Welcome to the Android Police Podcast, Episode 45.
Don't forget - the Android Police Podcast's live broadcast is every Thursday at 5PM PST (www.androidpolice.com/podcast). The unedited video version of the podcast can be found here - and will likely include various verbal expletives, technical snafus, tangents, and probably a good 5-10 minutes of pre-podcast banter as we prepare. Watch at your own risk!
http://soundcloud.com/androidpolice/android-police-podcast-ep45/
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The Cast
- Matthew Smith, Host
- Bob Severns, Editor, A/V
- Cameron Summerson, Co-host
- David Ruddock, Co-host
- Eric Ravenscraft, Co-host
THE OUTLINE
Carrier 411
- T-Mobile is ready to launch its LTE network pretty soon in Las Vegas. It's betting heavily that it can still make headway in a crowded market and gambling never goes poorly in Vegas.
- Sprint has more LTE markets, for a malleable definition of the word 'market.'
- AT&T, feeling bored by its successes is considering taking up a hobby, like parasailing, or buying/merging with a European carrier.
Rumor Roundup
- There's this thing that looks like an HTC phone. Could just be a render, but it seems legit! And pretty. Very pretty.
- Larry Page is unimpressed by Apple's thermonuclear war, downright disdainful of Facebook's products.
- An LG rep confirms what we kinda already figured: that Google ordered way too few Nexus 4s. Things should be back to normal by the middle of February, though. You can lower your torches and pitchforks now.
- AT&T is offering an optional subsidy on its Nexus 7 3G variant. $100 off now as long as you promise to pay for that tablet for two years. Sounds legit.
- T-Mobile, however, is not offering a subsidy on its version of the 3G Nexus 7 in the Play Store. Which it now has.
- Google is going to fix that obnoxious Bluetooth A2DP streaming bug in the next release. Bluetooth gets mildly less crappy.
The Hotsheet
- ASUS gives us all déjà vu by announcing a budget-conscious MeMO tablet. This one will be aimed more at 'emerging markets' and less at 'being retooled into a new Nexus'.
- Punit Soni promises Moto will start keeping its promises, basically lives out the first act to Jingle All The Way.
- Sony's CEO won't be making any cheap, cheap phones either. Posers. HTC was promising to make phones that don't suck before it was cool.
- Samsung has sold more than 100 million Galaxy S devices globally. No, that doesn't include the Notes, yes that's staggering.
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Device Updates: Sprint's Galaxy Nexus 4.2.1 download available, AT&T Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro bumped to 4.1, Galaxy Note 10.1 gets 4.1.2, Motorola Atrix 4G gets a new soak test,and T-Mobile Galaxy Note II patches Exynos bug
App Updates
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Online bank 'Simple' gets its own mobile app, while Green Dot announces 'GoBank', a smartphone-centric banking system. The two fight to the death, killing thousands of innocent bystanders.
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Eric gets his hands all over Redbox Instant, then promptly washes them vigorously. He was last seen muttering, "Out, damned spot."
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Temple Run 2 is coming to Android. It's even more two-er than the last one! Plus a bigger monkey.
In Other News
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This wireless charger is awesome, and it's coming out on April 1st for $70. I promise, that's not a joke.