T-Mobile stores set to receive more Nexus 4 stock soon

We know Google and LG’s Nexus 4 hasn’t been the easiest phone to get your hands on, and stock hasn’t been very “fulfilling” but it looks like that might be changing soon. We’re hearing a few reports that T-Mobile stores nationwide are set to receive more inventory in the coming days. Online sales have sold out in minutes and the phones been elusive to say the least, but you might have better luck at a retail store soon.

Shipping times have slipped on Google’s Play Store, and T-Mobile shelves have been empty for weeks but new reports claim they’ll have plenty soon. We’ve received a few tips, as well as TMoNews reporting the same story. That story being that multiple retail T-Mobile stores have begun receiving marketing materials for the Nexus 4, even stores that didn’t get it originally. This is leading many to believe that inventory will be arriving shortly. 

While the marketing material doesn’t say much other than “The new smartphone from Google IS HERE” it’s the fact that many different stores have all started getting new material to advertise the smartphone. Why send out all those materials if they won’t have devices to sell all these eager customers? Now lets just hope they don’t overcharge due to “supply and demand.”

What this all essentially means is hopefully more retail stores across the country, as well as stores that previously had inventory, will all be getting additional stock of the LG Nexus 4 this weekend or early next week. If that turns out true many buyers will be getting a nice Christmas present from T-Mobile and Google this holiday season.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Motorola ATRIX HD Jelly Bean update available now

We learned back in October what devices Motorola was and wasn’t going to support with an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. The ATRIX HD was one of the handsets that was promised such an update, and now AT&T has announced that it’s finally coming to ATRIX HD owners and should be rolling out now.Starting today, AT&T and Motorola are pushing the OTA Android 4.1 update to devices, which will bring a handful of improvements over Ice Cream Sandwich, including Google Now, Project Butter, and improved notifications. Of course, Motorola has also thrown in some tweaks of its own into the mix, like Drive Smart and Quick Settings.

The RAZR M was the first Motorola device to get a bump to Jelly Bean, and that was followed by the RAZR HD and the RAZR MAXX HD. This is also AT&T’s fourth device that runs Jelly Bean, joining the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy S III, and the HTC One X+, with more to follow in the future eventually.

The ATRIX HD runs a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor at 1.5GHz with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable microSD storage available). The update should be live anytime, so if you aren’t seeing a notification for it, head into Settings > About Phone > Software Updates to see if it’s available on your device.

VIA:SLASH GEAR

Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G LTE gets Jelly Bean update

Sprint has made the Jelly Bean update available for the HTC EVO 4G LTE. However, you shouldn’t expect the smartphone to inform you about the new software version — rather you’ll have to manually make the phone check for updates by going to “Settings” -> “System updates” -> “HTC software update” and finally tapping the “Check Now” button. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for January 3rd when the carrier will start sending push notifications to the users.

As for what’s included in the new software, you’ll get Wi-Fi authentication improvements, personalized ringtones, Sprint Connections Optimizer, Face Unlock and app improvements (including browser, YouTube, Google+, Gmail, Maps and more), improved camera (Auto Portrait and Sightseeing Mode capabilities), ability to display photos and video albums according to when or where taken in the Gallery, Tap and Go function to connect the phone to select Beats Audio speakers.

VIA:INTO MOBILE

Samsung Galaxy S III Gets Android 4.1 Jelly Bean On Verizon

Yesterday we heard that Verizon Wireless would be rolling out the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update to the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone on their network in the US, the update was expected some time over the weekend.

Good news if you have been waiting for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for your Samsung Galaxy S III as Verizon has now announced that the update is being rolled out from today the 14th of December.

The update is being rolled out in phases as an OTA update, although if you do not want to wait for the OTA update you can manually download it from the settings menu on your Galaxy S III.

VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

Apple’s iPhone 5 Goes On Sale In China

We recently heard that Apple’s  iPhone 5 would be launching in China this month, and Apple has now started selling the iPhone 5 in China, and the device is expected to be extremely popular in the country.
We recently heard that Chinese carrier China Unicom have received more than 300,000 reservations for Apple’s iPhone 5 in China, the device retails for the equivalent of $849 for the 16GB model.
We suspect the launch of the iPhone 5 in China will help Apple increase their sales of the iPhone 5 significantly over the holiday period, and we are interested to find out how many iPhone 5′s Apple manages to sell by the end of the year.
VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

ZTE Grand S With 5 Inch Display To Be Announced At CES 2013

After the success of Samsung’s Galaxy Note smartphone, more and more manufacturers are releasing handsets with larger displays of around 5 inches or more, and we are expecting to see quite a few next year.

Now according to a recent report, ZTE is going to be releasing g a5 inch smartphone early next year, the ZTE Grand S which is rumored to debut at CES 2013 in January.

The ZTE Grand S is rumored to feature a 5 inch display with a full resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and the device will come with a quad core processor and an 8 megapixel camera.

Of course these specifications have yet to be confirmed, as soon as we get some more information, including some actual pictures of the ZTE Grand S we will let you guys know

VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

Windows Phone 7.8 Update Leaked For Lumia 800 And Lumia 510

Microsoft are expected to launch the Windows Phone 7.8 update some time early next year, we have already see the software running on a couple of devices and now the Windows Phone 7.8 update has been leaked for the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Lumia 510.

The guys over at MyNokiaBlog have managed to get their hands on the Windows Phone 7.8 update for both devices and it brings a number of new features to both handsets
You can find out more details about the leaked Windows Phone 7.8 update for the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 510 over at MyNokiaBlog.

VIA:GEEKYGADGETS

iPad Mini set to eclipse Retina iPad

The iPad Mini appears to be on its way to eclipsing the Retina iPad, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

Apple had originally expected to sell 6 million iPad Minis in 2012. But that's turning out to be a laughably low forecast, according to DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh. 

Now, Apple is asking display panel makers to "ship more than 12 million" iPad Mini displays in the fourth quarter, Hsieh said in a research note. "The iPad Mini apparently is selling better" than the new iPad 4, Hsieh said in response to an e-mail query. "It seems people especially like the size...[it's] lighter, slimmer and easier to carry." 

And that's despite having a relatively low-resolution non-Retina display and older silicon than the iPad 4. So, it appears that price, starting at $329, and the chic, lightweight design are driving demand. And in 2013, the iPad Mini could account for half of all iPad shipments, which DisplaySearch says should reach 100 million. 
"In 2013, it is likely that Apple will adjust its product portfolio to meet the strong demand for the iPad Mini. We believe that Apple is targeting total iPad shipments of 100 million in 2013, half accounted for by the iPad Mini," Hsieh wrote. 
The iPad Mini's 7.85-inch display is being made by AUO and LG Display, which have struggled mightily to keep up with demand. If Apple wants to meet demand in 2013 for the Mini things will have to change. 

VIA:CNET

Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE to be Treated to Jelly Bean Starting Today

It’s taken HTC a pretty long time to get Jelly Bean ready to roll out on their phones launched earlier in the year and while the One X+ and Droid DNA launched with Android 4.1, older phones have been left behind. Which is a pretty poor showing from HTC when you consider just how well Samsung have been doing at updating their line-up of devices to Jelly Bean – the Galaxy S III has been running 4.1 for a while now and has been running it on Sprint, in particular, longer than any other network. It’s this that leads us to believe that HTC are the ones at fault here. Nevertheless, a leaked document broke out yesterday, suggesting that the update should be rolling out today.

The update is to be available from today and a network wide push will take place the week beginning January 3rd. If you’re looking to get a hold of the update today then there are a few simple steps to take – as long as you’re running a stock ROM, of course:

•Head over to the Settings app

•Go into System Updates,

•Hit HTC Software Update and hit Check Now

•The build number of the new software is 3.15.651.16

The new update will of course come packing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and should improve a number of attributes of the phone thanks to Project Butter. As well as this, HTC are bringing the new Sense+ UI to the phone that is an improvement on Sense 4 that shipped with the device which will bring additions such as an improved gallery app as well as extra capabilities in the camera app. Which is all nice but, what you really care about is the update to Jelly Bean, am I right? The update should improve the speed and responsiveness of the already capable device on Sprint’s network – which is currently going for just $99.99.Word of the update was leaked via a document from Sprint’s own internal network – Sprint’s website now lists the device as coming with Jelly Bean out of the box – and outlines the update will begin today and be pushed to customer’s devices automatically at the beginning of next year. So, while Sprint might not have met the end of the year, it’s better late than never and we’re pretty sure that Sprint would have rather pushed this update out a lot sooner – a la the Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S III – but it looks like HTC are, once again, struggling to roll out updates in a timely manner

VIA:ANDROID HEADLINES

Verizon Galaxy Note 2 bootloader unlocked

It never takes those guys over at XDA Developers long to break into anything it seems, and the Verizson’s Galaxy Note 2 is their latest success. With the bootloader unlocked the Note 2 is now open for more custom ROMs and modifications, so it will be interesting to see what the community decides to so with this technological behemoth. Maybe the celebrated CyanogenMod could see its way over to the device at some point.Even though we are still awaiting development of ROMs which make use of the unlocked bootloader there are still other perks to loosing the shackles; if you’re into overclocking, in need of a custom recovery or memory partitions then it might be worth taking the plunge. Even managing the current host of ROMs available for rooted phones and getting yourself out of sticky boot problems should be made easier.

If you aren’t fazed by the risks, then there’s a simple step-by-step guide over on the XDA Forums. You’ll need a few of the usual tools, Odin3 and some custom bootloader files, and there’s a little extra work to be done compared with some other handsets, but nothing that should deter seasoned modders. The kind people at XDA have even put up a helpful video to get you though the process if you’re a little unsure.

VIA:ANDROID AUTHORITY

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumored for 2013

If the plus-sized Galaxy Note II was not big enough for you, the next iteration of the device is set to be even larger, according to sources in Korea. The Galaxy Note III looks like it could have a massive 6.3-inch display when it hits the market in 2013Other specifications on the rumored device are yet unknown, but it makes use wonder; will this device even be able to be considered a phone, or at that size is it a tablet? We’ve heard rumors that Samsung is working on a mid-range Note tablet of approximately 7 inches, so this rumor could actually be the confirmation of that, rather than a phone. Either that, or we could be getting a phone that is going to push the limits of what we can actually fit in our pockets. Maybe we need bigger pants.

These rumors also coincide with Samsung’s plans to slash its LCD production in the interest of focusing on OLED and flexible displays instead. “With money saved from LCD restructuring, the firm plans to spend more on OLED and flexible displays” one local parts supplier told the Korea Times. Samsung feels that the LCD panel market is saturated, and Samsung wants to differentiate itself with the use of OLED technology.

Samsung’s OLED push translates to other parts of its business, such as big-screen TVs. These rumors also add some weight to the rumors that Samsung is planning to announce a Galaxy S IV in February of next year. Whether or not Samsung is going to be making a giant phone or a small tablet remains to be seen, but it seems likely that a new device is coming along with the Note branding attached.

VIA:ANDROID CUMMUNITY

Jelly Bean 4.1 Starts Rolling Out To Wi-Fi Galaxy Note 10.1 In Germany

If there's one thing you can say about Samsung, it's that the company is at least trying to push out updates, with a sizeable number of devices already running Jelly Bean. Sure, it's 4.1 and about six months behind the Nexus baseline, but the company is better than most manufacturers about rolling out updates lately. As if to demonstrate this, the Wi-Fi Galaxy Note 10.1 (N8010) has started to receive Jelly Bean 4.1.1 (JRO03C) to owners of said tablet in Germany.

XDA users in Germany are reporting that the update is rolling out to their devices right now. No word yet on when or if this will roll out to any other countries, but we imagine that slates unbound by carrier restrictions will see it sooner rather than later.

VIA:ANDROID POLICE

Amazon has all Kindle Fire Tablets on sale for Amazon Moms only

Amazon had an awesome sale recently where you could grab a Kindle Fire HD 8.9 for $50 off the original price. Sadly, that deal is in the past, so if you missed it you’re out of luck. However, if you a member of Amazon Prime and Amazon Moms, you can grab any of the Kindle Fire tablets with a discount of up to $50.

The savings vary depending on which Kindle Fire tablet you choose. Moms can get $20 off a Kindle Fire (now $139), $25 off a 7-inch Kindle Fire HD (now $174), and $50 off an 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD (now $249). The deal on the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is the same as the one from Monday, but now Amazon is offering some savings on the other models as well.

For whatever reason, it looks like Amazon is trying to move some serious inventory in terms of the Kindle Fire. It seems that the inventory they moved from Monday’s sale was not sufficient, so this sale seems like a further effort to move some stock. Even though the deal today is only targeted at mothers, it should still help Amazon move some stock, all while helping buyers get a good deal on the tablets.

The 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is Amazon’s latest tablet. It comes with an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display and a Texas Instruments OMAP4470 dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. It also comes with 1GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of storage
VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE FCC filing misses the LTE approval

Samsung released the Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE for those in South Korea last month, and while we have had expectations of it arriving with Verizon Wireless, this recently discovered FCC filing suggests that release is drawing closer. Of course, as we all realize — nothing is official until we hear it from Samsung or Verizon.That being said, what we do have is a curious FCC filing for the Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE. The tablet was spotted as model number SHV-E230S and with support for Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi as well as WCDMA bands II and V and GSM band 850 and 1900.

As for that curious part, the filing, despite showing this model as having LTE (complete with logo), does not mention any approval for the LTE bands. Simply put, while an FCC filing generally suggests that a release is getting closer — this time around it looks like that may be true, but not before another visit with the FCC.

The only other tidbit revealed was that the tablet had 16GB of internal storage. All said and done, it looks like we can now sit back and wait for that next FCC filing. But in the meantime, there is this filing which comes complete with the confidentiality request letter, the FCC ID label statement letter, the label location and the 41 page test report. You know, just in case you were really bored and needed some reading material.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Samsung Galaxy Note II gets a minor OS upgrade

Samsung has started providing Android 4.1.2 upgrade to the international variant of the handset Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100). With this upgrade the 5.5 inch smartphone becomes the first Samsung smartphone to get the Jelly Bean upgrade.This update comes with improved features like a customized notification panel along with swype style typing. Samsung has provided the feature of disabling Multi View as well along with this update. The lock screen gets a new ink effect along with new items in the notification toggles with this upgrade.

The Brightness slider in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was one feature in the notification panel that was covering up lots of space and customers were not able to remove it. With this upgrade you can disable the Brightness slider from the Notification Panel.

The upgrade will be launched in gradual phases so you might have to wait a while depending upon the carrier service provider.

VIA:91MOBILES 

HTC One XL, ONE X+, EVO 4G LTE enters the PlayStation zone

HTC increases the number of PlayStation certified handsets to six with the HTC One XL, One X+, EVO 4G LTE getting PlayStation certification. This comes post the Sony PlayStation Mobile Store completes its two months period in the market.

HTC One V is the odd one out in the list of HTC smartphones when it comes to PlayStation features. This is because Sony requires Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS to support PlayStation on this device. HTC has not yet announced the upgrade and rumours suggest that HTC One V is not receiving this upgrade in the near future.

HTC One X, One S and One V have already received PlayStation certification. It is interesting to note that apart from Sony devices, HTC is the only company that has been able to get its handsets PlayStation certified. This certification provides access to Sony’s PlayStation Mobile Store. Although it does not have too many exciting games as of now but the company is working upon introducing a wide variety of games in the near future. The scarcity in the number of games could be due to the fact that Sony’s PlayStation Mobile Store is just two months old.

VIA:91MOBILES

Nexus 7 MultiROM Allows You To Load Multiple Operating Systems

Nexus 7 owners might be interested to learn that XDA Developer Tasssadar has created a new application called MultiROM for Google’s Nexus 7 tablet that will enable you to load multiple operating systems on to it.

MultiROM is multi-boot solutiom for the Google Nexus 7 tablet, has been created to boot an android ROM while keeping the one in internal memory intact or boot Ubuntu without having to format the entire device.

XDA Developer Tasssadar explains that for now, ROM can only be in internal memory of the Nexus 7 device, but booting from USB is planned in the future.
You might struggle if you only have the 8GB version of the Nexus 7 but owners of the 16 or 32 GB versions will have plenty of space for extra OS’s. For full details on the new MutilROM app and how to install it jump over to the XDA Developers website.

VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

Three new HTC devices gain PlayStation Certification

The PlayStation Certified train continues to roll on, but it seems that HTC is the only other company interested in a ride. Aside from a number of Sony devices, only HTC handsets have been PlayStation Certified, and today nothing is changing – we’re only getting word of three additional HTC devices that have been given PlayStation Certification. According to AndroidGuys, the HTC One X+, One S, and One V have all become PlayStation CertifiedThis brings the PlayStation Certified HTC devices up to six, including the original One X, the One XL, and the EVO 4G LTE. What does this mean, exactly? It means that these devices have all been certified to access Sony’s PlayStation Mobile store, which offers a number of games for Android devices.

The pickings are still rather slim, but keep in mind that the PlayStation Mobile store is only a couple of months old. The PlayStation Mobile store will likely be padding out a bit in the months to come, so there’s plenty to look forward to. Just the same, we expect the list of PlayStation Certified devices to grow as time goes on too.

So, if you own one of the HTC devices mentioned above, you should be able to access the PlayStation Mobile store shortly. Not all titles will be compatible with all of these devices at first, but Sony promises that compatibility is coming soon. Keep it tuned here to Android Community for more news on the PlayStation Mobile store!

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

HTC One SV announced for the UK

The UK will receive yet another addition to HTC’s One series lineup in the coming weeks. The HTC One SV, which was first announced at the beginning of November for Asian markets, is a mid-range handset featuring a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.2GHz and a 4.2-inch LCD 2 display.

The phone shares much in common with the HTC One VX, which recently launched for AT&T, including a 5MP camera and Beats Audio support. The One SV is and Ice Cream Sandwich handset draped in Sense 4 clothing, and gains enhancements previously found on phones like the One X and One S.

The One VX will be available through various carrier partners and retail channels, including an LTE-enabled version likely headed to Everything Everywhere. Buyers will get their choice of Pyrenees Blue or Glacier White color options. Pricing has not been announced at this time.

VIA:PHANDROID

HTC 8X Gets Windows Phone 8 WiFi Fix Software Update

Microsoft has released a new software update to Windows Phone 8 on HTC’s Windows Phone 8X smartphone, and the update brings a couple of bug fixes as well as some new features to the HTC 8X.

The update is designed to fix the WiFi issue that we heard about previously on the HTC Windows Phone 8X, plus three new features, which include the ability to reject calls with an SMS.

There is now also an SMS drafts feature and the ability to delete all of your SMS at the same time instead of having to delete each one individually. The update is apparently available for the HTC Windows Phone 8X, there are no details on when it will land on other Windows Phone 8 handsets.

VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

Sony announces Xperia Lounge entertainment app for Android

Sony has announced a new smartphone application coming to Android devices called Xperia Lounge. Sony describes the app as a new entertainment application with exclusive content and competitions. These span film, music, gaming, and sports. The app is not available to only Xperia devices, so anyone with an Android device can download it and check it out.

That being said, some of the content in the app is limited to just Xperia device owners. VIP content and streaming mobile content cannot be accessed on other Android devices. Other Android users will be able to enjoy the competitions and some other content once they register through Sony, but it makes sense that Sony would want to keep some content exclusive to its device owners.

Owners of Xperia devices will be able to stream exclusive live concerts and behind the scenes footage of movies from the application. Sony is also working out a way for Xperia owners to meet celebrities via the streaming platform. The contests implemented will include prizes such as concerts, movie premieres, and sporting events.

When the app first launches, it will include exclusive Coldplay content and a chance to win tickets to see Swedish House Mafia on their global farewell tour. Down the line, users will get the chance to win tickets to select FIFA events and other awesome stuff. This app definitely has the potential to be cool, and it’s good to see Sony opening some of the features up to all Android users.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

HTC One SV revealed with LTE, 1.2GHz dualcore S4, and NFC

HTC has unveiled its newest smartphone, the HTC One SV, headed to the UK to bring a slab of stylish LTE to the midrange market. Fronted by a 4.3-inch WVGA display and running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4, the One SV will land on EE’s 4G network as well as through other carriers in HSPA+ form.

Inside, there’s a 1.2GHz Qualcomm dualcore S4 processor paired with 1GB of RAM, together with 8GB of onboard storage. A microSD slot accepts up to 32GB cards to augment that, and there’s also SkyDrive and Dropbox integration for pushing files to the cloud.

As well as LTE and HSPA+ (up to 42Mbps network-permitting) the One SV supports WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX for improved audio quality. There’s also NFC for Google Wallet, GPS/GLONASS, a digital compass, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor.

Beats Audio works with the 3.5mm headphone socket, and HTC is claiming “studio quality sound” from the system. As for cameras, there’s a 5-megapixel shooter on the back with a BSI CMOS and f/2.0 aperture lens capable of 1080p HD video recording, while a 1.6-megapixel camera on the front supports up to 720p HD video and has an f/2.2 lens.

As with other recent HTC devices, there’s Continuous Shooting and the ability to capture both videos and stills simultaneously, without interrupting clip recording.

HTC says the One SV will hit shelves “in the coming weeks” though isn’t talking pricing yet. It’ll be offered in both ”Pyrenees blue” and “Glacier white” when it lands.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Pantech Vega quad-core 1080 HD smartphone leaks to join the rest

Add another full 1920 x 1080p HD smartphone to the growing list we’ve reported on over the past 2-3 weeks. Today we’re seeing some leaked details of an unannounced and upcoming quad-core powerhouse with a 1080p HD display from the folks at Pantech. The rumored Vega IM-A860 will be joining the LG, Sony, HTC, Samsung and other 1080p phones we’ve heard about as of late.In case you weren’t sure, CES this year will be blasted full of quad-core smartphones running with large 1080p HD displays and more. Hopefully we can actually see some improvement to the battery life too, as that’s still a looming issue that isn’t going anywhere. That aside, the Pantech Vega IM-A860 sounds like another flagship device to take on the competition. 

According to the WiFi cert that leaked the Pantech device in question rocks a 1920 x 1080p full HD display, Qualcomm’s ever so popular 1.5 GHz quad-core S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the gate. The leak doesn’t provide any additional detail about internal storage, battery, or camera but surely we’ll know more soon

Most likely the rest of the specs will be top notch to make this a competitor in Pantech’s markets. They’ve been known to offer some low priced budget handsets but this is aiming a little higher. Hopefully they can keep the cost down and offer it at a great price. We’re also seeing an IM-A860S appear, so this could be headed to multiple markets in the coming months.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Samsung Galaxy Grand DUOS (GT-I8092) launching next year with big screen, mid-end specs

Samsung is apparently getting ready to launch another member of its Galaxy series. The rumored Galaxy Grand DUOS (we guess a single-SIM version will also be released) may be unveiled in January 2013, sporting some rather unimpressive specs.

From what we’ve heard, it will have a huge 5-inch screen that will unfortunately show WVGA (800×480 pixels) resolution. Rest of the specs will include a dual- or quad-core processor, 3G+ (HSPA) and Wi-Fi connectivity, and of course the ability to sing along two different networks at once.

And while we’re not sure what’s the point of a big screen with such low resolution, Samsung’s idea is to make these kind of (huge) devices available to more users who don’t necessarily want to/can spend a small fortune on the Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II.

VIA:INTOMOBILE

Sony’s 2013 flagship device rumored to bring a 6-inch display, 3,500 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM

This is far from the first time we are hearing rumors about upcoming Sony devices. In fact, we have already been talking about a few that are expected to launch next year. The devices are the Yuga and Odin and they are both expected to debut with a 5-inch display. Based on recent rumors, it looks like Sony is not going to stop with a 5-inch display.

In fact, chatter coming from IT168 suggests that we may be seeing a Sony device with a 6-inch display in the latter part of 2013. And sure, that seems like a big display and a long time away at this point, however based on the current trend — a 6-inch display may be the norm at that point. Aside from a 6-inch display size, this handset is also expected to bring a 3,500 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM.

Otherwise, some of the other leaked details point towards another handset with a 5-inch display. This one is said to be 1080p and also featuring a 16 megapixel camera, 3GB of RAM and a 3,000 mAh battery. This device is expected to be announced sometime around October of next year. In other words, we have some time before any of this will likely be officially announced.

Moving past these two devices, there is also talk of one more, though the specs on this one are not quite as exciting sounding. This last device is said to have a 720p display along with a MSM8960T processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, 1,800 mAh battery and a 12 megapixel camera.

VIA:ANDROID COMMUNITY

Nook Video Launched In The UK

Barnes & Noble have announced that their Nook Video service is now available in the UK for its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets, and the service will offer movies and TV shows from a number of companies.

Barnes & Noble have signed new agreements to deliver content from companies like BBC Worldwide, HBO, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Starz and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

NOOK Video features a diverse digital collection of popular classics, blockbuster hits, new releases, original television series and local favourites available for streaming and download. NOOK customers across the UK can now shop and experience their favorite movies and TV shows like never before seen in spectacular colour and stunning definition on NOOK HD, the world’s highest-resolution 7-inch HD tablet, and NOOK HD+, the lightest full HD tablet, for an unparalleled portable entertainment experience. Offered in standard and HD formats, videos that are streamed and downloaded from the NOOK Store will be stored safely and securely in the NOOK Cloud, so NOOK Video content can also be enjoyed on other devices via soon-to-launch free NOOK Video apps

VIA:GEEKY GADGETS

New rumor grows the LG Optimus G2 Full HD screen to 5.5 inches, coming H1

Grrr, just when we though we had the Optimus G successor all squared away, and filed its rumored specs on the "upcoming" shelf waiting for the first spy shots, now the screen got watered regularly, and grew to 5.5 inches.

The previous rumor was for a 5" Full HD display, like the one on the Droid DNA, with 440ppi density. This is entirrely plausible, since LG has demonstrated such screen of its own making numerous times. The other specs included a 2 GHz quad-core of the Snapdragon S4 family, 2 GB of RAM, 13 MP camera, and a 3rd-gen LTE radio inside.
These stay in the new rumor, but the 1920x1080 pixels screen goes up to 5.5", with the Korean manufacturer changing its mind on the fly about the screen, claims the Korean newspaper source. The article implies that the phone will hit retail before June next year, and the screen size decision has something to do with the Galaxy S IV launch, which is expected to show up with a 5" Full HD display of its own.

VIA: PHONE ARENA.COM

Galaxy S3 Becomes Smaller Galaxy Note 2 With 'Premium Suite' Features

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is considered by many as the best ever smartphone released by the Korean giant. With the vast number of features coming via the Premium Suite, the Galaxy S3 is truly a great Android smartphone and owners will be delighted.

The Galaxy S3 'Premium Suite' consists of many features than can already be found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, some of which that are really useful and take advantage of the huge 4.8-inch Super AMOLED Plus display.

Known features include Multi-Window View, a feature that allows the user to have multiple applications running side-by-side on the screen, contextual awareness that automatically adjust the phone depending on how it is used, some new NFC and reader features, smart rotation, and a customizable notification panel.

The video below goes in depth on these features, but that is just part one. Apparently, there is even more to the 'Premium Suite' upgrade, these will be talked about in part two of the video that should be posted soon by Samsung.

VIA:MOBILE & APPS

SMSOptions Pro Brings Additional Power To Text Messaging On iPhone

When the Apple iPhone first launched in 2007 it came with pretty much the same Messages application that we all know and use so frequently on a daily basis. Apple have obviously come to the conclusion that the current app is powerful enough as the Messages app hasn’t really changed much in the six iterations of iOS and although we have seen a few visual changes and the introduction of iMessaging, the app has stayed fairly true to the original release all those years ago. The jailbroken Cydia store does play home to a number of SMS based tweaks and enhancements, with one of the newest being the SMSOptions Pro package.

Packages like BiteSMS and iRealSMS offer extensive power and functionality and exist to be a full replacement for the stock Apple Messages application. However, if replacing the main app is not on your agenda and all you requires is a little additional control over texting then SMSOptions Pro could prove useful. The package basically comes with three main functions that all hook directly into the stock Messages app: being able to delete all messages in one go, arrange and distribute auto-reply messages and hide or unhide private messages.

The first little addition comes in the form of being able to delete all message conversations in one go. For some reason Apple only allow messages to be deleted one-by-one meaning that those with extensive inboxes could be there for quite some time. The second enhancement allows jailbroken iPhone owners to quickly hide or unhide messages that they deem to be private with just one click. Finally, the developer has also seen fit to include the ability to send out an auto-reply to incoming messages if the recipient is busy or doesn’t want to seem ignorant by not replying.

The functionality isn’t extensive and packages like the aforementioned BiteSMS will be better suited to those who want to entirely customize and change their messaging experience on the device. However, for those who want the included enhancements then SMSOptions Pro is available now.
SMSOptions Pro is available from the MacCiti and ZodTTD repository with no specific mentions of iOS requirements.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad.

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VIA:REDMOND PIE

LG Venice Review

Nothing feels better than leaving carrier contracts behind. Going prepaid is the best option for many users, especially if they don’t need those expensive $600 devices. Boost Mobile is one of the most popular prepaid carriers in the US, offering affordable options, as well as low-priced plans that get lower with time.

The LG Venice comes right in the middle, going for only $200 off-contract and sporting performance that won’t make your experience very painful. LG has improved its game over prior years, and this LG Optimus L7 variant is no bad contender at its price point. But is it good enough to entice prepaid customers to shell out those $200 for it instead of getting another Boost Mobile device? Stick around and see!

Build Quality

If you are looking for a phone that is thin and light, this might be a great option for you. Don’t plan to take it out hiking or drop it, though, because it doesn’t exactly have the best build-quality we have seen. The device is made of plastic, with a bit of metal-looking material (that is probably plastic too) outlining the edges. The camera is surrounded by metal, though.

While the front and sides of the device are made of better-quality plastic, the battery cover definitely has a “cheaper” feeling. The battery cover itself is a bit flimsy, allowing you to feel the empty space between the battery and the cover.

Something that does stand out is the build quality of the buttons, which can sometimes be underwhelming in affordable devices. These are rather solid and offer good feedback when pressed. They don’t move around are easy to find by touch.Display

The 4.3-inch screen is one of the main downsides of the device. Colors are relatively vibrant and the display is bright, but that 480×800 resolution definitely shows a good deal of pixelation. Especially if you have used high definition devices in the past. We can’t complain much because of the price, but at 4.3 inches, at least a qHD (540×960) display is needed.

Viewing angles are good and the device is definitely operational in direct sunlight (as long as the brightness is set high). The screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, which protects the device against scratches and cracks very well.

Performance & Software

The LG Venice is no powerhouse: it sports a single-core 1 GHz processor and 768 MB of RAM. I can honestly say it knows how to use the little power it has, though. Android 4.0 with LG’s UI overlay runs rather smooth on this device (considering the specs). The only thing slowing it down is Sprint’s lack-lusting network, but a good WiFi connection easily fixes that.

Most Android enthusiasts will be turned away by LG’s UI. Surely, it is very different from the Vanilla Android experience, but like other UIs, it has its benefits. And there are definitely some worst-looking UIs out there.

The Venice has LG’s Optimus UI 3.0, which is the same as the high-end Optimus G’s. Of course, this little guy can’t handle all the power-hungry features the Optimus G takes advantage of, but it does support some of them. QuickMemo is the most popular one (you can check out the demo below).

One can also access notification drawer quick settings and shortcuts. Needless to say all the customization options are there: one can easily change app icons, rearrange the app drawer and more. One thing I did not like about this device’s software is that there is no way to automatically arrange app drawer icons in alphabetical order (or any order, for that matter). You either go with the stock order (which pretty much just pushes downloaded apps to the end of the list) or you manually rearrange them to your will… one by one.


Battery Life

Battery life is actually not bad at all with the LG Venice. We must remember it does not have any 4G capabilities, though, so this is to be expected. I managed to keep it alive for 9.5 hours under heavy use, while conserving battery made it last about 19.5 hours. Under casual use it would hold up for about 13-14 hours.

Camera
For a low-end device the LG Venice’s camera actually stacks up pretty high against the competition. The 5 MP rear-facing camera can take pretty smooth 720p HD videos, and still pictures are great. Though not as good as the LG Optimus G, picture quality gets pretty close to the company’s current flagship smartphone. Of course, less megapixels means the picture will be smaller.

The camera performed very well under low-light conditions (dimly-lit room), as well as in full daylight. Colors were a bit washed out, but nothing to complain about with a $200 phone.

VIA:PHANDROID

Android Jelly Bean Source Code for Galaxy S2 Released, Unofficial Updates Follow

Samsung Galaxy S2 users may not have to wait much longer for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. There is not yet an official update released or even a date set but the source code for the GT-19100_HK Galaxy S2 is available for download. So developers can already work on unofficial ROMs.

In the source code, you will find the TouchWiz user interface and all the expected Jelly Bean features. It is based on Fimwares I9100ZSLS6 and I9100ZSLPG. Developers interested in downloading the source code can do so here.

What if you are not a developer and just want to update your Galaxy S2 to Jelly Bean? It’s been running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich since 2011. That is forever in phone years, after all. XDA developer coderworkx already has an unofficial Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean update ready for download. If you download this build, keep in mind that there will be bugs. Users are strongly advised not to create any ROMs based on this software. Some of the known issues include lags, tearing and other glitches in the UI. The audio has bugs and is missing features. Camera recording is partly broken and FM Radio is unsupported. If this doesn’t discourage you from downloading the update, there is also a warning shown below that the developer requires to be included

VIA:ANDROID HEADLINES

LG announces 10 million L-Series Android smartphones sold

LG announced that it has sold 10 million of its L-Series smartphones to date. The number includes the entire range from the entry-level LG Optimus L3, through the Optimus L5 and Optimus L7, all the way to the imposing looking OLG calls the eight-figure sales number a "modest milestone", it still pats itself on the back for it. The official press release points out the fresh styling of the range, the high quality displays of the handsets , as well as LG's proprietary UX features as the main reason for its commercial success.

While LG's L-Series broke cover during MWC 2012. The devices in the range are available in 50 markets worldwide

VIA:GSM ARENA

Who Needs USB Anyhow? Not Nexus 4

Google has edited the online help manual for the Nexus 4. Prior to editing the online help manual, Google did have a section in the manual that mentioned that there may be the need for an adapter to connect some peripheral devices via USB. Now the Nexus 4 online manual has been edited to say the following on Google’s site


"You can connect a keyboard, mouse, or even a joystick or other input device to your phone via Bluetooth and use it just as you would with a PC. USB is not supported for connecting such devices."

Some of you may be asking why is a USB port or USB capability important in a cell phone? To some people it wouldn’t be a big deal at all, to others it is a pretty big deal. The USB capability, allows people minimal amount of storage to add storage, if you will, using a USB OTG (On The Go) adapter (pictured below) and a USB flash drive. This would allow the people with the smaller gigabyte models (or any model of that matter) to save those large video files or large files that they can’t store on 8 or 16 GB and basically allow everyone to have unlimited storage using flash drives.


There is another issue when dealing with connecting everything via Bluetooth the large battery drain. Not allowing USB connectivity also means that everything will be connected wirelessly through Bluetooth and the Google Nexus 4 online help manual even carries this warning “Important: Continuous use of a mouse via Bluetooth will cause a significant additional drain on your battery.” People wanting to use USB OTG to help save battery life may not be able to in the future, at least not on the Nexus 4.

It is unclear at this time if the Nexus 4 will get any updates in the future to allow USB OTG connectivity, but for right now, the manual says it all, USB not supported here. We’ll keep you updated if this changes.

Twitter photo filters tipped for holidays: Has Dorsey teased them already?

The increasingly bitter rivalry between Twitter and Instagram may reach a peak before New Year celebrations kick off, sources hint, with the microblogging platform supposedly readying its own suite of photo filters for imminent launch. Twitter is aiming to reveal a selection of image tweaking tools that can fettle amateur shutterbugs’ shots prior to sharing, insiders tell AllThingsD, before 2012 is out, with a new version of the mobile app in testing. The results of it might already be in front of us: Twitter chairman Jack Dorsey is tipped to be using the filters on recently shared black-and-white images.

If true, the new feature would follow Instagram’s moves to drive more traffic to its own user profiles. The company blocked Instagram images from showing up correctly in Twitter’s “cards” layout last week, a strategy which although initially suspected to be an error, was later confirmed to be a strategic decision on Facebook-owned Instagram’s part.

For more info click here.

VIA : TECH-SCOOP

T-Mobile’s New ‘GoSmart’ Plan Being Tested In A Few Markets

T-Mobile has been in the headlines just about everywhere you like, and rightly so. They’ve had a lot of great announcements, promotional material and etc. This topic seems to fit right in with what we’ve been hearing this past week as well. The company announced that they would be removing subsidized pricing from their handsets starting in 2013. To go along with that, T-Mobile is looking into offering prepaid data plans, which is being tested in select markets. FierceWireless has confirmed with T-Mobile that the carrier is looking to launch this new set of prepaid “GoSmart” plans with three different options:

•$30 for unlimited voice and text

•$35 for unlimited voice, text and 2G data

•$45 for unlimited voice, text and “high speed” data

As you can imagine, the first two tiers isn’t going to be appealing to any of the tech aficionado out there, nor a whole lot of consumers after experiencing HSPA+ and LTE speeds all over the U.S.A. Regardless, the last “GoSmart” plan sounds promising. T-Mobile’s current prepaid offerings are much different than other carries, and consumers currently have to shell out $60 to get data speeds that are actually worth something (with unlimited talk and text). What has to be figured out is what T-Mobile actually means by “high speed” data. Could this be HSPA+? Could it be a 3G network, 2G even (or “EDGE”)?

T-Mobile’s current plans refer to their HSPA+ or “4G” network, and after the data usage is up, you’re throttled to their EDGE network. Documentation is showing that their new “high speed” prepaid data plan is actually noting “3G” as high speed, which is a bit confusing when you consider that T-Mobile hasn’t operated their 3G network independently for a few years now.
Hopefully we’ll see a bit more clarification in the next few days/weeks here.

I personally would like to see a prepaid data package where you were put on LTE and after using a certain amount of data, you would be throttled to HSPA+. It’d definitely have to be one of the more expensive packages, but it almost may be worth it for some of us.

VIA:THE DROID GUY

Kindle Fire HD updated to 7.2.2, Kindle FreeTime Unlimited tags along

Amazon introduced us to FreeTime back in September, but now it is officially available for your Kindle Fire HD.

Software version 7.2.2 brings FreeTime Unlimited capabilities so your kids can now use your Kindle without accessing content you don’t want them to. If you recall, it is analogous to multi-user support on Android tablets but here the children can only access a limited pool of safe content.

Accompanying FreeTime is a new Camera app which allows you to use the front-facing camera to take photos. Also, Swype functionality has been added to the keyboard making typing much more efficient, especially if you want to hold the Kindle in one hand and type with the other. It will roll out as an OTA update, so you should already have got a notification for the installation. If not, you can always force the update through your settings.

Have you received the update yet?

VIA:ANDROID AUTHORITY

Tablet market wars: will Google defeat Apple this holiday season?

We have seen plethora of tablet launches including the iPad Mini and Nexus 7 this holiday season. Tablets in general have seen a splurge in sales this year. Retailers such as the PC World and Curry’s are already highly bullish on the demand for the tablet and have seen sales up by a whopping 1,000% year on year. The two retailers also claimed to sell almost one tablet with every tick of the clock during this cyber Monday! And to top it, they are still expecting sale of one tablet per two seconds till Christmas.

It seems that Apple could be easily ousted from its top position this year. The market has now opened up to wider customer segments by a variety of options available at prices that are suitable to every segment. The major players playing a key role in this market shift are Google’s Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and the Barnes and Noble Nook, along with others that were launched earlier this year. Matt Leeser, head of buying for communication technology at John Lewis said, “Sales of Apple’s iPad and iPad Mini are very strong, but this is the first Christmas we have seen real rivals to Apple on different platforms, including Android and Windows 8.” He also added that, “Tablets such as the Google Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD have all exploded on to the market and are selling very well.”

It is particularly interesting to note what ebuyer.com has to say. It expects that the sexy 32GB Google Nexus will pull down Apple from its current top spot. This may be the case as Google’s world class Android tablet comes at a very competitive price as compared to other tablets in the market. Other retailers have a similar opinion on tablet sales this year. Argos also has a similar expectation as it believes that people want to have their own tablets individually instead of sharing one in a household, which is yet another factor which is fueling this growth in sales further. Cases in point are the Nabi and Innotab 2, which are exclusively made for children and retail at £149.99 and £84.99 respectively in the UK.

Previously, we highlighted that Tech-Thoughts is estimating that Google’s sales figures for the Nexus 7 might be anywhere between 6 and 8 million during 2012. According to sources at parts manufacturers, actual sales figures have shocked Google. Originally, 2.5 million units were predicted to be sufficient to get them through 2012, but Google has now placed an additional order of 2.5 million. Asus has told The Wall Street Journal that the Nexus 7 was nearing 1 million in sales per month. On the other hand, Apple announced that it had sold a total of 3 million iPads in just three days, a record for first-weekend iPad sales according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The company is said to have sold nearly 60 million iPads during its 2012 fiscal year.

It is hard to comment exactly who could be the leader of the tablet market, but we think that there is a high probability of Google winning the throne this year. We have our arguments for this. Any company that’s able to manufacture tablet hardware can support Google’s operating system and make an Android tablet. However, this is not true with Apple. Google’s tablets are light and small, but someone who has experienced the retina screen on the iPad might find the non-retina screen of other similar products grainy. On the other hand, Android tablets, which flock the market every few weeks, compete on price, size and a host of flexible features in addition to the display, which is very decent as well.

We would like to know your thoughts and comments on the market leader for the tablets. Do you think Google can outpace Apple this year? Share your views with us
VIA:ANDROID AUTHORITY