Navigon upgrades Android nav app with new features

If you are an Android user that does a lot of traveling and wants an Android nav app, Navigon is one of the most popular choices out there. The app isn’t exactly cheap to purchase at $27.95, but it is more appealing to many than one that has a monthly fee. If you are using Navigon already, the company has announced that it has upgraded the app to version 4.0.

The updated app makes it easier to mange maps within the app and to select what regions to download to the device. This allows the user to better manage the device memory and reduces the time needed to download a map. A new option for a quarterly subscription to a quarterly map updates to keep the app up to date with new roads.
The update also brings a couple new in app purchase options with a cockpit function display that allows the driver to monitor certain driving functions like speed, acceleration for the last 30 minutes or the last quarter mile. The other in app purchase is Zagat Surveys. The app update is free and the cockpit purchase is $4.95 with the Zagat option being $7.95.

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Sony Ericsson 2011 line of Android devices to get Android 4.0

If you are rocking a Sony Ericsson Android smartphone that is running Android 2.3.4 or an older version of the OS you have something to look forward to for next year. Sony has announced in the Netherlands that it will be upgrading all of its 2011 Android devices to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012. Exactly when in 2012 is anyone’s guess.

Sony Ericsson made the announcement via Facebook in the Netherlands. We already know that Motorola is promising to update the new and cool Droid RAZR to Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012. I would bet that “early” time frame is when the OS will be available for everyone. It doesn’t look like smartphone markers are wasting any time getting the OS ready.
Smartphones specifically getting the update include the Xpreia Play, neo and neo V. The Mini Pro, Xperia and arc Ray will also get the update. Apparently, the translated Dutch Facebook post reads as follows:

We are planning our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio after Gingerbread 2.3.4. upgrade to the next Android platform. The official Sony Ericsson communication about software upgrades will always be my international colleagues publish on our Blog: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/

[via AllAboutPhones]

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Sony Music Unlimited comes to Tablet S and other Android tablets

Sony has announced that its unlimited music streaming service is now available for Android tablets. The video streaming platform has been on tablets already. The service is Sony’s Music unlimited and it is first hitting the Sony Tablet S device. It will also be available as a download app for any Android tablet user to enjoy. The app allows access to the cloud-based Music Unlimited network.

The new v1.2 app allows tablets to access the service, which has been available for Android smartphones for a while. The updated app also brings with it a tweaked user interface. The subscriber can now create playlists faster and discover related artists more easily. The navigation between album view and the catalog is faster as well.
The Music Unlimited service is available in nine different countries with a basic subscription at $3.99 monthly. The premium subscription is $9.99 monthly. Sony Tablet S users can get a 180-day trial of the Basic plan at no charge right now.

“As one of the largest digital entertainment services, Sony Entertainment Network aims to bring new ways for consumers to enjoy digital music and video,” said Tim Schaaff, President, Sony Network Entertainment. “The launch of the Music Unlimited service on Sony Tablet marks one of our many significant steps to satisfying the mobile demands of our current consumers while opening up our cloud-based music service to completely new audiences.”

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Trend Micro teams up with KDDI to make Android more secure

Trend Micro and KDDI have announced that they will be teaming up to ship Android smartphones that come out of the box with Trend Micro security protection. The smartphones packing in the new security software will start shipping in the middle of November. Trend Micro will load the smartphones up with its Virus Buster Mobile for au software.

The software will be part of the KDDI Anshin Security Pack that will be preinstalled on au smartphones and is designed to protect from malicious apps using filtering. The app will filter bad websites though the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network infrastructure. This infrastructure sifts through data from over 70 billion daily quires to find the sites that are trying to install malware or viruses onto Android devices.
Trend Micro says that the network has protected more than 130 million users since 2008. The network will protect users from phishing websites and malicious programs. Trend Micro and KDDI have worked together to secure Android devices before. The Anshin Security Pack will also include Secure Platform for remote lock and location search by 3LM.

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Official HTC Rezound Extended Battery Accessories Make Their Way To Online Retailers

As most of us already know, any device touting 4G LTE connectivity and a bright 4.3-inch 720p display is probably going to be eating up a lot of juice. Thankfully, HTC will have data-heavy users covered in time for the HTC Rezound launch on Verizon. AndroidForums member jikhead posted this official 2750mAh HTC extended battery for the Rezound, giving a little more “umph” to the one area that Android devices need it most — the battery.

Having a full 24 hours of battery life does come at the cost of losing that sexy slim profile but hey, some guys wont mind the added .35-inches of extra junk in the trunk. More cushion for the data-pushin’ I always say.
Thanks, NightAngel79!
[HTCPedia via AndroidForums]

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T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II Successfully Rooted

I have some good news for all you ROM and flashing addicts out there. The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II has been successfully rooted and the process is almost scary easy. Now, I don’t think there are any custom/modified ROMs just yet but this should give GS2 users the ability to remove any and all pesky bloatware included on the device. Just to prove to you how non-difficult this is check out the directions:

1. Make sure windows recognizes your phone in ODIN.
—- adb reboot download
-or- Turn phone of, and hold both Vol up + Vol down, and plug the USB cable in.
2. Select the PDA button and browse to the recovery-cwm-hercules.tar
3. Select Start
4. It should flash the file to Recovery and reboot the phone.
5. After it has rebooted, mount USB storage and copy the Superuser zip to the sdcard
6 Reboot into recovery
— adb reboot recovery
-or- Power off phone, unplug USB, Hold Both Vol up + Vol down and Hit power
* PERFORM NANDROID BACKUP :D *
7. Select Install zip from sdcard, choose the superuser zip and let it finish.
8. Reboot!

Did you get all of that? For the download links on everything referenced in the directions, hit up the source link below and as always — BE CAREFUL. Good luck and godspeed!
Thanks, Quinten!
[Via RootzWiki]

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Asus executive shows off Transformer 2 live, coming November 9th

We’ve been seeing a lot of the Asus Transformer 2 in the last few days, and now it’s been confirmed by none other than Asus executive Jonney Shih. Shih spoke at the AsiaD conference hosted by All Things D, where he pulled out what is almost certainly a nearly complete EEE Pad Transformer 3 and its keyboard attachment. Shih also confirmed that the tablet is using “Nvidia’s quad core processor”, which to our ears sound like the Tegra 3.

Speaking on the original Transformer, Shih noted that it’s easily one of thew most popular Honeycomb tablets, and that Asus is on course to sell 2 million of them this year alone. He also said that the company has great hopes for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and that tablets running the new software may be coming before the end of the year. The Transformer 2, according to Shih, will be formally announced on November 9th, and that the 10-inch slate will be a mere 8.3mm thin.




Rumors of the Transformer successor have persisted since the summer, when we first heard that Nvidia’s “Kal-El” Tegra 3 processor might make its debut in the device. That would certainly line up with the new video that Nvidia was showing off, not to mention the sci-fi inspired video that dropped today. Shih’s November 9th date is just a little later than a UK online retailer’s guess at November 7th, but that gives us some hope that the tablet may be coming sooner rather than later. It’s a bit of a conundrum: since the original Transformer was so solid I’d like a crack at the Transformer 2 as fast as possible, but the longer the release date is dragged out, the more likely it is that it’ll come pre-loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich.
When asked about the PadPhone, the dockable phone-tablet combo that Asus showed off in concept form months ago, Shih said that the company expects the phone to go through the carrier gauntlet for a Q1 2012 release.

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Motorola DROID RAZR coming to the UK November 1st

The Motorola DROID RAZR will simply be known as the “Motorola RAZR” in every territory outside the United States, and at least one is getting right in front of the vague “November” launch date set for the phone. According to online retailer Clove, the first stock of Motorola RAZR will be available in the United Kingdom on November 1st. The price is £379 or £454.80 after some expensive Value Added Tax, which comes out to $716 USD.

Online retailers have been known to jump the gun with upcoming products to secure some quick pre-orders, so take the news with a grain of salt. Since the UK’s cellular market favors unlocked phones instead of the cheaper subsidized handsets we get here, the prices tend to be greater even before you factor in the generally higher cost of electronics across the pond. Since the pre-tax price is about $597, you can expect the DROID RAZR to be in the $600 range when Verizon sells it off-contract.
Neither Motorola nor any regional carriers have confirmed a date or price for the DROID RAZR, but Verizon’s internal system pegs it for a November 10th launch at $299. That may or may not be before a mail-in rebate. Verizon customers will have a tough choice, since the very same document says that the Galaxy Nexus will also launch on Verizon the same day, and earlier reports put it at the same $299 price. If you’re still on the fence, be sure to take a gander at out Galaxy Nexus and DROID RAZR comparison.
Check out our hands-on of the Motorola DROID RAZR:
Motorola DROID RAZR hands-on:

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HTC will open Beats Audio API to all developers

As far as owners/investors go, HTC is proving itself to be a very gracious one. The company invested a whopping $300 million into the Beats by Dr. Dre brand, giving it majority control of the hardware and software produced. HTC promised to run the company as a separate enterprise while taking advantage of its audio expertise, and lo and behold, it has. HTC announced today that it intends to open up the Beats APIs for third-party developers to use in their apps.

In HTC’s words, the company will “allow third-party developers to harness the potential of Beats Audio and bring that top-notch audio experience to their own apps.”  That’s great news for developers of music apps and services, not to mention anyone who owns one of the high-end HTC handsets that feature Beats Audio, like the Sensation XL. Previously Beats integration had been limited to specially-coded first party music apps.
HTC has been investing a lot lately: in addition to the Beats purchase, they bought a stake in online game streaming company OnLive and bought the kid-friendly browser developer Inquisitive Minds. Like Beats, HTC has said that they’ll integrate their partners’ services into their smartphones and tablets while still operating them like independent companies, a tactic that has served Amazon well in its own acquisitions. The forthcoming Beats APIs are a promising start to this strategy, and a good indication that non-HTC owners will continue to enjoy the services of Beats, Inquisitive Minds and OnLive.

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