Android Phone Fans |
- Google confirms new camera API for developers already in the works, Nexus 5 camera might soon improve with 3rd party help
- SwiftKey 4.3.1 update brings new number pad options while squashing a handful of bugs
- Get a $30 HTC One on Verizon and Sprint for Black Friday (plus a chance to win a gold HTC One)
- Qualcomm Toq smartwatch is now officially available for pre-order
- Assassin’s Creed Pirates sails to Android December 5th [VIDEO]
- Remotte is the first remote controller for your Google Glass [KICKSTARTER]
- Final Fantasy IV: The After Years arrives on Android, download on Google Play for $16
- Koush’s AllCast Beta 7 lets you cast to ALL the things; Chromecast not invited [VIDEO]
- Switching to Android from iPhone? Eric Schmidt has a few tips for you
- HTC One in gold goes official
- Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 announced
- HTC One Google Play Edition gets Android 4.4 KitKat OTA; download it right now
| Posted: 25 Nov 2013 05:39 PM PST
We’ve already covered the Nexus 5′s shooting capabilities in depth, giving you guys our camera review from Google’s latest flagship. While an average shooter overall, we ultimately ruled that it was the smartphone’s camera software holding the device back from photo greatness, not necessarily the hardware. The good news? It might soon better. A few weeks ago, some left over code discovered in AOSP hinted that new camera APIs were in the works, but were scrapped right before the release of Android 4.4 KitKat. What happened? In an interview with CNET Google spokesperson Gina Scigliano not only confirmed the existence of these new APIs, but shed a little light on exactly how they’ll work. According to Scigliano, Google will soon allow app developers to tap into 2 new camera features already baked deep inside Android: RAW image support and burst mode. Scigliano explains:
You can see in the above diagram developers can skip stock Android’s image processing, instead using with their own software to communicate directly with a device’s camera hardware. With support for RAW images, developers (or users) could take uncompressed images and tweak them using their own apps and editors. Burst mode? Well, it’s used for more than capturing action shots. For those unaware, it’s actually Android’s new burst mode makes KitKat’s new HDR+ shooting mode possible, taking a quick succession of images captured at varying exposures and combining them into one. This makes for an image that’s sharper and has greater dynamic range than a single shot. So, exactly when can we expect Google to open up these new camera features to Android developers? Just like on XDA, an ETA wasn’t given. Google said only to expect the APIs to open up in a future software update. While it’s little consolation, at least now we know they’re coming, right? |
| SwiftKey 4.3.1 update brings new number pad options while squashing a handful of bugs Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:13 PM PST
The last we heard from SwiftKey — makers of the one of the most popular keyboard replacements for Android devices — they had just introduced their big “Layouts for Living” update in the Play Store. The update allowed uses to customize the layout of the virtual keyboard to suit their tastes, whether it was a split layout for typing on larger tablets, or mini layouts for tiny smartphones. The craziest part is how the keyboard could now be undocked and moved about the display with ease.
Today SwiftKey is introducing yet another update, giving users the option of showing the number pad (found on the secondary screen) on either the left or right of the phone. The new option can be found under “Themes & Layouts” where the default is the number pad on the right. Smaller changes include the reintroduction of the unique spacebar sound when pressed, and the “$” coming to non-US users. There were also a handful of force closes that have been patched up, so if you haven’t been using the SwiftKey because a previous update made things buggy, now’s the time to give it another shot.
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| Get a $30 HTC One on Verizon and Sprint for Black Friday (plus a chance to win a gold HTC One) Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST
Oh, you thought an OEM wouldn’t get in on the Black Friday fun? HTC wants to provide some awesome deals for the holidays, and they’re doing it with a great price on their flagship phone from earlier this year. It’s the HTC One, and it can be yours for just $30, so long as you’re willing to sign another two years of mobile life away to either Sprint or Verizon. The HTC One is one of the few phones worthy of your attention this year when it comes to high-end beasts. It’s a 4.7-inch 1080p display with beautiful design and very respectable specs. The Snapdragon 600 inside — coupled with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and an HTC UltraPixel camera — should be more than enough for most folks to get their mobile computing on. Of course, even more beautiful would be the newly-announced golden HTC One. While you won’t be getting any sick Black Friday deals on that, HTC is giving you a chance to win one! Simply take a great photo with your phone and upload it online, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win. You’ll have even more chances to win a regular HTC One each week through the holiday season, so it’s worth a decent shot. Go ahead and submit your entry at HTC’s website if you’re interested, and head to the source link for the aforementioned deals (the $30 price point will only be available this Friday and Saturday, with the price returning to $50 the few days before and after that). [via HTC] |
| Qualcomm Toq smartwatch is now officially available for pre-order Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:45 PM PST
It was back during Qualcomm’s LINQ developer conference in September that the company — normally known for making the mobile processors that power our smartphones and tablets — unveiled their all new consumer product, the Qualcomm Toq. Last week Qualcomm finally gave us pricing and a release date for the Toq, officially arriving on December 2nd for $350. Today Qualcomm announced that the device is now officially available for pre-order from their Toq Store, where it will ship in 1-3 weeks. Credit cards will only be authorized at the time of purchase, the charges only taking place after the device has shipped.
While it’s still too early to judge if the Toq will be a success, it’s clear Qualcomm is taking a much different approach to the smartwatch than “kitchen sink” offerings like the Samsung Galaxy Gear. The Qualcomm Toq has a clear focus: provide users with a simple companion device to the smartphone that can deliver quick notifications, while offering multi-day battery life. Sounds like a winning combination to us. Of course, whether or not consumers will smell what Qualcomm is cooking — and for that $350 price tag — is another story entirely. Something tells us the niche device isn’t targeting mainstream success (can’t imagine you’ll ever find one at your local Walmart). If they can work that price down a smidgen, we definitely be all over it. Until then, wearable computing isn’t for technophiles on a budget.
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| Assassin’s Creed Pirates sails to Android December 5th [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Nov 2013 01:29 PM PST While many folks have been enjoying the next-gen re-release of the pirate-heavy Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Ubisoft wants to try and capture a new audience — those on the cell phone front. The gaming studio is continuing their mobile endeavors with the first such game in the Assassin’s Creed series. Dubbed Assassin’s Creed Pirates, this game features the same themes of naval combat and pirate-fighting goodness that has people going nuts over the console release right now. Themes only go so far, though. You can most likely expect Assassin’s Creed Pirates to be several rungs lower than the latest console versions in terms of graphics and gameplay, but at the right price this game could end up being a keeper for those times when you’re bored in a waiting room or looking for entertainment at Grandma’s house on Sunday. The game launches December 5th in the Google Play Store, though we’ll have to wait until then to see just how much Ubisoft will be asking for the privilege to swing our swords and search for booty. The quick teaser is sitting above. |
| Remotte is the first remote controller for your Google Glass [KICKSTARTER] Posted: 25 Nov 2013 12:11 PM PST Google Glass is great, and it’s coming out early next year, but one group of folks thinks those interested in it shouldn’t have to be confined to using voice commands or the on-board touch pad for navigating the UI. That’s where Remotte comes in, the next Kickstarter hopeful that looks to be gaining a decent amount of steam. Remotte is a wireless touchpad that interfaces with Google Glass and allows you to do everything your on-board touch pad can do, and more. It uses a variety of touch and ambient sensors to do all the dirty work, and gives you a multitude of gestures you can use for selecting items in the UI and navigating around. Remotte isn’t just a Google Glass affair — the developers are working to make it compatible with as many popular computing products that they can, such as laptops, phones and tablets. Remotte won’t just be an idle aide to the Google Glass experience, either. The developers are looking to create robust APIs for both Android and iOS so developers can integrate Remotte functionality into all their apps. The folks behind Remotte are looking for about $70,000, and are sitting at around $12,000 as of the time of this writing. They have 25 days to get the rest, so if you’re liking what you see here and want to stake your claim to one of your own, be sure to head to Kickstarter and pledge some dollars (where you’ll also find more of the gritty details on the how, the why, and all that other good stuff). Check it out in the video above. |
| Final Fantasy IV: The After Years arrives on Android, download on Google Play for $16 Posted: 25 Nov 2013 11:53 AM PST 2013 has been a good year for Final Fantasy fans on Android. Back in June, we saw Square Enix release the HD remake of Final Fantasy IV into the Play Store. It was only a good 3 months later during TGS 2013 (Tokyo Game Show) that Squenix announced the sequel — Final Fantasy IV: The After Years — would also be making its way to Google Play. However, without a solid date, we were left guessing as when the title to arrive. Over the weekend, it finally happened. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is now officially available for Android.
Like all Square Enix games ported from once $40 Nintendo DS titles, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years weighs in at a healthy $16. A full fledged RPG experience on your Android device, it doesn’t really fit into the same category as $2 endless runners or countless freemium title flooding Google Play — and that’s fine by me. Guess it’s time to add Google Play Store gift cards to my Christmas wishlist. Download on Google Play: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years |
| Koush’s AllCast Beta 7 lets you cast to ALL the things; Chromecast not invited [VIDEO] Posted: 25 Nov 2013 09:55 AM PST When Google effectively shut down third party Chromecast apps with the latest changes to their API, it left folks like Koushik Dutta and his AllCast app hanging. The app had become useless, and there was nothing he could do about it (until Google ends up releasing an official API, of course). So instead of letting the project rot, Koushik had an even better idea — expand it! As such, the developer has reintroduced AllCast as an app that can cast to ALL the things. In other words, the app is now used for streaming your content to an Xbox 360, Roku box, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs or any other DLNA-capable device. Funnily enough, the Chromecast does not yet fit that description, so there is no support for it yet. The video shows that the app works pretty well for where it is (which is beta 7 as of the time of this writing). Content loads fast and plays smoothly, and should be a great alternative to easily playing content on your television. Koush humorously mentions that the beta will “self destruct” on December 1st, so you’ll want to download it as soon as possible in case he’s going to be taking it down at that point. Take a look at a quick demo of AllCast in action in the video embedded above. [via +Koushik Dutta] |
| Switching to Android from iPhone? Eric Schmidt has a few tips for you Posted: 25 Nov 2013 07:49 AM PST
We’ve talked a ton about switching from iPhone to Android in the past, and there are a vast amount of online resources which exist to help you do just that. But it’s not often that we get to hear the tips from the former CEO (now executive chairman) of Google give us his own tips and tricks. I’m talking about Eric Schmidt, the man who got Google through some of its biggest years before handing the reigns back to the co-founders. Schmidt took to Google+ to post the wordy guide. He goes over the most important things, like transferring your contacts, setting up your email, and setting up two-step authorization on your Google account for added security. It’s not going to solve all of your problems or answer all of your questions, but this guide is a good starting point to get your feet wet with the world of Android. Head to the source link to check it out for yourself. [via +Eric Schmidt] |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2013 06:39 AM PST
It looks like Apple might have started yet another trend that other OEMs will look to emulate. HTC has just announced a golden version of their 2013 flagship HTC One. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this stallion clad in gold-plated armor, as Gold Genie took it upon themselves to create an after-market modification of the phone a while ago (and HTC tried their hand at a limited edition run of it at a very premium price point). But this is HTC’s official go-round at the golden version, and boy does it look nice. It’s not the shiny, flashy gold that you might expect, with HTC instead going for a more subtle, muted effect. It looks much nicer than the Gold Genie version judging by the photos, though we can’t imagine anyone would complain about getting it in either style. Other than the eye-popping exteriors, though, this is the same phone we’ve been using and loving since it launched, with a 1080p HD 4.7-inch display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, HTC’s UltraPixel camera and more. HTC says the device will “become available across Europe with a number of partners,” though they didn’t have any further details to share about pricing and availability. Would you spring for this version despite the HTC One getting a bit long in the tooth? |
| Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 announced Posted: 25 Nov 2013 05:34 AM PST
Samsung has announced the existence of the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, a big-sized smartphone with a moderate suite of specs. This device weighs in at 5.25 inches, and that sizable display (TFT) only pushes 1280 x 720 pixels. It’s big, but its specs clearly show it’s aimed right at the mid-range market that Samsung wants to fill. Here’s what you can expect out of the box:
It won’t have the wolves howling at the moon, but the Galaxy Grand 2 should be a pretty nice device for those who want a big screen without the big price tag. Samsung hasn’t touched on pricing just yet, though we do get a small word on availability — you can get it in White, and Black and Pink, and it will be available in “selective” regions (meaning it’s probably going to end up in an emerging market). [via Samsung] |
| HTC One Google Play Edition gets Android 4.4 KitKat OTA; download it right now Posted: 25 Nov 2013 04:30 AM PST
HTC and Google gave Google Play Edition HTC One owners something great to look forward to when they wake up this morning — Android 4.4 KitKat! The code drop happened at some point early this morning, and now the official rollout is going out over-the-air for all to download. All you’ll need is a WiFi connection and a decently charged battery. From there, a quick trip to the settings menu should get you on your way. If, for whatever reason, you can’t find the OTA, you can always download and install the upgrade manually. It’s as simple as downloading this update package to the root directory of your phone’s internal storage and hitting the “update from phone storage” option in recovery. You can also do it over ADB if you prefer to do things the geeky way. The upgrade clocks in at just over 300 megabytes, so go pop some popcorn and grab a refreshing drink while you wait for the entirety of this big puppy to be downloaded. PS: alongside the aforementioned open-source code push for the HTC One GPe, the Samsung Galaxy S4 GPe also got its open-source code drop for KitKat. You can find that at Samsung’s site here. No word on when we can expect an OTA, but we reckon it won’t be far behind. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] |
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