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Apr

[Rumor] Android 2.3.4 To Introduce Video Chat - Expect An Unveiling At Google I/O

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Gingerbread 2.3, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

The Google I/O rumor mill has been surprisingly calm this year - certainly calmer than it was last year, that's for sure. But a recent tweet from @MAFiA303, who reportedly "works with Samsung," changes that completely - have a look for yourself:

Frankly, we were expecting to see more than a new iteration of Gingerbread at I/O, but hey - we'll take what we can get, and video chat is a seriously hot addition to mobile Gmail (especially given that "impressive quality" statement). And this is Google we're talking about, so expect a curveball - who can wait to see what surprises Andy and co.

Apr

[Story Time] Sprint + Google Voice Integration: I Did It, And Here's How It Went

Posted by Brad Ganley in Carriers, Editorials, News, Sprint, Tips & Tutorials

Back in March, when we first heard about Sprint getting the Nexus S, we also heard about their fancy new Google Voice integration plan. The idea was simple: Let Sprint users do one of two things:

Use their current Sprint phone number as a Google Voice number, enabling all of Voice's awesome features to be utilized without having to create a group on Facebook to give out your new number.
Allow current Google Voice users to use their Voice number for their Sprint line without having to port the number to Sprint, because, a while ago, they went through the trouble of creating a Facebook group and gave everyone they know their Google Voice number so now nobody has their Sprint number.

Apr

HoneyReader Is An Android Feed Reader Made Specifically For Honeycomb

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Last Updated: April 24th, 2011

While browsing the XOOM xda forum today, I saw this announcement of HoneyReader, a new application built specifically with Honeycomb tablets in mind. Because it doesn't have to support pre-Honeycomb versions of the OS or small-sized phone screens altogether, the authors concentrated on making it a great tablet experience, and I must say, their first take is pretty good.

HoneyReader uses the native to Honeycomb Fragments API that on the surface translates to fluid and flexible UI elements that can divide the screen into separately scrollable independent areas with their own lifecycles. If you're familiar with the CNN app, for example, you know what I'm talking about (I personally think the Fragments API is the greatest thing in Android since...

Apr

Google Cloud Music? - Rumors Of Partnership Talks Between Spotify and Google

Posted by Zak Stinson in Android OS, News, Rumors

The word on the web today is that Google is in negotiations with Spotify, the European answer to Grooveshark, to partner up on Google's upcoming music streaming project. CNET's source claims that during talks with major record labels, Google did a bit of name dropping and announced that they were hoping to work with the popular European music streaming service, although nobody from either Google or Spotify was available to comment on that rumor.

This isn't the only cloud music company that Google has shown an interest in. Back in May 2010, Google bought Simplify Media, a company that allows users to stream music and photos from their desktop machines to their mobile phones, which was no doubt involved in the interesting preview of the Android music syncing service we were privy to earlier this year.

Apr

[Review] Taskos Is A Simple Way To Suck Less At Doing Things

Posted by Brad Ganley in App Reviews, Applications, Apps/Games, News, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

As a person, I'm generally less reliable than a software update schedule from Samsung. That's why I must rely on my phone to tell me to do things. My current weapon of choice for this responsibility-shifting device dependency is Taskos because it's simple and, if I'm going through the trouble of not remembering things for myself, I sure don't want to waste time while (not?) doing it. Yeah...

Taskos is, in my humble opinion, the best to-do list app yet. While it isn't perfect quite yet, it's got a whole lot going for it. I'm adding "Take a closer look at Taskos" to my list right now.

Apr

HTC Sensation To Launch June 8th?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, News, Sensation / Sensation 4G (Pyramid), T-Mobile

Excited for the HTC Sensation? So are we - and while we can't make its release date come any sooner, we can tell you when the phone might well end up being launched.

According to a Google AdWords ad put up by HTC itself, the dual-core beast of a smartphone will be released on June 8th. Of course, HTC removed the ad promptly after it made the news, but screenshots like the one below live on.

The 6/8 theory is corroborated by a product shot of the Sensation which contains a weather widget citing the date as "Wed, Jun 8." Coincidence?

Apr

Surprise, Surprise - Gingerbread Update For Galaxy S "Temporarily Suspended"

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy S, Gingerbread 2.3, Samsung, Vodafone

Don't tell us you didn't see this one coming: Samsung's Gingerbread update for the Galaxy S has been "temporarily suspended." Great.

This time, the abeyance was actually brought about by Google - apparently, the update includes "an issue," though Vodafone claims that their variant of the device is not affected. Nonetheless, the 2.3 software is no longer available from KIES, and won't be until it is "reinstated" (which will happen "as soon as possible").

In the meantime, well, you can look forward to hearing your Galaxy S-wielding friends bemoan Sammy's unreliable updates... again.

Source: Vodafone Forums via Engadget

Apr

Grooveshark Stands Up For Its Service - Makes Android App Available Online And Sends Out Open Letter To The Music Industry

Posted by Zak Stinson in Applications, News

Companies like YouTube and Grooveshark are at the center of the ongoing controversies around online distribution of copyrighted materials. This controversy reared its ugly head earlier this month when the Grooveshark app was removed from the Android Market. While this disappointed many of the users who stream all their favourite tunes without having to posses an actual digital copy, Google was justified in kicking these pseudo-pirates out of the Market, right? Not so, says Grooveshark.

In protest to Google's decision to drop the app, Grooveshark has re-released it to the public. Although the app is still absent from the Market, it has been made available on Grooveshark's mobile website.

Apr

Editorial: Google's Music Talks Aren't Going Well - Will Music Be Too Little, Too Late?

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Apps/Games, Editorials, News

To answer the question, briefly: nobody really knows at this point. But I do think Google is going to have to make some sacrifices in the short term if the Music service is going to get off the ground. And that's because the record labels won't play ball - at least not by Google's rules according to All Things D, quoting two apparently well-connected sources.

Of course, the words of a couple anonymous music industry insiders aren't definitively representative of the feelings of all the (presumably numerous) parties involved in Google's Music negotiations. For all we know, those persons could be part of some of the industry's historically more stubborn labels.

Apr

[Editorial] Will Amazon Create A New Walled Garden Out Of Android?

Posted by Jared Spurbeck in Android OS, Editorials

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A major national bookseller decides that they want to make "The Reader’s Tablet." So they grab the Android source code, and they don’t bother to get their device approved by Google so that it can run their apps. Instead, they charge full speed ahead, with not just a custom UI layer but a complete reimagining of what an “Android” device should look like.

The app drawer? Gone. Pull-down notification area? Canned. Hardware keys have gone the way of the dustbin, except for a single iPad-style button. Even the concept of the home screen has been done away with, to be replaced with a bookshelf and a store.