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May

Skyhook Joins Forces With MapQuest, Brings More Accurate Navigation To Android

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

Mapquest's navigation app already offers a slew of features that we've come to expect from a worthy GPS app, but it has recently seen an update that brings Skyhook's hybrid positioning engine into the mix. This engine not only uses satellites for global positioning, but it also judges accurate location by using nearby WiFi networks (Google Location does this as well - but Skyhook utilizes their own proprietary magic and claim it's more accurate).

Even though Google and Skyhook haven't always played nice, the addition of the Skyhook engine in Mapquest really does make it a worthy competitor to our beloved Google Navigation (some may say that it already was).

May

[Review] Privacy Blocker Fools Android Apps By Spoofing Your Private Data

Posted by Matt Demers in App Reviews, Applications, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Like a lot of users, I'm guilty of mashing the "install" button when I'm in the Marketplace and ignoring those lovely warnings that tell me what permissions apps want to use. This isn't really the best practice to keep, especially in the wake of all this location-tracking madness that's been plaguing both Android and iOS.

While I'm not exactly sheepish about what my location data says about me, not caring about the rights that you have as a user (and the rights that you're letting apps take advantage of) just shows a lack of responsibility. While I'm not saying what Google and Apple did was right, I think it's part of our duty as enlightened tech fans to make sure our best interests are being looked after.

May

European HTC Desire HD And Incredible S Getting Gingerbread... Right Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Desire HD (Ace), Gingerbread 2.3, Incredible S (Vivo), News

A couple of months ago, we told you that the HTC Desire HD and Incredible S would be getting an OTA update to Gingerbread, but we didn't know exactly when this would happen. It looks like the wait is over though, because HTC has started rolling out the official OTA update to European users. Unfortunately, there is no official word when the Desire Z will see an update, but we're still expecting it sometime close to the end of the second quarter.

Now there's only one thing left to do: wait. Drop us a line in comments and let us know when this hits your device.

May

Make Free VoIP Calls On Android With The Soon To Be Launched Viber App

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, News

Viber is a popular VoIP calling app for iPhones that is poised to launch for the Android Market in the next few days. Today, it started offering invites to users to test out its Android offerings. I signed up and was thoroughly impressed with it despite the app still being in beta.

Viber can be set as your default dialing app, so if one of your contacts has Viber installed the call will automatically connect through Viber over your data connection (WiFi or 3G) instead of using your voice minutes. The service also allows you to send and receive text messages.

May

[Unconfirmed] Did Samsung Downgrade Components In The First-Gen Galaxy Tab WiFi?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Tab, News, Rumors, Samsung

We've been able to speak so highly of Samsung lately, considering its timely source code releases and recent device updates, but now this happens. Rumor has it that Sammy has duped owners of the Galaxy Tab WiFi by replacing the CPU with an older version, which in turn required a downgraded graphics processor, too. This is, of course, in comparison to the 3G Galaxy Tab, which was released several months prior to the WiFi version.

The 3G Tab has a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor along side a PowerVR SGX 540 for graphics processing. According to a thread over at the XDA Forums, the WiFi Tab only has a 1GHz OMAP 3630 with a PowerVR SGX 530 handling the graphics.

May

[Deal Alert] T-Mobile myTouch 4G FREE Until 5/5/11 From T-Mobile With 2-year Contract

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Deals, HTC, myTouch 4G (Glacier), News

The HTC-made T-Mobile myTouch 4G was originally priced at $149.99 for new users signing up for a contract and $450 off-contract. Then in early November 2010, the price dropped to $79.99. Today until 5/5/11 (i.e. tomorrow), the mid-range Android device is completely free on T-Mobile with a 2-year contract after a $250 "instant discount" and $199.99 "web-only discount".

Strangely, the refurbished models are still priced at $49.99. Someone at T-Mobile must have neglected to change their prices!

For comparison, the same phone is available from Amazon Wireless for $80 and Wirefly for $120.

The device is a real bargain considering it comes with 4G (if you consider HSUPA+ 4G) connectivity, a front-facing camera, a 5MP rear camera, 720P video capture, a 1 GHz processor, and built-in Swype keyboard.

May

HTC Sensation Pre-Orders Now Open On Vodafone UK, Delivery By May 19th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in HTC, News, Sensation / Sensation 4G (Pyramid), Vodafone

HTC Sensation, the latest of HTC's European Android handsets, featuring a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, a 4.3" qHD display, 768MB of RAM, dual cameras (1080P HD 8MP on the back and 2MP on the front), and 1GB of internal storage, is now available for pre-order on Vodafone UK.

You can expect to get EVO 3D's younger brother for free on plans starting at £35 a month, for £99 on the £30 plan, and for £199 on the £25 plan. If all goes well, you'll have the shiny speed demon in your hands by May 19th. Not a bad deal, not a bad one at all.

May

Samsung Galaxy S II Now Available On Three UK

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Galaxy S II, News, Samsung, Three UK, Videos

UK mobile carrier Three just announced that one of the most anticipated handsets of the year, the dual-core Galaxy S II, is now available for purchase.

The Galaxy S II is one of the speediest and slimmest Android handsets on the Market today with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, measuring only 8.5mm thick and shipping with Android 2.3 "Gingerbread." It comes with a beautiful 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus display and sports 2 cameras: 8MP 1080P HD in the back and 2MP in the front.

You can pick up the handset starting today at your local Three store or online later on in the day - Three is still working on putting up the S II landing page onto its website.

May

Bookworms, Take Note - Goodreads Android App Now Available In The Android Market

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

If you're into reading, you've probably heard of Goodreads, a site that allows users to keep track of their reading collections, get social book recommendations, read reviews, collect quotes, and even form a book club. Us, Android folks, love to manage things on the go, and the new Goodreads app, announced on May 2nd, is here to satisfy all of your recommendation cravings and organizational OCDs.

The app lets you sign into your Goodreads account and manage your past, current, and future reading lists, search the book catalog, read friend and community reviews, and find book recommendations. There is really not much else to it, so if you want to take the Goodreads experience with you while on the go, head over to the Market and download the free app to your device.

May

[Deal Alert] enTourage Pocket eDGe Dualbook Android Tablet/e-Ink Reader $150 At Woot.com Today (May 4th, 2011)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Deals, eDGe, enTourage, News

The enTourage eDGe Dualbook is one of the more interesting devices released last year due to its 2 screens - a 7" touchscreen LCD and a 6" e-Ink. Similar to the Spring Design Alex eReader, the Dualbook lets you read ebooks on one screen while simultaneously Googling, browsing Wikipedia, checking email, and doing anything Android lets you do on the other screen. However, if you find yourself reading late at night, just throw the book over to the LCD screen, and suddenly you can read in the dark. Pretty cool, eh?

The tablet/eReader features a 1.2GHz Marvell ARMADA PXA168 CPU, 3GB internal memory, a microSD slot, Android 1.6 (although a 2.2 ROM is supposedly floating around), a 2MP front-facing camera, a speaker, a microphone, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.