Android in Canada Blog

HTC One S now available to Canadians

Ryan Moore — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:27:49 +0000

…and luckily we don’t seem to be having the issue that the US is having with the ITC holding shipments up. I was assured today by HTC’s representatives that there are lots in stock.

And with the One S now available, users have the availability of the full One range line up.

This is a screen shot of a portion of our database

Now, there’s no one carrier that has all three, but there is a good cross section of availability.

Remember if you want to compare phones, we have a full database available for viewing, which has specifications in a separate tab located here.

How does the One S stack up?

Not that much further behind the X version. So if you’re on Fido, you might have a tough call to make on which to get, whereas it’s easier to decide on the others.

Here’s HTC’s press release on today’s availability.

HTC One S now available in Canada

HTC’s Thinnest Smartphone Delivers an Amazing Camera, Authentic Sound and Iconic Design

TORONTO, May 17, 2012 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced the highly anticipated HTC One™ S smartphone is now available on Bell, TELUS, Fido, Virgin Mobile nationwide, and is coming soon to SaskTel. The HTC One S debuts in Canada as HTC’s thinnest smartphone featuring the amazing camera, authentic sound and iconic design experience of the new HTC One series of smartphones.

“Our research has shown that consumers want thinner phones without compromising on their smartphone experience,” said Rick Babington, executive director, HTC Canada. “We brought this request to life with the HTC One S, designed for people who want a high-end smartphone in a more compact size. With a stunningly sleek design that doesn’t compromise performance, the HTC One S is the perfect blend of the latest technology, focused on creating a better consumer experience.”

The HTC One S integrates Android™ 4.0 (ICS) with HTC Sense™ 4, the new version of HTC’s branded user experience with HTC ImageSense™, with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, the sensor, the software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. These enhancements combine to deliver HTC’s fastest image capture, best image quality under adverse conditions and easiest interface that enables quick access to capturing stills and videos with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons. Consumers have quick access to their cameras from their home screens and a super-fast auto focus with continuous shooting to take nearly unlimited continuous photos simply by holding the shutter button. The HTC One S also includes HTC Video Pic™ to shoot HD video and still photos at the same time, and can even capture a photo from a previously recorded video.

The audio experience is richer on HTC One S with Beats Audio™ integration enabled across the entire device for richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube™ video or playing a game. People today no longer just listen to the songs stored on their phones. They use streaming services and tune into Internet radio, so HTC One S provides a customizable Music application to house their favorite services and music applications, giving one place to go for all their music. The HTC Car Stereo Clip* also provides an easy way to bring mobile music to your car’s sound system. Consumers can connect to their music through thousands of online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app on their phone through their car speakers. The convenient Media Link HD* accessory offers easy sharing of content stored on the HTC One S to any TV with an HDMI connection.

Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 processor, the smartphone features a 4.3-inch qHD screen and brings HTC’s innovative metal unibody styling to a new thin 7.9-mm design. The HTC One S sports a finish that breaks new ground in mobile phone innovation, taking anodizing to a new level with a patented process that creates a light-to-dark gradient fade that looks gorgeous and sophisticated.

Availability

The HTC One S is now available in Canada from Bell, Fido, TELUS and Virgin Mobile. For additional information, please visit htc.com.

To take a closer look at the HTC One S, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZZzn4EPN9Q

* HTC Car Stereo Clip and the Media Link HD are sold separately.

About HTC Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense™, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit htc.com.

HTC One S now available to Canadians is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Xoom users finally get ICE’d [ICS update now available in Canada]

Ryan Moore — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:13:30 +0000

Finally… it takes Tom selling his Xoom off before it came out. It was a few months back now that the Xoom updated for the US versions to ICS, but officially the update is now available for us north of the 49th.

So check for that update [MENU / SETTINGS / ABOUT DEVICE / SYSTEM UPDATE]

For those of you who have been following, you know what ICS will bring, but just in case, click the graphic above to see Motorola’s Press Release.

Happy updating!

Xoom users finally get ICE’d [ICS update now available in Canada] is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

iFrogz Accessories reviewed [Boost, Headphones & Pen]

Ryan Moore — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:01:19 +0000

So, in conjunction with the poll I just did about what accessories you use, I wanted to let you know that I got some items the other day and I’ve been putting them through their paces. And I’m quite impressed overall.

Ear Pollution – LEGION

- jet engine design, angled speaker

- good, the pressure against the ear canal a little much, but would get better over time

- handles deep bass without having to have ‘pops’… can get a little tinny as you boost more trebles

- has an overal thin sound to it, but not overly noticeable

Response: 20 - 20k | Sensitivity: 95db

Not a bad set of headphones, definitely pick up if you’re buying other items from the shop, but otherwise the ones your phone came with are just as good (and come with the mic option most likely)

Ear Pollution – CS40S (with mic)

- AWESOME — really can’t say enough about it

- soft pads (AeroFoam) maintain good cushion without a lot of pressure, meaning they stay on your ears, and you soon thereafter forget they’re on

- engrossing sound, in a sense that I watched a movie on my tablet and literally ‘zoned out’ watching it, not hearing my phone ring that was right next to me.

- excellent reproduction, full rich sound from low lows to highs

- mic button works for playback too

Response: 20 – 20k

Sensitivity: 116db (really good)

Tablet Pen

- very good, not much issue with straight lines; some larger circles do end up with some ‘edging’ (looking more like a decagon instead of a pure circle)

- takes some ‘adjusting’ to get used to where the ‘tip’ is and how much pressure is needed (you need to get the nub to squish a bit)

The line they have on their site says:

Once you use our Stylus once, you may never go back to the finger again.

It’s true!

BOOST

- solid build feel… nice texture

- not LOUD, but definitely loud enough (2x2W) and an absolute instant WOW factor over how it works

- can get you a little obsessive over ‘where’ the phone’s put

- either 3AA batteries (getting you 15 hours of play time, 6 months of standby) or microUSB connector (which we’ve all got several laying around).

===============

Thanks to iFrogz and OrangePR for arranging me to try some of these out. Check out the links on their sites for full pricing and availability.

From what I’m seeing of our poll thus far, a lot of you are saying audio is one of the first accessories you purchase. Check these out!

===============

Oh, and I have an extra BOOST to give away… who wants it? Tweet us, G+ circle, Facebook post or comment below. Standard rules of you must be have a Canadian address, etc…

Let’s see who reads all the way to the bottom!

Oh, and we’ll draw the giveaway on Monday morning… hopefully that’ll cheer up somebody’s Monday morning blahs.

iFrogz Accessories reviewed [Boost, Headphones & Pen] is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Accessories… what do you grab? [poll]

Ryan Moore — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:49:15 +0000

So we love our phones, we obsess over which ones to buy, which features they have etc… and then we get it and love it.

But, how do we show love to our phones? What do we offer them?

Tom’s a big accessory guy and has a lot of doo-dads for his devices, whereas I tend to be a little more particular about what I get for mine.

When I first started writing for this blog, I wrote an article about ‘what accessories I use‘… (over a year ago now) it was a great article. Still relevant for most of it.

And part of why I love the Android ecosystem so much is that I can make MY phone MINE. So despite how it looks on the outside, turning the device on I know it’s my device. With iOS or WP they tend to look EXTREMELY similar from user to user because of the limitations of what the OS allows you to do.

Well, one we can customize our phone to us is not just the way it’s laid out, or the theme we have, but also with it’s accessories.

As with any smartphone there’s a huge 3rd party market for just that scenario. Cases, batteries, headphones, screen protectors, car kits, etc… One of our blog friends, Android Central, found enough stock to make their own store, which has a Canadian equivalent now too.

So, I’m asking you… what’s the accessories YOU MUST have for your device?

When you pick up the phone, do you pick up the accessory at the same time, or do you buy them as you happen to come across them? Do you hunt online?

Here’s my poll for you:

I would like to know 2 types of accessories that you must have for your phone. Then give me a bit of insight into WHY that item, or which brand.

Last question is just an insight into where you buy, and/or when.

Form link: http://goo.gl/mC5oq

Accessories… what do you grab? [poll] is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Google Music Limiting 10 Devices Per Account (Updated)

Tom Gray — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:14:26 +0000

Update: It seems Google has fixed this oversite and removed the limitations. Thanks Julien D. for bringing this to my attention and my friends on Google+ for confirming it.

People have been going nuts about this on the XDA forums as well as Google+. I know most people think Google Music is a U.S only service, but with a little know how, we Canadians can use it too.

My partner Ryan Moore posted a while back how to get this done. Though the guide is a bit dated now, it should still work.

How to Get and Use Google Music in Canada

Apparently Google has slapped a limit of 10 device activations on your Google Music account, seems pretty reasonable right? For the common person it works just fine, but for the rooters and rom flashers this is a nightmare. Every time you flash a new rom, reload all your applications including Google Music, that’s another activation. Let’s say you don’t like that new rom and switch back to your old one, now you’ve already used 3 of 10.

No worries, I’ll just deactivate my previous devices: Wait a minute… Google has also placed a 4 deactivation limit per year. now we’re up to a total of 14 activations, but I can tell you as a fellow rooter and rom flasher, 14 won’t last long. Flashing roms becomes an addiction, you’re always chasing that perfect rom. I’ve only had my Galaxy Note N7000 for around two months and I’m way over 10 activations.

People are starting to find this out the hard way and are faced with this error.

Obviously not being able to remove old devices means not being able to add new ones. A couple people over at XDA even went as far as to make a new account just to get all their music back in action again. That’s a pretty hard punishment. If you’ve never loaded music on the Google’s server, It’s painfully slow.

Seeing situations like this makes me happy I believe in local storage for all my music needs. I’ll save the Cloud for my pictures.

Google Music Limiting 10 Devices Per Account (Updated) is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Malicious Malware Spreads to More Android Apps

Tom Gray — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:11:21 +0000

I’ve talked about this a few times last years, and as the threat grows larger I’m here to pass this warning off to you once again.

Malicious Malware have been popping up in a couple of apps over time, as Android grew and became a key player in the mobile universe, they gained much more attention from excited users, down to the people who intend to do harm to those users. This isn’t just Android who suffers from stuff like this, even our rival iPhone has their own issues as we do.

In most cases malicious malware inside applications comes from apps you really shouldn’t be downloading anyway, (That secret porn app you hide, yes… we all see it…). As well as off market downloads.

Three interesting malware packages found in the last year include:

FakeToken.A, a Trojan that pretends to be a token generator for mobile banking. The malware works by impersonating a valid token generator but, in fact, only issues random numbers while in the background sending the username and password for the mobile banking to a command and control server.
Boxer.H, a new variant of the existing Boxer family, which pretends to be Google Play.
RootSmart.A, downloads an exploit to gain root privileges on the infected device. This in turn allows it to install more applications / malware. It also has a bot component that can receive commands from a remote server. These commands include malicious money making actions like sending premium rate SMS messages, and accessing pay-per-view videos.

Once again as I’ve said long ago. Common sense rules the day.

No, Don’t go and download an anti-virus app, they do nothing but chew up your battery life and take up system resources. your best defines is common sense. Stick to the Google Play Store (Android Market) When all posible, most apps on there are checked by Google or flagged by users and quickly pulled off if harmful.

Avoid off market downloads. This means try to avoid download apps from social media postings, forums, and random links you may find floating around the internet. APK files are just like ZIP files, anyone can put anything inside them.

If you’re going to download off market apps, confirm your source is authentic and trusted. I know it’s a hassel when you really want that app not available on the Google Play Store, but is it really worth having someone spy on your phone calls, those late night text messages so your secret sweetie, or someone leaking that photoshopped photo of your boss with a donkey head on him at work?

Privacy is something that’s very hard to keep in todays time, but by giving a couple extra seconds to think about what we’re doing can go a long way.

[Source:AndroidAuthority]

Malicious Malware Spreads to More Android Apps is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Google Plans to Rollout Multiple Devices By Years End

Tom Gray — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:44:55 +0000

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is planning on allowing device manufactures early access to Google Android devices and the ability to sell directly to the customers. This of course would be cutting out the middle man, (Our carriers).

This would prevent our service providers from getting their grubby little fingers on our phones and loading them up with their branding and garbage apps. That’s just the start. Most importantly, we may not have to wait on our carriers to get our updates either. If we cut out our carriers from the deal, theoretically we should get our updates right from the manufacture of the device, thus reducing the 6+ month additional wait for updates while we watch our carriers drag their over paid feet.

The idea of direct sales outside of carrier influence is to take control of Android devices. Carriers are often reject full price buyouts in order to sell the phones in this unfair business method of selling products, trying to force customers and potential customers in to 3 year contracts. Carriers are also manipulating the software inside either taking away or adding their own flavour, ruining the experience the user was intending to get off the manufacturing line.

Cutting out the carrier will would most likely allow the device to be sold Unlocked, allowing users to come and go as they please.

This of course is nothing but stories and speculations at this point. If things follow through, what you read above could potentially become a reality by this years end.

Google Plans to Rollout Multiple Devices By Years End is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Asus Transformer TF101 updates build 9.2.1.24

Ryan Moore — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:07:27 +0000

I just got this notice this morning and had enough time to run the update and take a screenshot for everyone. Not enough time to put it through it’s paces.

Been doing some reading on what the .24 update will bring, rumour is face unlock, but I can’t confirm this. I know I was still getting some random reboots and boot lockups, so hopefully that’s gone away.

Now, I believe for some reason my tablet has a US sku, and not the WW like most other Canadian TF101s do… not sure how that happened. But let’s see if any other TF101 users get the update today too.

I am just happy to see that Asus keeps updated this “dinosaur” of a device. It’s well over a year old now. If this were my phone (specifically a Samsung), they’d have pointed me towards their 3 new models already released and 5 more on the horizon rather than continue to provide updates.

Keep rocking it Asus!

Asus Transformer TF101 updates build 9.2.1.24 is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

Telus puts its Android updates online for you to keep track of

Ryan Moore — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:00:48 +0000

So, with all the hub-bub of the new and latest phones out there, we tend to forget about the puppies we bought not that long ago and still need love and care. These older phones also need updates.

Good thing Telus believes so too, or at least they’re letting us know which phones are getting these updates and putting them on a permanent spot on their site.

http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/Software-Updates/android-updates-main.shtml (there’s a version for the other OS’s too, but who cares right?)

This is a pretty decent list!

Thorough!

It lists pretty much all of the phones on their network and which update the phone may need.

Kudos (not koodos!) to Telus for being very organized in this manner. It’s hard staying on top of which phones are getting what and when, and checking the manufacturers’ site doesn’t always give you the appropriate answer. After all, we do know that in the end it’s the carriers who hold the final step in releasing the update to your phone. And from what we’ve heard, it’s not only the final step in the process, but is in most cases the longest step in the process.

So, being able to get that kind of answer in one location from the horse’s mouth makes it very easy for us to keep track.

Now, if you excuse me, I’ll be double checking our “Androids getting ICS” spreadsheet we made to check these out. Maybe I should check out the phone list too…

Oh, remember, that database we made?

Google Docs Link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Avyni13YOyEzdDMzeGhzMjcwdFZJUEVBejNkdmJxMGc&output=html

Telus puts its Android updates online for you to keep track of is a post from: Android in Canada Blog

HTCs Cameras… are they that good?

Ryan Moore — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:00:50 +0000

A while back, I believe Tom had posed the question to everyone… is your phone replacing your camera?

I know the polls had said that most of you were still using a decent camera for your photography, same here, but I’ve found less and less that I use my ‘camera’ camera, and use my phone. Only in special occasions do I break out the camera bag and tripod. For the most part it’s ‘snapshots’. [I remember our "Circles of Confusion" photography club used to have huge arguments about the nomenclature use of the term 'photography' and 'taking photos']

Well, HTC has been touting its own horn with the release of these new One series phones with the excellent camera in them (I’ve yet to try one out, HTC hasn’t returned any of my calls for a demo unit, and I haven’t found time to go and pull the pin on my update). Even though, their first release of their shots weren’t really met with any great applaud (not many were that impressed by these shots).

Then there’s even the new commercials that they’re showing off with a photography student:

So they’re really playing it up. They’ve even released a ‘challenge’ for you to see if you can tell the difference between the camera-phone, and the camera shots.

http://blog.htc.com/best-camera-phone/

Give it a shot and see how you do (it’s not so obvious, even with you trying to side with them – I got 5/10!).

But is this marketing working? Are they really as good? What’s your thought?

HTCs Cameras… are they that good? is a post from: Android in Canada Blog