Android Community |
- Android Sculpture Dropped on Car, Smokes in Amsterdam
- HTC Flyer Available for Pre-Order at Clove, Coming April
- HTC Shooter Leaked via GLBenchmark, May be Dual-Core EVO 3D
- Sony Attempts Hiring Koush, Gets Faced
- Motorola XOOM Wifi Release Schedule Detailed in Full
- Android Community TeleNav Giveaway!
- Android app for military drone control in the works
- Google TV update brings no Android Market
- Netflix for Android APK screenshots surface [Now with 100% more XOOM!]
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 gets brief video tease
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and other Honeycomb tablets leak on Staples roadmap
- Droid Incredible 2 Full Dump
- Netflix for Android found in LG Revolution Dump
- Facebook v.1.5.2 Released for Android
- Who has the fastest data network ends being not so easy a question
- WiFi Xoom Tablet $599 preorder at B&H
- HTC Thunderbolt $199 with contract from Wirefly
| Android Sculpture Dropped on Car, Smokes in Amsterdam Posted: 16 Mar 2011 10:59 AM PDT Apparently we arrived a few weeks too early! It seems as though Amsterdam is about to be completely invaded by Android smartphone, a gigantic green Android smashing a lovely gray car leading the way for an “Android Week” at Dutch phone retailer “Phone House.” This particular incident took place on Torensluis right next to the Multatuli statue – if you live there, you know exactly what that means. Now if only the could get it to get out of the car and continue smashing additional vehicles.
Now one must also wonder what they plan on doing with this humungous addition to the world of Android-related sculpture. It appears to be generally equivalent in size to the Android sitting on the lawn in front of Google’s Building 44. To peek at the rest of the statues Google officially has gracing their house, take a peek at the [Sculpture Portal] – one for each version -hooray! In addition to this giant robot drop, The Phone House did a survey on an undisclosed number of Dutch phone users finding some interesting statistics. You wont find these numbers anywhere else, especially not in the USA: iPhone (21%), Windows Mobile (17%), BlackBerry (16%), Symbian (13%), and Android at a whopping 34%. So fresh! Of course, this is all very cool until you realize the amount of people standing around the area in the video. Not so much! [thanks for the tip, Carl! via Planet Android] )
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| HTC Flyer Available for Pre-Order at Clove, Coming April Posted: 16 Mar 2011 10:05 AM PDT All of you looking forward to the lovely bright and cool HTC Flyer Android tablet coming soon to a single hand near you can rejoice and be happy, Clove in the UK is currently taking pre-orders. They note that the device will be “landing” mid-April, but that they don’t yet have a final price. Because of this, they note that prices will be adjusted before the devices are shipped out to those who ordered them early. This is the first tablet to be released by HTC, and it’s essentially made for writing on with a stylus. Will it grab gold? We sure as heck hope so, the thing is gorgeous!
Clove is a handy website that also publishes things like comparison articles when they have or will have an item for sale. In their notes on the pros and cons of the HTC Flyer, they say this tablet will be being released with Android 2.4, an operating system they say will essentially be “the Honeycomb operating system that will be used for smartphones.” We’ve heard quite a different story as far as this goes, something along the lines of HTC wanting to get the tablet out the door as fast as possible, and therefor going with Android 2.4, soon to be followed up by Android 3.0 covered by Sense UI. Inside for sure though you’ll be finding a 1.5GHZ processor, a 7-inch screen similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the BlackBerry PlayBook, and it’ll have a super cool “Magic Pen” stylus. This, incase you’ve never encountered such a thing, is essentially a pen that’s able to interact with the screen in a way that makes it close enough to the real thing that you’ll feel like you’re writing on paper. Will this be a resurrection of this functionality, of sorts? We’ll let you know when we hold one. [via Clove] )
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| HTC Shooter Leaked via GLBenchmark, May be Dual-Core EVO 3D Posted: 16 Mar 2011 09:39 AM PDT First lets get out the way with what the EVO 3D is – last we heard of it, it was earlier this month and a couple of rather interesting coincidences pointed directly at a phone by that name being released on Sprint, quite possibly to be revealed officially at CTIA 2011, which incidentally, we will be at with bells on. So what are we looking at today? The lovely GLBenchmark, a place where people can self-report statistics they’ve retrieved using their GLBenchmark app, has just racked up a brand new device without he name HTC Shooter, and the folks at “Blog of Mobile” have decided that it’s probably just the 3D phone we’re looking for.
This phone, if the report is correct, will have a 960 x 540 pixel resolution qHD display of unknown dimensions and is currently being tested running Android 2.3.2 Gingerbread. This device, now also known as model number PG86100, is running an Adreno 220 GPU, and again, as Blog of Mobile notes, based on wireless standard and timing of the release, will feature a 1.2GHz dual-core MSM8660 Snapdragon. That’s quite the intuition! Our question is – will it resemble the rest of the HTC team coming out this spring, and will it be a re-branded version of one of the phones we saw in Barcelona? Either way, it’s an HTC phone, and we’re pretty pumped up. See you at CTIA for the real answers. [via PocketNow] )
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| Sony Attempts Hiring Koush, Gets Faced Posted: 16 Mar 2011 08:43 AM PDT Sony has been clicking around these internets quite a bit lately it appears, having a look for underground or otherwise simply undeniably talented developers to hire for their R&D team. One of the people they found most recently was Android OS hacker Koushik Dutta (aka Koush.) – if you do not know, Koush is an acclaimed fellow, having been posted about thousands of times across the web, most recently here on Android Community for his efforts in rooting the Motorola XOOM. Upon trying to recruit KD to their team, Sony received a rather pointed reply.
What the above letter says, (and you can view this again in the gallery below,) is the following: From a recruiter at Sony:
Koush, in reply:
Oh man, Sony you just got told. We’re living in a rather futuristic community now where a move like harming Geohot will ripple through the ranks of all developers and hackers (those two titles which are often synonymous), causing untold damage. This is a great example of the future in which online communities will be stronger than neighborhood communities or one day countries made by physical boundaries. All of this said, there has been an important note made by Koush over on a Reddit thread with just the email image you see above and below:
GG Koush, gg.  [via Gadgets DNA] )
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| Motorola XOOM Wifi Release Schedule Detailed in Full Posted: 16 Mar 2011 06:58 AM PDT The ever-so-lovely tablet of all Android users’ dreams will soon be coming to their favorite retailers’ doorsteps in bulk. You’ll be able to purchase this fabulous tablet at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam’s Club (select locations), Staples, and Walmart, all of them getting the 10.1-inch widescreen tablet for $599 MSRP. The initial rollout of this tablet will be March 27th, 2011. Get your hundreds out!
This of course is in addition to regional retailers and commercial IT channels via what Motorola notes is a distribution agreement with Synnex Corporation, as well as regional carriers through Brightpoint, Incorporated. Basically this tablet will be available wherever you happen to be looking for it. Every corner store and outlet for tech will have a whole stack of them waiting for you to pick up, and they’ll be glad to bring you into the new tablet world for around $600. Should you go out and spend such an amount for a tablet you know nothing about? Of course not! Lucky for you, we’ve got one on hand and would be glad to let you know all about it. First head back to our BIG Motorola XOOM Review, then go forth to our even more gigantic Motorola XOOM and Honeycomb Review [ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED] – it’s a goodie! Finally, check out our [Motorola XOOM Portal] for everything we’ve got, including some rather fabulous app reviews for your pleasure! )
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| Android Community TeleNav Giveaway! Posted: 16 Mar 2011 06:37 AM PDT Hey there everybody, it’s time for a big fat giveaway! We’ve had a call from TeleNav, our good pals navigating the entirety of the United States, and they’ve told us that they want to give YOU a full one-year subscription to TeleNav GPS Navigation [or alternative partner branded version] in celebration of their system working via AT&T Navigator [in a brand new version, 2.2] on the Motorola ATRIX – you can see a fabulous video of that below. Now what about this contest? How do I enter? And more importantly – how do I WIN?!
First, here’s the video of TeleNav working on the ATRIX. If you’d like more info on how to update your phone to the newest version of AT&T Navigator, head over to the original TeleNav Blog Post. Then, down to business. We’ve got three one-year subscriptions to TeleNav GPS Nav (or alternative partner branded version) to give away to you. Of course you can only win once, and we definitely want you to have a device that’s able to handle the prize. Therefor we’re going with our most excellent PROOF model contest rules. Do the following and you are INSTANTLY entered: 1. Go to TeleNav’s Facebook Page and click the LIKE button. *Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are of course assuming you don’t already “like” or “follow” us and Telenav – if you do, we love you! No need to double-hit! And there you go! We’ll be checking the winners (picked randomly via my magic contest hat) and verifying that these winners have indeed fulfilled all of the requirements needed to have accurately entered the contest. You can enter as many times as you like, but only one of your entries will be put in the hat. Android Community reserves the right to refuse any entry or winner for any reason whatsoever, not limited to items such as the entry being submitted by someone who isn’t eligible because of in-family connections. **Now, I suppose you might be wondering if your device is even on the list of devices that work with TeleNav in the first place. Let’s have a look! To see if your device, and therefor your entry, is valid for TeleNav and the contest, head over to the following link and see if you can find your device listed: http://www.telenav.com/products/tn/devices/ *NOTE: Verizon is not eligible for this contest, sorry! Now get out there and start entering! Tell all your friends! Get TeleNav and freak out because it’s super amazing and helps you get around! )
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| Android app for military drone control in the works Posted: 16 Mar 2011 06:28 AM PDT Generally I expect technology that is invented for the military to eventually trickle down to the civilian world where we can get our hands on it in stores. Today a lot of the time consumer technology trickles to the military for use for things that the designers probably never thought about. The US military is reportedly getting an app for Android tablets and iPads from a company called Harris and other firms.
Harris is a contractor with the Pentagon that develops apps. The app the company is working on will allow a solider on the ground to use a cheap consumer Android tablet to control the camera on a drone flying overhead using gestures. The idea is that the cheap computers can be fielded easily and allow the solider to find where enemy soldiers are and scout for weapons without having to resort to checking on foot where they might be attacked. Another app will tell a solider what fighting and bombings have taken place where they are on the battlefield. [via Computerworld] )
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| Google TV update brings no Android Market Posted: 16 Mar 2011 06:20 AM PDT You remember when I mentioned a few weeks back that Google TV was set to get an update “soon” that would bring with it access to the Android Market? I admit I was excited about that update landing so you can play games on the thing and get access to apps and more. The latest update is here.
The new update has started rolling out for Google TV and Google saw fit to not include Android Market access. The new update brings the Google TV software to v1.3 and adds in some new stuff, but none of it is really that exciting. The update allows for better WMA audio file support in the media player. It also integrates Netflix and CNBC Real Time integration with more verve. You get smoother song transitions in Pandora and Sony devices get support for Music Unlimited in Qriocity. The update also adds support for more discs to the Blu-ray player it’s embedded in. [via Phandroid] )
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| Netflix for Android APK screenshots surface [Now with 100% more XOOM!] Posted: 16 Mar 2011 04:04 AM PDT Yesterday we mentioned that the Netflix for Android APK had been spied in a dump for the LG Revolution. At the time we didn't have any screenshots of the Android app to go along with the post. Of course since then we couldn’t possibly wait to see how the app looked and felt on our lovely ginormous Motorola XOOM, so here’s what we’ve got!
We also have reports of some uses installing the APK on their Android device. For instance Will at Android Police [see below] has installed the APK on his EVO and it seemed to work just fine until he tried to stream a flick and then it didn't work. So far there has been no official notification with proof that anyone has been able to get the app to actually stream anything.
One user on Twitter claims to have got the app to work fine on a Fascinate. Who knows if that is accurate or just a troll trying to get some attention though. All I know is that Netflix rocks and we can all agree it’s one of the apps that many geeks want most on their Android devices. EDIT: Take a peek below for the rest of the images we’ve snapped from the XOOM. The app currently allows us to log in to our Netflix account and even browse our listed items, suggested items, and so forth, but no menus work, the search function doesn’t work, and you certainly can’t watch videos. If you’ve gotten this app to work in any capacity on any device, please let us know below or in the thread we’ve got listing the APK!           )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 gets brief video tease Posted: 16 Mar 2011 02:46 AM PDT A new video teaser for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 has emerged, giving a brief glimpse of the new slate. Believed to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the tablet is only shown momentarily, but that’s enough to confirm the rear-facing camera with flash.
As for talk that it would be slimmer than the iPad 2, that’s tricky to ascertain. The slate certainly looks relatively bulky in the screenshot above, and the headphone jack looks a little different (you can see it in the gallery below) to what we saw on the last teaser. Still, we won’t know for sure until CTIA 2011 later in the month, where the slate is expected to make its official debut. Check out a third image in the gallery below (with a little level tweaking), showing the vague glimpse of what could be a custom UI.    [via Geekword] )
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and other Honeycomb tablets leak on Staples roadmap Posted: 16 Mar 2011 02:28 AM PDT What appears to be an updated version of the leaked tablet roadmap document spotted earlier in the week has emerged, this time attributed to retailer Staples. Though no longer showing pricing information, the document passed to DroidLife adds in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 expected to launch at CTIA 2011 later this month.
There’s also a lot less detail in the release dates this time around. That could well be a response to the iPad 2; several manufacturers are believed to have tweaked their launch schedules as a result of the second-generation Apple tablet. Still, the 10-inch HTC Honeycomb slate and models from Dell, Acer and Toshiba are all present. They were originally pegged for a June 2011 launch, though that may well have changed. [via Engadget] )
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| Posted: 15 Mar 2011 03:52 PM PDT Hooray! It’s just dump day here on Android Community. It appears that a friend of ours from the forum by the name of romaddict has just posted no less than a full dump of the Droid Incredible 2 Android smartphone. Incase you are unaware, this is the phone that was basically just identified as being about to run on Verizon with a lovely logo. It looks rather similar to the HTC Incredible S, and it’s chock full of goodies. Would you like a sampling? Let’s have a look!
The image above is the HTC Incredible S, essentially the same.
If you’re disinterested in what we’ve found inside and would like to skip right over to downloading the file, head to [the discussion forums] to find the files as hosted by romaddict on multiupload. You gonna love it! NOTE: it appears that TalkAndroid has also had a look at this set of files, assuming it’s the same, and we’re pretty sure it IS the same, since that’s how these things go, so lets recreate what they’ve got and compare notes, in a sort of way: Sense 2.1 with landscape previews, DNLA, VZW_Golf game, No Bing, CityID, Wifi_Router [app], Skype_mobile.1.6.0.7.live.apk, Blockbuster app, and as they note, no Netflix. This last note is more than likely up because there’s been rumors that an Android Netflix app’s been on the way for some time now. In fact it looks like it’s here before anyone really thought it would arrive. Have a look and find the rest of the goodies! )
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| Netflix for Android found in LG Revolution Dump Posted: 15 Mar 2011 03:20 PM PDT Oh my goodness how big a piece of news an app can become when its been held back from a platform. Netflix is a big deal. I mean a really big deal. Some people (myself included) use Netflix instead of a TV. I can’t have Netflix on my Android? That’s terrible! But wait, they’ve discovered a Netflix app inside a system dump of the LG Revolution? Well now lets have a look at it!
This is another phone along the gigantic screen, small border lines, this and the HTC ThunderBolt and the HTC Inspire 4G and everything, but this one’s not out yet, obviously, and it’s on LG. It’s very obviously being marketed towards those who are very screen-centric and looking for a little video and video games action. At the moment it appears that it’ll be launching with Android 2.2.2 Froyo, but by the time it’s launched, all of that might change. Take a download of the full system dump or just the Netflix.apk Last time we saw the LG Revolution, it was back at CES 2011 where we got a hands-on with the lovely beast and gave it a once-over. Now we’re just as pumped up to grab it, especially if it’s coming stocked with an app that’ll bring us our war documentaries like we’d been waiting for. We’re currently testing out the APK on several devices and will let you know how it goes soon. – NOTE: We’ve tried the APK out on the XOOM and it’s partially functional!           [via Android Spin] )
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| Facebook v.1.5.2 Released for Android Posted: 15 Mar 2011 02:07 PM PDT There’s a new OG Facebook in town, and it’s got a list of revisions about 6 pins long. Oh what’s that, you didn’t even know there was a v1.5.1? We’ll lets talk about that one too, but first lets go through the newest list for your pleasure. The first new thing added to this Facebook app for Android is the ability to upload images to friends walls. Too long have we lived without the ability to do such a thing! Then there’s the new ability to upload photos to Groups. Hooray forever!
Then there’s the feature I personally have been waiting for for many moons: Photos will always upload with the correct orientation. Then there’s some silly stuff like Improvements to landscape mode and Improved security using SSL. And of course the classic Various bug fixes. You can download this version right this second [from the Android marketplace,] or you can go to the Android Marketplace to your apps and update this version of Facebook with a single click.
Then there’s v1.5.1. This was a rather large update, bringing Facebook for Android “Deals,” “Chat,” and Push notifications. Goodness gracious how did we ever get along without those things in our lives?! Of course the Push notifications only came with Android devices running Froyo and forward. Now I want to thank the person who send us this update – none other than our main forum homie, Simms22! You can check out all the hot forum action over in our discussion forums [right here] if you want to see more of Simms. )
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| Who has the fastest data network ends being not so easy a question Posted: 15 Mar 2011 01:59 PM PDT One great thing about the state of mobile phones these days is that every carrier has a great selection of smartphones that users can choose from. And that means they can pay attention to more important things like coverage and speed. So who has the fastest network, especially 4G networks, is a burning question. It’s also a difficult one to nail down as it depends on carrier, phone and even how loaded the network is.
PC World/Novarium commissioned a study where they tested 4G etworks in 13 cities all over the country. Their results show overall, that wireless data speeds have increased 3 fold since last year, which is great news for mobile customers. Verizon Wireless was on top this year with their 4G/LTE network being available in 12 of the 13 cities tested. And while PC World found that Verizon’s 4G/LTE network was fastest with an average download speed of 6.44 mbps, and upload of 5.0 mbps, they also found that there were few customers on the network and few phones to chose from at the time of the test. It could be that as Verizon rolls out more phones and gets more customers from both phone and tablet data plans, that they’re network dominance may dip. PCWorld also found that while Verizon’s speed is tops for 4G, it’s 3G network has dropped in performance or stayed the same in 10 of the 13 markets.
Phone wise, T-Mobile came in on top with the HTC G2 being the fastest with an average download speed of 2.3 mbps, a 52 percent lead over Sprint’s EVO 4G. But PCWorld also went to say that the big winner in the annual speed survey was AT&T. Even though Ma Bell didn’t win Gold as the fastest network (although they brag they are), it has increased it’s network speeds by 76%, fending off similar speed bumps by the other carriers. But what PCWorld gives, they take away, as the speed gains the network enjoyed didn’t translate well to it’s flagship handset, the iPhone 4. And that means while Apple may have launched the smartphone craze, the Android platform is screaming past it like it’s standing still. [via PCWorld] )
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| WiFi Xoom Tablet $599 preorder at B&H Posted: 15 Mar 2011 12:56 PM PDT Motorola’s WiFi only variant of the Xoom has been spotted at the online retailer B&H for $599 on pre-order. The B&H ad is the first we’ve seen that offers pre-orders on the Xoom on immediately. That may satisfy your need to lay down the plastic, but patience can be a virtue. We noted last month of Sam’s Club’s plan to sell the Android 3 (Honeycomb) tablet starting March 27th for $539 (membership required). But if you really want it now, there’s always the 3G version on sale at Sam’s for $599 on a two year contract.
The Xoom first hit the scene with a splash not only because it launched Google’s new built-from-the-ground-up Honeycomb operating system, but it also grabbed Best of CES as the annual gadget confab in Las Vegas. So, whether you’re patient enough to get it on the 27th or absolutely must get the Xoom now, there are plenty of options. And no matter what you do, it pays to be informed. So, check out our review of the Xoom here. Then you can decide if it’s worth the extra $60 to pay for it now or not. [via Liliputing] )
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| HTC Thunderbolt $199 with contract from Wirefly Posted: 15 Mar 2011 12:05 PM PDT Wirefly is offering the HTC Thunderbolt on pre-order for $199 on a two year contract through Verizon. Verizon recently announced the price as $249 on contract, so users can save themselves a “Grant” by going through the online retailer. And knowing that fans are chomping at the bit to get this troubled 4G/LTE phone, Wirefly is even throwing in free shipping via FedEx so they can get it in a hurry. In addition, Wirefly tosses in their standard Mobile backup free for life service and a 30 day pre-order price guarantee in case the price slips even more.
Recently we reported that the Thunderbolt picture has become more clear as Verizon finally settled on an official date of March 17th. The Thunderbolt’s delay has been rumored to be due to everything from poor battery performance to problems with the Verizon 4G/LTE rollout, but it seems that issues have been ironed out and now it’s storm time. And as a little apology for one delay after another, Verizon is also offering free Mobile Hotspot access for two months through May 15 for no additional charge. After May 15, customers may choose to activate Mobile Hotspot for $20 for 2 GB of data per month or call Verizon and request it disabled. The HTC Thunderbolt comes with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, dual cameras (an 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera), and is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor running Android 2.2 (Froyo). Storage options include 8GB of on board storage with a 32GB microSD preloaded. The Verizon 4G/LTE network should give users a powerful boost of 5-12Mbps downloads and 2-5Mbps uploads in 4G areas. Outside of that, users will get standard 3G speeds. But since Verizon is rolling the 4G/LTE network out in 200 cities this year, those slower speeds will be fewer and farther between. [via LogicBuy] )
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