The sphere news

Nokia 500 is now official; runs Symbian Anna and ticks at 1GHz

2011-08-01T03:54:00.001-07:00

Remember those photos from not long ago that allegedly represented a leaked Nokia roadmap? The images shed some light on a quartet of mid-range, Symbian-powered Nokia smartphones that were supposedly scheduled to see the light of day in the third quarter of this year. Well, the said leaked roadmap may be genuine after all as one of the devices listed in it, the Nokia 500, has just been unveiled.

The Nokia 500 is actually marketed as an entry level smartphone despite the 1GHz processor that is ticking under its hood. It features a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 360 by 640 pixels, and a 5-megapixel camera with no flash is located on the device's back. The camera is most probably of the full-focus kind, and judging by the smartphone's data sheet, capturing HD video is not among the things that it can do. There is also a pentaband radio crammed in there so the Nokia 500 will be able to run on AT&T or T-Mobile's networks.

Some other goodies that the Nokia 500 has to offer include Wi-Fi, GPS, FM radio, 2 gigs of built-in storage and... interchangeable battery covers. On the software side, Symbian Anna will be running the show accompanied by a selection of widgets for quick access to social networks on the go.

So, some of you are probably curious to find out how much the Nokia 500 is going to retail for when it launches. The good news is that the smartphone will be priced at the affordable €150 (roughly $215), and is expected to hit the shelves in the third quarter of 2011, just as the rumors have suggested. Will it ever launch in the US, however, is still anyone's guess.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

source: Nokia

Motorola MB865 leaks again from the AT&T system, complete with an LTE tracking code

2011-08-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

That mysterious Motorola MB865 handset we've been hearing for a while now, is shaping up to indeed be one of the first handsets for AT&T's upcoming 4G LTE network.

We had this model number leak from the AT&T system last week, but at the time the only thing clear from the screenshot was that it will most likely feature Motorola's own Android interface overlay. The LTE part was just a speculation based on the fact that a model number XT865 used to identify the scrapped version of Motorola DROID BIONIC, which would have been the company's first LTE handset, but is now redesigned.

Now a tipster sent us a screenshot from the XDM system, which AT&T's Tier 2 support uses to push MMS, APN and system updates via the IMEI and phone number to individual handsets. Such numbers, he confirms with the screenshot below, have already been assigned to Motorola MB865 handsets in the hands of field testers, with area codes mostly from places where AT&T's LTE network is about to be rolled out first. In his words, the phone "is definitely an LTE device since it has been provisioned with an LTE tracking code in the billing system".

Meanwhile, last week images of a new Motorola phone appeared in a Chinese forum, and the leaker has confirmed for AnandTech that this is a test Motorola MB865. The device, however, seems to be more of a sequel to the Motorola ATRIX 4G in its shapes, rather than having the "hump" of the DROID BIONIC Targa. Moreover, the ATRIX 4G carries the MB860 codename, so MB865 being an LTE-equipped update is highly likely.

The source also states that the Motorola MB865 has a dual-core chipset of which he doesn't know the maker, but says it might be dual-core Texas Instruments, extrapolating from what we've heard about the refreshed version of the DROID BIONIC. He also speculates about the screen resolution possibly being HD, i.e. 720x1280 pixels, but admits the suggestion is based purely on rumors about upcoming phones with HD displays from Samsung, Motorola, HTC and others, so we are most likely going to still have a qHD screen here.

So, for all it's worth, we might be looking at one of AT&T's initial LTE launch handsets, hiding behind the Motorola MB865 codename, which will finally shoot Full HD 1080p video, and resemble more the Motorola ATRIX 4G exterior, rather than the upcoming DROID BIONIC handset for Verizon, despite the similar (or same) specs.

source: IT168 via AnandTech

Asus Eee Pad Slider coming in a single 32GB flavor this September, 3G model to hit shelves in 2012?

2011-08-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

The Asus Eee Pad Slider has been officially confirmed for release in September in various European markets, and what's interesting is that the tablet will only ship in its 32GB Wi-Fi-only variety for a price set at nearly $718 (499 euro) off contract. But it's South Africa that will be the first to get the tablet, followed by release in markets in the Old Continent. There were no details yet about a release stateside, but it's very likely that the price will change once the tablet makes it across the pond. A 3G model is not expected earlier than the first quarter of 2012.

The specifications for the 10.1-inch tablet haven't changed from what we already know – a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chip is under the hood, while Android 3.1 Honeycomb provides the software backbone. Most notable is the USB 2.0 Connector paired with USB Host function allowing you to connect compatible devices such as a mouse (which could turn your tablet into a miniature work station) or USB storage for your media.

The Eee Pad Slider tilts out to reveal a full-QWERTY chiclet-style keyboard. You can also use it for video conferencing and taking pictures with its 5-megapixel rear-facing snapper and 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. The slate will be sold in “pearl white” and “metallic brown” flavors. Check out one of the first video demonstrations of the Slider's capabilities below and feel free to share your thoughts about how the tablet fits in the market.

source: Tablet Magazine (translated) via Engadget

LG to start rolling out its Remote Call services worldwide

2011-08-01T03:50:00.000-07:00

Just like any other electronic gizmo on the market today, smartphones can also misbehave and cause a great deal of headaches to their unlucky owners. LG, however, has come up with a way to help alleviate the pain of frustration and will start rolling out its Remote Call services worldwide, as it was announced today.

The LG Remote Call services have been available in Korea since May of this year and have actually received plenty of positive feedback from those who tried them out. By using the Remote Call app, which currently comes preinstalled on select smartphones from the Optimus lineup, users can call an LG representative and get help with resolving a software issue, get assistance with updating their handset's firmware, or simply ask a what-does-that-button-do kind of question. Only the LG Optimus 2X, Optimus Black and Optimus 3D can take advantage of the service at this time, yet other devices are expected to follow suit eventually.

What is required for the LG Remote Call service to work, however, is for the smartphone that is acting up to be connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi or 3G. The requirement is imposed so that the company representative can access the device remotely and diagnose the issue effectively. Nevertheless, there is no need for you to worry about anyone taking a peek at your private data as it will not be accessible by the LG assistant, unless you manually give them access to it, that is, should the circumstances require you to do so.

The LG Remote Call services will be made available worldwide by the end of 2011 with countries across Europe, the Asia Pacific region, South and Central America to be the next to get access to it.

source: LG

Adobe Edge HTML5 tool brings an alternative to Flash

2011-08-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

For good or bad, Adobe Flash is all over the web – sure the HTML5 revolution might be coming, but its advent is not as quick as some would hope. Flash however is a double-edged sword with content being dynamic yet too heavy as per some companies (cough, Apple). A new web development tool might eat into Flash space from the inside - Adobe Edge is developed by Adobe itself and relies on the three pillars of web development HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3, translating into full compatibility with Apple products along with others.

"What we've seen happening is HTML is getting much richer. We're seeing more workflow previously reserved for Flash being done with Web standards," Devin Fernandez of Adobe's Web Pro group admitted. To use that richness, Adobe Edge allows developers to add animation effects so elements flow into view when you open a page. The magic happens via CSS and controlled by JavaScript which get tucked neatly in “include” files, not overcomplicating the HTML core of the page.

The familiar Adobe interface adds a lot to functionality, and the first tool to help that is the timeline giving you quick view and control of triggered events. But Edge is not yet as advanced as you'd hope:

"[For] the first public preview release, we focused on animation. Over the public preview period, we'll be adding additional functionality. We'll be incorporating feedback from the community, taking those requests into account," Fernandez added.

Coming up next are actions triggered by events, video and audio elements, both supported by HTML5, but also support for various graphical formats like PNG, GIF, JPEG and SVG.

Adobe Edge is now available as a free download, but it hasn't yet reached commercial status – the final tool is expected to roll out some time next year and Adobe promises to factor in feedback from the developers community. The company promises to quickly update the products and add new features and functionality as the release date looms closer.

source: Adobe via CNET

Apple and Nokia assemblyman Foxconn to swap a number of workers with one million robots

2011-08-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

We thought that a high-tech company like Foxconn, which assembles some of the most popular (and hard to assemble) gadgets, like smartphones by Apple, Nokia and others, is already maxed out on robots working the conveyor belts, Japanese style.

Turns out that simple operations like welding, spraying and assembling are still done by the 1.2 million strong army of Foxconn employees, with only 10 000 robots to back them up. Terry Gou, the Foxconn founder, known as a true capitalist who relentlessly pursues efficiency in his factories, is planning to increase the number of robots to 300 000 next year, and one million total in the next three years.

Well, robots don't jump from buildings because of the unbearable life at the conveyor belt, nor do they leak trade secrets about upcoming Apple products, or demand wage hikes, so in the long run the robot move is smart. Wages in China have to keep rising with the inflation that the West money-printing exercise is exporting around the globe, so the robots will definitely be cheaper in the end for repetitive tasks. We are, however, split should we worry about the Foxconn employees who will be without a job due to the robots taking over, or be happy for them leaving the mind-numbing assembly jobs and going back to nature in the rice paddy.

Either way, Apple is rumored already shifting the iPad 3 assembly entirely to Pegatron, trying to diversify contractors, and also mitigate the bad publicity its Foxconn relationship is creating with factory fires, suicides and leaks. Ironically, CEO Terry Gou broke the news at a "workers' dance party Friday night". Guess nobody was doing the robot afterwards.

source: Xinhua via Forbes

Missing app comments on the Android Market draws the ire of developers

2011-08-01T03:47:00.000-07:00

Where have some of the comments on the Android Market been disappearing to? Many developers are upset as positive 5 star ratings for their apps go missing. Actually, ratings from 1 star all the way to 5 stars have disappeared and the good news is that Google is already working to find out what is going on. A Google employee says that the Mountain View based company is aware of the problem and is working hard to resolve it.

Looking at the Android Market Developer forum, one developer is complaining that half of the comments on his two apps has disappeared. Another had 70 comments on his app now cut down to 28. Another developer lost so many stars on the paid version of his app that it now has a lower rating than the app's free version. Many Android Market 'shoppers' use these comments and ratings to judge whether or not to install an app. Has someone hacked into the Android Market, or is there a more innocent reason for this?

source: AndroidMarketDevelopers forum via AndroidCentral

A Google employee tells developers that Google is working to "resolve the issue"

Verizon soon to get HTC Droid Incredible 2 in silver

2011-08-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

You have to feel sorry for the HTC Droid Incredible. When the original model was launched, it was well reviewed and looked like a breakout hit for Big Red. But soon a back order developed and when Samsung decided to keep the AMOLED displays it was producing for other phones so it could ship the Samsung Galaxy S, the Droid Incredible quickly faded from the spotlights.

Is this the silver refresh version of the HTC Droid Incredible 2?

When the HTC Droid Incredible 2 was launched this April, things again looked positive for the handset. But soon, Verizon had three LTE enabled phones with the HTC ThunderBolt, the Samsung DROID Charge and the LG Revolution. The Motorola DROID 3, while not a 4G device, offers what many are calling one of the best non-BlackBerry QWERTY keyboards ever attached to a smartphone. The yet to be introduced Motorola DROID Bionic creates a frenzy whenever the handset is mentioned and the Samsung Function will be the carrier's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II. As we reported, the latter model, considered the hottest handset of the summer and called by many the best Android phone ever, could be rolled out as soon as August 12th.

So how can Verizon drum up attention for a phone that seems outdated after just 3 to 4 months? The carrier's solution is to offer a color refresh if leaked pictures obtained by PocketNow are legit. The pictures show the HTC Droid Incredible 2 in silver and despite the new color, the specs remain the same as from the original black version. There is a 4 inch 480 x 800 resolution screen, with Android 2.3 now on board. A positively barbaric single-core 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 is under the hood.

The problem here is that the price of the HTC Droid Incredible 2 is $199.99 with a 2 year contract. That is also the price for the 4G enabled LG Revolution and the recently released Motorola DROID 3, which beats out the Droid Incredible 2 in just about every spec except for RAM. And it all means that once again, the HTC Droid Incredible 2 becomes Big Red's forgotten phone, even with a silver refresh. If Verizon takes an axe to the price tag, that might help matters somewhat, but it will have to happen soon before Verizon customers get to finally see what the Motorola DROID Bionic is all about.

source: PocketNow via UnwiredView

Amazon decides not to accept app submissions in Germany

2011-08-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

Because of Apple's legal actions in trying to get Amazon to change the name of its "appstore", the online retailer has decided to stop accepting anymore app submissions in Germany. In an email sent to app developers, Amazon clearly stated that it would not accept submissions of apps from developers located in Germany. Amazon also clearly made it known that Apple's lawsuit against it in Germany over the use of the "appstore" name was the impetus behind Amazon's decision. The latter did say that it expects to resume accepting submissions from German app developers sometime in the future.

In the States, Amazon has done better in convincing the courts that the Amazon "appstore" name will not confuse Americans looking for the Apple App Store. As we reported, back in June a federal court in Oakland, California denied a request from Apple for a preliminary injunction against Amazon's use of the "appstore" name for its online repository of applications for Android phones. The court ruled that Apple had not shown a "likelihood of success" in the legal battle with Amazon.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton wrote in her ruling that the court did not agree with Amazon that the "appstore" term is generic. At the same time, the court said that Apple's claim that the term "App Store" suggests its own online applications store is not the case, "as there appears to be no need for a leap of imagination to understand what the term means," wrote the Judge. The Judge also noted that Apple's basis for its legal action is the fear that Amazon would let inappropriate content, malware and viruses to enter its appstore and therefore harm the reputation of Apple's App Store. But the Judge says that this is not a valid concern for Apple since the Amazon appstore does not offer apps for any Apple device.

The U.S. portion of Apple v. Amazon, Inc. starts this coming October and before the fun and festivities start, you can expect Apple to challenge Amazon's use of the "appstore" name in other countries. After all, Amazon has seemed to cater a bit in Germany giving Apple brass the idea that if they rattle the cages a bit, Amazon will retreat for the moment although it does say that Apple's case is without merit.

source: PCMagazine

Samsung Droid Charge is priced affordably at $99.99 through Amazon

2011-08-01T03:43:00.001-07:00

Being the costliest of the big three 4G LTE smartphones right now, one has to seriously dish out some dough to experience all of the joyous wonders available with the Samsung Droid Charge. Yet, its $299.99 on-contract price point might scare away some people from picking one up.

Luckily, that’s where Amazon comes to the rescue – yet again of course! Previously, we’ve seen the online retailer drop the handset’s price to a very reasonable $179.99 for anyone looking to start a brand new line of service with the carrier. This time however, they’re one-upping themselves by now pricing it at an even more remarkable $99.99, which is rather aggressive to tell you the truth.

Nevertheless, we’re certain that more people will now consider purchasing the smartphone now, but if you’re an upgrade customer, just know that you’ll need to dish out $189.99 to pick one up.

source: Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S II sign-up page closer to being live for U.S. fans

2011-07-27T00:17:00.001-07:00

A lot of information about the U.S. iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S II has been released over the last few days. We have passed along what apparently are pictures of the AT&T version of the phone, the Samsung Galaxy Attain, complete with a side sliding QWERTY. We also showed you a prototype of the same model sans the QWERTY, and another picture of what could be the version of the phone for Sprint.

Another sign that we are getting close to the U.S. launch of the hottest smartphone on the planet is Samsung's U.S. web site. Search for the Galaxy S II on the Korean manufacturer's web site, and instead of being told that no such phone exists, you are sent to a placekeeper page for the Galaxy S II sign-up site. Unfortunately, the sign-up page is not yet live. But soon, you will be able to register your email address with Samsung and get the word when the handset becomes available for your carrier (assuming you are not a T-Mobile customer). Note that the placeholder page has the first image of the Galaxy II on the Korean manufacturer's U.S. site. Does that picture of the Samsung Galaxy S II look like the AT&T or Sprint models to you?

source: Samsung via droidmatters


Click on the link to the Samsung Galaxy S II's sign up page (L) and the site is not yet up (R)

Motorola DROID X2 now getting its Gingerbread update

2011-07-27T00:16:00.002-07:00

The Motorola DROID X2 has received its Gingerbread update

Many an eyebrow was raised when Verizon launched the Motorola DROID X2 with Android 2.2. After all, considering that the first-generation of the phone had a nice run as Verizon's flagship handset, you would expect the sequel to come out dressed in its Sunday best. But as it turned out, DROID X2 owners didn't have to wait terribly long as on Tuesday, the Gingerbread update was rolled out to the handset.

Besides Android 2.3, the update brings some enhancements to the phone such as a Download Manager app, a new app that manages the downloads on your phone from web browsing, email attachments and from other apps. When inputting numerals from the keyboard, shortcuts can be used instead of having to change to the numeric function mode. Word selection and copy/paste are both improved. Press-hold on the screen will now help you select a word. Press twice and the word can be copied. Although the device is too new to be boring for its owners, the update brings a revised UI and a new color scheme as well as new widgets and icons.

Some new features are now available to the Motorola DROID X2 calendar. When traveling, you can view events in your home time zone. Other changes allow you to dial one number to set up a conference call, Google Books is now pre-installed and lastly, any images captured with your camera app can be geo-tagged. Check the sourcelink for a complete list of changes that the download brings. And DROID X2 owners, please let us know what you think of Gingerbread on your device by leaving some comments below.

source: Verizon via AndroidCentral

Alleged schematics of Apple iPhone 5 case shows larger home button, curved back

2011-07-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

While the design of the Apple iPhone 4 has received high praise, if some schematic designs for an Apple iPhone 5 case obtained by MobileFun are for real, the next generation model of Apple's touchscreen phone looks to be taking a step back in time. With the back of the device curved like the Apple iPad 2, the rounded back design brings back memories of the iPhone 3GS.

But that doesn't mean that Apple is bringing back an older model. The screen size appears to be increased to a range of 3.7 to 4 inches, up from the current 3.5 inch display size. As expected, the screen will be edge to edge allowing Apple to use every possible inch of real estate to increase the size of the screen while keeping the phone a decent size. Back in May, we reported that a prototype of the phone showed such a screen design.

It should be interesting to seen how Apple handles the resolution of a larger screen, if they keep the 300ppi needed for the display to be a Retina Display. If the screen is expanded to 3.7 inches and the 640 x 960 resolution remains the same, the ppi will be 312, down from the current 326, but still enough to be called a Retina Display. Talk of a gesture based home button would explain the larger size of the button in the schematics.

MobileFun says that according to the design document, side buttons have been moved to the opposite side and the lock button is now near the camera and the volume controls are more than half way down the side of the phone. That doesn't seem apparent from the schematic design. MobileFun also theorizes that the lock and volume buttons could be touch sensitive and that the Apple logo on the back could be the antenna.

Just before every Apple iPhone has been announced, leaks start to increase in number and in accuracy. We might not be able to glean information from a prototype found in a bar like last year, but information from case manufacturers has historically proven to be quite accurate. And to make things more interesting, a second case manufacturer provided MobileFun with a picture of one of their cases allegedly made for the Apple iPhone 5. The openings correspond nicely with the schematics.

source: MobileFun via 9to5Mac, RedmondPie


Schematics supposedly for an Apple iPhone 5 case (L) reveals a change in design from the current model, a different case manufacturer shows off its product for the Apple iPhone 5

New video shows off typing using the BlackBerry Torch 9860 virtual keyboard

2011-07-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

With the upcoming BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860, you can tell that RIM is really opening up to using the touchscreen much more with its next-generation devices, which they’re hoping to be used more for inputting lengthy text.

Lucky for all of us, a new video shows off the typing experience with the upcoming BlackBerry Torch 9860 using its virtual keyboards. Based on the video, both the layout of the portrait and landscape keyboards appear to be uniform with their square size – and since it’s rumored to be running a 1.2GHz processor, its operation is nearly effortless. Additionally, you’ll know when you hit a specific button because of the superimposed character seen when something is pressed.

Aside from that, we’re presented with some other multimedia centric functionality with the handset – like watching videos. With such a responsive rate in its typing operation, inputting text is undoubtedly looking to be a piece of cake with this one.

via CrackBerry

AT&T might still be getting a QWERTY-less version of the Samsung Galaxy S II

2011-07-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

It’s quite apparent, but not everyone is a fan of QWERTY devices, but in the case of the upcoming version of the Samsung Galaxy II coming to AT&T in the near future, it loses some of its svelte appearance due to the addition of a physical keyboard.

Needless to say, there are some people bummed out by the news this morning that we reported, but we might still see a QWERTY-less version of the handset. Apparently there is a prototype currently in testing which appears to be a version of the same handset, but without a keyboard packed on of course. So far, the only thing mentioned about the handset is that it’s running Android 2.3.4, employs a WVGA display, and is detailed as being “really sexy” according to the Android Central tipster.

As much as some people might be excited by this new revelation, it’s still rather difficult to say if this one will actually make it to market – though, it doesn’t hurt to hope, right?

source: Android Central

Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook v2.0 adds on Places & Events features

2011-07-27T00:12:00.000-07:00

Fortunately for any BlackBerry PlayBook owners out there, the official Facebook app for the tablet is being updated to version 2.0 and brings forth some exciting new features that further deepen its functionality.

Although it’s still very rare to find official tablet-optimized versions of the app on other platforms, PlayBook owners will now find popular features like Facebook Places and Events that further provide an engaging experience. With Places, users will be able to share locations with friends and even get directions to specific places with Bing Maps integration. Additionally, Facebook Events allows you to view and receive notifications of new invitations and get detailed information as well pertaining to the specific event.

Instead of seeing how many people “like” a certain post, you’ll now be able to actually view the actual names of friends who "like" it. And lastly, more control is given to the user seeing that there is now a new privacy control that allows you to maintain who can see each update users share.

If you haven’t done so already, you can download the update right now through the BlackBerry App World – or if you have a previous version, you’ll more than likely get a notification to update it.

source: RIM

Google Shopper for iPhone gets Offers

2011-07-27T00:10:00.000-07:00

Google Offers is Google's answer to Groupon, Facebook Deals, Yelp Deals, and Foursquare Specials, LivingSocial, and any other e-coupon services that you can think of. The trouble is that Google Offers is still in limited release. It began life in Portland, Oregon, then spread out to the San Francisco Bay area, and New York City area, but those are still the only places you can find and use Google Offers. But, regardless of where you live, if you've got the Google Shopper app for iPhone, you now have Offers in your pocket.

Google Shopper for iOS has been upgraded to version 1.5 which brings Offers. Users can view Offers either in list view, or in map view. And, the app will also keep track of any Offers you're interested in or have purchased.

The Google blog post says that Shopper 1.5 is available for users in the US and UK with iOS 4.0+. Of course, Offers are only useful for those living in the areas listed above. Although, Offers are scheduled to come to Austin, TX, Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, and Washington DC soon.

source: Google Mobile Blog

iTunes install link

Verizon to display the Motorola Droid Bionic on July 29 and selling it on August 4

2011-07-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

The ever elusive Motorola Droid Bionic. We first saw you in Etna form at CES earlier this year, but you were scrapped months later and replaced by the new Targa version.

Up until now, there has been little solid info regarding the release date, though there was some rumors and an earlier screen-shot pointing to August 4th. Now it appears that Verizon stores have received official notification informing them that they will receive the Droid Bionic later this month and to have it on public display starting July 29th, and will most likely be placed here. The email also points to August 4th as the release date. It does not give a price, though most believe it will be around $299 with contract.

Hopefully this will all happen, and the Droid Bionic will hit on August 4th, as the it will be the first dual-core smartphone to run on Verizon's 4G LTE network.

source: Droid-Life and Android Forums

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty for Android Review

2011-07-26T23:56:00.000-07:00

Introduction:

Although he isn't the most well known, popular, or even iconic of Marvel Comics' characters, Captain America is really the heart of the company. He is equal parts Superman (personality) and Batman (no true super-powers), and best of all, he once punched Hitler in the jaw. Now, Cap has his own movie, and of course with a movie comes games. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is the first mobile game from Marvel Entertainment, and is made by SEGA.

Story & Presentation:

The game is a side-scrolling action platformer where you play as Captain America (of course) and attempt to take down HYDRA, a group led by the Red Skull, which is making weapons that could turn the tide of World War II. The story was written by Marvel's Chris Gage, and is told through cut-scene cinematics that bookend each stage which feature art by Ron Lim and Christopher Sotomayor, and text blurbs at the beginning of each level within a stage. Unfortunately, the story just isn't very compelling, and it's easy to miss any subtlety that may be there.

The game is presented with HD graphics, and looks great. Captain America looks perfect, and the environments are well detailed. The HYDRA soldiers are a bit repetitive, but luckily Marvel wrote that into the comics a long time ago, so we can't really fault the game for that. The game is made up of three stages with eight levels each and along with collectables in each stage should offer hours of gaming. The collectables lead to unlockables like extra costumes and comic book covers.

The menus are easy to navigate, although some have reported problems with the menus on qHD screens. The biggest trouble we found in navigation is that the physical back button doesn't do anything, and there's no "quit" option on the main screen. This means the only way to exit the game is to hit the home button, which doesn't actually quit the game, it just pushes the game into a background process. This is nice if you want to jump out and jump back in, but otherwise it can make your phone a bit sluggish. Or, at least, it makes the game menus sluggish when resuming.

It's also a bit annoying that the game doesn't save your sound preferences, so you have to lower the volume after each launch. And, even if you have the sound levels set to off, the sound will come on anyway during cut-scenes as you move from world to world, so be careful if you're playing in a quiet area.

Gameplay:

The key of the game, as usually is the case with touch screen games, is all in the controls. The game uses gesture controls, which actually work fairly well most of the time. Swiping in a direction makes Cap auto-run in that direction. While running, Cap can slide, jump and attack. Early on, this seemed like it could get repetitive, but the game does well to add in extra moves like wall jumping, wall running, throwing Cap's shield, and attack combos. These extra moves and combos help keep the controls from getting too repetitive, but the controls aren't the most accurate.

There were enough times where a swipe would be ignored or there would be a delay in action to make the game a bit frustrating at times. Of course, the game is an action platformer, and the worst part about inaccurate controls is when you get to those platforming areas. For the most part, you can avoid the harder platforming sections if you want to because most only lead to collectables, but you may really want to get that Bucky Barnes costume. The platforming can get frustrating when you swipe to jump and end up running straight through some trip wires. Although, even with those frustrations, the game isn't very difficult. We were able to get through most levels without dying at all.

Conclusion:

Captain America is a really good game. The gesture controls work well enough most of the time, and are varied enough to keep the game from being too repetitive. The visuals are very nice, and the levels are easy to navigate. There aren't a lot of them right now, so this game easily makes our top 5 list for best platformers on Android.

Fair warning for EVO 3D users, there have been a number of users in the Market comments that say the game just doesn't work on that handset. The game worked well on the Nexus One we used for testing, mostly just issues with slow text scrolling. Although we did hit a couple crashes at the start to level 10.

It's definitely worth a try, and will normally cost $4.99. The game was supposed to jump back to $4.99 after opening weekend, but the Android Market is still listing the game for 99 cents, so grab it while you can.

Install Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (Android Market link)

Gingerbread over-the-air update for the T-Mobile G2x is being sent out right now

2011-07-26T23:54:00.001-07:00

For those who couldn’t wait any longer, some T-Mobile G2x owners out there might have already downloaded and installed the Gingerbread update for their phone using the LG Mobile Support tool method, which requires you to install the update the old fashion way by connecting it to a PC.

Well, for those others who prefer a less cumbersome route, you’re method is finally available today as T-Mobile started rolling out the update using the preferred over-the-air process. Naturally, that notification will eventually arrive indicating that it’s ready for download. Besides the updated facelift, owners can also expect to find the addition of these other goodies with the update:

Improved battery life
Improved front-facing camera operation when using Qik record and share
Improved disabling Car Home
Helps address unexpected reboots

Without a doubt, we’re sure that this will please many people out there, and combining the fact that the handset recently came back into stock online boasting one impressive price, there’s no arguing that smiles are going to be plentiful everywhere.

Thanks Joshua!

source: T-Mobile via mydaily-gadget & TmoNews

New markets are being graced with Verizon's 4G LTE presence starting on August 18

2011-07-26T23:53:00.001-07:00

Bringing along plenty of big smiles, news about Verizon’s intention to grace new markets with their 4G LTE presence will undoubtedly be greeted with open arms by customers. Additionally, it’ll give them a big reason to now pick up any of Verizon’s 4G LTE device offerings to take advantage of the peppy data speeds that come with the next-generation network.

Starting on August 18th, there are a bunch of new markets across the country gaining 4G LTE connectivity – these include Bakersfield, Salinas, and Monterey, Ca.; Collins, Co.; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Worcester, Mass.; Omaha, Neb.; Ithaca, N.Y.; Columbus, Ohio; Altoona and Johnstown, Pa.; and Provo/Orem, Utah. Moreover, Big Red is also planning on expanding their footprint in current markets that include MetroWest, Mass.; Nyack, West Nyack, Orangeburg, Pearl River, and Spring Valley, N.Y.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

So there you have it folks, it’s more of a reason why customers in these areas should plan ahead and think about scooping up any of their 4G LTE devices because we’re confident that they’ll be impressed by the results.

via Mobileburn

BBM integration is on board with the latest update for the BlackBerry Foursquare app

2011-07-26T23:51:00.001-07:00

To add support for BlackBerry Messenger, or not to add it, that’s the question being asked by the official Foursquare app for BlackBerry of late. In fact, a recent alpha version of the popular app was made available not too long ago offering support for it, but soon later after that an official update was rolled out omitting the feature.

Well, now the app has been updated yet again, but thankfully enough this time around, it’s sticking for good to appease long time handset users. Version 3.1 of the Foursquare app for BlackBerry is now available, and of course, the one major noteworthy item found with it is the useful integration of RIM’s popular messaging service – thus, making it much easier to send pertinent Foursquare information to friends.

Besides that, it’s hard to say what else is included with the latest update, but it wouldn’t surprise any of us to find some sort of bug fixes and enhances along for the ride as well.

source: RIM via CrackBerry

Samsung smartphone display to have 768 x 1280 resolution

2011-07-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

According to a Korean web site called MovePlayer, Samsung is working on a smartphone that is equipped with as display offering resolution of 768 x 1280 (WXGA). The handset is known only by its model number, which is SHV-120S. Not much is known about this phone except that it will run Android 2.3 and have a Qualcomm MSM8250 single-core 1GHz processor under the hood. The display handles 16 million colors. The information was discovered in a registration made to SK Telecom's T Store Developer Center. If Samsung uses this display on a 4.5 inch screen, the pixels per inch would come in at 332, topping the 326ppi reading of the Retina Display on the Apple iPhone 4.

One possibility is that the model is the Nexus Prime which would use the Ice Cream Sandwich build of the Android OS. That build does away with hardware buttons on the front of the phone, allowing for a larger sized screen. As we hear more about the SHV-120S, we will pass it on to you. After all, a display offering such high resolution will be easy to keep an eye on.

source: TStoreDeveloperCenter via electronista


This registration for a new Samsung Android device includes a 768 x 1280 resolution display

Toshiba Regza IS11T slider gets video preview

2011-07-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

Toshiba has not had a lot of success selling mobile devices outside of Japan, but the Thrive tablet may end up leading the way for more exports. The Toshiba Regza IS11T smartphone (which would no doubt get a name change if it makes it to the US or EU) could be one of the first Toshiba handsets to find some marketshare outside of Japan.

The phone looks fairly nice in a new video preview. The phone features a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard, a 4" VGA display, an "upgraded" 1.4 GHz Snapdragon CPU (no word on number of cores, but we'd hope the word "upgraded" means dual core), an 8 MP camera, and best of all, it ships with Android 2.3.4. Given that most phones receiving updates still only get to Android 2.3.3, it's nice to see a phone ship with 2.3.4. No word on if the phone has a front-facing camera to take advantage of the video chat in GTalk in 2.3.4, but at the end of the video Skype is launched for half a second. The UI overlay looks smooth for the most part as well.

What do you guys say? If this phone made it to your area, would you give it a shot?

source: DigInfo via Android Authority

Motorola XOOM finally getting LTE upgrade... in September

2011-07-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

The saga may almost be over for Motorola XOOM users waiting to upgrade their tablets to LTE. Originally, word had the upgrade process starting in the summer, and last month there were even e-mails sent out accidentally telling users about the upgrade process starting. And, a couple weeks ago, we saw what appeared to be a XOOM with built-in LTE pass through the FCC, but still no word about the upgrade process. Now, it looks like the process will begin in September.

Droid Life has come across a leaked Verizon memo which states that starting today XOOM users should receive an e-mail regarding the upgrades, which will begin in September, although no specific date is given. As always, the upgrade process will be free, and will require that users send in their XOOMs for the upgrade. Unfortunately, the memo also doesn't mention if Verizon & Motorola have figured out a way to shorten the reported 6 day turnover required to install the LTE radios.

We'll let you know if any more info comes through. Sound off in the comments if you got the e-mail about the upgrade!

source: Droid Life