Nate Kimmey - 11/21 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

Sprint's HTC EVO Shift 4G Specs Leak Online

Posted by Nate Kimmey in EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), HTC, News, Sprint

If you're counting down the days until the January 9th release of Sprint's next 4G handset, then you'll probably be interested in the leaked specs, even if you won't find anything too surprising. Thanks to LetsTalk.com, which powers Walmart's online cellphone store, we now know the following:

3.7" display
Android 2.2 with Sense
Slide-out keyboard
4G WiMax connectivity
8GB microSD card pre-installed (upgradeable to 32GB)
8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
Front-facing camera
Dimensions: 4.63" x 2.3" x .47"
Weight with battery: 4.6 oz

Details on the processor are noticeably lacking. Even though the phone resembles the T-Mobile G2/Desire Z, the addition of a front-facing camera and higher resolution camera (as well as a sliding keyboard as opposed to the "Z-hinge") makes it clear that this is an entirely different device, so there's hope that it could see an improvement over Desire Z's 800 MHz processor.

Dec

HTC Thunderbolt Photos Leak, Still Looking Sexy

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

There's not much left to leak about Verizon's upcoming LTE phone, the HTC Thunderbolt (previously thought to be called "Incredible HD" or "Mecha"), but some high-quality pictures can't hurt, can they?

You can check out the phone in all its glory by hitting the source link, but you won't find anything surprising - we've already heard about the kickstand, 4G LTE connectivity, and front-facing camera. Still, it's definitely a nice-looking device, and we can always hope that HTC will somehow manage to shove in a dual core processor.

Source: Droid Life

Dec

Your Move, Shazam - SoundHound's Free Android App Now Features Unlimited Music IDs

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

The developers of SoundHound, a music recognition app, have decided to update the free version of their app to allow an unlimited number of music IDs, instead of the previous limit of 5 each month.

Meanwhile, SoundHound's biggest competitor, Shazam, has a very similar offering: a free app that has the same limit of 5 music IDs per month. If Shazam does nothing, which is hard to imagine, and you don't plan on spending any money, there's no contest regarding which app you are going to end up using.

Whether SoundHound might be digging itself into a hole with this move or not is unclear, but unlimited song recognition is one less reason for customers to drop $4.99 for SoundHound Infinity.

Dec

Nexus S UK Pre-Order Price Drops To £430 SIM-Free, £0 On Contract

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

Planning on buying the latest Google phone in the UK? Then you're in luck - the pre-order price from Carphone Warehouse has been cut to just £429.99 for the SIM-free option and £0 for the version that comes with a two-year contract. It's worth noting that the device is currently listed as being on back order, so you may be have to wait for some time before you get your phone. Still, at least the Nexus S is available from third party retailers, unlike the device it succeeds.

Source: Carphone Warehouse via Zath

Dec

Sprint's Samsung Intercept Receiving Update To Froyo

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Froyo 2.2, Intercept, News, Samsung

It may seem slightly disappointing that Froyo updates are still rolling out even as the Gingerbread source becomes available, but it is good news that Sprint is paying attention to its mid-range phones nonetheless - their version of the Samsung Intercept is now receiving the update to Android 2.2.

Also included in the update are a few bug fixes and the (rather unnecessary) addition of Sprint Navigation. As with most Android updates, it's being rolled out in waves, so it may be a few days before it see it on your device. Intercept users on Virgin Mobile, now might be the time to start pestering your carrier about this update.

Dec

LG Announces Optimus 2X, The First Dual Core Phone

Posted by Nate Kimmey in LG, News, Optimus 2X (Star, p990)

Last Updated: December 23rd, 2010

Planning on buying a Nexus S when it's released tomorrow? You may want to re-think that: LG has just officially announced the next phone in the Optimus line, the Optimus 2X. What makes this phone so special? Aside from all the regular features in high-end Android phones, it's packing the dual core Tegra 2 processor, a first for any phone. And the rest of the phone's specs won't disappoint, either:

1 GHz dual core, Tegra 2 processor
4-inch display
Android 2.2 with plans to upgrade to Android 2.3
8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
HDMI
1080p video playback
Gyro sensor
1,500 mAh battery
microSD card slot

According to the press release, the Optimus 2X will be released in Korea next month, with a launch in Europe and Asia to come shortly after.

Dec

Samsung Continuum Review: Are Two Screens Really Better Than One?

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Continuum, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

When Samsung threw their big U.S. Galaxy S kick off party earlier in the summer, it was announced that each of the four major carriers would be selling their very own version of the hardware. But, in a twist of M. Night Shyamalan-ian proportions, they announced a second Galaxy S device for Verizon.

The Samsung Continuum shaves .6 inches off the original Galaxy S' 4" screen, in exchange for the very unique (and surprisingly useful) secondary Ticker display, but is that enough to justify the phone's existence? How does it stack up against the rest of the Big Red's high-end Android line-up, including the Samsung Fascinate, the Continuum's Galaxy S brother?

Dec

LG Star Gets Hands-On Test, Dual Core Is No Disappointment

Posted by Nate Kimmey in LG, News

For those of you that can't get enough of the LG Star leaks, Engadget has managed to get their hands on the dual core phone, and, although it is a test unit, it does provide a lot of useful information on what dual core processors may be able to do for Android.

The phone's hardware is fairly non-descript despite the powerful processor held inside. It is also running a fairly unstable build of Android 2.2, which will hopefully be bumped up to Android 2.3 by the time of the phone's release, or at least shortly after. Despite the custom UI (that is oddly reminiscent of Samsung's TouchWiz) the phone doesn't appear to have any lag - thanks to the Nvidia Tegra 2 that's powering it, of course.

Dec

Android Market Update To Bring New Home Page, Lessen Refund Time [+Poll]

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, Games, News

It seems that Gingerbread is bringing the Market revamp we've all been hoping for - but that doesn't mean devices running older versions of Android can't join in on the fun, too. Google has announced via the Android Developers blog that the Android Market client will be receiving an update over the next two weeks that brings several important changes, and any device running Android 1.6 and up will receive it (sorry, Cupcake users, you're out of luck).

The most notable change will be in the UI - the Home and Categories pages now each feature a carousel that scrolls through promoted apps.

Dec

Misunderstanding Over, LG Optimus One Line To Receive Gingerbread

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Gingerbread 2.3, LG, News

LG definitely struck a nerve In the Android community when they said that their LG Optimus One series would not be updated to Android 2.3 due to not meeting the hardware requirements, when it has already been stated that all phones running Froyo (such as the Optimus One) were capable of running Gingerbread. Well, LG have not only retracted that statement and offered an apology, they've delivered a great piece of news: every phone in the Optimus One line will get updated to Gingerbread!