Liam Spradlin - 90/99 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Besides being an avid Android fan and blogger, Liam is a photographer with a degree in both Anthropology and Sociology. He can usually be found reading through blogs, taking photos, or studying ancient pottery. Liam has been known to leave on international trips at a moment's notice, and can't resist a new challenge.

Follow @LiamSpradlin

Sep

Samsung Mobile Promises To Tell Us "What's New From Android" At Unpacked 2011 - We Have A Pretty Good Idea What This Is About

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung

Samsung sent out invites today for Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2011, promising to reveal "what's new with Android" at the event in San Diego on October 11th.

Considering Eric Schmidt's indication of an October/November release for Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and the fact that the Nexus Prime (Google's flagship ICS phone) is said to be a Samsung device, it's looking like this announcement will almost certainly be related to Android's latest iteration, and perhaps, if we're lucky, the latest Nexus device as well.

For those who don't happen to be hanging out in San Diego for the next couple of weeks, a live stream will also be available to view at YouTube.com/Android.

Sep

Sprint Will Launch Its Own 4G LTE Network, Set To Debut In Early 2012

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Sprint

Since Sprint's agreement with LTE wholesaler LightSquared was signed in July, there have been rumblings about just when the carrier would launch an LTE network of its own. CNET reported Tuesday that the time is nearly at hand - Sprint is poised to launch their LTE network beginning in "early 2012."

According to CNET, Sprint hopes to launch this service by the beginning of Q2 2012, and the costs associated with the rollout have already been accounted for, meaning no additional capital investment will be necessary.

Sprint's move to LTE is likely due to the fact that Wimax's initial edge over the competition is quickly fading, thanks in large part to the presence of Verizon Wireless' faster LTE network which has enjoyed a much wider deployment.

Sep

Toshiba Set To Release 7" Thrive Variant In December, Promises To Be "A Seven Inch Tablet Done Right"

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, Tablets, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Toshiba

Toshiba announced Tuesday their upcoming Thrive 7, a smaller variant of the original Thrive tablet. Carl Pinto, Vice President of product development has dubbed it "a seven inch tablet done right," touting an HD display, an "incredibly portable" design, and a weight coming in under a pound.

The Thrive 7 includes all the ports users have come to expect, including Mini USB, Micro HDMI, and a Micro SD card slot. The new Thrive also carries many of the same specs as its big brother, including:

1280x800 AutoBrite multi-touch display
Toshiba's Adaptive Display and Resolution+ video enhancement
Stereo speakers
Nvidia Tegra 2 processor at 1GHz
5MP rear shooter and 2MP front shooter
16GB or 32GB internal memory, expandable with microSD card slot

The Thrive 7 still sounds a bit hefty, however, measuring .47" thick, but it also features Toshiba's Easy Grip finish, making it easy to keep a hold of.

Sep

Sprint To Keep Unlimited Data Plans (For Now), Says Chief Technology Officer Stephen Bye

Posted by Liam Spradlin in 4G, News, Sprint

With other carriers (such as Verizon and AT&T) cutting their unlimited data plans, rumblings have understandably emerged that Sprint may be planning to follow suit.

That, fortunately, is not the case according to Stephen Bye, Sprint's Chief Technology Officer. Bye addressed this topic while speaking to those attending the GigaOm Mobilize Conference in San Francisco yesterday.

Bye indicated that Sprint sees its dedication to unlimited data as a differentiator from other carriers (except when it comes to mobile hotspot, evidently), explaining that not all unlimited subscribers use the same amount of data, as well as the fact that tiered data plans carry hidden costs related to customer care and support.

Sep

Broadcom Announces New Family Of NFC Chips - Smaller, More Efficient, And Versatile

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News

Broadcom, an innovative player in the communications semiconductor business, announced yesterday their new family of NFC chips, affectionately called BCM2079x.

The corporation seeks to aid in making NFC as widespread as technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi by introducing the 40nm chip which is said to consume 90% less power than current NFC chips, and utilize "field power harvesting" to gain power from the environment.

Making the chip even easier for manufacturers to integrate, Broadcom's new line has slashed the number of components needed to build the chip, and reduced board space requirements as well.

The new line of NFC chips also adds some innovative features making it a versatile element, including the ability to pair with Broadcom's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi components, integration of transaction-based Application ID routing, and multiple single wire protocol interfaces.

Sep

Samsung Mobile Unveils Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 - All Slated For October Release

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Player 4.0, Galaxy Player 50, Galaxy Tab 8.9

It seems that T-Mobile isn't the only one with a handful of big announcements today. Samsung has just unveiled a selection of brand new devices to give us even more to look forward to in the coming months.

Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy Tab 8.9, the slightly smaller counterpart to the 10.1. It's packing a 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1280x800 TFT display, a 6100mAh battery, and other specs made familiar to us by the Tab 10.1 (including Samsung's Touchwiz UX overlay).

The Tab 8.9 is available for pre-order right now, and is slated for nationwide release October 2nd, with a price tag of $569 for the 32GB model and $469 for the 16GB variety.

Sep

Amazon's "Kindle Fire" To Be Officially Announced Wednesday - Expected To Release This November

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amazon, News, Tablets

It looks like Amazon's Android-powered tablet we heard about previously will soon be a reality. TechCrunch reported today that at Amazon's press event this Wednesday, the online shopping giant will unveil the Kindle Fire, an Android-based tablet named to differentiate itself from its e-ink cousins.

The tablet runs a custom version of Android including Amazon's own app market. Little is known about the Fire's hardware, other than the fact that it's sporting a 7" backlit display and possibly a Texas Instruments OMAP 4 processor. The Kindle Fire's hardware specs are not the only thing the tablet has to offer however. Many are speculating that a last-minute deal with FOX indicates a strong media focus for the tablet, bringing sophisticated streaming capabilities and a slew of media options.

Sep

HTC Amaze 4G (Formerly Known As Ruby) Is Official, Packing "Advanced Camera" Features And More

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Amaze 4G (Ruby), News, T-Mobile

Last Updated: March 26th, 2012

T-Mobile has had quite a day today, first announcing their impending release of the Galaxy S II, then announcing the HTC Amaze 4G, formerly known around the rumor mill as the HTC Ruby.

It appears that one of the device's major claims to fame is its camera. The T-Mobile HTC Amaze phone boasts a backside illuminated sensor, in addition to software enhancements including SmartShot and PerfectPics, allowing you to take the best shot every time, and organize your photos easily.

If you haven't been keeping up with the HTC Ruby's rumors lately, here are some of the specs it's bringing to the table:

4.3" qHD super LCD display
Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 dual-core processor at 1.5GHz
1GB RAM
16GB Internal storage
NFC Capability
Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread (With Sense 3.5)

The HTC Amaze 4G is expected to drop on the same date as the Galaxy S II - October 12th, with pre-orders available at T-Mobile.com starting October 10th.

Sep

T-Mobile Announces Details, Release Dates For Samsung Galaxy S II

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy S II, News, T-Mobile

Following on the heels of Sprint's Galaxy S II debut and AT&T's S II Announcement, T-Mobile has announced its planned release date and details surrounding its variant of the S II. The T-Mobile variant packs many of the same impressive specs as the original Galaxy S II, but replaces the original Exynos processor for a 1.5GHz Snapdragon, and gets a size upgrade.

T-Mobile's S II fact sheet indicates that pre-sales will begin at T-Mobile.com October 10th, with a nationwide retail store release slated for October 12th. The device will be $229.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card on a two-year agreement.