Android Community |
- Verizon joins AT&T to offer free calling and texting to Japan
- HTC ThunderBolt Accessories in Best Buy Already, Unit Should Have Been Delivered a Month Ago [EXCLUSIVE]
- ScoreLoop encourages iOS defection to Android
- Samsung Infuse 4G gets FCC approval
- HTC, Dell, Acer and Toshiba Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets in June
- Angry Birds Rio for Android exclusive to Amazon Appstore, plus ad-free Angry Birds
- AOL Play Music app hits Android
- Motorola Atrix Ubuntu WebTop gets hands-on treatment
- Cobra Electronics shows off Android iRadar at SXSW
- Motorola XOOM WiFi priced and dated [Updated]
- Samsung Galaxy S II hits the FCC
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Usage for Daily Life [Video]
- Hulu Plus coming to Android 2.2 (Froyo)
| Verizon joins AT&T to offer free calling and texting to Japan Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:48 AM PDT Verizon is doing a really great thing to help customers connect with loved ones in Japan. Joining AT&T, Verizon will be suspending any charges for wireless and landline calls to the land of the rising sun from March 11 to April 20th. Calling card calls , text, and multimedia messages to friends and family will also be free during this period ((if long distance calling fees were charged, credits will be issued in a future bill statement). And Verizon FIOS customers who are not subscribed, are now receiving TV Japan free until March 18th to keep up with all the news coming out of that stricken island nation.
In addition, to make it easier to raise money for relief efforts, Verizon has joined other wireless companies in suspending any fees for sending $10 via text to the following charities:
Verizon is promising that 100% of the donations will do directly to the selected charities, and that the donation charges will be applied to a post paid account’s monthly bill or deducted from prepaid account balances with no additional fees. But here’s an important thing to remember. While it may feel good to text a $10 donation, many organizations won’t get those funds for as long as three months after the customers wireless bills have been paid. So while the money will be invaluable down the road to those relief organizations, users may want to make a direct donation to charity websites for immediate affect. )
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| Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:46 AM PDT A good pal of ours by the name of Alice P decided to take a trip to Best Buy this weekend and have a talk with the people behind the counter about the upcoming Verizon phone of everyone’s LTE dreams. What she found were several things: first, out on the racks all around the mobile area in the store were the Buyers Guides you see in the gallery below. On the front of these guides are no less than the ThunderBolt itself, touting itself as available NOW! What does this mean to us? It means that, as speculated, the HTC ThunderBolt was slated to be delivered to Best Buy by now – they wouldn’t advertise something they didn’t have in stock, right? Then there’s the accessories…
On the racks you’ll see a couple items. One of them is the QUICK CLIP holster case for the ThunderBolt in black. Another is a RocketFish Mobile case for the ThunderBolt, again in black. The attendant told our source Alice that they’d be getting in more cases and at least one skin for the screen in soon. But what about the phone, you ask? Upon requesting information about the HTC ThunderBolt, Alice was informed of the following: “We have no idea when it’ll be here. It was supposed to arrive a month ago, but we’ve heard no updates on when it’ll get here.” Alice informs us that the attendant who spoke with her was one of two workers specializing in the mobile area of the store and that he seemed visually aggravated when she asked about the phone. Alice notes: “he wasn’t mad at me for asking, he was mad that they didn’t have the phone yet. It seemed like he was very annoyed that it wasn’t at the store yet.” Best Buy’s getting’ mad, mang!    )
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| ScoreLoop encourages iOS defection to Android Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:25 AM PDT Social gaming network ScoreLoop is trying to tempt iOS game developers to join the wave and port all their games over to the Android platform. As part of their “Go Android” campaign, ScoreLoop is offering to help iOS gaming developers by providing support free of charge to any developers who wish to port their games over. In addition, ScoreLoop will also provide social gaming tools to make the transition smoother. ScoreLoop also offers features such as Leaderboards, Social challenges, Virtual Currency, and even Friend finding.
As we reported last week, Android app development is beginning to be more lucrative for developers thanks to Android’s larger footprint in the marketplace. With options such as in app purchases, advertising, and ancillary app sales, there’s, developers are finding that Android users are three times more likely to not only buy more, but also to click on ads featured in their apps. So for ScoreLoop to offer support in order to help iOS developers make the transition easier is a cagey strategy, as it will bring traffic to their network as well.     [via Android Guys] )
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| Samsung Infuse 4G gets FCC approval Posted: 14 Mar 2011 09:35 AM PDT The Samsung Infuse 4G has made it’s way through the FCC Approval process with flying colors. Originally dubbed the Stealth V (seriously, who comes up with these names?) the FCC has certified the Infuse for AT&Ts 850/1900Mhz bands. The Infuse received Bluetooth certification last December and is also cleared for use with GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA and HDPA. AT&T has already started marketing the Infuse as part of their 4G lineup, which includes the Motorola Atrix 4G and the HTC Inspire 4G.
As we saw at CES last January, the Infuse 4G is based on the Samsung Galaxy S design, with a huge 4.5″ Super AMOLED plus multi touch screen, 1.2 Ghz Hummingbird processor, and an 8MP rear facing camera (along with a paltry 1.3MP front facing camera for video chat). With two cameras and a huge screen, it’s amazing that the Infuse packs all that into what AT&T calls the thinnest device they’ve ever carried. But even though AT&T is boosting their 4G lineup with a series of impressive handsets, are they cutting off their nose to spite their face? Users have complained recently that AT&T has been throttling the Atrix’s 4G upload speeds, while AT&T has responded by implying that the HSPA+ and LTE option isn’t even turned on yet. Now this may only be solely confined to the Motrola Atrix, with other 4G phones having already been cleared. But will users be wary in diving into a 4G phone until AT&T has actively begin supporting what their marketing materials have been touting?    [via Pocket Now] )
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| HTC, Dell, Acer and Toshiba Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets in June Posted: 14 Mar 2011 07:59 AM PDT Dates and prices for a bevy of new Android tablets have been leaked from an unnamed US retailer. PreCentral is only really interested in the HP Touchpad and a new 7-inch webOS tablet, the HP Opal, but also in the line-up are 10-inch slates from HTC, Dell, Acer and Toshiba, all due in June 2011.
There’s also a 7-inch Acer running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and expected to launch in April for $399. The remainder get Android 3.0 Honeycomb, with the HTC unpriced but Dell’s 10-inch model expected to be $499, Acer’s to be $449 and Toshiba’s to be $499. The two Acer models are likely to be the Iconia Tab A100 and Iconia Tab A500, which we played with back at MWC 2011 in February. HTC has been tipped to be readying a 10-inch model for some time now, launching with Honeycomb out of the gate rather than Gingerbread like the HTC Flyer. [via SlashGear] )
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| Angry Birds Rio for Android exclusive to Amazon Appstore, plus ad-free Angry Birds Posted: 14 Mar 2011 07:09 AM PDT If Google thought Amazon was playing safe with its Amazon Appstore plans then it has a nasty wake-up call this morning. Rovio has announced that it will dump GetJar and throw in with the new Amazon download service for its new Angry Birds Rio for Android game.
Amazon’s Appstore will be the exclusive place to get Angry Birds Rio, while Rovio will also offer ad-free versions of Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons for Android, again exclusively through Amazon’s system. Angry Birds Rio for Android will be available at amazon.com/angrybirds. It will come with 60 levels, with more on offer via in-app purchases. Press Release: )
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| AOL Play Music app hits Android Posted: 14 Mar 2011 06:12 AM PDT If you are a big music fan AOL has launched a new music app for Android users called Play. The app is free and is designed to help you find new music and listen to songs that you like and share those songs with others. AOL describes the app as a sort of music social network.
The user can share songs and post music status updates from the smartphone with album art and comments from friends. The app offers content from AOL Music with free songs from the Spinner MP3 of the Day selection. Users can also stream new releases in full length each week ahead of the AOL CD listening party. Other features of the app include live video streaming direct form SXSW with footage of pop-up shows and the SXSW Official Showcase. The app is on the Android Market right now for download. [via Spinner] )
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| Motorola Atrix Ubuntu WebTop gets hands-on treatment Posted: 14 Mar 2011 06:04 AM PDT The geeks over at Ars Technica have got hands on a Motorola Atrix smartphone along with the netbook style dock and spent some time playing with the little device. This time rather than focusing on the hardware that goes along with the Atrix and its dock, they focused on the software running the show.
Ars notes right off the bat that screen shots are impossible with the system without rooting the device. As soon as the Atrix is plugged into the dock the Ubuntu desktop fires up. It has Firefox and is an Avant Window Navigator based system. Other components are said to be adapted from GNOME desktop. The browser onboard in Firefox 3.6, which is said to work just as expected. One of the more important features is Mobile View and it is a direct interface on the dock screen to the Android OS on the phone. That allows the user to interact with the phone using the trackpad and keyboard. The hands-on with the software is detailed and you can hit the source below to see more. In the end Ars says the system is compelling, but still very limited. [via Ars Technica] )
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| Cobra Electronics shows off Android iRadar at SXSW Posted: 14 Mar 2011 05:54 AM PDT Cobra Electronics first announced its iRadar was being extended to the Android platform in 2011 back in November. At the time, the company offered up no images and no hard details on the new offering. At SXSW Cobra Electronics is on hand at the gdgt Live event and it is showing off the iRadar system for Android.
Some pics of the system have surfaced along with the SXSW show and it unsurprisingly looks a lot like the iPhone versions. The Cobra iRadar for Android will launch in April. It uses Bluetooth to send the alerts from the radar detector to the Android app that goes along with the system. It detects both radar and laser and has the ability to alert the driver to photo enforcement locations with Aura. The aura database is updated constantly for the locations of speed and red light cameras. )
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| Motorola XOOM WiFi priced and dated [Updated] Posted: 14 Mar 2011 01:56 AM PDT Motorola’s WiFi-only XOOM will apparently launch on March 27, according to a Staples flyer, offering a 3G-free and cheaper version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. Spotted by Droid Life, the flyer tips a $599.98 price tag for the XOOM WiFi, more expensive than we saw it listed at Sam’s Club earlier in the month.
It’s the same price as Verizon is asking for the 3G-enabled XOOM on contract, which will tie you into a two-year data plan agreement. The XOOM 3G is available contract-free, but that’s priced at $799.99 – a full $200 more than the WiFi-only version. Without 3G you lose the flexibility of anywhere connectivity – plus the promise of a 4G upgrade later in 2011 – but for primarily home users of the tablet we imagine that’s an acceptable compromise. Interestingly, the image of the XOOM used in the Staples flyer appears to be of the silver-backed version, thought to be a European exclusive. It’s possible Staples merely used the wrong graphic in their promo, however. Update: According to developer Al Sutton‘s sources at DSG in the UK, the XOOM WiFi is expected in UK stores on April 9 2011. )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II hits the FCC Posted: 13 Mar 2011 08:36 PM PDT Looks like Samsung has just sent over the Galaxy S II to the FCC. If you haven’t seen much about this phone you should most definitely look over a few of our hands on. It is a beautiful phone that is sure to make a huge splash in the Android phone market. Looks like today it hit the FCC with some AT&T 3G bands.
The Samsung Galaxy S II was announced at MWC2011 last month in Spain, but we heard little bits and pieced about it before the main event. For those that want to know more, just as I promised above here is a few of our hands on posts for you to learn about and enjoy. Here is the first Galaxy S II Hands-On, and here is the ultimate preview of the S II. Samsung’s powerhouse device known as the GT-I9100, won FCC approval for GSM 850 and 1900 bands, WCDMA bands II and V, Bluetooth, and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. We don’t have any firm news about a release date or who will get it first, as all the big carries got the first Galaxy S Phone. This FCC approval makes us think it will be coming sooner than later, and those hints look to be AT&T getting the first bite of the new Samsung Super AMOLED + packing device. [via Wireless Goodness] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Usage for Daily Life [Video] Posted: 13 Mar 2011 08:15 PM PDT Looks like Samsung is back at it again. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is caught on video for a loaded feature presentation of about 12 minutes. Detailing just about everything possible with this Galaxy Tab. The good guys at AndroidHD were lucky enough to get the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for an entire day to bring you this beautiful HD video.
AndroidHD is known for releasing top quality HD video’s of all things Android. They take the lovely Tab 10.1 around all day and test just about every feature possible. From video chat, to movie watching, some Angry Birds, Google Maps, and more. You name it they’ve got it in this video. They neatly outline all the specs of the device and show everything in action working beautifully, as most things do with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Check out the video below. If that feature complete HD video wasn’t enough for any of you readers please feel free to check out our very own Tab 10.1 Hands-On to get another perspective. Or another hands on and Tab 7 comparison video here. That is about it for us folks. I hope you enjoyed the video as much as we did, although I couldn’t help it but think of a 50 Cent song with the background music and glock reload sounds. [via AndroidHD YouTube] )
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| Hulu Plus coming to Android 2.2 (Froyo) Posted: 13 Mar 2011 02:28 PM PDT Hulu has quietly leaked on their website that their popular subscription streaming TV service will join it’s trifecta of Apple platforms with Android access to select OS 2.2 (Froyo) phones. There’s no word on which specific handsets are supported, and frankly, does it really matter? If the phone runs Froyo, why should it matter? Well, it may be that the term “select” is to insulate Hulu from the root community out there which is placing Froyo and other Android OS flavors on older handsets.
The online TV and Video service carries a wide variety of first run and classic episodes of TV shows, often the day after they premiere on ABC, NBC, Fox and others. They also carry a wide selection of older movies. The service is obviously designed to go head to head with Netflix, which began offering streaming options back in 2009. And last November, they began offering access to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch through their Hulu+ App. Originally created with free membership and the occasional commercial spot, Hulu developed Hulu+ as a way charge for premium content and also to keep Hollywood happy because, let’s face it, they give nothing away for free. The Hulu service is $7.99 a month and there’s a free one week trial. No word on when the service will be available on Android, but the fact that they’ve added an Android category with “coming soon” on it is certainly a good sign. But sadly, only in the US. [via EMobile] )
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