Home Hírek Samsung Galaxy Z – S2 light?

A svéd Tre nevű szolgáltató kínálatában debütált egy újabb Samsung Galaxy modell. A Galaxy Z tekinthető a S2 egy könnyített és olcsósított verziójának. A Galaxy Z kívülről megszólalásig hasonlít nagyobb testvérére.

Az egyik legnagyobb, és kétségkívül legészrevehetőbb különbség, hogy a super AMOLED kijelző helyett a telefonban „csak” SC LCD került. Visszavett a kamera teljesítményéből is a Samsung a Z modellnél, itt csak 5 megapixeles, 720p videó felvételre alkalmas kamera van. A LED vakú, és az előlapi kamera azonban megmaradt, így a videó telefonálási lehetőségtől nem esnek el a Z leendő tulajai. A készülékbe épített RAM mennyiségéről nincs egyelőre információnk, ezen felül szinte teljes a specifikációs lista:

  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • 4.2 hüvelykes SC-LCD kijlező (800×480 felbontás)
  • 1 GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processzor
  • 5 MP hátsó kamera, LED vaku
  • előlapi kamera
  • 8 GB beépített tár

Arról nincs információnk, hogy a kontinens más országaiban vajon forgalomba kerül-e a Samsung Galaxy Z.

Rhetorical Questions: Carriers and Their Android Endeavors

Plenty of questions come to mind when it comes to the various carriers and their Android endeavors.  Some  seem to get it right more often than not while others have been playing from behind (ahem, AT&T)  since day one.  Others seem to really want to the platform to help push them over the the hump.  I’m looking right at you, T-Mobile.

Thinking back over the last few years, I came up with a bunch of rhetorical questions about the wireless players and their Android efforts.  Some of them could be turned into a post of their own, argued on both sides.  Normally I will toss these on twitter just to see how you guys and gals respond.   Thinking they could be more fun as a whole, I decided collect them and break them into categories.  So, here’s the first in a series of (at least) four rhetorical question posts.

I would love to hear your take on some of these so, please, feel free to comment below!  No wrong answers here.

  • Is the „Droid” branding getting too confusing to average consumers?
  • How confusing would it be if Verizon simply stopped using it?
  • How much do you really worry about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger?
  • Ever switched carriers specifically to spite them?
  • Ever switched back later because you realized the error in your way?
  • Remember worrying about minutes?
  • Do you worry about data in the same manner?
  • Are you seriously going through that much data every single month?
  • Why do carriers give us all the data-reliant apps and then throw roadblocks in the way?
  • Why can’t we get rid of these apps without rooting?
  • Does any carrier hold a new Android user’s hand better than Sprint with their ID Packs?
  • Is it me or does it seem like T-Mobile can’t figure out rate plans?
  • Do you remember thinking that Android was going to propel T-Mobile ahead of Sprint?
  • Remember when their no-contract plans were the ticket to third place?

Rhetorical Questions: Carriers and Their Android Endeavors originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

You May Also Enjoy…


Zenonia 3 launches on Android – full game currently free

It appears mobile publisher GAMEVIL is having a little experiment with the free gaming model, as the third installment of its popular Zenonia role-playing franchise has just launched on the Android Market for ZERO COST.

Previously, the asking price for Zenonia 1&2 has been around the $5 mark, give or take the odd promotional period, so this is a rather risky move to take for a big-news sequel…

zenonia 3 android 1

zenonia 3 android 2

…bit it does mean Zenonia 3 is bound to STREAK into the free game downloads #1 spot overnight. Currently there don’t seem to be any ads on it either. But perhaps they’ll pop up once the game is on everyone’s phones?

Related posts:

  1. Full Android Angry Birds out – free and ad-supported, due to “state of Android Market”
  2. Famed iPhone RPG Zenonia hits Android, for $5.99 and 1.6 phones and above
  3. Android RPG Zenonia updated to v1.1 – now with multitouch & keyboard support

Video: Sony’s S1, S2 tablets manhandled on camera

Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets are in front of the camera once again. Last time we saw these devices, they were on top of a Rube Goldberg Machine falling in love with each other–or something like that. The infamous duo are now back, and this time they were caught hanging out with a German blogger. What an outrage.

According to the guys at Androidpit.de, both tablets will launch with the Sony PlayStation Suite. The tablets use on-screen buttons to simulate the ones on a PlayStation controller. Fans of the popular video game Crash Bandicoot will be happy to know the game will be making its way to the PlayStation Suite soon. And both Sony tablets will be able to run the game just fine. Androidpit.de notes that playing games on the 600g-heavy S1 tablet is actually a pretty pleasant experience.

The S1 also has a proprietary USB connector that can be used to connect adapters and accessories, said the German blog. Although there’s a chance this could just be part of the test hardware, and it might not make it to the final design.

Keep an eye out for a September release for both these tablets, as they could very well become available around this year’s IFA conference in Berlin. Do you see yourself smashing boxes in Crash Bandicoot with either of these tablets in the future?

Gallery

S1_tablet s2closed s2open

Is the HTC EVO 3D’s screen too sensitive?

While some have hailed the EVO 3D as the best Android phone to hit the market this summer, the phone is not without its faults.  HTC has already pushed out a system update for the new EVO, and several of HTC’s pre-installed applications have gotten updates to fix lingering bugs. But that may not be the end of the story. Over the past few days I’ve gotten a little peeved with the search button on the screen. Apparently, I brush the side of my hand against it every time I hold the phone up to take a picture.  At first I thought nothing of it, since you always need to adjust a little when using a new phone. But even after some adjustments, I still somehow manage to hit the search button.

After a little testing, I’ve come to the conclusion that the sensitivity of the capacitive panel over the screen is just set too high. I’m actually able to press the search button (or any other part of the screen) on the HTC EVO 3D without even making contact with the surface. I’ve noticed this same behavior with a touch panel computer display in the past, but this is the first time I’ve come across the issue on a phone.

So far we’ve been able to replicate this issue on four different devices. Have any of you noticed this on the HTC EVO 3D?  Is it worth HTC’s time to roll out a system update to adjust the capacitive panel’s sensitivity?

HTC EVO 3D Netflix/Flashlight app withdrawals? We got ya covered! (Update)

If you went from the HTC EVO 4G to the HTC EVO 3D, Netflix hasn’t been very nice to you for the last month or so. Things seemed way too perfect when the HTC EVO 4G received its long-awaited Gingerbread update. The good ol’ EVO 4G was now even faster and smoother, and everything was working great. Until you tried to watch your favorite shows on Netflix, that is. It was definitely a downer to see the Gingerbread update got rid of your Netflix compatibility, but this problem was fixed with another update issued about 2 weeks ago.

Now those hard-core HTC EVO 4G fans who decided to go for its successor, the HTC EVO 3D, probably have their spirits down again. While the EVO 3D is a better device overall, it is lacking Netflix support. Also, many have been complaining about the lack of the Flashlight app (a simple, but very helpful and necessary app the EVO 3D did not inherit from the EVO 4G).

For those with Netflix/Flashlight withdrawals (or those who just want these apps on their brand new EVO 3D), there is a solution. You won’t be able to find these apps on the Android Market. But if you get the unmodified apps from the EVO 4G, they can be sideloaded into the HTC’s 3D smartphone. You find the apk files for these two apps at the Pocketables Forums and install them yourself.

I have personally tested both apps on the HTC EVO 3D and they work perfectly. You guys should be set to watch your favorite movies on Netflix now. If you do happen to run into any problems, please let us know so we can further investigate the topic. Is this working for everyone?

Update:

It has been brought to our attention that the download links no longer work. Seems like too many of you were trying to hop on these links, and they have been canceled due to a high level of traffic! Do not fear, though, here is another set of links for you!

Netflix
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6BL7BYU9

Flashlight
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PRMR2ZRS

Thanks for the heads up, Kevin!

Convert Most Units Quickly With Convertor Pro for Android

One of the most tedious practices in this engineered world of ours is the fact that the world, after centuries, still cannot get an agreement on how to measure things. This is a particular headache for people studying Engineering as professors love mixing and matching units in peculiar situations like exams. Needless to say, having a tool that can readily help you convert from unit to unit is useful, to say the least. With this idea in mind, XDA member ericssonka decided to make his very own unit converter app. This one in particular has tons of categories and units to convert to and from. The best part is that the conversion comes out as you type the number, which will save you the hassle of trying to remember if you pressed “convert” or not. Some of the other perks include the ability to use fractions (good for dealing with length in the English System), multiple conversions displayed on the same screen, and much more.

The dev is still working on this app, but it looks rather good. So, if you feel like trying it out, please leave some feedback if you run into any bugs.

All the units you need to convert for work, wrapped in the best user interface around, as easy and intuitive to use as a calculator. It’s unit conversion done right!

You can find more information in the application thread.

Want something published in the Portal? Contact any News Writer.

HTC Already Testing Gingerbread Build for Desire

HTC announced on Facebook today that they are testing an Android 2.3 build for the HTC Desire.  As some of you may recall the scare from a few weeks back when the handset maker indicated that a Gingerbread would not be possible.  However a short time later, HTC backtracked and said that they would need to remove parts of their Sense UI in order to get it to fit.  It’s good to see the company working this fast to roll out the 2.3 release for the Desire and we hope to see a full-scale deployment in short order.

HTC Facebook

 

HTC Already Testing Gingerbread Build for Desire originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

You May Also Enjoy…

Amazon tablets launching in second half of 2011 – production limited

amazon-tablet-android-samsung

The Amazon tablet that we have been hearing about should still be making its way to the public in the second half of 2011 (which starts tomorrow – lol). The previously rumored tablets should have an initial order of 1.5 to 2 million units at launch according to a report by Digitimes, who also reports that their sources suggest the first launch in September. Touchscreen manufacturers fighting for the job to help build these include Wintek, HannStar Display and J Touch all based out of Taiwan.

There lies a wall ahead for the Amazon tablets however, which is meeting the demand of their initial order from manufacturers, as it appears most tablet manufacturing from hardware makers may be focused on Apple iPad 2 production (since they have 95% of the tablet market share). This could make the Amazon tablet launch a rocky road.

 

Amazon tablets launching in second half of 2011 – production limited

Meet the Samsung Galaxy Z, Galaxy S II’s younger brother

Another day, another Samsung Android device. Swedish carrier Three just announced the addition of a new Android device to its lineup:  the Samsung Galaxy Z. The Galaxy Z is a slightly more modest version of the Galaxy S II with a 5 MP camera instead of the Galaxy S II’s 8 MP one. And 8 GB of internal storage versus the Galaxy S II’s massive 32 GB.

According to Three’s website, the Galaxy Z will have the following specs:

  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • 4.2-inch SC-LCD screen with a 800×480 resolution
  • 1 GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
  • 5 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash
  • 720p video recording
  • Front-facing camera
  • 8 GB of internal storage

We don’t know how much RAM the Galaxy Z has yet, but I’m guessing it’ll have 512 MB and not 1 GB like the Galaxy S II. Also, we have no idea when (or if) the Galaxy Z will land in the States. Three will sell this device for about $630, which is a lot even without a contract. But I guess these prices change between regions.

While we wait for the Galaxy Z to jump across the pond, you can feast your eyes on the pictures below. Then let us know in the comments whether you think this phone is worth your hard-earned money or not.

Gallery

Galaxy_Z_1 Galaxy_Z_2 Galaxy_Z_3 Galaxy_Z_4 Galaxy_Z_5 Galaxy_Z_6 Galaxy_Z_7

Android and iOS continue to gain, RIM continues to flop, and smartphones are now the majority of new purchases

Nielsen just released their survey of mobile consumers in the U.S. For the three month period ending in May, Android gained 2% to a 38% market share while Apple’s iOS gained 1% to a 27% market share. RIM dropped 2% to 21%.

Most interesting is smartphones are now the majority of new purchases. For May, 38% of consumers own a smartphone, but 55% of those that purchased a handset in the 3 month period, purchased a smartphone. This is the first time this has happened and there is no doubt it will stay this way.

Read More…

 

Android and iOS continue to gain, RIM continues to flop, and smartphones are now the majority of new purchases

Nielsen: Android Leads New Buyers as Smart Phones Outsell Feature Phones for First Time

Nielsen has found that more than half of all U.S. consumers who purchased a cell phone in the last month bought themselves a smart phone. At 55-percent, this is up considerably from last year’s 34-percent and could be the first signs of a tipping point for smart phone adoption. Considering so many carriers offer free or low-cost Android devices, it’s hard to justify not buying one.  Overall, smart phones now account for 38 percent of all cell phones in the United States.

Breaking down the smart phone field, Android continues to lead all platforms with a 38-percent share.  Apple trails at 27-percent while RIM has dipped a few points to 21-percent.  Rounding out the other players are Windows Mobile (9%), HP Web OS (2%), Symbian (2%), Windows Phone 7 (1%), and Palm OS (1%).

Looking at the last three months, Android’s shares have been generally flat while iOS has lead smart phone growth.  Could this have been a result of the Verizon iPhone or has Android leveled off?  Have we already seen the glory days of Android?

Source: Nielsen

Nielsen: Android Leads New Buyers as Smart Phones Outsell Feature Phones for First Time originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

You May Also Enjoy…


Opera Mobile for Android updated – search and standards enhanced

The excellent Android Opera Mobile browser has been updated today, with version 11.1 now available for download via the Android Market. There’s a pretty sizeable changelog from Opera, which claims the new app now includes support for Google’s AutoComplete and voice search, the ability to search from the URL bar and much more.

Opera also claims there’s a new “exit” button so all you control freaks can sleep safe in the knowledge there are no apps still loaded in your phone’s memory – but we couldn’t find it.

opera android 111 1 opera android 111 2

It’s a great browser. So many lovely little touches to discover, like the way it zooms the view in, automatically, when it can’t decide which link you’ve clicked because there are several close together in that bit of screen you pressed.

Related posts:

  1. Android Taptu updated to v1.5 – now with enhanced search and new stream resizing
  2. Opera launches Opera Mobile Store
  3. Android Opera Mobile 10.1 beta available NOW via Opera’s FTP site

HTC EVO 3D gets Netflix thanks to EVO 4G APK – willing to share

Netflix-For-Android

If you just bagged yourself an HTC EVO 3D, but were upset that your new super smartphone wasn’t on the list of supported Netflix devices, fear not. Thanks to the EVO 4G’s Netflix APK, the EVO 3D can run Netflix without a hitch. So if you want to grab it and get your Netflix on, head over here to download and install on your HTC EVO 3D! Woot!

 

HTC EVO 3D gets Netflix thanks to EVO 4G APK – willing to share

HTC: We are testing our build of Gingerbread for HTC Desire

About 2 weeks ago, HTC announced that there would not be a Gingerbread update for the Desire due to memory contraints. The very next day they reversed their position and said it will happen.

HTC is a company that fulfills their promises and they posted the following update on their Facebook page:

Hi all- We’re excited to share that we are testing our build of Gingerbread for HTC Desire and will start doing quality assurance for it this week. When we have an update on availability we’ll post another announcement. Thanks for your support!

There are rumors that Sense will be eliminated to make room for Gingerbread, but there has been no official announcement. I am sure we will find out more soon as Telstra is expecting an August release. It is amazing how fast HTC moved on this.

 

HTC: We are testing our build of Gingerbread for HTC Desire

Szólj hozzá