Saturday, August 20, 2011

Glance Android Concept Phone Made for Skinny Jeans

If you’re not one of those people who has the biggest pockets in the world so wide and deep that they’re able to keep an Acer Iconia Tab A100 in them without a problem, we’ve got the phone for you. This is a conceptual design, meaning that it’s certainly not based in reality at the moment, and given what it’s got going for it, we’re looking at a few years at least before something like this can become a reality. The greatest and most obvious feature here is the thinness of most of the device.












Approximately as thin as half a Samsung Galaxy S II at its thinnest point with a much thicker base so that not only can it slide into your pocket and be held up at the top, you can stand the device up on its base and have it held upright with its own weight. This device is hypothetically got a few impressive specs going for it, including a 4-inch OLED screen with scratch resistant glass, a bottom 2-inch OLED screen, 3.5 mm headphone jack (also in base), and dual speakers for stereo sound. There’s also a mini (not micro) USB for some reason or another, and one camera on the front and one camera on the back with flash (no megapixels listed.)

Along with the obviously quite unique shape of this device, the fact that the glass on the front curves up near the base allows for a unique area for buttons, here utilized for what seems like the standard four Android menu buttons, but where the search button would normally sit is a Twitter button instead. The bottom of the device, under the larger side of the device, under the base that is, the second OLED display shows several items here, Twitter notifications, Mail notifications, time, date, and battery level. This piece of the concept is very similar to the classically strange Samsung Continuum – another dual-display whose second tiny screen has similar functionality.

Now this device, again, is just a concept and of course there’s no plan to produce it any time in the near future, but give designer Alan Gerardo Farías props for making some unique stuff right here.
[via Yanko Design]

UNO for Android Updated with HD Graphics for tablets

Remember as a child playing UNO and screaming it out at the end when you finally win? I do, and today Gameloft has updated the popular card game UNO on the Android Market to support even more devices as well as tablets. UNO was always one of the few card games I actually enjoyed, that and poker. Gameloft has fixed up the graphics claiming they are HD and now we should be ready to go for tablets.



You can’t go wrong with UNO. Everyone loves the game right? It’s a classic that is for sure. Gameloft has some new rules, online gameplay and tournament mode integrated into the Android version and really makes you test your skills when you play online.




I know this isn’t anything new and exciting, plus the app has been around for a while. I didn’t think it would be all that fun but I gave it a download on my Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet just to see the new HD graphics and the game does look pretty good. Brought me back to the good ol times and should do the same for a few of our readers so give it a try.
Download UNO
[via Android Market]

Samsung Fascinate 3G on TELUS getting 2.3 Gingerbread

Who likes updates? Today we have the Samsung Fascinate over on TELUS all set to receive Android 2.3 Gingerbread, they’ll bring the tasty gingerbread and you bring the milk. It’s nice to see Samsung continuing to update older devices because for a while there no one had much faith in the Korean Manufacturer to actually push updates out in a timely manor.



Yup, this is the Samsung Fascinate 3G+ for TELUS and Android 2.3 Gingerbread should be hitting in an OTA update any day now. As always you can manually check for updates if you are like me and don’t want to wait for it. Just go to into settings and hit that check for updates button and it should pull right down and be ready to go.
Most of you should know what comes with Android 2.3 by now so we wont really get into that, but you’ll love the new user interface changes. Sadly this is just Android 2.3.3 instead of 2.3.4 but that shouldn’t be much of a concern for Fascinate users. I always back up my apps and settings just in case anything goes wrong with an update, just a thought. Head over to the TELUS support page if you have any questions on the update.
[via Phandroid]

Samsung Roadmap leaks with launch dates, ICS and Nexus Prime?

We have heard a few reports over the past few days regarding some odd sized devices coming from Samsung. We first saw these specs and this roadmap last week and Samsung later denied it, but now we have the same specs showing up again and with launch dates too. I have a feeling this might just be the real deal.



Launch dates are prone to changes but I’m liking what I’m seeing either way. They are listed in weeks and we are currently in week 33 (W33). The only thing I don’t like is the Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone listed is still 15 weeks away according to the leak. That makes a possible October launch sound not to possible now doesn’t it?
-GT-I8150 (W40) Android 2.3.3, 3.7-inch 480×800 display, HSDPA network support, 4GB of memory, 1.4GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD recording.
-GT-B5510 (W41) Android 2.2.2 smartphone with 2.8-inch display, 800MHz processor, QWERTY keyboard, 3MP camera.
-GT-S5360 (W42) Android 2.3.3, 3-inch screen with 240×320 resolution, 2MP camera.
-GT-S5610 (W42) Android 2.3.3, 2.4-inch 320×240 display, 5MP camera, 150 MB of internal memory and support for HSDPA networks.
-GT-I9220 (W43) Android 2.3.3, 4.3-inch 1280×720 Super AMOLED display, 1.4Ghz dual-core processor and 8MP camera.
-P6200 (W44) Honeycomb tablet with 7-inch 1024×600 Super AMOLED display, HSDPA support, 3MP rear camera, 2MP front facing.
-P6210 (W44) Honeycomb tablet, 7-inch 1024×600 Super AMOLED display, WiFi, 3MP rear camera, 2MP front facing.
-GT-I9210 (W48) Android 2.3.3, 4.5-inch 480×800 Super AMOLED display, supports 4G networks, 16 GB of memory, 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and front facing 2MP, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n and 1750 mAh battery.
-GT-I9250 (W48) Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.65-inch 1280×720 Super AMOLED display, 5MP camera.
According to these reports we should be seeing the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 with an AMOLED display and Android 3.2 Honeycomb very shortly but sadly I don’t see anything about the Galaxy Tab 8.9 inch many are still waiting for. The most impressive and important one is at the bottom, the GT-I9250. This could very well be the Samsung Nexus Prime. We have seen reports about the AMOLED display being ready to go in larger sizes, as well as plenty of leaks that Samsung will rock the Nexus Prime and currently trying to get Verizon to carry it.
All of this is really exciting and I can’t wait to see more. We originally heard ICS would launch around the holidays but recent rumors are saying October to compete with the iPhone 5. Then we see something like that last phone rumored for week 48 and that lines up better with initial ICS reports of a holiday release. Either way I just want to see these bad boys out in the wild already. Can you say Nexus!
[via GSMArena]

Motorola XT531 gets FCC approval

Google’s new hardware division, I mean Motorola, just got its XT531 budget smartphone into the FCC. The XT531 has already been released in Europe as the Fire XT and in Central and South America as the Spice XT. The smaller phone (now that 4-4.3″ is the standard that is) has a pretty impressive spec list for a more economically-friendly phone.



Motorola’s XT531 showed up at the FCC with AT&T’s HSPA bands (850 and 1900 MHz) along with the standard WiFi and Bluetooth radios. For a little more info on the phone we can turn to the international versions, which has already been announced. The phone has only a 3.5″ screen, but runs Gingerbread, and has both a front and rear camera.
We don’t have an exact price point for the device, as an American release hasn’t been officially announced. Given some of its less exciting specs though, the XT531 could offer cool features like a front-facing camera, and the latest version of Android for a price that will be a little less hard on your wallet. So we’ll keep an eye out as Motorola continues to pump out the goodies while the Google purchase awaits approval.
[via Engadget]

HTC Thunderbolt gets a new Gingerbread build leaked

HTC’s Thunderbolt was cutting edge when it launched as the first phone to use Verizon’s blazing 4G LTE network. Unfortunately it also launched a version behind with Froyo, and still hasn’t received an official update from Verizon. Luckily, as is tradition, test builds have been leaked and the vert latest RUU (HTC’s flashable ROM format) is available at XDA..



A couple weeks ago, we heard talked about the Thunderbolt’s Gingerbread update being delayed from its originally scheduled (and already passed) time frame of Q2. Whatever the delay has been, Verizon’s still at work and their latest build is available for those of you who like beta.
The Thunderbolt is one of Verizon’s 4G devices, able to speed through data on their LTE network. We were really impressed with HTC’s build quality and the shear speed of LTE. With the Droid Bionic bringing the imminent union of super fast internet and dual-core speed, the Thunderbolt’s shine could be fading.
Hopefully the update, when its ready, will help Thunderbolt owners stave off jealousy. The update is being worked on by devs as I type, to root and package the ROM for download. When it is available, remember we can’t speak for the stability of the build, and as always make sure you backup your current ROM and be fully aware of the risks and what you’re doing before flashing.
[via XDA]

Friday, August 19, 2011

Motorola Flipside Gets Updated To Android 2.2 (Froyo), Available To Download Right Now

Users of the Motorola Flipside have had to be a patient bunch whilst waiting for their Froyo fix; since making its debut on AT&T in October of last year, the device has been running Android 2.1 with MOTOBLUR software. Fortunately for those users, they can now upgrade to a newer version of Android through the Motorola support website right now!

According to the update page, you will need to have at least 40 MB of internal free space on your phone and 100 MB of SD card space available before getting your hands on Froyo, but the whole process seems fairly painless. You will have to manually download the update through your PC and copy it to your SD card before installing. All the information that you will need is on the support page.
If you're a Flipside user, be sure to let us know how you get on with the update and whether or not you run in to any problems. As this update is coming from the official Motorola website, there shouldn't be too many issues.
Source: Motorola support via Motorola support forums

HTC is having another user event in London, new phones on the way?


HTC has been around for a long time and the company makes some of the most popular smartphones on the market today. It also makes smartphones with other OS’ as well. From time to time HTC has events all around the world and invites geeks to come and check out what it has to offer. At times, these events are press only, but sometimes HTC invites anyone that wants to come to check things out.



HTC has announced on its UK Facebook page that it will be having another user event where anyone can come by and check out what HTC has to offer. The user event will be on September 1 from 6:30 to 11:00 pm in London. HTC does point out that you have to RSVP and the event is first come, first serve with limited space. I suspect it will fill up fast, not only because there may be new hardware there to check out either.
There will also be free food and drinks so you can bet it will fill up fast. The event is open only to those 18 and over. What do you think? Will HTC have some new devices at the event to get consumer opinions on new products or is this something else just for fun and marketing? I am betting there will be some new devices on hand and perhaps we will get a bit of a tease ahead of the event.

Gameloft site lists games for HTC Evo Design 4G, is release near?

When it comes to finding details about some of the phones we are really looking forward to, we will take any info we can get. We talked about the HTC Evo Design 4G smartphone before when it first leaked and we suspect that the Design 4G will be a cheaper version of the Evo 3D. Presumably, the smartphone will be lacking the 3D tech that some people won’t miss at all.



Outside that 3D tech the Evo 3D is an awesome smartphone so we are hoping that the Design 4G is in fact a cheaper version of that 3D smartphone. We have no idea when the Evo Design 4G will launch and we have no hard confirmation of the hardware inside the smartphone at this point. It seems that Gameloft might know a bit more than we do about the launch date for the Design 4G. Gameloft has the smartphone listed on its website to choose for downloading certain games.
This could signal that the smartphone is set to launch soon, or it could just be an indication that whoever adds devices to the Gameloft site is ahead of the game. It would be easy to bet that come October we will hear more about the Evo Design 4G at CTIA.
[via Gottabemobile]