Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of updates recently. Personal circumstances have not allowed me to write these articles as frequently as I'd like.
This week has been pretty full in the realm of Android news, mainly due to Mobile World Congress (MWC) going on in Barcelona. While Samsung didn't announce the Galaxy SIII (QQ), there were plenty of other exciting announcements happening.
The week (and then some) in Android News is ready and waiting after the jump.
News
Device and Technology Announcements
Tablets:
Device and Technology Announcements
Tablets:
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| Image of Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD courtesy of TheVerge.com |
- Huawei are finally breaking into the high end tablet market with the announcement of the MediaPad 10 FHD. This bad-boy has a Full HD (1920x1200) display with a Huawei K3 Quad core processor and super slim body (8.8mm). Keep an eye out for this during Q2 2012
- Asus have also announced a pretty beefy new tablet the Transformer Pad Infinity 700 series which also comes with a Full HD (1920x1200) Super IPS display and is the first HD LTE tablet which will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 SoC (which strangely enough is probably only dual core). The TF Pad 700 is probably coming in Q2 2012 but will likely be unavailable in NZ due to lack of LTE support
- According to 'industry sources' talking to Androidandme.com, Asus is going to making a $199 Nexus tablet that has a quad-core Tegra 3 processor
- The original Asus Transformer TF101 finally has Ice Cream Sandwich!
This year at Mobile World Congress there were a multitude of phones announced, while we won't be covering all of them here's a run-down of the ones we noticed for good or bad reasons:
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| Samsung's Galaxy Beam - the phone with a pico projector |
- Samsung's Galaxy Beam was shown off at MWC and is a strange beast indeed. With middling specs including a WVGA screen and a 1GHz dual core processor it certainly isn't targeting high end users. Maybe there is a market out there for PowerPoint lovers but it beats me
- LG have announced a successor to their first attempt at a 3D phone with the LG Optimus 3D Max. The specs don't seem much improved and the device is still running Android 2.3 so not sure who is going take notice
- LG, forever in the shadow of Samsung are once again playing catch up. This time they may have lost the plot with the Optimus Vu which appears to be a 5" phablet that missed the memo saying a phone actually has to fit into people's hands. This behemoth device touts a 4:3 screen ratio and 1024x768 resolution - meaning it is very squat looking
- LG also announced the Optimus 4X HD which might actually be able to compete with other high-end handsets coming out this year. It has a Tegra 3 processor and a 4.7" 720p IPS display so there may be hope for LG yet
- Huawei were pulling out all the stops at MWC this year with several high-end devices that impressed, the least of which being the Ascend D Quad. With great styling, ergonomics and killer specs that include a custom 1.5GHz quad-core cpu, 4.5" 720p display and an 8MP camera this handset is sure to impress when it is released in Q2, 2012
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| Image of Huawei Ascend D Quad courtesy of Engadget |
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| Asus Padfone |
- It's difficult to find words to describe the Asus Padfone, it's a phone, a tablet and a netbook all in one svelte package. The phone docks with the tablet and can then dock with a keyboard. This is something I have dreamed of owning for a long, long time. You can find out more over at The Verge including a hands-on and gallery
- If you're looking for an Android equivalent of the iPhone 4 then perhaps the ViewSonic ViewPhone 4S is right for you. This curiously ugly device has a 3.5" screen, a 1GHz processor and a 5MP camera.. um yeah
- While Samsung didn't announce the long awaited Galaxy SIII at MWC they did have some other devices being announced. Rounding out the Galaxy S line is the Galaxy S Advance which comes with fairly unimpressive specs such as a 4" 800x480 Super AMOLED display and a 1GHz dual-core processor
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| Image of HTC's One X courtesy of TheVerge.com |
- HTC are attempting a bit of a comeback this year with a smaller number of higher quality handsets. This includes their flagship the HTC One X which appears to be going down the iPhone route with a non-removable 1800mAh battery and up to 32GB of non-expandable storage. Despite these restrictions the device does have a certain charm and has other more impressive specs such as a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 4.7" 720p Super LCD display and an f/2.0 lens 8MP backside-illuminated camera
- While Intel haven't had much to show for their work on the Medfield mobile processor there was at least one device being shown off at MWC. The Xolo X900 has a 4" 1024x600 display and a 1.6gHZ single core Atom processor. Intel have partnered with little known manufacturer Lava International and it will be coming to India in Q2, 2012
- Sony announced some new devices, one of which was the Xperia P which has a very sleek unibody design and a 4" display. Despite only having a dual-core processor this could be a contender for those wanting a more stylized handset
- Panasonic had the Eluga Power prototype, a 5" handset on display at MWC and while it's a little buggy at the moment there is plenty of time to iron out the bugs before a Europe release in June 2012
- Last but not least Acer announced their flagship handset the CloudMobile which thankfully has onscreen buttons and a 720p display but isn't coming out until Q3, 2012 and only has a dual-core processor
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| Sony Xperia P courtesy of The Verge |
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| Image courtesy of TheVerge.com |
- While there weren't a whole lot of accessories on display at MWC there was one in particular that was interesting. Part of the Padfone presentation was a unique stylus to use with the device. This stylus is special in that it also doubles as a wireless headset for taking calls when the phone is docked into the tablet. Will you look like an idiot using it? well, maybe but at least you will be able to talk on the phone right?
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| Image courtesy of Anandtech.com |
- You may have seen that many of the latest devices tout a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (Krait) dual-core processor and want to know how it performs. Well, worry not - Anandtech have done some testing for you and it appears to perform favourably against the quad-core Tegra 3
On the Patent/Lawsuit Front:
- The lawsuits continue, this time you may want to * face-palm* as Apple have apparently won an injunction against Motorola for functionality that their devices don't actually have anymore
- The International Trade Commission is planning to review a previous ruling from last December where Microsoft claimed Motorola's Android handsets were violating nine of their patents.
- In Germany two suits between Apple and Samsung have been dismissed, but there are several more still going on
App News
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| 3D Puzzler ColoQ |
- Developer SHADE Inc has released a pretty crazy looking puzzle game called ColoQ, it's available on Android Market for free now
- Youtube has been updated to support HD videos on Froyo and Gingerbread for devices that support HD resolutions (are there any?)
- Up until now GO Launcher was only available for phones - well no longer, now you can get a beta version of GO Launcher HD via TalkAndroid
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| Trademe for Android |
- Trademe had updated their Android app, this time adding Selling options and some other cool things such as being able to place feedback or answer questions
- If you're into performing 3D benchmarks on your high-end Android device then you may want to check out the new 3DM Benchmark for Android via XDA
- If for some reason you don't like DicePlayer then you may want to check out the unofficial VLC beta for Android via XDA
- AndroidNZ favourite music player PowerAmp is currently on special for $1.99 USD ($2.39 NZD) so go get it now!
The Industry
- Asus are claiming to be very close to Google, so close in fact that they may be the first to release the next version of Android - Jelly Bean before other manufacturers
- HTC have admitted that Sense became bloated with Sense 3.0 and claim to be toning things down with version 4.0
- Is Android's growth stalling? ArtooDetoo attempts to answer this question by looking at the latest numbers
Reviews
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| Mugen's 4500mAh battery for the Galaxy Note |
- Not getting enough juice with your Galaxy Note? Check out this review of the Mugen Extended battery from our Editor-in-Chief NZtechfreak
- Still undecided on what case to use on your precious Samsung Galaxy Nexus? Gianpy has reviewed a leather pouch from SGP here
How To’s
- Have you updated to Ice Cream Sandwich on your original Transformer TF101? Well if you want Root access our in-house expert Neets can show you how with this great how to guide. As usual this is at your own risk
If you feel there’s anything important that we’ve missed, let us know in the comments below.
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