Monday, April 25, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Featured App of the Day – WiFi Status [Video]

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 05:33 PM PDT

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Hello, everyone! Today I wanted to show off one of my personal favorite apps from the Android Market called WiFi Status. I found time and time again that when I leave my house, I always forget to turn off my WiFi and I don’t always figure it out til hours later after my phone is constantly searching for a connection draining precious battery life.

The way WiFi Status works is easy. Simply install the app from the Market and it goes straight to work. Whenever you leave or are out of range of a connected WiFi hotspot, it notifies you that your WiFi is still on and clicking on the notification will turn it off. Easy, right? This app is completely indespensible to me and its definitely one of the first apps I download whenever I flash a new ROM or I help set up a phone for my “noob” friends.

You guys can find this app in the Market right now and the best part about it is that its totally free. If you do get around to trying it, let me know how you like it or any alternatives you have found in the comments below.

 

Samsung Goes On An Ad Blitz For Their New Galaxy S II Line

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 05:16 PM PDT

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With the soon to be released Samsung Galaxy S II line of phones hitting the UK as early as next week, we’ve seen a recent ad blitz from the Korean handset maker. It wasn’t too long ago I posted a video of a (not too bright) little girl dumping her GS II into a fishbowl to see if her phone could swim because the SAMOLED Plus screen was that vivid. Today, Samsung’s YouTube channel has added a few more videos of their incredibly thin flagship phone.

I’ve always considered myself an HTC fanboy of sorts, but not even I can help getting excited over the launch of this phone in the U.S. While the commercials seem to aim for the “short but sweet” approach, I feel like they could be showing off some core features of the phone a little bit better.

What do you guys think of these new ads. Too corny? Cheesy? Is there anything you feel like they could/should be showing off better?

[Via YouTube]

Analyst: XOOM Sales Could Be as Low as 25,000 Units

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 03:46 PM PDT

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Another analyst is chiming in to give his take on sales of the Motorola XOOM, and Trip Chowdry of Global Equities outlook is dire. By his number, Motorola has produced between 500,000 and 800,000 and only sold 5 to 15 percent of them. At best, Chowdry believes only 120,000 of the Honeycomb tablet have been sold. Previous reports had the XOOM at 300,000 units this quarter. Motorola projected sales of 3 to 5 million XOOMs this year. Official figures aren’t in, but the numbers aren’t adding up.

It gets worse: in the worst possible scenario Chowdry puts XOOM sales at a mere 25,000, a number easily achieved by the iPad 2 in a fraction of a day. A wide range — 120,000 to 25,000 — to say the least. The reality of it should come clear Thursday when Motorola reports their earnings.

[via AllThingsD]

HTC Reaffirms Honeycomb for Flyer Tablet

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 03:11 PM PDT

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Since its initial announcement, there has been somewhat of a backlash against the HTC Flyer for its lack of Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Several times word has surfaced that the first Android tablet from HTC would eventually receive an upgrade to Honeycomb, and today HTC reaffirmed that notion via Twitter. In response to a user mention lamenting the lack of the latest Android OS for tablets, HTC promised Honeycomb would arrive on the Flyer “shortly after launch.

This won’t do anything for other things the Flyer lacks, such as a dual-core processor, but should go a long way for helping its chance at success. Does the idea of Honeycomb on the Flyer make it more appealing to you? Even when it arrives, the Sense UI will most likely make any UI advantages of Android 3.0 obsolete regardless.

[via AndroidPolice]

Droid Charge and Droid Incredible 2 Featured In Best Buy’s May Buyer’s Guide

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 01:47 PM PDT

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The two newest member of the Droid family from Verizon have landed amongst the pages of May’s Mobile Phone Buyer’s Guide at Best Buy. Verizon officially announced the launch of the Samsung DROID Charge for April 28th, though Big Red hasn’t down the same for the HTC Droid Incredible 2. Almost all of the information we have points towards the DInc 2  launching alongside the Charge — we expect to see it in stores come this Thursday.

The Charge will be the first 4G LTE entry into the Droid line, while the Incredible 2 follows in the footsteps of the wildly popular original, which launched about a year ago at Verizon. The Charge will retail for $300 ($250 at some retailers), and the Incredible 2 is expected for right around $200.

[via PocketNow]

Honeycomb on the BlackBerry PlayBook? No, That’s Just a Photoshop Fail

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 01:06 PM PDT

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Actually, it’s more of a Google Image Search Fail. See, when creating the above flyer for the BlackBerry PlayBook, the ad wizards behind it must have simply grabbed the first thing they came across with a decent resolution. Yes, the PlayBook has the ability to run Android applications natively without too much fuss. No, the PlayBook does not run Android Honeycomb. The actual image has appeared in articles on the topic of Android app compatibility, though the original source can’t be pinpointed.

I feel for the folks behind the blunder, as I have almost made the same mistake several times while searching for PlayBook imagery. Good thing we aren’t running too many BlackBerry stories here at Phandroid.

[via AndroidCentral]

Droid Does 4G In Second Charge Teaser

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 12:20 PM PDT

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It isn’t groundbreaking news, but a second Samsung DROID Charge teaser adds on to the list of things Droid does. As the first member of the Droid lineup to come 4G-equipped, you best believe Verizon plans to leverage that fact in their advertising campaigns going forward. Droid does 4G LTE, and it does it quickly.

[via DroidLife]

The Motorola XT316 Hits the FCC, Looks Like a Smaller Droid Pro

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 11:52 AM PDT

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Motorola has another BlackBerry-esque handset in the works, and the handset has just hit the FCC. Known simply as the Motorola XT316, the phone carries the same form factor as the Droid Pro with a QWERTY keyboard positioned directly under the handset’s touchscreen. The 3.1-inch screen of the Droid Pro gives way to a smaller 2.8-inch display.

Those looking to get their hands on the XT316 in the States are out of luck for now, however. Despite the phone’s FCC approval request, it currently doesn’t house the proper radio to fully support North American 3G networks. The handset seems relegated to China for now.

[via WirelessGoodness]

Dell: Android Tablets Will Follow in Smartphone Footsteps, Outpace Apple’s Success

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 11:09 AM PDT

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It seemed almost inevitable for smartphones: after Apple jumped ahead to an early lead in the smartphone race, the singular manufacturer would be quickly outpaced as Android showed up on handsets of all shapes, makes, and price points. Could the same eventually hold true for Android tablets in their fight against the iPad? If you ask Michael Dell, CEO of computer manufacturer Dell, the answer is yes. Dell admits the hour may be far off, but points to Android’s rise to smartphone supremacy as proof positive the shift could happen:

“Not tomorrow. Not the next day. But again, if you look at 18 months ago, Android phones were like, "What is that?" And now there are more Android phones than iPhones. I don’t see any reason why the same won’t occur with Android tablets”

He certainly has a point, but is the comparison fair? While smartphones drop in price and see consistent competition bringing about new features, the tablet market has only recently begun to heat up but mastering the art still alludes Android tablet manufacturers. Apple again finds themselves ahead early, and the release of the iPad 2 isn’t helping Android’s cause. The ability to create a quality product at a reasonable price still eludes big name slates like the Motorola XOOM and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Dell, of course, has their own reason to be hopeful for Android on tablets. They already count two slates using Google’s OS among their lineup, and are planning at least one more entry for the summer. What do you think? Will Android once again overtake Apple and iOS? Or is the iPad’s hold on the market too much to overcome?

[via IntoMobile]

Download: Galaxy S II Live Wallpapers

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 09:52 AM PDT

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The Galaxy S II has been in the hands of quite a few folks outside of Samsung now and you had to guess that a system dump would be in the pipeline. We don’t get the full plate of things such as ringtones and static wallpapers, but we do get several very nice live wallpapers from the device.

Rawat from XDA has them here, and you should already know what to do with them after you download them. (Just make sure you enable third-party application installs in Settings > Applications.) [via SmartKeitai]

What Phones Should These People Get? [Forum Talk]

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 09:45 AM PDT

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A quick look at AndroidForums.com shows me that there are many undecided folks looking to either upgrade their existing Android phones or get one for the first time. That’s great and all, but we have one big problem – they don’t know which to get!

One user wants one with a nice keyboard, while another wants a 1GHz processor – lots of phones fit those bills. Why not head over there and help them out? There are five different users looking for some good suggestions so be a good sport and sell them on a phone you think would be good here, here, here, here and here. Ready? Set? Go!

Vodafone Portugal Launching Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v Tomorrow

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 09:12 AM PDT

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While we’re sure we don’t have many readers in Portugal, we’re guessing a few of you importing types will be happy to hear this – Samsung’s letting loose the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v tomorrow via Vodafone Portugal. It’ll cost €589.90 without a contract. (There’s no word on if they’ll ever offer it on contract.)

If you don’t remember, the Galaxy Tab 10.1v is the Honeycomb tablet they originally announced but decided to 1-up it with a slimmer model and a custom user interface. That version is expected to be out starting in June. If you don’t mind spending the extra dough to get this one early, though, then be sure to go through your usual channels to import this one starting tomorrow. [Engadget]

HTC DoubleShot User Agent Tells of Gingerbread, QWERTY Keyboard

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 08:49 AM PDT

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We’ve been waiting a long time to hear more about the HTC DoubleShot a dual-core phone that was rumored back in early March for T-Mobile. All we knew of then was a name, but a user agent file for the device has surfaced and gives us a bit of an idea of what to expect. Firstly, it’ll run Android 2.3 – we’d be alarmed if it didn’t if the summer launch we’re hearing is true.

Other details revealed include a hardware QWERTY keyboard which we imagine shouldn’t be too different from the one found on the G2. We’re expecting it to be a high-end device – namely one with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor by Qualcomm. Other murmurs suggest it’ll be a 3D device, hence its name – you’re “shooting” two pictures at once. Let’s hope some pictures of the thing turn up before too long. [PocketNow]

Pre-Order the Samsung DROID Charge From Wirefly and LetsTalk Today for $250

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 08:11 AM PDT

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Our friends at LetsTalk.com and Wirefly.com have pinged us to let us know that the Samsung DROID Charge is available for pre-order and will ship in time for the device’s April 28th launch on Verizon. Both will be offering it for $50 less than what Verizon’s asking for – you’ll walk away with it for $250.

It’s Verizon’s first Samsung-made DROID phone and their second 4G LTE device. Although this phone doesn’t have Galaxy S branding, it’s just as much a part of the Galaxy S family as any other device. It shares a lot of the same internals as the Samsung Fascinate but stretches the screen out to 4.3-inches. You can put your order in at Wirefly here, and LetsTalk’s can be had here.

Android Absolutely Does Store Location Information

Posted: 25 Apr 2011 07:45 AM PDT

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Yes, Android does store location information, at least that’s what all of the headlines have been purporting the past week or so. We’ve watched this story originate and bubble up into a huge FUD-spreading session since early last week, but we didn’t feel the need to report it. Why, you ask? Because this stuff has been known since Android’s inception – the operating system stores location information.

Countless outlets have reported it as if it were a surprise in response to claims that the iPhone is storing location information. To me, it just sounded like everyone was defending Apple and the iPhone by alleging that the same is true for Android. After further analysis, however, I realize that a lot of folks are just plain ignorant.

When you buy a new Android phone and activate it for the first time, Google asks you a simple question: would you like to enable location services? Alongside delivering power for Google Maps navigation, targeted ads and local search results, enabling these services store information about what networks and cell towers you’ve been connected to.

But it’s not for Google or even Apple to track you – they use this information to make it easier and faster for you to use said location services. Instead of wasting time establishing a completely fresh connection with GPS satellites, they’ll use a cache of information to get you the results you need faster.

I understand folks’ concerns about privacy, but is this really that big of a deal? You’d be surprised how much Google already knows about you through your daily web browsing sessions and I’m willing to bet that a majority of you don’t care – some of you may even like it. (I know I do. Ads relevant to me are simply awesome.)

I wasn’t even too high on writing this story until Mr Jobs himself reportedly chimed in. According to MacRumors, he responded to his steve@apple.com address to a user inquiring about the issue. And I quote:

Q: Steve,
Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It’s kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don’t track me.

A: Oh yes they do. We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.

Sent from my iPhone

I don’t even want to get started on how condescending and asshole-ish this sounds. And I won’t comment on the truth or falsity of Jobs’ supposed statement. (This isn’t confirmed to be from him, but Apple has yet to deny it.) I will, however, say that it’s no one’s place to accuse Google of such actions when there has been no evidence to go along with it. That’s even low for Steve Jobs.

I’m sure Google’s going to get another phone call about their privacy policy from the governing bodies of the world after all of this hooplah, but I think it’ll ultimately end up being an epic waste of time.

Google had no problem shedding more light on their policy for the desktop computing front and I don’t foresee them having anything to hide on mobile. Having said all of that, just turn those pesky location services off and get a standalone GPS if you’re that worried about it.
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