05
Sep
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Galaxy Note In Germany Gets An Update To Make UI Match Galaxy Note II, Adds New Gallery

Posted by in Galaxy Note (GT-N7000), News, Samsung

Today, a software update began rolling out for the Galaxy Note in Germany. The primary changes are cosmetic, it seems, to bring the phone more in line with the look and feel of the Galaxy Note II. The menu interface has been updated to be more consistent, and Samsung has also added a brand new Gallery that looks fantastic.

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The gallery has some impressive new UI flair. How practical it is remains to be seen, but it sure looks nice. It's also unclear if the features demoed at Samsung's recent Unpacked event will make an appearance.

03
Sep
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CyanogenMod Introduces Quick Message Pop-Ups, Notification Shade 'Quick Reply' Action On The Way

Posted by in Android OS, Development, Jelly Bean 4.1, News

A couple of days ago, the CyanogenMod team announced via Google+ a new feature merged to CM's Jelly Bean code branch – Quick Message. In case you missed it, Quick Message is a feature (built by David van Tonder) that displays a pop-up notification upon receipt of a new SMS message, offering the ability to reply from within the pop-up, view the message in Android's Messaging app, swipe to another new message, or close the notification.

Today, van Tonder (along with CyanogenMod) announced even further enhancements to the feature, primarily influenced by user feedback, adding a "Quick reply" option to SMS messages' actionable notifications.

30
Aug
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Google Rolls Out A 'Recommended For You' Section In The Play Store, Tells You What Apps You'll Like And Why

Posted by in Google, News

It looks like Google has added a new feature to the Play Store on devices that will recommend apps to users based on personalized criteria. In a new section, you can find apps that have been +1'd by your friends, apps that are popular in your area, and even apps that are "popular with similar users" based on some undisclosed criteria.

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The feature mirrors a similar recommendation feature that's been live on the web version of the Play Store for at least a month now. Still, it's even handier on mobile. Also, you can flag an app as uninteresting to you by clicking on the little cross-out icon on the side.

27
Jul
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Samsung Delivers On Its Promise To Return Universal Search To Galaxy S III - At Least In The UK

Posted by in Galaxy S III, Legal, News

When Samsung inadvertently removed the universal search feature from the international Galaxy S III, everyone assumed it was for legal reasons. Not so, says Samsung! As it turns out, the feature was removed on accident and, as of today, the feature has been restored. If you live in the UK, at least. No word yet on restoration to any other devices.

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As you can see in the photo above, the device model this is being applied to is t he GT-I9300, which is the model for the international Galaxy S III. We're still waiting to hear if any users outside the UK get the feature restored, but for now, it looks like if you own the device inside Her Majesty's borders, you should be getting local search back before you know it.

26
Jul
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Samsung Says It Didn't Mean To Remove Universal Search From International Galaxy S III, Will Put It Back Soon

Posted by in Galaxy S III, Legal, News

Well, this is awkward. While it was recently reported that Samsung removed the universal search feature from its international Galaxy S III devices, it turns out Samsung didn't mean to. Oops. According to the Korean manufacturer, the company only intended to remove the feature from certain US variants of the handset. Samsung told TechRadar, a UK-based tech publication, that the feature would be returning to the UK variant of the Galaxy S III. It's unclear if this means that it will only be returning to the UK variant, or if Samsung is simply informing TechRadar and the BBC of the versions relevant to their readers.

26
May
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[Editorial] It's Time To Stop Complaining That Your Smartphone Isn't "Revolutionary"

Posted by in Editorials
Last Updated: July 4th, 2012

The last few years have been really exciting. Heck, the whole last decade. The explosive proliferation of broadband brought about a whole new world of possibilities for mankind, and the mobile revolution, even moreso. From about 2007 to the present, we watched as Apple and Google, as well as a host of phone manufacturers, turned the world upside down by putting powerful, location-aware, internet-connected, touchscreen mini-computers in the hands of everyday consumers for a price that is relatively affordable.

It's been five years, though, since the first iPhone came out, and nearly four years since the first Android device. Android fans, and indeed the entire tech world, is getting a little bored.

26
Feb
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[Video] HTC Shows Off 'One' Line In Series Of Promotional Videos

Posted by in HTC, News, One S (Ville), One V (Primo), One X (Endeavor), Videos

Building on the hype surrounding HTC's new line of Android-powered smartphones, the Taiwanese manufacturer has released a series of promotional videos, showcasing the HTC One series and each device's individual strengths.

For those who may have somehow missed the buzz thus far, HTC's One series is packing some pretty impressive hardware, from the One X with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, to the more budget-minded One V with its 1GHz processor and pocket-friendly 3.7" display. For a full look at HTC's new lineup, see our initial post here.

First up in the video onslaught is the One X, the biggest and baddest of the new lineup.

09
Dec
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Google Adds 'Email Developer' Feature To The Web Market, Makes Addresses Public - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Posted by in Development, Google, News

I sure love these Google Fridays - the Android team tends to release quite a few little updates to the web Market that make us feel warm on the inside, and it turns out this week is no exception.

You can now email developers with a question or a bug report right from the web Market - a feature previously available only in the device Market. For example:

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The email url is a simple mailto: link, which should pop up your favorite email client (Gmail in my case). This change should most definitely increase helpful feedback to developers as well as provide users with an ability to ask pre-sales questions.

23
Oct

[Weekend Poll] What Ice Cream Sandwich Feature/Improvement Are You Most Excited About?

Posted by in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see What Is Your Primary Portable Music Player Device?

Whew... it's certainly been an exciting week in the world of Android, hasn't it? Arguably the most anticipated update to the OS yet was finally officially revealed to the world, and it managed to meet - and exceed - virtually all of our expectations. For a quick run-down of the major changes, check out Cameron's primer or browse through the plethora of ICS posts from the last few days. Alternatively, you can watch the full 1-hour reveal.

So, what's your favorite aspect of the ICS update?

19
Oct
2011-10-19 12h13_02

Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Closer Look - The New Calendar App Lets You Cram Your Day More Full Than Ever Before

Posted by in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News

We've already looked at a veritable buttload (yes, that's an official unit of measurement) of features from ICS, but we're not finished yet. Next on the list of things that Google made better in Android 4.0 is an app that nearly everyone is familiar with: the Calendar.

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Don't get me wrong, the existing Calendar app works pretty well -- it covers all the basics. You can schedule and view appointments, check out an overview of your week or month... pretty much all the things that you expect your calendar to do for you. However, if you use the Calendar often (and you're busy enough to fill it up), then you may have noticed one of the downsides of Calendar: it's not very easy to read when you have a full day planned.

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