Android Fun

A couple of T-Mobile's latest devices won't be setting the world on fire, but it's worth noting that their release dates could be right around the corner.

The HTC One Developer Edition is now receiving a software update to 1.29.1540.16. The update looks to enhance capacitive button sensitivity, as well as improve overall stability.

Google Voice lovers were a little upset to learn that Hangouts didn't come with voice-like functionality. Google's promising something better, though: Hangouts will essentially be the future of Google Voice.

Want to change your home screen up just a smidge? Here’s a great app we just discovered called PlayBar UCCW. As the title suggests, it is a pack of pre-designed widgets that work within Ultimate Custom Widget (UCCW). The bundle features access to a handful of the most common apps and settings, including camera, Twitter, Google+, and Music. What we liked most ... The post Add a bit of Google Play design to your homescreen with PlayBar UCCW appeared first on AndroidGuys.

The most recent post on the Google Plus development blog is showing off the latest version of G+ for android, version 42. The update includes major improvements to photo handling, such as: Auto Backup, to safely and privately store your photos as you snap them Auto Highlight, to browse a selection of top shots from every set of photos you ... The post Google+ for Android version 42 features released appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Googled showed off a lot of great new features for Google+ at Google IO, but those interested in getting those features in mobile form have been forced to wait... until today. Google has detailed all the great new features in this latest update.

Last month we heard about the Sony Xperia UL, and now it’s official. It includes a 5-inch 1080p display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, an Exmor RS 13.1MP camera with the ability to capture 15 frames per second, 2300mAh battery, NFC, IR blaster, and Bluetooth 4.0. [...] Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia UL officially announced for Japan Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

The Society for Information Display’s annual show is taking place this week in Vancouver, Canada and LG something special to unveil. For the first time in public, they will show off a 5-inch unbreakable and flexible OLED panel for mobile devices. The flexible part is cool, but the unbreakable part might actually be more meaningful [...] Come comment on this article: LG to unveil 5-inch unbreakable and flexible OLED display this week Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

This year’s Smart App Challenge by Samsung has arrived, and will focus on creative usage with its Chord SDK. The Chord SDK features quick peer-to-peer sharing, and allows for collaboration and sharing info/media between multiple devices on the fly. There’s $800,000 in prize money at stake for 10 different applications. The possibilities are essentially limitless [...] Come comment on this article: Samsung’s annual Smart App Challenge has arrived, will focus on Chord SDK Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

Big Red is about to refresh their pre-paid plans a bit— starting today, existing customers will be able to enjoy raised data caps with no price change on their existing plan. The new plan will effect new customers starting June 6th. The previous plan had two options, one for $60 monthly and 500MB, and another [...] Come comment on this article: Verizon updating pre-paid plans, data caps to increase Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

The rumored successor to the HTC Butterfly, the HTC Butterfly S, has been spotted in a User Agent Profile XML file. The document revealed its screen resolution, 1080 by 1920 pixels, the same exact resolution as on the HTC Butterfly. There’s plenty of room for speculation on other specs as further details have not yet [...] Come comment on this article: HTC Butterfly S screen resolution revealed, will adopt many HTC One features Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

The picture grows a little bit clearer today for the Verizon edition of the so-called X Phone/XFON as new details have surfaced. Thanks to the team at Droid Life we now have an understanding as to what model number and basic specs to look forward to seeing. According to their source, the XFON will likely bear the model number of ... The post New details trickle in for Verizon’s XFON appeared first on AndroidGuys.

British explorer Daniel Hughes accomplished a tremendous feat – climbing to the top of Mt. Everest. So, what’s such an adventurer to do once he’s hit the top? Whip out his HTC One and make a video call, of course. His video call to BBC was part of his effort to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, which is ... The post First video call from peak of Mt Everest made on an HTC One appeared first on AndroidGuys.

The Jolla isn't an Android phone, but its Sailfish has been designed to run Android apps with proper porting. Will this Meego-based movement send shockwaves throughout the mobile industry?

Recently, I have been looking for a portable speaker to replace the old Panasonic ones I have had around for years. I want something that is powerful, easy to use, and of course reasonably priced (and yes, more modern too.) After going through a few options, I may have found just the thing. Let me introduce the Rocksteady XS from ... The post Review: Rocksteady XS portable micro Bluetooth speaker appeared first on AndroidGuys.

The first images of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 have leaked online, giving us a look at how the device might look for the rugged smartphone. Photos, obtained by GSMArena, show the handset as having three hardware buttons as well as a stronger, reinforced shell. The specs for the Samsung Galaxy S4 are expected to include a quad-core 1.9GHz processor ... The post Images provide first look at ruggedized Samsung Galaxy S4 Active appeared first on AndroidGuys.

A recently updated Samsung WatchON Android app update may have accidentally leaked three upcoming smartphones. As you can see from the accompanying image, the short term future could reveal a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mega, S4 Mini and S4 Active. While the Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy S4 Active have already crossed our paths a time or two, this is the first we’re ... The post Samsung slip outs Galaxy S4 Mega appeared first on AndroidGuys.

As most HTC One users can yell you, the much anticipated high-end phone is really lagging behind when it comes to which Android version it is running. The One should have come out of the box with Android 4.2 when it was released, however it is still running on yesterday’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (coupled with Sense 5,) all while ... The post Rumors: HTC “Senseless” edition may be coming this summer, Android 4.2 finally coming to the HTC One? appeared first on AndroidGuys.

We know that Google is going to introduce a new TV set-top box of some sort, and we are hoping that it will get released by the end of the year. It looks like that may happen since a new media player just passed the FCC. Unfortunately we don’t have too many details at this [...] Come comment on this article: Google’s latest media player hits the FCC Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

We have certainly heard about the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active before, but we finally have a concrete idea of what to expect upon its imminent release in the immediate future. The design will not exactly be similar to the Galaxy S 4 smartphone, as it will feature an appealing and sporty red and [...] Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active outed for your viewing pleasure Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

Despite it aging at a fast rate (in Android years at least), the Galaxy S III smartphone is still one hell of a smartphone. So that’s why Samsung has been hard at work ensuring its most successful device to date will continue to receive prompt updates in order to keep things current. With that [...] Come comment on this article: Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III gets a taste of Android 4.2.2, thanks to leaked firmware Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has only been mentioned in name before, but we might finally have our first real look at the device. Check out these latest images which are rumored to be the rugged Galaxy S4.

A potential Nexus Q successor was recently spotted in FCC documents suggesting that Google could be making headway in the Google Play-centric device.  Listed as an “H840 Device”, the H2G2-42 was found to feature Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n) support,  a USB port, and separate power supply. Documents show that the unit was tested by hooking up to a 24-inch Dell monitor. Considering ... The post Potential Nexus Q successor spied in FCC docs appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Sony announced on Monday that Japanese carriers will soon offer the Xperia UL, a 5-inch 1080p HD experience. Specifications include a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB RAM, a 2300mAH battery, 16GB internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and front-facing 3.1-megapixel camera. As is the case with many of Sony’s models of late, the Xperia UL is waterproof and dust ... The post 5-inch Sony Xperia UL introduced for Japan appeared first on AndroidGuys.

If you were one of the Verizon customers who originally pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S4 you might like to know that the device is now shipping to customers. Check your account to see if yours has gone out!

A couple of previously rumored Samsung devices have been spotted in an app update over in he Google Play Store, while a third new phone -- the Galaxy S4 Mega -- makes its debut in the rumor mill.

With rumors surfacing yesterday about a possible HTC One running a stock Android install, another rumor surfaced that may be more interesting for current owners of the device or those not willing to wait for confirmation of the “Google experience” HTC One. Over on Twitter, developer @LlabTooFer responded to an inquiry about Android 4.2′s availability [...] Come comment on this article: Android 4.2 for HTC One only 2-3 weeks away? Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

According to a GL Benchmark test, a device with the model number GT-P5200 is going to include a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ processor working with a PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU. The GT-P5200 name seems to code for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, as the GT-P5100 was the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. [...] Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 rumored to ship with Intel processor Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

We had another busy week at TalkAndroid so here’s a recap of all the top stories. Google I/O was this week, so it’s no surprise that it dominated the headlines. Google officially unveiled their new unified messaging service called Hangouts and their new gaming service called Play Games Services. They also unveiled their new streaming [...] Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Weekly Recap for May 13 – May 19, 2013 Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

As we’ve reported multiple times before, Samsung has big plans to release multiple variants of their newest flagship, the Galaxy S 4, to serve various purposes. The water and dust proof variant just ran through the GFX Benchmark site and we now have more information on the device including its official name, the Galaxy S 4 J Active.  There [...] Come comment on this article: Waterproof S 4 variant shows up in benchmark with downgraded processor, dubbed the Galaxy S 4 J Active Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!