Today's Latest Posts....
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:06 PM PDT
 * * Almost 2 weeks ago, the newest beta of Apex was released and included many of the features that would become exclusive to the pro version. So if your beta expired (and it should have), your best chance to keep current is going to be through this new release. At $3.99, it’s not cheap, but it’s also not expensive. Devs who do this high quality of work need to be rewarded.* The pro version features:
Play Link ($3.99) Cheers to everyone who sent this! |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:06 PM PDT
 You can imagine that Google is doing whatever they can to prepare their $199 tablet for release, especially since the Kindle Fire isn’t necessarily looked at as an Android slate. Sure it runs Android, but you can’t tell since Amazon customized the heck out of it and uses their own app store. The price point is nice and hard to argue against though. We covered the Fire a bit when it first launched, but got the feeling that many of you were not all that interested in and cut back. After looking at these numbers, I’d say that people actually are fairly interested in the device. So tell us, are you a Fire owner?*  |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 Once downloaded, you’ll need to download a couple add-ons that are free from the Play Store to get the full effect, so give it a go and let us know what you think. Play Link Cheers Picolas! |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
The Acer A500 Ice Cream Sandwich update is supposed to be available today for all owners. On Wednesday, a lucky few received the update early, but the rest should have it today. In order to make sure the process goes off without a hitch, Acer has an app in the Play Store for you to download that should help. We aren’t exactly sure what the app does other than check to see that the update is available, but you might as well grab it so that you don’t run into any problems. Play Link Cheers Shane! |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 * Once released, it appears as if you will need to be on build 6.12.181 in order to apply it. If that sounds familiar, that’s because 6.12.181 is the new OTA update that started rolling out at the beginning of the week – another sign that this ICS might be the one. * Update: It has been released. Here is a link to the download and*instructions*on flashing.  * |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
Samsung Electronics Australia has nothing to do with the 'Wake-Up Campaign.
Initially, it was reported that the Tongue marketing firm that was hired to stage the mob, had all buzz created on the web link to a site that displayed a timer that was counting down towards May 3, which is the date Samsung plans to announce their upcoming Galaxy SIII device.So, who is paying for this? Whether Samsung’s*Australia*office is*responsible*or possibly some other entity working for Samsung, we definitely want to know. Via: Slash Gear |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 It is starting at an introductory price of just $1, which isn’t bad for almost 200 icons for you to use any way you see fit. The pack will of course see updates and people are encouraged to send in icon requests, which if reasonable, shall be fulfilled. If you are currently running a launcher that supports custom icons, then you better jump on this set immediately. Play Link*($0.99) Via: Kovdev |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 Via: *Eternity Project Cheers Shivan! |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 Verizon released the Spectrum and RAZR MAXX back in early Q1 and nothing important since. With it being 1 month into Q2, you have to assume that something will arrive any day now. The DROID RAZR HD is a possibility, but we are expecting the Incredible 4G LTE to launch well before it. As a recap, this device will sport a 4.3″ qHD LCD display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, NFC chip, 4G LTE, 8GB of onboard storage, SD card slot to add on more, and 1GB of RAM. It’s almost like an HTC One S (our review), but with different screen tech, LTE, NFC and expandable storage. So yeah, that’s basically us saying that the Inc 4G is better.  |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
Samsung is expected to continue its strong growth momentum in the second quarter, following the announcement of the next GALAXY device in London on May 3.
From what we can tell, Samsung is expected to put a lot of effort into making sure the “next GALAXY” does well in the market. And with marketing ploys such as their staged protest outside of Apple stores in full effect, they’re having no troubles generating buzz for their upcoming flagship device.Via: Samsung*| Earnings Report |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 But then he finished off with a comment that I’m sure will not make you all that happy, but one you sort of figured to be the case at this point. He said that the part of this all that “blows” his mind, is the fact that “some variants of the Google-engineered flagship devices” (read: Nexus devices) still have not received ICS or are stuck on older versions “because of delays introduced by operator approvals.” Can you guess who he is talking about?* He may not have called out Verizon specifically, but since the Galaxy Nexus*and XOOM 4G on their network are the only “Google-engineered flagship devices” not on ICS or that are running an older version of Android 4.0, I’m not sure who else he could be talking about. Are we surprised at this news? At this point, not at all. We know that Verizon tests their devices more thoroughly than any other carrier, but with a Nexus and a developer tablet, we thought it would leave them with less worries and that the approval process would fly by. It’s tough to believe that any longer as we have gone almost 5 months without seeing a Galaxy Nexus update even though it has a list of critical bugs that we write about almost daily. The XOOM 4G which was the first Honeycomb tablet on the planet, is still stuck on Honeycomb, while WiFi tablet after WiFi tablet across the globe seems to have already been updated to Android 4.0. The updates still come directly from Google for these devices, but that’s after they get them ready and then pass them off to Verizon for approval before being able to send them out OTA. Unfortunately for all of us, it looks like we will have to continue to wait for that approval. Via: *Google+ |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
 Lately Business Insider*(BI) has been announcing the imminent death of Android based on iPhone and iPad sales, reported disinterest in the platform by developers, and upset manufacturers. According to a handful of their writers, Android is poised to lose market share to both iOS and Windows Phone. Is the end near for Android? The Tablet Problem A couple of these writers are right to point out that the continued great sales of the iPhone and the iPad spell trouble for Android. While Android has continued to hold its own in the phone space despite carriers like Verizon selling more iPhones than all Android phones combined for two quarters, Android has been a disaster in the tablet space. Despite two major versions of Android for tablets, consumers have not taken to Google’s vision of how a tablet should look and feel. Based on analysts’ estimates, the Kindle Fire is the best selling Android tablet with 54% of the Android tablet market. Why hasn’t Android been successful in the tablet space like it has been in the phone space? BI rightly identifies that Apple partnering with AT&T exclusively likely had much to do with Android’s success, but the tablet market is not the phone market. I am convinced that Android has not been successful in the tablet space because Android is significantly better on phones compared to tablets. The reason people are buying Fires is because they are cheap and the UI is dirt simple if inelegant. I cannot emphasize enough how certain I am that the main reason people buy Fires is because of the price, not the quality of the product. People are buying the Fire over a Galaxy Tab or Transformer because it is cheaper and good enough. So why are people buying iPads over Tabs and Transformers? Because at that price the iPad has a better ecosystem and experience. So how does Google break into the tablet space? Make a product that is significantly better than the iPad. This isn’t rocket science. People aren’t buying Android tablets because they are around the same price as the iPad, which offers a better experience. Honeycomb was rushed, jittery, and buggy. Google should have waited to release it. ICS is gorgeous on phones, but just as disjointed as Honeycomb on tablets. The Kindle Fire may be the best selling Android tablet, but that doesn’t make it a strong competitor with the iPad. The only way to fight the iPad is with a better product. *Why did consumers buy the DROID instead of a Blackberry or a Touch Pro2 or Pre Plus? Because the DROID offered an obviously superior experience. Now that Android and iOS are in parity on phones, Google needs to ensure that the Android tablet ecosystem and experience are in parity or give up on tablets. Disinterested Developers BI argues that developers are becoming less interested in Android based on Instagram trying to sell itself for $500 million before the Android version was released, thereby insisting that it was valuable enough without an Android version. Louis goes even further, arguing that *developers will soon be leaving Android for Windows Phone. Both of these arguments are insane to me. BI readily admits that the massive number of Instagram downloads on Android influenced Facebook’s decision to double Instagram’s initial evaluation, but he doesn’t give it enough credit. It’s one thing to pay more than the company is supposed to be worth, but to double the value is significant. Facebook has a ton of money, but that doesn’t mean it can just throw $1 billion around without consequence. Facebook clearly recognized that with an Android app it could reach far more users (and ensure that it would control Instagram instead of Twitter). Based on BI’s own numbers, interest in Android development has hardly waned while Windows Phone and iOS have plateaued and Blackberry has*plummeted. In general Android users don’t buy as many apps as iPhone users, but because of Android’s volume of users developers are still able to make money through ad sales. While developers may be more interested in platforms where their apps are actually purchased, the alternatives are two: iOS and Windows Phone. Many developers write apps for both iOS and Android to cover the largest number of users, but I can’t imagine why developers would start to favor Windows Phone over Android. Even if Windows Phone users were more prone to buy apps than Android users, the insignificant number of Windows Phone users don’t justify the switch in emphasis. Motoroogle The final threat to Android is manufacturer discontent with Google buying Motorola. According to BI’s sources, manufacturers are considering forking Android or leaving for Windows Phone to avoid favoritism by Google towards Motorola. The question is, why would manufacturers like HTC and Samsung try their luck with forking or leaving Android? While the Fire has been successful, it hasn’t been successful because it was a forked version of Android. It has been successful because a company that people actually recognized sold a cheap Android tablet. Forking Android wouldn’t solve any manufacturers worries – they’d still have to compete with Motorola and Google on top of competing with Apple. Forking Android may allow manufacturers to make their skins more integrated, but it would mean relying on the Amazon App Store (or their own forked app store). Unless forking Android meant creating an obviously superior experience then it doesn’t make sense for manufacturers to fork Android. The even more insane option would be for manufacturers to leave Android, the only thing making them money, for Windows Phone. Windows Phone doesn’t have a large user base and doesn’t offer an ecosystem or experience that is competitive with iOS or Android. More importantly, shifting to Microsoft puts manufacturers in the same situation they’re facing with Google thanks to the Nokia-Microsoft partnership (Microkia? Nokisoft?). Why be in the same situation with fewer users? Even if Google does favor Motorola, manufacturers don’t have any appealing alternatives to Android under Google’s approval. Is Android coming to an end? Not at all, but that doesn’t mean that Google has an easy road ahead of them. The reality is that the issues brought up by Business Insider are real (blown out of proportion, but real). Google needs to do better in the tablet space, maintain good developer relations, and continue to support its OEM partners. iOS is a growing threat in the phone space and continues to dominate in the tablet space. Developers may need to support Android now, but its possible that Microsoft or Google (or another party) could disrupt the ecosystem. Google also needs to be careful with how it uses Motorola so that it doesn’t upset the Android ecosystem by trying to compete with its partners. Android has a long future ahead of it, but it is a future lined with problems that need to be addressed by Google. |
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Posted: 27 Apr 2012 07:44 AM PDT
 We have seen a phone by the model number GT-i9300 leak a handful of times now with on-screen soft navigation keys in some sort of “dummy” box to hide its real design. But then this phone surfaces with a physical home button and hardware back and menu keys and now this is supposed to be it. So which is it because you can’t have both. On one hand, I’m not completely buying into this being the phone. First of all, Samsung created the Galaxy Nexus and chose to go with on-screen soft keys while also knowing that Google had done away with the menu button in Ice Cream Sandwich, instead replacing it with an action overflow menu for apps. So this design, goes directly against that idea which they helped initiate. This phone didn’t take the HTC approach to ICS either which has hardware task switcher, home and back keys and instead went with the Galaxy SII lineup of menu, home and back. Makes no sense. On the other hand, the Galaxy SII was a global sensation, so if you release the next version and change up the navigation sequence for those millions of users that will likely switch over to it, you could run into some early adoption issues. Maybe Samsung said, “Last year’s phone was such a hit, let’s not change it all up drastically and scare everyone.” Seems silly, I know, but look at Apple. They keep pumping out 3.5″ display devices with the same tired old design. Overall though, I really like the design of this device, with its almost edge-to-edge display and rounded Galaxy Nexus-esque body. I’m just not a fan of the hardware navigation keys. Note: *As has been pointed out, you can see a reflection of the person’s hand on the carpet. That’s not humanly possible. Well, unless they were taking a picture of a picture of a phone on a carpet on a screen…if that makes sense. Thoughts? Real or fake? Like or hate? Via: *YouMobile Cheers to everyone who sent this in! |
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Posted: 26 Apr 2012 06:16 PM PDT
Now DIRECTV goes anywhere you go. Get instant access to hit entertainment from HBO®, Cinemax®, Starz®, and Encore®, plus the latest DIRECTV CINEMA movies and more, whenever and wherever you want-at home or on the go. Go to the "Watch on Phone" tab located on your home screen and select "Movies", "TV Shows" or "Networks" to start watching now.
Being a Comcast subscriber myself, I can’t personally test the application out. Let us know how it goes for you down below.Play Link Cheers Gongadin, Dave, and Richard! |
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Posted: 26 Apr 2012 06:16 PM PDT
 This week, this whole Project Glass situation just jumped another notch or two on the Cool Meter. Sebastian Thrun, one of the Project Glass gurus, stopped by to chat with Charlie Rose while wearing a pair of these glasses. The interview was posted publicly yesterday, but from what we can tell, was actually conducted last week. Within the first few minutes of the conversation and while discussing some of the project’s features, Thrun appears to snap a picture of Rose and then share it to Google+ without doing anything more than a simple head nod. Obviously you can’t see the picture being taken or the UI for sharing since it is only viewable through his glasses, but what we do know is that Thrun posted the picture you are seeing above, *to his G+. The video of this goodness is available at the source link below. We highly recommend you check out it and then discuss. How close are we to Project Glass becoming a reality? Via: *Charlie Rose |*Google+ | The Verge |
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