Monday, April 11, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Android 2.2 Froyo Rolling Out Today for Samsung Intercept on Virgin Mobile

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:11 PM PDT

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If you own the Samsung Intercept and it just so happens to be with Virgin Mobile, today is your lucky day! Reports have been coming in that some lucky users are being prompted for an over the air update that will bump the Intercept to Android 2.2 Froyo.

Upon completing the update, you will notice all traces of the pseudo Touch Whizzy interface removed in favor of good ‘ol stock vanilla Android.

If you own a Samsung Intercept on Virgin Mobile and have already received the update, chime in below and let us know how you’re liking the update and if you’ve run into any problems at all.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Yet Another Leak of the Sprint Motorola Xoom 4G

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:03 PM PDT

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Looks like BGR received a tip from a Sprint employee of a case for the Motorla Xoom arriving at their store. They were gracious enough to supply some pictures along with a shipment screen shot showing pricing of said case as well as a pic of the case itself.

We’ve already heard that Sprint will be offering both the Motorola Xoom and Atrix 4G with WiMax support (where available) and it seems that reality will come very soon.

The feedback I’ve been getting from my Twitter suggests those who planned on getting the Xoom have already opted for the WiFi only version. What I would like to know is if there are any Phandroids on Sprint who are itching to get a taste of some 4G powered Honeycomb when available?

[Via BGR]

FCC Posts Photos of HTC Thunderbolt Teardown

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 02:43 PM PDT

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Though it doesn’t come with all the flash of some of the other teardowns you might find around the web, the FCC has made public the images of their once over of the HTC Thunderbolt’s internals. Not much is revealed that we didn’t already know from the spec sheet, but it is worth taking a look at the various connectors HTC uses to bridge radio components on the circuit board to antennae in the case of the Thunderbolt. It is a technique HTC has been using to bypass reception problems and still allow access to the phone’s battery. Head over to the FCC link below to peruse the silicone and solder of Verizon’s solo 4G LTE handset.

[FCC via WirelessGoodness]

Skype with Video Chat Leaks, Front-Facing Cameras Rejoice

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:57 PM PDT

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Everyone was hoping the updated Skype with video chat would ship alongside the Thunderbolt, but alas it didn’t quite make the ship date (the service featured heavily into some of the Thunderbolt’s in-store advertising but then fell victim to a curious cover up by VZW). Now, though the release isn’t official, the APK for Skype with video has leaked and is ready for installation on Verizon’s first 4G handset.

We haven’t had a chance to see if the APK is compatible with any other handsets, but we are guessing the answer is no. A birdy said you might be on the right path to getting Skype with video by following the source link below.

[via DroidLife]

Android Gets New Options for Cloud Printing

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:30 PM PDT

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Google launched their own cloud printing solution for smartphones at the beginning of the year, but Android users are now getting a few more options in that area. For those currently getting their mileage out of Firefox 4 as their mobile browser of choice, a new extension has been made available allowing users to print directly from the browser to a networked printer. The extension was cooked up based on Google’s own service, which runs on HTML5, but developer Mark Finkle had to do some creative coding to workaround the fact that the search giant hasn’t made the cloud print API available.

Another option for cloud printing, which is set to launch on May 1st, is HP’s ePrint. The service is being targeted at enterprise users, boasting better security than what Google offers and shrugging the limitations of HTML5. A minor snag in the process is the entering of a required printer code — you will need to actually get up from your desk and move to the printer before the job will start. For now it looks like HP isn’t too concerned with non-corporate instances of the software, but if it becomes available to the general public we will let you know.

[via AndroidCentral, Androinica]

Leaked HTC Droid Incredible 2 Documents Confirm World Phone Status

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 12:35 PM PDT

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Verizon is definitely continuing the trend of offering a selection of their high-end smartphones with world-roaming capabilities. Though it apparently won’t get the “Global” tag we saw with the Droid 2, new documents are confirming that the HTC Droid Incredible 2 will indeed be a world phone. The combo GSM and CDMA radios will allow voice and data access around the globe.

Other items confirmed in the leak are a 1.3MP front-facing camera to compliment rear 8MP camera, a 16GB microSD card installed out of the box, and a new Sync & Connect email system. That service won’t launch until April 12th, providing us only with the hint that the Droid Incredible 2 won’t launch until after then. Current rumors place this handset’s launch sometime during the final two weeks of April.

[via AndroidCentral]

Adobe Introduces Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 for Mobile App Development

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 12:16 PM PDT

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Along with the introduction of Photoshop Touch, Adobe’s Creative Suite 5.5 is complimented with several new tools for those developing applications for mobile platforms. Flash Builder 4.5, Flex 4.5, and Flash Builder 4.5 for PHP all include enhancements and tooling to support mobile frameworks including Android, BlackBerry, and iOS. Using Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5, developers have access to a common codebase to cut back on development time for Flash and Air applications for mobile and include options to directly deploy finalized APKs to the Android Market and Amazon Appstore.

The idea is developers can code an app once and, with minimal changes, get it out on as many platforms as possible thanks to Adobe’s development tools. Can’t see how any party loses on that one. Of course, how useful this really is might be a question better answered by those actually developing the apps.

[via Adobe 1, 2]

Asus Eee Pad Transformer is Rooted Barely a Day After Release

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:51 AM PDT

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If anyone could have the new Asus Eee Pay Transformer under submission barely a day after launch, you better believe Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo would be the guy to do it. Freshly shipping from Amazon as of April 10th, the tablet, which will receive a wider release in May, has been cracked with root access granted.

The Transformer is the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet with keyboard dock that at once acts as a portable slate and quasi-netbook. You can check out the user manual recently posted by Asus or grab the source code if that is more your thing. You will have to head over to Twitter and see what Mr. O’Brien has to say if you want the procedure to root the tablet you probably don’t own yet.

[via AndroidCommunity]

White LG Optimus 3D Destined for the UK?

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:58 AM PDT

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With the white iPhone 4 still missing in action, the market is wide open for other handset makers to capitalize on the general public’s fascination with phones of a paler shade. A new listing UK retailer Phones4U’s website indicates a white version of the LG Optimus 3D might just be in the works, though the picture provided appears to be the regular old Optimus 3D. We’ll assume it is a placeholder image or that only the back battery cover gets a whitewashing, as there is still a separate listing for the black LG Optimus 3D on the Phones4U page. No word on when we might expect the handset to hit shelves.

[via EuroDroid]

Intel Ships First Atom Chips for Tablets, First Honeycomb Devices Not Far Off

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:36 AM PDT

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Intel today has shipped the first of its Atom processors for tablets under the codename Oak Trail, and devices using the alternative to ARM chipsets could start popping up as early as May. The Oak Trail processor is designed to handle both Android 3.0 Honeycomb and Windows 7, making it a viable choice for manufacturers not named Apple with Lenovo, Fujitsu, Samsung, and others already interested in exploring the CPU’s potential.

Intel has worked with Google to get things squared away for Android compatibility, moving ahead in a relationship that already has already producde the Atom-powered Google TV and Cr-48 Chrome netbook. Intel isn’t promising stellar battery performance, but the company does hope their new chip will be more competitive with the ARM architecture seen in all tablets up to this point. The single-core Oak Trail chip is clocked at 1.5GHz and carries over certain aspects of the Moorestown chip designed for smartphones. The tablet processor features PowerVR SGX535 graphics and MPEG acceleration for 1080p video playback.

Seeing as most companies only have dual-core in their sights, Intel may still have some way to go in winning over converts from the current batch of manufacturers. We expect Intel’s line of chips to play better with PC manufacturers making tablets on the side, especially those interested in dual-boot devices like Lenovo.

[via PCWorld]

Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi Available Today

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:58 AM PDT

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Samsung said it’d be here yesterday, and sure enough the Samsung Galaxy Tab WiFi (7-inch) is up for sale at several retailers, including Circuit City. As promised before, it’s $350 – a sharp difference from the $600 it debuted at. Even for that cheap a price, though, we can’t say we’re terribly excited for this knowing some tasty Honeycomb options are right around the corner. Head on over to Circuit City now if you’re interesting. [Thanks for the reminder David!]

Mobilicity Getting the HTC “Emerald” (AKA the MyTouch 4G)

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:48 AM PDT

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Mobilicity – an up and coming carrier in Canada – will soon be adding some more HTC flavor to their line-up as it’s been revealed that they’ll be carrying a device called he “Emerald”. You may know this one as T-Mobile’s MyTouch 4G. (Which just got a massive temporary price drop for new customers this morning, by the way.)

MobileSyrup says their version will be slightly redesigned and will launch with Android 2.3 once it does make its way out. (Which version of Sense wasn’t mentioned, unfortunately.) Other specs include a 5 megapixel camera and a 3.8-inch display. It should be out sometime in the middle of next month.

Despite Delay, Sony Ericsson Antagonizes Us With 6 Minute Xperia Neo Video

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:27 AM PDT

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Sony Ericsson has delayed the Xperia Neo, in case you haven’t heard, but they aren’t slowing down on promotion for the device. They’ve just published a 6 minute preview video to their YouTube channel. Go ahead and take a quick look at how you can use the phone in your every-day life up above.

Need a Great RPG to Keep You Busy? Download Zenonia 2 Free Today in the Amazon Appstore

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 09:09 AM PDT

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Another day, another app. This time, popular RPG game Zenonia sees its sequel sitting on the Amazon Appstore for free – that’s $5 less than what you’d normally be paying for it. And even at $5, it’s a hell of an RPG. I hear that playing Zenonia 2 doesn’t require you to know the first one’s story and – well – it’s free, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t already be downloading this to your phone. Go and grab it from Amazon now.

Sprint Launches New Ad Campaign to Celebrate How Unlimited Their Customers Are [Video]

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:51 AM PDT

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A couple of months ago, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse assured everyone that the “Now Network” wouldn’t be following industry trends of capped and limited data usage. Today, they’ve launched an entire nation-wide ad campaign for state that message ever louder.

The campaign is using a new slogan – “All. Together. Now.” – and reiterates that ALL of your favorite forms of communication are unlimited on certain plans – including text, data, and voice – and with very competitive pricing.

A lengthy press released issued by those folks outlines the importance of their current strategy and does even more to ensure folks that they won’t change. Their first ad is embedded above.

In other Sprint-related news, they’ve updated their 4G website to help make your purchase decision easier if you’re looking to get a 4G phone. They can be had simply by visiting Sprint.com/4G. [Press Release 1|2]
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