Photovine Launches on iOS: Why not Android?

It’s that time again, ladies and gentlemen, time when we’ve got to ask Google what the heck is going on, this time regarding a pretty awesome little social photography app by the name of Photovine. I just happen to have an iPad here, so I went ahead and checked the app out for all you non-adventurous types. Of course I was still working on the tiny iPhone-sized interface unless I wanted to have a pixel nightmare in front of me, so it was slim pickins for screen real-estate. Even so, Google’s excellent new app Photovine’s sweet nature shown through, and it’s gotten me wondering why the heck it wasn’t launched on Android instead of iOS.

Now there’s no way (or is there?) in the world Google isn’t going to be pushing this app to Android eventually, but the question remains: why start with iOS and not give its own mobile OS any love? This app connects you with friends across the universe via Vines – each Vine is a word or phrase, each photo added to a vine should have something to do with said word or phrase. Of course you can guess that there will be some loopholes and very possible inappropriateness going on in the future more than likely, but for now everything remains cute.



Google! How could you?! We want this super fun to use simple, neat, great, nice app for Android too! At least you’ve got to consider bringing it over to Android sooner than later. We don’t want to be late to the party! Meanwhile we’ll have to (SHHH) break out our significant other’s iPad or iPhone (perish the thought) to take a look while we wait.
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HTC Trademarks more names, HTC Rhyme and Enamor

HTC has been making sure to trademark a few names lately for upcoming devices and we are now seeing even more pop up. Back in July we saw a large list of trademarked names that all seemed to be centered around “speed” but the newest few we are now seeing are a bit different.

While they’ve kept up the name “Quietly Brilliant” for a while, lately they’ve been making a loud splash in the Android market and are only going to get bigger and “louder”. They have just trademarked two more names to add to their list, The HTC Rhyme and HTC Enamor. Now first off when you see the Rhyme you’ll immediately think of the recent acquisition of Beats Audio so that makes complete sense. I can see this being a nice mid-range device focuses more on audio rather than performance and be centered around busting a rhyme and having some good audio thanks to Beats Audio by Dre.
We have seen plenty of odd names in the past like Pyramid, Doubleshot, Glacier, Supersonic and more and most of those were pretty high end devices. The name Enamor sounds a bit like a high end name doesn’t it? I could see the HTC Enamor being the codename for another powerhouse flagship phone but that’s just me. While these are only codenames it’s still fun to speculate right?
[via Engadget]

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HTC Incredible 2 Coming in White Exclusively to Best Buy

We have heard rumors of a white and silver Droid Incredible 2 headed to the market but now we are seeing a Best Buy ad that confirms the white flavor is at least heading to the shelves. This might not be all that fancy to some but I know a few friends love the idea of rocking a white smartphone. I thought the white EVO 4G looked a little goofy personally.

The Incredible 2 has been around a little while, its already rooted and I’m sure you can get CM7 for it somewhere so it’s still a great buy and Best Buy is offering it at a pretty decent price too. The Incredible 2 was also recently updated to 2.3 Gingerbread so buyers wont need to worry about updates for a while.
Sources are claiming the White version of the DROID Incredible 2 will be on store shelves at Best Buy starting August 21st, that is this Sunday. We are also hearing that it will be competitively priced at just $149 after a new contract so it’s a good deal and will be a fashion statement. Whether the new color scheme makes this a phone worth purchasing is up to you guys, I think I’ll hold out for the Bionic myself.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Incredible S

Manufactuer : HTC

Carrier : AT&T

Announced Date : February 15, 2011

Release Date : January 01, 1970

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.00 Inch


• Resolution : 480x800


• Screen Type : S-LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.72 Inch


• Width : 2.52 Inch


• Depth : 0.46 Inch


• Weight : 162 Grams

Battery & Power

• Battery Type:


• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1450 mAh


• Talk Time : NA


• Stand By Time : 290 hours

Software

• Android OS:


• 2.3.x

• Audio Playback:


• AAC


• AMR


• MID


• MP3


• WAV


• WMA

• Video Playback:


• 3GP


• MPEG-4 (MP4)


• WMV

• Messaging:


• SMS


• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon MSM8255

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 768 MB

Internal Storage : 1.124 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution :8 MP

• External Storage:


• MicroSD


• MicroSDHC

• Camera Features:


• Auto focus


• Flash


• 720p Video Recording

• Sensors:


• Accelerometer


• Ambient light


• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

• Network Technology:


• GSM

• GSM Band:


• 850


• 900


• 1800


• 1900

Device Connectivity

• Wi-Fi:


• 802.11b


• 802.11g


• 802.11n

• Bluetooth:


• Bluetooth 2.0

• Location Features:


• Compass


• GPS


• Cellular location


• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

[via Android Central]

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T-Mobile LG G-Slate 3.1 Honeycomb Update Brings a Locked Bootloader

Sadly we have some bad news for you modders that happen to own the LG G-Slate. While recent devices like the G2x, Optimus 3D and even the G-Slate itself have shipped with unlocked bootloaders and were easy to hack, root, and mod. It appears LG has shifted positions and will now start locking bootloaders, a change we are not thrilled to see that is for sure.

While many tablets have been updated to 3.2 Honeycomb already the G-Slate is still way behind and currently rocking the original 3.0 until just recently. Early last week the G-Slate 3.1 OTA started rolling out and most likely many of you have already accepted the update but if not, you might want to wait a few days to see what the developer community comes up with.
New information suggests that along with the 3.1 update the bootloader will also be locked. Making the option to root and flash custom roms, kernels or anything else your heart desires all but impossible until the device is hacked and unlocked. Could this be a new direction LG will be taking with their android offerings, or is this just for the tablet market? I sure hope we don’t get another HTC situation on our hands.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : G-Slate

Manufactuer : LG

Carrier : T-Mobile

Announced Date : January 05, 2011

Release Date : April 20, 2011

Also Known As : LG Optimus Pad, Optimus Pad, LG G-Slate, T-Mobile G-Slate

Display

• Screen Size : 8.9 Inch


• Resolution : 1280x768


• Screen Type : IPS LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 9.56 Inch


• Width : 5.88 Inch


• Depth : 0.49 Inch


• Weight : 620 Grams

Battery & Power

• Battery Type:


• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 6400 mAh


• Talk Time : NA


• Stand By Time : 237 hours

Software

• Android OS:


• 3.0.x

• Audio Playback:


• AAC


• AAC+


• AMR


• MP3

• Video Playback:


• h.263


• h.264 / AVC


• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 2

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution :5 MP

• Camera Features:


• 1080p Video Recording


• 720p Video Recording

• Sensors:


• Accelerometer


• Ambient light


• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

• Network Technology:


• GSM

• GSM Band:


• 850


• 900


• 1800


• 1900

Device Connectivity

• Wi-Fi:


• 802.11b


• 802.11g


• 802.11n

• Bluetooth:


• Bluetooth 2.0

• Location Features:


• Compass


• GPS


• Cellular location


• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

[via Phandroid]

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Fake Google+ app floating around hides Android malware

Android users that are fans of Google+ need to be aware that a new malware app is circulating right now. Earlier this month I mentioned that Android users were twice as likely to get malware as they were six months ago. One of the reasons is apps like Google++ that looks like an official Google+ app and hides a malicious app inside.

The malicious app inside the fake Google offering is called ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C .The nefarious app can actually intercept and record your phone calls. The app loads at boot up and runs services that monitor messages, phone calls, and the user’s location. This allows the malware to steal all sorts of data from users.
The app sends the stolen data to a remote site where criminals can grab the data and try to use it to steal from you. The malware app was discovered by Trend Micro. If your phone is infected you can uninstall it via Settings – Applications – Manage applications, and then uninstall the Google++ app. Trend Micro gives this app a low risk rating.
[via CNET]

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Hunch survey looks at the differences between users of Android and iOS

A survey was posted recently that was conducted by Hunch and apparently had about 80 million responses. The survey looked at some of the differences between users that are on Android and those on iOS. The survey raised some interesting and odd facts about the users.

Android users are more likely to be male, but that was revealed before. The survey found that Android users are 71% more likely to have never traveled out of their home country. The users of iOS by contrast are 50% more likely to have visited five foreign countries or more. Android users are 17% more likely to live in the suburbs. The survey also found that 80% of Android users are likely to have only a high school diploma while iPhone users are 37% more likely to have graduate degrees.
A survey of incomes found that Android users are more likely to have incomes in the $50k to $100k range with iOS users 67% more likely to have an annual income of $200,000 or more. I wonder if some of the difference between users of iOS and iPhones work out to age differences. Younger Android users would be more likely to have less income and to not have traveled.
[via SlashGear]

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini pro on sale now

Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA mini pro has gone on sale in the UK, with carrier Vodafone offering the diminutive Android smartphone from free on new two year agreements from £20.50 ($34) per month. Packing a 3-inch touchscreen, slide-out physical keyboard and a 5-megapixel camera with video recording support, the mini pro is being positioned as Sony Ericsson’s take on the Facebook Phone concept, thanks to its Facebook Inside XPERIA support.

That boosts the integration of the social network throughout Sony Ericsson’s customized Gingerbread build, with Facebook events automatically showing up in the calendar, the ability to “Like” music you’re playing or other things directly from the relevant app, and automatic gallery sync complete with comments. Obviously there’s the usual Android Market support as well, all in a compact 92 x 53 x 18 mm chassis.



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Motorola DROID HD caught in wild: Rivals Galaxy S II for thinness?

Images purportedly showing the Motorola DROID HD – and its DROID Bionic sibling – have emerged, with the 4.5-inch smartphone looking to rival the Samsung Galaxy S II when it comes to thinness. The shots sent to Engadget show what’s estimated to be a sub-9mm thick phone presumed to have a qHD touchscreen.

There’s also believed to be an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with 1080p Full HD video recording support, together with a front-facing camera for video calls. The usual array of microUSB, microHDMI and microSIM slots are present, each arrayed around the edges.
Full hardware specs are unclear at this time, though given Motorola has been pushing ahead with processors from NVIDIA and Texas Instruments, we’re guessing silicon from one of the two will also show up in the DROID HD. No word on availability.

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Official Gingerbread Update for the HTC Thunderbolt Leaked

If you’ve been an HTC Thunderbolt user patiently waiting for your turn to go at it with Gingerbread well, tonight might be your night. Or not, depending how you look it. Build number 2.07.605.0 was recently leaked for the Tbolt and although this will not be the final Verizon build, it is an official build from HTC (unlike all those test builds leaked in the past). While we can’t guarantee that updating to this version will allow you to update the final Verizon, if you feel like you’ve had enough of Froyo the instructions on updating are easy peasy.
For download links hit up the source below. Remember, Phandroid will not be held responsible for you bricking your device if something goes wrong. Even if you decide to pass on this update, it’s nice to know that we’re a least a few builds closer to that official OTA update from Verizon, isn’t it?
Thanks, Jeffery!
[Via TheMikMik]

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