Android Gadgets, Android tablets, Android News, Android Phones, Android Softwares

Digitimes: Amazon to release color e-readers later this year, 6 millions units to be shipped in 2012

While not long ago, e-book readers were rudimentary devices far off from the capabilities of tablets, the thin line between a basic e-reader and a more complex slate becomes increasingly thinner and thinner and thinner.Amazon is the most important company “responsible” for mixing things up and the makers of the Kindle Fire are apparently planning [...]

Samsung touts the virtues of its hardware, takes a subtle jab at Apple [Video]

Samsung is not only the largest smartphone maker in the world, but also a top supplier of electronic components, from hi-resolution displays to processors and memory modules. It’s no secret that Samsung provides many of the components found in Apple’s wildly popular iPhone and iPad devices, including the much-touted Retina display and the A5X chip [...]

Microsoft playing dirty again, plans to ban Firefox on ARM-based Windows 8 PCs and tablets

Although for many it might be a model worth following, Microsoft has a longstanding tradition of not only discouraging competition, but trying to eliminate it by any means possible. That includes dirty, unorthodox, and sometimes even illegal moves through which they’ve managed to monopolize the desktop operating system market, and, for a long while back [...]

ASUS Padfone gets unboxing video, docks on docks on docks

The ASUS Padfone has been highly anticipated since it was first announced well over a year ago. After a bit of retooling it re-debuted earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, much to the intrigue of all in attendance. With a smartphone that docks into a tablet that in turn mates with a keyboard dock, [...]

Is your AT&T Galaxy Note hungry for ICS? A buttery-smooth leaked ROM might help

You’ve probably heard, read, and secretly wept knowing that folks in Europe that rock a Galaxy Note are now receiving the OTA update to Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Along with ICS, the update brings the promised Premium Suite for the Galaxy Note, which consists of several new S Pen-optimized apps.Stateside, the owners of the [...]

Kid-favorite Peppa Pig hits Android

May 2nd, 2012

dantek

Peppa Pig

OK, parents. Here’s another Android app that’ll make you look that much cooler in the eyes of your child. (I know, it gets harder every day.) P2 Games Limited has brought Peppa Ping – Happy Mrs. Chicken to Android. The app has four interactive games and a bonus sticker book. Plus there’s familiar music and sound effects that should make little Timmy think the TV show’s in in hands.

The game runs about $3.23, which is a small price to pay for a few minutes of relative peace and quiet.

Download: Peppa Pig – Happy Mrs. Chicken; Also: More Android kids apps

“Phil is a recovering print journalist, editor of Android Central, subtitles and street signs.”

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Jawbone Introduces New BIG Jambox – Wireless Speakerphone With Bigger Sound, Bigger Box, And Bigger Price Tag

May 2nd, 2012

dantek

If you liked Jawbone’s original Jambox but possibly wished it packed a little more punch, you may want to take a look at their newest addition — the aptly titled Big Jambox. Tipping the scales at 2.7lbs, this new super sized follow up to last year’s Jambox features the same premium build quality and sound from the original, only in a newer, bigger box. Just like its little brother, there is also a built in microphone for use as a true Bluetooth speakerphone and features Jambox’s custom software for enhancing audio quality as well as changing up voice profiles.

Reviews for the Big Jambox have just been unleashed onto the web and generally, it seems it wireless speaker is being met with favorable reviews. The one downside I’ve seen with the Big Jambox is that it once again falls into the same pitfalls as the original, namely its high $300 price tag. If that isn’t enough to scare you away, the Big Jambox is available now for pre-order via the official Jambox site and will launch online, and at AT&T and Best Buy on May 15th.

[Jambox | Pre-order Big Jambox for $300]

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SomNote app for Android: Simplicity, elegance, and efficiency in note-taking

May 2nd, 2012

dantek

Jotting down notes for the day is a good practice that helps you keep in touch with important day-to-day activities of your life. If you have been taking notes to track down important events, then you might already have tried the ever-popular Evernote app in helping you organize your notes. If you felt that Evernote was great in capturing notes, then you might want to try an alternate approach using the SomNote app developed by Wizard Works.

SomNote is a user-friendly application with a fantastic user-interface that lets you manage your notes in a breeze. Users can create multiple notes and supplement them with important content such as multimedia files or document attachments.

To get started with SomNote, users need to create an account. Each account offers a maximum of 100 MB free of cloud storage space, which is more than enough for the average user. SomNote also supports saving your notes automatically at intervals and even lets you restore to a previously saved state just in case you screwed up a large note.

Other than that, SomNote also brings other useful features, such as complete remote access to your online notes through the use of your mobile phone, securing notes with the help of a 4-digit PIN, management of notes and folders using gestures, sharing notes to your colleagues, and a whole lot of interesting features.

If you still prefer of using the traditional note-taking practice without online support, you can still use SomNote without an account as the application saves your precious notes locally. As an advice, we recommend that you register an account, as it is the only way that you can truly gain many benefits from the service. Users who have registered accounts can access online SomNote content, protect the app by using a personalized password, and create, modify, or synchronize content on the go.

From the app’s main interface, users will be shown a useful toolbar located at the top and bottom part of the screen. The bottom toolbar carriers all the basic options, such as creating a new folder, enabling notes management, searching for a specific notes, and tweaking the app’s settings.

Notes displayed on the app’s main screen can either be viewed in list mode or thumbnail mode, depending on your choice. If you have a note that contains an attachment, you can easily identify it–courtesy of the attachment icon glued on top of its thumbnail.

Probably the best selling point of SomNote has to be its homescreen widget, as users can easily add notes by simply tapping the homescreen widget. This feature is pretty useful most especially in situations where you almost instantly need to jot down notes.

Another interesting feature of SomNote is that it supports URLs, contact numbers, email IDs, and other important information that is embedded within the note itself or any note-taking application.

To sum it all up, SomNote is a worthy alternative to the traditional note-taking app that you currently have on your phone. With the app’s lightning-fast synchronization and easy to use interface, users will never want to download another note-taking application again.

SomNote is available in the Google Play Store for free.

Have you tried taking down notes using SomNote? What features do you like about this note-taking app?

SOURCES SomNote on Google Play Store

TAGS Android AppsNote-takingNotes

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus accessories finally available in the UK

May 2nd, 2012

dantek

Android Central

It really seems like we’ve been waiting forever for UK stock of the Samsung OEM accessories for the Galaxy Nexus. After all, the phone itself arrived back in November, and it’s taken more than five months for the accessories to arrive.

British online retailer Clove Technology is now stocking the official HDMI dock and the desktop dock for the Nexus. There’s still no sign of the car dock, but the fact that anything at all is available is a positive development. Clove has also now received stock of the replacement battery and spare battery charger, as well as the Samsung branded MHL/HDMI adaptor.

The HDMI dock will run you for £42 inc VAT and the desktop dock slightly more at £49.99. More details can be had at the source link below, but the advice is clear. If you’ve been waiting, and waiting, and waiting, now is the time. Have at it, folks.

Source: Clove Technology

More: Samsung Galaxy Nexus OEM desktop dock review

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S III to sport a 4.8 inch screen?

May 1st, 2012

dantek

Fear not dear readers, the launch of the Galaxy S III is only 4 days away, and finally the rumours will stop. Until then though, expect the excitement to reach fever pitch for what is beyond doubt the most hotly anticipated Android phone of all time. I seem to be reporting a lot of leaks, rumours and would be exclusives and it looks like today is no different.

The good folks over at Know Your Mobile received the above image, proclaiming to be the Galaxy S III, from an anonymous tipster. What perhaps makes this latest leak a little more interesting than some of the others is that the phone is pictured measured up against a ruler showing that the device measures 130mm and the screen 4.8 inches. The design of the phone in this image looks like a cross between the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II, not necessarily a bad thing I hasten to add! Aside from the visible hardware home button, there’s not much else can be taken from the still.

The good news is that there’s only a few more days of drama before the next Galaxy is finally revealed to the world. Perhaps we’ll have the first “official” leak of the Galaxy S 4 by the following weekend!

source : Know Your Mobile

» See more articles by Chris Stewart

Categorized as Android Leaks & Rumours, Android Phones

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Was Sony Pondering Development Of A Playstation Phone With Two Keyboards? A Patent Filed In 2010 Suggests It Was

April 30th, 2012

dantek

Well well well, what do we have here? This device looks as if it is the Playstation Phone that never came to fruition. Sony was apparently out to show it still has some tricks up its sleeve back in 2010 by filing a patent for not one, but two sliders on its devices such as the Xperia Play. Many of you are wondering why in the world Sony would file a patent for two sliding keyboards. Basically, Sony was interested in creating a technology that allows for a separate gamepad and full QWERTY keyboard, so it filed for patent approval with the USPTO which is described as:

“A device comprising: an upper unit having a display screen thereon; a first slidable unit having a first keypad thereon, the first slidable unit being slidably connected to the upper unit on a side opposite the display screen, the first slidable unit being movable between a closed position in which the upper unit generally overlies the first keypad and an open position in which the first keypad is positioned generally adjacent the display screen; and a second slidable unit having a second keypad thereon, the second slidable unit being slidably connected to the upper unit and the first slidable unit; the second slidable unit being movable between a closed position in which the upper unit generally overlies the second keypad and an open position in which the second keypad is positioned generally adjacent the display screen”

As you might imagine, the design shows users would allow you to slide out the QWERTY keyboard and then pop that up in order to reveal the actual gamepad keyboard right below that. Pretty neat isn’t it?

We don’t know if there was ever patent was approved nor do we know if there’s a model or prototype out there, but hey— you have you admit the concept sure is sweet.

source: USPTO
via: Engadget

» See more articles by Roy Alugbue

Categorized as Android Manufacturers, Android News, Android Phones

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Samsung Denies Involvement In “Wake Up” Anti-Apple Flash Mob

April 29th, 2012

dantek

Yesterday we reported on the Australian flash mob outside of a Sydney Apple store where dozens of people dressed in black held up signs and chanted “Wake up!” to the people inside the store. This was believed to be staged by Samsung. Today, in a statement to SlashGear, Samsung Australia is claiming they have “nothing to do with the Wake-Up campaign“.

It’s understandable why Samsung would be the obvious culprit since they have been ramping up their anti-Apple advertising campaign. It started with the commercials poking fun at iPhone fans waiting in line for a device with already outdated specs. It was followed by a commercial showing how the iPhone 4S was not much of an upgrade to the iPhone 4, then by a SuperBowl ad that highlighted the power of the Galaxy Note’s S-Pen. And finally, there’s the teaser that essentially calls everyone not waiting for the Galaxy S III an iSheep.

The flash mob could very well have been a Samsung publicity stunt, put together by a 3rd party ad agency. Right now, no one has come forward… and who knows if anyone ever will, especially if Samsung really was behind it in some way. The general consensus is that if it was Samsung, it doesn’t really make them look good.

source: slashgear

» See more articles by Ed Caggiani

Categorized as Android Manufacturers

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Annoyed by those pesky new Facebook icons? Here is how to get rid of them

April 29th, 2012

dantek

The latest Facebook app update may not exactly be that re-design we have all be waiting for, but it definitely has some new stuff. Apparently, the guys over at Facebook HQ thought it would be great to give us two new icons that work along with the main application – Messenger and Camera. And we have found a way to get rid of them.

These apps work directly with the social network and allow you to chat it up with your buddies or share your images quickly with Facebook’s very own camera app. Said shortcuts may come in handy for some, but we noticed many of our readers were quite upset about this. We don’t need more bloatware, right?

If you have been looking for a solution to this issue, developer Cory Charlton has come up with a handy app for root users. It will get rid of both applications. More exactly, it gets rid of the icons, as these services can’t exactly be completely taken off the phone – They are part of the main Facebook app.

Facebook Icon Remover pretty much does the same job as many custom launchers. It hides the icons from your app drawer. This can also be done with most Android 4.0 devices, but manufacturers have the ability to disable this. If you don’t like launchers, and don’t have the ability to natively hide your apps, this may be your best bet. But remember, it is only for root users.

It comes without saying that the usual disclaimer is applicable here. Rooting, flashing and tinkering with your device in any way may void your warranty and/or harm your device. Be careful, and don’t go blaming anyone if something bad happens.

With that, head over to the Google Play Store if this is the app you need. How upset are you guys over Facebook adding these icons to your app drawer? Have you taken any measures to get rid of them?

[Source: XDA Developers Via: XDA Developers]

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Big fan of The Avengers? Get this Iron Man app NOW!

April 29th, 2012

dantek

If you’re a a fan of a certain Tony Stark, Loud Crow Interactive have a neat little way for you to spend about 15 minutes of your day. Their latest app (which had released a few weeks ago but came to my attention only now via AppBrain) tells the story of the various Iron Man suit iterations with an interactive comic.

All the variants, from the Mark I that was developed in the caves of Afghanistan with limited resources, to the Mark VI which was built to fight Ivan Vanko and his Hammer Drones are featured in the app. There are also various actions that are performed on clicks, my favorite of which is Iron Man’s laser gun that destroys the bunch of Hammer Drones.

There’s great audio from the movies throughout, and clicking on text has the characters read out their comments. All in all, it’s a great little app to go with the release of The Avengers movie.

[Google Play]

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Sony ST21i Entry-Level Smartphone Outed

April 29th, 2012

dantek

Hello friends, we have the first idea and glimpse of what will be the new standard-bearer for entry-level smartphones. The long-rumored Sony ST21i (also known as “Tapioca”) looks to be the newest addition to the Xperia family. It was recently outed by tech blog Techblog.gr and reveals an impressive design of the device. As you can see, the ST21i seems to be based off its big brother the Xperia S and will have 3 capacative buttons on the front. In addition, the Android 4.0-powered smartphone will feature:

A 3.2-inch screenQualcomm MSM7227 800MHz processor with an Adreno 200 GPU512MB of RAM3MP camera

There are no further details of the device for now, but we suspect it won’t be long before we have additional details. Hit the break for an additional shot of the intriguing entry-level device.