16
May
2012-05-16_22h30_44

It's not every day that I get excited when I look at a UI demo, largely because they tend to end up being vaporware. But it's hard to ignore a revolutionary UI when one comes along - and that's exactly what Chameleon is:

Still not sold? Check out this demo video from 2 months ago, when Chameleon was first announced:

It's certainly a stunning UI, and one that manages the rare feat of being equal parts beautiful and functional. But there's a catch: the company initially intended to sell Chameleon to OEMs, but it seems they couldn't find a buyer - so they're taking to Kickstarter.

16
May

Two weeks ago, Google announced a series of expansions to carrier billing options for Play Store Apps, Movies, Books, and Music on various carriers. While some changes went into effect immediately, Sprint, which already allowed direct billing for apps, was one carrier that was listed as "coming soon."

As of today, all three additional options are available to Sprint customers: books, music, and movies. Not surprisingly, carrier billing is the default option since it's by far the cheapest to carriers and Google as they get to bypass credit card fees. While this addition doesn't benefit everyone, I can see a few handy uses for carrier billing:

  • you don't own a credit card at all
  • you don't want to add a credit card to your Wallet account for some reason, be it security, paranoia, or a medical condition that prevents you from typing 16 digits in a row (also known as laziness)
  • you don't want to pollute your credit card statement with multiple charges
  • you don't want your significant others with access to your credit card statement to see what you're doing

Enjoy, Sprinters!

16
May
googlemusictiny

Well, that didn't take long. Earlier today, we reported that Google was limiting the number of devices that can be deauthorized from your Google Music account. The official limit on Google Music devices was 10 active devices, with the proviso that up to 4 devices could be removed from your account every year. As of this moment, the Google Music help page still echoes this, but Google might be back pedaling. We're hearing reports that some users are able to deauthorize devices after being told just this morning that they'd reached their limit. Cameron, who had already reached his limit this morning, tried it out and lookie here:

sorrrrrydeauth camdevicespost

Earlier this morning (left), and around 3:30 EST (right)

While it's unclear how Google's stance on this has changed (we've reached out to Google for comment), it does seem very clear that some customers are now able to deauthorize devices that, just hours ago, they could not.

16
May
wm_IMG_1228

Earlier today, I reviewed the ZAGGkeys Flex Bluetooth keyboard, and loved it. It's a fantastic little keyboard - ultraportable, has incredibly battery life, and is a pleasure to type one. Not only that, but it can easily pair with your Android tablet or smartphone, as well as any iOS device that you may have. Say what you will about iOS, but the ability to have one keyboard that can pair with both Android and iOS is just awesome.

Of course, it's hard for us to tell you how awesome something is and not want to give some out, so guess what?

16
May
image

Appbrain, which we here at AP use to this day thanks to a few handful features that the Play Store still hasn't implemented, analyzed 140,000 Android apps and came up with a list of the top 10 ad networks.

While they don't openly state the source of this data, I am willing to bet that it comes from analytics reported by their Ad Detector app which hit the Play Store a few months back. The app itself, much like Lookout Ad Network Detector, is very handy - it lets users figure out what ad networks, social SDKs, and even developer tools are used by apps installed on their devices.

16
May
wm_IMG_1228

It's no secret that I love tablets - I find them to be incredibly useful and fun tools. In fact, I've spent a lot of time as of late reviewing and comparing the most recent additions to the tablet world to one another. As much as I love tablets, though, they're not the best for productivity without some good accessories. Of those accessories, the most useful addition is, without a doubt, a Bluetooth keyboard; truth be told, I actually prefer a good Bluetooth keyboard and stand over the Transformer Series' keyboard dock in most cases - it's just a more portable and convenient option for me.

16
May
lgrevo

Verizon just updated the support documents for the LG Revolution with details of a new OTA update that brings a few bug fixes to the device, as well as Verizon's "Enhanced Customer Support" tool with remote diagnostics (which the device should've gotten back in March - perhaps Verizon is just reminding us that the feature exists).

2012-05-16_13h03_51

These sort of updates generally begin rolling out within a few days of the documentation being posted on Verizon's site, so we could see this one start hitting devices by week's end.

[Verizon]

16
May
verizonwirelesslogo

We all knew it was coming: the death of unlimited. At Verizon, specifically. And this time, there's no escaping it.

From this summer onward, when Verizon launches its shared bucket data plans for families, if you buy a 4G phone, you will be transferred to a tiered data plan - end of story. While current 4G phone owners with unlimited plans will be allowed to live out the duration of their remaining contracts with unlimited data, the next time you (or anyone on your plan, for that matter) upgrade your handset to anything with 4G LTE service, your unlimited goes bye-bye for good.

16
May
P_500

Hey all you OG Transformer owners - wanna unlock your tablet by looking at it? Better start hitting that 'System Updates' button, because ASUS just started pushing an OTA that will let you do just that. This update not only brings Face Unlock to the device, but a handful of other features and fixes:

  • Improves system stability
  • Improves Email App stability
  • Improves MyNet stability
  • Improves MyLibrary stability
  • Add System Bar Lock: Lock the system bar  when playing games  
  • Add Email App new feature: Email download size/Thread/Out of office notification/Mail Sync schedule

The update should be rolling out to all TF101's in the U.S.

16
May
htc-sensation

Sensation 4G

Earlier this month, T-Mobile updated the support documents for the Sensation 4G to let users know that the ICS update would be available "very soon." Now, we have an exact date for that very soon: May 16th.

Beginning May 16, an optional update will be available for the Sensation 4G to update to the latest operating system, Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). You can choose to download the update to Android 4.0.3 by following the software update steps.

The update will bring Android 4.0.3 and Sense 3.6 to the handset, along with a handful of other fixes and enhancements:

New Features

  • Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • Sense 3.6
  • System bar enhancements to easily view recent apps.
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