Android Community |
- Xperia Play and XPeria Arc pre-order for free on contact from Vodaphone
- AT&T: T-Mobile customers will need new handsets
- Samsung SCH-W899 Dual Screen gets FCC’d
- T-Mobile Sidekick 4G gets fresh batch of high-res shots
- LG Thrill 4G brings Optimus 3D to AT&T
- Ainol Honeycomb tablet promises IPS display, huge 1080p codec support
- Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Froyo coming OTA plus Sprint ID for Epic 4G and Galaxy Tab
- Sprint Integrated Google Voice hits all carrier’s handsets [Video]
- Sprint Nexus S 4G gets official with Integrated Google Voice Experience
- Nexus S arrives in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania
- Asus Eee Pad Transformer hits Taiwan March 25
- Ouku Tab Android tablet hits Lightinthebox
- Samsung Galaxy S II Mini leaks while Nokia X7, HTC Flyer, and BB PlayBook get UK launch dates
- Dell Venue Review
- Sprint Nexus S 4G gets prematurely confirmed with “Pure Google”
- CTIA 2011 [Full Preview and Anticipation Guide]
- Rovio’s Amazon Connection will Change App Sales for Android Forever
- HTC ThunderBolt Hands-On and Unboxing
- HTC Pyramid gets leaked again [Real Picture]
- Gameloft releases Asphalt 6 for Android
| Xperia Play and XPeria Arc pre-order for free on contact from Vodaphone Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:16 AM PDT British hand held gamers rejoice! Vodaphone is offering pre-order of the
As outlined here on AC, The Xperia Play is Sony’s first PlayStation certified phone. It has Qualcomm's optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1GHz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor. Other specs include a 4″ TFT screen with Sony’s proprietary Bravia display engine, slide up gaming controls, 5 MP rear facing camera, and it comes with six Playstation One games preloaded out of the box. It will also take advantage of the Tegra Game Network thanks to it’s Playstation Suite of up to 60 games being released over the next year.
The Xperia Arc has a similar 4.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with Reality Display and Mobile Bravia Engine. It’ll be powered by a 1 Ghz processor. It has dual cameras including an 8.1 MP rear facing and front facing Webcam. The 8.1MP is loaded as it can record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second and has Sony’s remarkable Face Tracking utility. Both phones will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box.     [via Vodaphone] )
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| AT&T: T-Mobile customers will need new handsets Posted: 21 Mar 2011 10:33 AM PDT In a quote from an AT&T statement, it is being reported that T-Mobile users will have to get new phones in order to take part in AT&Ts 4G plans. This could largely be due to AT&T planning to transition all T-Mobile towers to a 4G network. This could be good, it could be bad. Good for middle customers who would like to get a new 4G phone but are stuck with another year or two on their contracts, bad in that it means people will have to lay out more money to pick up an AT&T handset and get locked into yet another two years with Ma Bell.
So, while AT&T reps assure us that 4G plan will be phased in and customers won’t have to buy a new phone right away, the rather dead end point is, that sooner or later, they will. Course, with FCC approval of the deal expected to take about a year to complete, and the complete 4G transition several years on top of that. So, users in current contracts may be able to run out the clock and transition to a new carrier or phone anyway. But where does this leave current AT&T customers? Will the 4G phase in also mean that AT&T users will have to transition to a mandatory 4G handset as well? AT&T rocked the wireless world with their surprise announcement yesterday that it would be buying T-Mobile USA from German carrier Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion in cash and stock. It also plans on spending over $8 billion to bring the entire T-Mobile network into the 4G realm. AT&T is working overtime making assurances to customers, and especially to the FCC who has to approve the merger, that the marriage of these two carriers will benefit users as they move to the 4G LTE spectrum. And could the FCC may be looking forward to 3G being vacated sooner, rather than later so another spectrum auction can occur? “There’s nothing for them to worry about … it will be done over time, in a way that’s good for customers and good for AT&T,” de la Vega said. So, AT&T’s opinion seems to be it’s a win-win proposition. [via Yahoo Finance] )
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| Samsung SCH-W899 Dual Screen gets FCC’d Posted: 21 Mar 2011 09:32 AM PDT Tear down images of the Samsung SCH-W899 Dual Screen clamshell handset have popped up and looking at the design, it’s a rather interesting design choice. First the cool features, the “Sch” has two 3.3″ Super AMOLED screens sitting in what looks like a back to back configuration. The primary screen is for palming the phone for smart computing. Then, when users want to make a phone call, they flip it up “old school” and the second screen comes to life.
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Other features include being powered by 1GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor (likely a single core), 512 MB of RAM, a 5MP rear facing camera with LED flash, and dual SIM slots. Dual SIM slots is interesting as it may portent a phone which can operate in dual phone link configuration. The phone tested running Froyo out of the box, but will it get Gingerbread before hitting the market? The phone is also only approved as a GSM device, which would only put AT&T-Mobile as a major carrier in the running should it come to the US. Having the back to back design like this gives the users some options, but the real downside is that the screens are independent, meaning you have two screens that can’t work together to double the real estate, which would be the obvious benefit of a dual screen design. It really is a lost opportunity, because if Samsung had been able to engineer a turn around flip latch, ala the Kyocera Echo, it could’ve been a very interesting feature. And what can you do on one that you can’t do an the other. It’s really a strange design.       [via WirelessGoodness] )
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| T-Mobile Sidekick 4G gets fresh batch of high-res shots Posted: 21 Mar 2011 07:25 AM PDT Opinion of the new Sidekick 4G may still be split – is it a true Sidekick or just an Android pretender borrowing the much-loved brand? – but until T-Mobile pushes the handset out we’ll have to sate our interest with a fresh batch of photos. Hiptop3 grabbed the new photoset, showing the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G from all angles.
Not a huge amount to learn from the new shots, bar that the Sidekick 4G doesn’t look to be the slimmest of handsets. We’re also still not sure about T-Mobile and Samsung’s choice of keyboard layout: emoticon shortcuts but no messaging shortcut seems a little short-sighted. Still, if you’ve wanted to print out a life-size Sidekick 4G and practice your papercraft, here’s your chance. No word on when exactly the HSPA+ smartphone will arrive.           )
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| LG Thrill 4G brings Optimus 3D to AT&T Posted: 21 Mar 2011 07:13 AM PDT AT&T has announced its first 3D smartphone, the LG Thrill 4G. A branded version of the LG Optimus 3D, the Thrill 4G has the same 4.3-inch auto-stereoscopic display for glasses-free 3D, together with the 1GHz Tegra 2 processor and dual 5-megapixel camera array for 3D stills and video.
There’s also 8GB of onboard storage and a pre-loaded 8GB microSD card, together with access to LG’s “3D Space” for content downloads. Video is recorded at 720p HD resolution in 3D or 1080p HD in 2D, and can be played back via the HDMI output. OS is Android 2.2 Froyo. No word on pricing for the LG Thrill 4G, nor a specific launch date. All the carrier will say is that the smartphone will arrive “in the coming months.” [via SlashGear] Press Release: )
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| Ainol Honeycomb tablet promises IPS display, huge 1080p codec support Posted: 21 Mar 2011 06:42 AM PDT Ainol may be better known for their Full HD capable PMPs, but the company is turning to Android 3.0 Honeycomb and a proper tablet. According to some teaser spec pages, the so-far unnamed slate will have a 1280 x 800 IPS capacitive touchscreen display and run a SoChip Cortex-A9 processor.
They’re impressive specs, given tablets with IPS displays – such as the iPad 2 – are in relatively short supply. 1080p HD support is promised, with a fair amount of codec compatibility as well: MKV, AVI, WMV, H.264, XviD and MPEG. Considering one the continued shortcomings of Android is its patchy media support out of the box, that could be enough to earn the Ainol slate a niche of its own. Pricing, screen size, release dates and other specs are still unknown at this stage. [via MP4Nation] )
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| Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Froyo coming OTA plus Sprint ID for Epic 4G and Galaxy Tab Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:41 AM PDT Sprint has announced it will be pushing out the Android 2.2 Froyo update for the Samsung Epic 4G this week, as part of a new update for the handset and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Both devices will get Sprint ID, including access to apps, widgets, ringtones, wallpapers and shortcuts.
After the OTA update is installed, a new Sprint ID app will be present from which various social networking, news, entertainment and sports content can be downloaded. More information on the updates at www.sprint.com/epicsupport and www.sprint.com/galaxytabsupport. Press Release: )
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| Sprint Integrated Google Voice hits all carrier’s handsets [Video] Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:25 AM PDT The new Nexus S 4G isn’t the only device that will benefit from the Sprint Integrated Google Voice support; the two companies have confirmed that all of Sprint’s line-up – Android and otherwise – will be able to use the customer’s existing Sprint number as their Google Voice number. That means subscribers will be able – with no porting required – to have up to six phones ring simultaneously on one incoming call, answering on whichever is the most convenient.
Sprint Android device owners will be able to use the Google Voice app on their handsets, but everybody will be able to log onto the website and choose where their calls are diverted. Calls from Gmail and text messages sent from google.com/voice will display the Sprint number, or Google Voice users can choose to replace their Sprint number with their Google Voice number when placing calls or sending text messages from their Sprint handset. Google Voice replaces Sprint voicemail, with voicemail transcription online and sent via email and/or text message. The new functionality will be available “soon” in a staggered roll-out; you can sign up to be alerted when it’s available here. Press Release: )
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| Sprint Nexus S 4G gets official with Integrated Google Voice Experience Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:12 AM PDT As expected after it briefly peeked onto Sprint’s site earlier today, Google has officially confirmed that the Nexus S 4G is coming to the carrier complete with WiMAX support. The first Android 2.3 Gingerbread devices with 4G support, the Sprint Nexus S 4G will new unified Google Voice support.
Existing subscribers will be able to use their current Sprint number as their Google Voice number, with no porting required. Up to six different phones can ring from one number, with intelligent call routing and call screening, blocking and recording. There’ll also be voicemail transcription. As for the hardware, beyond the WiMAX it’s business as usual for the Nexus S, so there’s a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, WiFi, GPS, 5-megapixel camera and front-facing webcam. The mobile hotspot app is also loaded, to share the 3G/4G connection out with notebooks and other devices. The Sprint Nexus S 4G will drop this spring, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement. Press Release: )
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| Nexus S arrives in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania Posted: 21 Mar 2011 05:01 AM PDT Google’s Nexus S has arrived in Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Romania. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone is available on various carriers, depending on country.
In Romania, for instance, Vodafone has the exclusive, as the carrier does in Greece and Italy. In Portugal and Spain, retailer The Phone House and Vodafone are offering the Nexus S, while in France it’s The Phone House and carrier SFR. As for the handset itself, it’s the same 1GHz single-core smartphone made by Samsung, with a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera on the back. NFC and a front-facing webcam round out the main specs. More details in our Nexus S review. )
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| Asus Eee Pad Transformer hits Taiwan March 25 Posted: 21 Mar 2011 04:36 AM PDT Asus unveiled the cool Eee Pad Transformer Android tablet back at CES in January. At the time, they were calling for an April release date. Asus has now announced that the tablet will be ready before April and will hit Taiwan on March 25. That is this Friday. It’s nice to see something early for a change rather than launch dates being postponed.
If you recall the Eee Pad Transformer is an Android tablet that has a dock that turns it into a netbook with a keyboard. It has a 10.1-inch screen, Android 3.0 for the OS, runs NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and has 1GB of DDR2 RAM. The tablet also has 16GB and 32GB storage versions. There are some questions left right now. One of the big questions is how well the software Asus has for allowing the keyboard to work with Android 3.0 will work. The price is another question. Asus cited a price range of $500 – $700. The Transformer has turned up in Spain at the equivalent of $560 sans keyboard dock.    [via Netbooknews] )
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| Ouku Tab Android tablet hits Lightinthebox Posted: 21 Mar 2011 04:11 AM PDT If you are in the market for a really low price Android tablet, even if it might not be the best tablet around a website called Lightinthebox has announced the addition of a new and very cheap tablet called the Ouku Tab. The tablet can be purchased right now via the website for $124.99. For the money, you get a small tablet with a 7-inch screen and lots more.
The tablet runs Android 2.1 and has an integrated webcam. It has WiFi, email support, eReader support and has access to the Android Market. It also supports web surfing and social networking, all of the stuff you expect a tablet to be able to do. The integrated camera is a 0.3MP unit and it has an integrated speaker and G-sensor. The battery is a 1620mAh unit with a run time of 4-5 hours per charge. Internal storage is 4GB and it has external storage to T-flash drives. The processor is a 660Mhz ARM unit and the tablet has 256MB of RAM. [via Lightinthebox] )
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| Samsung Galaxy S II Mini leaks while Nokia X7, HTC Flyer, and BB PlayBook get UK launch dates Posted: 21 Mar 2011 03:41 AM PDT The geeks over at Engadget have landed a leaked roadmap for Three that shows the Samsung Galaxy S2 Mini smartphone. The leaked flyer shows that the phone will launch in April and will have a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera for video conferencing. The phone will use a 3.7-inch screen with WVGA resolution.
It will operate on HSDPA and HSUPA networks and run Android Gingerbread as the OS. Other features include WiFi, GPS, a 1.4GHz processor and hotspot capability. Along with that new phone, the launch dates of other notable devices turned up as well. The Nokia X7 is set for a June launch. The HTC Flyer tablet is listed for launch in June with a WiFi only version of the Blackberry PlayBook set for June as well. Whether or not these are these same dates for launch in the US and other places is unknown at this point. [via Engadget] )
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| Posted: 21 Mar 2011 02:34 AM PDT Because Dell has positioned this phone as a no-nonsense Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone that doesn’t pretend to have the absolute best in any one category of features, instead aiming for a group of people who trust the brand, trust the feel, and trust the look of the phone, so too will this review be short and sweet. This is one of the newest Android phones made by Dell and it’s got an in-your-face 4.1-inch display that’s certainly not the biggest in the business – but it is covered with curved Gorilla Glass. This trend of slightly unique features continues through the whole of the device.
First Impressions The very first time I personally held this device in my hand was at a special event during Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona. This phone, or at least its hardware, has been in existence for almost a year now, the combination of its hardware and software being prepared for the market only very recently. As I took a peek at this phone at an odd stand in Spain, I noted the uniqueness in the design. It was if Dell had never held an Android phone from Motorola, HTC, Samsung, or the rest before in their lives, and instead decided to take their line of lovely laptop and home computers as inspiration, choosing features such as a 3D textured plastic battery cover and a 2-sided silver casing surrounding a curved front glass.
Uniqueness in form is, as it perhaps should be with most phones created for the Android platform, this phones strength. It is not the most powerful phone on the market, but it’s nothing to scoff at, with a 1GHz QSD 8250 processor under the hood, it can potentially carry up to 32GB of data via microUSB, and it costs $499.99. Wait, what? Why would anyone ever pay $500 for a smartphone? Perhaps because it’s unlocked and can be connected to any carrier you like? Software There’s not too much to say about the software as the Dell Venue contains really nothing you’d not be able to download on your own from the Android Market, and there’s 30+ of them that you’ll be unable to uninstall from the outset. That said, this phone does allow sideloading of apps, so that is fun. This device also comes loaded with many screens of custom widgets that are rather large and not the most functional, so you’ll want to take those out almost immediately. When I say not functional I mean they’re obtrusive and not very pleasing to the eye – I’m sure they work just fine if you’ve got a use for them. NOTE: this phone scores an 833 in the Quadrant benchmark app, placing it a notch below the Samsung Galaxy S line of phones. Therefor it really REALLY can’t be considered a contender for the very strongest phone in any category other than hardware, the feel of the phone, the odd abilities it has, and the fact, again, that you can have this phone on whichever carrier you like.
Camera Having an 8-megapixel camera on this phone is a big plus, and because the built-in camera app Dell has running has about 10 billion settings on it plus a focus function that works rather superbly in collaboration with the camera running on this phone, this camera is strong. This is one of the strongest cameras on the mobile device market right this moment. What I mean is cameras on devices that act first and foremost as either mobile phones or tablet computers. This is a strong camera! I’ll give you one example here, and note that the lighting conditions were terrible and that by no means should this photo have turned out as well as it has:
Wrap-Up This phone is not the strongest device on the market in any one category, but together all of its features DO make it a solid choice for those looking for a device that can run on any network they choose. Dell is a brand you can trust to bring you a quality product, and if you’re the sort of person who only buys Dell for your desktop computers, heck, why not stick with a group you love?
The device feels lovely to hold, and although the buttons, all of the buttons, are in places I’m not used to when it comes to an Android device, they are in places and forms I suppose we could call “refreshing.” Back when we first discovered that this phone would have three buttons, I guessed it was because it would eventually be upgraded to a version of Android that wouldn’t need a physical “search” button. That time is here, it appears that this phone might not ever have an upgrade beyond Froyo, and as it turns out, Honeycomb’s lack of a need for the search button goes beyond that, lacking the need for any physical buttons at all, as it turns out. So why does this phone have such odd choices in button placement and quantity? Perhaps it is true that the Dell folks tried to start from zero and just ended up in this place, design-wise, somehow or another.
Is this phone worth paying $500? No. I don’t think there’s a phone on the market worth that much. The only thing I’d ever pay that much money for is a tablet (and it better be a nice one) or a laptop. I’ve done both, and I’ve been happy with my purchases. If I payed $500 for a smartphone, even this one, I think I’d wish I’d just gone with a cheaper phone and spend the rest of the money on apps.
I cannot bring myself to dislike a device like the Dell Venue, but I do have to say that it’s not the device I’ll be carrying around this Spring season, not even a little bit. Only think I’ll miss is the unique feel including, but not limited to, the curved Gorilla Glass up on the front. Very smooth and fierce!                     )
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| Sprint Nexus S 4G gets prematurely confirmed with “Pure Google” Posted: 21 Mar 2011 02:26 AM PDT Sprint has confirmed the incoming Google Nexus S 4G, the WiMAX-enabled version of the existing vanilla Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone. Spotted in a search of the Sprint site by an Engadget tipster – and since taken down – according to the blurb “the newest Sprint 4G smartphone” will allow users to “Experience Pure Google.”
That, it’s suggested, will mean “fully integrated Google Voice” with “the same number for all your calls and get cool features like voicemail transcription, web calling and more.” We’re also expecting the usual Nexus S curved Super AMOLED display, 5-megapixel rear camera, front webcam and integrated NFC support. If Sprint’s web team’s premature confirmation is anything to go by, we could well be seeing the Nexus S 4G make its proper debut later in the week at CTIA 2011. Android Community will be there to bring back all the details. )
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| CTIA 2011 [Full Preview and Anticipation Guide] Posted: 21 Mar 2011 12:40 AM PDT When I write this post, I am literally on an airplane flying from Minneapolis International Airport down to Orlando Florida where I and several compatriots of mine representing both Android Community and SlashGear will be having a fabulous time walking around CTIA 2011 in addition to listening in on some keynote speeches by the heads of this mobile industry in the USA. The following guide will show you what we expect to see this year at the Orange County Convention Center from groups like HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and heck, maybe even a little Nokia since the rumors of them keeping Android in mind while they roll out with Windows Phone 7 in the meantime. But what about Motorola?
The following is an educated guess guide. Some of the items listed below will definitely be showing up inside this week’s events, some of them won’t even be pretending to exist. Each section below is marked by a manufacturer brand name and is backed up with a tiny list of leaks and otherwise telling links from the past week. Have at them, and please feel free to add your own guesses in the comments below.
HTC Having JUST received the HTC ThunderBolt in the mail this past week, we’ve got HTC FRESH in our minds. We’re looking forward to multiple devices that we’ve not quite heard that much about yet, at least in the USA side of the world. Notably, we’re hoping to hear a bit more about a US version of the HTC Flyer that we got a close-up pre-look at in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2011. This device didn’t appear to be quite ready for release, not even coming out of the case at the HTC booth in the convention and having only been held by a few folks after the press conference who were allowed to see the not-quite-perfect system they had running on it – this tablet will more than likely be rebranded as the HTC EVO View here in the USA.
Along with this, we’re expecting that Sprint, at their 2.5 hour event scheduled for Tuesday, will reveal the HTC EVO View and the HTC EVO 3D on their network. As for Verizon, we’re expecting perhaps the HTC Droid Incredible 2 to make its face known, while AT&T very well may be showing off the Facebook duo off. This of course consists of the HTC ChaCha (or as it’s known in Spain, the ChaChaCha,) and the HTC Salsa, both of which we saw back at Mobile World Congress 2011 as well. More clues:
LG It appears that T-Mobile will be showing off the LG Optimus 2X, a phone that they revealed at CES 2010. This phone may well be re-revealed as the LG G2X, again, still on T-Mobile. This phone should be a whopper with a 4-inch WVGA screen, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, and HDMI mirroring so you can play Guerilla Bob on your bigscreen HD TV.
Samsung Tablets. There’s going to be something so freaking big announced in tablets that you’re basically going to have a heart attack. Tuesday at 8AM Eastern Time we’ll be sitting front and center at an event called Samsung Unpacked – this being one of the very first events of the week, it’s sure to be a blast-off not to be missed. And the tablet or tablets that they’re going to show – holy crap. Perhaps more telling tidbits:
Sony Ericsson Lots of X marks coming our way soon both officially and unofficially, which ones will we get to peek at inside the event? We’re reaching for the stars hoping to catch another glimpse of the original Android 2.3 Gingerbread flagship phone the Xperia PLAY. Or maybe a little Xperia Neo, or a Pro, or an Arc. Heck, let’s just hope to see any and all Sony Ericsson devices with Xperia in the title and perhaps the broad side of the barn will be hit. Clues and such:
Motorola We’ve got the ATRIX 4G in one hand, the Motorola XOOM in the other hand – what else is there in this mighty mighty world of mobile? How about a release date on the Droid Bionic? Nuff said. Additional clues:
Secret Sneakers While CTIA is definitely not the largest show of the year, it’s certainly the biggest US-centric show of 2011 thus far. This is just as much an opportunity for manufacturers and carriers to announce gigantic news as any other event, and with spring right around the corner and a spring in everyone’s step, we’ll be ready and raring to go starting early tomorrow morning, believe it or not. The actual official CTIA event starts on Tuesday, but we’ll be flipping over rocks starting tomorrow as we’re already in town – so why not? Join us all week! Watch out for the [CTIA 2011] keyword! )
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| Rovio’s Amazon Connection will Change App Sales for Android Forever Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:47 PM PDT If you’ve got your hand on the pulse of the developer community here in the Android world, you’ve got some sense that a maker of games can get a lot more cash in their pocket by giving away a game for free (with ad coverage all over it) than they can selling the game without ads. This is due in part to the market that’s developed in the Android world, one where it’s much more likely that a game will be popular and stay popular if it costs the consumer no currency*. All that may be about to change with Rovio’s announcement that Angry Birds: RIO will be released on Amazon’s new Android app market exclusively.
I’ll be grabbing the RIO Angry Birds game from Amazon. I have to. Not just because it’s my job to keep up with the most popular mobile platform games and non-game apps, but because I’m completely addicted to Angry Birds. I’ve literally gotten in trouble with friends and relatives because I could not rip myself away from the screen to interact with them, real people. I’ve had this problem in the past, most notably with a MMORPG by the name of Diablo 2, but we’re definitely aware of stories of this same thing happening with people who’ve never before found themselves so engrossed in a game. That established, we’ve got a situation here where Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, have a massive opportunity to utilize their position as a means to accomplish great things via cross-branding. This RIO game being released on Amazon is what I’d call a double-whammy, with the RIO collaboration placing them in the faces of millions of consumers around the world via the movie posters being released as you read this column, plus TV commercials, plus press coverage because it’s a wild new oddity. A mobile platform game collaborating with a major motion picture – amazing! Then there’s the collaboration with Amazon, a market that’s quietly been populating itself with apps over the past few weeks, getting ready, it’s quite obvious, for this one moment where a superstar will act a messiah for them, leading all of its followers to what they’re positioning as the promised land for Android apps. Amazon as Android’s Zion Another situation it’s important to take note of is the trust people have in Google’s checkout system. Although there’s been millions of dollars in sales done in Android apps alone over the past few years, it’s still quite clear that there is a big population of people in this mobile environment who don’t quite trust the system Google has in place. I do. Lots of people I speak with do. I and we have no reason to distrust the checkout system Google works with – but you know who has basically a perfect handle on online sales? Amazon. Once Amazon establishes themselves as a place where you can “securely” purchase apps with no problem, they’ll dominate Android app sales. There is a hidden “if” in there, but if I was a betting man, you know I’d have my money on Amazon to rule the school in the next few years, if not the next few months following this Rovio wave generator. What they’ll have to do to make their presence absolute as “Amazon, THE App Market” is to show people that it’s not Google that makes the apps, it’s the developers. iTunes as Music’s Babylon Remember back before there was iTunes? Where did you buy your music? The record store? There was, indeed, a time between the decline of physical means of distributing music and the rise of Apple’s iTunes model. Apple had an opportunity to turn itself, via iTunes, into an awesome marketplace where artists were given the majority of the cash made from the sales of their songs, but this did not happen. Instead of Apple taking the power that record companies had and still have and giving that power to the artists themselves, they just took a chunk of the cash and mindshare of the entire population of the world and keep it for themselves. This is not evil unless you consider taking the most lucrative position in this capitalistic model we’ve got here in our modern world evil. Apple now has massive clout in the music business, record companies still have either the most or the second most powerful position in the music business, and artists, for the most part, have the lowest rung, right next to the consumers. How does this relate to apps? Developers in Power What kind of world would we live in if there were only one step between consumers and the people who labor to create the products they consume? This is a rather heavy question, and one I’m definitely not going to be able to answer adequately in a single column. What about a world where creators of computer applications are able to create and distribute their own products, setting their own prices and making their own money, save for a fee to keep a singular marketplace open, one where the checkout system was to be trusted by the populace that would utilize it for all their app needs? Can Amazon accomplish such a feat? More importantly, first, is it even an option for them to provide a system where “Profit Share” isn’t even a question? I’d have to speak with Amazon to be sure, I suppose. Suggestions for the Future of Application Markets Let me tell you, oh wise market masters whom I shall avert mine eyes from henceforth, where you can get your profits instead of from the potential pockets of developers. Advertisements in your market. Advertisements inside applications are a joke. It’s well known that the average user clicks a mobile advertisement inside an app on accident much more often than they do on purpose. If I had one wish for those in a position to command a market for computer applications, I would have them take the majority of their research funds and pour them into research for better ways to have mobile advertising translate into mobile sales. A transition from businesses paying for views and clicks of their brands to direct money sales, or in the case of those groups who just want mindshare holds on consumers because their products are just physical, (like soda pop and candy,) campaigning for more beautiful graphic design in advertising. It All Comes Down to Design Design for a greater world where a marketplace for every kind of product, not just apps, is no longer one of simple tricks and nonsense in advertising, (like it is now,) but simply a place where developers can sell the product they’ve created to the consumers who then gladly trade them what they’d like in retune – cash. Amazon has an opportunity to transform the app sales landscape, at least in Android, to a much more positive place than it is right this moment in any mobile marketplace. Here’s hoping they take this moment and make the most of it. )
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| HTC ThunderBolt Hands-On and Unboxing Posted: 20 Mar 2011 11:24 PM PDT Behold the big bolt! This is the HTC ThunderBolt, Verizon’s first 4G LTE handset – and boy what a whopper. It’s epic nature is flaunted in an instantly apparent way as the box itself is wholly black with 3D pushed-out lettering and logos all around. HTC, Verizon, 4G LTE, and HTC ThunderBolt are blasted in such delicate ways as to accentuate the godliness and singularity of the device itself. Then you open the box and BOOM there’s a wash of red. Verizon could not have chosen a better set of colors in black, white, and red, and they’re certainly not afraid to use it when they’ve got such a flagship phone as this. Harsh elegance!
First Impressions As we’ve got a review copy of the phone here, there will be a few details slightly different from the one you’ll be getting should you head down to your local retailer right this moment. One of these items is the SIM card, which you’ll certainly have to instal yourself for the first time, and the box containing a handset with a couple of smudges on the screen and a no-power handset. Don’t worry about these things (for the most part) as they’ll be pristine when you get yours.
Inside the box is a set of items you’ll come to expect from both Verizon and HTC: a few interactions manuals, a wall plug to convert USB to USA 2-prong power, a miniUSB to USB cord, and a little packet that contains your SIM card. Some of the items you may want to consider purchasing with the handset from the moment you purchase the phone are: a memory card to extend your storage space, and an extended battery pack. See all about the extended battery pack in [our hands-on post]. Hardware What you’re dealing with here is a big fat phone that’s made for speed and entertainment. Of course with the modern Android device, you can feel free to do a bunch of business on there too, being all productive and whatnot, but with a screen this size and a camera on the back running with 8-megapixels and a dual-flash, you’ve got what’s aimed at being a device that loves to entertain. When you hold this phone, you want it to show you big games, video, and apps that utilize the entirety of the screen. When you’ve got something smaller than this, at this point in Android handset history, you’ve got to prepare yourself to make some sacrifices, most of them involving having enough room on the screen to work with the controls in the apps you enjoy.
Having literally just a month or two ago been given the HTC Inspire 4G to review (that phone on AT&T, a fact that we’ll be coming back to later in this post,) one cannot help but notice the similarities. HTC is a bigtime hardware company when it comest to mobile. They’ve got devices of all shapes and sizes. HTC isn’t the kind of company to make one phone and be done with going in wacky new directions. That said, they’re currently attempting, or seeming to attempt, to perfect this gigantic screen model. Anything bigger than the HTC ThunderBolt and it’s a tablet. Simple and plain. Because of this, HTC appears to want to make this phone perfect by releasing iterations to different carriers to see what works best.
Of course HTC pre-tests their phones on real people, but only once a phone is received by the real market can a group understand what really really hits people as a good or bad idea. On the HTC Inspire the camera on the back of the phone is in the center-top. This is a bad idea. i think it’s terribly ugly and it’s ever-so-slightly confusing to use because when I’m using a real camera, the lens isn’t in the center either. The HTC ThunderBolt has the back right. I’d agree to say that the HTC ThunderBolt not only has the camera situation on the back of the phone figured out, it’s the closest HTC has come to a perfect phone with this size screen. Plugs, Cords, and Chips It’s an awesome time in mobile computing in that most devices use the same USB cord to connect to the computer as well as to the wall to charge. That said, the cord they’ve included in the box here is a standard medium size, at least as long as we’d ever want to use if not too long, proving to be just a tiny bit of a B to stow away and bring with for plugging on the go. The wall plug is also nearly perfect. I look forward to the day when all plugs are minimal enough to fold down and put in my pocket without looking like a walnut, and I think we’re getting closer, slowly but surely.
There’s not much to this phone as far as plugs, the single miniUSB plug being near the bottom on the left of the handset, the headphone jack poofing out a bit from the top. This headphone jack is a mark of distinction that makes the ThunderBolt look nice, where sometimes headphone jacks are simply a hole in the top or bottom of the device and look nearly like a mistake – this is true of the Motorola XOOM tablet – yick! There’s a power button at the top protruding just the perfect amount that it should, making it easy to locate and press but not so easy you’d do it on accident, right beside this an indentation for pulling the battery cover off the back.
Under the cover you’ll find the original HTC battery which we’ll be switching out for the extended battery post-haste, and under that, access to both the microSD card slot and SIM card tray. When you have a look at the phone at this point, you’ll have to be careful because even though the microSD slot is marked, the actual card that they’ve already placed in the device for you is nearly invisible. This I’m sure they didn’t take an overly large amount of time designing since 32GB is one massively large amount of space and unless you’re a wacko, you’re not going to need to replace it. As for the SIM tray, that again isn’t the easiest to access unless you’ve got long nails, and once it’s out, you should be careful not to wail on the tray lest it break and you be screwed!
You’ll actually have to try quite hard to break anything on the phone though, to tell the truth, as it’s very well constructed and it’s quite obvious they’ve taken those who wish you modify their phones physically into account. Then there’s the kickstand. This is a bit of hardware you’re going to want to be conscious of, if not careful not to break. You’re not going to break it in an everyday situation, but if you’ve got it out watching a video and your saint bernard puppy should stomp on it, there might be a bit of an issue. It IS bendable by you, but you’ll have to be WANTING to mess it up to actually bend it. Underneath the kickstand is a speaker grill that, as with all speaker grills, you’ll want to keep away from parmesan cheese – luckily they’ve quite intelligently covered this grill up with the kickstand for spaghetti situations.
Speed and Startup I personally will be putting this device through a slew of speed tests, and I’ll be showing you how speedy it is in starting up should you decide to use the Fast Boot mode in posts on Android Community in the near future. You’ll be interested to know immediately that even though the Inspire 4G was not marketed as thus, it TOO has a fast boot mode, and you’re gonna love the race results between these two maniacs. Under 10 seconds to be sure, but who’s the real winner? You’ll get to see soon enough. Wrap-Up From the wholly-black box to the loveliness in the industrial design of the whole unit, this is definitely a hero phone for Verizon and HTC to be proud of. Once we turn the phone on, this remains true, but the fact that the phone is beautiful and feels nice even when its switched off, that’s something the hardware designers can feel good putting in their portfolios and the phone sale jockeys at Verizon can feel confident in talking up.
This is the kind of phone the skin, wrap, and case companies will be eyeing up for model making, as it provides several surfaces for possible decoration, and a large population of owners will be owning long enough to take the time to protect. Gelaskins and StealthArmor with custom images for the back, Wrapsol and Tru for the front for perfect protection, hooray! We’ll be rocking this phone during CTIA 2011 next week, and everything fabulous that comes out for Android over the next few months you can bet we’ll be testing on this device. Of course, we’ll be testing that stuff out on the ATRIX 4G and the Motorola XOOM and the Inspire 4G and the etc etc etc as well, but this is a forerunner without a doubt. Take a look at the unboxing video above, the detail photos below, and get ready for the full review in the coming days here on Android Community.                                 )
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| HTC Pyramid gets leaked again [Real Picture] Posted: 20 Mar 2011 09:43 PM PDT Earlier in the week we had a little leak about a phone we are hearing is the HTC Pyramid, you can read about that here. Whether the image of the Pyramid was a render, or a real image we will let you decide. Today we have something much more convincing that the HTC Pyramid is real, is on it’s way, and looks beautiful. Check out this picture that was just leaked showing it next to its HTC Desire HD sibling.
You can’t tell me that it doesn’t look just like the image in the link we mentioned at the beginning of the story. In case you didn’t check that story out the picture is also below for your viewing pleasure. The render that was leaked earlier shows a beautiful design, with what looks to be a Camera that is finally flush and pretty looking. The picture above shows that same thing and the camera is finally flush with the device. Obviously you can see the Dual-LED flash and speaker grill. That is about all other than the “With HTC Sense” at the bottom as usual. I don’t know about you guys, but I really like the look of the device. We are still not sure about where it will be going as we first heard T-Mobile back in February, then other reports that the render of the Pyramid might be a phone going to Sprint as the EVO 3D, or the HTC View 4G. Either way it is exciting to see it in a real life photo and we hope to bring you more soon. Stay Tuned!   [via TechBlog] )
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| Gameloft releases Asphalt 6 for Android Posted: 20 Mar 2011 09:15 PM PDT It looks as if Gameloft has quietly released the much anticipated racing game Asphalt 6 for Android recently. I’ve not heard anything about it. I didn’t see it posted on @GameloftAndroid on twitter or anything. I’m not sure why it was such a quiet launch, but at least it is finally here. I think they are still working on it as not all phones can get it yet. I tried for the Atrix and the site said it was not released for that device yet.
Obviously it is still a work in progress and I’m assuming they will release it for all compatible phones as they go. As Gameloft optimizes games to individual phones and this is part of the reason the good games are still not in the Android Market. When you download the game you buy, it is for your actual device. They had Asphalt 6 for phones like the Nexus S, the Droid/2, the Droid X and more, but it wasn’t listed for oldies such as my Nexus One. I was hoping to find a Motorola Xoom version of Asphalt 6 but that was just wishful thinking. I’m sure it will be coming soon. I tried to get it for the Atrix as it is a higher resolution phone as well as having the same dual core Tegra 2 inside and I was going to use that on my Xoom but they didn’t have a version for it like I mentioned above. I have a feeling it will be coming to the Nvidia Tegra Zone soon though, but only time will tell. As soon as we get more information, or are lucky enough to get Asphalt 6 on our Xoom. I’ll be sure to post some screenshots for you all to enjoy. But for now head over to Gameloft and get Asphalt 6 for your Android phone. Or just click here. [via Gameloft] )
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