ASUS Transformer Prime camera samples show off stunning images

Not everyone walks around with a huge DSLR camera on their neck, or even a decent point and shoot for that matter. Today we’ll be showing you a few amazing samples from the upcoming ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime quad-core tablet’s camera. Obviously no one walks around 24/7 with a tablet either but if the opportunity presents itself, the Prime can take some mighty impressive photos with that 8 megapixel f2.4 aperture camera lens.

\

We all know plenty about the Transformer Prime but just in case here’s the impressive details. It was announced last week being powered by the brand new superchip that we call the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and will pounce the competition into the ground. Not only is it the thinnest and lightest tablet yet, but it will also be the most powerful hands down. Along with the impressive specs ASUS also has included the best camera optics of any tablet (or smartphone) and the Prime’s 8 megapixel camera should be one, if not the best available.

Above are a few details regarding the camera we’ll get with the Prime. The faster and impressive f2.4 aperture will ensure you capture some amazing photos with this thing. Most devices like the myTouch 4G Slide has impressive cameras but are still at f2.8 so this gives the Prime even more of an advantage. There isn’t much else to say regarding this so I’ll just let you enjoy the highly impressive image samples in the gallery below.
What do you think? If the quad-core wasn’t enough to have your credit card waiting and ready, is the camera?

Read more »

Google Voice update brings prefetch for voicemails, improved notifications, more

Google is on track again this week updating a few of their popular applications for the world of Android. Updating Google Maps last week and today the Google Voice app has just received its latest update in the Android Market. Google has brought a few much needed and requested features. A big one is being able to send to multiple recipients.

Updated to version 0.4.2.38 this afternoon you can now prefetch your voicemail. Meaning they can be listened to even when there is no data coverage or you are in a spotty area. Among a few other new enhancements they’ve added a feature that GVoice has been missing for a long time — the option to send messages to multiple recipients. With today’s update you can now easily and simply send messages to everyone you need at the same time whether its co-workers, family, or whoever. Here are the three main new improvements:
-Prefetch voicemails so they can be listened to even when there is no data coverage
-Allow sending text messages to multiple recipients
-Improved text message notification
If you’ve been considering taking the dive into Google Voice now would be a good time. You get a new number you can use for whatever you’d like and it can send or receive calls and messages for much cheaper than your current plan probably offers. I’m pretty excited to give this multiple messages upgrade a try as I’m sure all of you are. Head down to the Android Market via the link below to get the latest and greatest from Google.
[via Google Voice]

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Verizon 4G LTE finally clears the FCC

Whoa, it’s about time guys. We can now officially check “clear the FCC” off the list for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus sporting 4G LTE. The Galaxy Nexus sporting those Verizon 4G LTE bands has finally landed and received approval from the FCC. Could this be what the wait, silence, and possible delays have been for?

Maybe now Verizon will rush to the streets and announce some sort of launch date. I’m still hopeful for a November release, but we’ll see. We’ve seen rumors regarding the Verizon version launching on the 17th, the 21st, or lately even sometime in December as everyone slowly has lost hope with Verizon and Samsung both being silent. Maybe you should just go out and buy the new DROID RAZR instead (just a thought).
We’ve recently seen training material for the GNex at Verizon so it appears things are ready to go. Maybe this was the last step and now they’ll announce something, either way we should know soon enough. We’ve seen announcements from O2, Bell, Rogers and more and I know many are dying for some news from Verizon. I have a feeling it will be coming any time now, so stay tuned and keep patient.

Read more »

Motorola Razr vs HTC Sensation XL

We're comparing Motorola's new Razr with HTC's Sensation XL this time around, but which of these super-smart Android's will come out on top?

The newest device to drop from Motorola is the Razr – a slim, smart Android-powered phone that firmly has the iPhone 4S in its sights.
But rather than worrying about the newest Apple handset, we wanted to see how the Razr stacked up against some tough Android competition. And they don't come much tougher than HTC's Sensation XL.
Will Motorola's next-gen Razr have what it takes to stand-up to HTC's brutish device? Let's find out.

Power
Motorola's Razr is powered by a Ti-OMAP 4430 chipset consisting of a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU and augmented by 1GB RAM.
The running gear on the device performs well, and you'll be hard pressed to tax it to the limit of its capability. We're pleased to see 1GB RAM installed too as it should allow the Razr to age a little more gracefully than some of its peers.
The HTC Sensation XL runs on a single-core Scorpion processor from Qualcomm, clocked to 1.5GHz, and also boasts an Adreno 205 GPU.
With its single-core CPU, the Sensation XL is definitely lacking in comparison to the Razr, but the device can still crunch data with the best of them and will run fast enough for even the most discerning tech-freak.
One concern with the Sensation XL is that the RAM hasn't been upped. It still has the same 768MB as the original Sensation, and while it isn't a massive problem, it does degrade the device's appeal and potential lastability.
Winner - Motorola Razr
Display
HTC's Sensation XL features a 4.7-inch Super LCD screen that operates at a resolution of 480x800 and offers up a pixel density of 199PPI.
Performance is solid enough from the display. It responds well and its colour reproduction is good, but it never rises beyond that.
The Motorola Razr, however, features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen that operates at a resolution of 540x960 and comes in with a much more respectable 256PPI pixel density.
The Super AMOLED is, without wanting to be too blunt, vastly superior to the S-LCD on offer in the Sensation XL.
Colours are much more real, blacks are deep, and the display also draws less power. It also benefits from a Gorilla Glass fronting, to keep it safe from scratches and scrapes.
Winner - Motorola Razr

Software
Both of these devices run on version 2.3 of Android (Gingerbread) and are all the better for it.
Obviously you'll have access to the hundreds of thousands of applications, games and customisations available in the Android Market too.
The dividing factor here is the device's custom UI, with HTC's Sensation XL offering up the tried, tested and loved Sense UI and the Razr weighing-in with its own (though we haven't been given a catchy name for it yet).
Sense UI is a good-looking, powerful addition to the Android platform and offers the user custom-widgets, social networking features and other selected apps and tweaks.
It adds a much needed layer of aesthetic quality to the Google platform and, in our book at least, is still the benchmark custom user interface in the market.
The newly designed UI that features on the Razr is nice too though, with custom widgets, unlock screen and other tweaks you'll definitely feel like you're using a cutting edge device and the addition of features like MotoCast, for streaming media, is a real boon.
Winner - HTC Sensation XL

Form

Motorola Razr - 130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1 mm, 127g
HTC Sensation XL - 132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 162.5g

Overall the Sensation XL's vital statistics are good (even without the Cosmopolitan-style half measures). The device is thin, well-built and manages to carry off its large, lustrous screen with aplomb.

The Motorola Razr is similarly fortunate.

The device feels very solid in the hand and, uniquely for such a thin smartphone, has a nice balance when in use.

The aforementioned thinness is odd and worrying at first though, and for the more clumsy among us it may remain so but if you're careful it's a nice feature.

One thing we weren't so keen on was the profile of the Razr. When viewed in profile the device gives off the illusion of a painfully thin person wearing a crash helmet.

Materials on both devices are pleasing, with shades of metal and plastic woven together to create a premium feel (successfully on both counts).

Winner - Draw

Camera

8-megapixel sensors are the order of the day with these two competitors.

The Razr features auto-focus, LED flash, touch-focus, geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilisation and 1080P video capture.

The Sensation XL chips-in with auto-focus, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging and 720P capture.

Both devices feature near identical 1.3-megapixel secondary cameras too, for all your video conferencing needs, and both perform as you would hope.

The Motorola Razr's imagining, despite the high pixel count, is decidely noisey. The XL's on the otherhand was dramatically clearer and thus gets our vote in this aspect of the comparison, despite not being able to shoot 1080p video.

Winner - Sensation XL

It's a win for the new boy!

Motorola's Razr has snatched victory from HTC's big-screened gem, and with real voracity!

If you're in the market for a new Android device make sure you certainly look long and hard at the Motorola Razr, which looks, feels and performs well enough to be held-up against the Galaxy Nexus and Apple's iPhone 4S.

HTC's Sensation XL is, for its defeat today, still a nice smartphone. But it seems to be beleaguered by its averageness.

Come on, HTC! Let's have a device that goes above and beyond, rather than staying within sensible boundaries and parameters!

Read more »

Rogers Confirms Galaxy Nexus Launch for January

Rogers has announced that they will also be adding the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to their lineup this carrier, joining Canadian carriers Virgin and Bell (though those two will be bringing it much sooner). You’ll be able to sign up to be notified of its availability, though we can’t quite find the page that Rogers said would be up to do just that. If you come across it be sure to let us and others know in the comments section below! [Twitter via The Verge]

Read more »

Toshiba Thrive Receives Android 3.2 Upgrade

We’ve just received word that the Toshiba Thrive has received the upgrade to Android 3.2 that was promised back in October. It’s build 3.2.1.31.5.0002 and it brings with it the following major changes:

• Enables an improved compatibility mode enhancing the way applications originally designed for smaller screen devices appear and function on the larger tablet display.
• Improves screen rotation acceleration.
• Adds extended screen support API, giving developers more precise control over the user interface across a range of Android-powered devices.

Unfortunately, we’re also hearing that this may break and block the root method that was found earlier on. We’d say hold off for now and wait until the development community gets its hands on it. Head to the source link for instructions on how to upgrade if rooting is no concern of yours. [Toshiba, Thanks Randall!]

Read more »

CyanogenMod team begins work on CM9 Ice Cream Sandwich, skips

CyanogenMod is without a doubt the most popular and prolific of the myriad custom Android ROMs, and now that the Ice Cream Sandwich source code is available, the team is hard at work on an Android 4.0 version. Cyanogen and his teammates only work with AOSP code, so they haven’t bothered with the various SDK ports that have popped up recently. Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik confirmed that work has begun in his Twitter feed.

A word on nomenclature: CyanogenMod 9 will be the official name for the Ice Cream Sandwich version, skipping straight from the Gingerbread build in CyanogenMod 7. The name “CyanogenMod 8″ is reserved for a Honeycomb version. However, it’s unlikely that Honeycomb will ever see an official CyanogenMod release, even though the source code has finally been included with the ICS code. There’s just no reason not to continue to ICS, since it’s designed to work with both tablets and smartphones.
Development on the latest Gingerbread build, CyanogenMod 7.2, will continue concurrently while CyanogenMod 9 is being developed. The CyanogenMod team is famously against deadlines, but you can expect early builds within the next few weeks and alphas withing three months at the most. If that seems like a long time, remember that most manufacturer updates will take at least that long – if you’re lucky. In the meantime, quicker (and less stable) ICS builds should begin popping up for current phones any day now.

Read more »

Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V now available unlocked in the US

The latest in Sony’s maddening experiments in non-capitalization are now available in the United States. The Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V are available from Sony’s Ericsson’s online store, and should start popping up at various retailers next month. For the moment, each are only available in their unlocked and full-priced forms.


The Xperia arc S is an updated and expanded version of the original arc, with a 3.7-inch, 854 x 480 screen. The phone uses a speedy 1.4Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM, though unfortunately you’ll need a MicroSD card if you want more than the phone’s paltry 1GB of built-in memory. Connectivity options are impressive, with HDMA, DLNA and, USB host functionality (via the dock – not included). The camera is a full 8MP, with 72-p video recording at 30Mbps. The arc S costs $549.99 unlocked with AT&T HSPA+ bands.
The Xperia neo V (seriously, Sony, you’re killing me with this selective capitalization) uses the same 3.7-inch screen, but a slower 1Ghz processor. Elsewhere it has the same RAM and on-board storage specifications, though the camera is downgraded to a 5 megapixel model. The neo V gets a much lower price of $349.99.The phone will run on AT&T’s HSPA+ network.
Both phones run Android 2.3.4, just a few versions off of the latest available. It’s worth noting that Sony has said on multiple occasions that its current phones, including the arc S and neo V, would be receiving an Ice Cream sandwich update. The company did not mention when this update would be made available.

Read more »

Sega enters the Android Market with Fallen Realms RPG

It’s a fine day for that considerable crossover between Android enthusiasts and classic gaming fans. Sega, one of the staples of the video game world, has released its very first Android game in cooperation with Papaya Mobile. It isn’t one of these newfangled physics games or tower defense titles, either – Fallen Realms is an old-school turn-based role playing game from its mail helm to its +1 boots. The game is available from the Android Market now.

Fallen Realms is still in beta at the moment, so expect a few hiccups in cross-device support or game mechanics. The standard fantasy world looks like a mix between Japanese and western RPGs, with a turn-based combat engine simplified by touchscreen controls. An in-game tutorial assures that most gamers won’t get lost, even if they’re more used to frustrated avians or hemp slicing.
Sega has adopted the freemium model that’s so popular with these whippersnapper mobile developers: the game is free to play, but you can purchase upgraded equipment for your character. The 21MB download is big for an Android app, but pretty small when compared to a lot of the games coming out these days. Welcome to the future, Sega – now how’s about a Tegra 3 version of Sonic Generations or Bayonetta?
[via DroidGamers]

Read more »