2 - 3/6 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

Rumor: Barnes And Noble Getting Ready For The Next NOOK On November 7th

Posted by David Ruddock in Barnes & Noble

According to The Digital Reader (confirmed by The Wall Street Journal), Barnes and Noble stores are expanding their NOOK areas in retail stores for the holidays, and likely in time for the next generation of NOOK.

Digital Reader claims that on November 7, B&N will make an announcement regarding the NOOK line of products, and that the expansion of the NOOK Boutique in retail locations is being undertaken to prepare for the arrival of the new Android-powered color eReader.

Many have speculated that B&N would unveil a new NOOK before the holiday season here in the U.S., as the NOOK Color has reached a practical end of life when compared to the hardware of its primary competitor, Amazon's Kindle Fire.

Sep

Samsung Galaxy S II Sales Hit 10 Million, Excluding The U.S.

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy S II, News, Samsung

We already know the Samsung Galaxy S II (SGSII) is a huge success (even compared to the original SGS), but now sales of the uberphone have been kicked up even higher. In the last 8 weeks, sales have gone from 5 million to 10 million - or 625,000 units sold per week. And here's the real kicker: the press release expressly states "Model: GT-I9100," meaning these sales figures don't even include the United States.

Between the Sprint SGSII (the Epic 4G Touch), which just hit shelves, and the U.S. T-Mobile and AT&T variants going on sale soon, that number should ratchet up even further.

Sep

[Review] Samsung Epic 4G Touch: Big Power, Big Performance, Bigger Package

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Epic 4G Touch, Reviews, Samsung, Sprint

Here we are: the launch of the first Samsung Galaxy S II to hit a U.S. carrier, dubbed the Epic 4G Touch (E4GT) and landing on Sprint today. It certainly took long enough for the SGSII to hit U.S. shores - it was announced by Samsung in February during MWC, and launched as early as May in some markets. It was a huge success even before launch, with Samsung receiving millions of pre-orders, and for good reason - the SGSII was incredibly well rated, with reviewers universally praising it as one of (usually the) best Android device available. Consequently, for months after its international lanch, it was highly anticipated in the U.S.

Sep

[Review] Motorola Photon 4G: A Worthy Device, Despite A Few Compromises

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Motorola, Photon 4G, Reviews, Sprint

A few months ago, I reviewed the Droid X2 and came away unimpressed. Performance was mediocre despite the powerful dual core Tegra 2 CPU, and more importantly, the PenTile display used by Motorola was a step up on paper and a huge step back in practice. Fast forward a few months and I've landed a Motorola Photon 4G (slightly behind schedule thanks to a few logistics issues, but better late than never!) I'm happy to report that despite seeming like it's almost the same device inside, it's quite a different beast this time around.

At A Glance

The specs:

Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) + NinjaBlur UI
1 GHz Tegra 2 (dual core) CPU
1 GB DDR2 RAM (twice the 512MB of RAM in the Droid X2)
4.3" qHD (960 x 540) PenTile display
World Phone - CDMA and GSM bands
4G (WiMax) support
8MP camera with dual LED flash, 720p video capture
VGA front-facing camera
16GB memory + microSD slot (empty out of the box)
HDMI Mirroring
Kickstand
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi

The Good:

Smooth and responsive performance all around, including in the browser.

Sep

Initial Impressions And Hands-On With The Samsung Epic 4G Touch For Sprint

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy S II, News, Samsung, Sprint

Last Updated: September 16th, 2011

The Samsung Galaxy S II (SGSII) has been one of the most highly anticipated devices in recent memory - perhaps second only to the annual new iPhone. There are two very good reasons for this: first, the original Galaxy S devices were hailed as some of the best on the market. Second - and more importantly - from its start as an on-paper proof, to its run on the trade show circuit, through its international release, the Galaxy S II been hailed as one of (if not the) best phone on the market.

Unfortunately for those of us in the States, we've had to wait quite a bit longer than our European counterparts to get our mitts on the hottest piece of Android kit ever to hit the market.

Jul

Sprint-Branded Samsung Galaxy S II (Within) Poses For Mr. Blurrycam

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in News, Sprint

The all-around awesome Galaxy S II has made debut all over the world to the tune of major success, but nary a peep (aside from the occasional rumor) has been heard about any versions of the phone bound for the US. Today, however, we have a new detail in the form of two blurry shots of the Sprint variant (dubbed the Within), and... well, let's just say anyone who's seen pictures of the GSII before knows what to expect, because not a lot is different here. Of what is shown, the most notable difference (aside from the Sprint branding) seems to be the shape of the camera.

Jun

[Deal Alert] HTC Droid Incredible 2 For $2 From Wirefly

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News

If you've been considering the Droid Incredible 2 as your next phone, now is probably the best time to make the leap, as Wirefly has a pretty unbelievable deal going on: you can score this next-gen Droid for a mere $2 with a new two-year agreement (of course). If you're already a Verizon customer lookin' to grab this phone as an upgrade, it will still only set you back $50 (it's currently $200 at VZW). As always, there's no charge for shipping and it will be void of sales tax in most states.

If you're not completely sold on the Inc2 as of yet, have a look at our review.

May

BeyondPod, One Of The Best Podcast Managers For Android, On Sale For $1.99 Now Through Monday (Normally $6.99)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Deals, News

When it comes to podcasting applications on Android, there are certain ones that stand above the rest. Among those, BeyondPod Podcast Manager may be the top dog, and for this weekend only, you can score this awesome app for just $1.99 as opposed to the usual $6.99.

Note from Artem: I've been a fan of BeyondPod for over a year now and use it for managing, syncing, and listening to my podcasts exclusively. Listen? What Listen?

BeyondPod is packed full of features (so many, I just had to use bullet points. I do love bullet points):

Full Google Reader integration and sync
both audio and video supported, or just use it as an RSS reader
Complete podcast control: how many to download, when to download, and how many to store.

May

DROID X2 Shows Up On Verizon Accessory Page; Still Unannounced

Posted by David Ruddock in Droid X2, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Continuing in the grand tradition of letting its less-than-flagship phones remain relatively free of fanfare leading up to release, Verizon (and Motorola) have let slip that the DROID X2 is probably coming soon, with the addition of an accessory page for the device on Verizon's website.

In case you've forgotten, the DROID X2 is the dual-core, qHD-display packing successor to the wildly popular DROID X (the most popular Android phone to date, in fact). The X2 will be dropping with Gingerbread and the latest iteration of Motorola's not-MOTOBLUR overlay when it lands supposedly some time this month (maybe May 26).

May

Samsung Galaxy S II Coming To US As Attain, Function, And Within On AT&T, VZW, And Sprint?

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy S II, News, Rumors, Samsung

Pocketnow, via a wireless accessories website, has apparently discovered the names of 3 of the carrier-branded versions of the Galaxy S II that will be coming stateside later this year. The device will be known as the Attain on AT&T, the Function on Verizon Wireless, and the Within on Sprint.

Mysteriously absent is a T-Mobile version, suggesting either that the device won't be coming to America's pinkest carrier, or that it will be arriving in a different (QWERTY?) form-factor which does not fit the case being advertised on the source webpage. Either that, or they just don't know the name of it, yet.