Monday, April 4, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Sprint Begins Testing For Google Voice Integration

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 07:06 PM PDT

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It wasn’t too long ago when we last heard Sprint’s plans to integrate Google Voice into the carrier’s lineup of Android handsets. Today we received some exciting news that they have already begun testing Google Voice integration for some lucky Sprint users via a lucky Phandroid tipster.

From the looks of the imgaes he sent to us, setup seems like a snap and once finished you will now be able to use your Sprint number on your Google Voice account.

As a Sprint customer myself, I’ve been totally jazzed since I’m hearing this news on day one. Being a chronic ROM flasher its nice to know my text messages and voicemails are all nicely tucked away in Google’s cloud ready to be accessed from anywhere.

How about you? If you’re on Sprint are you excited to see this new service become available to you? If you’re not on Sprint, is this something you would like to see on your carrier?

[Thanks riggsAndroid!]

Hello, Phandroids. I’m the new kid.

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 06:09 PM PDT

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Being the new kid is always tough. But I can tell you, its a little easier when we’re talking about fellow Android lovers. Hello, friends. I’m Chris Chavez.

I made my start doing Android videos back in ’86 (yeah, I’m that old school) and moved around to various Android blogs sharing my love for that little green robot. I have since been scooped up by Phandroid and their awesome team and have to say they’re a great group of guys. My mission to you, the readers, is to give my unabashed opionion on all things Android and hold back nothing.

More than that I look forward to hearing from you! I’ve always been a social type of butterfly and I believe one of the things that makes this OS so great is the awesome community supporting it. Feel free to chime in below and leave me a comment. You can also get a hold of me anytime on my Twitter where I do nothing but talk Android and Google all day….. and occasionally fight with my girlfriend. =p

-Chris “Gamercore” Chavez

http://twitter.com/gamercore
http://youtube.com/emogamer
http://facebook.com/gamercore

Easy 4G Switching Comes to the HTC Thunderbolt with LTE onOFF

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 03:42 PM PDT

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HTC Thunderbolt battery problems got you down? A large part of it has to do with the handset’s 4G connection. Enter LTE onOFF, a new app in the Android Market that creates an easy way yo to turn on and off the Thunderbolt’s LTE radio to give your battery a break when needed. It’s a basic app by all means, but gets the job done just fine. Head over to the Android Market to grab it now.

Android Market Link: LTE onOFF

[via AndroidCentral]

Angry Birds Rio Grabs 10 Million Downloads in 10 Days

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:39 PM PDT

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The latest edition of Rovio’s Angry Birds franchise was released a little under two weeks ago. In that time span, Angry Birds Rio has been making some serious waves around the mobile app markets. In just 10 days, the combined downloads of Rio across the Amazon Appstore, Android Market, and Apple App Store have reached 10 million. Quite an impressive figure, but did you expect any less?

[via MobileSyrup]

China to Get Tegra 2 with K-Touch W700

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:27 PM PDT

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We might unfairly associate a lot of what comes out of China with the knock-off market, so it can be easy to forget that there are domestic manufacturers creating some hopeful upcoming devices. Take for instance the K-Touch 700 headed for China Unicom. The phone is a honest-to-goodness dual-core Tegra 2 handset running on Android 2.2 Froyo. Even if the OS version is a step behind, a 480×800 capacitive display, dual cameras at 5MP an 0.3MP, and 512MB of RAM hardly seem pedestrian.

There is just about zippy chance we see this one anywhere outside of China, but it sure is good to see some proper devices for the domestic market.

[via Engadget]

Pandora Subpoenaed in Investigation of Android and Apple Privacy Concerns

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 02:01 PM PDT

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Apparently there is an investigation into Android and Apple app privacy concerns being conducted by a federal grand jury, according to the company behind Pandora. Panora Media Inc. was subpoenaed to take part in the investigation, which is looking into how companies and app makers are using the customer information provided to them. Little else was revealed, though Pandora does not believe they are being specifically targeted; similar subpoenas were issued to companies throughout the industry.

[via Reuters]

Is Fragmentation A Real Problem with Android? 86% of Developers Say Yes

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:31 PM PDT

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Whether or not Google ever freely admits that Android fragmentation might actually be a problem with their mobile operating system, those developing for the platform aren’t shying away from the issue. According to a recent survey by Baird analyst William Powers, a whopping 86 percent of Android developers see the spread of Android OS versions on available devices as a hurdle to developing for the platform. In fact, 24 percent believe fragmentation is a “huge problem.”

Google may or may not have taken notice of the problem in deciding to limit access to the Android 3.0 Honeycomb to only a handful of manufacturing partners, but they walk a precarious line between open source and complete control of their finished product. The debate will surely rage on among users, developers, and the company heading up Android.

[via BGR]

Google Maps Update to 5.3 Brings Location History Dashboard, “Home” Check-Ins, and More

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 01:12 PM PDT

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Another update has arrived for Google Maps on Android and location-based features are at the top of the short list of changes. Your Location History dashboard you might be familiar with if you are a Google Latitude user can now be accessed directly within Maps. Location History gives you a nice statistical view of where you are spending your time and how much time you are spending there. Speaking of where you have been, you can now check in at “home” using Google Maps. Set “home” to an address at your discretion, whether it be the actual place you live or the corner bar you might as well live in.

Google Maps 5.3, which also adds in the ability to edit and add your own categories for Places ratings, is now available in the Android Market.

Android Market Link: Google Maps

[via Google]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Dated for April 19 in the UK, Xperia Play and Arc Launch in India

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 12:22 PM PDT

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With the launch of the Xperia Play around Europe hitting at the tail end of last week, a lot is happening in Sony Ericsson’s neck of the woods. The Xperia Play also launched in India along with the Xperia Arc, and we now have a date for the release of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo April 19th is the date you can expect it to hit at least retailer Clove at the price of £299. Sure, it hasn’t received nearly the level of hype as the Xperia Play or even the Arc, but it holds its own.

[via UnwiredView, AndroidCommunity]

comScore: Android Now Makes Up One Third of All US Smartphones

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:28 AM PDT

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After last month’s report ranked Android as the top smartphone platform in the United States, the operating system’s share has continued to grow. Google’s mobile OS now accounts for 33 percent of all Smartphones in the US, or one third of all mobile handsets accessing the airwaves. Pretty impressive for a platform that barely held any presence in the market less than two years ago. Remember, most analysts predict within the next three or four years Android will grow to account for as much as 50 percent of the market. How about that.

[via comScore]

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Gets a Cracked Bootloader

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 11:14 AM PDT

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In light of the release of the next generation of Xperia phones, an older member of the family has finally seen its bootloader cracked, opening up the ability to install custom kernels and tweak other options unavailable before now. Sure, it comes a lot later than most would have hoped and shortly after Sony Ericsson announced it would feature easily unlockable bootloaders in upcoming handsets, but for those still cherishing the oft-neglect X10, this should come as good news. More info can be found at the source links below.

[via XDA 1, 2]

Sprint Calls Tests Giving Verizon 4G Lead ‘Inaccurate’

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 10:21 AM PDT

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Last week a series of 1,000 speed tests conducted in New York City by BTIG Research concluded that Verizon’s 4G LTE network outpaced Sprint’s 4G WiMAX. Today, Sprint is calling the results of the study “inaccurate.” The tests found Sprint’s WiMAX consistently delivering speeds of about 1Mbps down and up, while the LTE network of Verizon saw an average of 9Mbps down and 5Mbps up.

Sprint believes that one set of speed tests on Verizon’s relatively new network simply isn’t enough data for an accurate comparison. The company also points to reliability of the network over the long term with high traffic as another mark of quality, a test Verizon’s network hasn’t yet withstood. Here is Sprint’s full statement delivered to BGR:

“In a word, we find these tests inaccurate.

We work closely with an independent third party research company which reports regularly to us on real-world, scientifically tested speeds and the results we see do not match what Piecyk found. We’ve recently seen speeds in NYC (inclusive of New Jersey) averaging 4-5Mbps download.

The Verizon 4G LTE network is very new so no one has any fully time-tested data on it yet. As their network gets loaded and more than just one smartphone comes forward on their network, we can better assess its capabilities. In the early days of 4G for Sprint, we saw some very high speed numbers when the Network was launched (much higher than our current speed claims) but what ultimately matters to customers is a consistent, long-standing experience based on a network loaded with customers.

While speed tests will come and go, Sprint continues to offer consumers a dependable 4G network, more 4G devices and a better 4G value - with the only truly unlimited 4G - and we will continue to invest in expanding and enhancing Sprint 4G.”

[via BGR]

Google Bidding $900 Million on Patent Portfolio

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:48 AM PDT

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In a move to help keep their lawyers’ workload down, Google has gone ahead and decided to buy up some patents. Nortel is auctioning off some of their assets throughout the company’s financial trouble and they have a portfolio of patents that Google could use to help further their technological advances in Android and other areas without having to worry about being sued.

Google says this is their best course of action outside of the full-blown patent reform that many of us are hoping to see. In a statement, Google directly calls out patent holders who sit on these assets with no intention of doing anything with them except suing whoever accidentally violates them. Here’s an excerpt from Google’s official statement on the matter:

The tech world has recently seen an explosion in patent litigation, often involving low-quality software patents, which threatens to stifle innovation. Some of these lawsuits have been filed by people or companies that have never actually created anything; others are motivated by a desire to block competing products or profit from the success of a rival’s new technology.

The patent system should reward those who create the most useful innovations for society, not those who stake bogus claims or file dubious lawsuits. It’s for these reasons that Google has long argued in favor of real patent reform, which we believe will benefit users and the U.S. economy as a whole.

We couldn’t agree any more on that last part, Google. You don’t have to explain to us why you’re going the route everyone else has. The current patent system is dated beyond belief and if the governing bodies responsible for it won’t revisit the issue then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to create a portfolio of your own. [Google] [Thanks Jeff!]

This Broken Nexus One Sold For Nearly $7,000 on eBay

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 09:13 AM PDT

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eBay is always a great source for a bizarre story or two, whether it be an absurd amount of money an item sold for or an absurd item itself. This post is of the absurd amount of money variety. Some poor soul was just looking to get rid of his broken Nexus One as he didn’t want to deal with the $55 repair process through HTC.

Little did he know that he’d be selling that broken bundle of joy for nearly $7,000. I’m not even sure how the bid amount got to $500 for a dated phone such as the Nexus One but the jump from $500 to $7,000 is likely just the product of a typo or someone itching to be a jerk.

The weird part is that the person who was seriously bidding on it actually one-upped that large bid – surely he won’t seriously consider paying that much. Perhaps he didn’t see how much the price was. Or perhaps there is something magical about this Nexus One that we don’t know. I’ll go with the latter. [Thanks, Carlos!]

AT&T Increases Early Upgrade, 1-Year Contract Device Prices

Posted: 04 Apr 2011 08:56 AM PDT

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AT&T has confirmed recent suspicions saying they’d be making it more expensive for people to upgrade early or for people to buy phones with just a one-year contract as opposed to two years.

You’ll have to pay $50 more than previous standard pricing for the latter situation, while those who don’t want to be tied down to a two-year contract and instead opt for one year will need to pay $150 more for their smartphones.

AT&T claims that the decision was made due to the sophistication of smartphones these days. As they get better, their costs go up. (Except they forget to mention that you’re already paying for the MSRP throughout the two-year or one-year deal anyway.) [via BGR]
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