Starting in June, five U.S. carriers will begin selling Samsung’s Galaxy S III: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. Samsung’s entire strategy for its new phone is very Apple-like, including one model, which should help constrained production: The company can build 5M per month. Read more »
In this week’s audio podcast, Matt and Kevin cover all the recent Google Nexus 7 tablet rumors: what sounds reasonable and how much will it cost? Plus new Google Chromebooks have arrived — along with the updated ChromeOS — and Flipboard comes to Android. Read more »
Bluestacks, makers of PC software that can run Android apps, scored a big partnership with Asus. On Monday, at the yearly Computex show in Taipei, the company will announce that 30 million Asus computers will include Bluestacks’ app player, bringing Android mobile apps to Windows PCs. Read more »
Steve Jobs’ incendiary comments about Android in his biography have been ruled fair game for Motorola’s lawyers in its upcoming trial versus Apple. The judge also laid out some other ground rules this week, including forbidding Apple lawyers from playing up Jobs’ or Apple’s popularity. Read more »
Details of the expected Nexus 7 tablet, appeared in server logs this week. It appears Google has a 7-inch, quad-core slate to debut at its I/O event later this month. Flipboard opened a beta for Android users while Motorola’s smart watch gains Twitter and Facebook. Read more »
The second U.S. operator to launch Samsung’s Galaxy S II last year appears to be the first to upgrade the smartphone to Android 4.0. T-Mobile tweeted the news, saying the software update for the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android will be available on June 11. Read more »
Motorola’s wearable Android, the MotoActv, may be marketed as a fitness tracker, but with each new software update, it actually becomes a smarter smart watch. The latest update adds direct access to Facebook wall posts and Twitter messages from a Bluetooth connected Android phone. Read more »
The on again, off again launch of Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G LTE smartphone is on again: Customers will find the $199 Android 4.0 device in most Sprint stores on June 2. Unfortunately, I suspect we’ll see more mobile devices held up due to patent infringements. Read more »
Looking for a little safety and mobile privacy at that public hotspot? AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield app might be worth the look for your Android device: The new software is a multi-purpose mobile utility, combining VPN web browsing with anti-malware and broadband data compression. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Flipboard for Android launched exclusively on Samsung’s Galaxy S III. The reading app is an iOS fave due to its intuitive page flipping interface, many news sources and connectivity to social networking sites. Here’s how to register and get Flipboard for Android beta on your phone. Read more »
Although not officially announced yet, some details of an anticipated Google Nexus Tablet are surfacing online. Our own server logs shows 92 recent visits from Android 4.1 devices in California where Google is based. Here’s what we know and what we expect from Google’s Nexus Tablet. Read more »
After waiting a few months, Verizon customers who own a Galaxy Nexus LTE smartphone should soon see their phones get updated to from Android 4.0.2 to 4.0.4. Aside from app-specific improvements, this version should boost camera performance and rotate the screen orientation faster than before. Read more »
Samsung has launched Music Hub on its new Galaxy S III in five countries. The service is touted as the “first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service” but it’s not exactly new. Samsung’s Music Hub debuted in 2010 and the company keeps trying to improve it. Read more »
Citing employee preferences and the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement, Cisco is no longer investing in the Cius Android tablet it announced in 2010. I say bull: The product had “fail” written all over it and never gained traction for several reasons. Read more »
I used to use Bump, the mobile app that wirelessly transfers data between two smartphones, but over time, I uninstalled it. Now it’s not only back on my phones, but has a coveted home screen spot thanks to the latest share-to-desktop feature. Read more »
The first video capture taken with Google’s Project Glass hardware has surfaced, and the quality isn’t bad. Various stills images show camera improvements in the hardware. That’s important. Why? Because the camera could play the most important input role for the Project Glass concept. Read more »
Google has completely revamped its Google+ Android app, putting a much bigger emphasis on photo sharing and integrating its Google+ Hangouts video chat more tightly. The UI refresh comes just weeks after a similar relaunch of the Google+ iPhone app. Read more »
Microsoft has won the latest salvo in its ongoing war with Motorola, but it’s not yet clear whether Moto will buy a license for the infringed patent or try a workaround. Read more »
I’m now using Straight Talk, a Tracfone-owned cellular provider that resells service on both AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. After a few weeks of testing and some questions posed to the company, here’s the skinny: Depending on your data needs, this plan can save money. Read more »
Any remaining doubts of high demand for Samsung’s Galaxy S III can be laid to rest: Vodafone says that pre-orders for the coming soon phone have set records, making the Galaxy S III the operator’s most pre-ordered Android device yet. Carphone Warehouse is seeing the same. Read more »
MetaWatch announced two key improvements for its smartwatch development platform in an effort to better compete with up-and-comer products. The MetaWatch now has support to get wireless data from iOS devices and also aims for better battery life with the addition of a Bluetooth 4.0 radio. Read more »
After waiting months and finally gaining approval from China on the deal, Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola closed on Tuesday. While the deal is still about patents to protect Android partners, Google finally has a vehicle to gain control of Android over the long term. Read more »
Supplies of the HTC EVO 4G LTE are reportedly through U.S. Customs and on the way to Sprint stores as well as customers. Thanks to a custom software workaround for an Apple patent, the phones are in Sprint warehouses and will be delivered by May 24. Read more »
The Plex app for Google TV will be preinstalled on Sony’s upcoming Google TV devices, which are expected to hit the shelves in the U.S. and other countries this summer. This is a big deal for Plex, and a nice addition to Google TV. Read more »
Motorola explained why certain smartphones and tablets it makes won’t be getting the Google Android 4.0 software update. Not all Motorola device owners are happy though; especially those that bought a Droid 3 in the past 10 months. These folks are stuck on Android 2.3. Read more »
The ongoing patent battle between the dominant smartphone providers, is about to get its prime-time drama moment, when the CEOs of Apple and Samsung will reportedly be brought before a U.S, federal judge for mediation on Monday. Get ready for Law & Order: Silicon Valley. Read more »
In this week’s audio podcast, Matt shares a customer service horror story between AT&T and Amazon Wireless while Kevin loves the latest Kickstarter project: A smart home screen for Android tablets. Also: here’s what we know so far about the HTC EVO 4G LTE delivery delays. Read more »
Google has finally received approval from China to complete its purchase of Motorola Mobility, Google said Saturday. That paves the way for Google to integrate Motorola, though it remains to be seen exactly how it wants to use the phone maker. Read more »
A new intelligent home screen app for Android tablets appears on Kickstarter and for $5, it looks well worth it. Google is finally taking more control by planning several Nexus device partners and more direct sales, plus Samsung’s Galaxy S III is already in great demand. Read more »
A security hole was found in the ZTE Score, a handset model sold on both by Metro PCS and Cricket in the U.S. The breach appears to be a “backdoor” put in by ZTE, which is already under U.S. scrutiny as a China-based company. Read more »
Apple iPad owners have the $10 AirDisplay app to use their tablet as a second monitor for their Mac, but Android owners aren’t left out in the cold. Mobile app developer Shape offers a similar program for $5 that works with both Macs and Windows PCs. Read more »
After waiting for Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy S III handset, it’s possible you could be waiting some more: Samsung has 9 million pre-orders for the new smartphone; 3x more than last year’s model. And it says it can only build 5 million each month. Read more »
A new homescreen app for Android tablets called Chameleon is like widgets on steroids, offering multiple home screens based on time and location. Chameleon is raising funds on Kickstarter, and got my backing right away. After you see the software in action, you’ll understand why. Read more »
Foodspotting is putting great services offered by Yelp right into its social food-finding app: reviews, as well as OpenTable reservations and menu pages from Single Platform. Plus: Restaurants will find more informative dashboard pages and users will see far more data on their profile pages. Read more »
China is expected to rule soon on Google’s proposed acquisition of Motorola, with the deal already approved elsewhere. Google needs the deal, especially for tablets, says Goldman Sachs, because the costs are too high to be the default search engine on Apple’s iPad. Read more »
With a reported 11 teens killed while texting and driving per day, parents are turning towards apps to limit their kids phone use behind the wheel. SecruaFone offers one for iPhone and Android handsets that diables some features when in motion, but it doesn’t stop there. Read more »
Over the past year as more consumers have adopted smartphones the number of installed applications is up from 32 to 41. Yet the amount of time spent using those applications hasn’t changed much, indicating that developers might be challenged when it comes to increasing application engagement. Read more »
Google may be rethinking its Nexus Android strategy in a big way and addressing two major concerns about the evolution of the software: its proposed deal with Motorola and the slow pace of software updates for Android phones. Read more »
Is your Facebook mobile app slow to update or showing old data on Android or iOS? If so, you’re not alone. I’ve noticed a degradation in the mobile application’s performance for months but I never knew exactly why it was. Until now. Read more »
