17
Dec
uscc-galaxy-tab-deal (2)

US Cellular is really proving itself to be the carrier for holiday shoppers not wanting to spend a small fortune on gifts, isn't it? Just two days after announcing that all phones will be free until the 24th, the carrier's turned its price-cutting gaze to the Samsung Galaxy Tab and lowered the tablet's price to only $199 on contract, half of what it was before.

The only real catch is that you're required to sign up for US Cellular's $54.99/month plan. The plan does buy you 5 GB of data along with tethering capabilities, but I still can't imagine paying almost $60 a month on top of my regular phone bill, especially since messaging is excluded.

17
Dec
samsung intercept

It may seem slightly disappointing that Froyo updates are still rolling out even as the Gingerbread source becomes available, but it is good news that Sprint is paying attention to its mid-range phones nonetheless - their version of the Samsung Intercept is now receiving the update to Android 2.2.

Also included in the update are a few bug fixes and the (rather unnecessary) addition of Sprint Navigation. As with most Android updates, it's being rolled out in waves, so it may be a few days before it see it on your device. Intercept users on Virgin Mobile, now might be the time to start pestering your carrier about this update.

17
Dec
nec_lifetouch_dual-screen_mockup

Last month at GSM 2010, NEC showed off  a 7" touchscreen Android tablet. The company was marketing it towards businesses, and it's supposed to function mainly in the cloud - an interesting proposal. Unfortunately, it seems the execution is lackluster in just about every way. The specs are utter crap:

  • 600 Mhz CPU (NEC says this will be updated to 1 Ghz at some point)
  • 384 MB RAM
  • 1 GB ROM
  • Resistive touchscreen
  • WiFi & Bluetooth
  • Android 2.1, with updates coming down the road
  • Custom UI

Based on the video below, it it looks like it runs like a dog. On top of that, the thing is....

16
Dec
Sony_Official_PlayStation_App

It's not the PlayStation-related Android announcement we were hoping Sony would make, but the Official PlayStation app is still (sort of) intriguing in and of itself. Version 1.0 of the app will be coming soon to both our beloved Android Market and the iOS App Store, though we here in the States will be left out of the fun initially. For those lucky enough to live in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, or the Netherlands, (the areas where the app will be available upon launch) here's what you have to look forward to:

  • Check out your PlayStation Network trophies and keep up to date with your friends’ games and online status.
16
Dec
image
Last Updated: May 3rd, 2011

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

We didn't exactly expect it to take long, but the Nexus S that went on sale today has now been rooted by Koush, the creator of ClockworkMod recovery and ROM Manager. ROM Manager support is coming very soon, but in the meantime, you can get your Nexus S rooted and ClockworkMod installed by following these easy instructions, courtesy of Koush:

Step 1

First, reboot into your bootloader/fastboot mode.

16
Dec
image
Last Updated: December 17th, 2010

Remember the ninja's unboxing video created for the Nexus One launch by Patrick Boivin? Created using the stop-motion animation technique, the video painted a story of 3 of the greatest ninjas in the world who happened to find a box. In this box - a Nexus One in dire need of unwrapping. Long story short - if you haven't seen the video, here it is, in all its creative goodness:

Fast forward to yesterday's mysterious tweet by @googlenexus:

image

Take a wild guess who the friends are and then call 262-563-9875 (in the U.S.) ;-]

The ninjas are indeed back, this time with the Nexus S, and they're kicking it up a notch.

16
Dec
evo4g

Update: This breaks root! If you're already rooted, download and flash the rooted version of the update. Thanks Steven.

If you had Swype beforehand and you install the update, you may have issues with it. If you do:

... go into the installed applications settings (not the swype settings). First you must clear the application data, then uninstall the application. Then you must shutdown the phone. Then, of course, you must turn it on again. Then you can tap & hold in any text entry field, and you’ll get an “Input method” selection dialogue where you can select Swype again.

16
Dec
google-nexus-s

As promised, Google's Samsung-made Nexus S went on sale today at 8 a.m. at Best Buy stores across the United States (online sales start at 8 a.m. EST). Google's flagship phone - the first to natively run Android 2.3 - retails at $199.99 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract or $529.99 unlocked and without a contract. To promote the release of the phone, Best Buy is offering free overnight shipping if you choose to buy this phone online.

google-nexus-s

The recently unveiled device is a modified version of the Samsung Galaxy S and sports a 4.0" WVGA "Contour Display" SAMOLED screen, 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, 16 GB of internal storage, HD video playback, a gyroscope sensor and NFC support.

15
Dec
optimus 2x
Last Updated: December 23rd, 2010

Planning on buying a Nexus S when it's released tomorrow? You may want to re-think that: LG has just officially announced the next phone in the Optimus line, the Optimus 2X. What makes this phone so special? Aside from all the regular features in high-end Android phones, it's packing the dual core Tegra 2 processor, a first for any phone. And the rest of the phone's specs won't disappoint, either:

  • 1 GHz dual core, Tegra 2 processor
  • 4-inch display
  • Android 2.2 with plans to upgrade to Android 2.3
  • 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
  • HDMI
  • 1080p video playback
  • Gyro sensor
  • 1,500 mAh battery
  • microSD card slot

According to the press release, the Optimus 2X will be released in Korea next month, with a launch in Europe and Asia to come shortly after.

15
Dec
thumb_550_Nexus_S_live-wallpaper

The Nexus S isn't exactly a huge upgrade from Google's original Jesus phone (in fact, it could be considered a downgrade in some respects), but it does feature one potential selling point: Gingerbread. That said, there's no reason those of us with non-Nexus S phones should have to wait in order to enjoy the update's new features, as the leaked Gingerbread launcher and 2.3 keyboard have shown us.

thumb_550_Nexus_S_live-wallpaper CAP201012151227

Today, Android Central Forums member Upstreammiami tweaked the Nexus live wallpaper in Éclair and Froyo to make it nearly identical to the default wallpaper on the NS. Obviously, since the phone isn't available yet, Upstreammiami wasn't able to grab the files directly off Samsung and Google's creation; therefore, this isn't a direct port.