Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Dust Off That Old Droid – Amazon Now Taking Trade-Ins for Electronics

Posted: 18 May 2011 06:56 PM PDT

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Have an old “Droid” phone laying around? Or perhaps you know someone who wanted to experiment a little bit in college and wound up with an iPhone? We all make mistakes. Well, starting today, you and even your OS challenged friend can can trade in those used smartphones (and more) on Amazon and trade-up into the wonderful world of Android.

That’s right, Amazon has just announced that they are starting a new program that allows you to trade in most of your old electronics, mp3 players and smartphones for store credit. Simply box up your old goods, ship them out and Amazon will give you the value in the form of a store credit. They even feature bonus trade-in deals of the day that give you even more credit for your buck.

Ironically, the Nexus One is currently valued at $130 while the iPhone 3GS is valued at $162. Go figure. Time to do a little treasure hunting in that old closet or desk drawer. Now, where did I leave my old Zune…?

[Via Amazon]

Leaked LG XML File Gives Us More Details On The Nexus 3?

Posted: 18 May 2011 06:15 PM PDT

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The guys over at Wired View made an interesting find today when they stumbled upon an LG XML file today. Aside from the normal gibberish associated with these files, we see a codename for a new LG device. According to this XML file, it looks like LG is gearing up to release another smartphone codenamed p930. I know what you’re thinking, “How do we know its a smartphone? Its probably just a tablet.” Well, the main clue is the “P” in front of the numbers is how LG identifies their phones while a “V,” followed by numbers, has so far indicated a tablet (Optimus Pad/G-Slate).

While there’s no indication on screen size, upon closer inspection you can see that the mysterious device will feature a 1280×720 resolution display and support for Edge/GPRS and HSDPA/HSUPA (still unsure on specific radio bands).

Now, this is all pure speculation but this leak definitely has my wheels turning. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have just stumbled upon Google’s Nexus 3, folks. Word on the street is Google has something very special planned for their next flagship device and with a possible quad-core processor and 720p HD display, they just might be able to claim “firsties” on both accounts. I think I just got goosebumps…

What do you guys think? Could this be the Nexus 3? Or am I just chasing pavements?

[Via WiredView]

PhanCast 36: IO Recap, Xperia Play, Droid X2, Apps Initiative [LIVE at 7PM Eastern]

Posted: 18 May 2011 03:43 PM PDT

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Yet again we’ve spent some time apart, but we’re re-united to talk Android in PhanCast 36 live at 7PM Eastern. That’s 20 minutes or so from the time of this post for all the mathematicians out there. On tap tonight is a Google IO Recap, the Xperia Play and Droid X2 for Verizon, and an app discussion that will serve as a prelude to next week’s big app show.

Tune in live at 7PM Eastern over at BlogTalkRadio or via the player below (old episodes will stream while off-air).

Download: LavaGlo [Lava Lamp Live Wallpaper]

Posted: 18 May 2011 02:46 PM PDT

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Itching to take a trip back to the 1970s? While a time machine is far outside of our realm of possibilities, timeless trinkets, gizmos, gadgets and antiques do well to remind us of old times. And in this day and age, with everything being digital, we can simulate most things. All you lava lamp fans might like this live wallpaper called LavaGlo. It’s simple, really. Change the color to whatever you’d like and you’re greeted to the sweet memories of the 70s as soon as you turn your phone on. While it’s not nearly as cool as having the real deal, it’s something. Go ahead and find it in the Android market for $.96.

Vodafone to Sell the HTC EVO 3D July 11th?

Posted: 18 May 2011 02:29 PM PDT

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This is an interesting rumored, I’d say. Vodafone is said to be getting the HTC EVO 3D on July 11th. The carrier’s reportedly declining to carry the “3D” moniker, it seems, but PhonesLimited.co.uk says it’ll have the same exact unique features as Sprint’s version (sans WiMax radios, of course.) It won’t be the first “EVO” branded device to leave American shores, if true. The HTC EVO 4G sailed across the pacific to Japan where it was known as the HTC EVO WiMax. We haven’t heard anything from Vodafone themselves yet, but you know we’ll be looking out for official word. [Thanks Patrick!]

[Update: Gone!] Walmart Has The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer in Stock [Hurry!]

Posted: 18 May 2011 02:03 PM PDT

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Walmart now has ASUS Eee Pad Transformer units in stock and ready to go. I probably shouldn’t type anything else because you guys have probably already clicked away from this page. For the few of you who haven’t, though, they have 32GB and 16GB versions on sale for $500 and $400, respectively. Yes, you’ll want to buy this tablet if a cost-efficient Honeycomb tablet is something you’ve been desiring. Hurry, though – I have a feeling these won’t last the entire evening. [Walmart via Droid-Life]

[Update]: Damn, that was quick. All gone now, folks. You should have guessed it wouldn’t have lasted long.

Angry Birds Rio Beach Volleyball Update to Hit Android Market This Friday

Posted: 18 May 2011 01:23 PM PDT

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Fear not, Amazon Appstore – uhhh – fearers, you won’t have to get the new upgrade to Angry Birds Rio outside of the Android market. The update – which adds a lot of monkeys and sand – was released last week in the Amazon Appstore, but Android market users had nothing to look forward to. You’ll get 30 new beach-themed levels, folks, and it should keep things interesting until Rovio graces the game with their June update. Find it in the Android market now. [Droid Gamers]

HTC Says Early Flyer Sales Are Good

Posted: 18 May 2011 12:13 PM PDT

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Despite the HTC Flyer not being an Android 3.0 tablet, HTC says early sales are doing quite good for themselves. The industry was worried that – due to pricing and no adoption of Google’s tablet-specific operating system – the Flyer wouldn’t take off. Despite fear-mongering from certain industry players, HTC believes that the tablet market is still young and there is still a ton of room for growth for any company not named “Apple”.

They also apparently mentioned wanting to do something with NFC in the future, but offered no details. We aren’t so surprised by that considering how major carriers in Europe and the United States are treating the technology – they want it to blow up (in a good way) and will lend their hand in helping that become a reality.

We can’t imagine competing OEMs aren’t thinking the same. HTC has plans to sell the HTC Flyer in the United States as the HTC EVO View 4G, and T-Mobile has also been rumored to carry the device. [Electronista]

LG Optimus 3Ds For Sale on eBay

Posted: 18 May 2011 11:40 AM PDT

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Last week at Google I/O, several lucky souls walked away from an LG-thrown event with one of their most innovative phones to date – the Optimus 3D. We didn’t get in on it ourselves, but some of those who did didn’t care to keep the device and are instead selling several of their units on eBay.

The lowest bid we can find starts at $515, while other listings are going as high as $750. (One guy has a Buy It Now listing for $900 if you don’t care to deal with a bidding war.) We’re still not sure when this thing will be launched, but if you’d rather not wait for LG to release it then you should try your hand here. [Thanks Mike!]

Nexus S 4G vs EVO 4G in Speed Test on Video [Hint: Nexus Lost... Big Time]

Posted: 18 May 2011 11:18 AM PDT

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Yesterday, we were notified of some issues with the Nexus S 4G’s data radios. Many users at Sprint’s support forums reported a lack of data connectivity and very weak or slow signals. Sprint acknowledged that an anomaly was indeed going on and that they’d be looking into the issue. But just how bad is this issue?

The folks at GizmoFusion decided to put two of Sprint’s 4G phones – the Nexus S 4G and the EVO 4G – side-by-side with 4G enabled. The test is simple – run the SpeedTest.net app. Their findings? The EVO 4G beat the Nexus S 4G by a long shot. In the video, the EVO 4G averaged a downstream speed of 8.4 megabits while the Nexus S 4G could only muster up a measly 2.4 megabits.

GizmoFusion says the 2x-6x difference in speed was consistent throughout several tests. To have two different phones in the same exact coverage area produce two hugely different results is undeniable evidence that something is definitely up with the Nexus S 4G.

Google Pushing Fix for Personal Data Security Exploit

Posted: 18 May 2011 09:32 AM PDT

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Yesterday we caught wind of an issue with Android versions 2.3.3 and earlier that saw stored authTokens leaking personal data over unencrypted networks. As you might expect, Google is responding quickly to the problem that they already addressed in Android 2.3.4 and higher, but still affects 99 percent of handsets running their mobile OS.

The patch will make sure your contact and calendar data is safe, though Picasa information is a different story. Google says something else needs to be done to tackle that issue, but the good news is the initial fix should begin hitting phones over the next few days. You most likely won’t even realize the patch was installed. You know, because Google can do things like that, pushing over-the-air updates to your phone with you none the wiser.

[via Gizmodo]

AT&T confirms non-Market app sideloading coming to existing Android devices

Posted: 18 May 2011 09:01 AM PDT

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When the Samsung Infuse 4G launched with the ability to install unsigned apps from third-party sources, a long-standing policy with AT&T was reversed. In every Android release up until the Infuse, AT&T had blocked the capability over concerns for user security. A recently leaked document suggested the carrier would be retro-actively enabling what has come to be known as app sideloading for several devices via updates, and now a spokesperson with AT&T is confirming the fact, saying, "over the next few weeks, we will also roll out this capability to existing devices in our base for which an upgrade is possible.”

The carrier points to a previous inability to “find nefarious apps and to take them down.” CTO John Donovan, for whatever reason, now feels Android on AT&T is at a place where he feels comfortable opening up their devices to third-party markets without feeling like users are at risk.

Thanks for looking out for us for so long, AT&T, but I think we got this one. Sure, there will always be a handful of users who make bad choices when it comes to putting third-party software on their devices, but Android users on other carriers have been making out with sideloading just fine. For those on AT&T, expect a wide range of current devices to have the ban lifted in the near future.

[via AllThingsD]

The 10-inch Dell Streak Pro gets detailed

Posted: 18 May 2011 07:44 AM PDT

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Rumor has it the Dell Streak Pro is coming in June, and just in time we are learning a few more details on the 10-inch entry into Dell’s Android tablet lineup. Speaking of that 10-inch display, it should get a resolution of 1280×800, a fairly standard pixel density among the latest crop of tablets. Under the hood we will find an NVIDIA Tegra 2 (T20) clocked at 1GHz and backed up by 1GB of RAM.

The Streak Pro gets the now-standard dual camera setup, including a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing camera. The Stage 2.0 interface is present and the device will be available in 16, 32, and 64GB versions. Support for AT&T’s LTE network might even be part of the package, but considering the carrier has little to show of its next-gen service we would chalk that up to rumor. Actually chalk it all up to rumor until we get further confirmation.

[via Tweakers]

PayPal for Android to receive Mobile Check Capture

Posted: 18 May 2011 07:06 AM PDT

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You know that fancy ability to snap a picture of a check with your smartphone’s camera and have the funds automatically deposited into your PayPal account? The feature that iPhone users have had since last October? It is making its way to Android today through a soon-to-be released update to the platform’s PayPal app.

The feature, known as Mobile Check Capture, has apparently brought in about a million dollars per month through the iPhone app alone, proving that people really are just that lazy. I kid, the convenience of off-site deposits (and the ability to deposit money directly to PayPal from a check without having to transfer funds between bank accounts) can’t be understated.

Oh, and the update brings along a few other conveniences as well, such as the ability to install PayPal to the SD card, saving some space on your phone’s internal storage. And just like money, internal storage is something we all could probably use a bit more of.

[via MobileCrunch]

Pantech Vega Racer first phone with 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon

Posted: 18 May 2011 06:54 AM PDT

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Pantech has plans to launch the Vega Racer, what should be the world’s first 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon handset, later this month in their native Korea. The phone headed to SK-Telekom rocks the Qualcomm MSM8660 next to its Adreno 220 GPU and 1GB of RAM, enough power to make any smartphone user drool. The phone remains slim at 9mm thick and weighs in at 120g, not bad for a device with a 4.3-inch display. There is little to no chance we’ll see this one in North America, but a boy can dream.

[via Engadget]
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