Rumors - 3/24 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

[Rumor] Google Said To Be In Talks With Record Labels To Expand GMusic With A Spotify-Like Streaming Service

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Google, News, Rumors

Well, this is exciting. We knew it was only a matter of time before El Goog decided to get into the music streaming biz, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the company is currently in talks with several record labels to fire up a Spotify-esque service.

If true, the service is said to become part of Google Music, which only makes sense. Currently, Music allows users upload their own music libraries and stream them from any web browser or Android device, and the addition of a streaming service would likely give users access to unlimited music outside of that collection for a monthly fee.

Feb

[Rumor] Samsung To Hold An Event On March 14th In NYC, Possibly Announce The Galaxy S IV

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Rumors, Samsung

Well, here we go. This isn't the first Galaxy S IV rumor we've seen or heard over the last several weeks, but it's the first one that may actually hold water. The story actually started earlier today, when Eldar Murtazin of Mobile-Review pasted a somewhat cryptic message on Twitter about "a big announcement" coming on March 14th. He went on to mention something about HTC missing One sales again.

Save the date for a big announcement - March 14 :) And keep silence ;) HTC will miss HTC One sales again :( Like it was in 2012.

— Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) February 18, 2013

It was later corroborated by SamMobile that the March 14th date was in reference to an upcoming Samsung event where the Galaxy S IV will be announced.

Feb

Rumor: HP Is Working On Android Tablets, At Least One With Tegra 4, And Possibly A Smartphone

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, HP, News, Rumors

According to ReadWrite and The Verge, HP is working on some new tablets. Tablets that run Android. Which is... well, surprising isn't really the world. Interesting? Sort of? Maybe?

After the failure of the Touchpad, HP basically had three options if it wanted to get back in the consumer tablet game: Windows RT, Android, or another stab at WebOS. HP allegedly threw out plans for Windows RT hardware in June of last year, and WebOS is an open source husk of itself that hasn't been acknowledged by the company in months. This new rumor seems to confirm it's Android or bust for any new HP slates, at least for the time being.

Feb

Breaking: Android 4.2.2 (Build JDQ39) Update Rolling Out To GSM Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7, Nexus 10

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Galaxy Nexus, Jelly Bean 4.2, News, Nexus 10, Nexus 7, Rumors

Nexus owners may have a reason to stay up tonight, as a couple of Reddit users report that Android 4.2.2 has begun rolling out to the GSM Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 7.

There's not much word regarding what the update (which carries build JDQ39) includes just yet, but readers may remember that Google promised a Bluetooth A2DP audio streaming fix in the "next release" of 4.2 after 4.2.1.

Update: Here's The Android 4.2.2 JDQ39 Update For The GSM Galaxy Nexus [Manual Installation Instructions]

Feb

Rumor Analysis: This Might Be The HTC "One" (M7), Or At Least A Pretty Good Approximation

Posted by David Ruddock in HTC, Leaks, News, Rumors

As we draw ever-closer to HTC's February 19th press event(s), leaks around the HTC M7 - aka the HTC "One" - have been steadily increasing. The latest comes to us yet again courtesy of @evleaks, and here it is.

Let's start with what's right about it. First, it matches up with a previous leak, albeit one that was also from evleaks. Second, there's a lot of visual polish going on around the hardware that wasn't present in that first image. Shadows, reflections, and various shiny edges make this image seem significantly more official. The on-screen portion of the image conforms with what we've previously seen HTC do with new phones - 10:08AM, on the day of the announcement, in the city of the announcement.

Feb

The New HTC M7 Might Simply Be Called 'HTC One', Which Sounds Great

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Rumors

The rumors continue to fly about the HTC M7, which we expect will be announced before too long. The latest tidbit comes from the usually-reliable @evleaks. According to the ever-mysterious entity, the company's newest flagship will simply be called 'HTC One.' Nice and clean, just the way we like it.

HTC M7 coming to market as simply the HTC One.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) February 8, 2013

This would diverge from HTC's previous naming scheme of having its most "high-end" phones bear the One moniker. Though, since the One V was actually a pretty mid-range phone (very nice for mid-range, but mid-range nonetheless), it wouldn't be a surprise if the company would like to get its brand back under control.

Feb

Leaked Images Show Off The LG Note II, Er, I Mean, A 5.5" Version Of The Optimus G Pro

Posted by David Ruddock in Leaks, News, Optimus G Pro, Rumors

Oh boy, LG. I don't know if you're going to be able to live this one down: PhoneArena just leaked a couple photos of the allegedly-upcoming Optimus G Pro, but it's not the one you've already seen before (headed for NTT DoCoMo in Japan). Nope, this is a super-sized 5.5" version, and the leaked shot of it out in the wild is going to draw a lot of attention, if only for visual comparisons. Take a look.

So, maybe it's because it's white. And maybe it's because the lighting is bad. But wow, does that ever look like a Note II to my eyes, at least at this angle.

Feb

[Rumor Stomp] This Is Not The Galaxy S IV [Updated]

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Rumors, Samsung

Update: As we suspected, this really isn't official. In fact, it's a fan render that was published on The Verge's forums two and a half months ago. Mystery solved! (Thanks, c3vzn!)

-- end of update

The closer spring gets, the more rumors we can expect to see about Samsung's next-Next Big Thing (TM). Today's alleged leak comes to us via Twitter, and let's not beat around the bush - this is almost certainly not the Galaxy S IV. We'll begin where any photo analysis starts: the pixels. Take a look at the USB port in particular.

Jan

Photo Of White Nexus 4 Pops Up - Is It The Real Thing?

Posted by David Ruddock in Nexus 4, Rumors

PhoneArena has obtained an image of something that definitely looks like it could be a white Nexus 4. Here's the photo in question.

The quality isn't fantastic, but what we're looking at does appear to be a Nexus 4 that's been through a serious bleaching. The reflective pores are still present (see the bottom-right of the photo), and the camera module now appears to have a slightly visible border. This may just be a result of the fact that the white color shows the outline more clearly.

What are our alternative explanations? If this were an amateur paintjob, it'd certainly be a high-quality one, as the 'nexus' text looks perfectly intact.

Jan

Huawei Ascend P2 Press Shot Leaks Ahead Of Mobile World Congress

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Huawei, Leaks, News, Rumors

This is the time of year when we expect two things to surface in droves: leaks and rumors. With CES fading in our taillights and Mobile World Congress just around the corner, it's an interesting time for device manufacturers. And while some have already gotten their early-year announcements over with, there are those who have chosen to wait for Barcelona to unveil their newest flagships to the world.

Take Huawei, for example. A recent rumor suggests that its upcoming Ascend P2 will be quite the workhorse with some rather impressive specs: