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Mar

Verizon Preparing To Release 4.1.2 (VRBMB1) Update For Galaxy S III With Minor Improvements

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy S III, News, Verizon Wireless

It's not Jelly Bean yet. Well, I mean it is. It's the older Jelly Bean. Not the newer Jelly Bean. I'm sure this isn't confusing. However, Verizon is getting ready to roll out an update to the Galaxy S III that will bump the phone from 4.1.1 to 4.1.2. Unfortunately this isn't the 4.2 upgrade most users were likely hoping for. Among the listed improvements are a better keyboard and the ability to take pictures while on a call.

Additionally, the update will bring a few minor tweaks such as adding a refresh button to the lock screen stock ticker (try saying that three times fast), better email syncing and improved Bluetooth performance.

Mar

White House Officially Responds To Cell Phone Unlock Petition: "We Agree"

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News

We've been waiting on this for a couple weeks now and the White House has finally come through with its response to the cell phone unlock petition. The short version, for the tl;dr crowd is simple: "The White House agrees." Citing not just smartphones but tablets as well, the Executive branch of the U.S. government states, in no uncertain terms, that there should be no reason that carriers should block a customer from switching carriers once contractual obligations are fulfilled.

The White House also pointed out that it kind of already supported this (sorta) by way of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is itself an agency of the Department of Commerce under the Executive branch.

Mar

[Update: The Widget Is Back] Stitcher Radio App Gets Major 3.0 Update - Complete UI Overhaul, Major Performance Improvements, And More

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Apps/Games, News

Last Updated: March 5th, 2013

Update (3/5/13): The latest update to Stitcher Radio (3.0.1) has added back the much-needed homescreen widget with playback controls.

Popular talk radio app Stitcher received a doozy of an update this morning - it's now sporting a brand-new UI, significant streaming and stability enhancements, and rich notifications on Android 4.1+.

The new version brings Stitcher into line with some of the more modern Android app design paradigms, including the adoption of an action bar, tabs, and a generally more holo UI. You can get the update on the Play Store right now.

Stitcher Radio

QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stitcher.app

Mar

Google Pares Nexus 7 Cover Selection, Axing Gray Version, Kicking Pink Version Out Of The U.S.

Posted by Liam Spradlin in ASUS, Google, News, Nexus 7

In what seems to be a fairly arbitrary move, Google has trimmed the fat from the Play Store's Nexus 7 cover selection. The lineup, which formerly included pink, light blue, and gray, has been cut down to just the light blue color in the US, with the pink cover variant appearing outside the US. The gray cover has been axed completely.

Mar

Koush's Open Source Superuser App Goes Live In The Play Store

Posted by Cody Toombs in Applications, Development, News

In an almost superhero-like act, Koushik Dutta (a.k.a. Koush of ROM Manager fame) has pushed his completely rewritten Superuser app to the Play Store just 15 days after first announcing it on Google+. This version introduces several improvements upon the original Superuser. In the last two weeks, the feature list has grown to include fully functioning multi-user support, secure PIN protection, and support for the x86 and ARM architectures. Additionally, the interface has been revitalized with a clean looking Holo theme and a tablet UI.

Koush didn't stop there – he also added a feature to make root-seeking apps more visible.

Mar

Samsung Entrusts The Secrets Of The Galaxy S IV To A Richie Rich Clone In This New Promo Video

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Samsung

At this point in the smartphone wars, it's not enough to build an awesome handset. You need to market it. That's the trouble that the One X had last year and the One faces this year. Well, so far the One has opened with its initial shots of BoomSound®, Ultrapixels and Zoe. So, what is Samsung returning fire with? A small, blonde-haired boy named Jeremy.

Okay.

For those unable to watch the video at work (thanks for spending your time with us instead of doing your job), here's the gist: a young boy's butler drives him to a board room where he is told he will be the "secret messenger" for the Galaxy S IV by a title screen.

Mar

Sprint-Galaxy-S-III-Google-Wallet-Preloaded-2GB-RAM-Dual-Core-S4-Preorders-Up-June-5-Release-On-June-21-A

Sprint LTE Goes Live Today In Nine New Markets

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Sprint

Network Vision has been a fairly slow process for Sprint, but the carrier is flipping the LTE switch in nine new markets today.

Altoona, Pa.
Asheville, N.C.
Columbus, Ind.
Elkhart/Goshen, Ind.
Hammond, La.
La Crosse, Wis.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Statesville, N.C.
Temple, Texas

This brings The Now Network's LTE footprint up to a whopping 67 markets, some one-point-seven gazillion short of Verizon, five-hundred-million behind that of AT&T, and negative sixty-six short of T-Mobile's LTE network count (on a good day). Note: those numbers are estimates, and may not be exact.

The company is still working on testing and implementing its high-speed network in other areas across the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

Mar

Waterfield's Smart Case For The Nexus 10 Quick Review: It's Like Giving Your Tablet A Sixty-Dollar Hug

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Nexus 10, Other Reviews, Reviews

Since the Nexus 10 was released last October, I've been hunting for great accessories to go with it. There's no word on the official-looking dock we saw in Google's "Happy Holidays" video, nor has there been even a mumble about the flip cover we spotted when the Verge got an exclusive hands-on.

Personally, I'm fine without the flip cover, and I can do without the dock, but having owned Samsung's sleeve for the original Galaxy Tab 10.1, I wanted to find some sort of stylish carrier for my slick new 10" tablet. I soon arrived at SFBags.com, home of a great variety of cases, sleeves, and carriers for all sorts of devices, including the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

Mar

ASUS Is The First To Roll Out Android 4.2 To A Non-Nexus Device, Starting With The TF300T In The U.S.

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in ASUS, News, Transformer Pad 300

Last Updated: March 13th, 2013

It's been over four months since Google officially announced Android 4.2 and slightly less time since the initial round of new Nexus devices running it went up for order. Much like the gunshot that kicks off the 100-meter tortoise race, that launch signaled the silent contest to see which manufacturer could get out a non-Nexus update first. Today, we have our winner: ASUS, with a shiny new version of Jelly Bean for the Transformer Pad (TF300T).

The manufacturer has also promised that there will be updates to its App Locker, Virtual Keyboard, Lock Screen, and Setup Wizard applications. Initially, the update will only be available via OTA for U.S.

Mar

[Weekend Poll] Should Google Build Retail Stores?

Posted by David Ruddock in Google, Polls

Now that Andy Rubin himself has officially snubbed what were apparently rather strong rumors of Google opening its own retail stores in the US, there's a lot of humdrum floating around about whether or not a Google Store would actually make sense.

On the one hand, with its increasing arsenal of hardware products on the Play Store, Google definitely has a wide enough selection of toys to at least give a standalone brick and mortar location (or two) a shot. Nexus phones, tablets, Chromebooks (along with accessories for all those devices), Play Store gift cards, and opportunities to sign up for premium Google services (eg, more Google Drive space) could really open up a lot more people to the idea that Google isn't just about search, email, and maps.