Android

Canadians wondering where your Galaxy S 4 luving is, rejoice! Telus, Bell, Virgin, and Videotron all announced plans to carry the Galaxy S4 today which almost seems like a coordinated effort on Sammy’s part.  Android Police note that each carrier has slightly differing bits of info but expect to drop $200 and be in a contract for at least 2 years.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Facebook Home doesn’t seem to have wowed early adopters, with TNW pointing to the fact that by far the most common rating of the app in user reviews on Google Play is just one star out of five …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Eric Schmidt and Google Ideas’ Jared Cohen (author of Children of Jihad) have penned a book about how technology will profoundly affect the lives of everyone in the coming years. It gets some pretty impressive reviews from some pretty impressive people, below. You can pre-order it for shipping now April 23rd from Amazon for $18
Expand
Expanding
Close

One of the benefits of having a removable back plate and battery is that you can do crazy things like add more than 3X the 2100mAh battery size for those extended outings.  It just so happens Amazon currently has this 7,000mAh add on for $34 in a variety of colors (Black, White, Blue).

This is the same amount of battery you’ll find in a Typical tablet and as you can see in the video above, pushes the S3 to 4+ days of battery life. On the downside, you now have a brick in your pocket.

Reddit Via AndroidPopo
Expand
Expanding
Close

[protected-iframe id=”c1495e2064c0efed73811e0d72a9b37e-22427743-39900168″ info=”http://www.funnyordie.com/embed/d332bf23d3″ width=”704″ height=”451″ frameborder=”0″]

Funny bit from the makers of the Steve Jobs biopic.

YouTube version below
Expand
Expanding
Close

Update: Google has confirmed to us that it has not acquired Behavio, but rather just picked up some talent from the company that will now be joining GOOG.

Behavio, a software company that uses sensors in mobile devices to compile data how users live and interact with one another, announced today (via TheVerge) that it has joined Google. The company will work on building its platform at Google while shutting down its current closed alpha and continuing to run its open source Funf project for Android that allows developers to take advantage of the technology. No word on whether or not Google has big plans for the technology or if the move was simply an “acquhire,” but Behavio’s statement noted it “couldn’t be happier to be able to continue building out our vision within Google.”

Behavio doesn’t just use traditional sensors in smartphones to learn more about its users, the software also utilizes data such as if a phone is turned on or off, what apps are installed on a device, or if a phone is currently charging or not.

There were no financial details disclosed in Behavio’s press release, and Google is yet to make an official announcement. Below is an interesting interview with Behavio co-founder from Nadav Aharony where he explains how the software works and the MIT project where Behavio was first developed:
Expand
Expanding
Close

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiqbNxRurFA

Earlier today we told you that Facebook had updated its Messenger app for Android with the new “Chat Heads” feature from its Facebook Home platform. Today also marks the official launch of Facebook Home for the initial list of supported devices and now the app is finally live on Google Play and available to download.

Facebook Home is the mobile experience that puts your friends at the heart of your phone. From the moment you turn it on, you see a steady stream of friends’ posts and photos on your home screen. Upfront notifications and quick access to your essentials mean you’ll never miss a moment. And when you download Facebook Messenger, you can keep chatting with friends when you’re using other apps.

In addition to the new HTC First, Facebook Home is currently supported on the HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and eventually the HTC One and the Galaxy S4.

You can learn more about Facebook Home from our coverage of the launch event here and check out a gallery of screenshots below:
Expand
Expanding
Close

When Facebook unveiled its new Facebook Home Android experience set to roll out on number of devices today via Google Play, one of the most talked about features was “Chat heads”. The feature allows users to quickly access Facebook messages and SMS through circular profile pictures that users can access from anywhere in the OS and organize freely on the screen.  Today, seemingly as part of its official roll out of Home, Facebook has updated its Messenger app for Android bringing a small piece of Home functionality to all Android users.

The updated version of Facebook Messenger implements the new Chat Heads feature, allowing you to see a small round icon with the face of the person you’re talking to hovering on the display even when you exit the app. When engaged in a conversation in Messenger, exiting the app will automatically create a chat head floating on top no matter where you navigate, allowing you to quickly jump back into the conversation. The chat heads can be arranged freely and dismissed at any time by dragging them off the bottom of the screen.

On top of rolling out the first device to come with Facebook Home stock– the HTC First– Facebook Home will also initially be supporting the HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and eventually the HTC One and the Galaxy S4.
Expand
Expanding
Close

With Mother’s Day just around the corner on Sunday, May 12, Sprint today announced it is launching a special promotion that will allow you to get the Galaxy S III in Amethyst Purple for $99 on the usual two-year contract, upgrade, or new line. The savings come via a $50 mail-in rebate, and Sprint also noted that it is also offering a “16GB Galaxy S III FREE with an additional $100 instant savings through a port in credit” for a limited time only for customers that switch their number from another carrier.

The Samsung Galaxy S III in special Amethyst Purple is pictured above and available through Sprint’s website now. 

Photo: New York Times

Over 400 New York cops have been given Android phones running an app that lets them access pretty much anything they might need to know while on the street – from arrest records to the locations of CCTV cameras with a view of a spot where a crime has just taken place …
Expand
Expanding
Close

In an ongoing case in which Apple and Google’s Motorola have accused each other of infringing various mobile related patents since 2010, U.S. District Judge Robert Scola said in an order yesterday that the two companies have no interest in reaching a settlement. Bloomberg reports Scola said in his order that both companies are using the litigation as a “business strategy that appears to have no end”:

“The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute; they instead are using this and similar litigation worldwide as a business strategy that appears to have no end,” U.S. District Judge Robert Scola in Miami said in an order dated yesterday. “That is not a proper use of this court.”

“Without a hint of irony, the parties now ask the court to mop up a mess they made by holding a hearing to reduce the size and complexity of the case,” he wrote. “The court declines this invitation.”

The result is Apple and Google will now have a four month period to narrow their claims related to the case that now includes over 180 claims for 12 patents. Bloomberg notes that Scola said the case currently includes “disputes over the meaning of more than 100 terms,” and that the case would be put on hold until the disputes are resolved if the two companies are unable to come up with a solution before the four month timeframe expires…
Expand
Expanding
Close

At an otherwise ho-hum Mobile World Congress 2013, LG tried to shake up the mid-range market a bit with the modestly-priced, but 4G-enabled, Optimus F Series. Composed of the F5 and F7 at first, with the F3 added later on (and tipped for its own launch on Sprint), the F-series basically pairs the style and affordability of the L-series (now in its second generation), with an LTE-enabled chipset, and calls it a day.

We’ve learned that Boost Mobile will be adding the highest-end model, the F7, to its LTE lineup in short order. It will be the carrier’s third LTE-capable device, following the HTC One SV and Boost/ZTE Force. Featuring a 4.7-inch, 720p display, 1.5GHz dual core processor, and eight-megapixel camera, the F7 (Boost codename: LG FX1) should prove a popular addition to the prepaid carrier’s handset portfolio.

If you really, really can’t decide whether you want a phone or a tablet, Samsung has confirmed the rumor we recently reported that it is indeed to launch the world’s largest smartphone: the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega.

Think you might want that but it’s just a teensy bit too large while the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II is just a touch too small? Not to worry, Samsung has thought of you too: the Galaxy Mega is also available in a 5.8-inch form.

The Galaxy Mega has a 1.7Ghz dual-core processor and runs Jelly Bean. It supports LTE, has the usual dual cameras (8MP on the rear, 1.9MP on the front) and is available with 8Gb or 16Gb storage (with a microSD slot supporting up to 64Gb).

Both variants will be launched in May in Europe and Russia, with the US launch date as yet unknown.
Expand
Expanding
Close

A security consultant & commercial pilot speaking at the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam yesterday demonstrated a way to take control of airliners using an Android app.

Net-security.org reports (via Techmeme) that Hugo Teso combined his IT and pilot expertise to demonstrate in a virtual environment how the app could exploit two elderly forms of radio data communication to upload data into the Flight Management System. This data can include both specific commands, which the auto-pilot would then execute, and updated flight plans, which would allow an attacker to direct the aircraft to the destination of their choice …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Possibly in an effort to better compete with the new pricing-strategy from T-Mobile, Sprint announced today they’ll be offering the HTC One for $99 if you’re a new customer and sign a 2-year contract. If you’re interested on getting in the deal, click here to go straight to Sprint’s pre-order page.