Android and Me |
- Paypal app update: picture check deposits and more
- Motorola Droid X2 officially announced; available for $200 on May 19th
- Google Music starts sending out invites, do you have yours yet?
- T-Mobile’s 2011 roadmap: myTouch 4G Slide, HTC Marvel, LG Optimus II, and more
| Paypal app update: picture check deposits and more Posted: 18 May 2011 04:39 PM PDT Have you guys been jealous of Chase customers? Being able to deposit a check by simply taking a picture of it with your phone can be quite convenient, and it is a feature many of us (non-Chase bankers) have been waiting for. Well, this feature is now available with PayPal, covering a much wider crowd, since pretty much all internet shoppers and addicts use this online bank for transactions over the web. PayPal’s Android app has been updated to version 2.8.0, and picture check depositing is not the only new thing, but there are a couple extra additions.
Though picture check deposits took the stage on this update, the other additions may actually be something that we would use more often. As you can see, the PayPal app now allows you to move it to the SD card, making it easier on those struggling with storage space. Now, the part that really caught my attention… The PayPal Local feature. Personally, I use PayPal very often, and transferring your money to your personal bank account can become quite a hassle. The process takes days (literally), and sometimes the best option is to just try to purchase as much as possible directly through your PayPal account. PayPal Local allows you to find close-by businesses that accept PayPal transactions, making it much easier to use your money when needed. As mentioned before, the check depositing feature seems to be the one that most people are excited about. We would like to know what you guys think. Do you agree that the other features are more convenient? Would you guys actually use your phone to deposit your checks? Gallery   
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| Motorola Droid X2 officially announced; available for $200 on May 19th Posted: 18 May 2011 01:42 PM PDT Motorola and Verizon have finally given up on keeping the Droid X2 a secret, and this morning made the phone as official as it gets. You’ll be able to get the phone online for $200 on May 19 and at your local Verizon store on May 26 — as previously known. For two Benjamins, you’ll get all the following goodies:
While the Droid X2 does have some pretty decent specs by today’s standards, we can’t help but notice some missing features. Starting with the OS version, Gingerbread was released more than six months ago, there’s absolutely no excuse to be launching Android devices with Froyo at this point. Then there’s the missing front-facing camera. Even mid-range phones like the Droid Charge are launching with front-facing camera these days. The front-facing camera is starting to become a standard feature in Android devices. But somehow Motorola or Verizon thought that a superphone like the Droid X2 didn’t need one. Finally, no 4G support. Every single high-end Android phone released today should support some form of 4G. It’s pretty simple: powerful device requires powerful network. Why put an 8MP camera that records HD video in there, if it’ll take users half an hour to upload the video to YouTube. In summary, the Droid X2 is a good update to the original Droid X, but it doesn’t stand a chance against some of the other superphones that are coming soon. Show Press ReleaseFast and Powerful DROID X2 by Motorola to be Available Online Beginning May 19 May 18, 2011 BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.– Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the second-generation Android™-powered DROID X2 by Motorola, designed for the consumer who does everything on their smartphone. Fly through the Web with the DROID X2, which boasts Verizon Wireless' first dual-core 1GHz processor for fast webpage loading and Adobe® Flash® Player, allowing customers to experience rich content online. The 4.3-inch scratch-resistant and anti-reflective qHD display delivers a sharp, clear view ideal for watching movies, typing emails and playing your favorite games. Never miss a moment using the 8-megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and stunning HD video capture. Use the new Gallery app to view, tag and post photos on sites like Flickr® and Facebook®, all from one place. Additional features: Powered by Android 2.2, to be updated to Android 2.3 Pricing and availability: The DROID X2 will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com on May 19 and in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores on May 26for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. About Motorola Mobility
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| Google Music starts sending out invites, do you have yours yet? Posted: 18 May 2011 01:27 PM PDT Music Beta by Google was one of the most important announcements at Google I/O, and we have all been waiting impatiently to get our taste of Google’s new toy. The same morning that this long awaited service was unveiled, its official site went up, allowing everyone to request an invitation to be part of Google Music’s beta testing. Well, it seems that the time has come, and many of those that requested invites, have been receiving them today (Not me… Yet).
Music beta may be Google’s main attraction for now, being its new toy, but we tend to forget that it is still in beta. In fact, the service started having its first issues yesterday. Google Music showed its imperfections for a 3-4 hour period, when new invitees were unable to access the Google Music Manager (uploading tool). New users started reporting that the music manager would ask them to log in repeatedly, despite the fact that they already were. Also, Music Beta’s site started displaying the following message: “Your computer or network may be sending automated queries.To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.” We have to remember that we are signing up for a beta product, so we should expect some issues, but Google will be working hard to fix them. Aside from these issues, users seem to be very satisfied, and it is definitely exciting that Google is allowing us to check it out. Though Amazon beat Google and Apple on releasing a cloud music player, all of us (Android enthusiasts) have been waiting for Google Music to show up. The Amazon Cloud Player is not bad at all, but it is a given that Google Music should simply work better, and be more integrated with the Android platform. The uploading process is very slow with Amazon, and it seems like Google has done a better job at this. Music Beta accomplishes this by giving you a piece of software that will upload your 20,000 songs to Google’s servers more seamlessly, as opposed to Amazon, which requires you to do it through your web browser (at a very slow rate). Have you guys gotten some love from Google yet? If you have received the invite, please let us know how Google Music is working for you! If not, sit tight and wait with me, hopefully we will get it soon. Also, check out Chris’ introduction video about Music Beta for a good look at what Google has in store for us.
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| T-Mobile’s 2011 roadmap: myTouch 4G Slide, HTC Marvel, LG Optimus II, and more Posted: 18 May 2011 12:09 PM PDT T-Mobile seems to have a serious leakage problem. The company just keeps giving, and giving, and giving us information about its forthcoming devices. Yesterday, the leakage turned into gaping hole when the whole carrier's roadmap for 2011 found its way to the Internet via This Is My Next. According to TIMN, T-Mobile has at least half a dozen Android devices coming out over the next few months. Let's take a look at who they are: JuneJune will be jam-packed with Android announcements from T-Mobile. The carrier plans to release at least four new Android phones next month. Starting with the HTC Sensation 4G, the Samsung Exhibit 4G and the Samsung Gravity Touch 2 or GT2. All three of these devices are expected to be announced June 8th. The following week, on the 15th, T-Mobile will supposedly announce the Samsung t499 "Tass". According to Cell Phone Signal, this is the American version of the Samsung Galaxy Mini – which will probably launch as the Samsung Suit. The Samsung Galaxy Mini is a low-end Android phone with a 3.14-inch screen, Android 2.2, 3MP camera, and a 600 MHz Processor. Magenta also has a mobile hotspot device from Huawei coming out some time in June. The hotspot is codenamed Wayne, and will support 42Mbps HSPA+ and 802.11n Wi-Fi. JulyJuly will be yet another busy month for T-Mobile, with the launch of two new Android phones from HTC. On the 6th, T-Mobile should announce the HTC "Doubleshot", also known as the myTouch 4G Slide. As we've seen before, the myTouch 4G Slide will feature a 1.2 GHz dual-core Processor, Gingerbread, 768MB of RAM, a 3.7-inch WVGA display, an 8MP back-facing and VGA front-facing cameras. Then on July 15, T-Mobile will announce the HTC Marvel, which is widely believed to be the T-Mobile version of the HTC Wildfire S. This budget-friendly little phone will launch with a 3.2-inch TFT display, Android 2.3, 5MP camera, and a Qualcomm 600 MHz Processor. AugustAugust will be a relatively quiet month for T-Mobile, with the launch of just one Android device. The carrier will announce the Huawei Ideos S7, a 7-inch device with Android 2.2 Froyo, front-facing and back-facing cameras, and a 768 MHz Snapdragon Processor. SeptemberIn September we could see the arrival of the Samsung Hercules on T-Mobile. As we saw yesterday, the Hercules looks like an absolutely magnificent device – at least on the hardware side — but it'll be facing some fierce competition from Tegra 3-touting devices this holiday season. October, November and DecemberAfter September, details start to become scarce on the Android devices that Magenta will announce. However, the carrier does have a lot of them lined up for this holiday season. Starting with the LG Maxx and Maxx Q; we have no idea if these devices are running Android or not, but you should keep them in the back of your head just in case. Then there's the HSPA-capable Huawei U2805 and the Samsung "Dumont", the Huawei device could very well be a replacement to the T-Mobile Comet, or not – we have no clue at this point. The LG "Gelato" Optimus II should also make its way to T-Mobile in Q4. This is most likely an updated version of the Optimus T – known internationally as the LG Optimus One. If it is, then it should be aimed at the low-end of the market and be priced below $99. Lastly, HTC has two more devices coming out at the end of the year; they are the Bresson and the G-Infinity. We don't know anything about the Bresson, but the G-Infinity could be a successor to T-Mobile's G2 and G2x. I'd keep an eye on the G-Infinity since it could be one of the first phones to launch with Tegra 3. Whew! That's a lot of Android for just seven months. We expect to get more details on all these devices as we get closer to their launch dates. Meanwhile, you can tell us which of these phones you plan on making your best friend in the next few months.
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