure will not make you all that happy, but one you sort of figured to be the case at this point. He said that the part of this all that "blows" his mind, is the fact that "some variants of the Google-engineered flagship devices" (read: Nexus devices) still have not received ICS or are stuck on older versions "because of delays introduced by operator approvals." Can you guess who he is talking about? He may not have called out Verizon specifically, but since the Galaxy Nexus and XOOM 4G on their network are the only "Google-engineered flagship devices" not on ICS or that are running an older version of Android 4.0, I'm not sure who else he could be talking about. Are we surprised at this news? At this point, not at all. We know that Verizon tests their devices more thoroughly than any other carrier, but with a Nexus and a developer tablet, we thought it would leave them with less worries and that the approval process would fly by. It's tough to believe that any longer as we have gone almost 5 months without seeing a Galaxy Nexus update even though it has a list of critical bugs that we write about almost daily. The XOOM 4G which was the first Honeycomb tablet on the planet, is still stuck on Honeycomb, while WiFi tablet after WiFi tablet across the globe seems to have already been updated to Android 4.0. The updates still come directly from Google for these devices, but that's after they get them ready and then pass them off to Verizon for approval before being able to send them out OTA. Unfortunately for all of us, it looks like we will have to continue to wait for that approval. Via: Google+

Is the End Near for Android? [Opinion]

Ron — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:10:13 +0000

Lately Business Insider (BI) has been announcing the imminent death of Android based on iPhone and iPad sales, reported disinterest in the platform by developers, and upset manufacturers. According to a handful of their writers, Android is poised to lose market share to both iOS and Windows Phone. Is the end near for Android? The Tablet Problem A couple of these writers are right to point out that the continued great sales of the iPhone and the iPad spell trouble for Android. While Android has continued to hold its own in the phone space despite carriers like Verizon selling more iPhones than all Android phones combined for two quarters, Android has been a disaster in the tablet space. Despite two major versions of Android for tablets, consumers have not taken to Google's vision of how a tablet should look and feel. Based on analysts' estimates, the Kindle Fire is the best selling Android tablet with 54% of the Android tablet market. Why hasn't Android been successful in the tablet space like it has been in the phone space? BI rightly identifies that Apple partnering with AT&T exclusively likely had much to do with Android's success, but the tablet market is not the phone market. I am convinced that Android has not been successful in the tablet space because Android is significantly better on phones compared to tablets. The reason people are buying Fires is because they are cheap and the UI is dirt simple if inelegant. I cannot emphasize enough how certain I am that the main reason people buy Fires is because of the price, not the quality of the product. People are buying the Fire over a Galaxy Tab or Transformer because it is cheaper and good enough. So why are people buying iPads over Tabs and Transformers? Because at that price the iPad has a better ecosystem and experience. So how does Google break into the tablet space? Make a product that is significantly better than the iPad. This isn't rocket science. People aren't buying Android tablets because they are around the same price as the iPad, which offers a better experience. Honeycomb was rushed, jittery, and buggy. Google should have waited to release it. ICS is gorgeous on phones, but just as disjointed as Honeycomb on tablets. The Kindle Fire may be the best selling Android tablet, but that doesn't make it a strong competitor with the iPad. The only way to fight the iPad is with a better product. Why did consumers buy the DROID instead of a Blackberry or a Touch Pro2 or Pre Plus? Because the DROID offered an obviously superior experience. Now that Android and iOS are in parity on phones, Google needs to ensure that the Android tablet ecosystem and experience are in parity or give up on tablets. Disinterested Developers BI argues that developers are becoming less interested in Android based on Instagram trying to sell itself for $500 million before the Android version was released, thereby insisting that it was valuable enough without an Android version. Louis goes even further, arguing that developers will soon be leaving Android for Windows Phone. Both of these arguments are insane to me. BI readily admits that the massive number of Instagram downloads on Android influenced Facebook's decision to double Instagram's initial evaluation, but he doesn't give it enough credit. It's one thing to pay more than the company is supposed to be worth, but to double the value is significant. Facebook has a ton of money, but that doesn't mean it can just throw $1 billion around without consequence. Facebook clearly recognized that with an Android app it could reach far more users (and ensure that it would control Instagram instead of Twitter). Based on BI's own numbers, interest in Android development has hardly waned while Windows Phone and iOS have plateaued and Blackberry has plummeted. In general Android users don't buy as many apps as iPhone users, but because of Android's volume of users developers are still able to make money through ad sales. While developers may be more interested in platforms where their apps are actually purchased, the alternatives are two: iOS and Windows Phone. Many developers write apps for both iOS and Android to cover the largest number of users, but I can't imagine why developers would start to favor Windows Phone over Android. Even if Windows Phone users were more prone to buy apps than Android users, the insignificant number of Windows Phone users don't justify the switch in emphasis. Motoroogle The final threat to Android is manufacturer discontent with Google buying Motorola. According to BI's sources, manufacturers are considering forking Android or leaving for Windows Phone to avoid favoritism by Google towards Motorola. The question is, why would manufacturers like HTC and Samsung try their luck with forking or leaving Android? While the Fire has been successful, it hasn't been successful because it was a forked version of Android. It has been successful because a company that people actually recognized sold a cheap Android tablet. Forking Android wouldn't solve any manufacturers worries - they'd still have to compete with Motorola and Google on top of competing with Apple. Forking Android may allow manufacturers to make their skins more integrated, but it would mean relying on the Amazon App Store (or their own forked app store). Unless forking Android meant creating an obviously superior experience then it doesn't make sense for manufacturers to fork Android. The even more insane option would be for manufacturers to leave Android, the only thing making them money, for Windows Phone. Windows Phone doesn't have a large user base and doesn't offer an ecosystem or experience that is competitive with iOS or Android. More importantly, shifting to Microsoft puts manufacturers in the same situation they're facing with Google thanks to the Nokia-Microsoft partnership (Microkia? Nokisoft?). Why be in the same situation with fewer users? Even if Google does favor Motorola, manufacturers don't have any appealing alternatives to Android under Google's approval. Is Android coming to an end? Not at all, but that doesn't mean that Google has an easy road ahead of them. The reality is that the issues brought up by Business Insider are real (blown out of proportion, but real). Google needs to do better in the tablet space, maintain good developer relations, and continue to support its OEM partners. iOS is a growing threat in the phone space and continues to dominate in the tablet space. Developers may need to support Android now, but its possible that Microsoft or Google (or another party) could disrupt the ecosystem. Google also needs to be careful with how it uses Motorola so that it doesn't upset the Android ecosystem by trying to compete with its partners. Android has a long future ahead of it, but it is a future lined with problems that need to be addressed by Google.

New Samsung Galaxy S3 Picture Could Be Real, But is Confusing as Hell

Kellen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:24:58 +0000

Last night, the picture you are seeing above was spammed out from a "source" to who knows how many different sites. It is said to be the "next Galaxy" or what a Samsung executive referred to during their Q1 earnings call as the "Galaxy S3." The picture certainly mimics the design we saw yesterday in a leaked user guide, with a physical home button, volume rocker on the left, and back/menu hardware keys. But I'm not going lie, this just confused the hell out of the whole situation. Let me explain. We have seen a phone by the model number GT-i9300 leak a handful of times now with on-screen soft navigation keys in some sort of "dummy" box to hide its real design. But then this phone surfaces with a physical home button and hardware back and menu keys and now this is supposed to be it. So which is it because you can't have both. On one hand, I'm not completely buying into this being the phone. First of all, Samsung created the Galaxy Nexus and chose to go with on-screen soft keys while also knowing that Google had done away with the menu button in Ice Cream Sandwich, instead replacing it with an action overflow menu for apps. So this design, goes directly against that idea which they helped initiate. This phone didn't take the HTC approach to ICS either which has hardware task switcher, home and back keys and instead went with the Galaxy SII lineup of menu, home and back. Makes no sense. On the other hand, the Galaxy SII was a global sensation, so if you release the next version and change up the navigation sequence for those millions of users that will likely switch over to it, you could run into some early adoption issues. Maybe Samsung said, "Last year's phone was such a hit, let's not change it all up drastically and scare everyone." Seems silly, I know, but look at Apple. They keep pumping out 3.5" display devices with the same tired old design. Overall though, I really like the design of this device, with its almost edge-to-edge display and rounded Galaxy Nexus-esque body. I'm just not a fan of the hardware navigation keys. Note: As has been pointed out, you can see a reflection of the person's hand on the carpet. That's not humanly possible. Well, unless they were taking a picture of a picture of a phone on a carpet on a screen...if that makes sense. Or it could be behind glass. Could be a troll looking to take over the internet for a day. If so, they did a nice job. The good news is that we'll know for sure next week. Note 2: Another reader tossed out the idea that those aren't real buttons and are stickers. In the "dummy" box units, we definitely saw stickers or pieces taped onto the device so that it at least mimicked the Galaxy SII in form factor. Since this phone has its screen off, why are the physical buttons lit up? Or are they lit up? Another twist to add to the story. Thoughts? Real or fake? Like or hate? Via: YouMobile Cheers to everyone who sent this in!

DIRECTV for Android Updated, Stream Your Favorite Shows Right to Your Device

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:01:11 +0000

Customers of DIRECTV are in luck today, as the official Android application for the service has been updated and brings along a pretty nice live streaming feature. No matter where you go, you can now take your favorite shows with you and that even includes your favorite movies. As well as being able to stream sweet content, you can also see what shows people are buzzing about, which means no more feeling left out when everyone at the office is chirping away about some reality show you never knew existed. Sweet, right?

Now DIRECTV goes anywhere you go. Get instant access to hit entertainment from HBO®, Cinemax®, Starz®, and Encore®, plus the latest DIRECTV CINEMA movies and more, whenever and wherever you want-at home or on the go. Go to the “Watch on Phone” tab located on your home screen and select “Movies”, “TV Shows” or “Networks” to start watching now.

Being a Comcast subscriber myself, I can't personally test the application out. Let us know how it goes for you down below. Play Link Cheers Gongadin, Dave, and Richard!

Sebastian Thrun Wears Google Glasses on Charlie Rose, Takes and Shares Picture With Them to Google+

Kellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:24:22 +0000

Google's Project Glass or as we like to call them, Google Glasses, are one of the more interesting tech topics to follow in 2012. First debuting in a "here is what they could do" video, we have already seen real versions in the wild on the likes of Sergey Brin. This week, this whole Project Glass situation just jumped another notch or two on the Cool Meter. Sebastian Thrun, one of the Project Glass gurus, stopped by to chat with Charlie Rose while wearing a pair of these glasses. The interview was posted publicly yesterday, but from what we can tell, was actually conducted last week. Within the first few minutes of the conversation and while discussing some of the project's features, Thrun appears to snap a picture of Rose and then share it to Google+ without doing anything more than a simple head nod. Obviously you can't see the picture being taken or the UI for sharing since it is only viewable through his glasses, but what we do know is that Thrun posted the picture you are seeing above, to his G+. The video of this goodness is available at the source link below. We highly recommend you check out it and then discuss. How close are we to Project Glass becoming a reality? Via: Charlie Rose | Google+ | The Verge

Twitter for Android Updated, "Activity" Added Under Discover Tab Along with Push Notifications for Interactions

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:50:01 +0000

The official Twitter application for Android has been updated and brings some pretty cool features along with it. Under the recently added Discover tab, resides a new stream of content called Activity. "Activity is a stream of updates that shows which Tweets are favorited or retweeted by the people you follow and which accounts those people follow or add to lists." Make sense? Let's hope so because we're moving on. Along with that feature, push notifications have also been added for interactions that your individual tweets have. Have you just been retweeted or favorited? Well, thanks to these new notifications, you can know who and what was done with your tweets. Call me crazy, but I'm starting to miss the days of simply tweeting and not getting lost inside streams of "Activity." According to our recent poll, Twitter is the number two choice among DL readers when it comes to which social network they find themselves playing with the most. Facebook of course, destroyed the competition with an overwhelming 53% of the vote. Play Link Via: Twitter Cheers Spencer!

Cut the Rope for Android Updated, New DJ Box with 25 New Levels Plus Leaderboards

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:15:01 +0000

The original Cut the Rope, not to be mistaken with the newest version called Cut the Rope: Experiments, has received an update including a completely brand new box. It's called the DJ Box and it has 25 brand new levels for you to cut your way through. As an added bonus, it has also been given a leaderboard and achievements, which will surely make this game much more exciting given that you can spend your whole day trying to best everyone else in your social circles. I still have a deep love for Om Nom and these updates are always welcomed. Play Link

Verizon Device Update Schedule Leaks in Full - Rezound, RAZR, and XOOM Details Emerge

Kellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:32:06 +0000

If you were looking for information about the next OTA update for a phone on Verizon, a reddit user by the name of DroidTosser has you covered. His latest post that went up within the last hour, gives us details for updates on just about every VZW device currently available. We'll start first with the screenshot you are seeing above which talks Ice Cream Sandwich, but won't stop there as the info is plentiful. ICS Updates For Rezound ,RAZR/MAXX, and XOOM According to this screenshot, the ICS updates for all three of these devices are in testing. The Rezound will finish testing on 5/7 while the RAZR and RAZR MAXX will go until 5/17. After that, assuming they pass Verizon's internal tests, we should see them become available to devices (possibly 5/9 for the Rezound and 5/21 for the RAZRs). It wouldn't surprise us if you see soak tests for the RAZRs go live some time shortly after the 17th, again, assuming all is well and Big Red doesn't send it back to Motorola to fix anything. The XOOM on the other hand appears to be ready to roll. The "GOTA" mention up there means that the update is coming directly from Google, but that it still needs to a "TA" or technical approval and is on hold. Testing looks as if it is done though and we are simply waiting for someone to press "Go!" Other Device Updates (Bionic, Thunderbolt, Incredible 2, etc.) According to the rest of these screenshots, updates for the Bionic, Thunderbolt, Revolution, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Xperia Play are all in testing. We aren't sure what these updates are, but they have not been listed separately as Ice Cream Sandwich related. The Incredible 2 may have an update that has been approved already, but for whatever reason, the OTA push has been delayed. As you will notice after clicking through the thumbnails, the Galaxy Nexus is no where to be found.

Via: reddit Cheers Nate!

Rockstar Games: Max Payne for Android Delayed, Should Be Out "Next Week Or So"

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:15:59 +0000

A tweet sent out from Rockstar Game's official Twitter says that Android users have to be patient for a bit longer if waiting for the release of Max Payne to the Android OS. No say as to what has caused the delay, but we can assume they've stumbled upon some bugs and are applying some emergency fixes before release. I don't mind the wait, as long as this game is flawless when it's released. Stoked for Max Payne? Via: Twitter Cheers K and B!

Samsung GT-i9300 User Guide Purportedly Leaked, Specs Don't Make a Whole Lot of Sense

Kellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:40:39 +0000

The Samsung GT-i9300, oft-rumored to be the Galaxy SIII, appeared this morning in what is said to be an official user guide for the device. The list of specs looks decent on paper, but it doesn't necessarily match-up with what we know to be official for Samsung's next flagship. Last night, we were told by Samsung that the next Galaxy will have a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz, yet this page clearly states 1.5GHz. After that, we see a mention of a 4.8" display, but benchmarks from the same device are showing it as either 4.6" or 4.7". The camera is said to be 8MP, but again, we have seen 12MP mentioned as well. The rest of it looks semi-standard, only it seems odd that they would mention a sensor as being "Acceleration" rather than the correct term of "Accelerometer." Oh, and then we have a sketch of the device along with this list of specs. Is that a physical home button? It makes absolutely no sense to include a physical home button when their is an on-screen home key, thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich. I personally owned the Euro, unlocked Galaxy SII and hated every second of the physical home button in the middle of the device. Please Samsung, do not bring it back with next Galaxy. Thoughts?

Via: SamMobile

Samsung Stages Protest Outside of Apple Store, Encourages Customers to "Wake Up"

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:06:21 +0000

When does the imaginary line get drawn in the sand, where too much means too much. Samsung has recently hired a marketing firm to stage a protest out front of an Australian Apple store, urging Apple customers/kool-aid sipping employees to "wake up!" I will hand one thing to Samsung and it is that they love giving Apple free press these days. Some may enjoy this type of competition between huge corporations, but as someone who knows plenty of Apple employees and Android junkies, I can only find this rather lame on Samsung's part. Don't give people trying to pay their rent a headache with a mob screaming in their ears. That's just my opinion. Is it too much to ask Samsung to stop spending so much money on marketing to bash Apple and to put it into something Samsung buyers can enjoy? What do you think of Samsung's constant marketing war on Apple and its culture? [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldq2tNLRDwA[/youtube] Via: Android and Me

Taptu Receives Update, New UI and Easier Account Syncing Across Multiple Devices

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:33:49 +0000

Taptu for Android has received an update in the Play Store. Users can now set up streams on any device by using a social network or Google account instead of having to register with Taptu, which makes sharing and reading great content on multiple devices a whole lot easier. It has also been given a lovely UI make over which looks pretty hot on devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. Included in the update are some new widgets to help fill out your homescreens in case you had troubles already doing so. There are a ton of feed readers for Android, so which is your favorite? Play Link Note: The below video is hysterical - Old lady going ham on fragile decor? Heck yes. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymzQRIvx8Kg[/youtube]

U.S. Versions of Samsung's Galaxy SIII to Use Snapdragon S4 Processors Instead of Exynos Quad-core?

Kellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:48:52 +0000

Last night, Samsung announced that its new Exynos quad-core processor would be featured in the soon-to-be-announced Galaxy SIII or "next Galaxy." The news sort of shocked the world a bit as the device that will sport the chipset, has yet to be unveiled and has been kept as secret as any Android device ever. We almost couldn't contain our excitement though, as benchmarks from a device with this processor inside have been popping up all over the web, showing off impressive results. But what if the phone were to launch in some markets without the new Exynos quad-core beast? According to an anonymous Samsung exec that spoke to the Korea Times, the U.S. may be one of the markets that is left out of the fun. The dual-core Snapdragon S4 could replace the Exynos here in the States, just as it has with Tegra 3 powered European phones of the last few months:

"Samsung plans to release its Galaxy S III smartphone according to different specifications and different markets. For European consumers, it will use 3G and the company’s own quad-core mobile APs, while its own solution that combines LTE, 3G and quad-core mobile APs will be used for the Korean version. But only in the United States, will Samsung use Qualcomm chips,’’ said one Samsung executive asking not to be identified.

While I'm a fan of the Snapdragon S4 and its power, this news should not excite anyone. If the U.S. market is flooded with nothing but dual-core Snapdragon powered phones for the first half of 2012, what fun is that? Where is the differentiation? Part of the joy of Android is the different processors, screen types, build materials, and skins, but if all of today's phones are powered by the same chipset, it lessens the buzz. At least to me anyway. Via: Korea Times | GottaBeMobile

More Pictures of the HTC Incredible 4G Emerge, NFC and Beam Onboard

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:33:53 +0000

A Reddit user was able to go hands-on with the upcoming DROID Incredible 4G yesterday thanks to a recent meeting with an HTC rep. During the encounter, he was able to snap a couple of pictures and also confirm some of the specs that have been floating around the web thanks to the leak on the DroidDoes page. The Inc 4G will have NFC capabilities and feature the Android Beam, which Galaxy Nexus users have been toying with for a few months now. As we already know, it will feature Verizon's 4G LTE (naturally) and be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chip. The display will be a qHD at 960x540 resolution to "help improve battery life." As far as when we can expect a launch, the rep had nothing but a guesstimation for May, so we're here waiting to get the official word from Big Red. This device still perking your interest? Via: Reddit | Phandroid

Dark Meadow Arrives for Android, Powered by the Unreal Engine and Evil Spirits

Tim — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:13 +0000

Phosphor's Dark Meadow is now available in the Play Store for select Tegra-powered Android devices. We have been fortunate enough to have the game for a few days and there is no doubt that it is one of more beautifully designed games I have had the pleasure of playing on a mobile platform. You awake in an abandoned hospital, but as you come to find out through exploring the halls and rooms, you are not alone. A single voice through a loudspeaker is your only guide, whose sole purpose is make sure you destroy the witch that has you both trapped there.

The game takes a lot from PC classics such as Myst in the aesthetics department. As you walk around the building and interact with all of the different environments, you can tell that the developers really took advantage of the Tegra 3's computing and processing power, as well as the Unreal Engine with such detailed renderings and creatures. I have been playing the game for two full days now and I haven't even really made a dent in the plot yet, so for the price tag of free it doesn't get much sweeter than that. The game does have in-app purchasing, but trust me, you do not need to buy anything to complete the game. That is only if you want to walk around like a total boss slaying demon beast after demon beast without having a real challenge. Once you start dying countless times, you realize that dying is inevitably the point of the game. By collecting gold and XP from fallen foes, you rank up your player to challenge the witch at the end of each floor. Beating the witch several times is what you must do in order to move along in the game and explore different parts of the hospital. But of course, as your player ranks up and you buy stronger weapons, the monsters only get stronger and more creepy looking. Quick tip: Invest in blocking and melee power. As I mentioned previously, I haven't beaten the game yet, so I will cut the review here and go off to finish it. If you own an Android device powered by a Tegra chip, I recommend picking this game up for sure. Play Link Contest: To celebrate the launch of Dark Meadow, we are teaming up NVIDIA and Phosphor games to give away a 32GB Transformer Prime, matching keyboard dock, and a $25 gift card. For your chance to win and instructions on how to enter, check out the contest page.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSrvQz8BCYY[/youtube] Thanks goes out to Phosphor Games and NVIDIA's Tegra team.

Rumor: HTC to Launch Device With 5" 1080p Display and Quad-core Krait Processor on Verizon This Fall

Kellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:02:09 +0000

Annoyed over the fact that Verizon passed on the HTC One X, a device that has blown us away over the last couple of weeks? According to a new rumor, they plan to make up for it by launching a device with a 5" 1080p display and quad-core Krait Snapdragon processor this fall. Think of it as a Galaxy Note competitor. Also in this report are a couple of other supposed confirmations that should make you happy. The claim is that Verizon will indeed carry the Galaxy SIII, we just wonder when exactly. Last year, they passed on the Galaxy SII in favor of the Galaxy Nexus and the year before that they released an original Galaxy S device months after others. Maybe they'll get this one right? Third time's a charm? Lastly, this report claims that Verizon will see "multiple" variations of the RAZR throughout the rest of 2012, one of them as the RAZR HD. The RAZR HD is no secret to readers of DL as we have been on its trail for months now, previously reporting it under its codename of Fighter. So there you have a rumored roadmap with no dates or time frames other than "fall" for one. Not a lot of surprises other than the HTC device, which we are certainly interested to learn more about if it actually does exist. Thoughts? Via: BGR Cheers Scott and Skant!

Samsung Announces 1.4GHz Quad-Core Exynos Processor, Will Come Equipped in New Galaxy SIII

Tim — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:54:35 +0000

We no longer have to rely on the rumors, folks. Samsung has officially announced that their brand new quad-core Exynos processor, clocked at a hefty 1.4GHz, will power the new Galaxy SIII that is to be unveiled next month in London. Samsung states that the new chip can deliver twice the computing power at 20% lower power consumption over their already battery-efficient dual-core chip. Samsung's VP of System LSI marketing had this to say about the new Exynos processor:

The quad-core processor offers phenomenal multitasking abilities surpassing any single or dual application processor. Since all the cores must share a single battery, the power management and efficiency in the limited battery capacity are indispensable for mobile computing devices. Given the diverse functionalities consumers are demanding from their mobile devices today, the Exynos 4 Quad meets those high-performance needs while keeping power consumption very low.

Now that the new quad-core Exynos is official and we know that it will power the upcoming SGSIII, who here can't wait for this thing to come to the States? Read the full press release down below.

Samsung's New Quad-Core Application Processor Drives Advanced Feature Sets in Smartphones and Tablets
Designed on 32nm HKMG process, new energy-efficient chip exceeds 1.4GHz per core. SEOUL, Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced the industry's first quad-core application processor built on the High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) low-power process technology. With unprecedented performance capabilities exceeding 1.4GHz based on the ARM® CORTEXTM A9 quad-core, the powerful, yet energy-efficient Exynos 4 Quad, allows system-level architects to integrate maximized power efficiencies into smartphones and tablets which enables double the processing power at a 20 percent lower power bill over its predecessor, the 45nm process-based Exynos 4 Dual. "The quad-core processor offers phenomenal multitasking abilities surpassing any single or dual application processor. Since all the cores must share a single battery, the power management and efficiency in the limited battery capacity are indispensable for mobile computing devices," said Taehoon Kim, vice president of System LSI marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. "Given the diverse functionalities consumers are demanding from their mobile devices today, the Exynos 4 Quad meets those high-performance needs while keeping power consumption very low." Multi-core processing delivers enhanced performance, enabling users to accomplish more tasks in a shorter period of time. For example, a task such as streaming video can run on one core while the other cores update applications in the background, connecting to the web and scanning virus-check simultaneously. Benefitting from a use case where the parallel processing and workload sharing among the four cores is necessary, the Exynos 4 Quad is particularly well-suited for heavy-load applications such as 3D games, video editing, and calculation-intensive simulation. Due to its 32nm HKMG low-power process and power-saving design, the Exynos 4 Quad has two times the processing capability over the 45nm process based Exynos 4 Dual while consuming 20-percent less power. To improve power efficiency, Samsung adopted hot-plug functionality to support on-off switching for each core as well as the per-core dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), which offers a dramatic reduction in power consumption by adapting different levels of voltage and frequency when changing workloads. Having identical form factor measurements (12mm X 12mm X 1.37 mm), the Exynos 4 Quad is pin-to-pin compatible with the 32nm process based Exynos 4 Dual, allowing mobile device designers to immediately adopt the new solution without additional cost, engineering or design efforts. In addition, the new processor incorporates a full HD 30 frame per second video hardware codec engine for high resolution 1080p video recording and play-back, an embedded image signal processor interface for high-quality camera functionality and an HDMI 1.4 interface for sharp and crisp multimedia content transmission. Samsung developed a power management IC (PMIC), the S5M8767, as a companion chip to power the Exynos 4 Quad processor. By integrating various circuitry such as nine highly efficient and programmable buck converters and 28 low-dropout regulators (LDOs) into the small package of 5.0 mm x 5.0mm x 0.4mm, the S5M8767 is designed to scale up or down the dynamic voltage depending on the clock speed in 6.25mV step for managing power delivery and maximizing battery life at the system level. Already in production, the Exynos 4 Quad is scheduled to be adopted first into Samsung's next Galaxy smartphone that will officially be announced in May. Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad is also sampling to other major handset makers. "The application processor is a crucial element in providing our customers with a PC-like experience on mobile devices. Samsung's next Galaxy device, which will be officially announced soon, offers uncompromised performance and ground breaking multi-tasking features, thanks to Exynos 4 Quad's powerful performance and efficient energy management technology," said Hankil Yoon, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy Team, Samsung's Mobile Communications Business. Last year, Samsung introduced a new online hub dedicated to its Exynos processor. Designed to facilitate easy communication with industry partners and end users, the new micro-site takes you a step closer to the ultimate experience Exynos delivers; product information, user experience and information on promotion events. More information can be found at http://www.samsung.com/exynos.

Zynga Launching ZombieSmash! Globally to Android "This Week" - Turns Giant Bugdroid Into the Undead

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:30 +0000

Zynga announced today that they will take their iOS hit ZombieSmash! to the global Android market (err...Play Store) at some point "this week." The game is already available in Canada of all places, but won't be available elsewhere until, well again, sometime "this week." The game itself, is like a mash-up between tower defense titles, Plants v. Zombies, and Splatterhouse. There are 4 different game modes, upgrades and powerups, and even a live wallpaper. Update: The game is live in the Play Store now. Go get it. Here is the official description in case mine left you with a blank stare:

Test your survival skills while teaming up with unlikely allies in ZombieSmash ! ZombieSmash! is a “Survival Comedy” game, featuring undead-themed castle defense and entertaining, physics-based gameplay. The game casts players as Joey, a lone survivor pit against a herd of writhing, unrelenting zombies - to defeat the undead masses, players must use their fingers to flick and smash them until they're un-undead.

On a related note, the Zynga team took to the Google campus to help promote the title on Android. They turned the massive Bugdroid on the front lawn into a zombie and then filmed the entire thing for your viewing pleasure.

Play Link ($0.99) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKf9RVkXLqE[/youtube] Via: Zynga | Android Police

What is This White Android Tablet From Today's Android Developers Office Hours? (Updated)

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:51:36 +0000

The Android Developers team held an "office hours" hangout on Google+ this afternoon, and one of them popped up a white 7" looking tablet that we would love to know more about. It looks similar to the Kindle Fire in size and form, but it's clearly running Ice Cream Sandwich, hence the black bar along the bottom. Unfortunately for all of us, the video isn't of the highest quality, so we can't see anything else really on it. He sure isn't shy about showing it off, that's for sure. ~~Any chance that this could be the Google or "Nexus" tablet~~? Update: I jumped up to the 43:00 mark and they talk about the tablet. They say that it is not a "Nexus or a Google designed device" and that is third party. Seems weird that they would jump straight to denying that it is a Nexus tablet before we even had a chance to suggest that it was, but hey, we'll have to take their word for it. Thoughts? (Hit the 14:00 mark in the video below to see it.) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXI3eZwD2dU[/youtube] Cheers Eric!

Google Maps Updated, Scale Bar and Zoom Buttons Moved From Labs Into Official Settings

Tim — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:10:10 +0000

Google Maps has received a minor update today in the Play Store, which includes added zoom buttons and a scale bar right onto the map itself. Also included in the update is the addition of elevation data to the "Measure" laboratory. I guess if pinch-to-zoom was frustrating you, then this update is perfect. Play Link Cheers everyone who sent this in!

Transformer Prime GPS Dongles Begin Arriving at Doorsteps

Tim — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:35:48 +0000

Transformer Prime owners who have registered with Asus to receive a free GPS dongle are beginning to see the packages arrive at their doorsteps today. The dongle itself has been reported to fix the GPS locating issues that have plagued the Prime tablet, but some would say that the added accessory is quite the eye sore. Prime owners, have you received your dongle yet? Cheers Jared!

Samsung Galaxy SIII Shows Up in AnTuTu Benchmark, Tops All Devices and Lists Full Specs

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:48:13 +0000

Whoa there AnTuTu benchmark! Are you trying to out the most anticipated Android device of the year? It appears as if you are, and we thank you for that. As you can see from the screenshots we just posted, there is indeed a device listed now in AnTuTu as the "Samsung Galaxy SIII." It has topped all other devices that have been benchmarked, taking home the gold trophy for performance. If we cruise in the device listing for it, we seem to have a confirmation on specs for the phone, most of which been mentioned here or there throughout the last couple of weeks. We have a ~~quad-core~~ dual-core Exynos 4212 processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 1GB of RAM, a 4.7" HD display (1280x720), 2MP front camera, 12MP rear camera, and Android 4.0. Yeah, that sounds about right. One thing to note here is the network which is listed as "GSM/WCDMA." This doesn't necessarily mean that we won't see CDMA or LTE versions of the device, but just that the benchmarked device was only GSM. All we can hope is that this Exynos chipset is playing nicely with LTE or it may be a while before we see it here in the States. With a teaser for the device already live and a date for unveiling set, we won't have to post these wishy-washy benchmark results much longer. Oh, and we should probably mention the benchmark disclaimer, as to not offend the Android voices of reason out there. "This is a benchmark result which could easily be faked, blah blah, blah blah." Update: As was mentioned in the comments, the 4212 is not a quad-core processor, but is instead a dual-core processor. Now that, is interesting. Cheers Nadeem!

Acer Iconia A500 Ice Cream Sandwich Update Rolling Out Now

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:30:19 +0000

Last week we learned that Acer was planning to rollout an Ice Cream Sandwich update to both the A500 and A100 by April 27. Well, it looks like they may have started 2 days early, as one of our readers received Android 4.0.3 today. If you own either the A500 or A100, be sure to cruise into Settings>About and check for the update. You may be able to pull it a few days earlier than planned.

Cheers David!

Here is the Original Google Phone, Boy Have We Come a Long Way

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:12:00 +0000

In the ongoing court battle between Google and Oracle, all sorts of fun has surfaced. From execs taking the stand and calling things non-critical to low ball settlement offers that would insult the best of them, we have enjoyed every minute of it. Today's finding is probably the most interesting to the casual tech geek though. What you are looking at above is a render for the original "Google Phone." As you can see, this is not the G1, but instead is a candybar QWERTY phone straight out of 2006. Boy have we come a long way. Via: The Verge

Costco Selling DROID RAZR With Accessory Bundle for $80 - Accessories Include HD Dock, HDMI Cable and Portable Charger

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:34:42 +0000

From now until May 1, Costco is selling the DROID RAZR for $79.99 on 2-year agreement along with a really nice accessory package. The accessory bundle includes an HD dock, HDMI cable, and portable charger, which combined probably total more than $80. It may not be the MAXX with its 3300mAh battery, but there are ways of course to turn it into one. We still consider the RAZR to be one of our favorite phones of the last year. Cheers ___!

Scalado Album Released on Android, It's an Ultra Fast Gallery App With Some Location Tricks Up Its Sleeve

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:58:13 +0000

Back around MWC, we showed you an app called Scalado Remove which was a nifty little app that allowed you to remove unwanted objects from pictures you had just taken. The app was essentially created to be licensed by OEMs, so don't expect to see it in the Play Store any time soon. It's creators didn't stop there though. They still wanted to create a public offering after receiving much praise over Remove and have done that today with an app called Scalado Album. Album is for the most part, a gallery replacement. It doesn't have any mind-blowing features to sell to you, other than the fact that it is crazy fast. After experiencing different OEM skins along with stock Android over the years, slow gallery loading, picture flipping, etc. has always been a bit frustrating to me. This app from the Scalado team is like a breath of fresh air with its speed. It loads up swiftly and then allows you to bounce between photos or by pinching and zooming without a stutter. And along with that speed, they have done some nice things on the location front as well. Album allows you to view the the exact spot that you snapped photos from via map. It's sort of iOS-esque in that it drops pins on the spots that you took these pictures, but it could give the ultimate traveler in the building a nice visual representation of their lives. Play Link ($0.99) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xzormhfDOA[/youtube]

DROID Bionic, RAZR and DROID 4 Can Run on AT&T and T-Mobile If You're Interested

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:50:27 +0000

We were chatting with our industry friend @P3Droid yesterday when he started dropping talk of the entire new DROID line of phones from Verizon being unlocked to work on AT&T and T-Mobile GSM networks. At launch, we knew that most (if not all) of these phones had GSM radios buried within, but that Verizon had shut them down so that owners wouldn't be tempted to switch carriers. Thanks to a little hackery from our dev community, things have changed a touch. We were told that the phones can work on AT&T's HSPA and T-Mobile's EDGE networks. We were also told that the full instructions would be out later today once P3 and the boys polished up the process and made sure it worked flawlessly. It appears as if some instructions and files are already available at the XDA thread we linked below though. Interested? Let us know how it goes. Via: @P3droid | XDA

Video: Watch a Tegra 3 One X and a Snapdragon S4 One X Go Head-to-Head

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:19:19 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7zfXL_RdA[/youtube]

A friend sent over this video last night which shows a head-to-head battle between two HTC One X devices, one powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and the other by a dual-core Snapdragon S4. The focus here is on the boot-up times for both followed by an AnTuTu benchmark. What's clear in this video, is that for pure power and speed, the Tegra 3 seems to easily come out on top. In fact, at one point during the bootup, the man behind the camera lets the Tegra 3 sit at the unlock screen for a few seconds before deciding to unlock and boot into Sense and still beats the S4. During the benchmark, it finishes a solid 30 seconds or so faster and produces a score almost double that of the Snapdragon. It's an impressive video for Tegra enthusiasts, even if we do not know the whole setup or scenario here. Unfortunately for those that wish to get some T3 play, you won't any time soon here in the U.S. unless you decide to import a device with one from overseas. No LTE, no America. And we probably don't need to remind you of this, but will anyway. This is one benchmark out of dozens that are available. We have seen the S4 beat the T3 in some, with the T3 outdoing the S4 in others. What we know for sure is that both processors are beasts and will one day find a time to do some of these comparisons ourselves, so that we know the whole story. Until that happens though, feel free to talk about what you just saw. Cheers ___!

Rumor: Google Has Already Chosen Samsung to Create Next Nexus

Kellen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:08:27 +0000

According to DigiTimes (yeah, stop and laugh for a second), it is essentially "given" that Google and Samsung will work together on the next Nexus device. As many of you know, Google goes through a bidding or presentation process of sorts when choosing a phone and chipset manufacturer to produce the next version of their Nexus line. If Google has already tagged Samsung, then one would assume that they were impressed with the Galaxy SIII and will likely base their next device somewhat off of it. This is usually about the time that we start hearing rumors of who the OEM may be, but most (if not all) of it is just that, rumor. What are your thoughts on Samsung potentially knocking out a third Nexus in a row? While I like the products that Sammie has produced over the last couple of years, I have to admit that even I'm ready for someone new to step up to the plate. Motorola seemed like they wouldn't get the nod for at least a year or two after Google announced that they were acquiring them. It would just look like they were favoring their new toy. But what about HTC again? They created the Nexus One and are now producing one of the more amazing Android devices ever made in the One X, so why not give them another shot? LG, maybe? OK, let's not get too crazy. HTC should have been it. And who knows, maybe they still will be knowing the track record of the source that started this rumor. On a related note, DigiTimes also mentioned that HTC and Facebook are teaming up to finally create the Facebook phone. Snooze. Let us know what you think. Via: DigiTimes | Android and Me

Angry Birds Space Receives Update, 10 New Ice Planet Levels Included

Tim — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:45:06 +0000

Everyone's favorite game about pissed off avians in space has received an update this morning. You will find a new ice planet containing ten brand spanking new levels. As much as people thought this title was over-hyped, I think it delivered rather well in the entertainment department and this update is completely welcomed. Still loving the birds in space? Play Link

Another Galaxy SIII Dummy Box Appears, This Time With Newly TouchWiz-Themed Menu Button

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:43:24 +0000

These dummy boxes that they have placed on top of the "next" Galaxy aka the Galaxy SIII are cracking me up. Look at that faux home button that has basically been taped on. Classic. Well played, Samsung. Enough laughing though, let's talk about these new photos that appeared today. Is that really a new on-screen menu button? Indeed it is. And yes, the entire navigation arrangement is still out of order from the Galaxy Nexus even with the menu button appearing. Why didn't Samsung choose to put the menu button on the right hand side of the navigation keys like on the G-Nex? We have no idea, but damn is it annoying. One thing I will say is that on-screen keys are so desperately needed in Ice Cream Sandwich. After having the HTC One X and its hardware keys for the last few weeks, I'm stuck with an on-screen menu button that displays itself as a massive black bar across the bottom of the screen when an app calls for it, all while eating up precious real estate. At least with the next Galaxy, we won't have that issue as the menu button will simply appear next to the other nav keys. Or hopefully app devs will listen to the Android team and remove the menu button altogether from their apps and force extra actions into the action overflow menu up top. What do you guys think?

Via: The Verge

Chrome for Android Could Leave Beta in a Matter of Weeks

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:34:59 +0000

According to Sundar Pichai, Google's senior VP of Chrome and Apps, the Android version of Chrome is in beta 2 and on the verge of leaving it for good in the coming weeks. After launching in early February, we have already seen at least two updates to the app that has quickly become one of the most popular browsers on the platform. In "beta 2" it sounds as if there won't be any major changes, and instead the focus has been put on stability and bug squashing:

"We launched beta 2. We addressed a few things," Pichai said. "Mainly right now, I'm driven by bug quality and stability. We are triaging, tracking, and trying to make it very stable. It is in a matter of weeks."

I'm about 90% happy with Chrome on Android at this point. Give me the quick controls that are found in the stock ICS browser and I'd be up to about 98%. Toss in Flash, just for kicks, and you may have the best browser ever built for a mobile device. Still using Chrome? Via: CNET | AndroidGuys

Minecraft Pocket Edition Recieves Update, Ability to Craft Items Now Available

Tim — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:00:24 +0000

Everyone's favorite cult-tastic game, Minecraft, has received a hefty update on Android. After a few months, users can finally start digging around with the ability to craft items! Users will also start to see the newest mobs loitering about, which are chickens and cows. The game is only getting better, so pick up the update and let us know what you think.

What's in this version:

Major version 0.3.0 (Crafting!)

+ New crafting UI reachable from [...]Inventory -> [Craft]

+ Cows and chickens!

+ Damageable items

+ Drop items from your selection slots by press and hold

+ Some resources can only be gathered with specific tools (see crafting description)

Play Link Via: Phandroid

Facebook Update Adds Little Facebook Icons to Camera and Messenger Shortcuts, We Still Think It's a Dirty Little Trick

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:29:56 +0000

On Friday, an update was released by Facebook that didn't exactly thrill the masses. Upon installing, users noticed that they now had 3 icons from Facebook in their app drawers: Camera, Messenger, and Facebook. The camera app was a shortcut so that you could instantly take photos and then load them into FB, while the messenger shortcut was exactly what you would expect it to be, a shortcut to their messenger service. As I mentioned earlier, many of you were not excited to now have Facebook in 3 different spots, especially right next to two of the most used native apps on your phone. You now had to be careful when you hit "Camera" or "Messenger/Messages" as these are the identical (or close enough) names to your stock camera and messenger apps for Android. Well, a new update has hit this afternoon with new icons to help those apps stand out a bit more (no, they didn't remove them). As you can see from the picture above, the icons now include mini FB icons. That was nice of them, wasn't it? (No comment.) Unfortunately for most stock Android users, you will need to install a 3rd party launcher if you wish to hide these shortcuts. They are attached to the Facebook app, so uninstalling would simply uninstall the entire app. It's sort of a shady move by Facebook, especially for those that like to keep their app drawers tidy without a bunch of extra spam. It's almost like bloatware that isn't from an OEM, something I didn't think was possible. Play Link

Samsung Announces Which Devices Shall Receive Ice Cream Sandwich in the States

Tim — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:40:00 +0000

Customers on any one of the Big Four carriers here in the US can now know if their Samsung device is going to receive Ice Cream Sandwich. For us Big Red folk, we can only expect to see the two Sammy 10.1" and 7.7" tabs receive the ICS update, with no love for the DROID Charge. We know that plenty of people own the 10.1" and 7.7" WiFi only Samsung tablets and thankfully, you are also in luck. There are no official dates for when we can expect the updates, but as soon as Samsung announces them, we will let you know. Catch the full list of devices gearing up for updates below.

AT&T: Galaxy S II (SGH-i777) Galaxy S II Skyrocket (SGH-i727) Galaxy Note (SGH-i717) Captivate Glide (SGH-i927) Galaxy Tab 8.9 (SGH-i957) Verizon: Galaxy Tab 10.1 (SCH-i905) Galaxy Tab 7.7 (SCH-i815) Sprint: Nexus S 4G (SPH-d720) ICS Update is Available! Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (SPH-d710) WiFi: Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Wi-Fi (P6210) Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi (P7310) Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi (P7510) T-Mobile: We are in close communication with T-Mobile to ensure that eligible devices are upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the coming months and will provide updates as we have additional details to share.

Via: Samsung

Gameloft Releases Trailer for Upcoming N.O.V.A. 3 Game

Tim — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:50:22 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CSOIh6lpB8[/youtube]

A trailer has just been released for the upcoming N.O.V.A. 3 title that is set to be released by Gameloft. We have been a fan of the N.O.V.A. series of games, so it's exciting to know that a new one is just around the corner, especially now that mobile gaming technology has become stronger than ever. Unfortunately, the trailer is merely a tease and we don't get to see any actual gameplay or even a launch date. A simple "coming soon" just isn't good enough for us anymore. We'll keep you posted... Cheers K!

1Saleaday's Current Flash Sale is All About Tablets, Prices Starting at $50

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:19:27 +0000

Today's "Flash" sale over at 1Saleaday focuses on the tablet category and includes a number of devices worth taking a look at if you are in the market. Most are last year's Tegra 2 powered devices, but the prices are solid especially with some of them being sold as brand new and not refurbished. Most of them also have Ice Cream Sandwich already, which takes them from being buggy Honeycomb piles of mess, to semi-pleasant slates. Via: 1Saleaday Cheers Tucker and Dieringer!

Tuesday Poll: Are You Ready to Adopt Google Drive For All of Your Cloud Storage Needs?

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:52:05 +0000

Let's be honest, Google Drive is really just a rebranded Google Docs that is aiming draw in a wider variety of consumers. Its current base is mostly business users or those of us who would rather not fork out the cash required for a top tier office suite but who still need cloud access to documents and other files. As "Drive" though, it's clear that Google wants to take in users from the "cloud storage" arena and move away from simply being a "cloud document service." After all, their new motto for the service is "Keep everything. Share anything." With a free 5GB of storage to get everyone started and upgrades at monthly fees to expand your Drive, are you ready to make this your one-stop shop for the cloud? Will you stick with Dropbox or will you continue to use a variety of services? [poll id="169"]

To Celebrate Launch of Google Drive, Gmail Storage Size Bumped to 10GB

Tim — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:00:11 +0000

Google is doing big things today. With the launch of Google Drive, the Gmail team has announced that everyone's Google-based email account is to receive a storage increase to 10GB up from the previous 7.5GB. Note that this is for regular Gmail users and not Gapps accounts. The additional space should become available over the next 24 hours, so this is great news for people that can't seem to delete emails on a regular basis. Via: Gmail Team Cheers Jeremy!

DROID 4 Update 6.13.219 Available Now

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:53 +0000

The DROID 4 update to build 6.13.219 that we first reported on last week is rolling out now. If you did not manually update using our file, then you will want to head into Settings>About phone>System updates and pull it. It's a smallish update at around 18MB, but it does include a new MotoCast widget, improved battery life, and better keyboard backlighting management. Here is the full changelog. Cheers J, Bob and @daryls61!

Asus Transformer TF101 Receiving Update to Build Number 9.2.1.21, Should Fix Newest Case of Lag

Tim — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:44:05 +0000

Asus is sending out another update to the Transformer Eee Pad that should address the newest case of lag and other bugs that have become apparent to TF101 owners. The build that is being pushed out now is numbered 9.2.1.21 and as far as we can see on the About page, that is the only change. Once we find some additional info or an official changelog, we shall update the post. Are you noticing some better performance on your Transformer Eee Pads this morning after the update? Cheers Adam and Bret!

Google Drive App is Live in the Play Store, Actually Just Update Your Docs App

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:31:19 +0000

Yep, Google Drive is available now in the Play Store. It really is just an overhauled Google Docs, so if you already have that app installed, it will be a simple update. ~~We are still waiting for drive.google.com to go live though~~. Update: I take that back, drive.google.com is now live. Doesn't appear to be GApps support yet. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKJ9KzGQq0w[/youtube] Update 2: The Google team has announced it on the Docs blog and yes, it is taking over for Docs. It's exactly as reported earlier except for the pricing of upgrades. You will have the option to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. Not bad pricing. Cheers Jon, Spencer, Bret, and Wintergon!

French Google Blog Outs Google Drive Ahead of Launch? Here are the Details

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:59:04 +0000

A whole bunch of hints were dropped within the last 24 hours, suggesting that Google Drive could launch as early as today. According to a prematurely posted article to the French Google Enterprise blog, that's exactly what is about to happen. A Google+ reader noticed a post about the new service go up and copied it all just in case it was pulled. Once saved, Google translate took care of the rest, revealing all of the details that we expect to come at some point today. We have them for you below. Breakdown:

It's like a glorified Google Docs locker. Google is even referring to it as the "evolution of Docs."
Will have a 99.9% uptime.
You get 5GB of storage for free.
You can purchase more started at 20GB for $4/month up to 16TB.
A new Android app will launch or they may just replace Google Docs, tough to tell.

Full post:

Posted by Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President, Google Chrome & Apps Today we launch Google Drive, a centralized space where you can create, share, collaborate and store all your documents. You establish a budget with your staff that you develop a presentation with a working group or hosting a seminar, you can now do it in Drive. Download and access all your documents, videos, photos, Google Docs, PDF, etc.. Next step in the evolution of Google Docs and functionality of downloading any material, Drive will allow you to live, work and play in the Cloud. Google Drive, you can: Create and collaborate. Google Docs is integrated directly into Google Drive, allowing you to work in real time with colleagues on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Add and reply to comments on any media (PDF, image, videotape, etc.) and be informed when other people comment on or wish to share documents with you Keep your documents securely and access anywhere and any device connected to the Internet. All your documents are just … there. Whatever happens. Drive you can install on your Mac, PC or download the application Drive on your phone or Android tablet. IOS version of the application will be available in the coming weeks. Drive is also accessible to visually impaired people using a screen reader tool Search All. Search by keyword and filter by document type, owner, activity, etc.. Drive can even recognize the text content of a document scanned by technology OCR. For example, if you download the scanned image of an old newspaper clipping, you can search using one of the words quoted in the article. We have even begun to tap the image recognition: if you upload a picture of the Eiffel Tower in Drive, the next time you search the term [Eiffel Tower], the image will appear in the results Open more than 30 types of documents directly from a Web browser – including high-definition video, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop – even without the proper software installed on your computer We know that you need to access your documents in order to work everyday. Google Drive uses the same infrastructure as any other Google Apps services, which means it also has the same administrative tools, security and reliability, among others: Centralized management: new tools are available in the Apps control interface for administrators to add or remove storage space for individual or groups of users Security: encryption of data transfer between your browser and our servers, and check option 2 in time to prevent non-authorized access to an account by requiring users to log on returning secure code generated from their mobile phone Data replication: synchronous replication of data in multiple data centers ensures the safety and accessibility of your records even in the unlikely event one of our data centers is temporarily unavailable Availability: 99.9% uptime guarantee so you can be assured that your documents are accessible when you need it Each user has access to Google Apps 5GB storage included in the suite Google Apps administrators can centrally manage and purchase additional storage space. When a user reaches the limit, administrators can purchase the necessary space of 20GB for $ 4 per month to 16TB (Google Docs are not counted in the quota of storage space). Starting today, Google Apps administrators will see new orders for Drive in their management interface. Users of companies have opted for the quick launch, will enable Google Drive on drive.google.com / start and will receive their access in the following weeks. Drive is designed to work harmoniously with all the products you use – whether Google products or third party service. You can share your photos on Google Drive + and will soon be able to attach documents directly into your emails Drive Gmail. Drive is intended to be an open platform, so we work with many third party developers, allowing you to do things such as sending faxes, edit videos and create models directly from Drive website. To install these applications, visit the Chrome Web Store and follow the events for more useful applications to come. It is only the beginning of Google Drive, many developments are coming. Stay tuned!

Via: TechCrunch Cheers Jeff!

Google Begins Selling Galaxy Nexus Directly Through Google Play Store for $399

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:05:24 +0000

Forget the imminent launch of Google Drive, the fact that Google is selling the Galaxy Nexus in the Play Store is something to talk about. The last time they tried to sell a device on their own was with the Nexus One, and as many of you know, that failed to work all that well. But, Google appears to be willing to give it another try and with a solid price to boot ($399). This is for the unlocked GSM version of the device only, but by moving into the device selling business again, Google sets themselves up nicely to start hawking their own Google-branded tablet that we are expecting some time this summer. We'll be digging around to see if we can find more. One thing to note, is the "Shop Devices" link which could easily open this up to others. For now though, it simply redirects back to this Nexus page. Update: It has been announced via the Google Mobile blog, where Andy Rubin has said that they wanted "to give you a place to purchase Nexus devices that work really well with your digital entertainment." It also comes pre-loaded with Google Wallet, so you won't have to worry about AT&T or T-Mobile blocking it from your life. And this is most definitely a new "Devices" section which means this is something they plan to do moving forward and not just with the G-Nex. Via: Google Play | Google Mobile

Google Drive Support Pages Spotted, Docs Storage Upped to 5GB - Release Imminent?

Kellen — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:57:25 +0000

Is today the day? Will Google Drive launch, giving the world 5GB of Google cloud storage, an app to control it, and unicorn dust to make it all magical? Well, it may be magical without the unicorn dust, but there is still a chance it could launch today. We heard last week that Drive would launch this week and some things are already happening behind the scenes that would semi-support that. First, we have a Google Support page that references Drive and how you can transfer document ownership between users. On top of that, users are noticing that their Google Docs accounts are being bumped from 1GB of storage up to 5GB, which is the rumored amount of space that we will all receive at launch. Google tends to launch products later in the morning or early afternoons (at least it seems that way), so if today is the day, we may not see anything for a couple of hours. When we do, expect to see videos to their Youtube channels, posts to their blogs, etc. Stay tuned! Via: Google Support | The Verge | Engadget

DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX 6.12.181 Update Rolling Out Now

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:06:00 +0000

The bug fixing 6.12.181 update for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX is rolling out to all devices now. To pull it, simply head into Settings>About phone>System updates. The update runs about 17.4MB in size and will only take a few moments to download assuming you have a decent connection. If you need to see the full changelog, check it out here. Now, to set our sights on Ice Cream Sandwich. Cheers Tyler, Jason, Ed, and Krs_Won!

Nova Launcher Update Introduces Custom Drawer Tabs, Transparency, Bulk Adds to Desktop, Tablet Fun and More

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:33:52 +0000

Nova Launcher, one of the top Ice Cream Sandwich-friendly launchers received a significant update today. Along with a new logo, the update brought with it transparency settings for your app drawer, throwback vertical scrolling, ability to add new groups or folders in drawer tabs, bulk adds of items to the desktop, widgets for the dock, special tablet optimizations and more. We haven't seen a release this significant since the early beta days, so be sure to jump on this. We should point out that some of these features are only available to the newly named "Prime" version which will run you $4. Full changelog:

(v1.1.1 fixes a startup FC introduced in 1.1 and other minor issues)
Custom app drawer tabs and folders (Prime)
Vertical scroll in app drawer
Configurable drawer transparency
Bulk add to desktop or folder
1x1 widgets in dock
Tablet optimizations (Dock, full screen app drawer)
System shortcuts for app drawer (Works with AOKP Navbar)
Activities shortcut
Many optimizations and bug fixes

Play Link

If Sylvester Stallone Was A Pig, He Would Definitely Be Called HAMBO

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:20:22 +0000

What a great title for a game. In Hambo, you are a pissed off pig that is out for vengeance, playing just like another title we wrote up called Stupid Zombies. The objective is to point to a certain place on the screen, where your bullets will then bounce off walls and hit the piggy targets. Might have been cooler if they used birds as targets though. For the price of free, it's a pretty intriguing game that you can pick up in the Play Store. Check it out and let us know how you like it. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g81LJDd4yJk[/youtube]

RAZR MAXX Runs Ice Cream Sandwich and Has On-Screen Soft Keys According to Verizon Mailer

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:46:58 +0000

Now, this is one of the better Photoshop screw-ups we have seen in a while, right here. According to the newest Verizon mailer that is going out to customers with upgrade dates on the horizon, the DROID RAZR MAXX would be a great option because of it's amazing battery life, amount of storage, and 4G LTE. It clearly will also multitask with the best of them thanks to a second set of navigation keys that are embedded on the screen, similarly to we have on the Galaxy Nexus. Oh, that would also mean it runs Ice Cream Sandwich, something we know won't happen for at least a few more weeks. Worth a giggle, so we thought we'd share. Cheers Josh!

Monday Poll: Social Media App You Spend the Most Time In?

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:19:15 +0000

Social media platforms have essentially taken over the world in the last few years. Almost everyone you know has probably been on Facebook at some point, but the reach of services like Twitter and Google+ seems to be growing by the second as well. They are a way for you to reconnect with long lost friends, get closer to your current group, share your life, find news (or deals or happenings), and more. While some still try their hardest to avoid them, we want to know which of them you use the most. Is it still Facebook? Are you a master of all things Twitter? Or have you shunned the old standards for something new? [poll id="168"]

Samsung SCH-i200 Tipped for Verizon With Snapdragon S4, Still Looks Like a Mid-Range Device

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:05:35 +0000

Making its first appearance today via GLBenchmark, we have the Samsung "Jasper" with model number SCH-i200 that is headed to Verizon. Sporting a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) processor clocked at 1.5GHz and running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3), this phone still appears to be more of a competitor to the LG Lucid rather than a new flagship. With a screen resolution of 800x480, this thing certainly isn't HD. With other HD offerings on the market, something that seems to be a standard for top tier phones, we'll keep this one on our radar but aren't expecting it to blow any minds. I would recommend that you cross your fingers though, and pray to Buddha or whomever that this is not what Big Red decided to take over the Galaxy SIII. They couldn't, could they? Via: GLBenchmark | PocketNow

Sharing Content Made Even Easier With New Dropbox Link Feature

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:25:31 +0000

With the launch of Google's Drive service just on the horizon, Dropbox is making it easier than ever to share the files you own with a single link. Starting now, when you scroll through your entire list of folders and files, you will see a link indicator on the right side. Click that button to be taken to the page where your file/folder resides and then easily share that link among family and friends. No more having to share entire folder contents or adding permissions, which was becoming rather bothersome. Via: Dropbox

Nikon to Release Dongle for Wireless Control of Your DSLR by Android Devices

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:18 +0000

Coming late May, Nikon is to release the new WU-1a adapter to add transfer support and remote control ability for Android devices and your DSLR. With the dongle, you can easily snap a photo with your powerful lens, then transfer the image wirelessly to your smartphone for easy uploading to Facebook or Instagram. While that notion could possibly disgust professional photographers, it is nice to see Nikon embracing the social aspect of photo sharing that is taking place in the world currently. In addition, you can use your Android phone as a live view display, as well as a shutter trigger, which could come in handy for folks. The adapter will cost $60 and is only compatible with the D3200 so far, but we expect there to be more cameras supported in the future. Via: Nikon Cheers Nas!

As Expected, the Galaxy Nexus is Now $199 From Verizon

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:15:15 +0000

We received word on Friday that the Galaxy Nexus would drop to $199 on-contract at Verizon shops and sure enough, it has. If you head into stores or go online, you can pick up VZW's best Android phone for this new price. Remember though, you will be charged an additional $30 through their newly activated upgrade fee that went live yesterday. You should still be able to find this phone for even lower prices at other online retailers or big box stores, but remember that those come with rules and guidelines a lot of the time. What I'm trying to say is, be careful. Many of the online retailers force you to keep the phone on the same line for 181 days and not change a thing about your plan or features or they charge you the full retail price of the device without warning. Fine print, folks. Buy Cheers Mike!

Samsung Galaxy SIII Benchmarked? Here is How Its Quad-core Exynos Chip Compares to the Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:40:25 +0000

A GLBenchmark for the GT-i9300 and its Exynos 4412 quad-core processor appeared this morning, showing off some pretty impressive marks. We are still without confirmation that the i9300 is actually the Galaxy SIII, but after seeing last week's mega-leak of a device with that model number on video, we have nothing else to go on. At one point we were on the i9300 as being the SGS3, then were off of it, and now, are sort of back on again. Anyways, let's talk about this benchmark and how it compares to the other top two SoCs on the block, the Tegra 3 and Snapdragon S4. As you can see in both Egypt and Pro tests, neither the quad-core Tegra 3 or dual-core S4 can keep up with Exynos chip. This is of course just one single benchmark, but GL is one of the standards that we seem to go back to time and time again with new phones and new processors. Looking at these though, you have to be somewhat impressed at the power of Samsung's latest work. The benchmarks we saw last year with the dual-core Exynos in the Galaxy SII blew our minds and it appears as if we are about to be wowed again.

Now, if we could get confirmation that Samsung has figured out how to pair LTE with this beast, our lives would be almost complete. Via: Android and Me

Sign Up Page Goes Live for Updates on Samsung's Next Galaxy Event

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:06:15 +0000

If you need to be on top of Samsung's plans to unveil the Galaxy SIII, then we thought you would like to know that registration to receive info from their event that is taking place in London on May 3 has begun. After signing up, it looks like they will be sending out links to watch the event live, so go sign up and don't miss a thing! Register Here Cheers Larizard!

Giveaway: Win One of Fifteen PowerAmp Pro Licenses (Update: Winners Picked)

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:40:23 +0000

We have always praised PowerAmp and its ability to turn our smartdevices into true music machines. It's one of those apps that has been around for a long time and has a very strong following. The app gives a huge advantage to people for choosing EQ's, designating file locations, and applying plenty of different sexy themes. The pro license costs $5 in the Google Play Store, but the developers have reached out and want to give away fifteen licenses to DL readers. To win, simply follow the instructions below and you're entered. Good luck. Winners:

Bcdunkel - Spaceballs
Nick Hare - Inglorious Bastards
Ron Rosenberg - The Hunt for Red October
J. Stevens - Back to the Future
Joshu - Hot Fuzz
John - The Big Lebowski
Butters619 - Anchorman
Motosurf - The Dark Knight
Ki11ak3nn - Jurassic Park
RobH - Aliens
Keyan X - Fight Club
Jmarkoff26 - Battle: Los Angeles
Bewara2009 - Stand By Me
Mr. Wolf - Pulp Fiction
Toolsinmind - Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story

Congrats winners, you have all been emailed. Thanks to all of our participants! How to win: ~~Down in the comments section below, simply tell us what your favorite movie is. Winners will be chosen at 3PM PST today.~~ To learn more about PowerAmp, visit their app page in the Google Play Store.

LilyPad HD Introduced as the First Floating IM Client for Android Tablets, Currently Works With Google Talk

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:06:35 +0000

The concept of "floating" apps has become the hot thing in the Android tablet realm over the last few weeks, something we think is awesome. With all of that screen real estate on tablets, why not use some of it to take advantage of Android's multi-tasking? LilyPad HD is the newest on the block, but claims to be the first to float in an instant messenger environment. Currently only working with Google Talk (perfect for Android gurus), this app allows you to open chat windows over top of whatever you may be doing, which means chatting while watching videos or cruising the web without having to toggle screens. Play Link ($1.49) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X0VZZDh_a0[/youtube] Cheers Blake!

Samsung "Next Galaxy" Site Posts London Event Teaser, Calls Out iSheep

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:19:18 +0000

Yesterday, Samsung launched a teaser site for the "Next Galaxy" (potentially the Galaxy SIII) with a countdown that ended this morning. Once the final seconds ticked away, a teaser for their May 3 Unpacked event in London was posted for the world to analyze. It talks about technology becoming a natural part of your life and how it should fit perfectly in your hand, so that you can stand out from the...iSheep. Yes, they went there. It was super cheesy and we wish they would get over this i*hone vs. Samsung thing in their promos. Just make the best phone ever and promote the hell out of it, please. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NnVU8R6mAU[/youtube]

DROID Incredible 4G LTE Spotted at DroidDoes.com, Reveals Full Specs Ahead of Announcement

Kellen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:56:45 +0000

The official name of the next "DROID" on Verizon is the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE. The device made a brief appearance on DroidDoes.com this morning and is still sort of there if you want to check it out for yourself and see the final spec list. It's exactly as our sources who gave us the first pictures of the device said, so you won't be surprised. Well, there is a price point that needs to be addressed which we will get to. Official spec list:

1.2GHz dual-core processor (likely the Snapdragon S4)
1GB RAM
Sense 4.0
4"Super LCD qHD display (so slightly different than the One S display)
8MP rear camera; VGA front camera
Beats Audio
1700mAh battery
8GB internal storage (expandable to 32GB)
4G LTE
Size: 2.4 x 4.8 x 0.46 inches
Weight: 4.66 ounces

Pricing showed up as being $299 on contract, but we get the feeling that this was a leftover that had not been switched from the RAZR MAXX's page. If clicked, it redirected to the MAXX, which we know is one of Verizon's few $299 devices. We don't have official word on this, but would be surprised if the Incredible 4G came in at $299. This phone should be at $199 and not a penny more. We have been shocked in the past though, so don't take our word for it. Back shot of the phone:

Don't forget to check out the first real pictures of the phone in the wild (more here) that we have courtesy of a DL reader. The last we had heard, this phone could launch on April 26, which would be this week. I'd say with this site going semi-live, we may just end up seeing it Thursday after all. Via: DroidDog | DroidDoes Cheers Neil!

DROID RAZR Dropping to $99 in the Morning?

Kellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:28:52 +0000

On Friday, we received word that Verizon was planning to slash prices on a bunch of phones by the end of the weekend. The Galaxy Nexus should drop to $199 on contract, but the DROID RAZR looks like it will go even lower. According to the store display tag we received a picture of, the RAZR will be available for as little as $99 after rebates and contract extending. What's odd is that VZW is promoting some sort of Mother's Day deal on the front page of their site right now for the 16GB model at $99, but this tag clearly states that this is the 32GB model. It looks like Big Red is doing some sort of instant discount to $149 and then slashing another $50 off via mail-in rebate. We should know for sure in the morning. The RAZR MAXX is not expected to drop in price. Cheers ___!

Reminder: Verizon's $30 Upgrade Fee for Existing Customers Starts Today

Kellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:03:07 +0000

Not necessarily a subject that we like to write about, but we thought it was part of our duty to remind you that today is go live for Verizon's new $30 upgrade fee. When you cruise into a store going forward to grab a new phone at a subsidized price and then proceed to lock in for 2 years on a new contract with Big Red, you will also have to pay an additional $30 which they are calling an "upgrade fee." According to their release notes, this fee will help them to continue to provide workshops, educational tools and train their own staff to be the experts of a more advanced smartphone era. Mmmhmm.

Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha Made $47 Million in 2011, Four Times his 2010 Pay

Kellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:49:56 +0000

According to a regulatory filing, current Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha managed to roll in a total compensation package of around $47 million dollars in 2011, almost 4 times his pay from 2010. Motorola claims that the rise in pay was due to the successful split of Motorola in to two divisions: Mobility and Solutions. Feel free to sit and think about that for a second....OK, let's continue. This comes only 3 months after Motorola reported their Q4 2011 earnings, which showed an $80 million net loss for the quarter. They have scheduled for their Q1 2012 earnings to be released on May 1, but will not have a live call to discuss them - something they decided to cut out once the acquisition by Google inched closer to completion. Speaking of that situation, we are still waiting for China to sign off on it before it can become finalized officially. The U.S. and Europe already have. And if you were wondering about his status with the company, according to Motorola, Jha is still the CEO. It has been two months since rumors pegged Google's Dennis Woodside as his successor. Who knows, maybe we'll see some sort of announcement on this front when those Q1 earnings are released. Via: Reuters Cheers Mike and Aaron!

HTC Rezound Finally Receives S-OFF Via JuopunutBear Tool

Kellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:29:42 +0000

After months and months of attempts, S-OFF has finally been achieved on the HTC Rezoundand a handful of other devices including the Amaze 4G through a new tool called JuopunutBear (someone say that 5 times fast). For those not familiar with S-OFF, just think of it as giving you the most access you can possibly have to an HTC phone. Sure, you can unlock the bootloader using HTC's dev tool, but the device is still semi-protected even in that state as it is still S-ON. If a phone has toggled S-OFF (which stands for "security off"), you are opening it up to even more hacker-friendly fun. There are more risks involved, but we never took the DL community as one to shy aware for a little danger. The team that released the tool is called Umlimited.IO. After looking at their instructions, I think you will understand why this took so long to complete. It involves wiping an SD card and some form of a wire and pin trick (pictured above). It will get you S-OFF if done correctly though, so hit up either of the source links below and take your time. Be sure to report back with any issues. This is one of those processes that will only get better as users share their experiences. Via: Unlimited.io | XDA Cheers Nicholas, Bob, Matt, Geoff and Gerry!

Samsung Opens Up Teaser Site for the "Next Galaxy" - Something is Going Down Tomorrow

Kellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:11:40 +0000

On May 3 in London, we will finally get a taste of the "Next Galaxy." Before we get there, Samsung has decided to tease us through a new site with a count down. They have scrambled the words " The Next Galaxy" into tgeltayehxnx.com and are counting down to taking "the next step" which just so happens to be tomorrow. Samsung has become very good at teasing their new products, so we wouldn't be surprised if a spec or riddle was given out tomorrow that we can all analyze and speculate about for a day or so. You may remember the "Always ahead of the curve" line that was used for the Galaxy Nexus and its curved screens. Also embedded in the HTML for the site is this quote - "Discover how Samsung is about to challenge the way you view the GALAXY once more." Via: tgeltaayehxnx.com Cheers Scott!

Asus Transformer Pad TF300 Review

Tim — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:59:43 +0000

The folks over at Asus were nice enough to send us a brand new Transformer Pad before they hit the US market here in a few days. The tablet itself is Asus' attempt at creating a powerful tablet with strong on-paper specs, but keeping it at an affordable entry-level price for people who could possibly be shopping for either an Android tablet or a netbook. Coupled with the separately sold lapdock accessory, the Transformer Pad is capable of taking on your most important business and then handling your favorite Android apps with ease. Read on to see how it is almost the perfect example of when good looks meets affordable functionality.

The Good:

Speed: We get it already - NVIDIA's Tegra 3 processor is capable of turning almost any Android tablet into a competitor for best tab on the market. With many apps and great games coming out that are specifically designed to show off the Tegra 3's capabilities, there is no doubt that this tablet's chipset should be used as a selling point. When you hear that your tablet has a Tegra chip, you can rest assured that it will keep up with the best of them and power any type of activities you may throw its way.
Specs: The Transformer Pad is a 10.1" tablet with a WXGA (1280x800) IPS display featuring the Tegra 3 processor along with a full 1GB of RAM. It weighs in at 1.39lbs and will be available in three different colors: blue (at launch), red, and white (by June). Along the backside is the 8MP shooter, then on the front is the 1.2MP camera for video chatting. You have your WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS (take that Prime!), and even a Gyroscope, so straight out of the box this thing comes packed with goodies. Specs like these aren't often seen with a $380 price tag, so it's all a major plus in this instance.
Camera: At the beginning of the review, I had to ask myself which Transformer tablet I would be comparing this T-Pad to. Would I compare it to the Transformer Prime, or to the first TF101 tablet. In the camera department, I would have to compare to the first Transformer Eee Pad, due to the fact that this tab's camera beats it outright and that at the $380 price point, we know this is not being marketed as the Prime's successor. It is an 8MP shooter with a f2.2 aperture, capable of shooting video in 1080p HD. The auto-focus is spot on and it shoots like a champ. But let's face it, are we actually buying tablets for the camera?

(Click to enlarge)

Display: The T-Pad has a 10.1" IPS display with close to 180 degree viewing angles, is backlit with 10-finger multi-touch, and with 350 nits brightness, you may even be able to use it outside in sunlight at times. It doesn't get quite as bright as the Prime, but then it also wouldn't be this affordable. The touch sensitivity on this tablet is also very good, responding instantly to anything you ask of it.
Battery: When the tablet first arrived, Asus instructed me that I would need to power on the tablet and then allow it to die, then fully charge it to make sure the battery was cycled properly. Well, at first I had troubles doing that because the darn thing wouldn't die. I first powered it on and it held about 65% left and even after all my playing around and checking out the features I was only down to 55%. I haven't had any battery problems so far and from only the short time I have had with it, I don't see battery being a problem for me in the future either.
Lapdock Accessory: For the extra $150, you can buy the lapdock accessory which turns this tablet into the full package. A powerful tablet that can play your favorite mobile games, but also handle all of your business as it has just been made into a sporty notebook. The lapdock isn't a gimmick either - it works quite well. And with the added benefit of having an extra 5 hours of battery life on your tablet, that's a win win in my book. Quick tip - Asus said that none of the docks and tablets (previous models) would work interchangeably, but I found that isn't exactly true. The Prime will work in the TF300's dock, but not vice-versa. The TF300T is too fat to fit inside the Prime's dock. I was unable to try the TF101 as I do not own one.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Let us hope that all future Android tablets will come shipped with Ice Cream Sandwich from now on. If you are looking to buy a tablet, but it is still running Honeycomb, run away as fast as you can. And as far as companies updating their devices is concerned, there is no better in my eyes than Asus. After receiving the tablet, there has already been one OTA update and you have to respect that in a company. Knowing your device will receive timely updates to newest firmware and having bugs fixed is a huge plus.
Price: Hard to argue with the price of this tablet. You get high-end specs but at one of the more reasonable prices we have seen in a tablet of this caliber to date. The 16GB model will run $379 at launch with the 32GB model dropping in at $399. This tablet should hit retail stores around 4/30 and online shops by 4/23.

The Not-so-Good:

Build Quality/Construction: Yes, I have this listed as a negative. That is not to say that the Transformer Pad is cheaply built, but it almost feels like it's missing a few screws somewhere. Sure, tablets are not made to be bent or twisted, but I know that if you drop this slate from waist high onto something harder than carpet, you may be out a few hundred dollars. The casing is easily separated from the screen with a fingernail and holding the tablet just isn't all that fun. Whether this plastic material was used to fit inside the design budget or if they wanted to shy away from the metal they used on the Prime, it seems that some steps were skipped when assuring the tab wouldn't fall apart after some heavy use.
Speaker Location: I stressed this same topic on the my Transformer Prime review. Companies, please do not put the speaker in a location that will be covered by my hand when holding. When I'm playing a game and watching videos, I am constantly having to re-position my hand to make sure I can hear the audio. No thank you.

Overall Feel: This sort of ties in with the construction part, but that just wasn't enough to portray the sense of worry I had when holding the tablet. For example, when firmly (not too firmly) pressing on the backside of the slate, you can see the front display begin to bleed in front from where you are holding it. It's fine if you handle your tablet like a newborn, but when you are playing a racing game and holding it in front of your face in the air, you are going to want to have a strong hold of it from the back and even during that you can witness the bleeding. I have a Transformer Prime and also a XOOM WiFi and neither have had something like that. Definitely a pointer to the plastic backing they used instead of something a bit more sturdy .

Video Overview:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLVh0I0IAlc[/youtube]

Gallery:

Transformer Series Compared:

The Verdict:

The Transformer Pad nails Asus' goal to have top of the line specs at a price point that can compete in a market place that is cluttered with other noteworthy competitors. But is it worth it? At $380 for 16GB or $400 for 32GB, it may in fact seem like a good deal at first look, but if the Transformer Prime ($500) begins to see a lesser price tag, then I would suggest to save up for that instead. As a successor to the TF101, the T-Pad plays its role as a high performance entry-level tablet just fine, but when you throw in the extra $150 for a new lapdock, you are looking at a grand total of about $530 or more. Just $100 more and you can have the Prime with a lapdock which sports a better camera and overall higher build quality in general. That's just my personal belief. At the end of the day, the Transformer Pad is an option which will deliver high performance at a very reasonable price. If that is what you seek, then this is the tablet for you.

Sprint Galaxy Nexus Orders Arrive Early, Device Running Android 4.0.4 - Ummm, Hello Verizon and Google?

Kellen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:40:46 +0000

A few orders for the Galaxy Nexus on Sprint started to arrive yesterday and one thing in particular stood out to us - it's running Android 4.0.4. Yes, that would be a newer build of Android than your Verizon Galaxy Nexus is "officially" running. As you are all aware, we are almost through April, which means that the Nexus on Big Red has not seen an update in almost 5 months. No, sir. On launch day, it received a bump to 4.0.2, which introduced mic dropping during calls, s****y reception, rebooting, slow rotation speeds, poor battery life, and other bugs upon other bugs. Yeah, I'm basically calling the update a pile of junk, yet here we are almost 5 months later with no fix in sight. But! The Sprint version, which is identical to the Verizon version in that it runs on CDMA and LTE networks has a newer version of Android that squashes many of them and improves performance immensely. How do I know? Well, I have been running the leaked 4.0.4 on my VZW Nexus for over 2 months now and have not had any of those problems. So Verizon and Google, what's the hold up? Are we geting 4.0.5 instead like some have reported? Hell, I don't even care if it's 4.0.3, but there are some incredibly serious bugs that are driving Nexus owners mad (yes, we hear from them daily), many of which have given up on the device completely. And yes, I understand that it's a Nexus and people could just root it and flash a ROM to fix problems. But remember that many people bought this phone because they like stock Android and were expecting to receive timely updates as had been the case in all previous Nexus devices, rather than for its dev community. Maybe this week, finally? Cheers CG!

DROID RAZR HD Will Essentially Look Just Like This Device

Kellen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:14:13 +0000

It has been over a month since we were last treated to a DROID RAZR HD sighting. Thanks to leaks out of China, we were able to take a peak at a device that was once codenamed the "Fighter" that looked a heck of a lot like previous RAZR releases. Well, except for the HD screen and on-screen soft keys. Thanks to China again this morning, we have pictures of a similar device with model number MT887 which is almost identical to what we will see here in the U.S. The device has that same HD screen and on-screen keys along with Ice Cream Sandwich. If you were wondering how Motorola would do the on-screen soft keys deal, this would be it. Thankfully they did not take the Samsung approach and change the order of them. What else do we know about the RAZR HD? Along with the HD screen, we will likely also see a dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip inside clocked at 1.5GHz, 12 or 13MP camera, 3300mAh battery from the MAXX, and 4G LTE. And yes, I agree with what you are about to type - this should have been the original RAZR from day 1. We didn't need 3 or 4 renditions before we got here. Via: Blog of Mobile

Galaxy SIII Pops Up on German Amazon Site, Should We Believe It Though?

Kellen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:49:35 +0000

If you follow us on Twitter, then you probably saw this link go out early yesterday, but as always, we like to make sure everyone is up to speed. What we have is a listing on Amazon's German site "by Samsung" for the "Galaxy S3." Amazon lists it at 599 Euros, with a 4.7" Super AMOLED display, 12MP camera, 16GB of internal storage (expandable to 32GB), and that's pretty much it. Is everything now set in stone? Hardly. You may remember during the Galaxy Nexus saga that Amazon posted a page calling it the "Samsung Nexus Prime 4G LTE" for weeks if not months ahead of release. As we told you 100x then, the name was Galaxy Nexus, which it ended up being. So Galaxy SIII is not set in stone, nor are these specs. After all, yesterday's massive video leak of a GT-i9300 showed an 8MP camera. Your guess at which is real or not real is as good as the guy sitting next to you at this point. Still fun to talk about though, isn't it? Via: Amazon Germany | Android Next Cheers Frank!

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 4/20/2012

Tim — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:00:44 +0000

Could we have finally caught a glimpse of the real Samsung Galaxy S3? According to the video that hit the web today, it is the real deal. Along with all of that excitement, the RAZR and the RAZR MAXX are starting to receive some soak test action, which means owners of the device could be seeing an update heading for their devices pretty soon. To top it all off, we reviewed the HTC One X and the One S, so be sure to check those out.

Have a safe and fun-filled weekend, everybody!

Updates Available for Facebook, Instagram, Path, Springpad, and Pocket

Tim — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:30:31 +0000

Some of our favorite applications for Android received updates today, so be sure to head on over to the Play Store and pick up the newest versions. There is not anything too major in any of the updates besides your general bug fixings, but it is always good to have the latest and greatest available. :) Update: Sooooo, about that Facebook update. It actually included built-in Messenger capabilities, some UI tweaks, and a new Camera shortcut so that you can shoot video and pics and the upload them directly to FB. Can't say that I'm all that big of a fan of the added shortcuts into the app drawer. Also, we would assume this means that the stand-alone Messenger app will get the axe? Might as well uninstall it either way or you will have two Messenger apps in there.

Instragram | Facebook | Path | Springpad | Pocket

Cheers everyone who sent this in!

New Verizon MAP Released, Galaxy Nexus Dropping to $199 on April 23

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:58:16 +0000

According to the latest MAP (minimum advertised price) list from Verizon, the Galaxy Nexus will drop to $199 on 2-year contract starting April 23. If you were thinking about cruising into a store this weekend to pick one up, you may want to hold off until Monday to save yourself $100. There is a chance that this means that we will see a 16GB version of the phone around that day, but sort of doubt it. This looks to be just a price reduction. Still no word on a release for the 16GB Nexus in either white or dark. On a related note, all of the RAZRs come off MAP Pricing on April 22, which is usually a good sign that new phones are around the corner. With the DROID RAZR HD (formerly the DROID Fighter) and the Incredible 4G popping up more often, this should get you excited. Cheers ___!

Google Drive Shows Up on Developer's Phone During Google+ Hangout, Video Immediately Pulled

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:53:47 +0000

Google Drive - Google's Dropbox-ish cloud storage service - made its first public appearance today through an Android developers Hangout on Google+. While showing off the sharing capabilities of an app in review, the option to share with "Drive" was included in the list. The triangular logo matches the one that we have seen leaked in the past, giving a bit of strength to the rumor that this service could launch next week. This isn't a full confirmation of that, but it certainly helps back the idea that the app is working on phones and getting closer to prime time. The video was live for only a few minutes and has since been pulled. We posted it for you below in case it goes live again. Update: The video is back, but we aren't finding the clip. It was likely removed - feel free to look for it though. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw1x6BbB780[/youtube] Via: The Verge

Scratch That, Incredible 2 Has Now Been Removed From Verizon's Store

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:40:03 +0000

Yesterday we reported that the HTC Incredible 2 had hit "out of stock" status in Verizon's store, but one of our readers noticed today that the device is gone completely. If you search for it, you won't find a sales page and are instead left with support and device over sections. We know that the Incredible 4G is essentially ready for prime time (pictures of it), so this move by Big Red is not all that surprising. The last release date we saw for the Inc 4G was April 26, which is next Thursday - be sure to keep it close as we may finally see a new phone on Verizon that is worth talking about. If you need something to compare it to, check out our HTC One S review. The Incredible 4G should be that phone, but with LTE, an NFC chip, and expandable storage - three things we knocked the One S for not having. Cheers Brent!

Friday Poll: Would Consider a Phone With a QWERTY or Physical Keyboard Again?

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:41:05 +0000

Phones with physical keyboards - they are almost like dinosaurs or extinct birds these days. Fewer and fewer models are released now-a-days as anything but all-touchscreen. Sure we saw the DROID 4 hit stores at the beginning of this year along with a MyTouch or two on the side, but it's clear that we may not see another for a long time. HTC yesterday confirmed that their future will likely not include anything with a physical/QWERTY keyboard going forward, so it got us wondering - do you care? We know that many of you were holding out for the D4 as physical keyboards are a must-have, but what about the rest of you? If physical keyboards die off completely, will you miss them? Will you ever find yourself craving one again? [poll id="167"]

Pong Galaxy Nexus Case Claims it Can Boost Signal Strength and Optimize Battery Life for $59

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:15:00 +0000

Yep, you read that title right. A new Galaxy Nexus case made by Pong Research is available now for $59.99. Steep, right? Well, the price is apparently justified because Pong claims that this case will optimize your signal strength, optimize battery life, and protect your head and body from exposure to radiation. They are calling it the most "technologically advanced" smartphone case around:

Optimizes your signal strength of the Galaxy Nexus – unlike other cases, the Pong case helps with your connectivity
Optimizes your battery life of the Galaxy Nexus – with improved connectivity comes better battery life
Protects you from exposure to radiation by redirecting cellular radiation away from your head and body

It comes in a soft touch finish, "which is easy to grip and elegant in design." There are versions for both the LTE and GSM G-Nex. Any takers at $60? Buy Cheers Jacob!

Casio G'z0ne Commando Update C771M110 on the Way - GPS Improvements, Better Push-to-Talk, and Bloatware Updates

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:31:21 +0000

For a semi-random and outdoors-inspired Android phone made by Casio, you have to be thrilled with the amount of updates it has received (this would be the 4th). While it will never have the specs or name recognition to keep up with the big wigs, the G'z0ne Commando is updated with the best of them. This morning, a new update as build C771M110 has been approved by Verizon and we would assume will start to rollout within the next week or so. Included in the update you will find better push-to-talk functionality, GPS enhancements, email improvements, bloatware updates and more. And I know I say this every time this phone is the topic at hand, but doesn't this phone just make you want to go out and get dirty? The update will be 28MB in size. More info.

NVIDIA Talks Tegra Performance, Mobile Platforms Getting Close To Console Level Graphics?

Eric — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:07 +0000

At a recent talk in Seattle, Mike Rayfield of NVIDIA got up and spoke about all things performance, particularly in the mobile sector. There is no denying that the power has grown in mobile phones, we have seen the first quad-core mobile processor, Tegra 3, be released by none other than NVIDIA themselves. Rayfield explained how at the current rate, processing power in mobile devices are now almost at the level of an everyday gaming console in the coming years.

What this graph doesn't show however is the next generation of consoles that are going to be out by 2014. They will have much more power than this estimate shows. I am all for the Temple Runs and Cut The Ropes on my phone but can ever see my phone or tablet replacing the console that I have next to my TV. I'm anxious to see what developers can do with all this new power, but on the flip side am fearful of what it's going to do to my battery. Do you guys want to play Halo 4 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on your tablet or phone?

Via: NVIDIA

Samsung to Launch Own Cloud Service, S-Cloud at London Event in May

Tim — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:13 +0000

According to sources, Samsung doesn't only intend to launch the upcoming Galaxy SIII at their event in London, but they also have plans to introduce their very own cloud-based service. Naturally, it is named S-Cloud and it will be able to fit the needs of Sammy tablet, smartphone, and even Sammy laptop users. As seen in the "Samsung Electronics SW Consolidation Plan," users could be given 5GB of free storage with no limitations or restrictions as to what they can upload. Along with being able to store data, you can also purchase TV shows, movies, and music which can then be viewed from any of your Samsung devices. According to Maeil Business, Samsung intended to launch this service earlier, but waited until they had a complete partnership with Microsoft to make sure S-Cloud could launch globally with no hiccups. Looks like we have more than just a new phone to look forward to on May 3rd in London. Via: The Verge

Android is Google's Future [Opinion]

Ron — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:15:25 +0000

While most of us hate the litany of lawsuits that have become commonplace in the tech industry, one positive result has been revelations from emails, recorded transcripts, and testimonies that would have undoubtedly remained under wraps. Without the Skyhook lawsuit we wouldn't have nearly as many details about the Android device approval process. Apple and Samsung's lawsuit pressured Apple to reveal that despite Steve Jobs' nuclear reaction to Android as a product, he was willing to offer a licensing deal to Samsung (probably because Samsung provides so many parts for Apple). Like the legal battles that preceded it, the Google/Oracle lawsuit has revealed more details about both companies. For example, apparently Oracle considered entering the smartphone race by buying RIM or Palm. The more troubling revelation to come out of this lawsuit came from none other than Google's CEO, Larry Page: "I believe Android was very important for Google. I wouldn't say it was critical." Page was responding to the question of whether or not Android was critical to Google's strategy in 2010. While Page might have a different response for Android's importance in 2012, it's hard to believe that Google's CEO does not think Android was critical to Google's success two years ago. By 2010 Android had become one of the dominant mobile operating systems on the market. Page certainly knew that having a successful mobile strategy is essential to controlling the future of the company, so why would he think that Android was not critical? In what world would Google's future be secure without Android? The idea that Android was not a critical asset to Google in 2010 raises the question of Android's importance to Google in 2012. The implication is that Page believed Google could still be successful if Android wasn't on the market. Obviously since 98% of Google's revenues come from search advertisements, Google's immediate financial future will be secure for some time. Google would have been able to remain profitable without Android on the market, but it wouldn't be able to secure control of their products' future in the mobile market without their own mobile operating system. Earlier this month Page tried to soften the enmity between Google and Apple by claiming that Steve Jobs didn't really hate Android and was only trying to rally Apple around a common enemy. Having read Jobs' biography and his biographer's response to Page's claim, I have serious doubts about Page's version of the story. This, coupled with his more recent statements, however, leads me to believe that Page is trying to downplay Android's importance to Google's future in order to defend it. If Page can convince people that Android isn't important to Google, its competitors may be more inclined to ignore it. It's totally possible that Android is still more akin to a hobby at Google, but surely Page doesn't believe Chrome OS is the future of the company. Page knows that mobile is the future, which means that Android is Google's ticket to relevancy in the next ten years. If people keep seeing Google's dependence on Android, Google competitors will continue to attack it. Oracle decided to just sue Google instead of buying RIM or Palm to actually compete. Apple is suing Google's partners instead of trusting that the market will let the best product win. There's a reason why companies like Oracle and Apple are suing Google over Android: they know that the future is mobile, so by taking down Android they can take down Google. I'm not sure why Page has decided that he needs to put Android on the defensive by trying to minimize its importance, but maybe that sort of deception will work on most people. Maybe Google's competitors will believe that Android isn't absolutely essential to Google's strategy in a world that is constantly continuing its march towards mobile computing. I think Google's competitors will see right through Page's rhetoric. Page would do better to acknowledge that Android has been and continues to be more than a critical asset to the company - it is the company's future. Pretending that Android isn't critical to Google isn't fooling anyone.

LTE-Equipped Tegra 3 Devices Shipping in Q3, Tegra 3+ With "Significant" Performance Boost Later This Year

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:35:29 +0000

If you were of that mindset that you would own a device with NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 inside and be able to attach to a 4G LTE network in the next few months, you should change that mindset immediately. We have noted this a few times now, but the Tegra 3 does not currently work with LTE. According to NVIDIA's general manager, Mike Rayfield, we may not see any T3 devices with LTE until Q3 of this year. Speaking at the HTC Frequencies conference in Seattle this week, Rayfield mentioned the T3 is capable of working with LTE, but that "the guy with who has LTE isn't all that excited about working with me [NVIDIA]." For those not familiar, he is referring to Qualcomm, one of their biggest competitors and also the company leading the LTE modem charge. Fortunately for all of us, NVIDIA acquired a company called Icera to help them build out their own LTE modems. On a related note, a new version of the Tegra 3 which is currently called the Tegra 3+ (T3+) will arrive some time towards the end of the year. This processor will be "high performance" and a "significant boost" over the current T3. Specific details one what NVIDIA has done to pump up an already powerful processor was not revealed, but we're excited. We assume it'll have even better power consumption techniques while remaining crazy fast. So no LTE in T3 devices for a while still. Like we said earlier in the week, get ready for a wave of dual-core Snapdragon S4 devices on all U.S. carriers. Unless of course the newly leaked Galaxy SIII and its quad-core chip have found a way to get in bed with LTE modems. Via: PCMag

Video: Is This Finally the Samsung Galaxy SIII? It Might Just Be

Kellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:16:02 +0000

Oh, boy. So you remember the phone we were shaking our heads at just two days ago out of Brazil that was supposedly the Samsung Galaxy S3? That may have indeed been a "dummy" case for the device after all as a video in Vietnam depicts an identical phone that is said to actually be the "next Galaxy" or GT-I9300 (which we thought wasn't it, but may be after all). Since going up, the video and post by the Vietnamese site has been pulled, but thanks to this being the internet and all, people grabbed it before it was gone for good. What do we have? Well, they are under the impression that this is definitely not what the final hardware will be like and that it does have some form of protection around it as to not spoil the surprise come May 3 in London. But the insides, you can't really fake those. It appears as if the phone will rock a 1.4GHz quad-core processor (probably the Exynos 4412), 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, Ice Cream Sandwich, TouchWiz, NFC, a 4.6" 720p HD display (720x1184), expandable store (maybe), on-screen soft keys, and a 2050mAh battery.

The folks at Engadget reached out to Samsung for a comment and all they could get back was, "We will be able to tell you more at the 2012 Samsung Mobile Unpacked." Take that as you will. Enjoy the video below. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGUUVuT1w_s[/youtube] Via: Engadget | Tinhte Cheers Sourabh and Sydney!

500px Released For Android: It's Like Instagram, But For A More "Mature" Photographer

Tim — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:15:47 +0000

There is a new photo sharing app on the block today, but before you turn your front facing camera on and start snapping pictures of your pretty mug, take a second and look at the quality of the above photos provided. With 500px, professional photographers can gather the photos they have already placed on the web and create a somewhat online portfolio if you will. You can search through countless photos and even connect with friends and family to share your own works of art. Again, do not take a photo of your pet lizard with your DROID RAZR and post it, unless you have some seriously excellent lighting accompanying it. Features:

View beautiful, full size photos without distractions
Login or sign up for a 500px account to see your photos, friends' photos and your favorites
Vote for photos, add to favorites, read and leave comments
View photo descriptions, EXIF information, and location
Share photos on Twitter, Facebook, or see them in browser
Create a slideshow for every photo stream

Play Link

Thursday Poll: Thin Phone or Longer Battery Life?

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:26:59 +0000

One of HTC's VPs, while speaking at a private conference in Seattle today, said that at one time, battery life and mega 3000mAh batteries were areas of focus and on their roadmap. But after doing research with consumers last year, they came to the conclusion that people actually care more about having a thin phone than one that can last all day long. I don't know about you, but this is semi-surprising in that battery life is one of the most talked about subjects here on DL. Rarely do we say, "Hey, we love thin phones!" or "Man, I wish this phone was thinner!" Thin seems like something that we expect now since it is 2012. Instead, we are looking for manufacturers to do what Motorola did with the RAZR MAXX and figure out ways to boost battery life while adding little-to-no thickness. And not that we all want to walk around with tanks in our pockets instead of easily pocketable devices, but a bit of girth to a device that can last for 2 days isn't such a bad thing. So let us do our own bit of research. What would you rather have, a thin phone or longer battery life? We wish we could give you a "both" option, but that would defeat the purpose and because HTC must not believe that thin and long battery life can co-exist. :) [poll id="166"]

Wordpress for Android Beta 2.1 Released, Autosave Timer Plus Ability to Edit Comments Added

Tim — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:10:03 +0000

Attention, online writing machines. There is a brand new WordPress beta application for you all to download and play with. Included in the new beta are features that they are asking people to test out and send feedback on, so be sure to try them.

Autosave timer while editing posts. Every 60 seconds the post will be autosaved.
Edit comments! You can edit comments while on the go now.
You can now set the width for linked images.
All new WordPress.com reader. Navigating posts is much faster and you can add comments to posts that you are reading. You can also share the post to other Android apps!
Small improvements to the UI, most notably that the delete post button has been moved to a less prominent spot to prevent accidental taps on it.
Reliability improvements
Translation updates

You can download the new beta app right here, and let us know what you think. So far, it seems to run one heck of a lot smoother than it did previously, so we won't argue with that. Via: WordPress

Path on Android Receives "Lenses" in Update, Those Would be Image Filters a la Instagram

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:20:09 +0000

Familiar with Path? It's like Facebook Timeline. Actually they are identical in many ways, but Path is its own separate entity. The idea is to start a "path" and record your entire life so that down the road, you can look back and see how far you have come and how much fun you had along the way. It's actually a pretty popular service and not a bad idea, except again, that Facebook just rolled out a similar service known as Timeline, so that could essentially be your path dating back years rather than starting this new path which would begin, well today. But I digress. In the latest update, users are treated to "Lenses" which are just like the filters that Instagram users obsess over. So now, your Path can include bad photos of your shoes, cupcakes, One Direction, and 16 year olds showing off their abs in fun filters named "Diana" and "Lomo." Play Link

Infographic: Android Application Developers Get Asked the Tough Questions

Tim — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:45:35 +0000

There is a new infographic on the block that sheds some light on the world of Android application developers. From all over the world, developers contributed to this questionnaire and the results have been published in this graph that has been put up by Startapp. There's a breakdown of how many of them are independent devs versus being employed by a company, which types of applications are the most popular to develop, and even which device manufacturer they prefer to own (Spoiler alert: It's Samsung). It is a pretty insightful graph, seeing as how many developers are somewhat faceless yet extremely popular in this community.

Via: Startapp

Incredible 2 is Out of Stock at Verizon, Incredible 4G Incoming?

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:10:16 +0000

The Incredible 2 is now listed as "out of stock" at Verizon's online store. While it does say "temporarily," the device has been out for a year now and as we all know, has a successor on the way. Is this a sign that the Incredible 4G will be here any minute? We are sort of expecting it to drop at any time now that the device, in a finalized looking state has surfaced thanks to one of our tipsters (more pics here). Previously seen targeted dates had it pegged for an April 26 launch, which would be next week, but here we are on the 19th without a peep from Big Red or HTC. As we all know by now thanks to Bionic and Galaxy Nexus ~~drama~~ sagas, these "unofficial" dates, even if from within Verizon walls mean almost nothing until the press release arrives. The Incredible 4G is expected to be the "DROID" version (LTE, NFC, and expandable storage) of the HTC One S which we reviewed yesterday. It should be a solid device for those in the market for an upgrade this Spring. Cheers CG!

Official DROID 2 Global .629 SBF Made Available, Will Unbrick Your Device

Tim — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:25:42 +0000

DROID 2 Global owners, download this SBF file and stash the file somewhere safe. If you are the type to try and flash ROM's and gain root, then you may have heard that after the newest .629 firmware update, any attempt at SBF'ing to an earlier build would have resulted in some very unpleasant outcomes such as bricked and dead phones. Thankfully, developers now have their hands on the official SBF and have tweaked it so that you can unbrick your devices and even root the phone through a pretty simple set of instructions. If you are into that type of dangerous Android experimenting, check the via link and have in on the fun. Via: RootzWiki Cheers M, B, D, and M!

For Q1 Verizon Reports Highest Growth Rate in 3 Years and Sells 2.1 Million LTE Phones, Still Needs to Charge You a $30 Upgrade Fee

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:52:15 +0000

Verizon reported their Q1 2012 earnings this morning and as seems to be expected, they were up year-over-year (8.9% to be exact in retail and 7.7% in service). They tacked on 734,000 retail customers, bringing their total up to 93 million. They also sold 2.9 million LTE devices (phones, tablets and the new iPad) (2.1 million were phones) along with 3.2 million iPhones. Data now makes up for 43% of service revenues which is at $4.3 billion, up 36%. This all comes on the heels of Verizon's announcement that they would need to charge a $30 upgrade fee when existing customers buy new phones on contract. The reasoning for the fee was explained as a means to continue to fund their workshops and development of ~~bloatware~~ Verizon-branded apps. Makes sense, right? Since they are clearly struggling so much... The full press release is below if you are into reading such things. For even more details, you will want to check out the full earnings call transcript.

Verizon Reports Double-Digit Earnings Growth And Increased Operating Cash Flow In First-Quarter 2012

Verizon Wireless Increases Service Revenues by 7.7 Percent, Expands Margins; Demand Remains Strong for FiOS and Strategic Services
04/19/2012
NEW YORK, NY —
1Q 2012 HIGHLIGHTS Consolidated

59 cents in diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with 51 cents per share in 1Q 2011 – a 15.7 percent increase.

$6.0 billion in cash flow from operating activities, up $922 million compared with 1Q 2011.

4.6 percent year-over-year quarterly revenue growth.

Wireless

7.7 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues in 1Q 2012; 8.9 percent year-over-year increase in retail service revenues; highest growth rate in three years; data revenues up 21.1 percent; 28.6 percent operating income margin and 46.3 percent Segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP).

734,000 retail net customer additions, excluding acquisitions and adjustments, includes 501,000 retail postpaid net customer additions; continued low retail postpaid churn of 0.96 percent.

93.0 million total retail customers; 88.0 million total retail postpaid customers.

Wireline

193,000 FiOS Internet and 180,000 FiOS Video net additions, with increased sales penetration for both products; net increase of 104,000 broadband connections from 4Q 2011; FiOS Internet customers now total more than 5 million.

8.1 percent year-over-year increase in consumer ARPU; 63 percent of consumer revenues generated by FiOS.

11.6 percent increase in strategic services revenues, representing 51 percent of global enterprise revenues.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today reported double-digit percentage growth in year-over-year quarterly earnings results and increased cash flow in first-quarter 2012. Verizon Wireless posted another quarter of profitable revenue growth, while Verizon’s Wireline segment posted another quarter of customer and revenue gains for FiOS fiber-optic services, and increased sales of strategic business services. Verizon reported 59 cents in EPS in first-quarter 2012, an increase of 15.7 percent compared with first-quarter 2011 earnings of 51 cents per share. There were no adjustments in either period. ‘On Track to Continue to Deliver Strong Results’ “Verizon delivered double-digit earnings growth and strong cash flow this quarter,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO. “We built momentum coming out of 2011, and our results show that we continue to execute in the key growth areas of our business. Verizon Wireless produced both great growth and great margins, and we produced another strong quarter of FiOS growth. We are confident we will improve Wireline margins for the full year. Our repositioning of Verizon Enterprise Solutions has better aligned our strengths in high-growth markets, and we expect our enterprise business to contribute even more to overall Wireline revenue growth and profitability over time.” He added: “We remain confident in our ability to take advantage of the growth opportunities we see, and we are focused on driving operating efficiencies. We are on track with our plans and expect to continue to deliver strong results.” Strong Cash Flows, Increased Capital Efficiency In first-quarter 2012, Verizon’s total operating revenues were $28.2 billion on a consolidated basis, an increase of 4.6 percent compared with first-quarter 2011. Consolidated operating income was $5.2 billion in first-quarter 2012, compared with $4.5 billion in first-quarter 2011. Consolidated EBITDA (non-GAAP, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) totaled $9.2 billion in first-quarter 2012, compared with $8.5 billion in first-quarter 2011. Cash flow from operating activities totaled $6.0 billion in first-quarter 2012, an increase of $922 million compared with first-quarter 2011. Capital expenditures totaled $3.6 billion in first-quarter 2012, a decrease of $798 million compared with first-quarter 2011, as Verizon improved its capital-to-revenue efficiency. Free cash flow (non-GAAP, cash flow from operations less capex) was $2.4 billion in first-quarter 2012, compared with $672 million in first-quarter 2011. Verizon expects increasing free cash flow levels through 2012. Verizon Wireless Delivers Strong Financial, Operational Results In first-quarter 2012, Verizon Wireless delivered strong growth in revenues and retail customers; increased retail postpaid ARPU (average monthly service revenue per user) and smartphone penetration; and delivered a strong EBITDA margin. Wireless Financial Highlights

Service revenues in the quarter totaled $15.4 billion, up 7.7 percent year over year. Retail service revenues grew 8.9 percent year over year, to $14.9 billion, an increase of 110 basis points over fourth-quarter 2011 and the highest growth rate in three years.

Data revenues were $6.6 billion, up $1.1 billion – or 21.1 percent – year over year, and represent 42.9 percent of all service revenues. Total revenues were $18.3 billion, up 8.2 percent year over year.

Retail postpaid ARPU grew 3.6 percent over first-quarter 2011, to $55.43. Retail postpaid data ARPU increased to $23.80, up 16.0 percent year over year. Retail service ARPU grew 3.4 percent, to $53.66.

Wireless operating income margin was 28.6 percent. Segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP) was 46.3 percent.

Wireless Operational Highlights

Verizon Wireless added 734,000 retail net customers in the first quarter, including 501,000 retail postpaid net customers. These additions exclude acquisitions and adjustments.

At the end of the first quarter, the company had 93.0 million retail customers, a 5.2 percent increase year over year, including 88.0 million retail postpaid customers.

At the end of the first quarter, nearly 47 percent of Verizon Wireless’ retail postpaid customer phone base were smartphones, up from 43.5 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2011.

Retail postpaid churn was 0.96 percent, an improvement of 5 basis points year over year. Total retail churn was 1.24 percent, an improvement of 9 basis points year over year.

Verizon Wireless continued to roll out its 4G LTE mobile broadband network, the largest such network in the U.S. As of today, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is available to more than 200 million people in 230 markets across the U.S. – more than two-thirds of the population.

Verizon Wireless introduced five new 4G LTE devices in the first quarter 2012: the Droid 4 and Droid Razr Maxx by Motorola, the Spectrum and Lucid by LG, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. In addition, the Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G became available from Verizon Wireless in mid-March.

FiOS Continues to Add Customers, Increase Sales Penetration In first-quarter 2012 in the Wireline segment, continued strong demand for FiOS services led to revenue growth generated by U.S. consumer wireline customers and continued gains in FiOS sales penetration. Globally, continued strong sales of strategic services helped mitigate lower revenues resulting from Verizon’s targeted efforts to eliminate products that do not meet the company’s profitability requirements, and continued secular pressures in wholesale. Wireline Financial Highlights

First-quarter 2012 operating revenues were $9.9 billion, a decline of 2.0 percent compared with first-quarter 2011. Wireline operating income margin was 1.6 percent, compared with 2.8 percent in first-quarter 2011, and Segment EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) was 22.6 percent, compared with 23.6 percent in first-quarter 2011.

Consumer revenues grew 1.7 percent compared with first-quarter 2011. Consumer ARPU for wireline services was $97.88 in first-quarter 2012, up 8.1 percent compared with first-quarter 2011. ARPU for FiOS customers continued to total more than $148 in first-quarter 2012. FiOS services to consumer retail customers represented 63 percent of consumer wireline revenues in first-quarter 2012.

Global enterprise revenues totaled $3.9 billion in the quarter, up 0.9 percent compared with first-quarter 2011. Sales of strategic services – including Terremark cloud services, security and IT solutions, and strategic networking – increased 11.6 percent compared with first-quarter 2011 and represented 51 percent of global enterprise revenues in first-quarter 2012.

Wireline Operational Highlights

Verizon added 193,000 net new FiOS Internet connections and 180,000 net new FiOS Video connections in first-quarter 2012. Verizon had a total of 5.0 million FiOS Internet and 4.4 million FiOS Video connections at the end of the quarter.

FiOS penetration (subscribers as a percentage of potential subscribers) continued to increase. FiOS Internet penetration was 36.4 percent at the end of first-quarter 2012, compared with 33.1 percent at the end of first-quarter 2011. In the same periods, FiOS Video penetration was 32.3 percent, compared with 29.1 percent.

Broadband connections totaled 8.8 million at the end of first-quarter 2012, a 3.3 percent year-over-year increase. The net increase of 104,000 broadband connections from fourth-quarter 2011 was the highest quarterly net-add total since second-quarter 2009.

Verizon continued to expand its next-generation 100 gigabit-per-second network, enabling several more network routes in the U.S. and two additional routes in Europe.

The company also took advantage of the fully activated Europe India Gateway submarine cable system. The 15,000 kilometer high-bandwidth optical system, with a design capacity of 3.84 terabits per second, provides much needed diversity for future Internet, e-commerce, data, video and voice services from the United Kingdom to India.

Strategic Agreements Unveiled for Global Sales Verizon Enterprise Solutions, a sales and marketing organization that harnesses all of Verizon’s cloud, mobility and technology solutions for business and government customers globally, unveiled strategic agreements in first-quarter 2012 to develop offerings in mobile health, electronic health records management and secure e-prescribing. The organization also announced a digital-signage solution for retail customers, powered by Verizon’s 4G LTE network and infrastructure; unveiled new telematics solutions for the automotive and transportation industries; and rolled out a cross-platform open video communications capability.

Cheap Line of Android Accessories Introduced by iHome, Because Android is a Cheap OS

Tim — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:25:51 +0000

We knew that sooner or later the good people at iHome would realize that there was huge potential in the accessory market for Android devices. They have finally made their first step into this growing market and are introducing two docks that are catered towards the more budget-friendly Android owner, which is probably all of us. (/s) One dock is a decent looking alarm clock/speaker dock which runs only $60 and then there is a portrait dock that will be priced at $40. Coming from iHome, who makes some of the nicest and expensive iOS docks available, these are quite moderately priced.

Can we expect bigger and better docks to come from iHome, such as the iP4? I think we are going to have to cross our fingers and hope these sell well until iHome wants to start throwing money into accessories that aren't even compatible will all Android devices across the board. Sure, they almost all use micro-USB, but until that slot is placed in the same spot on every device, docks for Android devices are just a pain in the butt to manufacturer and market.

Buy

Anyone with plans on picking one of these docks up?

Via: CNET

LG Spectrum to Receive Sizable Update to Android 2.3.6 - Google Search Defaults, Bloatware Updated, and More

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:58:39 +0000

The LG Spectrum will receive a substantial update in the coming weeks as build VS920ZV5. After updating, the phone will run Android 2.3.6, have Google Search set to default for "a better user experience," freshly polished bloatware (VZ Nav, NFL Mobile, VCAST Apps, etc.), and a whole bunch of other enhancements which you can read about in the image above. The Spectrum seems to have been forgotten about for the most part, but if you are in need of a smartphone with a beautiful screen, decent camera, and 4G LTE for a reasonable price, it's worth a look. You can read our full review of the Spectrum here. The update is 127 MB in size. More info.

Verizon CFO: Family Shared Data Plans Coming This Summer

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:16:13 +0000

During Verizon's Q1 earnings call today, CFO Fran "ShamWow" Shammo said that family data plans will launch this summer. He did not go into specifics on price or data bundle size, but did mention that by mid-summer, families will have an option to share a pool of data and add devices onto it easily.

As I said, we will be launching our data share plan in midsummer this year.We believe that plan, the way we have it designed, will enable our customers to easily connect other devices to that plan.

We have covered this saga for almost a year now, all the while seeing family plan calculators appear, mentions of "mid-year" launches, and overhauling of account management systems. While Big Red has taken time to work out all the kinks, it looks like they have come far enough for Shammo to express a more specific time frame publicly. We are still unsure if this will be a positive or negative move for the industry. In a time when data prices are increasing, we can't help but wonder if these bundles will be overpriced and under-sized. I guess we'll know in a couple of months.

MyColorScreen Receives Makeover, the Best Homescreen Site Just Got Prettier

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:58:01 +0000

Homescreen obsessed enthusiasts probably already know about this site, but for those that don't, we wanted to make sure you became aware. A site called MyColorScreen was created months ago, focusing on beautiful homescreens, the apps and themes that make them up, and building a community around it all. It's not an app, but there is a mobile version of the site that acts almost like an app. It's simply a place to share the beautiful works of art that you have constructed on your phone's screen. Today, they launched version 2.0 of the site, turning into one of the most beautiful web properties you will visit. The homescreen and device page backgrounds pull from your theme, the app-adding engines work better than ever, and you can take it all to the social-sphere with new sharing tools. If you needed a spot to find inspiration for our next "Show Off Your Homescreens Day!" post, this would be the place to look. Via: MyColorScreen

WidgetLocker Update Removes Legacy Menu, Adds More Actions From ICS Lockscreen, and Other Awesomeness

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:33:35 +0000

WidgetLocker has easily become one of my favorite apps of all time. What once started out as a decent lockscreen replacement with what felt like beta options and settings, is now a full-blown and polished beast. With multiple lockscreen options available directly through the app, you also have a massive theme community to make your lockscreen as customized as you could possibly imagine. In today's update, we get the removal of that nasty legacy menu button for ICS devices that do not have a physical menu key (meaning I can finally use it on the One X), the ability to add up to 8 and 6 actions through ICS and Sense lockswitches, additional root options for ICS users, and more. Play Link ($2.99) Cheers Paolo!

DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX Soak Test for Build 6.12.181 has Begun

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:30:11 +0000

We spotted the changelog for the RAZR and RAZR MAXX update to 6.12.181 yesterday, leading us to believe that an update was imminent. Indeed it is. The soak test for it through the Motorola Feedback Network was re-opened last night with the software going live for testers already this morning. From what we have heard, this update is actually pretty decent. Some of our readers are noticing faster toggling of Airplane mode, long-standing force closes have been fixed, and more. The testing period is apparently going to take around 4 days, so that could mean a push will happen to the rest of us by Monday. (Assuming everything goes well, of course.)

Cheers E, B, J, A, J, and G!

Ice Cream Sandwich Updates Arriving for Rezound and Verizon XOOM on 5/9 and 4/23 Respectively?

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:02:03 +0000

According to an anonymous redditor who works for Big Red in "some capacity," we could see Ice Cream Sandwich updates for both the Motorola XOOM (3G/4G) and HTC Rezound in a matter of days. The source claims that this information came out today and pegs 4/23 as the XOOM ICS date, with the Rezound dropping about two weeks later on May 9. Normally these anonymous posts aren't much to go by, but the amount of info in his post including size, soak test dates, etc. is enough to at least grab our attention.

HTC Rezound - 05/09

Software Update Version: 2

Soak Test: 04/16/2012 - 05/07/12

OTA: Verzion

Size: 297mb

Push OTA: 05/09/12

Pull Avail: 05/09/12

Xoom 3G/4G - 04/23

Software Update Version: 5

Soak Test: 03/29/12 - 04/19/12

OTA: Google

Size: 106mb

Push OTA: 04/23/12

Pull Avail: N/A

We should also point out that - according to this report - there was supposed to be a soak test for the XOOM that ended today, yet we have not heard from a single XOOM owner who has received anything. Feel free to be skeptical, but we always like to have dates to at least look forward to. This gives us a couple. Via: reddit Cheers Andrew!

Spotify on Android is Receiving a Makeover, Download the Preview Now

Kellen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:45:18 +0000

Spotify announced this morning that their Android app is about to receive a complete overhaul, but before it goes live in the Play Store, they want to give you a preview. So you can download it below and take it for a spin. In this latest version, you will find full support for Ice Cream Sandwich, a massive redesign (that is buttery smooth by the way), new navigation menu, more social fun, high-res artist imagery, and more.

Totally new app with full support for Android 4.0
Top-to-bottom redesign
All-new slide-out navigation
Even more social - check out friends’ profile pages and playlists on the go
Artist imagery in high resolution
Related artist view - available for the first time on mobile
‘Extreme’ sound quality setting for 320kbps listening
So much faster!

There is one problem though - mobile listening of tunes is only available to premium users. So you can download this app and browse around in it, but unless you are paying the $9.99 per month service fee to be "premium" you won't be able to listen to anything. Download Link Via: Spotify Cheers Tim and Spencer!

According to Insider: Security Over "Next Galaxy" Tighter Than Ever, No Leaks Have Been Accurate to Date

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:17:28 +0000

There is only one thing involving the "Next Galaxy" that is certain - it will be unveiled on May 3 in London. Everything else is all speculation and more than likely inaccurate (Surprise!). According to sources that spoke to The Verge, Samsung has kept security surrounding this device tighter than ever and that internally, they will only refer to it as the "Next Galaxy" rather than Galaxy SIII. They are also placing the phone in "dummy boxes" to disguise it when it is taken off campus for testing. So you may have seen the phone at some point, but you probably didn't realize it. In fact, the photos taken earlier that were sent to Gizmodo are not of the device, but of one of the dummy boxes that Samsung has been using. It's all one big mystery and we love it. When was the last time we had an Android phone remain a secret with an unveiling only a week or two away? I'd say...never. Via: The Verge | Photo via TechRadar

Giveaway: Win One of Fifteen Volume+ Pro Licenses (Updated: Winners Picked)

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:54:05 +0000

We have discussed the pros to having an application such as Volume+ installed on our devices before, but for anyone new to the scene, it's time to take notes. In some instances, when you stream audio over Google Music or Pandora, the quality just isn't as good as you had hoped for and that is where Volume+ shines. With the app, you can set EQ's to each individual audio profile on your Android device. Is your phone speaker too quiet during a call? Simply adjust the EQ and you will be hearing everything just fine from then on. The creators reached out to us and want to giveaway fifteen copies of the application to share with our readers. Want to win a free copy? Thanks to everyone for entering! It was an amazing turnout with 900 entries! We have chosen our winners and they are down below!

Winners:

Icehunter - Foo Fighters
Luniz7 - System of a Down
Jaschart - Lamb of God
EvanTheGamer - Linkin Park
Justin Lightner - The Black Dahlia Murder
Dbag Jones - Pantera R.I.P Dime
TheRealChizz - Britney Spears
rhdz - Minus the Bear
Justincase_2008 - Gojira
Pgb1 - Rush
SeaStory - Led Zeppelin
Ndorfn - Skrillex
Daryl Johnston - Project 86
2Ceedz - Tool
Jeffie - Seether

How to enter:

~~Comment down below with who your favorite band/artist is.~~
~~Make sure to comment with a valid email so we can contact the winners.~~

We will pick our winners tomorrow at 10AM PST to make sure everyone has a chance to enter. Good luck! Play Link ($1.99) | Play Link (free)

Here is Another Phone That Someone Wants You to Believe is the Samsung Galaxy SIII

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:41:13 +0000

Fresh out of Brazil, we have two new pictures that someone is claiming to be the Samsung Galaxy SIII. They are calling it the GT-i9300, which I thought was already debunked as some other mid-range Samsung device. Yep, we did and this looks just like it. This source is emphatic about this being the SGS3 though and continues on by saying that it has a 12MP camera and is thinner, yet heavier than the Galaxy SII was. Shaking. My. Head.

Via: Gizmodo

SmartShift Lockscreen, Create Custom Lockscreen Profiles to Suit Various Needs

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:17:22 +0000

We use our phones for a huge assortment of tasks during the day and even more throughout a week or even a month. If a phone's look and operation changed with what activity you were doing, you may just save a ton of time in the long run. Introducing SmartShift Lockscreen, a way to have your phone look and operate based around everyday tasks that you perform. To give an example, say you just sat down in your car and throw your phone into the car dock. The app recognizes this and changes to a user set profile that has your maps, GPS, and navigation all on the lockscreen. At the gym? As soon as you plug in your headset, the device changes to a lockscreen that has all of your multimedia apps right there at your fingers. Along with all of the custom usage, the thing that makes it stand out much like WidgetLocker, is the fact that you can completely customize the look. Icons and themes are available which gives you the ability to make your device look however you want. It's a well thought-up app and runs $1.50 in the Play Store. Watch the video down below to get a good feel for all of the app's uses. Play Link ($1.50) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OecDBJGUGR4[/youtube]

HTC One S Review [T-Mobile]

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:59:36 +0000

I know that you probably just finished up reading our HTC One X review from yesterday, but it's time now to shift gears onto its little brother, the HTC One S. Announced at the same time as the One X during MWC in February, the One S might come off on paper as being less of a phone, however, once you use it you will realize that it is a little beast of its own. This device is headed to T-Mobile, but variations of it will arrive on other carriers - like the Incredible 4G on Verizon. So let's dive into it and share some thoughts.

The Good:

Hardware: The One S carries an impressive set of specs for what we are considering a mid-range phone. With its 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM, this phone is no slouch. It also has an 8MP f/2.0 camera in the back (same as the One X), VGA front camera, 4.3" Super AMOLED qHD display (more on this later), 1650mAh battery, and 16GB of on-board storage. Again, for a mid-range phone, having that processor is enough to feel a tingle in your pants.
Design: The One Series of phones has been beautifully designed by HTC. This phone in particular is made using a Micro Arc Oxidation process that includes blasting and heating of aircraft grade aluminum. It should make for a more durable and reliable phone that won't need a case to protect it. The phone I have is "Gradient Blue" and is a nice departure from the standard black phone craze. With accents in all the right places (like the camera ring), subtle logos (other than the nasty T-Mo logo on the front), and an unbelievably thin body (7.8mm), HTC has continued the design brilliance of the One X with the One S.
Display: After coming from the One X and knowing that the One S only carried a 4.3" Super AMOLED qHD display, I was initially disappointed. But from what I can tell, this is essentially the same display that the DROID RAZR has, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, HD is king these days, but ~~in order to keep the price and size down on this phone~~, HTC went qHD on us. The colors are vibrant, as you would expect on an AMOLED, and actually, my better half preferred it to the One X's when looking at them side by side. In the picture below, you can get somewhat of an understanding as to what people mean when they say that AMOLEDs look more cartoonish and vibrant, while LCDs tone things down to look more natural. It's a preference thing, but having not noticed ghosting or other PenTile issues, this screen seems to be adequate. We also put together some macro shots below of the screen so that you can see the technology behind a qHD AMOLED.

Feel: This phone is crazy light. It weighs in at just 119.5 grams and is noticeable the first time you pick it up. Is it too light? I did find myself fumbling with it at times, but that's probably because I'm used to bigger and heavier phones. The light weight was welcomed once I got used to it. Also, with a 4.3" display, this phone fits in your hand perfectly. I made the comment yesterday that the One X could be too big for some - that is not the case at all with the One S. If there is a sweet spot for phone size, HTC may have hit it here.
Camera: The camera on the One S is identical to that of the One X and that's a good thing. It's ultra fast, takes better-than-average pictures for a smartphone, and records in full 1080p. I wouldn't call this the best smartphone camera on the planet, but it certainly beats 95% of the phones available today. It rates right up there with the Galaxy S2, iPhone 4S, and other HTC phones of the last year.

HTC ImageSense: Since the camera on the One S is exactly the same as the One X, including its ImageSense software, I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote from that review - "The best part of Sense 4.0 is the inclusion of HTC’s new image software called ImageSense. This right here, is awesome. With the camera open, ImageSense allows you to snap photos in split seconds with no shutter lag, shoot video and snap full pictures at the same time without a hiccup, filter your best shots, toggle to HDR or panorama with ease, and take dozens of rapid fire shots by simply holding down the camera button. We cover this in the Sense overview video below, but wanted to express to you again how impressed we are with HTC’s camera work. Bravo."
Battery: Battery life has so far been phenomenal even with only 1650mAh of juice. While I have only had 2.5 days with the phone, which is not enough time to fully test a battery, I have yet to really worry about it dying. In those couple of days, I plugged it in once to get a full charge and then one more time yesterday afternoon. Since then, no added juice, no WiFi, some gaming, a night's sleep and we're sitting at 38%. Not bad at all. You can probably thank the Snapdragon S4 at 28nm for the reduction in power consumption.

HTC Sense 4.0 (parts of it): Again, since this runs an identical version of Sense to the One X (4.0), I'm just going to pull from that review - "Oh HTC Sense 4.0, you and I have one heck of a relationship. In the 20-minute video overview that I posted below (which you should definitely watch), you will probably come away thinking that I despise Sense with a great passion. That’s not 100% true. There are some things about it that drive me nuts, but overall, this latest version is the best yet. It’s slightly less intrusive, yet still adds some UI flair that many will enjoy. I also love the way that Sense manages contacts, makes the camera super efficient, adds options to the lock screen, and continues to polish up widgets. I will always prefer stock Android over an OEM skin, but Sense 4.0 has come a long way in the right direction."
Ice Cream Sandwich: All I need to say here, is "Nice job, HTC." At least someone understands that you can't release phones in 2012 with anything but Android 4.0. If you buy the One S, you will have the most current version of Android available.
Beats Audio: You could probably argue for days with an audio elitist that Beats Audio on a phone is a giant gimmick. What I know, is that if you have headphones plugged in and disable the Beats Audio on this phone, that it then sounds like garbage. Who knows what the real benefit is and how it has been tweaked to optimize sound on this phone, but to me, it seems to add some flavor - and flavor is a good thing.

The Not-so-Good:

[Update] Pricing: At $199, this phone to me is a bit overpriced. With a qHD display, only 16GB of storage, VGA front camera, no NFC chip, and a smallish battery, this should have been no more than $149 on contract. When a phone is priced at $199, we tend to think of it as a flagship, but when you can get the One X (a true flagship) from AT&T for that same price, I'm officially confused at what HTC and T-Mobile think the One S is.
HTC Sense 4.0 (parts of it): Between the One S and the One X, there are few (if any) differences in the versions of Sense that they run. I'm a fan of pieces of it which I mentioned above, but at the end of the day, I'm an Android fanboy and like my stuff stock. I could do without the 3D transitions and animations. Just make it simple and fluid. HTC Sense 4.0, while toned down from previous versions, is still a bit much for my tastes.

No LTE: Since the phone is going to T-Mobile, it doesn't have 4G LTE. Sure, they will tell you that they have the largest 4G network in the land, but the educated phone owner knows that this is stretching the truth. T-Mobile does not have an LTE network, so they instead rely on what amounts to an overclocked HSPA+ network that they are calling 4G. It's not slow by any means, but LTE is the way of the future and this phone will never be a part of that.
Front T-Mobile Logo: Look, I get it that T-Mobile wants everyone to know that this is their phone, but could you have toned down the logo on the front a tad? It's silver, massive and stands out way too much. The back HTC and Beats logos are so minimal, that this T-Mobile spot on the front of the phone is beyond over-the-top.
No Expandable Storage: HTC and many smartphone manufacturers have decided that phones do not need to have expandable storage. In the case of the One S, this is a bad move since they only packed 16GB inside. With phones like the One X or Galaxy Nexus that have 32GB out of the box, this is less of an issue. But if OEMs are going to drop below the 32GB threshold, then they need to give people an option to expand. It was probably a pricing move, however, we have to frown upon it. And once you look at how much storage Sense 4.0 takes up, leaving you with around 12GB of the 16GB to play with, you will too.

Non-removable Battery: Non-removable batteries are the root of all evil for those that travel a lot or simply do not have the opportunity to plug in their phone on the fly. With the One S only having a 1650mAh battery inside that cannot be swapped out should you run it down, we are a little worried that power users won't find it sufficient. I've poked around with the phone for a couple of days and have not run into issues, but I hardly consider myself a power user. The top rear part of the phone is all that is removable for SIM card management.

Bloatware: We weren't able to perform our bloatware count ritual with the One X since that is the unlocked and non-carrier version, but the One S is all up in some pink T-Mo. What is the final number? 15 bloatware apps. Some of them can be removed, but not all. We know that bloatware will never go away, but we like to point out our continued disappointment in carriers' choice to make these system/non-removable.
No NFC: ~~This could have been another cost cutting move~~, but HTC decided to leave out an NFC chip in the One S. The One X has it, but if you choose this phone, you will have to spend the next 2 years without the ability to pay for things on the go with your smartphone. All signs point to some major NFC and mobile payment happenings kicking off by the end of the year, so this is a bit disappointing.
Top Lock Switch and Headphone Jack: It wouldn't be fare if I knocked the One X for this and gave the One S a pass, so we are bringing it up again. To me, it makes sense to have lock switches on the right side of the phone where your thumb can hit it easily. It also makes sense to have headphone jacks on the bottoms of phones so that you can easily pocket them and also avoid cord issues while holding.

Unboxing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ktIn0nFwYw[/youtube]

Sense 4.0 Overview:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-ElZWO2hk[/youtube]

Screen Comparisons:

Gallery:

The Verdict:

When you are given a short 2 or 3 days to review a phone, it's tough to feel like you really got to know it inside and out. However, since the One S is basically just a smaller version of the One X, with a smaller screen and build, this was pretty easy to do. The HTC One S is a great little phone. It's not a flagship, but I don't think that HTC intended for it to be (or maybe they did?). While it may not have the full-blown HD screen, tons of storage, NFC chip, or LTE connectivity, it has one of the better (if no the best) mobile processors on the planet inside. Assuming that ~~this phone comes in at a price well below $199 , it may be one of the finer deals around~~ (Update: It didn't. T-Mobile is pricing it at $199. Yikes.). You get a vibrant screen, tons of power, Ice Cream Sandwich, a phone that feels amazing in hand, impressive battery life, and one of the better cameras any smartphone has ever seen. The One S is another winner from HTC's One Series. For Verizon folks, this is for the most part what the Incredible 4G will be - same screen and processor, but with LTE. *Note - We know, this is not a Verizon phone. But knowing the competition and your options is a good thing. Going forward, expect to see reviews from time to time of other major players on other networks here at DL. Who knows, some day you may find one that you can't live without and will switch carriers. It could happen, right?

Yes, the Google Play Store has a Customer Support Line

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:01:37 +0000

Our buddy Jigga_Z was doing some digging through the Google Play Store early this morning and came across a means of contacting a 24/7 help line for anyone having issues with the service. From Android applications, to Play Movies and Books purchases or basically any issue you are having in the Play Store can be solved over the phone with the help of Google technicians. Getting help is pretty easy - simply fill out their form with your name, telephone number, and a brief description of the issue and they call you in a quick manner. Pretty awesome, right? We don't know if this service is actually new with the Play Store, as services like Google Wallet have had this exact same customer help form for months now. Kellen took it for a spin when he was switching Wallet balances over from one phone to another before the app was capable of doing it automatically and found it to be useful. Has anyone seen this service before and used it? Now that you know it exists, do you plan on using it? Update: Yeah, this has been around for a while according to a handful of commenters. Sounds like it has been helpful to those that have taken advantage of it too. Contact customer support Cheers Jigga_Z!

Download: Motorola DROID 4 Update 6.13.219

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:18:24 +0000

Moments ago we noticed that the first DROID 4 update had been approved as build 6.13.219 and would be arriving in the near future. And then moments after that, we received the update file from a friend and have it for you below. It weighs it at around 18MB and can be applied over the top of 6.13.215 (the current build). You will notice that build number in the title of the file, but that's how Motorola does it - they always name their update files with the the build you are coming from, not the one you are going to. Download: Blur_Version.6.13.215.XT894.Verizon.en.US.zip Instructions:

*No root required. *We have been told that Voodoo Rootkeeper will keep root and that other root methods work as well after updating.

1. Download the file to the root of your SD card. 2. Turn phone off. 3. Press both Volume keys and Power at the same time to get to the bootloader menu. 4. Scroll down to "Recovery" and press Volume Up to select it. 5. When the Android and exclamation mark appear, press both Volumes at the same time. 6. Scroll down to "apply update from sdcard" and select it with Power. 7. Scroll down to "Blur_Version.6.13.215.XT894.Verizon.en.US.zip" and select it. 8. Watch the update install. Reboot when it finishes and enjoy!

DROID 4 to Receive First Update to Build 6.13.219 - Improves Battery Life, New MotoCast Widget, and Other Enhancements

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:35:24 +0000

The RAZR and RAZR MAXX are not the only Motorola phones receiving love on the update front this week. The DROID 4 is set to receive its first since launch, bringing the phone up to build 6.13.219. Included in the update is a new MotoCast widget, improved battery life, keyboard backlight fixes, and better WiFi connectivity. It's not Ice Cream Sandwich, but none of Moto's phones are receiving that just yet. When these changelogs go live, we usually see the update start to rollout within the next week. Let us know if you see it! Update: We have the file available for flashing here. The update is 18MB in size. More info.

Draw Something Updated, Picture Comments, Undo Last Move, and Notifications Added

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:20:54 +0000

One of the world's newest and most highly successful games, Draw Something, has received an update on Android. As requested since its humble beginnings, there is now the ability to comment with the other player and share the laughs at how ~~awful~~ awesome you are at drawing. Along with that, you can also delete your last pen stroke with the single tap of a button and there are now finally push notifications! Everyone still enjoying this game? Play Link

Amazon Wireless Selling Galaxy Nexus for $50 to New Customers

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:45:34 +0000

Thinking about signing up for Verizon service as a new customer and want to get your hands on the Galaxy Nexus? Amazon Wireless is carrying the device for only $50, which is a great deal. And for folks looking to upgrade and renew their contract, the price still isn't bad at just $150. Definitely the best deal we know of that is on the web. Buy Cheers Pete!

Verizon Announces New 100MB International Data Plan for $25

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:04:32 +0000

With the travel season approaching, Verizon is ready to launch a completely new data package for global travelers and international men of mystery. Starting April 23, Big Red will offer 100MB of data for checking the web, sending off emails, and updating your Facebook for $25 a month. For folks in need of a bit more than just 100MB, there will be an automatic 100MB of data made available to you for an additional $25 when you approach the cap of the first 100MB of data. Verizon has added minor standards for who can qualify for the package. Customers must have a minimum amount of payment history with Big Red and already have a domestic data plan. Lastly, people traveling to areas not covered by the Global Data Plan, but are in Verizon Global coverage areas will be charged at Pay Per Use rates, which is $0.02 per KB of data.

NEW VERIZON WIRELESS GLOBAL DATA PLAN TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Summer travel season is just around the corner, and Verizon Wireless is setting sail with a new, easy-to-understand Global Data Plan. Starting April 23, the new Verizon Wireless Global Data Plan offers U.S.-based customers 100 MB of data for $25 a month. For one low cost, customers can access email, browse the Web and update social networks while traveling outside the United States in 120 countries and destinations, including all of Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada. Pricing and Availability: With the new Verizon Wireless Global Data Plan, customers can purchase 100 MB of data for $25 a month. Prior to traveling outside the United States, customers should visit www.verizonwireless.com/global to determine their coverage needs.

To purchase a Global Data plan, customers are required to have a domestic data package and international eligibility, which requires minimum payment history.

Customers who require more than 100 MB of data while traveling will receive a notification via text message when an additional 100 MB of data for $25 has been automatically made available to them once they exceed their initial allotment.

Customers traveling to countries not covered under the Global Data Plan, but within Verizon Wireless global coverage areas, will be charged at Pay Per Use rates of $0.02 per KB.

Whether traveling to London for the big games this summer or Oktoberfest in Munich this fall, Verizon Wireless customers with global calling and data services can make and change hotel reservations on the fly, call for and download directions to local attractions and restaurants, and stay in touch with family and friends back home by sharing pictures via email and social networks. Additional Resources: Verizon Wireless customers planning international getaways can take advantage of first-class tools and resources to help manage their wireless travel needs, putting their minds and budgets at ease before they go and once they arrive:

Verizon Wireless offers a wide range of global-ready devices, including smartphones, tablets and mobile hotspots. Customers can shop for global-ready devices at www.verizonwireless.com and select “Global Ready” when sorting devices by feature.

Verizon Wireless Trip Planner provides customers information they can use to plan their travels before they leave home, including details about global calling, country-specific coverage and device functionality.

To help travelers get their wireless bearings, Verizon Wireless greets travelers to most overseas destinations with a free welcome text message featuring helpful information for the country they are visiting, including dialing instructions for calling within and to phones outside the country; voice, text and data rates; as well as the ability to reach Verizon Wireless Global Technical Support.

Free Global Data Roaming Usage Alerts help travelers keep an eye on their wireless usage. Verizon Wireless customers automatically receive free alerts via text message or email when Global Data Roaming charges exceed certain thresholds.

Verizon Wireless operates a dedicated, toll-free global support number that will put customers in touch with one of the company’s U.S.-based support centers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers outside the United States can reach the Global Technical Support Team by dialing the appropriate exit code for the country they are in and then 908-559-4899 – a free call from their device. Customers may also reach Global Technical Support free of charge by using the Verizon Wireless Global Calling Card, provided with their global-ready device, if their device is not usable. For more information on Verizon Wireless global products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com/global.

TWC TV Application Updated, But Streaming TV Unavailable for Rooted Users? (Updated)

Tim — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:25:55 +0000

Yesterday we heard that the Time Warner Cable TV application was going to receive a pretty hefty update to include live streaming support for Ice Cream Sandwich devices. Well, the app was updated, but the folks who own rooted devices found that the application does not allow them to stream the live TV that they were hoping for. This shouldn't necessarily surprise anyone, as most media-centric apps these days block content from rooted users, including Google's own Movies store. We have seen a user submitted tip that if you wipe the application's data in your app settings menu, that could clear up the issue. It's worth a shot, so give it a try if you have been having this trouble and let us know if it works or not. Update: We knew it wouldn't take too long for a developer to take all of these root device restrictions and throw them out the window. He has released a build of the newest TWC app that has a build.prop fix and removes root access restrictions. You can download the apk and load it as you would any other third party app. Cheers B00sted! Play Link Cheers Garland and Bob!

Minor HTC Thunderbolt Update 2.11.605.19 Released

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:51:53 +0000

A small HTC Thunderbolt update has been released as 2.11.605.19 ahead of an official push if anyone is interested in flashing it. This is a full RUU and can be used by everyone, not just rooted users. If you have unlocked your Tbolt using HTC's bootloader tool, you will apparently have to relock before flashing this (that sounds fun). The update again, is minor. It makes the phone a bit more stable, updates some bloatware, and includes a new radio. Download: Thunderbolt_2.11.605.19_PG05IMG.zip

Instructions:

*I'm assuming this will wipe your phone being a full RUU and all, so be careful.

1. After you download the file from above, rename it to "PG05IMG.zip" without the quotes of course. 2. Drop the file on the root of your SD card. 3. Turn phone off. 4. Hold Volume Down + Power to boot into fastboot. 5. One the file is detected, follow the onscreen prompts to flash the file. 6. When it completes, your phone should reboot. Enjoy.

Changelog:

Features/Enhancements

CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System) support added

IPv6 over eHRPD

Issues Resolved

Mobile Hotspot disconnecting

Previous state ID being displayed on incoming call

Viewing Yahoo email with mail app – body of message disappears

Support for Cisco Any Connect VPN

VZNav version updated (7.5.0.134)

Volume adjusted when in HAC mode

URL for VVM updated

Birthday mismatch while adding birthday and saving to contacts BUA+ updates

Device stability, resets

Retry for abnormal picture download for Facebook

Via: Android Police

DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX 6.12.181 Update is Ready, Here is the Full Changelog

Kellen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:51:35 +0000

An announced soak test. A confirmed update version to 6.12.181. A leaked Android 4.0.3 build. A quickly removed hint that it could be Ice Cream Sandwich by Motorola. Silence from Motorola. A cancelled soak test. And now the official changelog. What a mess. But at least we know that the next update for both the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX is going to be 6.12.181 and NOT Android 4.0.3. That's unfortunate, but hopefully this means that ICS is around the corner after some bugs are addressed. After updating to 6.12.181, you will have a more stable device, extended battery life, an accurate 4G indicator, enhanced security in VZW bloatware, and a new MotoCast widget. Fun times. Usually when these official changelogs go up, an update arrives within a week. This also doesn't appear as if they are doing a soak test for 6.12.181 any longer at all (unless something changes in the next day) and hopefully will do one shortly for the next big thing.

The update is 17.4MB in size. More info.

Acer's Expected Date for Ice Cream Sandwich Update to Iconia Tablet is April 27

Tim — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:06:47 +0000

Acer has placed an exact date at which they intend to pump out Ice Cream Sandwich to users of the A500 Iconia tablet, along with the A100 model. The update should be hitting both models April 27, 10 days from now, and will bring the tablet up to the Android "4.0.X." Via: Acer Cheers Michael!

Unreleased Doctor and Tennis Android Mini-collectibles Show Up on eBay

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:38:16 +0000

A reader of ours received a shipment of Android mini-collectibles that from what we gathered, have never been released before. The two that he has multiples of are pictured above as a doctor and an athlete/tennis player. He is willing to part with some and has posted them up on eBay in case any of the mini-collectible collectors in the building are interested. Could they be a part of Series 3 or were they axed from previous box sets? Tough to tell, but we definitely want some for our own personal collections. Has anyone else seen these before? Buy.

Cheers Wyatt!

HTC One X Review [Unlocked]

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:25:30 +0000

HTC had a rough ending to 2011, so to kick off their 2012, they released the One Series of Android phones, including the flagship One X which we are about to dive deep into. With a new outlook on design, a less-intrusive take on Android skinning, and a focus on impressive hardware, this phone is one to "ooh" and "aww" over on paper and in pictures. There are few competitors that have produced phones in the last 12 months that can match the overall package of the One X, however, one question remains - is this phone capable of bringing HTC back from a dark and dreary place and to the forefront of the Android race once again? Let's find out.

The Good:

Display: Easily the most beautiful smartphone display you will find anywhere. At 312ppi and 4.7-inches of Super LCD2 glory, the colors and details are natural, defined, and simply put, stunning. We probably won't find another display that will compete with the One X's until Samsung puts out a phone with their HD Super AMOLED Plus. Even then, the vibrant and sometimes oversaturated colors on the AMOLED may not be preferred over these LCD2 displays that HTC is using. Experiencing this screen in person is something that each and every one of you should attempt to do.
Design, Look and Feel: There isn't a more beautifully designed phone than the HTC One X. It has subtle curves, a soft finish, accents in all the right places, and an overall look that we have found almost no faults with. The Galaxy Nexus and RAZR set somewhat of a bar on design a few months ago - the One X just jumped both and then put the contest out of reach. When you hold this phone in hand, it's noticeably lighter (130 grams) and thinner (8.9mm) than the competition, yet doesn't feel like a cheap piece of plastic. (It might be too big for some, but we'll get into that below.) I've talked about this in videos, but the unibody casing gives off an elusion that the screen and the device itself is curved, when in actuality it's not. It's the little things like this that make this enjoyable to look at each and every day. We should also point out that within the last two weeks, I have had more strangers, friends and family ask, "Whoa! What phone is that?" than ever before.
Hardware: What is there to dislike in the hardware and spec department? OK, the lack of a 4G LTE radio is a little disappointing but we'll get to that later. Inside this beast, you have a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 8MP f/2.0 camera in the back, 1.3MP camera in the front, a 4.7" HD Super LCD2 display, NFC chip, MHL port, and a 1800mAh battery. It doesn't get any more top-of-the-line than this. Sure, we would have liked to have seen HTC figure out Motorola's battery magic and toss in a 3300mAh behemoth in there, but then they may have had to sacrifice on other goodies. And since battery life hasn't been a problem thus far, we can certainly forgive them.
Battery: In two weeks time, I have not run into a battery life issue with the One X. This phone has powered me through each and every day, begging for some juice around the 14 or 15 hour mark. Even with a decent amount of gaming, you can see that the battery still had 20% left after 13 hours during one day's work. At 1800mAh, this battery won't get you through a couple of days by any means, but most of us are happy if one can sneak us through a work day. This phone should have no problem doing that. Also, it reportedly has some sort of bug that when fixed, should provide an extra 10-20% boost in battery life. So I'm seeing favorable results without that.

Performance: With it's quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, there are few phones on the planet that can match the speed of the One X. I have yet to bog this phone down and trust me, I try. You can open multiple apps in a row, switch to the camera, snap photos, toggle off and on settings, flip home screens, open your app drawer, and more without ever noticing a stutter. Well, you may see them from time to time in HTC's Sense UI, but without that, this phone is unbelievably fast. We performed a set of standard benchmarks that can be viewed here.
HTC Sense 4.0 (parts of it): Oh HTC Sense 4.0, you and I have one heck of a relationship. In the 20-minute video overview that I posted below (which you should definitely watch), you will probably come away thinking that I despise Sense with a great passion. That's not 100% true. There are some things about it that drive me nuts, but overall, this latest version is the best yet. It's slightly less intrusive, yet still adds some UI flair that many will enjoy. I also love the way that Sense manages contacts, makes the camera super efficient, adds options to the lock screen, and continues to polish up widgets. I will always prefer stock Android over an OEM skin, but Sense 4.0 has come a long way in the right direction.
Camera: Let's just say this - the rear camera weighs in at 8MP with a f/2.0 aperture and is better than your average smartphone shooter. After coming from the Galaxy Nexus, the One X was a breath of fresh air even if it didn't blow my mind. There were times when it took some incredible photos and others when it seemed to struggle. I'm sure that you could manually adjust many of the settings and take some beyond-impressive photos, but for me, "Auto" is how I roll. And with that, I came away impressed enough to easily include the camera in the "Good" section.

HTC ImageSense: The best part of Sense 4.0 is the inclusion of HTC's new image software called ImageSense. This right here, is awesome. With the camera open, ImageSense allows you to snap photos in split seconds with no shutter lag, shoot video and snap full pictures at the same time without a hiccup, filter your best shots, toggle to HDR or panorama with ease, and take dozens of rapid fire shots by simply holding down the camera button. We cover this in the Sense overview video below, but want to express to you again how impressed we are with HTC's camera work. Bravo.
Ice Cream Sandwich: It's the best version of Android yet, so we were glad to see HTC include it in the One X. With companies like LG and Motorola releasing phones that still have Gingerbread, props should be given to HTC for doing the right thing. They may have tossed their new Sense 4.0 over top of it, but the features that were introduced with Android 4.0 are all there for you to enjoy. Plus, it's always nice to buy an Android phone that has the newest version that was released just months ago, because you never know when you may see a software update.
Call Quality: I almost always forget to include this in a review, but after all, these are phones we're talking about, right? I will just say that multiple times throughout a call on my Galaxy Nexus, I have to ask people to repeat themselves. With this phone, I have yet to do that even once. Clarity is top notch.

The Not-so-Good:

No LTE: Since the unlocked (and internationl) version of the HTC One X has a quad-core Tegra 3 chip inside, it doesn't currently work with 4G LTE radios. That will change probably at the end of 2012, but for now, anything with this chipset in it, will only be HSPA+. In a time when U.S. carriers will only allow 4G LTE phones on their network, this is unfortunate. We like what NVIDIA does in the mobile world, but we hope they figure this out sooner than later. We get the feeling that throughout the next 6-8 months, we are going to see nothing but Snapdragon S4 dual-core phones because they do play nice with LTE. While that processor is as equally (and in some cases more) impressive as the Tegra 3, this is Android, and we like variety.
Hardware Navigation Keys: Seriously, HTC? The Galaxy Nexus came out back in November with on-screen navigation keys, yet you still forced hardware keys on us in April. They aren't reason enough for anyone to deny this phone's pure awesomeness, but removing these would have made this a slightly smaller and more manageable phone with less of a chin. Again, having hardware navigation keys is not reason enough to dislike this phone, but it would have made the overall 2012-feel seem complete.

HTC Sense 4.0 (parts of it): Bear with me while I go all Android anal fanboy on you for a moment. HTC Sense 4.0 is the best version of Sense yet, I've said that already. However, it still gets to me and I will forever wish that stock Android would be an option when these phones come out. There are jittery spots in the UI because HTC has to get all fancy with their 3D animations, the "Personalize" menu is far too difficult to navigate for such simple tasks as changing a wallpaper, and the color scheme that HTC has clung to is just not for me. Sure, Sense 4.0 has been toned down and is improved, but again, as an Android enthusiast, I want stock or at least the option to turn off Sense.
Size: This phone is huge. I consider myself to have average sized hands and there are numerous times throughout the day where I have to adjust the grip on this phone to get things done. It's definitely a two-handed device, just like the Galaxy Note. With a 4.7" display along with separate hardware navigation keys, stretching for the notification bar can be difficult at times. Actually, all of the time. To me, the One X is the biggest I would ever go with a smartphone. If there was a tipping point for a phone to hit the "Way too damn big" category, this would be close to it.
No Camera Lens Protection: While we drooled all over the design of this phone, there is one pretty major flaw that needs to be addressed. The camera lens has been placed on an island with no protection. It sits directly in the middle of the device like most phone cameras, except it isn't recessed into the body. If you were to set this down on a rough surface or take it in and out of your raw denim skinny jeans over and over again, there is a chance that you will scratch it.

Non-removable Battery: The internal battery is 1800mAh and should get most of the world through most of a day on a single charge. But then there are those of us that are constantly on our phones, travel a ton, attend conferences with zero outlets to charge from, and like having the option to toss in a freshly charged battery when the first one of the day runs out. Since HTC decided to go with this sexy unibody design, you cannot remove this battery and that is unfortunate.
Top Lock Switch and Headphone Jack: This is simply me nit-picking, but I'm hoping that one day all phone manufacturers will listen to me cry about it and follow Google's lead. The top lock switch, sucks. As does the top headphone jack. The thumb lock switch on the side of the device, makes so much sense, that there should be a law created to make top switches illegal. Same thing with the headphone jack. If I'm listening to music on my phone through headphones, a plug at the bottom simply works better. The cord doesn't have to hang out the back of the device or dangle to the side if I'm looking at it, and when I place it in my pocket top down (like everyone does), the cord pokes right out, without me having to think about it.

Unboxing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0PpBvSeu0E[/youtube]

HTC Sense 4.0 Overview:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-ElZWO2hk[/youtube]

Screen Comparison:

Gallery:

The Verdict:

To say that I have been impressed with the HTC One X over the last couple of weeks would be a gross understatement. This phone has given us hope for a 2012 that has so far, produced nothing important on the Android front. With the most stunning smartphone display on the planet, a build quality and design matched by few, and a set of specs that will power you far beyond the life of a contract, the One X is a clear winner. Unfortunately for U.S. consumers, this phone with its Tegra 3 processor won't be here any time soon unless you import it. AT&T has an LTE version on the way with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor which is no slouch and should be considered, but folks on Verizon and T-Mobile have been left out in favor of HTC One S variants (a slightly less impressive phone). It's a shame really, as this is easily the best Android phone available, right now. Will it be in a month or so when the Galaxy SIII is released? Talk about the question of the year that we all wish we had an answer to.

Infographic: The AT&T and Verizon Duopoly

Tim — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:30:39 +0000

Since 2006, phone bills have become 52% higher for the average subscriber. Some could point to the amount of data people are consuming and that carriers are having to constantly upgrade equipment to fulfill the needs of their customers or that rising costs in general are to blame or acquisitions and purchases of spectrum for that new network are the cause. After taking a peak at this newest infographic, you get a sense that the folks at The Simple Dollar are willing to bet that these rising costs have to do with what they are calling a "Duopoloy" in the wireless arena between AT&T and Verizon and nothing more. Check it out below.

Via: The Simple Dollar

Samsung CEO and Apple's Tim Cook to Have Court-Requested Meeting, Could this Be An End to the Patent Wars?

Tim — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:41:43 +0000

A monumental moment is to take place in San Francisco, CA within the next 90 days. Samsung's CEO/Vice Chairman Gee-Sung Choi and company are to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook and their panel of lawyers to discuss settlements of a few patent cases that are taking place across the globe. With U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero overseeing the meeting, these are the types of conversations we wish were streamed for the masses to view online. The meeting was requested by the court that is overseeing two ongoing patent battles that are taking place currently in California. Technically, the meeting is completely optional and voluntary, but with neither party wanting the image of being uncooperative with the courts, both parties have agreed to the meeting. As explained by analysts, there is no guarantee the two companies will leave the meeting holding hands, but this is at least a step in the right direction. Via: The Next Web

Looking For Tweegram on Android? It Doesn't Exist, but Textgram Will Get You Similar Results

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:06:26 +0000

If you became an Instagram user once it was released on Android, then you probably noticed images popping up from our iOS counterparts through an app call Tweegram. The app itself allows you to type out a Tweet and then post it onto a square background that can then be submitted as an image to Instagram. It's a pretty silly idea actually and one that I will likely never understand. But it is what it is, and people seem to love it. If you were looking for it though, you won't find it on Android just yet. Tweegram is an exclusive to iOS, which in other words means it's like a country club for the elite and not for us poor people. Don't worry, you do have an option and it's called Textgram. It works exactly the same as Tweegram from my understanding, is free, and already has close to 500,000 downloads. So there you have it - get to Tweeting filtered Tweets...weird. Play Link

Treemaker is Like a Zen Cut the Rope, But With an Awesome Soundtrack

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:10:01 +0000

Cut the Rope and Angry Birds knockoffs are a dime a dozen these days. Rarely do we find a game that mimics either of their style, but then takes it beyond into something that plays with the best of them, yet looks and sounds as good if not more beautiful. Treemaker is one of those games. Previously a hit on iOS and just recently released on Android, this is one of those games that you should definitely try out, especially since it is free. The graphics are minimal yet detailed, the music is on point in a zen-like manner, and the difficulty is enough to keep you going for a while. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYBLkqVS_bQ[/youtube]

Starting April 22, ASUS to Ship Tegra 3 Equipped and 4G LTE Capable Transformer Pad 300

Tim — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:45:25 +0000

According to PC World, Asus has announced the official launch date and pricing for the upcoming Transformer Pad 300. Starting April 22 in the US, folks can pick up the quad-core Tegra 3, 10.1" beast for $399 for the 32GB model with a 1GB of RAM. According to reports, the tablet shall be marketed as a laptop replacement and will feature 3G and 4G LTE capability. (Um, yes please?) The slate will come with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the factory and offer up to 10 hours of battery life, with an additional 5 hours with the attached lapdock accessory. With the new information stating that this tablet has 4G LTE connectivity, the last question we all want to know, is whose 4G LTE? Verizon? AT&T? April 22 is merely days away, so we shall be impatiently waiting for an announcement from Asus. Does this new Transformer Pad strike the interest of any potential slate buyers out there? If it comes with Big Red's 4G LTE, we could potentially see the beginnings of the most successful Android tablet yet, especially at that noteworthy price point of just $399, instead of some ridiculous $699 or above. Via: PC World Cheers Radgatt and Anthony!

Chrome for Android Receives Update - Requesting Desktop Sites, Bookmarks as Shortcuts, and Proxy Support Included

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:45:38 +0000

Chrome for Android received an update this morning, bringing with it the requesting of desktop or mobile sites, ability to add bookmarks to your home screens, and more. There aren't quick controls yet, but at least we are seeing regular updates to one of the best Android browsers available. The app is now available in 31 languages and in all countries that support the Google Play store. Changes:

You can now request the desktop version of a website, in case you would rather not view the mobile version.
You can now add bookmarks as shortcuts on your home screen, so you can get to your favorite sites faster.
Choose your favorite apps to handle links opened in Chrome.
Have a proxy setup for Wi-Fi access? You can now use Chrome with the system proxy configured in Android settings.

Play Link Cheers bjcroteau!

Gmail Goes Down! For Many Google Apps and Regular Gmail Users (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:16:51 +0000

Gmail and mail through Google Apps is down for a number of people today. The reports started an hour or two ago with the outage still affecting many. From what we have gathered, this is also causing Gmail apps to stop receiving mail. You may not see an error through the app, but you will want to check when the last time was that you received an email. As you can see from the Gapps status page, Google is aware of the "service disruption." If you experience a code 93 "Temporarily unavailable" - you are not alone. Somehow I've been lucky this time around and can access everything, but both Eric and Tim are struggling to access at least one of their accounts. Update 10:31AM: We are hearing that service has been restored for most of you. Check your accounts! Cheers Lonnnie and everyone else!

Gaming Through Google Glasses, Could It Look Like This?

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:10:15 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sSsRIhVYB4[/youtube]

If you had a pair of the new Android-powered glasses from Google's "Project Glass," could you imagine what gaming would be like through them? This is obviously a look waaaaaay into the future, but we thought it was at least fun enough to share. Think real-world Battlefield mashed-up with that original Project Glass commercial. Via: In Game Cheers John!

On April 19, Verizon's 4G LTE Network Will Cover 2/3 of the U.S. Population

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:32:57 +0000

We just got done gathering up all of the new April 19 4G LTE markets that Verizon was blasting off this morning when this press release arrived in our inbox. It is worthy of it's own post as the numbers are pretty astounding for their new network rollout. This Thursday, Big Red's 4G LTE network will cover more than 2/3 of the U.S. population. With these new markets that takes the total up to 230, but let's go further than that. By the end of 2012, they expect to be in over 400 markets, covering some 260 million people. AT&T has 32 active markets as of today. Solid work, Verizon.

VERIZON WIRELESS 4G LTE NETWORK WILL BE AVAILABLE TO MORE THAN 2/3 OF U.S. POPULATION STARTING APRIL 19
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless, owner of the nation’s largest 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, today announced that it will cover more than two-thirds of the U.S. population when it introduces its 4G LTE network in 27 new markets and expands in 44 markets on April 19. With the new and expanded markets, Verizon Wireless continues to lead the industry in 4G LTE deployment, offering network coverage in 230 markets across the United States. By the end of 2012, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network will be available in more than 400 markets, and will be available to more than 260 million people in the United States. With the continued growth of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, people in more areas of the United States will be able to take advantage of the speed and connectivity offered by the nation’s fastest 4G network. Verizon Wireless currently offers more than 20 4G LTE-enabled devices, including the new Lucid^™ by LG and the Samsung Galaxy Tab^™ 7.7.
“Verizon Wireless 4G LTE is the premier wireless data service in the nation, with more than six times the geographic coverage of our nearest competitor’s 4G LTE network and now available to more than two-thirds of the nation’s population,” said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. “We will continue to introduce new markets and expand covered markets to ensure even more wireless users across the United States can take advantage of the benefits that 4G LTE brings to consumers, small businesses and enterprises.”

“This year represents a year of growth and investment in our 4G LTE network, which stands out by virtue of its superb combination of coverage, speed and the variety of devices that we offer customers.”
On Thursday, April 19, the company will introduce its 4G LTE network in Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Pine Bluff, Siloam Springs and Van Buren, Ark.; Visalia/Porterville, Calif.; Fort Walton Beach and Ocala, Fla.; Brunswick, LaGrange and Macon/Warner Robins, Ga.; Peoria, Ill.; Kokomo/Logansport and Marion, Ind.; Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend and Hays, Kan.; Salisbury, Md.; Cattaraugus/Allegany, N.Y.; Sandusky, Ohio; Ardmore and Ponca City, Okla.; Salem/Albany/Corvallis, Ore.; Pierre, S.D.; and Big Springs and Tyler, Texas. The company will also expand its 4G LTE network in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, Salinas/Monterey, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Stockton, Calif.; Colorado Springs and Fort Collins/Loveland, Colo.; Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.; Boise/Nampa, Idaho; Carbondale/Marion and Rockford, Ill.; Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; Boston and Worcester, Mass.; Detroit, Mich.; St. Louis, Mo.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Manchester/Nashua, N.H.; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.; Buffalo/Niagara Falls and New York, N.Y.; Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Portland, Ore.; Providence/Pawtucket, R.I.; Nashville, Tenn.; El Paso, Texas; Provo/Orem and Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah; and Olympia/Centralia and Spokane, Wash.
4G LTE Speed

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. When customers travel outside of 4G LTE coverage areas, devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, where available, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast. Verizon Wireless’ 3G network is the most reliable high-speed data network in the country and allows customers in 3G coverage areas who purchase 4G LTE devicestoday to take advantage of 4G LTE speeds when the faster network becomes available in their area or when they travel to areas already covered by Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.
4G LTE Markets On April 19, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network will be available in 230 markets across the United States. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for a full list of 4G LTE markets and additional information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. For a comparison of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network coverage to its competitors, street-level detail of coverage and more, please visit www.verizonwireless.com/4glte.

About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Verizon Announces Dozens of New and Expanded 4G LTE Markets for April 19

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:53:44 +0000

Verizon started rattling off their next wave of 4G LTE markets that are either going live or expanding their reach on April 19. The list is pretty massive, many of which we covered a week or so ago. Today's list expands on that list though, showing Big Red's never-ending quest to take LTE to every area that already has access to their 3G. We have a feeling that this list may continue to grow over the next couple of hours, so be sure to check back for updates. For now, jump past the break and see if you town is listed. And yes, I said "town" since VZW is working hard to cover the smaller markets as well.

New and Expanding Markets:

Colorado

Ft. Collins-Loveland

Florida

Ocala

Georgia

LaGrange
Brunswick
Macon

Idaho

Boise-Nampa

Illinois

Duquoin
Christopher
Benton
West Franklin

Indiana

Marion

Iowa

East and Southeast Des Moines

Kansas

Hays
Garden City
Great Bend
Wichita
Dodge City

Missouri

St. Louis
Springfield
Halltown
Mount Vernon
Stotts City
Sarcoxie
Pierce City
Monett
Aurora
Marionville
Billings
Nixa
Ozark

New York

Cattaraugus-Allegany Counties
Buffalo
Tonawanda
Cheektowaga
Williamsville
Getzville
Angola
Hamburg
Akron
Kenmore
Derby
Lackawanna
Springville
Niagara Falls

Ohio

Columbus
Cleveland

South Dakota

Garden City
Pierre

Tennessee

Adams
Bon Aqua
Centerville
Carthage
Chapmansboro
Cornersville
Cross Plains
Cumberland Furnace
Greenbrier
Lascassas
Lewisburg
Lynchburg
Lynnville
McEwen
McMinnville
Mooresville
Pleasant View
Portland
Pulaski
Readyville
Santa Fe
Smithville
Springfield
Stiversville
Westmoreland
White House
Winchester
Woodbury

Texas

Spring
Tyler

Utah

Provo-Orem
Salt Lake City-Ogden

Read It Later is Now Known as "Pocket" and Free Across All Platforms

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:19:03 +0000

The popular Read It Later app for Android and other platforms has undergone a full name change and UI overhaul today, turning into what is now known as Pocket. For those not familiar, think of Pocket as the service you should use if say you were in the middle of reading an article this morning before you took off to work, but wanted to finish it from your phone or tablet at lunch. Simply add it to your Pocket account with the touch of a button (Chrome browser extension) and pull it up later through the Pocket app. It's one of those apps that you can't live without, once you make it a part of your life. We are a busy species. On the UI front, the app is much more minimal, clean and fast. Your articles should load faster, navigating is simpler, and organizing is easier. Is it just me or did they totally kang the Google Play theme? Maybe they meant to. Along with the name and UI changes, the app has also become free across all platforms. Previously, there was a free and paid version, but those days are a thing of the past. Play Link

Samsung Galaxy SIII Only to be a "Minor" Upgrade Over Its Predecessor?

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:59:09 +0000

Uh oh, someone is out to spoil our fun this morning. According to sources who spoke with CNET UK, the "next Galaxy" is only going to be a minor upgrade over the Galaxy SII. We may see a speed boost in processor, but we are supposed to expect an iPhone 4 to 4S improvement rather than a complete game changer. Samsung may also change up the naming convention and use something other than "Galaxy SIII." What doesn't make sense to me about those statements, is that the Galaxy Note and all of the HD variants of the Galaxy SII are already "minor" upgrades to the original. How could you go more minor? While the 1080p display rumor that is flying around seems highly unlikely, I wouldn't be surprised if the phone rocked a quad-core Exynos processor, which doesn't necessarily fall in the minor category. Well, let me take that back. If you think about it after a processor bump, what else could be all that major? At this point in the smartphone game, we have seen HD screens, high-end cameras, and super fast processors, so maybe on paper, things do look "minor." I would still be surprised if this phone doesn't "Wow!" us all though. Via: CNET UK

Temple Run Hits 10 Million Downloads in 3 Weeks, Adds Twitter Integration and Other Bug Fixes

Kellen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:38:00 +0000

According to the Play Store page for Temple Run, the hit iOS game has already become a massive hit on Android as well, amassing 10 million downloads in just over 3 weeks. Through those first few weeks, we have seen a number of updates to address bug fixes, but today, we get new functionality. Twitter sharing of scores has been added, taking your runs public. Ready to challenge your friends? For fun, why don't we all toss out our top scores in the comments. Mine is a meager 1,254,633 at 7,142m and 3,256 coins. Play Link

Hot Donut - Roll, Jump, and Fly Your Way to Donut Freedom

Tim — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:58:06 +0000

There is something about donuts flying across my screen that just makes me happy. But Hot Donut isn't just about some ordinary donut. This is a super donut, complete with cape and jet-like flying abilities. If anyone here has heard of an iOS game called Tiny Wings or Android's Dragon Fly, then this game will look and feel quite familiar to you. You press on the screen to roll your donut down a hill, then lift your finger off when you want to see him flying across the sky to avoid large gaps of watery doom. It's a pretty tasty game, but the one downside is that after playing you may crave Krispy Kreme.

Play Link (Free) | Play Link (Ad-free)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-78bgu5mqA[/youtube]

Monday Poll: Will Verizon Get the Samsung Galaxy SIII?

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:01:32 +0000

The question that everyone can't seem to find an answer to, "Will Verizon get the Samsung Galaxy SIII when it is released?" Truthfully, we also have no clue. Big Red was the last of the 4 major U.S. carriers to get the original Galaxy S and then completely passed on the Galaxy SII for the Galaxy Nexus, leaving some doubt it most of our minds. How could they even think about skipping the "next Galaxy" at this point though? We should remind you that they weren't included in the HTC One X launch either and are launching a version of the One S as the Incredible 4G along with the RAZR HD at some point in the near future. Are either of those phones big enough? No. It certainly seems like they are due for something really big. The Galaxy SIII is going to be as major as it gets in 2012. We know that VZW loves Motorola and having 15 variations of the RAZR on their shelves, but this is the next Android device that will actually cause a stir. What about chipsets and LTE? Rumors across the globe are stating that the phone will have an Exynos 4412 quad-core chipset on board, which is also rumored to work with LTE unlike other quad-core processors. Those are both unconfirmed of course, but if these chips are LTE-ready and in the SGS3, then Verizon has no reason to deny us what is sure to be the next great Android device. Unless they have a DROID RAZR MAXX HD in the works as well. What do you think? Will VZW customers get it or not? [poll id="165"]

Google Drive Launching Next Week with 5GB of Free Storage?

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:08:24 +0000

According to The Next Web, Google's Dropbox competitor known as Drive, will launch next week on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac. When released, users will receive 5GB of free storage with the option to upgrade to more at various price levels. What we are trying to decide though, is if we care? Dropbox and Box are both awesome cloud storage services with great Android apps, so why switch? I already have 50GB on Box for free and another 30GB on Dropbox thanks to my HTC One X, so why would I want to migrate over to Google's new service? Well for one, it adds another level to the ecosystem. Our email, contacts, music, navigation, maps, calendars, etc. are all run by Google, so this would add a missing piece. If your life is dedicated to Google, you should be happy about this. If you love stiff competition outside of the mega-companies, then this may ruffle your feathers. Ready for Google Drive or are you satisfied with the others? Via: TheNextWeb

Additional Galaxy SIII Details Revealed - Multiple Colors, a 1080p Display, and a Quad-core Exynos Processor?

Tim — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:49:33 +0000

Additional details have been reportedly leaked about the upcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIII. According to sources of BGR, two color options will be available at the time of initial launch: one in blue and black and the second one in solid white (perfect for Kellex). Along with colors, there will be two size options - 32GB and 64GB. In addition to that, a set of specs were also talked about by the source that stated we will see a 1080p HD display (Seriously? Who needs that?), the quad-core Exynos processor we discussed earlier, along with full 4G LTE capability in the device. This device is beginning to sound like some of the dream devices you were all asking for last week. As an extra bit of info, the source also stated that Samsung's Galaxy SIII will be the official device of the 2012 Summer Olympics, something we have essentially known since January. That makes sense though, now that Samsung has confirmed that the unveiling is to take place in London on May 3. All we can say to these rumors is, "Verizon, please open your hearts and embrace this device." Via: BGR

Apex Launcher Beta Released, Widgets in Dock and Two Finger Gestures Added

Tim — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:14 +0000

Last week, a new beta version of Apex launcher was posted on the XDA forums that shows off what features we have to look forward to in the pro version of the launcher. The beta will expire on April 20, so try and get some good use in before time runs out. Inside the new beta is a gang of new features. In fact, there are so many features, we're going to copy and paste the changelog right here:

Note: You may request a free evaluation license from the settings.

Added pinch in gesture option

Added launch shortcut option for gestures

Added vertical dock margin option

Multiple configurable drawer tabs (pro)

Unread count notifications (pro)

Dock swipe gestures (pro)

Two finger gestures (pro)

More transition effects for homescreen and drawer (pro)

Batch add option for folders (pro)

Option to merge folder contents (pro)

Widgets in dock (pro)

Overlapping widgets (pro)

Some bugfixes

If you want to give the new version a go, just download and install as you would any other 3rd-party application. After our initial use, we must say it is as smooth as butter. And with the added swiping abilities, it has become our new favorite launcher. That is, until the next best launcher comes out. Download: Apex Launcher Beta Cheers Soapinmouth!

Best Buy Releases List of 50 Stores to be Closed, Many by May 12

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:10:41 +0000

If you follow us on Twitter, you probably saw this over the weekend, but we wanted to make sure all of our tech-obsessed readers were in the loop. Since Best Buy didn't post the greatest Q4 earnings numbers, they have decided to close a bunch of their big box stores in 2012 - 50 to be exact. Over the weekend - probably to sneak by the media - they released a list of the stores, many of which will close by May 12. It's not specifically Android-related, but we know that many of you buy your phones and keep up with tech via Best Buy. Some of you may have a harder time doing that if one of the stores on this list was your closest. Missing from the list are two stores that already closed in Kansas City, MO and Scottsdale, AZ.

Time Warner's TWC TV App Receiving Update Tomorrow, Ability to Watch Live TV from Your Phone or Tablet Added

Tim — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:40:33 +0000

Users of the TWC TV application from Time Warner should be prompted for an update tomorrow around 10AM EST, adding support for viewing of 200+ live channels on Ice Cream Sandwich devices through your home network. Along with the added support for ICS, a few features are getting updated such as the search feature, added remote control ability for your Set-Top cable box, and some added options for the DVR Manager feature. Seems like a pretty decent update for Time Warner customers. As an additional reminder, the update won't be live until tomorrow morning. So, if you download it now you will be prompted tomorrow as soon as it goes live. Play Link

Meizu MX Announced as World's First Phone to Use Samsung's Exynos 4412 Quad-core Processor

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:18:38 +0000

Normally we would ignore a phone like the Meizu MX Quad-core out of China, but when it was announced last night claiming that it is the world's first to sport the new Exynos 4412 processor by Samsung and will be out by June, we were interested. The phone itself sounds awesome with a f/2.2 8MP camera, 292ppi display, and Android 4.0, however, the draw is clearly the chipset. How is it that the Meizu MX is going to be the first Exynos 4412 phone and not one from Samsung? Shouldn't this be the chipset inside the Galaxy SIII? As of today, we know that Samsung is going to unveil their next Galaxy device on May 3, one that is likely to be the Galaxy SIII. If this Meizu MX phone is going to be the "first" with this processor then that leaves us with a couple of scenarios. First, the Galaxy SIII will be announced in early May, but won't be released until late June or July with the 4412 inside. Second, the Meizu team is lying and won't be first. Third, the SGS3 will sport a different processor altogether. We have heard rumors that this phone may end up with something beyond the Exynos 4412 and into Exynos 5 (cortex A15) territory. Knowing Samsung and the way they pushed the smartphone envelope last year with the Galaxy SII, I don't think we should be surprised if they do release this phone with something crazy. Any bets? Quad-core 4412 inside the Galaxy SIII or something else? Via: Meizu

DROID RAZR's Smart Actions Application Hacked onto the DROID Bionic

Tim — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:05:24 +0000

DROID Bionic owners no longer need to be jealous of the DROID RAZR's Smart Actions application. Thanks to iNsAnEmOd for sharing the apk, users can now download the actual Smart Actions app and load it as a third party app right onto your device. Smart Actions is Motorola's way of trying to extend your battery and basically automate your life. By launching certain applications and settings when actions happen or you are at a certain place during the day, your device will react as you program it to. You can program the app to launch your favorite music playlist if you're at the gym, or have it toggle on WiFi as soon as you arrive at home from your day at the office. It has received a lot of love from RAZR owners, so if you own a Bionic, be sure to give it a go and let us know what you think. No root required. Install as you would any other non-market .apk. Download: SmartActions.apk [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnlBXv1eWjo[/youtube] Via: Twitter Cheers Tom!

Motorola Switching to Snapdragon S4 Processors For Next Lineup of Phones, Including the RAZR HD?

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:44:10 +0000

Motorola may follow HTC's lead in the processor game going into 2012 according to a new benchmark for a device headed to AT&T. The MB886 (formerly rumored by us to be the Dinara) aka the "Qinara" or possibly even Atrix 3 posed for GLBenchmark this morning, giving us a look at specs for Moto's next big device. As you can see from the top, it's running Android 4.0.3 just like every other new device these days. What's interesting though, is the chipset used is Qualcomm's MSM8960 or better known to most as the dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz. This is the same chipset used in the HTC One XL that could arrive on AT&T in the next week, but is surprising because this is Motorola using it. In the past, Moto has stayed close with TI and their OMAP series and even cozied up with NVIDIA for a device or two. This would be a first for them and Qualcomm, to our knowledge. So why the Snapdragon S4? 4G LTE, baby. Phones in the U.S. on AT&T and Verizon in 2012 will likely only be 4G LTE, so since the current Tegra 3 isn't playing nice with it, OEMs are going with Qualcomm's S4 which does. On a related note, we were discussing the DROID RAZR HD this weekend with our buddy Taylor over at Android and Me, and he is under the impression that it will also rock a Snapdragon S4 for the LTE capabilities it possesses. This benchmark would certainly help that theory. Lastly, the screen resolution reads 1196x720, so we know this phone will have an HD screen. Since it doesn't read 1280x720, this could mean that the device either has on-screen keys like the Galaxy Nexus, or it could mean that the GLBenchmark app isn't ready for ICS and is using that awful menu button at the bottom of the screen which is taking up screen space. Excited for Moto and Qualcomm to be in bed for a bit? The S4 Krait series of chips is supposed to be remarkably good.

Via: GLBenchmark, Blog of Mobile

Pebble E-paper Watch for Android Tops $3 Million in Funding on Kickstarter, Will Now Come Fully Waterproofed

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:32:58 +0000

If the smartwatch game has yet to impress you, then I recommend that you take a look at one of the hottest Kickstarter products we have seen in a long time called Pebble. We have been personally following Pebble for the last week or so, watching it go from having a goal of $100K, eclipsing that in a few days, and then completely blowing the hell up thanks to some press coverage and viral internet buzz. In less than a day last week, it topped $1 million from backers, then hit $2 million, and finally, over the weekend cracked the $3 million mark. Again, this project started out with a $100K goal and is now well over $3 million. So what is the Pebble E-paper smartwatch? It sells itself a bit like the Sony Smartwatch that was released last week, but it uses an e-paper display rather than an OLED. It should last for 7+ days on a single charge, has multiple clock faces to choose from that always show, pairs with your device via Blutooth, already has a variety of apps in the works, and has an Android app to connect to your phone through. The device will show you incoming calls, email notifications (including Gmail), weather and calendar alerts, Facebook and Twitter info, and even vibrate when many of these things happen. There is also a golf GPS tracking app in the works. Oh, and since the project hit the couple of millions mark, its makers have decided to fully waterproof the device. For those of you that swim and want to track your workout, this would be the smartwatch for you. It should fit most 22mm watch bands. So as you can see, it already does more than the $249 MotoActv, yet you can back the Kickstarter for $115 and receive one. If you are interested, there are 32 days left in the project to get in early. This might be the first smartwatch worth checking out. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FdaCxMcw_Y[/youtube] Via: KickStarter

Transformer Prime GPS Dongle Pictured, Invites to Order One Sent Out

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:33:17 +0000

The Asus Transformer Prime, by all accounts, is still the best Android tablet on the market (our review). It boasts a quad-core processor, amazing screen, great build materials, the top tablet camera around, and docking abilities that would make any tech device jealous. Unfortunately for some that wish to use it as a massive navigation system, Asus chose to spend as little time as possible making the GPS work correctly. After multiple attempts to fix it via software update, they decided that the only way to make it truly functional was through the addition of a GPS dongle. With an acknowledgement of said dongle by Asus, we have been sitting here waiting for news of a release. Well, this morning, invites to request a dongle were sent out to Prime owners in an offer that expires on July 31st. Along with those invites, a set of leaked pictures made their way onto the web, giving us an idea as to how hideous your Prime will be with this thing attached. Yep, I said hideous.

According to Land of Droid who leaked the pics, it greatly improves GPS and attaches just like the docking station does. And here are the invites that are going out this morning:

TF201 GPS Extension Kit Apply&Inquire Thank you for purchasing the ASUS Eee Transformer Prime TF201, and helping to make it the most popular Android based tablet since its launch in December 2011. We greatly appreciate feedback from our valued customers about our products, and take it very seriously. The response to the TF201 generally has been overwhelmingly positive, but we understand that, in certain regions, the GPS functionality has not met some user’s expectations. Free Dongle! At ASUS, we are committed to delivering innovative, high-quality products and services, and our customers’ experience is important to us. Although the TF201 is not a professional GPS device, as part of our unwavering commitment to our customers we are offering all customers who purchased a TF201 system a free external GPS extension kit, called a dongle, which may help improve signal reception and optimize the user experience. We are pleased to announce this offer as part of our commitment to customer service, but it does not replace, alter or amend any existing warranties you may have.We also encourage you to contact ASUS customer support in your local region directly if you are experiencing GPS related problems. ASUS prides itself on delivering an unrivalled user experience, and we offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that our customers may have encountered. The offer will expire on 31th of July, 2012 (PST).

Be sure to order yours before that deadline. Pics via: Land of Droid Cheers Jon and Timmy!

Samsung Sets Date to Unveil the "Next Galaxy" - May 3 in London, We Get to See the Galaxy SIII

Kellen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:02:15 +0000

Now this is what you call official. After months and months of rumors, Samsung has dropped an official invite and date into our inbox. The "next Galaxy" which we all believe will be the Galaxy SIII, will be unveiled on May 3 in London at a Samsung Unpacked event. This is big, people. If there was one device that we have all been looking forward to, this would be it. We have no idea what specs will be inside, but rumors have it running a quad-core Exynos, with a ceramic case, HD Super AMOLED Plus display, wireless charging, and so much more. If it pushes boundaries at all like the Galaxy SII did last year, you will want to save your money for this one. Oh, and since they are doing this in London, the Samsung team was nice enough to offer a live stream through their Facebook page. Yeah, we all get to tune in and witness it. If I did the time calculation correctly, it will go live at 11AM Pacific.

DROID Bionic Update to Build 5.9.904 is on the Way to Testers, Here is the Changelog

Kellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:22:04 +0000

The next update for the DROID Bionic is build number 5.9.904 and is not Ice Cream Sandwich. A friend of ours sent over the changelog for it that we have pasted for you below. You can see that behind-the-scenes bug fixes are all that is in store, which makes sense going from .902 to .904. In fact, when Verizon posts this changelog after testers have it, it likely won't have any of these details on it, so take in this rare opportunity to see what backend bugs are being taken care of. Update: Our buddy Sam has told us that if you update to .904, you can still use the .902 fastboot files to return to .902 or to save your phone should you do something that it doesn't like.

5.9.904.XT875.Verizon.en.US Issues Corrected / Enhancements Application Updates/Improvements

Updated Visual Voicemail access URL

Preload Google R10 GMS apps

Stability and Performance Improvements

Visual Voicemails are sent to a device but no notification is given to the user

Bluetooth call tones are too loud

The APN table can be overwritten by 3 rd party applications,resulting in an inability to camp on the LTE network

DNS cache is not refreshed when moving from EHRPD to LTE

IPv6 default route is left over after LTE to EHRPD handoff

Added support for IPv6 over eHRPD

Reduce blank screen lock ups with inability to power up

Device may show a white 4G icon but the user is unable to connect to Internet

If you can't wait for this update to be made available (it could be a couple of weeks), know that it already found its way into a forum or two earlier this week. Again, nothing major, but expect it to arrive some time soon. Cheers ___ and Sam!

Saturday Poll: When You Buy a Phone, How Long Do You Expect to Receive Updates For?

Kellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:26:43 +0000

The never ending hot topic in the Android world is and may always be software updates. We talk about them constantly. Each week we have a different device that is due for one, whether it be an incremental bug fixer or something major like Ice Cream Sandwich. It's a cycle that will be here through the end of time. But how long do you expect to receive them for a particular device and manufacturer? When you bought the Galaxy Nexus, did you ever ask the question, "How long is Google going to supply updates to this phone?" What about the RAZR or Rezound? Is the life of a contract enough or should it be longer? [poll id="164"]

DROID RAZR Bootloader Bypass Released in Semi-working Form, A New World Awaits

Kellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:04:26 +0000

A "kexec" bootloader bypass method was discovered back in mid-March for the GSM RAZR, giving hope to the growing community of DROID RAZR owners who want nothing more than to run fully stock Android. This method in theory, allows you to flash custom kernels and full custom ROMs, something that most Moto devices are incapable of thanks to Moto's ridiculously anal approach to device security. After hours of work from developers kholk and [mbm] on the project, this kexec bypass is now public and available for you to try. There are a couple of things you need to know though. First, after bypassing the bootloader, only 1 of the 2 cores in the processor is firing (they are working on a fix). Second, with some CDMA RAZRs, the bootloader bypass itself is simply not working (they are attempting to fix these issues as well). RAZR owners, time to spend your weekend tinkering. Full details and instructions can be found at the source links below. Via: Eternity Project | XDA Cheers [TSON]!

HTC Rhyme Update 2.20.605.3 is Ready - Dock Features Tweaked, Signal Strength Indicator Updated, and More

Kellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:44:03 +0000

The HTC Rhyme should see Ice Cream Sandwich at some point - both Verizon and HTC confirmed that - however, this is not it. This would be a small bug fixer as we wait as patiently as possible for that to arrive. In this update to build 2.20.605.3, Rhyme owners will see some minor changes to their docking experience, a 5-bar signal strength meter, and some other overall experience enhancers. Again, nothing major, but someone you will want to grab as it becomes available. The update is 67.8MB in size. More info.

DROID 2 4.5.621 Update Finally Arrives - Includes Security Patch and Handful of Other Fixes

Kellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:36:40 +0000

We aren't sure what took Motorola and Verizon so long, but this was the update that was included in a soak test well over a month ago for the DROID 2. It's build 4.5.621 and is essentially the same as the update we saw for the R2-D2 version of the phone at the end of March. It's nothing major, other than the fact that it probably tries to break root, hence the "Google Security Patch" that comes with it. Otherwise, it appears as if this update was ready long ago, as the support doc was created all of the way back in February. Weird. Anyways, head into Settings>About>System updates and see if it as arrived yet. The update is 14MB in size. More info.

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 4/13/2012

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:58 +0000

We have been patiently waiting to get a look at the Incredible 4G, and it finally happened this week. Some folks may be disappointed as it is no replacement for the Galaxy Nexus, but will still be a formidable addition to the Android lineup on Verizon. Along with that, our beloved Instagram has been bought by Facebook, for who knows what purpose. Don't mess with my Instagram, Zuck! If you missed any of the week's important stories, we have highlighted them down below:

On a fun note, our buddy Kovdev made these awesome Andy wallpapers which we have been enjoying and we wanted to make sure you all had a chance to enjoy them too!

When It Rains at the Googleplex the Android Ecosystem is Vulnerable

Kellen — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:21:18 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1QBSHgtLoU[/youtube]

Poor Eclair. Via: Google+

Custom ROM Friday: Black Widow ICS for the DROID RAZR

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:11:01 +0000

The DROID RAZR has started to receive a bit more developer love lately, so we knew it was time to showcase some of the newest work we could find. What we have today is called, Black Widow ICS. It uses AOKP as a starting point, so you know it is going to be filled with options and customizable goodies for your eyes and fingers to play with. The ROM itself is made to be extremely dark and almost sort of evil looking. But with a name like Black Widow, we would sort of hope for this. You can flash an alternate ~~Google Apps zip file~~ that will turn all of your system apps a very dark color and it will match up with the overall look very well. If you want to give it a go, follow our directions down below. Instructions for installation:

Download ~~Widow zip file~~ and place in sdcard-ext.
Reboot into Recovery.
Create a Nandroid backup immediately.
Wipe Data/Factory Reset - mandatory.
Wipe Cache partition.
Wipe Dalvik cache.
Format System.
Install Widow zip.
Flash ROM
Reboot system

If you run into any problems or have any questions, let us know down below and we'll try to point you in the right direction. Via: DROIDRZR

Get Locked and Loaded, Death Rally Crashes its Way Onto the Google Play Store

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:10:50 +0000

If high speed racing and big machine guns are something you enjoy, then may we suggest you immediately check out Death Rally? This game has already consumed a good portion of my day and I have a feeling I won't be putting it down anytime soon. In the game, you race opponents from an over-head view and you have to be pretty good at multi-tasking because not only do you have to keep your eyes on the road, but you have to shoot and destroy your adversaries as well. Once you have a few wins under your belt, you can start customizing your cars with better parts and of course, bigger weapons. The game is a total blast and for being free, runs and looks exceptionally well. Doesn't get much sweeter than that. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFcVUfAnOaw[/youtube]

Original Angry Birds Updated, 15 Brand New Beach Levels Await You

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:40:12 +0000

The OG version of Angry Birds has just received an update to add 15 brand spanking new levels. They are called the "surf & turf" levels, so expect to see some sand castles and bring your sun screen. On a separate note, did Angry Birds Space make anyone happy? I thought it was actually pretty intriguing and look forward to future updates for that game. Play Link Cheers Justin!

Verizon Expands 4G LTE Network in California Markets

Kellen — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:56:05 +0000

There is no slowing the Verizon 4G LTE train. After announcing 44 new markets and expansions less than two weeks ago, another list of has been released. This time, California (and Reno, NV) is the main target, with expansions taking coverage into new neighborhoods and areas that had yet to enjoy the incredible wireless speeds. For many of you in the Golden State, 3G logos will forever be a thing of the past. Well, unless you want your phone to last for more than 6 hours. The list:

Stockton
San Luis Obispo
Fresno
Bakersfield
Salinas
Monterey
San Francisco
Sacramento
Modesto
Reno, NV

We also heard from a handful of readers this week that Kokomo, IN has been lit up. Are you noticing coverage in your area that was previously 3G only?

New BlackBerry Messenger Picture Leaked, Still on Track to be Released this Year

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:20:58 +0000

The longer the BlackBerry Messenger app takes to come out, the more we get the feeling it is losing the hype factor. Back when there was a large influx of people switching from RIM to Android, this could have been highly useful, but now that the first reports of its existence were all the way back in March of 2011, we don't know if there will be much praise when a release finally happens. Either way, as we can see in the picture above, a much newer build version 0.8.87 compared to the previous 0.4.5.5 is out and about with testers. According to the source, launch is expected sometime later this year, but there was no hint as to exactly when. Do we have any ex-RIM users that can't wait for the launch? Via: Techno Buffalo

Motorola DROID Bionic Lapdock Selling for $90, Non Refurbished

Tim — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:44:36 +0000

If any DROID Bionic owners have been holding off on picking up a lapdock, then you may want to strike now. Down from their price of $500 (that's what the site says), you can pick one up for only $90. With the lapdock, you can charge your device, cruise the web in style, play games, and watch all the videos you want on a full display. It is sort of a novelty item in terms of computing power, but for someone who enjoys toys for their devices, it will serve you well at this price. If the Bionic does indeed receive Ice Cream Sandwich, we expect that it will have the Webtop 3.0 beta software, which would be a definite bonus for owners. With the 3.0 software, once you connect the device into your lapdock you are greeted by the standard ICS tablet UI, complete with app drawer, notifications in the bottom right, and everything else you would expect from the ICS tablet experience. Buy Cheers Daniel!

Is the DROID Fighter the DROID RAZR HD? Photo EXIF Data Points in That Direction

Kellen — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:48:38 +0000

A series of photos from a Motorola employee has surfaced on Picasa within the last few days, leaving us to believe that the rumored DROID Fighter may end up as the DROID RAZR HD when it launches. The EXIF data attached mentions the name specifically, while also confirming a previously rumored codename of "Vanquish." The rear camera on the phone will have a f2.4 aperture (same as the iPhone 4S) and is rumored to be able to shoot upwards of 13MP photos, just like some of Motorola's late 2011 Chinese releases. It also looks as if the phone will run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, hence the "4.0.3" mentioned in the software version. Is this the RAZR-esque device that was spotted in China back in March? It certainly seems like it will be. "HD" would refer to the HD screen that it will carry. Attaching that to "RAZR" only makes sense, as it appears that Moto is fully buying into the rebirth of the RAZR brand. We already have a "MAXX" so "HD" seems like the likely next choice. A release date for the phone is completely unknown. We had seen a couple of targeted dates by Verizon, but those passed by without a peep.

H/T Blog of Mobile

Twitter Inspired Note Taking App Fetchnotes Looks to Sync Notes Across All Your Platforms

Eric — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:27:13 +0000

I stumbled upon Fetchnotes this morning while looking through the Google Play store, which is actually pretty handy for finding new applications. Simply put, Fetchnotes is a simple note taking application insipired by Twitter that looks to keep everything short and sweet. After signing up for the service you're ready to go, just swipe to the right to access the note screen and give your note a hashtag to categorize it. When you're done with your note just swipe back to the left and bam, it's saved. You can search notes by their hashtags when you start to build up a longer list.

Where Fetchnotes looks to shine though is being everywhere at the same time. They have desktop applications for Windows, Mac and even Ubuntu. The application on the desktop is simple like the mobile application. Just add in your note and hashtag and hit save. Once you log-in it will sync the note with your phone. They even have a browser based version of it as well. Fetchnotes wants to be wherever you are and is doing a pretty good job of it. The application just launched today so there is still some work to be done; one notable nit-pick is that syncing takes a few minutes. The application runs quite smoothly though and definitely seems to be Android 4.0 inspired. Fetchnotes definitely has some potential, hit the Play link below for a download.

Play Link

Another Day, Another Phone Claiming to be the Galaxy SIII

Kellen — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:30:52 +0000

Well, what do you guys think? This picture is floating all over the interwebs today as the latest Galaxy SIII "leak." It certainly looks fake. The top Samsung logo and edge of screen seem to be bleeding together in one bad Photoshop job. And why would anyone make the clock orange, but leave the rest of the notification bar icons ICS blue? What's with the elongated home button? Doesn't it really just look like a Galaxy SII variant that has been smeared to appear slightly different? Another valiant effort, I guess. Via: Pocket-lint

Full NFL Draft Coverage Available Through NFL Mobile App

Kellen — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:08:32 +0000

The NFL Draft 2012 is quickly approaching. Over the course three days at the end of this month, you will know more about Robert Griffin III than you ever cared to. His third and fourth cousins-in-law will be interviewed, Jon Gruden will go all Chucky on him in a 6-part film room series, and somehow, just for ratings, at least one whack-o analyst will bring up Tim Tebow and talk about their similarities. It'll be a fantastic time. If you want to follow it all, the NFL Mobile app is still your best bet to do that. The app was updated a week or so ago and will include live coverage of all three days, draft trackers with live pick updates, bios with video clips, 2012 Combine results, and more. Football fans, this is your pocket pal. Play Link

Hardware Design Matters [Opinion]

Ron — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:31:20 +0000

Since the iPhone, many manufacturers have tried to mimic Apple's design by releasing black slab after black slab. Some phones in particular, like the HTC Droid Incredible, were more similar to Apple's design than others. Most manufacturers have made little to no effort to make their phones stand out with hardware (with the exception of strange gimmicks like the Continuum's second screen), instead opting to differentiate with software. While some manufacturers seem to believe the only way to differentiate and get noticed is through software customizations, other manufacturers like Nokia have tried to pursue differentiation through hardware. I believe that hardware can make much more of a difference in connecting consumers to their devices than software can.

One area that we've seen very little improvement in is hardware customization. We've seen phones like the HTC Surround with its boombox speakers and the Xperia Play with its gamepad, but those form factors are relatively limited, pushing them into the hands of very specific customers. Of course, the best example of the potential for hardware customization has to be a patent Microsoft filed for a Windows Phone with a slide out tray to hold different hardware components like a keyboard or an extended battery (The patent instantly reminded me of the LG Versa VX9600 which had a detachable keyboard.). The potential for this kind of hardware customization is tremendous; it's a shame that Microsoft hasn't done anything with it yet (or that someone else hasn't used the idea). This sort of hardware customization would really help phones feel far more personal and perhaps extend the life of a device.

One of my pet peeves with many devices that I've handled is inconsistency with the materials used in the device. The Droid Incredible, for example, is made of glossy plastic in the front and soft-touch plastic in the back. The Galaxy Nexus is just as inconsistent with its materials and color scheme. That kind of juxtaposition of materials makes handsets feel cheap and rushed. Phones with a solid unibody design like the HTC One S and X (I still can't stop drooling over how nice the hardware looks on the One series), the iPhone 4 and 4S, and the Lumia 800 and 900 really stand out from the pack. Unibody designs show confidence in the materials used and make phones feel much solider than those made of multiple materials.

Perhaps the most important part of hardware design is the screen. Though I really appreciate a well-designed chassis, the screen is what I spend the majority of my time staring at. We've mentioned in the past the problems with some display technologies like pentile that struggle to display colors properly. For that reason alone I'd chose the One X over the One S (even though I really prefer the size of the S to the X), especially after seeing the screen comparison made by The Verge. Screen resolution has also evolved rapidly, with phones like the Galaxy Nexus, the Rezound, and the One series sporting 720p displays when only a year ago phones were being released with 800x480 displays. Text on these displays is clearer, images are more detailed, and more content is visible. Finally, laminating the glass as close as possible to the display itself makes a tremendous difference in how a device feels when you touch it. The smaller the gap between your finger and the display, the more responsive and natural the software feels.

One of the simplest things to implement is color options. If you want into any carrier store you'll be surrounded by black slabs with the occasional white chassis. While the Lumia 800 and 900 are nothing to write home about as far as software goes, the cyan chassis is absolutely gorgeous and eye-catching. If you don't believe me, walk into an AT&T store - the Lumia catches your eye right away. The simple addition of color options goes a long way in making a device all the more attractive, but it also adds far more personality and intimacy than a hardware spec or skin ever could. Life is colorful, so why shouldn't our phones be? I think manufacturers have truly underestimated the power of a well designed phone. Part of that attitude has been fettered to the release schedule for most manufacturers, but many flagship phones like the Galaxy Nexus don't feel or look as well designed as others like the One X. Software can be a powerful differentiator, but true software differentiation comes from apps, not Sense or TouchWiz. Specs like a 16MP camera and a 1.5 GHz dual core processor look great on paper, but without complimentary gorgeous hardware they're just words. How a device feels and looks is much more important to consumers, especially as the specs race has raised all boats for the most part. With hardware customization options like Microsoft has envisioned and brilliant color options, phones could become more personal. I already feel like my phone is much more personal than my computer, but that doesn't mean that I don't want it to be beautiful. Hopefully more manufacturers follow HTC and Nokia's lead by designing truly beautiful handsets.

Video: HTC Sense 4.0 Overview on the One X

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:55:25 +0000

Well, it has been a full week since we got our hands on the HTC One X and are getting closer to a full review, but first, we wanted to do an intense look at Sense 4.0. As you may have heard, this version of Sense is supposed to be the lightest and most toned down yet, resembling stock Android much more than any other release. Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but the changes are drastic enough that we wanted to point some of them out to you. This is technically the first OEM skin to be slapped over top of Ice Cream Sandwich that has been released to the public, so it is definitely worth talking about. Some of it is definitely good - some of it not-so-much. Overall though, I'd have to say that I've enjoyed parts of the Sense experience, just not the launcher itself. Prepare yourself for 20 minutes of glory. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-ElZWO2hk[/youtube]

Larry Page: We are "Quite Focused" on the Lower Priced Tablet Market

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:46:25 +0000

During Google's Q1 2012 earnings call that just wrapped up this afternoon, CEO Larry Page was asked a number of questions about Android and tablets. His answer to one in particular could be a bit of foreshadowing for what we will see from them in the future. As you all know, rumors of a $199 Google branded tablet have dominated the rumor mill over the last month, and Page essentially echoed the feeling that it would be incredibly successful if done right. He said:

There has been a lot of success on some lower priced tablets that run Android. Maybe not the full Google version of Android, but we definitely have a belief that there is going to be a lot of success at the lower end of the market as well, with lower priced products that will be very significant. And it's definitely an area we think is important and are quite focused on.

While he didn't specifically mention that they have a product in the works, he did say that they are expecting there to be "significant" players coming along. Is he referring to the $199 tablet we mentioned above that has reportedly been delayed until July? [audio:http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Voice0001.mp3|titles=Larry Page Q1 and Tablets]

Wear Prescription Glasses and are Interested in Google's Project Glass? There is a Mockup for That

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:34:20 +0000

The Project Glass team unveiled their "Google Glasses" a week ago and the internet couldn't stop talking about them. The main reason for this early reveal, was to gain feedback from all of us. Were we interested? How should the product work? Does it look OK? And so on. Well, one of the questions that came in actually saw a response from the Glass team, having to do with potential users who wear prescription glasses. Would there be a version that would work for someone that wears glasses on a daily basis? There isn't necessarily a "yes" or "no" answer as Project Glass is still in development, but their team was kind enough to do a mockup. The goal is to make the product usable for everyone, so that would include those of us that are blind. After a week of Project Glass in the wild, are you still interested? Via: Google+

Two New Tegra Games Released to the Play Store, Demolition Inc and Jett Tailfin Racers

Tim — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:08:30 +0000

Two new game titles, Demolition Inc. and Jett Tailfin Racers have been added to NVIDIA's Tegra Zone application and the Google Play Store. The one that looks the most fun is Demolition Inc, as you are an alien whose main goal is to destroy the world's cities. What sets the game apart from others is that it is 100% physics technology. There is no pre-animated shots or anything of that nature, so every crashing car and burning building will be different than the next. The second is Jett Tailfin Racers, which is perfect for fans of the old go-karting games like Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart. Your character is a fish and you race other creatures through the dangerous sea in a ton of different underwater courses. Whoever reaches the finish line still alive, wins. The games look great, but again, these are for Tegra devices only for the time being. Enjoy, Tegra owners.

Demolition Inc. ($3.99) | Jett Tailfin Racers ($2.99)

Demolition Inc. Trailer: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAp0EEY-K3Y[/youtube] Jett Tailfin Racers Trailer: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NczAuTSVJ0A[/youtube]

Dolphin Browser HD Updated - New Menu Bar, Redesigned Gesture and Sonar, and More

Tim — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:42 +0000

The classic Dolphin Browser HD has just received a pretty handsome update to version 8.0. Included in this new build are a few features that people may have been clamoring for lately. Finally, there is a menu bar on the bottom of the browser, a remodeled side panel that is easily navigable with add-ons and doesn't confuse everyone to death, and a pretty little Dolphin button that resides permanently on the screen for easy access to gestures and Dolphin's Sonar. Along with the features, Dolphin is working out more and more kinks to make the mobile browsing experience as enjoyable and seamless as possible. Which browser has everyone been resorting to these days? Dolphin? Stock? ICS Browser+? Play Link Via: Dolphin

Splashtop Remote Desktop HD and GamePad THD Both On Sale For 75% Off

Tim — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:20:26 +0000

For some time now, people who need flawless remote access to their PC's on Android have sworn by Splashtop Remote Desktop. But for some folks, paying $20 for an app is like pulling teeth with no Novocaine. For only one more day, you can pick up these top of the line clients for just $5 each. They work like a charm and could get you out of a pinch if you happen to forget an important file on your home computer. The possibilities go way beyond just retrieving files though. You can play your computer games on tablets with GamePad THD, stream music and video, and everything else you can do on your desktop. You definitely won't want to let these ones get away.

Desktop HD Play Link ($4.99) | GamePad THD Play Link ($4.99)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFz0VdE0srs[/youtube] Via: Android Police

Thursday Poll: Interested in the HTC Incredible 4G?

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:40:08 +0000

So the HTC Incredible 4G was all over the place yesterday thanks to one of our tipsters, essentially for the first time in its finished form. What did you guys think? I know on paper that the specs seems semi-disappointing, but in reality, this is the HTC One S for Verizon. It has a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, qHD screen, NFC, 4G LTE and more than likely one of the better smartphone cameras you'll find anywhere. While an actual HD screen would have been nice, this phone will be no slouch. And the price will probably be more than reasonable. Ready to buy one? Waiting for something different? Satisfied with your current device? [poll id="163"]

BlingBoard Social Widget, Combining Your Social Networks into One Sexy Widget

Tim — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:12:45 +0000

Let's face it, it's a pain in the rear to open up all of your individual social network applications, refresh your feeds, scroll through them and so on. BlingBoard takes your Gmail, Facebook and Twitter, then lumps them all into one pretty good looking widget. You can also access your call feed and SMS messages too, so it's a pretty solid app. We wish there was a way to extend the widget so you could get more posts on the same page, but maybe that can come in an update. Anyone here a big widget user that can put this to good use? Play Link Cheers Kofiko!

Samsung Unveils Galaxy Tab 2 Tablets for the U.S., 7-Inch at Just $249

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:02:25 +0000

With the Galaxy Tab 2, I get the feeling that Samsung has decided to ditch the high-end and instead shoot for affordability. Basically what I'm saying is that they are trying to compete with the Kindle Fire and not the iPad any longer. It could be the right move after an abysmal 2011 in the tablet game. In this latest series, they give us 7" and 10" tablets, focusing on the low price, expandable storage, and media sharing as selling points rather than specs. From what we know, they both have dual-core processors (OMAP?), decent screens (nothing special though), run Ice Cream Sandwich, have SD card slots, GPS, below average cameras, and connect via WiFi only. At $249 (7-incher) and $399 (10-incher), maybe you won't care if the camera is hardly usable? As long as you can game at a decent rate and extend your media consumption beyond a phone or TV, they still may be worth a look. The 7" model will be available April 22 - 10" Tab 2 on May 4. Specs:

Press:

Samsung Unveils New Galaxy Tab 2, Galaxy Players for U.S. Market

Highlights for Galaxy Tab 2 Include Integrated Universal RemoteIce Cream Sandwich™ and Expandable Storage; Galaxy Player Devices Deliver a Full Android™ Experience without monthly Service contracts

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., April 11, 2012 – Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today unveils the latest additions to the popular Samsung Galaxy line of handheld and portable devices. The two new Galaxy Tab 2 products and two new Galaxy Players continue to showcase Samsung’s commitment to providing users with choice, flexibility and connectivity to the full Samsung ecosystem of products, apps and services.
Galaxy Tab 2 – Powerful, Smart, Easy to Use The Galaxy Tab 2 Series, available in both 10.1” and 7.0” screen sizes, are powerful dual-core tablets running the latest version of Android - Ice Cream Sandwich. The devices feature an integrated IR blaster for universal remote capabilities, as well as an easily accessible memory card slot for convenient loading of multimedia files in a range of supported file formats. The new tablets offer endless content access in a sleek design that can maximize the home entertainment experience. The Smart Remote App and built-in IR Blaster turns the Tab 2 into a universal smart remote, helping users easily find their favorite shows. Users can choose from more than 450,000 apps, access favorite movies and TV shows from Google Play or Media Hub, and surf millions of web pages with Adobe® Flash™ support. In addition, the Galaxy Tab 2 products are fully Google certified for complete access to Google Play (formerly Android Marketplace) and competitively priced at $399.99 and $249.99, respectively – so consumers no longer need to compromise when selecting a tablet. “These new Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Player devices deliver what consumers have come to expect from all Samsung products – exceptional design, impressive connectivity options and a selection of choices for each type of person and user scenario,” said Tim Baxter, President, Samsung Electronics America. “A one size fits all solution is just not sufficient.” Galaxy Players put Android in the Hand – without Service Contracts With the two new Galaxy Players, available in 4.2 inch WVGA screen or 3.6 inch HVGA screen variants, gaming, videos and music are more fun than ever. Easily connect to Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere to get instant access to the latest content. Users also can play their own video and music in a variety of formats, connect to other devices using USB 2.0 or Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, or simply load the device via a micro SD card. Because the device runs on Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, a world of apps is a touch away. Plus, dual-stereo speakers (on the Galaxy Player 4.2) deliver an incredible music, video or gaming experience – anywhere. The new Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy Players will be available for purchase at a variety of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct and others. The Galaxy Player 3.6 is available now for $149.99 exclusively at Best Buy and soon at other retailers. The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 will be available for preorder today at $249.99, and for purchase on April 22. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Galaxy Player 4.2 will both be available for pre-order on May 4 and for purchase on May 13, at $399.99 and $199.99 respectively. Take Note… Stay tuned for more information on other additions to the Galaxy Family. More information can be found at www.samsung.com. About Samsung Electronics America Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit www.samsung.com for information.

Chrome Beta 19 for Desktop Syncs With Chrome Tabs on Android Devices, Other Computers Too

Kellen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:16:17 +0000

When Chrome for Android was released, the coolest feature was easily its ability to sync with multiple Chrome desktops that you had signed into. What better way to continue your work or recent task or restaurant search than by having access to where you left off immediately on your phone. But what about the other direction? Wouldn't it be nice to have your mobile browser sessions sync back with your desktop? Indeed it would! In Chrome Beta 19 that was released on Tuesday, you get exactly that. Not only that, but it also syncs with any device running Chrome, so your internet sessions are with you everywhere. Via: Chrome | Phandroid

Here are Two More Incredible 4G Pics For Your Viewing Pleasure

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:02:24 +0000

Needed more HTC Incredible 4G pics to take you into the night? Here you go. Two more popped into our inbox this evening, giving us the clearest view yet of the front of the device. There is your dedicated hardware softkeys that HTC has chosen for their 2012 line of phones, along with a look at Sense 4.0, the qHD screen (believed to be 4-inches), and the Rezound/Incredible styling that we have seen on a number of VZW HTC devices over the years. Cheers ___!

First Incredible 4G Pictures Surface, Official Render Too (Updated)

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:46:13 +0000

With rumored release dates looming, we knew it wouldn't be long before the Incredible 4G (formerly the HTC Fireball) surfaced. Little was unknown, but this is the first time that we are seeing the device in what appears to be a fairly finished state. It definitely looks like an a newish version of previous Incredibles. If there was an easier way to describe it, just think of it as the Rezound's little brother. It looks identical to last year's HTC/Verizon flagship, but packs a 4" qHD display instead (yes, that would be a downgrade). We know from benchmarks that it sports a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 (an upgrade), but we are also now finding out that it should have an NFC chip embedded as well. An 8MP rear shooter along with a front VGA camera round out its picture and video taking abilities. It will apparently only carry 8GB of internal storage, but will have an SD card slot so that you can expand that number. Verizon's 4G LTE will be on board along with 1GB of RAM. The device will run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3) and Sense 4.0, but will not have on-screen soft keys. HTC did tone the hardware keys down to three as we have seen in all of their new phones though.

It sounds like a decent mid-range phone, but if you were expecting it to be the next flagship, you may walk away disappointed. It still should pack a punch with the S4 chip inside, LTE, NFC, and probably one of the better cameras of any Big Red phone. We spoke with a source last night who was told that the phone would be out within the next 4 weeks. Update: We have more pictures posted here.

Render via: PocketNow Cheers ___!

My Verizon App Updated With New UI, Finally Works Well

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:10:37 +0000

I personally do not use the My Verizon app, but I know that many of you do and wanted to make sure you received the most recent update for it. Previous version of the app were slow, riddled with bugs, and could frustrate even a monk. The new version is a lot simpler with a tabbed layout, allowing you to quickly check messages counts or minutes used or data consumed. You can view upgrade dates, purchase accessories, change features, and more without worry. Play Links: My Verizon | Nexus Version Cheers 0mie!

Download and Join the Public Beta for the Newly Redesigned IM+ Messenger

Tim — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:16:40 +0000

IM+ is looking to get user feedback on the newest version of their all-in-one messenger application. The current IM+ allows users to use many different messenger applications such as Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Gtalk all from a single app. They have now released this version which is dressed in all black, has a few more features and works insanely better. If you're up for trying it out and giving them feedback, just download the apk below and post your thoughts in the comments section. From there, we can forward the post to their team and make sure they know how we all feel. Sounds fun, right? Download: IMplusBeta.apk

Wednesday Poll: Would you care if Google sold off Motorola's handset business?

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:50:45 +0000

The Wall Street Journal reported last night that Google is unsure of what to do with the product side of their Motorola acquisition. As has been mentioned by numerous tech pundits, the overall feeling was that this purchase was made simply for patents, since Moto has a ton of them. With a growing need for IP protection after battles with the likes Apple, Microsoft and Oracle, most believe that the hardware side of things in this move had almost nothing to do with it. In the WSJ report, there was mention of Google potentially shopping Motorola's handset business to competitors, namely Huawei. This is not the first time that anyone has brought up the possibility that Google would want to sell off some of what Motorola has. In fact, within the last few weeks, rumors suggested that their set top box business may be up for sale, so that they could focus solely on smartphones. But what if they decided to offload it all? Was this move really only about patents? Motorola hasn't exactly been killing the smartphone landscape as of late, so maybe this move makes sense for Google. At the same time though, how disappointed would many of us be to see one of the major Android players disappear? While we can't stand some of Moto's policies around "security," most of us agree that there aren't many who can make a handset with their quality. What do you think? Were you hoping that Google would make them the darling of the Android world again? Or have you moved onto other pastures? [poll id="162"] Via: WSJ

Google Fixes "Purchased App" Issue for Sideloaded or Third Party Installed Apps

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:56:56 +0000

For a while now, Android users have complained of an issue in the Google Play Store that showed sideloaded apps or those installed from a 3rd party market as "Purchased" when clearly they had not been. Well, they may have been from another store, but since they were not purchased from Google, this was causing issues. If a user decided that they wanted to purchase or update some of these apps through Google Play, they were not able to since they were installed through other means. This issue, has apparently been fixed now that the Store is up to version 3.5+. To test it it, I installed apps from the newest Humble Bundle, then cruised into the Play Store and noticed that none of the apps were showing as installed on my phone. I could also choose to purchase them even though they were already installed. It's an issue that I had never noticed before, but clearly it affected many of you. Here is the email that Google is sending out:

Hi there, Thanks again for contacting us and for your patience while we've been working on a resolution to the issue you reported. We've recently rolled out some changes to the newest version of the Google Play Store app (version 3.5 and higher) that should fix the issue you reported. Once you're running version 3.5 or higher of Google Play, you should be able to update apps if you were having trouble, or if your apps were incorrectly listed as "Purchased" on Google Play, this status should be cleared, allowing you to buy those apps. Please note that the "Purchase" status is cleared because the app(s) in question were never bought on Google Play in the first place, which is why you'll be asked to buy the app again. To confirm the app(s) were never purchased on Google Play, you can visit wallet.google.com/manage to see a complete purchase history. If you have version 3.5 or higher of the Google Play Store app and you're still experiencing issues with a "Download declined" error, please let me know, and I'm happy to investigate further. Not sure what version of Google Play you're running? Launch Google Play on your device, tap Menu > Settings > Build version. Kind regards, The Google Play Support Team

More info: Code Forums | Mobile Help Forum Cheers Shane, Daniel and petrochemicals!

Not a Fan of Verizon's New Upgrade Fee? There are Already a Handful of Petitions for That

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:10:25 +0000

Ahhh yes, petitions. Company A changes a policy or initiates a new fee - Consumer A, B, C, and D all start new petitions to try to stop it. Not that there is a problem with that, but it happens like clockwork each and every time. As is the case with Verizon's new $30 upgrade fee that almost all of you are not fans of. Within minutes of the first reports of this fee, our inbox was hit up with a handful of petitions from Change.org with one purpose, to get it stopped. Hey, it helped with the $2 service charge, why not with this? OK, let's be honest - since every other carrier already does this, it would be hard to win this battle, but that shouldn't stop you from voicing your opinions. Maybe we can get these petitioners to come together under one roof? [Full details about the $30 fee.] Petitions: Here | Here | Here

Google Currents Updated, Faster Browsing and Auto Syncing Included

Tim — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:40:02 +0000

One of Google's newer applications called Currents, which delivers magazine-like content from everyone's favorite websites, just received a much need update to boost performance. Users will notice a drastic speed boost when navigating throughout the app and also a new auto-sync feature which was really needed so you don't have to manually update your feeds once the application is opened.

What's in this version:

Sync speed - Dramatic (7X) performance boost.

Instant online sync - No need to press "sync". Just open an edition for latest content.

Offline reading - Choose favorite editions for offline images.

International - Currents now available worldwide (in 44 languages).

Translate - Translate complete editions to your preferred language. (38 languages).

Trending - Local trending stories provided for US, FR, UK, DE, IT, ES, JP, AU.

Bug fixes

Make sure to start following us on Currents! Play Link

XOOM WiFi on 1Saleaday for $329, Not the Refurbished Version Either

Tim — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:10:39 +0000

It is a rarity to see these 'one day deal' sites selling non-refurbished Android tablets these days, so we just had to give everyone the heads up on this deal. Today only, you can buy the original Motorola XOOM WiFi developer tablet for only $329. This tablet is the definition of vanilla Android and usually receives Android updates long before any other tablet on the market. But buyers beware, as we start seeing newer versions of the Android OS, we don't know how much longer the XOOM WiFi will be supported by Google and Motorola. Buy. Cheers Tucker!

Springpad Receives Major Update to Version 3.0, Brings New Sharing Capability to Friends and Family

Tim — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:35:17 +0000

Springpad is an application that allows friends and colleagues to collaborate on ideas and simple projects through inputting pictures and text to get a task done. Not only can you and your friends share cool content, but you can follow major shows, find new places to eat and a ton of other stuff that is recommended by people you know and trust. With the new features, there is aso a completely redesigned look that suits tablets and phones with bigger screens. Basically, Springpad is a completely new application in terms of look and use, so give it a go and let us know what you think. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biAl_nnwf6U[/youtube]

Additional $30 Upgrade Fee Details - When and Who Pays It, Can It Be Refunded, and Why It's Here

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:02:20 +0000

The hot topic of the morning is hands-down Verizon's new $30 upgrade fee for existing customers. Many of you have questions about it along with some colorful comments, so we thought we would share some additional details about it. Business customers are probably wondering if this affects them, others might want to know when they have to pay the fee, and what about refunds for returned devices? All covered below.

Cheers ___!

Google+ Receives UI Redesign, Ready to Give It Another Try?

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:25:31 +0000

Google+ is still at it, with more than 170 million users, there appears to be no slowing on the innovation and change fronts. Late last night, a new UI started to rollout to users, bringing with it a more fluid layout with an application ribbon, bigger and more beautiful photo and sharing experiences, easier to find activities and content, a better home for Hangouts, and more. I will say for the first time since the service launched, that this new UI actually makes sense and has me itching to try to include it in my ever-increasing list of social services. The preview video below gives you a nice look at what's new, but we suggest you head over to G+ yourself and decide if this new layout works for you. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Atj57r15U[/youtube] Via: Google

Starting April 22 Verizon Will Charge $30 Upgrade Fee When Existing Customers Buy New Phones at a Discounted Rate

Kellen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:14:17 +0000

Well, we got rid of that ridiculous $2 monthly fee that Verizon wanted to charge you for paying your bill online, but they have decided to kick off an "upgrade fee" in its place. Starting April 22, you will have to pay a $30 "upgrade fee" when purchasing a new phone at a discounted rate on contract. So when you pay $199 for that shiny new white DROID RAZR, but lock in for 2 years, you will also pay an additional $30. Here is the reasoning behind this move:

On April 22, Verizon Wireless is implementing a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers purchasing new mobile equipment at a discounted price with a two-year contract. This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever.

From what we can tell, Sprint and AT&T each charge $36 as an upgrade fee to their customers. We have full details about the fee here. Via: Verizon

Instagram Updated Again, Tegra 3 and HTC One X Support Included

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:58:35 +0000

Instagram for Android received another update this evening (the third since launch), bringing with it support for Tegra 3 devices including the HTC One X. As someone who has been locked out of the service for the last 5 or so days since switching to a One X, I couldn't be happier. I know that some of you aren't fans, but as a social app that lets you view fun photos from your friends, it definitely can be entertaining at times. Plus, the developer team behind it is proving to be incredible. If only other major application teams would be on top of their game like this. The Instagram team also fixed bugs on tablets, made geotagging more accurate, and increased camera support for more devices. Play Link Cheers Tato!

Tuesday Poll: Describe Your Perfect Android Phone

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:48:21 +0000

We talk a lot about new phones that are released and how this one is better than that one and question manufacturers as to why they left out this or that feature. We often wonder why it seems that they refuse to listen to consumers and instead continue to put out phones that disappoint time and time again for one reason or another. Why leave out an NFC chip in 2012? Why does that phone not have an HD screen when every other new phone does? But it has a massive and thin battery, yet those other phones don't. What's with the crappy 5MP shooter in this phone when all phones from the same OEM have stellar 8MP cameras? Is there a reason this phone is still heavy and tank-ish? Are we going with on-screen soft keys as a standard or not? Can we get a new color scheme out of the gate rather than 2 months after we already bought that phone? So let's do this today - describe to us your ideal phone. And we don't mean talk about an 8-core processor and futuristic nonsense that doesn't exist. We want you to take parts from phones that are either out right now or will be shortly and create the ultimate phone that you would not be able to turn down or that you would drop your current handset for. Example: Give me the 4.7" HD Super LCD2 display, white polycarbonate coating, 8MP camera and look of the HTC One X. Curve the display like on the Galaxy Nexus with on-screen softkeys. Toss in an NFC chip and a Verizon 4G LTE radio plus global roaming capabilities. I'll go with Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 dual-core chip since it works with LTE right now and is crazy fast and powerful. Put the headphone jack on the bottom of the phone. Put the lock switch on the right side, volume rocker on the left. Give me 32GB of storage internally. At least 1GB of RAM (since that's what phones are maxing out at for now). Stuff the 3300mAh battery from the RAZR MAXX in it and keep it under 10mm thick. An MHL port would be nice, along with a pin connector for docking. At least a 2MP camera in the front, just in case I ever feel like using it. Build wireless charging into it since there won't be a removable battery cover. Unlockable bootloader. Stock Android. Yep, that'll do.

Galaxy Pool - Use Angles to Help Send Your Friendly E.T. Home

Tim — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:25:36 +0000

Galaxy Pool is cute game that reminds me a bit of Cut the Rope. Your little extraterrestrial friend goes flying and it's up to you to use the movable bars to direct him back to his home planet. The early rounds are easy of course, but once you start having to maneuver around black holes and other objects, the game becomes a good challenge. There are tons of levels so it isn't a game you're likely to beat in one sitting, so give it a try and let us know what you think. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_3h8oDAjIs[/youtube]

How to: Turn Your Original Galaxy Nexus Into a White Galaxy Nexus

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:45:21 +0000

If you follow us on Twitter (why aren't you?), then you probably saw the surgical procedure that went down last night between me and my Galaxy Nexus. You see, since Samsung and Google decided to release a grey or metallic version initially and then a white version months later, I wasn't interested in purchasing a brand new Nexus, just to get the white color scheme. So as white housings for the device started popping up on random German eBay stores, I jumped on one to see if I could perform the switcheroo myself. After picking up a set of cheap tools from iFixit a month or so prior in preparation for this day, and the housing arriving yesterday afternoon, it was game time. Was it difficult? Again, if you saw on Twitter, it took me all of 13 minutes. I spent roughly $40 on tools (but you may not need to buy any, I just wanted fancy ones), another $70 for the housing and back, and in under 15 minutes, I had a brand spanking new white Galaxy Nexus. Quite a bit cheaper than paying $450-$650 for a new one, right? So how did I do it? Jump past the break to find out.

*Note - This was performed on the GSM Galaxy Nexus, with genuine GSM parts. The LTE Galaxy Nexus replacement parts are extremely hard to find since the white version of that phone is not out yet. However, this procedure will work exactly the same on the LTE version once we have those parts. DO NOT TRY TO USE GSM PARTS ON THE LTE VERSION OF THE PHONE. They will not fit and you will be out $70.

Tools required:

1. A white Galaxy Nexus housing and battery cover. 2. Screwdriver (Phillips) - small as you have. 3. Skinny guitar picks, 3-4 of them.

Instructions:

1. Remove the back battery cover, battery and SIM card from your phone. 2. With screwdriver in hand, remove 6 mini screws on the back of the phone and set aside.

3. Using guitar picks, slide one under the top part of the phone between the screen and housing. 4. Using additional picks, slowly work around the entire edge of the phone until the housing pops off.

5. Once off, grab your white housing and remove the sticker over the backside of the camera.

*You may also have to remove a sticker from the 3-pin connector. Make sure to leave the same stickers on the new housing that are still on your original housing.

6. Then, starting with the top, apply the new white housing to your phone. 7. Snap the entire thing into place with a bit of pressure.

8. Screw 6 screws into new housing, insert battery and SIM card, and boot. Enjoy!

Video instructions:

*If those written ones weren't detailed enough, one of our readers put together this fantastic video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp6e5w2jkk4[/youtube] Cheers Dan!

Adobe Reader Update Finally Includes Signature Support, Form Filling, and Doodling

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:51:45 +0000

How many times have you received a PDF document that needed a signature, yet all you hand on you was your phone? No way to print, no way to scan once you printed, just a phone with a big beautiful screen. Oh, and you also didn't feel like shelling out the $4.99 that PDF signature apps run for these days. How nice would it be if the actual Adobe Reader app included a feature like this. Wait, they do? They do! As of today. In the Google Play store, you will find one of the better updates to an Adobe app in a long time. In version 10.2 you can use their ne Ink Signature tool to sign documents, easily mark them up with a freehand tool, add comments or sticky notes, fill out boxes in forms, and send to others for electronic signing using Adobe EchoSign. Nice work, Adobe. Play Link Via: Phandroid

Ready to Ditch Instagram Due to the Recent Acquisition by Facebook?

Tim — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:25:35 +0000

With the recent news that Facebook is to gobble up Instagram to the tune of 1 billion dollars, many people are heading for the escape pods. There are some privacy concerns and other ideas that make people think that with new owners, Instagram is going straight down the drain and will be consumed by advertisements. So, if you have already made an Instagram account and were looking for a way to delete it, you may have noticed that there is no option to do so in the mobile app. To delete your account, just head on over to their webpage here, enter your account info and select the reason you're leaving. After that, you are completely through with Instagram and will never have to worry about your pictures or personal information being leaked. Do we have anyone here wearing the tinfoil hats that think Instagram shall meet its demise thanks to the purchase by Mr. Zuckerburg? Cheers Dan!

Motorola Auctions Off Pink RAZR MAXX for VH1's Save the Music Foundation

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:45:37 +0000

Want to be like Perez Hilton? Yeah (~~weirdo~~)? This is the phone for you. Motorola claims that Perez is currently the only human on Earth with a pink RAZR MAXX, but is giving you the opportunity to own one as well. Up for bid through a charity auction that supports VH1's Save the Music Foundation, you can battle it out for the right to join Hilton in this exclusive club. We have seen white, red and purple RAZRs in the past, but even I'll admit that pink is not exactly what I was expecting to come next from Moto. Bid.

Toshiba to Begin Launch of Excite Tablets in May, 13" Monster-Tab Coming This June

Tim — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:10:03 +0000

Back in January at CES, we rolled by the Toshiba booth and caught a glimpse at their upcoming super portable 13" television. The folks working the booth informed us that it was actually a tablet and not a TV and would in fact, be making its debut this year. We were shocked, confused, a little worried, and then proceeded to snap pictures and find out more info on it. Today, Toshiba has officially announced the Excite line of slates and have also given their exact release dates for the US. On May 6, the 10" variant will be available starting at $450, followed by the 7.7" (32GB model for $500) and 13" ($650 for 32GB model) tablets on June 10.

All three versions of the tablet will sport NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 chipset, so for those of you into mobile gaming, these should be right up your alley. The original Toshiba Thrive harnessed the functionality of having a built in USB port and HDMI out, but those have been scrapped to help keep their bodies super thin. They are powerful tablets, but at those prices, it's hard to get too excited.

TOSHIBA SET TO EXCITE THE TABLET MARKET WITH NEW 10-, 13- AND 7.7-INCH TABLETS Toshiba Introduces Three New Android-powered Tablets, Giving Consumers More Choice IRVINE, Calif. – Apr. 10, 2012 – Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the expansion of its Excite™ family of Android™-powered tablets with three new display sizes – 13.3-inch, 10.1-inch and 7.7-inch. The new Excite tablets boast thin-and-light designs, brilliant displays, quad-core performance as well as a full range of essential ports and smart features. “One size does not fit all, so we are carefully considering how and where people are using tablets and designing form factors to best suit various needs,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “With amazingly thin and light designs, our new Excite family of tablets continues to incorporate what consumers have come to love about Toshiba tablets: essential ports for a more complete tablet computing experience plus durability that ensures they can go the distance.” Powered to Perform, Built to Last and Designed to Excite The three new tablets – Excite 10, Excite 13 and Excite 7.7 – feature elegant and sturdy aluminum shells and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass displays, making them not only stylish, but also durable. Powered by Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, which builds on the things people love most about Android – the tablets offer a simplified UI, easy multitasking, customizable home screens, resizable widgets and a full suite of familiar Google™ mobile services applications – as well as powerful new ways of communicating and sharing. From scrolling and swiping the web, to the fast action of the latest games, the Excite tablets’ all-new NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorsi deliver amazing multitasking, web, gaming and video. This innovative mobile processor features the world’s only 4-PLUS-1™ mobile quad-core CPU, providing users outstanding performance for even the most demanding applications. Apps run faster, games are played at console-quality, HD video is smoother, plus it features a unique 5th battery-saver core to handle everyday apps – extending battery lifeii. Each tablet is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera on the back, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter for convenient photography, video capture and chat. The tablets also include stereo speakers with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS® Labs, as well as Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity. Excite 10: Smart, Speedy, Durable An all-around tablet designed for home and away, the Excite 10 tablet delivers an exceptional visual experience, featuring a bright, high definition 10.1-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 1280×800 resolution and 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. Measuring just 0.35 inches thin and weighing just 1.32 poundsiii, the Excite 10 tablet is extremely portable and delivers up to 10 hours of battery lifeiv and seven days of stand-by. Delivering more performance than previous generation tablets, the Excite 10 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processorv with GeForce graphicsvi and 1GB of RAMvii, opening up new possibilities for everyday multi-purpose use and next generation mobile games. Built to do more than the average tablet, users can enjoy easy syncing and sharing between all of their favorite devices, with a selection of built-in ports, including Micro USB, Micro HDMI® and a full-size SD card slot. Excite 13: More Screen for More of Everything Delivering more screen real estate than any other tablet on the market, the Excite 13 tablet offers a big, bright, higher resolution display, while delivering more room for everything else – from sharing photos and web browsing to playing games and watching movies with a group. Ideally suited for the home, from growing families to empty nesters, the Excite 13 tablet is only 0.4 inches thin and weighs 2.2 poundsviii, so it is still easy to carry. With a 13.3-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ LED Backlit display with 10-finger touch support, the tablet boasts a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and 1600×900 native resolution, perfect for watching HD movies and videos. A four-speaker sound system with exclusive sound enhancements by Toshiba and SRS Labs delivers amazing audio and an included tablet stand makes it easy to prop up on a table, kitchen countertop or coffee table to share videos with friends and family. Not only great for movies, the Excite 13 tablet can power through the latest games and multitask with ease. Powered by the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 mobile processorix with GeForce graphicsx and 1GB of memoryxi, the large display tablet offers smooth, console-quality gaming plus the performance for high definition entertainment. Extremely power efficient, the Excite 13 tablet is targeted to deliver up to 13 hours of battery lifexii and seven days of stand-by. The Excite 13 tablet includes Micro USB, Micro HDMI® ports and a full-size SD card slot for syncing and sharing content. Excite 7.7: A Brilliant AMOLED Display Toshiba’s first tablet to feature an AMOLED display, the Excite 7.7 tablet is ideal for consumers on the go and is perfect for the mobile gamer and movie lover alike. The tablet’s brilliant 7.7-inch diagonal display brings games, movies, books and photos to life like never before with rich colors, deep contrast and amazing sharpness. Extremely thin at just 0.3 inches and light at only 13.4 ounces, Excite 7.7 fits easily into a bag or jacket. Exceptionally powerful and able to tackle the latest games and HD content, the Excite 7.7 tablet is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA® Tegra™ 3 processor with GeForce graphicsxiii and 1GB of memoryxiv. The tablet includes a Micro USB port and a Micro SD card slot for syncing and sharing content. The Convenience of Android and Exclusive Toshiba Apps The new Excite tablets include a full suite of familiar Google™ Mobile Service applications, including Google Play™, YouTube™, Gmail™ and Google Maps™. Additionally, the tablets come pre-loaded with a useful mix of Toshiba software and third-party applications, including TOSHIBA Book Place, which offers more than 3 million e-books, the TOSHIBA Media Player that supports content sharing, TOSHIBA File Manager, as well as Netflix™ and Zinio™, the ultimate app for magazine lovers and more. Pricing and Availability The Excite 10 tablet will be available for purchase on May 6, 2012 for $449.99 MSRPxv for the 16GB model, $529.99 MSRPxvi for the 32GB model and $649.99 MSRPxvii for the 64GB model. The Excite 7.7 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $499.99 MSRPxviii for the 16GB model and $579.99 MSRPxix for the 32GB model. The Excite 13 tablet will be available for purchase on June 10, 2012 for $649.99 MSRPxx for the 32GB model and $749.99 MSRPxxi for the 64GB model. These tablets will be available at major retailers, e-tailers and direct from Toshiba at ToshibaDirect.com. Image Gallery: http://bit.ly/excitetablets. Connect with Toshiba on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToshibaUSA, on Twitter at twitter.com/ToshibaUSA and on YouTube at youtube.com/ToshibaUS.

Nexus S 4G ICS Factory Images Released by Google, Hope for the LTE Galaxy Nexus Still?

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:30:12 +0000

Back in early February when Google decided that officially supporting CDMA Nexus devices under AOSP was going to be a challenge, owners of the Galaxy Nexus LTE and Nexus S 4G all let out one giant simultaneous grown. There were plenty of questions to be answered, many of which never were. One that was left semi-up-in-the-air though, was whether or not Google would still release factory images to these two CDMA devices when they receive updates going forward. That answer appears to be "yes" at least for the Sprint Nexus S 4G. At the end of last week, the NS4G received its official 4.0.4 update and by the end of the weekend, the factory images for it had been posted "for reference only." Now this is not a guarantee that when we see a new update for the LTE Nexus that we will also be given the factory images for it, but it certainly seems like there is a pretty good chance of it happening. Maybe we haven't been abandoned after all? More info for NS4G owners over at AL. Via: Google Code

Precision X Android App Lets You Overclock Your GeForce Graphics Card Externally

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:50:48 +0000

It has been years since I exited the competitive PC gaming world (Unreal Tournament series, anyone?), but from what I can tell, the industry is as big and as advanced as ever. I still remember the painful and sometimes intimidating steps it took to overclock anything on PC, yet today, companies are releasing Android apps that let you do it on the fly. Take this EVGA Precision X app that connects your phone to your GPU via Bluetooth, giving you a view of its performance and the ability to set fan speed, power limits and frequencies. Yep, I'm impressed. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWvmsrC9Z8[/youtube] Play Link Cheers Rob!

DROID RAZR Test Unit Up for Bid on eBay, is It Unlockable Though?

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:00:34 +0000

A DROID RAZR test unit has appeared up for bid on eBay yesterday and you can imagine the excitement it caused in the dev community. Could this be an unlockable device? Many test units are, but since the seller claims to have no knowledge of "how unlocking works," there is no guarantee that it will be. They also claim that this was a phone given to Motorola employees for "engineering" and software testing purposes, so who knows. If it is, could it be the device that would provide devs the tools to unlock them all? Only bidding, winning and digging will get you that answer. Bid. Cheers Mike!

Motorola and Verizon Provide Ice Cream Sandwich Tutorial Videos for DROID RAZR (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:12:41 +0000

We still have no idea if or when Motorola and Verizon will release Ice Cream Sandwich to the DROID RAZR, especially after some forum shenanigans went down yesterday. But what we do know, is that the update is close enough to being ready that one of the two companies has started to release tutorial videos for it. A reader of ours was cruising through Youtube and noticed the videos we have included after the break, which are some of those "Getting to know your new phone" clips of the RAZR, only it's not running Gingerbread anymore. Update: Hold that thought. We now realize that this was the same Youtuber who posted the webtop 3.0 video and will have to assume that he simply pulled these tutorial videos from his phone which is running the ICS leak. Either way, Moto and Verizon are happy enough with the build to bundle in tutorial videos. Now, if only we could get some sort of word on whether or not ICS has actually replaced the 6.12.181 bug fixer. Using Your Device: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3hAOu1PkS4[/youtube] Calling, Contacts and Texting: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY-ViBLt6Zs[/youtube] Battery Tips: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqA1ebhjkrk[/youtube] Setting Up Email: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msl4BVx_mXA[/youtube] Cheers Ben!

Amazon Appstore Announces In-app Purchasing

Kellen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:47:46 +0000

Amazon announced this morning that in-app purchases are now a part of their Appstore. Developers can integrate the API with ease, opening up subscription-based content, add-ons, and more to their apps using this new service. This seems like something that should have happened months ago, but as so many would say, "Better late than never." The Google Play store and other markets already have a similar model in place. If you are a developer and need assistance getting this setup, check out the Amazon dev site. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hsbY85Dt3Q[/youtube]

Tumblr for Android Receives Full UI Makeover, Better Photo Browsing, and More

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:42:47 +0000

The Tumblr app for Android is finally awesome thanks to a new transformation. As you can see in the pictures, it looks nothing like previous overhaul that happened last August. This new version is fast, polished, beautiful, and functional. It also includes multi-blog notifications and something called "Tumblr Radar" which we are assuming is like Instagram's hot image section. Go grab it. Changelog:

Totally new, beautiful interface
More responsive, faster-loading dashboard and blogs
Better photo browsing
Notifications for multiple blogs live in one place
Tumblr Radar!

Play Link Cheers E!

PopUp 7, An Unobtrusive SMS Popup That Actually Works Pretty Darn Well

Tim — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:10:40 +0000

This is by no means a new application, but we are just stumbling upon it and think it's definitely worth sharing with all of you. This one is called PopUp 7 and it features a pretty slick Windows 7 mobile look and feel. Once you receive a message, you are notificed by a little slider on the top of the device which you can slide down and view the message. With the paid version, you can reply from the slider, enable voice commands, or even have the app read the message out loud to you in case your eyes are busy looking at something else. It's a pretty sweet app and worth checking out. Does anyone else have a cool popup application which they use daily? Play Links: Free | Paid ($1.99) Cheers Jacques!

Motorola RAZR Bug Fixer Update Tossed, Ice Cream Sandwich Soak Test Incoming (Update)

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:29:57 +0000

Many of you were disappointed last week when the expected Ice Cream Sandwich update for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX turned into nothing but a bug fixer. Best Buy was telling their employees that the update should have been Android 4.0, but after their expected date of arrival passed, all they could say was that it had been delayed. Whether it was or not, we have good news for RAZR owners. Motorola ~~has~~ had (message appears to have been removed) informed their MFN (Motorola Feedback Network) testing group that the soak test for build 6.12.181 has been cancelled and that a soak test for ICS will start shortly in its place. After the soak test for 6.12.181 did not happen at all over the weekend, many of us were starting to wonder if Moto hadn't scrapped it for ICS. Talk about a surprising and exciting change of events. For those not a part of MFN, you can usually expect some sort of official update to rollout within a couple of weeks, assuming the test goes as planned and without any major issues. Happy? Update: We see that some of you aren't buying it. What we do know is that Matt (the MFN forums manager) posted at 4:12PM today the following quote which has since reportedly been removed:

Looks like we got a surprise people. This regular soak test has now turned into an official soak test for Android 4.0 also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Please subscribe to this feed for updates and more information will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks guys for hanging in there.

Update 2: Look folks, we aren't trying to mislead anyone here. One of our readers who has been on top of every development when it comes to this RAZR update saga saw this message posted and sent it immediately over to us in an email (hence the odd format above). From what we know, it was removed shortly after as it was likely posted prematurely or before all details were supposed to be made available. If Moto has decided to go with ICS, that's awesome. If they still push 6.12.181 first before ICS, that's awesome too. Assuming one of them goes out, we'll know in the next couple of days. Relax. Update 3: All we are hearing now is that the update (must be the 6.12.181) has been "paused" and Moto is releasing members from the soak test group. Once the update (whichever one that is) is ready, they will re-email testers to join in on the fun. Hopefully that means ICS is on the way instead. Cheers Adam Sandler!

Couch to 5K App Comes to Android

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:50:34 +0000

If you have been struggling to get your buns off the couch and somewhat in shape before the summer hits, training for a 5K is not a bad way to start. If you are looking for a program to help get you there, then the "Couch-to-5K" running plan by Cool Running is probably your best bet if you haven't done an ounce of athletic activity for a number of years. As someone who took years off from running due to old basketball injuries, I needed something to kick start a training program last year, that would lead up to a Warrior Dash. This was one of the programs I pulled pieces from. While I didn't follow the program exactly, I kanged its interval approach until I was comfortable at holding my own pace again. A year later and it's 10Ks, baby. The one thing that I had wished was available back then was an Android app, so that I didn't have to manually keep track of which week I was on and which day of training was up. This app apparently takes care of all of that. It tells you the workout for today, times workouts using their interval system, tracks routes via GPS, syncs music playlists, and even lets you pick a coach. It looks super cheesy in that picture above, but the system itself is not if you are literally coming from the couch and wanting to run again. Also, the information is all free at Cool Running's site, this is just an app to streamline it. Get to runnin'. Play Link ($1.99)

Pictured Benchmark Belongs to New Snapdragon S4 Powered Pantech Device, Complete with Ice Cream Sandwich

Tim — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:14:22 +0000

Could this be a NenaMark 2 benchmark for a new Pantech (model number ADR910L) device headed to Verizon? From looking over the benchmark, we can see it sports the Adreno 225 GPU which points to a Qualcomm S4 chip, Ice Cream Sandwich, and we assume it will have 4G LTE aboard since VZW has stated that they would be only launching devices with 4G LTE capability in 2012. So, could this be the next iteration of the Breakout which was model number ADR8995? The S4 and ICS do make it sound nice, but with a reported resolution of just 480x800, we shouldn't expect this to be the next superphone everyone is dying to get their hands on. For those interested in mid-range devices, having the S4 processor for a much more affordable price will be a major draw though. Our ears are officially perked for more info on this handset. Via: NenaMark

Benchmarks: HTC One X vs. Galaxy Nexus

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:52:00 +0000

Let's be honest here - benchmarks for the most part, are not something we care all that much about in 2012. Back in 2010 when we were overclocking everything that walked and phones still ran single-core processors, it was a big deal. Now, not so much. With the amount of power in phones today, a benchmark doesn't tell the full story. With different cameras, screen sizes and techs, and build materials becoming increasingly more important, benchmarks are really just a piece of the puzzle and mostly for bragging rights now. And in the case of the HTC One X with the world's first quad-core mobile processor inside (aka Tegra 3), bragging is exactly what we aim to do here. We unfairly compared it to the Galaxy Nexus with its OMAP4460 dual-core chipset since it is the hottest Android device on the block, just to give you an idea as to how the T3 compares to last year's dual-core chips. So what the G-Nex has to fight with is a "4-PLUS-1" quad-core processor powering a 12-core GPU. "Oh joy!"

HTC One X (left) vs. Galaxy Nexus (right)

AnTuTu

CF Bench

Nenamark2

One X

Galaxy Nexus

Quadrant

Vellamo

While the benchmark numbers should be no surprise, I will say that while performing them and watching the graphical elements, the GPU performance truly is remarkable on the HTC One X. Environments that were jittery or slow on the Nexus were buttery smooth on the One X and never really under 50 fps. As we see more and more games developed specifically for chipsets like the Tegra 3, gaming on mobile devices is going to completely change things, if it hasn't already. It's scary to think that you have as much power in your pocket as the computer on your desk. On a related note, Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) that is in the U.S. LTE version of the One X, is by all means as good if not better in some areas than NVIDIA's quad-core offering. That phone is not out yet so we couldn't do comparisons, but Googling it will certainly get you some results. We are about to embark on a mobile journey that will blow minds on performance, gaming and power consumption levels like never before. The Tegra 3 and the first dual-core Snapdragon S4 are just beginning. More from the HTC One X is on the way. In the mean time, be sure to watch our unboxing and first impressions post.

Facebook to Buy Instagram for $1 Billion

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:12:48 +0000

Whoa, Facebook just bought Instagram for $1 billion. According to a press release, they plan to keep Instagram as an independent company and work to add some of its strengths into other Facebook products. Mark Zuckerberg has stated that they won't force you to share things with or follow all of your Facebook friends and that they will continue to allow the app to connect with other social networks. Then again, don't companies always say this stuff when they acquire another? Mark Zuckerberg had this to say:

I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook. For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests. We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram's strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook. That's why we're committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people. We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook. These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram's experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook's strong engineering team and infrastructure. This is an important milestone for Facebook because it's the first time we've ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don't plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together. We're looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we're going to be able to build together.

Let me say it again, $1 billion for a camera filtering social app. Via: Facebook

Samsung Announces Youm, Official Name for Flexible and Unbreakable Display Technology

Tim — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:45:03 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4AhTiQkWwk[/youtube]

Back in December, Samsung released a video for everyone to have a glimpse at their futuristic technology. The video featured a bendable/flexible display attached to a device that took the place of your phone and tablet. We may not see that exact technology for some time, but what Samsung does have in the making is their new Youm technology which is lighter and practically unbreakable according to Sammy.

In a recent report, devices with Youm displays could start shipping as early as 2013, so there is much to look forward to. Could you imagine being able to drop your device with no worries of cracking and shattering your display? Sounds like paradise. Via: Pocket Lint

NVIDIA's Tegra 4 Roadmap Leaked, in Devices by Q1 2013

Tim — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:04:35 +0000

According to Chinese site VR Zone, pictured above is a leaked roadmap of four upcoming iterations of the Tegra 4 processor from NVIDIA. I know, I know, we are just starting to see the first Tegra 3 devices and now are going to talk about what's next? It's tough not to when you see "4-PLUS-1" and "A15" on the same chart. That would mean the same quad-core architecture as their current T3 chipsets, but bumped up to cortex A15s over the A9s that most chipset manufacturers use today. We are talking monumental performance increases here. We are also seeing LTE mentioned which is always a good sign, along with clock speeds ranging from 1.2-2.0GHz. The chart mentions 2013 for rollout. While we always get excited about the future, we would love for NVIDIA to put out a Tegra 3 LTE device first, before worrying about the Tegra 4. Via: Engadget, VR Zone

Verizon to Release the LG D1LV with 4.7-inch HD Display and Snapdragon S4 in May to Compete with the Galaxy SIII?

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:16:24 +0000

A new device by LG was name dropped over the weekend in Korea that is supposed to compete directly with Samsung's Galaxy SIII. Currently under codename "D1L" the device will sport a 4.7" HD display, Snapdragon S4 processor, and run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. It may seem odd that they would release a phone of this magnitude only a few months after announcing the Optimus 4X HD with its Tegra 3 processor and other top tier specs, but there is one thing you have to remember - we only care about LTE here in the States. The Tegra 3, isn't friends with LTE radios at this time, so carriers here are opting for Qualcomm's latest chipset which is. If you were wondering where this new "D1L" device may be headed first, it looks like we have an answer thanks to a recent GLBenchmark: Verizon. They got creative with the codename on this one and are calling it the "D1LV" ("V" for Verizon in case you missed that) for now under model number VS930 (Spectrum was VS920). According to this benchmark, it will sport Android 4.0.3, an HD screen (720x1280 resolution), and a 1.5Ghz processor which we are assuming to be the Snapdragon S4. Korean sources are calling for a May release. With a benchmark going live with Verizon signatures all over it, I'd say it might actually hit that time frame. So we ask, is there anything that LG can do to win you over? Via: GLBenchmark, Ameblo, The Verge

HTC Not Packaging Beats Headphones With Phones Any Longer, Buy Directly If You Want Them

Kellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:44:32 +0000

Talk about a short movement that was. HTC, who made an interesting move last August when they acquired a 51% share of Beats Audio, has decided that the audio itself is more important to couple with their smartphones than their actual headphones. Going forward, you probably won't see even a high end device release with Beats headphones inside the package, something that hasn't been done since the HTC Rezound on Verizon at the end of last year. In fact, the HTC One X (our unboxing and first impressions) comes with a pair of HTC-branded earbuds, but still has the Beats logo on the back of the device. So why the move away? HTC claims that consumers aren't interested in buying a phone because it includes better headphones and that if they want them, they will go out and buy them directly. The focus now will be on continuing to improve the backend audio experience, again, like they are trying to do with the One X. I'm just wondering if this purchase is now regrettable by HTC? A 51% share in a company whose product you can't even sell with your own. You can't tell me that the goal from the beginning was simply to pay $300 million for some bass boosting backend audio tech. No way. HTC thought that Beats headphones were going to move products like Beats headphones themselves, only that didn't happen. Thoughts? We know how passionately you feel about Beats in general as a product, so here is your chance to sound off. Via: CNET

Imported a Phone Like the HTC One X from Europe and Can't Find "English (United States)" as a System Language?

Kellen — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:23:03 +0000

This is probably an issue that many will never run into unless you take your phone obsession to the next level and start importing phones from overseas, but we wanted to make you aware of it in case this ends up happening at some point. When you buy an unlocked phone from say, the UK, it was meant to stay in the UK or in Europe and not the U.S. Typically, when you first boot a phone like this and start the setup process, it will think you are in another country, automatically displaying time and languages from somewhere outside of say, Kansas. On most phones, you can fix the issue simply by going into "Language & keyboard" and finding "English (United States)" from the "System Language" pull down and never worry about it again. But from time to time, like with an imported phone like the HTC One X (unboxing and first impressions), "English United States" is not listed (see middle screenie below), so you have to choose another variation of the English language. Well why is that an issue, you ask? For reading and writing, it's not. English is English. But certain apps tend to look at your "System Language" to determine how they should function. Take Amazon MP3 for example. When loaded with "English (United Kingdom)" set on my phone, it would pull up Amazon UK and not give me access to all of the music I had stored in my cloud here in the States. Prices also showed up in GBP rather than dollars and there is no setting in the actual app to have it switch off of this version. So what can you do? Simple. Install an app called MoreLocale 2 and find the language you desire (screenshot bottom left). That's it. While it doesn't appear to actually install any other languages on your device, it seemingly tricks it into thinking that it is another language, making your phone function the way it should. The minute I chose "English (United States)" I was able to reload Amazon and get the U.S. store front with all of my cloud. Oh, and so far, after installing, selecting a language, and then uninstalling the app, it still believes that my phone is running the United States version of English.

Play Link

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 4/6/2012

Tim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:29:42 +0000

This week has been all about Instagram. Some people love it, some people hate it. Whichever category you fit under, it is plain to see that it has easily become the most popular Android application available in just a couple of days. Other exciting news included HTC's launch of the One X handset, updates for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX should be starting up soon, and the Google Glasses Project has the web abuzz.

We hope everyone has a safe and restful weekend!

Instagram Receives Yet Another Update, Includes Tablet Support This Time

Kellen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:53:53 +0000

A new update for Instagram popped up within the last half hour and includes a handful of things, most notably tablet support. Not that we recommend you walk around the streets taking photos with a giant slate in your hands, but having the ability to check your Instagram feed and upload photos is a nice addition. The Instagram team also tossed in "install to SD card" support and fixed a bunch of bugs. Play Link Cheers Aaron!

Custom Theme Friday: NateModz For the Galaxy Nexus

Tim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:24:42 +0000

When choosing a theme to feature, we try not to play favorites to any one particular ROM, so today we bring you NateModz. Both color choices (Red or ICS Blue) are compatible with a wide variety of custom ROMs such as AOKP, Liquid Smooth, Codename Android and BAMF. Along with the notification bar and navigation bar being themed a nice glossy tone that you can see, many system applications have also been themed such as Gmail, Talk, Dialer, and the Gallery. It's a sweet theme if you like the more dark and dangerous look for your device. If you want to give it a go, follow the directions down below.

Note: Due to there being many files for the different ROMs, please head over to the RootzWiki page to retrieve your zip file downloads.

Instructions for installation:

Download the zip file that matches up with the ROM you are running.
Place the zip file on your phone's storage.
Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery.
Create a Nandroid backup.
Locate theme zip file and install.
Reboot and enjoy.

Via: RootzWiki

When Apple Creates a Google Glasses Product

Kellen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:00:10 +0000

Yeah, one of our readers went there and we laughed. Someone go dig up the patent. How easy would their top-down Instagram shoe pictures be to take? Imagine the emoji power. Reinvented glasses, again...again. Bloatware free though!

Cheers Guy P.!

Rockstar Game's Max Payne Headed to Android, Arrives on April 26

Tim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:44:02 +0000

Get your guns cocked and ready to take down some dirty drug dealers, because Rockstar Games is bringing Max Payne to Android. Starting April 26, folks will be able to pick up the classic title on their Android devices through the Google Play Store. There is no list of supported Android devices yet, but here's hoping it launches with no hiccups regarding device compatibility.

The full classic Max Payne PC experience, Max Payne Mobile has been optimized for both iOS and Android devices and features HD graphics, high-resolution textures, Social Club connectivity and user-customizable controls.

Rockstar is most likely making a trailer for it as we speak, which should hopefully give us a peak at how awesome this game will look on mobile. No word on pricing yet, so let's just guess it will probably be around $4.99, much like Grand Theft Auto was. Anyone excited for the Payne? Via: Droid Dog, Rockstar Games

Download: Google Play Store Build 3.5.16

Kellen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:11:10 +0000

A new Google Play store started popping up earlier in the week as version 3.5.16, up from 3.5.15. As you would expect from such a minor change in build number, there isn't anything standing out as being drastically different. In fact, we aren't sure that anything has actually changed. Backend or security stuff perhaps? Tough to tell. Feel free to download it below if your phone hasn't already updated. Download: com.android.vending-1.apk Cheers Brandon!

Diptic - Helping You Become a Better Instagram Fanboy

Tim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:40:04 +0000

When I first got on Instagram earlier this week, I noticed some people had cool collage and other effects on their photos that the Instagram app did not offer. This made me quite jelly. After receiving a tip from a reader, I discovered Diptic. The process of creating some cool photos is as easy as one, two, three. You choose the layout you want, edit your colors and all that stuff, then just share it to Instagram. I will say, it definitely doesn't feature all of the same customization ability that the iOS version offers, but I can hope that will change in a future update. For only 99 cents, it's not bad at all. Update: We have had tons of suggestions for other apps just like this one. Check them out too:

Photo Grid | Photo Shake | Pudding Camera

Play Link ($0.99)

Asus to Transformer Prime Owners: "Teach Me How to Dongle"

Tim — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:00:23 +0000

The GPS feature, or should I say lack thereof, for the Transformer Prime is finally going to be put to rest by Asus. After a few OTA update attempts to tweak the tabs software to communicate better with satellites, Asus is resorting to shipping out dongles for every registered Prime owner. Sounds awesome, right?

We will be releasing a dongle shortly that will address the GPS function and be a fully usable GPS that will lock onto many satellites and keep their lock with wi-fi active.
GPS dongle will be provided for free when it arrives. ETA is mid April for this and we are setting up a process for it. We will inform you once the process is complete and the dongles here. It will look similar to the hinge from the dock. Where it will be a flush fit on the bottom of the unit if held in landscape matching the color of your Prime chassis.

The dongle will be a "flush fit" on the bottom of the device when in landscape mode, but there is no telling if you are still able to hook up the laptop dock while using the new hardware. According to the above email, it looks like we can expect the dongle this month. Big props to Asus for manning up and finally taking care of this issue. Via: Engadget

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin Wears Google Glasses to Blindness Foundation Event

Kellen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:17:48 +0000

Who would have thought that two days after Google[x] unveiled their "Project Glass" that we would see a somewhat working prototype in the wild? Sergey Brin, Google co-founder, sported a working prototype to a blindness foundation event, where his wife was receiving an award. Blogger Robert Scoble noticed them immediately when Brin walked in the door and tried to find out as much info on the hottest topic of the week as possible. He saw a blue light flash at one point in the lens, said they looked incredibly light, and definitely real. One more pic after the break.

Yeah, how cool is this? Where is the beta sign-up? :P Via: Google+ [2]

Google's Cheap Tablet Delayed for Tweaks and Price Drop, Could be Here in July

Kellen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:55:55 +0000

Ahh yes, the "Nexus" tablet. We personally believe that it will be Google Play branded and not "Nexus" branded, but that's another discussion for another day. Today, it's about the release of the tablet that all of us want to get our hands on. According to new reports, Google and Asus have delayed the launch of the tablet from May and are hoping to have it ready by July. At its current state, the tablet sits at $249, but Google wants that to be at the Kindle Fire-esque $199 price point and is looking to tweak the build. While that may be slightly disappointing, we should remind you that Google I/O happens the last week of June, so "July" sounds about right. What better way for Google to show off their new hardware than at their own conference, which just so happened to add on a 3rd day for the first time. We will be there to cover it all. Still holding off tablet plans until Google and Asus can release their 7-incher? Via: The Verge

Best Buy: RAZR and RAZR MAXX Ice Cream Sandwich Update "Delayed," Rezound Still Happening Friday

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:14:22 +0000

So this is not all that surprising. Best Buy notified employees last Friday that we would see Ice Cream Sandwich roll out to the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX on April 4. As you know from reading this site, there is an update headed to both phones, but it is not Android 4.0 and is instead a bug fixer as build 6.12.181. Best Buy apparently got that memo and has now updated their systems to reflect a "delay" on ICS. That's sort of an unfair tag, as we aren't exactly sure that this update was ever going to be ICS in the first place. Will both phones see Android 4.0.3 in the near future? Yeah, they will, but probably not for another few weeks. On a related and potentially good note, the HTC Rezound is supposedly still on for Friday, April 6. Do we really believe that it will happen? Eh, we'll give it a 30% chance. Cheers ___!

Plume for Twitter Receives Update Too, More Ice Cream Sandwich Enhancements for Everybody

Tim — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:15:31 +0000

As soon as we posted about Friendcaster receiving some big Ice Cream Sandwich love, a ton of our Twitter friends barraged us with tips that Plume also received some ICS goodness recently. From what we see so far, there a few UI enhancements that compliment ICS quite well, bug fixes and a few other feature additions that will make the using Plume over the official Twitter app almost a no brainer. Play Link Cheers Twitter followers!

HTC One X Unboxing, Gallery and First Impressions

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:40:52 +0000

When HTC announced the One X at MWC in February, my initial thought was, "I need this device no matter what carrier it belongs to." And then AT&T announced that they would have it, but it would not carry NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 processor and that only the non-U.S. version without LTE would. My second thought was then, "OK, unlocked HTC One X, here I come. I need me some quad-core phone-age." (Not that the Snapdragon S4 is a slouch, but come on, who doesn't want to say they have a quad-core processor in their phone?) And that's where we sit today, with at first glance, one of the most beautifully designed smartphones I have ever seen on my desk. After pulling it out of the box, the feel, design and weight of it will blow you away. I wouldn't say that it took my breath away, but almost. As you examine it closer, you start to marvel at the unibody design, the little details in the speaker grill, the minimal logos (no carrier branding either), and the subtle camera exposure. I'm telling you, this might be the best looking phone ever. What about the performance, though? Well, I have had the phone for all of 20 minutes, so I'll get into that later. What I can tell you is that even if every other site on Earth says differently, I'm telling you that this is definitely still HTC Sense. I'm not noticing sluggishness or anything weird like that, but I am going to have to get used to not using stock Android for a bit. HTC appears to have toned it down a tad, but there are still 3D animations, changed menus, new looks to icons, bloatiness and more. It's a skin, through and through. Will it be better than all previous versions? We'll find out. What about that big beautiful Super LCD2 display? Yeah, it's as good as you can imagine. Crystal clear, whites are bright, and the colors look amazing. Best screen ever? We will find that out too, but so far, it looks better than any device I currently own. We'll get into macro shots of it, talk more geeky screen tech later though. So my first impressions are short, but again, this puppy will take time. As I dedicate my Android life to it for the next couple of weeks and hopefully beyond that, we will surely have more. After all, we got this Tegra 3 version for a reason, so we may as well put it through some tests.

Gallery:

Unboxing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0PpBvSeu0E[/youtube]

Friendcaster Updated to Version 5.0, Ice Cream Sandwich Inspired Look in Full Effect

Tim — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:27:20 +0000

Folks who have been using Friendcaster instead of the official Facebook application for Android, should notice a huge change in the lastest version. Build number 5.0 brings some big UI improvments inspired by Ice Cream Sandwich, plus a ton of added features. Some of the more notable additions are full custom themes, higher resolution photos in your feed, a redesigned news feed, and tons of other good stuff. Anyone happen to be using this over the official FB app? Play Link Cheers Matt!

Samsung: 3D Phones are Not a Part of Our Immediate Future

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:08:41 +0000

Talk about fantastic news for those of that think 3D in smartphones is one giant gimmick. Samsung sent a brief note to Engadget to address some of the rumors circulating over their expected Galaxy SIII release, mentioning that 3D is not in their immediate plans. While they certainly love to blast 3D all over their TVs, the really small screens are not about to happen, at least this year:

Although Samsung Electronics is constantly exploring new technologies for our mobile devices, we have no immediate plan to include displays featuring 3D technology in our upcoming smartphones.

DL readers have never been a big fan of 3D technology in smartphones, so I'm going to assume you are all fine with this. No 3D in the SGS3, can you live with that? Via: Engadget

Instagram Receives Yet Another Update, Filled With Misc Bug Fixes

Tim — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:57:56 +0000

If you haven't jumped on the Intsagram train yet, then what the heck are you waiting for? And before you say, "It's just a bunch of hipster filters," let me say that it is much more than that. Yes, you can apply tacky filters to your pictures, but it isn't so much about the pictures you share, than whom you share them with. To sum it up, it's a social network filled with personalities and people's lifestyles seen through a lens. It can actually be quite fun. In other news, Instagram for Android has received another bug fixing update. This newest build should address reports of photos showing up too small, search fixes on HTC devices, camera crashes, and more. Honestly, if you haven't tried it out yet, just go for it. Play Link

Verizon Continually Adding New 4G LTE Markets and Enhancing Others - Here is a List of 44 of Them

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:53:40 +0000

Over the last few weeks, Verizon announced all sorts of new 4G LTE markets that will go live soon or have already. Our inbox certainly reflects these new activations, as folks from Tennessee to Kansas to Oregon have pinged us with excitement over seeing the "4G" logo for the first time on their phones. We browsed through VZW's news release list and compiled a hefty batch of towns across the country that are either seeing service for the first time or that have been enhanced, which essentially means they have expanded into new neighborhoods. Good luck keeping up, Sprint and AT&T. New Markets:

Cattaraugus-Allegany area, New York
Auburn, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Macon, Georgia
Dodge City, Kansas
Hays, Kansas
Great Bend, Kansas
Garden City, Kansas
Lagrange, Georgia
Brunswick, Georgia
Centralia, Washington
Shelton, Washington
Cheney, Washington
Deer Park, Washington
Mica, Washington
Valleyford, Washington
Bonner's Ferry, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Post Falls, Idaho
Rathdrum, Idaho
Stateline, Idaho
Albany, OR
Salem, OR
Corvallis, OR
Pulaska, Tennessee
Carthage, Tennessee
Woodbury, Tennessee
Waverly, Tennessee
Winchester, Tennessee
Centerville, Tennessee
Springfield, Tennessee
Portland, Tennessee
Lynchburg, Tennessee
McMinnville, Tennessee
White House, Tennessee

Enhanced Markets:

Concord, New Hampshire
Waltham, Massachusetts
Townsend, Massachusetts
Sterling, Massachusetts
Raynham, Massachusetts
Groton, Massachusetts
Randolph, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Woburn, Massachusetts
Hartford, Connecticut

Expanded Markets:

Wichita, Kansas
St. Louis, Missouri

Cheers Joshua W!

Zynga Releases Paid Version of Scramble with Friends, No More Ads

Tim — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:50:23 +0000

Zynga has officially launched a paid version of their newest blockbuster on Android, Scramble with Friends. Finally, no more annoying ads and even the feature of earning coins at a faster rate. It's $0.99 and if you feel like going up against a Scramble champion (myself), then try to find me. Play Link Via: Android Police

Smarter Notifications [Opinion]

Ron — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:04:29 +0000

You hear a chime, see a pop up notification, and feel a buzz. Someone just sent you an email and your phone, computer, and tablet are notifying you. Despite all of our technology, notifications continue to oppress the senses of those who use multiple devices. Sure, it's great that something like an email will disappear from your notifications once it has been read (thank you, ActiveSync), but that doesn't stop things like chat notifications or calendar alerts. To make matters worse, most of the innovation we've seen in notifications has been to make notifications more accessible, not devices more aware of the user. We've seen devices like the TouchPad and the Pre3 (may they rest in peace) promise to push notifications to each other, but at the end of the day notifications still appeared on both devices. At some point, clearing notifications becomes a new chore, making users feel like their devices are actually hindering them from getting things done. The Motorola Lapdock, ASUS Padfone, and Ubuntu for Android try to solve this problem by making your Android phone fit into other form factors. It certainly solves the problem, but it restricts the number of devices you can use at the same time. For example, if your phone is also your tablet you couldn't take a phone call very conveniently. What users really want is for their devices to be aware of which of device they are using so that notifications appear there, not everywhere. The problem with this is not only deciding how to tell devices which one you're using (should you have to tell it, simply creating another task to fulfill on every device or should it somehow detect your presence?), it's also that user might have an Android phone, a Windows 8 tablet, and a MacBook. All of these ecosystems don't work together, making controlling notifications even more of a difficult task for developers. Add in the complication of using different apps on different devices (TweetDeck in Chrome, Twitter for Android on your phone, and Plume on your Transformer Prime, for example) and syncing notifications between devices becomes even more of a nightmare. Apple is trying to solve this problem by putting Notification Center in all iOS devices as well as OS X beginning in Mountain Lion. Apple's implementation works but it faces the same problem of having notifications popping up on every device (and good luck hitting the tiny clear button on an iOS device in one try). More importantly, it works best if you only use iOS and OS X devices; in other words, for the vast majority of users this isn't a solution. That said, I think Apple is on the right track. Google could easily build on Apple's idea, but, you know, make it work the way it should. Google could use Google accounts on Chrome on the desktop and Android on phones and tablets to unify notifications. When you log into your desktop and open Chrome, your Google account knows that you're using your desktop so all of your notifications show up on your desktop. If everything from email notifications to text messages showed up on your desktop (all customizable, of course) and not on your phone (the data would appear on the phone, but not the notification). Then, once you start using your phone or exit Chrome, notifications would show up on your phone (or tablet, as the case may be). If someone was paranoid about maintaining where notifications show up then Google could provide a toggle to switch between devices. There has been very little innovation in notifications. Every company seems to believe that all people want is to have every account on every device, but all that does is bombard users with notifications all over the place, many of which don't sync with each other. Google has the opportunity to change that with truly innovative notifications that follow the user. These are the sorts of innovations that push an ecosystem and technology as a whole forward. I'd much rather see intellegent notifications before being able to check into Google+ from my glasses.

[Deal] Seidio 3800mAh Extended Battery with NFC for Galaxy Nexus $57.95

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:30:46 +0000

Solid deal in our store today that we wanted to point out. The Seidio 3800mAh extended battery with NFC is available for $57.95. If you bought this from Seidio's store, it would run you almost $75. It's a tank of a battery, but if you need a phone that can last longer than a day, this would help get you there. We did a quick hands-on with the battery last week to give readers an idea of the thickness and weight it adds - you can view that here. Buy.

Trade-In Your Current Phone to Best Buy and Save $50 on the DROID RAZR

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:00:30 +0000

Best Buy and Motorola announced a deal this morning that will allow you to save $50 on select Moto devices (including the DROID RAZR) when you trade-in your current phone. The Photon 4G and Atrix 2 are also included in the promo. On top of the phone discount, they will also give you up to $200 in Best Buy store credit depending on the phone you trade in. If you are in the market for a new phone, the RAZR continues to be one of our favorites. You can read our review on the device here. Promo details.

CyanogenMod Team Says Goodbye to rAndy and Hello to "Cid"

Tim — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:40:43 +0000

The CyanogenMod team is done with all of their tweaking and last minute changes to the new CM mascot rAndy. What they have now definitely suits the team a bit better and has much more spunk. The mascot has now been renamed to Cid. In a blog post, they go in to detail on how they came up with the name and what it means to the community:

We chose C.I.D. which is short for Cyanogenmod ID, the common thread that all CyanogenMod users share; each user’s unique place in our community. Some of you may also be familiar with the concept of the “id”, the instinctual driving force behind our personalities. It seemed fitting, that this chaotic force and need for immediate gratification, was incorporated into the image of a OS which strives to be on the bleeding edge of Android development. Thus C.I.D became Cid.

This mascot is riding a skateboard, so we already like it more than the first version. Thoughts? Everyone like this a bit more? Now that this is all over, maybe they will get back to work on CM9. :) Via: CyanogenMod

And Here is Another Likely Fake Samsung Galaxy SIII Render and Press Invite

Kellen — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:59:59 +0000

So yesterday morning, we received a link to a Korean website that had this picture blasted on it. We ignored it. It looks fake as hell. Does it not? It's picking up steam today though throughout the blog-o-sphere (for some reason) and so our inbox is filling up with it. Rather than have us decide that it's fake and not share, we figured we would let you all express your opinions about it. Is it real? Will Samsung actually release the ultimate metallic, "Fast. Vivid. Slim." device as the Galaxy SIII? And is it just me, or does this look exactly like that fake "Nexus Prime" photo that some believed was real too? You tell us.

Cheers Seth and everyone else!

Wednesday Poll: Are you Interested in the Google and Android Powered Glasses?

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:05:53 +0000

HTC just got done unveiling the HTC EVO 4G LTE, which is a nice phone and all, but isn't the story of the day clearly the Google[x] project known as "Project Glass?" We are talking glasses that can do everything your smartphone does, but right in front of you eyes. Full voice integration, a camera for snapping life, video chatting, social check-ins, responding to texts, and more are all featured in their video preview of what the technology "could" look like. They even mocked up some renders of the glasses themselves for all of us to geek out on. But really though, are you interested? If Google released these for X-mas, would you buy it? Is this too Minority Report? Or is that exactly what makes it so awesome to imagine? [poll id="161"] If you would like to watch the video again, jump past the break. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4[/youtube]

Google CEO Larry Page: Steve Job's Differences With Android Were For Show

Tim — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:05:43 +0000

"Thermonuclear war." I believe that was the quoted distance Steve Job s was willing to go to "right this (Android) wrong." As it may turn out, the late Steve Job's hate for Google's operating system could have simply been for show. In an interview with Bloomberg's Business Week, Google's CEO Larry Page discussed his relationship with the late Jobs before he passed away:

I think the Android differences were actually for show. I had a relationship with Steve. I wouldn’t say I spent a lot of time with him over the years, but I saw him periodically. Curiously enough, actually, he requested that meeting. He sent me an e-mail and said: “Hey, you want to get together and chat?” I said, “Sure, I’ll come over.” And we had a very nice talk. We always did when we had a discussion generally. He was quite sick. I took it as an honor that he wanted to spend some time with me. I figured he wanted to spend time with his family at that point. He had a lot of interesting insights about how to run a company and that was pretty much what we discussed.

We can imagine Steve being quite worked up over something like Android in the beginning, but I think near the end, Jobs had more important things on his mind besides blowing all of Apple's cash on destroying Android. Now that Apple has a new healthy and fearless leader in Tim Cook, we can look forward to future lawsuits and drama surrounding these two tech giants. What is your take on it? Could Jobs' hate for the Android OS been partially exaggerated to sell some books? Via: Bloomberg

Soak Test for DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX Begins Tomorrow Morning, Build 6.12.181 and is Not Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:27:00 +0000

Motorola has started to notify members of their Feedback Network that a software update will be made available in the morning to the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX. Most assumed this to be Ice Cream Sandwich after seeing information about it in a leaked screenshot from Best Buy, however, the changelog that we just received indicates that it is not. The update rolling out tomorrow will be build 6.12.181 and includes numerous enhancements and bug fixes. We have the full list of goodies below.

Here is the full changelog:

Who Can Use This Release: ALL DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX by MOTOROLA users Build: Version.6.12.181.XT912.Verizon.en.US Enhancements and Fixes: Battery Life

Optimized device performance to extend battery life

MotoCast™

Added new MotoCast widget to enable easier access to MotoCast files

Implemented several fixes to improve MotoCast performance

Storage

Modified the storage settings screen to clarify total, available, and used storage space

WiFi and Network

Implemented IPV6 support over cellular connection and WiFi to facilitate updated interaction with the network

Corrected 4G coverage indicator to accurately display data connectivity

Improved Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity when utilizing WPS security

Visual voicemail

Improved visual voicemail performance with data disabled and visual voicemail notification delivery

Bluetooth®

Corrected loud call end and connect tones over Bluetooth®

Google Play

Fixed Share app functionality to directs users to the app page in Google Play

Text Messaging

Improved text messaging to ensure timely receiving of texts

Browser

Added easy access to bookmarks through a press and hold on the back key

Security

Enhanced device security preventing unauthorized access of telephony database by 3rd parties

Updated Vcast app with new security enhancements

Here is the letter going out to MFN members:

Hi. Thanks very much for agreeing to this advance test of new software for your DROID RAZR or DROID RAZR MAXX. The software will begin to be pushed out in the morning; however, it may take several hours for all targeted devices to receive the update. Please log in to the private community here for more information and to provide feedback on the new software update. If you fail to log in: * You will have to log out and back in to access this area. * Login with your email address in Lowercase * Check your forums profile to see if you have accepted the Forums terms and conditions and the Motorola Feedback Network opt-in and confidentiality agreement. * If you have, and still cannot access the site, please reply back to this email and include your forums user name and the email address you use to log in. * Any other questions or comments NOT having to do with community access should be posted in the private community. Remember that you will not be able to post on the public communities while this test is underway. Please respect the confidentiality agreement. Friday or Saturday morning I will send out a survey for your input -- please respond to that as soon as possible. Thanks again for your help! Regards, - Mark

So no ICS just yet. Not sure at this point when it will happen. Cheers Droidzilla, K, P, J, C and everyone else!

Tip: Android 4.0.4 Includes Power Button Locking Toggle, a Constant Phone Fondler's Best Friend

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:40:52 +0000

As someone that constantly uses his phone throughout the day, but also tries to conserve battery, I find it frustrating at times to have to either slide-to-unlock or enter in a pattern each time I pick it up. You know the drill: grab phone for a few seconds to check something, enter in pin/pattern/slide, perform task, then tap the lock switch to shut the screen off when finished to save juice. Well, what if this series of events could be lessened? In Android 4.0.4 (sorry stock LTE Nexus owners), it appears that it can be with a simple toggle labeled "Power button instantly locks." From what we can tell from the reddit thread we discovered this tip at, some OEMs have been using a similar feature in their skins, but stock Android has yet to adopt it until now. What's the point of it? If set up properly, you can put your phone to sleep for up to 30 minutes without ever locking. So while you sit at your desk all day during work, you can simply tap the lock switch to awaken your phone rather than have to deal with an unlocking method. Now, I know that there are various 3rd party apps out there that do this, but to have it built directly into the OS is a bonus. Check out the video below to see it in action. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWCmKWm9HSo[/youtube] Via: reddit

Is Ice Cream Sandwich Coming to the RAZR and RAZR MAXX Today? Motorola Says They will Share Details "Soon"

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:55:48 +0000

According to Best Buy, today was supposed to be the day that both the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX received the much anticipated Ice Cream Sandwich update. We normally aren't one to believe everything that a screenshot says when in involves an update, but seeing an invite from Motorola for owners of both phones to test software go out shortly after the BBY leak, followed by a leaked Android 4.0.3 ROM, we thought that we may be on the verge of glory. But today is here and so far, we haven't heard a peep nor have Motorola Feedback Network members been prompted with a thing. Update: The update is not Ice Cream Sandwich and is instead build 6.12.181. Full details here. Owners of the RAZR have taken to Twitter to see if they can get Motorola to spill the beans and all they will say is that the device is indeed receiving ICS, but that they do not have a release date at this time. They should have "more details soon." I don't want to read too much into that, but it definitely doesn't sound like we are months away if they are using the term "soon." Could we still see it some time this week? Would be a wonderful surprise.

Google Play Books Receives Update for Froyo and Gingerbread Devices, New 3D UI and Homescreen Shortcuts

Tim — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:15:01 +0000

Along with the update to Gmail, Google Play Books is also receiving a little update for users on Gingerbread and Froyo devices. There is the new 3D interface, a homescreen shortcut available for a single title you are enjoying, in-book search works offline, and the screen stays on during TTS. All in all, it's a pretty solid update for the 'older' devices. Play Link Cheers Dave!

Dropbox to Lay Down the Law, Removing Free 23GB Upgrades from Users Who Used HTC Trickery App

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:32:02 +0000

When HTC unveiled the One series of phones, they also announced a partnership with Dropbox, that would enable owners of these new phones to upgrade their accounts to 25GB (basically a free 23GB since 2GB is free to everyone else). It's a solid selling point, especially with the way cloud storage is blowing up these days. Who doesn't need more storage? Unfortunately for Dropbox and HTC, the dev community got ahold of a One X early and found a way to give everyone 23GB of free space without actually owning an HTC phone. (No, we aren't surprised by this move.) The method was as simple as installing an .apk file and then reaping the benefits. Everyone was running around with 25GB of premium Dropbox space. Well, not for long. Dropbox took to their forum to announce that anyone who used this method to obtain free space, will have that space removed. In fact, some may have noticed their extra storage capacity has already been dropped. Laying down the law. Via: Dropbox Cheers FortitudineVincimus!

Next Issue Released for Android Tablets, 32 Popular Magazines for $9.99 a Month

Tim — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:15:32 +0000

Magazine readers rejoice - Next Issue has been released to the Play Store and it offers the top tier titles that everybody craves for. Five major publishers have teamed up to bring their magazines into a single, tablet-only Android app that looks quite polished. For $9.99 a month on the Unlimited Basic subscription plan, you can view every article and picture, plus interactive content from a huge selection of titles such as Sports Illustrated, Esquire, TIME, and a ton of other huge names. For the price of just $10, it may start saving you some big money if you're a big magazine fan. I might find myself reading Popular Mechanics more often now. There are a few different levels for pricing and they are as follows:

Pricing - Next Issue offers the following price plans:

Unlimited Basic: Includes titles published monthly and bi-weekly for $9.99 per month

Unlimited Premium: Includes all titles in the catalog, including weeklies such as Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, TIME for $14.99 per month

Individual magazine subscriptions range from $1.99 to $9.99 per month

Individual magazine issues are available from $2.49 to $5.99 per issue

30-day free trials are available for all subscription plans and print subscribers can add digital editions of the same titles for free or a nominal cost.

Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk079o_2FHo[/youtube] Press release:

Next Issue Redefines the Digital Magazine Experience, Introduces All-New Tablet Newsstand, App and Price Plans

Unlimited Access to Entire Catalog of Digital Magazines, Starting at just $9.99 per Month
PALO ALTO, Calif., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Issue Media, a joint venture formed by five leading U.S.-based publishers – Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp. and Time Inc., today announces the launch of its all-new tablet newsstand featuring the world's top titles, designed specifically for Android™ tablets. No other offering delivers the combination of a catalog of top-tier titles, a choice of unlimited access plans, a consistent magazine reading experience and a commitment to interactive content. The Most Popular Magazines Available Next Issue offers the world's most popular titles with more being added all the time. The catalog of digital magazines includesBetter Homes and Gardens, ELLE, Esquire, Fortune, Glamour, Parents, People, Real Simple, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, TIME, Vanity Fair and many more. There are 32 titles available now, and the catalog is expected to expand later this year. However, the company's focus on new titles will remain on quality and mass appeal, not quantity. Unlimited Access Plans Customers have unlimited access to as many magazines in the Next Issue newsstand as they want, starting at just $9.99 per month. Now they can easily access and discover more great stories, writing and photography within the entire breadth of the catalog. A Consistent Reading Experience No need to navigate separate apps for each magazine. Now customers can browse, manage and read all their favorite titles from a single app in one consistent and easy way. For example, customers can quickly flip through an entire magazine using the animated carousel. Once they choose what to read, they navigate using the same simple, intuitive commands across all titles. They can also access an entire library of magazines in the cloud any time they are connected, while easily managing what they choose to store on their tablet. Enhanced Digital Editions All Next Issue magazines are custom-designed for the tablet experience and include enhancements such as videos, bonus photography, interactive features and links to more information online. "This is a game changer for customers," said Morgan Guenther, CEO of Next Issue Media. "We're bringing it all together. The most popular magazines, a great reading experience, interactive content and unlimited access to our entire catalog – with lots more to come." "Next Issue has delivered an extraordinary digital magazine experience to customers in an easy-to-use app," said Steve Sachs, Executive Vice President, Consumer Marketing and Sales, Time Inc. "The breadth of the catalog will include their favorites, while providing the opportunity to discover new magazines." Availability and Requirements Next Issue is available in the United States on tablets running Android™ version 3.0 (Honeycomb) or later. An iPad^® version of Next Issue is expected to be submitted to the App Store(SM) Approval Process in the coming weeks. Go to www.nextissue.com to sign up and then download the free Next Issue app. The app is also available for download from the Android™ Market. Pricing Next Issue offers the following price plans:

Unlimited Basic: Includes titles published monthly and bi-weekly for $9.99 per month

Unlimited Premium: Includes all titles in the catalog, including weeklies such as Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, TIME for $14.99 per month

Individual magazine subscriptions range from $1.99 to $9.99 per month

Individual magazine issues are available from $2.49 to $5.99 per issue

30-day free trials are available for all subscription plans and print subscribers can add digital editions of the same titles for free or a nominal cost. Today, the Next Issue Unlimited Basic catalog includes: All You, Allure, Better Homes and Gardens, Car and Driver, Coastal Living, Conde Nast Traveler, Cooking Light, ELLE, Esquire, Essence, Fitness, Fortune, Glamour, Golf, Health, InStyle, Money, Parents, People en Espanol, People StyleWatch, Popular Mechanics, Real Simple, Southern Living, Sports Illustrated Kids, Sunset, This Old House and Vanity Fair. The Next Issue Unlimited Premium catalog includes those in Unlimited Basic plus all weekly titles such as Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker and TIME.

Gmail on Android Receives Update, Honeycomb and Gingerbread Users to Benefit

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:18:12 +0000

There is a Gmail update available in the Google Play store, but it is unclear what it changes. There is a changelog on its app page that lists "Security update," however, the version number (2.3.5.2) doesn't matchup to what I show on my Galaxy Nexus. I compared this new 4.0.5 to 4.0.4 and the differences are so subtle that you may not even be able to tell. Assuming that it's nothing major and probably is a security update. Update: We were too quick in downloading and getting this post up that the updated changelog wasn't available yet. It is now. Looks like Honeycomb tablets get the ICS experience and Gingerbread users should see better performance.

Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) users get the Android Gmail 4.0 (ICS) experience with:

Swipe to move between newer and older conversations

Tap your account to access Recent labels

Set custom notifications for individual labels

Sync last 30 days of messages so you can read and search messages faster both online and offline.

Android 2.2 (Froyo) and 2.3 (Gingerbread) users get:

New Labels API for 3rd-party app developers

Performance improvements

If you are struggling to download it to your phone, you are not alone. I was only able to update because I had other apps that needed to as well, so pressing the "Update all" button did the trick. Trying to update it through its app page does not seem to be working though. Play Link Cheers Abbie and KSAT!

Google Unveils "Project Glass" - Here are Your Google Powered Glasses with Navigation, a Camera, Music and More

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:22:08 +0000

Prepared to be blown away. Well, sort of blown away. Google unveiled "Project Glass" a few minutes ago, which is a project from the Google[x] team that aims to make your daily life completely hands free. Rather than using your phone to take pictures, video chat, check into restaurants, listen to music, and get directions, you could have a pair of glasses that do it all right in front of your eyes. Received a notification on your phone? What if it popped up on screen in your glasses and then let you respond view voice-to-text? Or what if you could snap a picture of a beautiful sunset and share it with Google+, all without ever pulling out your phone? Sounds amazing, right? Just wait until you watch the video and start thinking about the possibilities.

The Google[x] wants you to understand that they are in the early stages of this project right now and that the pictures of the headset up top and the video below is what these glasses "could" look and act like at some point. They want your feedback though. And so do we - be sure to vote in our poll! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4[/youtube] Via: Google+

Instagram on Android Hits 1 Million Downloads in Less than a Day

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:53:12 +0000

What a wild day it was for Instagram, yesterday. First, it popped up on Android officially for the first time, giving us all a taste of an app that people can't seem to quit talking about. Then a certain vocal group of i*hone users caught wind of this news and decided that the photo sharing service was their exclusive club and that they did not want Android users anywhere near it. (Who knew that taking pictures of your shoes, cupcakes, cats, and selves was such an elite thing?) They took to Twitter, Facebook, and every other social service to call Android users "ghetto" and "poor." Some went even further, but do we really want to shine light on that? Then Instagram released their first update (the same day) to fix a few crashes that were popping up on a couple of handsets. And before the entire crazy day ended, over 1 million Android users had downloaded it, sometimes even overloading their servers. Fun stuff. Our first impressions? The app is insanely polished, so +1 to the Instagram team. Second, we couldn't help but bring back the asterisk after all the drama. Via: The Next Web

Swiftkey Beta 3 Released - Introduces Blindtype-esque Engine, New Themes, Smarter Everything

Kellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:03:01 +0000

It has long been documented that Swiftkey is the top keyboard amongst users here at Droid Life. When it comes to predictive texting, nothing comes even close to it. Today, Swiftkey released beta 3 of their increasingly popular keyboard, taking their lead in the non-swiping space and extending it. In this latest update, you will find what they are calling "Smart Space," which is sort of like the ICS keyboard's Blindtype. You can type and type and type and it will figure out the sentence you were attempting even if you failed to put spaces in between words. They also tossed in two new gorgeous themes, quicker symbol selecting, backups of dictionaries, and more.

Smart Space - We've revolutionized SwiftKey's language engine to cope with missed or mistyped spaces across long strings of sloppy text. So, even if you make lots of typos and miss multiple spaces, it'll still make sense. For example, "Lleasexqllme" becomes "Please call me" or "Swidykeuvroxla" becomes "SwiftKey rocks"!
Two stunning new themes - our 'Cobalt' default theme, and the ICS-inspired theme you voted for, called 'Holo'.

A larger spacebar - We joked about it, but here it actually is. One of the largest spacebars you'll find on a touchscreen keyboard.
Smart Symbol - No long-press required, just slide left off the period to quickly access common punctuation.
Back-up - Worried about losing your learned words? SwiftKey 3 now supports the Android Backup Service*, meaning your learned language data is saved by Google into the cloud if you opt in. Never lose your personal dictionary again! (*if this service is enabled on your device)
Smarter punctuation - Smart, language-specific punctuation (for example: Bonjour !).

New Features:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKVYhv8MO9Y[/youtube]

Swiftkey 3 vs. ICS Keyboard:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAJIDH5d4C4[/youtube] Download today from the Swiftkey VIP forums.

HTC EVO One Poses for the Camera Before Tomorrow's Announcement [From AL]

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:24:07 +0000

You are looking here at a device that should be unveiled tomorrow in NYC by HTC and Sprint. Yep, from what we know, this is the HTC EVO One (or EVO LTE?). Whatever the official name ends up being, this is the One series variant that Sprint will get with LTE on board. We know it's not Verizon-related, but it's worth sharing since up until now, all we had seen was a press image of the front of the device. Here we get a look at the classic EVO red and black styling along with the kickstand. Not bad, right?

Discussion continues over at Android Life.

Instagram Receives First Update on Launch Day, Camera Crashes Fixed

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:38:38 +0000

Ahh the beauty of the Android platform. Instagram was finally released this morning and already, its creators have released the first bug fixer to make it more stable on your phone. A handful of phones were seeing crashes with the camera open - those have hopefully been fixed now. Everyone enjoying their new social camera toy? If you haven't already, be sure to stop by our "First Android Instagram Photos" page and share. On a related note, this list of i*hone users responding to news of Instagram hitting Android is nothing short of priceless. Play Link

CyanogenMod Team Chooses New "rAndy" Mascot - Do You Like It?

Tim — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:00:40 +0000

Sometimes when a major brand decides to change their logo, there are mixed feelings toward the selected choice. I think this example is no different. The CyanogenMod team as a whole, decided that they would be choosing a new mascot to represent their group and asked artists and users to submit ideas. Well, they have officially made their choice and have given it a name that they say is still in beta testing. rAndy will be the new Cyan Mascot. We think it's pretty neat and look forward to seeing the final unveiling of it. All submissions can be seen here. Tell us if you think they made the right choice. Via: Google+

Motorola Kills Custom Webtop Software in Ice Cream Sandwich? RAZR Turns to Tablet UI When Docked

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:30:55 +0000

The leaked Ice Cream Sandwich for the DROID RAZR that came out over the weekend has given us a view of Motorola's new "Webtop 3.0 beta." In previous versions, Webtop offered one of the most frustrating laptop-inspired experiences you could find. It was a nice idea in theory, but after a number of failed attempts to deliver an experience that could actually replace a laptop, Motorola seems to have completely changed up their strategy. In a video posted to Youtube of a RAZR running the leak and then docked to a Lapdock, we can see that Webtop has essentially become the tablet UI version of Ice Cream Sandwich. It's similar to what we saw with Asus and the Padfone. Since Android 4.0 was made for any size screen, all you need is a switch of sorts to toggle the phone UI to a tablet UI. That is apparently all that Moto is doing now in 3.0 beta. Through this brief clip, you can see that the mini-phone view on the left side is gone, Firefox is no longer the default browser, you have an app drawer, notifications in the bottom right, navigation buttons in the bottom left, and everything else you would expect from a tablet experience. To get a better understanding of what we mean, jump past the break.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YooqpOqmT80[/youtube]

Cheers Joseph!

New Custom Sense 4.0 ROM Released for the HTC Rezound, Only Bluetooth Missing

Tim — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:15:58 +0000

HTC Rezound owners, more custom ROMs are on the horizon for you. This newest Sense 4.0 ROM is almost completely in working order after two months of stressful work by developer, newtoroot. It has a very short list of bugs, most notably being the lack of working Bluetooth. With full working 4G data, GPS and sound, this is the most complete 4.0 ROM we have seen so far. For downloads and instructions on flashing this ROM, follow the via link below and read up on everything you will need. If you own an already rooted and unlocked ROM, your task is quite simple. For the rest of folks, let's hope you know some adb commands. Via: XDA

Rumor: Spotify Working to Bring Major Ice Cream Sandwich Update to Android Users

Tim — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:05:16 +0000

According to a recent report over at The Verge, sources close to the project are divulging info that Spotify has plans on releasing a major Ice Cream Sandwich update. News of this should make many Spotify users quite happy, seeing as how a lot of them have view the application as "unusable" due to countless bugs and crashes. Besides the rumor of them working on a new version, no other information was gathered on what it may look like or feature. Fantastic, now we have another application to patiently wait for, again. Let the patience commence. Still using Spotify? Via: The Verge

Android Distribution Charts Spark Ridiculous "Fragmentation" Arguments for the 1,000th Time

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:18:47 +0000

I really despise this time of the month. Whenever the Android team updates their distribution chart, a barrage of posts from the tech world scream out our favorite word and argument all over again: fragmentation. It never fails. It gets so old, but these industry analysts and pundits can't help themselves. Do we believe that there is some form of fragmentation in Android? Obviously there is or we wouldn't have a chart like we do above. Is it a death sentence or end of the world as many seem to make it out to be? Not for a second. As you can see from the chart, only 2.9% of Android devices today, run Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of Android. While that's frustrating to a point, we know that carriers and manufacturers are feverishly preparing updates for many of their handsets, all of which should be here shortly. This is simply the way Android is and arguably, the way it was meant to be. It's a free and open platform. Google made it this way on purpose. They want manufacturers to take it, tweak it, customize it, and then sell it to consumers. They want different experiences to be created and for OEMs to innovate. If they didn't, they would have already laid down the law and closed off everything or started selling the platform. Do we see OEMs really complaining all that much? Android helped revive most of their depressing sales goals over the last 2 years and helped some of them become global smartphone giants. "But fragmentation is so bad!" Is it really? Android is everywhere. It has taken over the mobile world and is dominating in market share. How is it so bad? Sure, there are times when an app here or there doesn't work but on the newest version of Android. And yes, we all wish we could have updates to the new version of Android the minute Google announces it. That's just not the way this platform will probably ever work. I hate to say it, but get used to it. Android is doing fine the way it is. Is there room for improvement on the update front? Of course there is - Motorola, Samsung and HTC could all be faster. And by all means, they are getting faster. With Gingerbread last year, it took 6-7 months before OEM skinned updates started happening. With ICS, it has taken all of 3-4 months for some. I'm just saying for the 1,000th time, that fragmentation as an issue is not anywhere near the level that some of these people would have you believe. Only tech geeks and bored journalists truly believe it to be a problem. Go ask your aunt with the Incredible 2 if she's mad about not having ICS yet. Chances are, that you mentioning it is the first time she's heard of it. Just give her a phone that works, at a reasonable price and that has a ton of apps on it - exactly the way Android is.

Amazon Wireless Leaves Beta, Offering Price Matches and $25 Credit for the Appstore

Tim — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:03:57 +0000

Back in 2009, Amazon launched a separate addition to their site called Amazon Wireless which focused solely on selling mobile devices on the cheap. As of today, the "beta" tag for Amazon Wireless has been phased out, bringing some nice changes along with it. Amazon will now price match any lower prices found on any of the four major US carriers and various big box stores within 14 days of purchase. If a lower price is found, the difference will be credited to your account. As an extra bonus, buyers of phones (for a limited time) will receive $25 to spend in the Amazon Appstore, so you can start gaming as soon as you have your new device without dropping any of your own cash. Winning. Via: Amazon Wireless Cheers Jigga_Z!

XOOM WiFi Update to Android 4.0.4 Rolling Out Now

Tim — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:00:31 +0000

If you have not already manually downloaded and installed the XOOM WiFi update to Android 4.0.4, it is now officially rolling out to everyone. The update includes quicker screen rotation, a new setting to immediately lock the screen, camera improvements and more. To pull the update: Settings > About tablet > System update Cheers everyone who sent this in!

Share Your First Android Instagram Photos [Obligatory Post]

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:21:35 +0000

With Instagram finally releasing on Android, we couldn't help but ask that you all put those filters to use right away. I'm sure you have all snapped a handful of pictures, played with settings, searched for friends, and all that jazz, so let's see 'em. Seems like the only way to decide if this thing is as amazing as iOS users make it out to be, is to get the Android community involved and sharing. Ready? Rules: 1. Obviously you need to keep them "safe for work." 2. Sharing .jpg or .gif URLs in the comments will make them viewable without having to leave.

(Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do that with Instagram at this point. They only send links to their site when shared, so the only workaround is to either download and re-upload to an image sharing site or copy the URL to the image from Instagram's site.)

3. Again, keep it happy and clean.

Instagram Now Available on Android

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:48:26 +0000

Instagram for Android is available in the Google Play store. Go get it. Play Link Cheers Keyan X, Adam, Justin and Mark!

Is this the Google Play or "Nexus" Tablet?

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:30:37 +0000

Any guesses on what this tablet may be? The crew at PocketNow discovered the images above and thinks that it may end up as the long rumored tablet to be Google branded aka the "Nexus tablet." Their reasoning? Well, the fact that it lacks any OEM or carrier branding and has only stock Google app icons on the front. Is that enough to make this conclusive? Probably not. First, the icon set is pre-Play store. As you all know, Google has decided to make Play front and center, however, there is a chance that these renders were created before all of that weirdness happened. Can't completely flag it for that misstep. Second, that sure looks like a micro SD slot. For two straight Nexus devices, Google has taken away expandable storage, so if this is indeed the "Nexus" of tablets, it would surprise us to see this option. But what the hell else could it be? With Asus usually attached to Google tablet rumors, we can't help but notice that this actually looks like a Samsung product or even one of Toshiba's new offerings. Any chance that Samsung swooped in and is now the front runner for Google's first branded tablet? Or maybe this is simply an old render of a device that we will never see? You tell us. Via: PocketNow

TSF Shell Receives Major Update - Screen Editor, Icon Designer, Landscape Modes, and More Transition Effects

Kellen — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:54:42 +0000

Finally. TSF Shell Pro, one of the most expensive apps in the Google Play store, received the update that all of us early adopters have been waiting for. With version 1.4.0, you can edit screens (meaning add more or adjust the order), create your own icons, switch between landscape and portrait, and set new 3D app transitions. When this app was first released, it came off as one of the more robust we had ever seen. Unfortunately, it was missing some of the simple things, like edit screen order. With that now fixed and what appears to be a ton of themes for it in the market, I think it's time I give it a second shot. After all, I do feel almost invested in the damn thing. Oh, and yes, these new updates do seem a little SPB Shell kang-ish. So see all of the new stuff in action, the TSF Shell team has put together another of their pro tutorial videos. We have it below. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3RnrqRJMIE[/youtube] Play Link Cheers Picolas!

MotoBlur ICS Launcher Released, Should Work with Most 4.0 ROMs

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Since an Ice Cream Sandwich build leaked for the DROID RAZR over the weekend, devs have had enough time to start picking through it and see if any of it is worth installing on your non-RAZR phone. The first thing made available is the MotoBlur launcher. It should work on almost any Android 4.0 ROM, bringing you 3D transitions, home screen previews, app drawer filtering options, and potentially even some Blur widgets. I know that most of us despise Blur with a passion, but this would be your opportunity to see if Motorola has done anything positive over the top of ICS. Rooted users only on this one. So far, the instructions include downloading two separate launcher files, placing them in /system/app, rebooting and hoping you don't get stuck in a boot loop. I recommend making a backup before doing this since one of the files that you will edit is Launcher2.apk, aka your ICS launcher which you need to do basically anything. Via: XDA Cheers Jason!

DRONE Bluetooth Gaming Handset Takes to Kickstarter for Funding, Looks Pretty Promising

Eric — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:01:34 +0000

I've written about my feelings on mobile games being ported from consoles to mobile systems on this site before. The biggest problem I have is the lack of control that will always be accompanied by playing Dead Space or GTA 3 on a tablet or phone. This is where the DRONE Evolution Bluetooth handset comes in. The three creators of the DRONE controller are asking for your help via Kickstarter to get the money they need for their project.

The team has already put a large amount of time into designing the controller so it fits well in the hand and also looks good sitting next to tablets and smartphones. As it is now the controller comes with one D-Pad and one analog stick however there is a poll to decide whether or not a second analog stick would be better suited for the controller. Oh and did I mention that they plan on making this open source? Four screws hold the devices together for easy access for anyone to pop it open and solder on "whatever you see fit." Coding will also be available for change if this project gets off the ground, so if you are interested hit their Kickstarter page to see what you can help with. They still need a lot before they can start!

Via: Kickstarter

Cheers NewDroidOrder!

Ultimate Custom Clock Widget is the WidgetLocker of Clocks, Time to Spend Hours Creating Your Next Look

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:43:30 +0000

Our long time DL homie, MrPicolas, turned us onto the Ultimate Custom Clock Widget this weekend and we have been hooked ever since. If you are familiar with WidgetLocker, then you will know how this type of deal works. A developer created what you can call a shell of an app that allows the creative minds in this community to express themselves. What I mean by that, is through UCCW, you are able to load custom clock skins from your favorite designers with ease. This is the type of app that designers tend to flock to, as it gives them an outlet to share their styles and influences through tons of Android devices. Instructions: I've got to admit, that even I still struggle at times with apps like these, so I'm going to give some basic pointers that will hopefully help you. First step is to install UCCW from the Play Store. Once that is installed, you need to hit up the "Clock Skins" link below and start surfing through them all. Once you find one you like, download it to your phone. From there, you will need to extract the contents of that file into the /sdcard/UltimateCustomClickWidget folder. If the contents extract into a folder, pull them out of that folder and into the UCCW folder. Now, head to a home screen and create a new UCCW widget (4x2 is probably your best bet for a size). Tap on the widget that appears to load the UCCW edit screen, press "menu" and then "Import skins." You should see the file you downloaded listed and can choose it. Enjoy your new clock! Those are "basic," OK? This stuff can get much more advanced than that, so you will simply need to play with sizes and file locations. As I said, I'm still struggling with some of these as many of the designers do not list out instructions for you to get their clocks to work. There are some amazing clocks to be had though, so take some time tonight and create your next home screen masterpiece. Links: Clock Skins | Play Link Cheers Picolas!

Contest: Seidio, Otterbox, Incipio and Case Mate Cases for the Galaxy Nexus Up for Grabs (Update: Winners Picked)

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:10:58 +0000

While we try wait patiently for Google to release Android 4.0.5 to the Galaxy Nexus, we might as well give some stuff away, right? Over the last month or so, I think we have given away almost 50 cases to DL readers, which is a solid number. Today, we add to that with some of the more popular big name brands in the business. We have a Seidio Surface, Case Mate Pop!, Inicipio Feather, and Otterbox Commuter to hand out to the greatest community in the world. Ready to win one? Update: We have picked our four winners! Go check your emails.

Contest:

Prizes: Four cases total - Seidio Surface Surface, Case Mate Pop, Incipio Feather and Otterbox Commuter case How to enter: In the comments, tell us what your first cell phone of all time was. Also, mention the case that you would like to win. ~~We will choose a winner at 9AM tomorrow morning. Good luck~~! *U.S. residents only.

Monday Poll: SD Card slots, will you survive without them?

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:11:04 +0000

With the release of the Galaxy Nexus, various tablets and now the HTC One series, we are seeing a departure from expandable storage in Android smartphones. Many of you are not thrilled about this and have voiced some of your concerns in the comments of a few posts. Others, including most of the DL staff, have had the G-Nex for months and have not missed removable storage at all. For me personally, I like not having to deal with what are essentially, multiple partitions. When I deal with Motorola phones now, it drives me nuts to not know exactly where my downloaded files are going. Some go to internal storage while others end up on SD cards. Having one space for storage is ultimately, simpler. On the flip side, we also understand the arguments for SD cards. Transferring all of your important information from one device to another is easily done with one, plus expanding storage beyond what the internal capacity sits is never a bad thing. Do you make phone buying decisions based upon expandable storage? Do any of you miss it? How are you feeling about the move to eliminate the use of SD cards in phones and tablets? [poll id="160"]

Early HTC One X Reviews are in - Incredible Display, Decent Battery Life, Impressive Performance and a Return to Glory

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:13:11 +0000

The first round of HTC One X reviews are in, and most are now referring to this device as the "King of Android." While that can normally be said every other month when it comes to this platform, it has actually been months since the Galaxy Nexus was released and no other phone has really been able to match it in an overall package. The One X may have blown it away. Most who have handled the device for any amount of time are calling this screen the best they have ever seen on a mobile device, with amazing viewing angles and some of the most natural and realistic colors around. As a 4.7" Super LCD2 display with 312ppi, that makes sense. On the battery front, most are noticing favorable charges even with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor tucked inside. Now, it's not LTE if it has the T3 inside, so there is one trade-off. Speaking of Tegra 3, for sheer processing power, no other processor can match this. With that said, the Snapdragon S4 is actually outperforming it in a number of benchmarks and will be used in the AT&T version since it works with LTE already. The camera, which HTC has been bragging about, received decent marks. It's better than the one on the Galaxy Nexus, but definitely not the best on the planet for a smartphone. In fact, the HTC Amaze 4G tops this one. HTC's new ImageSense technology appears to be a major winner though, adding to the overall camera and video recording experiences in a good way. Overall though, most that reviewed this are blown away by the total package. A beautiful design, with raw power, toned down Sense UI, amazing display, and above average camera, have made this the phone to have for Android enthusiasts. Too bad it's not coming anywhere near Verizon. Rumors are swirling about that we may see something similar on Big Red this year, but again, "this year" could mean in 8 months when AT&T, Sprint and worldwide customers will have had it for months. I should have the phone by the end of the week and will do a full review of our own then. In the mean time, check out some of the videos of the device from around the web after the break. The Verge: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13ieKR2UEc[/youtube] TechnoBuffalo: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKRJIa0Ltz4[/youtube] Vodafone: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0sKSHD0Y1U[/youtube]

Video: Custom Navigation Buttons Coming to a Galaxy Nexus ROM Near You, That Would be App Shortcuts

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:31:28 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PETMmWSbSo[/youtube]

Just when you thought we were running out of tweaks that could be done to Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus, the folks behind AOKP have something new to show: custom navigations buttons. Since the G-Nex sports on-screen buttons, developers have realized that this area could be used for more than back, menu, search and home. What if you added a shortcut to your most-used app, like say the browser? Or maybe you need to text or pop up the camera at a moment's notice? You will be able to, very soon. Via: RootzWiki Cheers Picolas!

MultiPonk Drops to $0.99 in the Play Store Until April 10

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:43:48 +0000

[youtube]![/youtube]

MultiPonk takes pong and makes it a battle between more than just 2 people and 1 ball. You have multiple boards, difference sizes and shapes of balls to bounce, and the option to add as many as four players at a time (on a tablet). Normally priced at $2.99, its creators have dropped the price to $0.99 until April 10. With top notch graphics, this game has been a hit on iOS for some time now. With this price drop, it may not be a bad time to take a look at it. Play Link

MotoActv Golf Update Build 6.6 is Available Now, Quick Hands-on

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:23:10 +0000

The "Golf Edition" update for the Motorola MotoActv that we were told would be avaialble during the first week of April is now here. The update itself installs in just a few minutes, bringing your device up to build 6.6 (not the 6.5 that was reported yesterday). Once you have it loaded, you should find "Golf" under your activities list. When chosen for the first time, you will need to download courses for your location (by state), head to a golf course, and let the GPS do the rest of the work. While in a round, you can swipe left or right to view hazard distances, set the location of your ball, update your scorecard, and more. From a golf GPS perspective, this actually looks pretty impressive. And with the sun out in Portland today, I'm getting the itch to go try this out. While the price may have been questionable upon release of the MotoActv, this golf update (at least at first glance) appears to be nothing by good. To download, plug your MotoActv unit into your computer and tell it to check for software updates. If you own the 8GB MotoActv, you need to download this before April 16. After that, it will be a paid add-on. 16GB MotoActv owners do not have a time restriction.

Full release notes.

HTC Rezound Drops to $49 from Verizon, Incredible 4G Incoming?

Kellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:46:19 +0000

The HTC Rezound has dropped all the way down to the staggeringly low price of $49 at Verizon. We aren't sure if it is a sign that the Incredible 4G is actually arriving in a couple of weeks or if they simply need to remove inventory, but either way, this is a steal of a deal. Originally priced at $299, the Rezound still has one of the most beautiful screens on an Android device to date along with an semi-unlockable bootloader. Fans initially steered clear of it while we awaited the arrival of the Galaxy Nexus, however, it has picked up developer community steam in recent weeks. You can read our full review of the Rezound here. Buy. Cheers Aaron!

Best April Fools' Prank You Saw Today?

Kellen — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:23:16 +0000

That's right, in case you were getting all sorts of confused, then angry, then excited, then face palmed today, we thought we should remind you that it is April 1. Google has done more pranks this year than we have seen in a while from almost every single one of their services. But even companies like Swiftkey, Sony and Toshiba have got in on the action. And while this year's Fools' fest doesn't seem to have been as potent as year's past because it happened on a Sunday, we still want to know what else you are finding or what has been done to you personally out there. It doesn't have to be mobile related either, this is simply a place to share some good laughs. Because after all, April Fools' pranks should be done by everyone in some capacity. No need to be stuffy and elitist on a day like this.

MotoActv Updates on the Way: Syncing App Available to All Android Devices Tomorrow, Golf Software 6.5 to Fitness Units Too

Kellen — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:49:39 +0000

Tomorrow, Motorola will release the first update to their MotoActv pairing app for Android smartphones. Currently locked to only a couple of phones, this update will make the app available to all Android phones running 2.1 and higher. Not only that, but they finally added some functionality to it which turns it into more than just a battery draining notification system. In fact, this now sounds a lot like what Nike's Fuelband app does on iOS and should do when it is released this summer to Android. Here is the list:

Plan workouts on your phone, launch them from your MOTOACTV and see your workout data back on your phone
Track progress of your personal fitness goals on your phone
Use your Android smartphone to set up Wi-Fi networks for your MOTOACTV

MotoActv Fitness Tracker Golf Update 6.5 Remember the golf update that Motorola told us would be made available to current MotoActv owners during the first week of April? It should be here right on time. On Friday, Motorola actually posted up the full changelog (here) for the update, but has since pulled it. My guess is that it will be up tomorrow along with this new Android app. One thing to note is that you will only have until April 16 to download it for free. After that, it will be a paid download that we can imagine will not be all that cheap. So if you want golf GPS software on your unit, be sure to stay close, as we will let you know the minute it goes live. Might want to start checking tomorrow afternoon though. Via: Motorola [2] Cheers Chris and Daren!

JRummy's ROM Toolbox Turns 1 Year Old, Price Cut 50% and Half of Sales Go to Testicular Cancer Research

Tim — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:28:16 +0000

Our buddy JRummy16, who has been a major player in the Android community since the OG DROID days, is offering his ROM Toolbox application (which turns 1 year old today) for just $2.99 instead of the regular $5.99. ROM Toolbox combines all the major root apps into one app plus adds much more. Users can flash ROMs, have a root file explorer, set cpu profiles, install full themes and more. It’s a great app for any root user. Along with the half off price tag, JRummy who himself is a cancer survivor, is donating half of all proceeds made from sales to the Testicular Cancer Society. It's a very noble cause, so we only ask that if you haven't checked the app out already, that you see what you're missing.

Save some bucks and some balls!

Play Link ($2.99) | Testicular Cancer Society Info | Donate to the TCS

Google Maps 8-Bit Coming Soon, Cartridge Blowing Allowed

Kellen — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:56:29 +0000

When it comes to April Fools' activities, no one does it up like Google. To get an early start on the festivities, they released their first product in Google Maps 8-bit. Yeah, that 8-bit. Just watch the video and laugh at your years with the original NES. Oh, and this video makes it sound like we may see an Android version in the next couple of days. Cannot wait. [youtube]![/youtube] To try it on your browser today, head over to Google Maps and click the "Quest" button in the top right. Update: It looks like they had even more fun with it than originally thought. Here is what you get when searching for "Google Headquarters" or if you go into Streetview:

Finding any other goodies?

Ice Cream Sandwich Build 6.14.75 Leaks for the DROID RAZR

Kellen — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:45:45 +0000

After yesterday's news that Ice Cream Sandwich would be released next week for the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX, a soak test invite for Motorola Feedback Network members was quickly sent out which seemingly confirmed that the update was upon us. This morning, a leaked Android 4.0.3 (version 6.14.75) build briefly became available from the crew over at DroidRzr.com, however, it was then pulled as the normal methods for flashing were not working as expected. From what we know though, thanks to a couple of successful flashes, a new webtop software is included, obviously a new ICS UI, new radios, and version 4.0.3 of Android. What we aren't sure about yet is if this is the official build that could be pushed to devices in the coming days. If you are interested in potentially flashing, you will want to keep an eye on this DroidRzr thread. Cheers Patrick, Johnny, and Mal_Eskrito!

DROID RAZR and MAXX "New Software" Invites Sent, Time for Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:03:40 +0000

Here it is, folks. A soak test or "preview of a new software" is headed to owners of the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX courtesy of Motorola. This would be the one that we are sort of expecting to be Ice Cream Sandwich. After seeing Best Buy systems announce that both phones along with the HTC Rezound would see Android 4.0 next week from Verizon, what else could this be?

Hi, Thanks for joining the Motorola Feedback Network. We are inviting owners of the Motorola Droid RAZR and the Droid RAZR Maxx on Verizon to participate in an early preview of a new software release, and provide feedback. If you are not currently using a Droid RAZR and the Droid RAZR Maxx, please excuse and ignore this email. Click this link to take a short enrollment survey if you wish to take part. Note that you must be a member in good standing of the Motorola Owners' Forums to be included. The registration window is can close without notice so please respond as quickly as possible. This is a confidential test under the terms of the Motorola Feedback Network. Do not post any details or information about this on any public sites. Thanks -- please understand that start times are always fluid. We ask for your patience if you register but don't hear from us right away. If you do sign up, we highly recommend that you check your forums profile, make sure you have your Droid registered on our new forums, and that you have logged in there at least once. Thanks. Matt Motorola Owners’ Forums Motorola Feedback Network

Next week should be good. Usually when these evaluation periods happen, we tend to see updates push to the public within a week or so assuming no major bugs are found. Cheers ___ and ___!

Temple Run for Android Updated, Fixes Crash Issues and Adds Support for the DROID RAZR and Bionic

Tim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:46:46 +0000

The newest smash hit game on Android named Temple Run, has finally received an update to fix some major issues that have plagued it since release. There was one nasty bug that made the app freeze up and close whenever you went to restart the game, which was quiet annoying. On an even better note, they have also added support for the DROID Bionic and DROID RAZR devices. Go grab it and let us know if all the kinks have been worked out. Play Link

This Week In The Life Of DROID: 3/30/2012

Tim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:30:05 +0000

This week we had some excitement surrounding the Transformer Prime receiving an update, Motorola DROID Bionic 2 name spotting, and more info on Google's upcoming service, Drive. If you happened to miss any of the happenings, we have highlighted them down below:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

RAZR, RAZR MAXX and HTC Rezound Receiving Ice Cream Sandwich Updates as Early as Next Week?

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:43:17 +0000

According to Best Buy systems that were updated this afternoon, Verizon is preparing to launch Ice Cream Sandwich updates for 3 of their top phones, the DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and HTC Rezound. Both Moto and Verizon had caught flack for not giving specific enough time frames for updates to the RAZRs, but we speculated at that time that it was likely because they were going to try to release them as soon as possible. If this screenshot from BBY is correct, that assumption was also on point. The Rezound was in a similar boat - we knew it was getting it, but had no idea when. We may know now. How does April 4 for the RAZRs and April 6 for the Rezound, sound?

We checked out the usual spots for update info and came up empty. If these all do get pushed next week though, we are in for some fun. Via: TechnoBuffalo

First Update Available for the LG Lucid, Turns Off "Enhanced Caller Name ID" App

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:25:36 +0000

The LG Lucid was released to the world yesterday and it already has an update available. According to the support document, there was an "Enhanced Caller Name ID" application that needed to be disabled for whatever reason. Sounds like bloatware to me. Thanks Verizon! More info. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdJncJHF1YA[/youtube]

Friday Poll: How do You Protect Your Android Phone?

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:52 +0000

We actually asked this same question a year ago, but the smartphone landscape has changed some. Now that massive screens are the norm - some as much as 5.3" - and prices are in the $299 range on contract, we need to ask it again. Some would argue that bigger phones are less easy to handle and more likely to be dropped than something you can wrap your hand fully around. We are just curious if the "hummer" and higher price trends have altered your view of cases or screen protectors. For years I was never interested in a case and kept my phones completely naked, but this new Ringke SLIM is too good to remove. Screen protectors though, can't do 'em. What about you? Has the bigger phone trend and higher prices forced you to change your approach to device protection? [poll id="159"]

Custom ROM Friday: Gummy AOSP 4.0.4 Test Build for the Galaxy Nexus

Tim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:20:10 +0000

With the Open Source Project receiving Android 4.0.4, we have already started to see an influx in builds based on the source and not so much the leaked code. One of more popular development teams, Team Gummy, has begun releasing test builds based on the 4.0.4 source code. Along with it being based on 4.0.4, you will find plenty of awesome features such as custom lockscreens (including Honeycomb), ability to change the color of the top navigation bar along with the bottom navigation buttons, and other goodies. If you feel the need to be running some brand new Android and Gummy-goodness, we have listed out the downloads and instructions below. Instruction on installation:

Download the Toro 4.0.4. Test Build zip file.
Download Google Apps zip file.
Place them both on your phone's storage.
Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery.
Create a Nandroid backup immediately.
Wipe both data/cache.
Install ROM zip file, then GApps zip file.
Reboot and enjoy!

If you have any questions or need help flashing, just let us know down below and we will help you out. Via: Team Gummy

DoubleTwist Updates Their Player, Also Introduces DoubleTwist Alarm Clock

Tim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:13:28 +0000

Application publisher doubleTwist, has recently updated their well-known application doubleTwist Player and have launched a new application called doubleTwist Alarm Clock. The newest features in their player include support for your Google Music offline library and also fixed AirPlay support for the recent Apple TV update. Their newest app, Alarm Clock, allows users to wake up either peacefully or chaotically depending on your taste in music. You can set a certain playlist or track to begin playing once your alarm goes off. Nice, right? There is also a feature for selecting different sleep cycles which some people prefer. It's on sale for the first 10,000 people who purchase it for one dollar, so if you're interested, get it while it's cheap.

Music Player Play Link | Alarm Clock Play Link

Cheers Fred!

Down Goes the Google Play Store, Down Goes the Google Play Store! (Updated)

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:28:57 +0000

Yep, the Google Play Store is hiccuping again. Yesterday, this lasted for all of 10 minutes, so hang in there. Update: And it's back up. On a related note, if you say "Play Store" quickly in that post title, it actually sounds almost like "Down goes Frazier!" in case you were wondering. Or it's Friday and I'm out of my mind. :)

HTC Wants You to Know that They Listen, Their "One" Series is All About You

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:22:56 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMuu2QG9ss[/youtube]

So far, it looks like Verizon customers are not going to experience the HTC One series, and that's a damn shame. In 2012, no other line of phones has been introduced that can even compare to what HTC has created. The phones are brilliant to look at, include the best cameras in the mobile world, and are apparently a product of you. That's right, in their latest promo for the One series, HTC wants you to know that they listen and have learned from each and every one of you. They aren't just another company that is out to brag about themselves. No, they want to be a part of your lives and make something important. And yes, we are still talking about smartphones and not world peace. Again, Verizon is likely to release the Incredible 4G with unimpressive specs, while AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint will all be a part of the One series. The amazing commercials like the one up top will not be a part of your Big Red lives. Sad, so sad. Or maybe VZW will ditch the name "Incredible 4G" and instead call it the "HTC Incredible ONE." Of course, in order to use a 2012 name, they would have to ditch the 2011 specs inside for something at least up to date.

Google Drive Could Launch Week of April 16, Users to Get 5GB of Storage

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:58:27 +0000

Is Google Drive on the verge of a release? According to leaked screenshots posted this week, it certainly appears that way. Rumors have a launch happening the week of April 16, with users seeing anywhere from 2GB to 5GB out of the gate. There is a chance that they will be able to upgrade that limit by paying or by referring customers, however, referring customers seems highly unlikely. To my knowledge, Google has never offered a reward for referring people to any of their services. After all, this is Google we are talking about here. All they need to do is add a toolbar link to "Drive" and users will flock in. Google users are Google users, meaning they can access all Google products already with a single sign-in, including this new Drive service. As one would expect, there should be mobile apps and PC software to help you upload docs or files easily and also access them from anywhere. I for one am looking forward to a Google-based all-in-one storage service. As an Android enthusiast, Google handles almost all of my digital life, so storing my files with them simply makes sense. Via: Talk Android

Developers from Imangi Studios Discuss Future Plans for Temple Run

Tim — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:11:29 +0000

In a recent interview with Pocket Gamer, two lead developers of the cross platform success, Temple Run, discussed future plans for the title and the work it took to port the game from iOS to Android. "We’ve never done an Android game before, so it’s a big experiment for us. We just tried to do a very faithful port of the original, and then we’ll see if anything needs to be different after the launch." The interview never touched on the bugs that have plagued the game since release, but we know that there is a very vocal community of Android players out there that have brought these problems to the attention of developers. When asked what the future plans for Temple Run was in general, the two seemed very positive and hopeful for the upcoming updates:

We’re working on adding more objectives, characters and powerups. Lots of people also want to see new environments, which is a much bigger deal because the whole game was skinned around the temple - the menus, fonts, end game cartoons, etc.

So we definitely have something to look forward to, but I would hope that before we see content updates, we see some stability issues cleaned up and these bugs get squashed. Besides the obvious problems that most people are experiencing, is everyone still enjoy Temple Run? Via: Pocket Gamer

Amazon Appstore Receives Update to Fix Notification Bugs and Increase Download Limits, Does Anyone Still Use It Though?

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:29:17 +0000

Yesterday, the Amazon Appstore received an update that fixes notification bugs and also gives you the option to download 50MB apps over 3G/4G (up from 20MB). Other than that, it's nothing to get all excited over. What I'm wondering, is if anyone uses this app store anymore? Not one DL reader mentioned it to us. And since I haven't had it installed in months, I had to find out that it had updated through a family member who was prompted. So tell me, are people still using Amazon for apps or has their 1-trick app-of-the-day schtick worn out?

Deal: DROID Bionic Lapdock Available for $80

Kellen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:48:07 +0000

Motorola made a bold move last year by trying to introduce a line of accessories into the game called Lapdocks. They were like mini netbooks in size, however, on the inside they were completely different. In fact, there really was no inside - the dock was a screen, keyboard, mousepad and battery. The rest, meaning the power, all came from your phone after it was "docked" onto it. The idea is actually pretty brilliant, unfortunately for Motorola, the execution was all wrong. The software was buggy, the initial devices were not universal, and the price was beyond unreasonable. At $200 to $300 for again, something with no guts in it, you were better off just buying a netbook and calling it a day. For those of you that were at least intrigued by the idea though, today is your day. 1saleaday is selling them brand new (not reefurbished) for the DROID Bionic at $80. Buy. Cheers Jaxun, Big Fonz and Robert!

Wall Street Journal: Google and Asus to Sell "Google Branded" Tablet Directly to the Public This Year

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:39:37 +0000

According to new reports from WSJ, there is most definitely a Google-branded tablet coming to market this year. As reported by WSJ's sources who are "close to the matter", Asus and Google will be creating and marketing a tablet that will be sold directly to the public via a website, much like the previous Nexus smartphone devices were. Not only that, but according to the sources, Google's next iteration of Android named Jelly Bean, will be available during the middle of this year and may be shipped on this very tablet. Could it be just in time for this year's Google I/O? Besides the site that is reporting it, none of this info is all too new, and many in the Android community have put Asus at the top of the list that were possible manufacturers of this device. Whether it will actually be Google Play-branded, or just a pure "Nexus tablet" is still to be seen. Funny, a certain someone from this site mentioned Google branded devices being an intelligent next move. Via: Wall Street Journal

This "Google has Only Generated $543 Million from Android!" Story is Hilarious

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:04:44 +0000

You may have run this story today. It reads something along the lines of, "iOS makes so much more money from Google ads than Google's own Android operating system!" The various Apple blogs are having a field day with it, calling Android a "farce" or a "two-bit iOS clone" and suggesting that Google should drop it and continue to license their products to Apple or they may stop making money forever. I seriously didn't just make that up, some of these sucker sites actually wrote that today. So here is the deal. The Guardian took Google's settlement offer to Oracle in their Java licensing dispute which is based off of a percentage of their mobile earnings and then calculated out how much money that they have made from 2008 to 2011 on Android. According to their math, it comes to somewhere around $543 million, however, their total mobile revenue is somewhere in the billions. This is where the flaming starts and Android competitors are getting all sorts of pleasure from. But there is only one problem, the amount of time involved in all of this. Let me explain. The first iPhone was released in June of 2007, right? Since then, they have pumped out a new iDevice each year, including iPads and iPod Touches (yes, these are all calculated into mobile earnings). Android on the other hand, did not have a commercially available device until October of 2008 (that would be the end of the year). So then 2009 came and the first meaningful (as in, the first to sell in any volume) Android device aka the Motorola DROID was sold in November (again, at the end of the year). From there, we cruised into 2010 and some meaningful Android devices started to pop up towards the middle such as the DROID X, EVO 4G, etc. But it wasn't until the end of 2010 and then 2011 that Android actually took off with a fury. So by my math, you have almost 4.5 years of iDevices (iPhones, iPads, and iPods) creating revenue and really only about 1.5 years for Android (mostly phones and a few tablets). Sure, Android devices became available at the end of 2008, but none of them sold until the DROID at the end of 2009 and then a handful more towards the end of 2010. This comparison, at least in logistical terms, is garbage. Now, if you were to somehow (and you won't ever) find a way to compare iDevices to Android devices starting from a period of say 2011 to 2015 and they still show a clear money making advantage to Apple products, then by all means have a laugh. But comparing a product that was essentially in beta form for 2 years, and trying to include those in your numbers to a product in mass rollout is not by any means, fair. It makes absolutely no sense. It certainly made for a fun headline though, didn't it? "Two-bit iOS clone." Hah, that made my day. Via: Guardian

Thursday Poll: What would you sacrifice in hardware specs to create a $199 tablet?

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:40:48 +0000

As talk of a $199 Android tablet heats up, details on how manufacturers plan to reach this price point are also starting to surface. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang mentioned this week that they would need to cut out around $150 in premium parts to get the price down so low. He mentioned "expensive memory" particularly, which could mean RAM or storage depending on who you ask, but the point is, that pieces are being cut. In the comments of that story, we noticed many of our readers throwing out other specs that they wish would be downgraded or cut instead, which has led us to today's poll. What would you rather a manufacturer cut from a tablet in order to drive the price down? Would you like to see a lesser display or the cameras removed? The Kindle Fire has by all accounts been a success, and it doesn't necessarily have any premium parts that a tech geek would brag about. [poll id="158"]

Don't Be Evil [Opinion]

Ron — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:20:07 +0000

In 1997 two college kids started a company based on a pet project of theirs. Larry Page and Sergey Brin had worked together to create a search engine that bested every other competitor in every conceivable way. Their goal was simple: Help regular humans find things easily on the Internet. As Google began to make money through its innovative advertising system, it began to acquire companies and develop solutions outside of search. Brin and Page, joined by CEO Eric Schmidt, had a vision of the world becoming a better place. Their naive company motto was "Don't be evil." Recently there have been reports that Google has been changing its focus as a company for the past few years. Once a company focused on search, Google has apparently shifted focus to social networking to anticipate demand for more personalized search results. Perhaps more importantly, Google is trying to create a lineup of products that will be deeply integrated into every part of consumers' lives from search to smartphones to TV to music. The question is, why is Google changing so dramatically? The answer: advertising. Are you curious why Google has been shoving Google Plus down users' throats? The answer isn't that Google wants to make a better Facebook. There was a time when Google made products to challenge an industry to do better. Google Plus isn't about challenging Facebook and Twitter to do better, it's about killing Facebook and Twitter so that people are sharing their personal information with Google's advertisers instead of Facebook's. The more information Google has about you, the better ads Google can show you and the more money Google will make. Google has realized that the only way to survive as an advertising company is to get as much information from people as possible. When Google realized the Facebook and Twitter deals to crawl their pages for information weren't going to happen, they began to push Google Plus harder than ever. Again, for Google, Google Plus isn't about making a better product; Google Plus is about surviving as an advertising company. Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and current Chairman of the Board, recently announced that somewhere between 97 to 98% of Google's revenues come from advertising. Google has used that money to buy smaller companies and develop products like Android and Chrome, but those products are also used to feed into Google's advertising. People used Google search because it was simply the best way to find things on the Internet. Not everyone uses Android or YouTube or Gmail because it's the best. Many have an Android phone because they didn't want an iPhone or because it was cheap. Many use Gmail because they don't like Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail. You get the point: Google had one great product, so some trusted them to make more great products and others turned to them because they were better than an alternative. Google has convinced users that they can get decent products for free. The problem is, Google’s services aren’t really free. You pay for Google services with your personal information: your email, your music preferences, your social networking conversations, the videos you watch, the apps you use, etc. As Mike Elgan noted a few years ago, you are not Google’s customer; you are their product to sell to advertisers. I grew up in a world where companies wanted my money in exchange for services and products, but my children will grow up in a world where corporations will exchange services and products for information. If I exchange my money for a product, I can always make more money. If I buy a bad product I’m out some money, but I can make a better decision with my money later. Information is a different kind of commodity, especially personal information. I would much rather buy products and services from companies with my money, not my personal information. I don’t want to sell myself to Google or Facebook. More importantly, I struggle with trusting a company that wants my information instead of my money. Google is on a dangerous path. In order for Google to succeed it needs to get advertisements in front of peoples’ eyes. The more advertisements people see and respond to, the more money Google will make. Google doesn’t want to make a better TV because they want to make good products; they want to make a better TV so that people will use their services and see their ads. It is hard to change the world for the better when that requires people giving up their information to advertisers. As Joshua Topolsky of The Verge has pointed out many times before, humans are made up of more than what they like and don’t like. Our lives are not simply a collection of playlists, likes, TV shows, and books. Our preferences and the content we consume do not make up our person, but they are valuable. Google is a fantastic company. I believe that their original vision of changing the world for the better is still a part of the company, but I think they’ve lost their way in the method by which they are attempting to achieve their vision. If Google began to sell their products for money instead of information I think they’d be a better company with a much better chance of achieving their goal. If Google continues to be an advertising company instead of one that wants to change the world through better products, then they need to earn users' trust. They need to convince users that Google is a safe place to store your pictures, movies, music, documents, blog, posts to social networks, money, address, phone number, email, etc. Google is asking for more than any other company in history. Remember, advertising isn't the only way for Google to pay the bills.

Google Play Store Appears to be Down (Updated: It's Back)

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:44:14 +0000

No, it's not just your device. The Google Play Store is in fact down at this moment. We'll see what we can find out. In the mean time, I'm sure it is happy hour some where. Drinks on the house! Update: That didn't last long. All appears to be working again. Cheers to everyone who sent this in!

Hulu+ Updated, Select Android Tablets Now Supported

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:35:43 +0000

May we just say, "It's about time." Finally, Hulu+ has been updated to allow for select Android tablets running Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich to watch their favorite movies and shows. The list is not as long as we would hope and there is no sign of Samsung tablets, but we can cross our fingers that eventually they will receive some love.

Supported tablets: • Asus Eee Pad Transformer • Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime • Motorola Xoom • Motorola XYBoard 10.1 • Toshiba Thrive • Acer Iconia. • LG G-Slate • HTC Flyer • Vizio 8" Tablet

We tend to lean more towards Netflix around here, but we do enjoy Hulu+ from time to time seeing as how their library of content is much newer and stays up to date quite nicely. Play Link Via: Android Police

Transformer Prime Update to Build 9.4.2.21 Now Rolling Out, Face Unlock Still Not Available

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:13 +0000

The update to the Transformer Prime that was talked about yesterday is officially rolling out to the device. According to previous reports, build 9.4.2.21 was intended to be a pretty awesome update and would include face unlock, lockscreen notification controls, and Asus Vibe would get a bump up to version 2.0. Everything seems good, except that face unlock is still not there. Might be a problem for some, but I doubt there are too many people who can't live without the face unlock feature. Go pick up the update and let us know if you see anything else worth noting that wasn't already listed in yesterday's breakdown. Cheers Brian and everyone else!

TurboTax for Android Offers Free Federal+State Filings This Weekend Only (Updated)

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:20:51 +0000

April 17 is the official deadline for everyone to file their taxes this year. Filing may be a real pain, but there are a lot of companies out there that try to make the process a bit more simple. Sometimes, you have to pay some pretty high prices in order to take advantage of these services. But, this weekend only, the folks over at TurboTax are offering free Federal and State tax filings for all new filers.

To take advantage of the FREE filing offer, customers must start a new return using the app between March 30-April 1, 2012

Filing on the app is pretty darn simple: Just snap a photo of your W2, fill out a few questions, review your filing and you're done. Pretty painless for those who only need to fill out a 1040EZ. If your tax situation is a bit more complicated, we suggest doing it another way. Update: As a reader has pointed out, the promotion is for the full version of TurboTax, which is only available for Android tablets. Android phones will not received free filing via the SnapTax application. Please use the updated Play Link to receive the free filing. Play Link Cheers A, and Ted!

Samsung and Best Buy Offering Free Extended Battery with Galaxy Nexus Purchase, There are Better Deals Though

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:45:23 +0000

Best Buy and Samsung spammed out a set of emails within the last couple days, trying to trick you into buying a Galaxy Nexus by tossing in an extended battery for free. Hate to say this, but only a fool would take this deal. You can grab the G-Nex for $99 as a new customer (new line too) or $229 with an upgrade at retailers like Amazon Wireless and then pick up the extended battery for as little as $25 directly from Verizon. It's a sneaky marketing move by BBY, but since they haven't marked the phone down at all and still want $299, we hope that no one bites on it. Via: Samsung Cheers to everyone who sent this!

NVIDIA CEO Talks $199 Tablets, Could be Here this Summer

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:07:06 +0000

After seeing Asus and NVIDIA standing on stand at this year's CES with a 7" Tegra 3-powered tablet that they said would be available for $249, our collective jaws put a dent in the floor from hitting so hard. But what if the price ends up being even lower than that? Rumors over the last couple of months have suggested that a "Nexus" tablet would launch some time in the first half of the year, potentially at $199. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang essentially confirmed that such a tablet, or at least one at this price point, is on the way and would be powered by their chipsets. At $199, "expensive memory" and other build materials would need to be cut out, but the processor would remain a Tegra 3 to give it exceptional performance. Huang fully expects "Android" tablets to reach such a low price by this summer. While I'm excited for $199 quad-core tablets, I'm a little concerned that by cutting out other high-end parts, these tablets will be one trick ponies. Does anyone really want cheap memory in a device? Does that mean cheap screens too without high pixel densities and resolutions? Or does that stuff matter? Would you rather have power and a low price than a high price and pimped out specs? Via: The Verge, NY Times

Refurbished Kindle Fire Available Today Directly from Amazon for $139

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:10:28 +0000

Today's Gold Box deal over at Amazon features a shiny, refurbished Kindle Fire for as little as $139. Word on the street suggests that it comes with the original manufacturer warranty and all the protection that the new $199 Kindle Fire offers. Not a bad deal, right there. Some would even argue that these OEM refurb'd products are better than the originals as they have been tested thoroughly after being fixed. Not sure I completely buy that a brand spankin' new product would be worse off than a refurbished one, but in this case, there don't appear to be any negatives. So if owning the top Android tablet that would lead you to believe that it isn't even an Android tablet is on your list of must-haves, might want to consider this deal. Buy. Cheers Jigga_Z!

iGun Zombie - Destroy Hordes of the Undead Straight from Your Android Device

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:35:23 +0000

When it comes to console gaming, I stick exclusively to FPS titles. Games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield and Left 4 Dead are where you will find me the most. When I happen upon an entertaining FPS game in the Play Store, I am always excited because I can finally get some of that adrenaline rush on the go and not just sitting on my couch at home. I came across iGun Zombie this morning and so far, I am totally addicted. The game is super simple and all you have to do is point and shoot. But with the waves of zombies becoming more and more difficult, there is a high probability that you will perish. There are tons of unlockable and kicka** weapons such as the SCAR-H and the Desert Eagle (some weapon upgrades must be purchased) for you to destroy the oncoming hordes with, so if you enjoy just a non-stop barrage of the undead running headfirst into your bullets, then check it out. And better yet, it's free! Play Link

First Batch of 4.0.4 ROMs Arrive for the LTE Galaxy Nexus

Tim — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:00:33 +0000

With the release of Android 4.0.4 to the Open Source Project, custom ROM developers have begun the scramble in working all of the newest features into their current work. One of the more well-known developers, Roman and his team from the Android Open Kang Project, have released Build 29 for the Galaxy Nexus and there are also builds floating around from other mentionable developers, inlcuding a stock 4.0.4 build from Birdman.

AOKP Build 29 | Stock 4.0.4

For downloads and flashing instructions, just click the thread link you wish to read up on and go from there. But do note, that when flashing a newer version of Android, you must wipe data/cache in order to have a clean install. We don't want anyone bootlooping when trying to perform these tasks. Cheers K!

DROID Bionic 2 Appears in Verizon and Asurion Enrollment Form

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:14:28 +0000

They couldn't, could they? Does Motorola or Verizon have the cojones to release a follow-up to one of the biggest smartphone disasters in history? According to Asurion's open enrollment forms, a DROID Bionic 2 either exists now, or will exist at some point in the future. Actually, before you get too excited, there is a good chance that this is simply the placeholder for the new version of the Bionic that is sold without a 16GB microSD card. As you can see in the list, they break out each version of the RAZR depending on color and storage and is likely what we have going on here with the "DROIDBIO2." Could they return one of the most hypebeasted phones of all time for a second turn? They could, but probably won't. I'm not sure that any of us could power through another 9 months of delays and design changes. OK, part of me wants to. Cheers Alex!

Galaxy Nexus vs. Lumia 710 in Smartphone Madness Today, You Know What to Do

Kellen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:59:40 +0000

The Windows Phone blogs have made it their goal to advance as many of their phones into Laptop Mag's Smartphone Madness as they possibly can. Since most hadn't noticed the contest until the last couple of days when we powered the Galaxy Nexus over their unreleased Titan II, their path has been somewhat easy. Today, we do our part in making that journey as difficult as possible (again) by knocking off another Windows Phone. Up next is he Nokia Lumia 710, a phone that you are less likely to see in the wild than an LG Voyager. Do work, DL community.

Vote here.

Wednesday Poll: Of Your Closest 10 Friends and Family, How Many Own Android Phones?

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:44:21 +0000

At Droid Life, we talk a lot about the Android phones that we own in an extremely geeky nature, but I know from a personal stand point that there are times that I wish my friends and family shared a similar passion for this world. Fortunately, most of my friends have at least sipped enough DL Kool-Aid that they rock a variety of Android phones ranging from the original Incredible to the DROID X2 to the Galaxy Nexus. There are a couple of iPhone users strung about, but by and large, my closest friends and family members are all rockin' Android devices. While they may never geek out over things like NFC or displays with 329ppi, they at least have a foot in the door. What about you? Has your inner circle adopted Android like you have? Do they care about your "rooted" status or need to Beam everything in site? How many iPhone "friends"? [poll id="157"]

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Review

Tim — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:15:43 +0000

Seriously, this is our Transformer Prime review. As you know,we first got our hands on this next-gen Android tablet back in December, but for reasons we can't explain (~~other than Kellex being bored to death with Android tablets~~), we are just now putting it all together. Apologies are in store though, we really have no excuse for this being 5 months late. With that said, you should already know that it is one of our favorite tablets as we talk about it probably more than any other Android tablet that is available. It's a beast of a slate, so let's get started.

The Good:

ASUS: This might seem silly, but these days, which manufacturer you decide to buy from plays a huge role in how well your device will be supported down the road after your purchase. Lately, ASUS has been the number one company when it comes to software and firmware updates for their products. The Prime has received a large array of various updates and fixes that make ASUS our favorite tablet manufacturer by far in comparison to let's say, Motorola? Whenever a new version of Android is rolling, we can almost count on this company like clockwork to deliver it to our devices in a timely manner.
Performance: The Prime was the first tablet to launch with a quad-core processor which was its main market draw. It is a Tegra 3 from NVIDIA and since we opened up the box, we could tell this chip actually made the Android experience better. Homescreens were flinging with no hiccups, games were performing with no lag, and once Ice Cream Sandwich hit this tablet, it was brought to a completely new level.

Mobile Gaming: If you consider yourself a mobile gamer (like myself), then the Prime is the go-to tablet. With its 12-core GPU (delivering 3x the Tegra 2 graphics) and games such as ShadowGun THD being specifically made for it, you just can't beat the performance and graphics you receive.
Build/Feel: The Prime is sleek, extremely well built, and has that super sexy purple-ish metallic backplate which is resistant to most scratches, scuffs, and fingerprints. Besides the actual glass display, I think this tablet could take a pretty strong beating and still hold up. The only downside is the volume rocker on the side of the device which is slightly hard to press. They are so tightly flush with the device, that sometimes you have to strain to control the volume. Nothing you can't get used to though. Holding the Prime is a joy (once you get past how cold the backing is - read section below) and with its incredible lightweight, lugging it around in a bag or in your hand is completely painless.

Display: This display on this tablet is acceptable. It is a Super IPS+ (1280x800) screen that might have a lower pixel density than some competitors, but the Prime actually delivers some pretty decent images. At times, the display looks "cold" and sort of has a darker tint to it, but for some, this a plus and is much easier on the eyes.
Overall Specs: With 32GB and 64GB variations available, all having micro-SD slots, you can easily find a Prime to suit your storage needs. All variants sport 1GB worth of RAM and feature Corning's Gorilla Glass to protect the display. The Tegra 3 is clocked at 1.3GHz, capable of beating out almost all competition when placed side by side, but with a Li-Po 25Wh battery, you sometimes run out of juice well before you wish you were. Other notable additions is the powerful speaker they were able to throw on, but for whatever reason, they placed it right where your hands are supposed to go, making watching videos and playing games sort of a pain when you're trying to enjoy the music/sounds. Once you find the right spot for your hands, you're good to go.

Camera: The 8MP back shooter is capable of delivering some pretty decent pictures and 1080p HD videos. You won't want to replace your SLR, but if you're out and about and see something or have a cute wolf puppy that you can never have enough pictures of, you will have no troubles snapping a quick picture of it to share with your friends or family. ASUS has stated that the camera available on the Prime is one of the best in the tablet market and considering that we seldom take pictures with our tablets, we will have to agree with them.

Accessories: The most well-known accessory for the Prime is the matching lapdock docking station. It turns your tablet into a full fledged laptop in a single click, and surprisingly, it works extremely well. The keys and mouse pointer are very responsive and one could most certainly perform a variety of average tasks that one could do on a full laptop. It's definitely perfect for in-flight use or road trip work and even adds some 5-7 hours of battery life to your Prime while connected. It's a must have.

The Not-so-Good:

Battery: Unfortunately, with all this fantastic performance in gaming and speed, the Prime does suffer a somewhat insufficient battery. For me, the Prime won't even last two days with little use. Just sitting, idling, not doing anything and it will run itself dry in no time. Whether that is a fault of the Tegra 3 processor, or the smaller Li-Po 25Wh size of the battery, it is one thing to think about if you are buying this tablet with the idea that it will hold a charge over the course of a week. I do mention above however, that with the lapdock attached, you can easily get another 5-7 hours out of the Prime.
Metallic backplate: This needed its very own section. In comparison to the Motorola XOOM or the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Prime is really cold to the touch. Thanks to the metal backing, if left in a cold room, the Prime almost is unpleasant to pick up and operate. However, this is sort of offset thanks to the temperature at which the processor operates. After holding the slate for a few minutes, either the tablet will warm up, or your hands will just get used to being sort of numb.

40-Pin Charger/Data Cable: I do realize that in order to hook this tablet up to the lapdock, you will need more than a micro-USB, but what happens when you lose your 40-pin cable? For a replacement straight from ASUS, you're looking at a whopping $20 just for the cable, and $50 if you lose the adapter as well. I very much wish that there was two options to charge the device, 40-pin and a micro-usb.
Bugs (WiFi and GPS issues) Since release, many folks have complained of ongoing issues with the GPS and WiFi connectivity. I myself encountered no such issues, so I can't personally claim to know about the issues. What I do know, is that ASUS is continuously pumping out updates to the Prime which should fix all of these issues hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Unboxing and hands-on:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5vQvW2VBQI[/youtube]

Gallery:

The Verdict:

The Transformer Prime can be found online for as little as $500. Not bad, considering that the Motorola XOOM WiFi is still going for $420. If you have been in the market for an Android tablet, for just $80 more, you can completely justify spending the extra cash on this one. It has top-of-the-line specs and high quality hardware which will likely always be capable of running the newest version of Android. We are talking quad-core processors here; PC-like power. Until we get word of the the next generation of tablets coming from Samsung and Motorola, the Transformer Prime still reigns supreme when compared to other tablets in its category. It has the superior performance, looks, and a great company backing it with timely updates. With the addition of the quad-core processor and an awesome, yet functional lapdock accessory, it doesn't get much sweeter than this if you are looking for the best Android tablet experience.

Other Transformer Prime Coverage

Android 4.0.4 Update Rolling Out to the Galaxy Nexus...GSM Variant

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:39:53 +0000

As you know from our report earlier, Android 4.0.4 has been pushed to AOSP and has started to rollout to the XOOM WiFi and T-Mo Nexus S. You can add GSM Galaxy Nexus to that list as well. Hate to say it, but seeing the LTE G-Nex left off of that list is not all that surprising anymore. After Google decided to drop AOSP support from all CDMA Nexus variants, you sort of get the feeling that this is how it will go down from now on (HSPA/GSM phones first, CDMA second). And not that the LTE Nexus has been completely written off, as I'm sure it will see 4.0.4 (or 4.0.5?) in the "coming weeks" as the Android team mentions in their latest Google+ post. But since being released, we have gone update-less (unless you count the release day 4.0.2. push) - it sure would have been nice to be at the front of the line this time. Via: Google+

Mysterious App Called "Souper Android Development" Invades DROID 3 Phones, Google Remotely Removes It?

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:49:31 +0000

A number of our readers with DROID 3 phones (and one Incredible owner) along with various forums, are reporting that a mysterious app showed up as installed on their phones within the last day or two. At one point the app carried a person's name, like "Brett Henderson" and "Timothy Milla," but changed today to "Souper Android Development." The troubling part of this story is that the app can not be uninstalled, doesn't even show as an installed app, and no one can explain how it got there in the first place. We aren't sure at this time what exactly this app is capable of or if it is in fact malicious, but a name-changing, uninstallable app certainly shouldn't excite you. Also, as you can tell from the screenshots, our tipster is rooted, so there is a chance this app made it's way onto his phone by taking advantage of that. However, this seems to be widespread enough that it could have happened through other means and not just on rooted phones. We are still trying to find out if this app made its way onto non-rooted phones. In potentially good news though, Google may have flexed their power to remove apps remotely from affected users' phones. One of our tipsters finally sent over the Play link to this app (which in name references a Motorola Contacts app, aka a system app) and we noticed that it had been removed (or was never there?). So we then asked for him to check his installed apps to see if "Souper Android Development" remained and he confirmed that it is no longer on his phone or at least showing up as an installed app. Talk about confusing. Update: After reading more forum posts than any man should across the interwebs, many are suggesting that it could be just a Google Play error and is not anything to worry about. We will update this post should we hear anything back. For now, let's not assume that this app is malicious. We have also tweaked the title of this post as to not alarm the hell out of everyone. We have reached out to some contacts to see if we can get additional information. In the mean time, be sure to drop us a line in the comments if you were or are still affected by this rogue app. Cheers Audie, Andrew and everyone else!

LG Lucid Arrives in Verizon Stores for Tomorrow's Launch, Poses for Pictures

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:14:54 +0000

The LG Lucid, a mid-range dual-core Android device, will go on sale tomorrow in Verizon stores for $79.99 on contract and after $50 mail-in rebate. In predictable fashion, units started to arrive today so that patrons can begin to lineup around the block, in hopes of getting their hands on it first. Wait... Cheers ___!

Android 4.0.4 Build IMM76D Hitting AOSP Right Now

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:25:52 +0000

The Android Dev team just announced that Android 4.0.4 Build IMM76D is being pushed into AOSP this very minute. This would be the same (or very similar) build to what was released to the Motorola XOOM WiFi this morning. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Galaxy Nexus will see it any minute, but it is certainly a hell of a sign. If anything, it means that a new round of your favorite ROMs will be built within a few hours. We should point out that this new build is already becoming available for the T-Mobile Nexus S. Update: I could not help but point out a couple of specific notes that Jean-Baptiste Queru mentioned in his post:

The matching proprietary files will be available at https://code.google.com/android/nexus/drivers.html by the end of day (PDT). You should note that files related to CDMA devices (Nexus S 4G, CDMA/LTE Xoom, CDMA/LTE Galaxy Nexus) have not been tested in the context of AOSP. Of course, consumer support for those devices continues unchanged. I do not know the schedule for deployment to consumer devices, especially in situations that involve additional per-operator customizations done by the device manufacturers and/or in situations that require operator approval prior to deployment.

"Grrrrr" is all I have to say to that. Developing... Via: Android Building

Google Maps Update Brings New Navigation Menu, Quick Access to Contact Addresses, and Starred Destinations

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:48:31 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, Google updated Google Maps Navigation screens with bigger buttons and to be more car-friendly. Today, they updated the actual starting Navigation menu with a new layout to help complete the experience. You now have 4 big buttons to choose from when entering the Navigation screen, along with a list of recent destinations. If you swipe to the left, you get a list of locations that you have starred in Google Places for quick access. If you swipe to the right, you get a list of your contacts that have addresses attached. Seems minor, but man does this make sense. Update: Google also added in "preferred" mode of transit and gave higher resolution maps to phones with better displays. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7yN2EK7ahU[/youtube] Cheers Jason and JW!

Asus Italy: Transformer Prime Update is Build 9.4.2.21 - Includes Face Unlock, Lockscreen Notification Controls, and More

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:24:23 +0000

The "awesome" behind the future Transformer Prime update that Asus teased on Facebook yesterday has apparently been outed by Asus Italy. Via their Facebook page, we have the full breakdown, which includes Face Unlock, notification controls from the lockscreen, a new mechanism to allow for easier camera updates, and more. It sounds like a hefty update, but I don't know how "awesome" that is. Depends on your needs, I guess. Here is the full list, translated by Google:

Face Unlock
Lockscreen notification controls
Updates to Google's "Play" apps (shouldn't that have already happened?)
Asus Vibe to version 2.0 with new interface
Support for LAN connections using USB converter
Camera no longer needs to be updated separately, will happen with system updates
Ad-hoc network connections now supported
HDMI-to-TV viewing can be switched from portrait to landscape

The rollout could happen as early as tomorrow aka Thursday aka March 29. Via: Facebook, Android Community

Video: Android User Spends 30 Days with iPhone 4S, Talks Advantages of Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:15:39 +0000

Making the rounds this morning, we have a video from an Android user who after hearing time and time again that iOS and the iPhone "just work" and are "more polished" than any other device, decided to spend 30 days with one to see for himself. He purchased an iPhone 4S, but mind you, this was not his first iOS device. In fact, he owns the new iPad and other Apple products and is familiar with the ecosystem, however, his goal was to take his experience with the 4S and compare it to using Google's latest mobile OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. Throughout the video, you will see his handpicked advantages that ICS has over iOS, most of which you will probably agree with (after all, we are Android fanboys and girls). In fact, I agree with some of these as well, in that they are clear advantages to Android. A variety of tasks can be completed quicker on an Android device, as in many ways, it is a far more robust operating system than iOS. Many would argue that being "robust" does not a winning mobile OS make, but that may be an argument for another day (or one that no one can win). What I hope you all remember though, is that in the same sense that this video was created, there are probably 10 others from the iOS perspective. Each OS has advantages over the other, no one can argue against that, but what it comes down to is which one works better for you, personally. Clearly, we have all bought into Android. Keep in civil down there, people. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMiY1kSTHZw[/youtube]

Whale Trail Live Wallpaper, Quite Possibly the Cutest Your Phone Will Ever Look

Tim — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:30:37 +0000

I am not ashamed - I love Whale Trail. It's challenging, fun to look at, and has a song that will get stuck in your head no matter how much you choose not to pay attention to it. I was cruising the Play Store last night and happened upon this live wallpaper, from the makers of Whale Trail. Essentially, it turns your background into a scene from the game and might possibly win an award for being the cutest live wallpaper available. If you're a fan of the game, it is a must have.

I can see my house from here!

Play Link

Download: XOOM WiFi Update 4.0.4 Build IMM76

Kellen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:49:33 +0000

Last night, we first reported a new update for the Motorola XOOM WiFi that was scheduled to rollout at any minute. The version of Android is 4.0.4, build IMM76 and includes quicker screen rotation, camera improvements, and the ability to change the lock settings of the power switch. While we have yet to hear of many readers actually receiving the update, the file has already been posted to XDA. So if you have a USB stick and a microUSB host cable, you can update immediately. This file only works in the stock recovery and you have to currently be on Android 4.0.3, build IML77. Download: signed-tervigon-IMM76-from-IML77.0d062b3b.zip To install via USB stick, it should be as simple as dropping the file on there, plugging in to your XOOM via USB host cable, booting into stock recovery, and telling it to update via .zip file. Via: XDA Cheers Anthony!

Motorola XOOM WiFi Receiving Android 4.0.4 Build IMM76 - Quicker Screen Rotation, New Lock Settings, and More

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:50:31 +0000

Last week, we received word that Motorola was prepping a "soak test" for the XOOM WiFi, but specific details as to what was included were absent. A message we received in our inbox this evening may change the mystery, as it details a 4.0.4 update that should be here any day. According to this tip, the Android 4.0.4 build number is IMM76 and will include quicker screen rotation, a new setting to immediately lock the screen, camera improvements and more. We do not have a date of expected release, but with notes like this floating around, we can imagine that it won't be too much longer. Check out the email after the break.

Android 4.04 (IMM76) Software Update for the Motorola XOOM™ WIFI users in the US Introduction We are pleased to announce a new software update for the Motorola XOOM™ WIFI in the US. This Android 4.04 (IMM76) software update by Motorola includes numerous enhancements. Upgrade today for peak performance. For more information on Motorola updates and product support, please visit us at: www.motorola.com/support Who Can Use This Release ALL Motorola XOOM -- US WIFI users After downloading and installing the software release, you will notice: Enhancements: Quicker screen rotation A new setting to choose whether the power button immediately locks the device or not Microsoft Exchange improvements with additional EAS policies Better phone number recognition Camera and image quality improvements Improved stability

If you own a XOOM WiFi and are prompted with an update, be sure to let us know. Update: Download the update here. Cheers IC!

Official Masters App has been Updated for 2012, Who Doesn't Need Live Streaming from Amen Corner?

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:20:47 +0000

Hello, friends. The Masters is just over a week away and that means it is time to load up the official app for golf's Super Bowl and get to studying. We wouldn't want you referring to anyone as a fan or spectator next week, would we? They are patrons, people. It's a tradition unlike any other. Make Jim Nance proud. In all seriousness, the app brings you live coverage of Amen Corner, holes 15 and 16, the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, and footage of two featured groups which you know is going to include Tiger Woods, ya'll. The Play Store says that it is compatible with every single device I own, so here's to hoping the Galaxy Nexus can actually stream video unlike some other prominent sports apps. "Get in the hole!" Play Link Cheers Jonathan!

Asus has Something "Awesome" in Store for the Transformer Prime

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:46:15 +0000

Asus is preparing yet another update for the Transformer Prime, only this time it include a set of "awesome" features. After overcoming a shaky start that involved WiFi and GPS issues, the Prime has continued to be the only Android tablet worth considering thanks to its next-gen tech including a quad-core Tegra 3 processor. So when we hear that more awesomeness is on the way, our ~~nipples get hard~~ (too much?) salivary glands start bubbling. What could it be? Would love to hear those guesses. Via: Facebook, Android Police

Quick Look: Qubits Galaxy Nexus Case, What Were They Thinking?

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:29:44 +0000

The other day, I was rummaging around Amazon looking for Galaxy Nexus accessories that could be worth a review and for some reason thought the Qubits case was interesting enough to pick up. "Interesting" is a nice way to put it now that I have it in hand. As you can see from the pictures, I went with banana rather than the orange option, turning my G-Nex officially into a piece of fruit. The material is PU leather, which essentially means leather with all sorts of glue and plasticy nonsense forced into it. At roughly $4 though, maybe that's what someone is looking for. If you are interested, you can find this lovelies at Amazon in baby blue, orange, yellow and purple. Oh, and if you are interested in the yellow one I have, convince me that you deserve such a work of art in the comments. We will pick a winner in the morning.

Evernote Widget Sees Major Update - Speech-to-Text Transcription, Widget Themes, and Customizable Buttons

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:00:03 +0000

Both Evernote and the Evernote Widget have noteworthy updates available in the Google Play Store this afternoon. Most importantly, both apps now have the ability to translate speech-to-text on the fly while also recording. So during your next interview with LeBron James over his receding hairline and seemingly extra thick headband to cover it, you won't miss a word. This is a feature that was introduced with the keyboard in Ice Cream Sandwich, however, it does appear to be compatibile with other versions of Android. Along with speech-to-text transcription, the Evernote Widget also received customizable buttons along with color and layout options. Nice improvements. Play Links: Evernote | Evernote Widget

Snapdragon Introduces the One Charge Challenge, Show What You Can Do on One Charge and Win Some Awesome Prizes

Tim — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:45:32 +0000

Snapdragon has started a lovely campaign, showing that devices equipped with a Snapdragon processor are capable of delivering the best performance in the market, while still having unbeatable battery life. To show off the capabilities, they have released a video of a single device traveling some 36,000 miles on a single charge, all while taking videos and snapshots! We're guessing they chose the overnight option while shipping it from city to city. Along with all this, they have offered up Snapdragon powered devices to anyone with good video skills that can show off what their device can do on a single charge. You don't have to travel around the world, but maybe you can take a weekend vacation, snap some photos and videos and win that way. For contest info and entry, follow the link below. Enter Here [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5eijeBxxiE[/youtube]

DROID RAZR to RAZR MAXX Conversion Kit Available for $110 on Pre-order, Features All Genuine Motorola Parts

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:45:01 +0000

To call original DROID RAZR owners "frustrated" or "annoyed" over Motorola and Verizon's decision to release a phone with double the battery life and at the same price only 2 months later called the RAZR MAXX would be a gigantic understatement. In fact, this is one of the bigger Android blunders and slaps to the face we have seen in a long, long time if not ever. No refunds were offered nor were there options for a trade-in to satisfy those early adopters that felt nothing but screwed by this move. Those words may sound harsh, but if you can't tell, I'm actually holding back. RAZR owners should be furious at this. With that said, you may recall a RAZR owner who realized that RAZR MAXX parts (including the 3300mAh battery) are swappable between the two phones. He even went as far as to provide instructions for everyone that may be interested in completing the task themselves. That's right, the phones are so similar that you can put the battery and back plate from the MAXX onto the regular RAZR. Brilliant. The only problem was, that spare parts were tough to come by. Until now, that is. The folks at Cellphone Repair Shop have created a conversion kit for RAZR owners that includes the 3300mAh battery, adhesive tape, back battery cover, and SIM/SD card door. That is everything you would need to transformer your RAZR into a MAXX, right there. And if you don't have the tools to pry the current back piece off, they can hook you up with all of those as well. The base package starts at $109.95, but if you start adding on tools, it will obviously go up from there. Not a bad option though, if you aren't interested in spending the $649 it would cost to get a brand new phone. If the $110 price tag is too steep, the folks at DroidRzr are looking into a group buy to drive the price down. Buy (pre-order). Cheers evltwn!

Handcent SMS Version 4.0 Released, Ice Cream Sandwich Support Has Arrived

Tim — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:13:02 +0000

There are some poeple who choose not to use the stock messaging app and that's just fine. Maybe you like more custom smileys and features which the stock app can't provide. For all those things, most people use Handcent SMS. It's been available for Android since the beginning and it has just recently received a big bump to version 4.0. The newest version has excellent support for Ice Cream Sandwich devices and even has a brand new interface to give it a clean new look. You can even create a group MMS with your friends that own iPhones. Fun, right? If you've been a fan of Handcent, then go check it out. Play Link

Galaxy Nexus is Getting Stomped in Laptop Mag's Smartphone Madness Challenge, Let's Change That (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:19:28 +0000

As of this moment, the Galaxy Nexus is getting crushed in Laptop Mag's Smartphone Madness bracket by none other than the HTC Titan II. Pretty sure that is a Windows Phone, yeah it is. Probably the same one that got "smoked" over the weekend by a G-Nex at one of Microsoft's stores. So let's show Windows Phone again how good this Nexus is and rack up some votes over there. Otherwise, we may be stuck with a bunch of phones with a "gorgeous UI" that no one will ever buy, battling it out with the Galaxy SII for smartphone supremacy. At the time of this posting (12:19PM Pacific), we are about 900 votes down. Go get 'em DL community. Update: In about an hour and a half, we were able to erase that 900 vote lead and jump up by 1,600 votes. Keep crackin' away at it though, we don't want a comeback by an unreleased Windows Phone. Vote at Laptop Mag's site. Cheers Timm Eddy and Pinocchio!

Show Off Your Home Screens Day!

Eric — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:52:26 +0000

It is spring and that means it is time to show off everyone's wonderful home screens! It has been a while since we last posted one of these, so put forth your sexiest setup and let the world in on your secrets. We tend to believe that our community is the best in the world here at Droid Life and are always curious to see how your phones are looking. With the Galaxy Nexus and many other HD phones having been out for months now, you should have had plenty of time to get them looking beautiful. Let's see what you've made.

Instructions:

For those with the Galaxy Nexus, you have native screenshots! You can take screenshots by pressing in Power and Volume Down at the same time and holding for 2-3 seconds.
If you do not have a G-Nex, you can either screenshot in adb (we have a tutorial for you here) or root and use something like Screenshot ER.
Once you have your screenie, upload it to whichever image hosting website you use and then paste the URL that ends with the file name (.png, .jpg, .gif, etc.) into the comments.
Feel to share your widgets, wallpapers, and other apps used to get to your look.

Tip: Sick of Temple Run Crashing, Try Using the "Back" Button Instead of "Run Again"

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:08:58 +0000

We know that you are feverishly playing Temple Run today as it was released on Android only a few hours ago, but we also know that many of you are running into the same crashing issues that we are. If you time a jump wrong, forget to slide under a fire, or are eaten by a crocodile, your first reaction is probably to press the "Run Again" button. As one of our readers points out, pressing the "Back" button on your phone seems to be a much more stable option. It's not flawless, but I was able to rattle off a dozen or so games without it crashing by using this little trick. And at least it's something to tide us over while Imangi works out some of these initial launch bugs. Cheers @NorCalDroid!

Seesmic Pro Released on Android - Easy Instagram Thumbnail Viewing and Multi-account Views Included

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:51:17 +0000

Seesmic, now there is a name we haven't heard much about in a while. As one of the top Twitter apps back in the early days of Android, this was a must-have for most users. But then the official Twitter app was released along with a dozen other feature-rich options and Seesmic soon disappeared from most of our radars. Today though, a substantial update is available including the option to upgrade to a "Pro" version that hides ads. They also tossed in thumbnail image viewing from Twitter and Instagram, gave you the ability to upload images directly to Twitter, and through the Pro version, added multi-account viewing. In order to utilize Pro features, you will have to install the free version followed by the Pro version, since it is really just an unlock key. Full changelog:

Updates to this version include the following added features:
Viewing from Instagram and Twitter within your timeline
Ability to upload images directly to Twitter
Removed support for Chatter
Implemented ad-support
Various bugs fixes and minor improvements

Play Link | Pro Unlock Via: Seesmic

Rumor: Google Drive Ready to Launch in the First Week of April?

Tim — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:27:56 +0000

According to sources of Giga OM, Google is supposedly ready to launch their cloud-based storage service known as Drive, as early as the first week of April. From info gathered in the report, Google is looking to offer 1GB for free storage and then have users pay for additional space. Also, there will be an available API for third party use, unlike that of Google Music for folks to store content on the Drive from other applications. April is right around the corner, so it looks like we have something to look forward to next week. Google is making a strong push to tie all of their services together, so I will actually be happy when I don't have to use Dropbox and Box anymore and can rely on Google for all of my online needs. Anyone else feel the same way, or should Google bump up the free storage space a bit? Via: Phandroid, Giga OM

BlueStacks App Player Enters Beta, Brings 450,000 Android Apps to Your Windows PC

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:57:32 +0000

BlueStacks released a beta version of their Android app player for Windows PCs this morning, bringing with it access to 450,000 apps. They previously ran a closed alpha, but have gone public with this beta from what we can tell. For those not familiar, BlueStacks is an application that installs on your Windows computer and then allows you to run any Android app through it. This is a brilliant piece of software and one that developers should thoroughly embrace. Through something like BlueStacks, applications from devs can reach more than just Android devices and are now essentially a part of everyone's Windows PC without the need for code tweaking. This app player does all of the work. Talk about an audience. You can download the file from BlueStacks, however, their servers appear to be completely overloaded. When you get to the download page, make sure you the "Try a different installer" link. It will get you the full software.

Cheers Mike!

Utter! Reaches Early Alpha Stage and Has an APK Ready For Testing, Call It (N)utter!

Eric — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:26:20 +0000

Last time we checked on Utter! it was still a little rough around the edges and not ready for release yet. The start-up voice recognition app demonstrated much more functionality than most Android Siri clones when it debuted and garnered a lot of deserved attention. Today the app isn't much more ready for primetime but an early-alpha APK is being released for people who want to test it for bugs. In the words of brandall, Utter!'s creator:

The apk below is ONLY a framework release - It contains NO functionality and it will definitely NOT be stable! It's NOT utter!

NOT utter! = (NOT)utter! = (N)utter! = (n)utter! = nutter!

It's quite apparent that if you're looking for a finished application, this is not your time to download. But if you want to help test this app and move it forward towards a very promising finished product head on over to XDA and download the APK now.

Via: XDA

Cheers Tommy G!

Temple Run Not Available to the RAZR and Bionic, Imangi "Hopes" to Make It Available in the "Future"

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:55:15 +0000

Temple Run was finally released on Android last night, but unfortunately, those with a RAZR or Bionic were left out of the fun. We reached out to Imangi Studios' PR to see what the status was on bringing support to these phones and were told that they "hope to be available on those devices in the future." They did not have a specific time frame to give us. We are trying to figure out how the DROID 4 got the thumbs up though, when it runs essentially the same chipset as those two phones? Also, we see that the LG Spectrum, Galaxy SII, XOOM, and Tegra 3-powered Transformer Prime are all supported with their varying range of processors and screens. Someone fire up the "fragmentation!" engines...

Google I/O 2012 Sells Out in 28 Minutes (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:32:13 +0000

Google I/O 2012 registration opened at 7AM Pacific and appears to have sold out in 28 minutes. Even with raised prices and a third day added on, developers and Google enthusiasts in general, flooded the system. In fact, most people were greeted with a "checking for tickets" screen before being timed out. Once you were timed out, it seems as if you were dead in the water, as you had to head back to the registration page and start searching all over again. By that time, the tickets were likely gobbled up. Hopefully at least some of you got in! We will be there covering it live, so if you didn't, you can follow the entire week through us. Or you can cruise over to Craigslist in the next hour and probably find some for double the $900 price tag. Update: ~~Tickets already going up on~~ eBay for as much as $4500. Scratch that, seller pulled it.

Verizon Announces the LG Lucid, a Mid-range LTE Device Available March 29 for $79.99

Kellen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:48:48 +0000

The LG Lucid, a device we first told you about back in February, will be available this Thursday, March 29 (also reported by DL), at Verizon stores for $79.99 after $50 mail-in rebate. As expected, it's a mid-range 4G LTE device that packs a punch, but without some of the top tier features we have seen in some other devices over the last few months. It has a 4" display, only not of the HD variety. You will find a dual-core processor though, front and rear cameras, Android 2.3, and again, that crazy low price. If you were looking for an affordable, yet semi-powerful phone for your kids, this might be one to consider.

Step Up To The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network With Lucid™ By LG Affordability and Simplicity Combine for an Ideal Mobile Experience

Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile today announced Lucid™ by LG, exclusively for Verizon Wireless, will be available starting March 29 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online atwww.verizonwireless.com.
Lucid by LG is designed to create an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use experience for first-time smartphone users. The slim and compact design features a stunning 4-inch touchscreen display protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass that gives customers superb brightness, enhanced clarity and readability, even while outdoors. Powered by America’s fastest 4G network, Lucid by LG customers have access to 4G LTE coverage in over 200 markets covering more than 200 million people. Lucid by LG is packed with features to make the smartphone experience easy, while also increasing productivity. Customers can use the lock screen shortcuts to instantly access the phone, messaging, voicemail and camera application from the lock screen. Customers also no longer have to stop what they’re doing to reply to texts by using the Quick Reply feature, as text message notifications pop up on the screen and allow customers to reply directly from the Quick Reply notification. The Quick Dialer widget lets customers make calls directly from a home screen panel without having to open the phone application. Additionally, Lucid by LG has Guided Tours right on the device, which provides step-by-step tutorials for customers who want to learn more about their new phone. Business professionals can take advantage of the Polaris Office app on Lucid by LG which allows customers to easily open, create and edit Microsoft® Office documents, including Word, PowerPoint® and Excel®. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network takes Lucid by LG to the next level, loading websites 10 times faster than 3G, making it that much easier for a professional to stay up to speed on recent news and keep in touch with colleagues. The mobile hotspot feature lets professionals connect to up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, making it easy for teams to work from a remote location. Additional features:

Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

5-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with flash and full HD (1080p) video capture

Front facing camera for video chatting with friends and family

Video Producer – create and edit HD videos right on Lucid by LG

1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM for fast Web browsing and multitasking

Virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype® technology

SmartShare – share media with friends and colleagues wirelessly to DLNA®-enabled devices

Pricing and availability:

Lucid by LG will be available starting March 29 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online atwww.verizonwireless.com for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Customers who purchase a Lucid by LG will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Follow @VZWnews on Twitter for the latest news on Verizon Wireless. About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visitwww.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library atwww.verizonwireless.com/multimedia. About LG Electronics, Inc. LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 93,000 people working in over 120 operations around the world. With 2010 global sales of 55.8 trillion Korean won (USD 48.2 billion), LG comprises four business units: Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning & Energy Solutions. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines, and refrigerators. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner and a Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lg.com. About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company The LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is a leading global mobile communications and information company. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design capabilities, LG creates handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the world. LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products, while continuing its leadership role in mobile communication with stylish designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit www.lgmobilephones.com.

Temple Run Finally Released for Android, Pick It Up Now in the Play Store for Free

Tim — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:12:30 +0000

It has seemed like an eternity that folks have been waiting for the official launch of Temple Run on Android. Well, the wait is finally over! Go pick it up in the Play Store, then let us know what you think down below. Now, the last thing we have to wait for is Instagram. ;-) Play Link Cheers Minh, Nadeem, and Ashot!

Forget NFC Payments, Pay With Square Wants You to Pay Just by Saying Your Name

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:18:49 +0000

NFC and Google Wallet seem to be all the rage these days, but mobile payment machine Square has figured out a way to make things even simpler than tapping your phone to a terminal. Pay With Square is their new app which allows you to pay without anything but your face and name. Confused? Through this app, you create an account that has a picture of you attached. You then use the app to find your favorite local business and set up a "tab" with them, sort of like you do at a bar. When you go to pay for your goods or services, you simply tell them your name, they look for your picture and name on their screen, verify that it's you, and you walk out. From there, a receipt is generated and sent to your phone for confirmation and also so that you can leave a tip. Ready to give it a try? Some of your favorite food carts, photographers and other Square users may already have activated the service. Play Link [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImNEWcg0d80[/youtube]

French Mobile Site Says Android 4.0.5 for the Galaxy Nexus will Not Happen in March, Makes Sense with 5 Days Left

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:36:01 +0000

French mobile site SFR, who made a splash back in February by announcing that Android 4.0.5 was next for the Galaxy Nexus, has updated their upgrade page to show that the update has been suspended and won't happen in March. While that certainly makes sense since March has all of 5 days left in it, we can't discredit this site completely as it did mention 4.0.5 over a month before anyone else, a version of Android which has now been confirmed to be real by LTE insider @black_man_x. So no for March according to the French, but we weren't really expecting it until April anyway, were we? Then again, there are 5 days left, which is plenty of time for Google to surprise us all. Via: SFR Cheers Mike!

Verizon Offers Up DROID Charge for Free, Drops the "DROID" Brand

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:24:39 +0000

At one point in time, the "DROID" tag was saved for phones that were thought to be the biggest and most bad ass phones on the planet. The tag slowly started to lose its effectiveness with the DROID 2, but officially hit rock bottom when Verizon and Samsung decided that the Charge was worthy of carrying the title. We argued in our DROID Charge review that it had no business under the DROID brand as it was released with a single-core processor and low level specs at a time when dual-core phones were about to rule the "all machines." Other than its beautiful 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus screen, the Charge failed to impress just about anyone. As of today, Verizon has apparently seen the light, offering it up for free (originally $299 at launch) and dropping the DROID brand from it. The phone is now known as the "Charge by Samsung" and has been pulled from droiddoes.com. Actually, on its product page, they have yet to remove the term "DROID," but that will likely happen any day. That is if it lasts that long. Normally when we see a top tier phone drop to "free," it's on the verge of disappearing for good. On a related note, droiddoes.com only includes Motorola phones now. DROID brand about to die or will it become a Moto-only thing going forward? Does anyone care? Cheers to austin, Keyvan, and everyone who sent this in!

Google Discusses Google Voice Integration with Other Carriers Beyond Sprint

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:59:31 +0000

When Sprint announced that they had formed some sort of partnership with Google to allow easy Google Voice setup on their phones, I was jealous. Google Voice is easily one of my favorite apps, something I have mentioned a handful of times now. But with Sprint's partnership, Google has given their customers an MMS option that normal GV users do not have access to. As most GV users know, the only real downside to the service is the fact that picture and video messages (MMS) cannot be sent or received. Sprint users can though, in a round about way through their email. So when we heard today's news that Google is in talks with other carriers to offer a similar partnership, we couldn't help but get a little excited. Well, not too excited. As you may recall, Google said that they were in talks with other carriers back in October to allow for MMS-to-email forwarding, only we have yet to see the service work on any other device besides one that is connected to Sprint. The SMS and MMS game is nothing but pure profit for carriers, and Google Voice is something that could serve to cut those down dramatically. I'm not saying that I don't believe that we will have GV on a variety of other carriers with MMS support in the near future, but it would surprise me a bit. So cross some toes and hope that Google and others can come to agreement. In the mean time, thank Buddha that carriers haven't chosen to block the service like they have done with Google Wallet. Via: CNET, Phandroid

Google Play Link Added to Google Toolbar

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:00:09 +0000

Notice anything "new" in your Google toolbar within the last few minutes? You should see a Google Play link attached, well, unless you use a Google Apps account. So far, I'm only seeing the new "Play" link in my standard Gmail accounts and not my Gapps account. That shouldn't detract from a move that makes complete sense. We wouldn't be surprised if there are still a couple of million Android users out there that have no idea what happened to their Android Market. For those who haven't caught up, this simple little change to your toolbar should help a bit. Cheers Kris and Terry!

Hands-on with Seidio's 3800mAh Extended Battery for Galaxy Nexus [Contest Too] (Updated: Winner Picked)

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:20:06 +0000

No that is not a military vehicle on your screen, that is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with a Seidio 3800mAh extended battery attached to it. It might look like a tank, but it will certainly power your phone through a full day thanks to more than double the juice of a standard G-Nex battery which weighs in at 1850mAh. I picked one of these up (the NFC version of course), to see how big it really was in person, but also to give one away since they pack a $75 price tag. Before we reward one of our amazing DL community members though, let us talk about it for a moment so that others can decide if their pocket can handle one. So how big is it? In the comparison shots below, you can see that the thickness matches up almost perfectly to a G-Nex extended (2100mAh) and standard battery stacked on top of each other. It's thick, people. It adds a decent amount of weight, meaning you will notice a difference. It also has a purely black cover which of course does not match up to the coloring of the actual phone. So not only does this beast stick out a half an inch or so off the back of the device, but it stands out in looks as well. What about a single life charge? I'm not going to lie, slapping this on the back of my phone would be the equivalent to someone scratching fingernails across a chalk board. I'm a minimal phone elitist, meaning I love my phones thin and sleek and without massive, non-matching humps on the back. Basically I'm saying that I have not fully tested this battery, however, at 3800mAh this thing includes more power than the 3300mAh battery tucked into the DROID RAZR MAXX which can last you anywhere from 2 to 3 days. This battery should easily hit numbers like that. The big thing here is that this battery is not slender like the RAZR MAXX's. If you are interested, you have to ask yourself if the added weight, thickness, and black non-matching back are worth it to you. For some, the answer is a definitive, "Yes." Other notes? The new back plate has a soft, almost matte black finish and feels a lot like the new Ringke SLIM case that I reviewed last week. It doesn't feel that bad in hand and is essentially slip resistant. This version of Seidio's battery is also the NFC-capable one, so you won't miss out on any Google Wallet opportunities with this attached.

Contest:

Since I sit at a desk all day long blogging away with a chargers are arm's reach, a beastly battery like this is not necessarily topping my list of must-have accessory. So we thought we would save one of you $75 and give it away. Sound like a plan? To enter: 1. Follow us on Twitter if you aren't already. 2. In the comments, tell us how badly you need this extended battery. 3. Tomorrow at 9AM, we will choose a winner from the comments. Good luck! Update: Our winner has been picked! HuskerDroid10 was randomly chosen and will take home the NFC capable, 3800mAh Seidio battery for the Galaxy Nexus. He hopes that this tank will get him through sporting events, something his current battery cannot do.

Hulu Plus App Finally Supports DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX, Pick it Up in the Play Store

Tim — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:00:05 +0000

Owners of the DROID RAZR or DROID RAZR MAXX who have been patiently waiting for Hulu+ support on their device, now have it. You can head on in to the Play Store and pick it up and watch all of your favorite shows or movies that are available. Unfortunately, Galaxy Nexus owners still have to wait for them to get their act together. Imagine a world where apps work for every Android device across the board. Wouldn't that be sweet? Play Link Cheers Matthew!

Which Custom ROM are You Running on Your HTC Rezound?

Tim — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:25:37 +0000

We recently had a reader email asking which custom ROMs were good for the HTC Rezound. Since all of us here at the DL offices are proud owners of the Galaxy Nexus, we want to help those with Rezounds out who are looking for a good custom ROM. So help us out, Rezound owners. Which custom ROM do you swear by? Something with no Sense UI? Something with as many customizable features as possible? List them out below and let folks weigh their options. Cheers Jeremiah!

Gummy Custom ROM Now Working and Downloadable For 17 Different Devices

Tim — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:45:44 +0000

One of the more popular custom ROMs available for users today, Gummy ROM, is now available for flashing on seventeen different devices. You can have it for almost all of the DROID branded lineup and of course, the Galaxy Nexus. Gummy ROM features many custom features users look for including lockscreen options, theme options and tons of other goodies like custom kernel options and different status bar colors. Compatible devices:

Captivate

Crespo

Crespo4G

Droid2

Droid2we

Fascinate

Galaxysmtd

Maguro

Maserati

Mesmerize

Shadow

Showcase

Solana

Spyder

Targa

Toro

Vibrantmtd

You can find all of the downloads right here. If you want to give Gummy a try, simply download your device's matching zip file, place on your device's storage and flash with a custom recovery. This Friday we will probably go more hands-on with Gummy for the Galaxy Nexus. Via: RootzWiki

Snuggle Truck Added to Humble Bundle for Android, Yours to Download at No Extra Cost

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:00:22 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktrm2ZUE1e4[/youtube]

Last week's Humble Bundle for Android received a new title this morning in Snuggle Truck. It's a 2D platformer that involves a truck and its cargo. The goal is to get to the finish line without losing your cargo while various objects try to rid you of it. Looks entertaining enough, right? For those that already purchased the Humble Bundle, you can download this app for free at no extra cost. Simply find your confirmation email or check in the HB app and you should now have a download link for the game. If you see a game in there titled "Smuggle Truck" as well, think of it as the not-so-safe-for-work version of the game. Same concept, but a "satirical take" on immigration, according to its creators. If you have not purchased the new Humble Bundle yet, hit up the source link below. Via: Humble Bundle

Old DROID X or Incredible 2 to Trade in? Amazon Will Give You Double Verizon's Offer

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:35:28 +0000

Verizon has a trade-in program of their own, but the prices they are willing to offer on some phones are anything but high. For those that did not know, Amazon has a similar program. While some of their prices are laughable even when compared to Big Red's, a couple of phones in particular are going for almost double what anyone else is willing to give you. The Incredible 2 and DROID X, a pair of devices that are far past their prime, can be traded in for $156 and $59 respectively. For comparison sake, Verizon will give you just $78 and $33 for these two. If you are in need of some extra cash (Amazon gift card in this case) as we approach the end of tax season, this might be worth a look. Via: Amazon Cheers Jigga_Z!

Video: Carbon for Android Looking to Be Your Third-Party Twitter Application With Slick Interface

Eric — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:14:07 +0000

With the official Twitter application leaving us a bit lacking, the market for third party applications is ripe for the picking. A few weeks ago we first brought you to Boid, an application that adheres to the Android Design code and looks to have a lot of promise. What we now bring you is a sneak peek of the next big third-party Twitter application, Carbon for Android. It is impressive to say the least.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcloiEZa1iI[/youtube]

If Carbon sounds familiar you shouldn't be surprised. They made their name by building quality Twitter clients for webOS devices. They just recently released an application for Windows Phone 7 and now they are taking the experiences from those two applications and putting it into an Ice Cream Sandwich-inspired Android application.

The transitions are smooth and the user interface is slick. The video shows off multiple Twitter account support while still following their overall design. It looks buttery and makes me want to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Carbon has been hard at work getting things ready behind the scenes and they promise a beta to be released fairly soon. Personally, I cannot wait. What do you think?

Via: Carbon for Android (Google+)

Official MIUI Ice Cream Sandwich Build Now Available for the Galaxy Nexus

Tim — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:38:42 +0000

If you have been a fan of the MIUI series of custom ROMs since the OG DROID days, then you will be happy to hear that an official build is now available for the Galaxy Nexus. There have been a few hacked versions out there, but this comes straight from MIUI and is fully functioning, which means no bugs should be present. MIUI has been compared to the look and feel of an iOS device since there is no app drawer, but in reality, it's still the Ice Cream Sandwich you know and love. For those new to MIUI, think of it as a fully themed and feature rich skin for Android. I know that we talk about OEM skins and how awful they are, but MIUI takes Android and adds a ton of customizations to it. And if you really need an app drawer, just download NOVA or Apex launcher. Instructions for installation:

Download MIUI.us_toro_2.3.2 and place on your phone's storage.
Reboot in to ClockworkMod Recovery.
Create Nandroid backup.
Wipe data/cache.
Install ROM.
Reboot and enjoy.

Via: RootzWiki Cheers Jason!

TeeFury's "Wrong DROID" Shirt Takes Aim at Licensing Fees, Parodies Star Wars

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:36:58 +0000

As Android fanboys, we love a good t-shirt design that includes anything related to our favorite mobile OS while taking pot shots at the competition. Today's TeeFury shirt (that is available today only), is a great example of all of that. The shirt is called "Wrong DROID" and is a parody on the R2-D2 capturing scene by Jawas in Star Wars, but also a "satirical take on the license fees" that Android OEMs pay to the likes of Microsoft, according to its creator. Buy. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY2-4AltJwg[/youtube] Cheers David and Chris!

Galaxy Nexus Wins "Smoked by Windows Phone" Challenge, Microsoft Store Refuses to Acknowledge It (Updated)

Kellen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:50:08 +0000

Since CES, Microsoft has been running a campaign to raise awareness for their Windows Phone lineup called "Smoked by Windows Phone." It is a challenge of sorts that asks you to enter your Android or other phone into a battle with a Windows Phone to see if it can beat it at simple every day tasks. Tasks could be to find directions to a near by 4-star restaurant or snap a picture and upload it to Facebook. Fun, right? Not so much for the owner of a Galaxy Nexus who stopped by his local Microsoft store this weekend to take the challenge. Within the last week, Microsoft upped the bounty for their "Smoked" challenge, offering up a $1000 special edition laptop to those that could beat Windows Phone or the opportunity to trade in your current phone for a Windows Phone should you lose. The owner of Skattertech took his G-Nex in and won, according to his standards, but not so much according to the Microsoft store's standards. What was his test? Once he got to the front of the line of people taking the challenge, he was asked to power down his phone and then back up again to kill off background tasks. Then the task itself was for him to display weather on his phone from 2 different cities faster than the Windows Phone. Since he had disabled his lockscreen and had two widgets on his home screen showing weather in 2 different cities, all it took was the press of a button and he was done. The Windows Phone user on the other hand had to swipe away a lock screen, causing her to be a split second later than our friend with the Nexus. So he won? Nope. He was told that he lost because the Windows Phone “displays the weather right there," which I'm not even sure is an actual reason. A manager came over after a handful of questions from our Android friend and was told that he lost because he needed to display weather from 2 different cities in 2 different states, something that he claims was not made clear up front. He was never given his prize. Update: Microsoft is doing the right thing now. Ben Rudolph, who runs the challenge in the video below, announced on Twitter that they will indeed award Skattertech with the $1000 laptop and a Windows Phone. Here is an example of the challenge: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj-MMBtvW4E[/youtube] Via: Skattertech, reddit Cheers Robb, Ashot, and everyone else!

Here are the Changes and Features Coming Soon to Draw Something

Kellen — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:25:13 +0000

If you have downloaded Draw Something to your Android device and used it in any form, you should have received an email from OMGPOP, laying out the futures that are to come within the next couple of updates. As any overnight sensation goes, attempting to keep up with the growing number of users and requested features is not always easy. Thanks to hard work (and probably the purchase of them by Zynga), things are happening much quicker than most probably expected. An already addictive game is going to get that much better in the very near future. Here is the full list of new goodies:

Sharing drawings on Twitter and Facebook
Save drawings to your devices' photo library
Notifications for Android devices
Increase of the max streak from 99 to 999 (you guys are rocking it!)
Pull down to refresh game status
UNDO button for your last brush stroke
Even better performance
More words
And a slew of other fixes and tweaks

They also plan to fix these bugs in particular:

Coins, colors, and bombs not displaying (If you don't see them right now, don't worry, your stuff is safe!)
Games crashing or getting a black screen
Bugs that prevent you from completing your turn

Oh, and the ability to chat is coming soon as well. +1.

Instagram Opens Android Sign-Ups, Be the First in Line

Kellen — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:08:00 +0000

If taking pictures and then acting like a legitimate photographer by splashing filters across them is your thing, be sure to sign-up for Instagram on Android. We still do not know the exact date for release, but the makers of one of the most popular iOS apps of all time have told us that it is coming "soon" and could be better on our favorite platform than the other. Have you changed your mind on Instagram? Our poll has left us feeling that Android enthusiasts aren't all that excited about hipster filters. Sign-up.

Another New Motorola RAZR-esque Device Surfaces in China

Kellen — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:25:53 +0000

While this device remains a complete mystery, one thing is certain, Motorola is going to play out this RAZR styling of phones until the end. In the latest leak of a Moto product out of China, we have a device that looks somewhat similar to the DROID Fighter we saw last weekend, only it's missing branding, appears to have hardware soft keys and one of the bigger chins in recent history. The Mfunz and Phone HK threads that they were posted in mention the word "Blade" as a potential name. It's tough to tell if that was a Google translation from "razr" or is actually the name. After "RAZR," the name "Blade" would certainly fit the scheme of things, especially with such similar styling. So on the front we have what appears to be a massive screen and camera. It does look like there is room for hardware soft keys though, rather than the on-screen versions we believe we see on the Fighter. The back side contains the kevlar covering that has become standard, however, it runs almost edge-to-edge unlike the current RAZR models. The rear camera is "HD" and could be 13MP, like similar HD devices from Motorola in China. From the side, this phone appears to be about as thick as the RAZR MAXX, so it's probably safe to assume it packs a similar 3300mAh battery inside. Thoughts?

Cheers Antony!

LG Spectrum Review - Verizon

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:30:27 +0000

Our LG Spectrum review, almost 3 months in the making. Why the delay? Was the device so good that we couldn't bring ourselves to give it up? Or was it that bad that we couldn't force ourselves to use it enough to put together a full review? If I told you up front, that would ruin the magical anticipation that is built when I attempt to leave you hanging with some fun line like, "We will find out after the break!" With that said, jump past the break to find out.

The Good:

Specs: With its 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 4.5" HD display, 8MP shooter, 4G LTE capabilities, and decent sized battery, the Spectrum should be considered a "top tier" phone. LG wanted to make a splash with a high end phone on Big Red and they have done that here, at least on paper. The specs match up to the HTC Rezound, DROID RAZR and Galaxy Nexus for the most part, yet the price falls below 2 of the 3.
Display: At 329ppi, the Spectrum's 4.5" HD display is nothing short of beautiful. As you will see in the macro shot below, this is one of the better LCD screens on the market, rivaled only by the Rezound and maybe the iPhone. The IPS displays that LG is using on almost all of their phones now should be seen by all tech obsessed consumers. When compared to the Galaxy Nexus, I found the Spectrum to have far brighter whites and overall crisper view of just about everything. This is obviously a personal take after comparing the two side-by-side.

Price: At $199 on 2-year contract, this phone is priced well. Most 4G LTE phones from Verizon with these kinds of specs start at $249 and go up from there. Got to give it up to whoever made the decision to undercut everyone else on this one.
Cameras: The cameras aren't anything to write home about, but they also won't disappoint. In the few photos I snapped, I wasn't disappointed nor was I overly impressed. The Spectrum has a good enough 8MP shooter on the back and an upgraded 1.3MP camera in the front for video chatting. Both will get the job done while also not embarrassing you should you decide to share your photo adventures with friends.

Weight: This phone is incredibly light. It feels amazing in hand as long as you try to ignore the cheap plastic materials that got it to this point. Heavy phones were once unavoidable, so I'm glad that companies have realized that tanks only belong on battlefields and not in your pocket or hand. LG did a nice job at packing in top tier specs while keeping the phone in the slim and manageable category.
Battery: We have written about this more than a dozen times, but the current crop of 4G LTE radios are going to kill batteries at feverish rates. Companies like LG have realized this and started trying to pack in as big of a battery as they can into new handsets. The Spectrum boasts an 1830mAh battery that should come close to getting you through at least a work day. It won't take you into 2 or 3 days like the DROID RAZR MAXX, but very few phones will. In our battery tests, even with the massive 4.5" HD screen, this phone was on par with the Galaxy Nexus and Rezounds of the world.

4G LTE: Since Verizon has decided to not accept anymore non-4G LTE phones onto their network, we can probably stop giving props to phones that have it. Well, maybe not until other carriers finally roll out real LTE networks in more than 12 markets. Since Verizon is covering the U.S. faster than most of you can type "long term evolution" it's definitely a selling point. Big Red's LTE network is awesome (assuming it isn't down for today) and the Spectrum takes full advantage of it with its HD screen and exclusive HD content, like ESPN's Scorecenter.
HD Content: Speaking of that exclusive HD content, it wouldn't be fair to the Spectrum if we didn't mention it specifically in its own bullet point. Watching full 720p HD ESPN highlights on this 4.5" display is wonderful. And since no other phone currently has access to it but the Spectrum, you have to give it a +1.
Gaming: With its dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM and big 4.5" HD display, gaming on the Spectrum is a bonus. As devices have grown in size, playing games on them should be more fun, right? At 4.5", this is creeping towards being a mini tablet, but gaming on tablets has replaced most handheld gaming devices, so that's not a negative. Fruit Ninja with multiplayer, the new Angry Birds Space, and your other favorite titles will all look amazing on this phone.

The Not-so-Good:

LG's Custom UI: I'm not sure what they are calling it these days, but LG's custom skin that has been slapped on top of Android has become the king of spam and unnecessary bloat. It's slow, it looks like a cartoon, and will frustrate you should be forced to use it. The dock isn't customizable at all and the app drawer's layouts make no sense. Thankfully, LG appears to have ditched this version of their skin on their next line of phones that includes the Optimus 4X HD in favor of a much more simplified and stock-looking UI. If you do buy this phone though, you will want to install a 3rd party launcher immediately.
Build: During my unboxing, I compared the build of this phone to the DROID Charge and still can't think of a better way to describe it. The plastic back piece feels just like the one on the Charge, and that's not a good thing. I don't know that I'm ready to go as far as to call it "cheap," but it is close. After using the phone on and off for a month or so, I already managed to scuff the battery cover by simply pulling it in and out of pockets. That is not a good sign for a phone that is meant to last you 2 years. I love how light the phone is, but am not a fan of the products used to make it feel this way.
Performance: It's tough to tell if the UI or something mixed into the hardware is to blame, but this phone lags like none other. And not only that, but screen presses almost always take a second or third press to make something happen. What I mean, is that if you press an icon or swipe down the notification bar, rarely does anything happen on the first press. It takes another swipe or two to get some of these basic smartphone actions to activate. Talk about frustrating on a phone that has one of the biggest and most beautiful touch displays around.
Gingerbread: The phone was released in January, so it would have been difficult for LG to put Ice Cream Sandwich on it at launch. However, it's now March and there hasn't been a peep from the company as to when this phone might see that update to Android 4.0. We are sure it will happen, but it could be a while as LG is focused on promoting their next line of phones already, that just so happen to run ICS.
Bloatware: Since LG's custom UI groups apps in the oddest fashion, our bloatware count was super easy this time around. The Spectrum has 16 pre-installed "Verizon" apps and another 4 or 5 apps that you wouldn't find on a stock device, bringing the total to over 20. SMH.

Unboxing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGk8KEQgUg0[/youtube]

HD ESPN Content:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJoVwZP_yiI[/youtube]

Gallery:

The Verdict:

If we go back to our opening paragraph, we should probably give you an answer as to why this took me almost 3 months to complete. Was it because the device was so awesome that I didn't want to have to give it up or was it so painful that I struggled to find the time to actually review it? Unfortunately for the Spectrum, it had to do with the frustrations I continued to run into while using it. After carrying the device around as my daily driver for about 4 or 5 days in January, I quickly became frustrated and had to put it down for a bit before coming back to fully review it. The UI on here - if I didn't make this clear enough already - is the worst in the Android game. For a device that wants you to "ooh" and "aww" over its screen, then pressing on that screen should work the first time. Swiping, pressing icons, and any sort of touchscreen movement on the Spectrum rarely works on the first try because of this awful custom skin. The phone also hated my Google Voice or contacts from Gmail for some reason, as it rarely showed the person's name during an incoming call. It also managed to pull in contacts from all of my Gmail accounts even though I told it to stick to just one of them. It's filled with bugs and lag on the software front that could potentially be addressed through an update, however, LG hasn't had the best track record when it comes to making those happen in a timely fashion. It's not all bad for the Spectrum though. In fact, if you read all of the bullet points above, we actually rank most of the aspects of the phone pretty high. The camera is acceptable, LTE is always awesome, the screen is absolutely gorgeous, and the battery life isn't all that shaky. At $199, this phone is at least worth a quick look if you are not quite ready to toss out 3 Benjamins for a smartphone. A third party launcher could rid you of LG's skin for the most part, and if LG does get it together and update this phone to Ice Cream Sandwich quickly enough, it could be a decent player.

LG Spectrum Specs | Other Spectrum Coverage

This Week In The Life Of DROID : 3/23/2012

Tim — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:57:25 +0000

This week has been taken over by device updates, game releases, and rumored images of the Samsung Galaxy SIII. But among all of that, there were a few gems - Google Voice receiving an update for ICS integration, images of the upcoming DROID Fighter, and even a new Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi update to talk about. If you missed any of this week's excitement, feel free to catch up down below.

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Google Looks to Patent Technology that Can Listen to Your Phone Calls and Base Advertisements Upon Them

Tim — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:50:16 +0000

In a recent move by Google, a patent filing was submitted for a new technology that can listen to the background noises of your phone calls and then base advertisements targeted to you according to what their services heard. Umm, what? Who would opt-in for something like that? For example, if you are chatting on the phone with a friend and your dog happens to bark, Google will then serve you an ad having to do with dog training or dog food. It seems like a stretch that people would openly adopt an idea like this, but it exists and Google is looking to make it a reality. We are a long ways away from seeing it implemented most likely, but can anyone give us some ideas on why this would be a bad idea? Go! Update: A reader of ours pointed out that this patent was applied for some 4 years ago. Will we ever see it used? Tough to tell. Not exactly sure why it was brought up all of sudden. Maybe because of the privacy concerns that everyone has with Google and their new privacy policy? Via: BGR

Review: Samsung Galaxy Nexus HDMI Portrait Desktop Dock

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:47:30 +0000

Here it is, the portrait HDMI Desktop Dock for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. After months and months of waiting, a couple of retailers have brought it to our shores for your friends here at DL to poke at. It will run you $60 plus shipping, so the big question you all have is, "Is it worth it?" Let us find out. Before we get started, a brief overview of the dock itself is in store. It's made of really solid plastic in a similar color to the phone itself, has a non-slip rubber grip pad on the bottom, a microUSB port on the back, full HDMI port on the side, and that's pretty much it. It doesn't have space for an additional battery to charge like some docks and there isn't an audio-out cable like on the POGO dock - HDMI and microUSB is it. Overall, the build feels nice and looks as good as the Nexus. Extended battery support? Yessir, the Galaxy Nexus LTE fits perfectly in the dock even with the extended battery attached. What about functionality? This is where things get a little tricky and potentially incredibly disappointing. The dock works wonderfully as a charging mechanism, but the HDMI port and its capabilities are limited. All you can use HDMI-out for on this device, is to watch movies. I'm not kidding. You won't find HDMI mirroring anywhere near this pup, something the instruction manual says as clear as day (photo below). Also, if you plug a microUSB from the dock to your computer, you can't sync files or move things around. They actually recommend that you do not try to charge your phone through the dock and a computer. It's a charging dock that can play videos to your HD device and nothing more. Worth it in the end? Until a developer finds a way to unlock full HDMI mirroring capabilities, the HDMI-out portion is essentially worthless for every day use. Sure, it works well for watching videos that you have recorded on your phone , but how often does one actually do that? And without the ability to sync to a PC, it really is only good for charging. It looks nice and charges well, but at $60, you may want to pass on this one.

Gallery:

Video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugX5ai-V-M0[/youtube]

DROID 2 R2-D2 Update to 4.5.622 is Ready - Security Patches, Bug Fixes and Android 2.3.4 on Board

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:43:15 +0000

Still humming along on Tatooine, the DROID 2 R2-D2 edition has not been forgotten. Verizon and Motorola have both approved an update that will introduce a handful of security patches (likely breaking root), bug fixes, better data connectivity, and update VZ-branded apps. While this device will likely never see Ice Cream Sandwich, at least improvements to its current state are still being issued. After the update, your R2-D2 device will run Android 2.3.4. When support docs like this show up, an update is usually pushed within a week. More info. The update is 12MB in size.

Custom Theme Friday: Nexus Plus for AOKP Build 28 or Rootzboat 8.2

Tim — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:17:53 +0000

Even if we posted a new custom theme for the Galaxy Nexus every day for the remainder of the year, I don't think we would be able to post them all. There is such a strong and passionate developer community surrounding this device that reminds us so much of the good 'ol OG DROID days. The next theme we are spotlighting is Nexus Plus, which will run on top of the Android Open Kang Project's Build 28 ROM or Rootzboat 8.2. Both of which are fantastic ROM choices for Nexus owners. This theme aims to darken, but also colorize certain aspects of the device. It's very pretty and sort of gives off that nice blue glow which Ice Cream Sandwich is best known for. If you are looking to further your Nexus experience, then we recommend trying it out.

You must be on AOKP Build 28 or Rootzboat 8.2 to flash this theme!

Instructions for installing:

Rootzboat 8.2 Theme Zip File | AOKP Build 28 Theme Zip File

Download zip file and place on phone's storage.
Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery and create Nandroid backup.
Locate zip file and install.
Reboot and enjoy!

If you run in to any issues, please don't hesitate to shoot your questions down below. Via: RootzWiki

Facebook Dad aka Tommy Jordan Sells DROID RAZR on eBay for $5100

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:32:06 +0000

Facebook Dad. What a story this turned into. Everyone familiar with it? A guy named Tommy Jordan found a nasty little Facebook message that his 15 year old daughter had posted, which eventually led to him putting 8 bullet holes in her laptop. The message had to do with chores around their house, other teen drama, money and a whole other mess of silliness. It's classic teenage me-against-the-world stuff. The video was called "Facebook Parenting: For the troubled teen" and instantly went viral. The video now stands at over 31 million views. So Mr. Jordan has now taken to eBay to pawn off a bunch of his stuff to help charity and make some money on what is sure to be short-lived fame. One of his items was a DROID RAZR that he ended up selling for $5100. Yep, a $649 phone sold for over $5K. Again, part of that is going to charity, but damn that's a lot of money for a regular ol' 16GB RAZR. If want to watch his now-famous video, we have it below. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ujzRidmU[/youtube] Cheers Nathaniel!

Asus Will Not Settle for Second Best, Looks to be Number One Android Tablet Maker

Tim — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:50:13 +0000

Everyone who has had the opportunity to experience the Transformer Prime, if you are a fan of tablets in the first place, knows that it is an Android tablet that no other can closely compare to. Sure, they all run Android and have a powerful processor, but the Prime couples design and power in a package that can't be found anywhere else in the tablet market. Unless, you buy Apple products. Asus' global VP Xu Youjia, has recently made the claim that his company is not looking to be second best and that Asus is working hard to become the number one company for the best Android tablet devices among competitors such as Samsung, Toshiba, and Motorola:

Asus will not make 'me-too' products. In the tablet field, the goal is to rise to the top of the non-Apple group.

With the rumors of a Google and Asus partnership to bring a Nexus tablet to life this year, their stock is only going up with Android fans and buyers. If the partnership materializes and we actually do see an Asus manufactured Nexus slate, then there is no doubt that Asus will reign supreme in the Android tablet marketplace in the eye's of consumers. Via: The Verge

Kindle for Android Update Includes Assortment of Comics, Children's Books and Graphic Novels

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:00:04 +0000

The Kindle app for Android received a sizable update yesterday that includes a handful of new categories. Children's books, comics and graphic novels are all now a part of the service through your Android device. They also gave you the ability to send documents and files to your Amazon cloud account through "Send-to-Kindle" email addresses, a service that will give you access to them down the road. Play Link

If You had to Choose a Skin for Android, Which would It be?

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:44:04 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BshWjEfXoQQ[/youtube]

This video from the folks at The Verge that is floating around today, is simply put, hilarious. During the clip from their podcast, they interview a guy who goes by the name "Big Poppa Joe" and claims to be the biggest Samsung TouchWiz fan on Earth. Yeah, you may need to read that again. Someone who admits publicly to loving TouchWiz. He may just be a brilliant troll, but if you needed a good laugh as we head into the weekend, this one is worth a watch. With that said, we would love to hear your thoughts on the rest of the OEM skins out there. I'm curious to know which you would choose if there was no other choice but to have a skin. Stock Android is gone for good, which skin would you choose and why? HTC's Sense, Motorola's Blur, Samsung's TouchWiz or something else? As of today, I would go with Blur. While it was complete garbage for a a year or two there, the latest version is not all that bad (assuming you like the color blue). With its built in MotoCast software, semi-customizable launcher, gradually improving camera software, and new lockscreen, it's not half bad. My opinion may quickly change on this once I get my hands on the HTC One X and see Sense 4.0, but until then, as surprising as it may sound, I would go Blur.

Is Your Gmail App Broken? Flickering? Unresponsive?

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:19:40 +0000

Reports across the Android-o-sphere popped up yesterday with frustrated users who were experiencing some sort of Gmail bug. The app (for some) was either flickering, unresponsive to touch, or hanging at the load screen. Google is apparently aware of the issue and has either fixed it already or is in the process of fixing it. It doesn't appear to have affected many DL readers, but we still wanted to let those know that are feeling the Gmail pain that they aren't going crazy and that there isn't much they can do until the fix is pushed. Well, you could set up your Gmail through the regular Mail app if you want, for now. Via: Lifehacker Cheers Jeremy!

Motorola XOOM WiFi Update on the Way, Soak Test About to Begin

Kellen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:56:23 +0000

Owners of the Motorola XOOM WiFi, you will soon receive yet another update. While Ice Cream Sandwich already arrived back in January, this is likely a bug fixer of sorts. There are rumors of Android 4.0.5 being next in line for the Galaxy Nexus, so there is a chance that the XOOM could see it first. After all, it has proven to be much easier to update all of these stock WiFi-only devices than those with actual cell radios in them. As always, let us know the minute you see it.

Cheers A, B, and app tipster!

Here are the Full Specs for Verizon's LG Lucid 4G

Kellen — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:22:42 +0000

The LG Lucid 4G (formerly the Cayman) is one of Verizon's next 4G LTE phones, unfortunately for spec fiends, this one falls in the middle tier. Our sources have pegged this launching as early as next Thursday, March 29, somewhere in the below-$200 range. It will sport a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4" IPS display with Gorilla Glass (800x480), Android 2.3, 1700mAh battery, and 8GB internal storage. Nothing here that will blow your mind - that may not happen until we see the DROID Fighter or if the Galaxy SIII ever comes to Verizon. Specs below.

Cheers ___!

Case Review: Ringke SLIM Extended Case for Galaxy Nexus LTE

Kellen — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:49:23 +0000

The original Ringke SLIM case for the Galaxy Nexus that we reviewed a few weeks back still might be my favorite case to date. Well, until now. The newest version that Rearth USA created for the LTE Galaxy Nexus with an extended battery just surpassed it. At $25.99, you may think the case is expensive, but in the package you will find a screen protector and cleaning cloth, something most case companies make you pay separately for. It's also one of the higher quality cases you'll find that has a leather insert on the inside for protection, along with plugs for your audio and USB ports to keep them safe. And all of that is done in one of the slimmest and most minimal cases on the market. For the extended version I went with matte black and damn is it sexy. It feels great in hand, isn't slippery, and adds just enough sex appeal that I may not take it off for a long time. It's a beautifully made case. Buy.