Android Atlas - News, reviews, videos, and tips for Android - CNET

Best Android ICS smartphones (roundup)

Brian Bennett — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:52:04 PDT

In my view, smartphones are all about the future, and the best handsets are usually the ones with the wildest, slickest mobile technology. Sure, cutting-edge wireless computing rarely comes cheap, especially phones running Google's latest and greatest version of Android software, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Still it's good to have a dream, and right now I'm fantasizing big time about the best phones money can buy. As ICS handsets actually begin to hit the market, my once wistful wishing is slowly becoming reality.

Here's a group of my favorite top-notch devices so you can live the ICS dream, too.

HTC Evo 4G LTE (Sprint), May 9, 2012 Many said that no phone on earth could outdo the legendary Evo 4G, let alone a sequel. The new HTC Evo 4G LTE proves that the doubters were wrong, at least mostly. With killer good looks, a massive 4.7-inch screen, fast dual-core power, and Android ICS paired to HTC's revamped Sense 4 UI, this Evo has almost everything. If and when Sprint's 4G LTE service shows up, we may have a real winner on our hands.... [Read more]

What Google can do with Motorola

Roger Cheng — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:53:30 PDT

Will these be the last great Motorola phones? Probably not.

(Credit: CNET)

All eyes will be on Google, as it takes a sudden plunge into the hardware business, courtesy of Motorola.

The $12.5 billion deal, which closed today, netted Google a healthy stockpile of patents for legal defense and offense, along with a historic technology brand and a multibillion-dollar handset and TV set-top box business.

It's pretty obvious what Google will do with the patents, given the increasingly litigious environment in which the technology world finds itself. Motorola's last few years of losses also bring a clear tax benefit to Google in the near term. But what is less clear is just how the company will proceed with the actual business of Motorola.

"There are so many different things they can do, and I don't think Google quite knows yet," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner.

Google and Motorola declined to make an executive available to comment on their plans.

Well, that's where CNET comes in. The following are some of the options available to Google, as well as their likelihood and implications.

An independent Motorola This is a certainty for now, but it could fade as time goes on and plans change. For now, expect Google to keep... [Read more]

U.S. Cellular first carrier to curate Amazon Appstore for subscribers

Scott Webster — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:27:52 PDT

U.S. Cellular is the first carrier to handpick Amazon Appstore titles for customers.

Regional wireless provider U.S. Cellular has become the first carrier to offer its customers a list of curated apps from the Amazon Appstore. Announced today, these Android users will find a new menu greeting them when they launch the Amazon application.

Tapping the menu will result in a list of titles that have been handpicked by the carrier to provide a "practical and fun" experience. U.S. Cellular indicates that the selected apps will span multiple categories (games, business tools, and social media) and will be regularly updated.

While pre-installing the Amazon Appstore isn't new in itself, I've yet to see a service provider deliver a list of curated titles. Today's announcement is but the latest from U.S. Cellular that showcase the carrier's desire to impress its customers. This, along with other services such as Battery Swap and Rewards Program is why J.D. Power and Associates has chosen it as Customer Service Champion two years running. Frankly the bigger players in this space could learn a thing or two from U.S. Cellular.

Controlling your phone with motion

Kent German — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:00:00 PDT

Chad Lucien

(Credit: Hillcrest Labs)

Hillcrest Labs isn't a household name, but if you have a Roku 2 streaming player (and really, you should) the company has entered your home.

Based in Rockville, Md., Hillcrest developed the motion-sensing technology used in Roku's remote. So when you're flipping through menus or playing Angry Birds, Hillcrest is behind how it all works. Its first product in the motion space was the Loop controller, which it showed at CES 2007. After that, the company went on to license its technology to Sony and LG, develop the Kylo browser, and sue Nintendo over the Wii controller.

For the next year, however, Hillcrest is thinking smaller. And by that I mean right down to the mobile level. Two weeks ago at CTIA in... [Read more]

Verizon to add GSM roaming to four Android smartphones

Steven Musil — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:10:13 PDT

The Motorola Droid Razr is among four phones getting a SGM roaming update from Verizon.

(Credit: Verizon)

Verizon Wireless wants to be sure its customers pack one of its phones when they travel abroad this summer.

The carrier confirmed today that four of its Android-powered smartphones will soon get a software update that will allow them to operate on GSM networks -- the dominant global wireless technology and the standard in Europe. Verizon said GSM roaming would be activated on the Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, Droid 4, and HTC Rezound.

"Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device," the carrier said in a statement. "After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries."

All of the phones targeted for upgrade are 4G LTE capable and thus have SIM cards. That combination should also allow Verizon customers traveling overseas to swap out their U.S. SIM cards with local SIM cards for less expensive service than what Verizon will likely charge for international roaming.

Verizon preps four LTE Android phones for international travel

Jessica Dolcourt — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:10:30 PDT

Come summer, the 4G LTE-ready Motorola Droid Maxx will also be global-ready.

Wondering when you can take your Verizon Android phone overseas without hassle? The answer is soon.

Verizon just dropped us a line to say that it will be update the HTC Rezound, Motorola Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Droid 4 for global use.

Customers will receive a prompt to download a software update. With that in place, phone owners will be able to use Verizon's voice service overseas in more than 220 countries and use data in more than 205 countries, according to Verizon's latest numbers. Of course, they'll need to turn on a global plan or feature first.

[Read more]

T-Mobile won't join the shared data party

Scott Webster — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:50:38 PDT

T-Mobile's challenger strategy will extend to data options.

(Credit: T-Mobile)

Don't expect T-Mobile to follow Verizon and AT&T with shared data plans later this summer.

As the carrier sees it, not only do consumers not want them, but also shared options are "potentially confusing and expensive." A recent blog post from Senior VP of Marketing Andrew Sherrard advised that it will not be adopting the coming "one size fits all" model.

"Some of our competitors are backing away from simple, unlimited data and moving to family shared data plans," Sherrard wrote. "But would this approach actually deliver a better value to consumers? Do families really want to keep track of each others' data consumption? We don't think so."

Instead, the carrier will continue to offer traditional tiered plans for individuals plus the recently announced no-contract plans that provide up to 5GB of monthly data without commitment.

It will be interesting to see if T-Mobile holds on to this sentiment once Verizon and/or AT&T officially roll out their shared data plans... [Read more]

Virgin Mobile unveils $40 unlimited talk and text plan

Brian Bennett — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:53:49 PDT

(Credit: Virgin Mobile)

Not everyone craves a cutting-edge smartphone. For many, a simple device with which to make voice calls and send quick texts will do. Virgin Mobile's latest wireless plan directly targets this type of cell user.

Called PayLo, for $40 per month the service offers a bottomless bucket of voice minutes, messages including texts and e-mail, and 50MB of Web access. What's the catch, you ask? This compelling plan is only available on a select group of feature phones, including the $49.99 Samsung M575. The device is decidedly 3G, runs Samsung's proprietary software (sorry, no Android or iOS here), but does sport a slide-out keyboard.

Tawkon: The Android app that detects radiation spikes

Jaymar Cabebe — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:43:59 PDT

(Credit: Tawkon)

Buried deep in the pages of your cell phone manual is an often-ignored section on its Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which is the measure of the amount of radio frequency (RF) energy (radiation) absorbed by the body when using your handset. Every phone is measured and rated, and in the U.S. and Canada, the maximum allowable SAR for any handset is 1.6 watts per kilogram. For our database of current cell phone SAR ratings, be sure to check out our chart of cell phone radiation levels for specific phones.

What we don't know, though, is whether or not this radiation is actually harmful to humans. Some studies have linked these emissions to cancer, reduced sperm count, infertility, and other conditions. Meanwhile, there are a number of other studies that show no link at all.

Whatever you believe, Israeli startup Tawkon is banking that you won't want to take any chances either way. That's why the company developed the Tawkon app for Android, which predicts the level of radiation being output by your phone, and notifies you when you may be experiencing "high exposure." It doesn't say you're in danger, and doesn't otherwise try to scare you into changing your mobile habits; all it does is tell you whether you're experiencing high exposure or low exposure, so you can take action if you feel like it.

Samsung Galaxy S III edges closer to T-Mobile, AT&T

Brian Bennett — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:19:16 PDT

Samsung Galaxy S III is a looker

It's official, Samsung's next superphone is destined for T-Mobile and AT&T. At least, that's what industry interest group the Bluetooth SIG seems to think. Apparently the body has approved T-Mobile and AT&T flavors of the mighty Galaxy S III.

Phone blogs Gotta Be Mobile and Unwired View both report that the Samsung SGH-I747M and SGH-T999 model handsets received the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) green light. These devices, the SGH-I747M (expected to hit AT&T) and SGH-T999 (slated for T-Mobile), appear to be variants of the Galaxy S III and will feature the latest version of Bluetooth, version 4.0.

Add floating IM windows to your Android tablet

Nicole Cozma — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:53:37 PDT

(Credit: Tablified Apps)

Tired of switching between apps to talk to friends while using other apps or surfing the Web on your Android tablet? LilyPad HD seeks to solve that problem by making your instant message windows float above your other apps.

Instead of getting an alert for a new message in the notification area, you will see new messages as they appear in the IM window. It works just like GTalk or AIM would on your computer, except the windows are always on top unless you minimize or close them. At the present time, LilyPad HD only supports GTalk and Facebook Messenger, but they plan to add support for MSN, Skype, Yahoo, and AIM. Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Grab a copy of LilyPad HD for your Android tablet; the app is $1.99 for a limited time.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 2: Open the app and choose the type of account you'd like to add. GTalk and FB Messenger are your only choices at the moment.

Step 3: Enter your credentials and wait for the app to load your friend list.

LilyPad HD in action! Floating IM windows are awesome on Android.

(Credit: Screenshot by... [Read more]

Motorola clarifies Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule

Scott Webster — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:42:53 PDT

Good news for some Motorola users, terrible for others.

(Credit: Motorola)

At some point within the next four to six weeks, Motorola plans to deploy Android 4.0 to the Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Xoom 3G/4G LTE.

According to the company's recently updated owner's forum, the three models will see Ice Cream Sandwich by the second quarter of this year. Also, in the second half of the year, Motorola now expects to issue the update to the Droid Bionic, Droid 4, and Xyboard tablets.

It's not all good news, however, as Motorola indicated that the Droid X2 and Droid 3 will remain on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This has to sting quite a bit to those wh... [Read more]

HTC Evo 4G LTE shipments now delayed at Best Buy

Lance Whitney — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:52:13 PDT

Best Buy will only say that the HTC Evo 4G LTE is coming soon.

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Customers who pre-ordered HTC's Evo 4G LTE through Best Buy may have to wait a while for their phone to show up.

Best Buy has starting e-mailing customers to inform them that Sprint has changed the phone's release date. But the new date is as yet unknown, according to blog site Phandroid. As a result, the carrier can't even provide an estimate as to when the new Evo may ship.

Best Buy's order page for the phone simply indicates that it's "coming soon." Likewise, Sprint's page says that it's "out of stock" and "coming soon," but offered no other details.

The news will certainly disappoint many buyers of the phone, especially since Best Buy sent out notices yesterday promising that the ... [Read more]

Samsung grabs 9 million pre-orders for Galaxy S III

Lance Whitney — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:10:58 PDT

Samsung Galaxy S III is a looker

Samsung's Galaxy S III has scooped up 9 million pre-orders, Reuters said today, based on information from the Korean Economic Daily.

Already finding a home among more than 100 global carriers, the Galaxy S III will debut in Germany on May 29 and then expand around the world. Citing an "unidentified Samsung official," the Korean news outlet said that Samung's South Korean factory was operating at full capacity to produce 5 million units of the new phone per month.

Samsung declined to comment on the report to Reuters. CNET also contacted Samsung for comment and will update the story when we get more information.

Best Buy: Evo 4G LTE set to ship May 23

Scott Webster — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:31:57 PDT

A five-day delay isn't the worst thing in the world.

(Credit: AndroidCentral)

Sprint fans rejoice, for it appears the Evo 4G LTE won't be held at the border for all that long

According to an e-mail sent on behalf of Best Buy, the Sprint smartphone now has a release date of May 23, less than a week after its initial target date of May 18. AndroidCentral is reporting that both its forums and e-mail inbox "lit up" with news of the e-mail, and that things seem legitimate at first blush.

Best Buy was one of the first retailers to offer preorders of the HTC Evo 4G LTE, so it stands to reason that it might have an inside scoop on the new launch date. And, factoring in two days for the weekend, a three-day delay doesn't seem all that bad.

Should this new date prove to be accurate, we might look for Sprint or HTC to issue a formal announcement in short order. The quicker they can communicate the details to consumers, the more likely they will be to keep them from switching phones or carriers.

Sprint's new HTC Evo 4G LTE

[Read more]

T-Mobile tempts with no-contract mobile broadband

Brian Bennett — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:36:39 PDT

(Credit: JLong/CNET)

Having fast 4G access wherever you roam has a particularly sweet and succulent taste all its own. Committing to an onerous monthly contract, though, is a bitter pill to swallow. T-Mobile, with its new prepaid data plans, thinks it has an attractive alternative.

The carrier announced today that it will sell what it calls Mobile Broadband Service Passes, which start at $15 per week (300MB) and run the gamut from a 1.5GB data bucket ($25 per month) all the way up to a full 5GB for $50 monthly fee. Notably, you can pay up-front for these passes without having to enter a binding monthly contract.

HTC Ville C tipped as lower-powered, cheaper One S

Scott Webster — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:50:02 PDT

The HTC Ville S is not all that different from the One S.

(Credit: BriefMobile)

Less than one day after HTC announced its Desire C for U.K. consumers, yet another "quietly brilliant" smartphone has landed on our radar.

BriefMobile obtained details of a handset with the code name of Ville C, which appears to be a cheaper, albeit lower-powered HTC One S.

Hardware details are nearly identical to the One S and include a 4.3 qHD AMOLED display, 16GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, and a 8-megapixel camera. The processor, however, is expected to be a Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S3 instead of the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chipset. Though the image suggests a 1.7GHz CPU, the source advises it will be clocked at 1.2GHz.

Another difference with the Ville C is that it will come with Android 4.0 and HTC Sense 4.5 user interface. As you may recall, HTC only introduced the 4.0 version of its user interface back in February when it ... [Read more]

Evernote for Android gets a sexy makeover

Rick Broida — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:07:58 PDT

The latest version of Evernote for Android brings some much-needed improvements to the interface.

(Credit: Evernote)

Much as I have mad love for Evernote, I've always found its apps to be a little, well, challenged in the usability department. Not much to look at, either.

With the newly released Evernote 4.0 for Android, all that changes. And as an iPhone user, I've rarely been more jealous.

The update brings a completely new look to the smartphone version of the app, starting with a beautifully overhauled home screen. It not only provides one-tap icons for creating a new note, snapshot, recording, or attachment, but also gives you quick access to your existing notes, notebooks, tags, and places. It's a simple, effective, attractive design.

Navigation has been improved as well: you can now swipe from the home screen to your note list and back again -- a fine improvement over the previous back-button method. Also, you can swipe between notebook, tag, and place views, another welcome tweak.

Evernote's redesigned note list is a little cleaner, with a smarter, easier-to-"figger" toolbar, but I miss the high-contrast section headers. Now everything just sort of blends together. That's one change I coul... [Read more]

Apple wants to squelch five Google patents issued to HTC

Lance Whitney — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:33:41 PDT

Apple has fired another shot at HTC in its patent wars with the Taiwanese mobile phone maker.

A motion filed by Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission is seeking to throw out five patents HTC received from Google last year.

Part of an ITC document discovered online by Foss Patents' Florian Mueller said that Apple is calling for a partial termination of the investigation with respect to the patents due to lack of standing.

Translating the legalese into English, that means Apple believes HTC has no right to file a lawsuit or an ITC complaint over the patents in question.

The five patents relate to wireless technology and are part of a second ITC complaint issued by HTC against Apple last September. HTC also filed a federal lawsuit at the same time, accusing Apple of violating those same patents.

The new ITC motion filed by Apple is still confidential, so further details were unavailable.

But Mueller cited two possible reasons behind Apple's thinking. First, HTC bought the patents from Google just a week before it filed the ITC complaint, so the timing raises a red flag. Second, HTC may be seen as a "proxy" filing the complaint on behalf ... [Read more]

Samsung top cell phone maker, though Apple's no slouch

Lance Whitney — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:50:52 PDT

Samsung's Galaxy S II

(Credit: Samsung)

Samsung has been crowned the king of mobile phones by yet another research firm.

The Korean handset maker sold 86.6 million mobile phones in the first quarter, according to the latest stats from Gartner -- a 25.9 percent jump from the year-ago quarter. That gave Samsung a 20.7 percent share of the market and helped it win back the top spot for smartphone sales from Apple.

Samsung sold 38 million smartphones last quarter, accounting for more than 40 percent of all Android phones around the world. That figure was by far in the lead since no another Android vendor captured more than 10 percent of the market.

Second-place Nokia gave up its almost 15-year lock as the leading mobile phone vendor to Samsung.

The Finnish phone maker grabbed a mobile phone market share of 19.8 percent last quarter, according to Gartner. Nokia's handset sales dropped to 83.2 million, a 22.7 percent decline from last year's first quarter. The company has seen its sales and market share plummet as more consumers have gravitated to smartphones.

"Smartphone sales are becoming of paramount importance at a worldwide level," Gartner principal research analyst Anshul Gupta said in a statement. "For example, smartphone volumes contributed to approximately 43.9 percent of overall sales for Samsung as opposed to 16 percent for Nokia."

Apple took third ... [Read more]

Android Atlas - News, reviews, videos, and tips for Android - CNET

Best Android ICS smartphones (roundup)

What Google can do with Motorola

U.S. Cellular first carrier to curate Amazon Appstore for subscribers

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Controlling your phone with motion

Verizon to add GSM roaming to four Android smartphones

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Verizon preps four LTE Android phones for international travel

T-Mobile won't join the shared data party

Virgin Mobile unveils $40 unlimited talk and text plan

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Tawkon: The Android app that detects radiation spikes

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Samsung Galaxy S III edges closer to T-Mobile, AT&T

Samsung Galaxy S III is a looker

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Add floating IM windows to your Android tablet

Motorola clarifies Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule

HTC Evo 4G LTE shipments now delayed at Best Buy

Samsung grabs 9 million pre-orders for Galaxy S III

Samsung Galaxy S III is a looker

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Best Buy: Evo 4G LTE set to ship May 23

Sprint's new HTC Evo 4G LTE

T-Mobile tempts with no-contract mobile broadband

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HTC Ville C tipped as lower-powered, cheaper One S

Evernote for Android gets a sexy makeover

Apple wants to squelch five Google patents issued to HTC

Samsung top cell phone maker, though Apple's no slouch