Android Central

Android Central


Verizon Wireless confirms what we already knew -- Galaxy Nexus coming to Verizon 'later this year'

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 03:34 PM PDT

Android Central

Not to say we told you so, but, well, we told you so. And now we have official confirmation of what we've been saying for months -- the Ice Cream Sandwich-powered Samsung Galaxy Nexus is headed to Verizon "later this year", with 4G LTE capability.

So now we can all relax. Hit the jump for the official presser, along with the now-familiar spec list.

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The look of ICS today, WiFi time outs [From the Forums]

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 03:09 PM PDT

From the Forums

We've managed to pull off a stellar week and even found time for a podcast but now the weekend is finally here! We were jam packed for news and discussions so a big shout out to you all who who were here with us all week. Pretty sure we broke some records thanks to you all. If you're looking for more discussion make sure you hit up the Android Central forums.

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.


Sprint axes unlimited data for all mobile broadband plans and mobile hotspot

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:56 PM PDT

Sprint

We already knew that Sprint was killing off unlimited data for the hotspot plan, but today's news makes everything all official.  Starting in November, users with a mobile broadband plan (that would be a tablet, netbook, USB card, connection card or mobile hotspot device) as well as folks using the mobile hotspot plan on their smartphone will no longer have unlimited data.  Depending on your existing plan, you'll be placed in a tier that goes between 3GB and 10GB of data, with a $0.05 per MB overage in-network, and a $0.25 per MB overage while roaming.

Note that this does not affect unlimited data for smartphones.  Your Epic 4G Touch or EVO 3D will still have unlimited data.  It's still a direction we hate to see yet another carrier travel, though.  Resist the temptation Dan.  Don't kill your unlimited smartphone plans.

Source: SprintThanks everyone who sent this in!


Which carriers will get the Galaxy Nexus: Our predictions

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 01:28 PM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Now that we've tackled which phones we think will (or at least should) get updates to Ice Cream Sandwich (along with the slightly more obvious tablet contingent), let's take a loook at which carriers you can expect to use the Galaxy Nexus on. While everybody's been freaking out over where exactly you'll be able to use the Galaxy Nexus, the answer is surprisingly calm and simple.

All of them.

Yes. All of them. And, yes, that's kind of a cop-out answer. But that doesn't make it any less true, though we've not seen any official annoucements. We'll break it down after the, erm, break.

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Casio launches an Android-based Point of Sale terminal

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:52 PM PDT

Casio

Today Casio announced an Android-based Point of Sale terminal. The Casio VX-100 EPOS terminal will run an custom version of Android 2.2 and Casio has built a software development kit that is compatible with the unit allowing not only their applications to be run on it, but other developers to develop applications as well. Some of the features of this device are:

  • Sales Management -Conduct a multitude of sales calculations including calculations by product (items, departments and groups), time and clerk. An optional cash drawer can be added to operate the VX-100 as a cash register.
  • Customer Relationship Management - Build a customer database associated with sales management data. Analyze the purchase frequency and monetary amounts for each customer, in order to identify create a list of preferred customers. Operators can send emails to a list of preferred customers who have agreed to receive them, or they can specify automatic discounts when ringing up bills for preferred customers, all associated with the sales management application.
  • Reservation Management - Take various kinds of orders and reservations from customers, including reservations for meals. Use the customer relationship management and sales management applications to manage databases’ of customer names and reservation details including names, number of persons and time, all from the VX-100.
  • Remote Control By E-mail - Receive e-mail messages from a cellular phone or computer, and automatically execute instructions contained in the messages. Even check sales data from a separate location, an ideal feature for busy business managers.

Hit the break for the full press release.

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 & INC now available for the Sony Xperia Play

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT

 

Gaming is always fun on an Android device, and even more fun if you are a Sony Xperia Play owner. Sony Ericsson has announced that they are now bringing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 and INC to the Xperia Play starting today to enhance your gaming experience. Hit the break for some more information on the applications.

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Root now available for the T-Mobile Galaxy S II

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:53 AM PDT

T-Mobile Galaxy S II root

The T-Mobile Galaxy S II has been rooted, thanks to Samsung releasing the kernel source.  Like most Samsung Android phones (and tablets) there's no trickery involved, you simply flash the new recovery with ODIN and you're able to flash unsigned update packages, like the one that contains the files needed for root.  The process is pretty easy, thanks to no locked bootloaders or rolling back to engineering builds, and we like easy.

You'll need working Windows drivers, and ODIN 1.8.4 or higher, but all the root packages and files are available at the source link, as well as easy instructions to get you on your way.  Goodbye T-Mobile Mall, and hello Root Explorer!  We're sure plenty of hacks will soon follow -- T-Mobile and Android hacking go hand-in-hand.

Source: Rootzwiki. Thanks, Mario!

More discussion in the T-Mobile Galaxy S II forums


Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus available Nov. 13 for $399; preorders start Oct. 23

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:39 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus

Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus -- its 7-inch Honeycomb tablet -- will be available Nov. 13 for $399. It'll be available at Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger Direct, Fry's and other retailers. Preorders start Oct. 23.

In addition to having Android 3.2 Honeycomb, The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 3MP rear camera and 2MP front camera and Samsung's TouchWiz UI on the 7-inch, 1024x600 display. It'll come in either 16GB or 32GB flavors, with a 4,000 mAh battery, and weigh 345 grams. It's also got the Peel Smart Remote TV application.

So, who's lining up? Full presser's after the break.

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ASUS Eee Pad Slider mini-review

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:16 AM PDT

ASUS Eee Pad Slider

ASUS hit a bit of a home run earlier this year with the Eee Pad Transformer, a relatively typical Android Honeycomb tablet with an excellent detachable keyboard dock. But what if you take the keyboard and attach it to the Transformer? That's basically what you've got with the ASUS Eee Pad Slider.

At it's heart, it's a 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet with the usual Tegra 2 innards. Nothing surprising there, and overall experience, software-wise is the same as the Transformer. Lightly skinned, fast. Honeycomb, right?

So the big differentiator here is in the keyboard. The slider mechanism is excellent. Just stiff enough. The chicklet keys are decent enough, with just enough travel. But the overall size of the keyboard is pretty cramped. And one of the best parts of Transformer that really turned nit into an Android laptop -- the trackpad -- is missing. But you do have a full-size USB port, so you can plug in a mouse and use it if you want.

Will this replace a latop? Not if you need a full Windows or Mac laptop. And you can get the Transformer and keyboard dock for about the same price, and have a connected trackpad while keeping the portability of a thinner and lighter tablet when that's all you need.

But it's great to see ASUS continuing to do something different. And with the upcoming Transformer Prime and the likelihood of more to come in 2012, more's in store.

We've got more pics and video after the break.

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Android Theme Review: Arctic Green

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 09:46 AM PDT

Arctic Green

Ed. note: This theme requires use of the Theme Chooser.

With the temperature rapidly dropping round these parts, I figured a new theme to match the cold would work out real nice. I've been absolutely wowed by these Sonny Sekhon themes lately, so I settled on the appropriately-named Arctic Green to set the mood for the impending cold.

I know what you're probably thinking. Arctic Green? Shouldn't something arctic be blue? Or white? Maybe, but if you liken it to say, that spearmint green color/flavor toothpaste comes in, the idea settles in a bit quicker.

In typical Sonny Sekhon style, Arctic Green takes your status bar icons and turns them a cool green. The remaining battery is still inside the little battery icon by default, which is typical if you've used one of his themes before.

The pulldown notification bar uses the same widget icons as all of his other themes, but, in a change of pace, the text isn't the same color as the main theme. Your carrier name and 'no notifications' alert are in silver, and notifications are a dark silverish grey with black text. It's not the easiest thing to read and if I had my druthers, the notification text color would be something lighter so it's more easily read, but that's just me.

The notification pulldown is still transparent, accented with a faux-metal bar at the bottom, complete with a stylish, rectanglular cutout in the middle.

The dialer has a transparent background, but the accent color is the same dark grey we saw previously, not the green for which the theme was named. Icons are themed in the same vein: a dark, metallic grey, not a bright, toothpastey green.

There is an icon theme pack that turns your icons bright green, so I'm a little confused why that isn't baked right into this theme from the start.

As a matter of fact, outside of the notification bar and some widgets, Arctic Green defaults to the dark greys over bright green. Toast notifications are dark, but the highlight color  and check boxes are green. It's a little strange seeing fragmentation (or is it legacy?) within a theme, but that's why there's an icon pack, I reckon.

Arctic Green is $1.02 in the Android Market.

We've got more pictures and download links after the break.

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Regarding the pre-emptive PenTile Galaxy Nexus bashing

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 09:29 AM PDT

Android Central

Well said, ericsckane. Well said.

(Hat tip to @QuinsDad for the quote)


Angry Birds Seasons Ham'o'ween now available!

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 08:54 AM PDT

Angry Birds Seasons

The next chapter of the Angry Birds saga is now available for download. Angry Birds Seasons has been updated to bring us all the Ham'o'ween special, which marks one year of Angry Birds Seasons updates. In this release, we get 30 new levels to play through as well -- a new bird. Happy Ham'o'ween. Download is past the break for you all as well as a short video.

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Motorola Electrify review

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 08:34 AM PDT

Another strong phone in US Cellular's lineup

Motorola Electrify

Whether it was bringing the HTC Merge, the Motorola Xoom, or the Optimus Black, US Cellular has always made sure to have some of the best and greatest Android phones for their customers to choose.

They've continued that trend with the Motorola Electrify, their regional version of Sprint's Photon 4G. How does it stack up, though? Not only against US Cellular's other offerings, but just as a phone itself? That's what we've come here to settle.

Jump on in to find out.


The Good

Lightweight, pretty thin, and fast. The 4.3-inch qHD display provides plenty of screen real estate to stare at.

The Bad

Two words: PenTile Matrix. Pixels are (too) easy to see, and that distracts from an otherwise great experience.

Conclusion

US Cellular has nabbed another great Android phone in the Motorola Electrify. It's just as solid and functional as we've come to expect from Motorola, and at $200, the price is definitely right.

 

Inside this review

More info

 

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How to submit an app for review

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 08:28 AM PDT

Android Central

So you want to have an app reviewed by Android Central? Great! 'Cause we love reviewing apps. But as you can imagine, there are a lot of apps out there, and only so many hours in the day. Here are a few suggestions to make sure your app gets noticed.

  1. Include your contact information. At the very least, an e-mail address.
  2. Skip the wind-up. What's the name of your app, and what does it do? We appreciate brevity.
  3. Include a link to your app. If it's in the Android Market, include the Market link.
  4. Screen shots are a plus. And first impressions are everything. Make sure they're good.
  5. And if you're showing us a demo video, make sure it's not of the same app on an iPhone. We'll reject those on principle, ya know?

Got all that? Great! We look forward to checking out your app. Here's a link to our contact form.


Sprint brings real-time captions to phone calls with CapTel

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 08:03 AM PDT

Sprint CapTel

Sprint's offering up another interseting accessibility option on select Android phones with its new Wireless CapTel service. Powered by Raketu, CapTel is real-time captioning for phone calls. You still make a call like normal. You're then connected to CapTel automatically and can listen to the call while reading the transcription in real time. Pretty cool, actually. Check out the video after the break.

Source: Sprint

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Android Central Podcast Ep. 75

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 07:07 AM PDT

Podcast MP3 URL: 
http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc75.mp3

Thing 1: Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Thing 2: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich


Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case for HTC Droid Incredible 2/S

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 07:03 AM PDT

Seidio SURFACE Case for HTC Droid Incredible 2, Droid Incredible SThe Oct. 20 Deal of the Day brings us the Seidio SURFACE Case for the HTC Droid Incredible 2 and Incredible S. Hard yet flexible, the SURFACE case is just 1 mm thick but provides plenty of protection against stractches and dings. It's got Seidio's signature soft-touch coating and a uniqe slide-in design to fit your phone snugly. Plus it's got cutouts for all your ports and buttons. And it's available today only in four colors -- black, sapphire blue, burgundy and amethyst -- for just $14.95. That's 50 percent off! Get yours while supplies last.


Steve Jobs: "I'm going to destroy Android"

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:08 AM PDT

Mini Steve Jobs

Though we all knew it, now we have it in writing: Steve Jobs really hated Android, according to his biography, which will hit store shelves on October 24. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is said to detail what Jobs really thought about the competition, according to the AP, who purchased a copy before its official release.

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong... I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

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T-Mobile: Apple still hasn't made an iPhone for us, but how about that Amaze 4G camera

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 05:32 AM PDT

T-Mobile

T-Mobile still doesn't have an iPhone, in case you didn't know. (A fact we're perfectly OK with.) But it does have yet another news release explaining why. Apparently Apple won't make one that will work on T-Mobile's 3G and 4G networks. (Never mind that AT&T's apparently trying to call its HSPA+ iPhone 4S a 4G device.)

Anyhoo, TMo's Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing, just wants to remind y'all that they do have other devices with faster speeds, bigger screens, "compelling service pricing," more choice, and how about a "more advanced camera on the HTC Amaze 4G." And how about that 4.52-inch Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy S II?

It's yet another bizarre news release from the carrier whining about not having the iPhone (What? That's what it is.) while trumpeting Android. While we're perfect happy about the latter, we could do without seeing Android lumped in with the former, ya know?

Check out the full missive after the break.

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Google Movies starting to appear in UK Android Market

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 01:43 AM PDT

Android Central

If like me, you're a UK based Android user we have some good news to get you started. As of this morning you may be seeing this shot in your Market application - that's right folks, Google Movies has landed in the UK.

Up until now the service has been exclusive to the US and Canada, but hot on the heels of Google Books, the UK is gradually receiving more love from Google.

If you're in the UK, and have tried it out, hit us up in the comments.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!


HTC Amaze 4G gets a one-click root option, permanent for unlocked bootloaders

Posted: 20 Oct 2011 07:35 PM PDT

Amaze 4G

Developers have worked out a one-click root option for the HTC Amaze 4G, that provides a temporary root option if you have a locked bootloader, or a perm-a-root if you've managed to get the bootloader unlocked.  While many (yours truly) aren't a fan of one click solutions, I know a lot of you guys love them, and as long as you're careful you don't need folks like me giving you guff.

The process looks pretty painless -- you'll need the adb drivers from HTC, and the ability to follow some easy instructions.  Hit the source link for all the details and the download.

Source: XDA
More discussion in the Amaze 4G forums


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