Category: Android

Samsung Launches Galaxy Grand 5 inch WVGA Single / Dual Sim Jelly Bean Smartphone

Samsung has just announced that it will unveil the new Samsung Galaxy Grand at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The Galaxy Grand will be available in Single and Dual Sim variants and boasts of a 5 inch WVGA display with a native 800 x480 px display (read: pixellated). The Galaxy Grand will also run Jelly Bean 4.1.2 out of the Box and will also feature a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The new Phablet style phone will also have a host of the premium suite apps from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, including Multi Window and Pop Up Play.

The Galaxy Grand has a 8 Megapixel Main camera and a 2 MP front faces with 720p video calling. On the inside you will find a 2,100mAh battery, 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD slot for expansion up to 64GB. Famous for various connectivity options Samsung includes HSPA+, Bluetooth, DLNA and WiFi.

The Galaxy Grand is expected to hit Asian markets including India early 2013.

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Samsung GALAXY Grand runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), Google’s latest operating system. Its vivid 5.0’’ display provides an expansive viewing experience, presenting messaging, multimedia and Web content in brilliant color and clarity. Even with the large screen, the phone is still slim, ergonomic and comfortable to hold. You can also enjoy true multitasking running multiple apps simultaneously and without switching screens using Multi Window feature.

GALAXY Grand with an impressive 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor supports seamless multitasking, faster web browsing, lightning-fast screen transitions and superior graphics for some of the most demanding apps and games.

The GALAXY Grand sports a powerful camera with zero shutter-lag and ultra-quick camera start-up. It includes a backside illumination sensor to ensure clear shots even in dark conditions, as well as Full HD video recording.

Samsung GALAXY Grand also includes intuitive features that make the phone easy to use. For example, Direct Callenables users to automatically dial a call by raising the device up to the ear; while users can also shake the phone to trigger status updates, or pan it to zoom into a screen. Smart Alert shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages just by picking up the phone. Popup Video, for example, lets users watch video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks; S Voice lets you control the phone using your voice; and AllShare Play lets you share content across Samsung devices using a single account.

The phone is pre-loaded with the latest versions of Samsung Hubs to deliver the most popular games, movies and music direct to the user on demand.

The GALAXY Grand will be available in two versions – The Dual SIM version (GT-I9082) will launch first and the single SIM version (GT-I9080) will follow. For the dual SIM version, its innovative dual SIM feature provides total communication flexibility, allowing users to manage two phone numbers from a single phone. It is possible to receive calls on one SIM number while taking a call from the other, ensuring efficient management of personal and work commitments without ever missing a call. Dual SIM also offers the flexibility of selecting different billing plans for either SIM, switching between them to make the most of cheaper call and data plans.

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December 18, 2012
Galaxy SIII Premium Suite Update 4.1.2 gets Detailed on Video by Samsung

Samsung had started pusing out Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to some phones yesterday, but has now made an official video highlighting the features and calls it a Premium Suite. The Galaxy SIII Premium Suite brings a lot to the already popular SIII, including most of the features that are shared by big brother the NOTE II. A customizable notification panel, smart rotation, Page Buddy, Multi Window, new multitasking, NFC and reader features, plus contextual awareness tweaks that adjust the phone around your actions.

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Contextual Awareness

(1) Page Buddy: Galaxy SIII Premium Suite will smartly predict what you intend to do according to your actions. For example, when you plug in your earphones, the device automatically opens up a page with the music player.

(2) Galaxy SIII Premium Suite Contextual Menu:  When you list up apps, you can now choose to see the most frequently used ones first. Especially convenient when you’re looking through apps  to find files to attach.

(3) Contextual Tag:  When you take a picture on the Galaxy SIII Premium Suite, you can tag the weather, date, and place immediately.



Enhanced Features

(1) Multi Window: You can open two different apps at the same time into two different windows on the mobile screen.

(2) Auto Share Shot Pairing using NFC: By setting the camera to ‘Auto Share Shot’ mode, you can quickly share your photos and videos by simply tapping their Galaxy SIII Premium Suite with other NFC and S-Beam enabled devices

(3) Reader Mode: You can easily control the size of the text on your browser! Also, you can just click the webpage to share it!

(4) Facebook Lock Ticker: The easiest way to see your Facebook News Feeds – set your Galaxy SIII Premium Suite to show it on your lock screen.

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December 7, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S3 Users Reportedly getting 4.1.2 Updates with MultiWindow Feature
While most users are still complaining about the Android 4.1 jelly bean update not yet being available on the Samsung Galaxy SIIIs, a few users reportedly have gotten the Android 4.1.2 update. SamMobile claims that Android 4.1.2 is starting to reach Galaxy SIII international 3G model, with multi-window support. While most users over the world will not get this update, Poland is first in the list and most users are reportedly busy downloading updates. More Apps from the Galaxy Note II like the gallery app, Smart Rotation and other apps may come in future updates.

Unlocked units will also be the first to get the updates, carrier-locked handsets will take a little while longer, though if previous releases are anything to go by, most networks seem pretty keen to push Samsung’s firmware updates as fast as possible to keep customers happy.

According to owners of the Gaalxy S3 GT-I9300 GS3 in Poland, Android 4.1.2 has hit their device, bringing with it the Note 2?s famous “Multi-View” windows for superior multitasking. There’s also a few TouchWiz applications that have been updated. Here’s everything worth looking forward to in the JZO54K update:
- Multi-View
- Page Buddy
- New Gallery App
- Notification Panel can now be customized (sweet!)
- Brightness Slider in notification panel can now be disabled
- Smart Rotation
- Continuous Input in Samsung Keyboard
- Paper Artist App
- Group Cast App
The update, currently rolling out in phases, will be available in other countries shortly.

[SamMobile]
December 6, 2012
Original Galaxy Note N7000 Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update leaked

If you are still sporting a good old Galaxy Note N7000, then you are desperately holding your breath for the Jelly Bean update. There is some good news, a new build N7000XXLSA that’s available to download and install on the original phablet, has now been leaked and brings the Galaxy Note N700 Jelly Bean update.

[quote]According to Sam Mobile’s insiders, “the Galaxy Note still requires a lot of work,” until the Jelly Bean update can be released, so we certainly expect more test versions to roll out.[/quote]

While Most Indian Galaxy S3 owners are now happy with their new Jelly Bean Update, Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note N7000 owners are desperately waiting for the official update notification. According to the industry insiders behind the Galaxy Note N7000 jelly bean update leak however, the 4.1.2 update for the Galaxy S2 is “almost ready”.

As inviting as the proposition may appear to be, we would recommend that you avoid test builds unless you cannot simply wait for the final version. Hit the link below to download your copy today.

[SAM MOBILE]

November 30, 2012
Ad Block Plus for Android not only Rids ADs from Browsers but also from Apps

The newly launched Ad Block Plus Android app is a derivative of the original and much loved Ad Block Plus for mainstream PC OS. The Ad Block Plus Android app is available for free in the Google Play Store claims to “block all annoying ads on your Android device” including “mobile ads, video advertising, banners, push notifications, display advertising, HTML5 advertising and much more” without requiring any rooting.

There are limitations to the effectiveness of the Ad Block Plus Android app, Non-rooted Android devices running Android 3.1 or later can only block ads over Wi-Fi and devices running Android 3.0 or earlier requires some manual configuration. Rooted devices however will have full access to blocking ads over Wi-Fi and 3G.

The Ad Block Plus Android app will bring a lot of promise to users, the only people who will be unhappy with Ad Block Plus are Advertisers and App developers who rely on the AD revenue.

November 28, 2012
Samsung Will Launch the Galaxy Camera Today
Samsung will Launch the Galaxy Camera in the country today the 23rd Nov 2012. The Camera, which we first saw back at IFA in berlin, was launched alongside the Galaxy Note 2 and Ativ Tablets. The Galaxy Camera runs on Jelly bean and is powered by a Quad Core Processor. It has a touch-enabled viewfinder and a few hardware buttons on board, including a flash release (incase it doesn’t automatically pop up), a power button, zoom toggle and shutter release

The Samsung Galaxy Camera features a 16 million pixel 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor along with an f/2.8 21x optical zoom lens which starts at 23mm (35mm equivalent).

Android Jelly Bean 4.1 is available on the camera, meaning a wide range of apps, including Instagram and Facebook are available to download and use on the camera. Integrated Wi-Fi is also included to download apps, as well as send and share images via social networking sites and email. An internal 8GB memory is included, along with a slot for a micro SD card. On the back of a camera is a large 4.77 inch HD Super Clear Touch Display LCD screen.

With the Auto mode, you’ll have access to a touch-to-focus system while leaving the rest of the computing to the camera. Other camera features include 10 smart pro features, auto cloud back-up, smart content manager, photo wizard, movie wizard, voice control and connectivity to Drop Box. In addition, Samsung supplies its own Photo Wizard and Video Wizard software and another tool designed to get good group shots. Google Mobile services such as Search, Maps, Gmail, Google Plus, YouTube and Google Chrome Browser can all be used from the camera interface. GPS navigation is also included.

The camera will be available in a series of colours and with many accessories, including a waterproof case.
- 1/2.33-inch BSI CMOS sensor
- 16-megapixel
- 21x, f/2.8-5.9, 23-480mm lens
- WiFi with 3G and 4G connectivity
- micro-SIM
- microSD card
- 1,650 mAh battery (seven hours of battery life)
Hands on Video
November 23, 2012
Intex Aqua 5.0 Launched at Rs 9,990

Add another to the list boys, the new Intex Aqua 5.0 features a 5-inch touchscreen, Android 4.0 OS. The Intex Aqua 5.0 also has a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of internal memory, and 4GB microSD card (expandable up to 32GB).

The phone has a 5MP auto focus rear camera with a 1.3MP front camera supporting video calling. The Intex Aqua 5.0 also adds the usual dual-SIM capability, apparently high resolution display, Wi-Fi, and 2000mAh battery with a rated talk time of five hours, and about eight days of standby time. The Intex Aqua 5.0 also has sensors – Gravity, Light and Proximity, and supports Auto Call Recorder.

[quote]At Intex, we endeavor to bring innovative mobile solutions to mobile users of today . Reaffirming our commitment to quality and pioneering technologies, the newly launched AQUA 5.0 smartphone is a step towards empowering consumers in smaller towns and cities with cutting edge technology at an affordable price.We are targeting a revenue growth of 100 per cent this fiscal with smartphones being the contribution driver. With the launch of this smartphone we aim to meet our business volume targets of five million pieces in this current fiscal. We also plan to extend our budget smartphone range to ten models by March 2013,” – Sanjay Kumar, GM – Mobile Business, Intex Technologies (India) Ltd.[/quote]

The Intex Aqua 5.0 owners will get a gift worth Rs 700, that includes a 4GB memory card, and NQ antivirus absolutely free. No real need for an antivirus, unless you are very experimental.

Intex states availability in three colours – silver, blue and black and the phone is already available through their wide distribution network along with at online sites. The phone at a price of Rs. 9,990 targets the market promise owned by the likes of Micromax and Karbonn, with the A110 Canvas 2 leading the space.

November 20, 2012
Launched : Nokia Here Cloud Maps for iOS, Android and others (PR)

Looks like it was the right opportunity for Nokia to jump on the iOS maps bashing wagon. No one does maps like Nokia and with iPhone users feeling the incompleteness of iOS Maps, Nokia has stepped on to the winning plate with Nokia HERE. A cloud service delivering excellent mapping for those all over the world on any device.

[quote]Titled “Here,” it’ll tap into Nokia’s map expertise and better still, work across multiple devices and operating systems — CEO Stephen Elop, attending the launch event in San Francisco[/quote]

The new web-based map is live now and will work on any PC running Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome and Macs using Safari, Firefox or Chrome. On mobile, it’ll run on iOS 4+ and Android 2.2’s (or above) internet browser.

Reports also claim that iOS and Android Apps are already on their way pending approval from the “authorities”. Nokia will have a Here SDK for Android and a web version of Nokia Here maps for Firefox OS ready by early next year.

Nokia has seen 75 times more use of its mapping data compared to last year, and it’s looking to tap into user-submitted data. A new Map Creator tool will let people assign more specific information and detail to Nokia’s original maps and satellite photos. Nokia Here.net will allow users to log in using their Nokia accounts or create new ones to save places as “collections” add images etc. which will all be launched soon.

According to reports iOS app for Nokia Here will provide offline maps, voice guided walking directions and public transportation directions at launch. Additionally, Nokia revealed the name for the technology powering its City Lens app. Live Sight will be available and in other applications as well.

Nokia will also foray into 3D mapping by acquiring company “earthmine Inc.”based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software. This information is to be used for future expansion of Nokia Here service.

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Nokia redefines digital map landscape by introducing HERE as new brand for its location and mapping service

Nokia extends its service across devices and operating systems

Nokia announces new partnership with Mozilla and planned acquisition of 3D capture company, earthmine

San Francisco, California – Today Nokia introduced HERE, the first location cloud to deliver the world’s best maps and location experiences across multiple screens and operating systems. With the new brand, HERE, Nokia aims to inspire a new generation of location services and devices that make the mobile experience more personally significant for people everywhere.

“People want great maps, and with HERE we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world,” said Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop. “Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service.”

Pushing location beyond Nokia

To further extend its location services, Nokia is launching a maps application for iOS under the HERE brand. Based on HTML5, it will include offline capabilities, voice-guided walk navigation, and public transport directions. The application is scheduled to be available for free download from Apple’s App Store in the coming weeks.

Nokia further announced a strategic partnership with Mozilla to bring new location experiences to the Firefox OS. Nokia plans to debut a mobile Web version of HERE Maps for the new Firefox OS next year. The companies are working together to give people the best mapping experience on Firefox OS.

“Mozilla is a leader in HTML5, building the Web as a platform for developing compelling applications, and location is a key part of that platform,” said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Vice President of Products. “We are excited to work with Nokia as the combination of Firefox OS and HERE’s location platform provides rich possibilities for mobile application developers to create amazing experiences for users.”

Nokia also demonstrated an Android OS-based reference application and announced plans for the availability of a HERE SDK for Android OEMs in early 2013. This is aimed at enabling partners to create location-based applications for Android devices with Nokia’s leading content.

Innovating modern mapmaking
To advance the 3D capabilities of HERE, Nokia announced the planned acquisition of Berkeley, Calif. company earthmine. The company’s reality capture and processing technologies will become integral parts of HERE’s 3D map making capabilities.

Nokia expects the transaction to close by the end of 2012.

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[Here (Nokia), (2)]

“Maps are hard to get right – but location is revolutionizing how we use technology to engage with the real world,” said Michael Halbherr, Executive Vice President of Location & Commerce and responsible for the HERE brand. “That’s why we have been investing and will continue to invest in building the world’s most powerful location offering, one that is unlike anything in the market today.”

Using LiveSight(TM) to see more of the real world
As part of its announcement, Nokia introduced LiveSight(TM), a technology based on a highly accurate, 3D map of the world. LiveSight(TM) provides the most precise and intuitive augmented reality experience and uses a phone’s camera viewfinder to make discovering the world as easy as lifting up a phone. Nokia City Lens, which was developed exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices, is the first application providing a LiveSight-enabled experience.

“Establishing a new brand is the right move for Nokia in the map and location business. Nokia’s assets in this space are world class. We believe mapping and location will be increasingly important to developing next generation devices and services across a wide array of segments,” said Crawford Del Prete, Executive Vice President and Head of worldwide research at IDC.

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Nokia To Acquire earthmine Inc.

BERKELEY, CA – November 13th, 2012 – earthmine Inc. announced today that it is has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Nokia. earthmine, based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software.

The earthmine team is expected to join the Nokia Location & Commerce business and Berkeley, California will become a key site for the development of 3D reality capture technology.

“We are very excited to be joining Nokia – a company with a huge presence and vision in mapping,” said John Ristevski, co-CEO of earthmine Inc. “We could not hope for a better place to fulfill and accelerate our mission of indexing the world in 3D.

November 14, 2012
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean binaries added to AOSP, The Devs Rejoice!

Good news for all custom rom developers, hoping to play around with the new Android 4.2. Google has added the binaries of the newest OS to AOSP(Android Open-Source Project). Uptill now only the Nexus 10 and the Nexus 4 were enjoying the sweetness of Android 4.2 now that Google has opened the gates, expect all custom devices, to start making the jump to Android 4.2 in the coming weeks if not days.

The Binaries for the Nexus 4 have been kept under wraps, but Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are out there in the open along with the 4.2 for Galaxy Nexus.

[Google Developers]

November 14, 2012
HTC Bringing Jelly Bean To 2012 Devices First, Says Sorry to Devices With 512MB of RAM

HTC is bringing Jelly Bean to its 2012 suite of devices fairly soon. This is known, but the company outlined its plans for these, and earlier devices, today in a FAQ on its support site.

According to the Taiwanese company, the One X and One S will receive Android 4.1 with Sense 4+ first, likely by the end of this year, with other devices such as the Amaze, Sensation and Raider coming later. Devices with 512MB of RAM, which include the recently-released One V and Desire C, will not be upgraded to Jelly Bean, as they want to ”ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience.” Jelly Bean, with its Project Butter additions, requires more powerful graphics processing abilities than those two devices can offer.

[quote]We work hard to ensure each of our products has the optimal user experience and therefore some products will remain at their current version of Android. In general, devices with 512MB RAM or less will not be upgraded to Android 4.1. As we identify other devices that will not be upgraded, we’ll provide updated information.[/quote]

As for which devices will definitely get JB, HTC says they are prioritizing the update for the devices that were launched in 2012, then working their way back. The company has quite the portfolio to work through, and as you most likely already guessed, it could take quite some time before we see updates go live for the Rezound, EVO 3D, and other once-flagship devices.

[Droid Life]

November 13, 2012
The HTC One X+ Benchmarks Blow Away the Competition!

When we first held the HTC One X+ (Plus), we really asked ourselves whether the phone is a worthy upgrade. Many companies make major design changes when launching new phones, whereas the One X+ only has added red accents.

So whats different what makes it more expensive?

For the HTC One X+ its whats under the hood that matters. The new faster chipset shocked us when we ran benchmarks, especially with quadrant standard. The HTC One X+ beats out any Quadrant Score with 7394 Score on a stock rom, thats mighty impressive.

For Nenamark2 the HTC One X+ benchmarks were really high as well, scoring an impressive fps.

Antutu Benchmark also scored a 5 star rating on the One X+

November 9, 2012
Android 4.2 Camera Ported to Galaxy Nexus on 4.1.1

Sporting a Galaxy Nexus, and love the camera on the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean? Then you might just be in luck, as a user from Android Central’s forums has ported the camera app and is now available to download for your Nexus Running 4.1.1.

Its as easy as moving files into location and changing the permissions. Interested?. check out the link below for more instructions.

[Android Central Forums]

November 1, 2012
More Light Shed On The Nexus 10 As Images And Specs Leaked

Come Monday and Google is expected to unveil multiple Nexus devices that will be released this fall including a Nexus 10 tablet, which has surfaced online recently.

There have been less number of rumors regarding the Nexus 10 tablet as compared to the LG Nexus 4 or other Nexus devices. The first images of the rumored Nexus 10 tablet leaked on Friday

The tablet is 10.1-inches and sports a Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 (298.9PPI), runs Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean (not Key Lime Pie), and has a 1.7GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 5250 processor. Other notable specs have the Nexus 10 coming with NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 16GB of internal storage, 2gigs of RAM, plus dual stereo speakers. The display looks like a fingerprint magnet, or somebody really has greasy fingers. The back is reportedly brushed aluminum with “rubber coated edges.”

In addition, as suspected by the picture captured this morning, the rear-facing camera is a 5MP shooter, but no word on what the front-facing camera is. Apparently the camera features in OS 4.2 have been improved, now bringing a new slide-to-activate menu and a redesigned camera icon. Finally, as previous leaks suggested, OS 4.2 will bring the ability to have multiple user accounts.

October 27, 2012
LG Optimus VU F100S launched in India for Rs. 34,499

LG has added to the so called Tablet – Phone Hybrid format by launching the new LG Optimus VU in India. The Optimus VU has been priced at Rs. 34, 499 in India and will be officially unveiled at an event today. After the phones successful launch at MWC this year the phone has sold over half a million units in Korea and is finally available in India. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz the phone is expected to attract a few buyers in India, especially since the launch of the Galaxy Note II.

The Optimus Vu also has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The Optimus VU for India will come OTB with Ice Cream Sandwich, but will get jelly bean soon after. The Optimus VU will also come with some LG loaded apps including Quick Memo and Quick Voice app which is a Siri/S-voice replacement for the LG branded “Phablet”.

Expect a full featured coverage of the LG event along with unboxing and review videos soon after.

October 22, 2012
More Photos And Details on LG Nexus 4 Emerge

Considering the device isn’t even officially acknowledged yet, there’s a surprising amount of information available about the LG Nexus 4.

The latest leaks of the upcoming Nexus 4 smartphone, indicate that the device will indeed launch with a new version of Android, 4.2, but will still be called Jelly Bean. Well, Jelly Bean Maintenance Release 1.

There is only one precedent for this in the Android world. The Motorola Droid was released in late 2009 with Android 2.0 Eclair, and when the Nexus One debuted a few months later it also ran Eclair, albeit with a few updates in Android 2.1. Google could be holding off launching a new version of Android — Key Lime Pie — because Jelly Bean hasn’t proliferated to enough devices yet, and due to its low market share very few users have been able to take advantage of its features.

Android 4.2 will look and feel identical to Android 4.1, but will come with a number of security enhancements and will coincide with a new version of the Gmail app. It may also have an updated notification bar with faster access to quick settings, but that remains to be seen.

The rest of the specs of the LG Nexus 4, as provided by the reliable evleaks, have already been confirmed: 4.7-inch 1280×768 True IPS display, a 1.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, 2GB RAM, 8/16GB internal storage, 8MP camera/2MP front camera, 2100mAh non-removable battery, 9.1mm thick, 139g. For comparison, the Galaxy Nexus is 8.9mm thick and 135g.

So, presumably the LG Nexus 4 will be announced at a Google event on October 29th.

October 20, 2012